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Sunfall #1
Sunfall
Ripley's a tomboy at heart who has never met a stranger. Her plans were to finish her veterinary studies and take her family to the country, where life wouldn't be such a struggle. She thought the worst she'd have to deal with at the University of Maryland were the unwelcome advances and attitudes of affluent students, and the occasional East Coast hurricane.
She never expected the sun to fall down.
An immense coronal mass ejection, the likes of which the modern world has never seen, blankets the Earth and destroys the power grid worldwide.
Ripley has no communication with her family at home and - thanks to the University's zero-tolerance policy - no weapons to protect herself. Society is becoming increasingly panicked and desperate, and the government seems slow to respond.
The world, as she knew it, has ended. A new world of lawlessness, betrayal, and scarcity is beginning.
Can she become the woman she needs to be so that she and her friends can make it home?
With the thin veneer of a civilized society collapsing, can she even survive?
She never expected the sun to fall down.
An immense coronal mass ejection, the likes of which the modern world has never seen, blankets the Earth and destroys the power grid worldwide.
Ripley has no communication with her family at home and - thanks to the University's zero-tolerance policy - no weapons to protect herself. Society is becoming increasingly panicked and desperate, and the government seems slow to respond.
The world, as she knew it, has ended. A new world of lawlessness, betrayal, and scarcity is beginning.
Can she become the woman she needs to be so that she and her friends can make it home?
With the thin veneer of a civilized society collapsing, can she even survive?
11 pages, Audible Audio
Published April 12, 2017
475 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
February 26, 2017
The story wasn't bad, but the ending was horrible. It just ended. No cliffhanger, not end of the challenge (getting home) in progress. Just ended.
June 29, 2017
View this review and more like it at Brian's Book Blog
The Start of Something Interesting
Sunfall: Journey was refreshing for a post-apocalyptic book. Sure, it still takes place in a bigger city and involves people trying to bug out to a safer location, but it follows a group of teenagers in college for some of the story. I haven’t read too many books with a college-aged protagonist who was also familiar with the prepper mindset (or at least enough to have some things on hand if things ever went south). Some of the college-aged kids were prepared and others were not.
It also follows Ripley’s grandmother at her home and the struggles that she faces trying to save herself (and wait for her family to make it home). It was just a nice change of pace, especially following the college students. I liked hearing what would happen and how most people would shrug it off as just a few-day issue and not a big problem. That felt incredibly realistic to me. Most people are stuck with a normalcy bias and don’t realize that things are going south quickly.
The interaction between the Ripley and her friends is easily the most memorable part of this story. It happened exactly as I pictured it would. There were “end of the world” parties thrown by fraternities on frat row, people completely and utterly unprepared, and some kids think that they ‘deserved’ more than they were being offered.
Unfortunately, there were a few parts to the story that took me out of the moment. Both of them came near the end of the book. One of them was where Ripley just couldn’t get herself into the mindset (even though she seems to have been mostly in the mindset since before the CME hit). I just had a hard time with back and forth characters like that. She was definitely a mini-prepper before this happened having made up plans, routes, and a go bag. But she also couldn’t believe what was going on around her or do things that would be harmful or take from others (that she would never see). It wasn’t enough for me to stop reading by any means, but it did pull me out of the story a little.
Overall, Sunfall: Journey was an enjoyable change for the post-apocalyptic genre without being too different. There are definite parts that I’ve read in every other book, but they were sprinkled into new or fresh stories. I took a full star away from my review because the book doesn’t’ really have an ending. I am 100% fine with a series of books, but you have to give me some sort of story arc. This one felt like it was split up on purpose to make two (plus) books out of one.
The narration for Sunfall: Journey was done by both Kevin Pierce and Becket Royce. You’ll recognize Pierce’s voice (and presence on this blog). He is one of the “go-to” voices in post-apocalyptic fiction, so I completely understand why Gideon chose him to be one of the two narrators. The other narrator is Becket Royce, who I have never listened to before this book. She does a really nice job voicing the “motherly” character in this book and I would definitely listen to more books narrated by her.
The Start of Something Interesting
Sunfall: Journey was refreshing for a post-apocalyptic book. Sure, it still takes place in a bigger city and involves people trying to bug out to a safer location, but it follows a group of teenagers in college for some of the story. I haven’t read too many books with a college-aged protagonist who was also familiar with the prepper mindset (or at least enough to have some things on hand if things ever went south). Some of the college-aged kids were prepared and others were not.
It also follows Ripley’s grandmother at her home and the struggles that she faces trying to save herself (and wait for her family to make it home). It was just a nice change of pace, especially following the college students. I liked hearing what would happen and how most people would shrug it off as just a few-day issue and not a big problem. That felt incredibly realistic to me. Most people are stuck with a normalcy bias and don’t realize that things are going south quickly.
The interaction between the Ripley and her friends is easily the most memorable part of this story. It happened exactly as I pictured it would. There were “end of the world” parties thrown by fraternities on frat row, people completely and utterly unprepared, and some kids think that they ‘deserved’ more than they were being offered.
Unfortunately, there were a few parts to the story that took me out of the moment. Both of them came near the end of the book. One of them was where Ripley just couldn’t get herself into the mindset (even though she seems to have been mostly in the mindset since before the CME hit). I just had a hard time with back and forth characters like that. She was definitely a mini-prepper before this happened having made up plans, routes, and a go bag. But she also couldn’t believe what was going on around her or do things that would be harmful or take from others (that she would never see). It wasn’t enough for me to stop reading by any means, but it did pull me out of the story a little.
Overall, Sunfall: Journey was an enjoyable change for the post-apocalyptic genre without being too different. There are definite parts that I’ve read in every other book, but they were sprinkled into new or fresh stories. I took a full star away from my review because the book doesn’t’ really have an ending. I am 100% fine with a series of books, but you have to give me some sort of story arc. This one felt like it was split up on purpose to make two (plus) books out of one.
The narration for Sunfall: Journey was done by both Kevin Pierce and Becket Royce. You’ll recognize Pierce’s voice (and presence on this blog). He is one of the “go-to” voices in post-apocalyptic fiction, so I completely understand why Gideon chose him to be one of the two narrators. The other narrator is Becket Royce, who I have never listened to before this book. She does a really nice job voicing the “motherly” character in this book and I would definitely listen to more books narrated by her.
May 17, 2017
I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of this story and I really enjoyed it. This was right up my alley with the type of book that I usually listen to and I was not disappointed other than the ending with this one but I do know that it's going to continue into A series so I wasn't that disappointed. One thing I really liked was the characters and how dependent on technology they were and how they had to quickly figure out ways to not be dependent on the technology. I really like the dual narration and how they fed off each other going back and forth. Each scene was very descriptive which made the book a little bit longer but I didn't mind because it just gave a little bit of extra something to the book. The tone and sense of urgency in each scene the narration provided was very well done. The little pop culture references and Internet lingo the author through in throughout the novel was quite refreshing as well. I am looking forward to the next in the series. Let's hope our ragtag group of characters can pull through this journey cannot wait to find out what happens to them next. I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher, narrator, or author in exchange for an unbiased review from audiobook boom
May 9, 2017
Not that good
The story was ok but, the characters were beyond annoying. Naive little whiners. I couldn't connect with any of them nor did I care to. If I was in an emergency situation these idiots would have quickly become victims. Didn't finish reading this book. Too disappointing.
The story was ok but, the characters were beyond annoying. Naive little whiners. I couldn't connect with any of them nor did I care to. If I was in an emergency situation these idiots would have quickly become victims. Didn't finish reading this book. Too disappointing.
April 25, 2017
For the most part, I like this book a lot. The writing style was good with not a lot of errors. I was frustrated with Ripley on occasion. Concerned enough about a hurricane or terrorist attack to work on emergency plans with her friend, yet even when confronted by the dire situation they were in, she could not come to grips with the need to change to survive. You don't have to turn into a vicious animal, but you do need to make sure you keep your survival in mind and not give away your tools or worry about not cheating, lying or stealing when the store has already been broken into. Dotty also frustrated me because she was allowing her religious tendencies to override her good sense. Still, I enjoyed this a lot and based on the fact that they were still trying to get home, there must be another book which I will read as soon as I can.
February 3, 2017
Very real and honest. Hoping the next installment is released soon.
April 27, 2025
This is a good story with a good premise but I really expected a whole lot more from the author. Unfortunately, despite its length, not a lot actually happens. There's a lot of repetitious blundering about and our characters barely go anywhere or do anything when you strip out all the filler. Also, several issues throughout the book.
Another author who uses “said” to excess. There are so many alternatives, pick something.
Overall, there are a lot of characters introduced immediately and then having to keep track of them and anyone new characters introduced. It’s made worse when you throw in nicknames or reference characters by last names - it just compounds a chaotic cast. Like in the summary the character is named Ripely Miller but she’s also Jennifer in the book. The big cast makes it more complicated than necessary.
Are we to believe that a college kid doesn’t know what the Northern Lights are?
Actually, most businesses - especially those doing direct deposit - send the money the day before whenever the actual payday lands on a holiday.
Why hand the neighbor the flashlight? If the phone is working they all have flashlights built into them.
The proper acronym for In Case of Emergency is simply ICE, not ICOE
How does a college student NOT have a cell phone?!?
Technical issues like “can’t even get a dial tone to try and call out.” You can TRY to do something or you CAN do something. You can’t both try AND do the thing.
We don’t need a lesson in how the college dorm landlines work. First, almost everyone knows most places need 9 to get an outside line. Second, it’s soooooo not important to the overall story and winds up just adding unimportant, muddying details.
Newbie preppers need to stop renaming things to make it seem like they somehow introduced a new concept. It's not a “get home bag” they're simply "go bags" or "bug out bags (BOB)."
Would the water pumps for getting all that water be working if the power is down? You’d get a little water that's left in the lines from existing pressure but that will run out in a second or two.
We already established what “ICOE” was in the previous chapter, no need to reiterate (even though it’s wrong)
There is no way they went through several colored Sharpies making four ICE books
The writer says the binders are three inches thick but the binder she has is half that, mainly just the maps but right before, she said that the stuff wasn’t in a binder so it could be rolled into her BOB.
What’s going on with calling this guy a kid - Chloe called him a little bit and he says Stephanie thinks he’s a kid. Even if he’s a freshman and they're seniors, that’s only 3-4 years age difference. Yes, he’s younger but it’s made out to seem like there’s a huge age gap there.
The manner of speech for college kids is off. Close at times, but generally, they’re speaking like refined adults. Also, no one has used the term “skirt” since the early 60s to refer to women.
Did Marco seriously just say he doesn’t believe crazy stuff happens here in America enough to warrant kids having safety plans!?!?!? The fact that this was published in 2016 means there’s already been an atrocious amount of events that happened that would warrant anyone having a safety plan.
—- then he says “this kind of thing doesn’t happen here...” this (specific) kind of thing doesn’t happen anywhere!
Why is there so much traffic? First, very few businesses would be open. Emergency responders would likely be driving the streets advising people to stay off the roads to minimize hazards and non-emergency conflicts to safety personnel. With most stuff closed, there’s nowhere to go. And people would be more inclined to stay home anyway to keep watch on their homes. Having extreme traffic situations a day after the event is unlikely. If it were the afternoon of the event and everyone’s trying to get home from work and school, that would make more sense.
People using garden hoses to put out fires - wouldn’t that require electricity to operate the pumps for water pressure? Also, it's generally ineffective unless it's a pretty small fire.
It would make sense that the military is checking IDs, but they won’t care about the car so the fumbling with the rental papers. What in the hell is the big deal? Even if we assume the guys checking IDs notice who she is by name and so she switched the ID the whole thing with the IDs and switching money around and throwing the papers out is overcomplicated needless page filler.
We don’t call it “east(ern) shore”. It’s the East Coast when you’re talking about the area in general or a greater region of it. We use “shore” when we are actually on the shore, or we say along the shoreline if we are talking about something right there along the water’s edge.
Why is Dottie saying she didn’t think to get chicken from John? She didn’t want chicken. She wasn’t going for chicken. She wasn’t getting anything perishable. She got suckered into getting it.
Technical issue: the earth turned underneath of it x2 - it’s just “underneath it.”
If the CME knocked out radio waves, the walkies for the soldiers would have been inoperable before they got to campus so then trying to get through and figure out what’s happening on the walkie and struggling with it makes no sense.
Why are they waiting? I know the dad is supposed to make it there by 8, but earlier they said they would drive and stop periodically so he put out flags for his dad to see. Is it because it’s too close to 8 that it was better to just stay and wait? This is never really clarified.
The possibility that the lights might be coming on would never be enough deterrent against looting. Looting would have started very soon after, if not immediately.
Police gear doesn’t jingle with steps. It’s more of a creaking sound of the leather.
Searching for someone does not give campus security ANY reasonable suspicion to go through private belongings. And a couple of buckets of water is not “more than enough” reasonable suspicion, especially under the circumstances. At the very least, either just play the “because I said so” or “deal with it and file your complaints for all I care” attitude instead of forcing a bad excuse.
Again, confusing with so many characters. We just spent the whole time in the room with Hinkley, Perkins, Marco, Cory, and Rip. Who the hell is Barnes all of a sudden? He’s an unnecessary extra character that weighs down the scene and completely interrupts the flow.
The Secret Service already determined the stuff wasn’t bomb-making materials. Hinkley can say anything he wants; he had no grounds to start with and was already disproved by an agent. This is nonsense page padding.
Speaking of page padding - way too much time and detail spent on the punks wanting to break into radio shack. We are told over and over that they have to go, have to hurry, have to get going and they are continually stalled whether it’s for the gas, for breakfast, Perkins, or these hoodlums. These are stalls of storytelling - not exciting (or necessary) obstacles the group has to overcome.
Understandably, most people will believe the power will come back, and even basic gullibility many people naturally have, but the character of the hotel lady is beyond believable in her gullibility.
All the time that Dan is spending asking Dottie if he can talk to her and why it has to be in private, he could have just said what he needed to say already. The writer is spending needless page filler making a simple thing into an overly convoluted situation.
Some of the situations, like Dan knocking and saying it’s not polite for a man to walk into a room with a woman by herself makes me think the writer is lost in time. While there’s no real date of the event, it was written recently and has a general feel of being at least somewhere in the 2000s. Such “manners” barely exist even in places like the Deep South anymore, as that generation is moving on, but there are some that still hold to such things. But a town in MD being depicted like it’s Mayberry in the 1950s is more fantasy fodder than a realistic depiction.
It doesn’t make sense that Kathy won’t eat “dirty food,” yet the entire argument that happened the night before was because Kathy thought Dottie’s food smelled good and why wouldn’t she share.
The government wouldn’t notify that a website has been ceased. They’d just shut it down.
The writer just made a big deal about what this lady was taking and that it was “currency,” but never tells us what is in the folder. It was a poor excuse of a scene to lazily squeeze in an advertisement for a website and quick exposition on the solar flare. This could have been done more smoothly to give the reader a complete scene with an answer.
Making Rip go all the way to the end of the parking lot and making a big show of sitting down is ridiculous and more page padding. Once the lady is in her car and locks her doors, she can easily pull away. Her car is more of a weapon than a young college kid running at her.
Spending far too much time repeatedly beating the point of needing the items from the car and the morality of scavenging. The whole scene with the gas station could have been removed entirely because we are just reiterating the points from the shelter and the car scenes. They barely took steps from the car, and now we are stopped again at the gas station, and way too much exposition. This could have been truncated to move the story along. They even say they’ve only gone about a mile from the shelter. The shelter was a mile from the school. We’ve spent a significant amount of time on their journey, including being in the middle of the second day of travel and they've gone a grand total of two miles!!! Less of this page padding and more of their journey!
They are in a car that was left unlocked but Marco can’t get into the trunk without the keys?!?!? All cars have a button release inside the car.
So much time is lost with the excessive filler that the book just ends at a mid-point. This wasn’t even worth being called a cliffhanger, it just ended mid-scene.
Another author who uses “said” to excess. There are so many alternatives, pick something.
Overall, there are a lot of characters introduced immediately and then having to keep track of them and anyone new characters introduced. It’s made worse when you throw in nicknames or reference characters by last names - it just compounds a chaotic cast. Like in the summary the character is named Ripely Miller but she’s also Jennifer in the book. The big cast makes it more complicated than necessary.
Are we to believe that a college kid doesn’t know what the Northern Lights are?
Actually, most businesses - especially those doing direct deposit - send the money the day before whenever the actual payday lands on a holiday.
Why hand the neighbor the flashlight? If the phone is working they all have flashlights built into them.
The proper acronym for In Case of Emergency is simply ICE, not ICOE
How does a college student NOT have a cell phone?!?
Technical issues like “can’t even get a dial tone to try and call out.” You can TRY to do something or you CAN do something. You can’t both try AND do the thing.
We don’t need a lesson in how the college dorm landlines work. First, almost everyone knows most places need 9 to get an outside line. Second, it’s soooooo not important to the overall story and winds up just adding unimportant, muddying details.
Newbie preppers need to stop renaming things to make it seem like they somehow introduced a new concept. It's not a “get home bag” they're simply "go bags" or "bug out bags (BOB)."
Would the water pumps for getting all that water be working if the power is down? You’d get a little water that's left in the lines from existing pressure but that will run out in a second or two.
We already established what “ICOE” was in the previous chapter, no need to reiterate (even though it’s wrong)
There is no way they went through several colored Sharpies making four ICE books
The writer says the binders are three inches thick but the binder she has is half that, mainly just the maps but right before, she said that the stuff wasn’t in a binder so it could be rolled into her BOB.
What’s going on with calling this guy a kid - Chloe called him a little bit and he says Stephanie thinks he’s a kid. Even if he’s a freshman and they're seniors, that’s only 3-4 years age difference. Yes, he’s younger but it’s made out to seem like there’s a huge age gap there.
The manner of speech for college kids is off. Close at times, but generally, they’re speaking like refined adults. Also, no one has used the term “skirt” since the early 60s to refer to women.
Did Marco seriously just say he doesn’t believe crazy stuff happens here in America enough to warrant kids having safety plans!?!?!? The fact that this was published in 2016 means there’s already been an atrocious amount of events that happened that would warrant anyone having a safety plan.
—- then he says “this kind of thing doesn’t happen here...” this (specific) kind of thing doesn’t happen anywhere!
Why is there so much traffic? First, very few businesses would be open. Emergency responders would likely be driving the streets advising people to stay off the roads to minimize hazards and non-emergency conflicts to safety personnel. With most stuff closed, there’s nowhere to go. And people would be more inclined to stay home anyway to keep watch on their homes. Having extreme traffic situations a day after the event is unlikely. If it were the afternoon of the event and everyone’s trying to get home from work and school, that would make more sense.
People using garden hoses to put out fires - wouldn’t that require electricity to operate the pumps for water pressure? Also, it's generally ineffective unless it's a pretty small fire.
It would make sense that the military is checking IDs, but they won’t care about the car so the fumbling with the rental papers. What in the hell is the big deal? Even if we assume the guys checking IDs notice who she is by name and so she switched the ID the whole thing with the IDs and switching money around and throwing the papers out is overcomplicated needless page filler.
We don’t call it “east(ern) shore”. It’s the East Coast when you’re talking about the area in general or a greater region of it. We use “shore” when we are actually on the shore, or we say along the shoreline if we are talking about something right there along the water’s edge.
Why is Dottie saying she didn’t think to get chicken from John? She didn’t want chicken. She wasn’t going for chicken. She wasn’t getting anything perishable. She got suckered into getting it.
Technical issue: the earth turned underneath of it x2 - it’s just “underneath it.”
If the CME knocked out radio waves, the walkies for the soldiers would have been inoperable before they got to campus so then trying to get through and figure out what’s happening on the walkie and struggling with it makes no sense.
Why are they waiting? I know the dad is supposed to make it there by 8, but earlier they said they would drive and stop periodically so he put out flags for his dad to see. Is it because it’s too close to 8 that it was better to just stay and wait? This is never really clarified.
The possibility that the lights might be coming on would never be enough deterrent against looting. Looting would have started very soon after, if not immediately.
Police gear doesn’t jingle with steps. It’s more of a creaking sound of the leather.
Searching for someone does not give campus security ANY reasonable suspicion to go through private belongings. And a couple of buckets of water is not “more than enough” reasonable suspicion, especially under the circumstances. At the very least, either just play the “because I said so” or “deal with it and file your complaints for all I care” attitude instead of forcing a bad excuse.
Again, confusing with so many characters. We just spent the whole time in the room with Hinkley, Perkins, Marco, Cory, and Rip. Who the hell is Barnes all of a sudden? He’s an unnecessary extra character that weighs down the scene and completely interrupts the flow.
The Secret Service already determined the stuff wasn’t bomb-making materials. Hinkley can say anything he wants; he had no grounds to start with and was already disproved by an agent. This is nonsense page padding.
Speaking of page padding - way too much time and detail spent on the punks wanting to break into radio shack. We are told over and over that they have to go, have to hurry, have to get going and they are continually stalled whether it’s for the gas, for breakfast, Perkins, or these hoodlums. These are stalls of storytelling - not exciting (or necessary) obstacles the group has to overcome.
Understandably, most people will believe the power will come back, and even basic gullibility many people naturally have, but the character of the hotel lady is beyond believable in her gullibility.
All the time that Dan is spending asking Dottie if he can talk to her and why it has to be in private, he could have just said what he needed to say already. The writer is spending needless page filler making a simple thing into an overly convoluted situation.
Some of the situations, like Dan knocking and saying it’s not polite for a man to walk into a room with a woman by herself makes me think the writer is lost in time. While there’s no real date of the event, it was written recently and has a general feel of being at least somewhere in the 2000s. Such “manners” barely exist even in places like the Deep South anymore, as that generation is moving on, but there are some that still hold to such things. But a town in MD being depicted like it’s Mayberry in the 1950s is more fantasy fodder than a realistic depiction.
It doesn’t make sense that Kathy won’t eat “dirty food,” yet the entire argument that happened the night before was because Kathy thought Dottie’s food smelled good and why wouldn’t she share.
The government wouldn’t notify that a website has been ceased. They’d just shut it down.
The writer just made a big deal about what this lady was taking and that it was “currency,” but never tells us what is in the folder. It was a poor excuse of a scene to lazily squeeze in an advertisement for a website and quick exposition on the solar flare. This could have been done more smoothly to give the reader a complete scene with an answer.
Making Rip go all the way to the end of the parking lot and making a big show of sitting down is ridiculous and more page padding. Once the lady is in her car and locks her doors, she can easily pull away. Her car is more of a weapon than a young college kid running at her.
Spending far too much time repeatedly beating the point of needing the items from the car and the morality of scavenging. The whole scene with the gas station could have been removed entirely because we are just reiterating the points from the shelter and the car scenes. They barely took steps from the car, and now we are stopped again at the gas station, and way too much exposition. This could have been truncated to move the story along. They even say they’ve only gone about a mile from the shelter. The shelter was a mile from the school. We’ve spent a significant amount of time on their journey, including being in the middle of the second day of travel and they've gone a grand total of two miles!!! Less of this page padding and more of their journey!
They are in a car that was left unlocked but Marco can’t get into the trunk without the keys?!?!? All cars have a button release inside the car.
So much time is lost with the excessive filler that the book just ends at a mid-point. This wasn’t even worth being called a cliffhanger, it just ended mid-scene.
February 7, 2018
I loved this book. I thought it was pretty realistic and very educational. I'm trying to get my son to read this, who happens to be in his third year of college to be a Vet. He and Ripley would have really hit it off as friends. The character and my son have a very similar mindset so of course, you can see my attraction to the book. It's why I picked it up to read in the first place.
For those who think college kids aren't likely to be in the prepper mindset, think again. My son has several like-minded friends who all have their get-home-plan in the event of a disaster of any kind. They've got stock of emergency supplies, they have plans to help each other out, who will need to go home with who, for the ones who live too far away, maps and knowledge of where to get anything they may need that they don't already have, including weapons.
What I realized since my son has left for college is that those kids who prepare for disasters are more likely to live their day to day lives more carefully. Just simple things like keeping in touch with each other through out the day, making sure they get home safely after dark, calling ahead to warn the friend that went home over the weekend that the snow storm will make it too dangerous for them to drive back. And most importantly, in my book, they all have each others' families contact information, so that if something happens to one of them, they can contact their family, or the families can contact one of the roommates if they haven't been able to get a hold of their child. I tell you, that kind of piece of mind is priceless. And it was the kids who thought of it. My son shares an on-campus apartment with three girls and two other guys and they all look out for each other.
So back to the book, I thought the author really hit the nail on the head and I even learned a few new things that I've passed on to my son. There were some slow parts but it was exciting enough to keep me involved to the end, and lately that's been hard to do. So I'll be reading as many books in this series as the author will kindly give us.
For those who think college kids aren't likely to be in the prepper mindset, think again. My son has several like-minded friends who all have their get-home-plan in the event of a disaster of any kind. They've got stock of emergency supplies, they have plans to help each other out, who will need to go home with who, for the ones who live too far away, maps and knowledge of where to get anything they may need that they don't already have, including weapons.
What I realized since my son has left for college is that those kids who prepare for disasters are more likely to live their day to day lives more carefully. Just simple things like keeping in touch with each other through out the day, making sure they get home safely after dark, calling ahead to warn the friend that went home over the weekend that the snow storm will make it too dangerous for them to drive back. And most importantly, in my book, they all have each others' families contact information, so that if something happens to one of them, they can contact their family, or the families can contact one of the roommates if they haven't been able to get a hold of their child. I tell you, that kind of piece of mind is priceless. And it was the kids who thought of it. My son shares an on-campus apartment with three girls and two other guys and they all look out for each other.
So back to the book, I thought the author really hit the nail on the head and I even learned a few new things that I've passed on to my son. There were some slow parts but it was exciting enough to keep me involved to the end, and lately that's been hard to do. So I'll be reading as many books in this series as the author will kindly give us.
September 17, 2017
Good start to a series. The story pulled me in immediately and kept my attention until the end. It's a well written really good story that flows smoothly and is very entertaining, engaging and enjoyable.
While it is similar to many post apocalyptic stories out there, it has it's own unique little differences. I enjoyed that even though the characters have some knowledge and a few preps in case of an emergency, they were not fully prepared prepper's ready for any emergency. They were caught off guard and had to figure things out as they went along just as anyone would have to. The situations the characters found themselves in, and the things that were happening in each storyline were believable and realistic. While there are things that happen throughout the story, it isn't full of constant violence and gore which was a nice change. Society doesn't deteriorate all at once. The changes are gradual.
The story unfolds through two separate but interconnected storylines. Showing what each side of a family is going through and dealing with when the world changes in an instant. Ripley and her friends trying to leave collage and make their way home and the family they are trying to get home to.
Great cast of characters. Especially Dottie. The characters grow on you throughout the story but Dottie is immediately likable. The story does end in a cliffhanger. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Really enjoyed the dual narration. This is not the first time I have listened to a book narrated by Kevin Pierce and Becket Royce. Both did a great job with the narration. Nice voices easy to listen to for long periods of time. Clearly spoken with a nice even pace. Good character voices. Having the each side of the story narrated by different narrators really brought the characters and story to life. Very enjoyable.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.
While it is similar to many post apocalyptic stories out there, it has it's own unique little differences. I enjoyed that even though the characters have some knowledge and a few preps in case of an emergency, they were not fully prepared prepper's ready for any emergency. They were caught off guard and had to figure things out as they went along just as anyone would have to. The situations the characters found themselves in, and the things that were happening in each storyline were believable and realistic. While there are things that happen throughout the story, it isn't full of constant violence and gore which was a nice change. Society doesn't deteriorate all at once. The changes are gradual.
The story unfolds through two separate but interconnected storylines. Showing what each side of a family is going through and dealing with when the world changes in an instant. Ripley and her friends trying to leave collage and make their way home and the family they are trying to get home to.
Great cast of characters. Especially Dottie. The characters grow on you throughout the story but Dottie is immediately likable. The story does end in a cliffhanger. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Really enjoyed the dual narration. This is not the first time I have listened to a book narrated by Kevin Pierce and Becket Royce. Both did a great job with the narration. Nice voices easy to listen to for long periods of time. Clearly spoken with a nice even pace. Good character voices. Having the each side of the story narrated by different narrators really brought the characters and story to life. Very enjoyable.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.
June 17, 2017
I read a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction, and this one was better than almost all of the others. The event that triggered the apocalypse - a coronal mass ejection, or CME - not only could really happen, but has happened, most notably the Carrington Event in 1859. Apparently in 2012 another CME narrowly missed us - my sons and I were driving all around the Boston area hoping to get far enough away from light sources to see the aurora that resulted. (We didn't.)
Ripley, a senior at the University of Maryland, is hanging around on the roof of her dorm with a group of friends at around sunset when the power went out with a series of explosions, including one that shakes their building. There was no warning, no foreshadowing, just a group of friends present for an event that would change the world. These friends felt like real people. My daughter got her Master's and met her husband at the University of Maryland, and I know the campus a little. While I was reading this book, I opened a map of the UMD campus on Google to check where things were happening.
Their story alternates with events happening in a small town in eastern Maryland, where Ripley and her friend Corey grew up. Corey's grandmother, with the unlikely name of Dorothy Parker ("Men seldom make passes/at girls who wear glasses" is the only quote I can remember by the literary Dorothy Parker), is living on a farm, raising vegetables and canning them, when the power fails.
I don't want to retell the entire story, but it revolves around how Ripley and Corey and their friends get back home, and what Dorothy and the rest of the town are doing there. It ends abruptly, which wasn't a problem for me because I had already downloaded the next book.
Ripley, a senior at the University of Maryland, is hanging around on the roof of her dorm with a group of friends at around sunset when the power went out with a series of explosions, including one that shakes their building. There was no warning, no foreshadowing, just a group of friends present for an event that would change the world. These friends felt like real people. My daughter got her Master's and met her husband at the University of Maryland, and I know the campus a little. While I was reading this book, I opened a map of the UMD campus on Google to check where things were happening.
Their story alternates with events happening in a small town in eastern Maryland, where Ripley and her friend Corey grew up. Corey's grandmother, with the unlikely name of Dorothy Parker ("Men seldom make passes/at girls who wear glasses" is the only quote I can remember by the literary Dorothy Parker), is living on a farm, raising vegetables and canning them, when the power fails.
I don't want to retell the entire story, but it revolves around how Ripley and Corey and their friends get back home, and what Dorothy and the rest of the town are doing there. It ends abruptly, which wasn't a problem for me because I had already downloaded the next book.
October 13, 2017
This is essentially a how-to survival guide for a post-apocalyptic event, written as a fictional story. There is a lot of good information here about the behavior of people in crisis. Also, despite the author's intention to make this easily relatable, the characters have a general, working knowledge of preparedness. This seemed to be far more than your average person or college student.
So even though I wasn't overly impressed with the story or the characters, I am impressed with the way it makes being prepared a relatable and do-able thing. I immediately went to the FEMA website and printed off a list of things to have on hand in case of emergency. So in that respect, this book is very good.
The narrators, Becket Royce and Kevin Pierce, do an overall average job with the narration. It's narration rather than voice acting, but it's still good and lends itself well to the tone of the story.
This installment leaves us hanging as to how the college students fare on their journey home and how the townspeople fare with having the truth of the event related to them. I'm certain the following books will continue and eventually finish the story. For me, I think this part is enough for now. While I liked the book, I found it more informative than entertaining. I didn't get invested enough in the characters to really love it.
I would recommend Ashfall by Mike Mullin as an excellent, realistic post-apocalyptic story about what happens after Yellowstone blows up. Both these books are great for being a fairly level look at what could realistically happen after such a disaster. Ashfall is more entertaining; this one is more informative. Both are good.
So even though I wasn't overly impressed with the story or the characters, I am impressed with the way it makes being prepared a relatable and do-able thing. I immediately went to the FEMA website and printed off a list of things to have on hand in case of emergency. So in that respect, this book is very good.
The narrators, Becket Royce and Kevin Pierce, do an overall average job with the narration. It's narration rather than voice acting, but it's still good and lends itself well to the tone of the story.
This installment leaves us hanging as to how the college students fare on their journey home and how the townspeople fare with having the truth of the event related to them. I'm certain the following books will continue and eventually finish the story. For me, I think this part is enough for now. While I liked the book, I found it more informative than entertaining. I didn't get invested enough in the characters to really love it.
I would recommend Ashfall by Mike Mullin as an excellent, realistic post-apocalyptic story about what happens after Yellowstone blows up. Both these books are great for being a fairly level look at what could realistically happen after such a disaster. Ashfall is more entertaining; this one is more informative. Both are good.
July 23, 2017
This started out okay, but as it continued it just became... pretentious. The virtue signalling was STRONG, depicting irrational and cliche behavior (such as by "racists" or police) that very rarely exists in modern America. The cliche SJW stuff wore on me. In the end, it was the woman who "wouldn't accept dirty food" [meaning food from a black person] and "what would my friends think if I was seen associating with a black person?!" that decided this for me; I can't. I'm done. These characters just aren't believable. People aren't as stupid as the author portrays them. They aren't as judgemental or racist as the author portrays them. Most of all, the police aren't as awful as the author portrays them.
It's a shame because I was enjoying this. I've read many end of the world books, but this was the first that was caused by something other than wars or zombies. It was refreshing and interesting. Injecting [false] political rhetoric into it was nails in a coffin, though. With only a 5th of the book left to go, I'm ditching this one.
I'll be generous and give it two starts for its unique premise in the genre. As for the rest of it, thanks, but no thanks.
It's a shame because I was enjoying this. I've read many end of the world books, but this was the first that was caused by something other than wars or zombies. It was refreshing and interesting. Injecting [false] political rhetoric into it was nails in a coffin, though. With only a 5th of the book left to go, I'm ditching this one.
I'll be generous and give it two starts for its unique premise in the genre. As for the rest of it, thanks, but no thanks.
January 31, 2019
I promised to read the whole series, so I did. ( Thank goodness its only 2 books long!!!) I will say that the characters are unappealing, whiny and not very intelligent.
The story line, while not bad is played out horribly.
The college students are ignorant and the writing indicates that if you are not a prepper you are an idiot. That unless you are a prepper, you are stupid and wouldn't know the aurora borealis is or what it would indicate in the southern states. Unless you are a prepper you wouldn't know what to do in an emergency and would be useless.
So, I really disliked the college kids/ Moronic, spoiled ignorant people.
Then Dotty, the religious always do right-er, always turn the other cheek-er, the one who can do EVERYTHING, and the people who go to church with her are good , but damn those non christians.
PLUS so much ignorance about people not wanting to be seen with black people - not wanting to eat of the same tray.
And then, almost in the middle of a sentence.. The story ends and you have to buy book 2.
The writer must be a racist, prepper to have written anything like this.
The story line, while not bad is played out horribly.
The college students are ignorant and the writing indicates that if you are not a prepper you are an idiot. That unless you are a prepper, you are stupid and wouldn't know the aurora borealis is or what it would indicate in the southern states. Unless you are a prepper you wouldn't know what to do in an emergency and would be useless.
So, I really disliked the college kids/ Moronic, spoiled ignorant people.
Then Dotty, the religious always do right-er, always turn the other cheek-er, the one who can do EVERYTHING, and the people who go to church with her are good , but damn those non christians.
PLUS so much ignorance about people not wanting to be seen with black people - not wanting to eat of the same tray.
And then, almost in the middle of a sentence.. The story ends and you have to buy book 2.
The writer must be a racist, prepper to have written anything like this.
June 20, 2017
2.5 stars. The writing itself is actually good, but the story annoyed me. It started off great, really got into it right away. And I loved the change from zombie apocalypse. But the high and mighty, judgmental, hypocritical college kids started to get on my nerves, starting with her vindictive lecture to one of the college professors. I'm sorry, not everyone else in the world besides preppers are dumb or mean. And how is what you're doing any different? And if they were so worried about what was going to happen, why did they wait so long to leave??? The judgment calls and some of their internal thought processes were so contradictory I thought the author might intentionally have written imperfect characters, but I really don't think that's what it is. Therefore, it just came off preachy about halfway through and continued to the end, which took me forever to get through....
The good thing, though, is that I finally got my "go bag" ready.
The good thing, though, is that I finally got my "go bag" ready.
January 23, 2018
It has teken me soooo long to find another book I really liked and couldn't put down, but here it was!
Refreshing take, much more realistic than most books in this genre. Sometimes a little dark and for some people probably a bit disturbing, but that is a very big plus in my book - pun intended :-). Every once in a while you do get the impression that the author wants to list everything that can go wrong in case of a total breakdown of the electrical infrastructure of a country. After reading A LOT (!) of TEOTWAWKI books I still found a few things that I hadn't encountered in any other book before.
But it was very well researched and highly believable. I do love the story, the characters and the writing style. I love that it is fast and that the characters are well developed.
I read no. 2 as well and thought that was even better. And I will definitely buy and read no. 3. Nice going, Ms. Gideon!
Refreshing take, much more realistic than most books in this genre. Sometimes a little dark and for some people probably a bit disturbing, but that is a very big plus in my book - pun intended :-). Every once in a while you do get the impression that the author wants to list everything that can go wrong in case of a total breakdown of the electrical infrastructure of a country. After reading A LOT (!) of TEOTWAWKI books I still found a few things that I hadn't encountered in any other book before.
But it was very well researched and highly believable. I do love the story, the characters and the writing style. I love that it is fast and that the characters are well developed.
I read no. 2 as well and thought that was even better. And I will definitely buy and read no. 3. Nice going, Ms. Gideon!
March 3, 2018
Possibly the most realistic post-apocalyptic story I've ever read.
Pros:
1. Believable.
2. A well-rounded cast
3. Survival elements
4. The characters need to use their wit to survive, sometimes leading to interesting solutions to problems
5. They have an animal companion!
6. The author touched on some issues that I've never thought of before, for instance what happens to people who require medicine to keep them alive in such a situation?
7. The author also explores the psyche of an innocent, good person, who is forced into bad situations. This plays a bigger role in book 2.
8. Great tips for prepper-wannabes.
Cons:
1. My only complaint about this book would be that it's a bit slow.
2. I was also not really invested in the secondary viewpoint, the old lady (not in this book and not in the 2nd.)
Definitely recommend it if you're into post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. Preppers can learn a lot here.
Pros:
1. Believable.
2. A well-rounded cast
3. Survival elements
4. The characters need to use their wit to survive, sometimes leading to interesting solutions to problems
5. They have an animal companion!
6. The author touched on some issues that I've never thought of before, for instance what happens to people who require medicine to keep them alive in such a situation?
7. The author also explores the psyche of an innocent, good person, who is forced into bad situations. This plays a bigger role in book 2.
8. Great tips for prepper-wannabes.
Cons:
1. My only complaint about this book would be that it's a bit slow.
2. I was also not really invested in the secondary viewpoint, the old lady (not in this book and not in the 2nd.)
Definitely recommend it if you're into post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. Preppers can learn a lot here.
May 29, 2017
This book was excellently written. And I am pretty picky. I thought she did an excellent job. Seeing she only has two books up for sale, I was shocked she didn't have a long list behind her. I thought for sure she was much more established. This series should definitely be in the big leagues. Character development; suburb! Writing style: no newbie in my book as it was fantastic. Very few errors (which I blame on editors anyway and not writers. You'd never know I have a Master's degree if you knew how bad my spelling was. Thank God for spell check!). Thought the book was very realistic and touched on issues very few of this genre would think of. Very informative. Gave me information I too had not thought about. Overall, I highly recommend this book and she certainly met the mark. Just my two cents.
March 7, 2018
Well written
I almost stopped reading within the first few pages because of thing's like the quotes below. If you can overlook the bad language and grammar ( I can't stand the over used "much of anything" ) the story develops over to a strong female character with good family values where the first set of characters are trying to get home to. Had the distracting bad language not been there I would have rated it 4 or 5. I was well worth reading I will the next book if it has the same language problems, it will be the last.
"Todd! You scared the shit out of me!"
"I was working my internship at the animal shelter all day," I answered. "Didn't see much of anything besides dogs and dog poo."
I almost stopped reading within the first few pages because of thing's like the quotes below. If you can overlook the bad language and grammar ( I can't stand the over used "much of anything" ) the story develops over to a strong female character with good family values where the first set of characters are trying to get home to. Had the distracting bad language not been there I would have rated it 4 or 5. I was well worth reading I will the next book if it has the same language problems, it will be the last.
"Todd! You scared the shit out of me!"
"I was working my internship at the animal shelter all day," I answered. "Didn't see much of anything besides dogs and dog poo."
September 30, 2019
The book is a good pockey novel, and worth the read.
It is obvious that the author does not have a lot of experience in writing, but I must say that the story kept me interested, and really enjoyed most of the novel.
A small group of college students seek to overcome a CME (coronal mass ejection) that occurs, and must work their way to get home. The main character Ripley and her friends are sitting on the roof at night when the CME hits, starting fires and blowing transformers. One student (Corey I think?) recongizes what it is right a way and says power will likely not come back for years. The students quickly prepare by gathering water and Ripley and Corey grab their "get back home" bags, which are prepared for frequent storms that may result in power loss.
Eventually, shit hits the fan and they are forced to leave campus without a car. Throghout the book , we also meet Ripleys Grandmother Dorothy, who is working hard to prepare for the worst while also seeking to help out the local church and community members.
The story ends abrubtly, with basically the whole journey home left for the main characters.
My issues:
I literally did not care for any of the characters. I didn't connect with them, and not realistic at all. Dorothy and Ripley were "too prepared" and other characters such as Dorothy's neighbor and Marcus seemed to be just unbelievable all together.
The story ended like the end of the chapter. Seriously, the book is called Journey but they don't even make it out of the town they originally started in. The story could have been condensed, and extended another 200 pages to make a really good novel in my opinion.
Too many characters at once. I cant differentiate pretty much 70% of the characters introduced to me.
However, the setting and plot of this series is interesting to me, and so I can overlook these things and am looking forward to book #2.
It is obvious that the author does not have a lot of experience in writing, but I must say that the story kept me interested, and really enjoyed most of the novel.
A small group of college students seek to overcome a CME (coronal mass ejection) that occurs, and must work their way to get home. The main character Ripley and her friends are sitting on the roof at night when the CME hits, starting fires and blowing transformers. One student (Corey I think?) recongizes what it is right a way and says power will likely not come back for years. The students quickly prepare by gathering water and Ripley and Corey grab their "get back home" bags, which are prepared for frequent storms that may result in power loss.
Eventually, shit hits the fan and they are forced to leave campus without a car. Throghout the book , we also meet Ripleys Grandmother Dorothy, who is working hard to prepare for the worst while also seeking to help out the local church and community members.
The story ends abrubtly, with basically the whole journey home left for the main characters.
My issues:
I literally did not care for any of the characters. I didn't connect with them, and not realistic at all. Dorothy and Ripley were "too prepared" and other characters such as Dorothy's neighbor and Marcus seemed to be just unbelievable all together.
The story ended like the end of the chapter. Seriously, the book is called Journey but they don't even make it out of the town they originally started in. The story could have been condensed, and extended another 200 pages to make a really good novel in my opinion.
Too many characters at once. I cant differentiate pretty much 70% of the characters introduced to me.
However, the setting and plot of this series is interesting to me, and so I can overlook these things and am looking forward to book #2.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2017
This is a prepper book but not like the whole "stock pile everything and get your guns ready" type. It is more realistic in how to prep, more planning. The story, though, tells about the things you can't plan for which are your emotions.Ripley and her friends are at college when the event happens,(The book explains it better than I can so I will let you just read it.) They are determined to get home to their families and throughout the journey face unexpected trials and surprises. The characters really drive this book.I enjoyed this book so much I immediately read the second one and I am eagerly anticipating another.
July 16, 2017
A typical CME survival story. Our protagonist Ripley Miller is a college student at the University of Maryland when the grid went down. We follow Ripley and her college friends as they deal with the loss of power and make plans to travel home. They run across the usual band of brigands who surface as soon as a crisis appears. There are several sub-plots of different people dealing with the situation in their own way. Not much action, but lots of conversation. At this point I don’t know if I’ll invest in book two or not. Three.point.five for a talkative start.
July 20, 2017
Ripley is a college student.She is on the road to be a veterinarian.She and her friends are on the roof of their building when lights go out and transformers explode.No one knows what is going on.With the chaos causing lockdowns at school, she teaches her friends what one needs in a 'prepare scenario'.They each try to get homer someplace safer than school.It ended abruptly, so I'll have to get the next one!Kevin Pierce and Becket Royce were perfect narrators.I was given this book free by the author,narrator or publisher.
December 24, 2017
An abundant feast....of info AND entertainment!!!
Between the fact that our government is currently being run by a group of toddlers and how much the population has become dependent on tech / electricity this book made for a few edge of my seat hours.
Even if you believe that there's no way that a global disaster is possible you have to be interested in the subject or you wouldn't be interested in the reviews... DO NOT SKIP THIS BOOK!!!
Between the fact that our government is currently being run by a group of toddlers and how much the population has become dependent on tech / electricity this book made for a few edge of my seat hours.
Even if you believe that there's no way that a global disaster is possible you have to be interested in the subject or you wouldn't be interested in the reviews... DO NOT SKIP THIS BOOK!!!
February 5, 2018
Gave up
I just couldn't get into this.
You lost me when no aircraft fell from the sky, yet transformers, the big ones at sub stations, where exploding.
If the EMP is that powerful i expect epic levels of crashes from everything from cars, airplanes, ships, trains, and subways.
I don't care how good the story might be, if you can't get the beginning right, you aren't going to book me.
I can not recommend this book.
I just couldn't get into this.
You lost me when no aircraft fell from the sky, yet transformers, the big ones at sub stations, where exploding.
If the EMP is that powerful i expect epic levels of crashes from everything from cars, airplanes, ships, trains, and subways.
I don't care how good the story might be, if you can't get the beginning right, you aren't going to book me.
I can not recommend this book.
March 2, 2017
Really Slow
I read much of this genre and the characters are good, the added detail to every scene really slows the story. No way are people too stupid to know what their future looks like without power and no matter what, the vast population does not expect anything from the government.
I read much of this genre and the characters are good, the added detail to every scene really slows the story. No way are people too stupid to know what their future looks like without power and no matter what, the vast population does not expect anything from the government.
January 21, 2024
I enjoy EMP type genres, this being a solar flair is a welcomed difference. I can honestly say I don't remember listening to dual narrators before, but being a fan of this type of topic & even bigger fan of Kevin Pierce I had to give it a shot. Characters are easy to follow. If you like this type of genre give it a read/listen.
June 18, 2024
Honestly this is one of the few disaster novel series I legitimately love, to the point I listened to it online for free, and still bought all 3 books in the series.
It's realistic, the characters are relatable and very likable, and you can learn legitimately helpful information and tips if you pay attention.
It's realistic, the characters are relatable and very likable, and you can learn legitimately helpful information and tips if you pay attention.
March 20, 2017
Gripping, Edge of Your Seat, Page Turner!!!
Everything you want to read in a post apocalyptic story is in here. How they survive a they see the chaos unfold is truly riveting. This trilogy is going to kick behind. Truly brilliant writing.
Everything you want to read in a post apocalyptic story is in here. How they survive a they see the chaos unfold is truly riveting. This trilogy is going to kick behind. Truly brilliant writing.
May 21, 2017
Very good
This is a very interesting book about a terrifying possibility. The author appears to understand people in a way many other authors don't. The characters in this story seem very realistic & react as I imagine real people would in similar circumstances.
This is a very interesting book about a terrifying possibility. The author appears to understand people in a way many other authors don't. The characters in this story seem very realistic & react as I imagine real people would in similar circumstances.
June 8, 2017
The best post apocalyptic book I have read to date
This book absolutely gets it right! No big "Hollywood" types with automatic weapons or walk in armories with 30+ years of food. Just regular people trying to survive. The book is very believable and very well written.
This book absolutely gets it right! No big "Hollywood" types with automatic weapons or walk in armories with 30+ years of food. Just regular people trying to survive. The book is very believable and very well written.
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