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The New Homefront #1

The Last Layover

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The Last Layover is the first book of The New Homefront series where patriotic Americans struggle to survive in a collapsing world while taking a stand against the evil and tyranny that quickly follows. The Last Layover is a fiction novel based on real places and potential scenarios where an out of control government pushes America to the brink of financial and social collapse. This vulnerable state allows the unthinkable to happen, causing the comfort, security, and conveniences of our modern first world society to quickly come to an end. Imagine yourself far from home when the world suddenly changes. Just think back to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, and other such recent events, and you can see just how quickly society breaks down. Those situations even occurred with the nature of the emergency being confined to one specific geographic area, where help is just the next town or state away. Now also think about how that scene would play out if help was not going to come. What if those who you would look to for help had their own emergencies to contend with, leaving you and those around you to fend for yourselves? What about all of those modern conveniences of society like ATM’s, point of sale debit/credit card readers, cell phones, and the internet? What if it all went down while you were away from home? What about our food supply chain? How much food does your family have at home to get them through if the shelves were to go empty? How much do you have with you? Will it all go bad without electricity? Do you have what it takes to defend yourself and those around you when society takes an ugly turn and violence becomes necessary for survival? Those are a few of the things that this book helps you think about.

In The Last Layover, an airline crew finds themselves on an overnight layover in New York City, far from their homes when a series of events take place that bring our modern society to its knees. Join them as they face the dangers and difficulties of trying to make their way back to their homes and families in a rapidly deteriorating society, without our modern transportation and communications infrastructure, all while dealing with the lawlessness and violence that quickly ensues in a desperate and broken society. Discover with them the dark side that humanity can quickly take, as well as the good that can come from faith, family, and friendship.

200 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2014

210 people are currently reading
268 people want to read

About the author

Steven C. Bird

21 books26 followers

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5 stars
228 (44%)
4 stars
139 (26%)
3 stars
96 (18%)
2 stars
28 (5%)
1 star
26 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
Profile Image for Tressa Hommel.
2 reviews2 followers
January 17, 2015
Seriously????

Stilted and typical right wing propaganda...I was going for a good post apocalypse read....but this was more about gun nut survivor superiority...and libertarian utopian vision.....stopped on the first few pages
14 reviews2 followers
March 24, 2015
Actually just read the first chapter. The author's political opinions and predictions about the near future were so obnoxious (to me) that I could not continue. Thankfully it was a freebie.
18 reviews
May 22, 2019
I was thinking this could be a good book to dynamically imagine myself in a conservative, survivalist’s shoes. The plot moved along at a good pace but I felt like I was being preached to by a brainwashed 12 year old Tea Party stooge. The characters were poorly fleshed out and one dimensional. The vocabulary was at an 8th grade level. The Audio book narrator was languid and unimaginative. Concept was good, juvenile execution .
Profile Image for Cherye Elliott.
3,397 reviews24 followers
January 18, 2018
The Last Layover

Ever read a book and it just clicks in your head that this book was written for me? The "words of wisdom" that came from this book made me think. Keep my mouth closed. Don't help those who don't want to learn. Be careful what you divulge. Don't leave a paper trail. Learn new skills. Don't be afraid. If you do the right thing, God knows and the goodness fills your life.

All that in an apocalypse book. Yep. Looking forward to reading Book #2. Thank you Steven Bird.
Profile Image for Heather.
160 reviews
July 3, 2018
Awful

Of you like judgemental, racist, holier than thou racist, classist, wannabe Christian prepper fiction, then this is the book for you.
6 reviews
August 16, 2018
I kept thinking it has nothing original about it, been done before in many books.

Also the cause is very vague, but also didn't really give much desire to find out what caused it.

I listened to the audio book at work. If it wasn't only just over 6 hours, I think I'd of dropped it.

EDIT: This is one of those book that feels written for preppers, but dosent really do well in that goal either, names a load of gear buy name but thats about it.
Profile Image for Mary Kearney.
181 reviews
June 7, 2020
I always enjoy reading apocalyptic novels. This was good, read it all in one sitting. There were a lot of technical sections such as describing various guns, which I just skimmed over. Thee is violence and bloodshed in this book which is expected in this type of novel. The author does have a conservative right wing bias which didn't bother me at all but could deter some readers. The main characters are well developed and likable. I would read more in this series.
Profile Image for E.A. Lake.
Author 26 books40 followers
May 11, 2017
Too many "Roger, roger" in the dialogs. No contractions in dialog (people don't speak like that. Way too many detailed explanations of planes, boats, guns and prepping in general.

And that's too bad. This was a really great story.
Profile Image for Ron Luycx.
25 reviews
March 2, 2018
An adventure

Some of the best post-Apoc stories are those with a quest to get to safety. This one does not disappoint. Believable characters both good and bad really make the story flow. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
89 reviews1 follower
April 4, 2018
Book one

Well very action filled with some married romance and the bitter divorce woman of course. But don't tell others about how much food you have is a big rule and making sure you're kids know that must be done
49 reviews
April 16, 2018
Intense

This book starts out slow. Stay with it until the end, you wont regret it and will be ready for the next book. Would you be ready if SHTF and you were hundreds of miles away from home? How would you get home?
12 reviews
July 30, 2018
So exciting!

What a great page turner. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series. He writes like it’s all so real & feels like real time. Don’t buy this book if you don’t have time to read it at one sitting.
13 reviews
August 8, 2018
Great read!

This author has a casual but informed style of writing. He has done his homework but avoids being preachy about prepping. More than once I thot, “ I haven’t done enough yet.” Job well done!
90 reviews
October 16, 2018
Good book

I am a big reader of apoptotic and dystopian books. This book kept my attention and I like the characters. Steven Bird is a new author to me and I will definitely be reading more of his books.
264 reviews2 followers
March 14, 2019
WOW! Great read!

This is one exciting BOOK! Very fast paced, well written and heart wrenching at times. The faith shown in this book has made Steve one of the top authors of this genre. Looking forward to the next installment.
630 reviews2 followers
June 13, 2019
America attacked

With this story you just feel like you’re living it with the characters. That takes talent. Our two main heroes are pilots caught in the wrong city when TSHTF. How they get back home is so interesting.
22 reviews
July 2, 2021
Great story about the harsh reality of the fall of a great civilization. Bird does a great job of intertwining very unfortunate events with uplifting fortuitous happenings. Good, quick read for those interested in the down fall of our society.
Profile Image for Joe Marquez.
12 reviews
June 24, 2024
Conservative manifesto

So disappointed what to read an apocalypse series and not be this. Tell me who is book burning, forcing their views in schools, or making this country broke in tax cuts, guess stuck to zombie apocalypse

Profile Image for Debbe.
77 reviews5 followers
January 29, 2018
Love, A must read for apocalyptic/doomsday fans!

I love the characters and the believable storyline, you'll quickly get swept away on the adventure with these brave souls.
Profile Image for Ralph.
96 reviews42 followers
February 14, 2018
Would have been 3 stars but I had to read "Roger Roger" over and over every so many pages.
19 reviews
May 9, 2018
Awesome

Awesome! Steven Bird never let's you down. Great writing, great story line and always leaves you wanting more. Can wait to read the next book!
Profile Image for Hayden.
79 reviews
May 27, 2019
Wow

This book was a non stop thrill ride. Enjoyed it very much. The information that is in here is great too.
4,416 reviews28 followers
July 12, 2019
The Last Layover review

The Last Layover is the first exciting post apocalyptic survival book in The New Homefront series written by author Steven C. Bird.
Profile Image for Tyler.
101 reviews
November 1, 2019
A MUST READ!!!

Another Great Book by Steven Bird who is one of my favorite authors and always entertains with his writing and never disappoints.
137 reviews1 follower
January 24, 2021
Loved the story, hoping the next book in the series is just as good
Profile Image for John Wood.
585 reviews5 followers
January 24, 2021
Good story!

About strong people willing to do anything to keep themselves and there families safe. While also dealing with a corrupt government.
April 23, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Initially, it was slow but after the first couple of chapters, it picked up and didn't stop. I was engrossed and was overjoyed when each of them arrived at their home. The ending was amazing when they got nearer the homestead and realised it was under attack. I'm so happy that there are another four books in the series for me to read. I highly recommend reading this book and stay with it for a couple of chapters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for chucklesthescot.
3,000 reviews134 followers
May 13, 2017
Evan and Jason are pilots and dedicated preppers who are concerned about the decline of America and have a plan to team their families up for security if the SHTF. Their worst fears are realised when America is attacked by terrorists while they are stuck in NYC with flight attendant Peggy, and a long way to go to get to Jason's family in Ohio and Evan's family in Tennessee. Their fears increase as they hear how quickly society has fallen apart and fear for the safety of their families at home.

This was one of these books where I liked a lot of what I read and got frustrated with it in equal measures. I knew going into it that it was going to be from the viewpoint of republican gun users as most prepper novels are written from that perspective. However, every conversation the men had with each other or other people they met at times turned into full anti-democratic rants with conspiracy theories about the President working with foreign terrorists to bring down America. And I do mean rants. It was scathing against anyone who doesn't share their views and was extremely preaching in tone about what the reader should believe. Now, I am not going to be critical of the author's right to have his characters share his viewpoint, but at times even I felt that the right wing bias was too much and was affecting the story a little. I don't mind a bit of politics in my prepper reading but not to the extent where I start to feel a bit bored by the continued ramming home of a point.

The other frustration I had with the book were the mind numbing info dumps. Having two and a half pages of weapons description, complete modifications to the family transport etc was just too much. A brief paragraph was enough to get the point across but every time the men found a new weapon, every single part of it was described in more detail along with range, performance etc. It just wasn't necessary and eventually I started to skip through them to get back to the story.

Ok frustrations aside, this was a decent apocalypse story. I liked the main male characters-Evan, Jason, Damon and Griff, who are all capable and ready to do what it takes to protect other people. Peggy starts off by questioning their use of guns but this quickly stops so it doesn't prove annoying as it has done in similar books. I would have liked more character development in the women though especially Sarah. It does seem strange that the wife of a prepper would be silly enough to cook outside during the apocalypse and alert the psycho neighbour that they have food, putting her and the kids in danger. While I liked seeing the trouble it caused, it felt a bit like the usual dumb woman plot time.

So did I like the book? For the most part, yes I did. The story was good and I liked the finale with Molly at the house. There were some good ideas and good action scenes, though the final chapter or two did feel a little rushed, but that was just my personal taste. Overall I am interested in seeing what happens next but I'm not sure if I am willing to sit through more info dumps and conspiracy theories and stuff to get there.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews

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