Reader's Review

Really enjoying the book and found it difficult to put down. I rarely make that statement about a book. Haven’t dug into a fictional book like this since John Gresham’s “The Firm.” You’re a future John Gresham. I can’t even conceive of what must be involved with coming up with a story like this and getting it on paper in an interesting way.

Loved the first chapter. The detail was amazing when describing fish, locations, fly rods, etc. Pretty much everything about it grab my attention. I even found myself Googling locations wondering what was imagined and what was real. The mixture of real and fantasy makes a book so much fun as I think I may be actually learning something while enjoying the ride.

Love the short chapters. Much easier on me.

Loved the fast pace and vivid word pictures. I kept thinking this will be a great movie. Either you have a fabulous imagination which sells really well, done a ton of research to pull this book together with all the scientific classification of dinosaur type terms, or are one of the smartest guys in the world. Perhaps all three. In any event you are a great writer which I say about only a few. Every time you drop something in like a helicopter model number, drone price, who first said “survival of the fittest,” what inspired the “Halls of Montezuma,” I’m wondering how did you know all this stuff.

Awaiting your next book!

Between The Pages Book Review - FOSSIL RIVER by Jock Miller

Book Title: Fossil River
Author: Jock Miller
Buy Now Link: 
Genre: SciFi-Thriller
Page Length: 298 pages
Book Video:

About The Book:
The perfect energy storm is sweeping over the United States: Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown has paralyzed nuclear expansion globally, BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill has stalled deep water drilling, Arab oil countries are in turmoil causing doubt about access to future oil, the intensity of hurricanes hitting the Gulf’s oil rigs and refineries has intensified due to global warming, and the nation’s Strategic Oil Supply is riding on empty.

As the energy storm intensifies, the nation’s access to Arab oil, once supplying over sixty percent of our fossil fuel, is being threatened causing people to panic for lack of gas at the pumps, stranding cars across the country and inciting riots.

The U.S. Military is forced to cut back air, land, and sea operations sucking up 58% of every barrel of oil to protect the nation; U.S. commercial airlines are forced to limit flights for lack of jet fuel; and businesses are challenged to power up their factories, and offices as the U.S. Department of Energy desperately tries to provide a balance of electric power from the network of aged power plants and transmission lines that power up the nation.The United States must find new sources of domestic fossil fuel urgently or face an energy crisis that will plunge the nation into a deep depression worse than 1929.

The energy storm is very real and happening this very moment. But, at the last moment of desperation, the United States discovers the world’s largest fossil fuel deposit found in a remote inaccessible mountain range within Alaska’s Noatak National Preserve surrounding six and a half million acres.Preventing access to the oil is a colony of living fossil dinosaurs that will protect its territory to the death.

Nobody gets out alive; nobody can identify the predator--until Dr. Kimberly Fulton, Curator of Paleontology at New York’s Museum of Natural History, is flown into the inaccessible area by Scott Chandler, the Marine veteran helicopter pilot who’s the Park’s Manager of Wildlife. All hell breaks loose when Fulton’s teenage son and his girlfriend vanish into the Park.

Will the nation’s military be paralyzed for lack of mobility fuel, and will people across America run out of gas and be stranded, or will the U.S. Military succeed in penetrating this remote mountain range in northwestern Alaska to restore fossil fuel supplies in time to save the nation from the worst energy driven catastrophe in recorded history?

Lynda's Review:

~"They won't charge us, Scott. They're going to watch us first. Feel us out. They'll surround us, alright, but they'll stay at the edge of the clearing, waiting studying us. I know their habits, especially hunting and tracking."~ Page 164

I'm always ready to suspend reality in favor of a good story, especially one that keeps me on the razor-edge of terror. This is a science fiction/adventure story. I'm sure not all the science premise is bulletproof, but then, If I wanted science facts, I'd take a college course. There was just enough plausibility to tickle my curiosity and that's all it took to keep me reading. Nothing in this story went according to good reason but that actually made the suspense part better for me. The crazy characters didn't act or react in the most logical way, and well, aren't people somewhat like that in real life? 

Reposted from Between The Pages 

Reader's Review A MUST Read for Any and All Dinosaur Lovers

5.0 out of 5 stars

America is desperate for oil. The earth is quickly running out of the valuable fossil fuels. Scientists have found a new oil field in a national park high in the Alaskan mountains. But the oil field is in the territory of the deadliest predator on the planet. Until recently, the grizzly bear had been given this title but with the oil fields another discovery is made. A new species. Actually, an old species, long thought to be extinct.

This book was a PYOL* from the first page. A fast paced, action packed plot that ranks right up there with the Jurassic Park saga. I found it difficult to set it down even long enough to forage for food. That might have been a good thing as some parts were gory enough that I wouldn't have wanted to run into them while eating.

The characters and attitudes were believable if somewhat predictable. While it was typical behavior of the teens in the story to not consider the danger of heading out into the national park on their own, I couldn't help but roll my eyes and think "DUH! Dinosaurs are dangerous." Even the herbivores are huge and equipped with deadly defenses which can easily kill a person. There wasn't much that even I can complain about in regards to editing, though it wasn't perfect. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a love and/or fascination with dinosaurs.

*The PYOL rating is one of the highest honors that I can bestow upon a book. Basically it is a warning, primarily to my family. They'll need to make their own dinner, find their own socks, arrange for other transportation ... pretty much to Plan Your Own Life because short of a house fire, not much is going to tear me away from this book. Even then I would bring the book along with me. I need something to do while I wait for fire rescue, right? I look forward to reading this book over and over again.

Four Star Review From Night Owl Suspense

Fossil River by Jock Miller is a riveting novel which offers a warning to countries that are dependent on OPEC's oil. The plot centers around an America in crisis: China has cut a deal with OPEC which will result in skyrocketing gas prices in the US. That is unless a new domestic source of oil is found. If not the economy will soon grind to a halt. It is good news indeed when an oil cache of unprecedented size is discovered in Alaska. There's just one caveat: the oil is located inside the territory of a previously unknown animal that has already demonstrated it doesn't care for trespassers. After a strike team is brutally massacred, the government enlists the help of paleontologist Dr. Kimberly Fulton and military veteran Scott Chandler to devise a way to outwit the creature and secure the oil without any additional loss of life. Time is of the essence and unless Fulton and Chandler succeed America's economy will collapse and life will never be the same.

Jock Miller does a first class job of weaving together fact and fiction to create a novel that will be hard for any science fiction lover to put down. Fossil River contains dynamic character development, engaging dialogue and perhaps most importantly, a believable plot. I give this book 4 stars and look forward to future novels by this author.
The perfect energy storm is sweeping over the United States: Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown has paralyzed nuclear expansion globally, BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill has stalled deep water drilling, Arab oil countries are in turmoil causing doubt about access to future oil, the intensity of hurricanes hitting the Gulf’s oil rigs and refineries has intensified due to global warming, and the nation’s Strategic Oil Supply is riding on empty.

As the energy storm intensifies, the nation’s access to Arab oil, once supplying over sixty percent of our fossil fuel, is being threatened causing people to panic for lack of gas at the pumps, stranding cars across the country and inciting riots.

The U.S. Military is forced to cut back air, land, and sea operations sucking up 58% of every barrel of oil to protect the nation; U.S. commercial airlines are forced to limit flights for lack of jet fuel; and businesses are challenged to power up their factories, and offices as the U.S. Department of Energy desperately tries to provide a balance of electric power from the network of aged power plants and transmission lines that power up the nation.

The United States must find new sources of domestic fossil fuel urgently or face an energy crisis that will plunge the nation into a deep depression worse than 1929.

The energy storm is very real and happening this very moment. But, at the last moment of desperation, the United States discovers the world’s largest fossil fuel deposit found in a remote inaccessible mountain range within Alaska’s Noatak National Preserve surrounding six and a half million acres.

Preventing access to the oil is a colony of living fossil dinosaurs that will protect its territory to the death.

Nobody gets out alive; nobody can identify the predator--until Dr. Kimberly Fulton, Curator of Paleontology at New York’s Museum of Natural History, is flown into the inaccessible area by Scott Chandler, the Marine veteran helicopter pilot who’s the Park’s Manager of Wildlife. All hell breaks loose when Fulton’s teenage son and his girlfriend vanish into the Park.

Will the nation’s military be paralyzed for lack of mobility fuel, and will people across America run out of gas and be stranded, or will the U.S. Military succeed in penetrating this remote mountain range in northwestern Alaska to restore fossil fuel supplies in time to save the nation from the worst energy driven catastrophe in recorded history?

Five Star Review on Examiner.com !

Fossil River by Jock Miller is an interesting thriller about the United States becoming extremely desperate for oil and the largest oil supply in the world being discovered along with living fossils that threaten any that venture into the remote area of a national park in Alaska. The main characters include a former Marine helicopter pilot that manages the park and lost his arm in combat; his Native American co-worker; and a female curator from New York Museum of Natural History that has a past with the former Marine.

Overall Fossil River is an exciting read with some interesting twists as the main characters try to learn more about the living fossils and protect them along with the park from being totally destroyed for oil while also struggling to remain alive themselves. There is also a little bit of romance that adds background and depth to the characters even if it is rather predictable.

Reader's Review: A Spellbinding Adventure Told by a Master ...

I recently finished reading "Fossil River", a thriller set in the not-to-distant future. An oil starved USA finds massive hidden oil reserves in a pristine Alaska wilderness. There's only one big problem, the area is fiercely guarded by intelligent, ferocious, flying dinosaurs. Jock Miller's research on dinosaurs really set the mood for an educated science fiction read. Miller's gripping narrative combines knowledge about oil exploration, environmental issues, military deployments, weaponry, chain of command as well as more gentle sensibilities about family emotions and second chances for love. The characters are engrossing. The action sequences kept me up much later than I had planned. This is a first rate fiction in the tradition of Michael Crichton and Ken Follett. I eagerly await Jock Miller's next saga. 

~ Michael Fairchild, professional photographer

Reader's Review

A blazing good read. Couldn't put it down. Great action scenes. A fantasy thriller, of course, but once you permit the premise of living fossils, it all falls in place. 

~  Michael L. Lindvall

KIRKUS REVIEWS

 
This pedal-to-the-metal speculative thriller revolves around the discovery of a highly territorial colony of predatory dinosaurs in Alaska that has survived undetected for millions of years.

The story begins in an America on the verge of collapse: The nation’s oil reserve is almost gone, and, within a matter of weeks, the country’s entire infrastructure could crumble. However, scientists have discovered the largest fossil fuel deposit in the world, within Alaska’s Noatak National Preserve, which could save the nation from imminent disaster. But there’s one major drawback: a large colony of vicious birdlike dinosaurs (classified as Deinonychus) that have lived in the secluded area for millennia. Zoologist Scott Chandler and his ex-girlfriend Kimberly Fulton, a pre-eminent paleontologist, are tasked by the president of the United States himself to help identify and somehow suppress the mysterious predators—– but an overzealous military presence turns the volatile situation into an all-out blood bath, as dozens of Marines enter the “lost world,” and none return alive. When Fulton’s wayward son and his girlfriend venture into the area, Chandler and Fulton are forced to attempt a desperate rescue.

The narrative features well-developed characters, a plausible and well-researched premise, vivid description and brisk pacing throughout. The only two significant criticisms are that the conclusion is somewhat predictable, and the overall concept isn’t particularly original; James Robert Smith’s The Flock (2006), for example, features a very similar setup. That said, readers who like intelligently written thrillers, à la Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park (1990) and Frank Schätzing’s The Swarm (2006), will likely enjoy this pulse-pounding trip into the Alaskan wilderness.

An undeniably readable thriller with breakneck pacing and jaw-dropping action sequences.

Reader's Review: Suspense/Thriller Junky? This is a MUST READ

"I am a non-fiction reader, I have been for 20 years. With that said, I am a dinosaur addict so I am on full board with any movie or book that weaves the dinosaur theme in. Fossil River is a fiction read that caught my attention from the first page until the last, however it is laced with factual information throughout which as a non-fiction reader, I gravitate towards. I was on a long flight and I figured I would just start with the first couple of pages, I was hooked and read the entire book in one sitting. I can't wait for the movie, this is a story whose time has come and a must read for anyone who enjoys being hooked at the beginning through the end. A suspense/thriller that is riveting. At one point I noticed my eyes had dried out and then I realized I hadn't blinked for 10 pages. Step aside Jurassic Park, your rival has just entered the ring."

~  Lauren E Miller,  Author/Speaker/Stress Relief Expert

Reader's Review: Dinosaurs in Alaska! Awesome!

By shines177 "Bibliophile"

OK...I've been a dinosaur fan since I was a kid, so perhaps I'm a bit biased. It is very hard to find a good, believable dinosaur read, and I was thrilled when not only I found a new dino novel, but one that delivered all that I wanted!

I've read through the reviews and see a few disgrundled reviewers who apparently look for high literary fiction (translation: "boring classics"). This is a gritty, smart adventure novel of the near future where an urgent need for oil coincides with the shutdown of foreign sources. One source: A new mother lode in our own country. But to harvest the black gold, one must figure out how to deal with the most fearsome predators the world has ever seen. When modern technology fails, you turn to the wisdom of the ancients...

It's adventure, escapism, romance, and just pure FUN. I enjoyed the roller coaster read, and will soon be re-reading it again.

One last thing: I have hiked the area in the book many times. There are broad, huge valleys in the preserve that have likely never been trod by a human foot recorded history. Who knows? ;)

Reader's Review: Captivating!

by  Jan Zollar

Finally! The opportunity to read the much anticipated novel Fossil River is here! The Memorial Day holiday weekend was the perfect time to for me to cuddle up in a comfy chair and become totally engrossed in the story. Trouble is, I found myself on the edge of my seat! Jock Miller puts you right in the middle of the action. You feel like you know the characters personally and are pulling for their success and survival.

I would strongly recommend this novel as an exciting read. From now on, I know I will always wonder if I am alone when I am out in the woods!

Reader's Review: Captivating!

By Zman1950

Finally! The opportunity to read the much anticipated novel Fossil River is here! The Memorial Day holiday weekend was the perfect time to for me to cuddle up in a comfy chair and become totally engrossed in the story. Trouble is, I found myself on the edge of my seat! Jock Miller puts you right in the middle of the action. You feel like you know the characters personally and are pulling for their success and survival.

I would strongly recommend this novel as an exciting read. From now on, I know I will always wonder if I am alone when I am out in the woods!

Jan Zollar

Reader's Review: A Suspense/Thriller That is Riveting

Suspense/Thriller Junky? This is a MUST READ

By Lauren E Miller (Colorado)

"I am a non-fiction reader, I have been for 20 years. With that said, I am a dinosaur addict so I am on full board with any movie or book that weaves the dinosaur theme in. Fossil River is a fiction read that caught my attention from the first page until the last, however it is laced with factual information throughout which as a non-fiction reader, I gravitate towards. I was on a long flight and I figured I would just start with the first couple of pages, I was hooked and read the entire book in one sitting. I can't wait for the movie, this is a story whose time has come and a must read for anyone who enjoys being hooked at the beginning through the end. A suspense/thriller that is riveting. At one point I noticed my eyes had dried out and then I realized I hadn't blinked for 10 pages. Step aside Jurassic Park, your rival has just entered the ring."