Heather’s Bookshelf: Rule of Extinction
Author: Geoff Jones
Released: 02/25/25
Genre: Post-apocalyptic sci-fi
“The sight of the Ender filled him with despair. His family would die, along with everyone else on Earth, and there wasn’t a goddamn thing he could do about it.”
“Rule of Extinction” is book 1 of the Preservation of Species” series. A world-ending comet is headed to Earth in a matter of days. David Williams has resided to spending as much time as he can with his family before the end.
His wife, Lindsey, is caring for her elderly mother when David happens upon an opportunity to escape the planet- mysterious pods landing across North America. Forced to make a terrible decision, David leaves his wife behind in order to save his two children, Barry & Kim, and loyal dog, Kona.
David emerges from the darkness of his pod to find he’s on an island where the ocean is full of fresh water, blue monkeys, and giant birds that will hunt anything that moves. A small group of survivors join David and his kids, but the dangers of the island are too much to handle- and the next island over happens to be infested by dinosaurs.
Hope arrives in the form of a group of 3 from a neighboring island who hint at a better life with an even bigger group of survivors. If only that were true…
Trigger Warning: violence, sexual situations, assault, adult language, prehistoric animal death, death
Author advised trigger warnings:
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. A post-apocalyptic sci-fi meets dinosaurs, a cult, and a psychopath who hears his dead father all wrapped up in a found-family! It’s a lot, but it all makes sense when you read it. There are multiple POVs in this story including David’s. His love for his children is prominent throughout the tale and he’s truly a good guy, but for a majority of the story he’s missing a bit of a backbone. His children each have their own voice and personality, mourning loss and dealing with life as it comes. They add an innocence and sense of good much needed throughout. Many of the other ancillary characters are powerful. Sierra is an inherent leader, Randall is a sociopath and Joe …well, he hears his dead father. Then there’s Thad and Lily (there’s absolutely no way to give details on those characters without spoilers…). And fair warning not to get too connected to anyone…there’s more than one surprise in this one! Speaking of surprises, where they all are, why, and how turns out to be great reveals. The pacing is on the faster side, though the author does an excellent job drawing you into the characters. The ending of the story is a bit of a cliffhanger, though this is book 1 of 3, so not all is revealed. If book 2 is as engaging, it’ll be a great addition!
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
Book 1 in a post-apocalyptic found-family tale with more dangers than should be possible and great ancillary characterization.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Geoff Jones
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
