25 Perfect Days: Plus 5 More

25 Perfect Days #1-2

by Mark Tullius, Anthony Szpak (Editor)

25 Perfect Days, named one of IndieReader's Best Indie Books for 2013, just got better with the addition of 5 More Perfect Days. A totalitarian state doesn't just happen overnight. It's a slow, dangerous slide. 25 Perfect Days Plus 5 More chronicles the path into a hellish future of food shortages, contaminated water, sweeping incarceration, an ultra-radical religion, and the extreme measures taken to reduce the population. Through twenty-five interlinked stories, each written from a different character's point of view, 25 Perfect Days captures the sacrifice, courage, and love needed to survive and eventually overcome this dystopian nightmare.

Genres: Dystopia

310 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2016

About the author

My writing covers a wide range, with fiction being my favorite to create, with two dozen or so titles under my belt. There are 21 titles in my YA interactive Try Not to Die series and 30 more in the works. I also have two nonfiction titles, both inspired by a reckless lifestyle, playing Ivy League football, and battering the hell out of my brain as an unsuccessful MMA fighter and boxer. Unlocking the Cage is the largest sociological study of MMA fighters to date and TBI or CTE aims to spread awareness and hope to others that suffer with traumatic brain injury symptoms.

I live in sunny California with my wife, two kids, five cats, and one demon. Derek. He makes special appearance on my social media

You can also get your 3 free books by signing up to my newsletter. This letter is only for the brave, or at least those brave enough to deal with bad dad jokes, a crude sense of humor, and loads and loads of death.
Derek and I would love to have you join us!

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Reviews

[Crystal DeBoard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dystopian, sci-fi, horror. Well-written with short chapters. This is disturbing and fascinating. This one hits on relevant social and moral issues while making you think and keeping you entertained and wondering what will happen next.

[Laurene Brannick · Rating 4 out of 5]

25 Perfect Days:Plus 5 More is set in an incredibly dystopian near-future, giving us a close up view of an all controlling theocracy dealing with a perfect storm of planetary melt-down, from the point of view of the victims. To attempt to get into detail would give away too much of the basic plot...which slowly reveals itself through a series of vignettes that only come together later in the book.
We follow several families thru the decades as they navigate a hostile society after a biological "accident" affecting the birth rate...causes the gov't to start death lotteries, orphan indoctrination camps, and other all too believable additions to daily life... Mark Tullius has written a book w a warning built in for us, now... about our water, our air and mostly how willfully blind we can be when "believing" the gov't's lies and promises... It's also a book about the human heart's propensity to overcome all obstacles, no matter the depth of difficulty. This is a great book and I enjoyed it very much...leaving me thirsting for more of the story.... My only caveat is I wish he had fleshed out several of his characters & their stories more, as it would have helped me understand things more.. (like who the lady w the money in the hospital was(I realized later)). I'm off to read part 2 now... More review to come....

[Chuck Bretzels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Germany under Hitler. Yugoslavia under Milosevic. Spain under Franco. North Korea under the Kim Dynasty. All considered totalitarian regimes with a strong central government where the people have limited or no political freedom. That is what we see in 25 Perfect Days by Mark Tullius.

This series of connected stories in the near future paint a nightmarish dystopia. Moderately large cast of characters that span more than one generation of oppressors and oppressed. It's hard to say more without getting too specific and spoiling it for the next reader.

What I can say is to expect this to be dark and Tullius makes it even darker. Tullius gives us a peek into where we (as a people) can go if we just accept what our government tells us without challenge. This is what happens when we allow incremental changes to our institutions. This is what can happen when we allow a strong leader to join with a group that convinces the masses that they need to be saved. This also reminds us that we need a resistance.

Recommend this to anyone who likes The Road or similiar dystopian reads. Not gruesome but not for the faint of heart.

Disclosure: the author provided me a free copy of this book under Book Tasters but this did not influence my review

[His Wife7474 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed 25 Perfect Days IMMENSELY! I've read most of Tullius' books and this one is my favorite. It is complex, fast-paced, terrifying, heart-warming... all of these things! I can't recall being on such a storycoaster ride (yep, I made that up lol). The story was very well-written. The characters- and there are MANY so prepare to make a list- are well-developed. There are plenty of characters to love and plenty to hate. Now, if you are looking to read a story that ties up loose ends all nice and pretty then keep looking. 25 Perfect Days will have you pulling your hair out. This story plays out like real life in that it doesn't give a shit about a loose end. Think back to your high school class and how many loose ends there are. It's doubtful you keep up with every classmate even though they were present in your past. Several characters are connected, but you will need to make sure to take in every detail of this story so you don't miss anything. It is that complex and dense.

Is 25 Perfect Days a cliffhanger? I hope the hell so because I want to know what's going to happen next in this world. There are so many characters with interesting sh*t that Tullius could very well do several spin-off stories. Even if they are short stories. I'd like to think that this as bad as San Angeles (where much of the story takes place) can get. If so, I want to know how it gets better. If it doesn't, I want to read about how it went full scorched earth.

This is a great book. It's a quick read. I spent more time plotting characters than I did actually reading it. Now that the characters are clicked in place in my mind, I can give it another read-through just for pleasure's sake. If you don't enjoy plotting characters ( I do!), there is a character list at the end of the story. Be warned- the list contains spoilers. Enjoy!

[Mike Wilshin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but flawed

A church state has taken over the world turning it into a totalitarian regime. The story is told through a series of vignettes that take place over a series of decades. Each part is more hopeless than the the one preceding and some characters are reintroduced years later. It can be jarring and confusing.
As well told as the vignettes are, it distances the reader from the characters and any possible emotional investments.
The action and world are there. I might suggest treating the book as a succession of short stories with recurring characters.

[Savera · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched, believable, dystopian novel that I suspect will feel all too real as the years roll on.

I felt for the heroes and heroines, and hated the villains, neither of which felt forced. There was a raw humanity throughout the book, as each character fought their individual battles.

Keeping track of the characters was tricky and often frustrating - I made my own notes to keep overyone in order.

It's a very visual novel: the faces, facilities, and action scenes all made for an entertaining read.

[Bill Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good story. It was difficult keeping track of everyone