Book Review: Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion by Jack Flacco

It is my absolute honor that fellow blogger and author Jack Flacco asked me be part of his review team for his new book that will be launched next Tuesday (October 21st) to be the first group to read and review his new novel, Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion.  This is the sequel of his previous novel launched last year called Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse.

Jack is a very awesome blogger who has a fantastic blog featuring a few lovely segments like Women Who Wow Wednesday and Freedom Friday and Monday Mayhem. I urge you to check out his blog right HERE!

Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion

by Jack Flacco

I’m not a huge reader of zombie books.  In fact, I only started last year when I read World War Z and Warm Bodies for their movie adaptations.  And then there Jack first novel which dragged me into this lovely zombie apocalypse world when his main character Ranger Martin was extremely entertaining to watch.  He reminded me a little of the free-spirited, going out of with a bang  personality like Tallahassee in Zombieland.  Of course, as a character in a novel, the development is done better.  With the way things ended in the first one, this second one picks up a little while after as the original group separates due to difference in opinions.

In this world, its already succumbed to the zombie apocalypse except now an unknown entity has invaded them.  No one knows who they are and where they are from but they do know that they are causing a lot of pain and destroying the remaining human life that exists.  What is their plan? No one knows.  Regardless, Ranger Martin has to hold up his responsibility for taking care of the kids that sticks with him and while these entities try to track down one of their members, Randy, he also tries to find them and stop their plans before there isn’t anything and anywhere left for them.

Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion never really stops.  Unlike the first where there moments to slow down and breath, despite still being extremely eventful this one is non-stop action for the most part.  It also traces different groups: Ranger Martin and his crew, a new group of kids, the military, etc.  We get a perspective of how things are further than just where Ranger Martin is and that gives the readers a wider perspective of the world that Jack has built with the zombie apocalypse.

I have to say that adding aliens to the equation is very smart.  Its not just zombies but now it gets worse when you add in an unknown thing that has unknown capabilities like aliens.  Its a whole different ballpark and it makes for an exciting adventure.  Thats how I felt while I was reading this novel.  It was really fun and the description of how things went down was very vivid that I could get what was going on. Ranger Martin is still a fantastic character and in this one, he gets a deeper development as we get to see a little more of his history and background here and there.  That helps to connect with the character.

The new additions to the book each were good in their own ways.  Some didn’t get a lot of development and some only showed up near the end, however each had their purpose.  The only thing I felt wasn’t done as well was the relationship from last novel’s Matty and Randy.  Except, I wonder if it could be different because there isn’t much time to think about having something more.  Its just sometimes the actions a bit irrational and that was just one part where I felt that way so the impact wasn’t huge.  Plus, it is considered young love as they are just 15 years old and never really quite encountered feelings especially in the situation and environment they are in.

Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion has a clever premise, doubling the danger of zombies and adding in another layer with aliens, while keep Ranger Martin a memorable character who isn’t going to back down from any situation.  The action is consistent and frequent making this an exciting and at times, intense read.  The characters from the previous books each have a little more development and growth in this one and we learn a little more about them. Although there are little parts that could be polished, it is a step up from the previous book which felt lengthy at parts, which never happens in this one and if it did, I wasn’t frequent enough for me to notice it.  Definitely a great read and I highly recommend it.  Its fun, entertaining and full of action! 🙂

If this interests you, remember to take note that it comes out on October 21st.  Also, remember to check out Jack’s site (which I linked above)!