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The Outcasts: Life After the Great War of 2042
Seventeen-year-old Nate Dax sometimes asks himself if a person can die who’s never been alive. He’s an Outcast – he doesn’t have a government chip so the authorities don’t know he exists. But if they find him he’ll be put to death immediately. Today it’s 2094 and Nate hides in what used to be called Colorado when the United States was a country.
Everything that’s wrong now started with the disastrous presidential election of 2016, when most Americans didn’t like either candidate. Four years later the people revolted, tossing out the incumbent and voting for a social democracy that lasted for twenty years. That election – the one in 2040 - was the last in America.
Two years later came the disasters. Doomsday prophets called them God’s wrath, but they were simply natural phenomena on an unthinkable scale. The Pacific earthquakes and tsunamis killed millions and weakened the San Andreas Fault. The Big One struck with fury, obliterating southern California. America floundered as its leaders helplessly wondered how to respond to such destruction. Others watched too, pleased at what was happening. Soon the enemies of the once-mighty nation took advantage of America’s weakness and struck.
The Great War of 2042 – also called the Twenty-Minute War – was a terrible demonstration of what concentrated nuclear war can do and it brought down America and the world as it had been. Nations were abolished and the World Union assumed control of planet Earth.
What the government did regarding population control is one reason why Outcasts exist. But how can Outcasts like Nate live when they can’t buy or sell anything, go into a store, attend a football game or go to school?
When Nate’s mother and father disappear he thinks he knows what’s happened. He has to save them in a world where Outcasts like him will be killed if they’re captured. Are there others like him out there … people who can help? Nate Dax must find out.
Everything that’s wrong now started with the disastrous presidential election of 2016, when most Americans didn’t like either candidate. Four years later the people revolted, tossing out the incumbent and voting for a social democracy that lasted for twenty years. That election – the one in 2040 - was the last in America.
Two years later came the disasters. Doomsday prophets called them God’s wrath, but they were simply natural phenomena on an unthinkable scale. The Pacific earthquakes and tsunamis killed millions and weakened the San Andreas Fault. The Big One struck with fury, obliterating southern California. America floundered as its leaders helplessly wondered how to respond to such destruction. Others watched too, pleased at what was happening. Soon the enemies of the once-mighty nation took advantage of America’s weakness and struck.
The Great War of 2042 – also called the Twenty-Minute War – was a terrible demonstration of what concentrated nuclear war can do and it brought down America and the world as it had been. Nations were abolished and the World Union assumed control of planet Earth.
What the government did regarding population control is one reason why Outcasts exist. But how can Outcasts like Nate live when they can’t buy or sell anything, go into a store, attend a football game or go to school?
When Nate’s mother and father disappear he thinks he knows what’s happened. He has to save them in a world where Outcasts like him will be killed if they’re captured. Are there others like him out there … people who can help? Nate Dax must find out.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 7, 2016
6 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Bill Thompson
26 books147 followersIf variety is the spice of life, author Bill Thompson’s life so far has been spicy for sure! Over the years, and in no particular order, he’s been
• an international insurance broker
• a mayor
• head of a state prison board
• a stockbroker
• a newspaper reporter
• a Bourbon Street piano player
• a corporate entrepreneur
• presented to Queen Elizabeth
• in jail (briefly … and wrongly!)
• a goat herder
• a church organist and choir member
• a real estate broker
• a world traveler
• president of an animal shelter
• a husband, father and grandfather
• an observer at a knighting in Westminster
• a fluent Russian speaker
• a passenger on the Concorde
• a caregiver
• a lifetime dog lover
• an award-winning novelist
• an international insurance broker
• a mayor
• head of a state prison board
• a stockbroker
• a newspaper reporter
• a Bourbon Street piano player
• a corporate entrepreneur
• presented to Queen Elizabeth
• in jail (briefly … and wrongly!)
• a goat herder
• a church organist and choir member
• a real estate broker
• a world traveler
• president of an animal shelter
• a husband, father and grandfather
• an observer at a knighting in Westminster
• a fluent Russian speaker
• a passenger on the Concorde
• a caregiver
• a lifetime dog lover
• an award-winning novelist
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 13, 2019
I enjoyed this book and it’s story, but as an author myself it was hard not to notice a lot of issues that may not bother other readers.
The first few chapters are almost all backstory and they take a while to slog through until you get to the story. The other issue is the POV shifts all over the place. Whenever we’re not with Nate we are head hopping back and forth, sometimes two people in the same sentence. It is jarring to say the least and took me some time to get used to.
Other than those though it was an interesting story and it wrapped up nicely in the end, even if it was a bit cheesy.
The first few chapters are almost all backstory and they take a while to slog through until you get to the story. The other issue is the POV shifts all over the place. Whenever we’re not with Nate we are head hopping back and forth, sometimes two people in the same sentence. It is jarring to say the least and took me some time to get used to.
Other than those though it was an interesting story and it wrapped up nicely in the end, even if it was a bit cheesy.
January 14, 2018
Good story
Well thought out and entertaining. I'm just not a fan of the episode thing. I prefer my books in big meaty novel form.
Well thought out and entertaining. I'm just not a fan of the episode thing. I prefer my books in big meaty novel form.
September 13, 2019
Great book! It keep me motivated to keep reading to see what happens next. I hope there is a follow up to see what twists the government takes and how Nate and his circle navigate through it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews