by Nick Cook
Whatever it took, I was determined that we’d recover each and every one of them because I couldn’t think of a better way to honour the memory of a man who had become my mentor and friend.
Another whoop came from Mike as the whale broke the surface again. This time it was heading directly towards the sunset.
Okay, Tom, I get the message, I thought, smiling to myself.
I pulled away from Jack and stood, wiping my tears away with my towel. Then I picked up my snorkel and mask.
‘Fancy a quick swim?’ I said.
Jack looked at me, his head tilted to one side, and then a smile filled his face. ‘With you? Always.’
Then hand in hand we headed towards the lapping waves as the whale flicked its tail again and disappeared once more into the depths of that golden ocean.
Links
Do please leave that all important review for Earth Yell here: https://geni.us/EarthYell
So now you’ve finished Earth Yell, are you ready to preorder the next page-turning instalment in the series?
Ever since Lauren and the rest of the team activated the Resonancy Generator near Cuba, the radio signature of our planet, known as Earth Song, has been changed forever. But it’s raised as many questions as it answered, including why the signal didn’t revert back to normal after nearly all the micro minds were awoken. Could it be there is something else coded into the Earth Song signal, whose purpose hasn’t yet been fulfilled? Can Lauren and the team piece together the final clues to discover the whereabouts of an alien artefact from before the dawn of human history that will change the fate of our world forever? You can preorder Earth Scream here: https://geni.us/EarthScream
Meanwhile, whilst you are waiting for the next book, if you haven’t already you may want to consider reading the Fractured Light trilogy which is also part of the Multiverse Chronicles. This continues the story of the AI Sentinel six years after the events covered in The Signal. A secret hidden in human DNA is about to be unlocked, but can college students Jake and his underground hacker friend Chloe solve the mystery before reality itself starts to break down?
The Fractured Light trilogy is available here: https://geni.us/FracturedLightTrilogy
Other Books By Nick Cook
Prequel to the Multiverse Chronicles
The Earth Song Series (The Multiverse Chronicles)
The Fractured Light Trilogy (The Multiverse Chronicles)
Author Notes
As I write this it’s almost the start of March 2021 and the UK is still stuck in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic. As someone who falls squarely into the extremely vulnerable category, I have been stuck in the house for over a year now, only able to go out for exercise when no one else is around. However, I’ve been extremely lucky to have just had my first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and I’m feeling incredibly grateful to the huge effort around the world that has made that possible. My heart certainly goes out to everyone who is anxiously waiting to get the vaccine. There is light at the end of the tunnel and one day we will be able to catch up with all those friends and family that we haven’t been able to physically see for such a long time.
Anyway, throughout this enforced homestay period, I’ve poured my energies into writing the Earth Song series, so it’s been an incredibly productive period creatively for me. Along with my wife and son, Lauren and the rest of the team have been my constant companions and have become like part of my extended family.
As always I had a great time doing the background research for this book. Yes, the Cuban underwater structure really exists and is crying out for a fresh expedition to confirm one way or the other whether it’s just some sort of natural formation or is in fact something far more interesting. This video, although not the best quality, and the creators do put their own interpretations about the structures found, does have a good summary of the acoustic and photographic evidence that has been found. When you watch it you’ll quickly see why my imagination triggered when I was writing this book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdCG2gIu2fE
The pirate angle to this story is a great example of a moment when I was researching Cuba and my research threw up an expected gem in the form of the rich history of pirates who sailed the seas around that area. If you’re interested in learning more you should check out the real buccaneer Bartolomeu Português here: https://www.atlaslisboa.com/bartolomeu-portugues/
Earth Yell probably has the most epic finale to any of the Earth Song books yet and it will only build from here to the end of the series in book seven.
I have always enjoyed the slow reveal of bigger plot lines that often lurk in the backgrounds of the best sci-fi series. To this day I think one of the best TV examples of this form of epic storytelling was best personified by Babylon 5, truly one of the great sci-fi series. Each episode often had its own complete storyline, but lurking behind it was a far bigger story arc that was gradually unfolding. And this story form goes right back to books such as The Hobbit, where we are introduced to their homely world and then grows through the Lord of the Rings into a far more epic and rich tale.
It was actually reading those books as a teenager that well and truly lit the match of my own love of writing and in many ways, the book you have just read is part of the journey that as an author I’ve been on ever since. I think that the best books do exactly that, they take you on a journey into the imagination and I hope that my own work has done exactly that for you.
So this is where I thank everyone involved. As always a huge thank you to my tirelessly working editors who help to make this all possible, namely Beverly Sanford and Catherine Coe, who have helped to make Earth Yell sparkle and shine with all their hard work. Thank you, guys! And yet again another big shout-out to my wife Karen who has supported me emotionally through every twist and turn of my writing career. I really wouldn’t be where I am today without her love and support.
And this is where I thank you, the reader. No book, let alone a series can work for everyone. However the fact that you are reading Earth Yell, book five in the series, would suggest that you have been entertained by my twisted sci-fi imagination. The series has continued to climb up the charts and now shares shelf space with some of my all-time sci-fi heroes, some of which like Asimov, were big influencers on my own writing as I grew up. I certainly wouldn’t be able to do what I am today if it wasn’t for you buying this book and maybe even spreading the word about it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support and belief.
And so here I will sign off and whilst I wait for the first set of edits to come back, next week I will be starting work on book 6, Earth Scream! As they say, the best is yet to come.
Take care and in the meantime, keep reading and dreaming!
Nick Cook, March 2021
