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Convulsive #1
Convulsive Part 1
Earth's satellites have blacked out. The world is unravelling. A catastrophic chain reaction has begun. That’s when Lucy discovers humans aren’t the only threat to her survival…
Earth has been contaminated by a lethal genetic scavenger. Lucy must adapt fast or perish. But this is a challenge unlike anything mankind has faced before.
No lightsabres, no warp engines, it’s just her against them. Lucy soon learns that survival will be brutal. Raw. Desperate. And it comes at a cost...
- GenresFictionScience Fiction
197 pages, ebook
Published October 7, 2017
About the author
Marcus Martin
20 books25 followers
Marcus Martin is a multi-award-winning author of dystopian thriller fiction.
Marcus's debut novel, CRISIS, won multiple awards:
Gold: Global eBook Awards 2018
Bronze: Reader's Favorite Awards 2018
Sci-fi Medallion: IndieB.R.A.G. Award
"A vivid, compelling, engaging page turner" - Judge's comments
CRISIS is Part 1 in the epic Convulsive saga. Parts 2 & 3 (GRIT & TRIBES) are also out now!
Marcus's debut novel, CRISIS, won multiple awards:
Gold: Global eBook Awards 2018
Bronze: Reader's Favorite Awards 2018
Sci-fi Medallion: IndieB.R.A.G. Award
"A vivid, compelling, engaging page turner" - Judge's comments
CRISIS is Part 1 in the epic Convulsive saga. Parts 2 & 3 (GRIT & TRIBES) are also out now!
Check out the award-winning Convulsive series here:
Click USA to get your copy.
(British readers click here).
P.S. Looking for something else? Marcus also writes comedy and surrealist adventures. Check out his collection of mind-boggling short stories: 'Trios'
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 7, 2019
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and timely review.
The first clue the human race was in trouble came in the form of blackout. Except before it happens, Dan's dad called him and warned him. He was able to stock up on water, food and emergency supplies. Unfortunately, the other citizens of San Francisco were not prepared. With the first full day without electricity and without cell service, the city is without alarm systems and leads to the start of looting. Dan and Lucy, in pursuit of antibiotics, narrowly miss being in the middle of a gangland killing.
The water is covered in a yellow substance. A day or two later there is a yellow pollen in the air, that soon turns into snow-like dustings. People now start dying, and bodies are stacked up at the curve of the streets. The book relates the efforts that Dan and his wife Lucy take to stay alive. With the population reduced, there is a need to have people 'volunteer' to replace workers, in exchange for rations. Even with the chaos, Dan and Lucy receive a letter from Dan's Dad in DC, and official authority to reserve themselves seats on a train that will travel to DC.
The book ended during the train ride, at a point where I was found myself wanting more, which will mean that I will have to buy part two to finish this story. I was thoroughly engulfed in the story, enjoying the stages of this dying city on what would be a dying earth. The pace was well done and the possibilities of what would happen in real life was also well researched. Even as bad as the book indicates things got, I think there would, in reality, been a lot more chaos throughout the time period of the book and not just at the train station.
That being said, I liked the book, want to read the next part, and read it all in three or so sittings.
The first clue the human race was in trouble came in the form of blackout. Except before it happens, Dan's dad called him and warned him. He was able to stock up on water, food and emergency supplies. Unfortunately, the other citizens of San Francisco were not prepared. With the first full day without electricity and without cell service, the city is without alarm systems and leads to the start of looting. Dan and Lucy, in pursuit of antibiotics, narrowly miss being in the middle of a gangland killing.
The water is covered in a yellow substance. A day or two later there is a yellow pollen in the air, that soon turns into snow-like dustings. People now start dying, and bodies are stacked up at the curve of the streets. The book relates the efforts that Dan and his wife Lucy take to stay alive. With the population reduced, there is a need to have people 'volunteer' to replace workers, in exchange for rations. Even with the chaos, Dan and Lucy receive a letter from Dan's Dad in DC, and official authority to reserve themselves seats on a train that will travel to DC.
The book ended during the train ride, at a point where I was found myself wanting more, which will mean that I will have to buy part two to finish this story. I was thoroughly engulfed in the story, enjoying the stages of this dying city on what would be a dying earth. The pace was well done and the possibilities of what would happen in real life was also well researched. Even as bad as the book indicates things got, I think there would, in reality, been a lot more chaos throughout the time period of the book and not just at the train station.
That being said, I liked the book, want to read the next part, and read it all in three or so sittings.
February 20, 2020
A plague from outer space! All life is doomed. You know the drill.
1st book in a series. Not bad for a free read.
I received this book free from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
1st book in a series. Not bad for a free read.
I received this book free from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
January 9, 2019
Interesting sci-fi story.
Interesting tale so far, but I hate when they leave you hanging. A different "end of the world as we know it."
Interesting tale so far, but I hate when they leave you hanging. A different "end of the world as we know it."
January 13, 2019
I enjoyed this book... good plot, fast paced, and I really like the two main characters. I would have given it 4 stars except for one problem... the non stop use of British vocabulary by two American characters. Another reviewer called it distracting. It's more than that. It pulled me out of the story terribly. I'm a 50-something American who has been to the UK many times, and I also enjoy British TV, so I "speak" both languages. My word of advise to this, and any other author writing about a different country, PLEASE have a native edit your work before publishing. It's not a matter of "color" vs "colour".. or boot and bonnet instead of trunk and hood. It's constant annoying language you probably have no clue about... because you aren't American. We don't say "catch you up"... its "catch up to you." and dozens of other similar mistakes. And for Gods sake, no one in America says "reckon" unless it's a bad Western movie. To have 2 characters use it 3 times in 2 paragraphs is more than "distracting." Its maddening.
So, good book... but it should have taken place in Liverpool instead of San Francisco. It would have made no difference to the plot, except the cross country trek to the capital would have been south to London instead of east to DC.
So, good book... but it should have taken place in Liverpool instead of San Francisco. It would have made no difference to the plot, except the cross country trek to the capital would have been south to London instead of east to DC.
April 29, 2020
Didn't grab my interest very much so I won't continue the series.
June 3, 2020
So my rating is probably not reliable because this isn't my usual genre. Nevertheless, I liked this book. Probably not the best choice amidst our own ongoing pandemic but it was still good.
One night, Lucy's partner Dan suddenly bursts into their apartment in a frenzy and tells her some shocking news. Something is wrong with Earth's satellites and so, electricity is going down and it's gonna be a very very long time before it comes back up. So is the internet, banks and a lot of other things. So Dan stocks up and buys food, water, equipment and anything he thinks might be useful. Soon, other people are going to realise this and there are going to be protests and riots, looting, maybe even murder, panic and in one word, chaos. No one had expected the deadly plague called D4, though. People are dropping dead left and right, there are fights for rations and the very air that surrounds them tries to poison them. Lucy and Dan must now be prepared to fight for their survival, and it's not going to be easy.
So I guess the author did his research before penning this story so that's a plus. It was well-written and flowed easily. To the point and sweet.
I don't know the negatives of this book because I'm not very familiar with the genre. But, two things that I noticed were that (i) Lucy and Dan keep referring to the other as 'partner'. I don't know if this is American slang or something but I was more that half finished with the book before I was able to finally peg them as husband and wife. (ii) The ages of these two aren't stated and I was left guessing, which I'm not very good at. I'd guess maybe late twenties or early thirties. But they could also be in their late thirties. They don't have a child yet but Dan is ex-military. So... I don't know and I didn't like to guess.
The plot was good though and the concepts are interesting. It was a short read and wasn't dragged a lot. Overall, a good book.
One night, Lucy's partner Dan suddenly bursts into their apartment in a frenzy and tells her some shocking news. Something is wrong with Earth's satellites and so, electricity is going down and it's gonna be a very very long time before it comes back up. So is the internet, banks and a lot of other things. So Dan stocks up and buys food, water, equipment and anything he thinks might be useful. Soon, other people are going to realise this and there are going to be protests and riots, looting, maybe even murder, panic and in one word, chaos. No one had expected the deadly plague called D4, though. People are dropping dead left and right, there are fights for rations and the very air that surrounds them tries to poison them. Lucy and Dan must now be prepared to fight for their survival, and it's not going to be easy.
So I guess the author did his research before penning this story so that's a plus. It was well-written and flowed easily. To the point and sweet.
I don't know the negatives of this book because I'm not very familiar with the genre. But, two things that I noticed were that (i) Lucy and Dan keep referring to the other as 'partner'. I don't know if this is American slang or something but I was more that half finished with the book before I was able to finally peg them as husband and wife. (ii) The ages of these two aren't stated and I was left guessing, which I'm not very good at. I'd guess maybe late twenties or early thirties. But they could also be in their late thirties. They don't have a child yet but Dan is ex-military. So... I don't know and I didn't like to guess.
The plot was good though and the concepts are interesting. It was a short read and wasn't dragged a lot. Overall, a good book.
May 9, 2018
Uhhh... cliffhanger much? GAH!
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It held a lot of tension, and a solid writing style. Fairly well-edited, with only three typos in the whole book. Overall, it was a well-told story of an eerily-potential apocalypse. You have to admit, when our technology doesn't work as it's supposed to, or when a mysterious illness appears, people (as a collective) are quick to lose their sh*t. How quickly we can devolve as a species... Lucy was a great lens for the reader, in a position to be prepared, but also enough in the dark to leave us guessing.
The author is based in the UK, though the story itself begins in San Francisco. I was thrown for a loop a couple times by British slang and spelling, but it wasn't enough to bother this Canadian. We too like to add U's to all our words. ;)
I will most definitely check out the sequel! Because, seriously, there is no way I can leave it hanging like that. O_O
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It held a lot of tension, and a solid writing style. Fairly well-edited, with only three typos in the whole book. Overall, it was a well-told story of an eerily-potential apocalypse. You have to admit, when our technology doesn't work as it's supposed to, or when a mysterious illness appears, people (as a collective) are quick to lose their sh*t. How quickly we can devolve as a species... Lucy was a great lens for the reader, in a position to be prepared, but also enough in the dark to leave us guessing.
The author is based in the UK, though the story itself begins in San Francisco. I was thrown for a loop a couple times by British slang and spelling, but it wasn't enough to bother this Canadian. We too like to add U's to all our words. ;)
I will most definitely check out the sequel! Because, seriously, there is no way I can leave it hanging like that. O_O
April 4, 2019
A new spin on the Apocalypse genre, danger arrives with the collapse of civilization. No satellite--no GPS-no computerized infrastructure. Nonstop uncompromising action and suspense from page 1. Could it happen?
May 9, 2018
Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman
When first the International Space Station’s crew die and then all the earth’s satellites are wiped out, the powers that be realise something disastrous is about to strike Earth. With communications and power gone, the thin veneer of a civilised society rapidly begins to crumble, as the citizenry begin to do whatever it takes to survive. Add in a pandemic that is rapidly culling the earth’s population and you have the premise for Marcus Martin’s dystopian novel, Convulsive Part 1. Lucy and her partner Dan are better placed than most to survive. Dan’s father, who is high up in the Government had already warned him something was about to happen and Dan had wisely stockpiled food and supplies to ensure their survival. As the civil authorities in San Francisco struggle to cope with the overwhelming problems, Lucy and Dan must survive at all costs until Dan’s father can organise a way out for them and others.
Convulsive Part 1 is the first part of a serialised set of novels, so as a standalone book fails to answer any questions, but sets up, very well the continuation of the story, for the next installment. Although I’m not personally a great fan of this style of serialisation, author Marcus Martin does an excellent job of building the action to a crescendo and leaving the reader wanting more, which at the end of the day is the whole point of this type of story. I liked Martin’s writing style, which was simple, straightforward and rapidly moved the action along. The characters, could well have been more deeply explored, especially the two principals Dan and Lucy, as well as their relationship, but at the heart of the story is the dystopian battle for survival and on that level, the author did a very good job of carrying the reader along at a steady clip. This is a good beginning to a series and I see Convulsive Book 2 is already available, so readers who enjoy this first part, will not have to wait to see what happens next, which is always a bonus.
When first the International Space Station’s crew die and then all the earth’s satellites are wiped out, the powers that be realise something disastrous is about to strike Earth. With communications and power gone, the thin veneer of a civilised society rapidly begins to crumble, as the citizenry begin to do whatever it takes to survive. Add in a pandemic that is rapidly culling the earth’s population and you have the premise for Marcus Martin’s dystopian novel, Convulsive Part 1. Lucy and her partner Dan are better placed than most to survive. Dan’s father, who is high up in the Government had already warned him something was about to happen and Dan had wisely stockpiled food and supplies to ensure their survival. As the civil authorities in San Francisco struggle to cope with the overwhelming problems, Lucy and Dan must survive at all costs until Dan’s father can organise a way out for them and others.
Convulsive Part 1 is the first part of a serialised set of novels, so as a standalone book fails to answer any questions, but sets up, very well the continuation of the story, for the next installment. Although I’m not personally a great fan of this style of serialisation, author Marcus Martin does an excellent job of building the action to a crescendo and leaving the reader wanting more, which at the end of the day is the whole point of this type of story. I liked Martin’s writing style, which was simple, straightforward and rapidly moved the action along. The characters, could well have been more deeply explored, especially the two principals Dan and Lucy, as well as their relationship, but at the heart of the story is the dystopian battle for survival and on that level, the author did a very good job of carrying the reader along at a steady clip. This is a good beginning to a series and I see Convulsive Book 2 is already available, so readers who enjoy this first part, will not have to wait to see what happens next, which is always a bonus.
November 26, 2018
This was a excellent dystopian story set in San Francisco, California and I read it in one sitting. I then immediately started on book 2 I liked it so much, However it could have been better (5 stars instead of 4) if I had not been distracted by the use of UK slang terms by the main characters Dan and Lucy who were both born in the States and live and work in San Francisco or Frisco for short. I have never heard anyone call it San Fran and I have lived in that area off and on for my husbands work many times...Correct me if I am wrong San Francisco natives since I mainly lived in San Ramon or San Jose. This book could use a good US beta reader to weed the wrong words and wrong slang . What the heck is a git anyway? A few other terms I caught were mum instead of mom, flat instead of apartment (if rented) or condo (if owned). I can't remember everything I noticed the but the wrong slang terms were sprinkled throughout the book.
January 31, 2019
This books is a sci-fi/distopian novel. As a power outage is engulfing San Francisco into darkness, a weird virus is spreading and killing people quickly. The story is told from a perspective of a couple who is trying their best to survive not only the killer, but the shortage of food and other people as they become more desperate to survive themselves.
This story evolves fast. However I didn't really love the characters. It seemed like Dan was a bit timid for a military man, and not really believable. I couldn't also figure out what career Lucy had, as she seemed like she worked in one field, but understood/knew more of another. It was confusing and not fully thought through.
Their struggle to survive day to day was very sad -no human touch, no bright future, death all around. I liked the mood it set up.
Overall interesting series that I will continue to read.
This story evolves fast. However I didn't really love the characters. It seemed like Dan was a bit timid for a military man, and not really believable. I couldn't also figure out what career Lucy had, as she seemed like she worked in one field, but understood/knew more of another. It was confusing and not fully thought through.
Their struggle to survive day to day was very sad -no human touch, no bright future, death all around. I liked the mood it set up.
Overall interesting series that I will continue to read.
February 15, 2019
I generally do not read dystopia novels, since I do not think that the world is coming to an end, so I approached this in a negative way. However, I liked the way it was easy to read, and told from the perspective of sort of ordinary people not really knowing what is going on. They experience around two weeks of chaos in a city before being placed on a train mostly filled by scientists. It is on that train when we read about what is really going on, and it is obvious that the next phase is going to be a story of delight for monster lovers. So, I decided to give this book 4 stars since I liked reading it, but I am going to bow out for the sequel since it is simply not my cup of tea.
January 13, 2018
I massively enjoyed this debut. I'm a relative newcomer to the genre and found myself hiding away from meeting friends so that I could finish each chapter. It's satisfyingly fast paced and the science feels alarmingly likely. It has some laugh out loud moments too, but mainly I just found it a real page turner. think it's a great recommendation for people who are curious about survival and especially anyone who thinks they'd be the logical, prepared one who'd survive when others wouldn't.... I'd love to know what you would make of Convulsive!!
November 10, 2020
5 stars.
Crisis is part 1 of a 5 part series set. The story is about Lucy and Dan living normal lives when orbital satellites stop working and causes problems with communication technologies. A strange yellow "dust" starts to form on surfaces and in the oceans and people start dying. This is a story of their journey on trying to find out what is happening. It was a very interesting story line that kept me wanting to read more, very well written and I would highly recommend this book.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Crisis is part 1 of a 5 part series set. The story is about Lucy and Dan living normal lives when orbital satellites stop working and causes problems with communication technologies. A strange yellow "dust" starts to form on surfaces and in the oceans and people start dying. This is a story of their journey on trying to find out what is happening. It was a very interesting story line that kept me wanting to read more, very well written and I would highly recommend this book.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 3, 2018
I absolutely loved Convulsive. It was so gripping that I only put it down to refuel myself at mealtimes! This novel does a fantastic job of being exciting and strange enough to capture your imagination whilst also being just plausible enough that you are swept up in believing it; I was completely transported into the world created by Martin. I highly recommend this book, even if Sci-Fi isn't your genre. I'm not a sci-fi fan and yet this is by far the best novel I've read this year!
April 3, 2019
I smashed this book once I started it. Loved it! I didn’t have the issues some other readers are having with language selection, but maybe that is because we use the same slang terms and therefore they didn’t ‘pull me’ from the story.
The characters were well developed and the storyline is a nice twisty, well paced one. Sure I would have loved more, but I guess this storyline arc finished with them leaving San Francisco. Definitely want to read more.
The characters were well developed and the storyline is a nice twisty, well paced one. Sure I would have loved more, but I guess this storyline arc finished with them leaving San Francisco. Definitely want to read more.
January 27, 2023
Excellent story well thought out and fun as well. The characters are young which makes this virus themed book alot more interesting and unique from other books with "much older" characters who know more about life and what they are doing! I really liked this book and listened to it on YouTube. It made me laugh as well, I love the reader!!!. It's a female reader (which isnt my preference) and she's really!!!! good at it. I hope to find book two to listen to.
Happy Reading.
Happy Reading.
April 6, 2019
The end of society will come from outer space and they don’t have a saucer in sight! A space borne bacterium takes out our satellite system plunging the world into a pre-1950 era. Rolling blackout, disease and food shortages only continue to ratchet up intensity. What will the spores do to us once they get through the atmosphere?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2019
Fast pace to the plot. Interesting premise, with increasing complexity as the characters adapt.
But ugh on spending $10 for a digital edition that is less than 200 pages ... and ends with a major cliffhanger. It might just end there for me.
But ugh on spending $10 for a digital edition that is less than 200 pages ... and ends with a major cliffhanger. It might just end there for me.
January 28, 2019
Just okay
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was an interesting beginning, but the amount of content is pretty small. Doesn't really need to be a series. Not sure I'll bother with the next mini book.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was an interesting beginning, but the amount of content is pretty small. Doesn't really need to be a series. Not sure I'll bother with the next mini book.
October 25, 2020
A great start to this exciting end of the world (virus) apocalyptic series! I did really enjoy this! A few different ideas, like the characters & plot! Some wacky ideas! A good read! I will look for more by this writer!
July 5, 2018
We are proud to announce that CONVULSIVE PART 1 by Marcus Martin is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!
December 14, 2018
Intense
Great story about an apocalypse but the intrigue of what sort of apocalypse keeps you reading to see what happens.
Great story about an apocalypse but the intrigue of what sort of apocalypse keeps you reading to see what happens.
January 2, 2019
Great and fast read! I won this in a giveaway and am going to start on the second book!!!
January 2, 2019
Wonderful read
June 27, 2020
Very interesting books between alien life and humans
June 30, 2020
Cliff hanger
Good story line. Too short. No editing errors. Bought the rest of the series was soon as I finished this.
Good story line. Too short. No editing errors. Bought the rest of the series was soon as I finished this.
September 22, 2023
good book
December 9, 2023
Read very well, will continue on with the series
December 29, 2023
I technically listened to the book. It was very good. I enjoyed the VA and the way she detailed everything. I did not care much for how the first book ended. I will listen to the next book as well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews