Rating: 
Summary: A good book and a well done series.
Review: The Area 51 series has been put together very well. The characters, scenarios, and situations are brought to the reader in a very descriptive way, immersing you into the intrigue that keeps getting better as you read. However, because of the superb climax, you may expect a better conclusion which we believe was not on the same level.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book Is Amazing
Review: Being a college student I am not one who usually has time to sit down and read a book that I am not assigned to do but one night I picked up Area 51 and decided I would give it a shot. I could not put this book down. I even took it to class with me and read during my lectures. I finished the book in less than 2 days. The way Mayer (writing as Doherty) takes totally different people and puts them together to try and solve a problem is amazing. Each character has a different background and also has something different to contribute to the group. The main character, Mike Turcotte, is a soldier who gets involved in a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. One of the great things about this novel is the way Doherty descibes the action scenes. The level of detail is surprisingly high when it comes to the military operations. Mayer is ex-special forces himself so I believe he has a very good idea of how things are done in the special forces.
I am just glad that there are more Area 51 books out there right now and even a couple more on the way. I read the first five books of the series and I was blown away at how Mayer links different places and events from all over the world together in this story.
If you like reading about ordinary people who work together to do the impossible then this book is for you. If you like reading about military operations in full detail then this book is for you. If you like reading about aliens who want to take over our planet then this book is for you.
This book has a surprise at every corner and the plot twists and turns more times than you can count. I only wish they would make a movie out of this book because that would make for one exciting movie.
Rating: 
Summary: The Big Mystery
Review: The Big Mystery is that series is popular and getting generally good reviews.I was given the first four books by a friend, and as I am a fast reader (and these books are at least fast reads), I will read them all, but there is very little that is impressive. There are numerous problems with this story, but the most outstanding are the cardboard characters. None of the characters have any depth, so there is no sense of menace when they are threatened. The chemistry between the characters is minimal and they seem unable to talk of anything other than the aliens. One principal character (Lisa Duncan) has a child who is mentioned once and then completely disregarded. How can we believe any of these characters are more than talking heads? I don't actually have much of a problem with the outlandish plot; as ludicrous as this alien conspiracy is, I feel that in the hands of a talented writer, this could actually be good. I do find amusing the paradox that Doherty presents: humanity is apparently not bright enough to build the Pyramids, Easter Island statues or Great Wall of China (second book), or develop a nuclear weapon unassisted, yet it will be brilliant enough to actually defeat the aliens. Amazingly, there is just enough entertainment value in these books to rate two stars. The main value in these books, however, is to show how a science fiction book should not be written.
Rating: 
Summary: Fast-paced read - but nothing really new for the genre.
Review: Basically, for this genre, this was a pretty good book. However, with each turn of the page I realized this was all just the same stuff, over and over again. Here we have MJ-12. Here we have Area 51. Over there we have the Great Pyramid. And what is that over there? Could that be high runic language? Why, yes it could. And, true to form, here we have aliens that want to wipe us out. Here we have another race that can save us. Etc. Etc. Etc. There was really nothing very unique here at all and this is a shame because Doherty's other work, "The Rock," was a nice update to this somewhat tired (for me) genre. The characters were very stereotypical: Mike Turcotte (the ultimate good guy, but ridden with angst); General Gullick (hard-edge, no-nonsense military); Kelly Reynolds (reporter who has to get the story to the world), etc. Granted, people like this exist. But these characters just seemed cut out of a mould for me. I was guessing each twist and turn of the story as I read through the book and, not too surprisingly, I guessed correctly each time. Having said that, however, I have to say that the book is a fast-paced read and pretty enjoyable. Yes, it is cliched in many ways, but Doherty does a nice job of keeping the story moving and making you wonder just what is really going on and how the protagonists are going to get out of the mess they are in. Do not read it for any accuracy of ancient mysteries on the planet (because some of the aspects in the book are stated wrong) - just read it for a fun romp. All in all, I thought it was a good story and a well-paced read: there was just really nothing new here. However, it was enough to make me give the sequel to the book a shot.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome..fun..fun..fun
Review: I loved reading area 51!....I had picked up a copy of the book atlantis written under the authors other pen name and loved that book...and the other two that followed...that led me to area 51! I couldn't put it down..read it in about a day and a half! and already to start the second book! the good thing is the fist 5 books are out so I don't have to wait to move on! Any this is a must read book for those of you looking for action..and a fascinating story line that makes you think... (By the way I always check out reviews for books in a series...and I read a review by a guy from st. louis park mn, that had read Area 51 the grail...he gave the book 1 or 2 stars and trashed it! After thinking about it the guy obviously didn't do his homework and read the first book...I plan on reading in order...and that is the advice I would give anyone jumping into the series...also the same for reading Atlantis and so forth...great stuff to look forward too!)
Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining Reading
Review: The Area 51 series is one of the better sci-fi book series I have read recently. I really enjoyed this book and all the other ones. You will too if you are into these kinds of books.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty fun escape for the weekend
Review: I can't remember all of the reasons why I picked up 'Area 51' and began to read it, but I know now that whatever the reason was, it certainly gave me a thrill ride that I enjoyed, and continue to enjoy through the sequels, some of which are as good, some not as good, and at least one that IS better. Mike Turcotte finds himself embroiled in a scheme that is so far reaching, it seems as though we may NEVER know the entire story, no matter HOW many 'Area 51' sequels there may be (hey, a little intrigue and questions left un-answered is always fun--at least for ME). What does Easter Island have to do with aliens? And what does Antarctica have to do with Area 51? DID aliens in fact visit earth sometime in our history? If so, what were their objectives? What did they leave behind? Did Atlantis actually EXIST?? Some of these questions are answered and more are raised and continue to give new life to the fabled 'Conspiracy Theory' scenario. As long as you don't take it seriously, this book should award you with a few hours of really fun reading. Enjoy, and don't forget to grab the books that follow (especially 'The Sphinx')--but remember you HAVE to read them in ORDER otherwise they MAY not make sense.
Rating:
Summary: A ripping great read!
Review: A fun book, especially if you are up on the players in the UFO business .. Doherty does thinly veiled portraits of some of the most famous (or infamous) people associated with the aliens-are-mucking-with-us mythology. (Robert, you left out Whitley Streiber! Shame on you! <VBG>) Good characters and just the right mix of white-hats, black-hats, and grey-hats (the Nazi with a conscience? ). Not great literature but who cares? I'm off to buy the rest of the set. Only one problem: Area 51 is billed on the inside back cover as "the second of a series", and there are references ad nauseam in the body of the book to the earlier adventure of our heroine, but THE NAME OF THE FIRST BOOK IS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND! Frustrating!
Rating:
Summary: "Tom Clancy" meets "Close Encounters"
Review: WOW, I've been a fan of the techno-thrillers such as those by Clancy and Larry Bond for quite some time. Every now and then I'll browse the sci-fi section of a book store to see if anything yanks my chain. I stumbled onto this series a while back, and if you like the style and detail of Clancy with the action and rapid unfolding of events such as you find with Bond, this is a series you'll enjoy. I think I've aggrivated my wife several times when I was glued to the series when I should have been doing those "honey-do" tasks. The weaving of fact and plausable science fiction is facinating. Well worth the read!!!
Rating:
Summary: Take it as it's meant to be taken...
Review: Ok, so Area51 isn't great literature, but that doesn't mean it's worthless. Sure I've read books with better plotting and writing, but that's not what I expected when I picked up this book. It was a great escape and a very fun ride. It's not meant to reveal anything grand or tell you something didn't already know. It's simply entertainment and there's nothing wrong with that. I stayed up late to finish the book because I couldn't put it down and now I want to read the rest of the series. Sometimes it's fun to just read something that won't broaden your horizons or change your life. I recommend this book for those who want something to read on a plane or on the beach. It's light reading at its best.
| 
