Probing is Cycle Three in the Harbingers series of supernatural thrillers. Be sure to read Cycles One and Two before this one. This volume is comprised of four novellas; “Leviathan” by Bill Myers, “The Mind Pirates” by Frank Peretti, “Hybrids” by Angela Hunt, and “The Village” by Alton Gansky. This review will be a bit different from my normal ones due to the unique nature of this series. While each novella does have certain elements which are tied up at the end, there is very much a huge overarching storyline that builds upon each previous novella. So as not to spoil anything, this review will be intentionally vague on details.

This is my favorite book in the series to date! It's fabulous! The four main characters, Brenda, Professor McKinney, Andi, and Tank are once again facing extraordinary situations that are both thrilling and chilling. This time their adventures take them from Hollywood to the Carribean to Florida and then to North Carolina. This volume also has appearances from two other minor characters who first appeared in episodes 1 and 4 which I really enjoyed. Some questions which were raised in Invitation and The Assault are finally answered while others are brought up and left unresolved for now as the saga continues.

There were a few pages in the beginning of “The Mind Pirates” where I was very confused about the setting and what was going on. For a bit, I thought that Peretti had gone way too far into the realm of the fantastical and I was sort of annoyed. But then as the story progressed it began to make sense and when that novella concluded I found myself loving how it all wrapped up.

"Hybrids" might just be the creepiest of the episodes in the series thus far and I found "The Village" to be extremely interesting due to the references to parallel dimensions. I have been intrigued by the idea of parallel and/or alternate dimensions ever since reading Louis L'Amour's The Haunted Mesa a couple decades ago.

Overall, this volume of episodes 9-12 of Harbingers is a phenomenal read! The slight lack of cohesiveness that I felt with Cycle Two is gone in this book and it flowed very well across the four stories. Myers, Peretti, Hunt, and Gansky have again created a spellbinding collection of stories that draw in the reader and keep us guessing. The plot has thickened for sure and I eagerly await Cycle Four to find out what will happen next.

Recommended for 18+ due to some slightly adult themes in "Leviathan". There was nothing explicit at all, but the nature of some of the situations just didn't feel appropriate for under 18 to me. ( )