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Countdown to Armageddon #2
After the Dust Settled
In “Countdown to Armageddon,” we met Scott Harter. There was absolutely nothing special about Scott. He was just an ordinary guy living in the suburbs with a typical family and a dog named Duke.
If anything set Scott apart from everybody else, it was his extraordinary luck. It was that luck that helped him stumble across the cryptic notes of a mysterious missing professor.
“The Mayans never said the world was going to end,” the old professor wrote. “What they actually said was that December 21, 2012 started a new era. An era they called the last period of progress.” Ugly things were on the horizon. Things that would change the world forever.
The discovery haunted Scott, and drove him to stake everything he had on building a safe place to go when disaster struck. And on the day solar storms destroyed all technology on earth, he was ready. His group of six assembled and evacuated the chaotic city of San Antonio, and moved ninety miles away. They thought they were safe. But the world was different now. And nothing was certain anymore.
Book two, “After the Dust Settled,” finds the group struggling with a new reality in a vastly changed world. Nothing about the new world was going to be easy. Despite their best planning, life keeps throwing them curveballs. Their number has grown. And some of the group has secrets they’re keeping.
The world is now a vicious and dangerous place.
The city of San Antonio is slowly dying. The once proud jewel of South Texas becomes a city of abandoned cars and piles of bones. And a plague.
But San Antonio keeps calling them back.
And each time is a dangerous new adventure.
If anything set Scott apart from everybody else, it was his extraordinary luck. It was that luck that helped him stumble across the cryptic notes of a mysterious missing professor.
“The Mayans never said the world was going to end,” the old professor wrote. “What they actually said was that December 21, 2012 started a new era. An era they called the last period of progress.” Ugly things were on the horizon. Things that would change the world forever.
The discovery haunted Scott, and drove him to stake everything he had on building a safe place to go when disaster struck. And on the day solar storms destroyed all technology on earth, he was ready. His group of six assembled and evacuated the chaotic city of San Antonio, and moved ninety miles away. They thought they were safe. But the world was different now. And nothing was certain anymore.
Book two, “After the Dust Settled,” finds the group struggling with a new reality in a vastly changed world. Nothing about the new world was going to be easy. Despite their best planning, life keeps throwing them curveballs. Their number has grown. And some of the group has secrets they’re keeping.
The world is now a vicious and dangerous place.
The city of San Antonio is slowly dying. The once proud jewel of South Texas becomes a city of abandoned cars and piles of bones. And a plague.
But San Antonio keeps calling them back.
And each time is a dangerous new adventure.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2014
94 people are currently reading
35 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 18, 2020
The group are relieved to have made it safely to the compound without incident but now the work has to begin. Security cameras must be set up, security watches established, seeds planted in the fields, getting the rabbits breeding for food, and unpacking all the equipment that they had protected from the solar flare. It is hard work but it needs to be done before refugees start heading their way from San Antonio when the food supplies run out. Everyone is expected to pitch in and do their bit to get the compound fully functional and protected.
Scott is concerned about their neighbour Tom living on his own at his farm and tries to persuade him to come and live in the safety of the compound with the group. Tom is reluctant to give up his independence but a run in with some bad guys while he is on a supply run could change matters. Scott also makes contact with a cop in San Antonio and tries to help John with advice on how to get some of the cars up and running again, allowing John and his fellow officers to start getting some law and order back onto the streets again. John's group are struggling to provide food for all the survivors in the city and Scott wants to grow an extra crop to send to his new friend but getting the food to them could mean a dangerous supply run into the city which could put them at risk.
Another problem is soon about to hit San Antonio and cause problems for John's group and his attempts to get the city back on it's feet. The high number of dead bodies in the streets and houses makes it hard to safely dispose of them. Now disease is starting to claim the lives of survivors and medicine is becoming hard to come by. Tom knows of a pharmacy in a nearby town and decides to go on a one man mission to try and trade food for medicine but will the people in the town decide to shoot first and ask questions later or could this be a new set of allies? And if Tom can get the medicine, how is he going to get it safely to San Antonio when more and more people are moving out of the city looking for food and supplies? The prospect of two dangerous trips out of the compound has everyone on edge.
Things at the compound fall into a routine but nothing was ever going to be easy. The work on the crop planting and harvesting is backbreaking as it has to mostly be done by hand, and everyone is suffering. Jordan decides to break the rules and his parent's trust by sleeping with Sara when their attention is elsewhere. Linda and Tom develop their own relationship while Zach moans that he is the only one without a partner. Sara decides it is time to tell everyone her secret after Scott and Tom decide to try and look for her parents to bring them back to the compound. However it is the other secret that she now has which is going to be more difficult to deal with and help may be required.
On the dog side of things, Duke arrives at the compound with his human family to discover that he now has Duchess for company and it isn't long before puppies are on the agenda. I can confirm that Duke and Duchess and their puppies all survive this book, safe and healthy. Tom's dog also survives the book ok though his name has changed from Red in book one, to Blue in book two which is a bit annoying!
Overall this was another solid story as the group settle down into their new routine and deal with a few teething problems. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next to all of the characters and I hope the dogs continue to be safe!
Scott is concerned about their neighbour Tom living on his own at his farm and tries to persuade him to come and live in the safety of the compound with the group. Tom is reluctant to give up his independence but a run in with some bad guys while he is on a supply run could change matters. Scott also makes contact with a cop in San Antonio and tries to help John with advice on how to get some of the cars up and running again, allowing John and his fellow officers to start getting some law and order back onto the streets again. John's group are struggling to provide food for all the survivors in the city and Scott wants to grow an extra crop to send to his new friend but getting the food to them could mean a dangerous supply run into the city which could put them at risk.
Another problem is soon about to hit San Antonio and cause problems for John's group and his attempts to get the city back on it's feet. The high number of dead bodies in the streets and houses makes it hard to safely dispose of them. Now disease is starting to claim the lives of survivors and medicine is becoming hard to come by. Tom knows of a pharmacy in a nearby town and decides to go on a one man mission to try and trade food for medicine but will the people in the town decide to shoot first and ask questions later or could this be a new set of allies? And if Tom can get the medicine, how is he going to get it safely to San Antonio when more and more people are moving out of the city looking for food and supplies? The prospect of two dangerous trips out of the compound has everyone on edge.
Things at the compound fall into a routine but nothing was ever going to be easy. The work on the crop planting and harvesting is backbreaking as it has to mostly be done by hand, and everyone is suffering. Jordan decides to break the rules and his parent's trust by sleeping with Sara when their attention is elsewhere. Linda and Tom develop their own relationship while Zach moans that he is the only one without a partner. Sara decides it is time to tell everyone her secret after Scott and Tom decide to try and look for her parents to bring them back to the compound. However it is the other secret that she now has which is going to be more difficult to deal with and help may be required.
On the dog side of things, Duke arrives at the compound with his human family to discover that he now has Duchess for company and it isn't long before puppies are on the agenda. I can confirm that Duke and Duchess and their puppies all survive this book, safe and healthy. Tom's dog also survives the book ok though his name has changed from Red in book one, to Blue in book two which is a bit annoying!
Overall this was another solid story as the group settle down into their new routine and deal with a few teething problems. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next to all of the characters and I hope the dogs continue to be safe!
July 12, 2018
This was a decent sequel to the first book. There are quite a few writing errors in the book, something that a decent editor could have fixed. There were many in the first book too, but this did not improve in that regard. There are some periods of lag in the story, especially when explaining how to manage without electricity etc, though I find those informative and somewhat interesting. The strength of the book is the characters. They all bring something to the group's survival, even the younger members. I like the addition of Tom and also the contact with the San Antonio policeman. The farm is so isolated we would not get a sense for what is happening beyond it without that contact. There is a major cliffhanger at the end so the next book should start in an exciting fashion.
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April 7, 2021Why is this book set in San Antonio, Tx?
Maybe the author got Texas mixed up with Colorado? San Antonio, Texas does not have mountains. It does not get cold enough for the ground to freeze in the winter. Apples do not grow in South Texas (see above comment).
Maybe the author got Texas mixed up with Colorado? San Antonio, Texas does not have mountains. It does not get cold enough for the ground to freeze in the winter. Apples do not grow in South Texas (see above comment).
April 26, 2015
Good read
I continue to enjoy Mr Maloney's stories. It is refreshing to read them just because they are mostly positive. Not the whole story mind you, but the price are positive and willing to help if needed. At least someone believes we could keep our humanity even at the end of the world.
I continue to enjoy Mr Maloney's stories. It is refreshing to read them just because they are mostly positive. Not the whole story mind you, but the price are positive and willing to help if needed. At least someone believes we could keep our humanity even at the end of the world.
April 11, 2015
I really like this series.
I really like this series. It is a good easy read. I like the characters too. It is also a bit more hope inspiring compared to some other Armageddon type books.
I really like this series. It is a good easy read. I like the characters too. It is also a bit more hope inspiring compared to some other Armageddon type books.
May 11, 2015
After The Dust Settled review
Book two in the Countdown to Armageddon series written by author Darrell Maloney continues a fast paced story about how a family survives in a post apocalyptic world.
Book two in the Countdown to Armageddon series written by author Darrell Maloney continues a fast paced story about how a family survives in a post apocalyptic world.
October 17, 2014
heck of a cliff hanger, so glad book 4 is ready and waiting. This series just gets better as it goes.
June 3, 2016
Good book
...... .... ... .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... ... . . Enjoyed this book can't wait to read the next one.
...... .... ... .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... ... . . Enjoyed this book can't wait to read the next one.
April 2, 2017
Great story
You will love th e characters and the storyline. If you haven't read the first book in the series the step back and read that one.
You will love th e characters and the storyline. If you haven't read the first book in the series the step back and read that one.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews