Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion
Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion book cover

Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion

Paperback – May 4, 2013

by
Price
$5.33
Format
Paperback
Pages
307
Publisher
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1481843904
Dimensions
5 x 0.7 x 7 inches
Weight
12.8 ounces

Description

"I am not a big fan of horror, but Michael Phillip Cash's writing and storytelling skills can't just be ignored. The author knows how to create action-packed scenes, following a narrative style that is unique and that directly involves the reader. The characters are strong and readers will watch with interest as the couple transforms from a leisurely demeanor to people fighting to survive an insane invasion. Fast-paced and written for readers to have one hand on the book and the other gripping something, the tension builds up rapidly from one riveting page to the next. Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion is your adrenaline pump for the low days. Excellent!" - Arya Fomonyuyxa0for Readers' Favorite (5-Star Review) "I have enjoyed every book by this author and I have readxa0every one. This may be my favorite albeit turns out this was his debut novel. Nice work from a creative author. The hard copy will be on myxa0book shelfxa0(it is autographed) for the remainder of my time and I am sure I will read this again." -xa0Philip Bailey, NetGalley Reviewer "I enjoy 'creepy' stories and this one didn't disappoint! Just don't read it during cicada season!" -xa0Jill King,xa0NetGalleyxa0Reviewer "Cash has written a harrowing tale of survival against all odds of a supernatural nature.As summer gets hot,xa0Brood Xxa0will cool you down by sending chills down your back." - Nina Schuyler, Author of xa0"The Translator" "I liked this book - quick read, suspenseful, and pretty scary. Characters are interesting, andxa0plotxa0is on point. Good Summer Read!" -xa0Patty Hribko, NetGalley Reviewer "Part satiric take on contemporary yuppie expectations...part anatomization of contemporary marriage...part creature-feature with all of the traditional elements of the great 50s films...part homage to the fairly recent genre of found-footage horror films--Brood X is a quick, fun read." - Michael R. Collings - hellnotes.com "...a Twilight Zone-like horror story of biblical proportions." - Mark McLaughlin, Foreward Reviews "Breathing new life into a genre that has been occupied too long by the usual suspects: sickness, the undead and global warming." - xa0Kirkus Review "...horror at its best...up close and personal, and inflicted with ways that address humanity's inherent fear of and disgust for bugs." - Mark McLaughlin, Foreward Reviews " This book is so awesome it needs to be made into a movie. If I watched this story on TV I would probably never go outside again. I am rating this book up there next to the movie Arachnophobia from the 90s.xa0I love the writing style. It was kept consistent with a narration where all the characters' thoughts were able to shine through -- the drama, the love, the humor...just magnificent." - blogcritics.org "It'sxa0fast paced, well-written and has some great characters from the very likeable school teacher to the conspiracy theory survivalist. With tension, humour and horror it is an excellent read, I couldn't put it down and read it in one day..." -xa0David Savage, What's Good To Do, UK "This is a great fast paced read and therexa0isxa0interesting characters and reactions to the invasion from the main characters taking the news warnings lightly to friends on financial hard times being moochers to serious doomsday survivalist neighbors." -xa0examiner.com "Fast paced and filled with tension,xa0Brood Tenxa0is the perfect summer read when you're sitting outside listening to the cicadas sing." -xa0Tara, Diving By Zero,xa0tarasayers.com All New Webpage! xa0Check it out... MichaelPhillipCash.com Brood X - Awards: NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner 2013 Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards Winner - Horror 2013 Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards Winner - Horror 2013 Script Pipeline Finalist - 4th place out of 4500 screenplays 2013 Script Pipeline Finalist - 4th place out of 4500 screenplays 2014 Readers Views Reviewers Choice Award 2014 Readers Views Reviewers Choice Award 2015 New York Screenwriting Contest -xa0Official Finalist in Horror 2015 New York Screenwriting Contest -xa0Official Finalist in Horror 2015 Hollywood Screenwriting Contest -xa0Official Finalist in Horror 2015 Hollywood Screenwriting Contest -xa0Official Finalist in Horror 2016 Script Pipeline Screenwriting Quarterfinalist 2016 Script Pipeline Screenwriting Quarterfinalist 2016 Burbank International Film Festival - Original Screenplay Nominee 2016 Burbank International Film Festival - Original Screenplay Nominee 2016 Las Vegas Lift-Off Film Festival Screenplay Finalist 2016 Las Vegas Lift-Off Film Festival Screenplay Finalist 2016 Creative World Awards Finalist - Horror/Thriller/Fantasy 2016 Creative World Awards Finalist - Horror/Thriller/Fantasy 2016 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition -xa0advanced to the Second Round in the xa0Drama category 2016 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition -xa0advanced to the Second Round in the xa0Drama category Reader's Favorite 5-Star Review (2018) Reader's Favorite 5-Star Review (2018) From the Inside Flap Check out Michael's newest release - Witches Protection Program - available now! Michael Phillip Cash is an award winning screenwriter and novelist. He's written eight novels including the best-selling Brood X , Stillwell , The Flip , The After House , and Battle for Darracia series.xa0When he's not writing, Michael is sailing on his private 100-foot yacht bought with all the book royalties. Michael resides in a mega mansion (also bought with royalties) on Long Island. He writes full-time, with his screaming kids in the background.xa0Connect with one of Michael's twenty assistants on all those superfluous social media sites: Facebook:xa0facebook.com/michaelphillipcashTwitter:xa0twitter.com/michaelpcashWeb:xa0michaelphillipcash.comEmail:[email protected] Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Seth is laid off from work. His wife Lara just found out they are expecting a baby this summer. Seth plans on documenting the entire pregnancy with his brand new digital camcorder.During an evening home watching television, the news reports that a swarm of cicada (Brood Ten) are expected to overwhelm the entire Northeast. Brood Ten is vicious and ready to invade. During a sweltering summer night, Brood Ten emerges and wreaks havoc with the electric grid, phone and cell service, wi-fi, food and water supply. Civilization as they know it is gone.Seth and Lara are thrown back to the stone age in their own home with trillions of cicada trying to deposit their eggs and breed.Fast paced and filled with tension, Brood Ten is the perfect summer read when you’re sitting outside listening to the cicadas sing.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(63)
★★★★
20%
(42)
★★★
15%
(32)
★★
7%
(15)
★
28%
(59)

Most Helpful Reviews

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One of the Most Awful Books I've Ever Got

When I start reading any book to review, I see how I like it. If I find it boring or just bad in general, I tend to just rush through it. However, very rarely do I get a book that I disdain so much that I can not even bear to finish it and have to just put it down. This book is one of those. The book started off crudely with talk of drugs / alcohol. But I put up with that and kept reading. Then, there is a crude remark about a woman's rear end. This was frustrating. Then, there were X-rated writing and references to porno. This was the point where I just had to put the book down. I was expecting a book about cicadas, not some perverted fantasy novel. This book is downright disgusting, and I am recycling it. People may not like my opinion, but I am entitled to my opinion. I am not a paid reviewer. I review books for free and give my sincere opinion. Women ought to avoid this disgusting book that will offend them. Men ought to avoid this perverted book, leave fantasy land, ask a real 3D woman out, and treat her with respect. Females are not objects and--unlike insects--they have more to do in this life than reproduce.
9 people found this helpful
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Prepare For the Great Cicada Invasion

The evening news issues its ominous warnings nightly - reports caution that a swarm of cicadas, known as Brood Ten, are expected to overwhelm the entire Northeast. The swarm is considered vicious and is expected to invade sometime during the summer. Preparations are strongly advised.

Seth is laid off from work. His wife Lara - a teacher - has just found out that they are expecting a baby this summer. Seth plans on documenting her entire pregnancy with his brand new digital camcorder.

During a sweltering summer night, Brood Ten emerges and begins to wreak havoc with the electric grid. Phone and cell service goes down, wi-fi connection is disrupted, food and water supply are the next casualties. Civilization as they once knew it has disappeared.

Seth and Lara find themselves thrown back to the stone age while living in their own home, with trillions of cicadas trying to deposit their eggs and breed. The plague known as Brood Ten has begun...

This book is actually Michael Phillip Cash's debut novel, although it's the second one that I've read by this author. I was immediately drawn into the story - it took me a day to read. I found that the plot was extremely fast-paced and suspenseful. Sometimes, the plots of books that try to deal with natural terrors can become almost comical in their portrayal of potential threats, at least in my opinion.

However, that was not my experience while reading 'Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion' by Michael Phillip Cash. I found the horror in this book to be entirely realistic and totally believable. I can tell you, I won't ever look at cicadas in quite the same way again. I give this book an A!

Full Disclosure: 'Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion' by Michael Phillip Cash read and reviewed by Mary McGirr, an avid reader and book reviewer from Albany, New York. Many thanks to the author as I received a copy of this book for free from him.
7 people found this helpful
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Thrilling Book Could NOT put it DOWN.

I picked this book up as a digital download around lunch time. By dinner I had called several friends to recommend it. I could not put it down. The book is listed as horror. I was surprised. I probably would have listed it as a thriller. Not really a blood and guts hack and slash book which is what I usually associate horror with. The book opens at an Emergency Room over run with trauma patients. We don't know what the big trauma was but the hospital is full and we are privy to a couple of security guards as they oversee the hospital. A paramedic invades their sanctuary bringing with him a video camera.

What unfolds on that camera is the guts of the story. It is a story that sucks you in and keeps you turning pages until the final scene. In the real world, news broadcasts often exaggerate the level of danger expected form weather events to the point that we become numb to their continuous over dramatization of the expected event. A light shower becomes Storm Watch. Michael Phillip Cash expertly draws a picture of the pendulum swing of our reactions to the news of coming "catastrophic" events. He pulls us along as the main characters experience the nightly chicken little report. The news outlets so sensationalizing upcoming weather events that we don't know if we should prepare or mock.

And then he drags us along as Seth finds out happens when you don't prepare...and even if you do.

I devoured this book in a couple of hours. It was a great fast paced novel. If you are looking for a nightly read don't pick this up. It will keep you up all night trying to finish it. If you are looking for something to read by the pool...make sure you have plenty of sunscreen, because once you pick it up you will be riveted to the spot you are in until you get to the end of the wild ride that is this story.
7 people found this helpful
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fast and enjoyable read

Reading this book I had mixed feelings about it - in the beginning the characters annoyed me - you have the picture perfect couple: ex college boy marries health-obsessed cheerleader sweetheart; man still acts like a teenager, even during his wife's pregnancy. For the first half of the book nothing seems to be happening, Seth choosing to ignore the upcoming invasion's report. However in only a few moments it all changes - the bugs are invading and the fight for survival begins, including maturity. The action picks up, the book becomes what it is announced to be, a fast paced story and the characters mirror our reactions in a situation like this.
I believe the first part could have been shorter, but the second part more than makes up for it.
All in all it was a good book, one you would go through in a couple of hours and stick to it till the end.
4 people found this helpful
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Quick Summer Read

Kudos to Michael Phillip Cash for introducing the reader to some likable as well as unlikable characters, both human and insect. It is an easy summer afternoon story, a believable work of fiction that borders on fact.

We all know a Seth and Lara, Marni and Dom, even a Jimmy... that's what makes the story enjoyable. I predicted the ending, or so I thought, by the fourth chapter, and was certain of the outcome up until the last few pages - I was wrong!! And this is one time I don't mind admitting it.

The author invites the reader to contact him by email with any questions or comments. I accepted his invitation and was pleasantly surprised at the rapid response to my email.

I wish him continued success with his future publications.
4 people found this helpful
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Terrific horror/action novel!

The best horror stories are those that could really happen. Fast paced horror tale that keeps you wanting more. If Alfred Hitchcock were alive, I think he would direct a sequel to The Birds.
4 people found this helpful
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Fast paced and humorous

Brood X is a story about survival. Seth and Lara are expecting their first child when the great cicada invasion destroys their lives. Horrendous, chilling scenes! Without Seth's humor, I might have bug nightmares still! It is a fast-paced novel, urging the reader on to the next page and the next to see what's going to happen! The attitudes of the characters are true-to-life and believable. This could really happen! And that is terrifying! Michael Phillip Cash is an author to watch, with this well-written debut novel!
3 people found this helpful
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Couldn't put it down!

Brood X was a page-turner that I could not put down from the beginning. I was drawn in to the story immediately. The characters were well-developed and easy to relate to. Just the thought of being pregnant, with delivery soon, and this invasion happening just gave me chills. The story line kept my attention throughout the book and the ending was just as great! I recommend this book and will definitely read more from this author!
3 people found this helpful
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Couldn't put it down!

What a thriller of a book!! A creepy love story!!loved how Seth would do anything to protect his family!the characters were very believable!!! Good beach book!
3 people found this helpful
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Fast-paced and suspenseful found-footage read

This isn't the first book I've read by Michael Phillip Cash, but it's the first book he published – and after reading it, I can see why it won so many awards! I enjoy apocalyptic fiction, but this book puts a new spin on the genre – it's like a found footage film set to paper, so you get the atmosphere without the nausea-inducing shaky camerawork! I thought that was a pretty clever idea for a book, and a concept I've not run across before.

The story starts at the end, with an EMT who's found a digital camcorder and sits down to watch it with two hospital security guards. The home movie they're watching features a young married couple, Seth and Lara, and starts off with Lara announcing that she's pregnant with their first child. Seth is a happy-go-lucky sort of guy (which is a kind way of saying immature), and is taking neither his currently unemployed status nor the reports of an upcoming cicada invasion seriously. He scoffs at the preppers who are convinced that Doomsday is at hand, and his few concessions to the upcoming event (like buying an extra freezer to store food) are made only to appease Lara.

But the invasion is real, and the news reports weren't overestimating the scope of the problem.

The Great Cicada Invasion begins, and it quickly becomes apparent that Seth and Lara (and their unexpected, unwanted houseguests) are in no way prepared for the scope of the assault. The camera continues to roll and document the events as they progress from bad to worse. You see, the cicadas don't just cause the power to go out and the water to dry up – these gigantic insects are large enough, and legion enough, to attack and kill any animal unfortunate to be caught outside unprotected. Including humans.

With no food, no water, knee-deep cicadas, and a baby on the way, the reader is left guessing as to how Lara and Seth – and their unborn child – will survive the invasion of Brood X. I found this book to be a fascinating read, fast-paced and suspenseful, with enough disgusting bugs for everyone. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer – I would have loved a more in-depth look at how Seth and Lara (and everyone else) survived day-to-day during the invasion. If you enjoy found footage movies and horror novels, this is definitely the book for you!

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review; all opinions are my own.
2 people found this helpful

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