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After It Happened #9

by Devon C. Ford

Safety is an illusion. Security is only a fleeting sense. Peace is a myth. Steve and the other survivors in the UK have rebuilt and healed after the brutal end to the reign of Richards. But removing a dictator was only the beginning… Years after a mistake of compassion and humanity, an enemy thought long gone returns to bring down a rain of violence and terror the likes of which they have never seen before. Their society, a peaceful one of trade and co-operation, has moved on from the bloody aftermath of the collapse, but that evolution blunts their teeth to be able to combat the new threat. The call to return to the rainy shores of England is strong for Dan and his fearless accomplices, so they return home to do what they do bring justice to a lawless world.

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 27, 2020

About the author

Devon is from the UK, having lived in many places until finally settling in the Midlands. His career in public services started in his teens and has provided a wealth of experiences, both good and some very bad, which form the basis of the book ideas that cause regular insomnia.

He first started reading for fun as an adult, having tried his hardest to avoid anything resembling academia growing up, and at that point the world became a far bigger place. He has been reading, at least one book at a time, ever since.

His debut works, the After It Happened series, (Survival, Humanity, Society) were published in April 2016 followed by Hope (July 2016) and Sanctuary (December 2016). The first part of the series concluded with the release of Rebellion which was published in June 2017.

Storming high into the charts with the first books of the After It Happened series, Devon launched into the top 10 sellers listings in the UK, Australia, Canada and the US, and he made the decision to write full time shortly after the launch of Hope.

Devon’s self-published beginnings caused a stir in the publishing world, and resulted in contracts with Podium Publishing for Audible, narrated by R.C. Bray (The Martian, Expeditionary Force, Arisen), before a publishing deal for kindle and paperbacks with Vulpine Press.

Further works have seen the start of a multi-author series, sci-fi/post-apocalyptic cross genre, futuristic dystopian and alternative history zombie apocalypse. Spin-off books from the After It Happened world have been announced for 2018.

Reviews

[Jo Fountain]

Devon Ford has such an amazing writing style and builds his characters so well that you actually know and love them like family. You feel their pain, fear, sorrow and joy and know their individual personalities so well you practically know how they will react to certain things. You also miss them when waiting for the next installment! The first books are a little close to home right now, with a pandemic wiping out 95% of mankind. But this makes the apocalyptic world that he's created more believable than the usual 'end of the world' fiction. The first 6 books follow on from each other seamlessly but then 7 & 8 are told from a different characters perspective and this one is a bit of a time jump but also going back to old and missed characters. So hard to not give spoilers but trust me just read the whole lot from 1 through to 9 and go on an epic journey. You will rant, rage, cry and laugh out loud an awful lot but most of all you will definitely not be disappointed!!

[Luke]

Characters made stupid decisions that no person with more than 2 brain cells would have made, purely for there to be an antagonist in the book with zero likeability, growth, or any reasoning behind him other then being a psychopath.

The antagonists could have been interesting, given them a reason for attacking Steve and others aside from being bloodthirsty, which would make you identify with them and understand why they are doing it, maybe they are fleeing from worse people to the west, maybe they think they are doing it for the greater good, maybe they want revenge because they were wronged from the group when Richard was in charge, but unfortunately no, they are just savages being savages.

[Emz]

Yet again, we see Dan and Ash confronting the despicable and depraved side of humanity. Their compassion, which they extended to others, comes back to haunt the community. Dan embarks on a pilgrimage back to Blighty with his most trusted companions to lend a helping hand. Utilizing his particular skill-set, he manages to quell the attackers.

As our main characters grow older and wearier, battle fatigue sets in. It may be time to step aside and make way for the next generation.

[John Cheeseman]

Absolutely fantastic story, dialogue, action, humour, horror. Loads of suspense and "how are they going to get out of this" moments.
Devon C Ford really knows how to write realistic interesting humorous dialogue, he knows his film and TV and he definitely knows his military trivia. He must have quite a twisted mind to come up with the villains in his books but he never lets them win no matter how it might seem.

[Jay Ward]

The uphill climb is difficult

What lies in a man's soul that propels them forward even when he feels broken mentally & physically. Often it is friends & family that strengths the soul for one to keep fighting, to keep climbing, & to keep hope alive even in the darkest night when all seems lost forever.

[Lana Mccall]

Entertaining

I was pleased to find this novel after I finished reading Piracy. I wondered how the people from back home were getting along and especially Steve. It filled in some much needed information to help end the storyline.

This is is a wonderful series with ups and downs for characters just trying to survive.

[Dawn'sReading ComeBackLater]

Love the series

This episode has given us more closure to the original story. My only complaint was the length of time from the start of the book to bringing the Sanctuary group into the story. There was a bit of disjointed time jumping but all was blended in as we and Dan get reacquainted with the Steves group. Thank you Mr. Ford, for this conclusion.

[Ronald G]

Plenty of action and emotional thrills

Nice job of tying things together. Really satisfying how the word pictures fire up your imagination. I personally appreciate the moral standards brought in contrast through the struggle of good versus evil. This was very satisfying for a war vet like myself. Great story, Ford!

[Ann Perrone]

A satisfying tale that brings Dan's world in the South of France back to Steve's remaining conclave back in Britain for a mutual aid adventure. RC Bray's amazing repertoire of accents kept the characters (and Neil's mimicry) untangled in my mind. Don't read this book... LISTEN to it!

[Doris Lord]

Great read

I have read the full series and I loved following the lives of the characters involved. I can imagine that this is what life would be like if an event like this did happened. Found it hard to put the books down.

[Corinne Marshall]

This was a really great series and Home finished it off nicely. Old friends reunite to rid a community of another dangerous and cruel foe. Thrilling from the start to the end. A must read.

[Lee Reed]

Best in the series IMHO

I laughed so much thru this episode ....Great series, great story. Highly recommend this series. I enjoyed it very much!

[Mrs A. J. Turbfield]

A Fitting End

what a superb ending to this excellent well written series. It has been an absolute reading pleasure. Such a lovely journey.
From start to finish

[aprilla]

Finished the series, really enjoyed it except for the change of narrator in books 7 & 8. I understand why but it nearly put me off the whole series.

[Jenn]

I definitely didn't want this series to end.

[Audrey Shull]

DNF. It turns out Steve is not one of the characters in this series that i really cared about, and the book is starting too slow for me to keep going and find out.

[Marney]

The writing is often awkward and the characters a bit caricature-ish. Too much unnecessary gore and sadism in this one for me.

[R.S.]

Another great book in the series. Ford hasn't let me down yet. Lots of edge of your seat chaos. Violent... but I love it!!! The very end almost ruined me. Almost.

[Deborah James]

Excellent ending to an absolutely fabulous series!! I look forward to reading more novels by Devon C Ford.

[Jim Earlie]

Excellent series. The best author of this type of fiction I have read on Kindle

[Rose Diaz]

Loved the entire series; laughed & cried several times. Dan , Neil, Leah, Ash & all the characters helped move the stories along. Devon Ford knows how yo keep the reader entertained.

[Steve Pearce]

Just brilliant

Well what can I say, a well written and nail biting series.
I have really enjoyed this from start to finish.

Thank you Mr Ford

[Frances]

Nice to have an update on what happen to the gang left in the UK …good final book in this series