The Assault was really good. I've enjoyed reading this series and each installment gets more and more interesting. I have the stories to be creepy at times and other times confusing (but not it a bad way).

I like how each of the stories have a different MC and yet all of them are about the same cast. I have found it a little tricky to remember who the MC is in each one, as sometimes it isn't obvious.

All in all, I really liked The Assault and recommend it if you like this genre.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

The Assault: Cycle Two of the Harbingers Series is written by Frank Peretti, Angela Hunt, Bill Myers, Alton Gansky. This is the sequel to The Invitation. It contains four stories that are connected. It continues with the four member team of very diverse individuals

Bill Myers writes as Brenda, a street-hustling tattoo artist who sees images of the future. In the Revealing the team travels to Rome to search for a spear that is supposedly the spear that pierced Christ. The visit to the Vatican was mysterious.
Frank Peretti writes as the Professor, the atheist ex-priest who is ruled by logic. He is the most unlikable character. This one deals with a fungus and issues from the team’s past.
Angela Hunt writes as Andi, the geeky assistant to the professor who sees inexplicable patterns. She also has a golden retriever that I fell in love with. In Infiltration the team has to realize they are together for a reason to fight the evil.
Alton Gansky writes as Tank, the naive, big-hearted jock with a healing power and who has a crush on Andi. The Fog read like a movie. It was so descriptive you felt like you were in the building with them.
I am enjoying the series and look forward to the next installment. The characters are enjoyable and the battle of good versus evil engaging. I recommend the series.

The Assault - what can you say about 5 Novella Cycle II of the Harbinger Series - it is about what we would call the Supernatural - four people who somehow miraculously and we know when we say miraculously we mean (GOD) - then they find they all have a Supernatural gift and thus the adventure began - and right now there are 13 Novellas this is showing 5-8 where you have a girl who sees into the future an atheist who use to be a priest, a person who sees unexplainable patterns, and a jock with healing powers, you have a fungus that tries to take over the earth. While you have the spear that was used for putting in the side of CHRIST, being sent into the past, killer fog - I mean how can you miss out on all of that? it is intense, mind thrilling.

The Assault: Cycle Two of the Harbingers Series by Frank Peretti, Angela Hunt, Bill Myers, Alton Gansky is a highly recommended second installment of the group-story.

This volume contains the second collection of four interconnected stories in the Harbingers Series that started with Invitation. This is an ongoing series created by these Christian authors with additional stories already available. In the series a team of four widely diverse people join together to use their individual skills.

The author's set up two rules for their collaboration:
Rule #1 Each author would write as one of the characters in the series: Bill Myers's character is Brenda, the street-hustling tattoo artist who sees images of the future. Frank Peretti's character is the professor, the atheist ex-priest ruled by logic. Angela Hunt's character is Andi, the professor’s brilliant but geeky assistant who sees inexplicable patterns. Alton Gansky's character is Tank, the naïve, big-hearted jock with a surprising connection to a healing power.
Rule #2 They would write the stories like a TV series with an overarching storyline. The series part would be their individual stories, novellas, written from their character’s point of view.

The stories in Cycle 2 of the Harbingers series continues the story of four gifted strangers brought together to fight a growing darkness. From the synopsis:
In Bill Myers's "The Revealing," the team finds themselves in Rome trying to retrieve the mystical spear Hitler once owned--the very spear that pierced Christ's side. This task will take them from hidden chambers inside the Vatican to a mysterious seaside cave with powers they could never expect.
Frank Peretti's "Infestation" unleashes a microscopic evil on the world that deceives, blinds, kills, then spreads. The Harbingers team must confront a monster bent on seducing and destroying mankind.
In "Infiltration" by Angela Hunt, the team is wounded and barely holding together. Forced to split up, they realize their investigations have led them into dangerous waters.
Alton Gansky's "The Fog" unleashes a supernatural mist unlike any other. There are vicious things in the fog that kill whatever they find. One team member realizes that the ultimate sacrifice may have to be made.

I enjoyed this second installment of the series a bit more than the first, probably due simply to knowing the characters already and what they are facing and also understanding what how the authors are collaborating on the series. Additionally, I also felt that this cycle of stories was stronger than the first, but, again, they are building on the previous stories.

As I noted before there are pros and cons to this collaboration. Since these are four individual short stories are written like a TV series with the same characters, each story stands alone while also working with the others to create a larger overwhelming story arch. This makes it easy to quickly read one story and know the next one will be a new adventure from a different character's point-of-view. This is also the potential downfall of the series. Because it is written as an ongoing series there is no concluding resolution and the character growth is limited.

In the end the real questions for readers are: Do you like episodic ongoing stories? How much time are you willing to invest in an ongoing series? I'm not even sure about my answer to these two questions. So far I do like the series and the stories. On the other hand I am also growing weary of authors making an ongoing series that lasts too long and reading books with no real conclusion. I have liked the first two, but I do wonder how many I am willing to read to reach the end. (I am positive the number is much small than it used to be due to the abuse of making an ongoing series by some authors in the past.)

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the Baker Publishing Group
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Apparently 4+4=1. Because just as in the first book of the Harbingers Cycle, Myers, Peretti, Hunt, and Gansky have managed to take four major characters, throw them into four separate scenarios, and weave them all together to make for one interesting book. Their premise from the beginning still holds true: to write stories that can work together as a whole novel, yet that individually feel like you’re sitting down to watch an action-packed TV show on the Syfy Channel or something.
Although I enjoyed all of the stories, my favorite of the group this time was Alton Gansky’s “The Fog.” Creepy, tension-filled, making me wonder the whole time what was really going on…he managed to pack a lot into a novella. It could be because “Tank” is the character that I enjoy most, but I think it had a lot more to do with Gansky’s writing: tightly-woven and chock-full of excitement.
If you enjoyed the first of the Harbingers Cycle, you’ll really enjoy this installment. If you haven’t yet read book 1, grab it, read it, then dive into this one (although, you don’t absolutely have to read the first book to enjoy this one)!
Many thanks to Bethany House for the free copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own!

Cycle 2 of the Harbingers series continues the story of four gifted strangers brought together to fight a growing darkness. In Bill Myers's "The Revealing," the team finds themselves in Rome trying to retrieve the mystical spear Hitler once owned--the very spear that pierced Christ's side. This task will take them from hidden chambers inside the Vatican to a mysterious seaside cave with powers they could never expect.
Frank Peretti's "Infestation" unleashes a microscopic evil on the world that deceives, blinds, kills, then spreads. The Harbingers team must confront a monster bent on seducing and destroying mankind.In "Infiltration" by Angela Hunt, the team is wounded and barely holding together. Forced to split up, they realize their investigations have led them into dangerous waters. Alton Gansky's "The Fog" unleashes a supernatural mist unlike any other. There are vicious things in the fog that kill whatever they find. One team member realizes that the ultimate sacrifice may have to be made.

I read the first cycle and knew that I wanted to read the rest in this series. I really like the format of four different authors writing from four different characters point of view. The authors describe each story like an episode in a TV show and I think that is very fitting. I like that you get to know each of the main characters on a deeper level since you hear from each of them. I also like that there are four shorter stories, so it reads quite quickly. The premise still intrigues me enough that I want to read the rest of the series as it continues to come out.
Copy of book provided by Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The second installment in the Harbingers series brings the team into even more danger and turmoil while testing their faith in each other and a higher power.

Bill Myers starts things off this round with The Revealing, where the team has traveled to Rome to find a mystical spear that is thought to have been used by Hitler and as well as have pierced the side of Christ during the crucifixion. The team has to travel through hidden chambers to avoid those sent to keep them from accomplishing their goals. Frank Peretti continues the story in Infestation. In this installment, the team has to tackle a monster that is unlike anything anyone has ever seen before. In Infiltration, Angela Hunt takes the team to rest after being attacked and wounded. Finally, Alton Gansky’s The Fog brings forth a supernatural mist that attacks anything in comes in contact with, including the team and those they are trying to protect.

In another interesting compilation, these four authors are brought together to do what they do best, tell supernatural thrilling stories that will leave the audience thirsting for more. You have to enjoy the paranormal and supernatural to enjoy this book. The authors all write with such creative power in their characters and how they tell their stories it will bring everything together as if it isn’t unbelievable. For some, this might not be considered a Christian book with the way it gets so dark, but there is a spiritual element to it that the audience will resonate with. These four authors are the top in Christian supernatural fiction and bringing them together gives a tale like no other. Each author gives his/her unique voice and writing style to a different character that brings the whole group together and ties the different elements of the story in a nice little bow. If this were another set of authors, I don’t believe it would work. These four have found a way to come together and weave a story that is worth reading and waiting for more to come. I recommend this to readers that enjoy a deep, dark, supernatural thriller that will test the limits of your imagination and leave you aching for more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

'The Assault' picks up where 'The Invitation' left off. Four stories told from four different view points that all blend and weave together. the author's refer to them as episodes in a series, much like a sitcom. I'd forgotten how much paranormal/sci-fi elements there were in this series. It was a leap from what I've been currently reading and it took a bit to get my head in the game. The dying animals with no eyes thing is still alive and well in this book as well. I'm certain it plays into the bigger picture with 'The Gate' (again is back, sorta) but I've not yet been able to piece it all together. We started back out with Brenda, and by extension Daniel, in 'The Revealing'. This story is a followup on a scroll that was found which The Professor sent to an old mentor at the Vatican. Honest, this story left me feeling a lot confused and a little lost. It was lacking in plot to the point that the message that was attempting to be conveyed was lost on me. They dig through a couple of catacombs, end up on a beach with eyes thugs chasing them and end up in an ever changing house that merges with the multiverse. I think they figured out what they were supposed to with the Spear of Destiny, but I can't be certain since I was predominately lost in the shuffle.

Episode two, 'Infestation', takes up with the Professor and the team back to Florida where the unexplainable deaths all first began. Being back on firm ground that I recognize helped to kick up the understanding. This short episode got to the root of, and explained so much of, what has been going on with the animals. The one thing I'm not loving with the shortened story-lines is the lack of ability to create real depth to the plot. Things feel entirely too easy. Oh we need this, blam in the nick of time (without much time mind you) we have it. It's just slightly too tidy in a plot that could easily fill a coliseum. Moving on to episode three, 'Infiltration', where we catch up with Andi after they have managed to escape the reemergence of the fungus. Andi has a lot of things to deal with. Yes the infiltration is done but there's the emotional scars to deal with. And of course, getting involved with a delicious looking psychiatrist proves to be disastrous for them all. This was by far my favorite episode in this book. With more a focus on the group trying to research The Gate and Andi dealing with life it's the most involved. There's no awkward need for bizarre heroics which makes it easier to follow along.

The final episode, 'The Fog, in the book comes back from Tank's perspective. This episode was more about emotion and drama than physicality like the others. There were no exotic locations, no 'chasing' the bad guys. More the bad guys chasing them. And there is definitely a sense that someone is directing the teams movements. Providing them tickets and accommodations and much needed funds. Tank takes one for the team and I loved this episode through his voice. The only thing that was truly lacking, I'm sure due to lack of space for additional word count, was a thorough understanding of what he was thinking, doing, feeling and especially seeing. All told this second installment is just as good as the first and here's to hoping I can get my hands on the next one!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Four of the biggest power names in the Christian Fiction Market have returned with a follow-up in this series where they come together to write one story from 4 perspectives. If you loved their first offering then you won’t be disappointed by the second. Just make sure you read the first before this!

Myers, Peretti and Gansky who are already well known for their supernatural bent towards ChriFi join Hunt who is better known for books that tug at the heartstrings. Their talents blend together to create a lyrical storyline that tugs at the imagination.

The diversity in their voices makes for some interesting character and story choices as you dig through this series. Using different writers really helps to individualize the characters, provide a fuller world to dive into and set you up for a plot that is ripe to be turned into a Netflix series.

I found myself ignoring the world around me as I became intent on wanting to stay with the quick pace the authors had sent and not wanting to miss a moment. It was funny in a way because as I’m reading a book I can obviously put it down any time and return but the energy they were creating was something I just didn’t want to leave out of fear it wouldn’t be the same when I came back. I had to know where they were going and what this journey was going to look like.

Thankfully the third in the series, Probing, comes out this December so I won’t have to wait long to see what will happen to this amazing set of characters. This series is just so different from what you’d expect from traditional ChriFi I was entranced by this mind bending plot.

The Assault

Cycle Two of the Harbingers Series
by Bill Myers, Frank Peretti, Angela Hunt, and Alton Gansky

Bethany House

Bethany House Publishers
Christian

Pub Date 01 Aug 2017

I am reviewing a copy of The Assault through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Disclaimer: The Assault is the second cycle in the Harbingers series, I recommend reading The Invitation first.

In the first story The Revealing by Bill Myers the team is in Rome trying to find the mystical spear that Hitler had once owned, the spear that had pierced Christ's side. They find themselves in the catacombs under the city, and the hidden chambers of the vaticans, and finally in a mysterious seaside cave. The cave has powers that no one expected.

The first story draws you in, and does not let you go, making you want to continue on without stopping.

In the second story of this cycle Indestation by Frank Peretti a microscopic evil is unleashed on the world, an evil out to destroy humanity. In this story the team finds themselves having to confront a monster out to kill mankind.

The third story is The Infiltration by Angela Hunt, the team finds themselves wounded and splif up. The team is having to see a psychiatrist which Andi does not like.

In the final story of this cycle is Alton Ganksy's a supernatural mist unlike anything other is unleashed. A fog that can kill anything they find.

In this book four prolific Christian authors come together to create a stories that remind us of how good triumphs over evil. Bill Myers, Frank Peretti, Angela Hunt and Alton Ganksy have prolific careers in their own right and are amongst the top authors in the Christians genre.

I gave The Assault five out of five stars,

Happy Reading!

This series of novellas by four excellent authors is indeed something special. The supernatural meets with spirituality and conspiracy. Although written by different authors the characters stay true to themselves and are unique. My favorite episode of the four was clearly The Fog, but I really enjoye the others too.
It's just a pitty that I'll have to wait months again for the next four.