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Surviving The Evacuation #20
Surviving the Evacuation, Book 20: Small Cogs in the Survival Machine
The final evacuation begins.
A year and a half after the collapse of civilisation, pirates plague the Atlantic, the Saint Lawrence River is a radioactive dead-zone, and the forests of Quebec are succumbing to disease. With insufficient supplies to last until autumn, the survivors in Eastern Canada have no choice but to flee. A final evacuation is planned, to migrate across the breadth of irradiated North America to what they hope will be permanent safety on the Pacific coast.
Until they leave, life goes on, and children grow up. For Jay, that means getting a job. Apprenticed to old George Tull, he’s tasked with scouting the Digby Peninsula for roadworthy vehicles left behind during the first evacuation of Canada. Instead, he finds signs that an old foe has returned.
For the Canadian evacuation not to become a deadly tragedy like its British forebear, safe roads and intact bridges must be found. Tuck and Sorcha join the soldiers mapping the tracks and trails through the dying forests of Quebec. It should be a straightforward mission, but the starving bears and predatory wolves are not as great a danger as the desperate survivors who wish to be forgotten by the world.
With increasing desertification on land, and rising toxicity in the oceans, it is unclear for how much longer the planet can sustain life. With imminent annihilation a real possibility, the more populous group of survivors in the Pacific plan a multi-faith expedition to Jerusalem and Mecca. For the devout, it is an opportunity to complete a pilgrimage. For the politicians, it is a chance to diminish the power of the ascendant crusaders, extremists, and death cults. For a few, it is an opportunity to hunt for the friends and family abandoned during the escape from Europe.
A year and a half after the collapse of civilisation, pirates plague the Atlantic, the Saint Lawrence River is a radioactive dead-zone, and the forests of Quebec are succumbing to disease. With insufficient supplies to last until autumn, the survivors in Eastern Canada have no choice but to flee. A final evacuation is planned, to migrate across the breadth of irradiated North America to what they hope will be permanent safety on the Pacific coast.
Until they leave, life goes on, and children grow up. For Jay, that means getting a job. Apprenticed to old George Tull, he’s tasked with scouting the Digby Peninsula for roadworthy vehicles left behind during the first evacuation of Canada. Instead, he finds signs that an old foe has returned.
For the Canadian evacuation not to become a deadly tragedy like its British forebear, safe roads and intact bridges must be found. Tuck and Sorcha join the soldiers mapping the tracks and trails through the dying forests of Quebec. It should be a straightforward mission, but the starving bears and predatory wolves are not as great a danger as the desperate survivors who wish to be forgotten by the world.
With increasing desertification on land, and rising toxicity in the oceans, it is unclear for how much longer the planet can sustain life. With imminent annihilation a real possibility, the more populous group of survivors in the Pacific plan a multi-faith expedition to Jerusalem and Mecca. For the devout, it is an opportunity to complete a pilgrimage. For the politicians, it is a chance to diminish the power of the ascendant crusaders, extremists, and death cults. For a few, it is an opportunity to hunt for the friends and family abandoned during the escape from Europe.
279 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 23, 2023
42 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Frank Tayell
55 books487 followersAuthor of post-apocalyptic and near-future science fiction, with a focus on democracies struggling against dystopia.
For more information, or to join the mailing list, please visit; www.FrankTayell.com, facebook.com/FrankTayell, or facebook.com/TheEvacuation
For more information, or to join the mailing list, please visit; www.FrankTayell.com, facebook.com/FrankTayell, or facebook.com/TheEvacuation
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 6, 2025
Excellent.
Another superb addition to Surviving the Evacuation series.This author has never disappointed me and I recommend the series to anyone.
Another superb addition to Surviving the Evacuation series.This author has never disappointed me and I recommend the series to anyone.
April 27, 2023
I don't know what I expect from this series anymore - the last few books just seem to be blow-by-blow recounts of logistical exercises. People go here, other people go there, someone needs this resource, someone else needs this other thing. Not much seems to happen, I can't remember who half the characters are any more or what they're trying to do, and the dialogue remains pretty wooden (and don't get me started on the deaf character who can sign incredibly long and complex sentences full of jargon, which everybody else is also able to effortlessly understand).
I read these books for escapism/palate cleansing in between other stuff and they're not bad (and I like the series) but I do find myself tiring a bit of continued books like this one.
I read these books for escapism/palate cleansing in between other stuff and they're not bad (and I like the series) but I do find myself tiring a bit of continued books like this one.
October 10, 2023
On kobo: 1230006181383, 354 pages
With the threat of the Florida pirates increasing and with environmental damage also getting worse a final retreat from the Atlantic is inevitable. An agreement with the Pacific alliance to provide fuel and transport in exchange for passage back to the Old World to religious sites - and to establish if there is still a living Pope or if a conclave needs to elect a new one - makes this possible.
The series appeared to be winding down to a natural pause point but it now appears unlikely in the immediate future! Which is good.
With the threat of the Florida pirates increasing and with environmental damage also getting worse a final retreat from the Atlantic is inevitable. An agreement with the Pacific alliance to provide fuel and transport in exchange for passage back to the Old World to religious sites - and to establish if there is still a living Pope or if a conclave needs to elect a new one - makes this possible.
The series appeared to be winding down to a natural pause point but it now appears unlikely in the immediate future! Which is good.
May 14, 2023
This is one of my favorite post apocalyptic series. However, I think it’s time to end it. The last few books are filled with boring chapter after chapter of logistical info on moving people here and there. To a certain extent that can be interesting but it’s gone too far and isn’t entertaining or needed. The action scenes and times when characters were out looking for resources were the only things that saved this book. Also there are so many characters, so many events, I can’t keep up anymore. When I found the series 13 books were out and I read them back to back. But this was number 20 I think and when I start each book I barely remember what happened previously. There is some repetition with characters retelling of events and most of the time I can’t remember if it was things that happened in earlier books or just off page events. Give us one more book to wrap up the series and please leave out the logistics of moving people around!
March 5, 2023
new intrigue, some opens central characters
An interesting addition to the series, that focuses on the transition to a new world. My least favourite of the series, but it teases of interesting plots to come. Less focus on Bill and Kim and their family and activities than I like, and the return of a central character teased the reader into wanting to know more. The twist at the end demonstrates some of the old world steeliness remains in the new regimes. Looking forward to book 21.
An interesting addition to the series, that focuses on the transition to a new world. My least favourite of the series, but it teases of interesting plots to come. Less focus on Bill and Kim and their family and activities than I like, and the return of a central character teased the reader into wanting to know more. The twist at the end demonstrates some of the old world steeliness remains in the new regimes. Looking forward to book 21.
August 6, 2023
Overall I've really enjoyed this series, however I feel it should come to an end, each time I read another book I think it'll be the last in the series but it's not. The author has tried to tie up too many loose ends in this book, and tries to give an update for each of the characters. It would be better (like in some of the Game of Thrones books) if alternate books focused on different characters, as happened with some of the earlier books in this series. Also, I think the ideas in this book needing more editing.
The main threat is no longer zombies, it's now other groups of survivors/pirates who are trying to take control over sections of the world. There is also a lot of focus on how logistics will work in the future, such as needing the Suez canal to remain operational. I feel these issues would be best addressed in a new series about rebuilding the world & its infrastructure, rather than in this series which is about finding a safe place to live in order to rebuild the world.
The main threat is no longer zombies, it's now other groups of survivors/pirates who are trying to take control over sections of the world. There is also a lot of focus on how logistics will work in the future, such as needing the Suez canal to remain operational. I feel these issues would be best addressed in a new series about rebuilding the world & its infrastructure, rather than in this series which is about finding a safe place to live in order to rebuild the world.
October 16, 2024
Always liked these books from the start and have finished them all. I enjoyed them more when it was the core group of survivors but lately it has lost some of its spark. The last books seem to be spread too much and there are just too many characters to keep track of. I find myself constantly using Google maps to see where everyone is and it's like reading the logistical records of a transport company. There are few moments of action now and are never long enough to get excited about before we get back to logistical meandering. Hope the next book gets back to the basics again instead of fading out.
March 24, 2025
Best zombie series.
I.think this is one of the best zombie series. It deals with how humans interact with each other when society collapses. The characters are well rounded and you cannot help but want them to succeed. It's not all guns and weapons but an attempt to portray how we recover.
I.think this is one of the best zombie series. It deals with how humans interact with each other when society collapses. The characters are well rounded and you cannot help but want them to succeed. It's not all guns and weapons but an attempt to portray how we recover.
March 6, 2023
surviving the evacuation book 20.
Brilliant, fantastic read continues, in the Pacific and the Atlantic. Bill and crew, making future plans for moving on, to get away from the Pirates.
Brilliant, fantastic read continues, in the Pacific and the Atlantic. Bill and crew, making future plans for moving on, to get away from the Pirates.
December 26, 2023
Better than many of the more recent books in the series.
But an unnecessarily complicated journey and in increasingly improbable bad guys, lessens this story.
It would be a 3* if this was your first ‘Evacuation’ book.
But an unnecessarily complicated journey and in increasingly improbable bad guys, lessens this story.
It would be a 3* if this was your first ‘Evacuation’ book.
April 1, 2023
Great narrative as always
I thoroughly enjoyed the progression of this story, tying up some loose ends and branching out in new directions with new story lines
I thoroughly enjoyed the progression of this story, tying up some loose ends and branching out in new directions with new story lines
November 6, 2025
Boring Book
Read all the previous books , but finding they are getting tedious to read, I would recommend the earlier books as much better story.
Read all the previous books , but finding they are getting tedious to read, I would recommend the earlier books as much better story.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews