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Countdown to Armageddon #1
Countdown to Armageddon
Scott Harter was an average man. He wasn't dumb, but he'd never be invited to join Mensa either. He'd liked to have married a beauty queen, but his average looks certainly did nothing to attract any. Neither did his vanilla personality.
No, Scott was average in every way, except when it came to luck. He was a very lucky man. And that's how he managed to discover what the Mayans really meant about the world ending on December 21st, 2012.
Scott learned that the Mayans never said the world was going to end that day. What they said was that day marked the beginning of a period that would see the end of civilization as we know it. The Mayans called it "The last period of progress."
Scott knew that big changes were coming. The Mayans left several clues about the pending disaster. He just didn't know when. He didn't know if he had two days to prepare, or two years.
To protect his family, Scott threw every resource he had into preparing for the end. And some resources he didn't have.
This is Scott's story.
No, Scott was average in every way, except when it came to luck. He was a very lucky man. And that's how he managed to discover what the Mayans really meant about the world ending on December 21st, 2012.
Scott learned that the Mayans never said the world was going to end that day. What they said was that day marked the beginning of a period that would see the end of civilization as we know it. The Mayans called it "The last period of progress."
Scott knew that big changes were coming. The Mayans left several clues about the pending disaster. He just didn't know when. He didn't know if he had two days to prepare, or two years.
To protect his family, Scott threw every resource he had into preparing for the end. And some resources he didn't have.
This is Scott's story.
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 30, 2013
116 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Darrell Maloney
103 books36 followersDarrell Maloney is a storyteller and author based in San Antonio, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 7, 2020
I read and loved this book back in March 2016 and I'm re-reading it now and adapting this review before I continue on with the rest of the series which I haven't read yet.
I love what I've read of this author. I've read the first book in his 'Alone' and 'Final Dawn' series as well as this one 'Countdown to Armageddon' and I've enjoyed each one. I can't tell you how much I want to complete each series now but you know what it's like when you have sooo many tbr books! Now I'm re-reading this book to refresh my memory so I can move straight on to book two.
Scott runs a chain of storage facilities and when one is abandoned by the owner, he looks through it for useful stuff for himself before auctioning the rest of the contents. Not strictly legal but you can imagine a lot of people doing the same in his position. It is in one of these lockers that he finds the details about the Mayan prophecy for the end of the world due to a solar flare taking out the grid. His own research leads Scott to believe that this is going to happen in the near future and he decides he must be ready to save his family. I've also read up on things like solar flares so I was able to put myself firmly in Scott's position and imagine what I would do if I was him. It was interesting to see a reason given for why the world did not end in 2012 and what the consequences were going to be.
I also love to read about the various different types of preppers and I enjoy following their journey from living in blissful ignorance, so to speak, to starting to prepare for the unexpected. I enjoyed watching Scott purchase a rural property to use as a bug out location for when trouble comes, and start to solve all the problems of power, food, water, working vehicles and security. The tension is ramped up with each passing chapter as you KNOW the disaster is coming but not when, and you are urging Scott and his family to move faster to be ready in time! The fence building seems to take ages and I was willing them to get it done! I liked that it was realistic and they weren't getting everything done in a few days. I find this kind of book exciting and it is also educational if you are interested in amateur prepping.
This author is really good at making you care about all the characters. I liked Scott and for me, liking the MC in a book is so important to my enjoyment of the story, especially in disaster fiction. If I hate the MC I won't care what happens to him/her. Scott's new girlfriend is Joyce, the estate agent who sold him the house and she is an amateur prepper so he feels able to share his plans with her. He is still friends with his ex-wife Linda, who is currently in an abusive relationship with a violent man. Scott wants to include Linda in the plans but does not want her boyfriend to be involved in any way. I liked that we had a couple who were able to stay friends after the divorce, and that Linda and Joyce quickly became friends too. It was nice not to have fights and angst, just three people working happily together. Scott and Linda have two sons Jordan and Zachary who also get on well with Joyce. The other character was Tom, who owns a neighbouring property and helps Scott get a few projects up and running. He is a really nice guy, the kind you want as a neighbour. And lets not forget the family dog Duke!
The dramatic bit of the story is when the solar flare hits. You know it is coming and Scott has set up a plan for what they are to do if they are not together when it happens. Joyce is at work, thirty minutes from Scott's family home which is the meeting place. Jordan and Zachary are both at their schools. Scott is asleep in bed at the compound and Linda is twenty miles away in a traffic jam. The story switches now to each of the characters as they face different challenges on their way to the meeting place. I loved this part of the book. If the tension was building before the flare, it was nothing compared to when the flare actually arrives! People are confused, and some quickly become violent as our heroes put their plans into action. It was pretty exciting stuff! You are willing them all to make good choices and get home safely.
How quickly would society break down? Imagine you are at work miles from home with a car that no longer works and a long walk ahead. If it happens in the morning, you might get home well ahead of dark but in this case the flare hits later and each member struggles to get home before it gets dark. Scary huh! This book is set in America so armed people wanting to steal your bike or food is a very real issue...and this series has society falling apart almost instantly. It is a pretty unnerving scenario! I personally think it would take longer for a full breakdown with mass looting and murder and rape going on, but these books are written with the worst case scenario in mind to show readers how things could go. I want to win the lottery and get a prepper compound though I'd add a nuclear bomb shelter underneath the building!
Dog watch. Tom mentions that he has a dog called Red but we don't actually see Red in this book.It's towards the end of the book that we meet Duke, the family dog for the first time. I can confirm that Duke makes it safely through book one! A new dog called Duchess is also brought to the compound as company for Duke. Feminists may object to a few comments which see Scott pleased that Joyce is submissive to him and Joyce happy to have a dominant man but it is really a few throwaway comments and nothing bad. There are a couple of minor editing issues where Scott changes his name to Mark a couple of times, but only three or four mistakes for the book that I spotted.
So do they all get home safe? Do they make it out to the compound? Read for yourself and find out! I seriously cannot wait to read on in this series and find out what happens to everyone. I rate this author as one of my top five disaster authors. I recommend this book to prepper enthusiasts, disaster/apocalypse fans.
I love what I've read of this author. I've read the first book in his 'Alone' and 'Final Dawn' series as well as this one 'Countdown to Armageddon' and I've enjoyed each one. I can't tell you how much I want to complete each series now but you know what it's like when you have sooo many tbr books! Now I'm re-reading this book to refresh my memory so I can move straight on to book two.
Scott runs a chain of storage facilities and when one is abandoned by the owner, he looks through it for useful stuff for himself before auctioning the rest of the contents. Not strictly legal but you can imagine a lot of people doing the same in his position. It is in one of these lockers that he finds the details about the Mayan prophecy for the end of the world due to a solar flare taking out the grid. His own research leads Scott to believe that this is going to happen in the near future and he decides he must be ready to save his family. I've also read up on things like solar flares so I was able to put myself firmly in Scott's position and imagine what I would do if I was him. It was interesting to see a reason given for why the world did not end in 2012 and what the consequences were going to be.
I also love to read about the various different types of preppers and I enjoy following their journey from living in blissful ignorance, so to speak, to starting to prepare for the unexpected. I enjoyed watching Scott purchase a rural property to use as a bug out location for when trouble comes, and start to solve all the problems of power, food, water, working vehicles and security. The tension is ramped up with each passing chapter as you KNOW the disaster is coming but not when, and you are urging Scott and his family to move faster to be ready in time! The fence building seems to take ages and I was willing them to get it done! I liked that it was realistic and they weren't getting everything done in a few days. I find this kind of book exciting and it is also educational if you are interested in amateur prepping.
This author is really good at making you care about all the characters. I liked Scott and for me, liking the MC in a book is so important to my enjoyment of the story, especially in disaster fiction. If I hate the MC I won't care what happens to him/her. Scott's new girlfriend is Joyce, the estate agent who sold him the house and she is an amateur prepper so he feels able to share his plans with her. He is still friends with his ex-wife Linda, who is currently in an abusive relationship with a violent man. Scott wants to include Linda in the plans but does not want her boyfriend to be involved in any way. I liked that we had a couple who were able to stay friends after the divorce, and that Linda and Joyce quickly became friends too. It was nice not to have fights and angst, just three people working happily together. Scott and Linda have two sons Jordan and Zachary who also get on well with Joyce. The other character was Tom, who owns a neighbouring property and helps Scott get a few projects up and running. He is a really nice guy, the kind you want as a neighbour. And lets not forget the family dog Duke!
The dramatic bit of the story is when the solar flare hits. You know it is coming and Scott has set up a plan for what they are to do if they are not together when it happens. Joyce is at work, thirty minutes from Scott's family home which is the meeting place. Jordan and Zachary are both at their schools. Scott is asleep in bed at the compound and Linda is twenty miles away in a traffic jam. The story switches now to each of the characters as they face different challenges on their way to the meeting place. I loved this part of the book. If the tension was building before the flare, it was nothing compared to when the flare actually arrives! People are confused, and some quickly become violent as our heroes put their plans into action. It was pretty exciting stuff! You are willing them all to make good choices and get home safely.
How quickly would society break down? Imagine you are at work miles from home with a car that no longer works and a long walk ahead. If it happens in the morning, you might get home well ahead of dark but in this case the flare hits later and each member struggles to get home before it gets dark. Scary huh! This book is set in America so armed people wanting to steal your bike or food is a very real issue...and this series has society falling apart almost instantly. It is a pretty unnerving scenario! I personally think it would take longer for a full breakdown with mass looting and murder and rape going on, but these books are written with the worst case scenario in mind to show readers how things could go. I want to win the lottery and get a prepper compound though I'd add a nuclear bomb shelter underneath the building!
Dog watch. Tom mentions that he has a dog called Red but we don't actually see Red in this book.It's towards the end of the book that we meet Duke, the family dog for the first time. I can confirm that Duke makes it safely through book one! A new dog called Duchess is also brought to the compound as company for Duke. Feminists may object to a few comments which see Scott pleased that Joyce is submissive to him and Joyce happy to have a dominant man but it is really a few throwaway comments and nothing bad. There are a couple of minor editing issues where Scott changes his name to Mark a couple of times, but only three or four mistakes for the book that I spotted.
So do they all get home safe? Do they make it out to the compound? Read for yourself and find out! I seriously cannot wait to read on in this series and find out what happens to everyone. I rate this author as one of my top five disaster authors. I recommend this book to prepper enthusiasts, disaster/apocalypse fans.
May 13, 2014
So many of these end of time books read like a man's he-man rescue fantasy. More like jerk-off material than an examination of anything involving interpersonal relationships. More and more I feel like I am reading of the devolution of men. Ugh.
July 8, 2018
There is a lot of time given from the realization of a possible impending catastrophe to preparing for it. It was rather convenient that the main character has the final resource to build a safe place, has two great kids, a girl friend and an ex-wife and they all get along. I do find the different approaches to how to prepare fairly interesting. There were quite a few errors in the writing, punctuation problems and when Scott meets the realtor, he suddenly becomes Mark and then Scott again. I will likely read the next in the series to see how well his preparations actually work.
March 23, 2018
I’ve read many Apocalyptic novels. I loved this one. It doesn’t have gore, blood and asshole macho killers. Well, it does but it’s all vague and in the background. The beloved characters don’t all get killed. Things go well for them. I got tired of everything failing. Of course there’s more to read but so far so good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2014
Too simple.
Basic idea ok,but don't like the writing style.Too simple and cliche.Characters not fleshed out enough so couldn't really relate to them.Reminded me of highschool writings.
Basic idea ok,but don't like the writing style.Too simple and cliche.Characters not fleshed out enough so couldn't really relate to them.Reminded me of highschool writings.
May 11, 2015
Countdown to Armageddon review
Countdown to Armageddon is a post apocalyptic book written by author Darrell Maloney. It's a very good story. The lack of bloodshed is somewhat of a surprise. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Countdown to Armageddon is a post apocalyptic book written by author Darrell Maloney. It's a very good story. The lack of bloodshed is somewhat of a surprise. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
May 1, 2014
I liked the book. It held my interest. The characters were well developed. I liked the mixture of the characters too.
October 15, 2014
A lot of detail that I believe sets up the next four books. The information was good and the story was face paced enough to be enjoyable.
December 13, 2014
I enjoyed this book very much. I really like the upbeat tempo of the characters and hat even in hard times they look for the right thing to do. The author has quickly become one of my favourites.
May 11, 2015
So eye-opening!
I found this more or less realistic and enjoyable as well as thought provoking. I feel like I'm ready for this scenario just as soon as I become a multi-millionaire!
I found this more or less realistic and enjoyable as well as thought provoking. I feel like I'm ready for this scenario just as soon as I become a multi-millionaire!
February 23, 2016
Armageddon
Great book, every one should get ready now. You
Never know if that would happen now. To woke to have no light
Nothing working scary people killing people. I'd hate that
Great book, every one should get ready now. You
Never know if that would happen now. To woke to have no light
Nothing working scary people killing people. I'd hate that
June 2, 2016
Love this series
Can't wait to see what adventures in this book. Love to seethe characters as they develop and you learn who each person is.
Can't wait to see what adventures in this book. Love to seethe characters as they develop and you learn who each person is.
August 12, 2020
4 stars
A very well put together end of the world as we know it scenario. I am looking forward to book 2.
A very well put together end of the world as we know it scenario. I am looking forward to book 2.
April 2, 2017
Well wwritten
Very well written apocalyptic story. Darrell Maloney is a very talented writer of fictional apocalyptic stories. His books are both believable and entertaining.
Very well written apocalyptic story. Darrell Maloney is a very talented writer of fictional apocalyptic stories. His books are both believable and entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews