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Minus America #1
Minus America
What would the world be like without America?
The attack only takes a few minutes to sweep from coast to coast. When it ends, nearly everyone on mainland USA is gone.
Every policeman. Every housewife. Every trucker. Everyone.
A continent free for the taking…
Ted MacInnis is a backup pilot on Air Force Two, over the Atlantic, when it happens. A warrior by nature, he can do little but listen as the radio signals from his homeland fade away and die.
However, one last call with his niece convinces him the attack left some behind. She might have survived, and he makes it his mission to find out. Unfortunately, his first priority is protecting his VIP passenger: Vice President Emily Williams. The woman who might already be the leader of America's survivors.
For some, the counterattack will be violently executed with firepower. For others, surviving in empty cities without adult supervision will be challenging enough. Ted, and warriors like him, will soon be part of the most desperate fight America has ever seen. This is DAY ONE.
If you enjoy a mixture of apocalyptic exploration, a little pew-pew, and long-odds rebellion against an unseen enemy, check out Minus America, the first action-packed survival adventure in the Minus America series. Book 2, Empty Cities, is available for pre-order. Book 3, Rebel Cause, and book 4, Two Wolves and a Sheep, will release soon.
443 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2019
707 people are currently reading
308 people want to read
About the author
E.E. Isherwood
71 books140 followersE.E. Isherwood has been a storyteller for over 30 years. Initially the muse took the form of childish comic strips. As a teen it manifested itself under the guise of Dungeons and Dragons adventures. In college it culminated with a Master's thesis on Missouri geography—an extremely boring kind of story. Three decades and several careers later he realized that siren song never stopped, so he began to author books. A life-long enthusiast of apocalyptic fiction, writing about zombies was his passion. Future titles in science fiction and fantasy are in the hopper. He lives in the St. Louis, Missouri area, where his series of zombie books takes place.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
November 30, 2019
Okay, So I’m Hooked
Post Apo novels need interesting characters and situations to live, but they need a mystery to breath. I love this particular cast of characters and I’m scratching my head about what causes this particular disaster. I will read on because of the slow unfolding and my deep desire to see how this all turns out in the end, but I won’t really want it to end.
Post Apo novels need interesting characters and situations to live, but they need a mystery to breath. I love this particular cast of characters and I’m scratching my head about what causes this particular disaster. I will read on because of the slow unfolding and my deep desire to see how this all turns out in the end, but I won’t really want it to end.
January 2, 2023
It's an interesting idea, but the writing seems a little artificial, the dialog clichéd or forced. I'm curious where the story will go, and what has actually happened to so many people, so I probably will read the second book of the series, but it's not high on my list.
October 29, 2019
Interesting
A little it choppy skipping from one group to another but well written and not difficult to follow. My main question is why and how the rapture?
A little it choppy skipping from one group to another but well written and not difficult to follow. My main question is why and how the rapture?
January 24, 2020
It's such a far fetched thing to happen, but man it's freaky as heck! I'm liking this story so far.
February 23, 2020
Strong characters, the most powerful weapon I've ever read about ... but something's missing.
One thing that's missing is humans. Gone. Poof. The other missing piece for me is that I found it dragging at times. I actually almost gave it my first 3 star review (with my gut clenching over it). Something magical happened at the end. The very end, the authors notes . I made a new friend ! I immediately felt like I had met someone I could sit with in rocking chairs on the front porch of the ranch house and shoot the breeze. Once I spent some time in Mr Ishersoods head everything seemed to come together for me and poof, another star appeared in the review and I look forward to his next book.
One thing that's missing is humans. Gone. Poof. The other missing piece for me is that I found it dragging at times. I actually almost gave it my first 3 star review (with my gut clenching over it). Something magical happened at the end. The very end, the authors notes . I made a new friend ! I immediately felt like I had met someone I could sit with in rocking chairs on the front porch of the ranch house and shoot the breeze. Once I spent some time in Mr Ishersoods head everything seemed to come together for me and poof, another star appeared in the review and I look forward to his next book.
July 18, 2020
Better than expected by far!!
My experience with post apocalyptic fiction varies considerably. From the gritty weapons-death-action excesses of Axler's Deathlands and Outlanders (yes I know he's.not real) to Stephen King's The Stand they all represent varying perspectives and degrees of realism.
This book was, definitely, better than expected. It nearly travels along a breakneck speed, dropping hint and clues, building characters and situations well.
That it ended quickly was initially annoying - but it led me to definitely download the next instalment. Being it on!!
My experience with post apocalyptic fiction varies considerably. From the gritty weapons-death-action excesses of Axler's Deathlands and Outlanders (yes I know he's.not real) to Stephen King's The Stand they all represent varying perspectives and degrees of realism.
This book was, definitely, better than expected. It nearly travels along a breakneck speed, dropping hint and clues, building characters and situations well.
That it ended quickly was initially annoying - but it led me to definitely download the next instalment. Being it on!!
October 4, 2021
Wow!
This book just grabs you and won’t let go. Mystery, life and death situations, TEOTWAWKI! You just keep asking yourself what happened? The pages turn themselves. —-Where’s book #2?
This book just grabs you and won’t let go. Mystery, life and death situations, TEOTWAWKI! You just keep asking yourself what happened? The pages turn themselves. —-Where’s book #2?
November 17, 2019
JFK WOULD BE PROUD
I enjoyed reading this story, it's well written and edited. I'm Navy, so any books about swabbies gets my juices flowing. I'm hoping in the next installment (we) the readers find out how a corrections officer, prisoners, a nun and 4 teens manage to survive, come together and meet up with- the pilot, geek programmer and the VPOTUS. It'll be interesting and that's what counts. I'm also thrilled that the story line isn't typical apoc- where disasters is from EMP's or zombie viruses wiping out the population, it's a new take on a highly prolific subject in a increasingly high volume market. I'm curious.....very curious.
I enjoyed reading this story, it's well written and edited. I'm Navy, so any books about swabbies gets my juices flowing. I'm hoping in the next installment (we) the readers find out how a corrections officer, prisoners, a nun and 4 teens manage to survive, come together and meet up with- the pilot, geek programmer and the VPOTUS. It'll be interesting and that's what counts. I'm also thrilled that the story line isn't typical apoc- where disasters is from EMP's or zombie viruses wiping out the population, it's a new take on a highly prolific subject in a increasingly high volume market. I'm curious.....very curious.
January 19, 2020
Love it!
A very different spin on an Apocalypse story. A weapon has wiped out Americans except those who happened to be in protected areas such as basements, others in a cave designated for dive exploring, a prison for non-violent offenders (thank you! Having violent offenders would have distracted from the story I think)
The weapon has made people disappear but the clothing remains! 4 groups of survivors-maybe 15 people in all-try to figure out what the heck is going on and each survivor is tested to the limit to try to be strong and figure out who the enemy is while wondering if the people who vanished are still alive? The sight of clothing on sidewalks, in buildings, in cars with no bodies would really creep me out!
It’s a fast paced book with a sequel! Can’t wait to read the next chapters !
I recommend this book to anyone who needs a good read.
A very different spin on an Apocalypse story. A weapon has wiped out Americans except those who happened to be in protected areas such as basements, others in a cave designated for dive exploring, a prison for non-violent offenders (thank you! Having violent offenders would have distracted from the story I think)
The weapon has made people disappear but the clothing remains! 4 groups of survivors-maybe 15 people in all-try to figure out what the heck is going on and each survivor is tested to the limit to try to be strong and figure out who the enemy is while wondering if the people who vanished are still alive? The sight of clothing on sidewalks, in buildings, in cars with no bodies would really creep me out!
It’s a fast paced book with a sequel! Can’t wait to read the next chapters !
I recommend this book to anyone who needs a good read.
April 11, 2020
Well written story about the complete destruction of the United States by some group. The author covers 4 or 5 different groups and I found myself uninterested in most of them and so I would just skip those sections of the story. Sometimes too many points of view/too many storylines doesn't add to the experience it just fills in the pages with characters that I don't want to read about and ruins things. I won't read anything more in the series because I don't want to spend time skipping over three quarters of the book.
November 23, 2024
Too many stories
I liked the concept of this book, but there were too many stories happening at once. Each chapter dealt with a different POV, so it was constantly changing. Two POV I could handle, but each time I became interested in that story, it switched to Kyla or Ted or Tabby, so I could not get a good flow going. It distracted me, and although I liked the concept, I won't be reading the series. I enjoy immersing myself in a book, and this did not happen for me due to the constant changes of POV.
I liked the concept of this book, but there were too many stories happening at once. Each chapter dealt with a different POV, so it was constantly changing. Two POV I could handle, but each time I became interested in that story, it switched to Kyla or Ted or Tabby, so I could not get a good flow going. It distracted me, and although I liked the concept, I won't be reading the series. I enjoy immersing myself in a book, and this did not happen for me due to the constant changes of POV.
January 13, 2021
Where did everybody go?
The apocalypse according to author Isherwood only targets the American mainland. And only the people are gone. Dead? Who knows. They all disappeared, leaving clothing, shoes, keys, etc. in tidy little heaps on floors and furniture. Isherwood focuses on a few survivors - who spend this first installment of the story... surviving. The set up is good, and I’m gonna go for the sequel, but I’m not a fan of cliffhangers, so three stars.
The apocalypse according to author Isherwood only targets the American mainland. And only the people are gone. Dead? Who knows. They all disappeared, leaving clothing, shoes, keys, etc. in tidy little heaps on floors and furniture. Isherwood focuses on a few survivors - who spend this first installment of the story... surviving. The set up is good, and I’m gonna go for the sequel, but I’m not a fan of cliffhangers, so three stars.
November 30, 2019
Not the best
Amazon selected this book for me. I appreciate the author's intention, but found the premise unknown.... Is it a bible prophecy of the rapture? New military weapons? Spoiler alert, you get to the end and still don't know. Not engaging enough to read the next in the series.
Amazon selected this book for me. I appreciate the author's intention, but found the premise unknown.... Is it a bible prophecy of the rapture? New military weapons? Spoiler alert, you get to the end and still don't know. Not engaging enough to read the next in the series.
December 4, 2023
An interesting premise, people disappearing leaving piles of clothes behind. Weak execution and odd choice of characters, including a young nun who had taken a vow of silence and felt that maybe god was punishing her for not saying grace before dinner, really! Didn't hit the mark for me, I did finish but won't continue the series.
October 4, 2019
Not worth my time
Catholics don't believe in the so called rapture. No connection at all to the characters- did not care if any lived or died
Catholics don't believe in the so called rapture. No connection at all to the characters- did not care if any lived or died
January 27, 2020
I liked it, it was entertaining.
The characters are likeable and I am intrigued where it leads.
The characters are likeable and I am intrigued where it leads.
October 22, 2021
This book was effing terrible.
February 18, 2021
5/10: Finished the book and it was about average for me.
“No one should need rescuing. Not even women. Learn to take care of yourself.”
“No one should need rescuing. Not even women. Learn to take care of yourself.”
March 28, 2021
Som mest okej. Inte så välskriven direkt, men ganska originell premiss
June 3, 2021
Crap Probably ok for younger readers, but way too simple for me.
August 3, 2021
A different take on the whole end of America "EMP" scenario, I like it but it didn't stand out. Some great characters that I unfortunately think we be dragged on in the next few books/
September 16, 2021
Tough to rate. I read it. It was interesting. Don't particularly care if I read the next book.
March 25, 2024
Interesting beginning.
May 24, 2025
“Minus America” is one of those books that makes you think: great pitch, shame about the script. People across the country just vanish, right out of their clothes, leaving behind neat little piles like they’ve been raptured by someone with OCD and a folding fetish. Fantastic premise. Existentially spooky. Rich with possibility. Sadly, what follows is, well, "meh".
The writing is… enthusiastic. Which is to say, every character speaks in either military clichés, Hallmark card dialogue or the kind of stilted “real talk” that sounds like it was beta-tested on a chatbot. You know that feeling when someone uses the phrase “let’s circle back” in casual conversation and you want to chew your own fist? Imagine that, but in narrative form.
We’re force-marched through a rotating cast of characters, each chapter yanking us into someone else’s vaguely sketched personal apocalypse. But instead of layering tension or giving us multiple lenses on a shared catastrophe, it just feels like narrative speed-dating. No one has time to become a person before they’re shunted aside by the next exposition dump. It’s plot by PowerPoint.
Special mention goes to the young nun who’s taken a vow of silence and is convinced God might be smiting humanity because she forgot to say grace before lunch. I mean. That’s the sort of character beat that might land in a surrealist black comedy or an especially heavy-handed parable. Here, it’s played dead straight, and the result is less poignant meditation, more “Is this a bit?”
There’s also a relentless undercurrent of military fetishism and USA-is-the-centre-of-the-universe bluster that’s both exhausting and oddly toothless. It’s like the book is saluting while tripping over its own plot. The chain of command is so revered you half expect the characters to start pledging allegiance mid-dialogue. All that reverence, and yet the actual events unfolding seem to actively undermine the usefulness of any hierarchy at all. It’s patriotic nonsense without the courage to follow through.
Now, to be fair, the basic idea – mass vanishing, unexplained, eerie – is still strong. The premise alone got me in the door. But the execution never stops feeling like a first draft with a deadline and a patriotic spreadsheet. The dialogue is stiff, the characters are paper-thin, and by the end, there’s neither resolution nor reason to care.
Is it the worst thing I’ve ever read? No. It’s competent in the way a local news broadcast is competent. Functional, but devoid of spark. I closed the final page and felt nothing but the quiet relief of a finished chore. I won’t be picking up book two. I’ve been punished enough.
The writing is… enthusiastic. Which is to say, every character speaks in either military clichés, Hallmark card dialogue or the kind of stilted “real talk” that sounds like it was beta-tested on a chatbot. You know that feeling when someone uses the phrase “let’s circle back” in casual conversation and you want to chew your own fist? Imagine that, but in narrative form.
We’re force-marched through a rotating cast of characters, each chapter yanking us into someone else’s vaguely sketched personal apocalypse. But instead of layering tension or giving us multiple lenses on a shared catastrophe, it just feels like narrative speed-dating. No one has time to become a person before they’re shunted aside by the next exposition dump. It’s plot by PowerPoint.
Special mention goes to the young nun who’s taken a vow of silence and is convinced God might be smiting humanity because she forgot to say grace before lunch. I mean. That’s the sort of character beat that might land in a surrealist black comedy or an especially heavy-handed parable. Here, it’s played dead straight, and the result is less poignant meditation, more “Is this a bit?”
There’s also a relentless undercurrent of military fetishism and USA-is-the-centre-of-the-universe bluster that’s both exhausting and oddly toothless. It’s like the book is saluting while tripping over its own plot. The chain of command is so revered you half expect the characters to start pledging allegiance mid-dialogue. All that reverence, and yet the actual events unfolding seem to actively undermine the usefulness of any hierarchy at all. It’s patriotic nonsense without the courage to follow through.
Now, to be fair, the basic idea – mass vanishing, unexplained, eerie – is still strong. The premise alone got me in the door. But the execution never stops feeling like a first draft with a deadline and a patriotic spreadsheet. The dialogue is stiff, the characters are paper-thin, and by the end, there’s neither resolution nor reason to care.
Is it the worst thing I’ve ever read? No. It’s competent in the way a local news broadcast is competent. Functional, but devoid of spark. I closed the final page and felt nothing but the quiet relief of a finished chore. I won’t be picking up book two. I’ve been punished enough.
March 9, 2022
Minus America gets right to it in the first chapter with the "wave" as it goes through America, it starts out in San Francisco and by the time it on the news on the East Coast people have already disappeared from the Mid West, there is no time to prepare or hide, mainly because no-one knows what to hide from! Only the survivors figure it out as they begin meeting up with one another. This story goes from group to group in different parts of the country, they all have the same survival story but they are all different people with different reactions, with one goal....to stay alive. The Vice President is returning to Washington DC, not too far out from Andrews AFB, on United States Number 2 plane when one of her own Secret Security Guards tries to assinanate her, he's interrupted by one of the pilots who is riding dead head that day, this sets up a distrust of the rest of the people surrounding her. No spoilers here, but it is a wild ride throughout the book. I've just started the second in this series and it looks to be even better, it has everything, scary of the unknown, fear that can be so creepy, kindness, trust and some will even find romance..... The book is fun entertainment.
It's not Tolstoy but it is fun!
It's not Tolstoy but it is fun!
November 3, 2024
America is attacked, and millions of people within our borders have disappeared, leaving behind dust-covered clothes everywhere...a la the movie NIGHT OF THE COMET. Enemy soldiers are dressed as Marines and spare nobody if they are discovered.
The story follows five different groups of survivors who experience the first day of the apocalypse. Strong female leads are present within the groups, and readers cheer them on. None come together in their quest to find sanctuary.
I'm disappointed that the story only covers about four hours, and no discoveries are made about what caused the disappearances or are behind the attacks. Some think Aliens are behind it all. However, in the end of this story, nobody has a clue as to what happened. There are five books in this series, and it's clear from the reviews that many readers are disappointed with how this first book ended. I would have hoped for more without purchasing the entire series to discover what happened.
The story follows five different groups of survivors who experience the first day of the apocalypse. Strong female leads are present within the groups, and readers cheer them on. None come together in their quest to find sanctuary.
I'm disappointed that the story only covers about four hours, and no discoveries are made about what caused the disappearances or are behind the attacks. Some think Aliens are behind it all. However, in the end of this story, nobody has a clue as to what happened. There are five books in this series, and it's clear from the reviews that many readers are disappointed with how this first book ended. I would have hoped for more without purchasing the entire series to discover what happened.
July 3, 2021
Erased
ThIs KU library selection is the series opener for a post-apocalyptic survival thriller. The mc's include a pilot aboard AF 2; his niece, a programmer aboard an aircraft carrier; a tour guide in a Missouri cave; a prison guard in Amarillo TX; and Sister Rose, who has taken a vow of silence. They are all underground or in the air when the population of the US goes missing, leaving their clothing and what they were carrying behind. As the story spins, some of the survivors realize the country is under attack. But who has the capability to depopulate nation in an instant?
ThIs KU library selection is the series opener for a post-apocalyptic survival thriller. The mc's include a pilot aboard AF 2; his niece, a programmer aboard an aircraft carrier; a tour guide in a Missouri cave; a prison guard in Amarillo TX; and Sister Rose, who has taken a vow of silence. They are all underground or in the air when the population of the US goes missing, leaving their clothing and what they were carrying behind. As the story spins, some of the survivors realize the country is under attack. But who has the capability to depopulate nation in an instant?
May 5, 2024
This is not the best book that I have listened to in this genre however saying that it captures you in and I need to know more, like why and what. ( I am binge listening and on book 2 and still don't know)
I did get confused with the different locations as the chapters (on audio version) gave no indication so you could be listening to Rose in the convent and then back onto the ship so having to take a minute to get back into the story. That is my main criticism.
There is a good choice of characters and not everyone is what you expect.
This is an audio plus book so again works really well.
The narration for me worked well.
I did get confused with the different locations as the chapters (on audio version) gave no indication so you could be listening to Rose in the convent and then back onto the ship so having to take a minute to get back into the story. That is my main criticism.
There is a good choice of characters and not everyone is what you expect.
This is an audio plus book so again works really well.
The narration for me worked well.
January 12, 2020
Great Read
I really enjoyed this book. It was a refreshing take on an apocalyptic story. The story moved at a great pace and I especially enjoyed the sub-stories within the main plot. I sincerely hope the series continues. It would be a shame to be denied an ending to such an interesting story.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a refreshing take on an apocalyptic story. The story moved at a great pace and I especially enjoyed the sub-stories within the main plot. I sincerely hope the series continues. It would be a shame to be denied an ending to such an interesting story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews