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Enter Darkness #1
The Longest Night
With humanity on the brink of extinction
They activated the EMP
And now, the world enters darkness
It started with bright lights; a new medical technology, promising to eradicate all human ills. History of blood clots? Cholesterol clogging up the old ticker? There was a nanobot for that. It wasn’t cheap of course, and everyone knew that new technology had bugs in it. But hey, why not let the rich be the guinea pigs for once?
Fast-forward a year, and the one percent began dying en masse. The nanobots had evolved to view ageing as a virus, and were reacting by shutting down the host.
Swathes of the population were infected before the government rolled out a treatment program, in the midst of riots and mass unrest. Meanwhile, the nanomachines spread like wildfire, infecting and killing millions. The remains of the government had no choice but to detonate a series of experimental weapons in the atmosphere, producing an EMP effect which rendered almost all electronic devices on Earth useless.
Bradley is one of the survivors. A former veterinarian, he decides to escape his burning city and trek deep into the Maine wilderness, aiming to find his estranged father’s old lake house.
Remembering lessons learned and long forgotten, Bradley endeavors to survive on his own terms, and be self-sufficient in a new and altogether darker world.
But his struggle has only just begun.
This is the first book in K. M. Fawkes’ Enter Darkness series, a post-apocalyptic EMP series of books.
They activated the EMP
And now, the world enters darkness
It started with bright lights; a new medical technology, promising to eradicate all human ills. History of blood clots? Cholesterol clogging up the old ticker? There was a nanobot for that. It wasn’t cheap of course, and everyone knew that new technology had bugs in it. But hey, why not let the rich be the guinea pigs for once?
Fast-forward a year, and the one percent began dying en masse. The nanobots had evolved to view ageing as a virus, and were reacting by shutting down the host.
Swathes of the population were infected before the government rolled out a treatment program, in the midst of riots and mass unrest. Meanwhile, the nanomachines spread like wildfire, infecting and killing millions. The remains of the government had no choice but to detonate a series of experimental weapons in the atmosphere, producing an EMP effect which rendered almost all electronic devices on Earth useless.
Bradley is one of the survivors. A former veterinarian, he decides to escape his burning city and trek deep into the Maine wilderness, aiming to find his estranged father’s old lake house.
Remembering lessons learned and long forgotten, Bradley endeavors to survive on his own terms, and be self-sufficient in a new and altogether darker world.
But his struggle has only just begun.
This is the first book in K. M. Fawkes’ Enter Darkness series, a post-apocalyptic EMP series of books.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 14, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
May 8, 2019
I don't want to give anything away so I will keep my review brief. This story starts out after the EMP's went off, they explain why they had to kill all the electronics with the EMP's and it's actually a pretty believable tale. I felt the author did a fantastic job of showing what life would like after the apocalypse takes place. Overall it was a fairly clean story, there was some strong language in a few scenes but they fit the situation and weren't overused. There are no sex scenes but there are a few graphic scenes with some violence and the main character coming across dead victims. The narrator did a great job and was fun to listen to.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
January 31, 2019
( Format : Audiobook )
"If things go wrong"
2025, and an American biomedical facility had achieved the dream: a simple, if expensive, treatment that not only cures everything from cancer to the common cold but also reverses aging. At first, only the very wealthy could afford it but prices were beginning to come down when disaster struck. Turning on their hosts the nanotechnology created a new killer virus that wiped out 90% of the population. In a desperate attempt to halt the death toll, several EMPs were released, Marshall law was imposed and virus free survivors were evacuated to save houses. Several seeks later, they were running out of food and veterinarian, Brad, leaves the shelter of the apartment block assigned to him and 49 other people to try to find much needed supplies.
