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Origin: A Technothriller
 
 

Origin: A Technothriller [Kindle Edition]

J.A. Konrath , Jack Kilborn
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Digital List Price: £1.53 What's this?
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Product Description

Product Description

Thriller writer J.A. Konrath, author of the Lt. Jack Daniels series, digs into the vaults and unearths a technohorror tale from the depths of hell...

1906 - Something is discovered by workers digging the Panama Canal. Something dormant. Sinister. Very much alive.

2009 - Project Samhain. A secret underground government installation begun 103 years ago in New Mexico. The best minds in the world have been recruited to study the most amazing discovery in the history of mankind. But the century of peaceful research is about to end.

BECAUSE IT JUST WOKE UP.


Book Description:

When linguist Andrew Dennison is yanked from his bed by the Secret Service and taken to a top secret facility in the desert , he has no idea he's been brought there to translate the words of an ancient demon.

He joins pretty but cold veterinarian Sun Jones, eccentric molecular biologist Dr. Frank Belgium, and a hodge-podge of religious, military, and science personnel to try and figure out if the creature is, indeed, Satan.

But things quickly go bad, and very soon Andy isn't just fighting for his life, but the lives of everyone on earth...

ORIGIN by J.A. Konrath
All hell is about to break loose. For real.

ORIGIN is approximately 76,000 words long, and is specifically formatted for Kindle, with an active table of contents. This ebook also contains bonus material:

An excerpt of DISTURB by J.A. Konrath, an excerpt of BENEATH by Jeremy Robinson, and an excerpt of Crack-Up by Eric Christopherson.


Praise for JA Konrath's thriller FUZZY NAVEL:

"FUZZY NAVEL is Konrath at his best – a hilariously heartstopping thriller." — Linda Fairstein

"This gripping novel is an adrenalin rush." — Library Journal

"This book moves so fast it was like having the words fired into my head by a machine gun." — Crimespree


Praise for AFRAID (JA Konrath writing as Jack Kilborn):

"AFRAID is a masterpiece of unrelenting horror. And I'm not exaggerating. Masterpiece. It's the best piece of fiction I've read in several years. It simply NEVER lets up." — James Rollins, author of The Judas Strain

"A bloody, terrifying, hurtling assault across a landscape of non-stop mayhem. A guilty, guilty pleasure." — F. Paul Wilson, creator of Repairman Jack

“AFRAID is a true page turner, a novel that offers a million mile a minute action and suspense. Definitely, a must have with constant thrills and chills." — Heather Graham, author of Deadly Gift

"Never have I read a novel so gruesome and simultaneously relentless. This book throbs with unmitigated, inexorable. sheer friggin’ TERROR. You’ll probably need a shrink when you’re done.” — Edward Lee, author of Brides of the Impaler

"Fast and ferocious, this is a dangerous thriller that will take a bite out of you. An absolute must read for anyone who loves the adrenaline rush of a shocking story told with style, speed and savage grace." — Jonathan Maberry, author of Patient Zero


About the Author

J.A. Konrath is the author of seven novels in the Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thriller series. The latest is SHAKEN, published by AmazonEncore. He also wrote the horror novels AFRAID, TRAPPED, ENDURANCE, and DRACULAS under the name Jack Kilborn, and the sci-fi novel TIMECASTER under the name Joe Kimball. (featuring Jack Daniels's grandson as the hero, coming out in 2011.)

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 774 KB
  • Print Length: 306 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1453887660
  • Publisher: Joe Konrath (8 April 2009)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B00264FT0Y
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #14,361 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Jack Kilborn
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Fun and fast paced 26 April 2011
By Esofagus TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I first heard of J.A. Konrath through the Amazon Vine programme; I had chosen one of his books, Shaken (Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels Mysteries) (Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels Series), to review and ended up really enjoying it, even if it I hadn't read the previous instalments of that series. Therefore, when I heard of `Origin' via the author's own blog, I decided to purchase a copy to read on the Kindle. Konrath had challenged his readers to all download the book for a very competitive promotional price, thus helping to push it towards the top of the Amazon Kindle Charts; in return, the author would donate money to a literacy charity in the US. As it was all in aid of a good cause, I downloaded the book.

The novel was actually written in 1999 under the pseudonym of Jack Kilborn and is described as a `Technothriller'. No spoilers will follow, but in brief, Andrew Dennison, a translator and a polyglot, is recruited by the President of the United States to work at an underground, top secret government research facility in the middle of the desert. A `demon' is kept at close guard in the facility, where he had been lying comatose for nearly a century. But he has now woken up and Andrew Dennison is needed to act as an interpret or translator. I won't go into too much detail but of course, things don't quite go according to plan.

At first I wasn't too sure about this story; it was a bit slow to start with. I was, however, intrigued by the references to linguistics in the plot; different languages are mentioned at several points within the narrative and I thought it was quite unusual to have a male character who was specialist in that field. The `demon', who is referred to as `Bub', didn't seem very frightening to me - in fact, I found him quite ridiculous. However, humour is one of Konrath's trademarks and there was an underlying menace in the `monster' that kept me on my toes. By the time I was half-way through the book (it's quite short, at about 300 Kindle pages) I couldn't put it down, and I had to stay up until 2:00 A.M. to finish it.

Of course this is - as another reviewer here pointed out - a `popcorn' read. It's entertainment and it doesn't try to be particularly deep, although I would argue that it does manage to raise a few interesting questions on the origins of humanity, on religion and on the power of our beliefs (I'll shut up now - no spoilers!). It has a distinctively cinematic quality to it and I wasn't surprised when I subsequently read in the afterword to `Origin' that the author had originally come up with the idea of the book as `Jurassic Park meets The Exorcist'. The snappy dialogue, the predictable romantic interest, the fast paced action - all essential ingredients adding to the `movie' experience. In fact, if there is a movie producer browsing Amazon right now, may I suggest that they option this book and start turning it into a script?

This was the second book of Konrath's that I have read - I am definitely going to read more of his work. It's fun and fast-paced but by no means dumb.

PS - As 'extras', the book contains excerpts to two further novels: 'Disturb' and 'Beneath'.
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By Emanon
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have to say, I think this is a good book. It has an unusual premise, but the author handles it well, and has obviously done a lot of research.
The story starts as a thriller, but halfway through it changes and becomes a horror story. This is risky, but it seems to work, partly because of the good pacing.
The book is very well written. Just expect the unexpected!
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By Keith G
Format:Kindle Edition
I always think it slightly arrogant of us amateur reviewers to critique a professional product: but we are the customers, after all.. When I say 'surprisingly', this is only because I have experienced minor disappointments with the quality of lower-priced Kindle editions - but Origin is definitively not in that category. The style is fluid and fast-paced; as other reviewers have alluded to, the 'movie' like feel of chapters and scenes is evident, as is the plot development, but still with oodles of originality and visceral reality in many of the descriptive scenes. Characters are likeable, flawed, vulnerable and believable - not a massive amount of depth but enough to make you want them to survive.
I've read (and rate) a number of Graham Masterton's novels and I think this compares admirably with those: and is way better than a lot of self-styled 'technothrillers' that really don't feature the quality of writing present in Origin.
Original, great characterisation, superbly judged touches of humour, conspiracy and romance - probably just a hint of Resident Evil - great entertainment and worth substantially more than the the low-price ticket for Kindle. I'll be reading more of Mr Konrath's writing in the coming weeks as it's rare that I'll read any novel at only two sittings, but I only put this one down as I fell asleep in bed! Highly recommended!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Strangely enjoyable
As other reviewers have said, some of the characters are two dimensional - in fact some are not even that.

Having said that, I actually enjoyed the story. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Doug
a technothriller cum horror
I found it a good read. The prologue was intriguing -- a bit of history that brought to mind the beginning of the film "My Science Project", also involving a president. Read more
Published 4 months ago by robby charters
Loved it
I loved this book. I found I spent a lot of my time being just a little afraid to turn the page (so to speak), but I got there in the end and it was well worth it. Read more
Published 11 months ago by D
You get what you pay for
It's not surprising that this was rejected by numerous publishing houses. You have to suspend a fair amount of logical thought for Sci Fi stories, but to have so called scientists... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mickey D
Great book
This was a fun horror read. Easy to get into and it has all the classic components for a typical horror story, secret underground lab, creepy monster, flawed idiot scientists. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Kiwipest
Exciting, extrememly unique story...
This is a brilliant read and quite an exciting story. It is very unique, and I am sure it would make an excellent movie in the right hands. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Louise Dick
Great quick read.
Having read Origin in just a day i cant say i found it boring. I was able to get into the story and enjoy the story that unfolded and i believe that if your looking for a quick... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Sass
origin
for the life of me, i can,t understand why this has never be published properly. although it starts off slow, its never boring, and keeps you reading just so you can unravel the... Read more
Published 14 months ago by andrew salisbury
Exorcist meets Science ;)
How this book did not cut the grade to be published in paper, I have no idea. I downloaded this to my Kindle and I could not put it down. Read more
Published 14 months ago by M. Hill
Another Good One
I read this straight after reading The List and both books are pretty similar. That's not a bad thing though.

Origin has a great story and engaging characters. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Giarc
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