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Blake Summers Tribes
BLAKE SUMMERS TRIBES is the story of mankind's reaction to what the world named The Reckoning. A single devastating event which changed the way we all lived and survived forever.
Blake Summers must try and overcome the Tribes and savage gangs that stand in his way.
Will he survive? Or will he be another victim to this dark and new barren world?
Et erit robustus . . .
Blake Summers must try and overcome the Tribes and savage gangs that stand in his way.
Will he survive? Or will he be another victim to this dark and new barren world?
Et erit robustus . . .
219 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 9, 2014
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 24, 2014
Entertaining but Flawed
Since discovering SF in my teens, I've always had a fondness for post-apocalyptic stories - be they the 'cosy catastrophes' of John Wyndham or the high octane thrill rides of Mad Max. So it was that I came to Tribes with a great deal of interest and no little excitement. So, did Tribes live up to my expectations?
For the most part it did.
Best and Richards have created a future that is chilling and believable. Although I've never visited the Newcastle area, their world building is enough to allow the imagination to fill in the gaps. Take a look around the more derelict areas of your home town and you can see how the world could easily slip into the one chronicled in Tribes. In some ways, this is the essence of good PA fiction - being able to see how the world of today could become that of the story with no more than a simple nudge.
The choice of first-person-present narration is an interesting one. It is a style that I am still undecided about and a difficult one to get right. In this case, the choice adds immediacy and a visceral quality to the unfolding story, sucking you into the narrative and refusing to let go. It allows the authors to move from melancholy or maudlin to fast paced action with the experience jarring the reader too much.
On the whole, the novel is well paced and, in many places, minimalist. By focusing on the character of Blake Summers, it allows the prose to keep to the point without the superfluous padding that can mar some tales. The plot is everything and every word is focused upon driving the story forward.
However, plot is not everything and the plot takes centre stage at the expense of character. While realising this is the first instalment in a series (and that characters can, and hopefully will, develop as the story arc moves on) there are times when a little more emphasis on character would reap a great reward. Probably my biggest bug-bear is the character of Meatcleaver. I'm sorry to say that, for the most part, he is a little too stereotypical of this kind of novel. While reading any scenes he appeared in, I just could not rid myself of a mental image of Isaac Hayes as the Duke in Escape From New York. There were many occasions when I could not help thinking that the character traits given to Grimm - the educated men forced to act in a barbaric manner through circumstance - might have suited Meatcleaver better. Similarly, the majority of the supporting cast also seemed to be stock characters. While in most cases, there is room for them to grow and develop as the series progresses. However, the character of Yakov is a little too much of a stock heavy. A little light and shade could have turned him into a truly memorable villain.
Finally we come to the character of Blake Summers. Too little is revealed about him from before The Reckoning. As such, something is lacking. A few more flashbacks, a greater sense of the man that he was, would have given the journey he is on much more of an emotional impact.
However, none of the above criticisms detract from what is an immensely readable and entertaining story. They simply prevent a good novel becoming a great one.
Since discovering SF in my teens, I've always had a fondness for post-apocalyptic stories - be they the 'cosy catastrophes' of John Wyndham or the high octane thrill rides of Mad Max. So it was that I came to Tribes with a great deal of interest and no little excitement. So, did Tribes live up to my expectations?
For the most part it did.
Best and Richards have created a future that is chilling and believable. Although I've never visited the Newcastle area, their world building is enough to allow the imagination to fill in the gaps. Take a look around the more derelict areas of your home town and you can see how the world could easily slip into the one chronicled in Tribes. In some ways, this is the essence of good PA fiction - being able to see how the world of today could become that of the story with no more than a simple nudge.
The choice of first-person-present narration is an interesting one. It is a style that I am still undecided about and a difficult one to get right. In this case, the choice adds immediacy and a visceral quality to the unfolding story, sucking you into the narrative and refusing to let go. It allows the authors to move from melancholy or maudlin to fast paced action with the experience jarring the reader too much.
On the whole, the novel is well paced and, in many places, minimalist. By focusing on the character of Blake Summers, it allows the prose to keep to the point without the superfluous padding that can mar some tales. The plot is everything and every word is focused upon driving the story forward.
However, plot is not everything and the plot takes centre stage at the expense of character. While realising this is the first instalment in a series (and that characters can, and hopefully will, develop as the story arc moves on) there are times when a little more emphasis on character would reap a great reward. Probably my biggest bug-bear is the character of Meatcleaver. I'm sorry to say that, for the most part, he is a little too stereotypical of this kind of novel. While reading any scenes he appeared in, I just could not rid myself of a mental image of Isaac Hayes as the Duke in Escape From New York. There were many occasions when I could not help thinking that the character traits given to Grimm - the educated men forced to act in a barbaric manner through circumstance - might have suited Meatcleaver better. Similarly, the majority of the supporting cast also seemed to be stock characters. While in most cases, there is room for them to grow and develop as the series progresses. However, the character of Yakov is a little too much of a stock heavy. A little light and shade could have turned him into a truly memorable villain.
Finally we come to the character of Blake Summers. Too little is revealed about him from before The Reckoning. As such, something is lacking. A few more flashbacks, a greater sense of the man that he was, would have given the journey he is on much more of an emotional impact.
However, none of the above criticisms detract from what is an immensely readable and entertaining story. They simply prevent a good novel becoming a great one.
September 23, 2014
Set in the near future.
Blake Summers has survived the total collapse of society. A series of destructive events known as the 'Reckoning' caused the end to the world as we know it. Seven years later, one man rises up with his faithful dog to challenge the tribes and to keep safe all that is valuable and important to him.
A highly recommended read.
Blake Summers has survived the total collapse of society. A series of destructive events known as the 'Reckoning' caused the end to the world as we know it. Seven years later, one man rises up with his faithful dog to challenge the tribes and to keep safe all that is valuable and important to him.
A highly recommended read.
October 26, 2014
This is a brilliant story, I loved reading every word, couldn't put it down, once I started to read it. There is a lot of heartbreak and sadness, and a lot of bravery for Blake Summers, and some nasty people he meets on the way, but does he get through it. well you will have to buy the book to find out I can't wait for book 2 R M Steiger
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews