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Pandemic #1
Pandemic: The Beginning
If you like The Walking Dead but don't like zombies, you'll love PANDEMIC
When a deadly flu sweeps the globe, the Bronson family hunkers down to wait it out. It doesn't take long for society to collapse, but when surviving neighbors band together, hope is restored.
That hope is swiftly shattered when a rogue element forms, requiring food in exchange for security and medical services. The Bronsons refuse, but when the group takes over the neighborhood, they demand the Bronsons join or face deadly consequences. With their lives at stake, they must make a decision: give in or take a stand.
When a deadly flu sweeps the globe, the Bronson family hunkers down to wait it out. It doesn't take long for society to collapse, but when surviving neighbors band together, hope is restored.
That hope is swiftly shattered when a rogue element forms, requiring food in exchange for security and medical services. The Bronsons refuse, but when the group takes over the neighborhood, they demand the Bronsons join or face deadly consequences. With their lives at stake, they must make a decision: give in or take a stand.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2019
1148 people are currently reading
352 people want to read
About the author
Christine Kersey
119 books321 followersChristine loves to read, but also loves to write suspenseful stories. She enjoys camping and hiking with her family and watching movies. Check out her website: christinekersey.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
December 17, 2025
Well, that was certainly a story, one of these end of the world as we know it scenarios that feels very copied and pasted with ctrl-f’ed names. It has the classic “people who want to pool resources can only be leeches or people without” plot point and of course the survivors with a military background (who are OFC the “good guys”). Aggressively ok read.
2.5 rounded up.
2.5 rounded up.
May 29, 2021
Okay, so honestly this one wasn't bad, and it's ironic that it was technically published BEFORE the pandemic hit in 2020. However.
The author lists herself as a Christian author, and this is classified as Christian fiction. I would expect it to portray and present the Main Characters as very good, Christian protagonists. But she doesn't. The author somehow manages to start in this book by planting the seed that those who intend to band together in large groups are no good and that there should be no sympathy for those who didn't have the means to stockpile a year's worth of food. The further in this series you go, the worse the tropes get, and the line between Christian author and Conservative Gun-Toting author are blurred, and the author is quick to condone and even approve of the worship of the party's guns as OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE, and it ends up costing many lives, at the hands of these so-called Christians. Oftentimes, the main characters who are adults are observed putting their ABSOLUTE RAGE over the confiscation of their guns over the safety and survival of their family.
As someone who was raised in the church, I can say with certainty our congregation would not value their guns over their childrens' safety. They would not have systematically murdered over a hundred people and endangered others for the sake of possessing a huge collection of firearms.
The way these guns are treated in this book and those that follow it are honestly sickening, and they're worshipped in a way that makes it disgusting.
I'm all for the importance of possessing a gun in an apocalypse, but there aren't even zombies, and this is extreme.
This is not what I expected from a Christian apocalypse book. Maybe from a Conservative political fiction book, but not from a Christian author.
I've never before asked to return an e-book, but I'm asking for a refund because I'm that saddened and enraged by the way this author tried to tie in a political fight over gun rights and disguise it as Christian fiction.
The author lists herself as a Christian author, and this is classified as Christian fiction. I would expect it to portray and present the Main Characters as very good, Christian protagonists. But she doesn't. The author somehow manages to start in this book by planting the seed that those who intend to band together in large groups are no good and that there should be no sympathy for those who didn't have the means to stockpile a year's worth of food. The further in this series you go, the worse the tropes get, and the line between Christian author and Conservative Gun-Toting author are blurred, and the author is quick to condone and even approve of the worship of the party's guns as OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE, and it ends up costing many lives, at the hands of these so-called Christians. Oftentimes, the main characters who are adults are observed putting their ABSOLUTE RAGE over the confiscation of their guns over the safety and survival of their family.
As someone who was raised in the church, I can say with certainty our congregation would not value their guns over their childrens' safety. They would not have systematically murdered over a hundred people and endangered others for the sake of possessing a huge collection of firearms.
The way these guns are treated in this book and those that follow it are honestly sickening, and they're worshipped in a way that makes it disgusting.
I'm all for the importance of possessing a gun in an apocalypse, but there aren't even zombies, and this is extreme.
This is not what I expected from a Christian apocalypse book. Maybe from a Conservative political fiction book, but not from a Christian author.
I've never before asked to return an e-book, but I'm asking for a refund because I'm that saddened and enraged by the way this author tried to tie in a political fight over gun rights and disguise it as Christian fiction.
January 22, 2022
It's boring. I'm generally a sci-fi fantasy fan, but I also enjoy books in this genre. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to find good books with any sort of 'collapse of society/end of the world as we know it' theme. Pandemic: The Beginning is the only book I'll ever read in this series. It doesn't get much more generic than this. It's like the author had a check list of every trope available and added them one by one.
There was no excitement, drama or suspense because the characters are flat stereotypes and the plot is so predictable there wasn't much of a point to reading the book at all. The gun theme is ridiculous, but the way the entire story plays out is rather ridiculous too. I'm not anti-gun, but I am so sick of authors writing books just to create a scenario where big bad government takes all the guns.
