"The label was made of a waxy yellow parchment, glued in place and stained in a couple places by a variety of liquids over the years. Beneath the stains, in a barely legible scrawl, it stated: Specimen #73."
-from Pete Kahle's "The Specimen"

This is a surprisingly good book. It's got aliens, a lot of action, a decent bit of mystery and all-in-all is a well-written tale. This Lovecraftian tale of ancient evil follows numerous characters through numerous time periods that blends mystery with scifi with good old fashioned gore-spirited horror.

The core narrative orbits around the discovery of a hideous 'specimen' of unknown origin offered for sale at an odds n' ends store. From there we learn of a mind-reading alien entity that's been manipulating pockets of humanity for untold years. Actually, the years are not untold because Kahle does a terrific job of bisecting his core plotlines with alien backstory that takes us to the time of the Aztecs, Spanish Inquisition, and northern Europe circa 700 AD.

In addition to the fun historical background tales, I particularly enjoyed the Lovecraftian mood set in passages such as this: "Like a leviathan eel lying in the centuries-old muck at the bottom of a stagnant lake, the horrors from his past stirred up the muddy debris of his mind with its convulsions, sending once hidden fossils to the surface."

If you're a fan of monster-based horror and MiB-like shadow military units, you'll like this story and love the fact that it's just the first in a series. It's not particularly deep, but it's a fun read. I recommend it.