Prepper: Book 1

Prepper #1

by Tom Abrahams

Before the lights went out, Jack Warrant never considered himself a prepper. That was someone on the edge, a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday cultist who had a fatalistic view of the world. He was neither a theorist nor a cultist. He was an optimist. At least that was what he told himself when the darker thoughts creeped into his psyche as he stared at the ceiling in the middle of the night. Whenever he started down the rabbit hole, he always clawed his way back into the sunlight. Then the world as he knew it ended, and he realized he was wrong. About himself. About the lengths to which desperate people will go.

Genres: Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Audiobook, Apocalyptic

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2023

About the author

Tom Abrahams is an Emmy and Edward R. Murrow award winning television journalist and member of International Thriller Writers.

He is also a Kindle Unlimited All-Star, an Audible 5 Star Favorite, and author of more than forty novels.

He writes in several genres including dystopian, sci-fi techno-thriller, post-apocalyptic, and political thrillers.

The dramatic rights for his "A Dark World" trilogy are optioned for television and film.

He's married with two children and lives in Southeast Texas.

Reviews

[Brian's Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the Headlines

4.95 out of 5 stars (you know what you did)

I should have known, being a Tom Abrahams book, no matter how scary this storyline feels right now… (I’m looking at you Elon) – that he could pull it off without going too “heavy”. Prepper opens by introducing the cast of characters and hints at some interconnectivity but only a little. Abrahams has this way of writing main characters that just jump off of the page and Jack Warrant (another badass name) fits this bill perfectly.

Prepper was one of those books that made the “what crazy post-apocalyptic tale are they going to come up with next” feel way more real than it had any right doing. This story felt like it had all of the classic Abrahams tropes with some new features sprinkled in. This time we get to see it from the state government level – and also get to meet the people who actually push the button to make the lights go out. That’s not something a lot of these books can pull off, but Abrahams did and did it well.

If you don’t know, I’ve already read a lot of Tom’s books over the years and each one of them holds a special place in my heart (even being a character in one of them). But, each one of these books just jumps out of the headlines and into your face. But intelligently and interestingly. It’s not all conspiracy theories and tin foil hats (sure there are some characters like that). But it just has that feel of… I can’t put my finger on it. It’s just one of those things that somehow walks the tightrope perfectly.

Prepper starts off slow and builds into a crescendo, only to be met with a “this story continues with Prepper 2”. Now, I’ve commented on this in another series that Abrahams did before and it might be the lowest-rated book for him (I think I gave it a 4.25 or something). I can’t tell if I’m feeling good today or if I just understand that’s going to be the nature of some of these books, but this story was so fun and interesting he earns the near-full rating. Maybe it’s because I waited until the second book was already out on audio? Either way, Prepper was a methodical book that really sets up what feels like it’s going to be a fun and interesting series.

The voice of the apocalypse, Kevin Pierce narrated this one and I don’t need to say much other than… as always it fits the tone of the story. Pierce’s deep voice makes each of Tom’s characters come to life and these audiobooks wouldn’t feel the same without him at the mic.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Texas is thrown into chaos by an EMP attack by a ruthless businessman, Jack Warrant and his family struggle to unite in the first few hours and get home. Good first book, as the initial shock kicks in.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very exciting first-in-series, apocalyptic thriller. The main characters are interesting and realistic and the storyline has enough twists to keep the reader engaged. I’m looking forward to book 2.

Read via Kindle Unlimited

[MacWithBooksonMountains Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the earlier books about this brand of apocalyptic vision. I am "reading" the audiobook which is well-narrated by Kevin Pearce. Well-written, in terms of the overall expression of the author and protagonist’s reflections.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read and fantastic 👏 Bring on book 2 !!

[Amber K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Abrahams is definitely a go-to author for me for a terrific post-apocalyptic story!
Loved Prepper! The narrator is fantastic and I can't wait for the next one!!

[Derick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the spin that it was a domestic incident fueled by corporate greed.

[Pam Shelton-Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing and editing for this first book were both good and, for the most part, the premise is good. I was a bit bothered by Noel Slate, the architect and cause of the attack. He is very nearly unhinged and I have a hard time seeing that he could be the head of this mega-tech company without a lot of issues and questions; I supposed he is to make us think of Elon Musk who is unstable, so there is that. I also question that they could set off a series of EMPs in multiple cities, but only Texas is affected? I would think it was cause a far more wide spread impact unless all of the other EMP books are wrong. When the bad governor and his staff are discussing how long to get their grid up, their estimate seems wildly too optimistic and they don't take into account all of the fried transformers which are very difficult to replace. We are told that Martillo got Jack into prepping. Did they never discuss possible scenarios and how to prepare for them? How is it that Jack knew so little about EMPs? His house has mostly glass or partly glass doors and not easy to defend. Did this not come up in prepping conversations. He and Betty go to bed knowing there will be trouble with the neighbors, but have no plan to have someone on watch or how to defend their home. We did get a chapter in the future at the start, so know where this is going. I generally rather liked Jack as he was a decent fellow, but man!-in the midst of catastrophe, just having retrieved your kids from school and you think to tell your wife you wish she was naked???? Dude! In spite of this, I am interested to find out what happens especially with Martillo and G-Man. Oh but I do give points for mentioning the P vs NP millennium problem.

[Rocky Rel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has done a bit of research on the topic. It kept my attention throughout the book, albeit a very short read, or listen in my case. Character development was very good as well. Being this was an audio book for me, the narrator choice was excellent. I gave it four stars instead of five because I felt the author could have spent some time explaining some of the more technical aspects of the snowballing effects of the electrical grid being down. Why did some things work, and some didn't. With such a short book, I felt there was room to give more detailed explanations. Like, what a faraday cage is and how it protects electrical equipment. Maybe elaborate on some home-made versions one of the characters could have fashioned from everyday household items. A "McGuyver" type character would have gone a LONG way with the readers in this book! I know, the author is saying "Why don't you write the darn book???". Well, my writing skills are about as good as my drawing skills....limited to stick figures and 3-D cubes.

[Jessica Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story full of different characters. It's neat to see each of their experiences. The scary thing is how easily a scenario like this could happen IRL.

Even if you don't read the book, and you are only reading the review, I urge you to not just have on-hand at home what you need to eat/drink for the next couple of days. You don't need to be a full-on "prepper," but stocking various medicines & basic medical supplies, bottled water and shelf-stable food are a must in any emergency (as we all got a taste of in 2020.) Just watch so anything that can expire does not-- use it before that and replace with new. It may seem like a pain, but this small thing can make a big difference, as shown in this book; on day ONE Jack's neighbors were already begging for some supplies since they knew he had plenty and they'd "forgotten to make their Costco run." Day one! And of course this would happen IRL too. So there's definite lessons to think about here! I think the author did a good job of portraying how things would go down in such an event. Definitely considering getting book two.

[Byron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Tom Abrahams. I really do. But I got most of the way through book 2, am traveling and wanted to download book 3. It tells me book 3 won't be available for 4 months. It also lists book 4 and book 5. But they won't be available for even longer.

I get it, it takes time to write books. But I hate to start a series that isn't completed. So I look for series that show the last book of that series. If it says "book 2" and shows that there are 5 books in the series, I'll start it. But this series showed 5 books on Amazon Kindle out of 5 in the series. When I tried to download book 3, it told me it wasn't really available yet. It felt like bait and switch.

I'll be a lot more careful in the future, but I probably won't read anymore Abrahams and returned book 2 in the middle of reading it. It's a shame. I've enjoyed Abrahams in the past.

So, my 2 stars isn't about the quality of the writing, it's about the lack of transparency.

[Matt Egan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad start!

Prepper: Book 1is about a domestic terrorist attack which compromises the Texas electrical grid and the Warrant family, among others, inside and outside the government, coping with the fallout (both literal and figurative. The book only covers the 1st hours of the event, but, even this early on in the crisis, the atmosphere of the book is taut and foreboding. Certain characters are still acting friendly, but give off very troubling vibes. The actual bad guy is a tech genius, basically like an Elon Musk, making him easy to hate and his sociopathy unsurprising. This is a promising start to a series and a good introduction to a new-to-me author. 4/5 stars, highly recommended for fans of apocalyptic survival thrillers and especially post-EMP survival thrillers!

[deidra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prepper: Book 1 by Tom Abrahams is an enjoyable read, a bit predictable, but enjoyable none the less. Domestic terrorists dismantle the energy grid in Texas, leaving the inevitable chaos and confusion. while everyone else is struggling to put the pieces together, Jack Warrant immediately jumps into action, gathering his family together. but even as much as Jack has tried to prepare for every situation that can and will go wrong, he soon realizes there is an even greater danger than he never ever considered.
the action is brisk, fast paced. the story moves about nicely. the characters are standard, could've stood a bit more fleshing out.
but still an enjoyable read.
3 1/2 stars out of 5.
recommended.

[Jacque Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes it could happen

This is a great start to the series. Don't think that a catastrophe can't happen this takes being prepared and mixes in a crazy person . We prepare because things can happen that we least expect, and it gives us an advantage to deal with the unknown . Jack and family were preparing for emergency situations. G-Man was living off grid and expecting a catastrophe Having a practical supply and plan for disasters of many kinds had become a way of life . I can't wait to continue reading the next books

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

An EMP strike is a scary thought and as this story points out, that’s only the beginning. Prepping for disaster is not something to be taken lightly and author Tom Abrahams has given some great tips on how to do it packaged neatly into a fast-paced, thrilling story of survival in the beginning stages of a crisis. I enjoyed this (as much as you can enjoy reading about other’s misfortunes) and have already purchased what I could of the rest of the series.

[Maggie Deaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, grim, and frightening....A solid and realistic look at the ramifications of a coordinated EMP and cyber attack launched on Texas by domestic terrorism motivated by greed and fanaticism. The ripples and shockwaves that emanate from there are unreal and approach being insurmountable.... If this doesn't give you cold chills, then nothing will....Solid 4.25 stars as it sets everything up for the books to follow.

[Dr Lyn Corry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recap for self: Based in Texas. First book in post apocalyptic series. A megalomaniac business man gets his revenge on the governor of Texas by hacking the power grid and cutting off all power followed by an EMG pulse . This book describes the first 24 hours.

Enjoyed the concept of the storyline. Not so much the style of writing, although it did get better. Too many
Completely redundant, filler, overly descriptive sentences near the start. Plus the characters were irritating from the outset. Does Jack really need to talk about his wife being naked so many times in one day?!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book with an interesting premise. A billionaire tech tycoon, pissed off at the TX Governor, decides to detonate EMPs and Hack the entire power grid. Not too far fetched considering how much we rely on these giant corporations for daily life....it wouldn't take much. The story is told by a few POVs and follows the standard EMP survivalist tropes. I will come back to this series later.

[Shanna Tidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love any and every thing by Tom Abrahams and when you throw Kevin Pierce in as narrator you definitely can’t go wrong!
This was a great start to what I am sure is going to be an amazing series. Jack does what he must to keep his family alive. Luckily he’s had friends who influenced him to be prepared.

[Simon Dechant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the premise and the timeline but some of the timings just don't really add up. it also sets up with the idea that anyone prepared is a target and they need to defend themselves BUT I belive community spirit is more important and likely than it suggests.

still very tempted to try a couple more!

[David Blaylock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a sucker for stories that happen in my own backyard. Add in Tom Abrahams writing and Kevin Pierce narrating, and you have yourself a perfect mix.

[SC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much

I would have immensely enjoyed a book about Jack and his family-that part is fabulous but this reads like four very disjointed books; two bad, one fair and one excellent. I can’t go on with this series disliking half of it

[Bill Myers · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a fragment of a book. The only reason to publish this rather than a more complete story is to Sell the parts for more than the whole is worth.

[Brad Theado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quit at 50%. Book was dragging

[April Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical AMP scenario book. Story moves kinda slow, but I enjoyed it. I’ll probably read the next one.

[Moishe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series is good but it feels like a retread of The Perseid Collapse by Steven Konkoly. I guess there are only so many ways to tell this type of story.

[Douglas Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book of the series, starts out great

I'm looking forward to reading it to the end. I have to write 20 words before I can submit. End

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent start to the series, a tiny bit repetitive in places but overall strong writing with some excellent characters I can’t wait to get to know better.

[Ruthesther Fine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable

Since I read and enjoyed all of the travelers series, this book was as expected. Maybe there’s a plot twist in book 2, but I won’t be reading it.

[Red Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book!

Looks like another good series by Tom! Haven’t read a bad book yet and this one is included. Two words.