3.5 stars. I've seen a bunch of reviews that refer to a short novella, but my review is for the 400+ page novel not just one portion of the story. This is the first book by Gareth Worthington, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a interestingly different concept of the 2012 "end of the world" scenario. This is a standalone with no cliffhanger ending. There is graphic violence.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all info here. The author did a good job of explaining what is going on and describing the setting of the story. The characters, even though I couldn't stand some of them, were well written and multidimensional. There are a lot of clues in the storyline that keep you guessing what twists and turns will be revealed next.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and chose to leave a review for other readers.

Buried in the ice, under the seas, beneath the detritus of time, and in the labs and bases of the present; a species of the past and legend is being pursued.

After being recruited for a deep water retrieval, Kelly Graham is drawn into a global clash of dominion over an ancient race and its secrets by the militaries and power societies of the world. The afflictions of his life and the empathy instilled in him bring together both the old and the new.

Blending Mayan mythos with action, intrigue and conspiracy, Gareth Worthington brings to life the Children of the Fifth Sun from his previous novellas trilogy Huahuqui, Huaquero & Huaca

Children of the Fifth Sun is a fun read from start to finish! The story follows Kelly Graham and his sidekick Chris D'Souza, as deep-dive experts and adventurers-for-hire, in the service of a group seeking to crack the mystery of history's Great Flood, and the great leap forward that happened afterward as primitive cultures of the world were introduced to beings that showed them the workings of advanced technology.

Graham reminds one of Dirk Pitt from Clive Cussler's novels in his swashbuckling, laissez faire attitude, as he makes up his plan as he goes. However, there is also a tragic arc to his tale. While novel has many of the standard stuff you come to expect in these adventure novels, what sets it apart are the colorful characters, the fast-paced action, and the interesting twists on the Flood mythos. Is there some suspension of belief? Of course, but the story is well-written, especially when it comes to the science and genetic engineering that is employed to explain the lineage of these strange creatures in the novel. There is an X-Files element here as well, as competing nefarious organizations seek to recover and exploit this newfound species and tech to gain world dominance. There are quite a few twists that keep you guessing till the end.

The only reason I would not give the novel 5 stars is for the way some of the characters behaved, which I found stretched credibility, such as the ham-handed special forces teams who kept destroying the artifacts they came to retrieve. Overall, a great first novel, and recommended.

In the tradition of Michael Crichton, Children of the Fifth Sun, is firmly rooted in science with the fantastical elements of sci-fi. It read well, kept my attention and sounded somewhat plausible. It was a really well written novel. There were moments where I thought he could have ended the story but then found another interesting way to bring the story back. I would read it again.

Gripping roller coaster ride from one end of the world to another. You never know what's coming next in this Raiders of the Lost Ark adventure. Its exhausting because its almost impossible to put it down.