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Darren Wearmouth

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Critical Dawn (The Invasion Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Darren Wearmouth (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.0 2,591 ratings

Book 1 of 3: The Invasion Trilogy

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Aliens have planned against us for centuries...
And now the attack is ready.

Charlie Jackson's archaeological team find advanced technology in an undisturbed 16th Century graves. While investigating the discovery, giant sinkholes appear across planet, marking the start of Earth's colonization and the descent of civilization. Charlie, and the rest of humanity will have to fight for survival, sacrificing the life they’ve known to protect themselves from an ancient and previously dormant enemy. Even that might not be enough as aliens exact a plan that will change the course of history forever.

Critical Dawn is an apocalyptic ride to the very edge of human existence. Factions will battle for control of the Earth—if they can avoid the threat of extinction.

"Five stars! Epic sci-fi thriller with twists, scares, and non-stop action that'll have you up 'til dawn!" -- David W. Wright co-author of the Yesterday's Gone and WhiteSpace series.

"Critical Dawn will consume you and not let you go until the very end. This is War of the Worlds if the aliens did not get sick and die, and it's not just the aliens you have to worry about. Immensely Enjoyable." -- M L Banner, author of Stone Age.

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The sequel, Critical Path, is now available on Amazon!

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B072R6D7CF
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Phalanx Press (June 14, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 14, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1610 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 368 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #721,249 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,007 in Alien Invasion Science Fiction eBooks
- #2,207 in Galactic Empire Science Fiction
- #4,366 in First Contact Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.0 2,591 ratings

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Darren Wearmouth

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Darren Wearmouth served time in the British Army before pursuing a career in corporate technology. After fifteen years working for multinational firms and a start-up, he decided to follow his passion for writing. He is the author of numerous internationally bestselling novels, including the Awakened Trilogy, Don't Move, First Activation, and the Invasion series.

Twitter: @darrenwearmouth

IG: @darrenwearmouth

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4 out of 5

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Daniel L. 'Doc' Cox

An Interesting Story

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2017

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I really can't say why I had trouble getting through this book. Usually, when I have trouble with a book it is because the story is poorly written, the characters uninteresting, the dialogue unbelievable or it is poorly proofed and edited. That was not the case with Critical Dawn.
The writing was strong, the dialogue realistic, the story well thought out and excellently edited. The characters were believable and complex, while they interacted. I don't want to write any spoilers, but parts of the book were extremely original, and the story tied everything together at the end, something you don't see often enough in boss that are part of a series. I honestly believe most readers will enjoy this book, partly because it is so well written and partly because it is an original story. Even though I only gave it 4 Stars, it could have easily gotten 5 Stars if it would have"grabbed" my attention more strongly.

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David Wright

Epic sci-fi thriller with twists, scares, and non-stop action that'll have you up 'til dawn!

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2014

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Critical Dawn starts off as two separate stories, or so it seems. One in the present day, and one sometime in the future, aboard a space ship.

Wearmouth and Barnes do a great job of building the mystery of how these two seemingly unrelated stories are connected. I don’t want to spoil anything, but not everything is what it seems. And they deliver something I was not expecting! And that is a great thing.

The story that follows is chock full of old school sci-fi thrills, but with a modern sense of character-driven narrative. And just as The Walking Dead isn’t just about zombies, this book isn’t just about the aliens, it’s about mankind trying to survive, both the aliens and one another.

One of the best things about Critical Dawn is the juxtaposition of Charlie and the antagonist, Gregor. We get to see both characters’ motivations, which allows for a deeper understanding of what’s happening and a greater fear of what’s to come.

If you’re looking for a non-stop thrill ride that delivers from start to finish, stop looking — you’ve found it.

The only question I have is when is the next book going to be done?

69 people found this helpful

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kimw

Did not live up to its promise

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2014

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Feeling magnanimous, I was willing to forgive the authors at the beginning of the novel for locating the Alligator River National Wildlife reserve in northern Virginia instead of the east mainland coast of North Carolina, and for implying that one has to cross the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge to travel south from New York to the wildlife refuge. In actuality, that bridge (in North Carolina) connects Roanoke Island (a part of North Carolina) to the North Carolina mainland, and would not be crossed when traveling from one mainland point to the next.

Details, details. I was excited by the revealed archeological finds on the (North Carolina) mainland coast tied vaguely to the Lost Colony (located on Roanoke ISLAND) that mysteriously hinted at contact with an advanced civilization in the 16th century. The fictional characters were also developing nicely, scientists working on a dig subsidized by a major tv science/exploration network.

Then, boom, literally and figuratively. We abruptly land in a completely different place and time into a survivalist alien encounter. The characters reference the lost years in passing, and I couldn't help thinking THAT was the novel I thought I buying.

SPOILER?: I love alien encounter science fiction, too. This novel was so-so in that regard. Something of a SPOILER question: aren't cows easier to herd for protein?? Or any other non-intelligent herbivore animal? The premise of much of the novel is suspect.

The writing is competent. The pacing was sufficiently well-done to allow me to finish reading my purchase. The characterization was uneven, at times somewhat interesting, at times the equivalent of Star Trek red-shirt walk-ons.

I would advise the authors to return to the beginning and write the novel implied in the summary blurb, drawing out the relationship between the archeology and the events to come, while keeping the scientists at their science jobs as the momentous events transpire. I was hoping for an indie Michael Crichton-style novel, which disappeared early in.

10 people found this helpful

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Sharon A Feher

Well worth reading

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2023

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Besides the fact that I like post-apocalyptic fiction, these authors get extra credit for their creative use of the missing Roanoke colony & Croatoans. The story is well-plotted and fast-paced. The different ways humans adapted to the situation was plausible. An interesting approach to alien life and what they might do to Earth.

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SpacedMom

There were disgusting parts that thankfully the authors saved us from the ...

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2014

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When I read the brief description of the book I wasn't sure that it would hold my interest. Boy, was I wrong. The imagination of these writers was astonishing. The premise was simple and believable. The character development, especially of the main characters, was well enough in this first novel that the reader develops and instant connection to them. The only two that didn't get the attention to detail that the remaining team members did were those from the harvesters, but their contributions to overall story line weren't critical, nor did they distract from the fast pace of the book. There were disgusting parts that thankfully the authors saved us from the more lurid details, allowing our imaginations to take the picture of what was happening to our own personal places of acceptability, but they certainly paved the path to our thoughts well, stretching our imaginations to the max. Loved the chase scenes, and the hunter was terrifying. Can't wait to see what happens now that the war has truly begun! Great read.

One person found this helpful

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shakti prasad

I love it

Reviewed in India on July 4, 2019

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Awesome story

フーン

地球をテラフォーム

Reviewed in Japan on December 16, 2019

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し、人間を使役と食用に飼育する異星人に対するレジスタンスを描いたのが、３部作の１作目に当たる本作です。
レジスタンスが成功しても、人類が簡単に文明を取り戻せるわけでも、異星人が出ていってくれるわけでもなく、その後の状況が２作目、３作目と続きます。

かなり残虐な異星人の支配下で抵抗運動をする人間、異星人に協力する人間、ほっといてほしいと思っている人間といろいろいるわけですが、彼らが状況に応じて節操なく立ち位置を替えていきます。一方の異星人も多種多様。action packedの娯楽ＳＦで、異星人の武器を分捕って戦うのも面白かったけれど、アクション以上に人間模様の方が面白かったです。

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George R Beaudry

Suspenseful. Had to put other things off to finish ...

Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2015

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Suspenseful. Had to put other things off to finish it.

ChrisG

A great book (and series) that I really enjoyed

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2015

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Bought this on a kindle offer for my holidays, really enjoyed it and ended up buying the whole series of 3 books and loved them too. I grew up reading science fiction but haven't read any for a while and was happy that the book I chose turned out to be good. I passed it on to my wife to read who doesn't normally read sci-fi and she has enjoyed all 3 books too!

The writing is quite direct and to the point - and I don't mean that in a derogatory way as it matches the personality of the main characters and the necessity of the life they have found themselves having to survive in, and also helps to make the book a real page turner. Both my wife and I found it quite thought provoking as well, especially with regards to how humans treated each other and how we'd react in a similar situation (whilst hoping it never happens!).

A good book to read anytime and a great holiday read. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole series.

One person found this helpful

Hoener, Birgit

Thoroughly enjoyable. More please!

Reviewed in Germany on July 5, 2015

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Earth has been taken over, and a handful of free survivors fight for freedom. Mix "War of the Worlds" and "Independence Day", add likeable characters (even the bad ones) - and you cannot go wrong.
In this book, which had a good length, everything came together just right: the plot, the characters, and the narration style. Add to that hardly any grammar or spelling mistakes, which unfortunately nowadays seems to be the norm, and you have a thoroughly enjoyable story which I found it hard to put down.
The best? This seems to be the first in a series; although the book in itself had closure and did not end on a cliffhanger, there was what I hope to be a hint to further books. Yes please - I would love to know how the characters fare in their fight against the alien invaders.

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Critical Dawn (The Invasion Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

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Darren Wearmouth

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