Pod by Stephen Wallenfels
Josh and his father are trapped inside their home when the alien ships arrive. Everyone caught outdoors instantly vanishes in a blue flash of light under the pod-like ships. All communications have been cut off, with no way to know what the aliens want or what happened to those that have disappeared. Meanwhile, a young teenage girl is left alone in a parking garage and has to survive on her own, among vicious, evil men who take control of the adjoining hotel in a brutal way. As food and water soon become precious commodities, everyone will have to rely on survival instincts and be forced to make extremely difficult decisions just to stay alive.
Pod is a science fiction thriller that is full of riveting suspense and psychological drama. Josh and his father have a typical father/son relationship. Josh is a teen with a sarcastic attitude and little common sense, who wouldn’t have lasted very long without his father’s careful planning. On the other hand, Megs is wise and brave beyond her years as she’s faced with the worst of humanity. But her rough home life seemed to prepare her for this. This alien invasion story is more about the struggle for survival than the aliens. In fact, we never learn anything about them or why they came. While the ending was somewhat satisfying, it was left open-ended for a sequel. I would have liked to have had some sort of explanation, if even a hint. Yet I did thoroughly enjoy the heart-pounding, fast-paced suspense and the sense of hope amidst such dark and troubling situations.
Sounds good!