The Longest Night is, obviously, a book of attempted survival in a changed world. No zombies, just other people are the unknown danger. The setting is atmospheric, Brad's fear palpable. He is no alpha male able and willing to take on the world, just the opposite, in fact. He abhors violence, tries to steer clear of any trouble: he is just an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation forced to go against what he believes is right to survive. Although not written in the first pefson, the majority of the book is seen from Brad's perspective and narrator, Andrew Wehrlen, further enhances the character development with his fine performance, Brad's fear and discomfort showing through the fast delivery.
My thanks to the rights holder who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy of the book, via Audiobook Boom. Different from many of the usual apocalyptic stories, The Longest Night is both thought provoking and frightening, a worthy first episode of what promises to be an excellent series and I'm looking forward to book two.
"If things go wrong"
2025, and an American biomedical facility had achieved the dream: a simple, if expensive, treatment that not only cures everything from cancer to the common cold but also reverses aging. At first, only the very wealthy could afford it but prices were beginning to come down when disaster struck. Turning on their hosts the nanotechnology created a new killer virus that wiped out 90% of the population. In a desperate attempt to halt the death toll, several EMPs were released, Marshall law was imposed and virus free survivors were evacuated to save houses. Several seeks later, they were running out of food and veterinarian, Brad, leaves the shelter of the apartment block assigned to him and 49 other people to try to find much needed supplies.
The Longest Night is, obviously, a book of attempted survival in a changed world. No zombies, just other people are the unknown danger. The setting is atmospheric, Brad's fear palpable. He is no alpha male able and willing to take on the world, just the opposite, in fact. He abhors violence, tries to steer clear of any trouble: he is just an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation forced to go against what he believes is right to survive. Although not written in the first pefson, the majority of the book is seen from Brad's perspective and narrator, Andrew Wehrlen, further enhances the character development with his fine performance, Brad's fear and discomfort showing through the fast delivery.
My thanks to the rights holder who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy of the book, via Audiobook Boom. Different from many of the usual apocalyptic stories, The Longest Night is both thought provoking and frightening, a worthy first episode of what promises to be an excellent series and I'm looking forward to book two.
September 12, 2020
I read a lot of post apocalyptic books and decided to give this one a try. I enjoyed the description of the nanobots and the beginning of the SHTF scenario. The idea behind the nanobots was very unique, in my opinion.
That being said, the main character, Brad, is painfully naive for someone who had been raised by a survivalist. He makes many, many dumb mistakes and I found myself doing the big eye roll more than once. He leaves the supposed safety of an apartment that he has been forced to share with a bunch of other people and heads out to the wilds of Maine where his father has a cabin. My first thought was, why did he wait so long when he knew what his Father had set up? If I knew of a place like that, I would head there at the first sign of trouble!
Once he reaches the cabin, he meets a woman and her young son who have set up housekeeping. Anna also has to be pretty unaware of how things are now that the world has changed so drastically. Let's just say that these two deserve each other.
The book had the obligatory bad guys and nasty military types, with a little violence thrown in. The descriptions of the survival tips/skills was probably the most interesting part of the book.
Not a bad book, but there are so many books in this genre that I don't think I will be continuing this series.
The narrator, Andrew Wehrlen,does a good job, but his performance seemed a little rushed at times. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book by the author/narrator/publisher and chose to review it.
That being said, the main character, Brad, is painfully naive for someone who had been raised by a survivalist. He makes many, many dumb mistakes and I found myself doing the big eye roll more than once. He leaves the supposed safety of an apartment that he has been forced to share with a bunch of other people and heads out to the wilds of Maine where his father has a cabin. My first thought was, why did he wait so long when he knew what his Father had set up? If I knew of a place like that, I would head there at the first sign of trouble!
Once he reaches the cabin, he meets a woman and her young son who have set up housekeeping. Anna also has to be pretty unaware of how things are now that the world has changed so drastically. Let's just say that these two deserve each other.
The book had the obligatory bad guys and nasty military types, with a little violence thrown in. The descriptions of the survival tips/skills was probably the most interesting part of the book.
Not a bad book, but there are so many books in this genre that I don't think I will be continuing this series.
The narrator, Andrew Wehrlen,does a good job, but his performance seemed a little rushed at times. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book by the author/narrator/publisher and chose to review it.
December 12, 2019
The blurb sounded interesting. An EMP-apocalyptic series through the eyes of a common folk. Yet, it doesn’t mean you have to have lost all common sense? Apparently in this series it does. The main character is not appealing. First he runs around in his pacifistic mind-set, not wanting to loose his humanity and civility. Which is all good and well but does that mean you loose all self preservation as well? I don’t think so. And secondly he doesn’t seem to learn. It is like seeing a train wreck coming a mile away and you are helpless to prevent it even while screaming in frustration.
Our main character walks around naive and all puppy eyed through the first book.
The book is slow paced, lots of inner monologues and reminiscing of the past, which slows down the plot immensely.
So far it was an ok read, but lacks substance. The prologue was actually more exciting than the whole book. The story was very boring. There are no action scenes and therefor no suspense really. I hope our main character improves tremendously. At least with the first book there is given a whole lotta potential to do so and grow up.
I am inclined to give the second book a shot but only because it is for free.
Our main character walks around naive and all puppy eyed through the first book.
The book is slow paced, lots of inner monologues and reminiscing of the past, which slows down the plot immensely.
So far it was an ok read, but lacks substance. The prologue was actually more exciting than the whole book. The story was very boring. There are no action scenes and therefor no suspense really. I hope our main character improves tremendously. At least with the first book there is given a whole lotta potential to do so and grow up.
I am inclined to give the second book a shot but only because it is for free.
September 15, 2018
My son is very obsessed with being prepared so I am somewhat familiar with being prepared for that eventual disaster we hope will never come. As did Bradley and others, we make fun and call them conspiracy theories but EMPs are a real threat - not zombies but disease and death will surely come if we find ourselves without power, or the ability to travel or communicate as we do today. This also brings to light a very real desperation of humanity that is very likely to happen should this type of disaster occur. It is all very scary because it could happen. Even if it is just a flood or severe weather that takes down our infrastructure, going 3 days without clean water could be disastrous. I don't want to give any of the story away so let's just say this is written very well and can really make you think.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 26, 2020
Found this very interesting due to death and virus came before the EMP attack and maybe the use of the EMPS was use in hope of killing the nanos and finding a cure for the virus. Man has gone to the point that they have developed nanotechnology to cure diseases and in some they actually people younger. Then one day the nanos started to kill instead of healing the person and before long ninety percent of humanity had died and we start to see civilization start to collapse.
Brad is the main character before this he was a veterinarian and life was so so but he was happy. You take the trip from when everything starts falling apart up, his escape to a cabin his father owned who was a prepper and finally Brad having to grow up and learn you must defend yourself or die and killing a man who was trying to steal from him. The story you meet other characters some good and some bad and found I could not stop listening and I hope you enjoy it as much as i.
Brad is the main character before this he was a veterinarian and life was so so but he was happy. You take the trip from when everything starts falling apart up, his escape to a cabin his father owned who was a prepper and finally Brad having to grow up and learn you must defend yourself or die and killing a man who was trying to steal from him. The story you meet other characters some good and some bad and found I could not stop listening and I hope you enjoy it as much as i.
December 5, 2018
This is another book about an apocalypse. In this case nanotechnology had been advanced to the point where virtually all diseases could be conquered. The scientists did not expect the technology to turn on them, though, and soon at least 90% of Americans were dead.
This then leads into what most books of this type do and that is the attempt to survive of either one person or a small group of people. Brad is the main character living in a building with some fifty other people, put there by the military. He sets out on to find food and things go badly with the usual vicious armed men.
He finally decides to head towards a cabin his father had and the story covers that part along with how he meets a woman and her son and has to fight off more vicious men. Things get very ugly but he proves resourceful. It's a decent book of its type.
This then leads into what most books of this type do and that is the attempt to survive of either one person or a small group of people. Brad is the main character living in a building with some fifty other people, put there by the military. He sets out on to find food and things go badly with the usual vicious armed men.
He finally decides to head towards a cabin his father had and the story covers that part along with how he meets a woman and her son and has to fight off more vicious men. Things get very ugly but he proves resourceful. It's a decent book of its type.
April 16, 2019
Excellent story about an every day guy named Brad. I love when SHTF books actually teach you something.
The events after the EMP seem plausible and possible.
Kind of hoping his father, Lee, doesn’t show up in future books because it is more likely that he is not alive. Brad already has enough skills to get him through & I think it could detract from the story..... but I’m starting book 2 today so we will see. Will romance bloom in the cabin once they get snowed in? Can’t wait to find out.
Maine is my dream state but I guess I’ll stay in TX.
Andrew B Wehrlen did an excellent job narrating as usual. He is one of my favorite narrators.
I was voluntarily provided this review copy at no charge by the author, publisher and or narrator.
The events after the EMP seem plausible and possible.
Kind of hoping his father, Lee, doesn’t show up in future books because it is more likely that he is not alive. Brad already has enough skills to get him through & I think it could detract from the story..... but I’m starting book 2 today so we will see. Will romance bloom in the cabin once they get snowed in? Can’t wait to find out.
Maine is my dream state but I guess I’ll stay in TX.
Andrew B Wehrlen did an excellent job narrating as usual. He is one of my favorite narrators.
I was voluntarily provided this review copy at no charge by the author, publisher and or narrator.
November 12, 2018
This is one of the best stories of its kind I've ever read - and I love the way K. M. Fawkes writes a story. It's not gritty enough to be disturbing, but it's gritty enough to be realistic - Brad is an incredibly interesting character with all the right qualities to make him likeable. And the rich platonic relationship he has with the beautiful woman and her son is heartwarming. This is a great book that is just about the right length (I read it off and on over two days), and it leaves the reader wanting to keep on reading - and I will - I bought the second book right away. Good job, Fawkes!
April 30, 2019
First novel in a post-apocalyptic series set in the near future. Interesting premise: bio-mechanical advances can cure all of humanity's physical maladies. Just inject an ill person with programmed nanites. Ultimately, the tiny bots evolve, determine that aging is also a disease, and, when they cannot cure it, turn on and kill the hosts. Oh, and they can be transmitted to untreated hosts. When 90% of the population is dead, electromagnetic pulses are employed to neutralize the nanotechnology. Of course, EMP also disables just about anything electrical, so humankind is kicked-back into its past. There, it is knowledgeable and prepared survivors against scavengers and opportunists.
March 21, 2019
Surprisingly good!
I was skeptical at first, with the whole "nanobot causes the apocalypse" thing.
But that turned out to be a non issue. The best thing about this is, it's NOT your typical "survival story" written by someone who is utterly clueless about survival. The main characters and most of the events are actually believable. The writing isn't flawless, and there are a few questionable aspects, but they aren't so glaring and often, like so many in the genre these days.
It's a good read and I look forward to the rest of the series.
I was skeptical at first, with the whole "nanobot causes the apocalypse" thing.
But that turned out to be a non issue. The best thing about this is, it's NOT your typical "survival story" written by someone who is utterly clueless about survival. The main characters and most of the events are actually believable. The writing isn't flawless, and there are a few questionable aspects, but they aren't so glaring and often, like so many in the genre these days.
It's a good read and I look forward to the rest of the series.
June 12, 2019
Interesting start
Cool premise for the apocalypse. Nanobot virus plus EMP.
Brad takes a very long time to get clued up on the new rules of the world (Every man for themselves, don't trust anyone, if you have anything worthwhile someone will kill to take it from you) mainly because he was sheltered from transition period while stuck and starving in a safe house. Having a father for prepared maniac that drilled him in survival skill means there is still hope for Brad plus the kitted out and stocked up cabin his dad built helps.
Cool premise for the apocalypse. Nanobot virus plus EMP.
Brad takes a very long time to get clued up on the new rules of the world (Every man for themselves, don't trust anyone, if you have anything worthwhile someone will kill to take it from you) mainly because he was sheltered from transition period while stuck and starving in a safe house. Having a father for prepared maniac that drilled him in survival skill means there is still hope for Brad plus the kitted out and stocked up cabin his dad built helps.
February 25, 2020
This is a wonderful start to a new series. The story drew me in is filled with danger, hope and surprise. The characters are wonderful. I fully believed and hoped that things would work out okay for them. I was surprised a couple times at Bradley. First he only wants to be alone. Then when he receives company he keeps looking for the good in people. He really has a good heart.
This is my first book by this author and in this series. I enjoyed listening to Andrew B Wehrlen tell this story. He did a wonderful job portraying all the voices that Bradley ran across.
This is my first book by this author and in this series. I enjoyed listening to Andrew B Wehrlen tell this story. He did a wonderful job portraying all the voices that Bradley ran across.
March 10, 2020
The Longest Night, Enter Darkness, Book 1, By: K. M. Fawkes is a post apocalypse story.
A short story about struggle of survival. It has good characters and a good story line.
The story doesn’t end in a cliffhanger but you can see where it could go on. As the apocalypse starts up.
There is very little corse Language in it, I can only remember one or two words. But there could have been more. There are no sex scenes, but there is a hint of rape in the story. But it is only an indication of it. Although there is some violence it does not go into a lot of details. A man does get shot in the head.
Narrator Andrew B. Wehrlen brings each character alive with their own individual voices. A job well done.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher free of charge for a honest, unbiased review.
A short story about struggle of survival. It has good characters and a good story line.
The story doesn’t end in a cliffhanger but you can see where it could go on. As the apocalypse starts up.
There is very little corse Language in it, I can only remember one or two words. But there could have been more. There are no sex scenes, but there is a hint of rape in the story. But it is only an indication of it. Although there is some violence it does not go into a lot of details. A man does get shot in the head.
Narrator Andrew B. Wehrlen brings each character alive with their own individual voices. A job well done.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher free of charge for a honest, unbiased review.
March 22, 2025
En till gratisbok från iBooks. Jag vet, snåla lilla jag!
Men riktigt lika snål med betyget behöver jag inte vara den här gången. Det här är en alldeles okej standard-postapokalyps-story. Huvudkaraktären är sympatisk nog och det finns både lite bakgrund och sidohistorier som gör det gångbart.
Sen tjänar Fawkes klart på att jag parallelläser en mer kvalitativ apokalyps-bok (Hollow Kingdom) - det blir liksom som en ”människans upplevelse”, bredvid den smarta kråkans…
Ska du välja en ska du såklart läsa Buxton. (Men den här va gratis!)
Men riktigt lika snål med betyget behöver jag inte vara den här gången. Det här är en alldeles okej standard-postapokalyps-story. Huvudkaraktären är sympatisk nog och det finns både lite bakgrund och sidohistorier som gör det gångbart.
Sen tjänar Fawkes klart på att jag parallelläser en mer kvalitativ apokalyps-bok (Hollow Kingdom) - det blir liksom som en ”människans upplevelse”, bredvid den smarta kråkans…
Ska du välja en ska du såklart läsa Buxton. (Men den här va gratis!)
September 22, 2018
The Longest Night is the first book in the Enter Darkness series. This should not be read as a standalone as it is clear that the story doesn't end here. There is violence. As technology and science advance us, not all of those advances turn out to be positive. This story is about one of those that look good on the surface but later on have a dark side. Can we survive the new reality? This is a well written story and I can't wait to read the next part!
October 1, 2018
I like that nanotechnology was at the root of the original problem and that the EMP is a desperate attempt to fix the problem. A nice difference in plot from other EMP stories. After we learn about the nanobots etc, they sort of fade to the background though. I like Brad as a character and look forward to find out what happens to him and his small group. The writing tends to be a little uneven, bogging down at times but it will, hopefully, improve in the next book.
April 8, 2019
Not your typical "end of the world" series. Nanobots causing the end of the humanity? Vanity being the end of all civilization? I like how the "mistakes" the main character makes keeps him real. Who would be able to keep all of the things you need to do straight in a stress filled situation as this. Even the female lead is believable. Who would be able to make sane decisions in a world falling apart.
March 22, 2019
Enjoyed
This is an interesting story somewhat slow paced which is a nice change from the usual prepper tales. Our hero is an introspective quiet type who has a high moral code. Some reviews have criticized this story for being predictable. Just remember it is fiction and after reading a hundred survival stories there only so much leeway.
This is an interesting story somewhat slow paced which is a nice change from the usual prepper tales. Our hero is an introspective quiet type who has a high moral code. Some reviews have criticized this story for being predictable. Just remember it is fiction and after reading a hundred survival stories there only so much leeway.
September 25, 2018
I liked it.
Ordinary people doing the best they can to survive in tumultuous times with horrible things happening everywhere around. I want to know what happens next so I will definitively read the next in the series.
Ordinary people doing the best they can to survive in tumultuous times with horrible things happening everywhere around. I want to know what happens next so I will definitively read the next in the series.
November 24, 2018
Really good story with some blood and how humans would be after a apocalyptic, brad is a good guy to follow too then later you have other parts that are probably true some lossing hope others killing to get what they need. Cant wait to read more 😊
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2019
A fresh take on the end of the world that seems more like a premonition then fiction
Looking forward to books 2 and 3 on audiobook
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
Looking forward to books 2 and 3 on audiobook
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
February 9, 2019
Brilliantly written, different to most ive read
Brilliantly written first book, can't wait to start the second.
Totally different feel to this book compared to others in the same genre.
Brilliantly written first book, can't wait to start the second.
Totally different feel to this book compared to others in the same genre.
February 28, 2019
Not To My Liking
I could not make it past Chapter 11. I continued thinking that the writing would get better. It was too wordy with descriptions and reminded me of a youths view point. Keep working on it, with time you will get better.
I could not make it past Chapter 11. I continued thinking that the writing would get better. It was too wordy with descriptions and reminded me of a youths view point. Keep working on it, with time you will get better.
August 20, 2019
I found this to be quite a well written story on humanity after an apocalypse. A man leaves a safe house to scavenge for supplies and ends almost dead after trying to help someone caught in one of his traps. He finds an old acquaintance and her son as they attempt to survive.
November 9, 2023
I loved the introduction and the description of humanity's descent into EMP apocalypse. However, Brad's arc falls short, often becoming dull and dragged out with obsolete descriptions. Despite this, I am intrigued to see how the story unfolds in the next book.
September 29, 2018
The Longest Night review
The Longest Night is the first post apocalyptic book in the Enter Darkness series written by author K. M. Fawkes.
The Longest Night is the first post apocalyptic book in the Enter Darkness series written by author K. M. Fawkes.
October 24, 2018
Awesome
Awesome story of post-apocalyptic world and survival. The author has a very good premise of what causes the world to end as we know it.
Awesome story of post-apocalyptic world and survival. The author has a very good premise of what causes the world to end as we know it.
November 9, 2018
Good book
Read all of the books in order to really enjoy.. Characters are realistic and get better and better. Storyline continues to grow and develop.
Read all of the books in order to really enjoy.. Characters are realistic and get better and better. Storyline continues to grow and develop.
November 15, 2018
Excellent, excellent book. I've read book 2 and pre-ordered book 3.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews