What do you think?
Rate this book
Point Apocalypse
He enters a prison world. A place of no return harboring the death of the universe. No proper food or drinking water, no modern technologies. He doesn't know who he is. He can't tell friend from foe. He has no idea what brought him here. He has no time to think. He lives from one objective to the next.
The Earth's laws end here. No one to turn to for help. The lives of thousands of people now depend on him alone.
The Earth's laws end here. No one to turn to for help. The lives of thousands of people now depend on him alone.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2013
24 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Alex Bobl
25 books47 followersAuthor's FB pages:
https://www.facebook.com/alexbobl
https://www.facebook.com/Alex.Bobl.fans
Alex (Aleksei) Bobl is a science fiction writer, author of 13 novels. An ex-paratrooper, he used his military knowledge and experience to write his debut novels for S.T.A.L.K.E.R., a bestselling science fiction action adventure series set in a post-apocalyptic Chernobyl.
Alex started writing in 2007 when he joined Russia's biggest writing community Samizdat. He submitted his first stories to several online writing contests at the same time as he discovered the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. He then came up with his first original story featuring military stalkers.
At Samizdat, Alex met Andrei Levitski. Together, they co-authored The Zone Warriors, Alex's first novel for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. However, due to marketing considerations, his byline didn't appear on the book. In the process of novel research, the two co-authors visited the Chernobyl nuclear power station and traveled across the entire Exclusion Zone, witnessing many deserted towns and villages, including the ill-fated towns of Chernobyl and Prypiat. In 2009, Alex published his second novel, A Quantum Bullet, featuring the adventures of two military stalkers, Labus and Camper.
The same year Alex and Andrei came up with a new eight-novel project. Entitled TechnoTma ("tma" meaning "darkness" in Russian), it depicts a post-apocalyptic world after The Peril. The first novel to come out was Password Eternity, followed by The Wastelands Clans, Barbarians of the Crimea, Jager and The Sand Blues. After that, Andrei Levitski started working on a sequel to The Wastelands Clans, while Alex Bobl wrote the final books of the series, The Fall of the Skies and The Last Battle, where all the protagonists unite in order to confront the enemy and get to the roots of The Peril.
After that, the two co-authors continued working together, writing a novella for a TechnoTma anthology The Wastelands Legends, out in April 2012. And a month later, the German release of TechnoTma followed. The eight books of TechnoTma had a total print run of over 250,000 copies and have been translated into German and Spanish. Talks are now under way about translating TechnoTma into English.
Alex's next project, a standalone novel Memoria. A Corporation of Lies, came out in February 2012 to controversial reviews. A SF action thriller dramatically different from his earlier works, it tells the story of a lone fighter who challenges the power-grabbing plans of an international corporation capable of erasing people's memories. After that he wrote novel Point Apocalypse - a sci-fi action adventure set in the near future.
Alex now is a literary agent. He lives in Moscow with his wife and two boys.
https://www.facebook.com/alexbobl
https://www.facebook.com/Alex.Bobl.fans
Alex (Aleksei) Bobl is a science fiction writer, author of 13 novels. An ex-paratrooper, he used his military knowledge and experience to write his debut novels for S.T.A.L.K.E.R., a bestselling science fiction action adventure series set in a post-apocalyptic Chernobyl.
Alex started writing in 2007 when he joined Russia's biggest writing community Samizdat. He submitted his first stories to several online writing contests at the same time as he discovered the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. He then came up with his first original story featuring military stalkers.
At Samizdat, Alex met Andrei Levitski. Together, they co-authored The Zone Warriors, Alex's first novel for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. However, due to marketing considerations, his byline didn't appear on the book. In the process of novel research, the two co-authors visited the Chernobyl nuclear power station and traveled across the entire Exclusion Zone, witnessing many deserted towns and villages, including the ill-fated towns of Chernobyl and Prypiat. In 2009, Alex published his second novel, A Quantum Bullet, featuring the adventures of two military stalkers, Labus and Camper.
The same year Alex and Andrei came up with a new eight-novel project. Entitled TechnoTma ("tma" meaning "darkness" in Russian), it depicts a post-apocalyptic world after The Peril. The first novel to come out was Password Eternity, followed by The Wastelands Clans, Barbarians of the Crimea, Jager and The Sand Blues. After that, Andrei Levitski started working on a sequel to The Wastelands Clans, while Alex Bobl wrote the final books of the series, The Fall of the Skies and The Last Battle, where all the protagonists unite in order to confront the enemy and get to the roots of The Peril.
After that, the two co-authors continued working together, writing a novella for a TechnoTma anthology The Wastelands Legends, out in April 2012. And a month later, the German release of TechnoTma followed. The eight books of TechnoTma had a total print run of over 250,000 copies and have been translated into German and Spanish. Talks are now under way about translating TechnoTma into English.
Alex's next project, a standalone novel Memoria. A Corporation of Lies, came out in February 2012 to controversial reviews. A SF action thriller dramatically different from his earlier works, it tells the story of a lone fighter who challenges the power-grabbing plans of an international corporation capable of erasing people's memories. After that he wrote novel Point Apocalypse - a sci-fi action adventure set in the near future.
Alex now is a literary agent. He lives in Moscow with his wife and two boys.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 27, 2017
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Definitely an action-packed Superhero story, Alex Bobl’s POINT APOCALYPSE tells of the world of Pangea, a prison for the dregs of Earth’s society, the most lethal and dangerous criminals get a one way ticket to their person inter-galactic Hell. One man will be sent in, so deep undercover that, until his brain chips are activated, even he doesn’t know why he is there. Mark was a soldier and now he is awakened to the realization that he is on a mission to save Earth from the devastation of one man’s quest for power. Is his mission really that clear cut or will he discover even more hidden truths that may be even more dastardly and devious?
Mark must maneuver this world not knowing who to trust, who to fear and who he should just eliminate outright. It will take wit and grit to outlast evil and if he does, how does he get back to Earth or was that even in the cards? Is Mark just a super-charged puppet in a high-tech world?
Alex Bobl spares nothing as we race from scene to scene, the action never letting up! His detailed description brings each scene to life, as if watching a science fiction movie in Hi-Def! Do you like “watching” the hero take over-the-top chances with stupefying results? Mark is the perfect hero, honorable, tough and intelligent. Witness each event from his eyes, and listen to the turmoil going on in his mind as his mission unfolds, battles ware waged and evil is uncovered. What this tale lacks in character details, it more than make up for in razor-sharp action!
Definitely an action-packed Superhero story, Alex Bobl’s POINT APOCALYPSE tells of the world of Pangea, a prison for the dregs of Earth’s society, the most lethal and dangerous criminals get a one way ticket to their person inter-galactic Hell. One man will be sent in, so deep undercover that, until his brain chips are activated, even he doesn’t know why he is there. Mark was a soldier and now he is awakened to the realization that he is on a mission to save Earth from the devastation of one man’s quest for power. Is his mission really that clear cut or will he discover even more hidden truths that may be even more dastardly and devious?
Mark must maneuver this world not knowing who to trust, who to fear and who he should just eliminate outright. It will take wit and grit to outlast evil and if he does, how does he get back to Earth or was that even in the cards? Is Mark just a super-charged puppet in a high-tech world?
Alex Bobl spares nothing as we race from scene to scene, the action never letting up! His detailed description brings each scene to life, as if watching a science fiction movie in Hi-Def! Do you like “watching” the hero take over-the-top chances with stupefying results? Mark is the perfect hero, honorable, tough and intelligent. Witness each event from his eyes, and listen to the turmoil going on in his mind as his mission unfolds, battles ware waged and evil is uncovered. What this tale lacks in character details, it more than make up for in razor-sharp action!
August 16, 2013
4.5 Stars
This one was again an extremely good work in the techno-thriller action genre - I was constantly reminded of the Bourne Series (movie, not book). Compared to Memoria. A Corporation of Lies, however, there is less ideological SF, more action SF. Yet, if one is not specifically looking for how science will change our perception of humanity, and instead enjoys techno-thrillers, this one is definitely a great pick.
The writing, as in the other book, is crisp, sharp and devoid of melodrama or sentimental crap. The plot is extremely well-thought out, the execution flawless, the characters credible, and as usual, the suspense extremely well-maintained. Like the other book, I loved that his female characters were not weaklings, and also that there was no romance involved - the family angle didn't descend into sentimental, mushy ruminations and did not take over the fantastic plot. The world-building was novel, neat and meticulous.
What I personally didn't like much was the latter half of the book, which was more about action. The first half of the book is pure brilliance, a genuine delight to read, but that gives way to a load of action towards the end, which I thought took away the ideological part of how tech alters our perspective of life, death, reality or humanity. But I guess it is more about individual preferences than any real drawback.
Anyway, not only I do not regret reading it, rather I'm glad I didn't miss it. The work is worth more than it costs, and the author deserves to be known more than he is currently known.
This one was again an extremely good work in the techno-thriller action genre - I was constantly reminded of the Bourne Series (movie, not book). Compared to Memoria. A Corporation of Lies, however, there is less ideological SF, more action SF. Yet, if one is not specifically looking for how science will change our perception of humanity, and instead enjoys techno-thrillers, this one is definitely a great pick.
The writing, as in the other book, is crisp, sharp and devoid of melodrama or sentimental crap. The plot is extremely well-thought out, the execution flawless, the characters credible, and as usual, the suspense extremely well-maintained. Like the other book, I loved that his female characters were not weaklings, and also that there was no romance involved - the family angle didn't descend into sentimental, mushy ruminations and did not take over the fantastic plot. The world-building was novel, neat and meticulous.
What I personally didn't like much was the latter half of the book, which was more about action. The first half of the book is pure brilliance, a genuine delight to read, but that gives way to a load of action towards the end, which I thought took away the ideological part of how tech alters our perspective of life, death, reality or humanity. But I guess it is more about individual preferences than any real drawback.
Anyway, not only I do not regret reading it, rather I'm glad I didn't miss it. The work is worth more than it costs, and the author deserves to be known more than he is currently known.
June 4, 2013
If dystopian future novels are your forte - and even if they're not - this is a fun read full of action, surprises, twists and turns. The action begins with the first paragraph and never lets you go. Little by little the plot is revealed as Alex Bobl takes the reader by the hand and then propels him at light speed through a scenario that is well thought out and well presented. If you enjoy action and science fiction, you will enjoy this book. Mr. Bobl isn't an English speaker or writer, so there are little tics that occur in the translation, most notably the lack of commas in places where they are needed. This sometimes calls for a reread of some sentences, but nothing that will impede the reader's enjoyment of the story. The lack of those commas did, however, prevent me from awarding a full 5 stars. The ending of this story begs for a sequel. Once again, great job, Alex!
March 29, 2013
Right from the start you're in the action and it doesn't slow down. I don't read very many books where the story is set in the future, but this one really pulled me in. Even when I thought the story was slowing down, something would happen and it jumped right back to full speed. There was just so much going on and a lot of the details are significant. If I say too much more I will be crossing over into spoiler territory. I will say that if you are a reader that likes to skip or just breeze through sections, you will be missing a lot of important details. The author just blew me away, there was so many twists at the end I was blindsided. But looking back over everything, it made sense.
I would recommend reading this book, it will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I would recommend reading this book, it will keep you on the edge of your seat.
April 1, 2013
Alex Bobl delivers yet another top notch Sci-Fi Thriller. This story travels along at a cracking pace and demands you pay attention. Another world accidently discovered when a worm hole is opened up after a military accident is used as the ultimate banishment destination. A world that is one of survival and day to day living. Our hero is a ex-soldier banished for the murder of another soldier this once bio-enhanced tool of death is being used unknowingly as a tool of other means. Without giving to much away we learn of his true reason for banishment as he discovers it himself. A Sci-Fi thriller that leaves you satisiifed and entertained.
July 15, 2013
This would be a much better movie than a book. It is action-packed from start to finish with little character development. Frankly, by the time I got to the end of the story, it didn't matter to me if the "good guys" lived or died. I didn't know much about them and therefore I just didn't care. This doesn't work so well in books but it makes for a great Hollywood action flic. If Sylvester Stalone was younger, this would be perfect for him. Nowadays, maybe Jason Statham.
This is not to say it wasn't a decent story. In fact, I would think there are a fair amount of people out there who will just love the action and could care less about getting to know the characters.
This is not to say it wasn't a decent story. In fact, I would think there are a fair amount of people out there who will just love the action and could care less about getting to know the characters.
December 8, 2013
This was a roller-coaster of non-stop action, with little pause for character development. Although well written overall, I was never able to connect with any of the characters, and just didn't care what happened to them. This author does have promise, so I'm hoping future works concentrate a bit more on emotion, and not so much on keeping up the break neck pace throughout. If you're a fan of military action thrillers, give this one a try, otherwise I'd recommend giving it a pass.
April 3, 2013
Point Apocalypse drops you right into the action and the roller-coaster never slows down for longer than it takes to catch your breath. Well paced with plot twists that leave you guessing up to the very end. Immersion is complete and you will never have to work at suspending your disbelief; it just sucks you in and drags you along for the ride. A classic sci-fi thriller. Highly recommended!
February 2, 2018
It was a battle in itself to read this book let alone finish it.
The characters all feel extremely similar despite genders, although I guess one of the only differences I felt was that the women apparently naturally liked children and were meant to seem like ice cold badasses which they utterly failed at. I had no relationship or much memory of each character as they started overlapping in my memory.
The plot had no flow and had plenty of scenes and plot devices too convenient for the sake of moving forward. Way too often I found myself thinking everything fell into place conveniently or too quickly.
Furthermore, the writing is very straightforward with some attempts at poetic description that I felt was forced. In general, the writing left little space for the reader to think for themselves and literally at times stated directly some questions to ponder over the mystery of the plot? I was robbed of the chance to ask these questions myself as they were spelled out in the book.
There was nothing left for the imagination. Pretty much.
Redeeming factors? It had a few interesting ideas or settings, but it could not lift it to 2 stars as they alone were not strong enough to outweigh the bad.
The characters all feel extremely similar despite genders, although I guess one of the only differences I felt was that the women apparently naturally liked children and were meant to seem like ice cold badasses which they utterly failed at. I had no relationship or much memory of each character as they started overlapping in my memory.
The plot had no flow and had plenty of scenes and plot devices too convenient for the sake of moving forward. Way too often I found myself thinking everything fell into place conveniently or too quickly.
Furthermore, the writing is very straightforward with some attempts at poetic description that I felt was forced. In general, the writing left little space for the reader to think for themselves and literally at times stated directly some questions to ponder over the mystery of the plot? I was robbed of the chance to ask these questions myself as they were spelled out in the book.
There was nothing left for the imagination. Pretty much.
Redeeming factors? It had a few interesting ideas or settings, but it could not lift it to 2 stars as they alone were not strong enough to outweigh the bad.
May 14, 2018
Fast then faster
As a fan of sci-fi this tale grabs you and will not let go. This would make an entertaining movie. Well done.
As a fan of sci-fi this tale grabs you and will not let go. This would make an entertaining movie. Well done.
January 24, 2016
I think I lost a lot in translation. The author is Russian and the story has a very Russian feel for it.
What is a Russian feel? - Well, America and American writing is hope, stupid, irrational in the face of everything hope. Russian is winter, you know the bad times are coming, you can't avoid it, but you go on knowing that at some point winter is going to win, but in-between there is life.
I think in Russian the beauty would have come through, but translated in English ... well I got bored and struggled to finish the book. The first part is a wonderful ride. The second part is sluggish, and the third part of the book is a rush-jumble of action.
I think one of my other problems is I got lost in all the mind-game twists. The Main Character is reinvented several times with his goals changing each time because of the brain software downloads (some cool tech-thriller stuff in this story). Since his motivations kept changing, I didn't feel any urgency to the story. But that was me - maybe for you it will be different; the story itself has a great deal of urgency with the fate of two worlds in the balance.
What is a Russian feel? - Well, America and American writing is hope, stupid, irrational in the face of everything hope. Russian is winter, you know the bad times are coming, you can't avoid it, but you go on knowing that at some point winter is going to win, but in-between there is life.
I think in Russian the beauty would have come through, but translated in English ... well I got bored and struggled to finish the book. The first part is a wonderful ride. The second part is sluggish, and the third part of the book is a rush-jumble of action.
I think one of my other problems is I got lost in all the mind-game twists. The Main Character is reinvented several times with his goals changing each time because of the brain software downloads (some cool tech-thriller stuff in this story). Since his motivations kept changing, I didn't feel any urgency to the story. But that was me - maybe for you it will be different; the story itself has a great deal of urgency with the fate of two worlds in the balance.
December 12, 2013
Honestly, i didn't really finish it. I tried. but it just didn't capture my attention. The writing is pretty good and there is action galore. But I just didn't care. The few snippets you get and the hints about the characters' backgrounds were really what kept me reading as long as I did. Maybe I will go back and finish it one day (hoping for some character development). but I made it to about 55% and still know VERY little about any of the characters. Enough to make me not really care if they win or lose.
On that note though...if you like military stories with lots of struggle and fighting and action and running...this might be a good one for you. I like those as long as I care about the people. Otherwise, who do you root for?
On that note though...if you like military stories with lots of struggle and fighting and action and running...this might be a good one for you. I like those as long as I care about the people. Otherwise, who do you root for?
January 20, 2014
This book was filled with action, but the main character, Mark, doesn't know what's going on most of the time. He bounces through many different encounters, is exposed to many different stories about what's really happening, has to figure stuff out after it happens, and is often in situations where others are in control. It's true that he's important to others goals, but all in all his knowledgeable participation reminds me of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He's kind of on the sidelines, a piece of the puzzle that he can't really see.
There is hardly any character development so I really didn't care too much. I only kept reading because I had a question I wanted answered.
There is hardly any character development so I really didn't care too much. I only kept reading because I had a question I wanted answered.
March 21, 2016
Somewhat interesting, plot hard to follow at times.
He enters a prison world. A place of no return harboring the death of the universe. No proper food or drinking water, no modern technologies. He doesn't know who he is. He can't tell friend from foe. He has no idea what brought him here. He has no time to think. He lives from one objective to the next.
The Earth's laws end here. No one to turn to for help.
He enters a prison world. A place of no return harboring the death of the universe. No proper food or drinking water, no modern technologies. He doesn't know who he is. He can't tell friend from foe. He has no idea what brought him here. He has no time to think. He lives from one objective to the next.
The Earth's laws end here. No one to turn to for help.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2013
I surprised myself by really quite enjoying this sci-fi ride. The plot of the new planet is excellent, the cyber technology was well described. My criticism is in the plot jumps. I will not add spoilers but on at least two occasions there were major plot jumps changing viewpoint and tack. Yes they are necessary for the derived ending but took me a few pages to get over my annoyance.
July 28, 2014
It's rare that I can't finish a book but this was one. There is a good story concept (and I really wanted to know what happens) but I couldn't make it past the midway point. Superfluous detail on things that didn't build the story and lack of details on things that would move the story along, killed the flow and left serious gaps that made it hard to read.
February 4, 2014
Finally all the pieces fall in to place. The confusion which was there in the earlier parts of the book become clear and Mark finally gets to meet his daughter.
Only quibble felt the ending was a bit of a damp squid.
Only quibble felt the ending was a bit of a damp squid.
July 3, 2013
plenty of fast paced action, and a very fun read but it seemed to get a bit lost towards the end
October 26, 2013
SciFi adventure with a lot of twists.
December 27, 2013
Good story with lots of twists and turns.
February 13, 2014
Review
this book was really hard to follow. There was not a lot of character development, it's a really rough read.
this book was really hard to follow. There was not a lot of character development, it's a really rough read.
March 14, 2015
SF Military
This science fiction military novel just didn't grab me. I kept hoping that it would get better by the end but I just couldn't get into it.
This science fiction military novel just didn't grab me. I kept hoping that it would get better by the end but I just couldn't get into it.
October 22, 2013
Well-written, and fast-paced. I liked the story and I think it would make a good movie.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews