Out of Darkness Comes: The First Threat by Nala Nicole

Out Of Darkness Comes: The First Threat by Nala Nicole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A tantalizing teaser for author Nala Nicole’s new dystopian series, Out of Darkness Comes.

In a not-too-distant future Earth, a worldwide political reorganization has consolidated law enforcement on a national and international scale. Commander Porsha “Childs” Fairchild and her SBI (Sentinel Bureau of Investigations) team are tracking the growing epidemic of deaths from the use of Arctic Freeze, the latest drug of choice infiltrating the country. As the body count rises and suspicions focus on Mark Banfield of Banfield Pharmaceuticals, one of Porsha’s team members is targeted as a warning to them to back off. Simultaneously, large alien space vessels appear and hover over major cities around the world, temporarily disrupting electrical functions, including communications around the world, and causing panic and chaos. Fighting the influx of Arctic Freeze may be the least of the SBI’s worries.

Prelude: The First Threat is a tantalizing teaser for author Nala Nicole’s new dystopian series, Out of Darkness Comes. Readers are introduced to the main characters from the Sentinel Bureau of Investigations, the secretive Banfield Pharma group, and the alien threat from a distant planet Akron, and given a little taste of each entity’s backstories.

Commander Porsha Fairchild is struggling to stay in control of both the chaotic situations and her own sanity. Not only are the events she and her team are encountering around the country (and the world) overwhelming, but she is suffering from an emergence of her PTSD, a result of her own childhood traumas.

Porsha’s SBI coworkers are a diverse and talented group of individuals and, consequently, an interesting mix of personalities to get to know. I really enjoyed how well they meshed together: their camaraderie and coordination. Readers are tipped off early on that there are spies who have infiltrated the ranks of the agents. Who these moles truly represent was still somewhat of a mystery, though. I look forward to finding out more in the next entry in the series.

The future world is an intriguing place, and there is a lot of room for exploration yet. Although similar to our present time, something big has happened to facilitate a change in policing and international cooperation. There has been some warfare, but the accompanying destruction had apparently stopped short of taking down society, finances, and commerce as we know it in the United States. However, there appears to be an increased level of cooperation and coordination and stronger connections between international agencies, as evidenced by the inclusion of a suspicious Johnny-Come-Lately team member from across the pond late in the game. Once again, I look forward to the associated revelations in the next book.

With its interesting mix of characters, altered political landscape, and exciting non-stop action, I recommend OUT OF DARKNESS COMES – PRELUDE: THE FIRST THREAT to readers who enjoy futuristic crime fiction and science fiction invasion/first contact stories.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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