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SurviRal
They thought they could contain it. They were wrong. When the most dangerous virus ever observed escapes the lab and shortly spreads from the animal kingdom to mankind, a nightmare scenario unfolds across planet earth. Before authorities can react, millions are infected—and that’s just the beginning. The mortality rate exceeds 80%. Leaders and elected officials soon learn the man-manipulated virus respects neither rank nor stature. The resulting chain reaction leads to a collapse of modern society—even in Colorado, where no cases of the killer strain have yet appeared. Clint Stonebreaker, a happily-married software engineer living in Denver, doesn’t like watching the news. He especially doesn’t let Jake, his wacky doomsday-prepping brother, watch it when he visits. But when chaos goes viral through the entire country, Clint and his wife Jenny are forced to acknowledge reality. They find themselves hitting the road with their gun-enthusiast neighbor to escape the deteriorating city. Their goal? Reaching Clint’s hunting cabin in Southeastern Colorado and trying to make a homestead of it. They don’t get far before running into a gauntlet of obstacles. Colorado seems to have become a giant sociological experiment, with dire consequences for making the wrong decisions. The spirit of American resolve is pitted against the ugly realty of criminal opportunism in every direction they turn. Ironically, Clint isn’t sure which is being forced to survive in the midst of civil unrest, or knowing he’ll have to admit to Jake that he was right. Assuming he can find him…
- GenresPost Apocalyptic
375 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2014
About the author
Ken Benton
7 books7 followersKen Benton appears to be your run-of-the-mill city slicker at first glance, blissfully playing with his iPhone at the bar of the local barbeque joint while sipping on craft-brewed IPA. But he has a secret passion: doomsday survival prepping. And if you ever snuck up behind him to see what he was reading, it would likely be one of those apocalyptic-survival stories set after the collapse of modern society. Yes, he’s one of those nuts. But someday soon, Ken believes, those nuts may become the new upper class in society. Until then, we’ll just have to make do with story-telling. And preparing. Cheers
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 17, 2020
Virus collapsed US
Great story involving out of control virus leaked accidentally from a lab. Millions get it - extreme methods to control mirror some activities currently happening in 2020. Decent story.
Great story involving out of control virus leaked accidentally from a lab. Millions get it - extreme methods to control mirror some activities currently happening in 2020. Decent story.
January 18, 2021
I really enjoyed the book although I often wanted to slap the main characters upside the head. Although seeing how their naivete caused them some unneeded problems, helped me to think how I might react in similar situations.
December 24, 2020
Good story
This book was a pretty good read, but moved a little slow at times. But I still enjoyed the story.
This book was a pretty good read, but moved a little slow at times. But I still enjoyed the story.
January 1, 2015
SurviRal tells the story of the aftermath of a man-made flu pandemic, which infects and kills millions of people around the world. It concentrates on a small group of friends in Colorado and follows their trek from Denver into the countryside, where they hope to ride out the spread of the disease in an isolated cabin. The main group of characters are well fleshed-out and each has a distinctive personality, with personal strengths and weaknesses. Their reactions to certain events are sometimes surprising, but always believable and consistent with the way their characters are drawn.
We see them leave town by car, then bike and even on foot. What’s left of society begins to show signs of xenophobia and tribalism, and innocent encounters with strangers often take on aggressive and threatening tones. The pressure-cooker of life and death scenarios makes seemingly nice, normal people turn into violent scavengers and profiteers.
Unlike other stories, where the most technologically advanced country in the world reverts to the Stone Age in a matter of weeks, I thought the way things devolved gradually here was more realistic and more interesting. Workers start getting too sick to show up to work; businesses close down due to lack of employees, or just to contain the spread of the disease, leading to more people losing their jobs and shortages of basic goods. People still have to pay for their electricity and buy food, although the value of the dollar spirals downward, so they barter what they have. There is still some semblance of governmental authority, and even the media keeps reporting the news, when there is electricity. Millions of people may be dead, but millions more are still alive, trying to survive while avoiding getting sick.
The story moves forward quickly for the most part, and then slows down just when I thought it should be accelerating toward the climax. Once the group is out in the country we get a lot of detail about some of their survival skills: whether it’s how to make a bow and arrow from saplings, deciding which food to grow, or even setting up an early warning system using computers run on solar power. There’s a fine line between maintaining the realism in the depiction of their day to day lives and overloading the reader with information. It’s a question of personal taste and others may not have found that this slowed the story down as I did.
Still, despite this one complaint, Surviral is a good and often original take on a well-worn genre that avoids simply following the beaten path of other books that have come before it. Definitely a good read for those of us who enjoy imagining the end of the world as we know it.
We see them leave town by car, then bike and even on foot. What’s left of society begins to show signs of xenophobia and tribalism, and innocent encounters with strangers often take on aggressive and threatening tones. The pressure-cooker of life and death scenarios makes seemingly nice, normal people turn into violent scavengers and profiteers.
Unlike other stories, where the most technologically advanced country in the world reverts to the Stone Age in a matter of weeks, I thought the way things devolved gradually here was more realistic and more interesting. Workers start getting too sick to show up to work; businesses close down due to lack of employees, or just to contain the spread of the disease, leading to more people losing their jobs and shortages of basic goods. People still have to pay for their electricity and buy food, although the value of the dollar spirals downward, so they barter what they have. There is still some semblance of governmental authority, and even the media keeps reporting the news, when there is electricity. Millions of people may be dead, but millions more are still alive, trying to survive while avoiding getting sick.
The story moves forward quickly for the most part, and then slows down just when I thought it should be accelerating toward the climax. Once the group is out in the country we get a lot of detail about some of their survival skills: whether it’s how to make a bow and arrow from saplings, deciding which food to grow, or even setting up an early warning system using computers run on solar power. There’s a fine line between maintaining the realism in the depiction of their day to day lives and overloading the reader with information. It’s a question of personal taste and others may not have found that this slowed the story down as I did.
Still, despite this one complaint, Surviral is a good and often original take on a well-worn genre that avoids simply following the beaten path of other books that have come before it. Definitely a good read for those of us who enjoy imagining the end of the world as we know it.
January 6, 2015
What a refreshing change from "end of the world as we know it" post-apocalytpic stories. Contrary to what people would believe, the end of the world, happening in a realistic way like a killer virus, won't be all doom and gloom and degeneration into anarchy overnight. Heck, there'll even be some boring days as people realize they have to make do with what they have now, and further discover that the old way of life isn't going to be as fast-paced or frenzied as it used to be.
I really enjoyed the part of the book when the main characters are holed up in the countryside and applied their survival skills. Being a resident of a medium-sized city with easy access to the wilderness, that started me thinking how I would survive if the city became inhospitable.
I liked it that the anarchy and criminality was kept to a minimum rather than overwhelming a town, as is often shown in post-apocalytpic novels. We've always had gangs and hopefully will someday never have them again, but it seemed in this book the gangs had just adapted to the opportunities present in society's downfall and were still acting out of character.
Only changes I would make--it didn't seem to ring true for the Vice-President of the United States to make a nationally important announcement while visiting the same town in which the main characters lived. It would be more likely he would make that address from a press conference room at the White House. Also, I think the very last scene of the book, which is very short but with different characters, seemed out of place. Having invested our emotion with the main characters, we would like to see them have the final word.
All in all a delightful book that takes time to slow down and actually teach us survival skills. Well researched and credible.
I really enjoyed the part of the book when the main characters are holed up in the countryside and applied their survival skills. Being a resident of a medium-sized city with easy access to the wilderness, that started me thinking how I would survive if the city became inhospitable.
I liked it that the anarchy and criminality was kept to a minimum rather than overwhelming a town, as is often shown in post-apocalytpic novels. We've always had gangs and hopefully will someday never have them again, but it seemed in this book the gangs had just adapted to the opportunities present in society's downfall and were still acting out of character.
Only changes I would make--it didn't seem to ring true for the Vice-President of the United States to make a nationally important announcement while visiting the same town in which the main characters lived. It would be more likely he would make that address from a press conference room at the White House. Also, I think the very last scene of the book, which is very short but with different characters, seemed out of place. Having invested our emotion with the main characters, we would like to see them have the final word.
All in all a delightful book that takes time to slow down and actually teach us survival skills. Well researched and credible.
March 29, 2015
An engaging story with believable and relatable characters, this full-length doomsday survival story started a little slowly but packed enough punch to keep me reading.
Pros include good character development, as Clint and Jenny evolve from city dwellers afraid to leave what they know to competent survivalists. The book has a balanced political perspective (somehow I doubt Ken Benton is a gun-control liberal), some decent gun battles, and a wicked sense of humor in spots. My favorite, from the 43% mark: “They wandered into the front lounge where a fireplace, small bar, and wide screen television welcomed them. Despite the fact CNN was on…”
Oh, and I very much appreciate the fact that Mr. Benton feels comfortable expressing Christianity in his story. That's not something we see enough of these days.
Cons include a few too many coincidences, with a helpful secondary character popping up exactly when needed, more than once. The book could use a professional proofreader, as well, with the occasional word missing or misused. And the final gun battle was won too easily; after all the build-up the bad guy received, I expected more of a fight at the end.
So we'll call this one four stars. Please note that I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The book's price has no bearing on the review received.
Pros include good character development, as Clint and Jenny evolve from city dwellers afraid to leave what they know to competent survivalists. The book has a balanced political perspective (somehow I doubt Ken Benton is a gun-control liberal), some decent gun battles, and a wicked sense of humor in spots. My favorite, from the 43% mark: “They wandered into the front lounge where a fireplace, small bar, and wide screen television welcomed them. Despite the fact CNN was on…”
Oh, and I very much appreciate the fact that Mr. Benton feels comfortable expressing Christianity in his story. That's not something we see enough of these days.
Cons include a few too many coincidences, with a helpful secondary character popping up exactly when needed, more than once. The book could use a professional proofreader, as well, with the occasional word missing or misused. And the final gun battle was won too easily; after all the build-up the bad guy received, I expected more of a fight at the end.
So we'll call this one four stars. Please note that I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The book's price has no bearing on the review received.
March 19, 2015
I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
When an mutated outbreak of H5N1 Virus escapes from a laboratory by way of ferrets in the Netherlands, it quickly becomes a world pandemic. Jake Stonebreaker has been a conspiracy theorist for as long as his brother Clint can remember, so when Jake begins warning his brother that things aren't what they seem and that the virus is spreading rapidly and the infrastructure is collapsing, his warning falls on deaf ears. When things turn for the worse, Clint, his wife Jenny, and neighbor Harold, journey to Jake's cabin in Springfield where he has been stockpiling supplies for this very reason. Little did they know that their journey would be treacherous and forever life-changing.
Surviral is an amazing doomsday scenario novel. The scariest part is that it's extremely plausible. This story is well written, and I found myself getting lost in the moment. You're immediately pulled into the story as you read about how everyone reacted to the outbreak. My only wish is that other than a brief two sentence mention of the prisons, there wasn't any mention if they were all released because there wasn't any food to feed them, or if those that joined Zane Savage's gang were escapees. All in all, this was an awesome albeit realistic read.
When an mutated outbreak of H5N1 Virus escapes from a laboratory by way of ferrets in the Netherlands, it quickly becomes a world pandemic. Jake Stonebreaker has been a conspiracy theorist for as long as his brother Clint can remember, so when Jake begins warning his brother that things aren't what they seem and that the virus is spreading rapidly and the infrastructure is collapsing, his warning falls on deaf ears. When things turn for the worse, Clint, his wife Jenny, and neighbor Harold, journey to Jake's cabin in Springfield where he has been stockpiling supplies for this very reason. Little did they know that their journey would be treacherous and forever life-changing.
Surviral is an amazing doomsday scenario novel. The scariest part is that it's extremely plausible. This story is well written, and I found myself getting lost in the moment. You're immediately pulled into the story as you read about how everyone reacted to the outbreak. My only wish is that other than a brief two sentence mention of the prisons, there wasn't any mention if they were all released because there wasn't any food to feed them, or if those that joined Zane Savage's gang were escapees. All in all, this was an awesome albeit realistic read.
March 22, 2015
I was quite disappointed in this book. I found the characters and the situations very disappointing. The main character and his wife are very Pollyanna-ish about the new strain of super-flu wiping out their country, only agreeing to leave their urban home when it becomes very obvious that society has completely broken down. Their biggest concern? That their neighbor (who is portrayed as a huge gun enthusiast) will bring too many guns with them on their retreat. The male character and the neighbor wind up carrying .22 breakdown rifles in their backpacks, unloaded and disassembled with the defense plan of pulling the rifles out of their bags, assembling and loading them. Pretty sure that's not ideal. We find out that the neighbor actually brought some handguns with. He and the wife end up carrying them, but with the same plan...let's put them in our packs as far out of reach as possible. The Neighbor has a huge gun collection, but never bothered to purchase holsters? The characters are poorly developed and not very believable. Halfway through their journey to the hunting cabin they have we suddenly discover that the wife is a huge religious nut, but it hasn't been mentioned at all before then?? Huge disappointment and I wish I had my money back.
February 1, 2016
Middle of the road SHTF tale
I almost didn't finish this book because the first part was so irritating. Clint and his wife Jenny have their heads stuck in the sand and refuse to see that there's a major problem, even though millions are dying from a mutated strain of the H5N1 avian flu accidentally released in Rotterdam, Netherlands. And they have a bug-out spot they could head to. But instead they wait way too long to head towards relative safety.
Jake, Clint's brother, is a survivalist and keeps the story partway believable, even though he's not as assertive as he could be.
I enjoyed the second half of the story more where people were actually having to do more than sit around and whine.
There was a lot of political folderol and most of it didn't follow through or make sense. Oh, and never an explanation as to why the Plains States weren't affected by the "ferret flu."
I've read worse post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels but I've read a lot of them that are a heck of a lot better too. I would search those out rather than taking the time to read this.
I almost didn't finish this book because the first part was so irritating. Clint and his wife Jenny have their heads stuck in the sand and refuse to see that there's a major problem, even though millions are dying from a mutated strain of the H5N1 avian flu accidentally released in Rotterdam, Netherlands. And they have a bug-out spot they could head to. But instead they wait way too long to head towards relative safety.
Jake, Clint's brother, is a survivalist and keeps the story partway believable, even though he's not as assertive as he could be.
I enjoyed the second half of the story more where people were actually having to do more than sit around and whine.
There was a lot of political folderol and most of it didn't follow through or make sense. Oh, and never an explanation as to why the Plains States weren't affected by the "ferret flu."
I've read worse post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels but I've read a lot of them that are a heck of a lot better too. I would search those out rather than taking the time to read this.
December 21, 2014
Don't be put off by the title. I usually find clever titles combing words to be a bit gimmicky.
Still there is a solid story behind it focusing on two groups of people in the aftermath of killer virus. The problem I find with most dystopian novels is that the premise may be very interesting but I never totally buy in to how the society had collapsed to the premise. This novel avoids that in a couple of ways. One there is a disaster, but it is not total. The effects regarding these two groups is more about the aftermath and traveling to a safer location after the collapse. As such I found the plot rather believable especially regarding how the government would react along with individuals.
As a first novel there are weaknesses in the plot such as an apparent plot point that never really goes anywhere as far as I could tell. Still I liked the characters and this being a fairly decent dystopian novel you get to wondering what you would do in the same situation.
Still there is a solid story behind it focusing on two groups of people in the aftermath of killer virus. The problem I find with most dystopian novels is that the premise may be very interesting but I never totally buy in to how the society had collapsed to the premise. This novel avoids that in a couple of ways. One there is a disaster, but it is not total. The effects regarding these two groups is more about the aftermath and traveling to a safer location after the collapse. As such I found the plot rather believable especially regarding how the government would react along with individuals.
As a first novel there are weaknesses in the plot such as an apparent plot point that never really goes anywhere as far as I could tell. Still I liked the characters and this being a fairly decent dystopian novel you get to wondering what you would do in the same situation.
January 26, 2015
The author offered me a copy of this book for an honest review and I’m glad he did as I really enjoyed the book. It starts off a bit slow as the virus spreads and society collapses but once the main characters realize what is going on and start to move, so does the story. From there it’s a great mix of action and storytelling with some practical survival skills mixed in.
The characters are a bit frustrating at first as they fail to see what’s in front of their eyes, but that also helps make them a bit more realistic. These aren’t peppers who are ready to kill at the drop of a hat; rather they’re real people who are thrust into this new world, which helps make the a bit more likable.
The story is well written and engaging, and I highly recommend it!
The characters are a bit frustrating at first as they fail to see what’s in front of their eyes, but that also helps make them a bit more realistic. These aren’t peppers who are ready to kill at the drop of a hat; rather they’re real people who are thrust into this new world, which helps make the a bit more likable.
The story is well written and engaging, and I highly recommend it!
February 24, 2015
I received SurviRal in preview copy for an honest review. I did enjoy this book especially when this particular genre is begging for new storylines. Ken Benton does well with walking the fine line between detail and action which can trip up some authors in this genre. The plot and character interactions are well developed and the storyline is original and (probably) more realistic than others. The only areas where I think the novel could improve are in character development- I would have preferred to see the main characters change a bit more over time and a lighter touch with the use of archetypes.
Overall, this is definitely worth a read and I'd even recommend it for book clubs- there would be some very interesting questions and conversations generated.
Overall, this is definitely worth a read and I'd even recommend it for book clubs- there would be some very interesting questions and conversations generated.
February 6, 2015
Although the book starts off at a relatively slow pace, SurviRal quickly picks up with a healthy dose of action. The plot itself realistically depicts a gradual breakdown of society as we know it today in the aftermath of a man-made disease pandemic which kills of millions of people across the world.
The characters in SurviRal are strong, believable, and quite easily likable. Their reactions to the changing world around them are realistic.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a apocalyptic novel that is realistic and makes you wonder how you would react in this situation.
The characters in SurviRal are strong, believable, and quite easily likable. Their reactions to the changing world around them are realistic.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a apocalyptic novel that is realistic and makes you wonder how you would react in this situation.
January 16, 2015
Infected lab animals escape cause a pandemic resulting in the breakdown of financial institutions, government services and everything else that we currently take for granted. This book has a good action story that offers a realistic view of what could happen in our society when face with a breakdown of what we take for granted today. The characters are likable and believable. I look forward to more books from this author.
January 7, 2015
SurviRal review
I really enjoyed reading SurviRal. It is one of the more realistic post apocalyptic stories that I've read, something that I could see happening in our society. The characters were very believable, especially Clint and Jenna. They were so naive in the beginning. I am definitely a fan.
I really enjoyed reading SurviRal. It is one of the more realistic post apocalyptic stories that I've read, something that I could see happening in our society. The characters were very believable, especially Clint and Jenna. They were so naive in the beginning. I am definitely a fan.
March 29, 2015
This was a page turner almost from the beginning for me.
A man made virus is accidentally released. A world wide pandemic brings about the collapse of governments. Banks and businesses are closed. Basic necessities are scarce or nonexistent. Money is worthless.
The characters do what they've got to do to survive their escape from the city and travel to their cabin in the woods.
A man made virus is accidentally released. A world wide pandemic brings about the collapse of governments. Banks and businesses are closed. Basic necessities are scarce or nonexistent. Money is worthless.
The characters do what they've got to do to survive their escape from the city and travel to their cabin in the woods.
February 1, 2016
It is a wonder that the characters who began the story made it to the end of the story. Unfortunately, I fear that if something like this 'main event' were to occur in today's society, would we be resourceful enough to resolve said event with positive results? Maybe each of us should be a bit more capable of going back to some basic survival skills.
February 5, 2016
Ready for disaster?
Great book, easy read and very entertaining. I have wandered how well the American infrastructure would hold up in a massive emergency. It was interesting to note how good verses evil played out.
Great book, easy read and very entertaining. I have wandered how well the American infrastructure would hold up in a massive emergency. It was interesting to note how good verses evil played out.
February 28, 2016
Started out okay but it went downhill
I thought this was going to be a really interesting story. It started out with a good plot and storyline then seemed to just degenerate into a 'blah' story. Pretty disappointing.
I thought this was going to be a really interesting story. It started out with a good plot and storyline then seemed to just degenerate into a 'blah' story. Pretty disappointing.
January 26, 2015
Great survival novel.
T caricatures were very real. Lo t-shirt of twists and turns to keep you reading to see what happens next.
T caricatures were very real. Lo t-shirt of twists and turns to keep you reading to see what happens next.
July 22, 2015
I was only able to make it about a quarter of the way through. The main characters are so unbelievably stupid I honestly don't know how they could have lived past puberty.
February 18, 2016
Not a very good prepper/survival story. I don't need "happy" endings but stupidity in the characters makes for hard reading.
February 8, 2016
A mildly enjoyable prepper-apocalyptic-survivor book.
Corny name though.
Corny name though.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews