Rule of Extinction

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
A comet is coming, and it's going to wipe out life on Earth. But just two days before, mysterious white pods start landing, mostly in the midwest USA. Touch them and they open for a few minutes before taking off again. This is the story of what happens to those who got in them.

Review
I picked up Rule of Extinction based solely on the listed premise – that mysterious pods rescue humans just before a comet hits Earth. I was disappointed to find that while that's accurate, the ensuing plot is far more familiar – that the pods randomly drop a few people on a mysterious archipelago.

This is a trope that's very well established in science fiction. The book is even very reminiscent of Lost, the show I'm only now getting around to watching. And any ‘abandoned on an island' story is going to echo Robinson Crusoe one way or another. I've literally had dreams that were essentially this plot, and I've read a lot of books with the same theme.

Disappointing plot aside, Rule of Extinction is well put together. The characters are engaging, credibly flawed, and the author kills them off left and right. We get backstory for each as we go, and the whole fits together well. There's a little repetition in how strong men keep taking charge, but, sadly, that's probably a reflection of human nature.

If this were the first time I'd seen this idea, I'd have scored the book higher. Jones does a good job, and, despite the familiarity, I'm interested to keep on with the series.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.