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Avalon #1
Avalon: The Retreat
“Rusin is a masterful storyteller who incorporates real survivalist skills to captivate his readers.”
— Survivalprepseries.com
Michael heard the sirens go off and knew it was time to leave. He hoped the others had gotten the secret message and were on their way. He felt the adrenaline rush through his body as he hurried to meet them and set in motion what they had planned for the last six years. They all hoped this day would never come, but he was glad they were prepared to face it head-on. As he rode through the streets on his motorcycle, he knew he could never return to this place.
— Survivalprepseries.com
Michael heard the sirens go off and knew it was time to leave. He hoped the others had gotten the secret message and were on their way. He felt the adrenaline rush through his body as he hurried to meet them and set in motion what they had planned for the last six years. They all hoped this day would never come, but he was glad they were prepared to face it head-on. As he rode through the streets on his motorcycle, he knew he could never return to this place.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 2010
42 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 16, 2013
I couldn't make up my mind if this was written by a young man with no life/relationship experience, or an older man with some very straightened views on women. Whichever it was, there isn't a lot going on in the 'understanding women' part of L. Michael Rusin's brain. The male characters were wooden enough, but the women were very crudely drawn. I think my favourite line was She was suddenly tired, and it wasn't because of her period ... ...seriously?
This novel needs a very serious edit. I was really looking forward to reading it - post-apocalyptic adventures are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine - all that room for character development and world-building. This just disappointed me. It reads like a survivalist shopping list. Never let it be said that Mr Rusin's didn't thoroughly research his topic, but please, someone tell him that subtlety in drawing that knowledge to the reader's attention would serve him well in the next iteration of this trilogy. He might also wish to check his anti-Liberal tendencies at the door to the cabin - the only emotion in the whole book seemed to be reserved to be directed against the 'effete' liberals and the Canadians - all deserving of the author's wrath due to their anti-guns policies.
I appreciate the advance copy - thank you NetGalley and KamelPress, but I think a bit more work needs to be done on this one, before it is published. While there may be a market in the survivalist camps, and this novel may find its way onto the shelves of the odd bunkered settlement in the mid-West, it requires a lot of 2b pencil markings to guarantee readership (and sales) to a wider audience.
This novel needs a very serious edit. I was really looking forward to reading it - post-apocalyptic adventures are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine - all that room for character development and world-building. This just disappointed me. It reads like a survivalist shopping list. Never let it be said that Mr Rusin's didn't thoroughly research his topic, but please, someone tell him that subtlety in drawing that knowledge to the reader's attention would serve him well in the next iteration of this trilogy. He might also wish to check his anti-Liberal tendencies at the door to the cabin - the only emotion in the whole book seemed to be reserved to be directed against the 'effete' liberals and the Canadians - all deserving of the author's wrath due to their anti-guns policies.
I appreciate the advance copy - thank you NetGalley and KamelPress, but I think a bit more work needs to be done on this one, before it is published. While there may be a market in the survivalist camps, and this novel may find its way onto the shelves of the odd bunkered settlement in the mid-West, it requires a lot of 2b pencil markings to guarantee readership (and sales) to a wider audience.
August 20, 2019
A nuclear bomb blows up in Atlanta and Mike puts out the emergency call to his friends to set off for their retreat in the mountains. By the time he is on the road, DC has been hit and the world as he knows it starts to fall apart. He can only hope that all of his people survive the journey.
What a frustrating book! I really enjoyed the description of the journey and the rescue of a few of their people trapped by bad guys. I liked the refuge of Avalon which sounded like a great place to see out the apocalypse. I liked the characters though there were too many for me to get everyone straight in my mind without writing it all down. What drove me to distraction were the massive info dumps about the history of the railway near the retreat and the life history of every previous owner of Avalon itself. I found this dull and boring, it had no relevance to the current situation and added nothing of interest to the story for me. All it did was pad out the number of pages. When you start missing out chunks of a book because they bore you, a DNF is usually just around the corner. I was also annoyed by the sexist portrayal of the female characters who were all rated on their attractiveness, bra size, leg length and whether or not they were on their period. This is just really annoying and I find it lazy by the author. This book had the potential to be really good but the sexist stuff and mass info dumps put me right off.
What a frustrating book! I really enjoyed the description of the journey and the rescue of a few of their people trapped by bad guys. I liked the refuge of Avalon which sounded like a great place to see out the apocalypse. I liked the characters though there were too many for me to get everyone straight in my mind without writing it all down. What drove me to distraction were the massive info dumps about the history of the railway near the retreat and the life history of every previous owner of Avalon itself. I found this dull and boring, it had no relevance to the current situation and added nothing of interest to the story for me. All it did was pad out the number of pages. When you start missing out chunks of a book because they bore you, a DNF is usually just around the corner. I was also annoyed by the sexist portrayal of the female characters who were all rated on their attractiveness, bra size, leg length and whether or not they were on their period. This is just really annoying and I find it lazy by the author. This book had the potential to be really good but the sexist stuff and mass info dumps put me right off.
December 8, 2014
Meh. Cardboard cut-out characters, too much detail where it didn't matter, too little where it did, unrealistic action. Well-edited.. which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of two.
May 25, 2019
Very good read. I have started book 2. Keeps me waiting on what will happen next. Oh, how I would love a place like Avalon and those wonderful friends.
Wayne
Wayne
May 23, 2013
This is far from the best book ever written but its far from the worst either. I found the book to be overly descriptive at time, particularly in the history of the retreat and some of the character back stories.
That said, for a reason, I can't entirely explain, i read the book voraciously consuming it very quickly.
I saw where a previous reviewer made comments about female representations, to that I say, m'eh! Who cares? The author is male, its a rare man that can capture a female character well and who is to say even then its done well. There were some really strong female characters in the book, so the intent obviously was not one of male egotism.
Some of the dialog was very wooden and if you read it out loud it sounds stilted but again I say who cares. I enjoyed the story and I am looking forward to reading book 2.
That said, for a reason, I can't entirely explain, i read the book voraciously consuming it very quickly.
I saw where a previous reviewer made comments about female representations, to that I say, m'eh! Who cares? The author is male, its a rare man that can capture a female character well and who is to say even then its done well. There were some really strong female characters in the book, so the intent obviously was not one of male egotism.
Some of the dialog was very wooden and if you read it out loud it sounds stilted but again I say who cares. I enjoyed the story and I am looking forward to reading book 2.
December 14, 2012
You think this book is going to grab you by your shirt collar and just keep pulling. But every now and then the Author lets you relax a little while he builds this wonderful rich back story.
This book is one of the best "prepper fiction"
books I have read. Or rather will end up being one of my favorites. The Retreat is a grand, perfect spot to sit out TEOTWAWKI in comfort. Of course there will be threats against it. There has to be to make the book interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and anticipate the next will be just as good.
This book is one of the best "prepper fiction"
books I have read. Or rather will end up being one of my favorites. The Retreat is a grand, perfect spot to sit out TEOTWAWKI in comfort. Of course there will be threats against it. There has to be to make the book interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and anticipate the next will be just as good.
May 6, 2013
As a post-apocalyptic novel , this one is pretty good. Not my usual read but I found this one exciting and holding my interest. It is the first in a series and I'll pick up the next installment. A group anticipates nuclear war and stockpiles supplies in a remote location.
September 11, 2015
Awesome
Great read enjoy the storyline the characters would just make a great TV series hope to see more story lines were books on these characters
Great read enjoy the storyline the characters would just make a great TV series hope to see more story lines were books on these characters
September 11, 2015
Didn't want it to end. Now on to book #2. I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved watching the characters grow and. developers along with the circumstances.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews