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End Times Alaska #1
Endure
A nuclear bomb has destroyed Fairbanks, Alaska. Retired Marine Chuck Nagy and his family have survived the blast. Now they must survive the aftermath. A state plunged into chaos. A family fighting desperately to survive. And a faceless enemy that will bring their new world crashing to its knees. From the bestselling author that brought you the Judge, Jury, Executioner Series, Craig Martelle brings you Endure, a white-knuckle ride in the unforgiving Alasakan wilderness. The apocalypse beckons. Will you endure?
206 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 6, 2016
296 people are currently reading
448 people want to read
About the author
Craig Martelle
329 books7,887 followersVisit Craig's web page, craigmartelle.com for the latest posts and updates or find him on Facebook, Author Craig Martelle. Send an email to craig@craigmartelle.com to join his mailing list for the latest on new releases, information on old releases, and anything related to his books.
I see my other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they're stories from a book. I see my books as if I lived there, as if I were friends with the characters. All things we remember are behind us, only those we imagine lie before.
I'm not sure which place I prefer, but I don't have to choose. They live together in my mind. My books have some award nominations, they have bestseller tags across multiple countries. I write about justice, honor, and loyalty because that's what I care about. My stories are mostly set within worlds that haven't been, but could be. We have to be ready for when those times come.
No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly.
We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to.
Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from our driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.
It's all part of the give and take of life. If we didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.
I see my other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they're stories from a book. I see my books as if I lived there, as if I were friends with the characters. All things we remember are behind us, only those we imagine lie before.
I'm not sure which place I prefer, but I don't have to choose. They live together in my mind. My books have some award nominations, they have bestseller tags across multiple countries. I write about justice, honor, and loyalty because that's what I care about. My stories are mostly set within worlds that haven't been, but could be. We have to be ready for when those times come.
No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly.
We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to.
Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from our driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.
It's all part of the give and take of life. If we didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 8, 2018
Alaska and a nuke explodes... what would you do?
I enjoyed this read on a couple levels. First of all, the details and logistics of living in Alaska were interesting enough. But then add to the equation the fact that life as this family knows it suddenly ends when a nuke explodes nearby and they lose power, most people die etc. How will they survive? I liked how they logically dealt with the situation. I found the story to be interesting and believable. It’s as if you're reading someone’s diary of what actually happened.
I enjoyed this read on a couple levels. First of all, the details and logistics of living in Alaska were interesting enough. But then add to the equation the fact that life as this family knows it suddenly ends when a nuke explodes nearby and they lose power, most people die etc. How will they survive? I liked how they logically dealt with the situation. I found the story to be interesting and believable. It’s as if you're reading someone’s diary of what actually happened.
February 20, 2017
A utopian-like post-apocalyptic story
3.5 out of 5 stars
I'm always curious to see how people in already forgotten parts of the map would survive after some sort of apocalypse. Endure gives me that chance with Chuck and his family. They live on the outskirts of Fairbanks, Alaska which has just been hit with some sort of nuclear bomb. Chuck and family must first figure out what happens and then figure out how to survive the bitter cold and sunless days after this attack.
Another book blogging friend of mine asked what I thought of Endure as I was reading it. My comment to her was that it felt tame. It was honestly one of the tamest post-apocalyptic books I've ever read. I wonder if Martelle was trying to envision the world where not everyone was out to get everyone else. Where the main character would face issues, but they were typical and normal survival issues (not ones where people are always attacking them for no reason).
Endure almost felt like a utopian-like post-apocalyptic book. It felt like Martelle was writing a "what if people got along?" type of story. Sure there was still violence and people couldn't hack it. But, overall, the book felt very hopeful.
Some of the reasons I scored it the way I did involve the total abrupt stop of an ending. I see "to be continued" type endings all the time. Especially in post-apocalyptic books. I'm used to them (they used to really bother me). But Endure just... ends. He was about to go out looking for answers and it was just over. I think that Martelle could have done a little better ending this so that the reader doesn't feel completely betrayed by the abruptness of it.
Another reason for the less than 4 score is that there were times when it felt really well thought out. The sentences went perfectly from one to another. The story just flowed like a story should. But there were parts that felt a little choppy. Like Martelle had an idea, but couldn't figure out how to work it in properly. Normally it doesn't warrant a comment, but I felt I needed to explain my 3.5 stars for a book in a series that I will be continuing.
The narration, done by Chris Abernathy was pretty well done. He allowed the story to flow well without causing any distractions or issues.
3.5 out of 5 stars
I'm always curious to see how people in already forgotten parts of the map would survive after some sort of apocalypse. Endure gives me that chance with Chuck and his family. They live on the outskirts of Fairbanks, Alaska which has just been hit with some sort of nuclear bomb. Chuck and family must first figure out what happens and then figure out how to survive the bitter cold and sunless days after this attack.
Another book blogging friend of mine asked what I thought of Endure as I was reading it. My comment to her was that it felt tame. It was honestly one of the tamest post-apocalyptic books I've ever read. I wonder if Martelle was trying to envision the world where not everyone was out to get everyone else. Where the main character would face issues, but they were typical and normal survival issues (not ones where people are always attacking them for no reason).
Endure almost felt like a utopian-like post-apocalyptic book. It felt like Martelle was writing a "what if people got along?" type of story. Sure there was still violence and people couldn't hack it. But, overall, the book felt very hopeful.
Some of the reasons I scored it the way I did involve the total abrupt stop of an ending. I see "to be continued" type endings all the time. Especially in post-apocalyptic books. I'm used to them (they used to really bother me). But Endure just... ends. He was about to go out looking for answers and it was just over. I think that Martelle could have done a little better ending this so that the reader doesn't feel completely betrayed by the abruptness of it.
Another reason for the less than 4 score is that there were times when it felt really well thought out. The sentences went perfectly from one to another. The story just flowed like a story should. But there were parts that felt a little choppy. Like Martelle had an idea, but couldn't figure out how to work it in properly. Normally it doesn't warrant a comment, but I felt I needed to explain my 3.5 stars for a book in a series that I will be continuing.
The narration, done by Chris Abernathy was pretty well done. He allowed the story to flow well without causing any distractions or issues.
December 10, 2017
Endure has garnered a lot of criticism for eschewing the explicit violence, conservative values and thinly-veiled racism that are common components of the Post-Apocalyptic genre. I have no problem with that. The problem lies in the fact that Craig Martelle hasn’t replaced the those themes with anything of substance. There’s no conflict. There’s never any real sense that Chuck and his family are in jeopardy. Endure is a survival story without the survival.
Finishing this book was a study in endurance. The story is incredibly slow, and the portrayal of the residents and geography of Fairbanks is laughably inaccurate. It feels like an outsider’s fantasy of “roughing it” in the “wilds” of the 49th state– within easy driving distance of a convenience store, of course. The story is riddled with errors that demonstrate how out of touch the author is with the reality of life in Interior Alaska.
The inciting incident is the detonation of what the protagonist assumes to be a nuclear device at the western end of Fort Wainwright. For those of you not in the know, the western end of Fort Wainwright is nothing but military housing.
The protagonist lives in a suburb scarcely ten minutes from town, yet Martelle refers to the area as rural and remote. Nearly every resident in the surrounding area seems to have miraculously been in town at the time of the attack. When the family needs more food, the protagonist simply starts looting empty houses and quickly finds a neighbor’s freezer full of frozen game meat. A fresh supply of fuel for the family’s pellet stove appears in much the same way. Chuck briefly worries about feeding his dogs until the gruesome demise of a local dog musher and his team provides him with a shed full of dog food.
Martelle’s contempt for candy and processed sugars, even as Chuck loses ten pounds in a month due to rationing food and working outside in cold weather, amply demonstrates how out of touch he is with life below zero. As Chuck steals snowmachines for himself and his wife, there is no mention of helmets being borrowed to go with them. Wearing an enclosed helmet in cold weather isn’t about being legal; it’s about not freezing your face.
In what can only be described as an attempt to manufacture the first real danger the protagonist has encountered, Chuck discovers a wolf pack following a local dog musher home. In a rush to rescue his acquaintance, he rolls his snowmachine and arrives too late to help; the wolves have already chewed the musher’s hand off and killed most of his dogs. Yes, apparently the author thinks this is something that could actually happen. It’s okay to laugh– I did too.
What little entertainment value is to be had from Endure stems from laughing at the appalling inaccuracy of it all. The story limps along from one convenience to the next like someone’s personal TEOTWAWKI fantasy. As a whole it’s ridiculously unbelievable and insulting to real Alaskans.
A novel about surviving a world-altering event in Alaska could be fascinating. Instead, Craig Martelle’s Endure: End Times in Alaska serves as a guidebook on how to make yourself the laughing stock of an entire state.
Finishing this book was a study in endurance. The story is incredibly slow, and the portrayal of the residents and geography of Fairbanks is laughably inaccurate. It feels like an outsider’s fantasy of “roughing it” in the “wilds” of the 49th state– within easy driving distance of a convenience store, of course. The story is riddled with errors that demonstrate how out of touch the author is with the reality of life in Interior Alaska.
The inciting incident is the detonation of what the protagonist assumes to be a nuclear device at the western end of Fort Wainwright. For those of you not in the know, the western end of Fort Wainwright is nothing but military housing.
The protagonist lives in a suburb scarcely ten minutes from town, yet Martelle refers to the area as rural and remote. Nearly every resident in the surrounding area seems to have miraculously been in town at the time of the attack. When the family needs more food, the protagonist simply starts looting empty houses and quickly finds a neighbor’s freezer full of frozen game meat. A fresh supply of fuel for the family’s pellet stove appears in much the same way. Chuck briefly worries about feeding his dogs until the gruesome demise of a local dog musher and his team provides him with a shed full of dog food.
Martelle’s contempt for candy and processed sugars, even as Chuck loses ten pounds in a month due to rationing food and working outside in cold weather, amply demonstrates how out of touch he is with life below zero. As Chuck steals snowmachines for himself and his wife, there is no mention of helmets being borrowed to go with them. Wearing an enclosed helmet in cold weather isn’t about being legal; it’s about not freezing your face.
In what can only be described as an attempt to manufacture the first real danger the protagonist has encountered, Chuck discovers a wolf pack following a local dog musher home. In a rush to rescue his acquaintance, he rolls his snowmachine and arrives too late to help; the wolves have already chewed the musher’s hand off and killed most of his dogs. Yes, apparently the author thinks this is something that could actually happen. It’s okay to laugh– I did too.
What little entertainment value is to be had from Endure stems from laughing at the appalling inaccuracy of it all. The story limps along from one convenience to the next like someone’s personal TEOTWAWKI fantasy. As a whole it’s ridiculously unbelievable and insulting to real Alaskans.
A novel about surviving a world-altering event in Alaska could be fascinating. Instead, Craig Martelle’s Endure: End Times in Alaska serves as a guidebook on how to make yourself the laughing stock of an entire state.
June 13, 2020
Timely story
Mr Martelle always tells a great story. In this one, it is about a small family trying to survive not only an extreme environment, but also a disaster. He mixes common sense and his understanding of people to create characters that you quickly care about. It's obvious this is a first in a series, which is good, especially as you are left wanting more.
Mr Martelle always tells a great story. In this one, it is about a small family trying to survive not only an extreme environment, but also a disaster. He mixes common sense and his understanding of people to create characters that you quickly care about. It's obvious this is a first in a series, which is good, especially as you are left wanting more.
January 29, 2024
This is a great series for everyone from book one through book four. It's the story of one man, his family, friends, and neighbors through the hardest times of survival in the worst of times. Mankind can survive many hardships without losing what is the most important thing (family, friends, neighbors, and their fellow human beings).
March 27, 2019
To be honest, I bought this book for research purposes. My next series is a Post-Apocalyptic story-line and I wanted to see how other authors were presenting their stories. The problem with PA stories if there are very few survivors, the story will be mostly from the main character’s POV. At least in the beginning.
I did find this a very interesting plot, though, for a short book, it seemed to drag on, FOREVER. Part of the problem, as mentioned in several reviews, was all the telling and lack of showing. There were so many missed opportunities to really build up Chuck and his wife, Madison, characters. But, they never happened. Like, right after the attack, and Madison knew everyone at the University was probably dead, there were no tears, no anguish over losing friends or family, for that matter. Totally emotionless.
I know this was one of the first books Craig published, and he claims he’s improved his writing. Which I’m sure he has. This one, unfortunately, reads like a first or second draft instead of a polished book. As I said, I enjoyed the story. I learned some stuff about living in Alaska and I did feel for their plight. Especially the Musher.
This is one of those reviews where it could be a 3 or 4 star. Right on the fence. I do recommend the book, so I’ll give it 4 stars. Happy reading.
I did find this a very interesting plot, though, for a short book, it seemed to drag on, FOREVER. Part of the problem, as mentioned in several reviews, was all the telling and lack of showing. There were so many missed opportunities to really build up Chuck and his wife, Madison, characters. But, they never happened. Like, right after the attack, and Madison knew everyone at the University was probably dead, there were no tears, no anguish over losing friends or family, for that matter. Totally emotionless.
I know this was one of the first books Craig published, and he claims he’s improved his writing. Which I’m sure he has. This one, unfortunately, reads like a first or second draft instead of a polished book. As I said, I enjoyed the story. I learned some stuff about living in Alaska and I did feel for their plight. Especially the Musher.
This is one of those reviews where it could be a 3 or 4 star. Right on the fence. I do recommend the book, so I’ll give it 4 stars. Happy reading.
March 9, 2017
This is a tale of survival by our protagonist Chuck and his family in Alaska after Fairbanks had been nuked. Why would anyone nuke Fairbanks? Perhaps the precursor to a Russian invasion, which is the way I believe Russians would come if they were inclined to do such a thing. Chuck, a closet prepper by his own description, busied himself with gathering needed supplies for his family. A lodge in Chena Hot Springs a couple hours away was their first search for survivors. It must be an Alaska thing with far distances between people because the lodge employees had no idea of what had happened. How do you miss a nuclear bomb going off within driving distance? The employees stayed put and set their minds to making a go of it at the lodge. Needs and wants were the first thing in Chuck’s mind and he steadily set about gathering equipment, food and supplies for his family. The thing that bothered me the most was that there was little concern for looters and those that would take what was yours. The story was quite interesting, confusing and frustrating at times, but enjoyable all the same. I’ve already picked up book two. Narration by Chris Abernathy was excellent. Well done Mr. Martelle. Three.point.five for a good start.
June 15, 2021
Fairbanks
This postapocalyptic series opener is set near Fairbanks, AK, where a nuclear bomb has just gone off. North of the city, Chuck Nagy is in the kitchen when a boom and bright light proceed the power going out. In the days and months ahead, his family will grow closer, while the outside world remains distant. What happened, who caused it, and why remain unanswered questions.
Chuck tells the story of coming to terms with the idea that help isn't coming as he works to provide for and protect his family, while also searching for other survivors in the frozen Alaska winter. The story is well told, the characters are well developed and, after watching a large number of life below zero and last frontier episodes over the past year, the events seem very real.
This postapocalyptic series opener is set near Fairbanks, AK, where a nuclear bomb has just gone off. North of the city, Chuck Nagy is in the kitchen when a boom and bright light proceed the power going out. In the days and months ahead, his family will grow closer, while the outside world remains distant. What happened, who caused it, and why remain unanswered questions.
Chuck tells the story of coming to terms with the idea that help isn't coming as he works to provide for and protect his family, while also searching for other survivors in the frozen Alaska winter. The story is well told, the characters are well developed and, after watching a large number of life below zero and last frontier episodes over the past year, the events seem very real.
February 26, 2020
I can't decide
I liked the story but I guess I don't know enough about the subjects covered to know how believable it was. In the case of fiction that doesn't usually bother me because fiction is fiction and it's all about the story. But it rare cases I come across a book that to me is written like a non fiction book but the details seem full of holes and it turns me off of the whole story. I couldn't decide on this book, so I will read the next in the series and see how I feel.
I liked the story but I guess I don't know enough about the subjects covered to know how believable it was. In the case of fiction that doesn't usually bother me because fiction is fiction and it's all about the story. But it rare cases I come across a book that to me is written like a non fiction book but the details seem full of holes and it turns me off of the whole story. I couldn't decide on this book, so I will read the next in the series and see how I feel.
April 24, 2020
A most enjoyable view of an apocalypse!
This was an apocalypse with a difference. Certainly there was an atomic bomb. Most everyone died. The main character family were intrinsically good. There was evil. Nasty little boogers. Everything is told with a degree of subtlety and, at times, a most enjoyable humour. It was a real pleasure to read this story and the lack of a ferocious cliffhanger is no stopper for wanting the next book. It’s almost a feelgood apocalypse. You should read this, if only for the amazing characters. The twins especially!
This was an apocalypse with a difference. Certainly there was an atomic bomb. Most everyone died. The main character family were intrinsically good. There was evil. Nasty little boogers. Everything is told with a degree of subtlety and, at times, a most enjoyable humour. It was a real pleasure to read this story and the lack of a ferocious cliffhanger is no stopper for wanting the next book. It’s almost a feelgood apocalypse. You should read this, if only for the amazing characters. The twins especially!
October 28, 2018
An interesting start to a series set in Alaska after an apparent nuclear attack. Fairbanks has been taken out by a nuclear bomb soo, with technology mostly defunct, it is assumed the problem is worldwide but that is the least of their worries. All has run relatively smoothly for the survivors that have met up (apart from one skirmish) in book one and it ends with the main character wondering what the bigger picture is.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
June 29, 2017
Good read
I liked the way this book was written. It is very realistic as far as the way they come to accept that something has happened to realizing what they have to do. How they continue their lives and try to help others it is well written and quite realistic, although maybe giving people the benefit of the doubt
I liked the way this book was written. It is very realistic as far as the way they come to accept that something has happened to realizing what they have to do. How they continue their lives and try to help others it is well written and quite realistic, although maybe giving people the benefit of the doubt
January 21, 2020
What woud you do as a "Gentleman Prepper" living with a young family in rural Alaska if the outside world suddenly disappeared in a flash along with virtually everyone in it? What would you do to survive, and what steps would you find too extreme to consider? Who can you trust? Discover one man's answers in a desparate tale of the apocalypse.
June 30, 2020
A great post-apocalyptic series starter. Chuck, his wife Madison and their 2 year old twins are used to power outages where they live outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, but when a nuclear bomb has destroyed Fairbanks, they will have to learn to live totally off the grid. A great character study of human nature and the will to survive and protect ones family.
August 24, 2020
Wow!! Great series!!
That's what happens when you check out the other authors who work with Michael Anderle!! T.H. is a great character which led me to this series. Well done and entertaining. If you like a good human survival book this great. Enough to keep you reading until all hours and straight thru until you're done. Enjoy!!
That's what happens when you check out the other authors who work with Michael Anderle!! T.H. is a great character which led me to this series. Well done and entertaining. If you like a good human survival book this great. Enough to keep you reading until all hours and straight thru until you're done. Enjoy!!
July 5, 2024
Well known for his prolific publication of SciFi books and collaborations, I’d seen this series of books in the dystopian genre.
Though obviously not in his mainstream, this book is well written and flows nicely. It’s just not at the top rank of the genre compared to other authors I’ve read.
Let’s see what the other series books bring.
Though obviously not in his mainstream, this book is well written and flows nicely. It’s just not at the top rank of the genre compared to other authors I’ve read.
Let’s see what the other series books bring.
October 5, 2017
Once again a new series by Craig Martelle.
Well, at least new for me. Once I found Terry Henry and Char and their part of Michael Anderle's world, I was hooked. Loved all six of the Free Traders series. Now for book two.
Well, at least new for me. Once I found Terry Henry and Char and their part of Michael Anderle's world, I was hooked. Loved all six of the Free Traders series. Now for book two.
April 3, 2018
So real it brings goose-bumps
Fiction that reads like an autobiography. It's uncanny. Facts and details fit together to make a reality that reaches out and touches the head AND the heart. And from one veteran to another, thank you for your service.
Fiction that reads like an autobiography. It's uncanny. Facts and details fit together to make a reality that reaches out and touches the head AND the heart. And from one veteran to another, thank you for your service.
August 19, 2020
A satisfying read
A fine book with an interest beginning that just gets better. Unexpected lessons about living that just pop out and make you think while enjoying the action packed page turner.
A fine book with an interest beginning that just gets better. Unexpected lessons about living that just pop out and make you think while enjoying the action packed page turner.
January 31, 2017
I loved this book and can't wait for the second. A family trying to survive when a bomb goes off. It's part Mad Max and little house on the prairie. Trying to find survivors and survive .
November 22, 2017
What a great read. Very realistic to me. Makes me want to move to Alaska. LOL. If you like end of the modern world stories, This is definitely for you.
March 19, 2019
Endure review
Endure is the first post apocalyptic survival book after a nuclear strike in Fairbanks, Alaska in the End Times Alaska series written by author Craig Martelle.
Endure is the first post apocalyptic survival book after a nuclear strike in Fairbanks, Alaska in the End Times Alaska series written by author Craig Martelle.
April 23, 2020
Good read
I enjoyed the book very much. Looking forward to the the next book in the series.I Iiked the family theme of the book.
I enjoyed the book very much. Looking forward to the the next book in the series.I Iiked the family theme of the book.
May 3, 2020
E excellent.
Could no put that book down. Great story without Gore cannot wait to finish the series. You Will not be disappointed😀
Could no put that book down. Great story without Gore cannot wait to finish the series. You Will not be disappointed😀
June 21, 2020
Great book
Really liked this well written story of a family struggling to survive . Interesting characters and plot. First in a series, looking forward to the rest of the books!
Really liked this well written story of a family struggling to survive . Interesting characters and plot. First in a series, looking forward to the rest of the books!
June 13, 2021
Very Good Story
I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last page. The author made me feel like I was in the midst of the action.
I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last page. The author made me feel like I was in the midst of the action.
June 18, 2021
Dull and boring
I am a fan of dystopian stories. This one was a man who sees himself as a hero. All about him. Narcissist.
I am a fan of dystopian stories. This one was a man who sees himself as a hero. All about him. Narcissist.
October 6, 2021
Good or better
This was a great read. It brought to life the challenges that people would have to face, if brought to need to be able to survive on their own.
This was a great read. It brought to life the challenges that people would have to face, if brought to need to be able to survive on their own.
June 13, 2023
awesome story
This was a great book to read. I couldn’t put it down. Made me realize that I have more prepping to do…
This was a great book to read. I couldn’t put it down. Made me realize that I have more prepping to do…
April 7, 2024
Very interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews