The Day America Died - "Old Enemies" takes off where New Beginnings left off. Zack is still recovering from his loss and trying to prepare his friends and family for the challenges of surviving in a new world full of danger and criminals around every corner. They meet a lot of good people and run into some dangerous "Old Enemies" in this Post Apocalyptic tale.
The USA has been attacked with nuclear devices detonated several hundred miles inland and a hundred miles above our country. The shit hit the fan, our country has seen the apocalypse and is now trying to survive in this post-apocalyptic world. There is no electricity, transportation and people are dying from starvation, disease and violence. Zack Johnson is no hero, but he does have some valuable skills to help him survive. He was a thousand miles from home, the grid and all modern transportation had failed. The country had degenerated into violence and dog eat dog scenarios. People are killing their neighbors for a scrap of moldy bread or a sip of water. The remnants of the US Government are not helpful and we find out why the government has not helped during this disaster. Zack made it back to Kentucky and has his daughter safely at his farm, but lost the woman he loved. Now he must make a new life for his daughter and friends even though he finds danger around every corner and doesn't know who to trust.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
A.J. Newman is the author of over 22 novels that have been published on Amazon. He was born and raised in a small town in the western part of Kentucky. His Dad taught him how to handle guns very early in life, and he and his best friend Mike spent summers shooting .22 rifles and fishing. He read every book he could get his hands on and fell in love with science fiction. He graduated from USI with a degree in Chemistry and made a career working in manufacturing and logistics, but always fancied himself as an author. He served six years in the Army National Guard in an armored unit and spent six years performing every function on M48 and M60 army tanks. This gave him a great respect for our veterans who lay their lives on the line to protect our country and freedoms. He currently resides in Kentucky with his wife Patsy and their three tiny mop dogs, Sammy Cotton and Callie.
The overall story is decent and there are some good ideas for survival in this book but the writing really drags it down. Much of the prose is stilted and disconnected so it is hard to become engaged. The dialogue tends to be a long series of different people speaking but it is very difficult to tell exactly who is saying what. The women seem to just be there to compete for the men or to be a door prize. Zack is just kind of a hopeless guy emotionally (just run Ally). I'm really on the fence about book three but it did end with a cliffhanger and I kind of what to know what happens. Perhaps the writing will improve in the next book.
There was something about book 1 that wouldn't let me rate it above a 3 but I just couldn't put my finger on it. I stalled for a short while thinking of a review but ended up just moving on. It wasn't long in to book 2 before I figured it out. This particular author's portrayal of all single/widowed women is ridiculous. Geena and Sally's antics were annoying enough, but then Davi was added and now even more. Sure, not even the apocalypse could stop hormones, but to think that all of them are of this same mindset is ludicrous. Other than that nonsense, I like where the story is going and am looking forward to the big showdown to come.
Seems like Zack, the MC, calmed down into a fairly standard leader for this genre of series'. A tad dissapointing as it makes him a bit boring now, but the story still continues on well enough. The dialogue seems to be getting a bit corny, made exponentially worse by the narrator (on audiobook). I think it's just the fact that the narrator makes the women sound frail and the good guys sound less confident that takes away from the story itself. Despite that, it's still not a bad story. It just lacks a bit of the proactive initiative that the first one did better about exhibiting. The characters are getting too comfortable and complacent, despite having their greatest threat yet nearby.
This is a good story. I gave it a 4 due to typos and grammar errors. This does reflect well how people's true nature emerges during crisis. I look forward to reading about how the group handles the winter.
The best compliment I can give a book is that when it's over, I'm left wondering what's happening in the characters' lives, and that's definitely the case in this series. I had to take away 1 star for the typos and problems with comma usage.
This series continues to entertain me with a wide range of interesting characters and a variety of sub plots. Many of the adventures these characters encounter are more like a post apocalyptic spy novel at times which only adds to to the entertainment.
Another great book by A.J. Newman. I loved these characters in this book. I would recommend this book and all of A.J.’s books. I listened to this book on audiobook.
This is a really good book and although I didn't read the first one in the series, I didn't think I lost any of this book. Good characters , both the good, the bad, and the confused. I like his writing style and the way the narrative keeps moving and didn't get bogged down in technobabble. It is a good yarn and good entertainment. The author and editors need to know when to use "then" and "than" , as well as using "who" when referring to people. I highly recommend this book.
Good sequel to a very entertaining first story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The last couple of this genre I have read lately have been very disappointing. Many thanks to the author, I am looking forward to the next in the series.
Great writing,good character development, believable story line not like other stories I've read. Good mix of good and bad characters,not political, not overly religious,would recommend to other like minded friends. Great job.
I really like the authors writing. I bought one of his books, couldn't put it down and have now read almost all of his available work. I can't wait to dive into any future titles.