Red, The First

Galatia #0.5

by C. Deanna Verhoff, C.D. Verhoff

An alien pandemic has left its survivors with amazing new abilities. But used car salesman, Red Wakeland, must rely on the good old-fashioned power of persuasion to convince his neighbors to prepare for a pending invasion. The fate of humanity rides on one man's sales pitch, but can Red close the deal?

This stand-alone novel is the prequel to the Galatia Series.Main Category: Science Fiction. Subcategories: Aliens, Fantasy, Paranormal, Post-Apocalyptic, Religion.

Genres: Apocalyptic

222 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2012

Reviews

[Jim B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me turning the pages, but I couldn't rate it 5 stars. There are some action scenes but I wouldn't call it action packed. If you want hardcore sci-fi this isn't it. It's more about a crushed man learning how to hope again. Red Wakeland isn't the nicest guy around, but he usually does the right thing, although sometimes reluctantly. There were times when I wanted his dog to bite him. He's somewhat of a complicated person. So is his relationship with Elizabeth. That was handled well.

When I started this book I didn't realize that it's a set up a for series. This might explain why it didn't delve deeper into the abilities people were developing, but disappointing how little they came into play against the invaders. It ends on a downer, but then there's the epilogue. Interesting, but the abrupt point of view change makes it feel like a different book. Now that I know that it is there to set up a spinoff series, the approach makes a little more sense. Overall: not wowed by the plot, but the characterizations are strong, the book flows at a reasonable pace, enjoyed the writing style. The author and series have good potential. My final Wakeland's War assessment: entertaining enough, but not destined for a major award.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. This book manages to meld a plague with paranormal abilities with an alien invasion and all of it works as a very believable future. The characters have the reactions of real people under extraordinary circumstances. I look forward to the series "Guardians Arise" because the characters are hard to forget and I want to see how they grow and continue in their New World. Thank you C. Deanna!

[James Vernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red the First is an interesting read. Set after a plague has wiped out a great deal of our population, it follows a man named Red as he tries to establish a new life for himself in what is left of the world. He finds a new home for himself and slowly gathers more and more people around him. As his community starts to grow, the motives behind the death of the world become clearer and Red has to convince his town that a darker force not of their planet is at work. They're only hope lies in the safety of man-made bunkers spread through the world, but can Red convince a town that has become accustomed to their new life to give it all up on the word of a few men and their unbelievable story?

The story at heart is a character driven, as we start with just Red's point of view and then slowly meet more and more people as they become part of his life. At first, Red seems to be a heartless and cold man, having lost his family to the plague and his only friend being a dog that he barely cared about before the disaster. As people enter his life, he begins to to open up and becomes a better man then he had been before. The rest of the characters are equally complex and each has their own set of baggage that makes them seem real.

The plot moves fast, often jumping ahead as the town grows and more events transpire. If their was one problem with the story this would be it. It becomes hard to keep up with the characters, and remember who is who as the timeline jumps around, and we don't get to know some of the characters as well as some of the others.

All in all this is an interesting introduction to a new sci-fi world. The characters are well written and the concept behind it is fresh and new. It will be interesting to see where the author takes the story next.

[Kel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was provided with a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Red the First (Galatia 0.5) by C.D. Verhoff: Imagine falling asleep one night knowing that you have the perfect cookie-cutter life. You are married with beautiful children, to a fine-looking spouse and have a successful career. Then you wake the next day and there is a now a plague tearing thru the world! What do you do? Redmond “Red” Wakeland does the best he can, he lives one day to the next. This apocalyptic SciFi will take you through the ringer.

After Red loses his wife, it’s only him, his dog Zena, and the memories of life that was. Red is a complex character, whose thoughts and emotions stay with you even after it’s done. He meets quite a few people along his journey; each one is as different as the last. But the one thing that stays with him throughout it all is that this world is being invaded by aliens.

This prequel to the Galatia series really has made me want to read the rest now. Its done its job perfectly. For any individual that enjoys the books that center about life after a huge change like a plague or invasion, this would really be up your alley.

[Josephine]

Alas, another book I can't rate because I'm editing it! Or rather editing the revision.

Suffice it to say that I edited the as-yet-unpublished...sequel? first in a trilogy to which this is a prequel?...and squeaked like a girl when the author asked me to comb through this in hopeful anticipation of the trilogy's publication.

[George Sterling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book was completely different from what I thought and it was even better. It had twist to it that keeps you reading and wanting to read what is next.