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Evergreen #4
Nuclear Summer
Ten months after civilization burned in a rain of nuclear fire, Harper Cody faces a situation scarier than shooting bad guys—having hope.
The people of Evergreen try their best to cling to the modern world, but life inexorably slides toward a society resembling the Wild West. With each passing week, supplies of modern goods dry up, forcing people to adapt, improvise, and re-learn old ways of doing things.
Harper’s feelings for Logan slip into frightening territory, but at least her little sister appears to have coped with her trauma. Madison doesn’t even grumble about having to work on the farm over summer break.
But the war isn’t done with her yet. Right as Harper begins to hope the future might not be so bad, the nuclear wasteland proves even the most innocent looking things can kill her.
The people of Evergreen try their best to cling to the modern world, but life inexorably slides toward a society resembling the Wild West. With each passing week, supplies of modern goods dry up, forcing people to adapt, improvise, and re-learn old ways of doing things.
Harper’s feelings for Logan slip into frightening territory, but at least her little sister appears to have coped with her trauma. Madison doesn’t even grumble about having to work on the farm over summer break.
But the war isn’t done with her yet. Right as Harper begins to hope the future might not be so bad, the nuclear wasteland proves even the most innocent looking things can kill her.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 11, 2019
63 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Matthew S. Cox
192 books265 followersBorn in a little town known as South Amboy NJ in 1973, Matthew has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Somewhere between fifteen to eighteen of them spent developing the world in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, and The Awakened Series take place. He has several other projects in the works as well as a collaborative science fiction endeavor with author Tony Healey.
Hobbies and Interests:
Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- deliberate), and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.
He is also fond of cats.
Hobbies and Interests:
Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- deliberate), and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.
He is also fond of cats.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 9, 2020
We've been taken on quite the journey. We have a girl, Harper who had hopes of college and her life ahead of her and then disaster struck. Losing her parents in a horrific way and having to become Mother and Father and protector to her little sister who couldnt cope with everything that had happened. She found a safe haven in Evergreen but life is never simple and its definitely taken her on a journey of discovery about not just herself but life and the new normalish. She's found a new family and she's had to do unfortunate things to survive and that includes killing and joining the militia to keep her family safe. She's one strong girl and her character development is just off the charts. She grew up fast. Her sister, Madison is doing much better than being catatonic and able to deal with her new life a bit. Harper also has had to toughen up and we definitely see that in this book. Evergreen is their new home and they've met some good people....people who care about her and her sister in return. Its well defended because everyone is doing their part. I've enjoyed this series a lot. I'd say its probably my favorite written by this author. Look forward to more.
June 28, 2020
Harper lost so much in the last 10 months since the world stopped running the the way it use to. From hiding in their basement, loosing her parents, finding Evergreen and finding a new home and new family. Matthew Cox brings us on a journey along with Harper and new family. So much has been lost but yet so much more has been found. While reading I could fell myself right along with Harper thru the good, bad, the loving, hating, fighting, and living. It takes the strong to survive, Find out all that new does for all these things, how a girl becomes a strong woman and what happens along her journey into her new world
July 7, 2020
I am enjoying this series quite a bit. Harper is developing into a great character love her misfit family. Things are going well in town. Well until a grusome development. Great read looking forward to the next
July 1, 2020
Nuclear Summer
Another story with Harper and the gang trying to survive in the new and crazy world. It was dark and suspenseful keeping your entertained the way way through.
Another story with Harper and the gang trying to survive in the new and crazy world. It was dark and suspenseful keeping your entertained the way way through.
July 7, 2020
wow another great book written in this series! she lived through so much but there is that just might kill her. so much danger and a new love . you must read to find out what happens.
February 23, 2024
Cox continues his plausible portrayal of a possible post-apocalyptic society with the longer-term dilemmas and challenges that come once a settlement has survived the initial struggle to form.
This novel is the fourth in the Evergreen series. Risk of spoiler contamination beyond this point.
Nearly a year after nuclear war shattered the United States, Harper Cody feels settled in Evergreen. However, without the infrastructure and skilled people to make modern amenities and with supplies running out, the town must choose between scavenging more risky areas or foregoing modern medicine and many other things they took for granted. Harper sees the sense in Evergreen’s choices—even if the possibilities do worry her sometimes—but not everyone does; and—unless she leaves the militia—that make it her problem.
Cox takes the classic Western tale of settlers cut off from civilisation and amplifies the stressors: instead of having to hold out until help arrives, there’s almost no hope of help existing; instead of people who expected hardship needing to work harder to build a stable life, a random collection of people who have experienced Twenty-First century Western benefits watch them slip away with no way to stop it.
Similarly, in addition to the physical danger of bandit attacks, Cox adds radiation: an equally lethal risk, but one that cannot be seen or heard coming, and cannot be driven off by a staunch resistance.
Cox skilfully balances the impacts and implications of these threads. The presence of modern amenities, such as a chlorinated swimming pool, allows for stronger moments of joy to offset the greater risks of the outside world; but the knowledge that they will mostly be lost adds a greater poignancy to those scenes. The external pressure of criminal gangs and the need to become self-sufficient intensifies the drive to work together; but does not overcome the sense of grievance when limited resources require hard choices or people used to having status or post-industrial employability discover they need to perform manual labour.
This greater focus on the long-term physical and social structure of Evergreen does not come at the cost of the exploration and action that marked that marked the beginning of the series. There are still expeditions into unknown territory, albeit with the knowledge now that there is a safe place to head for if the danger becomes too high. However, Cox makes this knowledge a double-edged sword: without the necessity of seeking out a safe place, when is acceptable to risk oneself by heading out or acceptable to risk leading danger back to that safe place?
Harper remains a highly sympathetic protagonist. Being—even more so due to the pressure of the apocalypse—properly an adult now, she has new issues. She is not just a member of the militia but one who has proven herself competent; and thus is given new responsibilities, including authority over others who she sees as older and more experienced. In addition to the social impact, her transition into adulthood raises personal concerns: without access to fully equipped modern hospitals, pregnancy becomes a much greater risk; which—with contraception options reducing—leaves the part of her that is thinking about a long-term relationship with Logan at war with the part of her that wants to avoid risk.
The supporting cast offer a pleasing variety of personalities and drives. Mixing whether they possess useful skills for this new society with different attitudes on personal vs. group benefit, and nuanced personal goals, Cox creates characters who are in conflict without being stereotypical and antagonistic without being irritating.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel greatly. I recommend it to readers seeking plausible post-apocalyptic fiction that contains plenty of action in addition to the introspection.
I received a free copy from the author with no request for a review.
This novel is the fourth in the Evergreen series. Risk of spoiler contamination beyond this point.
Nearly a year after nuclear war shattered the United States, Harper Cody feels settled in Evergreen. However, without the infrastructure and skilled people to make modern amenities and with supplies running out, the town must choose between scavenging more risky areas or foregoing modern medicine and many other things they took for granted. Harper sees the sense in Evergreen’s choices—even if the possibilities do worry her sometimes—but not everyone does; and—unless she leaves the militia—that make it her problem.
Cox takes the classic Western tale of settlers cut off from civilisation and amplifies the stressors: instead of having to hold out until help arrives, there’s almost no hope of help existing; instead of people who expected hardship needing to work harder to build a stable life, a random collection of people who have experienced Twenty-First century Western benefits watch them slip away with no way to stop it.
Similarly, in addition to the physical danger of bandit attacks, Cox adds radiation: an equally lethal risk, but one that cannot be seen or heard coming, and cannot be driven off by a staunch resistance.
Cox skilfully balances the impacts and implications of these threads. The presence of modern amenities, such as a chlorinated swimming pool, allows for stronger moments of joy to offset the greater risks of the outside world; but the knowledge that they will mostly be lost adds a greater poignancy to those scenes. The external pressure of criminal gangs and the need to become self-sufficient intensifies the drive to work together; but does not overcome the sense of grievance when limited resources require hard choices or people used to having status or post-industrial employability discover they need to perform manual labour.
This greater focus on the long-term physical and social structure of Evergreen does not come at the cost of the exploration and action that marked that marked the beginning of the series. There are still expeditions into unknown territory, albeit with the knowledge now that there is a safe place to head for if the danger becomes too high. However, Cox makes this knowledge a double-edged sword: without the necessity of seeking out a safe place, when is acceptable to risk oneself by heading out or acceptable to risk leading danger back to that safe place?
Harper remains a highly sympathetic protagonist. Being—even more so due to the pressure of the apocalypse—properly an adult now, she has new issues. She is not just a member of the militia but one who has proven herself competent; and thus is given new responsibilities, including authority over others who she sees as older and more experienced. In addition to the social impact, her transition into adulthood raises personal concerns: without access to fully equipped modern hospitals, pregnancy becomes a much greater risk; which—with contraception options reducing—leaves the part of her that is thinking about a long-term relationship with Logan at war with the part of her that wants to avoid risk.
The supporting cast offer a pleasing variety of personalities and drives. Mixing whether they possess useful skills for this new society with different attitudes on personal vs. group benefit, and nuanced personal goals, Cox creates characters who are in conflict without being stereotypical and antagonistic without being irritating.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel greatly. I recommend it to readers seeking plausible post-apocalyptic fiction that contains plenty of action in addition to the introspection.
I received a free copy from the author with no request for a review.
October 23, 2019
Life And Death In Evergreen
•••NOT for the homophobic, transphobic, closedminded, or faint of heart!•••
This series must be read in order. The first book is "Evergreen". The second book is "The World That Remains". The third book is "The Lucky Ones".
Harper still feels kinda like the Militia isn't a real job at times... And that she shouldn't be on it... But those times pass. She misses her parents but has found a new family to belong to. The lack of the future she planned for still gets to her at times but at least she is relatively safe in her new home and life is starting to look up. The farm is producing. She has Logan. She has friends, including some old ones she managed to rescue. Then the unthinkable happens and there is a murder in Evergreen. Who was he? Why was he killed? Was it by a resident? Or an outsider? How could this happen here? How is it she always seems to find trouble? Or does trouble find her? Is the community no longer safe?
•••NOT for the homophobic, transphobic, closedminded, or faint of heart!•••
This series must be read in order. The first book is "Evergreen". The second book is "The World That Remains". The third book is "The Lucky Ones".
Harper still feels kinda like the Militia isn't a real job at times... And that she shouldn't be on it... But those times pass. She misses her parents but has found a new family to belong to. The lack of the future she planned for still gets to her at times but at least she is relatively safe in her new home and life is starting to look up. The farm is producing. She has Logan. She has friends, including some old ones she managed to rescue. Then the unthinkable happens and there is a murder in Evergreen. Who was he? Why was he killed? Was it by a resident? Or an outsider? How could this happen here? How is it she always seems to find trouble? Or does trouble find her? Is the community no longer safe?
May 22, 2023
3.5 stars:
this book is pretty much the same as last book. Bad things happen but they are glossed over. This series for me has just been "ok". I would like to know how many people live in Evergreen now. They keep adding people and you can pick what you want to do or not do for jobs in the town. I am hoping for more depth of this story.
this book is pretty much the same as last book. Bad things happen but they are glossed over. This series for me has just been "ok". I would like to know how many people live in Evergreen now. They keep adding people and you can pick what you want to do or not do for jobs in the town. I am hoping for more depth of this story.
April 28, 2021
Review
Lots of reminiscing about what life was like before the war. So many interesting possibilities not mentioned. But there’s not enough apocalypse stories out there so this will suffice.
Lots of reminiscing about what life was like before the war. So many interesting possibilities not mentioned. But there’s not enough apocalypse stories out there so this will suffice.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews