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Oil Apocalypse #5
Desolated
25 years after the end of oil, Dev hears the shocking sound of hoofbeats on the road. No one has been up the road in six years, and now the last people he wants to see have arrived. A dozen armed men on horseback, promising a return of government and order.Dev doesn't believe their promises, and they come with too terrible a cost, starting with a tax of food he cannot spare. He and the neighbors are barely scraping by, the sharp bite of hunger their constant companion. He had feared that drought and heat would slowly kill them all, but now the danger is immediate. They must find a way to survive this new threat. But with no weapons better than a handful of bows, how can they defend against all those rifles?(The final chapter in the Oil Apocalypse series.)
- GenresApocalyptic
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 2, 2018
22 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Lou Cadle
32 books125 followersLou Cadle grew up in Tornado Alley near the New Madrid fault, was in San Francisco's 1989 earthquake, watched minor eruptions of Mt. St. Helens from close up, and hiked several times over Kilauea's active lava flows. Cadle currently lives in haboob country.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 19, 2018
A fine conclusion?
I really enjoyed a chance to catch up with these characters, like a post apocalyptic “where are they now”. It was already a tough life, but these characters have found a way to keep surviving. As usual there are always people that want to take what you have and in a world wear most.bullets have been used or are no longer working, s person with a gun is powerful. Sorry to see the losses in the book, but they made since. I look forward to the next level and a chance to see these families some how in the future. Thank you for a great series.
I really enjoyed a chance to catch up with these characters, like a post apocalyptic “where are they now”. It was already a tough life, but these characters have found a way to keep surviving. As usual there are always people that want to take what you have and in a world wear most.bullets have been used or are no longer working, s person with a gun is powerful. Sorry to see the losses in the book, but they made since. I look forward to the next level and a chance to see these families some how in the future. Thank you for a great series.
December 17, 2019
SPOILERS AHEAD
A decent ending for this 5-book series, although I would have loved to see other locations and find out more about what happened elsewhere around the globe. Most of this final installment was based on further explaining how the neighborhood survived while their old-tech stuff kept breaking while at the same time they took care of their extended family.
I found the Desert Alliance to be quite an interesting idea and would have loved to get to know more about them before all hell broke loose. At this point I’m still not sure about whether those guys really had good or bad intentions. While claiming taxes might sound unfair they actually made interesting propositions and even were willing to barter stuff one might consider to be quite exotic after 25 years without oil and proper exchange routes. Perhaps the feeling of untrustworthyness of Dev and company was due to their past experiences with other groups, such as the Payson invaders back in the beginning, which to me sounded a lot more untrustworthy and violent than the military men from the Desert Alliance.
In the end, and with their decision about the military men taken, I think it was a good idea to finally risk it and abandon the neighborhood, not only due to a possible conflict with the Desert Alliance but mostly after reading throughout the entire series how the land keeps growing drier, hotter, and slowly less sustainable. As I said, I would have loved to read about where they end up, although the image of them “riding to the east” in a sort of inverse western-style while leaving their homes behind was a pretty cool ending.
A decent ending for this 5-book series, although I would have loved to see other locations and find out more about what happened elsewhere around the globe. Most of this final installment was based on further explaining how the neighborhood survived while their old-tech stuff kept breaking while at the same time they took care of their extended family.
I found the Desert Alliance to be quite an interesting idea and would have loved to get to know more about them before all hell broke loose. At this point I’m still not sure about whether those guys really had good or bad intentions. While claiming taxes might sound unfair they actually made interesting propositions and even were willing to barter stuff one might consider to be quite exotic after 25 years without oil and proper exchange routes. Perhaps the feeling of untrustworthyness of Dev and company was due to their past experiences with other groups, such as the Payson invaders back in the beginning, which to me sounded a lot more untrustworthy and violent than the military men from the Desert Alliance.
In the end, and with their decision about the military men taken, I think it was a good idea to finally risk it and abandon the neighborhood, not only due to a possible conflict with the Desert Alliance but mostly after reading throughout the entire series how the land keeps growing drier, hotter, and slowly less sustainable. As I said, I would have loved to read about where they end up, although the image of them “riding to the east” in a sort of inverse western-style while leaving their homes behind was a pretty cool ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2019
Three and a Half stars rounded up. Desolated concludes Lou Cadle's Oil Apocalypse series. The whole series can be summed up with two words; Surviving and Fighting.
They survived through farming the land and fought for the land against marauders.
The key words missing are fun and imagination.
Though this book was good, and the final confrontation with The Desert Alliance was terrific, our heroes never left their land. The whole series had two locations and Payson was a minor location.
Dev, Sierra and company leave at the very end. Leaving and travelling the wilds is where the story would have been more interesting. Cadle tells us in a post script that our heroes survive and is thinking about another series that tells of their distant descendants.
I like my post-Apocalyptic stories, on the road with many adventures. This series was more about the science of feeding and farming. The characters are very well drawn however but the lack of Imaginative Fiction gets a little mundane.
They survived through farming the land and fought for the land against marauders.
The key words missing are fun and imagination.
Though this book was good, and the final confrontation with The Desert Alliance was terrific, our heroes never left their land. The whole series had two locations and Payson was a minor location.
Dev, Sierra and company leave at the very end. Leaving and travelling the wilds is where the story would have been more interesting. Cadle tells us in a post script that our heroes survive and is thinking about another series that tells of their distant descendants.
I like my post-Apocalyptic stories, on the road with many adventures. This series was more about the science of feeding and farming. The characters are very well drawn however but the lack of Imaginative Fiction gets a little mundane.
March 8, 2020
Best of the best
I love the post apocalyptic genre and I can say without a doubt that this series is the best and most exciting series I’ve read.
I am always afraid that after a really good first book of a series, that the following books will become redundant or will feel like copies of the first book. Not so with this series, I could not wait to get to the next book. The story was completely believable and realistic, gripping, exciting and thrilling all at once. I had to remind myself to breath...that’s the best kind of book. My only regret is that the series has ended. The other series “Gray” by Lou Cadle is just as exciting a read. Lou Cadle is the best of the best.
I love the post apocalyptic genre and I can say without a doubt that this series is the best and most exciting series I’ve read.
I am always afraid that after a really good first book of a series, that the following books will become redundant or will feel like copies of the first book. Not so with this series, I could not wait to get to the next book. The story was completely believable and realistic, gripping, exciting and thrilling all at once. I had to remind myself to breath...that’s the best kind of book. My only regret is that the series has ended. The other series “Gray” by Lou Cadle is just as exciting a read. Lou Cadle is the best of the best.
January 4, 2019
A fitting end to the series (though the author notes that we may visit the characters again at some point; perhaps in another series), although I didn't realize that when I had started reading it that it would be the last. But that's ok, I thought it was a good conclusion and of course it was as well-written as the rest of Lou Cadle's previous "Oil Apocalypse" work.
For those that are interested in post-apocalyptic fiction, I think Lou's "Oil Apocalypse" series ranks among my top three (with Arthur T. Bradley's "Survivalist" series and Franklin Horton's "Borrowed World" series).
For those that are interested in post-apocalyptic fiction, I think Lou's "Oil Apocalypse" series ranks among my top three (with Arthur T. Bradley's "Survivalist" series and Franklin Horton's "Borrowed World" series).
August 30, 2025
Desolated, Book 5 of the Oil Apocalypse series by Lou Cadle. 25 years has gone by since everything stopped moving.
This small group has fought to survive against all odds. Life is lived over a couple of km instead of globally. Folks talk about freezers and are thought to be telling fairy tales.
Then a new threat appears out of nowhere. Is this the end or a new beginning for our group of survivors.
This small group has fought to survive against all odds. Life is lived over a couple of km instead of globally. Folks talk about freezers and are thought to be telling fairy tales.
Then a new threat appears out of nowhere. Is this the end or a new beginning for our group of survivors.
May 22, 2019
A great series; just when you think all ok again, an even greater threat is added, but as in all good stories, a happy ending, and no threats..............or are there? a well thought out series that is so thought-provoking. 10/10
July 12, 2019
Great Series!
This is one of the best series of this genre I've read. I would highly recommend it to who ,especially young adults. They need to wake up to the consequences of the world they live in and in the future future they will face.
This is one of the best series of this genre I've read. I would highly recommend it to who ,especially young adults. They need to wake up to the consequences of the world they live in and in the future future they will face.
November 18, 2019
With the exception of Erupt, 41 Days, and Code Name: Beatriz, I have read everything Lou Cadle. I started Erupt last night. I have really enjoyed his books and the Oil Apocalypse series was certainly no exception.
March 5, 2019
Oil apocalypse
All in all a great saga what will you do when the oil run dry not if but when !!!!
All in all a great saga what will you do when the oil run dry not if but when !!!!
December 31, 2019
Outstanding!
I really enjoyed this series and waited for each new book. I would also recommend his book series “Gray”, another post apocalyptic story.
I really enjoyed this series and waited for each new book. I would also recommend his book series “Gray”, another post apocalyptic story.
March 20, 2020
Enjoyable
A great series that kept my interest consistently throughout all the books. I’ll miss reading about the characters and their adventures.
A great series that kept my interest consistently throughout all the books. I’ll miss reading about the characters and their adventures.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews