After the Winter

The Silent Earth #1

by Mark R. Healy

The Earth is in ruins. Cities and nations destroyed. Those who survive the onslaught succumb to the cold blackness of winter. A handful of machines finally emerge into the light, lost and directionless. They are the last remnants of civilisation.

Brant is a synthetic - a machine who has the appearance and emotions of the humans who made him. He is hunted across the wasteland by cruel scavengers known as Marauders who are intent on cannibalising his body to prolong their own lives.

Brant carries a great burden as he tries to return home: a secret that can change the world. Against the unforgiving desert, the twisted denizens of this new world and his own dark past he needs to find a way back at any cost.

Genres: Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Dystopia, Apocalyptic, Amazon, Fantasy

300 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2014

About the author

Mark R. Healy is an author and musician from Brisbane, Australia. From an early age he loved to create, and often assembled his own illustrated books with accompanying stories - and then forced his parents to buy them.

Unfortunately this model was not scalable and Mark now seeks to promote his works to a wider audience.

Mark has also combined his storytelling prowess with music, creating a project called ‘Hibernal’ through which he interweaves original sci-fi stories with his own music to create an immersive theatrical experience for the listener. Combined with a professional voice cast and sound effects, these “audio movies” are available online through iTunes, Bandcamp and Amazon under the name ‘Hibernal’.

Reviews

[Mike Billington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long been a fan of science fiction/post apocalyptic novels but, sadly, I haven't found many books recently that can stand up to any real scrutiny.
To be blunt, this genre has been flooded with some pretty awful stories in the past few years: Stories that lack any real imagination. Basically, they boil down to a simple formula - something bad happened, the world ground to a halt, the humans must now fight to survive, blah, blah, blah.
"After the Winter" isn't like that.
Not at all.
To begin with, there aren't any humans left in Mark R. Healy's end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it novel.
They all died leaving behind a world populated solely by androids.
And not all of them are good.
We meet the main character, Brant, as he (it?) is fleeing across a wasteland trying to escape from a band of Marauders - think of them as a sort of really nasty post-apocalyptic android bikers - who want to harvest his parts to prolong their own lives. We gradually learn that he is in this predicament because he has been trying to lead the Marauders away from a secret laboratory wherein he and another android have been keeping watch over human embryos and seeds that can be - at some point in the future - used to repopulate and replant the ruined Earth. He has been running from them for a year and it hasn't been easy... in fact, he's suffered some damage and might not be up to the task of, eventually, making his way back home.
What set "After the Winter" apart from a lot of pretty weak efforts in this genre is the fact that the androids have been imprinted with a full range of human emotions. Many of them were made to be soldiers, some to fulfill other duties (construction workers and the like) and they can easily pass for humans in many situations. This allows Healy to inject some very poignant scenes into his book, including one in which Brant discovers a couple of "wards," androids that were made to resemble children for couples that were childless.
What also set this novel apart for me is the fact that Brant is not a typical, selfless hero. He has some serious issues; he worries a lot, he gets frustrated easily, and he gets reckless at times - a trait that almost gets him disassembled more than once. He has, at some point, lost touch with the reality of life on the planet and although he is coping, he doesn't always cope well.
"After the Winter" is crammed with adventure, as it should be in a world that is pretty harsh by any standard of measure. It also, however, explores some very interesting issues: The value of loyalty; the bonds of friendship and to what lengths they can be stretched before they snap; the primal urge to survive even the most cruel situations; the need for "society" and cooperative behavior if it is to have any chance to function. These issues are explored through a variety of situations that Brant finds himself in and Healy does a very nice job of doing so.
The characters he creates are also memorable. Max, a ruined soldier android; the "wards" Mish and Ellinan and others were finely drawn. I didn't always like Brant - he seemed a little whiny to me at times - but that helped to add to the narrative. I always, however, liked Arsha - the other android charged with preserving the embryos and seeds. Left alone as Brant charges about the wasteland, she is faithful to her duties although she had been left not just alone but lonely. She, to me, is a true heroine.
This is an excellent start to a series and a book that I very much enjoyed. It is well plotted, well written and gives the reader not just a good adventure but also some things to think about.

[Angela]

24 November 2015: $0.00 FREE on Kindle

2 July 2015: $0.00 FREE on Kindle
26 December 2014: $0.00 FREE on Kindle

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting

I found this to be a very interesting book. It pulled me in right from the start and the revelation towards the end was definitely one I did not see coming but certainly explained a few things from earlier on. I look forward to seeing where this series is going

[Yancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most well written books I've ever read. This author has the distinction of being one of only two that has ever made me openly weep at the passing of a character. The other was Flowers for Algernon.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked this one! The concept was interesting and there were good little twists to it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say this book grew on me. By the time I got to the halfway point, I was thinking that it would have made a great serialized story. Like the ones they used to put in the SF magazines. at about the three quarters mark however, the book took a turn from being a solid series of adventures, to more of a vision quest story, and it could really have been split at that point. While the writing of this second story was still decent, it is not as solid as the adventure portion of the story. I would buy more of the adventure story, and I hope more of the series is in that vein.

[Nicki White · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of this book has so much going for it. But the over descriptive writing style is too much. The story was so drug out due to describing every single last detail. While I enjoy detail in books sometimes it can be too much and in this case is was. It is well written though. The words do flow. But when you read 3 pages of how to describe the wastelands for the 13th time it's a bit redundant.

[Kristina Trawick · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the winter..... Great read

Insightful, thought provoking, and sometimes heartbreaking, wonderful story about one man's journey to start anew after humanity wipes itself out. Can't wait to dig into book two.

[mj · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

Loved this book, very well written. He made you feel what the character felt. Definitely want to read the next book. Please keep writing. You are good.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

Pretty good for a first book, a decent new look at what could bring about a apocalypse and what could survive it.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this trilogy... only marred by the fact that the synthetics could cry, despite not being able to drink

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking but well-written and thought-provoking story.

[Kirundo · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a nice plot twist is all I say ;)

[Eddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly goos

A bit like The Road, but with a twist. Hoping the next two volumes are just as good. Highly recommended.

[Terry Mcmullen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got bored. Not enough interesting things happening.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[John Bittel · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the Winter by Mark R Healy is a solid first book. It is well written and entertaining .

[John Love IV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good

Wasn't sure starting out that I'd like this but I really ended up enjoying it. Good characters, plot, and overall writing. I'll be looking for the next ones.

[Kathryn Svendsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this post-apocalyptic novel Brant is wandering the desert on his way back to M-Corp where his partner Arsha is stationed after having left in her order to lead the marauders away and protect the project he and his partner were working on. At M-Corp are stored frozen human and animal embryos, seeds of all kinds, everything to repopulate the earth again. Brant and Arsha are the caretakers who will begin the process once the nuclear winter is over.

At this time in the future there are no humans left on the planet as they have all died out due to the holocaust caused by the nuclear war that the humans rained down on each other sending the world into a nuclear winter where every living thing died. The only thing still “living” are the artificial life creations that man made – synthetics. Brant is a synthetic who has had the human essence of a scientist downloaded into him. All he wants now is to be uploaded back into his human body.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns this story took. Whether or not the scientists of the day were able to download the human mind into an artificial body was an interesting concept to contemplate. One of the things that keeps Brant going is the memory of his son Zade of whom he carries a picture in his pocket.

We discover a lot about Brant as he travel continually west heading toward M Corp, trying to stay out of sight of the Marauders. Through a number of plot twists he meets a few other clanks (synthetics) who have managed to eke out a living for themselves. Some he tries to help and some he realizes are better off if he leaves them where they are.

Brant believes he’s been gone from M-Corp for a year and is amazed to see the regrowth of the weeds and plants that he has begun to notice on his journey. However, when he talks to Arsha, he discovers he has actually been gone 10 years, not 1.

Devastating plot twists occur sending Brant into an emotional tailspin and he runs off desperate, devastated and depressed, contemplating suicide. While out there he discovers one of the clanks he ran into earlier who since he saw him last has committed suicide. Brant grieves and weeps for his friend. These events cause Brant to understand what his human creators have done and further his understanding into his own purpose.

There were a moderate number of swear words in After the Winter including the f-bomb. I deducted a star for this as I did not feel this kind of language was really necessary or even added anything to the book. I personally would have enjoyed the book much more had that language not been used.

The story flowed at a smooth and rapid pace. It was easy to follow and very enjoyable. I liked that at the beginning the reader has no idea of who Brant is until he is slowly revealed. The book was written from Brant’s point of view.

If you enjoy post-apocalyptic literature, I think you will like After the Winter. I rated it three stars (it would have been 4 had it not been for the language) out of 5.

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

To see my complete review visit Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogs...

[Anna Beack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Healy wrote a book series about a sky elevator that I ate up in a matter of a couple of weeks. I very much enjoyed his writing style and his imagery and was beyond excited to see he had begun with another post apocalyptic series, The Silent Earth.

After the Winter starts out with protagonist Brant seeking out cover in an obviously decrepit unnamed city from a sand storm quickly closing in on him. His search proves fruitful but not without a stumble that leaves him without a brush he desperately needs from the satchel he carries at his side with various items to survive. As Brant enters the abandoned city, he find shelter is a long forgotten apartment and upon further inspection, finds a toothbrush and begins to work on brushing sand out from a gaping wound in his leg. See, Brant is a "clank" or a synthetic human being and one of the very few left intact and alive in the husk that was the world. In an effort to prove who had the bigger guns, technology dependent humanity destroyed society and created ash clouds covering the sun for decades and sending themselves into a time know as the Winter where cold and lack of food killed off any remaining life. The world now belongs to synthetics and to the Marauders; rogue clanks who are intent on bringing technology alive and destroying anything in their path.

After the storm, Brant decides to keep moving in an effort to avoid the Marauders he has been evading for over a year throughout the wasteland. As he stumbles around rubble and ruin, Brant stumbles upon the body of a clank laying among fallen concrete. Left with nothing more than a few fingers, half a face, and the equivalent of a single leg, Brant assumes the poor thing had a miserable death and proceeds to try and move the body as to not give the Marauders any sort of extra materials. As he reaches to move the body, a hand shoves him back and what ensues is a less than friendly banter from still alive clank named Max.

Through the destruction of a common enemy, Max and Brant form an unlikely sort of friendship that proves just how devastating and destructive life after life truly has become. Brant's past comes to light and his desperation to complete his mission ultimately tears the 2 apart sending Brant back home as he narrowly avoids his own demise and discovering a new group of allies...and even more secrets.

After the Winter was an engaging and exciting story that at times was heart thumping. 3/4 of the way through, I admit that I was bored. I couldn't see the storyline becoming anything more than it was and even found myself angry that Max's line didn't pan out how I had hoped BUT the final 1/4 was not expected. What you THINK it's happening is really not. It throws a good Sixth Sense curve ball that had me begging for more. Mr. Healy has done yet another fabulous job! I highly recommend.

[Andreea Pausan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift after winning a Goodreads give-away. It feels like a classic distopia: in the future, people have killed each other using atomic bombs. The few human survivors died in the atomic winter that followed, together with plants and animals, leaving everything to ruin and desert. The only creatures still moving are synthetics (clanks), human-like robots built for labor (from soldiering to gardening). We share the journey with one of them, Brant, who claims to carry the memories of the human geneticist. He wants to go back home, to a lab in a city, but it is chased by Marauders (scavengers who hunt synthetics for body parts), thus being forced to make a detour. On his journey, he meets other clanks, remembers his family and the destruction that followed, is haunted by regrets and manages to keep the hope that one day the Earth will get back to life (in the lab back home there are embryos waiting to be brought to life). It is a grim, dark road and on each page we feel the the endless, encompassing loss that radiates from the destroyed land and Brant's soul.

It was a compelling read, although I couldn't help but notice some discrepancies, which are not easily explained even in the character's troubled frame of mind.: from Perish to the lab, it takes about half the book, but when faced with who he really is, Brant escapes from his home city and wakes up in Perish. All and all, I liked the book and Max was one of my favorite things in it.

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Healy shows us a dystopian future where war is the product of human failings, rather than the rise in machines. Before the war humans and machines lived together in harmony. Populated by a handful of synthetics, the only humans left on Earth After the Winter are stored in cryotanks. Through the main character, Brant, and his travels through the wastelands, the reader gets a glimpse of what living through a nuclear winter would be like, provided you survive the war first.

Like a lot of people, I find dystopian stories fascinating. After the Winter is one of the best in the genre, although the world-building, whilst fantastic, did slow the pacing at times. The protagonist, Brant, is a brilliant character. He's flawed thanks to his human memories and feelings, and he makes judgments that aren't always right. But he's also strong and a survivor. Arsha isn't what I expected, and I didn't warm to her right away. By the end I had, especially when she puts herself in danger for what she believes is right. I expected some sort of twist at the end and I wasn't disappointed. It also wasn't what I expected it to be.

An enjoyable read for anyone who likes dystopian or sci-fi novels.

[Tammy K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Post Apocalyptic survivor's story, started off slow, building up the main character and established the world setting. However, once it got going, its pace picked up like a snowball rolling down hill.
The MC is a synthetic human (android body with a human's memories added) named Brant.
Brant wonders the desert looking for survivors while trying to avoid a band of Marauders, who are capturing still functioning synesthetic to salvage for parts.
The bulk of this story is spent exploring the concept of 'What it means to be human?', 'When does a being pass the state of 'general awareness' and achieve the status of 'sentient being?'
I enjoyed this book so much that I purchased it's sequel before completing the reading of it.
I highly recommend this book to serious Science Fiction readers. There is no 'teen drama/teen romance'. This is classic science fiction, just the way I like it. :-)

[Melbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly Enjoyable

All that are left on the dead earth are the synthetic humans, scattered among the ruined cities and wastelands. Created by humans before they all starved and died off. Brant is one of them, fleeing others who kill and dismantle the loners for spare parts. He is on a mission, to return home. Ultimately, he discovers who he really is.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will soon start the next in the series. Brilliantly written with a main character I learned to love and care about. Descriptions of a destroyed earth ring true and haunt me with their starkness. After the Winter is an excellent book which I highly recommend.

[Shaun Watters · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the fan of the authors Prog albums i was extremely interested in the idea of expanding the musical series`s sci-fi world into an even larger format. The ties into his previous works are certainly nice but the story he`s started to craft here expands and entertains in ways the albums only hint at. Its proper thought provoking Sci-Fi with a wonderful somber tone that never forgets to let a little whimsy or humour to lift the mood of the story. Best book ive read in ages and thoroughly recommend it

[Charles Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Different Kind of Last Man On Earth Story.

Brant lives in the waste of the nuclear war and long nuclear Winter that has ended the age of Man. Unlike the Marauders who are chasing him he has a Mission. Something beyond the desire to survive that drives the Marauders kill others and take whatever resources they can use to extend their lives. Brant is a geneticist and his Mission is nothing less than resurrecting the Human species--after the skies clear, after the temperature rises to survivable levels for plants and animals, After the Winter ends.

[Amanda Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the Winter is a post-apocalyptic thriller set in a world with synthetic machines. I won a copy via a Good Reads giveaway. It's unique in that I don't think I've ever read a book in that setting about machines; most post-apocalyptic books I read are about zombies, other worlds, or dystopias. It's well written and I read it in one sitting. I never could have predicted the ending; I still have questions.

[Farhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Healy continues to impress me with this solid first entry of what can be a great new series. A human trapped in a robot's body makes his way back home across a post-apocalyptic world which is now nothing more than the rubble of a glorious past.

Despite some dull moments during the middle of the novel, the ending was surprising and even brave. I do want to know how Brent, our protagonist, copes in the new world given his revelation about himself at the end of the story.

[Janet Niendorf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Read

I enjoyed reading this book . It was a bit different but a very imaginative read from the author. I don't normally read a series but I do enjoy futuristic books keep up the good work hope see more free books in the future because I just can't afford them being on a budget. Good luck!!!