Never Too Far

by Thomas Christopher

A harrowing story of love and survival.

In a future of scarce resources, where the possession of gas and diesel is punishable by death, a teenage boy and a pregnant girl must save their impoverished family. They risk their lives on a terrifying journey to sell stolen fuel on the black market.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Ebooks, Post Apocalyptic

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2012

About the author

Thomas Christopher grew up in Iowa and attended the University of Northern Iowa.

After living in Seattle and Montana, he went to Western Michigan University, where he received his MFA.

His short stories have appeared in The Louisville Review, The MacGuffin, Redivider, as well as other places. He was awarded an Irving S. Gilmore Emerging Artist Grant and was a finalist for the Matthew Clark Prize in Fiction.

He lives in Wisconsin with his wife Jessica and their son Holton.

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dystopian tale of Joe and pregnant Mary go to the big city to try and sell some fuel and get money to save Joe's family. It was readable but not my usual choice of genre. An abrupt ending.

[E.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading “Never Too Far.” I know that sounds underwhelming, but these days, that recognition of enjoyment comes as no small statement of praise. Recently, I have found that reading has often become a bit of a chore. Why? Well, I think with the new ease of publishing today, there are many “materials” being presented as books that are, in truth, no such thing. They are poorly formatted manuscripts, or paragraphs full of typos, or sentences that are grammatically challenged, or promising stories that head off the reservation, or all of the above. It’s not that the works are worthless – most of the time they do have some merit, but they’re not ready for prime time. And it is often left to the poor reader to fight through the author’s shoddy mechanics to discover the worth of their “book.” That’s not the way it should be, but in our brave new Indie world, that is often the way it is.

“Never Too Far,” on the other hand, was a pleasure to read. The mechanics were excellent. There were no format problems. The writing was terrific. The main characters and their growth, individually and as a couple, was done believably and well. Nevertheless, when I got to the end I felt unsatisfied. I think the book needs a bit more story than we are given in order to make the experience of reading the novel worth our time. In other words, the main characters were terrific, but the overall storyline they found themselves in wasn’t quite up to their quality. The world they traveled through during their long journey was vivid, interesting, sometimes disturbing but, in the end, incomprehensible.

The last third of the book felt rushed to me, at least from a plotting standpoint, and the end was abrupt. There doesn’t seem to be an overall connected plot and there is little clarification at the end. Yes, the key relationship is clarified, I don’t mean that, it’s the world they find themselves in and the larger plot that I’m talking about. The long range future for this world seems black. The short range future for our characters also seems pretty dim, even though I think I’m supposed to feel hopeful there at the end. But I don’t. I really don’t. I mean, excuse me, we know what’s ahead for our intrepid characters as they struggle to get back home (and now they have an additional burden). After all, we spent most of the book travelling with them in the other direction! Now, they don’t have water. They don’t have supplies. They don’t even have their paltry rifle anymore. They’re in a dark forest crammed with heartless thieves just waiting to try and kill them again. And if our heroes get out of the forest in one piece, there’s still the killing desert and the lethal dust storms, etc., etc. There’s no way in hell they’re getting home.

The other bone to pick with the author has to do with the characters’ names. I mean, c’mon, a pregnant orphan girl named Mary travelling to a distant city with a boy named Joseph? Ouch. And in the city they meet a helpful black woman named Eve? Please.

So, I thoroughly enjoyed the main characters (except for their names) and the wonderfully poignant and natural growth of their love for each other. I thought the journey the characters took across their world was very visual, exciting, and well told. The writing is smooth and memorable. I just wish the overarching storyline was more worthy of the otherwise fine level of writing.

[Calamus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in some future version of the Dust Bowl, Joe and his family struggle to get by each day. Jobs are nonexistent, food is scarce, and fuel is so valuable that private possession is punishable by death. After discovering a vehicle abandoned by the Guardian Party, Joe and his older brother syphon out the left over fuel and conjure up a plan to sell it at a high price. Joe volunteers for the journey and is accompanied by the silent, pregnant girl who mysteriously appeared at their door one day. The unexpected duo encounters hardships along the road and plenty of strange and dangerous people in the city while looking for Templeton, to whom they are instructed to sell the fuel.

This is a wonderful adventure story full of surprises and heart pounding moments as Joe and Mary encounter all sorts of crazy scenarios. The language flows smoothly for the most part with just a few hiccups here and there. The action sequences are clear and the descriptions of the city are remarkable. As a reader, I was taken right into the heart of the adventure. Joe and Mary’s relationship develops easily and feels genuine—not forced for plot purposes at all.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes stories adventure stories.

[Allan van der Heiden · Rating 1 out of 5]

written like a high school English project

The writing is terrible. It feels like this is a high school English project. The storyline is feeble and jumps with a new idea every few chapters. Very poor story telling and then rushing to a rather dead end happy ending.

[Luc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read and the story always kept me hooked, I couldn't stop reading till it was over.

[Kali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-written. And there was definitely a lot of action and suspense. I think my favorite part was how Mary and Joe's relationship develops. Basically they start out as strangers, and she doesn't even talk! It wasn't over the top and fireworks like some books you read that make you roll your eyes. Together they get robbed, get caught in a dust storm, get attacked in a forest, and have to endure several nights in the city, where Mary gets sick and Joe gets captured and nearly killed. He almost gives up on selling the diesel, but she won't let him. All the while, they grow closer and closer to each other in a realistic way. The end is pretty climactic, too.

[Alice Kroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It grabbed my attention from the very start and held on all the way to the end, which was tense and action-packed. It had some cool twists I didn't see coming. I kept wondering how they were going to make it, and if Mary was going to have her baby at any minute. I also liked how Mary and Joe's relationship developed, especially since she hardly talked in the beginning and he had to draw her out gradually. He was funny about it at times and I think that helped open her up and helped her trust him. Anyway, I thought it was a good ride, and worth the trip.

[moxieBK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome dystopian-like story, about two people on a journey to find supplies for their family. On the way, they learn something about themselves and become closer to each other.

This is a well-written story. It stand out above some of the other stories in this genre for it unique take on the world after everything ends.

The characters are drawn very well, and the scenes are so life-like that I felt breathless by it. The story is believable of how people may react after an end-of-times scenario.

Four stars.

[James Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic job creating a future that was vivid and interesting to dig into. The relationship between Joe and Mary was very believable and genuine too. It felt like the way people would really act in that situation. I liked that Joe never gave up, even when things were at their worst. But at the same time he was always thinking of Mary. Great twists at the end. I think all the action in the city was my favorite.

[Ammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance, this is just story of survival set in a post-apocalyptic age. But, as I neared the end of the book, I felt it was more like a fictional retelling of story of Josef and Mary. A young teenage boy and pregnant teen girl are on a journey into the large metropolis far from their rural roots. The journey is predicated on a black market trade, but the story is all about how they face the trials of the journey and mature as a result of what they see.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it 3 stars because it was interesting. However, many things in the story were incongruous. It didn't seem believable to me that Joe was so naive when he had had such a hard life even though he was young. I also didn't get why the guy they got the money from wanted the fuel, or the girl. If life had so little value, then he could have had any girl he wanted without bothering with Mary.

[B.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good dystopian. The world seemed well thought out. The characters were sympathetic. The end just didn't do it for me. Not enough closure, I guess. After all the main characters went through, I wanted a truly happy end and not just the hope of a happy ending eventually maybe. But in all fairness, there was at least the hope. A lot of dystopians don't even give you that.

[harley crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incomplete story with abrupt ending. Maybe there will come a sequel to tie it a in a finished story.

The story was sad and dreadful filled with only a few happy moments wild not recommend this to story as it is mostly depressing. A lot of time is spent the journey but the characters were not developed fully enough to carry the plot.

[Mandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in about 24 hours. It kept my attention with all the near-death experiences Joe and Mary face in hopes of saving their family.

Fans of the Hunger Games or The Road (McCarthy) will enjoy this novel.

[Faith Blair · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this book was like eating a wonderful dinner and then getting a jelly bean for dessert. It was exciting and entertaining until the end. The story was great, but it deserved a better ending.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was quickly drawn into the story of Joe and his harrowing journey. It was so good, I read it in one sitting and can't wait to read more from Mr. Christopher.

[Jane Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced and exciting. Loved Joe, with all his tenderness, vulnerability and yet his steely resolve.

[Jessica Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick enjoyable read with thrills, suspense and love. Have recommended to others.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading on my Kindle. I was enjoying the book and bam it ended!

[Katelyn Zhu · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was good but I didn't like the way it ended. It was just like it stopped. There are so many questions I have still.

[La Tisha Wammack · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story here was okay, but the book made the cardinal sin, it was boring. It took me a week to finish it despite being relatively short, just because I wasn't that invested in the characters.

[Sarah Macklin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say I found this boon relatively boring. The relationships between characters were interesting and well developed, such as that between Mary and joe, but I found it very hard to finish!

[A.B. Shepherd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Just couldn't get into it.