Set in the UK in the immediate aftermath of a mysterious illness which swept the country and left millions dead, the series follows the trials facing a reluctant hero, Dan, and the group he forms around him. They must battle the elements, find sufficient supplies and equipment to survive, and protect themselves against the most destructive force on the planet: other people.
Steve, now recovered from his horrific injuries, forms a plan to restore the balance of power in their camp but his opposition is also playing a dangerous game. Meanwhile, Sanctuary reveals its secrets to Dan and the others, and they find safety and comfort behind the high walls. But safety is an illusion, and there are forces converging on them with a malevolence that they have not battled before.
Devon is from the UK, having lived in many places until finally settling in the Midlands. His career in public services started in his teens and has provided a wealth of experiences, both good and some very bad, which form the basis of the book ideas that cause regular insomnia.
He first started reading for fun as an adult, having tried his hardest to avoid anything resembling academia growing up, and at that point the world became a far bigger place. He has been reading, at least one book at a time, ever since.
His debut works, the After It Happened series, (Survival, Humanity, Society) were published in April 2016 followed by Hope (July 2016) and Sanctuary (December 2016). The first part of the series concluded with the release of Rebellion which was published in June 2017.
Storming high into the charts with the first books of the After It Happened series, Devon launched into the top 10 sellers listings in the UK, Australia, Canada and the US, and he made the decision to write full time shortly after the launch of Hope.
Devon’s self-published beginnings caused a stir in the publishing world, and resulted in contracts with Podium Publishing for Audible, narrated by R.C. Bray (The Martian, Expeditionary Force, Arisen), before a publishing deal for kindle and paperbacks with Vulpine Press.
Further works have seen the start of a multi-author series, sci-fi/post-apocalyptic cross genre, futuristic dystopian and alternative history zombie apocalypse. Spin-off books from the After It Happened world have been announced for 2018.
This series was fun! I will say this final book was probably the best in a few ways. Ill admit i was a bit tired of the steve plot towards the end. It kinda felt pushed on us. I wanted to hear more and more about Sanctuary and what was gonna happen. I feel almost that the steve plot line should have been a 5.5 book and more material added to book six to focus on the main crew. BUT that said this book totally concluded in a beautiful way. It might have been one of the best endings in a book ive ever experienced. As i sat in the car rider line at my daughters school today and listend to the very last few chapters and the prologue ill admit. Im a 31 year old white male. Im 6 foot 2 and weigh a solid 320lbs and i cried like a baby. The series just folded like a beautiful piece of origami and turned itself into a work of art at the end. Ill recommend this series to all my friends. One thing i wish would be written is some more stories on sanctuary. Maybe a few years after the end of book 6. Hell id take a bunch of stories about Dans grand kids too. That would be fun! See what happens with Mitch and his lady and see if Neal ever found him a new special someone. Out of all the characters Neal's origin story hit me the hardest with his true love as a father and husband at the beginning. Yep the only thing i crave out of all of that beautiful ending is what happens to my main man Neal?
My, oh my, what an end! I must say that I really felt that I was part of the whole journey with Dan, Marie, Leah, and the others, and I'm really sad that the adventure with the whole crew has come to an end. As a matter of fact, I haven't fully absorbed the end yet. I'm in a state of shock.
I still remember the characters from the earlier books in the series, and the problems they had to face. I still remember Penny, and her power-freakiness. *sigh*
Very, very well written, Devon. I have to say that Devon C. Ford is one of the very few writers who can keep your interest piqued and preserve the storyline and characters of a novel for more than three books. Bravo, Devon! Bravo!
I will really, really, miss these guys. Six books after (it happened), I still feel like part of the crew. As other reviewers said, the series wraps up really nicely, to satisfying conclusion (but still making you yearn for more). All in all, this series was well worth my time.
The story arc had so much potential - and in the end it seemed rushed - almost like he had one book with which to tie up loose ends.
I was so disappointed with book 6 that I can't bring myself to read 7 and 8 (apparently the side story of Leah growing up)
SPOILERS BELOW:
Story line: 1. Yes, a bit of a stretch, but a destination of a research lab in sub-Saharan Africa (yay!) to which they are going to journey with no real explanation as to why they believe that this place will hold a secret that will save a pregnant woman and her child. 2. A channel crossing followed by sourcing new wheels and supplies to travel/battle through EU down to the Mediterranean 3. The adventure into Africa and all that it would have brought
Jeez - it all fizzled out. Let's start with 1. UK port of departure of a luxury seaside residential area. Untouched. No scavengers taking up residence in seaside villas with personal yachts. 2. Finding a pristine yacht 3. Chance meeting with some other "friendlies" only to see all but one of them killed by bad guys who didn't happen to notice the protagonist and his large group a short walk away. 4. Clueless effort to get across the channel and some random encounter in a port in France/Germany... 5. So many years "After it Happened", finding an untouched military base full of weapons, MREs, and military vehicles. Untouched because apparently the local gangs never thought of raiding the military depot 6. The temporary respite in an abandoned summer camp, and the debacle of the raid and flight 7. The tranquil Sanctuary that they find (that has been untouched by the marauders that our heroes keep running into at every other turn 8. Oh... yet another goldmine of military hardware in yet another former military base 9. The chance encounter of the trailing group from the original team - to stumble into the the same bad guys who are chasing our protagonist 10. The fizzle that was the epic battle at the end. 11. The story ending in the Med. No venturing into the African continent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
All 6 books were excellent!!! I would love to see this story as a tv series. I would engage in some serious binge watching. As I was reading, I played around with casting. Who would play Dan, Leah, Neil, etc?
What impressed me most with Dan's writing is the continuity of the storyline and the character development. I never knew how the story was going to end, and didn't want it to end. I am looking forward to Dan's next series. In the meantime, I will miss Dan, Leah, Ash, and the rest of the crew!
A nice conclusion to the series. I agree with some of the others that the Steve storyline could have been in a spin off book, and more details about the time in sanctuary would have been better, but i did enjoy both. I loved the ending, as i find this rare in books these days as people want as much material as possible, and thus never conclude a story fully, in the hope of another sequel. Glad i picked up this series.
Wow this was by far the best post apocolyptic series i have read. I cried and laughed and then cried again. Fabulous writing and in my top 10 of all books\series I have read. Sad it's over but I'm sure something equally as fabulous is right now being penned - at least I hope so x
I hate it when this happens. I started a series and was so invested in the series that I immediately went on to the next book the MINUTE I finished with the one before. Because of that, I did not stop to review each book. Before I knew it, I was on book 7 without having one review written. Now, I am going to have to go back and try to remember each book to jot down my thoughts. See, in the scheme of things.... it is really a GREAT problem to have.
All in all, I LOVED this series. I fell in love with Dan and Ash almost immediately. Neil made me laugh, Leah grew on me and everyone else seemed to have their place in the story. This was an unusual post apocalyptic story in the fact that there was not a war that destroyed everything. Things were still there for the most part (supplies, machinery), but the people needed to run things were the ones missing. In other words, there were not zombies running around, the cars still worked but the factories and production facillities that society needed to produce our every day things became extinct because of the unbelievably heavy population loss and therefore, it was a kind of "what you see is what you get" kind of world. Enjoy certain things now, because when they ran out, there was not going to be anything else to replace them.
As always, the thought that always seems to pop up in my head in this genre is how unbelievably quick people devolve. How the lack of consequences for people give some people what they feel is the "right" to give in to whatever base urges and actions that they would not have in the past. Society does need some type of rule structure (it doesn't have to be rigid, just whatever set of rules each society deems as necessary) - and most definitely there needs to be some type of "consequences" against malicious and pathological behavior. That is a universal truth.
Anyway, let me go back and begin to review the individual books.
For those who have not read this series....give it a try. Seriously, it starts off a bit slow, but before you know it...you're hooked! :)
In general, I like this series and the writing style. But I really feel unsatisfied at how many people are mentioned by name and then never get a finished arc. At the end of this, we don't know what happened to Jimmy, Henry, Emma, Ana, Kev, Phil, and many more that were instrumental at some point and then simply got dropped. And I don't mean dropped off at a different location. I don't mind never hearing from Eva or Melissa again. But these are characters that sometimes even had their own thoughts described, and now it feels like they were merely tools or foils for the main characters. The author took his time to describe the death of bad guys in gruesome detail but couldn't be bothered with a half sentence about the people I listed above. Will of all people got a mention, but not Kev?
Still, I liked the series, I'm just disappointed by the way the ending was handled for so many characters. I know there are more books but after that epilogue I am not really interested in them anymore. The story is over, and everyone that was important is dead.
The author did a similar foreboding epilogue in an earlier book, and if I hadn't already had all the books up until this one, I probably would have left it at that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
"Things are coming to a head for Steve with his coup d'état. He receives critical information, forcing him to change his plans. Dan and his gang are given permission to fortify Sanctuary as they see fit, but as in all conflicts, no plan survives first contact with the enemy – unless there's a large dog involved, then all bets are off. There's plenty of action and suspense that keeps the reader engaged, maintaining a good pace throughout the narrative. I have become invested in all the main characters in many ways than one, and was sorry to see their trials and tribulations come to an emotional and fitting end."
Devon did such an excellent job of developing this series. I will say I almost flagged during the first book; something just wasn't there in the first few chapters. But I'm so glad I hung in there- the character development was very good and I felt an investment in continuing to discover the fates of Dan, Neil, Ash, Leah and the rest. I'm exceedingly grateful that the entire zeroes was available on kindle unlimited also. I should go back and review the first book to steer more people to this author, no doubt. Thank you for such a terrific read!!
This series was amazing! The author created characters so vivid and a story line so captivating, I could not stop reading until I finished the final book in the series. The characters and the situations they found themselves in were so well written and flowed seamlessly throughout the series. You feel as though you actually know the characters and care about them. Each book was better than the last. The ending was simply perfect. I feel fortunate to have come across this author and I’m looking forward to reading all of his books.
Dan and his crew are now in the South of France in a nice place but have to keep the French Foreign Legion away from their home. Yes those are fighters but why would they all have gone bad? But ok Le Chausseur and his sidekick want an easy life of pillage instead of grow. For as long as there is something to pillage that is. The story devellopes in a high octane thriller but nevertheless has compaired to the other novels a deeper psychology behind it. I liked the way the series seemed to end but discovered there is a new series focussing around one of them.
Thank you Duncan C Ford!! I have read this and the previous 5 books as well. I have to say that I think they are well written and (for the most part) plausible. I read quite a lot of books and I have never before given 5 stars, which in this case is for the season, not just this book I do find it confusing that it states that this is the last book and then a page later it states there is a book 7.... HUH? Anyway, looking forward to that one next Definitely worth a read (the series, that is) if you like post apocalyptical adventure.
I'm sad the series had to come to an end. But, at least it does have a definitive end. This was an outstanding story. From the characters, to the events, settings, all of it, was very well written. The events of the story aren't over-the-top or unrealistic (maybe aside from the primordial virus itself), making it that much easier to find yourself immersed in the story.
Also, by the end, I found myself liking Leah most of all of the characters. That was a fun, but unexpected development from back in book one.
I am so glad I stumbled on Mr. Ford's incredible storytelling abilities. This series and "Toy Soldiers " are my two favorite but all of his works are well written. His writing draws you in with fast paced action,keeps you involved by building strong characters you feel for and does a great job of tying it all up. His books have been especially meaningful to me because they provided a real distraction while going through cancer treatments . Thank you Mr. Ford.
I have read the whole series now, and can say I thoroughly enjoyed every single book. The characters are believable and have depth, and you really come to despise the bad guys. If you get a chance to read book one you will be hooked and the ending is definitely worth the trip. Brilliant and well done to the author for writing such a great series. Thank you
Action on two fronts and an affection filled ending. Like I said when I started. This is like a really great novelization of a comic book. If you go in with that mind set you will have a great time.
Of the genre this one one had some really addictive action and strongly developed recurring characters.
If you want prows I suggest Earth Abides. A Little known but beautiful novel. Probably more true perspective of what’s gonna go down if we are mysteriously cut to 2% of our population.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is by far one of my absolute favourites! What a journey and what an end!! I must admit that I was half expecting an indication for book 7 by the end. The final bit broke my heart and yet gave a closure to things. Devon C Ford....you are a genius. And RCB was at his best reading the series.
DCF. has. penned the final installment of the After It Happened series, which ends with a sudden departure from real living into the current life of the survivors and a detailed description of the deaths of those gone past. Leah, the last of the original, has become the story teller and each and every member of Sanctuary knows the truth of the old days. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
There aren't too many male authors out there who write such strong female characters and Ford managed to write an amazing character in teenage girl, Leah. I loved the start of the series, everything in between and this final book too.
Luckily for me, I saw that there are two more additions to the After It Happened series from Leah's perspective, so I'm looking forward to reading those books right after I finish this.
The ending put this novel above the rest of the books in this series. On audible, they have books 1-2 together, then 3-4, then 5-6. It's hard for me to think of books 1-5 as novels unto themselves. This is the only novel that is complete, with an actual ending. So, if you made it this far in the series, you will be pleasantly surprised with the ending. Unfortunately, so of the original survivors do not fare so well, but I guess that is to be expected in the apocalypse.
One of the best written survival stories i have read in a long time
I gave it five stars because every episode just got better and better and the characters kept fairly close to the first episode with enough twist and turns to keep it fresh and exciting. So great work Mr Ford you have done apocalyptic fiction alive and well. Thank you.
I waited until I had read the last book in this series to write a review. This is the best story I have read in years. Devon Ford paints a beautiful picture, tying every thread together. I really wish it could have continued. I cannot rate this series high enough.
I'm my view, this is the best written of the e-books U have read ( or attempted to read.) I am looking forward to seeing another of DCFord's works.
Not a complaint, just a personal wish: a listing of the characters. The story is so rich with so many, major and minor, that I had a difficult time with them.
My favorite book in the series. Leah’s progression from the lost scared girl in book one to the bad-ass she is in this book is incredible. You couldn’t ask for a better ending to a series. The author made sure is was a complete story by ending the story well after all the characters had died. This is and probably will be my favorite book and series for a long time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Even from books I really thought I would hate the scene and people group jumping, but I found that I didn't hate it at all. The continuity of each scene flowed well. Thank you for a series that both my husband and I read and have discussed extensively.
I can't say how much I enjoyed the whole series from start to conclusion. It had to end eventually and I look forward to the Leah Chronicles. It is a vivid glimpse into how savage society could become if it were to ever break down. Thanks for such an entertaining story Devon Jonny W.
The continuing story evolves for those left behind and those who left seeking answers and the cure needed fo humanity to survie. A well told and well written book and apart from being in Mexico for my son's wedding I still managed to read a few chapters at night and on the flights.!