This author wasn't trying to create an interesting or thought-provoking work of fiction. The book exists to showcase the author's political views, and it does so with an obvious knock-the-reader-over-the-head lack of style. I'll admit I didn't finish this book. I lost interest and started to feel irritable when I tried to finish it, so I stopped reading. I'm quite certain I didn't miss much.
There was no excitement, drama or suspense because the characters are flat stereotypes and the plot is so predictable there wasn't much of a point to reading the book at all. The gun theme is ridiculous, but the way the entire story plays out is rather ridiculous too. I'm not anti-gun, but I am so sick of authors writing books just to create a scenario where big bad government takes all the guns.
This author wasn't trying to create an interesting or thought-provoking work of fiction. The book exists to showcase the author's political views, and it does so with an obvious knock-the-reader-over-the-head lack of style. I'll admit I didn't finish this book. I lost interest and started to feel irritable when I tried to finish it, so I stopped reading. I'm quite certain I didn't miss much.
April 16, 2020
I know it's an odd choice to read during an actual pandemic, but what can I say?
I read this in one sitting. It's compact, simple, and compelling reading. Plus it's nice to read about someone else's much worse pandemic (super flu, societal collapse in days) while nodding along with their precautions and preparations, and seeing the good guys succeed.
n.b. I read the paperback of this, but there was no entry for it so I can't vouch for the quality of the ebook even though it says I read that edition.
I read this in one sitting. It's compact, simple, and compelling reading. Plus it's nice to read about someone else's much worse pandemic (super flu, societal collapse in days) while nodding along with their precautions and preparations, and seeing the good guys succeed.
n.b. I read the paperback of this, but there was no entry for it so I can't vouch for the quality of the ebook even though it says I read that edition.
December 17, 2022
You know this was written by an American that probably never set a foot in another country in their entire life.
It's quite cringeworthy to see how the author atempts to make socialism the scapegoat for everything.
It's obvious the author doesnt know what socialism is and equates it to an authocratic system where everyone is forced to give everything they own to other's by force and without a choice.
This is so bad.
This book is basically a South Park caricature but it isn't intentional and lacks the humour.
It's quite cringeworthy to see how the author atempts to make socialism the scapegoat for everything.
It's obvious the author doesnt know what socialism is and equates it to an authocratic system where everyone is forced to give everything they own to other's by force and without a choice.
This is so bad.
This book is basically a South Park caricature but it isn't intentional and lacks the humour.
May 30, 2019
HOLY MOLY! From the first line, I was hooked. It never stopped moving. I read it in a day and a little bit. Fast moving. Makes you think, and question, "Am I ready?" and "What would I do." In the midst of a plausible apocalyptic ending. I cannot wait to keep reading. Find out if those they put their trust in are trustworthy. They make it. What else do they have facing them? SO Good. This isn't even a genre I read, But I was hooked and want more. Well done.
May 9, 2019
Don't start this book at night unless you want to stay up all night reading! An flu epidemic hits the country. What would you do to protect your family? Who can you trust?Where would you go? It will be interesting to see how the story continues in the next book.
February 8, 2021
A Fantastic Book
This book was great. There were a lot of twists and turns but I liked the sense of community with Matt, Jessica, Kayla, and Dillan. I liked how Matt and Jessica took Brooke in despite not knowing for sure whether she was sick or not. In addition, I liked how Derek stepped in to help them, then Jeff & his girlfriend, then at the last Chris and his wife came and joined them. If you like a lot of twists and turns this book is for you.
This book was great. There were a lot of twists and turns but I liked the sense of community with Matt, Jessica, Kayla, and Dillan. I liked how Matt and Jessica took Brooke in despite not knowing for sure whether she was sick or not. In addition, I liked how Derek stepped in to help them, then Jeff & his girlfriend, then at the last Chris and his wife came and joined them. If you like a lot of twists and turns this book is for you.
September 20, 2021
5 stars
Very good book with good character development and fast packed action. Good plot and ending perfect to start book 2.
Just reread for second time - was just as good! Starting #2 immediately.
Very good book with good character development and fast packed action. Good plot and ending perfect to start book 2.
Just reread for second time - was just as good! Starting #2 immediately.
February 11, 2022
It was a simple story. With nothing original at all, and like other non-zombie pandemic books, a lot of the books focus was about food, which our family had a lot of. As it completely normal to have half a years supply of food in your house, "just in case" a pandemic pop up out of the blue. And of course if other people ask for help, you give them the bare minimum. Which I understood, however most of the book was about hiding how well off Jessica and Matt's family was, then fighting with guns to protect it from others who have no food, because of course none of the many empty homes, and shops will have no food in. I could not see much character development either, which was expected as the book main focus was guns, because guns are the most important thing to have, right? The right to have guns rang clear, and I did not really like that this seem to be the main focus of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2021
This one was really hard to almost get through - I couldn’t finish it. The perfect family with perfect children leading the perfect life. There’s no tension within the family at all, not even normal tension, despite the pandemic; (he’s so smart and handsome - she’s so terrified and ALWAYS waiting for him to tell her what she thinks). The super killer bird flu wipes out most of the population but they’re miraculously ready. The wife/mother character of Jessica having no courage and no thoughts of her own makes me furious. Spineless, sniffling weakling. When her son says he’ll protect her she actually says “No, that’s your father’s job”. Not even one spark of individuality from any of the characters - they’re all the same, just perfect. And what is up with that weird eyebrow fixation?!?’
June 19, 2019
Scary Possibility
Man! If you are wanting to remind yourself that anything could happen, read this book! There are a few swear words and violence (think starving people want your food). Yikes! Load up on medical supplies and learn who your neighbors are!
Man! If you are wanting to remind yourself that anything could happen, read this book! There are a few swear words and violence (think starving people want your food). Yikes! Load up on medical supplies and learn who your neighbors are!
March 28, 2020
It's right out of today's headlines 😱
Am only on chapter 6, but this book is dead on what's happening in our country and the world today. Ms Kersey must have a crystal ball since this book was written a year ago!
Am only on chapter 6, but this book is dead on what's happening in our country and the world today. Ms Kersey must have a crystal ball since this book was written a year ago!
March 30, 2020
Not too bad.
I liked the idea overall, but it at times was a bit tropey...but for a first book in the series, it was a good start.
I liked the idea overall, but it at times was a bit tropey...but for a first book in the series, it was a good start.
September 6, 2021
Great start to a trilogy. Couldn't put it down!
April 15, 2020
I wasn't too sure about starting this book, given the fact that we are in the middle of the Corunna Pandemic ourselves. But this was the first part of the story, and I liked it and started the second part today.
All of the sudden, there is a pandemic caused by the bird flu, and it kills 95% of the time, very, very quickly. Matt and his family were lucky enough to acquire a lot of food and things they needed to ride out the first storm in their house. A friend of their daughter's was not as lucky, losing both her parents, so they adopted her and her dog into the family. At first, it seemed like the remaining people in their neighborhood were trying to cope, setting up commitees to help people out, but then the bullies showed up and people began looting, etc. When gangs moved into abandoned houses, Matt and his family, along with a few others decide to make the 700 mile trip to friends in CA. That is where the second part begins...
All of the sudden, there is a pandemic caused by the bird flu, and it kills 95% of the time, very, very quickly. Matt and his family were lucky enough to acquire a lot of food and things they needed to ride out the first storm in their house. A friend of their daughter's was not as lucky, losing both her parents, so they adopted her and her dog into the family. At first, it seemed like the remaining people in their neighborhood were trying to cope, setting up commitees to help people out, but then the bullies showed up and people began looting, etc. When gangs moved into abandoned houses, Matt and his family, along with a few others decide to make the 700 mile trip to friends in CA. That is where the second part begins...
March 23, 2022
When an unknown infection raging across the globe, everyone is left to their own. Schools shut down, goods gets cleaned off the shelves of the general store, families around the area lock themselves up for good measure. With each day the fatality rate rises, adding to the growing concern as to how far was this pandemic was going to wreck havoc. The Bronsons are trying everything in their ability to stay locked up indoors and not getting infected. The grim situation gets worse and worse although they are well stocked with necessary things that they require to survive without venturing out and risk letting the virus in. However, things began to change as people started to use absolute power by violence and unlawful means to take control of the resident area. What happens when a medical emergency ensues? They will make decision that will seal their fates. Read on to find out.
Although this book was written before the world witnessed the uprising of a global pandemic, the story’s plot is such a stark representation of the reality. The panic, unsettling feelings, fear of getting infected, closing down of trade and establishments, the rising hysteria, all these were vividly captured by the author. During this time, trust became scant and people were left to fend for themselves as government began to abandon them as well. In this story, when the protagonists started to panic buy and hoarded essential items in the fear of scarcity, it literally felt like watching the news which showed people chasing down to stock up on products.
Definitely well-written and a five star read!
Although this book was written before the world witnessed the uprising of a global pandemic, the story’s plot is such a stark representation of the reality. The panic, unsettling feelings, fear of getting infected, closing down of trade and establishments, the rising hysteria, all these were vividly captured by the author. During this time, trust became scant and people were left to fend for themselves as government began to abandon them as well. In this story, when the protagonists started to panic buy and hoarded essential items in the fear of scarcity, it literally felt like watching the news which showed people chasing down to stock up on products.
Definitely well-written and a five star read!
April 15, 2023
If you are a normal person, looking for a great, post, apocalyptic, end of the world adventure with fun characters and creative world building… this ain’t it.
Now, personally, it doesn’t really bother me to read novels from authors whom I disagree with politically. But in this “story” (if you can call it that) there really isn’t anything other than the one dimensional, wooden headed, guns fetishizing, uniform worshiping, prepper subculture ideology. The protagonists are all one dimensional cardboard cut outs whose only function is to parrot the writer’s ideology, and the villains are all cartoonishly overwrought, gun grabbing, totalitarian “socialist” fanatics.
The earliest novel in this post apocalyptic genre that I have read is Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart (1949). The main character recovers from a long illness in an isolated cabin in the woods to discover a plague has killed off 95% of the human population on the planet. It starts off as a Robinson Crusoe type of a story, what would a single human being be able to salvage from their cultural heritage if they found themselves alone and struggling to survive in a strange New World. Gradually, the hero comes together with other people, and they all struggle to form some kind of community. The writer’s vision is broad and expansive, fueled by genuine intellectual curiosity regarding what aspects of human society would prove useful and survive, and which would be discarded. For example, reading and writing, much to the protagonist’s dismay, are completely uninteresting to the younger generation that grew up in this world, but they enthusiastically pick up the Stone Age technology of bows & arrows.
In this novel Stewart presents a moving and insightful meditation on what is essential for a human community to thrive, and what are the superfluous and destructive aspects of modern, consumerist civilization that would fall by the wayside if the industrial & technological foundations of the society were to collapse.
None of these questions would even remotely hold any interest to the author of this “Pandemic, The Beginning“ joke of a novel. There is no intellectual curiosity whatsoever here. The writer has a single minded purpose: to peddle her toxic ideology. There is no community, no solidarity, no mutual aid, no mutual support, nothing. Things that were taken for granted in any random Sesame Street episode in 1972 (like, say, it’s nice to share your cookies with the new kid in school) are not only considered naïve absurdities, but a dangerous, totalitarian virus, against which the only defense is immediate and overwhelming violence. It is hard to overstate how absurd and over-the-top the fascistic mindset of the novel is. Any random browsing of fascist literature from the 1920s, back before the Nazis were really in power, would make it obvious that this absolute contempt for weakness, solidarity, and mutual support has very deep roots in western culture. The worship of gun culture, the contempt for the weak, the hysteria over proposals of mutual solidarity and support, these are all foundational tropes of 1920s fascist literature, tracing their lineage all the way back to Nietzsche in the 19th century, and project its tendrils forward to the present day in barely literate efforts like this absurdity of a novel.
Wouldn’t even recommend it for comic relief.
Now, personally, it doesn’t really bother me to read novels from authors whom I disagree with politically. But in this “story” (if you can call it that) there really isn’t anything other than the one dimensional, wooden headed, guns fetishizing, uniform worshiping, prepper subculture ideology. The protagonists are all one dimensional cardboard cut outs whose only function is to parrot the writer’s ideology, and the villains are all cartoonishly overwrought, gun grabbing, totalitarian “socialist” fanatics.
The earliest novel in this post apocalyptic genre that I have read is Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart (1949). The main character recovers from a long illness in an isolated cabin in the woods to discover a plague has killed off 95% of the human population on the planet. It starts off as a Robinson Crusoe type of a story, what would a single human being be able to salvage from their cultural heritage if they found themselves alone and struggling to survive in a strange New World. Gradually, the hero comes together with other people, and they all struggle to form some kind of community. The writer’s vision is broad and expansive, fueled by genuine intellectual curiosity regarding what aspects of human society would prove useful and survive, and which would be discarded. For example, reading and writing, much to the protagonist’s dismay, are completely uninteresting to the younger generation that grew up in this world, but they enthusiastically pick up the Stone Age technology of bows & arrows.
In this novel Stewart presents a moving and insightful meditation on what is essential for a human community to thrive, and what are the superfluous and destructive aspects of modern, consumerist civilization that would fall by the wayside if the industrial & technological foundations of the society were to collapse.
None of these questions would even remotely hold any interest to the author of this “Pandemic, The Beginning“ joke of a novel. There is no intellectual curiosity whatsoever here. The writer has a single minded purpose: to peddle her toxic ideology. There is no community, no solidarity, no mutual aid, no mutual support, nothing. Things that were taken for granted in any random Sesame Street episode in 1972 (like, say, it’s nice to share your cookies with the new kid in school) are not only considered naïve absurdities, but a dangerous, totalitarian virus, against which the only defense is immediate and overwhelming violence. It is hard to overstate how absurd and over-the-top the fascistic mindset of the novel is. Any random browsing of fascist literature from the 1920s, back before the Nazis were really in power, would make it obvious that this absolute contempt for weakness, solidarity, and mutual support has very deep roots in western culture. The worship of gun culture, the contempt for the weak, the hysteria over proposals of mutual solidarity and support, these are all foundational tropes of 1920s fascist literature, tracing their lineage all the way back to Nietzsche in the 19th century, and project its tendrils forward to the present day in barely literate efforts like this absurdity of a novel.
Wouldn’t even recommend it for comic relief.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2021
Love this!
While I'm a sucker for the dystopia genre, I typically love magical/fantasy/other worldly elements. To be honest, other than this being a dystopian novel, I'm not sure what made me read a few pages. Whatever it was, I'm so very glad I did!!
We were raised to be practical, make wise decisions, and always be prepared. As I was reading it was as if the author had listened in on various conversations my family and I have had over the years about this very situation.
As an avid reader, this series is easy to read/follow. I started the series yesterday after and finished book #3 just now. While I am a fast reader, the brevity of the chapters and novels as a whole made this very obtainable. It also helps that I am a teacher therefore I am off for the summer and staying up way past my bedtime! I appreciate that as the perspective/narrator changes with each chapter, I do not have to relive the same events through different eyes - the story picks-up where the previous person left off. This makes reading just "one more chapter" that much more enticing!
Whatever drew me to this series, I am thankful!
While I'm a sucker for the dystopia genre, I typically love magical/fantasy/other worldly elements. To be honest, other than this being a dystopian novel, I'm not sure what made me read a few pages. Whatever it was, I'm so very glad I did!!
We were raised to be practical, make wise decisions, and always be prepared. As I was reading it was as if the author had listened in on various conversations my family and I have had over the years about this very situation.
As an avid reader, this series is easy to read/follow. I started the series yesterday after and finished book #3 just now. While I am a fast reader, the brevity of the chapters and novels as a whole made this very obtainable. It also helps that I am a teacher therefore I am off for the summer and staying up way past my bedtime! I appreciate that as the perspective/narrator changes with each chapter, I do not have to relive the same events through different eyes - the story picks-up where the previous person left off. This makes reading just "one more chapter" that much more enticing!
Whatever drew me to this series, I am thankful!
October 19, 2021
Fast Read
If you're looking for a not too heavy read, this would suffice. I did, however, notice the over use of certain words and phrases. For instance, in the back end of the story, the author seems obsessed with eyebrows shooting upwards. That phrase was used so much, I gave it one less star. I'm kind of a word grammatical nut and the over use of the same phrasing just seems like a bit of lazy writing. I will read the next one or two of the series, but if that habit persists, I won't read any more of this.
If you're looking for a not too heavy read, this would suffice. I did, however, notice the over use of certain words and phrases. For instance, in the back end of the story, the author seems obsessed with eyebrows shooting upwards. That phrase was used so much, I gave it one less star. I'm kind of a word grammatical nut and the over use of the same phrasing just seems like a bit of lazy writing. I will read the next one or two of the series, but if that habit persists, I won't read any more of this.
January 28, 2022
Simplistic writing, no character development, nothing original. And fascinating to read this patently right-wing, right-to-guns, we're the heroes, no self-reflection, no responsibility fantasy novel.
October 9, 2019
2 days in killing over canned foos with 90 % of the population :( .how about so build-up it going to take more than 2 weeks for fall this far
April 30, 2020
I thought it was ok. The writing was elementary and characters were likable enough. There was little depth to both the plot and the characters. Fast read but won't continue with the series.
March 28, 2024
The only reason I bothered with this book was because it was available as a free audiobook on YouTube. Maybe that should have told me everything I needed to know. The target audience is clearly extremely white, suburbian, American, conservative, and Republican. For everyone else, this will be the most unintentionally hilarious piece of work ever.
None of the characters act like real people. They're all stereotypes and caricatures.
Jessica doesn't act like a dental hygienist. She does not try to find out if the virus is airborne, how it spreads, if it even is a virus or a fungus that can spread through spores, or if it can spread to animals like dogs. She can't even tell whether a cut on her kid's finger will need stitches; big, manly Matt has to do it for her. Instead, Jessica is in charge of babysitting the kids (mostly the girls, of course) and making dinner, when she supposedly also works full time.
Matt does not act like a software developer. He's actually in charge of woodworking, obsessing over guns, and "pRotECtInG mUh hOMe n muH FaMiLy. 'Murica!"
The girl teen is obviously obsessed with her phone, and doesn't understand things that her younger brother does. The boy teen is hyper and obsessed with zombies and gore. So. Original.
All of them get so hilariously outraged at the idea of paying any kind of proportional tax. And we know the bad guys are bad because they kill people. No, JK that's not why. It's because they try to organize and do that horrible thing called communism. Gahhh!! The horror!!
The obvious Republican propaganda aside, the protagonists are just such horrible, selfish human beings. They hoard nearly a year’s worth of food while people starve to death next door, and they even kick a starving person out of his own home instead of sharing some food. They stay home to protect themselves from the virus, but go online shopping on Amazon. Because Amazon workers’ lives are not as important as their own, and what's a few dead delivery guys as long as they are safe and comfortable. They don't even warn their friends, neighbors, or even Jessica's mom. It's like they're trying to be the last four people alive on the planet.
Finally, the premise of the virus is not believable. It's not very contagious if Brooke can be in close contact with two sick people and still not get sick, the incubation period is one day, the symptoms are obvious enough to quarantine people immediately, it only takes one day before the infected die, and the fatality rate is 95% - the virus would wipe itself out in a few weeks.
None of the characters act like real people. They're all stereotypes and caricatures.
Jessica doesn't act like a dental hygienist. She does not try to find out if the virus is airborne, how it spreads, if it even is a virus or a fungus that can spread through spores, or if it can spread to animals like dogs. She can't even tell whether a cut on her kid's finger will need stitches; big, manly Matt has to do it for her. Instead, Jessica is in charge of babysitting the kids (mostly the girls, of course) and making dinner, when she supposedly also works full time.
Matt does not act like a software developer. He's actually in charge of woodworking, obsessing over guns, and "pRotECtInG mUh hOMe n muH FaMiLy. 'Murica!"
The girl teen is obviously obsessed with her phone, and doesn't understand things that her younger brother does. The boy teen is hyper and obsessed with zombies and gore. So. Original.
All of them get so hilariously outraged at the idea of paying any kind of proportional tax. And we know the bad guys are bad because they kill people. No, JK that's not why. It's because they try to organize and do that horrible thing called communism. Gahhh!! The horror!!
The obvious Republican propaganda aside, the protagonists are just such horrible, selfish human beings. They hoard nearly a year’s worth of food while people starve to death next door, and they even kick a starving person out of his own home instead of sharing some food. They stay home to protect themselves from the virus, but go online shopping on Amazon. Because Amazon workers’ lives are not as important as their own, and what's a few dead delivery guys as long as they are safe and comfortable. They don't even warn their friends, neighbors, or even Jessica's mom. It's like they're trying to be the last four people alive on the planet.
Finally, the premise of the virus is not believable. It's not very contagious if Brooke can be in close contact with two sick people and still not get sick, the incubation period is one day, the symptoms are obvious enough to quarantine people immediately, it only takes one day before the infected die, and the fatality rate is 95% - the virus would wipe itself out in a few weeks.
April 24, 2020
The book caught my interest because of our current pandemic with Co-Vid 19. It made me question how America would have responded - and how many more lives would have been lost - if the virus had originated here instead of halfway around the world. We were able to monitor and watch as the virus spread throughout the rest of the world before coming here, enabling us to prepare and provide a more informed response.
However, the premise of this book is based on the pandemic beginning on American soil, resulting in the collapse of the government, as well as the grid. Utilities, commerce, transportation, etc. all come to an end.
As for the telling of the story, the author lacks in many areas, and truthfully I wouldn't know where to begin.
The dialogue has no substance. Everyone speaks only enough to say what does - and more often times, doesn't - need to be said. People laugh at the unlaughable, heads are constantly nodding, and evidently this fictional pandemic has left all survivors with their eyebrows permanently raised.
The writing style is minimalistic which I appreciate, but the constant redundancy of motives being explained for the umpteenth time gets ridiculous.
The plot itself was empty and not even intriguing, but, with an imagination as vivid as mine, I skimmed over the unnecessary drivel of the author and took in the action and dialogue - though vacant of substance and highly unlikely. There were a lot of things said and done that people of certain backgrounds would never say or do, so the characters were mere shells of any potential human qualities.
I have read all four books, but the fourth I never finished because it waa beyond dissappointing. For some reason the author introduced profanity, and by the end of it all characters were bloodthirsty nitwits who suddenly became military grade combatants.
Even before the fourth book there were too many stupid things done that supposed battle-hardened men would never do, unless there were absolute morons. Like raiding a warehouse in the middle of the night, with no idea of how many armed persons were inside, or what the layout was. They literally walked in blind. . . and somehow ended up with one man dead after slaughtering a everyone inside. . . Yah, I don't think so.
And what is it with all the eyebrow rising?
However, the premise of this book is based on the pandemic beginning on American soil, resulting in the collapse of the government, as well as the grid. Utilities, commerce, transportation, etc. all come to an end.
As for the telling of the story, the author lacks in many areas, and truthfully I wouldn't know where to begin.
The dialogue has no substance. Everyone speaks only enough to say what does - and more often times, doesn't - need to be said. People laugh at the unlaughable, heads are constantly nodding, and evidently this fictional pandemic has left all survivors with their eyebrows permanently raised.
The writing style is minimalistic which I appreciate, but the constant redundancy of motives being explained for the umpteenth time gets ridiculous.
The plot itself was empty and not even intriguing, but, with an imagination as vivid as mine, I skimmed over the unnecessary drivel of the author and took in the action and dialogue - though vacant of substance and highly unlikely. There were a lot of things said and done that people of certain backgrounds would never say or do, so the characters were mere shells of any potential human qualities.
I have read all four books, but the fourth I never finished because it waa beyond dissappointing. For some reason the author introduced profanity, and by the end of it all characters were bloodthirsty nitwits who suddenly became military grade combatants.
Even before the fourth book there were too many stupid things done that supposed battle-hardened men would never do, unless there were absolute morons. Like raiding a warehouse in the middle of the night, with no idea of how many armed persons were inside, or what the layout was. They literally walked in blind. . . and somehow ended up with one man dead after slaughtering a everyone inside. . . Yah, I don't think so.
And what is it with all the eyebrow rising?
July 21, 2024
Apocalyptic books are always interesting to read. Typically zombie sets are the easiest to release because then the focus can primarily be on fighting the undead, but with this one there are no zombies.
Christine’s first book in this series focuses on the beginning of the end, and in this case it was the “bird flu” that got us all.
Weird and strange reports start to be broadcast and then your internal alarms start going off as you discuss with your family if everyone should just stay home for the next day… or 90, or should you still go to school and work?
What can sort of seem like a long lead up to the crash of civilization, once people start dying it all of a sudden happens within the blink of an eye.
One day you and your family are just living life, and the next all your neighbors are dying and reports of the virus having a “95% death rate” start being reported. So in the blink of an eye suddenly everything is gone.
Running out of gas for vehicles and generators.
Running out of food on the shelves in grocery stores.
Police and first responder times become very long to help out with even the smallest situations.
But now the TV signal is gone and news stations are no longer broadcasting because their entire team has either died or gave up and went to be with their families.
Public service providers start to drop off like flies.
No more trash pickup.
No more processed water from water companies.
No more internet…
Then cell services disappear and there is no longer service…
… and now the electricity is officially gone.
How long do you think the world would take before they started to turn on each other to survive?
Christine shows us how quickly things can go wrong when the ease of our every day life is suddenly gone. What will become of Christine’s families in the first book? Who will make it? Who will not? How long will people remain civilized before panicking and turning on each other?
This was a great lead into the rest of her series. Unfortunately, only the first book of the series is part of Kindle Unlimited so it’ll likely be awhile before I can read the rest, but this first book was a great start!
Christine’s first book in this series focuses on the beginning of the end, and in this case it was the “bird flu” that got us all.
Weird and strange reports start to be broadcast and then your internal alarms start going off as you discuss with your family if everyone should just stay home for the next day… or 90, or should you still go to school and work?
What can sort of seem like a long lead up to the crash of civilization, once people start dying it all of a sudden happens within the blink of an eye.
One day you and your family are just living life, and the next all your neighbors are dying and reports of the virus having a “95% death rate” start being reported. So in the blink of an eye suddenly everything is gone.
Running out of gas for vehicles and generators.
Running out of food on the shelves in grocery stores.
Police and first responder times become very long to help out with even the smallest situations.
But now the TV signal is gone and news stations are no longer broadcasting because their entire team has either died or gave up and went to be with their families.
Public service providers start to drop off like flies.
No more trash pickup.
No more processed water from water companies.
No more internet…
Then cell services disappear and there is no longer service…
… and now the electricity is officially gone.
How long do you think the world would take before they started to turn on each other to survive?
Christine shows us how quickly things can go wrong when the ease of our every day life is suddenly gone. What will become of Christine’s families in the first book? Who will make it? Who will not? How long will people remain civilized before panicking and turning on each other?
This was a great lead into the rest of her series. Unfortunately, only the first book of the series is part of Kindle Unlimited so it’ll likely be awhile before I can read the rest, but this first book was a great start!
December 5, 2024
95% of 8 billion is 400 000 000 in USA its population would be reduced from 335 893 238 to 16 794 661,9 and USA is hella huge. If a virus killed that many people in 2 weeks I admit there will be disaster but what this book seems to ignore is that, there will be enough space and food and resources. Stores have a lot of food available even homes of the people that died.
Like why do these type of stories ignore some of this, like they are trying to make the coolness of the apocalypse and not it's danger it seems harmless. The Dad doesn't feel like an IT guy and isn't the mother in the medical field could have easily helped her daughter with what she got instead of making her useless and creating drama for the sake of drama with the bad guys. Like the wound seems to be easy handled. I had fallen multiple times from bicycle when I was younger with huge bleeding injuries and because my ma is in the medical field she could handle these small injuries.
Also why is a lot of these stories so prepper obsessed why can't we have story of the family living paycheck to paycheck trying to take care of their family and not this family that can afford being a prepper and coincidences happen for them. Like it feels most shtf/ apocalypse books are like this
Like why do these type of stories ignore some of this, like they are trying to make the coolness of the apocalypse and not it's danger it seems harmless. The Dad doesn't feel like an IT guy and isn't the mother in the medical field could have easily helped her daughter with what she got instead of making her useless and creating drama for the sake of drama with the bad guys. Like the wound seems to be easy handled. I had fallen multiple times from bicycle when I was younger with huge bleeding injuries and because my ma is in the medical field she could handle these small injuries.
Also why is a lot of these stories so prepper obsessed why can't we have story of the family living paycheck to paycheck trying to take care of their family and not this family that can afford being a prepper and coincidences happen for them. Like it feels most shtf/ apocalypse books are like this
February 18, 2022
I discovered this book on Facebook. I was intrigued because it was written nearly a year before the ACTUAL pandemic we found ourselves in. I was curious to see how the author handled it. When I discovered I could listen to the audiobook for free on YouTube, I couldn't click Play fast enough! I was immediately drawn in.
The narrator reads at a good pace and uses inflections that help hold my attention. The characters are instantly relatable. Right from the start, the characters' thoughts and concerns about the unusual "flu" resonated with how my family and I felt at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Things moved along faster in the book than they unfolded in real life, but that kept the story moving.
I don't want to give spoilers, but after the great toilet paper debacle and empty grocery store shelves, I am somewhat surprised the situation didn't get worse in real life than it did. To be fair, it's not quite over and there's still time for this well written novel series to turn out to be prophetic!
I look forward to listening to the rest of the series!
The narrator reads at a good pace and uses inflections that help hold my attention. The characters are instantly relatable. Right from the start, the characters' thoughts and concerns about the unusual "flu" resonated with how my family and I felt at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Things moved along faster in the book than they unfolded in real life, but that kept the story moving.
I don't want to give spoilers, but after the great toilet paper debacle and empty grocery store shelves, I am somewhat surprised the situation didn't get worse in real life than it did. To be fair, it's not quite over and there's still time for this well written novel series to turn out to be prophetic!
I look forward to listening to the rest of the series!
February 11, 2021
A pandemic sweeps across the world, infecting almost everyone, killing 95% of those it infects.
In these days of Covid-19 this storyline is not fantasy or sci-fi, it's our reality. Masks, gloves and social distancing are the norm. Our world has not yet experienced total supply chain breakdown, but any of these current variants could bring us there. The societal breakdown shown in these pages could be just the next step in the history of the fall of mankind. Pray for our future on our pale blue marble.
The storyline is terrifying, too close to our truth to be just another apocalyptic series expounding the wisdom of prepping for survival. The characters are clueless, as are most of us now. They're learning as they go. Important lessons, one chance to pass the test, go all in or bust. Maybe better not to read this as a story but as a textbook. What's your future look like?
In these days of Covid-19 this storyline is not fantasy or sci-fi, it's our reality. Masks, gloves and social distancing are the norm. Our world has not yet experienced total supply chain breakdown, but any of these current variants could bring us there. The societal breakdown shown in these pages could be just the next step in the history of the fall of mankind. Pray for our future on our pale blue marble.
The storyline is terrifying, too close to our truth to be just another apocalyptic series expounding the wisdom of prepping for survival. The characters are clueless, as are most of us now. They're learning as they go. Important lessons, one chance to pass the test, go all in or bust. Maybe better not to read this as a story but as a textbook. What's your future look like?
March 1, 2022
I wanted a chance to stew over this book before reviewing it. I have to be fair to the author. She had me coming back for the second novel, even though I wasn't blown away by the first. I beleive there might be a bit of coping going on for me.. it's cathartic to read about a pandemic during a pandemic.
This book really doesn't get the pandemic right, though. The entire world collapses in this novel and well... it's 2022 and while we are still short TP at my store, it's not Lord of the Flies or anything. I've generally noticed that even in quarantine months, people didn't turn on each other and have Wild West shootouts. Maybe that is just Alaska? You'd think the Last Frontier where many people aren't gun shy would be a solid indicator..
The synopsis touts that this book was written 'well before the current pandemic,' like that is worthy of boasting. Honestly, it wasn't written all that long before the pandemic- which also hit China before the US (I feel like people also forget that even before that, coronavirus still existed too). While she got the hoarding and initial panic right, nothing else really was accurate at all. The book mostly feels like political commentary. Now don't get me wrong. Even though quite a few of her political ideals were not my own, that's not why I started getting turned off. I appreciate a good debate or presentation of another side. This book really just made a lot of 'holier than thou' statements that made me less amenable to hearing it out. It would have been way more digestible to me as a reader if the author hadn't killed off Tony and had explored the idea of socialism within the people who volunteered to pool food at the meeting.. rather than just a sudden overthrow and influx of communism (which is NOT SOCIALISM for whatever it's worth). I think the biggest moral question I have to pose back to this book is this. How many people didn't know or were blindsided or worked paycheck to paycheck and couldn't stockpile food to prepare? Something that definitely bothered me was the entire 'well we planned and you were irresponsible' attitude at the meeting where food pooling was discussed. And why the Black and White thinking? Why did it have to be either a communist society or a society where everybody was protecting their own skin? That's the distinct difference in my opinion between this work of fiction and the current pandemic's reality. At least where I reside, people have still retained enough decency to help their neighbors rather than judge or play the hand of God and decide when they hand over their food to a person in need. There also really was never any forcing of food as payment for medical attention. That's just... bizarre?
But hey, as I said at the start- I think I needed a rather crappy pandemic book. I wanted to like the series, so I went on to the sequel. Big. Mistake. That book was utter trash. So I give this one three stars, each filled every last 'meh' and eyeroll this book produced. If I have to hear 'eyebrows shot up' or 'he nodded' or 'jaws clenched' anymore, I swear I may pop a vein in my temple. Seriously, does this author not have access to a thesaurus? Stay tuned for my review of the second one, which whole heartedly sunk the series for me.
This book really doesn't get the pandemic right, though. The entire world collapses in this novel and well... it's 2022 and while we are still short TP at my store, it's not Lord of the Flies or anything. I've generally noticed that even in quarantine months, people didn't turn on each other and have Wild West shootouts. Maybe that is just Alaska? You'd think the Last Frontier where many people aren't gun shy would be a solid indicator..
The synopsis touts that this book was written 'well before the current pandemic,' like that is worthy of boasting. Honestly, it wasn't written all that long before the pandemic- which also hit China before the US (I feel like people also forget that even before that, coronavirus still existed too). While she got the hoarding and initial panic right, nothing else really was accurate at all. The book mostly feels like political commentary. Now don't get me wrong. Even though quite a few of her political ideals were not my own, that's not why I started getting turned off. I appreciate a good debate or presentation of another side. This book really just made a lot of 'holier than thou' statements that made me less amenable to hearing it out. It would have been way more digestible to me as a reader if the author hadn't killed off Tony and had explored the idea of socialism within the people who volunteered to pool food at the meeting.. rather than just a sudden overthrow and influx of communism (which is NOT SOCIALISM for whatever it's worth). I think the biggest moral question I have to pose back to this book is this. How many people didn't know or were blindsided or worked paycheck to paycheck and couldn't stockpile food to prepare? Something that definitely bothered me was the entire 'well we planned and you were irresponsible' attitude at the meeting where food pooling was discussed. And why the Black and White thinking? Why did it have to be either a communist society or a society where everybody was protecting their own skin? That's the distinct difference in my opinion between this work of fiction and the current pandemic's reality. At least where I reside, people have still retained enough decency to help their neighbors rather than judge or play the hand of God and decide when they hand over their food to a person in need. There also really was never any forcing of food as payment for medical attention. That's just... bizarre?
But hey, as I said at the start- I think I needed a rather crappy pandemic book. I wanted to like the series, so I went on to the sequel. Big. Mistake. That book was utter trash. So I give this one three stars, each filled every last 'meh' and eyeroll this book produced. If I have to hear 'eyebrows shot up' or 'he nodded' or 'jaws clenched' anymore, I swear I may pop a vein in my temple. Seriously, does this author not have access to a thesaurus? Stay tuned for my review of the second one, which whole heartedly sunk the series for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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