BURN

Extinction and survival are a zero-sum game in the conclusion to the alien-invasion plot started in Scan (2014).

The action picks up immediately. Tate and Christina are on the run from the H2 alien leadership, who have stolen the scanner that tells whether someone’s human or H2, invented by Tate’s dead father. They regroup, following clues left by Tate’s father to a second lab, where they’re joined by Leo who, like Tate, is the last member of one of The Fifty families known to be pure human. H2s draw the three out of hiding by threatening Christina’s family—while saving them, the trio’s caught. The H2 are desperate to access Tate’s father’s lab. When the natural enemies overcome their mutual distrust and hatred to exchange intelligence, they put together a terrifying puzzle—the parasitic, body-snatching beings who chased the H2 off of their own planet have arrived on Earth. Unless humans and H2 can figure out how to use Tate’s father’s plans and technology to defend Earth, both species face extinction. The pacing is tight and tense throughout, and the writing is always cinematic, whether describing action sequences or calm conversations. Unlikely alliances and paranoia about who’s been compromised will keep readers guessing as Tate races against the clock to unravel his father’s secrets, resulting in a conclusion that satisfies both the plot and the father-son themes.

A cover-to-cover thrill ride.