Paradise Earth: Day Zero

by Anthony Mathenia

Praise for Paradise "Day Zero is an incredible start to the Paradise Earth trilogy. Mathenia has crafted a cautionary tale, but more than that he has crafted a human journey from indoctrination and fear - to freedom and compassion. He's a gem of a writer and I highly recommend purchasing this novel." ~Amazon Review When the ground quakes and blazing balls of fire fall from the sky, a reli­gious sect inter­prets it as the ful­fill­ment of long-held prophe­cies fore­telling the end of the world. The mem­bers flee to their reli­gious sanc­tu­ary, believ­ing that this global cat­a­clysm is the por­tent of a new par­adise of eter­nal happiness. Inside, one cold and starv­ing man strug­gles to hold onto his hope for the future. He’s sac­ri­ficed every­thing for his faith in the prophecy, includ­ing his fam­ily. As the tor­tu­ous night drags on, he strug­gles to hold onto his hope for the future and grap­ples with a life­time of beliefs, and expec­ta­tions. If he sur­vives to see the par­adise earth, will it be worth it? Par­adise Earth is a decon­struc­tion of faith at the end of the world and beyond. The first vol­ume of the tril­ogy, More Praise for Anthony "Mathenia's ability to grab a group of people and make you feel like you have known them all your life, will have you recalling details of your own experience as a witness, long past the time it took you to read his novel." ~Amazon Review

Genres: Post Apocalyptic

158 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2012

Reviews

[Lee Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fiction: You’re going to like this middle-aged Jehovah’s Witness with a dark secret and a dependency on cough syrup. He shares a dream of Armageddon with all faithful J/W’s, anticipating the day God rains fire on the earth and then recreates it into a paradise of eternal happiness. (Yes, the J/W’s interpret Revelation literally where it implies the resurrection will be on this earth.) Then a severe hailstorm rolls in and cataclysmic events begin to trigger. But now that the end finally seems imminent, while the faithful are holed up within their Kingdom Hall like animals in the Ark, he begins to question it all.

This is book one of what will become a trilogy, and it definitely is a page-turner. I can’t wait for the next two volumes.

I felt an immediate kinship with Mathenia and his main character because of the similarities of our religious upbringing. Both of us lay claim to what I describe as “intense” Christianianity. But while my childhood and early adulthood provides mostly wholesome memories, Paradise Earth delves into the stomach-wrenching side of overbearing religion: church correction, disfellowshipping, door-to-door evangelizing, and more. We must pardon the sensationalism, because Mathenia writes from experience, having been himself ritually shunned by family and friends as an apostate for questioning his faith. Of course, the jaded dark side makes for good storytelling, even as it’s downplayed into “normal” Bible-ordained church practice. That’s the gut-wrenching part.

Mathenia’s characters are vibrant and the storyline gripping, and you’ll even learn a little about Jehovah’s Witnesses while you’re at it … without having to read The Watchtower! Definitely recommended, with one caveat: Mathenia’s portrayal of what he considers a “cult” is less than subtle.

[Robert Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought Paradise Earth Vol 1: Day Zero at a book fair from the author. On the surface, the book looks to be a traditional surviving the holocaust book, but as you read further in the book you find that the book is actually far deeper and less predictable than it first appears. Paradise Earth is less about the end of days than it is about the Jehovah’s Witness and the inner workings of the cult. Sounds like a weird bridge to cross, right? It works though. Mathenia is able to draw you into the setting of the Hall and make the end of days seem not just expected, but late in its arrival. Mathenia has no love for the sect, but you can tell that he has a passionate affection for many of the members within and those that have been cast out.
While Mathenia develops the story of the end, the story of the past creeps in, and rings of regret, self-doubt, and personal morality over authoritative morality. With that said, as I finished the book I was left feeling that it wasn’t quite what I had been hoping for, yet as the book simmered in my mind, I found that it was perhaps better than I had hoped for and reached me on a deeper level.
I struggle with who to recommend this book to, as I am an atheist and enjoyed it, I wonder what those who hold faith in any religion would think of it, as I believe the morals of the story can be tilted to show the corruption and evil in all religions, but I must say, Mathernia’s protagonist doesn’t reject God in any way, just the organization of the Witnesses.

[James Wymore · Rating 5 out of 5]

What will people do when pushed beyond their limits? Anthony Mathenia’s apocalyptical book delves into the dark actions of the truly desperate. Featuring a distraught Jehovah’s Witness experiencing the pivotal event predicted by their religion, Day Zero stares into the shadows cast by imperfect humans blocking the light of perfection.

Powerful and moving, we experience the emotions of one man as he watches a group of believers cross from the world as we know it into the promised Paradise Earth. Although it is the first of a trilogy, this volume delivers a powerful ending. Not a fan of cliff-hangers, I appreciated the climax. Not only does it take the character to the next level, but it left me in haunted contemplation. The language is masterful and artistic. The scenes are compelling, and hold the reader enraptured. This reading experience easily stands up to any great book.

See a longer review at http://www.speculatorsclub.com

[Collins Roth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great concept, and a couple of chapters in the beginning that really pulled you in. I enjoyed the backdrop of the Jehovah's Witnesses, but was disappointed that it moved from the backdrop to the foreground, slowing the plot to snail's pace. Strangely, I wanted to know both more and less about the JW - I still am not sure I understand the pillars of the religion (what or who is the faithful slave?), but at the same time I found some of background on the bureaucracy tough to weed through.

The first couple chapters suck you in, and I am intrigued by what is outside, which we only see briefly at the end. But the majority of the middle, particularly the flashbacks, struggles for pace and interest and could have been condensed significantly, or perhaps have revealed over a longer period of action...

[Vicki Trask · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recieved this as a review copy and honestly it just wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't feel any particular attachment to the main character, I was having religious rants in my head and I felt like the plot (at least the first HALF of the book) was moving at a ridiculously slow pace and was told completely in seemingly unrelated flashbacks. It just wasn't for me but don't let that deter you from reading it for yourself and loving it.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up. The author's humor and my curiosity about the JH - my aunt was a JH, are what kept me reading. It is a much more personal and less preachy story than I expected. But it also turned out to be a good read, and a realistic representation of crisis of faith or denomination, told with a lot of sensitivity. I'm going to keep reading this author.

[Jenny From The Bog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

I don't know anything about Jehovah's Witnesses or if anything in this book is based on actual beliefs, but I found the main characters inner dialogue interesting. I'm not sure if I'll read further into the series though.

[John Hanscom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but very worthwhile novel about a doubting Jehovah's Witness in a time of great tragedy. I learned a lot. There are two more books to come, and I will look for them.

[pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly good, although a few grammar errors were distracting. 3.5 stars. I'll definitely read the sequel.