Gray: Part III

Gray #3

by Lou Cadle

Welcome to Idaho City The sign was metal, the words still visible through scorching that had happened during The Event's long fire. The words spoke of the old days, seven months ago, when civilization was intact and the world robustly populated. The sign looked normal--or would have, had it not been for the pair of human feet attached over the first two words. The feet had been severed from their owner, and hex bolts were jammed between the metatarsals. Coral and Benjamin are starving as they flee from this sight. When they encounter scavengers a few days later, have they found food and salvation? Or is it the deadliest trap of them all? Gray Part III concludes the tale of post-apocalyptic survival. The series should be read in order.

Genres: Post Apocalyptic, Dystopia, Apocalyptic, Fiction, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Horror

313 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2016

About the author

Lou Cadle grew up in Tornado Alley near the New Madrid fault, was in San Francisco's 1989 earthquake, watched minor eruptions of Mt. St. Helens from close up, and hiked several times over Kilauea's active lava flows. Cadle currently lives in haboob country.

Reviews

[Rachel the Book Harlot · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How long before all this was gone? Twenty-five years? A hundred? How long before every building and the asphalt below them crumbled into dust? Would the buildings outlast people? Was there anything that anyone could do to keep humanity alive that long?"

Gray: Part III is a wonderful end to a great trilogy. The end matched the tone and spirit of the story perfectly.

One of the most compelling aspects of this story, and what makes it truly shine, is its portrayal of human struggle and human nature. The character arcs of the leads were done so well – who they become over the course of the journey into the end of the world is very realistic. I also loved the look into how some people are followers while others are leaders. And is who we become during dire circumstances something already innate within us or do circumstances make us who we are? I walked away each time wondering who I would be faced with similar circumstances. I love thought-provoking reads like this.

My only criticism, or really wish, is that the trilogy had received the spit-shine polish of professional editing. The storytelling and character studies are so good that a treatment by a pro editor would have elevated the entire thing to a 5 star read. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t riddled with errors, but a good editor would have smoothed out some of the edges.

In any case, despite that minor criticism, I loved the Gray trilogy. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Final rating: 4 stars

[Badseedgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gray describes not only the sky after "The Event" but also all the characters and the decisions they have to make to survive.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrill ride from start to finish. If you've ever truly wondered how you might fare in a real apocalyptic world, this trilogy not only knocks some sense into you, but makes you pray we never have to find out. An excellent end to the series.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coral and Benjamin have fled the UFO cultists but soon find out the meaning of the old phrase 'out of the frying pan into the fire.' They are snuck up on again (don't they ever look around?) and are captured (again.) They end up in a group of several hundred survivors who have food (for the moment) but could use a doctor (even though Coral points out she had only completed one year of pre-med before the disaster.)

So she ends up in charge of the clinic, a job which challenges her abilities quite a bit.

Their's food, there's shelter (even though it's freezing cold) and other people around. There's also an extremely dark and very, very ugly secret that they need to discover before it's Willie Nelson's 'On The Road Again.'

Whether or not the human race as a whole actually survives remains a major question. Still, a decent addition to the series.

[Karen’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This final book in the Gray collection was a decent ending to this apocalyptic world. If not for Coral and Benjamin and how much I liked these characters, this book was full of despair. I'm not sure I could be tough enough to survive in a world such as this.

I really had hope for Coral and Benjamin when they came upon a settlement of survivors. Except for the leader, Levi, everyone else seemed like good decent people.

I'm glad things turned around for them and was really happy with the epilogue.

If you like apocalyptic stories, this one is a good one!

[Melissa Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ending to a good story. As I said in my reviews, for part 1 and part 2, this really should've been one book but, alas, I fell for it and had to get all three. I will definitely research Cadle's other books before trying them out.
In this book we move on with Coral and Benjamin when they find more people. Surprisingly enough, not all of these people are bad like in the other 2 books. This time there is a set community. Yet, the food is running low and so is fuel to keep everyone warm. Chaos finally catches up with them again. How will they handle this one?

[Victoria Zigler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had trouble picking a rating for this book. I found it to be well-written, and I liked it better than part two, but not as much as part one. I also found some parts of it hard to read. There were parts of the story I loved. But there were also parts I had issues with. Plus, I still have some questions. Why was almost everyone who survived crazy, apart from the two main characters? Also, did Coral's family survive? It would have been nice to find out what happened in the community after they left it, and get some hint as to the potential chances of the survival of the human race as a whole too.

[Lucas Hamasaki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was bad??? I'm surprised cause I was enjoying the series, but... wow.

So. First, it had been established they were friends. He was too old for her. No attraction. Suddenly, it changed. It felt forced and awkward. They had a older brother - little sister dynamic and I was a bit weirded out by them hooking up.

Then, we spent the whole book getting to know other people, nice people, we learnt to cars about them. Then. Bye. Who cares? So long!

I don't get this book. It was a huge waste. No goal. No purpose. Nothing.

[Nour · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE. Love love love. The storyline is everything. It wouldn’t be a real post apocalyptic book if my gut wasn’t in a twist for the last part but it all was so fun (disturbing in the best way?)

[Jena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series kept up the suspense throughout, with a fantastic ending. It's rare to read one these days that is so consistently awesome. The action was nonstop, and the plot was not at all predictable. So glad I got this one!

[Joe Ricca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lou Cadle wrapped this series up nicely. Not as dark as the first book suggested but what is a world without hope right?

[Tammy R. Blackwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the three books in this series and loved them.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I'll be honest here. I listened to this one from Audible as an omnibus edition, so there was no break between the parts. I had previously said that I probably wouldn't finish this trilogy, but since I was otherwise occupied when part 2 ended and part 3 spun up automagically, I let it ride.

If you've suffered through my previous reviews you'll know that this one is a bit of a slog. Those first two parts are much the same with small tweaks between them for who the Big Bads are. The first is a small group of nutjobs, the second is a slightly larger small group of equally nutty preppers who are somewhat fundamental, but eschew an organized religion sounding somewhat Scientology-ish. It was a bit confusing in their reason for being ready for the still unexplained (near?) extinction event that befalls mankind.

Part three continues in the same vein, but this time they come across another armed group of scavengers who sequester our erstwhile heroes to Boise. It goes downhill from there as you would have already expected.

There are a couple of things that have bugged me a bit about this whole story. The main character Coral is a young female pre-med student who gets caught up in this slow ride to the dark gray side. The main issue with her is that the author is a dude, and sometimes they (dudes) get it right, other times not so much. While it's close here, it didn't really work for me.

I also get that in an apocalypse things go sideways in serious ways. However this sideways has some serious issues. The weather impact not withstanding, almost to a tee almost every non-protagonist character they come across are seriously unhinged. I get that in serious stress situations, base animal-like behavior can come out. However it's unusual that EVERYONE (other than the two we're with) go that way. I found it very tiresome. (For an alternative view of the end-of-the-world with a very different direction see Brad Manuel's "The Last Tribe")

This whole series really deserves 2.5 stars, but it is pretty well written overall, so I'm rounding up because I am an optimist.

Unlike Lou Cadle. :P

[Toni Boughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all 3 of the Gray books - they are fantastic. This is pure TEOTWAKI. You won't find any prepper fantasy nonsense here - this is genuine day-to-day survival here. The characters are so interesting, and I loved seeing them develop and change as they go through the changed world. Coral, especially, was so intriguing. The person she became was not always easy to like - but that's exactly what made her great. The experiences she goes through, the hard and bitter life of finding enough food to make it just one more day, shape her into a person as tough and dangerous as the land itself.

Lou Cadle is going on my 'automatic buy' list.

[Pam Shelton-Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book was a good ending to a very good series. This tale of unremitting cold, hunger and grayness continues with another settlement. I sure wish they could find a group that didn't have some kind of dysfunction going. I was surprised by a shocking discovery (as were the characters). I was a little bothered that Benjamin kind of faded to the background in this book whereas, in the first two he was far more of an equal (or more than equal partner). Here he was more or less someone on which Coral could focus. It ends somewhat quickly and rather quietly but with some hope as well. Good job.

[Shirley McAllister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life goes on

After narrowly escaping death in another community in Boise Coral and Benjamin survive the cold winter for another year and one day the sun returned and they knew life would return.
Great ending to the series.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This three book series was amazing! I loved the characters, and the secondary characters were well done, also! It was just an awesome series, and I loved the ending too!

[Peggy Pancherz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

Read all of the books in order to really enjoy. Characters are realistic and get better and better. Storyline continues to grow and develop.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the three! It begins with Benjamin and Coral seeing the Welcome to Idaho City sign...with severed feet bolted to it. This is a sign of the book, of the world these characters live in. They continue as in book 2 to search for food and signs of normal life (before this catastrophic event). I won’t say how but they do end up in a small community of survivors. For me this is a lull in the book because it is filled with trivial details of day to day living. Coral, the narrator, has trouble adjusting to living in a community because of everything that’s happened and feels that something isn’t quite right in the town. Benjamin and Coral stay despite their misgivings because of the harsh conditions out there on their own. I won’t say what happens or if the town is a good or bad place to be but I will say that there is action that slowly builds to edge of your seat by the end. I really enjoyed it. However, I didn’t give a glowing review (even though I couldn’t put the series down) because of some fairly obvious flaws...not even going into the fact we never learn what the event was that caused this post apocalyptic world and no one seems to care but Coral. No one but Coral (and she only at first) cares about whether their family is ok. Putting that aside, here are what I see as flaws.

1. Corals age. As a 19 year old premed student she wouldn’t have any more knowledge than a high school kid. The trilogy suggests knowledge and practicum experiences she wouldn’t get as a freshman in college...really college would be her taking gen ed classes like history, English, math, chemistry, basic biology, etc. The author could have had her finish a year of nursing school where she would have less gen ed and more hands on info because of the difference in programs. But I think Coral should have just finished her first year of med school which is grad school and been in her early to mid 20s.

2. Women, young or old, would not venture off the grid alone. Women learn from an early age that bad things can happen if alone. Also, it’s hard to believe a 19 yo girl would even want this type of vacation. Even if she did, I doubt she would head off during summer break in an RV to another state to fish, go mountain climbing, or caving alone. More likely she would take classes or work or head to a beach. But if she did take the summer to do these activities she would go with a friend, boyfriend or family member. It would’ve been more believable had she had a companion who dies just before, during or after the event.

3. Corals vacation destination. Corals permanent residence is in Ohio and she attends college in Michigan but drives her brothers RV to Idaho to get one with nature. Why not just travel to northern Michigan for that? If the author doesn’t know that area then, have the reason for why Idaho would be on her radar.

4. Don’t have too much time in the narrators head. As I mentioned in my review of the first book, it gets boring with a single character hanging out alone thinking! This was one of my problems with The Martian, even though there’s a reason for him being alone. It would’ve made sense to have Coral and her older brother fishing and have him killed off trying to save her. It would not only make more sense and have dialogue before the event. Plus, it would explain her lack of searching for family. When she and Benjamin leave, they head west even though her family is east. Wouldn’t they try to find her family, especially with her being just a teen?

5. No one has any canned goods. I mean even Ben lives in a remote cabin and had run out of food during the week she was in the cave. He seems solitary. He probably doesn’t head to town daily so I’m thinking he’d have more food storage, most likely in the basement. I live within a mile of a massive grocery and have enough canned goods to last quite awhile... veggies, soups, canned meats. I would think if he lived in a remote cabin he would have stuff like that stored in the basement for winter months. And it suggests he’s a hunter so he’d have a freezer full of meat. Granted the power goes out but it also starts snowing almost immediately so he’d store his meat and stuff outside. Along those lines it’s hard to believe he hadn’t been to town after the event to see if anyone survived or to scavenge food from houses and stores. Come on he would. His character is a pragmatic man in his 30s. Oh and I found it amusing he was described as middle aged. At least age him into his mid to upper 40s, especially for his attitude.

With that said I did enjoy the story. Plus in the final the authors tone is one of hope for Earth and its survivors which is a nice change from some of my reading from the post apocalyptic genre.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion to the series continues to follow our main characters Coral and Benjamin. They escape a looney cult at the end of the second book and it picks up from there. Coral is attempting to clean out a bullet wound Benjamin received during the escape and while distracted the two get discovered. These strangers don't seem crazy. They take Coral and Benjamin back to Boise which has become a small "city" of people that survived and are living at the university where some buildings survived. They scavenge and bring back food and supplies and have a small stash. There's a semblance of civilization with a leader and everyone else has jobs. Coral is taken back to run the medical clinic given her medical knowledge (she was pre-med and volunteered at a hospital). Life falls into routine but the two grow weery of it. The Boise residents seem to have no idea of the dire situation outside the walls of the makeshift city and the pair see that fuel and food is dwindling. They make plans to leave and the Coral discovers a secret about the makeshift city and flees to find Benjamin (who is on danger... unbeknownst to him).

The ending wasn't the best....it also wasn't the worst. I wish it tied up the disaster a bit more....and I wish we found out more about what happened. We never really find out although a theory is presented. Overall it was a pretty good apocalyptic book. It seemed more "realistic" than most. Any time something happened on the book that I found farfetched...the characters would bring it up and discuss it, for example. I would recommend this series to people who like this type of book. Definitely shouldn't have been 3 books - should have been one big book.

[Kendra Hedrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying ending to the trilogy although I wouldn't mind knowing what happens next. ;-) Somehow I was surprised by the twist of what was going on behind the scenes in the community but I'm not sure how I missed it. I have read so many post-apocalyptic books. This one (the series overall) was a bit more grim then most. There is usually bad things/bad people in this genre but this one was so grim I'm not sure I would have survived in this world. The cold alone would kill me. I spent a lot of my thoughts thinking how are these people not complaining more about the cold?!?! Possible spoilers below....

While I liked the end, I kind of wished that they had gone back to the community they were with. I wish we could have seen what happened there next, and I feel like they might have been able to survive there with many of the others with different leadership. Well, maybe not...but I wish they could have taken some friends with them so they would have a community to rebuild with. It was sad to lose them all so abruptly without another thought.

[Kathy Stageberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gray by Lou Adble

The minute I started Gray Part I, I was hooked! I love to read, but I do realize that I have chores and places to go, so,I reluctantly put aside my reading and attend to them. I couldn’t this time, to heck with what had to be done, I couldn’t put these books down! There is never a dull moment in these books, and my heart would actually pound at certain times! I haven’t had that happen since I read the Shining by Stephen King many years ago. I loved Coral who for awhile thought she was the only person left alive on this earth. She didn’t have any survival skills and she was young having attended only one year of college! Heck...she wasn’t even street wise, thinking all people were innately good! How does someone like that survive in world that is gray, freezing, and no life?

[Eliza · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was going to be a 4 star review, but after ruminating on it a while, I just can’t get over a man writing a book where a middle age dude hooks up with a young woman. I just don’t give a crap how end of the world their situation is. Men should not write creepy crap like that. I really enjoyed the story, but nearly barfed when they hooked up. I can’t get over how disgusting that was. So, I rated this one star for the perverted ishyness of that one tiny and ABSOLUTELY UNNECESSARY part of the story.

Also, side note: That’s not how snow works! You can’t cover tracks in the snow by dragging crap over it. That would just make one big and obvious track. AND (one more rant) when snow is that deep, you cannot walk through it. You sink in. They should have had snowshoes. I’ve concluded that the author, betas, and editors have never lived in a snowy place.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

actually it makes sense the name of the book, more than being gray for all the ashes in the atmosphere it is also gray because of all the morality choices that everyone in the book, better say, in the history went through... i think that the romance/feelings that coral admitted she had for Benjamin made sense, ok it may look like a small space of time, but for that while he was all she had, and she was all he had... it makes sense to love what you have instead of wishing someone that doesn't exist anymore, the world went to shit... yeah get over it, appreciate what you have because tomorrow you may not have it anymore... all we can do is hopping for better and live on...

i listened to the audiobook and i enjoyed very much, the lady reading it, made it very nice doing several different voices, it was a really nice experience.

[TP · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last book in this series was better than the second book, equal to the first book.
But again slow pacing and too much headspace. The struggles and thought processes were interesting don’t get me wrong. But it was not balanced out properly with some suspenseful action scenes.
I also thought they would have deserved a more fitting ending.
Building their own sustainable little farm more appropriate to their characters and the shown strength they had throughout the previous books. By adapting and coping, which was the backbone of this book for me.
Maybe there will be another book, who knows. I would like to read more about these two characters, building a community around the lake with all the empty houses and cellars.

[kelly r engler]

Very good survival ideas

I enjoyed this book greatly. It is a post apocalyptic world w two people doing everything they can to survive even one more day. It teaches and entertains in a world completely devoid of wood, paper, plants, anything that can be burned. With nothing but cinders to burn for warmth and not much left to wear staying warm was a huge problem. Food is the second huge problem. This young woman and hermit like man almost die many times, saving each other numerous times. Their stoic and brave behavior keeps them going. Their strength of character and never losing hope makes these two the future of mankind's survival. I always enjoy learning survival techniques from these types of books and this story taught me much.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series is pretty good. I’ve read quite a few of these PA stories and these are better than average., You could probably still follow and enjoy them Individually, but I would read them in order. Each segment comprises about 3 of the 9 months of the entire series. I’m glad there was almost no sex and nothing explicit, including the discussions about rape and child brides.

I’d rather have cannibals than zombies. At first, I thought that it was cliche having the Boisians’ leadership being entitled to more supplies and the unaware citizens being served and eating the stray survivors coming into town as well as the outcasts. “Kuru showed that people could get a prion disease from eating infected people.” NPR

[John Hamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting adventure stories

This is the second of Lou Cadle's series I have read in just over a week.

Having long been a fan of post-apoc fiction, especially that of John Wyndham, I found the premise of the series intriguing, although confirmation of the cause comes late on. The characters are well defined and likeable, and the variety of scenarios they are placed into are many and largely believable.

I will certainly be reading more of Mr Cadle's books and I would strongly recommend that you give them a chance too - his time-travel series starting with Sabre Tooth is highly entertaining and very different!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could give the series 4.5 stars I would. It doesn't quite merit a 5 star in my mind, but it was really very engaging. Left me thinking about it afterward. I appreciated that it was farily clean - minimal use of curse words, lack of gratuitous violence, and not much objectionable content. Definitely not a kid-friendly series, but also not something I, as an adult, felt uncomfotable reading. If you enjoy apocalyptic stories, this one is good. There was some predictability, but still left me feeling the suspense. Also appreciate that it had a satisfying ending, one that left it feeling wrapped up. It didn't tie up all loose ends, but was enough that I didn't feel let down.

[Reads_Must · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gray: Part 3
Sci-fi
Lou Cadle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

• ꜱᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴏʀꜱ • ʟᴏᴠᴇ • ᴄᴀɴɴɪʙᴀʟꜱ •

This book was a very good finale. I really liked how much tension there was throughout and I was suspicious of almost everyone.

The pacing was just right, as was the world building.

The settlement Coral and Benjamin found themselves in was quite positive despite the few controlling rules.

The plot twist wasn't 100% a surprise as I had my suspicions early on but it was still revealed in an interesting way.

The relationship between Benjamin and Coral grew even more and although there's a big age gap, they're still well suited as a couple.

I'm sad to see this trilogy end because I liked the MC's so much.