A Man, A Myth, Or A Monster?

The rain pounds relentlessly on the ground. The wind howls through the trees, and somewhere in the darkness, something is watching. Something that is not quite human or an animal. Aubrey: Nukeville Book 1 introduces us to an enigma. This force is a fugitive who is more than just a man. Who is he? A storm of destruction? An unstoppable force driven by something sinister beyond our expectations? Or something more evil? What does he want? Most importantly, how did he become such a monster?

Neil Hannam’s debut novel, Aubrey: Nukeville Book 1, introduces us to Aubrey. He is an escaped convict, having broken out of one of the most secure prisons in the UK. But it quickly becomes apparent that this is no ordinary escape, and he is not an ordinary man or, might we say, a fugitive. There’s something different about him, something unnatural and unreal which makes him so creepy. He does not simply avoid being caught. Instead, he expertly slips through the nose of his pursuers as if the laws of nature do not apply to him. More powerful than any man his age ought to be. He moves too quickly for the human eye to follow, leaving a trail of dead in his wake without pausing for a second.

But how could it possibly be?

As the storm rages over the Norfolk coast, the police and military search for this eerie figure in the darkness, guided only by the scent his blood has left behind. But they don’t understand the true nature of what they’re hunting. And when they realize it, it will be too late to run away and survive. Aubrey is not just something monstrous. He is a criminal, so different from the rest that no one could have possibly predicted his nature. And escaping for him is not just about freedom. He is moving toward something, drawn by an unseen force to the cursed grounds of Nukeville. He will do whatever it takes to get what he desires. And he would stop at nothing to achieve that, even if it meant killing everyone who stood in his way.

Aubrey is a character created by Hannam that hovers between reality and nightmare. His appearance alone is unsettling. Be it his ice-blue eyes set against a gaunt, his leathery face, his body weathered by time yet defying it all the same, or his sclera, swollen and streaked with crimson veins, it all betrays something deeper and unnatural lurking beneath his skin. When he kills, it is methodical. There is no hesitation, no wasted movement, and no regret. There is just a relentless efficiency that suggests he has done this far too many times before.

Despite the horror he leaves behind, some questions demand answers. How did an old man escape from a Category A prison so swiftly? How did he slip past roadblocks and high-tech surveillance and cross 150 miles undetected? Why does he kill so brutally, with so much force and hatred, without remorse? Why is he heading toward Nukeville? Is something calling him?

The deeper the novel delves into Aubrey’s past, the more disturbing the revelations become. As the book progresses, it becomes clear that Aubrey is more than just a man on the run. He is something completely different, a product of flawed science, or maybe something much older, something much worse that will astound us. His body may have aged, but his strength has not faded. Despite his apparent mental instability, he has one goal in mind: to reach Nukeville.

With originality and a creative lens, Neil Hannam is able to masterfully build suspense around Aubrey’s character. Chapter after chapter, he seamlessly provides clues that will allow us to imagine Aubrey and his monstrous demeanor without revealing too much at once.

Even armed and trained police officers feel helpless around him. He lets them believe they are hunting him, but they are not. And when he chooses to strike, it is already too late to realize that they have been tricked. On the count of three, two, one, anyone who gets in Aubrey’s way will face death as a reward.

Is there anyone who could stop him? Or will Aubrey become successful in his goal? Time is running out, and Aubrey has a limited amount of time to upend this world and begin his destruction.

Grab your copy of Aubrey from Amazon to know more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DVTGH4LY.