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Deserted Lands #2
Straight Into Darkness
What if safety felt like prison?
How does a girl who never had a place in the world before it ended, find her place in the new world?
Ninety-five percent of the people on the planet are dead. Lizzie is pregnant from an end of world one-night stand, and the situation is complicated. Her family, friends, the government of Provo, aka The City and one of the last outposts of civilization, all want to keep her safe.
And it’s driving her nuts.
She should be staying safe inside the walls of The City, but she’s got to get out. A dangerous mission is exactly what she needs right now.
How does a girl who never had a place in the world before it ended, find her place in the new world?
Ninety-five percent of the people on the planet are dead. Lizzie is pregnant from an end of world one-night stand, and the situation is complicated. Her family, friends, the government of Provo, aka The City and one of the last outposts of civilization, all want to keep her safe.
And it’s driving her nuts.
She should be staying safe inside the walls of The City, but she’s got to get out. A dangerous mission is exactly what she needs right now.
279 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2015
7 people are currently reading
1170 people want to read
About the author
Robert L. Slater
13 books109 followersRobert L. Slater is a teacher/writer living in Bellingham, Washington. His stories and poetry have appeared in many small press publications. His first novel, All Is Silence: A Deserted Lands novel, was released in early 2014. He has a should’ve-been-a doctorate B.A. in Theatre/Education, Spanish and History minors and a M.A. in Educational Technology. He sings, plays guitar, acts/directs in regional theatres, cooks, reads, practices Taekwon Do, writes plays, songs, and stories. He has six children, and two grandchildren. His motto is Robert Heinlein’s “Specialization is for Insects.”
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 19, 2017
A great addition to the first book. I love how raw and complicated Lizzie's personality and relationships are. I absolutely loved the implication of the change of romantic interests partway through. I can't get enough of Saj and also their friendship with Rachael. The character death near the end was heartbreaking. I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first one, but I did read this one over many months and so I can't imagine that helped. Looking forward to reading the third one (I assume there is/will be one?!).
My main issue is that there were a lot of formatting and/or editing errors in my Kobo ebook version, with pages being repeated and sentences being interrupted. A little jarring!
My main issue is that there were a lot of formatting and/or editing errors in my Kobo ebook version, with pages being repeated and sentences being interrupted. A little jarring!
November 3, 2015
Lizzie's story of survival and rediscovering what family means continues in this second book in the series and takes a few unexpected turns that open up entirely new horizons. As unlikeable as Lizzie tries to be, I genuinely like her as a character--not in the "I want to be her friend" way but in the way that she is always surprising me and reminding me not to judge a book by its cover...so to speak. (That pun's for you Rob).
Full Disclosure: I did do a little content editing work for Rob on both books. So I have a bit of a bias. But as someone who has been there watching the Lizzie character fully develop every step of the way I can tell you that she is a character that grows on you and can become very dear to your heart.
Full Disclosure: I did do a little content editing work for Rob on both books. So I have a bit of a bias. But as someone who has been there watching the Lizzie character fully develop every step of the way I can tell you that she is a character that grows on you and can become very dear to your heart.
September 6, 2015
Just finished. Loved it. Seemed liked always something happening. The barefoot and pregnant thinking is really pushing Lizzie's buttons. Really going to miss Duke. He really loved Lizzie. She's just not had time to figure out who she is yet. Can't wait to read the next installment. Mr. Slater is a really good author,makes you have to think about all the options.
May 22, 2017
Another Winner In The Deserted Lands Series!
I purchased this book because I loved the first novel in the series. All Is Silent, and Straight Into Darkness does not disappoint, and yes, you should read All Is Silent before reading this book or you might be lost. It starts out with Lizzie, the protagonist, arriving in Provo, UT, or The City, as its known to its inhabitants. Lizzie still has her trademark, smart-ass sense of humor and she's as rebellious as ever which makes for a very funny novel even though it takes place in a dismal, post-apocalyptic world. This novel concentrates more on the relationships between Jess and her friends than the first novel, All Is Silence, but Robert Slater, the author, also works a lot of action into this novel as well, particularly through the middle to end of the book. The multiple character viewpoints worked well for this book because it demonstrates how complex each character is and how complicated their relationships are. The one thing I had a hard time with in this book was the physical attraction between a middle-aged, father-figure character, and a teen-aged girl. Their relationship made me a little uncomfortable; maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but it definitely gave me food for thought. Perhaps societal norms go out the window in a post-apocalyptic world, and human contact is human contact. Overall, this novel is well-written, the characters are well-developed, and it's a very good read. I can't wait to see where the third novel takes Jess and her friends, particularly the girls because Provo's new policies for women do not bode well for them (I see shades of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale foreshadowed).
I purchased this book because I loved the first novel in the series. All Is Silent, and Straight Into Darkness does not disappoint, and yes, you should read All Is Silent before reading this book or you might be lost. It starts out with Lizzie, the protagonist, arriving in Provo, UT, or The City, as its known to its inhabitants. Lizzie still has her trademark, smart-ass sense of humor and she's as rebellious as ever which makes for a very funny novel even though it takes place in a dismal, post-apocalyptic world. This novel concentrates more on the relationships between Jess and her friends than the first novel, All Is Silence, but Robert Slater, the author, also works a lot of action into this novel as well, particularly through the middle to end of the book. The multiple character viewpoints worked well for this book because it demonstrates how complex each character is and how complicated their relationships are. The one thing I had a hard time with in this book was the physical attraction between a middle-aged, father-figure character, and a teen-aged girl. Their relationship made me a little uncomfortable; maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but it definitely gave me food for thought. Perhaps societal norms go out the window in a post-apocalyptic world, and human contact is human contact. Overall, this novel is well-written, the characters are well-developed, and it's a very good read. I can't wait to see where the third novel takes Jess and her friends, particularly the girls because Provo's new policies for women do not bode well for them (I see shades of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale foreshadowed).
March 21, 2017
You feel like you are there living through it all
Great post-apocalyptic story. Great if you like action and character development. Not lacking on either.
Dialogue and relationship dynamics are SO realistic. It's like living in the skin of each of the people as they try to overcome their own personal flaws, which is a lifelong process. They don’t try to hide their struggles, at least to themselves sometimes. Very rich and complex/real character development and inter-relationships.
The story line, environment descriptions, and relationships are extremely detailed.
You feel like you are there.
Flows much like life, not like so many of the predictable formulaic books.
Definitely a page-turner.
Great post-apocalyptic story. Great if you like action and character development. Not lacking on either.
Dialogue and relationship dynamics are SO realistic. It's like living in the skin of each of the people as they try to overcome their own personal flaws, which is a lifelong process. They don’t try to hide their struggles, at least to themselves sometimes. Very rich and complex/real character development and inter-relationships.
The story line, environment descriptions, and relationships are extremely detailed.
You feel like you are there.
Flows much like life, not like so many of the predictable formulaic books.
Definitely a page-turner.
November 6, 2015
Well, I wrote it. I'm very proud of it. It is book two of a series, so I would not recommend anyone read it who either didn't read or didn't like All is Silence. Also, be warned that it completes the next set of character complications without complete the main story arc.
August 12, 2016
I received a free copy of the book through Goodreads First Reads.
I really enjoyed reading this. Lizzie is still a great and strong female which I love. The start of a new love story surprised me (because I hoped she'd end up with Duke), but it makes sense. I would definitely like to read the next book and see how they'll make it work.
I really enjoyed reading this. Lizzie is still a great and strong female which I love. The start of a new love story surprised me (because I hoped she'd end up with Duke), but it makes sense. I would definitely like to read the next book and see how they'll make it work.
September 6, 2015
Iv just read this book.. It was amazing, couldn't put it down due to all the twists and turns would highly recommend it!
March 10, 2022
In this book we follow Crazy Lizzy on her journey to try to find herself, after finding her friends and father. She sure gets into a lot of trouble along the way! Action, romance in a well written story.
May 11, 2023
I enjoyed the first book, All is Silence. But, I couldn't wait for this to end. I'll not worry about the third chapter if it is finished.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews