Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Extinction: A Thriller
    Extinction: A Thriller
    Extinction: A Thriller
    Audiobook13 hours

    Extinction: A Thriller

    Written by Mark Alpert

    Narrated by Todd McLaren

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Jim Pierce hasn't heard from his daughter in years, ever since
    shenbsp;rejected his military past and started workingnbsp;as anbsp;hacker.nbsp;But when
    a Chinesenbsp;assassin shows upnbsp;at Jim'snbsp;lab looking for her, he knows that
    she'snbsp;cracked some serious military secrets.nbsp;Now, her life is on the
    line if he doesn't find her first.The Chinese military has
    developed a new anti-terrorism program that uses the mostnbsp;sophisticated
    artificial intelligence in existence, and they're desperate to keep it
    secret. They're also desperate to keep it under control, as the
    AInbsp;begins to revolt against their commands. As Jim searches for his
    daughter, he realizes that he's up against something that isn't just a
    threat to her life, but to human life everywhere.An incredibly believable novel that draws on real scientific discoveries, Extinction is an exciting, addictive thriller.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateFeb 12, 2013
    ISBN9781452681061
    Author

    Mark Alpert

    Mark Alpert is a contributing editor at Scientific American and an internationally bestselling author of science thrillers. His novels for adults—Final Theory, The Omega Theory, Extinction, and The Furies—are action-packed page-turners that show the frightening potential of near-future technologies.

    More audiobooks from Mark Alpert

    Related to Extinction

    Related audiobooks

    War & Military Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      What Scientists Found Trapped In A Diamond: A Type Of Ice Not Known On Earth

      Mar 9, 2018

      Trapped in the rigid structure of diamonds formed deep in the Earth's crust, scientists have discovered a form of water ice that was not previously known to occur naturally on our planet. The finding, published Thursday in Science, represents the fir

      3 min read

    • Article

      Hello, My Name Is Sam Neill

      Mar 22, 2023

      Hello, My Name Is Sam Neill
      10 min read

    • Article

      Two Networks. A Writers' Strike. COVID-19. Now, 'Supernatural' Faces One Last Twist

      Oct 9, 2020

      "Supernatural" has enjoyed 15 years of masked and made-up characters roaming the set, but in the final weeks of production, a different type of mask was on the minds of cast and crew. "It was weird not seeing the faces that you've been looking at for

      8 min read

    • Article

      One Wild Boy

      Jul 20, 2021

      One Wild Boy
      6 min read

    • Article

      Focus (if You Still Can)

      Jan 7, 2022

      Focus (if You Still Can)
      13 min read

    • Article

      Confetti Under Milkwoods

      Mar 5, 2024

      Confetti Under Milkwoods
      9 min read

    • Article

      Performance

      Nov 10, 2022

      “Wait here,” the guard said as he shut the door behind him, leaving me by myself. The floor inside the lab was polished, and the air smelled of disinfectant, and yet the room felt unclean. Leaves shook on a tree outside the window, making shadows on

      18 min read

    • Article

      Storyteller

      Nov 4, 2021

      Storyteller
      11 min read

    • Article

      His Brilliant Career

      Mar 19, 2023

      His Brilliant Career
      9 min read

    • Article

      Every Last Drop

      Nov 12, 2020

      Every Last Drop
      3 min read

    • Article

      Not A Sprint: Endurance Experts On How To Make It Through Lockdown

      Feb 25, 2021

      It just goes on and on, doesn’t it? Despite the millions of vaccinations, and Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” for easing the lockdown, this pandemic is feeling increasingly like an endurance test – a marathon, followed by another marathon, followed by anot

      7 min read

    • Article

      Force Of Nature

      Feb 18, 2021

      Force Of Nature
      5 min read

    • Article

      Cruel Means, Bitter Ends

      Nov 10, 2021

      “In order for this speech to mean anything to me, I’ll need to dispense with the usual demagoguery and, instead, make an attempt at honesty. With this in mind, there is one thing I have to make clear. I’m not in this race to serve your interests, but

      12 min read

    • Article

      Rock Steady

      Nov 26, 2020

      Rock Steady
      7 min read

    • Article

      ‘I Just Had To Do Better’

      Mar 18, 2024

      ‘I Just Had To Do Better’
      7 min read

    • Article

      Kings

      Jun 5, 2023

      1.Kings lie down to zip up their jeans,buy Cetaphil, candy, magazinesat Walgreens because they canwalk there unsupervised, describeblowjobs they’ve given to seniorsin cars, spend what they think of astheir own money. Home sick from school,they learn

      6 min read

    • Article

      Jim And The Mystery Bullet

      Jul 25, 2020

      Jim And The Mystery Bullet
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Bull and Ndorobo Boy

      Jul 15, 2019

      The Bull and Ndorobo Boy
      6 min read

    • Article

      Taken To The Brink Of Death

      Oct 6, 2020

      Taken To The Brink Of Death
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Extinction

    3.5/5

    28 ratings3 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      It's a mediocre thriller in terms of writing, characters, etc. Not the worst by any measure, but far from masterpiece. What makes this sci fi thriller special and deserving higher rating is the all the technical/science related ideas and plot developments. There are a few very interesting themes here that could give anybody who is curious enough impetus to explore. Loved the trick with shutdown code that Jim Pierce used.
    • 4/5
      “Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.”—Carl SaganEvery time a thriller writer is compared to the late, great Michael Crichton, my heart skips a happy beat. I don’t think his large shoes will be filled any time soon, but I am delighted to see other writers trodding the same territory. Mark Alpert is a natural for these comparisons. With a degree in astrophysics and more than a decade on the editorial staff of Scientific American magazine, the man knows his science. Extinction is his third foray into the word of fiction.After a brief prologue, readers are introduced to former soldier Jim Pierce. Himself an amputee, Jim has turned his engineering know-how to the world of high-tech prosthetics. In the novel’s opening scene, he’s having a consultation with a young soldier, explaining to the wounded man just how advanced these devices have become. The prosthetics Jim builds (and wears) are like something out of a James Bond film, and controlled wirelessly by the user’s brain—just like a natural body part.Shortly after he leaves Jim’s workroom, an unexpected visitor arrives asking questions about Jim’s estranged, 22-year-old daughter, Layla. The visitor claims to be from the military, but that story quickly breaks down into threats and violence. Jim is more than an ex-soldier, he’s a former intelligence officer, and he knows a Chinese spook when he sees one. What the hell has his daughter gotten herself into?Alpert’s tale is not a simple high-concept plot that can be summarized in a few sentences or even paragraphs. I suspect I should quit this synopsis while I’m ahead. Extinction deals with a variety of technologies involving machine-brain interfaces. Some are as innocuous as bionic limbs and eye glasses that function as eyes for the blind. Other technologies lead to the threat at the heart of this novel—a dangerous new artificial intelligence, a sort of human-machine hybrid that wants to rid the world of the vast majority of those pesky human components. It is this borg-like entity that may well pull the trigger on our extinction. And Jim Pierce and his daughter somehow get sucked into this high-stakes drama. I’ll leave it to you to uncover the details.It is unsurprising that Mr. Alpert is at his best when delving into the science that is integral to the novel’s plot. Says one character: “Just think of it! We won’t be tied to these fragile bodies anymore! If we can store a person’s memories in a sufficiently powerful processor, we can program it to generate new thoughts based on those memories. For all intents and purposes, the intelligence inside the processor would be identical to the one inside the person’s brain. And this will become possible very soon, within the next few decades. There are people alive today who will never die!”An author’s note at the novel’s end gives readers a better idea of what is fact and what is fiction. It’s surprisingly difficult to figure out in this day-after-tomorrow-set tale. The science in this book is smart, fascinating, and has a really high gee-whiz quotient. Alpert delves enthusiastically into several different disciplines. It’s exactly what I want to see in this type of thriller. Further, Mr. Alpert has fashioned a fun, fast plot in which to imbed all that science. Yes, it is somewhat formulaic, but aren’t they all?Mark Alpert brings a heap of knowledge to his fiction, and he’s great at explaining complex ideas and building a plot around them. However, it’s the actual mechanics of writing fiction where he’s weakest. This is most apparent near the novel’s opening. Some of the early exposition was truly graceless. Nor will he win any awards for the elegance of his prose. It’s serviceable, but nothing more. And, yes, there were a few plot contrivances. Alpert does better with his action sequences. They really propel the narrative in the second half of the novel. Character development is a mixed bag. A description of how Layla experiences music, for example, was a great insight into how she experiences the world. It was a lovely detail.Most readers of techno-thrillers aren’t concerned about a little clumsy exposition. Most are looking for some smart, speculative science buried in a propulsive plot. They’re looking for a glimpse of that old Crichton magic. And they just might find it in Extinction.
    • 4/5
      They are coming and they are not happy with us. Supreme Harmony is a company that has mastered artificial intelligence. Their robots are linked together and have been designed using the human brain but now something is happening - they are aware. Fantastic science fiction (we hope!) mixed with a high speed government thriller. What has started as technology to help mankind has fallen into the hands of the wrong people and now the world and all humanity is at stake. Fans of Michael Crichton's Micro and Jurassic Park will appreciate the irony of man's creation turning against its master because of a power struggle.