Area 51 Paperback – November 6, 2014

I have read all 12 (as of April 2019) books in the series, in the order they were written. Book 1 is the best in many readers' opinions, but book 2 is almost as good. Book 7 provides a conclusion to the series, although books 9-12 resume the series arc. Book 8 has only tenuous connections to the series arc, and I (among others) liked it the least. It is unclear whether there will be additional books in this series. Each book begins with a brief recap of where the previous one ended, and some information from previous books is recapped in successive ones--this is for the benefit of people who mistakenly read a book in the series without reading all the previous ones.The series is based on the idea that aliens came to Earth about 10,000 years ago, and greatly influenced many things since then, often in surprising and even intriguing ways--usually unknown by, and hostile to, humans. Mayer has done considerable homework about legends throughout the world and about historical facts, and he weaves these together (often cleverly) into a hypothetical alternative history of the past, present, and future of Earth and some other planets. Many of his descriptions of actual historical places, things, and events are interesting on their own. Mayers' treatment of "ancient aliens" is far more well thought out than (for example) is the TV series on the History channel, although there are some intersections. The series describes how a small group of people (more or less related to Area 51) lead Earth's defense against the aliens, mostly in the present time.Such a long complicated story arc necessarily has a multiplicity of "scenes," often taking place concurrently. Mayer switches among these scenes frequently (similar to how Tom Clancy, for example, did), juggling them to keep moving the whole story arc forward coherently.Mayer has an extensive military background which he exploits effectively in the series; that makes this series somewhat of a military techno-thriller in the SF genre.The books all have small numbers of typos and other editorial errors, and should have been more carefully edited.

I have to admit, it took me while to get into and finish this book, the first in the Area 51 Series by Bob Mayer. Reading all previous reviews helped me understand that this book, like many in the new self printing series genre, is setting up the parameters for the rest of the books. It is difficult when you have to meet new characters and become familiar with new stories. But, honestly, I prefer the series as opposed to the stand alone novels because it gives me more time to spend living in another world, a world made up by a brilliant mind.There was a lot of information crammed into these pages. The first half was difficult for me because it was a bit military and machinery heavy. However, this author ties it all up neatly in the end, with stunning revelations that sound actually plausible. I sped through the last quarter as the action, which was slowly building from the beginning, began to come together and the story came to a satisfactory and exciting ending.There were a few grammatical errors which should have been fixed by now, but I don't down rate the self published for that unless it is written as a sixth grader! This one had some weaknesses in sentence structure, but not enough to turn me away. Indeed, the complicated story line being set up was difficult to grasp, but not impossible by any means.If you are looking for romance, this book won't do it for you. If you are looking for a great Sci Fi plot, you will like this book. This is not YA, not because of language, violence, or adult situations, so if you have kids, I'd recommend it highly to older teens on up through all decades of adulthood. The plot is imaginative, intelligent, and very well explained. I am off to start the next book in the series. I only read this book at the recommendations of other reviewers, I really wanted to jump into the "real" first book of the series. I understand this is a prequel. Glad I read it, glad I understand the plot and premise, and can't wait to read the next book. I hope this series lives up to what other reviewers have written about it. I am reading it because of their glowing reviews. I'm review each book after reading it, so I have high hopes I have some great reading ahead of me!!

I blame you for my sleepless night, Bob Mayer! LOL It was totally worth it. I enjoyed this sci-fi romp around Area 51 very much. Lots and lots to think about and process.So, Atlantis was an alien outpost, and the aliens got stuck here during a war. Humanity eventually found what they left behind and reverse engineered a bunch of it.Flying saucers aka "bouncers", motherships, nukes, mind-controlling computers, and more oddities await those who dare this book.I thoroughly enjoyed the book & the time I spent reading it. Highly recommend to buy or borrow. 9/10 unicorns 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄No editting or spelling issues, not much character development, but the entire book only covers a few days time. Obviously written by a professional & expertly editted as well.👍👍Looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

The storyline and characters were very good. I am a hard sci-fi fan and this fit the bill. I am however not an extensive series fan.

Whether you are a Sci-Fi fan or not you will find this book by Bob Mayer utterly enthralling. But be warned - it's just the first in a series each of which will lure you deeper and deeper into the intrigue of the story, and the convoluted storyline and mind of the author!It's many years since I first cut my Sci-Fi teeth on the works of Asimov and Clarke who presented uncanny prophesies of the future, many of which have come to pass. But over the years I have become bored with the genre simply because of the trend of contemporary authors to be ever more outlandish, speculative, and implausible.In Area 51 [book 1] Bob Mayer very cleverly exploits the existing intrigue, and conspiricay theories surrounding this highly secretive American location. But instead of speculating on what is currently happening he goes back many millennia and in so doing draws the reader, almost unconciously, into a minefield of possibilities that blows history wide open.How Bob Mayer's mind works is almost as much a mystery as the topic he covers in this book and, as you will discover in later volumes, gets ever more convoluted as time passes. Whilst each volume is a satisfying read in isolation there is no doubt that reading them in sequence is the best approach. I just wish I had realised just how prolific this brilliant author is!Even if you have previously not being into Sci-Fi, or conspiracy theories, Bob Mayer will most probably change your mind for ever!Upload some of Bob Marley's tomes to your Kindle, or phone, and you will not have a bored moment for ages!

Excellent reading! Interesting combination between fiction and reality. Additionally, he swings from known historical facts to modern times and expresses opinions for the reader to share.

Like it, beautifully written to coordinate human and aliens. Logical, to look it like realistic and true. Awesome imagination and thoughtful.

Un libro rápido y muy adictivo. Es una historia que no se puede parar de leer. A por el siguiente

Once you get through the first 3 chapters you want to see where it goes, if you love Sci fi you won’t stop reading, a very believable story line. I’m heading to Book 2 now. So, now we know where Red heads come from😬