Kronos Rising Series by Max Hawthorne

THE TERRIFYING PROLOGUE TO KRONOS RISING Barreling along a hundred feet beneath the surface, the giant predator gained swiftly on its prey. Fifty yards ahead, a school of chrome-colored fish fled terror-stricken before it. Measuring close to twenty feet in length, the enormous descendants of the prehistoric fish Xiphactinus audax were, themselves, top predators, each tipping the scales at over three thousand pounds... moreTHE TERRIFYING PROLOGUE TO KRONOS RISING Barreling along a hundred feet beneath the surface, the giant predator gained swiftly on its prey. Fifty yards ahead, a school of chrome-colored fish fled terror-stricken before it. Measuring close to twenty feet in length, the enormous descendants of the prehistoric fish Xiphactinus audax were, themselves, top predators, each tipping the scales at over three thousand pounds. Compared to the whale-sized nightmare that pursued them, however, the toothy, tarpon-like creatures were little more than a snack. Before the nightmare that would become KRONOS RISING was unleashed, it was first contained in . . . DIABLO. Nestled off the coast of Cuba, and shielded by impenetrable reefs of razor-sharp rock, stands Diablo Caldera. To the rest of the world, the extinct, bowl-shaped volcano is hardly worth exploring. But the caldera has a secret. Its isolated saltwater lake has remained untouched since the fall of the dinosaurs. Inside this hellish aquarium are the deadliest marine predators the world has ever seen. Imprisoned since the Cretaceous behind towering walls of volcanic rock, and warded by a mysterious race, Diablo’s savage inmates rule with flipper and fang the only world they have ever known. But something is about to change. The prison that is Diablo is beginning to fail, and soon it will unleash into the unsuspecting Atlantic a primeval fury the likes of which it has never before known. It is one hundred tons of death. And it likes to eat. less

"Steve refused to surrender. Even though he knew the creature was right behind him, he wouldn't quit. He would make it. Just as that beacon of hope began to shine down upon him, the bright sun overhead vanished from view. Confused, he gazed wide-eyed as the daylight grew dim. Then he realized the ultimate horror: the creature had overtaken him, its jaws opened wide.""He was in its mouth... more"Steve refused to surrender. Even though he knew the creature was right behind him, he wouldn't quit. He would make it. Just as that beacon of hope began to shine down upon him, the bright sun overhead vanished from view. Confused, he gazed wide-eyed as the daylight grew dim. Then he realized the ultimate horror: the creature had overtaken him, its jaws opened wide.""He was in its mouth."A coastal community faces the wrath of a mysterious sea creature in Max Hawthorne's heart pounding new novel, "Kronos Rising."Devastated by his wife's tragic drowning, Olympic hopeful Jake Braddock turns his back on fame and fortune and retreats to his childhood home of Paradise Cove, Florida. He accepts the job of town sheriff, hoping to find the solace he so desperately craves.He finds anything but.A series of horrifying deaths and disappearances send a flood of panic through the idyllic town. It is only after the ravaged carcass of a full-grown whale surfaces, however, that the real terror begins.Soon Jake finds himself drawn into an ancient-a mystery that ends with him adrift at sea, battling for survival against the deadliest predator the world has ever seen. It is a creature whose ancestors ruled the prehistoric seas. Now freed after eons of imprisonment, it has risen to reclaim the oceans of the world as its own.And it's hungry. less

30 years have passed since the destruction of Paradise Cove. Since then, pliosaurs the size of whales have wreaked havoc on the world’s oceans. Despite tragic losses, Garm Braddock and his brother Dirk wage a bloody war of attrition against the voracious marine reptiles: Garm from the helm of the anti-biologic submarine Gryphon and his brother from the top-secret military research facility known as Tartarus... more30 years have passed since the destruction of Paradise Cove. Since then, pliosaurs the size of whales have wreaked havoc on the world’s oceans. Despite tragic losses, Garm Braddock and his brother Dirk wage a bloody war of attrition against the voracious marine reptiles: Garm from the helm of the anti-biologic submarine Gryphon and his brother from the top-secret military research facility known as Tartarus. In spite of ongoing attempts to destroy them, the prehistoric predators that rose from the ashes of Diablo Caldera continue to multiply. They are bringers of death, and via more than just their deadly jaws. Their blood contains a primeval pathogen so virulent that, left unchecked, could spell the end of mammalian life. Meanwhile, in the icy darkness of the deep, an evil as ancient as the dinosaurs stirs in response to the changes in Earth’s oceans. Rising hungrily to the surface, it brings with it an intellect as cold as the abyss and an irrepressible need to destroy and devour. And conquer. less

THE SAURIAN WAR RAGES ON Unaware of the brutal battle that has just taken place between Ursula, the giant Megalodon shark, and the macropliosaur designated Typhon, Dr. Derek “Dirk” Braddock seizes upon his mentor Eric Grayson’s absence and launches a dual-pronged mission into Earth’s bloodstained seas.   His brother Garm, commanding the anti-biologic submarine Gryphon, is assigned the dubious task of hunting down and exterminating Typhon... moreTHE SAURIAN WAR RAGES ON Unaware of the brutal battle that has just taken place between Ursula, the giant Megalodon shark, and the macropliosaur designated Typhon, Dr. Derek “Dirk” Braddock seizes upon his mentor Eric Grayson’s absence and launches a dual-pronged mission into Earth’s bloodstained seas.   His brother Garm, commanding the anti-biologic submarine Gryphon, is assigned the dubious task of hunting down and exterminating Typhon. Meanwhile, Natalya Dragunova, captain of the Antrodemus, prepares to penetrate the perilous waters of Diablo Caldera – the Cretaceous-era lake from which the savage pliosaurs originated.   Neither of them has any idea what is waiting for them.   Soon, Dirk’s investigation into his mother’s untimely death uncovers a shocking truth: one that, when revealed, will shake the research facility known as Tartarus, and his world, to the core. Malevolent forces are at work that Dirk is unaware of, and he soon finds himself fighting not only for his life, but the lives of everyone he loves.   Meanwhile, lurking in the darkness of Tartarus’s abyssal depths, the ultimate horror awaits . . . less

THE MOST FEARED MONSTER IN HUMAN HISTORY IS MAKING HUMANS . . . HISTORY.Tartarus has earned its name. Having tracked a mortally wounded Sam Mot back to the Tube’s entrance, the revenge-obsessed Octopus giganteus female launches a ferocious assault on the submarine base. Its goal is to slaughter every living thing, including the facility’s caged pliosaurs... moreTHE MOST FEARED MONSTER IN HUMAN HISTORY IS MAKING HUMANS . . . HISTORY.Tartarus has earned its name. Having tracked a mortally wounded Sam Mot back to the Tube’s entrance, the revenge-obsessed Octopus giganteus female launches a ferocious assault on the submarine base. Its goal is to slaughter every living thing, including the facility’s caged pliosaurs.As Tartarus’s woefully inadequate security forces engage the invading Kraken, an oblivious Dirk Braddock watches in horror as his body succumbs to the most virulent Cretaceous cancer strain of all – the one that destroyed his father.While Dirk fights for his very soul, an infuriated Captain Natalya Dragunova arrives in Tartarus, armed and looking for payback. She plans to avenge her murdered crew and, per Garm Braddock’s last wishes, rescue his brother (rescue) Dirk in the process.Unfortunately, the tough-as-nails sub commander has no idea what she’s walking into. Nefarious forces are waiting to put an end to her and everyone she cares about. Soon, she and Tartarus’s beleaguered survivors will be forced to confront the base’s most terrifying secret: a weapon designed to bring mankind’s tenuous mastery of the planet to an abrupt and apocalyptic end.And around every corner, the Kraken waits. less