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Desolate #2
Desolate 2: Exposure
Howard Bell gains consciousness in the unlikeliest of places. He’s surrounded by lush foliage and warm tropical air. Compared to the bitter cold of the prison camp, this place seems like paradise. There’s just one little problem. He’s strapped to a stretcher on the forest floor, unable to move, and there’s nobody else around for miles. If you don’t count the dead body a few feet away, that is. As the sun sets and the bugs start to come out, Howard realizes the fight for his life has just begun.
This is book two of the Desolate series.
This book is intended to be read by adults and may be unsuitable for children under 17. Contains indecent language and descriptions of graphic violence.
Approximately 26,000 words.
This is book two of the Desolate series.
This book is intended to be read by adults and may be unsuitable for children under 17. Contains indecent language and descriptions of graphic violence.
Approximately 26,000 words.
ebook
First published July 7, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 20, 2012
Another phenomenal episode in the tale of hapless Howard "Don't call me Howie" Bell. Desolate 2 - Exposure continues the fast-paced tale of alcoholic Howard's journey home from the experimental prison camp in the Antarctic. Now stranded in the tropics, and slowly moving north, Howard must deal with his strange abdominal wound (from the first story) and the uncannily fast moving plague that is decimating everyone around him (and maybe everyone in the world).
Robert Brumm has me hooked on this great story, and now I can't wait for the next episode to be ready! Writing that keeps you on the edge of your seat with a new plot twist around every corner makes you feel so sorry for the alcoholic killer of a main character. This series will hae you hooked after the first book, and the episodes read so well and so fast that you won't be able to put them down until you finish them!
Robert Brumm has me hooked on this great story, and now I can't wait for the next episode to be ready! Writing that keeps you on the edge of your seat with a new plot twist around every corner makes you feel so sorry for the alcoholic killer of a main character. This series will hae you hooked after the first book, and the episodes read so well and so fast that you won't be able to put them down until you finish them!
July 20, 2012
Note: I would use 4 1/2 stars if I could. I did rate it 5 stars on Amazon; the difference is in the rating systems, not the book.
Howard Bell's story continues, moving from an arctic island to an inland jungle. Sadly, Howard has no memory of moving from one to the other. It ceases to matter much when he wakes up alone and must focus on survival.
Desolate was written entirely in third person POV, but Desolate 2 opens in first person POV. It was a bit distracting at first, but I thought the change improved the story. Howard is in a bit of shock, and trying to sort out what's happened. As the story progresses, it seems that whatever personality he had prior to his arrest is gone, and he's finding a post-alcohol personality in bits and pieces. He's unable to turn his back on a child in need, an accurate reflection of the past self, the self he'd rather not dwell on in the present. He's no knight in shining armor, but he's finding a basic decency within himself. He's more interesting in this book, and less like a hapless victim.
Third person POV is used to portray the other characters, and explain the events Howard has not witnessed. Since chapter breaks are used to separate the two points of view, it works well within the story. The menace portrayed is standard SF fare, developed differently with each author. This story is still very much in progress. It will be interesting to see where Robert Brumm takes the plot from here. There is room for a lot of twists and turns in the path.
This installment has less action the than the first, but more description and character development, all well written and interesting.
I enjoyed reading Desolate 2, and look forward to the next installment.
Howard Bell's story continues, moving from an arctic island to an inland jungle. Sadly, Howard has no memory of moving from one to the other. It ceases to matter much when he wakes up alone and must focus on survival.
Desolate was written entirely in third person POV, but Desolate 2 opens in first person POV. It was a bit distracting at first, but I thought the change improved the story. Howard is in a bit of shock, and trying to sort out what's happened. As the story progresses, it seems that whatever personality he had prior to his arrest is gone, and he's finding a post-alcohol personality in bits and pieces. He's unable to turn his back on a child in need, an accurate reflection of the past self, the self he'd rather not dwell on in the present. He's no knight in shining armor, but he's finding a basic decency within himself. He's more interesting in this book, and less like a hapless victim.
Third person POV is used to portray the other characters, and explain the events Howard has not witnessed. Since chapter breaks are used to separate the two points of view, it works well within the story. The menace portrayed is standard SF fare, developed differently with each author. This story is still very much in progress. It will be interesting to see where Robert Brumm takes the plot from here. There is room for a lot of twists and turns in the path.
This installment has less action the than the first, but more description and character development, all well written and interesting.
I enjoyed reading Desolate 2, and look forward to the next installment.
November 4, 2012
Just finished reading Desolate 2. What else can I say, other than I absolutely loved it! Can't wait for Desolate 3... Robert: Get busy, man! With Desolate and Desolate 2, author Robert Brumm has managed to pack a 10-pound story into a 2-pound can. Whereas Desolate is a shorter, more self-contained tale, Desolate 2 reads just as fast and will leave you hoping that Robert follows up with 3 in a quick hurry, while maintaining the quality storyline of 1 and 2. The protagonist of the story, Howard Bell, begins the series as a rather pathetic figure - someone that I had a very hard time feeling much empathy for. In Desolate 2, we find that Howard truly seems to have a good heart, and begin to understand that alcoholism and depression played a major role in that nightmare scenario that spiraled out of control and led Howard to a path of self-destruction. By the end of Desolate 2, I was in Howard's corner and anxious to see where his future lies. I also enjoy Robert's writing style. He tells the tale with a rather dry sense of humor that I personally enjoy immensely. I found myself chuckling quite a bit through Desolate 2, and am looking forward to re-reading the series when 3 comes out. If you like Alien, Predator, The Thing, and dystopian tales in general, then the Desolate series will feed your need for death, destruction, and alien creepiness. Buy it, read it, then sit back and enjoy the ride!
September 12, 2012
I found it difficult to like the main character, Howard Bell, throughout the first Desolate because of his past. It is not often that you see an author to be so bold as to have a main character such as him. None-the-less, Desolate was a great read and I was not about to pass up Desolate 2. I enjoyed it greatly and even grew to like Howard a bit, despite his sorted past. Will this poor guy EVER get a break??? I am more than willing to read on to find out! My only complaint would be that I wasn't ready for it to end when it did, and I am eager to know what happens to our not-so-beloved Howard Bell.
**Slight spoiler**
I particularly liked how the author painted the spread of disease for the reader. It was pretty darn accurate, and I have some knowledge of epidemiology, to say the least. One may think that he depicts the spread far to aggressively, but you have to consider that it is alien in nature.
**Slight spoiler**
I particularly liked how the author painted the spread of disease for the reader. It was pretty darn accurate, and I have some knowledge of epidemiology, to say the least. One may think that he depicts the spread far to aggressively, but you have to consider that it is alien in nature.
September 3, 2012
I enjoyed this. I liked the switching between the first person POV and various other third person POVs. The writing style is fun, and Howard is an interesting character. His internal banter made me laugh out loud several times, and I wondered how he was going to get out of the mess he's in. Of course, now that the story is over, I still do!
June 27, 2016
From the freezing Antarctic to the sweltering jungle, our protagonist just can't seem to catch a break. Another good story is this series from the author. I look forward to finishing it off with the next volume.
September 18, 2013
A good sequel to the story. The plot is a mixture of a spreading virus story, survivor stories and Alien. I can`t wait to see how the series is going to end.
April 30, 2013
Great segue way into the final piece of the trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews