Final Extinction is a terrorist thriller short story written by Michael Curley. Mustafa al-Khalid is the scion of a wealthy Istanbul family which owned the largest brewery in Turkey. As a devout Muslim, Mustafa did not drink, but he wasn’t concerned about those infidels who did. When he inherited the family brewery, he sold it and invested the proceeds in a Russian brewery which he renamed from the Russian for Northern to Pride. While his Russian partners believed that the new name reflected pride in their country, Mustafa had something entirely different in mind. His raison d’etre was the destruction of his enemies. Mustafa’s life had been irrevocably changed on what should have been one of his happiest days. He was aboard his yacht with his fiancee, Jasmine, and both of their extended families, celebrating the couple’s engagement, when a massive explosion left him in the hospital and Jasmine and their family members dead. It was later revealed that Jasmine’s imam father was also the head of the Muslim Brotherhood and that five other members of the Brotherhood were on the yacht. The United States had decided that taking out the six men was worth the lives of the innocent party-goers and Mustafa had to avenge those deaths.

Michael Curley’s terrorist thriller short story, Final Extinction, is taut and suspenseful. The characters of Mustafa, Michael Cornell, the FBI’s ecological specialist and his boss, James Slevin, are skillfully drawn and portrayed. The premise of this tale is believable and compelling, and the plot is intricate and clever. I loved the role Yellowstone Park plays in Final Extinction and was fascinated by the scientific information the author provides about the size and scope of the Yellowstone Volcano. This is an informative and thoughtful story that presents characters who deserve their places in future stories, and I hope that Curley has that in mind. Final Extinction is highly recommended.

Michael Curley writes a hair-raising, goose bump thriller in Final Extinction. A disastrous cocktail is blended when a deranged terrorist and a desperate park ranger unite with a missing Russian bomb and an over-sized borehole. The Brotherhood has figured out how to create a natural disaster that would destroy the planet. This will be ultimate act of terrorism, the “Final Extinction.” Their plan is to set off a nuclear device that will result in a nuclear winter. It is up to FBI agent Michael Cornell to stop them before this happens. It is a race to Yellowstone National Park. Whoever arrives there first holds the planet’s fate in their hands.

Final Extinction would be a nail-biter if you could stop flipping the pages long enough to bite your nails. This is a fast paced thriller that will not let you put it down. This is a short story with accelerated plot action, resulting in tension from start to finish. Curley introduces his characters with finite precision; their descriptions reveal their motives and their personalities - good or bad, the reader knows their intentions. Written from the third person point of view, the reader only knows what the characters know. However, Curley includes tidbits of scientific data, which fill in the blanks and heighten the suspense. Final Extinction has a few twists and turns, a couple of shocking surprises, and a slight element of irony, making it an enjoyable read. Final Extinction is like a fast food restaurant, you’re quickly in, out and satisfied.