Sheltered

by Quent Cordair

“A year and six days underground without sunlight or breeze or contact with the world above—whatever might be left of the world above. A year and six days without touch, without unrecorded voice, without contact, without friends or family. If only they had listened, if only they had been ready. But he—he had prepared. He was Reginald B. Wakefield, and he hadn’t died. A wave of vindication washed over him, lifting and sweeping away all doubt and fear. He had been right. He raised his eyes again to the hatch cover above. . . . He had been right.” In “Sheltered,” the timely short story by Quent Cordair, one man follows his own course in response to growing fears of impending disaster and societal breakdown. "This short story was delightful to read. In contrast to the dull, prosaic prose of so much fiction today, Cordair beautifully paints for the reader the psychological state of a man driven by fear and how this manifests itself in his life. The progression of events is logical and the ending of the story is ultimately fulfilling in the sense that when the inevitable turn of events unfold, the reader is left with the thought that, given the nature of the characters and their circumstances, this is how it ought to have been. Moreover, Cordair seems to have a gift for grasping exactly how much detail a reader needs of an environment and of a character, such that the story comes alive and is engaging, but I never once felt like I was forced to read unnecessary facts that are irrelevant to the plot. After reading this book, I immediately purchased on my Kindle his other short story, A Prelude to Pleasure, and I'm looking forward to his release of his full-length novel." — Adam Mossoff "What a great short story! This story immediately draws you into the plot. Page after page you follow Reginald creating his 'shelter.' What an amazing ending to a great story. Can't wait to read the next one!" — C. A. Fusco "Written with an engaging voice and a masterful control of language, this powerful short story delivers a meaningful message…" — M. Alger

Genres: Apocalyptic

62 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2011

About the author

Quent Cordair was born in 1964 in southern Illinois. Raised in an insular fundamentalist religion, the local library became a treasured gateway to the outside world. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, he taught himself how to paint and soon began taking portrait commissions to support his writing. His first short story, “A Prelude to Pleasure,” was published by The Atlantean Press Review in 1991. In 1996, Quent Cordair Fine Art opened in Burlingame, California. Now located in Jackson, Wyoming, the gallery represents the work of thirty Romantic Realist painters and sculptors. The author’s acclaimed novels, short stories, poetry, and screenplays are drawn from a lifetime of experience and interest in adventure, romance, history, philosophy, and art. Quent lives and works in Jackson with his wife, Linda, who manages the gallery when the couple aren’t hiking or fishing with their labradoodle, Sophie, or traveling to dote on their granddaughters, Ella, Everly, Emerson, and Harlow.

Reviews

[chucklesthescot · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a year and six days, a man has been locked inside a nuclear bunker in his garden. He had been working inside the shelter when the blast was seen on the horizon and he has been here alone without his wife and kids for over a year. Now he thinks it might be safe to open the door and see if anything is left of the world he knew.

The book takes place inside the shelter as Reginald starts to run out of food and fuel and conditions inside are getting grim. He thinks back to events before the blast when he was starting to build the shelter and prep for the worst while his own family thought he was crazy. He remembers how determined he was to hide the secret from the neighbours so he wasn't forced to take them in in case of disaster. He thinks about the decision to build it himself so that no builders knew what the shelter was, and the way the project caused him to drift apart from his family.

We get flashbacks to show how Reginald developed his project, showing his fights with his son who wants to tell friends about the shelter, and his wife who has no interest in going into the shelter to test it out. He gradually becomes obsessed with the project and the family dynamic starts to slowly break down. There are also flashes forward to the lonely Reginald realising that he didn't build it well enough and being convinced that his family are dead. With his health getting worse is it safe to go back outside?

I enjoyed reading the book and seeing how the threat of the end of the world affected one normal man and his family. The book was entertaining and I LOVED the ending so much! I did guess what was happening but it did not spoil my enjoyment of this short story and it was so well written. It goes through how a new prepper might go about things but there are lessons to learn here about how NOT to go about things. It has a good mixture of prepping and humour.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good apocalypse story.

[Quent Cordair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the paperback version of the popular Kindle edition. I'm pleased with the quality of the printing. Makes for good stocking stuffers or for introduction to my fiction. Bulk supplies available at a nominal cost for teachers of English-lit classes. It's the kind of thought-provoking story I loved reading in junior-high and high-school English.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was nothing bad about this novella, and nothing outstandingly good, either. The pacing was decent if sometimes a little too fast. The story was one we've seen hundreds of times, or at least enough times that the 'surprise ending' is missing the 'surprise.' Overall it's not a bad read but there's a lot more out there to spend your time on.

[B.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping cautionary tale with a interesting twist at the end. Definitely worth reading.