Hell Divers: Volume 1

Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Jul 2016 · Blackstone Publishing

About this ebook

Now a USA Today bestseller

From the bestselling author that brought you the award-winning Extinction Cycle series, comes an all new vision of the apocalypse and the future of humanity.

More than two centuries after World War III poisoned the planet, the final bastion of humanity lives on massive airships circling the globe in search for a habitable area to call home. Aging and outdated, most of the ships plummeted back to earth long ago. The only thing keeping the two surviving lifeboats in the sky are Hell Divers: men and women who risk their lives by diving to the surface to scavenge for parts the ships desperately need.

When one of the remaining airships is damaged in an electrical storm, a Hell Diver team is deployed to a hostile zone called Hades. But there’s something down there that’s far worse than the mutated creatures discovered on dives in the past—something that threatens the fragile future of humanity.

"An exciting new take on the end of the world and a thrilling race to survive...Sure to delight fans of survival and postapocalyptic thrillers."—A. G. Riddle, bestselling author of The Atlantis Gene

 

"Relentless action and danger in a gritty postapocalyptic world where survival depends on a few brave men and women. Hell Divers is one hell of a page turner!"—Bob Mayer, New York Times bestselling author of the Area 51 series

 

"An action-packed page-turner. All humanity's hope for survival rests on the shoulders of a handful of daring men and women. The odds are stacked against them, but they have no choice but to try. You won't be able to put this book down until the last searing page. And then you'll want the next book."—Mike Shepherd, New York Times bestselling author of the Kris Longknife series

 

"Literally skydiving into the apocalypse, Hell Divers delivers more of Smith's trademark breakneck action and suspense. Amazing settings, great characters, the end of the world shouldn't be this much fun!"—Matthew Mather, bestselling author of CyberStorm

 

"X marks the spot in Nicholas Sansbury Smith's Hell Divers, a cross between Waterworld and Snowpiercer...but with monsters and airships. It's a terrific blend of high-concept and wild action, all tied together with tough-as-nails characters that you care for as they face impossible odds. A must for fans of smart post apocalyptic storytelling."—Sam Sisavath, bestselling author of the Purge of Babylon series

 

"I love it! The whole book was awesome and I have a huge book hangover right now!...It was creative and intense and there was never a dull moment. I got so wrapped up in the story I felt like I was immersed in this whole other world for a little while...If you like post-apocalyptic stories, you should definitely give this one a try!"—Hooked on Books

 

"Hell Divers is an engaging story that holds one's attention from start to finish and will certainly satisfy the readers' need for adventure in a postapocalyptic scenario. The kind of book that can keep you awake till the small hours."—Space and Sorcery

 

"Military SF readers and fans of The Last Ship will find enjoyment in familiar ground."—Publishers Weekly 

 

"In Hell Divers, Nicholas Sansbury Smith unleashes post-apocalyptic science-fiction with the pacing of a thriller. He achieves his world-building succinctly, and moves from thrills to chills without the story becoming a mere catalogue of violence, along with tender moments that round out the characters. Hell Divers offers genre fans everything they could ask for, from fresh takes on the post-apocalypse to social commentary reminiscent of Snowpiercer, and plenty of action. The book's swift, tight plotting will also appeal to thriller fans, with a cliffhanger ending that leaves readers suspended mid-air for the rest of a promised trilogy."— Shelf Awareness

 

"Once again, Nicholas Sansbury Smith dominates the post-apocalyptic genre with this riveting, nail-biting adventure that will grip you from the first chapter."—E.E. Giorgi, author of Gene Cards

Ratings and reviews

I really loved reading this book and I think it speaks to many of the classic themes of the dystopian post-apocalyptic genre in a new and interesting way. I bought it when it was on sale for $6, and it was probably the best $6 I've ever spent. I also enjoyed the way the author wrote this book. It isn't just one perspective of one character, he brings many (4+) points of view into the story and it really helps to fill in many of the characters, help the reader understand why they do the things they do, and it makes the book more engaging for readers who might get a bit bored of the same POV chapter after chapter. The way the book is written really reminds me of how scenes of a movie play out and I think this book would adapt fantastically into a film! I'm reading through Book 2 of the Hell Divers series right now and am really loving that book so far as well!

I got about three-quarters of the way through this. It's not bad as action-oriented pulpy fiction goes. It's fairly one-dimensional, you're not going to get lost in the plot, but the difficulty I had and the reason I stopped reading was the careless nature of the writing - room heaters and fans don't work when the power is out; people who have lived for 250 years on an airship above a posioned earth don't have 'energy bars' to dole out to divers - and so on, there are umpteen examples of this hasty approach and when you start to notice, it wrecks immersion. If tha t kind of thing doesn't bother you, give it a go, you might like it...

Nicholas Sansbury Smith has done it again! This story delivers his distinctive rapid-fire action, powerful characterizations and ingenious new twists on familiar tropes. He has masterfully created not one, but TWO desperate worlds. First is the ravaged earth two hundred fifty years after nuclear holocaust. The other is roughly twenty thousand feet above the planet’s surface in massive dirigibles never designed with long-term human housing in mind. There’s a great deal going on here and it all plays out magnificently. My favorite character, Xavier “X” Rodriguez, is the perfect anti-hero. Self-absorbed. Tormented. Flawed. His skydiving scenes are breathtakingly realistic. Even my husband, who has thousands of jumps under his belt (albeit never into a post-apocalyptic nuclear stew) was very impressed. We both highly recommend this intrepid new series.

About the author

Nicholas Sansbury Smith is the USA Today bestselling author of the Hell Divers series, the Orbs series, the Trackers series, and the Extinction Cycle series. He worked for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management in disaster mitigation before switching careers to focus on his one true passion—writing. When he isn’t writing or daydreaming about the apocalypse, he enjoys running, biking, spending time with his family, and traveling the world. He is an Ironman triathlete and lives in Iowa with his wife, their dogs, and a house full of books.