The world is about to change in unimaginable ways…
Earthquakes rock the planet, revealing massive metallic objects and vast subterranean graveyards. One such location is in the Arizona desert. Scientists believe this incredible discovery may hold answers to the origins of man, but when the site is suddenly shut down due to seismic activity, one researcher knows she must return. Assistant archaeologist Rebecca Duccati sneaks into the compound alone, and will have to dig deep to find clues in these strange underground caves and tunnels. The work is dangerous and frightening, but she feels a connection to this bizarre phenomenon that even she isn’t fully aware of yet.
FBI Special Agent Demzey knows nothing about archaeology; his specialty— anomalous crimes, the fringe edge of the aberrant and the unknown. Demzey is investigating a recent rash of vicious and brutal murders, the clues surrounding the killings both disturbing and inexplicable. He and his assistant Connie Wegman catch a break when they discover remains of two monstrous creatures unknown to science, believed to be a race of aliens responsible for attacks on humans across the globe.
With the death toll ticking ever higher, scientists and intelligence agencies on every continent search for the source of these vicious creatures, until the combined efforts of Duccati and Demzey begin to unravel the mystery, though what they uncover could spell the end for the human race.
This superior alien-archaeology thriller from Busch (author of The Baldwin Hotel) grabs from the start, with Georgia cops at a crime scene facing a creature with a “bladed appendage” and “unblinking lava-red eyes.” Then, just after the viscera lands, Busch hustles readers to a tantalizing discovery in the Arizona desert: the “Pit,” an abyss filled with ancient skeletons, not all of them human, and an Unidentified Metal Object so huge it seems impossible to excavate. As assistant archaeologist Rebecca Duccati risks her life to investigate the Pit, even after tremors leads the government to shut the site down, FBI Special Agents Zach Demzey and Connie Wegman track a series of similar killings across the country. While the press speculates, in a time of pandemic and protest, that the deaths must be connected to mad American killers or terrorists, Demzey begins to suspect a less likely culprit: some kind of shapeshifter.Meanwhile, what Duccati discovers in a possible alien library could reveal jolting truths about our planet and species. Despite its epic length, All Hope of Becoming Human surges along, boasting crisp prose, compelling characterization, and a wide variety of scenes and situations amid a tense backdrop of America boiling over toward catastrophe. Busch isn’t shy about his inspirations, but he often improves upon them, at times bringing a revisionist spirit to his classic paranoid suspense and horror scenes. That’s especially true of Demzey and Wegman’s X-Files-esque partnership (“We’re a very special branch of the FBI,” Demzey deadpans), which quickly builds to a touching connection—and also to delicious twists.
The ancient alien plotting is fun and occasionally mind-bending, though an MSNBC-style cable host’s interviews with (fictional) authors peddling Jung-flavored woo-woo fall somewhat awkwardly between parody and infodump. But Busch understands the pleasures of globe-trotting conspiratorial thrillers, writing killer scenes of investigation, exploration, revelation, and desperate escape. The monsters, eventually called Slayers, and the big secrets surprise, again and again, in a thrilling story where no character is safe.
Takeaway: Whip-smart thriller of alien archaeology and a world spinning out of control.
Comparable Titles: Michael Siemsen’s The Dig, Stephen Lloyd Jones’s The String Diaries.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
This is the best Sci Fi novel I've read for quite some time and there is a good dose of Horror in there as well for those of us who love that genre. It is a feat in itself to keep up the pace for almost the whole book, as it is around 400 pages. But it does just that, consistently compelling the reader to keep reading as each new frantic or surprising scenario plays out.
There is a background theme involving deeper thinking which will appeal to some readers, but in my case it was the action and suspense that won me over.
The clever character development produced characters who didn't always do what you expected. No cliché romances or perfect heroes here folks.I really enjoyed the element of mystery behind the reasons for the various happenings.
It's the sign of a good book when you've put it down and you're still working through one of the puzzles in your head.This is nothing like the author's previous Sci Fi novel as far as content goes, but both books are eye opening and engrossing.
I am not really a sci-fi reader but the thriller-horror got me. I was so vested on what the character would do next and I actually love how Lonnie Busch kept the book to the two genres and built the storyline from there. The book made me wonder the what-ifs and whys! I hate pondering but there are so many realities parallel to our lives that this book actually hits many spots. Scary times but one well-written eye-opening book!
Truly a magnificent, terrifying read. A book you'll be recommending as you're reading, right through the end.
This book is well-constructed. It contains an interesting mix of science fiction and commentary on real-life, contemporary issues. It has a fascinating storyline, realistic settings, and believable characters. I love the way the author blends description and action. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is that I was a bit put off by the profanity.
