A series of earthquakes has uncovered mysterious underground graveyards and strange otherworldly artefacts. Archaeologist Rebecca Duccati confounds orders by investigating the anomalies. Elsewhere, tough guy FBI agent Zach Demzey and his sidekick Connie Wegman are trying to track down the culprits behind a series of violent murders who have eluded all traditional investigations. After discovering the remains of mysterious monsters unknown to science, Demzey and Wegman realize they are facing down creatures who originate from outer space. With the plucky archaeologist as their guide do they have what it takes to save the human race from imminent destruction?

Taking inspiration in part from the classic ancient astronaut archaeology book “Chariots of The Gods” by Erich von Däniken, Lonnie Busch’s ALL HOPE OF BECOMING HUMAN is a relentless horror meets sci-fi romp. Busch’s ancient aliens are a far more malignant bunch than those proposed by von Däniken and he is never afraid to ramp up the monstrous while he cranks up the tension. Within the confines of his gloriously pulpy story Busch is able to create well rounded and believable characters. Despite some knowing nods to the expected tropes of the rugged FBI agent or the sassy archaeologist, the protagonists are more than mere cardboard cut-outs and no matter how preposterous the situation they find themselves in react in recognizably human ways.

In terms of plotting, Busch finds some surprising twist and turns in what is a fairly familiar genre story. For the most part, things barrel along at breakneck pace. There are a few lulls, most often the result of the more literary, contemplative passages. Thrill-seeking readers may find these slow the pace unnecessarily but they are rarely more than a chance to take a breather before further revelations escalate the drama. Indeed Busch deserves credit for not shying away from the philosophical questions that the discovery of ancient alien artifacts would raise. In broaching these subjects, and referencing the likes of Freud and Jung, he elevates what could otherwise be a fairly standard sci-fi monster novel towards the speculative fictions of his writer heroes such as Philip K Dick and Ursula K. Le Guin.

Author Lonnie Busch examines the philosophical questions of what the discovery of ancient alien life would mean to humankind while reveling in an all action pulp drama pitting man against evil otherworldly monsters in the surprisingly sophisticated literary sci-fi thriller, ALL HOPE OF BECOMING HUMAN .

~Kent Lane for IndieReader