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Survive
“We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.” ~ Benjamin Franklin in the Continental Congress before signing the Declaration of Independence. Set against the backdrop of the isolated forests north of New Hampshire's White Mountains, while camping on family land, Tom and Lori Thornton (and their dog, Buck) find themselves in a sudden SHTF scenario. No cellular service. Dangerous roads. Limited supplies. And far more questions than answers. After the shocking murder of Tom's uncle by a band of looters, the couple's already faltering marriage reaches the breaking point amid the chaos. Trust and loyalties are challenged, old friendships are put to the test, and while immediate answers and solutions elude them, they must rely on raw instincts in order to survive.
195 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 30, 2017
151 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 3, 2019
Tom and Lori are shocked when his dying uncle collapses outside their cabin, shot by his long term neighbours, one of which is Tom's childhood friend Warner. Tom hears rumours about a deadly virus causing utter panic but nobody in the area seems to know for sure what is going on, leaving Tom trying to deal with dangerous neighbours, his wife having a breakdown and finding out for himself what is going on. The plot sounded interesting but I wasn't quite as keen on the execution or the twists that occured later. A lot of focus is on Tom's wife Lori who seems like a harpy from hell who hates his cabin, his country pursuits, guns, his life and is critical of every little thing he says or does. It is later that we discover that she suffers from serious mental illness which causes these meltdowns. Problem is, by the time I found this out I already didn't like her. Knowing that going into the story would have had me more sympathetic towards her from the start. In saying that, as soon as Tom starts exploring the area, Lori isn't seen again, stuck back at the cabin and being guarded by Warner's wife. She hardly even gets a mention.
I don't like putting in spoilers but in this case I do need to say what it was so readers can choose whether or not to read it. This is not a pandemic apocalypse book as I thought. It is about government agents dressed up in advanced suits like the Predator in the films, killing all but the elderly and infirm as they are no threat. They are running around this rural area hunting people down. The vast majority of this story is a flashback to see the events of the past as they unfolded then it switches to current events and what the survivors are doing now. To be honest I did not like the way this played out. None of this is what I expected from the blurb of the book-government conspiracy, local rebel militia fighting back...I was looking for the typical apocalypse society breakdown thing but didn't get it. I'm not saying it was badly written or a poor plot choice-it just isn't the kind of thing I like and had I known, I wouldn't have bought it. That said, others will no doubt enjoy this being different. Not for me. I won't be reading on with the series.
I don't like putting in spoilers but in this case I do need to say what it was so readers can choose whether or not to read it. This is not a pandemic apocalypse book as I thought. It is about government agents dressed up in advanced suits like the Predator in the films, killing all but the elderly and infirm as they are no threat. They are running around this rural area hunting people down. The vast majority of this story is a flashback to see the events of the past as they unfolded then it switches to current events and what the survivors are doing now. To be honest I did not like the way this played out. None of this is what I expected from the blurb of the book-government conspiracy, local rebel militia fighting back...I was looking for the typical apocalypse society breakdown thing but didn't get it. I'm not saying it was badly written or a poor plot choice-it just isn't the kind of thing I like and had I known, I wouldn't have bought it. That said, others will no doubt enjoy this being different. Not for me. I won't be reading on with the series.
July 15, 2017
Whoa!
I have often wondered what it would be like to be camping and find out through happenstance that society crumbled. I loved it! Can't wait to read the sequel! P.s. My wife is exactly like Lori and it cracked me up because that's exactly how it would go in my own personal survival situation 😂
I have often wondered what it would be like to be camping and find out through happenstance that society crumbled. I loved it! Can't wait to read the sequel! P.s. My wife is exactly like Lori and it cracked me up because that's exactly how it would go in my own personal survival situation 😂
November 2, 2024
The story is odd and disjointed.
April 24, 2018
Cover/Title: I love dystopian books so the title pulled me in. The cover just intrigued me more.
Characters: The characters were ok but I just couldn't connect with them. Especially Tom's wife. She annoyed me at first until I realized that she needed medication. Then I understood but still didn't like her much.
Plot: Tom and his wife planned a small camping trip. That trip became extended when his uncle is murdered and people are acting strange. Tom is determined to keep his family and friends safe but he needs to know what is happening first.
Overall: This might actually be the lowest I scored a dystopian book. Normally, I am hooked but this one had me struggling to get thru it. There was something missing. It was ok but I doubt I will read more of the series.
Characters: The characters were ok but I just couldn't connect with them. Especially Tom's wife. She annoyed me at first until I realized that she needed medication. Then I understood but still didn't like her much.
Plot: Tom and his wife planned a small camping trip. That trip became extended when his uncle is murdered and people are acting strange. Tom is determined to keep his family and friends safe but he needs to know what is happening first.
Overall: This might actually be the lowest I scored a dystopian book. Normally, I am hooked but this one had me struggling to get thru it. There was something missing. It was ok but I doubt I will read more of the series.
August 3, 2017
Refreshingly different
Most of the books in this genre coming out these days all tell the same story about an EMP attack and the hero is always a former SpecOps war hero who had the smarts and somehow the millions to properly prep before the Fall. Do all these authors belong to the same prepper club of what?
Nice to read a new story for a change.
Most of the books in this genre coming out these days all tell the same story about an EMP attack and the hero is always a former SpecOps war hero who had the smarts and somehow the millions to properly prep before the Fall. Do all these authors belong to the same prepper club of what?
Nice to read a new story for a change.
November 1, 2020
A very good story
This was a good story and I enjoyed reading it but it came to an open abrupt ending making you have to go to the next book in order to see what happens. It basically ended in the middle of a story so I do not recommend this book.
This was a good story and I enjoyed reading it but it came to an open abrupt ending making you have to go to the next book in order to see what happens. It basically ended in the middle of a story so I do not recommend this book.
July 3, 2017
Confusion
No information to make sense of second half. Too confusing for this reader. Not interested in reading the sequel anymore
No information to make sense of second half. Too confusing for this reader. Not interested in reading the sequel anymore
March 25, 2018
Cliffhanger !!
I don't like cliffhangers, and it isn't good enough to warrant me buying another partial story. No thank you I don't do cliffhangers.
I don't like cliffhangers, and it isn't good enough to warrant me buying another partial story. No thank you I don't do cliffhangers.
November 9, 2024
Reading "Survive" feels like wading through a fever dream of unchecked masculinity, all chest-thumping bravado and seething distrust of government. The book serves up a heavy dose of rugged, off-the-grid grit, with a protagonist who treats survival like a one-man war against a vague yet ever-menacing bureaucracy. But for all its bristling intensity, this novel unravels long before it reaches anything close to a coherent end.
A lot of the discomfort here comes from our narrator's worldview, especially regarding his wife. He has all the warmth of a winter frost when it comes to her, his contempt almost palpable. Yet, contrast this with his absurdly sentimental devotion to his dog, a love so fawning and overblown that it borders on parody, and we're left with a man whose character feels, at best, deeply misaligned. Perhaps it's an intentional contrast, but whatever the aim, it paints a bleak portrait of someone who seems to reserve his humanity only for creatures with a wagging tail.
Structurally, the book tries to pull a fast one, starting as one thing - a typical survival dystopia - and swerving wildly two-thirds through into what amounts to a thinly veiled manifesto on militia movements and conspiracy. It's not the politics that grate, mind you, but the way the plot all but shudders to a halt as it makes room for this screed. By then, any semblance of narrative consistency is abandoned, leaving readers scrambling to find meaning in what's left.
Then there's the opening, the morally murky events that our protagonist accepts with a disconcerting shrug. His casual attitude to violence and ethical compromise leaves us wondering: are we meant to see him as dense, hypocritical or just plain cruel? Whatever it is, it doesn't make for comfortable reading. Spending 200 pages in the company of this man, with his selective morality and almost nihilistic view of humanity, felt less like an adventure and more like an exercise in endurance. I'll not waste my time with the rest of the series.
⭐
A lot of the discomfort here comes from our narrator's worldview, especially regarding his wife. He has all the warmth of a winter frost when it comes to her, his contempt almost palpable. Yet, contrast this with his absurdly sentimental devotion to his dog, a love so fawning and overblown that it borders on parody, and we're left with a man whose character feels, at best, deeply misaligned. Perhaps it's an intentional contrast, but whatever the aim, it paints a bleak portrait of someone who seems to reserve his humanity only for creatures with a wagging tail.
Structurally, the book tries to pull a fast one, starting as one thing - a typical survival dystopia - and swerving wildly two-thirds through into what amounts to a thinly veiled manifesto on militia movements and conspiracy. It's not the politics that grate, mind you, but the way the plot all but shudders to a halt as it makes room for this screed. By then, any semblance of narrative consistency is abandoned, leaving readers scrambling to find meaning in what's left.
Then there's the opening, the morally murky events that our protagonist accepts with a disconcerting shrug. His casual attitude to violence and ethical compromise leaves us wondering: are we meant to see him as dense, hypocritical or just plain cruel? Whatever it is, it doesn't make for comfortable reading. Spending 200 pages in the company of this man, with his selective morality and almost nihilistic view of humanity, felt less like an adventure and more like an exercise in endurance. I'll not waste my time with the rest of the series.
⭐
July 17, 2017
Renewal
This story grabs you right away and sets your mind to thinking good is bad, friends are enemies and hope is hate, only to turn it all back around. Easy, entertaining and plausible.
This story grabs you right away and sets your mind to thinking good is bad, friends are enemies and hope is hate, only to turn it all back around. Easy, entertaining and plausible.
August 12, 2017
How to survive an apocalypse in a rigged society.
Great story line, however needs to be more specific in character development and how and why the apocalypse came about and how the characters came about.
Great story line, however needs to be more specific in character development and how and why the apocalypse came about and how the characters came about.
March 16, 2019
This is pretty good thriller. Twists I didn’t expect and I’ve read several dystopia, post-apocalyptic series. But this isn’t a sci-fi, so that may explain why the story turns weren’t predictable. Going to find Book 2 now
September 30, 2020
Survive is a great read with an interesting storyline
I really enjoyed reading Survive. It’s fast paced with lots of action. If you enjoy reading thrillers having to do with conspiracy theories and that sort of thing you’re absolutely going to LOVE this little gem of a book!
I really enjoyed reading Survive. It’s fast paced with lots of action. If you enjoy reading thrillers having to do with conspiracy theories and that sort of thing you’re absolutely going to LOVE this little gem of a book!
June 20, 2017
Good read.
There were many reasons to enjoy my time reading, in spite of the shocking change of pace but I recovered and do, really, look forward to more of the same.
There were many reasons to enjoy my time reading, in spite of the shocking change of pace but I recovered and do, really, look forward to more of the same.
July 13, 2017
Quick but great read
This book runs at a rapid pace but never stops entertaining. A page turner from beginning to end. I look forward to the sequel.
This book runs at a rapid pace but never stops entertaining. A page turner from beginning to end. I look forward to the sequel.
January 2, 2018
Twist!
Seriously dug this book and the twist it threw out there! Definitely worth the read!!! I am definitely checking out the second book!
Seriously dug this book and the twist it threw out there! Definitely worth the read!!! I am definitely checking out the second book!
April 12, 2019
Interesting
This is well written, interesting and easy to read. I like the main characters and am looking forward to reading the next in this series.
This is well written, interesting and easy to read. I like the main characters and am looking forward to reading the next in this series.
October 25, 2019
Fascinating
A "what if" book with a difference. Interesting character together with a credible plot. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.
A "what if" book with a difference. Interesting character together with a credible plot. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.
March 9, 2022
3.50/5 Stars
August 19, 2024
Huge twist.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews