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Sixth Cycle

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In the blink of an eye, the world changed. Danger lurks around every corner. Captain Jake Phillips wakes in his crash landed craft and finds Earth transformed into a frightening new world. He faces two immediate threats that will test his survival skills to the limit. Mutated beings prowl the landscape, hunting humans and searching for the remaining resources. Without a plan in place, the battle will be lost and humanity as Jake knows it will be destroyed. Sixth Cycle is a gritty post-apocalyptic story of survival and adventure.

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 14, 2014

218 people are currently reading
720 people want to read

About the author

Darren Wearmouth

37 books129 followers
AKA D.A. Wearmouth

Darren Wearmouth spent six years in the army before pursuing a career in corporate technology. After fifteen years working for large telecommunications firm and a start-up, he decided to follow his passion for writing.

His first novel was the best-selling FIRST ACTIVATION that he later sold to Amazon’s publishing imprint, 47North in a two-book deal. Darren is represented by Paul Lucas of Janklow & Nesbit.

Darren’s a member of the International Thriller Writers organisation and currently lives in Manchester, England.

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5 stars
209 (24%)
4 stars
292 (33%)
3 stars
271 (31%)
2 stars
72 (8%)
1 star
24 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
Profile Image for William Oliver.
20 reviews
December 11, 2014
Good for teens

Okay book. A little simplistic for me. A teen would probably like it.

Don't recommend for sci-fi fans. it won't draw you in.
Profile Image for Keith McArdle.
Author 15 books119 followers
December 28, 2015
Wow! What an awesome take on a futuristic post-apocalyptic world! Well written with colourful, life-like characters that win you over. Capt. Jake Phillips, a newcomer to this dangerous world, must learn how to survive and learn fast! Skye (a kick arse female lead character) maybe the only hope of survival for this beleaguered world. The story progresses at a blistering pace, well told and executed perfectly. I loved it!
Profile Image for Loretta.
228 reviews11 followers
September 13, 2016
Sixth Cycle was my first Darren Wearmouth book and I can safely say that I enjoyed it a great deal. This was an exciting post apocalyptic story about a man lost in a new world. The story was gripping and the characters most authentic. I enjoyed my experience of Sixth Cyle very much and look foward to reading more of Mr Wearmouth's work.
28 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2015
Very well written

In a world reduced to several fiefdoms a man with vision is reborn. This story is well told and entertaining.
Profile Image for David.
421 reviews
January 31, 2015
In the Sixth Cycle Jake is in cryogenic sleep on the Endeavor Three one of the ships in his fleet.  He awakens to find all his fellow crew’s pods open and the ship empty.  Disoriented and confused about the lack of crew and his waking alone Jake slowly explores his ship for answers only to find everybody gone and the ship has been scavenged.  He makes his way through the ship to the main doors and finds them open, having either landed or crashed he isn’t sure.  Once outside he has more questions than answers and the confusion is ten fold.  Jake has been asleep for 130 years and his ship has become an exhibit, he is a tourist attraction, the year is 2205, and the new world isn’t what it used to be.

Darren and Carl set the book off to a great pace and immediately fill our heads with as many or more questions than Jake probably had.  I was completed enthralled within two chapters and was pretty excited to read what had happened to the world Jake knew.  He finds himself in the middle of a small town and is surprised when people are shouting and shooting at him.  He escapes with his head spinning and tries to regroup in the nearby woods and figure out what is going on and where if any place is safe.

The stage is well set for an adventure beyond Jake’s wildest dreams.  The story has a great plot and attention to detail within the world the authors have built.  There are many military details and socially filled themes that I found completely realistic possibility in a not too distant future.  I love the characters as we see them react in this delicate new world.  Jake learns that small groups of people are living in “strong holds” and there is a maximum to each groups population.  Interesting idea for a society trying to rebuild after the end of the world.  They all have a mayor and the entire group is kept in check by a man called “The Trader” who is more important than Jake knows.

Jake comes across Skye who helps him when “wastelanders”, those who are affected by the remaining radiation from the nuclear war, have crossed his path in the forest.  Skye is a great character and we see her grow up in a matter of days as she and all she knows is in danger.  Major Finch from her “home stronghold” is a character I loved hating from the moment he is introduced.  He gives you the feeling of disgust and he comes off as eccentric or maybe just plain crazy.  I love authors who are able to create a character who can be despised right along with those we can get behind, all the while keeping them all believable.  The characters all have a ‘real’ feel to them and the conversations and interactions all flow really well.

The suspense during numerous fights and battles grips your attention and soon I had my favorite characters and a few I waited to see how they would develop.  There are plenty of characters to love, hate and even feel sorry for in the Sixth Cycle.  The story covers a few days in time and has plenty of action and story line to keep you guessing who is who, who are the good guys and where everyone stands.  Skye is sent on a mission to kill an “outlaw” that is giving the citizens around her home trouble.  Soon Skye realizes the man Ryder she is sent to kill isn’t the enemy but an Allie she can count on.  Shortly after finding Ryder there is a brutal attack from the wastelanders and  I really liked the battle scene in the caves.  Plenty of nail-biting action and bloodshed, along with slim hopes everyone won’t be slaughtered.  The final battle I leave you to read for yourself, but I can say Karma is a wonderful thing and I was glad to see Darren and Carl use it to wrap up the story. 

The storytelling was well done and clever, I didn’t see many of the unknowns until the authors meant me too.  As the book comes to its climax and the answers start to become apparent I was pleasantly surprised and was really glad to see how it all wrapped up.  I would have liked another chapter or two to explain further back story but in the end Jake aligns himself with the right people and eventually comes to understand his place in his new world and how he will move on.  Again I am not disappointed with Darren Wearmouth, he tells a well written story and his co-author Carl Sinclair is now an author I will be reading.
Profile Image for Brian's Book Blog.
805 reviews62 followers
October 26, 2015
A fantastically thought out dystopian

After awaking to a world, Captain Jake Phillips isn't sure where he is. He isn't even sure when he is either. All he knows is that danger seems to lurk around every corner. Follow Captain Phillips as he searches for answers in this new world. Finding traders, villagers, and unknown enemies seeming to lurk around every corner. The people he meets along the way provide him with some context of what is going on, but he will have to find out more on his own.

Narration for this was done by R.C. Bray. Now I have listened to a now SUPER famous R.C. Bray narration in The Martian and this one doesn't disappoint. While The Martian allowed Bray to stretch his character voices -- this story was almost exclusively focused on one character with a few other characters thrown in. He still does a great job with pacing and his voice is incredibly easy to listen to.

This is the definition of a dystopian. Something happened (we're not really sure until about halfway through) and now there is a society trying to live after this disastrous situation. Like many other dystopian novels there are different factions, cities, sectors (in this one they are Strongholds). And each one of them provides to the greater good. There is no new story plot here, but it is done in a unique way that felt new and different to me.

The way it was presented from the Captain's point of view was unique too, because he had no idea what was going on and had to learn of the new way of life quickly. His POV helps the reader grasps just what is going on too, which I enjoyed. The whole book really leads up to the final 3 or 4 chapters -- and they are fast and action-packed. I'm also happy to report that this book ended. I don't think that Wearmouth & Sinclair plan on writing more (but I could be mistaken).

Needless to say, a nice gritty dystopian/post-apocalyptic story with some familiar plot lines and some new characters and points of view.
Profile Image for Kelly Kinghorn.
8 reviews
October 7, 2015
I really enjoyed this story. I'm not a huge sci-fi reader, so I appreciate that it wasn't too "tech-y". The characters of Skye and Jake were compelling. I like that Skye is a totally capable female character and doesn't go around obsessing about men all day... It's refreshing! Jake could do with a little more depth to his character - maybe some backstory in following books? And Trader is a fantastic character also!

In terms of the writing, personally I would like a bit more world-building, or something like that. Even though I enjoyed the story there were times I didn't find the reading experience totally immersive. I can't exactly put my finger on why, but I think maybe it was a little dialogue-heavy with less emphasis on what this dystopian future "feels" like.

Overall, a good read and I'm looking forward to reading more!
Profile Image for Demelza Carlton.
Author 935 books3,879 followers
November 20, 2014
I love it when a book catches me from the beginning and doesn't let go - Sixth Cycle did just that.

Waking up from stasis, expecting to be in space, yet discovering you've become a tourist attraction on Earth...it's an intriguing beginning with a whisper of dark humour that characterises the rest of the book.

Well-paced action kept me riveted from start to finish.

I admit I was intrigued by the horse on the cover, but I won't spoil it for you - except to say that, like the title, it's a very subtle mention in the book.

I'm delighted to say that, while the ending isn't a cliffhanger, I found it quite satisfying and realistic, yet leaving the door wide open for a sequel or even a series.

Not a coulomb less than five stars.
Profile Image for Immanuel Jegan.
30 reviews3 followers
December 2, 2016
I have to say that the most unfortunate thing about the book is that there's nothing exciting about it. The author carries out the plot with decent skill in writing, however, the plot itself was not well thought out in the first place.
A good plot would include a few twists and unexpected surprises, but this one felt like it was very much on the rails. Some authors use foreshadowing to throw readers off the track, but the foreshadowing here leads to the ending that the readers are already expecting.
The world building is nothing spectacular, and the way that the main characters resolve what they see as a bad idea, by simply removing it, leaves much to be desired.
:(
134 reviews1 follower
February 11, 2017
Got bored...

I struggled through about 50% of the book wondering when something would happen. Mind you, getting through that 50% took a week; I normally run through a book in two days.

Hey... all you authors.... the point is to catch my attention! This one didn't. And I'm not sure why. I think maybe it was a hack post-apocalyptic plot. Or the characters were dull. If all the people on the planet were as dull as these people were, I can understand that someone would start World War Three - just for a little excitement!

Two stars. And that is generous.

It's a hack book. Don't buy it.
Profile Image for Linda Todd.
307 reviews66 followers
July 12, 2020
This book I was sceptical about but as I started to read it I found that I didn't want to put it down. This book I thoroughly enjoyed reading and was sorry it had to end but I do hope to read more of this authors books in the future.The characters were a we bitty extreme sometimes and also loveable sometimes you got the feeling you were there with them all the way as I read an amazing story I would be so delighted to recommend this wonderful book to all you lovely readers out there how really like a rollercoaster of a ride with your books so happy reading my thanks to the author for the pleasure & privilege of reading one of his wonderful books.😉😊
Profile Image for Joe Stamber.
1,277 reviews3 followers
November 19, 2015
The blurb at the top describes Sixth Cycle as "a gritty post-apocalyptic story of survival and adventure", whereas a reviewer below describes it as "A little simplistic...". The reviewer is nearer the mark, it's certainly not gritty but it's quite simplistic. There was never any doubt that the good guys would all survive and win the day. Sure, there were deaths and danger, but it was all done in a nice, clean way. Sixth Cycle is gentle ride that makes for a pleasant quick story that an undemanding reader might enjoy.
Profile Image for Jody.
1,038 reviews4 followers
November 28, 2014
An enjoyable story with some good ideas. I really enjoyed the first few chapters, and the story and writing is decent, hence the 3 stars, but if it had just given me a little more, it would have pushed into the 4 star category. I felt Jake Phillips started off strong, but his personality didn't develop as much as I would have liked. The main battle which the book had been building towards ended a bit abruptly for me as well.

If you like this genre, you will probably enjoy this book.
511 reviews4 followers
July 27, 2015
This is a pretty good read for post-apocalypse Earth sort of adventure story. Some interesting ideas on government and society, and adapting to changes. The different threads of the story weave together neatly too. The characters are engaging - the ones who are supposed to be likeable are likeable and the villains are appropriately nasty with a few characters falling in between. Good YA book too; no sex, language reasonable.
Profile Image for Craig Colvin.
59 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2018
The story was interesting but a little hard to follow because of the writing. The writing was very poor and kept making me think it was written by someone in high school (and a mediocre student at that). The editing was even worse, typos and grammatical errors were on almost every page. I started counting them but stopped after 100 (which was halfway through the book). At the 80% point I was reading as fast as I could just to finish it and move onto something better.
Profile Image for Mike Meredith.
13 reviews
May 9, 2016
Love this book. The pace is quick but the background is woven into the narrative nicely so I wasn't left wondering how the world ended up in such a state. Great characters and an interesting setting with a great twist near the end. The audiobook is brilliantly read by R.C Bray, who also read the Martian audiobook.
Profile Image for Crystal.
62 reviews3 followers
August 19, 2016
Good apocalyptic book after an advanced society wared. Character wakes fro. Stasis to a new world hundreds of years later. Adventure and action with likeable characters, would love to see some irradiated monsters and a future book or books from this world. Humans were affected so what else was, animals, plants?!!!!
Profile Image for Zach Bohannon.
Author 83 books121 followers
June 29, 2015
Great dystopian thriller

An awesome dystopian thriller. Both protagonist are written well and the villain is awesome. I hope there is a sequel. The audiobook is awesome too.
Profile Image for Fred.
12 reviews
August 18, 2015
This was an accidental find and turned out to be a good little read. Story moves quickly with twists and turns. Plenty of action too. I listened to the audio book, which was well read. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Ronnie Roberts.
Author 34 books17 followers
September 21, 2015
Loved the opening. Very clever! The world that unfolds is also so believable. Well represented characters. Nice, quick read.
1 review
March 25, 2016
Once you start reading you don't want to put it down!

I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I am looking forward to more from this author, highly recommend giving this a try.
33 reviews
January 23, 2017
For me this story never entered the "willing suspension of disbelief" that is necessary for enjoyment. No credible characters, and no credible plot.
Profile Image for David Delaney.
Author 1 book477 followers
February 23, 2016
Great post apocalyptic sci fi with a depth of story that keeps the reader reading.
3 reviews
February 12, 2018
I always check critical and positive reviews before getting a book, and after checking these I figured that it sounded like a great option. It is not. Save your time, there are many other better choices out there. Read below for the details on the issues I struggled with in this book.

I started out loving this book, the first few chapters really drew me in, excellent descriptions, great premise, overall just a great start to the story. Honestly was right around a 3.5 or 4 star book for the first little bit. Then the story slogged on, and I quickly realized that the depth and grandeur this author was attempting was not transpiring. This book attempts to be a grand story, pulling arcs from two different perspectives, however, all it does is let you down in a big way. This book at best is YA, but even then, it struggles mightily.

1. (1 Star) Characters have no growth no dimension, they are caricatures, and simply fill a part (bad guy, good guy, background character).

2. (1 Star) Timeline... This book struggles mightily here. I'm not sure what the author's intention was, but he had the entire action of this book completed in under a week... IF you read this book, and you see all the different ideas he's trying to encompass, this is, quite simply, ridiculous. It is the greatest flaw of this book. I'm sorry, but 3 or 4 days is not enough time for the relationships to develop or situation to transpire as described, it makes any level or believability completely destroyed.

3. (2 Stars) Flow. A lot of reviewers decried the book as "non-stop action," while others claimed "to slow." This simply, can be explained by the book's pacing and above described timeline issues. There is no rhyme or reason for this forced timeline, or how this author can possibly think that in in real life that individuals would act this way.

4. (2.5 Stars) Realism. This is a work of fiction, but the unbalanced nature of characters was jarring to say the least. In one part of a book a character will be the best solider/scout/person and able to subdue three assailants. Then later, this same character will be caught off guard numerous times, or captured... It makes relating to these characters clumsy, and it really hurts this story.

5. (2 Stars) Military/firearm knowledge. First off, I am not a military individual, and I don't pretend to know military techniques... but either does this author. The characters of this world are suppose to be living in a violent post-apocalyptic world. Yet, over and over its described how they don't know tactics, but thankfully one savior does.... Ummm, I'm sorry but if we are to believe your first point about a violent dangerous world, then you can't also have sheep inhabiting it. Then we come to the weapons.... I don't need you to describe them piece by piece, but the weapons were described as terrible (jamming) or would be able to hit people 600 yards away. It. Just. Doesn't. Work.

6. (3 Stars) Grammar. As you can probably tell from my review, I should not ding an author for simple grammar mistakes, however, this is a published work, it is unacceptable to run into these types of errors.

My suggestion is let this one pass you by. I think this book could be a great one, but this reads like a rough first draft that needs to be dusted off and brought back in to be completely re-written.
Profile Image for Misty.
337 reviews325 followers
November 11, 2018
I’ve noticed that the reviews thus far are a tad light on specifics, and I know exactly why. It is near to impossible to comment on the plot, characters, or even the setting without divulging spoilers that would ruin the reading experience! I find myself wanting to rave about the development of certain characters--to rail about aspects of their behavior that were reprehensible whilst applauding behaviors worthy of literary heroes. I want to comment in detail about the incredible development of the story's setting--I could even now close my eyes and visualize each stronghold. To give you, the reader, however, any further specifics would, once again, reveal too much. Suffice it to say, this was a roller coaster ride from start to finish--a brilliantly constructed piece of post-apocalyptic science fiction that goes down as one of my favorites. Man's inhumanity to man, and man's ability to persevere in the face of overwhelming odds, jumps from these pages.
Profile Image for Jānis.
462 reviews37 followers
September 6, 2019
Pēc atomkara cilvēce ir ļoti sašaurinājusies un kaut kur Amurikā iedibināta neliela pseidokārtība, tajā pašā laikā apkārt dauzās "veistlenderi" (radiācijas dēļ mutējuši cilvēki), kas grib nogalēt "normālos". Šajā laikā no sava "kriotanka" (ledusskapis, kur sasaldēts guļ cilvēks, kamēr viņu atsaldē) pamostas kāds kapteinis Džeiks... Nu un, protams, ka tieši šajā laikā "mēsli iesit pa ventapļotu".

Grāmata man patika. Pietiekami daudz spriedzes un arī ideja ir sagremojama. Vienīgais, kas mani tā riktīgi kretinēja - nenormāli lielais gramatisko kļūdu apjoms (un es neesmu nekāds angļu valodas baigais speciālists). Sajūta tāda, ka no autora datora pa taisno uz amazon veikalu bez editora iejaukšanās.
Profile Image for Kirby.
229 reviews
May 14, 2019
This book was both original, interesting to read and well put together. I would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the myriad of mistakes in grammar, spelling and word choice (wrong words). You are definitely good writers, Mr. Wearmouth and Mr. Sinclair. Hopefully, an editor will pick up your next novel and rid your work of mistakes. It seems to me that this novel was probably rushed to publication before you could comb it for errors.

The last time I read a novel I enjoyed like this, it, too, was riddled with errors. Later it was picked up by a major publisher and the errors corrected. That book was renamed Wool.
Profile Image for Christine Bishop.
523 reviews
September 10, 2018
A Great Read!

Sixth Cycle by Darren Wearmouth and Carl Sinclair is a great read! This story begins with Captain Phillips waking up from stasis thinking he’s in 2075 but he soon realizes it’s 2205 and the world has changed. He quickly learns that the world is broken and there are threats everywhere. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction then the Sixth Cycle is a book I’m sure you’ll enjoy!
Profile Image for John.
33 reviews1 follower
December 21, 2016
Interesting story, but nothing new here. The writing is average, and a bit uneven. There were parts that were written really well, and others that almost seemed to be written in a hurry or eveyn by someone else. A good editor could even out the inconsistent writing.


I would be interested to read a sequel to see where the author takes this story.
Profile Image for Joe Cochran.
288 reviews4 followers
March 23, 2017
I really enjoyed this towards the end. It did take awhile for the story to build and the characters to mature but it all came together the last 150 pages or so. Would like to have read this as a series because it kind of left you hanging with how the world was going to evolve after the events took place at the end of the book. Anyhow, it was a good read and I don't regret giving it a chance.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews

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