Fault Line

Alpha Force #8

by Chris Ryan

Mission: Earthquake Survival

Tough training and even tougher missions have turned the five members of Alpha Force into a formidable team. While honing their survival skills in the Belize jungle the group interrupt a raid on a Mayan tomb - and must abort their training and return to the city. But disaster is about to strike - a massive earthquake devastates the area, trapping Alpha Force and a group of schoolchildren amid the debris. The team must race against time to locate and rescue the survivors.

Another nail-biting adventure in the Alpha Force series, from the bestselling author and ex-SAS hero Chris Ryan.

Includes Chris's top SAS tips on dealing with an earthquake situation.

Genres: Action, Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Childrens, Crime, Espionage

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2005

About the author

Colin Armstrong (b. 1961), usually known by the pen-name Chris Ryan, is a British author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant.
After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNab's Bravo Two Zero in 1993, Ryan published his own account of his experiences during the Bravo Two Zero mission in 1995, entitled The One That Got Away. Since retiring from the British Army Ryan has published several fiction and non-fiction books, including Strike Back, which was subsequently adapted into a television series for Sky 1, and co-created the ITV action series Ultimate Force. He has also presented or appeared in numerous television documentaries connected to the military or law enforcement.

Reviews

[I.H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling, exciting, educational in regards to survival training - as usual.

Good, but not good enough for 5 stars. I think, now that I'm older than I was when I really enjoyed reading and rereading these books, that I'm picking out tiny flaws and awkwardly put together sentences that maybe I might have missed as a young'un.

Overall, though, the plot and the characters and the actions of said characters are typical of the series (typical and enjoyable), but somehow nothing comes across as overly repetitive or predictable; probably because the scenarios are so different, and you're so caught up in what happens next, that you forget about the previous story-lines altogether and simply live in the moment as you are.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally written: 27/08/19. Contains spoilers.

This was quite a surprise. Ryan writes for adults mostly, and he's ex-SAS, so I knew that normally he wouldn't shy away from death, but two characters in this pre-teen book were given long, painful and most of all realistic deaths. The second death I certainly hadn't expected; after such a grim first one I was convinced that the second would be a fake-out, but no. And then Hex had to sit, trapped, with the cooling body for hours, contemplating (and eventually accepting) his own death.

Darkest Alpha Force book I've read so far.

I really do enjoy these books though, for their subject matters, their cast of characters (all beloved to me) and how they convey real life lessons. Seriously, I learn so much about survival from these kids books it's ridiculous.

I made a point of not reading the blurb of this one, so I would be surprised (is it just me or do blurbs tell the whole story?), so when the group had to leave the jungle they began the book trekking through, I was a bit disappointed. But then the rest of the book made up for it. I hate the phrase "for a kids book/show/film" and to me, the Alpha Force books are a great example of younger fiction done well. Really, Fault Line was so tense, so gripping.

Kids media can be done so, so well.

One thing I wonder about is this: more than once, Amber makes a big thing of her uncle/benefactor finding out about Alpha Force and shutting their operations down, but he was never so much as featured in a phone call. I had expected, from all her worrying, for her fears to lead somewhere towards the climax of the story and then they didn't. Is this a flaw in the storytelling, or was I just expecting too much?

Another thing I wonder about; if Hex loves Amber and Li loves Paulo, then who loves Alex?

(His bergen.)

...

Who is paying for these kids' therapy?

[St Stephen's C C]

Mission: Earthquake Survival Tough training and even tougher missions have turned the five members of Alpha Force into a formidable team. While honing their survival skills in the Belize jungle the group interrupt a raid on a Mayan tomb - and must abort their training and return to the city. But disaster is about to strike - a massive earthquake devastates the area, trapping Alpha Force and a group of schoolchildren amid the debris. The team must race against time to locate and rescue the survivors.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is all about dealing with the effects of a major earthquake. Trapped inside a museum, Alpha Force has to help rescue a group of school children and deal with falling debris and injuries at the same time.
Definitely page-turning, especially after the other books it was different as it wasn't about "bad guys pursuing them or the other way around", it was basically showing that there still are other threats to humans and society, not only man (although it has to be said, that there still were a few criminals or looters involved, giving Alpha Force a hard time).

[Grade5 Five · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading this book because my friends in england recommended Chris Ryan and Chris Ryan's books. The book is exciting and I would recommend it.It has great suspense and creates a brilliant atmosphere. From James

[Jimbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because of the cover and other people had recommeded Chris Ryan to me.