The Artifact

By Patrick Astre

Brookhaven National Laboratory sprawls in the serene natural surroundings of Eastern Long Island, New York. Deep within a heavily guarded compound on the grounds of the Laboratory, a forbidding compound houses the nation's most protected secret: An active alien Artifact. Estimated at several millions of years of age, impervious to all efforts of modern science to penetrate its secrets, the Artifact taunts researchers with burst of mysterious radiation that may be efforts at communication. Now the two top researchers have conducted unauthorized experiments using new technology, and something has awakened inside, something as old as time, wielding incalculable power and an agenda that would spell doom for humanity. As horrifying mutations and destruction descends on Long Island, it is only a mere portend of the true horror yet to come. While America's military struggles against an impossible power, only a 12-year-old crippled computer hacker and an aging police detective hold the key to the Artifact. But first they must overcome disbelieving authorities in a desperate race against time, with the very survival of humanity in the balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Salvo Press
• Release date: Jul 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9781627934381

Reviews for The Artifact

[snukes-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Possibly the most predictable book I've ever read. As my husband said (we listened to it on a car trip): this is the first book I've read where I actually know what the character is going to do and say as soon as they are introduced. Every character was a caricature, the plot was perfectly predictable, and the only question I have left is: did the "artifact-phone-home" light zap into deep space mean there's going to be a sequel? Yikes!

[crazybatcow · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well... this book is hard to rate because it's like a B movie. If you like B movies, you'd probably think this story deserves a 4, and if you don't like B movies, you'd probably give it a 2.It's not science fiction as I'd normally think of science fiction - it's more like an alien invasion type thing (think Independence Day but very low budget). The "reality" of the book is current day, not future, so, if the "alien" was from another country instead of another planet, this would be military fiction, not science fiction.For example, the author describes, in detail, the type of ammunition used, the weight capacities of helicopters, the nature of nuclear fusion, etc... which is good if you like that stuff, but it's not really science fiction, more like science fact (and no I have no idea how accurate the info is because I don't really do much research into how many rounds a specific weapon can hold - so it may not even be science fact).Lots of stereotypes: genius boy in a wheelchair, cop with dysfunctional relationship, spinster librarian... you name it, the stereotype is in here.Given all that... the story is definitely finish-able and, while a bit predictable, it has a nice pace.