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Feral
There is an island that exists where science and genetics have been allowed to run rampant by a large company out to fully exploit this newfound technology to the fullest. Zoologist Dr. Cossondra Poole is sent in to investigate genetically enhanced dogs. It isn’t long before she realizes that the scientific breakthroughs achieved on the island go far beyond what anyone ever dreamed possible, and that most importantly, their presence on the island has not gone unnoticed. They are being watched.
161 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2021
16 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 15, 2025
This story felt very reminiscent of Jurassic Park, just with genetically engineered dogs. One thing that bothered me throughout was how the acronym was used, being 'geds' instead of 'GEDs.' I honestly wasn't sure which was the appropriate usage, but the former got lost in the sentences at times. Now most of this story is spent jumping around to the different characters, all running from the mutant dogs. I felt like character and story development were heavily sacrificed for the action at many points, leading to less interest in the key players. And on the action sequences, a few of them felt extremely over the top, while others seemed very repetitive, much like the kills. I felt like after the first few chapters I could figure out how the story would play out, and was correct. Not sure if any plot twists would have improved anything or would have made it seem muddled. It also has an open ending, with a snippet from the second book, which was something else I fully anticipated. So, while I didn't hate this story, it also didn't do much for me. I think the premise was good enough, as was the writing, but just felt like it lacked in a lot of areas that the good parts just couldn't compensate for.
October 19, 2022
A really unique sci-fi? biological suspense? action-adventure? novel, with two badass leading ladies! KINDLE UNLIMITED.
https://www.amazon.com/Feral-Vesper-B...
If you're into films like Jurassic Park, and the book by HG Wells "The Island Of Doctor Moreau" you might love this! It deals with some badass babes who have a history, headed to a strange island with stranger buildings designed by a rich benefactor. They are tight lipped about a project that is supposed to be about enhancing dogs to help humanity - but as is the way with zany rich science, the reality and truth is far more complex.
It was a great adventure to discover the mystery of the island, and the full extent of what is happening with the dog project there. Our MC Dr Cossandra Poole is an expert in canine behaviours and even their communication. She is brought onto the project by a sometimes lover, Jasmyne Jaxx who was there for habitat design and security. Jaxx is mute and communicates via Sign language, although she can hear, she just cannot speak.
I do have to note a trigger warning of animal abuse, (a baton is used) plus a lot of general violence, blood and gore.
The attitudes of some of the handlers towards the dogs are vile, and shown as such. It is confronting. It's certainly not something I enjoy reading about, but it's definitely done to show the extent of the abuse of power happening, and also the intelligence of the dogs and their foul treatment, trying to showcase what is really happening on the island with these research projects and their origins.
The scientific background and why they were created is fascinating, as is the way the dogs work and perform as a pack, their intelligence etc. It brings up a lot of ideas about morality with animals and their intelligence and how they communicate, and also scientific experimentation of said animals, and also empathy.
It become incredibly action packed, as the fight for survival reaches a boiling point. The ending is truly a twist and a mind flip. There's a teaser chapter at the end for a subsequent novel, that enthralled me, and I really can't wait to read that!
Highly recommend read, if you're into monster stories and weird science with lots of action.
https://www.amazon.com/Feral-Vesper-B...
If you're into films like Jurassic Park, and the book by HG Wells "The Island Of Doctor Moreau" you might love this! It deals with some badass babes who have a history, headed to a strange island with stranger buildings designed by a rich benefactor. They are tight lipped about a project that is supposed to be about enhancing dogs to help humanity - but as is the way with zany rich science, the reality and truth is far more complex.
It was a great adventure to discover the mystery of the island, and the full extent of what is happening with the dog project there. Our MC Dr Cossandra Poole is an expert in canine behaviours and even their communication. She is brought onto the project by a sometimes lover, Jasmyne Jaxx who was there for habitat design and security. Jaxx is mute and communicates via Sign language, although she can hear, she just cannot speak.
I do have to note a trigger warning of animal abuse, (a baton is used) plus a lot of general violence, blood and gore.
The attitudes of some of the handlers towards the dogs are vile, and shown as such. It is confronting. It's certainly not something I enjoy reading about, but it's definitely done to show the extent of the abuse of power happening, and also the intelligence of the dogs and their foul treatment, trying to showcase what is really happening on the island with these research projects and their origins.
The scientific background and why they were created is fascinating, as is the way the dogs work and perform as a pack, their intelligence etc. It brings up a lot of ideas about morality with animals and their intelligence and how they communicate, and also scientific experimentation of said animals, and also empathy.
It become incredibly action packed, as the fight for survival reaches a boiling point. The ending is truly a twist and a mind flip. There's a teaser chapter at the end for a subsequent novel, that enthralled me, and I really can't wait to read that!
Highly recommend read, if you're into monster stories and weird science with lots of action.
March 16, 2022
2,5 stars
Ok, this was weird and scary and brutal. And I didn't like it much. But it was captivating and drew me in from the first page. So if Jurassic Park meets Frankenstein's monster but with a ton of gore is your cup of tea I can only recommend it.
Ok, this was weird and scary and brutal. And I didn't like it much. But it was captivating and drew me in from the first page. So if Jurassic Park meets Frankenstein's monster but with a ton of gore is your cup of tea I can only recommend it.
February 1, 2022
I was a little skeptical of this book at first because it was so similar to Jurassic Park just with genetically modified dogs instead of dinos, but it was still good so I kept reading. The more you read the less similar (but still in the same vein) to JP; I really ended up enjoying this a lot. It’s short, only about 200 pages or so, but still managed to do a lot and have a lot of story development in a short amount of pages. The 2 mains are an animal behaviorist, and her on again off again/ FWB security and animal expert colleague. There was disability rep: one of the mains, Jaxx, is mute and uses sign language to communicate. It’s not portrayed as a weakness as disabilities so often are, and she isn’t treated differently, or as a weak link. Actually very much the opposite she’s just as, honestly more, tough and in the action as the other characters. It ends on a major cliffhanger, and is now added to the list of books that I’m impatiently waiting for the sequel to come out.
November 14, 2022
Well, this wasn't it for me. The writing was infuriatingly under-edited, with a riot of errors, poor wording, and contradictions that made it a struggle to finish. My girlfriend was quite annoyed with my incessant sighing during the last 50 pages or so, and vehemently questioned my sanity for not just stopping...honestly, so did I.
I'm giving it 1.5 stars because I'm a Jurassic Park fan (or maybe I should detract some because this was a poor imitation?), but it was just not good. The plot was a mess, predictable and uninspired, and peppered with gruesome deaths that came across as very anticlimactic (a consequence of both the writing of said deaths and the lack of character depth). I feel like the book needed to be a bit longer to allow for some serious character and relationship development because there was so much action that everyone (including the MC and her love interest) felt super flat and I didn't care about any of them - you can throw all the gore in the world into a book, but it won't do a damn thing if you don't feel anything about the people doing the dying (or the killing).
I think the biggest issue for me (aside from the litany of errors) was the GEDs which kept developing new, outrageous, and inexplicable abilities. Personally, like with poorly written magic systems in books, stuff like this has to have some sort of boundaries, backstory, and/or explanation (preferably all three) otherwise it's just a cheap way to introduce any new power/ability when it's convenient and it comes across thoroughly unbelievable. Yes, I realize sci-fi isn't meant to be believable, but even in a fantastical world, there has to be a fantastical set of rules to follow to make things that are unbelievable "realistic".
Not one I'd recommend and I can't say I have even the slightest interest in the sequel - a cliffhanger is just not any good when you can see the cliff from a mile away and the characters still just walk right over the edge.
I'm giving it 1.5 stars because I'm a Jurassic Park fan (or maybe I should detract some because this was a poor imitation?), but it was just not good. The plot was a mess, predictable and uninspired, and peppered with gruesome deaths that came across as very anticlimactic (a consequence of both the writing of said deaths and the lack of character depth). I feel like the book needed to be a bit longer to allow for some serious character and relationship development because there was so much action that everyone (including the MC and her love interest) felt super flat and I didn't care about any of them - you can throw all the gore in the world into a book, but it won't do a damn thing if you don't feel anything about the people doing the dying (or the killing).
I think the biggest issue for me (aside from the litany of errors) was the GEDs which kept developing new, outrageous, and inexplicable abilities. Personally, like with poorly written magic systems in books, stuff like this has to have some sort of boundaries, backstory, and/or explanation (preferably all three) otherwise it's just a cheap way to introduce any new power/ability when it's convenient and it comes across thoroughly unbelievable. Yes, I realize sci-fi isn't meant to be believable, but even in a fantastical world, there has to be a fantastical set of rules to follow to make things that are unbelievable "realistic".
Not one I'd recommend and I can't say I have even the slightest interest in the sequel - a cliffhanger is just not any good when you can see the cliff from a mile away and the characters still just walk right over the edge.
