Final Dawn: Episode 1

Final Dawn #1

by Mike Kraus

When the end of the world arrived, it came not with a bang, as most expected, but with more of a "pfft" instead.
Humanity has been torn asunder and brought to the edge of total annihilation in less than an hour. For those who died, it was a quick death, so fast that their brains didn't have time to process the pain signals from their nerves. For those who survived, the true horror is about to begin as they struggle to not only stay alive, but find out what happened to bring such a quick end to the world as they knew it.
Final Dawn is a thrilling new post-apocalyptic series that follows the journey of four people who survived the end of days.

Leonard McComb - A grizzled veteran of the New York City sanitation department, trapped underground in the city's vast sewer system when the world ended. 
Nancy Sims  - An accountant, traveling across the plains of the Midwest towards a new job, caught in the middle of nowhere, destruction all around her.
Marcus Warden - A self-made millionaire from New York, vacationing in a national forest of West Virginia when the bombs fell.
Rachel Walsh - A wife and mother whose family is swept away in the blink of an eye, struggling with her loss and the dawning realization of what may have truly transpired to bring about the end of the world.

The Final Dawn Box Set is now available, featuring the complete original Final Dawn series! amazon.com/dp/B01MRAE8VO
(If you don't have a Kindle device, no sweat! You can read Kindle eBooks like Final Dawn on your iDevice, Android device and even your computer!)

Genres: Post Apocalyptic, Apocalyptic, Fiction, Science Fiction

43 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 26, 2012

Reviews

[Denise Sparks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Disjointed View of the Apocalypse

While the perspectives from each character is interesting, the way it is written is too disjointed for my tastes. I am used to jumping from character to character but it is usually after further character detail has been given. I had trouble keeping characters straight in this prequel. I hope they are better grouped in the following series.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good start to the series, I wish the next book was out already!

[Bob Nielsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept, but lost me when the silvery floating swarm came along.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent! I did really enjoy it! Everything you could want from an apocalyptic story! Great selection of characters, high levels of tension, pace & excitement, a world ending event, that no one understands! Well written & incredibly enjoyable! I will look for the second part to this series as I really need to see where this is going! I do recommend!

[Veronica DelaCruz-Araki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first episode was actually quite intriguing. My only complaint would be that timelines of the characters weren't in sync. (Two on this day, the next is the day after, another character a day before...etc., etc.) but once I got that timeline "straight" if was pretty smooth sailing.

[Tracey Mccall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

I enjoyed this book, I am looking forward to reading more. This book gave insight into the characters strengths and what each perceived may have happened. Excited to start book two now.

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the box set of this story, which is far better value than buying each very short episode. I like this author's work, so knew this series would be worth reading.

Another catastrophe, Earth has been devastated, yet there's something intriguing…

Enjoyable start to a promising series.

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the Final Dawn series. I like when it goes between the different characters and slowly as well as the story opening up we get to know them. It’s a gripping and compelling book and I’m hoping it carries on like that.

[BarbaraH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good Si-Fi. A bright light in the Sky turns the world into a way of life we have never had to live before.
I want to read All of his books!!!

[Jann Weinrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too short

I seem to devour these short stories in one to two sitting. This time I'm going to download the whole existing series at once.

[Bernie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final Dawn: Season 1 is the first exciting book in this post apocalyptic series written by author Mike Kraus.

[Kathryn Parry · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a start its good but not a complete story.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing short story that has you gripped.

[Mary E Lavigne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am listening to the entire series on Audible. Love Mike Kraus writing skills but IMHO he is not the best narrator. I will finish because storyline is good.

[Glenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I could not put it down. Even though each chapter was for a different character, there was enough detail that I was never left wondering where I was in the storyline.

I got this first episode for free and have discovered a new author that I totally LOVE. I can't wait to read the rest of the Final Dawn series and find out what happens with Leonard, Marcus, Nancy and Rachel and the world that is left behind after the apocalypse

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read by one of my *almost* favorite authors. It basically introduces you to the 4 main characters. I am looking for the second book to be longer and enlarging on their lives in this changed world. I am not sure I like where the 'silvery mass' is going though, but I need to read the second book to see what it is. I don't want to dwell on it too long in my brain in case I am totally off base. Give it a read. If you can find it free on Bookbub or something along those lines, all the more better.

[Kimber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owning a Kindle (well, having hi-jacked my fiance's Kindle) and being broke has allowed me to enter a world I don't think I would have otherwise....The Kindle world of "Free to Almost Free small-printing authors." For $0 to $2.99 per book or episode you can find entertaining reads in almost any genre. The Final Dawn series was my second go at a book presented in episodic form. It was going to have a rough time regardless because my first go was a very entertaining End of the World chapter series called The Island. Final Dawn is also about what seems to be the End of the World but is distinctive from the first novel mentioned for many reasons. When i first started Episode one I wasn't sure about the format. Kraus tells the story of 4 different people on the day the World is annihalated by multiple nuclear strikes. Person A's story is told and then B, then C, then D. the first few chapters basically follow that format. We follow A, then B, then C, then D, then A, then B, then C, the D. Then we switch it up. I prepared myself to be disappointed but soon found that the format worked (and chided myself for not paying attention to the date tags at the chapter heads.) Final Dawn, nor the Island, is not King's The Stand but it is a good, well thought out, somewhat out there but in a "omg that really could happen" kind of way, entertaining read. There isn't huge character exploration but there is enough to say,for example, why the scientist-mother from Atlanta can handle complicated weapons and seriously kick some ass (her husband was an over the top survival freak) and just enough detail for the reader to see the characters as people. No we don't know about their childhood pets but here it is what happens after the bomb drops thats important. I've finished episode 5 by now and am looking forward to the conclusion. Unfortunately I have to wait until the beginning of the year because the author, Kraus, isn't a "super-author" (i.e. Patterson, King, Koontz) but instead a regular guy with a family he wants to spend the holidays with. I applaud him. He, like many of us, always wanted to write a book and he, like few of us, actually went out and did it. Bravo Kraus. Looking forward to the rest.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four people are going about their ordinary lives when the nuclear explosion hits. Nancy is leaving Denver for a new job in Miami. Leonard is a bitter engineer working 22 years for the sanitation department and is stuck underground. Rachel is in her basement when her house explodes. Marcus is on a solo camping trip. Each of them now has to decide what to do next and where to go to find safety, while dealing with the thought that life as they knew it is over. But the blast was just the beginning and they are about to witness a strange living entity hunting down survivors...

I never follow serial novels as I find them too expensive and it is unsatisfying to read in small chunks when it is better to read a whole novel. However if a first episode or two are available free or very cheap, it is a good way to try a series and see if it is worth reading on, but only if a full omnibus is available. In this case I decided to read the first two parts of this serial novel to see what I thought of the writing and the story. I decided that I liked it enough to buy the full omnibus paperback. I hope to get that read soon.

My one objection to this format from a plot point of view is that each POV is short and it switches to someone else just as something interesting happens. This happens in pretty much every multi POV serial novel and because of this I often find it hard to really get to know the characters and care about them. In the case of this book, I found the actual storytelling to be very good and attempts are made to get you in the heads of each character. It is more successful in that task than others I have read but as I said this format makes it hard for a story to flow and characters to develop the way they do in a normal novel.

This first part had me curious enough to read the second part (which I have also reviewed) and I then bought the omnibus. I liked it enough to buy it to find out what happens but I do prefer a full novel to read, hence the lower star rating. It is a decent read so far so we'll see how the full omnibus is, which I'll review seperate.

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book exchanged for a review~Per Goodreads rules

Nancy Sims is looking forward to her new job as an accountant in Florida. She's trying to make her way there from her old hometown of Denver over the course of a weekend before she's to start her new job. Yet nothing seems to be going her way, a flat tire and a speeding ticket which leave her more behind schedule than before. Leonard McComb is a sanitation engineer working in New York City, who happens to like his job, despite what his family thinks. He does his job really well even if he's getting passed over for raises. Marcus Warden is a hard working man that loves his parents very much and would do anything for them. He just loves to be outdoors and doesn't feel the need of having a wife or children. He is self-made man that doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. Rachel Walsh is often away from home due to her job yet feels that her teenage daughter can help out around the house so she doesn't have to do so much. Rachel is constantly fighting with Julie to help out. When Rachel's husband Jeremy steps in to help with Julie, Rachel let's out a relieved sigh. These might be your typical everyday people from our current time of 2012 yet they belong to 2038. What do all these people have in common? Will these people ever meet? Your answers await you in Final Dawn.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad I didn't find this series until it was completed because I loved this first book. I stayed up all night to finish it because I just had to find out why and how the events in the book transpired. The reveal of what happened was brilliant, combining technology beyond the human ability to control and evil, arrogant men who think they can control it.

The story is told from the perspective of four people: Rachel, Marcus, Nancy, and Leonard. They somehow survive an apocalyptic event and spend the rest of the book not understanding what happened, running from what remains, and finally uniting to try to save what remains of the world.

Rachel is a scientist who knows what happened, but doesn't know why.
Marcus was out camping and runs first-hand into what is left of the world.
Nancy was driving to a new job, and I don't think we've seen what she is capable of yet.
Leonard was in the tunnels under New York City and is shown to be surprisingly intelligent and resourceful.

The world they are living in is terrifying. They find out what happened at the end of the book and find out what they have to do to prevent it from getting worse. I am very much looking forward to the next two books, and I highly recommend this one.

[Adam Tuttle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very, very short book, which I finished in just a few 30-60 minute sittings. I knew it would be short before I bought it, but its brevity still surprised me.

Still, the story is well setup, the characters show depth, and there is a pretty good cliffhanger. I'll definitely be eagerly waiting for the rest of the series.

If I had a complaint, it's that this is more of a trailer or teaser than a standalone book. The only consistent "conflict" is established in the last handful of chapters, there is no crescendo, and no resolution.

[Riley Murray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Final Dawn presents the stories of four solo individuals searching for some sign of civilization after a disaster occurs. The "book" is a very quick read - about an hour - and leaves you with the type of cliff hanger most would associate with the first part of a novel. Despite the size of this book it does show a fair amount of character development. I recommend reading this only if you can get all of the series (at once) for a very, very low cost.

[S.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was not exactly what I was expecting. This episode was a really great introduction to a bunch of characters and while I thought I would get them confused, instead I became very interested in each of their stories.

This is the introduction to the end of the world. Who has survived? What happens next?

Check this series out!

[Beth Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is it with authors thinking it's ok to charge for each chapter of a book? I didn't realise when I purchased and was sadly let down that I had just paid for a precursor. The story could have been good but I just feel robbed.

[Eric Pickup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the technological approach to doomsday. The way it was delivered made it highly believable. Considering the technology is being developed by most advanced countries, it definitely sits in the back of your mind that it's a plausible scenario. Great job!

[Ikiriaera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm on the fence about this book. It swings from being very exciting to being pretty dull. I thought the idea behind the disaster was very interesting. However the characters come off as very shallow and one dimensional. As of right now I'm not sure I'll be back for part two.

[Steve Norlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Believe this was a series of chapters that came out weekly. I read them all combined. Slow at first, but once all the characters got to the same place it was better. Don't think I'll read the next installment.

[Mark P Orr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting ... But not a good value for the price.

I was expecting more than a few character introduction pages for the price. Not sure if I will purchase the next book in the series.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book - review coming shortly.

[AH]

Kindle free download 7/15/12.