Menotomy: After the Storm, Book 1

After the Storm #1

by Don Chase

The world as we know it is no more. A giant meteor hit the US five years ago, turning a good portion of it into a desolate wasteland. Between the meteor, the nuclear winter that followed and the rioting, it wiped out almost 95 percent of the population. The government went into hiding and left the remaining population to fend for itself for over two years.

Almost three years after the “storm”, the government came out of their bunkers, the leadership had changed drastically though. The men who had run the country before have since died and the man in charge is not suited, nor does he necessarily want the job of president but he was in the line of succession and thusly they look to him for leadership. Leadership is in no way his strong suit. Five years after the “storm” and the remaining populace have had to fight just to survive. Many have lost their lives in the subsequent days and those that remain, stand together and take care of each other. “Clans” have formed where there used to be towns and they are governed by a clan “head” or “chief”.

Duncan Mackenzie is one of these clan heads in a small town just outside what’s left of Boston, Massachusetts. He and his men find food, water and supplies to keep the rest of the 1000 plus members of his clan alive, anyway they can. This includes foraging, bartering with other clans or if they have to, stealing it from what remains of the old government. Now, the military has been ordered to get the clans back under control, and they’ve sent a new commander to get the job done. After his predecessor's failure to reign in the clans the new CO Colonel Jacobson decides to take more dramatic measures. As if surviving in a world with little fresh water or food wasn’t hard enough, the remaining populace has to now deal with a tyrannical government trying to regain its long-lost control.

This is the first in a series of stories following Duncan Mackenzie and his clan as they struggle to survive and fight to hold onto their freedom.

Genres: Post Apocalyptic, Apocalyptic, Adventure

Audible Audio

First published December 12, 2011

Reviews

[Rodney Kleeberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading After the Storm and can't wait for future books in the series. Plenty of action and a very good story. It follows the story of the leader Duncan and what he must go through to keep what were once his neighbors but now his followers alive. Sometimes this does not come without its problems, struggles and loss. Worth reading.

[Apocalyptic Fiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

An asteroid collision has destroyed civilization as we know it, killing 95% of the world’s population in Don Chase’s post apocalyptic novel After the Storm Book One: Menotomy. A group of survivors, at its core lifelong friends, have built an organized cooperative of sorts in the rubble of the Boston suburb, Arlington, Massachusetts (Menotomy). While the Boston area has escaped complete physical destruction due to the location of the asteroid strikes, it has been decimated by the complete collapse of economic, social and civil structure. Additionally, the world has gone into a nuclear winter caused by the massive amount of debris that was released into the atmosphere after the meteor collision. The group of survivors or “clan” as they are referred to in this post apocalyptic novel, has built their headquarters out of an abandoned strip mall. Duncan Mackenzie or “Mack” as he is most often referred, has been reluctantly cast as the leader of this small suburban Boston clan. Mack has more than his fair share of problems in this new world. Of course, food, water, fuel and medical supplies are always in very short supply but a new complication arises as the remnants of the US Army, ruled by a non-elected, ethically challenged government, comes up from their bunkers and tries to reestablish control over the population.

Given such a dire post apocalyptic setting, the characters in After the Storm relate in a refreshingly jovial manner, “busting balls”, as longtime friends are prone to doing. Under extraordinary amounts of stress, we see how close friendships, community support and comradely are essential in the survival and well-being of everyone in this tight-knit group. The development and continuation of meaningful, substantial relationships becomes the source of strength for the entire community. As long as one doesn’t get hung up on some of the minor technical details that could upset some hard-core prepper types, such as the reliance on gasoline without mention of its limited life span, After the Storm is a very enjoyable book. The story is continuously refreshed through the often times hilarious dialogue between regular folks. After the Storm is different from many apocalyptic novels. Instead of focusing on endless scientific and technical details, it primarily focuses on the relationships that would sustain survival. After all, meaningful relationships are what would make survival worthwhile in the first place. It is a point well taken by this reader.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the Storm book 1

Great Apocalypse story. The story begins 5 years after Earth is hit with a meteor. I really enjoyed the authors writing style, it felt like a friend telling the tale. Loved the characters and the way they teased and joked with each other. Looking forward to reading book 2.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in the After the Storm series is a breath of fresh air. It is set in post apocalyptic Boston and has the best elements of dystopian literature. Chase has found a way to turn his narrative into a conversation. Instead of a traditional narrator, who in this case could sound antiquated while looking back on the story, what this book has is a conversational tone that transports you into Chase's own space where he is sitting across from you, telling the story over some coffee or a beer. You are being talked to, not talked at. The reader is engaged as an equal, a long lost friend from before the storm (so to speak).

I read the previous reviews and while there are certainly areas Chase can improve (please note this is written based on the version before the most recent edit), I think he has really created a wonderful cast of characters that are believable and easy to relate to-I feel like I've know Mack, Drake, Chris, Anne, George, and the rest of the focal characters for years. I think he struck gold with his characterization of grief with the character Amanda and her mother-in law. These characters get maybe a page of the story but the raw emotion portrayed is lasting and beautiful.

Chase has created an amazing world filled with all the components that make a story great: struggle, need, friendship, large enemies, and love. He has woven a tapestry of day to day life in this new world that makes the reader wish the meteor struck yesterday and they could find their way to the Boston area.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid first book. I'm not a big first person book person, but I really enjoyed the story and the premise (although its a bit slow in the middle). The characters are engaging and I like generally like stories of survivial so it was something right in my wheel house. If you like the same kind of books I'd recomend this.