I am a hopeless junkie when it comes to sci-fi/thrillers about augmented humans. I jump right on stories about undercover government operations that mistakenly believe that because they CAN scientifically create an augmented, stronger, more violent person that they SHOULD. I get sucked right into the story....and even find myself talking back to the book "Oh...now that's such a good idea'' or "I wouldn't go in there looking for the violent, superstrong, angry escapee if I were you....''

The Dark Continent is the first book I've read by Scott Reardon....and I will definitely be coming back for more. Not only did his story have me talking to the book....but it was a total binge read for me! Loved it! I could definitely see this book as a film....I would definitely watch it!

Although the concept of Project Prometheus has been done before in books and on film, Reardon creates a really gripping story. The Dark Continent is well-written and definitely an exciting read. I couldn't put it down! There is another book -- The Prometheus Man -- that is technically the first book in the series. But, the stories are independent of each other and do not need to be read in order.

I will be reading The Prometheus Man next, and I look forward to more from this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Aspen Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Personal taste this book is a 2-3 star, but I'd recommend it as a 3-4 star if you're into action novels. Normally I enjoy dark and gory tales as I read mostly horror and thrillers, but this book did very little for me. Perhaps it has a good ending, but I'll never know because I DNFed it.

While I did not read the first book, it was pointed out that you could enter this book without having to read the first book. I took chances on that.

While the book had an interesting idea, to me it never got there, and I was looking for more or less a reluctant buddy / cop type story. Which, it was, it wasn't written to the standards I was looking for.

I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read it, though.

I didn't realize this was a second in a series and thought I'd be completely lost, but it didn't seem to matter. Not normally the type of book I read and probably a bit more gruesome than I care for but I did end up enjoying it quite a bit! i may at some point seek out the first even

I am not sure how I feel about this book. It kept me interested, but it gave me nightmares. The utter depravity of the “subjects” was extremely disturbing. While it was not overly descriptive, there was enough description for my mind to fill in details I didn’t want to think about. If you like horror, I think you would like it. It was just too much for me

This book slowly built up the tensions, ala aJurassic Park, when you get to know the Characters a bit before all hell breaks loose. In this case the dinosaurs are genetically reengineered humans- who were psychopathic mass murders before their “treatment” to make them in to superhumans. Seems the govt thought experimenting on them was less risk than “regular” people. They are sequestered on an abandoned oil rig miles off the coast of Sitka Alaska. They cannot get of the rig.... until they do. The rest of the book was difficult for me to read ( in March 2020) - as the escapes rein terror on the US, and things keep getting worse.. Wont give any spoilers but the end wraps up nicely but there is room for a sequel.

The Dark Continent starts on a mystery, following an enigmatic young man, Tom, as he tries to remain anonymous. What follows is the unravelling of a terrifying, undercover experiment to weaponise and augment serial killers, turning them into CIA operatives. Inevitably, this goes wrong and an ensemble cast of characters, including Tom, try to stop the gang of murderers intent on bringing America to its knees.
The novel is a non-stop whirlwind of mayhem and violence. This is apocalyptic horror with little filter and the nihilism of the protagonist at its heart is terrifying. A gripping, relentless read.

I tried to enjoy this for as long as I could but at some point it just became an alpha-male testosterone-fuled revenge porn slog. Nothing quite like coming across the use of the word "gender" scare quotes to make a trans person feel welcome. Between that and the trope-filled vaguely racist plot, this is definitely not a series I would waste any more time on.

When I finished this book I put it down and felt a weird sense of relief because the book was over (I was really struggling to push through) and also a feeling of connecting to one of the characters (Tom). I felt overall that I did not connect with any of the characters, but for some reason, Tom left a lingering effect on my feelings. He was different in a good way. He made the book bearable for me.

The story line was super interesting. I really liked the idea of the story. It was totally James Bond-esque. I enjoyed the action in the story - my only complaint was that... It was like READING James Bond movie... It was like putting all the action and craziness of a high paced action movie into words. All those scenes in a movie that set the stage and use no words but viewers know whats going on... yeah, the book was missing that part. It was just going through all the action parts quickly without much in between. It was hard to read because of that. It was too much!

I feel like the characters were okay but really just okay. There were 3 main groups of characters. First, there is Karl and Tom. They are the main focus of the book. Karl is some government undercover worker guy (not too sure his title). He is likable and I found I hoped for the best when it came to Karl. Tom is just a super normal guy with super human abilities. Tom was tested on by the government and was basically made into this super human. A lot of bad stuff happens to Tom throughout the book and all the while he is just trying to normal and not evil like they want him to be. I think that is why I liked him so much

Second, there is Dr. Azamor. She is a psychiatrist that is essentially made to work with all the crazy "subjects" who are death row inmates made into super human creatures/soldiers. I enjoyed Dr. Azamor. She is pretty normal and has realistic reactions and thoughts to everything going on. She made the entire first half of the book for me. I wish there was more about her in the second half. She kind of just drop off the face of the Earth and I don't know what happened to her. Sad :(

Finally, the "subjects." As mentioned above these are death row inmates who are not invincible super humans. They are mean, scary, cruel, horrible beings. If being horrible criminals isn't enough, they are now almost unstoppable and have so much rage and desire to destroy the world, it is just terrifying. As expected, the subjects escape where they are being held and then basically ruin the world on their rampage. About 75% of the book focuses on this terror and it has really gruesome moments. It was hard to read at times. It was also kind of sad. Like I said before, the book was like action all the time without much else. So the horror did not really stop from start to finish. It was a lot to read.

