Eden

Eden #1

by G.C. Julien

In 2064, America faced the deadliest gender war in history.

Civilization collapsed and millions died.

Now, in a daunting world without electricity or societal laws, revered feminist leader Eve Malum guides surviving women to safety—to a utopian haven known as Eden—where she forbids the male gender from ever entering.

But as Eve struggles to keep her paradise safe, the line between good and evil begins to blur.

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia

393 pages, ebook

Published March 10, 2018

Reviews

[Charles Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those who have power don’t want to give it up and are often reluctant to share it. Those who don’t have power want it and will often go to extremes to acquire it. When the balance of power begins to shift against those who hold power, bad things can happen.

When the male-female balance begins to shift drastically in favor of females, the men in power begin taking drastic and deadly steps to redress the situation. Eden by G.C. Julien and Ash S-J is a different kind of post-apocalyptic novel. The cataclysmic event is not a meteor strike, rising ocean levels, or a nuclear war, but a shift in the birth rate giving women a vast numerical advantage. This leads to all-out gender warfare and the creation of single-gender enclaves at war with each other for survival. Through character shifts and flashbacks the authors show us a dark world that, given the current state of affairs globally, is not an impossible scenario to imagine.

In the midst of a seemingly hopeless situation, the actions of a few free-thinking and courageous individuals offer the only glimmer of hope. It is on that hope that the fate of the world rests. A chillingly realistic look at a world that one prays will never come to be. It sucks you in to a whirlpool of action, human angst, violence, and hope, and spits you out at the end breathless.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review. Without hesitation, I give it four stars.

[Jon Grafton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone giving this book a single star review is too affected by the prototypical conservative behavior of labeling anything written by a woman, that is critical of male behavior, as "man-hating," without first giving the narrative a chance to unfold. Those who put this book down in the first few pages because of such instincts, and accordingly leave poor reviews, are missing what is quite simply a fantastic dystopian action novel. Ironically, as the story develops, we learn that the leader of Eden, a woman conveniently named Eve, is one of the most morally questionable characters in the novel. That is the underlying point so easily lost in the "boy vs girl" uniqueness of Eden and its take on society's prospective means of collapse; this book isn't feminist, it is a tale of humanity - and about the fact that despite the walls, both literal and metaphorical, that the genders/sexes have created between one another in 2018 or 2064, they can't exist without each other. It is as a whole that we compose humanity. So this story is as much a subtle reflection on the sexism of the past/present (you can't deny it, boys) as it is a tale about the suppressed dysfunction underlying a futuristic society at the other end of the spectrum, one run only and controlled only and inhabited only by women. Some of the women behind Eden's walls have questions. Fellas are on the mind. Duh. Such lascivious desires are not supported by the revolutionary elder, Eve however, who quite literally utilizes tactics ranging from drug induced mind control to murder to see her objectives through. Are there man-hating characters in this book? Absolutely. Are there woman-hating rapist characters in this book? No doubt. Just like it is in the real world as I type this review. There are also characters like the young soldier named Gabriel, surviving outside the wall, and a young woman named Lucy, surviving inside Eden, who are both morally balanced, imperfect, strong and likable. They are the angels of this story you root for, and through their eyes, both genders are rightly criticized. Again, I return to the importance of recognizing that this book contains no overt theme of demonizing one gender over another. Looked at as a single work, it is critical of the one group only, and that is human beings, resplendent with all our gender transcending imperfections. But hey, this a philosophy book this ain't. It's a fast paced, well-written thriller with a metric f*+k-ton of rape, murder, bloody revolution

[Brent Brophy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mindless manhating.

The story is a series of first-person diatribes (from men and women) about how men are bad, dumb, and mean. The characters are little more than farcical cliches, the men either mindless, malicious, or subservient, while in constant conflict over scarce resources, while generations of women live happily together in gardens of plenty.

[Terena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea of this story - but I cant find anything in it that I would like to keep reading about. The concept is unbelievable, I kept waiting for the men to snap out of it and get it together! For example, the pack mentality - why? Why if the events happened as presented would any man follow and take direction from another man that they dislike, or do not respect?

[Sheila Carsins · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's okay, if you don't mind the rather depressing theme that reminded me of movies like "Logan's Run."

I didn't like the flashbacks from present to past by multiple characters. I didn't like the violence and the hopelessness of the war between men and women. I didn't like most of the characters. And after it was all over, I didn't like the fact that all of the loose ends hadn't been tied up in a neat little bow. It left room for conjecture and interpretation. Other than that, if you enjoy dystopian future worlds like that of the movies, "Logan's Run," or "Planet of the Apes," and the depression that often follows after the movies are over, then this book will probably seem quite good to you. The book is good for what it's supposed to be about, it just wasn't an uplifting, "happily ever after" story. It'll probably end up being a movie...

[Erica Alikchihoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, interesting

This book is well-written, even with the switchbacks from present day to past. If you are a reader who likes everything to progress along a linear path its probably not for you. Once you get all the main characters straight in your head, the switchbacks are a piece of cake. The storyline is believable, the violence is not gratuitous, and the language is tame in the face of rape, murder, and the deconstruction of society as we know it. I'll be looking forward to the second book in the series.

[Judith A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unbelievable

The format in different characters current and the past tells the story. This is different and not my favorite, but it does get the job done. As said was read I just couldn't convince myself that this could really happen. Some men could be beast, but the majority would not allow things to get this bad. Just my belief perhap. I am looking forward to the next book. And I will look up other work by this author.

[Yvonne Kimbler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something different

I have to say I have read many of these types of books but none were like this. I am sure we all imagine what would be our down fall. This story is different. What happens when people fight among themselves.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this book. However, it fell short. The characters are mindless people who just follow whatever ridiculous idea they are given. That's for both the men and the women. It ends on a cliffhanger, so don't get it unless you plan to read the next two. It's definitely not a stand alone read.

[George A Gusick Sr]

outstanding story

Thank you GC Julien for a truly awesome story. The characters were were right on the mark for the story. I am looking forward to your next edition of this story. How easy this happen in the world with the way it headed, we know how to prevent it but will we be wise enough or not? Thank you again

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unbelievable but compelling

This was well written and moved quickly. The flashbacks were a bit annoying even though they served the purpose of explaining how the country's situation evolved. I had a very difficult time believing the underlying premise

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

A gender war, a different take on end of world apocalypse. Looking forward to reading the follow-up books to see if women can run the country better than men. My guess is yes, they can.

[Marina Grunden · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you dislike men then this is the book for you

I'm always open to reading new books but this one was so biased the first couple of pages were how evil men are , I couldn't even get through the first couple of pages

[Shaz Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the rest books I've ever read. Couldn't put it down. Really interesting reading from the main characters perspectives. As I was getting to the end I searched for and got the next books in the series, exodus.

[Jaime Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the story enjoyable but slow at times. I found it pretty believable with today's state of affairs just taken up a few notches. Not understanding the aspect of other countries getting involved or not. Not understanding the total divide either. Seems some things are just missing.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ultimate war

The war of men versus women. This was one of the best stories I've read in a long time. Great characters, great plot. I very highly recommend this dystopian tale.

[don griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disjointed

O.k. the Continual flashbacks were annoying. Would have been better to write two books. One of the main characters has a God complex.

[Tamara Edmunds · Rating 5 out of 5]

So intense

This book hooked me right from the beginning and didn't stop even at the end. I really want to find out what happens next in book 2.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this series very much!!

[Sharon Skaryd]

Started. Didn't finish