Jeff Somers Books In Order

Publication Order of Avery Cates Books

Publication Order of Avery Cates: The Burning City Books

Publication Order of The Ustari Cycle Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Jeff Somers is a reputed American writer of urban fantasy, science fiction, and horror novels. He hails from New Jersey and has written several mind-blowing novel series in his career. They include the Avery Cates series, Ustari Cycle series, and the Avery Cates: Buring City series. Additionally, Somers has penned a couple of standalone novels and one novella. He has also tried his hand at writing a nonfiction book. Since 1995, Somers has been frequently contributing to the zine. He has also served as a prolific contributor to all the zine publications. The turn of the 21st century saw a transformation in Somers’s career from being an observational essayist to a writer of science fiction stories. He has received praise from many prominent critics for being a gifted craftsman with a funny wit. Somers made his debut with the single novel Lifers in 2001 and soon followed it up with the widely successful Avery Cates novels.

The Orbit Books publication has obtained the rights to publish Somers’s novels in the UK and the US. Several critics have also hailed him as a promising lesser light of mystery writing. A noted reviewer criticized Somers’s first book by saying that it has an undernourished plot. However, the same reviewer praised him for his excellent character observations. Following the release of the first Avery Cates book, The Electric Church, Somers became immensely successful. He received starred reviews and appreciation from many noted critics who work in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, etc. In 2009, a short story written by Somers called Drum Trial became the first runner up for the Best Science Fiction Story prize.

Author Somers says that he started writing by court order in order to steer away from his creative impulses from the genetic grotesqueries of engineering. And in doing, he achieved great fame and popularity. In addition to writing novels, he writes reviews for About.com and Barnes & Noble. Somers claims that he has always been a huge fan of authors Raymond Chandler, Patrick O’Brian, Patricia Highsmith, Jack L. Chalker, Neal Stephenson, and Elmore Leonard, who have influenced him very much and have inspired him to write. He was born as Jeffrey Somers in Jersey City, New Jersey. During his childhood, he dreamed of becoming a brain surgeon. But, he was convinced after a spirit-crushing experience that he will have to attend school, work very hard, and master mathematics to achieve his dream. Therefore, he gave up on that dream completely and instead chose the career path of novel writing.

Somers started writing for the first time after he encountered a head trauma and sat down to create a story under the influence of a cocktail. The pleasant mixture of booze and fiction became an integral part of his life for the next 20 years. As of today, Somers resides in Hoboken, New Jersey, along with his loving wife named Danette and several imperious, plump cats. When he is not busy with his writing projects, Somers likes to play chess and try different kinds of cocktails. Somers also likes to play guitar, but his wife thinks of it as a plague upon the household. His wife is pretty sure that he would be withered away and die if she left him to his devices. But, Somers laughs it off by claiming it to be half true. Somers writes for other people as well to make beer money. He often requests his clients to pay him in his favorite whiskey, Glenmorangie-10 year aged. Besides his writing engagements, Somers has undertaken several speaking assignments in schools and writing workshops to show off his smartness.

The Avery Cates series written by author Jeff Somers is comprised of 5 novels and 7 novellas released between 2007 and 2018. Each book of this series features Avery Cates in the role of a dangerous criminal who makes himself available for hire to kill people. Somers has mentioned the lead characters in this series in the form of Dennis Squalor, Canny Orel, and several others. The setting of every novel takes place in New York and shows Avery Cates as one of the richest men in the city. Because of his criminal activities, he is often on the run from local authorities. The debut book of this cyberpunk series is entitled ‘The Electric Church’. It was released in 2007 by the Orbit publication. The book opens in the near future and shows criminal activities and criminal population are growing at a faster rate. But, the thing that is growing at a much faster rate is a new religion called Electric Church. It is founded by an intriguing and mysterious man called Dennis Squalor.

The new church preaches that life is very short to complete the universe’s mysteries and claims that it requires an eternity. To achieve this, Dennis converts people into cyborgs called Monks. The Monks having enhanced robotic bodies, unlimited life, and human brains. To stop Dennis Squalor from converting the whole mankind into Monks, the government hires a deadly criminal and a killer for hire, Avery Cates. Avery is ordered to carry out the special mission of assassinating Dennis Squalor. As soon as he begins the new mission, he realizes that it is the most dangerous task he has ever undertaken and might well be the last one for him.

Another excellent novel of this series is known as ‘The Terminal State’. It was also published by Orbit Books in 2010. This book introduces Avery Cates in the role of an army man. With several first-class augments and a new dental plan of the army, he is given one more chance. A corrupt officer begins making dirty money be selling those newly recruited on the side. Due to this Avery finds himself in unknown territory. After the highest bidder acquires him, his hopes of escape & revenge begin to diminish. And it comes as a huge shock to him when he learns who has bought him and for what purpose. Avery Cates’ buyer, Canny Orel, wants him to do a final job before the System gets filled with complete chaos. Avery thinks of getting back at Orel and has just a single shot at it. If he fails at it, he won’t be able to come out alive. To this utter shock, Canny Orel reveals that he is holding every card and is well aware of what he has planned to do. Still, Avery takes the chance and moves on finish Canny Orel.