Overall writing and readability of the book - it was okay. The writing was decent. I didn't mind it at all. It was easy enough to read and understand. The chapters were quite short, like most of them were 3 to 4 pages. Only a few long chapters. I liked that! The chapters also flipped between characters which slowed the story down a little bit. I did find that there were some parts that dragged on and others that went by so quickly that if you missed a word or accidentally skipped a line you were lost. I did not like that aspect of it.

I just feel mixed on this. I feel like there were parts that I enjoyed and felt were well done but then there were so many parts that were too fast paced and not detailed enough/ too detailed. I also found out that this is the second book in a series, however, everyone said the series does not need to be read in order. I agree with that as there was really nothing being referenced so that's not a problem!

This is a walking dead type of book, in my opinion. Lots and lots of core and killing. If that is your thing, this is your book! Thanks Netgalley for this arc copy.

Unhinged spy/conspiracy thriller that is roiling with clichés, unconvincing world building and odd writing choices.

To call this thriller fast-paced is an understatement. It is so quick, hardly any time is spent on establishing the many locales it jumps through. Character development is largely unnecessary, because the author clearly seems largely uninterested in his own characters.

The whole gory adventure feels unreal and unbelievable, and therefore is missing any sense of danger.

And the writing frequently is just.. odd. Weird turns of phrases, metaphors that may seem logical to the author but are just strange.

This one is clearly not for me.

NOTE: Original review first published on thecyberbard.com

“You could follow your bliss to the ends of North America. And at the end, you might have found none of what you initially sought. But the search was still worth it - because you'd tried. And when you did that, you often found something else instead. That was America to Karl. It was all the wonderful, disappointing things that happened when you rode in the sunset, chasing your dreams but never quite reaching them. And the place wasn't perfect. In fact it has always been kind of a giant shitting mess, but free people had existed here for two hundred years - at times, the only free people in the world.”

Synopsis: Off the coast of Alaska on a seemingly-abandoned oil rig, a rogue CIA operation threatens to open Pandora's Box. Researchers have unlocked the secrets to modifying the human body, and have tested it on a group of highly dangerous death-row inmates. When an unexpected incident leads to their escape, they throw the entire United States into chaos. Tom Reese, the only former test subject to properly handle the changes, and Karl Lyons, a CIA troubleshooter, are the only ones with the ability to salvage the situation... but will they be enough to stop a small army of psychotic supermen?

Hello fellow readers! I'll start by addressing the elephant in the room (in the room, out of the room, pretty much everywhere...): these are scary times. There is a lot of uncertainty right now about what is happening with the current pandemic. That said: let's not panic. This is a time for us to band together (at a socially acceptable distance of course) and take care of each other and our communities. The governments of the world are not going to save us; we need to take care of ourselves. It was definitely surreal to read this novel in such times... I will preface the review by stating quite clearly that I have looked at the text quite objectively, and have not allowed the subject matter and current world events to impact how I feel about it. On to the review!

While this is a direct sequel to Reardon's "The Prometheus Man", there is absolutely no need to read Book 1 before starting The Dark Continent. Reardon does a spectacular job of introducing characters in a concise yet powerful way. This allows Reardon to leap directly into the narrative, which benefits greatly from the driving pace which is set. Take note, authors! The "show, don't tell" approach works wonders here. Our primary protagonists, Tom and Karl, are interesting fellows. There exists an endearing and implicit sort of father-son relationship between them: Karl is the voice of experience, world-weary, wise, cynical and hopeful all at once; Tom, meanwhile, is a youth set adrift, trying to understand his place in a world that seeks to crush him and yet is simultaneously unprepared for what he has to offer. Tom's "powers" are a fitting metaphor for the Millennial experience (in my opinion, at least). While they definitely mimic certain tropes, it isn't distracting or unpleasant and both are likable characters.

The supporting cast doesn't quite hit the same notes for me unfortunately. The (arguably) third "primary protagonist", Dr. Azamor, is just far too... passive. I didn't describe her in the same paragraph as Tom and Karl because she simply does not feel like a complete person, which is somewhat disappointing. What I mean is that the good Doctor (who is a Psychiatrist) is more of a mirror than a complete person: she is used in almost every instance as either 1) a POV "plant" (i.e. she is on the oil rig purely to have a POV person to attach the narrative to), 2) a victim, or 3) a mirror to reflect others in. She is defined purely by loss (her child), and is used by the test subjects as a witness of sorts. Even her time on the oil rig seems to portray her as a sort of Gothic Heroine. Kronin (our antagonist), meanwhile, is a scheming, mustache-twirling, Hannibal Lecter stand-in seeking the total upheaval of America. While the character is interesting enough, I found myself completely unable to relate to such an individual. Contrary to Hannibal, a character with a profound distaste for those lacking in civility and manners, Kronin makes a mockery of civilized behavior; his mannerisms and speech are a thin veneer for his contempt towards all of Western society. He is an animal who has learned to speak, masking his savagery beneath a human guise. He is clearly some sort of genius, and is a superior physical specimen, and yet... the grand culmination of his plan is simply to break the system? Anarchy? A man of vision he is not.

The Dark Continent, to me, is like an Action movie. The plot is not enormously complex, nor are the characters, but there are readily-available archetypes to cling to. Here is your good guy, here is your bad guy. Here is the game of cat-and-mouse, and here is the inevitable climax. That said: I happen to ENJOY Action movies. You will not be able to put this book down. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this type of story, and there is a reason why this style of narrative is widespread: it is popular, accessible, and compelling. There is something to be said for a story of good guys busting up the bad guys and bringing order back to chaos. I would go so far as to say that in times like these, this is the type of story we NEED. It is good to immerse oneself in a narrative where horrible things happen but, in the end, we are left with a hope that things will right themselves, that humanity will pick itself up again, dust off the filth, and take that next important step towards the sunrise. Reardon's effective use of this narrative template, along with his command of terse and commanding prose, make this a highly enjoyable story overall. Take your mind off of things for a while, and immerse yourself in this fast-paced adventure; Reardon's done a good job, and you won't regret the buy

Happy Reading!

This was somewhere between 3 and 3 1/2 stars for me. It was an interesting idea - scientifically created supermen/super soldiers but let's do the testing on sociopaths since their lives are already forfeit. How can that possibly go wrong? I didn't read the companion book and don't feel like I was missing anything but there might have been some additional character backstory or depth there. I did feel echos of Justin Cronin's The Passage series as well as Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's The Strain - similar 'end of the world as we know it' vibes with smart and powered antagonists. It was a fairly quick read, well written, and I only felt cheated in a few spots when I thought people could have circumvented a slew of bad outcomes with better choices. But different choices is what makes the world go round.

When I requested, and was granted the book through Netgalley, I did not realize it was the second book of a series, but turned out not to be a problem at all. Now let me just say that it was a bad choice on my part to read this book just before bed, since it contained some really gross scenes and blood and guts were aplenty, which usually is not a problem for me, but at the present time I should have picked a different book. The storyline was interesting and the book moved at a good pace, but I really wanted to know more about some of the main characters and the ending felt rushed. It certainly left the door open for another book. Overall an entertaining read, but I am not sure I want to go along for any future books in the series.

A decent read for fans of action packed books, one of which I am not. While I enjoyed the experimental part of this book I wish it went into more detail. When I read the blurb I thought it would be more of a horror science fiction book, but it read more like an action novel.

All in all it was well done, but just not for me.

I picked this up despite not having read book 1. I'm happy to tell you that missing the first book didn't hamper my enjoyment of this one. The author does a terrific job of throwing you right into the story.

And what a story it is!

This is dark, violent, and truly apocalyptic (with everything that means).

You'll likely read this one at breakneck speed.

You may find that it feels a bit like the first part of the book is one genre (thriller) and the 2nd part is pure apoca-fic, but once it transitions, you'll be right back into the swing of things.

A very entertaining read!

Woah, this book was fantastic. The story line was unique. The writing was superb. I couldn’t put it down from the very first page! It was thrilling and intense, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A "just because we can do something doesn't mean we should" thriller that grabs hold of you and doesn't let go. Probably not one of the best choices of books to read during a pandemic and the inherent fears that go along with one, but I could not put it down. From the get-go I was deeply invested in Karl and Tom, and Kronin has to be one of the scariest fiction characters since Cormac McCarthy's Chigurh. Reardon has crafted an engaging, suspenseful story that should make one think while being entertained.

This was a pretty interesting book. I was a little lost as far as to what was being done to the men undergoing the experiment because I didn't read the first book. There was apparently a ton of side effects that the convicts in this book weren't exactly experiencing. There was also a ton of mystery surrounding the leader of the convicts that never did really get solved or explained. Otherwise, the plot moved along at a fairly good place though there were a few points that were a little predictable. I would have liked to get some more backgound on what happend in the first book just to help set the sceen a little morel,

Fast paced and gory, with an interesting premise, a good sense of place, and neat characters. Would recommend for horror fans, science fiction fans, or those with a taste for the apocalypse.