A dark, cinematic horror novel of exactly the right length for its breakneck pace with tons of action and intelligent takes on tropes like amnesia, plague, and zombies. Reviewed for No Page Unturned review podcast--full review at link.

Eerie and enthralling, this book was a good read for me. Seven strangers waking up on a boat in the middle of the sea (?) with no knowledge of how they got there. Receiving instructions from a voice from their onboard computer sets them on a path to working together to solve the mystery of their presence there.

This book will grip you and you will be hooked the whole time

Red River Seven is a fast paced dystopian novel that is a mystery, thriller, sci-fi, with horror elements all blended together to present quite the unique story.

Strangers wake up on a boat not knowing who they are or how they got there. When a phone rings on the boat telling them their mission, these strangers must work together to themselves, get the answers they crave, and serve a bigger purpose than they know.

This book is more on the plot-driven side and an action packed quick read. Overall, I really enjoyed my time reading this and it was very unique fresh take on the dystopian, post-apocalyptic setting that will stick with me for a long time! Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in which I am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Okay, so I really enjoyed this one! I haven’t exactly been in a reading “slump” but I’ve dragged through my last couple of reads after coming off of a horror bender. This sci-fi/military horror was exactly what I needed.

I’ve never read anything from this author but I was very impressed! I got The Mist vibes from this one, but quickly evolved into something else entirely.

Without giving too much away, check this one out if you like scifi, horror, The Mist, biological horror, and endings that make you think.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC of this title!**

Seven people wake up on a boat. Their memories have been selectively erased. They don’t know anything about their personal lives, but they have retained their special skills - science, history, military, detection, etc. Eventually, a disembodied voice on a phone starts to instruct them to carry out various missions, but the voice never provides more information than they need at that moment.

I liked the initial premise of the book, but I was disappointed when it devolved into a tired trope. The descriptions of the adversaries were kind of neat though. The protagonists not only had no names, they also had no real personalities beyond their job descriptions. I did like the end of the book. I have never seen this particular problem addressed in the way it was on the final pages. I also liked that this book was very short.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

My first Anthony Ryan book, and a good one. To reveal too much of the plot would be a spoiler, so I recommend going into this one completely blind for the full revelatory experience.

RR7 is a taut mystery and fast-paced thriller that I devoured in just a few sessions. What sets this book apart from others of its kind is how the characters are developed and portrayed. Careful descriptions and reactions to each of the protagonists' personalities added a lot of layers to the story using just a few words. This kept the story from being a straightforward mystery-thriller, as my mind was constantly racing with possibilities of what might happen and why.

Seriously, don't read the back cover, go into it as blind as you can. You'll reap the biggest payoffs if you don't know what you're in for from the start.

Anthony Ryan is an author I've been tracking for years, though haven't read any of his popular fantasy stories yet. After Red River Seven, that's going to change.

4.5 / 5

RED RIVER SEVEN was, as they say in the biz, unputdownable.
Seven strangers on a boat in the middle of nowhere. No one remembers who they are or how they got there. Everyone possesses a gun.
This thrilling horror had me by the throat from the moment I read the first line, and if Netflix, Hulu, or HBO aren't volleying for the series rights, then I will be throwing my hat in the ring ASAP.

This was a fast paced and largely entertaining read.

I only felt like we got to know one of the characters and even that was surface level. I did get it - the characters don't remember much about who they are - but even their core personalities were kind of muted and I never really cared about any of them.

I did like the overall plot and some of the surprises the author had for us, but I felt the book ended with a whimper rather than a bang.

I would read the author again - I just needed a little more from this one.

Six people awake on a boat (there is actually a seventh, but he appears to have killed himself soon after waking), with no idea who they are or why they are on the boat together, all have shaved scalps with a scar from surgery and another around their kidney. Not long after a satellite phone rings and they are given instructions, the boat moves on its own, they have no control over direction, they soon figure out that they are on the River Thames in London, a thick reddish fog covers everything. As they progress down the river, they run into obstacles, at first bridges/other boats that have been destroyed block their path and they are tasked with creating a way through (by blowing up the debris to create a path). From their muscle memory they soon figure out what they must have been before their memory was removed, one fellow was a police detective, another a munitions expert, another a scientist. As they progress down the river, they are tasked with investigating a boat very similar to the one they are on, leading them to, correctly, determine they are not the first on this mission. They also learn more from the voice on the satellite phone about what they are going and why. This is a very fast read, not a lot of descriptive language, and when bad stuff happens, it's quite bad. Overall a very good book and I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Orbit Books for the ARC.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I enjoyed Red River Seven INCREDIBLY. It was such a thrilling blend of mystery, and post-apocalyptic terror that really engaged the reader the whole way though. I always think the premise of a group of random strangers that have no prior knowledge of each other being forced to depend on the morality of others they're not sure they can trust to be SUCH an interesting premise, as you never know if the group will all work together to do the right thing, or spiral horribly down a path. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Red River Seven has such an intriguing concept: Seven strangers wake up on a boat in mist-shrouded waters, with no memory of who they are and why they are there. They each have a gun, a scar on their shaved scalps, and the name of a different author tattooed on their inner wrist. Who are they, and why have they been chosen? What have they been chosen for? And who is behind the robotic voice on the satellite phone, directing them to coordinates for some unknown mission?

Red River Seven is one of those lean, mean, plot-driven novels that drops you right into the middle of the action, leaving you feeling as disoriented as the characters. A.J. Ryan's writing is propulsive and descriptive as he weaves this puzzle of a story, which combines elements of science fiction, thriller, and dystopian fiction. It's clever and unique, more than a little violent, and filled with disturbing imagery that will stick with me.

However, because the characters don't know who they are, it's hard for the reader to get to know them in any real or meaningful way. There is no emotional connection to the characters because they are essentially nothing more than stand-ins for a specific skill set that is required to complete their mission. Because of that, and because of the action-forward writing, I almost wonder if Red River Seven would work better as a movie or a video game. (There is definitely one element that reminded me of a popular video game, but I won't be specific to avoid spoilers. It was very cool though.) There are also some pacing issues and several aspects of the plot that don't make much sense if you think about them too hard.

I would recommend Red River Seven if you're looking for a fast-paced, sci-fi adjacent read or a different take on a hero's quest sort of story. Thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the complimentary reading opportunity.

I would describe this book as a fast-paced, action-packed read with a good helping of suspense and body horror. The plot of this book feels like a mix of The Borne Ultimatum and I Am Legend - the main characters don't know who they are but they each have very particular skillsets that have been specially chosen to help them destroy the heart of an extremely dangerous contagion. The mechanism of how the illness developed and spread was super cool (not real life practical, but that's the fun of the book) and despite being amnesiacs, the characters had well-defined personalities from the get-go. This book was also well-paced - there was never a dip in the action where it shouldn't be and yet the characters also weren't go, go, go in an exhaustingly unrealistic way either.

I loved this! This kept me so hooked because I just needed to know what was going on and how everything fit together. The mystery is so thorough and well-plotted and compelled me through the entire story, and I flew through this just trying to uncover a crumb of what was going on. The way the hints and clues are dropped are also so good--I wish I could read this again for the first time just to get to read the mystery/plot and characters again. I cannot wait for my library to get the physical copies in, and I even ordered myself a physical copy because I loved this and can't wait to loan it to all my friends! I didn't even realize this was Anthony Ryan (though now that I'm looking at the "pseudonym" it's pretty obvious, lol) This man can write anything, apparently, haha. I am really hoping for more stories like this from him, even though his fantasy is equally as amazing!

I loved that we knew as much going into this as the characters do, which is to say, nothing. The author did a tremendous job of letting us scratch our heads right along with them, and setting the atmosphere to be so eerie that we could not turn away without answers. It was incredibly tense and high stakes (and they only get higher as the book goes on, tbh), and I absolutely loved watching it unfurl.

Since this is clearly a book you're supposed to uncover bit by bit, we'll keep this short. But as intense as it was, I loved that there is some lighter, wittier dialogue that kind of tones down the darkness enough to make it very readable. Incidentally, someone should very much make this into a show or movie, I can see it translating amazingly onscreen, since it is such an exciting ride. I would have liked a wee bit more from the ending, but it was still very much worth reading.

Bottom Line: This was such a ride! No one knows anything, and we all get to figure it out together, what fun!

This book was very boring and I hated all the characters. I was skim reading it by the end. The plot reveals meant nothing to me because I just wanted it to be over. Stick to high fantasy I guess, Anthony Ryan.

I don't read a lot of horror, but wow am I glad I picked up Red River Seven. The description of the novel really doesn't do it any justice. Seven people with no memories other than their individual tactile expertise find themselves aboard a ship with no controls, headed in a direction they can not discern. Mysterious deaths, and, eventually, instructions from an unknown source guide them to the Thames river in London where screams of The Diseased can be heard through the dense fog that surrounds the boat.
Mystery, tension, madness, and a virus brought on by memory.
Very cool and kept me riveted from page one.

Wow!! I loved this book. What a different kind of horror to embark on. I love the premise of strangers waking up and trying to piece together what happened. It’s action packed and full of suspense.

I love Sci-fi horror and the premise of this book sounded so intriguing, but unfortunately due to the writing it just was not executed well.

(Gasp! I forgot to post my beloved’s review here! Apologies.)

What can I say? Want your heart pounding as you try and figure out what the #%*€ is going on? Read this book.

I feel like I can’t say anything because it’d just be one big spoiler. Just know that the tension is high, the pacing is very good, and you’ll come away wanting to jump into a vat of Purell. 👀

(Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review.)

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)