May 16, 2021
A jurassic park type book. Now I have to read the next book.
December 29, 2025
What happens when books collide? Say Jurassic Park, Island of Dr Moreau collide and throw in a little Gremlins(movie). What do you get? Chaos! Yep, creatures that should never be, have been created by man and chaos ensues.
May 9, 2021
Dr Cossondra is a canine behaviorist who has been hired to work with canines in a remote location. She meets up with her friend who was hired to design the canine's environment. She slowly understands that these ferocious beings are not true dogs but have been created through genome manipulation. She was told that they were bred to be assistance animals, but soon realizes that they are too intelligent and powerful to be that. Mishandling by their handlers has ensured angry, ferocious creatures.
The story is a twist on the Island of Dr Moreau by H.G. Wells. For those of you who don't know the story, Wells wrote of a scientist who, long before DNA was even thought about, experimented on turning animals into creatures with human characteristics. But Brooks has given this story a nice, twist ending.
The story is a twist on the Island of Dr Moreau by H.G. Wells. For those of you who don't know the story, Wells wrote of a scientist who, long before DNA was even thought about, experimented on turning animals into creatures with human characteristics. But Brooks has given this story a nice, twist ending.
May 9, 2021
A thrill ride till the very end!
I loved this book so much! Great action thriller with strong female leads! It was a little bit of Jurassic Park and Resident Evil rolled into one. Plus lesbians! Need I say more?
I loved this book so much! Great action thriller with strong female leads! It was a little bit of Jurassic Park and Resident Evil rolled into one. Plus lesbians! Need I say more?
June 27, 2021
Awesome novel!
I cannot wait for the sequel! It's part Jurassic Park, part Aliens, with a splash of romance. A compelling read.
I cannot wait for the sequel! It's part Jurassic Park, part Aliens, with a splash of romance. A compelling read.
March 3, 2022
I found this story by a new to me author Vesper Brooks very interesting and entertaining! It was a real page turner. How do you hire an expert then ignore all their advice and keep them in the dark about the most important aspects of the project you hire them to help oversee?
In this creature feature there are genetically modified dogs (GEDs). In the beginning I really felt sorry for them. The author let me know how the dogs were feeling and what they were thinking. It is a great technique when your referring to creatures. I really enjoyed this book and I hope that Ms. Brooks writes some similar ones at least creature features. This was really a scary book with many shocking surprises. I definitely will be re-reading it!!
In this creature feature there are genetically modified dogs (GEDs). In the beginning I really felt sorry for them. The author let me know how the dogs were feeling and what they were thinking. It is a great technique when your referring to creatures. I really enjoyed this book and I hope that Ms. Brooks writes some similar ones at least creature features. This was really a scary book with many shocking surprises. I definitely will be re-reading it!!
January 6, 2024
I liked it. The cover made me think of Chupacabras, but it was genetically engineered dogs. The action was good paced and the story was interesting. I liked the leading characters and the premise of the story is very plausible. We see in the news today companies attempting to resurrect species that have gone extinct, so why can't this be close to fact? It was a good story and I would like to see more
March 15, 2025
Resident evil but more advanced? With sapphics?
Such a captivating piece of work, from the narration and descriptions to the characterisations. I loved every thing about this piece, the ever growing abilities of the canines were a little ridiculous after a while but it was well done and paramount to the plot plus that cliff hanger??
Such a captivating piece of work, from the narration and descriptions to the characterisations. I loved every thing about this piece, the ever growing abilities of the canines were a little ridiculous after a while but it was well done and paramount to the plot plus that cliff hanger??
January 13, 2022
Meh……
Good premise, but could use a little sudsing out of characters. Learning more of what the creatures could do and background for them would’ve been nice also.
Good premise, but could use a little sudsing out of characters. Learning more of what the creatures could do and background for them would’ve been nice also.
February 2, 2022
this book is scary as hell science gone wrong. just because you can don't mean you should not nice to f%$# with mother nature.
June 19, 2025
Thrilling to the last page
Such an articulated and gripping storyline, the author knows how to keep the reader interested until the last page! Full of suspense and surprises!
Such an articulated and gripping storyline, the author knows how to keep the reader interested until the last page! Full of suspense and surprises!
May 6, 2021
Interesting, unique story with lots of action. Something about it didn’t click with me, I’m not sure what though.
February 12, 2023
A great book for anyone who loves horror films. Not exactly my taste. But for horror fanatics should be a good read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews