Having reached his kids in Maryland, Ben is faced with the challenge of crossing the country once more and getting everyone safely home to Colorado.
The struggle to survive is the only constant in their otherwise unpredictable lives. With each passing day, Ben becomes increasingly cynical about the state of mankind and worries that the children will grow up to feel the same.
Remaining vigilant is no guarantee that they will avoid problems on the journey back. Even when things seem safe, danger and evil lurk in the shadows. Letting their guard down means inviting trouble.
Ben knows that the protection he provides for his children has limits and in the end, they must learn to fight for themselves if they are to make it home. But the hardest lesson comes when Ben’s two youngest, Bradley and Emma, discover that things are not always what they seem on the road.
First, there are quite a few errors in grammar and word usage. There is also a brief right-wing rant about the freeloaders of society before the event . I have generally like Ben and his group, but these books are incredibly short and this one seems to have been predominantly about a lot of personal introspection for Ben and Joel and revisiting a lot of the past occurrences. It became repetitive and rather boring. If you are going to write such very, very short books, please don't rehash the previous ones. There is only a few bits of action, though that that leads us to a cliff-hanger is substantial. By the way, the Delaware is the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi and the Ohio and St Lawrence are #2 and 3 in discharge. The Susquehanna is the largest river on the east coast that flows into the Chesapeake and is #22 in discharge.
....Kind of disappointed in this book. First 90% of it, it was like a family vacation across America. Then the last 10% it really got interesting but now we have to wait for the next book. This book was made longer by repeating a lot of things and a lot of talk about how far they want to get during the day!!!! The entire series has been 5 Star except for this book. Not sure if I'm willing to risk purchasing the next book or not, or even another book from this author!!!!!!
Knew things were going too well for them. And I had a feeling something was gonna happen one they went down that road. Intrigued to see how they get themselves out of this situation.
But really, a fantastic read. Can’t wait for more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Like this series a little more than the cloverdale but again a very easy read, not really eloquent and can do a lot of skimming but the story is a good one and interesting to follow. In this particular one, Ben and son Joel, along with friend Allie and her mom Sandy, dog Gunner have reached maryland to get bens kids brad and emma who had been staying with their grandpa Jack. He died in an earlier addition and they are now all on their way back to Colorado. Don't believe that Ben would have fallen for this most recent deception and now find themselves kidnapped and plotting to escape.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Book six was bad enough. That one was pretty much a whole book about the family hanging out at their grandfather's house and then I read this one and now I'm just done. I get a whole book of nothing, and then in the last few pages something finally happens and then it doesn't get resolved. Really. I get a cliffhanger after reading a book about them driving cross country. Done. Done. Done.
I usually love your books Bruno, but I was disappointed with this one. There really wasn't much of a story to it. They left Jack's and they got caught by bandits. The end. Maybe the next one will be better. I hope so.
First things first, the author’s politics SUCK. He thinks people vote on candidates that will give them money so that they don’t need to work? Clearly he doesn’t understand a damn thing about social issues. Then he also mentioned how it was a lot easier to kill people in foreign places because they “looked the part” of villains. Yikes.
Then, nothing interesting happened in this book. They fell for a stupid trap that was extremely obvious. And that was it.
Extremely disappointing and I’m still unsure if I want to read the best based on what Bruno Miller seems to think about people.
When lives are on the line, you can't let your guard down.
Things to know: There is some violence. Each book builds upon the previous one, as this is the seventh book, I recommend reading them all in order.
The experiences that Ben and his family/friends have had in the past may not prepare them for what lies in store for them. Will they be able to adapt and overcome?
Each of the books in the series have been fraught with dangers but what happens in this one caught me by surprise and kept me turning virtual pages.
The narrative is fading. It's been possible so far to overlook the mistakes (two ducks in one book, referenced as three in the next; bad fuel pump in one, bad alternator referenced in the next) but the return trip is really struggling for new material. Super lengthy descriptions, pointless detail, page after page of internal rumination. Then the book ends with a ham fisted trope (after making stupid mistakes they characters would have never made except for plot armor).
Note to Self: do not continue. Got 25% into next and couldn't get into it anymore
I just finished book 7. The storyline is okay, but this series is dragging on too much for me. I did truly enjoy the first 4 books, but, for whatever reason, I have zero interest in Ben and Sandy becoming a couple, or his son and her daughter being a couple.
The biggest problem for me is that I am not invested emotionally, in any of these characters, and after 7 books, I don't think I want to know anymore.
After laying Jack to rest, Ben and the group begin their journey back to Colorado. The trip is relatively uneventful in terms of human conflict, but they encounter unsettling signs that animals have been uniquely affected, with both a bear and a deer showing rabid-like symptoms. The book closes with the group falling into a trap and being ambushed by backcountry moonshiners, who imprison them inside a shipping container.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
My only complaint is that they are so short. Especially with the wait between books. I really do like the characters though and everything has been pretty realistic so far. Looking forward to the next one but hope he can expand just a bit more so that we can at least keep the momentum. I’ll go check out his other series while I wait.
Well… The story moves on. Sometimes I think the author spends a lot of time, making sure things lineup, which isn’t a bad thing, but it should be in the background instead of the foreground of the writing. But who am I to critique when I’ve never put in the effort to sit down and write anything. I would’ve given it 3 1/2 stars… Rounding it up for… Cause I feel like it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a very short book and not much happened, the 6 of them are on the road home, they keep noticing the animals are acting funny even though it’s only been 2 weeks since the EMP’s.
The writing in these books are pretty simple and best case scenario.
In the end of this book their luck runs out when they fall for a trap and now they are being held captive.
Wow! This series is amazing! There are so many things going on. Ben is trying to get his family back home to Colorado and they keep encountering roadblocks. There are animals acting strange and evil people luring innocents into traps. There are animals way it ends though, I wonder how they’ll get out of their situation this time.
Love this series. Will the family escape this trap and continue their way home? The US has been mostly destroyed due to nuclear weapons and a man struggled to get his children home.
Ben, his children along with friend Sandy and her daughter are on their way back across the country are the has been attacked and this is a journal as they travel. The exciting part is the end of the book. I hate cliffhangers.
Yes it ends in a cliffhanger, but if you're to book 7 in the series you know that happens a lot. Even though there's a cliffhanger it's an excellent installment in the series. And I'm very curious about the crazy animals and their colorful mouth liquids.
An amazing addition to the series! Loved it. I'm thrilled that Ben, Joel and the others are finally on the way home to Colorado. Brilliant writing again , I am looking forward to the next book. Will they mAke it out of this situation. I need more
I would recommend the book to all my friends. The head of the family is a strong man that would do anything to get his family back to Colorado and safety. Enjoyed every part of the story and looking forward to the next book!
An interesting book with an unexpected ending. Ben seems to go into long introspective mental side trips when he should be paying attention especially with all the dangers around his family.
I like the reality of this series. It doesn’t involve anything that couldn’t happen “in real life” - no zombies or other weird creatures. The only part I hate is waiting for the next book!
Loved this book, wish it was longer though and didn't end with a huge cliffhanger! Can't wait for the next one in this series! Pins and needles to see how they get away!
I liked the prior Dark Road installments but this one almost completely lacked action. It was a long trudge through relationships and feelings - good for character development but deadly on plot and reader engagement.
I can’t give this a lower rating because overall the series has been great. But this book had very little going on until the last 4 or so chapters so I cannot give it a 5. I had to repeat these chapters to see how it went from 0-60 so quickly!