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Impact #1

Impact

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They survived the impact. Will they survive the aftermath?

Discover this epic dystopian tale, spanning two continents and the lives of a rich cast of characters, as they struggle to survive.

It's been nine months since the meteorites hit. They brought both destruction and disease, carrying a mysterious pathogen that has killed untold millions, while turning others into Meteorwraiths -- zombie-like human relics.
Now, the tattered remnants of humanity face enormous challenges to survive.

Alice and Adrian have lost everything except each other. Both barely twelve-years-old, they fight their way across the ruins of Europe, in a desperate search for their family.
James Walscombe is senior safety specialist trapped inside top-secret US nuclear facility Atlantis with two colleagues. They survived the impact, unscathed. But now, one of them has turned into a psychotic murderer.
Father Paul struggles to keep his faith in a world resentful towards its gods. His life isn't the one he thought he'd chosen when he entered the seminary, and now new, dark deities are creeping out from the shadows.

These are but a few in the vast cast of characters that populate the world of IMPACT.

IMPACT is a post-apocalyptic series. This is book one.

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 28, 2015

193 people are currently reading
356 people want to read

About the author

Matthew Eliot

9 books3 followers

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5 stars
53 (21%)
4 stars
77 (30%)
3 stars
80 (31%)
2 stars
32 (12%)
1 star
10 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Profile Image for Gregoire.
1,098 reviews45 followers
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September 24, 2017
Je suis tombé par hasard sur Amazon et donc j'ai téléchargé gratuitement Impact (genre après apocalypse)

Je suis très partagé sur cette histoire d'apocalypse - chute de 3 météores aux USA en Europe et en Russie - mais quid de l'Australie ? de l'Asie ?
L'auteur nous présente plusieurs protagonistes dont des enfants et en particulier les habitants d'une petite ville d'Angleterre Betaly
Je dois avouer que j'ai lu l'histoire en une soirée ce qui est plutôt bon signe :

j'ai apprécié le style plutôt coulant et agréable à lire ; j'ai apprécié le fait qu'il s'agit de personnes "ordinaires" ni bonnes ni mauvaises ainsi que leurs attitudes et réflexions sur leurs situations (même la question de la foi ne m'a pas dérangé). Le côté psychologique m'a donc paru plutôt bien présenté.

Ce qui m'a gêné cependant c'est l'absence de réelles conséquences Je ne comprends pas comment internet continue de fonctionner Dans les autres récits déjà lus, l'impact de météores induit une impossibilité de maintenir une liaison par satellites, un climat beaucoup plus marqué (nuit prolongée, froid extrême, destructions massives par toutes sortes de manifestations climatiques , on nous explique généralement que c'est la fin de toutes vies possibles pendant des années...) Or ici, après quelques mois, les survivants non malades continuent à vivre et à respirer presque "normalement" ... L'auteur n'évoque que très marginalement la situation réelle dans le monde en dehors de quelques sites très géographiquement limités, se contentant de mettre en exergue la marque de la nouvelle maladie apportée avec Nero (le 3e météore)

Au fil du livre, on se rend compte que l'auteur souhaite développer plusieurs types de survivants et on se doute que le choc entre eux va remettre beaucoup en questions

En conclusion je qualifierai le livre de "bon série B" et je lirai donc le tome 2 en espérant que la série ne se perde pas dans des digressions sans fin mais s'attache à clarifier certains aspects
42 reviews2 followers
September 15, 2016
Not a book, barely a short story

This "book" was barely a short story. The idea is a meteor passing the earth brought a disease with it
6,237 reviews40 followers
October 23, 2017
Three meteors have impacted the Earth causing widespread destruction. They also brought a disease with them which causes people's bodies to decay even while they are still alive. Adrian (12) and Alice (11) are very early characters. We later meet up with a priest, some kind of military group and various groups of thugs.

I just never managed to get interested in the characters. They just did not engender sympathy or anything else. Maybe there's not enough framing of the events or the people involved in them. It's like the book just settles on some random people somewhere in the middle of a crisis. Just not that gripping.
Profile Image for Donna.
1,626 reviews34 followers
October 17, 2017
The plot of the story has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the story. I kept putting it down because it wasn't interesting me. I couldn't connect with the characters at all. The changing perspectives would have been ok if you got to know a bit about the characters. Overall, I didn't enjoy the story and I will not be moving on in this series.
14 reviews
June 23, 2020
Great post apocalyptic book

If you like dystopian books or are trying something for your teen to read this is for you! Very descriptive I almost can hear, smell ( yuck) and feel whatever is happening. Short enough but that a teen is not going to be ugh is this eve going to end, but long enough for an adult to en got!
Profile Image for Kimberly Beckstrand.
39 reviews
April 29, 2020
Fantastic read!

Well written, consistent story line and wonderful characters bring this dark and stormy tale to life. Can’t wait to start book 2 in the series, and find more by this author! Loved it
Profile Image for Ying.
370 reviews10 followers
October 9, 2016
This book definitely follows a formula I have read before. It follows a number of protagonists after a the impact of 3 meteors, which brought some kind of disease with them.

Overall I enjoyed the book. The multi-POV angle seems to be quite popular in the post apocalyptic genre, and in this book I liked the way some of the stories tied together. Not all the storylines matched up and that is fine for me. Perhaps they will match up in the future, I don't know. And even if they don't match up that's fine.

There was enough mystery about the characters and the effects of the meteors to keep me interested. The ending was good too, made me interested in reading the next book.
Profile Image for Brian Switzer.
Author 4 books9 followers
December 25, 2015
*SPOILER ALERT*

'IMPACT: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale' is book 1 in Matthew Eliot's Impact series. The book is well-written, the characters are likable and three dimensional and the narrative is engaging. Unfortunately 'Impact' has some structural issues that make it a frustrating read.

Its biggest flaw is, as whats-her-name once said of Oakland, that there is no there there. There's no meat on the bones. As the title indicates Impact is Book One of the series. It's also very short, nearly a novella. Perhaps Eliot intended to use Book One as an introductory novella to present the scene and the characters, and then present a story arc and plot in the next book. If that's the case he shouldn't have made this one available until books further into the series are as well, because while this one does an admirable job of that roll-out, it doesn't tell us what these characters are doing, and it asks more questions than it answers.

We know three meteors have struck Earth, destroying most of the planet and leaving the survivors in a dystopian nightmare. There's a town, Bately, who's leaders are doing their best to care for the townspeople and a flood of refugees, many of whom are deathly ill. There is a pair of children making the perilous journey from somewhere to a relative's home in Bately. There is a trio of survivors in an underground military installation. There's Father Paul, Bately's priest, who is doubting his faith and himself. And finally, there are the meteorwraiths, people who suffer from a terrible illness borne by the meteors.

The book's description refers to the wraiths as 'zombie-like' but they don't come across that way in the narrative. What the wraiths are is not explained very well. They have terrible sores and lesions that may or may not be communicable. Sometimes they are threatening but most often not- one of the book's minor characters is in love with a woman who carries the illness and many of the refugees that the Bately folk are carrying for are wraiths. If Impact ever explained why the wraiths are feared and what threat they present I missed it.

And that's it. Eliot introduces all the characters in a pleasant and easy-to-read way; but by book's end the reader doesn't know what motivates them or what the conflict is because neither has been presented. It's like a beautifully wrapped gift box with no gift inside.

I don't think every book in a series needs to be able to stand by itself and I don't mind cliffhangers. But any book in a series, especially the introductory one, should leave the reader with an understanding of what the characters are trying to achieve and what obstacles they face in doing so.
Profile Image for Angela.
1,091 reviews53 followers
February 4, 2017
Very quick read.

Decent idea for a novel but it falls flat due to uninspired descriptions and poor world building.

The characterisations are, for the most part, appalling, and Eliot seems to have trouble deciding on the age of the 'children' and how they behave. For instance, I have absolutely no idea how old Adrian and Alice are supposed to be, in one chapter I thought they were mid teens, and then the next they're portrayed as prepubescent; similarly, Mathew is described as being 16 but is depicted as someone much younger. All I can surmise from this is that Eliot doesn't know how to write children.

There are three separate story lines happening in this book, but the one I enjoyed reading the most was the one in the government bunker as this was the better written (and provided some humour). The Bately crew are an odd mash-up of characters (who no doubt will cause hi-jinks in later installments), and the 'children' sections were just nondescript really.

The meteorwraiths sound interesting, but we aren't given any idea about what they actually are or what the affliction is, barring some form of space leprosy. Some act feral, some aren't, but there is no differentiation between the two.

Decent idea, unfortunately it could have been handled better and with more finesse.
Profile Image for William.
184 reviews1 follower
September 6, 2016
At first when I realized the setting for this story was predominantly Great Britain, I thought I wouldn't like it. After all, they speak English instead of American. I was expecting a lot of car-Boots and Bonnets, Mates and Blokes, etc. Instead, here was a very realistic story about the experiences of a number of different clusters of survivors following a near "ELE" (Extinction
Level Event).
I found it refreshing to read a story of this sort that didn't depend on Aliens or some form of Fantasy. Instead, Earth is struck by three massive Meteorites that fall short of total extinction and carry with them some highly contagious lingering disease.
There are characters from several diverse areas but most of the action is in and around England. While we don't have Zombies to be concerned with, we do have The Afflicted who are referred to as Meteorwraifs, most of whom seem bent on killing and/or spreading their disease.
This book has the potential to be given a five star rating if only there were more extremes to some of the characters. I would have liked some "Good-guys" who were more heroic and some Bad-guys who were more sinister and evil.

Review by THE HOLEY ONE
Profile Image for Michelle.
774 reviews4 followers
March 31, 2016
When will I learn to not get book 2 until I have read book 1? Never, apparently.

Continuing my post-apocalyptic, survival story jam I have going, I picked up books 1 and 2 in the IMPACT series. You see, a meteor storm has pummeled the earth and now there are wraiths roaming around, causing havoc. It's like they are zombies, but they aren't. It's a little confusing and the world building isn't the best. Anyway...

We have three distinct storylines happening. We have our friends in a NORAD type installation. We have a priest struggling to retain his faith in a world gone out of control, and we have two young kids who are really written poorly. In some scenes they act like they are 25 and in others they act like they are 10. Uneven writing all-around, really, but Alice and Adrian drove me nuts the most.

Not so much survival as doom and gloom. Not worth the time. Unless you are a dummy like me and get book 2 when you get book one and are a glutton for punishment.
Profile Image for Christina Brummett.
109 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2016
An interesting beginning

While the writing was quite good, there were way too many holes in the story, which made it hard to follow. While I understand that this is the first in a series, I felt it was too much of a teaser rather than being a story in its own right. Still, if I remember, I'll probably look for the next few in the series to see if things become more coherent.
Profile Image for Brian.
401 reviews
June 30, 2016
A good read. The main characters were developed and dimensional though there were some holes in the story in a few places. The book was more of a novella than a full novel and I was somewhat surprised about this. The story was very original and creative while using a theme that is much used nowadays. The author, Matthew Eliot has talent and skill and his works will be sure to entertain he reader regardless of genre. And yes, I did buy book #2 of this series ! You should too !
Profile Image for Kay.
1,724 reviews18 followers
November 19, 2015
I received this book free for joining the author's website. This is an honest review - I don't do any other kind!

I really enjoyed this book. Easy reading, a fast page-turner, great story, entertaining, with very good characterisations.

No ordinary zombie-like human, the Meteorwraiths are inspired! The lepers of the post-apocalypse. Enjoy!

I'm looking forward to the next episode.
181 reviews3 followers
February 27, 2016
A Post Apocalptic story

Really liked this book ....loved the character of Father Paul, struggling to maintain his faith in an apocalyptic world after the meteor s hit...barely surviving this small town of people are faced with lots of obstacles thrown in....great writing and characters
130 reviews1 follower
August 13, 2016
A gripping book

A new twist on the end of the world. A more realistic take with no real hero's just ordinary people coming together to help each other. Will be definitely buying book two.
Profile Image for Carly Kirk.
839 reviews9 followers
June 9, 2016
Good enough

This book is well written enough and does a good job of setting up the world/story the author is telling. I guess my main problem is that I didn't become emotionally involved with the characters enough to care where things go after the ending.
Profile Image for Michelle.
87 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2016
Hopping between different perspectives

Tedious. Could not get into the characters nor the plot. Will not be getting the rest of this series. That said, some may like the book, everyone is different.
Profile Image for Julie Treanton.
2 reviews
July 11, 2015
I

Interesting story line. A quick read and entertaining. I might recommend it to some of my friends to read also
177 reviews1 follower
February 6, 2016
Love this book!

I love this story I quickly got so into the story I couldn't STOP reading. I recommend this book to all who want to read an exceptional story!
9 reviews
August 8, 2016
Excellent read

Very well written book, gripping novel, wanting me to read more and more highly recommend this novel to all you
89 reviews
October 17, 2016
This was different.

I need to remember to rate these books as I finish them. I probably will not buy another but that IS NOT because it was bad. Just not my cup of tea.
26 reviews
October 28, 2016
The start of a brilliant post apocalyptic series of books that shows the reality of humanity at it's best and worst. Read it in one sitting and moved on to book two. Great read.
Profile Image for Traci Loudin.
Author 6 books52 followers
Read
May 25, 2017
A slow start, but then all the storylines started to pick up and they all interested me! not a boring storyline among them, and it's got all the stuff I love about post-apocalyptic fiction... Everyone has very difficult choices to make. Great story, but incomplete without the other books.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews

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