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Of Monsters and Planes
Of Monsters And Planes is a heartfelt story about two brothers grappling with severe autism… and the apocalypse. After miraculously surviving a global nuclear meltdown, Mikey and his autistic brother Alby must travel across the scorched Earth, avoiding the perils of this dangerous new world as they attempt to reach the last outpost of human survivors. It is a thrilling adventure about a brotherly bond forged in the most trying of circumstances…
Paperback
Published May 25, 2023
49 people are currently reading
4244 people want to read
About the author
Johnathon Nicolaou
13 books719 followersJohnathon Nicolaou is an Australian author specialising in the Fantasy and Young Adult genres. He is the creator of The Lost Artefacts series as well as other fantasy and young adult books. All his books can be found on his website or through distributers like Amazon. You can follow him on Instagram and TikTok @johnathonniclolaouauthor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
May 25, 2023
UPDATE: May 25, 2023 - Of Monsters and Planes is officially out and available for you all to read! You can grab your copy on Amazon. I am super excited for you all to read this one, it was written in honour of my autistic brother and is definitely my most profound piece of work to date. I hope you all love it as much as I do.
Save the date, Of Monsters and Planes, a story about two brothers - one with severe autism - grappling with the apocalypse launches May 25, 2023!
Save the date, Of Monsters and Planes, a story about two brothers - one with severe autism - grappling with the apocalypse launches May 25, 2023!
November 11, 2024
This was a fantastic apocalyptic survival thriller. I’m a sucker for stories with brothers, and this was the best I’ve read in a while.
Our main characters are 23yo Mikey and his brother, 20yo Alby, who also has level 3 autism. When a nuclear disaster wipes most human life on earth, the brothers must journey across the Australian bush to find survivors. However, the fallout has created mutant monsters and unusual weather phenomena that don’t make that journey easy.
Mikey, our main pov character, is very compelling. He is determined, makes mistakes I think many of us would, and is quick to make things right, especially when it comes to his brother. Given the situation, he is pushed into a caretaking role for Alby, which grows resentment, responsibility, and eventually, sacrificial love. He is resilient, relatable, and someone you will come to root for.
Alby is a character I also adore. I’ve never seen a character with level 3 autism portrayed better in fiction. Clearly, the author has a family member or friend with the diagnosis or has done amazing research to make Alby’s mannerisms, speech, triggers, and tendencies so realistic. Alby is endearing, and I appreciated seeing the nuances of his and Mikey’s relationship.
I also like the side characters that appeared in the middle of the book. It was a breath of fresh air to see welcoming people support these brothers in their apocalypse travels.
Whenever I put this book down, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The pacing is spectacular, Mikey’s internal monologue is so well-written, and the last chapter? My word.
This book had everything I could want in a survival thriller, and I hope many more people discover this indie book, too.
Our main characters are 23yo Mikey and his brother, 20yo Alby, who also has level 3 autism. When a nuclear disaster wipes most human life on earth, the brothers must journey across the Australian bush to find survivors. However, the fallout has created mutant monsters and unusual weather phenomena that don’t make that journey easy.
Mikey, our main pov character, is very compelling. He is determined, makes mistakes I think many of us would, and is quick to make things right, especially when it comes to his brother. Given the situation, he is pushed into a caretaking role for Alby, which grows resentment, responsibility, and eventually, sacrificial love. He is resilient, relatable, and someone you will come to root for.
Alby is a character I also adore. I’ve never seen a character with level 3 autism portrayed better in fiction. Clearly, the author has a family member or friend with the diagnosis or has done amazing research to make Alby’s mannerisms, speech, triggers, and tendencies so realistic. Alby is endearing, and I appreciated seeing the nuances of his and Mikey’s relationship.
I also like the side characters that appeared in the middle of the book. It was a breath of fresh air to see welcoming people support these brothers in their apocalypse travels.
Whenever I put this book down, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The pacing is spectacular, Mikey’s internal monologue is so well-written, and the last chapter? My word.
This book had everything I could want in a survival thriller, and I hope many more people discover this indie book, too.
November 14, 2024
Speaking as the sibling of a severely autistic child as well, this is truly one of the best autism representations I have ever come across and probably the first that has shone light upon us glass children in such a thorough way. Thank you, Johnathon, for making us all feel seen by telling Mikey's and of course Alby's story.
November 19, 2024
I have never read a book with an autistic character like Alby, which is cool, and it definitely felt like the author put care into how he was portrayed. With that said, Mikey sucks lol and I understand the anger he harbors, but there were a lot of chances for him to learn and it felt like it took so long to see his brother as a human and get over that anger. a little goofy if you ask me.
uh naming the billionaire who destroys the world Leon Umsk was definitely a choice, and one I wasn't able to see the application of other than it just being. I also feel like the inclusion of all that information at the beginning about him was a little useless given he does not continue to be a character after that and assumedly dies.
also the ending :( - and I am not sure how I feel about the way Mikey's letter for Alby reads. maybe it is just me but I wish that Mikey hadn't written it from Alby's perspective - like I understand the whole point is Alby has trouble connecting with other people, but it rubbed me the wrong way that he effectively put words in Alby's mouth instead of say, describing him as he saw him or something like that. In some ways it feels like all the effort Mikey put into understanding his brother is negated by his choice to do that and it removes any agency from Alby.
I know I talked some shit just now, but this book made me think and I have been confronting personal assumptions (both about Alby and Mikey lol) through it. So, I would recommend, especially if the premise seems interesting to you.
uh naming the billionaire who destroys the world Leon Umsk was definitely a choice, and one I wasn't able to see the application of other than it just being. I also feel like the inclusion of all that information at the beginning about him was a little useless given he does not continue to be a character after that and assumedly dies.
also the ending :( - and I am not sure how I feel about the way Mikey's letter for Alby reads. maybe it is just me but I wish that Mikey hadn't written it from Alby's perspective - like I understand the whole point is Alby has trouble connecting with other people, but it rubbed me the wrong way that he effectively put words in Alby's mouth instead of say, describing him as he saw him or something like that. In some ways it feels like all the effort Mikey put into understanding his brother is negated by his choice to do that and it removes any agency from Alby.
I know I talked some shit just now, but this book made me think and I have been confronting personal assumptions (both about Alby and Mikey lol) through it. So, I would recommend, especially if the premise seems interesting to you.
November 4, 2025
the author would benefit massively from attending some writing workshops because whew, this was poorly written. so much unnecessary info dumping and internal monologues that are just repeats of past internal monologues. holy mid
July 6, 2023
different but good
This is very different to what I read
Honestly I was hesitant thinking I wouldn’t like it
But turn out I was surprised and really like the story
And can I say just wow the way the autistic character is portrayed , very believable (well done)
💜💜💜 looking forward to what’s next
This is very different to what I read
Honestly I was hesitant thinking I wouldn’t like it
But turn out I was surprised and really like the story
And can I say just wow the way the autistic character is portrayed , very believable (well done)
💜💜💜 looking forward to what’s next
October 22, 2023
I struggled with the writing style and wanted to like this more than I did
December 3, 2024
hearbreaking
Mikey always seemed to be annoyed by his autistic brother, Alby. He didn’t know why he joined this vacation when he knew what it would end up being— fights arguments that he couldn’t just not win against his brother.
When they accidentally get trapped in their basement, a blast is felt after when time has passed Mickey begins to freak out. When he steps out the new world that is awaiting him will completely change his mentality.
Mickey struggles with handling his autistic brother through the apocalypse new world, theirs times when his thoughts betray him. But he will never leave his brother to fend on his own, Alby is the only family he has left. After hearing about survivors they set out ti find their new home they go through the worst and face death— all while doing it with Albys different characteristics and behaviors. They are set to find safety for the both of them.
Mikey always seemed to be annoyed by his autistic brother, Alby. He didn’t know why he joined this vacation when he knew what it would end up being— fights arguments that he couldn’t just not win against his brother.
When they accidentally get trapped in their basement, a blast is felt after when time has passed Mickey begins to freak out. When he steps out the new world that is awaiting him will completely change his mentality.
Mickey struggles with handling his autistic brother through the apocalypse new world, theirs times when his thoughts betray him. But he will never leave his brother to fend on his own, Alby is the only family he has left. After hearing about survivors they set out ti find their new home they go through the worst and face death— all while doing it with Albys different characteristics and behaviors. They are set to find safety for the both of them.
January 11, 2025
Enjoyable and Heartfelt
I enjoyed this book immensely and found it difficult to put down. An interesting story of two brothers traveling to safety in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Full of adventure, tense moments, suspense, and emotion. It had me crying in my car at the end. Glad I didn’t wear makeup to work that day.
Mikey goes to his family’s vacation farm and ends up in the unfortunate situation of having to protect his brother while traveling through hundreds of miles of dangerous terrain and fending off mutant monsters. Throughout the book he struggles with his burden and his relationship with Alby, who has Autism and does not seem to understand the gravity of their new world.
This book provides insight to the challenges of Autism and the author has stated it he story was inspired by his relationship with his own brother. One thing that consistently shines through is the overwhelming love between brothers and the hope Mikey has for their future.
I enjoyed this book immensely and found it difficult to put down. An interesting story of two brothers traveling to safety in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Full of adventure, tense moments, suspense, and emotion. It had me crying in my car at the end. Glad I didn’t wear makeup to work that day.
Mikey goes to his family’s vacation farm and ends up in the unfortunate situation of having to protect his brother while traveling through hundreds of miles of dangerous terrain and fending off mutant monsters. Throughout the book he struggles with his burden and his relationship with Alby, who has Autism and does not seem to understand the gravity of their new world.
This book provides insight to the challenges of Autism and the author has stated it he story was inspired by his relationship with his own brother. One thing that consistently shines through is the overwhelming love between brothers and the hope Mikey has for their future.
January 21, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this post apocalyptic story of brothers, trials, and autism.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because some parts of the book were a bit fast paced and not very descriptive while most of the book was well paced and was well described.
I did feel autism could have been explained more or better, but I understand the description was based off of Mikey's knowledge which wasn't a lot. I have family with autism, and I've seen folks all over the spectrum, so I might be more familiar with it than a lot of people. I get not a lot of people survived in the story, but autism is so common, I feel someone would have recognized what condition Alby had.
Overall, a good read that had me in tears in the end!
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because some parts of the book were a bit fast paced and not very descriptive while most of the book was well paced and was well described.
I did feel autism could have been explained more or better, but I understand the description was based off of Mikey's knowledge which wasn't a lot. I have family with autism, and I've seen folks all over the spectrum, so I might be more familiar with it than a lot of people. I get not a lot of people survived in the story, but autism is so common, I feel someone would have recognized what condition Alby had.
Overall, a good read that had me in tears in the end!
January 6, 2025
This review contains spoilers:
Thiswas really enjoyable, funny and heartfelt.
Don't expect a serious post-apocalyt tale. If you want that go for Swan Song, The Stand or many others that do it so well.
The nuclear explosion kills all the people but leaves all the buildings untouched and everyone/all the food uncontaminated by radiation. It's turned random animals and insects massive.
At first these points really grated on me, I picked it apart, but then I switched off and just enjoyed this tale of two brothers, one looking after the other who doesn't understand th new world he's in due to his autism. It's a fun and goofy ride.
Thiswas really enjoyable, funny and heartfelt.
Don't expect a serious post-apocalyt tale. If you want that go for Swan Song, The Stand or many others that do it so well.
The nuclear explosion kills all the people but leaves all the buildings untouched and everyone/all the food uncontaminated by radiation. It's turned random animals and insects massive.
At first these points really grated on me, I picked it apart, but then I switched off and just enjoyed this tale of two brothers, one looking after the other who doesn't understand th new world he's in due to his autism. It's a fun and goofy ride.
July 20, 2025
A richly imaginative journey of two brother's fight to survive
Of Monsters and Planes tells the story of Mikey, a young Australian man, and his brother Alby, who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and their fight for survival after an apocalyptic event.
Firstly, I would like to applaud the author's realistic and respectful depiction of Autism. The raw showcasing of Alby and his condition isn't glorified or demonised, it is honest and real, I appreciated the effort the author has taken to do this well.
Despite my new found phobias, thanks to the many mutant Monsters they come across on their travels, I loved this story.
Of Monsters and Planes tells the story of Mikey, a young Australian man, and his brother Alby, who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and their fight for survival after an apocalyptic event.
Firstly, I would like to applaud the author's realistic and respectful depiction of Autism. The raw showcasing of Alby and his condition isn't glorified or demonised, it is honest and real, I appreciated the effort the author has taken to do this well.
Despite my new found phobias, thanks to the many mutant Monsters they come across on their travels, I loved this story.
December 30, 2024
Was a really good quick and easy read. Good to see such an understood representation of Autism and family relations surrounding that. I would’ve liked to see more from Alby’s perspective or a more wider observation of the range of autistic traits etc. Loved that I could accurately imagine the locations and travel seeing as they were places I recognised and have been to in nsw. Fast paced and I always wanted to go to the next page but I feel like the stakes could’ve been a bit higher or less predictable. Overall, very cool and a breath of fresh air reading for me.
January 6, 2025
Pre/during/post apocalyptic story of two brothers travelling through Australia to find civilization and survivors. Well written and easy to read. Although the story was a bit predictable at times, I enjoyed it. The ending shocked me a little bit, and almost made me cry. Some events I think could have been avoided, but I guess that makes the story so that's alright.
I look forward to reading more of Johnathon Nicolaou's books.
I look forward to reading more of Johnathon Nicolaou's books.
January 30, 2025
Ahdbdjsbdjdiebbdjdisjsbs 😭😭😭 how dare you my heart hurts but I loved it so much . The attention to detail within how characters interact witch each other and the world along with the world building itself was immaculate the twists and turns throughout the story with varying levels of luck the boys had. I'm struggling to word my thoughts but if apocalyptic road trips /family / and spooky situations are ur jam then get some bread 🙂↕️
December 29, 2024
Man… that ending. With all the escapes the brothers made I kind of expected a happy ending, but alas. I’m sad. Mikey is an amazing brother and went through so much to grant safety to Alby and himself. It did read as a book meant for a younger audience, but I still enjoyed it. My rating went from 3 to 4 because of the ending.
January 27, 2025
Saying I love this book with all of my heart would be an understatement. Oh my gosh this is the best thing ive read in a while and i definitely think it’s going to put my in a reading slump. Nothing i read will ever compare to the feelings i got while reading this.!! And to Johnathon: im never going to forgive you for not making this book longer💔
July 26, 2025
4.75 ⭐️ This is a heartbreaking story of brotherly love, understanding, tolerance and acceptance told in the backdrop of huge mutant dangers. I was captivated the entire time and very emotionally involved. The ending was an emotional gut punch. It took me a while to stop crying. The only reason this isn’t a 5 is because the prose was not beautiful but the story was.
November 8, 2024
I'm not really that much of a fan of Sci-fi but I do like apocalyptic stories and this book was actually quite a good book. The ending was also an amazing change and it was such a good ending as well. Didn't expect it. I definitely recommend.
April 10, 2025
i loved this so much words cannot DESCRIBE. the ending killed me a bit but it was a good read overall, i LOVELOVELOVE stories about brothers / any form of family, blood or not. pls read this its awesome.
Read
September 24, 2024I’m not going to ever forgive you for that ending 😭😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2024
My heart is BROKEN because of that ending
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2025
I read a lot and in that time I only remember crying once, until now.
January 22, 2025
Well written, heart wrenching ending. Would read again.
April 2, 2025
Why…? The end just…the babies nooooo
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2025
who made me read this book it was crazy bad i dont think its YA but it reads like it??? absolutely no nuance
April 23, 2025
I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did, as I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going. There were so many nail-biting moments. The ending made me cry 😭.
I’m so glad I read this.
I’m so glad I read this.
dnf
May 15, 2025I will be honest, I didn’t make it to chapter 2. Leon Umsk and a kid who doesn’t abide “no” without screaming isn’t something I want to continue.
No rating. Just a book I won’t be reading.
No rating. Just a book I won’t be reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews