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The End of Ordinary
Drew Bergen is an Engineer. He builds living things, one gene at a time. He’s also kind of a doofus. Six years after the Stupid War—a bloody, inconclusive clash between the Engineered and the UnAltered—that’s a dangerous combination. Hannah is Drew’s greatest project, modified in utero to be just a bit more than human. She’s also his daughter. Drew’s working on a new project now. He thinks his team is developing a spiffy new strain of corn, but Hannah’s classmate and her mysterious companion disagree. They think he’s cooking up the end of the world. When one of Drew’s team members disappears, he begins to suspect that they might be right. Soon they’re all in far over their heads, with corporate goons and government operatives hunting them, and millions of lives in the balance. Energetic and bitingly satirical, The End of Ordinary is a riveting near-future thriller that asks an important if we can’t get along when our differences are barely skin deep, what happens when they run all the way down to the bone?
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 20, 2017
482 people are currently reading
670 people want to read
About the author
Edward Ashton
30 books1,484 followersEdward Ashton is the author of the novels Mickey7, Three Days in April and The End of Ordinary. His short fiction has appeared in venues ranging from the newsletter of an Italian sausage company to Escape Pod, Analog, and Fireside Fiction. He lives in upstate New York in a cabin in the woods (not that Cabin in the Woods) with his wife, a variable number of daughters, and an adorably mopey dog named Max, where he writes—mostly fiction, occasionally fact—under the watchful eyes of a giant woodpecker and a rotating cast of barred owls. In his free time, he enjoys cancer research, teaching quantum physics to sullen graduate students, and whittling. You can find him online at edwardashton.com or on Twitter @edashtonwriting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 22, 2020
Real Rating: 3.5* of five
Human beings hate people who don't look like themselves, don't pray like themselves, and don't eat like themselves. Imagine, then, what an *actual* difference, like a gene-manipulated extra strength or ability, would cause. You don't need to, Author Ashton has done the work for you. In this fast-paced book, I was eager to get to the next set-piece; but then realized that was what I was doing, waiting for the next Scene while being irked at the clueless-Dad-unworldly-Engineer interacting with people more generally capable than he is. Since it's a very good book to read at a moment in history when we need to take stock of how we cope with Otherness, I'd say any SF fan would do a lot worse than picking this up for #Booksgiving reading.
Human beings hate people who don't look like themselves, don't pray like themselves, and don't eat like themselves. Imagine, then, what an *actual* difference, like a gene-manipulated extra strength or ability, would cause. You don't need to, Author Ashton has done the work for you. In this fast-paced book, I was eager to get to the next set-piece; but then realized that was what I was doing, waiting for the next Scene while being irked at the clueless-Dad-unworldly-Engineer interacting with people more generally capable than he is. Since it's a very good book to read at a moment in history when we need to take stock of how we cope with Otherness, I'd say any SF fan would do a lot worse than picking this up for #Booksgiving reading.
September 20, 2022
Interesting premise, but the author's decision to make SO MANY CHARACTERS snarky grew very wearisome. And almost indistinguishable, seeing as we switch POV every mini-chapter.
In the end SOMETHING BIG happens, but does it actually matter? And does the reader care by that point? Lots of hi-jinks and wisecracks and teens running around jumping to conclusions and in and out of mischief. And cross-country practices.
I really enjoyed Mickey7 by this author, so this was a disappointment.
In the end SOMETHING BIG happens, but does it actually matter? And does the reader care by that point? Lots of hi-jinks and wisecracks and teens running around jumping to conclusions and in and out of mischief. And cross-country practices.
I really enjoyed Mickey7 by this author, so this was a disappointment.
May 18, 2017
Three Days in April, Ashton's debut, immediately went on my favorites list and while this one didn't make it there, it's still a great book. The End of Ordinary is set in the same world six years later but with an entirely new cast (although some scenes are obliquely referenced). This time around Mr. Ashton chose to go the YA route with some success, though I admit the scenes about the father are my faves. As usual his strengths and major selling points are his humor and tech expertise, i.e. he can explain retroviruses while making you laugh. :D Where it fell short was in the overall story. The individual elements and characters were great but somehow didn't quite gel the way 3DiA did. (In the afterword he mentioned something about this being a series of blog posts, which makes sense.) That being said, it's a super fast read with plenty of hilarity to keep you entertained.
So anyhow...funny, smart, fresh faces in the same world, but dinged a star because it felt a little loose around the edges. Still very much worth your time and I'm curious to see how Ashton continues to develop this world.
(Free egalley from Harper Voyager in return for an honest review.)
So anyhow...funny, smart, fresh faces in the same world, but dinged a star because it felt a little loose around the edges. Still very much worth your time and I'm curious to see how Ashton continues to develop this world.
(Free egalley from Harper Voyager in return for an honest review.)
July 24, 2017
I love sci-fi, and this didn’t disappoint. Hannah, the heroine and a not-quite-human girl, is a runner. Her father, a researcher and genetics engineer, altered her genes in utero, and basically she’s a sort of super-runner designed for speed and distance. But she’s not the only ‘designer human’ – in fact, the world is divided now into the “Alts” (or altered humans) and the “Saps”, (or unaltered humans – the ordinary, good old homo sapiens). Humans being what they are, there was a brief but bloody war where Alts fought Saps and destroyed the A.I.’s in the process. The A.I.’s were computer bugs come to life, and I guess they were collateral damage in what came to be known as “The Stupid War”. They are also illegal now, having evolved into sentient beings and causing humans to feel threatened. The book starts off up when Hannah goes to an exclusive private school with a superlative running team and meets a beautiful unaltered human, Devon. Never having made a friend, she’s amazed and flattered when Devon takes an interest in her, and befriends her. She also meets the handsome and rather mysterious Jordan – a coach for the running team, unaltered human, and unabashedly gay. The story is told from several points of view: Hannah; Hannah’s social dropout, nerdy father; Devon, an unaltered human and fiercely competitive runner; and Jordan – member of one of the wealthiest families on the planet, whose father is fanatically against the Alts. Each person has a different, engaging voice and the story flows easily and quickly from start to finish. I loved the science behind the story, and the philosophy that humans will fight each other over their differences, no matter what they are is an interesting one. The way the author tries to solve the problem is nothing short of astounding and very, very funny. I highly recommend this book for anyone ages 16 and up.
May 30, 2018
Fun transhuman fic. The voices of the characters were very similar though and the same style or sarcastic humor got a bit grating after a while. Reads like it would make a good mtv miniseries written by Diablo Cody.
August 21, 2017
Humanity. Not generally so good at the “can’t we all just get along” concept. Find a difference, make it bigger, and BOOM! Torment, cruelty, and sometimes, war. The End of Ordinary takes place in the years after the so-called Stupid War, when genetic engineering is commonplace (at least for those who can afford it), those have not been modified are known as unaltered, and mankind has done its level best to exterminate the only other sentient race around.
The story itself centers mostly on a small group of teens, all of them bound together in ways they aren’t quite aware of. Hannah, whose father Drew works for one of the biggest genetic engineering companies, is starting at a new school—primarily for the award-winning cross country team. She meets Jordan during her training runs, who is another member of the cross country team, though he happens to be unaltered–and who is dating Micah, another member. Devon, who attends a different school but is also a runner–and has a secret. Then there’s Marta, the daughter of the most powerful man in the country, who owns the company Hannah’s dad works for, and whose mother happened to be one of the first victims of the Stupid War. Throw this mismatched group of teenagers together, add in the secret project that Hannah’s dad Drew is working on, throw a match on in the form of a missing member of Drew’s team, and watch the world burn.
For more, please visit http://vampirebookclub.net/review-the...
The story itself centers mostly on a small group of teens, all of them bound together in ways they aren’t quite aware of. Hannah, whose father Drew works for one of the biggest genetic engineering companies, is starting at a new school—primarily for the award-winning cross country team. She meets Jordan during her training runs, who is another member of the cross country team, though he happens to be unaltered–and who is dating Micah, another member. Devon, who attends a different school but is also a runner–and has a secret. Then there’s Marta, the daughter of the most powerful man in the country, who owns the company Hannah’s dad works for, and whose mother happened to be one of the first victims of the Stupid War. Throw this mismatched group of teenagers together, add in the secret project that Hannah’s dad Drew is working on, throw a match on in the form of a missing member of Drew’s team, and watch the world burn.
For more, please visit http://vampirebookclub.net/review-the...
November 23, 2023
I was very disappointed in this book, having read "Mickey7" and "Antimatter Blues" and thoroughly enjoyed them. Reading this book was very disheartening, to say the least. If you’re a fan of cross-country running, then this is the book for you. Personally, I find it boring and tedious, much like the book itself. It provides an in-depth account of training for cross-country running, covering sprints, uphill running, stretching, pacing, and such. Oh, and there's a vague mention of genetic engineering and the singularity, but these subjects weren't nearly as important as cross-country running or the ethical use and fallout of either of these topics.
Overall, the 451 pages were boring and tedious, and could easily be compressed to half of that.
In conclusion, the book suggests that humans are tribal and will fight and kill each other over just about anything, which is no big surprise. This book is where reading enjoyment goes to die.
Overall, the 451 pages were boring and tedious, and could easily be compressed to half of that.
In conclusion, the book suggests that humans are tribal and will fight and kill each other over just about anything, which is no big surprise. This book is where reading enjoyment goes to die.
August 14, 2025
Good premise but the storyline was challenging to follow because of the revolving door of narrators. And the virus triggered sex crazed orgies? Really?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2024
Mickey 7 and sequel were fun books, as was Ashton’s recent Mal Goes to War, so I anticipated this also being fun, but sadly it was not. That said, I can see a clear throughline of Ashton improving with each hook.
The major downside of this book is that everyone sounds exactly the same. They are all similarly snarky and they all have the same quirky phrasing. Each chapter shifts to the first-person POV of a different character, but they all sound so much alike that it’s actually difficult to orient oneself as to who’s narrating. That’s a real problem when you have a cast as diverse as this. There’s a teen girl, her 40-something nerd engineer dad, a gay high school athlete, the daughter of a billionaire, and a sentient AI, just for starters. The chapter titles with names are key to figuring out who’s talking, which kind of feels like a lazy fix for what ideally would be a Page One Rewrite.
One of the things that every single character does is deny something by repeating the question. That would be a decent quirk if one character did it, but they all do it. It goes like this:
High school girl: “Did you steal my boyfriend?”
Gay girl: “Yes, as a gay girl that was my priority. No, I did not steal your boyfriend.”
Engineer: “Did you hack my system?”
AI: “I live for that sort of thing! Except I’m not ‘alive’, so to speak. No, I did not hack your system.”
Guy: “Did you throw up in my car?”
Girl: “While running from the police I paused to do that. No, I did not throw up in your car.”
It probably doesn’t happen in every chapter but it sure feels like it does. It often happens a couple times in each chapter. That becomes exceedingly tedious. So much so I’ve been reading this off and on for like 3-1/2 months. I’ve read something like SIXTY books since I first started this one.
Seriously:
Not exactly engaging. The ideas in the book are fine, but nothing I haven’t seen before. There was an Isaac Asimov-edited short story collection back in 1984 called The Science Fictional Olympics by Isaac Asimov that had a story which covered this exact same topic of genetically-engineered athletes. In that story there was a boxer who took all kinds of punishment to the head but never got knocked out. Afterward the American trainer asks the Soviet trainer (it was Cold War times) how the hell the guy stayed up after getting hit in the face so much. The Soviet trainer says something like, “I’m not going to give away our secrets my friend. I enjoyed the drink. Spasibo.” He gets up to leave and then smiles, “Did you ever see him sit down?” 😁 Forty years later I still remember that story even though I only read it once. So yeah, nothing new under the sun here.
The major downside of this book is that everyone sounds exactly the same. They are all similarly snarky and they all have the same quirky phrasing. Each chapter shifts to the first-person POV of a different character, but they all sound so much alike that it’s actually difficult to orient oneself as to who’s narrating. That’s a real problem when you have a cast as diverse as this. There’s a teen girl, her 40-something nerd engineer dad, a gay high school athlete, the daughter of a billionaire, and a sentient AI, just for starters. The chapter titles with names are key to figuring out who’s talking, which kind of feels like a lazy fix for what ideally would be a Page One Rewrite.
One of the things that every single character does is deny something by repeating the question. That would be a decent quirk if one character did it, but they all do it. It goes like this:
High school girl: “Did you steal my boyfriend?”
Gay girl: “Yes, as a gay girl that was my priority. No, I did not steal your boyfriend.”
Engineer: “Did you hack my system?”
AI: “I live for that sort of thing! Except I’m not ‘alive’, so to speak. No, I did not hack your system.”
Guy: “Did you throw up in my car?”
Girl: “While running from the police I paused to do that. No, I did not throw up in your car.”
It probably doesn’t happen in every chapter but it sure feels like it does. It often happens a couple times in each chapter. That becomes exceedingly tedious. So much so I’ve been reading this off and on for like 3-1/2 months. I’ve read something like SIXTY books since I first started this one.
Seriously:
Not exactly engaging. The ideas in the book are fine, but nothing I haven’t seen before. There was an Isaac Asimov-edited short story collection back in 1984 called The Science Fictional Olympics by Isaac Asimov that had a story which covered this exact same topic of genetically-engineered athletes. In that story there was a boxer who took all kinds of punishment to the head but never got knocked out. Afterward the American trainer asks the Soviet trainer (it was Cold War times) how the hell the guy stayed up after getting hit in the face so much. The Soviet trainer says something like, “I’m not going to give away our secrets my friend. I enjoyed the drink. Spasibo.” He gets up to leave and then smiles, “Did you ever see him sit down?” 😁 Forty years later I still remember that story even though I only read it once. So yeah, nothing new under the sun here.
January 15, 2026
My first review of the year… 2026… I am not sure why this gets highlighted. But, again, I am hoping to read 75 books this year. Last year, Goodreads told me that I read 80 books and I hit my ‘goal’ of 75 in mid-December, so I slowed down a bit. In total, it should have been 80 books, according to Goodreads’ tracking thing. But now it tells me I only read 73!?! If I knew I was two books short I would have definitely corrected that. So, I’m pretty mad at Goodreads and don’t know why they cannot count books correctly. Ugh. I guess I’ll have to find a way to sneak in there and maybe break up one of the ‘anthologies’ that I read into smaller books. Come on Goodreads… Do better…
[the actual review of the book now]
3.7 stars
I thought this was a brand-new book that came out in December of 2025. It turns out that it was written in 2017 but finally recorded on audio last month. In any case, I enjoyed this book. It has a similar feel to other books written by Ed Ashton, and I like the fact that it’s standalone.
Though, I liked the first 80-90 percent of the book and didn’t enjoy the last part of it as much. I felt like I got a little confused on what was going on with all the corporate security issues and holding cells, etc. I more enjoyed the father-daughter relationship and the family dynamics that went on with the main characters.
Audiobook narrator John Pirhalla and Katharine Chin rating: 3.9 stars
It was nice having different narrators for the female and male characters and this would have worked perfectly well if it was only the father and the daughter. But when the teenage boy also used the same narrator, especially directly after a chapter from the father perspective, it really threw me off. It would have been really helpful to have another male narrator in this case.
[the actual review of the book now]
3.7 stars
I thought this was a brand-new book that came out in December of 2025. It turns out that it was written in 2017 but finally recorded on audio last month. In any case, I enjoyed this book. It has a similar feel to other books written by Ed Ashton, and I like the fact that it’s standalone.
Though, I liked the first 80-90 percent of the book and didn’t enjoy the last part of it as much. I felt like I got a little confused on what was going on with all the corporate security issues and holding cells, etc. I more enjoyed the father-daughter relationship and the family dynamics that went on with the main characters.
Audiobook narrator John Pirhalla and Katharine Chin rating: 3.9 stars
It was nice having different narrators for the female and male characters and this would have worked perfectly well if it was only the father and the daughter. But when the teenage boy also used the same narrator, especially directly after a chapter from the father perspective, it really threw me off. It would have been really helpful to have another male narrator in this case.
May 24, 2017
Not another Zompocalypse book? Yes, yes and no. The End of Ordinary is a winking satire of technophilia, the upper crust set and, of course, zombie movies. Ashton sets it in his world of UnAltered vs Engineered; a battle between those with special genetic modifications for either standards of beauty or to achieve peak athletic performance. This is a world that's already seen deadly conflicts pitting human against human. So what happens when high school students stumble over a mad billionaire's solution to the problem of racial hatred? They try to stop it, of course. But this zombie outbreak is possibly the strangest one yet. For Hannah, her dad Drew, mom Kara and her friends Jordan, Devon and Micah, surviving the Slutty Zombie Apocalypse is a bizarre adventure.
I found the book to be a fun, light read. The content, while dealing with sex, murder and several other distasteful things, never becomes graphic enough to be bad for the teen reader crowds, but I'd also say parental guidance is necessary. The key characters are well fleshed out, but several peripherals in the story just casually blow away once they're bit is done, which seems odd. It's not perfect. There's areas where it lags (I largely think most of the precourser to the apocalypse could've been cut). The characters sound like authentic teens. It's a mixed bag. Not that great story, but still well done characterization and an odd, but deft turn at the zombie outbreak plot. Worth your time.
I found the book to be a fun, light read. The content, while dealing with sex, murder and several other distasteful things, never becomes graphic enough to be bad for the teen reader crowds, but I'd also say parental guidance is necessary. The key characters are well fleshed out, but several peripherals in the story just casually blow away once they're bit is done, which seems odd. It's not perfect. There's areas where it lags (I largely think most of the precourser to the apocalypse could've been cut). The characters sound like authentic teens. It's a mixed bag. Not that great story, but still well done characterization and an odd, but deft turn at the zombie outbreak plot. Worth your time.
December 12, 2025
** I received an advance audiobook copy of the title from NetGalley, because I am a librarian and librarians are awesome**
This book lacked any form of logic or continuity and was completely underdeveloped...but was entertaining enough to finish.
Honestly, this could have gone super dark super fast. How can you control a sexually transmitted genetically modified virus that makes people compulsively horny yet ALSO adhere to your nation's legal age of consent in people who are physically sexually mature but culturally underage? WITHOUT ISSUES, APPARENTLY, EDWARD ASHTON.
Basically, you had to read this as a sitcom of a novel that played out on a scene by scene basis, and suspend your disbelief when it came to plotting hard. In that way? It worked for me. Whenever I was scoffing hard, I imagined it as Parks and Rec or the Office or Community, starring Trent from Never Have I Ever in the role of Jordan's swimmer-engineered boyfriend, Micah.
Audiobook narration, 4 stars. Overall dumbness rating, maximum. For those who like Edward Ashton (as I do), I'd say this is a skip unless you're trying to be a completionist.
This book lacked any form of logic or continuity and was completely underdeveloped...but was entertaining enough to finish.
Honestly, this could have gone super dark super fast. How can you control a sexually transmitted genetically modified virus that makes people compulsively horny yet ALSO adhere to your nation's legal age of consent in people who are physically sexually mature but culturally underage? WITHOUT ISSUES, APPARENTLY, EDWARD ASHTON.
Basically, you had to read this as a sitcom of a novel that played out on a scene by scene basis, and suspend your disbelief when it came to plotting hard. In that way? It worked for me. Whenever I was scoffing hard, I imagined it as Parks and Rec or the Office or Community, starring Trent from Never Have I Ever in the role of Jordan's swimmer-engineered boyfriend, Micah.
Audiobook narration, 4 stars. Overall dumbness rating, maximum. For those who like Edward Ashton (as I do), I'd say this is a skip unless you're trying to be a completionist.
December 7, 2017
The End of Ordinary by Edward Ashton
This book is not about sentient corn of any kind. No zombie corn, no ravaging corn cobs. The book is about near future genetically manipulated people and the issues it creates.
The plot resonates well with the almost daily breaking news of some other illness that can be alleviated or eliminated with genetic manipulation. It isn’t too far fetched to imagine designer children or animals. Jurassic Park doesn’t hold a monopoly on the frightening consequences of altered genes.
A sub-plot is also clear that the have and have not situation may create a whole new discriminatory slate.
In addition it is made clear that a parent desperate to live vicariously through a gene altered super child may not always find a child with the same goal as the one in which the parent hopes to revel.
This was well done with a wealth of thought provoking scientific and ethical postulates.
Web: http://www.edwardashton.com/
March 12, 2024
I liked the overall concept of this book (genetic modification dystopia), and the different perspectives from three different characters, but the book had some serious flaws for me. Centering mostly around high school students, and relatively young one, the focus on sex was cringe-worthy. If it was college students, that would be different. So I did not find the age of some of the main characters appropriate for the content. Almost equally distracting, the author could not let go of the word "scowl." I have never come across this word as much as in this book, which sometimes appeared several times on the same page. Maybe high school girls scowl excessively in the author's view? Not sure, but I started laughing out loud when I came across the word, thinking a good drinking game could be developed around the book.
December 2, 2025
I love humorous sci-fi, and I'm definitely a fan of Ashton's brand of it. The fandom came from reading his more recent 4 or 5 novels. So naturally, I was curious to check out how he started off.
Apparently, like this: with modified corn and horny zombies and a book that reads way too much like YA.
You can definitely see glimpses of the author Ashton was going to become in this book, though it's much too light and silly. I, for one, am very glad he ended up an adult writing adults. I don't care for YA fiction, no matter how crafty and funny the characters are - to me, this was the most significant downdraw of this novel. Especially, since I'm pretty sure it isn't marketed as YA.
Other than that, this was an amusing apocalyptic romp that expertly mixed genres while serving up some laughs. Fun was had. Corny as it was.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
Apparently, like this: with modified corn and horny zombies and a book that reads way too much like YA.
You can definitely see glimpses of the author Ashton was going to become in this book, though it's much too light and silly. I, for one, am very glad he ended up an adult writing adults. I don't care for YA fiction, no matter how crafty and funny the characters are - to me, this was the most significant downdraw of this novel. Especially, since I'm pretty sure it isn't marketed as YA.
Other than that, this was an amusing apocalyptic romp that expertly mixed genres while serving up some laughs. Fun was had. Corny as it was.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
May 8, 2024
The End of Ordinary is set five years after the Stupid War chronicled in Mal Goes to War (2024). The anti-tech, anti-gene-mod humanists lost, but most free AIs have been wiped out, and fewer people now have neural implants and powered exoskeletons. Genetic modification, on the other hand, is thriving. Hannah is a high school student whose class has only one unmodified human. The daughter of a genetic engineer, she has some custom Neanderthal DNA and other mods that make her an excellent long-distance runner. The father’s company may have him working on a project that will modify the genetics of large populations without their knowledge. Edward Ashton has given us a YA story that avoids most of the usual genre snares and provides an original take on the tech singularity.
December 6, 2025
Laugh out loud, funny!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve busted up laughing out loud while reading a book. This one got me four times!
Some unexpected lines, saying outrageous things, flipped me into laughter before I could control it. I’m lucky I wasn’t out and about in public where people definitely would have given me dirty looks, thinking I was on some new drug (bcuz they fckd off all the good stuff and the new stuff doesn’t work)
Read this book, that’s all I’m gonna say. Well, I’ll add this - it’ll be your loss if you don’t. I’m off to read his other stories now.
Been a reader my entire life, or since I learned to read. Don’t watch TV, in fact I don’t own one. I really like the way this guy writes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve busted up laughing out loud while reading a book. This one got me four times!
Some unexpected lines, saying outrageous things, flipped me into laughter before I could control it. I’m lucky I wasn’t out and about in public where people definitely would have given me dirty looks, thinking I was on some new drug (bcuz they fckd off all the good stuff and the new stuff doesn’t work)
Read this book, that’s all I’m gonna say. Well, I’ll add this - it’ll be your loss if you don’t. I’m off to read his other stories now.
Been a reader my entire life, or since I learned to read. Don’t watch TV, in fact I don’t own one. I really like the way this guy writes.
September 23, 2022
For me, the bottom line is that I liked this book and will look forward to reading more by the author.
A few things were disconcerting about it - mainly I am from upstate NY and recognize many of the street names, schools etc. that are mentioned. I have eaten at the IHOP on the corner of Culver and 104, so that was a bit weird.
I also kept wondering if I was in the middle of a YA book but a lot of things don't fit that pattern (the Slutty Zombie Apocalypse for one)
Am also really curious about the back story and want to know more about the "Stupid War" so when is that book coming out?
All in all a quick enjoyable read.
A few things were disconcerting about it - mainly I am from upstate NY and recognize many of the street names, schools etc. that are mentioned. I have eaten at the IHOP on the corner of Culver and 104, so that was a bit weird.
I also kept wondering if I was in the middle of a YA book but a lot of things don't fit that pattern (the Slutty Zombie Apocalypse for one)
Am also really curious about the back story and want to know more about the "Stupid War" so when is that book coming out?
All in all a quick enjoyable read.
December 22, 2025
(3.75 Stars)
This was enjoyable, but to be honest there are A LOT of characters and a lot of them are very similar, so it can get confusing. It also switches the point of view for each chapter which adds to the confusion slightly.
So, overall I really liked the story, and the campiness of it which is a big part of this author's style. I though the characters had decent development, and the world-building is more "fantasy", but again, artistic license by the author.
To sum it up, if you like Edward Ashton's other books... you should like this book. It is weird, it denies reality, and it is antithetical to the norms. But a really fun book and props to the Dr. Seuss connection.
This was enjoyable, but to be honest there are A LOT of characters and a lot of them are very similar, so it can get confusing. It also switches the point of view for each chapter which adds to the confusion slightly.
So, overall I really liked the story, and the campiness of it which is a big part of this author's style. I though the characters had decent development, and the world-building is more "fantasy", but again, artistic license by the author.
To sum it up, if you like Edward Ashton's other books... you should like this book. It is weird, it denies reality, and it is antithetical to the norms. But a really fun book and props to the Dr. Seuss connection.
February 10, 2020
Ashton does a really good job handling multiple first person viewpoints, something I normally dislike immensely in a novel. He also asks some very interesting and appropriate questions about race and class without being too heavy-handed.
The novel isn't quite as funny or clever as 3 Days in April. And there are a few characters and events that feel very contrived. Also a couple of the viewpoints are from characters that are needed for the story but don't move it along. Those factors hold it back from 5 stsrs, but it is definitely worth reading.
The novel isn't quite as funny or clever as 3 Days in April. And there are a few characters and events that feel very contrived. Also a couple of the viewpoints are from characters that are needed for the story but don't move it along. Those factors hold it back from 5 stsrs, but it is definitely worth reading.
October 18, 2024
Much to my surprise and pleasure, this was a series, Three Days in April, Mal Goes to war, and The End of Ordinary. I really love this, more than Mickey 7. The Inchy trilogy? Or maybe there’s more to come? This is adventure sci-fi. Very fun, very funny, lots of scary bits. But all your favourite people are ok.
Just don’t think too hard about what that flu would do to a young family of five and it’s a jolly good romp.
Just don’t think too hard about what that flu would do to a young family of five and it’s a jolly good romp.
May 6, 2025
So I LOVED Mickey 7, Antimatter Blues, and Mal goes to war. This book was decent, but not as well written as the aforementioned. I am planning on reading more of his books: The Fourth Consort and Three Days in April. This book was moderately enjoyable, but the alternating point of view was not as great as it would seem. Also the focus on running wasn't something I particularly enjoyed.
August 16, 2025
A fairly breezy story about a trillionaire who has an idea of how to Fix the World via a genetically engineered virus. The story is told through the viewpoints of teen children of some of the protagonists.
It's fine. A quick and pleasant read, without too much worry or stress in spite of the rather dire events that happen mostly offscreen.
It's fine. A quick and pleasant read, without too much worry or stress in spite of the rather dire events that happen mostly offscreen.
August 25, 2025
Built off good world building from three days in April but it did feel like Inchy came to the rescue as the main plot driver.
Also the disease if it’s the most contagious ever why would it not be airborne as well…
That being said the disease outcome was pretty funny to read about!
Overall amusing but not terribly deep.
Also the disease if it’s the most contagious ever why would it not be airborne as well…
That being said the disease outcome was pretty funny to read about!
Overall amusing but not terribly deep.
October 4, 2025
As interesting as Three Days in April was to me, and the story almost occurring in the same place, the third act didn't feel properly built up, and just felt like a sex-crazed fantasy. It was honestly a little too weird for me. But the running and gene-mod storyline felt good enough to me. Overall, just not the best, but definitely readable.
January 1, 2026
a Fun Book to Read But a Weak Ending
The novel had a lot going for it. Strong story line, great humor, and good characters. But the ending felt a bit like the author just wanted to solve the novel and tie everything together in a simple solution. The ending felt was disappointing.
The novel had a lot going for it. Strong story line, great humor, and good characters. But the ending felt a bit like the author just wanted to solve the novel and tie everything together in a simple solution. The ending felt was disappointing.
April 2, 2023
There was one thematic element in here that was suspiciously similar to one I also saw in the Star Trek knockoff called Orville. Otherwise, however, this was really great fun as a sequel to the three days in April book
November 19, 2024
I do usually hate when the viewpoint switches at every chapter, but happily Mr. Ashton put the person's name in every chapter head, so I wasn't lost. Excellent characters, great plot development, and a light and frothy tone kept things moving. Improbable but enjoyable.
July 1, 2025
I didn't care for the narrative format in that it discombobulated the unfolding of events. The author's imagination helped, though, in a zany way, to tie it all together. I liked his book Mickey 7 better.
October 20, 2019
Give this a go! It’s a kind of end-of-world page turner that won’t disappoint!
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