Eight

TERROR HAS A NEW SPECIES

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Pub Date 13 Dec 2016 | Archive Date 30 Jun 2017

Description

Deep in the Amazon, the solution to the global energy crisis has been found; a mysterious source of power set to end our dependency on oil.
When she receives stunning photographs related to the discovery – courtesy of expedition leader and former partner, Ed Reardon – entomologist Rebecca Riley finds herself on the next flight to Brazil, heading down to join the team of scientists assembling there. She hasn’t seen Ed for more than a year, and their relationship hadn’t ended well.
But his revelation is impossible to ignore.
What she and Ed uncover is beyond imagination: strange statues in the jungle… a ruined city built by the refugees of a lost Pacific continent… and a terrifying new species of animal.
Forced to confront a crippling childhood phobia she’d thought long dead and buried, Rebecca realises this new species is no ordinary enemy.
It is an ancient enemy, one whose very existence has implications for all of humankind… and the planet itself.

Deep in the Amazon, the solution to the global energy crisis has been found; a mysterious source of power set to end our dependency on oil.
When she receives stunning photographs related to the...


Advance Praise

Very Good Book5*This book is liable to give me nightmares! It was that good! I started to read it and could not put it down, it at times totally creeped me out and will definitely make me even more afraid of creepy crawlers than I already am.
Great New Author5*I was so pleased with this wonderful thriller. Rebecca and one time boyfriend Ed Reardon find themselves deep in the Amazon jungles finding lost villages, statues that are more than they appear, gigantic monsters and ruthless enemies. WOW! It had all I could want in a thriller and I couldn't put it down. I hope to read much more of his work

Very Good Book5*This book is liable to give me nightmares! It was that good! I started to read it and could not put it down, it at times totally creeped me out and will definitely make me even more...


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ISBN 9781540167392
PRICE $2.99 (USD)

Average rating from 36 members


Featured Reviews

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I get the feeling the author is hoping to get this picked up for a screenplay. It certainly is action-packed. It brought me back to my childhood where movies like "Them" were popular fare.

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This is a great fast-paced adventure that I recommend as an entertaining read in the vein of Rollins and Cussler, and checks off all the boxes of things I enjoy and expect in such novels- adventure in exotic parts of the world, ancient artifacts and lost civilizations, danger in many forms, from a hostile environment to evil mercenaries with guns. Rebecca is an entomologist (bug expert) who joins a mission to investigate an area deep in the uncharted Amazon. She's a great heroine- very flawed, but facing her fears in a major way here, and her characters growth was a highlight of the novel for me.

The scenes in the Amazon were great and believable, and the chases, escapes and action scenes were harrowing and suspenseful, and set a great, creepy atmosphere. The creatures in the Amazon were cool and unpredictable as well, and some interesting twists along the way to discover. Some interesting characters who were hard to figure out where their allegiances were as well. My only beef would be that the story took a while to get going and get all the characters assembled and doing their thing- I felt much of that could be trimmed from the novel. Once the action started, though, it was a fun ride. So the first part of the story was headed for 3 stars for me, but the last half of the book was between 4-5 stars for me, so I'm splitting the difference and saying 4 stars. I wished there was a bit more information on the civilization they discovered and the backstory of the energy source, but I can see the potential for a sequel that might explain it.Overall a fun read, and I would recommend it for fans of this genre.

**I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review, from NetGalley** thank you!

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A well-written, well-researched book definitely worth reading. When Rebecca Riley is sent some intriguing photographs from Brazil, she hurries to join a team of scientists planning to search for a new animal species, among other things. Real page-turner, recommended.

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If you're a fan of folks like James Rollins or Matthew Reilly, this book is for you!

I refuse to spoil the nature of our beasties - and there's more to them at first glance than things that want to chomp you - but they are awesome!

Now, know that some of the situations are pretty over the top. Even as I loved it, the logic sensors in my brain were telling me that all these folks would have been dead long before this book ended. But logical or not, this is an adventure! Mortensen brings us characters we love, a few we hate, and a horde of chompy things that are simply horrifying. And underneath it is a bit of an archaeological (and anthropological) mystery that kept me riveted.

If I could change anything, it would be to eliminate some of the character backstories. Honestly when backstories that should have been a paragraph extended into pages, I kind of wanted to skim those. Luckily, we soon returned to action and some terrifically scary (and at times grotesque) scenes.

I expect to read Mortensen in the future. I also expect to be paying big bucks for his books as he rides alongside James Rollins and Matthew Reilly in success. A very good read!

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TERROR HAS A NEW SPECIES

Deep in the Amazon, the solution to the global energy crisis has been found; a mysterious source of power set to end our dependency on oil.

When she receives stunning photographs related to the discovery – courtesy of expedition leader and former partner, Ed Reardon – entomologist Rebecca Riley finds herself on the next flight to Brazil, heading down to join the team of scientists assembling there. She hasn’t seen Ed for more than a year, and their relationship hadn’t ended well.

But his revelation is impossible to ignore.

What she and Ed uncover is beyond imagination: strange statues in the jungle… a ruined city built by the refugees of a lost Pacific continent… and a terrifying new species of animal.

Forced to confront a crippling childhood phobia she’d thought long dead and buried, Rebecca realises this new species is no ordinary enemy.

It is an ancient enemy, one whose very existence has implications for all of humankind… and the planet itself.

What did I think:
My rating: 5
OMG this book was and is a great read, it had me hooked from the very start to the very end, as well as sitting on the edge of my bed, so glad that I picked it up, and as soon. I can I'm picking up a copy to add to my library. Once again thinks NetGalley for helping me find a new book as well as a new author to check out, all so I would like to say I was giving a chance at reading it in a change for my honest opinion and this is 100 % my honest opinion,also on a side note don't pick this up if you want to sleep a night.

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I was amazed, surprised and happy at finding a book and story that was carefully plotted, suspenseful, thrilling, and similar to some of my favorite authors. This is a true adventure. It set a tone and mood that swept me as the reader into the plot. I thought about it even when I was not reading it. The characters were well described, their motives, feelings and thoughts were well understood. The location was fully described without being too wordy and set just the right tone for the actions. The monsters, of which there are human and "being" were truly malevolent. It is especially scary that the beings featured a meme that ranks in the top 5 of "scary things". I would compare this book to those authored by Clive Cussler and those by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I am a picky reader. Many books I give up on by 50-100 pages. Others are just 'meh'. This book grabbed me within the first 20 pages and kept me coming back for more. I am so glad to find another author of scary, suspenseful adventure
novels and look forward to many more from W.W. Mortensen.

While not in any way a negative, the author is described as being from Australia. I did notice some words and abbreviations that are not common to American English. Most will go unnoticed, a few I had to think about, and only one did I not really understand. The other item is that there is an excess of chapters, 150 in all. Many are only a few pages. I believe the author does this to increase the suspense, but for those who are reading this as an ebook, get your swiping finger ready

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4 Stars

We start our story with a plane crash in the jungle. Two years later, Roberto Sanchez and Ed Reardon find a mysterious statue in the jungle.

Rebecca Riley journeys to the amazon after receiving some photographs. She is a research scientist and entomologist. There she meets up with Ed, Roberto, Jesse and some others for a journey deep into the jungle, ostensibly to find a lost city.

While somewhat formulaic, this book is written very well. The journey through the jungle and the dangers the team faces are predictable, but that doesn’t take away from the excitement of the story. This book is a real adventure, complete with scientists, soldiers, crazed natives and action. It is relatively fast-paced and a joy to read. It kept me hanging on to discover what came next.

I’m not going to tell you what they found in the jungle, suffice it to say, “Ewwww!”

My only criticisms of the book were that Rebecca spent a lot of time freezing in place and screaming. Get it together woman! And that the book strains credibility at times. But it is a rollicking read and well worth your time. So suspend belief and dig in! I look forward to reading more of Mr. Mortensen’s books.

I want to thank Netgalley and W.W. Mortensen for forwarding me a copy of this delightful read.

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Fast paced and fun.! Lots of action right off the bat and the characters were believable. I would , and have, recommended to several friends that I know will love this. Best read with no spoilers, so I will just beseech all action readers to Read This Book!

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Good Book. Non stop action from start to finish. Not sure I will visit the amazon anytime soon after reading this book :-)

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thanks you.
enjoyed it.
will get copies for family and friends.

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Absolutely fantastic. The title might suggest it is just a creature feature story but it is so much more. Fast paced and short chapters almost always ending on a cliffhanger makes it easy to snatch a couple of chapters whenever you can in today's frantic time starved world and leaves enough intrigue to pull you back at the first opportunity.

A great collection of disparate groups and characters and well written scenes. I shall certainly be watching out for future works from this author.

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I’m always confused about what genre to classify books like this one under. However, being a fan of Mathew Reilly and James Rollins I knew I had to read this one.
I’m one of those weird people who not only aren’t afraid of spiders, but I also kinda like them. And yes this book is about spiders, a fact the author takes far too long to get too. It felt like watched a tv series with breaks for ads because the picture Ed sends Rebecca are oh so secret. While I appreciate the fact that the author was trying to draw out the suspense of what the creatures are I think it could have been more skilfully done.
What I really enjoyed about this book had nothing to do with the spiders at all. It was the location, statues and the ancient buildings that really appealed to me. Also the whole idea that this ancient city might hold the answer to a renewable non exhaustible source of energy was intriguing.
What I didn’t like about this story boils down to two main things, Rebecca and the length of this book. Rebecca is supposed to be the spider expert and with whom the storyline progresses for the most part. The problem is, as a main character whose strength is supposed to be information on the new species, she’s pretty ineffectual. In fact most of the initial observations are pointed out by Jessy, Ed’s new girlfriend. On top of that, Rebecca isn’t a particularly likeable character. Every explanation she has to give is drawn out. For example when Kriedman wants to stay at camp but she thinks it’s a bad idea she says no we need to leave at least twice or thrice before finally explaining why they need to leave. The relationship between her and Ed was supposed to be complex fraught with sexual tension (I think), but really didn’t add anything to the story line and only served to make Rebecca look bad. Perhaps this would have been a far more thrilling read if told from the viewpoint of the soldiers or maybe even Ed.
This book is a whopping 500+ pages long. The problem is the constant action scenes tend to get repetitive and therefore, boring and less and less believable with every new thing thrown at the characters. Owen and Roberto’s tangent storyline added no value to the main story arc and only served to prolong the story.
The climax of the book should have revolved around finding the mysterious renewable source of energy. However while it is found (and used) I have no idea what happened to it and our main characters have to suffer through at least three more harrowing situations before finally getting out and safe. Which I think is a bit too over the top and served only to dampen my enjoyment of the whole thing. Maybe cut down on the extraneous impossibilities in this book and reduce the number of pages by 200.
This last point isn’t really a problem per se, but I do think this book would be better served if it had maps of where all the action was taking place so people can better picture what’s going on where.
It was just an alright read for me.2.5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

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Brisbane author WW Mortensen delivers a rollicking creature story set in the depths of the South American jungles.
A well-written story that clicks along at a frenetic pace, it’s a fun “b movie” style adventure with splashes of lost civilisations, military gunfights and some very dangerous spiders.
It’s an impressive debut with short, sharp chapters that give it a fun cinematic style.
However, clocking in at over 500 pages, the frantic pace does grow a little weary by the end and you can’t help but feel it may have benefited from either trimming 100 pages or providing a few more moments to breathe between the non-stop thrills.
Eight is not perfect but it’s a heck of a lot of fun and well worth a look.

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A rollicking story with Rebecca and Ed written in a way that you feel like you are with them. If you are fear spiders, read this but expect to get your FEAR ON!!!

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Another new to me author with strong skills as a wordsmith and ability to spin a great story, creating and building on the suspense at every turn. A must read if you like high adventure and terrifying action.

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Give me a book about people in a thick jungle filled with hidden dangers including horrific beasts and I am sold.
"Eight" by W.W. Mortensen was an enjoyable read. Rebecca Riley is an entomologist who travels to the Amazon after seeing incredible photos she has been sent. She joins a group of scientists which includes her ex partner, Ed Reardon but little does she know that there is even more to discover in the jungle and she will end up in a desperate fight for her life.
The story was fast paced from the beginning and I found the book hard to put down. The author describes the Amazon so well that I felt as if I were there too and I loved the atmosphere of the book. The only gripe I have is that there seemed to be a bit of overkill. The horrific creatures were more than enough and I found the added "bad guy" to be a bit too much for my taste. I didn't feel it was necessary and detracted from the story line. Otherwise than that, I really enjoyed reading the novel very much.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

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Deep in the jungles of South America, an expedition searches for a lost city and a new source of potentially limitless power. But something is stirring in the ancient ruins – something ancient, dangerous, and hungry.

Rebecca Riley, an entomologist, joins the expedition at the request of her former partner, facing her deepest fears in search of his deepest desire. What was promised to be a journey of scientific discover quickly becomes a desperate struggle for survival.

It’s a monster story. There are all the typical elements – exotic settings, an ensemble of highly-qualified protagonists, worrying signs and gruesome deaths. It doesn’t deviate from the formula much, but it’s competently done. There aren’t enough solid monster books, and this is one of them.

The author knows the rules of the genre – don’t show the monster too early, expand on the setting, kill characters in the right order. That’s a good thing – it allows for building tension and for a real sense of menace. Despite Jaws giving a clear lesson in how to make a monster scary, authors often mess it up. The danger in Eight is teased out slowly enough that it doesn’t become commonplace.

The major strength of this book is the detail. Mortensen has clearly done a lot of research into the setting and the relevant wildlife. You get a real sense of the jungle as the characters trek through it, and there’s lots of space little details and diversions that bring the setting alive. The science, too, is mostly convincing – not plausible, because that’s not really on the cards in monster books, but it hangs together and there is a coherence to the ideas and to the monster as a realistic species.

It’s a big plot, with lots of different characters and moving parts. I would preferred a tighter focus really, with a couple of minor twists and supporting roles removed. Still, the plot hangs together and makes sense without any gaping holes. One downside of the extensive cast, coupled with the detail in the book generally, is that there has to be a lot of exposition. There’s a lot of information that needs to be absorbed, and that’s never the most gripping part, regardless of how interesting the information is in itself.

I have a couple of other quibbles, but they are relatively minor. I would have liked more detail on the action – at points, key dramatic moments are cut short, dismissed in a single line. If a helicopter explodes or a boat gets impaled, you want to see it, to have enough detail in the text to make the event as effective as it can be. And the author does have a noticeable habit of relying on unnamed objects; a character will pick up something that isn’t named in one chapter, only to use it to solve a problem in the next. As a narrative device, withholding specifics is effective, but you can’t do it too often.

In all, this is a decent monster book. It’s got the adventure and the characters and the tension. The closest comparison to it would be Alien vs. Predator, so if you liked that, you’ll like this. I’m always on the lookout for good monster stories, but they’re quite hard to find – I’ve mentioned before that it’s a genre with more than its share of bad books. Eight is a good monster book, with everything in working order. If you’re looking for a story of exploration, adventure, and mortal peril, this is a good pick.

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As a long time fan of horror and paranormal, it’s not surprising the blurb grabbed my attention. An ancient ruined city that shouldn’t exist? Check. Isolated jungle location? Check. Cryptic references to a mysterious and terrifying new species? Double-check. By any measure, this book was tailor-made for me. I went in with high hopes and for the most part, came out the other side with few disappointments.

One of the biggest strengths to the story was the level of detail in the scientific explanation behind the absolute shit ton of crazy stuff happening throughout this story. The minutiae got a little tricky to follow every so often but it provided an element of plausibility that allowed the reader to suspend disbelief and simply enjoy the ride.

Mortensen also had a knack for ending chapters in mini cliffhangers or mysteries that often kept me reading well past my normal bedtime. Here’s an excerpt from the beginning that left me thinking “Oh yeah, I’m in. Sign me up.”

(Excerpt)
"Pistol in hand, he managed to force the door open and peer out.

Despite expectations, nothing could have prepared him for what lay beyond.

‘Meu Deus…’ he whispered, crossing himself.
My God.

At that moment, he sensed a presence in the shattered window beside Maria. She didn’t get the chance to scream. Nor did he.

Outside, the scurrying became more frantic, thunderous above the drumming rain."

As always, I do have a few small things that bothered me ever so slightly and feel an obligation to point out:

The majority of the action didn’t really start until the main characters arrived at the central location in the story.
In my opinion, it took a little too long to get there. Up until that point, the story was moving like the Chrysler K-Car I drove in college. You get where you want to go but it takes longer than it should.

In some places, there was a little bit of the classic “telling instead of showing” that got a teensy bit tedious.

The number of improbably narrow escapes was a little too high for my taste. I can buy a few but these people were pulling MacGyvers over and over. There might have been a few eye rolls involved. Just sayin’.

Despite these nitpicky issues, I honestly enjoyed this book overall. The idea is original and the plot’s complexity keeps things interesting all the way through. Once the pace picks up, the story becomes a wild roller coaster-ride-from-hell that keeps you guessing to the very end. If you’re looking for something outside the run-of-the-mill horror genre you could do much worse than Eight.

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Eight by WW Mortensen was received direst from the publisher. The tagline for the lengthy novel is "Terror Has A New Species," which is an interesting take on things The book, which mostly takes place in the Amazon jungle moves along and rarely bogs down. This however, is also not good as the constant action gets kind of boring and/or monotonous. If the author had chopped some pages out I would have liked this 500 + page book more, though others love the lengthy tome,I get it, you cant please everyone. If you, or if someone you know likes books about lost cities in the Amazon that possibly contain a yet unknown power source and hairy creatures all around, this may well be the book to read.

4 stars

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I feel horrible because just before I started Eight, I somehow ended up in a random romance phase (where I only crave/read romances) and I couldn't get into this as much as I wanted to.

I wish I started it a week before I actually did (in my horror phase). Damn it!!!

I will probably pick it up again when I'm back in the right frame of mind so for now I'm putting it on hold.

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I'd like to thank NetGalley for supplying a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Eight: A thrilling ride that combines the legend of Atlantis with arachnophobia. Although parts of the tale seemed far-fetched, this was a fun read nevertheless. If you like reading about adventures set in the Amazon like I do, go for it. I heard there's a sequel in the making!

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I'm a big fan of the cryptid, nature thriller and this was awesome. There are too few books in this genre, and it's often a challenge to find a good one. Eight gave me all the creepy chills I wanted. Highly recommend for fans of Lincoln and Child and Crichton.

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Great thriller. Fast moving but not super scary. Easy to recommend to library patrons.

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