Title: It Begins Part II
Author: Michael Albright
Publisher: Ewings Publishing LLC.
ISBN: 979-8887030784
Pages: 446
Genre: Science Fiction
Reviewer: Anthony Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
The idea of life outside of the planet has been a favorite topic of discussion amongst the people of modern-day society over the last century. The idea seemed preposterous for so many years, but as advances in technology and understanding of how the Universe works has expanded in recent decades, the question of life existing beyond our world is less the issue people have, and more so the question of whether or not these living beings have advanced enough to travel to this world. Did they evolve much in the same way that people have here on Earth, or did they manage to evolve scientifically far beyond what people know today, and if so, what would it be like if humanity were ever to make contact.
Alien life and how humanity would be impacted by their revelation is the driving force behind author Michael Albright’s It Begins Part II. The story follows Admiral Michael Scott, head commander of Space Command for the United States Navy. After first contact and interactions with alien life resulted in attacks on two passenger aircraft and made their intentions towards humanity known, Space Command is forced to take action in what is becoming more likely an all-out attack by the alien threat to the Earth. As these attacks increase in frequency and power, Rear Admiral Michael Scott must take the battle both to the skies of Earth and the vast emptiness of space to face this threat head-on.
Visceral and compelling, the author does an incredible job of hooking readers instantly between the horrors the alien threat represents to humanity and the dynamic character development. The heart of any great sci-fi novel is the exploration of humanity through a sci-fi lens, and the author perfectly captures the emotional core of these characters while also exploring how each character evolves and grows in the face of these overwhelming odds. Michael Scott is a wonderful protagonist, gifting readers with a protagonist which they can identify with while also grounding the deep sci-fi storytelling, from integrating reports of alien abduction stories into how the aliens behave in this narrative, to the possible integration of nanites and nanotechnology – and so much more.
Readers who enjoy sci-fi novels, especially those which explore alien invasion stories with advanced technology and personal character development, will absolutely love this narrative. It is wonderful the way the author can infuse enough details from the first book in this series while allowing new readers to be able to jump right into the action of this story. The level of detail the author gives to each chapter as the characters and technology develop make the world the story takes place in feel alive and lived in, and the heartfelt connection readers make to these characters and the cliffhanger ending will keep readers eager for the next entry in this series.