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600 Miles
Civilization in America is over. Braving the desert wastes is a lone wanderer, his destination: the legendary ruins of Los Angeles, a place from which few have ever returned. Joined by a mysterious gunslinger, a hook-wielding Mexican warrior and a spirited Southern gal, the crumbling city eventually reveals to him not only his destiny, but the true nature of humankind.
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First published August 10, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 30, 2018
A decent story set in post-apocalyptic USA. It is told in first person, which means the grammatical "errors" are probably intentional. I feel it does a good job of describing what life is like in this kill-or-be-killed world, where no one is safe and few people can be trusted.
Worth a read if you like the genre.
Worth a read if you like the genre.
November 11, 2018
600 Miles was a book that I found both interesting and not all at the same time. The book is fairly easy to read even though the narration of our protagonist may grate on some who prefer proper grammar. The book also provides a believable atmosphere. One where the world is in ruins and the few people left are simply trying to survive. Of those people even fewer are able to be trusted. It's a world where you can only really trust yourself.
Even with these though, the book feels like it lacks purpose. There is the dream of going to Lost Angeles and the eventual journey there, but there is only a minimal reason for this. Also the protagonist, Elgin, feels like he would have been a supporting character in any other story. One who tends to run more than fight, isn't the brightest, and can only hold his own up to a point. He's a good enough guy for this world, but he just doesn't seem up to the task. Maybe that's the point of it all. To explore how a normal person would get by in this kind of brutal world. How such a world just can't sustain the hopes and dreams of a normal person. How any happiness that can be found is worth holding onto and not worth giving up for the hope of something better elsewhere.
So overall, I would say that it was an average kind of book. It's a quick and easy read and provides a different angle to approach a post-apocalyptic setting. However, in taking that different angle, the book kind of lacks purpose. It just kind of feels like you leave the protagonist right where you found him and I'm not sure how much he even really develops in the process.
Even with these though, the book feels like it lacks purpose. There is the dream of going to Lost Angeles and the eventual journey there, but there is only a minimal reason for this. Also the protagonist, Elgin, feels like he would have been a supporting character in any other story. One who tends to run more than fight, isn't the brightest, and can only hold his own up to a point. He's a good enough guy for this world, but he just doesn't seem up to the task. Maybe that's the point of it all. To explore how a normal person would get by in this kind of brutal world. How such a world just can't sustain the hopes and dreams of a normal person. How any happiness that can be found is worth holding onto and not worth giving up for the hope of something better elsewhere.
So overall, I would say that it was an average kind of book. It's a quick and easy read and provides a different angle to approach a post-apocalyptic setting. However, in taking that different angle, the book kind of lacks purpose. It just kind of feels like you leave the protagonist right where you found him and I'm not sure how much he even really develops in the process.
December 30, 2017
A short post apocalyptic novel. One of a trilogy which would have been preferable as one complete paperback rather than three individual paperbacks. A definite positive was no living dead. As far as such stories going it was average. Not good enough to tempt me to buy the next two in the series.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
January 2, 2020
Good writing but very grim portrayal.
January 10, 2022
It was good but not great. Reminded me of a cross between "The Postman" and "The Road". However, both those movies were better than this book. A bit disappointing.
September 7, 2013
Elgin is the narrator in 600 Miles and he is on a journey from Arizona to California hoping to take in the city of Los Angeles in the process and his main problem is that he is walking there because the story is set several decades into the future in a world of complete chaos. The cause of the apocalypse is hinted at and appears to have been all out war between the state and the people but this all happened years ago; Elgin only knows a hand to mouth existence in a world which has sunk to basest depravity and his frequent dispassionate observations of “skellies” tells you how bad things are.
The story is Elgin’s life over the several months of his journey; the places he passes through; the people he meets. It is a love story in the most unlikely of circumstances and an exploration of Elgin’s personality as he tries to cope with the tribulations and challenges of survival. The story is full of unexpected developments and at times is tense, exciting and shocking. It is a well written novel but what I thought was exceptionally good was the way Elgin’s voice comes through with a slow deliberation resonant of a time much earlier than the Armageddon.
The ending of the book is, I suspect, deliberately vague and lends itself to a sequel which I for one would be quick to download.
The story is Elgin’s life over the several months of his journey; the places he passes through; the people he meets. It is a love story in the most unlikely of circumstances and an exploration of Elgin’s personality as he tries to cope with the tribulations and challenges of survival. The story is full of unexpected developments and at times is tense, exciting and shocking. It is a well written novel but what I thought was exceptionally good was the way Elgin’s voice comes through with a slow deliberation resonant of a time much earlier than the Armageddon.
The ending of the book is, I suspect, deliberately vague and lends itself to a sequel which I for one would be quick to download.
June 20, 2015
I loved this book. One of the best post-apocalyptic stories I've read. We weren't told, and didn't need to know the original cause of the devastation, beyond a general reference to the fighting, because this story took place a very long time past the death of civilisation. It was a world of survivors, struggling to make something out of lives that had no meaning. I loved the fact that the protagonist was an ordinary man, not particularly brave, not particularly clever, but somehow managing to get through the trials that beset him, accepting the good times for the brief dream they represented and then just going on. It was a poignant homage, I thought, to the indomitable spirit of man, keeping going despite the odds against him.
It hooked me from the off and kept me riveted. The title just about says it all. 600 miles of life and still going nowhere.
It hooked me from the off and kept me riveted. The title just about says it all. 600 miles of life and still going nowhere.
April 3, 2015
600 miles was a free download. It takes place in a post apocalyptic United States. The main character has a dream to go to "Lost Angeles" and see the ocean. At first the dialogue was a little grating and hard to follow but within a dozen pages the author either toned it down or I got use to it. The book kept my attention and I read it in two days.
I did not understand the ending and even after going back and rereading the last scenes of the book I still did not get it. Was it a cliff hanger or dream? I'm not sure.
I did not understand the ending and even after going back and rereading the last scenes of the book I still did not get it. Was it a cliff hanger or dream? I'm not sure.
January 20, 2016
600 Miles: A Post-Apocalyptic Adventure
A Post Apocalyptic story that is a THRILLER , Mystery and best of all a WESTERN Saga. This story takes you way past the times of ZOMBIES. Just a lot of survivors that are really scratching to survive. The expression. " dog eats dog " comes to mind only there are still the differences of " man eating man " . People forced to do what ever to survive. .People who are hungry for not just water and food , but also just the gift of companionship. This is a moving tale that will be enjoyed by all ages. I RECOMMEND!
A Post Apocalyptic story that is a THRILLER , Mystery and best of all a WESTERN Saga. This story takes you way past the times of ZOMBIES. Just a lot of survivors that are really scratching to survive. The expression. " dog eats dog " comes to mind only there are still the differences of " man eating man " . People forced to do what ever to survive. .People who are hungry for not just water and food , but also just the gift of companionship. This is a moving tale that will be enjoyed by all ages. I RECOMMEND!
June 30, 2014
Some of these apocalypse style books stay with you and some are just ok. I liked this one but it falls into my latter category. I would not rush out to grab this author's next book but I wouldn't turn it down either.
Nothing really new in the genre.
Nothing really new in the genre.
February 3, 2016
Fairly well written, but the ending confused me a bit.
It looked like the author was headed for a twist, but got a little lost on the way.
It looked like the author was headed for a twist, but got a little lost on the way.
June 9, 2015
Very good book.
April 13, 2016
disappointing and predictable
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews