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The Journal #1-3
The Journal: Cracked Earth, Ash Fall, Crimson Skies
An omnibus edition of the first three books in Deborah Moore’s The Journal series.
After a major crisis rocks the nation, all supply lines are shut down. In the remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the small town of Moose Creek and its residents are devastated when they lose power in the middle of a brutal winter, and must struggle alone with one calamity after another.
The Journal series take the reader head first into the fury that only Mother Nature can dish out.
After a major crisis rocks the nation, all supply lines are shut down. In the remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the small town of Moose Creek and its residents are devastated when they lose power in the middle of a brutal winter, and must struggle alone with one calamity after another.
The Journal series take the reader head first into the fury that only Mother Nature can dish out.
672 pages, Paperback
First published February 16, 2016
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 21, 2017
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I don't generally read much PA (post-apocalypse) fiction unless it has a science fiction-y angle to it. Zelazny's DAMNATION ALLEY is a personal favorite, although I tend to think of that as more of a sci-fi/adventure story. Anyway...
THE JOURNAL wouldn't normally be something I'd pick up, but two things struck me as interesting about it and set it apart from others in this genre:
1) It details the start of the “apocalypse” rather than just throwing the reader into the aftereffects; and
2) It's written by someone who knows what she's talking about.
Let's deal with number one first. How many of these books do you pick up and it immediately kicks you right into the action? Invariably, there's some exposition as you go on, or a flashback or two that gives you the backstory on how everything occurred and why society deteriorated. THE JOURNAL (Book 1) starts at the beginning and the reader watches the events unfold along with the main character. In essence, YOU are the protagonist and YOU witness the start of the apocalypse. Which is interesting in its own right because you can judge for yourself on how well you would deal with the breakdown of modern society.
Some other reviews mention the slow opening of this book, and I understand their criticism. But they're wrong. This is a “slow burn.” It's getting to know the main character and seeing how capable she is. And once things start to happen...and even in the beginning, you get the foreboding, the feeling of “something bad is going to happen”...it's not a shock when the protagonist is able to survive the events.
And 2), as I said, this is a book (a series) written by someone who knows firsthand about what she's describing. This author is not an armchair warrior describing things she learned from Wikipedia. This is an author who lives pretty much off the grid, who grows her own food, who has fired guns... This is a person who lives the “prepper” lifestyle.
THE JOURNAL is a multi-layered book in that, on one hand, you have a riveting story of a woman struggling to survive (while also keeping her friends and family safe) after a series of catastrophes cause modern society to break down. On the other, you have an instructional book on how to be completely self-sufficient if such a thing occurs (or maybe I should say “when it occurs”).
So for those of you looking for a “how to” guide on being a prepper, you have an educational book that lays out those things in an entertaining fashion. For those of you looking for a PA story with a character you root for, something with a more realistic approach (there's no zombies in this, folks), you have that, too. But really, what you have is both. And what more could you ask for in a book?
I don't generally read much PA (post-apocalypse) fiction unless it has a science fiction-y angle to it. Zelazny's DAMNATION ALLEY is a personal favorite, although I tend to think of that as more of a sci-fi/adventure story. Anyway...
THE JOURNAL wouldn't normally be something I'd pick up, but two things struck me as interesting about it and set it apart from others in this genre:
1) It details the start of the “apocalypse” rather than just throwing the reader into the aftereffects; and
2) It's written by someone who knows what she's talking about.
Let's deal with number one first. How many of these books do you pick up and it immediately kicks you right into the action? Invariably, there's some exposition as you go on, or a flashback or two that gives you the backstory on how everything occurred and why society deteriorated. THE JOURNAL (Book 1) starts at the beginning and the reader watches the events unfold along with the main character. In essence, YOU are the protagonist and YOU witness the start of the apocalypse. Which is interesting in its own right because you can judge for yourself on how well you would deal with the breakdown of modern society.
Some other reviews mention the slow opening of this book, and I understand their criticism. But they're wrong. This is a “slow burn.” It's getting to know the main character and seeing how capable she is. And once things start to happen...and even in the beginning, you get the foreboding, the feeling of “something bad is going to happen”...it's not a shock when the protagonist is able to survive the events.
And 2), as I said, this is a book (a series) written by someone who knows firsthand about what she's describing. This author is not an armchair warrior describing things she learned from Wikipedia. This is an author who lives pretty much off the grid, who grows her own food, who has fired guns... This is a person who lives the “prepper” lifestyle.
THE JOURNAL is a multi-layered book in that, on one hand, you have a riveting story of a woman struggling to survive (while also keeping her friends and family safe) after a series of catastrophes cause modern society to break down. On the other, you have an instructional book on how to be completely self-sufficient if such a thing occurs (or maybe I should say “when it occurs”).
So for those of you looking for a “how to” guide on being a prepper, you have an educational book that lays out those things in an entertaining fashion. For those of you looking for a PA story with a character you root for, something with a more realistic approach (there's no zombies in this, folks), you have that, too. But really, what you have is both. And what more could you ask for in a book?
May 26, 2020
Great book with lots of information. Need the next in the series.
April 12, 2022
Absolutely phenomenal!
May 13, 2016
I have read these over and over.
August 11, 2016
Excellent book. Love the series.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews