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Pantheon Obsolescent #1
Year 50
It has been almost 50 years since the planet was nearly rid of humans. Wildlife grows without restraint, erasing the metal and concrete structures left behind. Even where industrialization was most prominent, trees and grassland are aggressively reclaiming their land; Earth is pulling away the scab of human civilization. A young woman named Calypso leads a team of Scavengers beyond the walls of Brighton, the last human colony. Her goal is to find medical supplies, necessary to preserve humanity’s future. It is a dangerous journey few have the training, ability, or psychological threshold to carry out. The team’s journey involves days of travel through infested city ruins, something even the most battle-hardened survivors are unwilling to do. Entering The Wild means facing Puppets, creatures which nearly exterminated humans and are now the predominant species. They are human bodies being controlled by an alien parasite, turning them to feral, ravenous creatures driven only to consume and replicate. Everyone on Calypso’s team has been trained to kill these monsters from the moment they could hold a weapon. They have learned to never underestimate the alien monsters, as any mistake can bring death. But a short ways into the scavenge, the team discovers that Puppets are mutating, making them more apt predators now than ever before. Though the journey now borders on impossibility, Calypso pushes ahead, as failure by her team could mean the end of humanity. [Note from the author] Year 50 was originally written as a zombie-adventure, out of love for the genre. However, there were some issues that have always been problematic for me. Most notably, the implausibility of zombies. Granted, they are fictional creatures that cannot be taken in complete seriousness; but between rigor mortis, decomposition, consumption by scavenging animals/insects, and the general ineffectiveness of the monsters, it seems impossible that a zombie outbreak would last more than 24 hours. As such, I modified the concept to create Puppets (human bodies being controlled by an alien parasite), which nullify these problems. This concept is fantastic and supernatural as well, but can operate with science and logic remaining intact. Zombie stories often deal with the initial outbreak, typically involving people focused on what the world used to be like and their ability to adapt and change. This issue is not as problematic for me as it is overdone. I am more interested in what would happen later, to people who would be born into this new world. As the title implies, Year 50 takes place 49 years after the outbreak itself, providing characters adapted to a world where zombie-like creatures are commonplace. There is no old world to remember, as they know nothing of it. As such, Year 50 is not a horror story, as monsters are a part of everyday life. Though Year 50 was written initially as a zombie story, it became more about the post-apocalyptic culture that humans would form. My studies in evolutionary biology and cultural psychology proving as useful as any English class I have taken. So while the story deals with fantastic, fictional creatures, everything in the world follows a realistic path of scientific and cultural progression. The primary characters in Year 50 are intelligent to the level of present-day geniuses, athletic to the level of Olympic athletes, and resilient to the level of battle-hardened soldiers; in all cases, because they have to be. People lacking in any of these categories have been killed off. Year 50 is ultimately for people who love post-apocalyptic science-fiction and/or zombie-driven adventure.
306 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
17 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 16, 2018
Well, I took another for the team. I got the book a long time ago as one of those free Kindle deals. The book’s blurb sounded promising. In reality, the writing is sub-par. The plot is almost non-existent. Th characters are wooden. Instead of immersing the reading in this post-apocalypse world and letting the reader discover how this world works, what kind of zombies we are dealing with etc. the reader is bombarded with repetitive explanations of how things work and in this world and why characters behave the way they do. There is no mystery. Everything is overly exlained over and over and over again. I would skip the book if you already downloaded it for free. It’s not worth the time to read, no matter how much you enjoy post-apoc stories.
September 11, 2012
Short Review: The premise seemed interesting but quickly devolved into a semi-typical post-apocalyptic story where civilization survives against zombie-ish creatures. I think the pacing was good but when the book ended I realized I didn't care for any of the characters. Another book in the series is coming soon, but I'm doubtful that I'll have enough interest to read it.
June 7, 2012
This was a book I found for free on www.amazon.co.uk. There is also a short story (Year 50: Trial of the Summer) available for free which I have yet to read. The short story, I believe, is set after the events in the book.
Now the book itself is an ok read. I love dystopian literature. I love zombies. I love sci-fi. I love stories about survival in a post-apocalyptic world. I thought, from the synopsis, that I would love this book as it has elements of all these things. I do not love this book. I do not hate either though.
The concept of the alien invasion and using human bodies as 'Puppets' is a good one, but while reading the book, I just found myself either losing focus or skimming whole paragraphs. The writing is not consistent and could use a serious editing overhaul.
There is far too much repetition in this book; yes, I get how the author has created this new 'world' and would like to convey it to his readers, but really there is a limit. I do not need every single little thing explained to me in minute detail. I certainly do not need these details repeated again in the next paragraph, and then again in the next chapter, and then again from a different character’s POV. The effect this has is one of annoyance, and this amount of constant info-dumping makes the description ineffective.
I did not empathise with any of the characters. They were all written with such boring personalities that I felt absolutely nothing for them. The action sequences (of which there are many) all kind of blended into one for me, none of them really stood out for me, which is odd as there was a mixture of weaponry used (guns, knives, swords etc). I just feel that there was not enough, well passion behind these sequences (or indeed, the book itself) for it to be effective and memorable, instead it felt stilted and detached.
The writing improves through the course of the book but that is not enough to make this a good read. It's a decent concept, and I will be reading the short story I downloaded, but as I have already mentioned, the writing is ineffective and detached and the entire book needs to go through a good editing process to polish it up.
Now the book itself is an ok read. I love dystopian literature. I love zombies. I love sci-fi. I love stories about survival in a post-apocalyptic world. I thought, from the synopsis, that I would love this book as it has elements of all these things. I do not love this book. I do not hate either though.
The concept of the alien invasion and using human bodies as 'Puppets' is a good one, but while reading the book, I just found myself either losing focus or skimming whole paragraphs. The writing is not consistent and could use a serious editing overhaul.
There is far too much repetition in this book; yes, I get how the author has created this new 'world' and would like to convey it to his readers, but really there is a limit. I do not need every single little thing explained to me in minute detail. I certainly do not need these details repeated again in the next paragraph, and then again in the next chapter, and then again from a different character’s POV. The effect this has is one of annoyance, and this amount of constant info-dumping makes the description ineffective.
I did not empathise with any of the characters. They were all written with such boring personalities that I felt absolutely nothing for them. The action sequences (of which there are many) all kind of blended into one for me, none of them really stood out for me, which is odd as there was a mixture of weaponry used (guns, knives, swords etc). I just feel that there was not enough, well passion behind these sequences (or indeed, the book itself) for it to be effective and memorable, instead it felt stilted and detached.
The writing improves through the course of the book but that is not enough to make this a good read. It's a decent concept, and I will be reading the short story I downloaded, but as I have already mentioned, the writing is ineffective and detached and the entire book needs to go through a good editing process to polish it up.
April 11, 2014
Year 50 B00596V36K by Geoff Bluske: I find this to be a creative take on the Zombie origin. The story is also unique in placing it 50 years after the earth crumbled.
It is well told and fast paced. The reader can easily “see” the story through the concise, descriptive writing of the author.
There is one issue which I found irritating. The repetitiveness of the character POV’s. Reading the same scenes over and over through the eyes of each character is clever and possibly something that has not been done before. However, it is probably for good reason as it is frustrating. It seems the writer is using this as an opportunity to tailor the story to fit the size of a novel when in reality, it fits better in a smaller size.
I look for the author to improve his writing skills naturally as he continues to write. Aside from the stuttering POV’s, this is a great unique story about one of the most published topics. Kudos to the author.
It is well told and fast paced. The reader can easily “see” the story through the concise, descriptive writing of the author.
There is one issue which I found irritating. The repetitiveness of the character POV’s. Reading the same scenes over and over through the eyes of each character is clever and possibly something that has not been done before. However, it is probably for good reason as it is frustrating. It seems the writer is using this as an opportunity to tailor the story to fit the size of a novel when in reality, it fits better in a smaller size.
I look for the author to improve his writing skills naturally as he continues to write. Aside from the stuttering POV’s, this is a great unique story about one of the most published topics. Kudos to the author.
July 16, 2017
An interesting take on the whole zombie lore thing, with characters that are also pretty unique. There were a few grammatical errors that seemed to have made their way through the editing process, but the world was well built and the story was entertaining enough.
June 6, 2013
"Year 50," by Geoff Bluske, is a fine addition to the short list of worthwhile dystopian/zombie books. The best part of the novel, however, is its writing competence. What a relief and pleasure to be able to sit back and enjoy his writing craft on display here. Few typos to contend with, sentences that make sense, paragraphs that build, situations that are thought out, interesting characters with believable problems: oh what a wonderful feeling!
Yes, at a basic level, “Year 50” is another end-of-the-world book with zombies but, really, as the story unveils itself, it really is no such thing. It is a highly readable, tightly tuned, strong female characters driven, exciting journey. Part of its attraction, for me, is that it deals with the psychological impact of what these disturbingly young characters must do to survive and assist fellow survivors in a dangerous world fifty years after the collapse of worldwide human dominance. Their world is at once extremely local, lethal and filled with dangerous, audio- sensitive predators, and isolated pockets of suspicious humans. Flawed heroes, the main characters, two orphaned sisters and the few people they trust, fight and scavenge as a team, make difficult decisions, and pay heavy personal prices. There are no easy answers in “Year 50” but, here and there, some glimmers of hope do shine out.
I thoroughly enjoyed the finely drawn world that the characters inhabit – it is gritty, detailed, and seldom spans more than a few days walking distance in any direction. In addition, the night belongs to the predators, and any human abroad in the Wild must find secured shelter before the sun goes down. This confinement of life into daylight hours, armed camps and small distances added to the intensity of the plot. I loved the prevalence of sign language as the communication choice when abroad in the Wild, and I appreciated the practical explanation for oil-driven predator “puppets.”
However, it is only fair that I also point out a few negatives.
There is an occasional issue with point-of-view confusions as the reader is suddenly thrust into other characters’ minds without much warning. I think, if some of the mechanics of chapter breaks and internal section breaks were improved, much of the POV confusion would disappear. Still, it wasn’t that hard to decode, but it did force the reader to look back and puzzle things out.
I thought the impact of religions and belief systems took an unnecessarily negative hit in the book. I’m not complaining about the suicide cult presented here, it’s just that no person of admirable faith was shown to balance things out. I do not, for a minute, accept that all forms of faith (except for blind cults) would vanish from the human race. Perhaps, that would be something of value to explore in the next book.
And, finally, I have to agree with the many weapons critics. Yes, the errors over “clips” vs. “magazines” are annoying, and worse than that, they degrade the believability of these very capable female fighters. “Magazines” are what you slap into and out of guns. “Clips” are what you attach bullets to in order to load empty magazines. In the case of many pistols, the magazine has an integral clip that allows you to slide the bullets directly in, but it is still called a magazine not a clip. Shotguns often have an internal magazine. The confusion of these terms is rampant in movies and books and, while it is easy to understand what the characters mean when they say, “My clip is nearly out,” or “Toss me another clip,” it infuriates the military types and it is, in fact, inaccurate. On the other hand, in dialogue during the heat of battle, it is hard to believe that anyone would choose to say a three syllable word when they could utter a one syllable equivalent. I use “mag” when I’m in a hurry and feel it would solve both problems.
Okay, that’s it for the negatives. In summary, as a fellow Indie writer, and a picky reader, it is a distinct pleasure to be able to enjoy and celebrate Mr. Bluske’s fine writing, his competent plotting, good character development, and the clarity of his scenes. Bravo! I look forward to the upcoming “Year 51.”
Yes, at a basic level, “Year 50” is another end-of-the-world book with zombies but, really, as the story unveils itself, it really is no such thing. It is a highly readable, tightly tuned, strong female characters driven, exciting journey. Part of its attraction, for me, is that it deals with the psychological impact of what these disturbingly young characters must do to survive and assist fellow survivors in a dangerous world fifty years after the collapse of worldwide human dominance. Their world is at once extremely local, lethal and filled with dangerous, audio- sensitive predators, and isolated pockets of suspicious humans. Flawed heroes, the main characters, two orphaned sisters and the few people they trust, fight and scavenge as a team, make difficult decisions, and pay heavy personal prices. There are no easy answers in “Year 50” but, here and there, some glimmers of hope do shine out.
I thoroughly enjoyed the finely drawn world that the characters inhabit – it is gritty, detailed, and seldom spans more than a few days walking distance in any direction. In addition, the night belongs to the predators, and any human abroad in the Wild must find secured shelter before the sun goes down. This confinement of life into daylight hours, armed camps and small distances added to the intensity of the plot. I loved the prevalence of sign language as the communication choice when abroad in the Wild, and I appreciated the practical explanation for oil-driven predator “puppets.”
However, it is only fair that I also point out a few negatives.
There is an occasional issue with point-of-view confusions as the reader is suddenly thrust into other characters’ minds without much warning. I think, if some of the mechanics of chapter breaks and internal section breaks were improved, much of the POV confusion would disappear. Still, it wasn’t that hard to decode, but it did force the reader to look back and puzzle things out.
I thought the impact of religions and belief systems took an unnecessarily negative hit in the book. I’m not complaining about the suicide cult presented here, it’s just that no person of admirable faith was shown to balance things out. I do not, for a minute, accept that all forms of faith (except for blind cults) would vanish from the human race. Perhaps, that would be something of value to explore in the next book.
And, finally, I have to agree with the many weapons critics. Yes, the errors over “clips” vs. “magazines” are annoying, and worse than that, they degrade the believability of these very capable female fighters. “Magazines” are what you slap into and out of guns. “Clips” are what you attach bullets to in order to load empty magazines. In the case of many pistols, the magazine has an integral clip that allows you to slide the bullets directly in, but it is still called a magazine not a clip. Shotguns often have an internal magazine. The confusion of these terms is rampant in movies and books and, while it is easy to understand what the characters mean when they say, “My clip is nearly out,” or “Toss me another clip,” it infuriates the military types and it is, in fact, inaccurate. On the other hand, in dialogue during the heat of battle, it is hard to believe that anyone would choose to say a three syllable word when they could utter a one syllable equivalent. I use “mag” when I’m in a hurry and feel it would solve both problems.
Okay, that’s it for the negatives. In summary, as a fellow Indie writer, and a picky reader, it is a distinct pleasure to be able to enjoy and celebrate Mr. Bluske’s fine writing, his competent plotting, good character development, and the clarity of his scenes. Bravo! I look forward to the upcoming “Year 51.”
September 2, 2016
First paragraph:
Freya’s dream is shattered by a quick burst of sound, possibly a gunshot. She instinctively grabs the handgun beside her bed, never out of arm’s reach . Training has made this automatic, a muscle reaction. In a flash, the teenager is in a crouching position with the safety off, trying to find the threat. There is no visibility; the sun has not risen and her eyes are covered in a morning glaze. Freya uses acoustics to compensate for blindness, ears scanning for the faintest sound.
I needed a books that started with "Y" to finish a reading challenge next month, and selected this book because it was well-received by a couple of my reading buddies.
Good choice! Year 50 is a post-apocalyptic novel set 50 years after an alien incursion has decimated most of the inhabitants of Earth, leaving them as Puppets controlled by a black substance known as the Oil. Sounds like a story-arc from the X-Files, but with the exception of the pitch-black eyes, the Puppets and the world that the author describes is nowhere near X-Files territory. Here, the Puppets hunt humans and either consume them like zombies or convert them into other Puppets by injecting them with Oil with their vampire-like fangs. They hunt by sound, although they are not blind. And they are everywhere, having wiped out most places, leaving humans hiding behind fortified towns across what's left of civilization. They also engage in a lovely process called scraping, analogous to the molting of a snake, except much more, uh, disgusting.
In this world the remnants of humanity appear to be either Guards, who are described as asshole-ish idiots who aren't smart enough to kill a Puppet without a fence between them, and the Scouts, who are trained, ruthless, yet compassionate killers who go out into the Wild to scavenge for necessary supplies. The story revolves around three scouts, Calypso, Freya, and Selene, teenaged girls who are deadly with gun and sword, and have attitudes to match.
I really enjoyed this story, although some of the info dump at the beginning of the book was tedious. I also found some of the decisions made by Calypso, the Field Commander, to be questionable, particularly the decision to leave Fort Pinehurst as quickly as they did, with two injured party members and forgetting totally to pack for food. Yup, Calypso, you have my vote as leader. Smart choice there, chica.
So, overall, 4 stars and very recommended.
Freya’s dream is shattered by a quick burst of sound, possibly a gunshot. She instinctively grabs the handgun beside her bed, never out of arm’s reach . Training has made this automatic, a muscle reaction. In a flash, the teenager is in a crouching position with the safety off, trying to find the threat. There is no visibility; the sun has not risen and her eyes are covered in a morning glaze. Freya uses acoustics to compensate for blindness, ears scanning for the faintest sound.
I needed a books that started with "Y" to finish a reading challenge next month, and selected this book because it was well-received by a couple of my reading buddies.
Good choice! Year 50 is a post-apocalyptic novel set 50 years after an alien incursion has decimated most of the inhabitants of Earth, leaving them as Puppets controlled by a black substance known as the Oil. Sounds like a story-arc from the X-Files, but with the exception of the pitch-black eyes, the Puppets and the world that the author describes is nowhere near X-Files territory. Here, the Puppets hunt humans and either consume them like zombies or convert them into other Puppets by injecting them with Oil with their vampire-like fangs. They hunt by sound, although they are not blind. And they are everywhere, having wiped out most places, leaving humans hiding behind fortified towns across what's left of civilization. They also engage in a lovely process called scraping, analogous to the molting of a snake, except much more, uh, disgusting.
In this world the remnants of humanity appear to be either Guards, who are described as asshole-ish idiots who aren't smart enough to kill a Puppet without a fence between them, and the Scouts, who are trained, ruthless, yet compassionate killers who go out into the Wild to scavenge for necessary supplies. The story revolves around three scouts, Calypso, Freya, and Selene, teenaged girls who are deadly with gun and sword, and have attitudes to match.
I really enjoyed this story, although some of the info dump at the beginning of the book was tedious. I also found some of the decisions made by Calypso, the Field Commander, to be questionable, particularly the decision to leave Fort Pinehurst as quickly as they did, with two injured party members and forgetting totally to pack for food. Yup, Calypso, you have my vote as leader. Smart choice there, chica.
So, overall, 4 stars and very recommended.
October 24, 2012
Year 50 by Geoff Bluske was at first a slow read, but after a couple of chapters the book picks up steam.
The story is set in the post-apocalyptic world, where these zombie-like creatures have come to earth after a meteor shower. They infect people with an oil substance that creates another zombie and so forth. throughout time the zombies begin to mutate and another phase they go through call scraping, which you will have to read to know what the process is about.
The story is focused around a group of scavengers from Brighton who leave their colony to go on searches for necessities needed by the community. They encounter people who live in "The Wild" or also known as the slums, where they use ASL as there 1st language. The scavengers from Brighton come across other from colonies and learn how to work together and who to trust.
The book is titled Year 50 because once the apocalypse started the old world was dead and gone and the new world began and its been 50 years since the zombies have come.
This book was a very interesting read, different from other books in this genre. Kind of wanted more zombie action, but was satisfied with what I received. This book is currently free on amazon and should be checked out if you are interested in zombies, post apocalypse, and action.
The story is set in the post-apocalyptic world, where these zombie-like creatures have come to earth after a meteor shower. They infect people with an oil substance that creates another zombie and so forth. throughout time the zombies begin to mutate and another phase they go through call scraping, which you will have to read to know what the process is about.
The story is focused around a group of scavengers from Brighton who leave their colony to go on searches for necessities needed by the community. They encounter people who live in "The Wild" or also known as the slums, where they use ASL as there 1st language. The scavengers from Brighton come across other from colonies and learn how to work together and who to trust.
The book is titled Year 50 because once the apocalypse started the old world was dead and gone and the new world began and its been 50 years since the zombies have come.
This book was a very interesting read, different from other books in this genre. Kind of wanted more zombie action, but was satisfied with what I received. This book is currently free on amazon and should be checked out if you are interested in zombies, post apocalypse, and action.
May 28, 2012
I give this book 4 stars, which I feel is a 'better then average' read.
It would have gotten 5 stars if it were not for minor but persistent grammar issues.
Pace: The book starts off painfully slow. The author chose to do his plot exposition in a large drop in the first 10% of the book. I was ready to put the book aside and move to the next on my to read list, but then the action started somewhere around 12% and kept building through out.
Now that I have finished the book, I am hungry for more. Thankfully I have the .5 short story; Year 50: Trial of the Summer.
I enjoyed the multi-point of view narration. It helped me feel right in the action, in there killing those puppets.
Characters: I feel that the characters are well written: flawed but competent, relatable, and believable individuals.
There is a large cast of characters in most every kind of relationship (sisters, brothers, parents, friends, lovers, a couple different groups of survivors) providing many avenues within the book to explore this post apocalyptic world.
This was a book that I could easily fall into and forget the world outside of the story.
I recommend this book to apocalypse, science fiction, action combat readers.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
It would have gotten 5 stars if it were not for minor but persistent grammar issues.
Pace: The book starts off painfully slow. The author chose to do his plot exposition in a large drop in the first 10% of the book. I was ready to put the book aside and move to the next on my to read list, but then the action started somewhere around 12% and kept building through out.
Now that I have finished the book, I am hungry for more. Thankfully I have the .5 short story; Year 50: Trial of the Summer.
I enjoyed the multi-point of view narration. It helped me feel right in the action, in there killing those puppets.
Characters: I feel that the characters are well written: flawed but competent, relatable, and believable individuals.
There is a large cast of characters in most every kind of relationship (sisters, brothers, parents, friends, lovers, a couple different groups of survivors) providing many avenues within the book to explore this post apocalyptic world.
This was a book that I could easily fall into and forget the world outside of the story.
I recommend this book to apocalypse, science fiction, action combat readers.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
February 7, 2013
This book covers about three weeks in and around the town of Brighton (no, not that Brighton) at the beginning of Year 50 - the fiftieth aniversary of the apocalypse that wiped out the vast majority of the human race - or to be more exact, turned them into puppets (zombies by another name).
Freya, Selene and Calypso set out into the Wilds to look for medical supplies and to try to find Selene's family, who disappeared several days ago on a similar trip. The ensuing action results in the destruction of a huge number of zombies in the incessant fights that follow. This is zombie action (for action read slaughter) at its best!
The story of how the human race fell, how Brighton arose, how the heroes of the story lived and became what they are is skillfully woven into the scenes of zombie decapitation, desperate flight, wearying victory in battle as the bullets fly, the swords flash and the hatchets thump into their intended zombie targets (apart from in one case - but you'll have to read the story to find out more).
Here is love, here is tragedy, here is life and here is death set against a pulsating backdrop of zombies, zombies and more zombies. Lush!
Freya, Selene and Calypso set out into the Wilds to look for medical supplies and to try to find Selene's family, who disappeared several days ago on a similar trip. The ensuing action results in the destruction of a huge number of zombies in the incessant fights that follow. This is zombie action (for action read slaughter) at its best!
The story of how the human race fell, how Brighton arose, how the heroes of the story lived and became what they are is skillfully woven into the scenes of zombie decapitation, desperate flight, wearying victory in battle as the bullets fly, the swords flash and the hatchets thump into their intended zombie targets (apart from in one case - but you'll have to read the story to find out more).
Here is love, here is tragedy, here is life and here is death set against a pulsating backdrop of zombies, zombies and more zombies. Lush!
May 27, 2012
A nice twist on a zombie apocalypse.
Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. But the first 20% was a bit hard to get through because it was setting things up for the rest of the story. But once things got going, it was a fun ride. I finished the last half of the book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.
Although the story is technically about alien possession and not zombies, I think most zombie aficionados would enjoy the story. And, since the story is taking place 50 years after the actual apocalypse, it was from a different aspect than the typical zombie story. However, I assure you that if it were made into a movie, there would be plenty of gory scenes -- especially an activity known as "scraping". Yuck.
I've gotten to the point where I expect a moderate number of typographical errors in a self-published eBook, especially in the zombies genre. Thankfully, this one had very few. Or maybe I was so engrossed in the story, I just didn't notice them. :)
Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. But the first 20% was a bit hard to get through because it was setting things up for the rest of the story. But once things got going, it was a fun ride. I finished the last half of the book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.
Although the story is technically about alien possession and not zombies, I think most zombie aficionados would enjoy the story. And, since the story is taking place 50 years after the actual apocalypse, it was from a different aspect than the typical zombie story. However, I assure you that if it were made into a movie, there would be plenty of gory scenes -- especially an activity known as "scraping". Yuck.
I've gotten to the point where I expect a moderate number of typographical errors in a self-published eBook, especially in the zombies genre. Thankfully, this one had very few. Or maybe I was so engrossed in the story, I just didn't notice them. :)
April 14, 2013
I do not normally go for zombie books. Call this one a weak moment, but a weak moment well spent. I was drawn to this book for two reasons. I do like stories about the post-apocalypse. This book also offered a new take on zombies, they are really an alien invasion. Finally, a valid explanation of a zombie apocalypse.
Geoff Bluske paints a very vivid world in his novel without going into unnecessary details. He brings the reader into the world through his strong, yet flawed characters. His plot flows well and the reader is not left hanging at any part of the story.
He also gives his characters a bit of an edgy fell to them, which, in this story, is very needed and appreciated. After all, the human race's survival is hanging in the balance. There should be an underlying terror to each of the survivors of the alien invasion.
Overall, a very good read. It has good, strong characters and great story line. I just may become a zombie genre fan yet!
Geoff Bluske paints a very vivid world in his novel without going into unnecessary details. He brings the reader into the world through his strong, yet flawed characters. His plot flows well and the reader is not left hanging at any part of the story.
He also gives his characters a bit of an edgy fell to them, which, in this story, is very needed and appreciated. After all, the human race's survival is hanging in the balance. There should be an underlying terror to each of the survivors of the alien invasion.
Overall, a very good read. It has good, strong characters and great story line. I just may become a zombie genre fan yet!
March 20, 2013
Post-apocolyptic zombie-ish alien invasion. Okaaaayyy.......
Characters are interesting and nicely flawed (except for their unbelievable prowess at killing Puppets, this book's version of zombies). The editing of the book is pretty spotty -- sometimes the wrong word is used (for example, "conversation" when "conversion" would have been correct), or words are left out of sentences. Also, the voice often changes from third person to first person, with no indication as to who is speaking. The author leaves it to the reader to figure it out, although it's usually obvious fairly quickly.
The story line is not bad, with a (mostly) plausible representation of how humans behave under pressure.
Don't know if I'll read the next one.
Characters are interesting and nicely flawed (except for their unbelievable prowess at killing Puppets, this book's version of zombies). The editing of the book is pretty spotty -- sometimes the wrong word is used (for example, "conversation" when "conversion" would have been correct), or words are left out of sentences. Also, the voice often changes from third person to first person, with no indication as to who is speaking. The author leaves it to the reader to figure it out, although it's usually obvious fairly quickly.
The story line is not bad, with a (mostly) plausible representation of how humans behave under pressure.
Don't know if I'll read the next one.
June 24, 2012
Downloaded for free onto kindle. Quite a good read that had me thinking about the book when I wasn't physically reading it. Disappointed to read several spelling or continuity errors. Bought the extended version: Trial of the Summer, was a little disappointed again that this was now being written in the first person whereas the 'first half' of the book: Year 50 wasn't. Overall I enjoyed the action sequences and the concept of the book, there were some pretty gross parts and some shocking parts. H
February 19, 2013
The setting of this book is a post-apololytptic world where most of mankind has been reduced flesh eating aliens. The stoty primarily follows two sister/scavangers as they go into The WILD, the world outside the strongholds now housing the remains of mankind, to locate anything that can assist in their settlements survival (meds,weapons, ammo, etc.). I found the book to be interesting and well written. The action sequences were believalble and kept interest. The only reason I gave this 4 stars and not 5 was because the author, it appeared, wrote potions of this as-if it were a screenplay.
March 11, 2014
I enjoyed this book, it kept me interested and entertained. My only complaint about it is the unnerving way the author kept changing point of view from first person to second person to third person and back again. I was taught in creative writing to NOT do that, it makes a story confusing, as it did in this case. I would have given it four stars except for the jarring changes of perspective. It could do with a good editing to correct errors having to do with missing conjunctions as well.
May 23, 2012
I really enjoyed reading Year 50, and I am looking forward to reading more by Geoff Bluske. The world described in Year 50 makes a lot of sense and the important characters are well developed and three-dimensional. I thought the fights were particularly well done in this novel, fast paced and exciting.
September 24, 2012
Not lendable.
I was recommended this book by a Apocalypse Now member with the caveat that it starts out slow. Boy did it! But I kept reading and eventually the book became very good. I'm really excited to read the next book "Year 51".
I'd recommend this book to any apocalyptic fans out there.
I was recommended this book by a Apocalypse Now member with the caveat that it starts out slow. Boy did it! But I kept reading and eventually the book became very good. I'm really excited to read the next book "Year 51".
I'd recommend this book to any apocalyptic fans out there.
August 24, 2013
Interesting exploration of plausible post-apocalypse society and culture with strong female leads and a nice twist on zombification. Can be a little redundant and dialogue feels very unnatural. Some weird choices toward the end with shifts from 3rd person present to 2nd and 1st person point of views. No real closure, very obviously the first in a series.
February 17, 2013
This was fast paced and written well, the characters were likable the story......different. I am getting kind of burned out on the whole zombie thing right now so......yeah it was good. BUT...it was good, that is all I will say.
November 2, 2013
Once got accustomed to author's way of writing, enjoyed book tremendously. NOT a "typical" zombie novel, won't spoil it. Believe it is well worth borrowing ( or buying!). I am presently reading the second novel in the series, "Year 51."
Want to read
February 1, 2013kindle freebie, 1/31/13
gave-up
February 28, 2013Nothing exactly bad or not worth reading if you like post apocalypse stuff, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
August 9, 2013
Didn't even finish this one. Felt like it wanted to be Hunger Games with zombies. Could not get into it at all.
November 6, 2013
An interesting take on the whole post-apocalypse, alien take over, zombie tale. Usual theme though in that humans are our worst enemy...
December 18, 2014
Ponderous detail
Tiring repeat of future disaster societies brought with too much attention centered on battle detail without much character development.
End
Tiring repeat of future disaster societies brought with too much attention centered on battle detail without much character development.
End
July 14, 2016
not your normal zombie apocalypse story. good story, despite the glaring editing errors.
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