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The Grid #1
Bulb
The world died the day the power grid failed.
Civilizations crumbled and life ground to a halt. Those who survived the transition became...something else.
Two years have passed since the lights went out. Crow and his small group of survivors have done their best to forage supplies and live off the land but danger looms in every shadow. Marauding bands of Traders are on their trail, eager to capture them and worse. Fleeing, the band stumble upon a secret they were never meant to learn. One capable of transforming the world again this time with dire consequences.
Crow is forced underground and discovers a forgotten world. Entire cities thriving with artificial intelligence still exist, forcing humanity down through politics, fear, and oppression. Trapped between an enemy they can't outrun and one they don't understand, Crow and the others stand at the edge. One path leads back into the growing wastelands. The other into a fate darker than any imagined.
The choice is before them. Dive in headfirst or burn out with the light.
Civilizations crumbled and life ground to a halt. Those who survived the transition became...something else.
Two years have passed since the lights went out. Crow and his small group of survivors have done their best to forage supplies and live off the land but danger looms in every shadow. Marauding bands of Traders are on their trail, eager to capture them and worse. Fleeing, the band stumble upon a secret they were never meant to learn. One capable of transforming the world again this time with dire consequences.
Crow is forced underground and discovers a forgotten world. Entire cities thriving with artificial intelligence still exist, forcing humanity down through politics, fear, and oppression. Trapped between an enemy they can't outrun and one they don't understand, Crow and the others stand at the edge. One path leads back into the growing wastelands. The other into a fate darker than any imagined.
The choice is before them. Dive in headfirst or burn out with the light.
- GenresDystopiaScience Fiction
ebook
Published June 26, 2020
93 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 10, 2021
Dnf at 80%. This is basically a collection of 1 chapter short stories of a handful of characters linked by them being a group surviving in an unexplained dystopian future. The stories aren't even interesting- except the one guy living in the underground. But even his story needs a better explanation, instead we get an enigmatic group that replaces him, again without explaining anything.
Set up. Short story. Someone leaves. Time lapse. Next character. Repeat.
Set up. Short story. Someone leaves. Time lapse. Next character. Repeat.
April 27, 2024
claustrophobic Hong Kong is more dystopian than this.
June 11, 2024
Fabulous
Really good story. Fascinating, fabulous entertainment. Good character and plot development. I got lucky and found this jewel of a read.
Really good story. Fascinating, fabulous entertainment. Good character and plot development. I got lucky and found this jewel of a read.
June 4, 2020
[*I was given a free ARC in exchange for an honest review*]
"People can say they believe in the greater good, but they want someone else to take care of it for them."
What happens when the lights shut off and never turn back on again? Stuck in an endless winter, humanity is on the brink of extinction while everyone tries to survive the new world.
A bit slow to start, Bulb weaves an interesting story. It feels more like two separate books at first: one about an apocalypse and one about a dystopia. But then the two come together and it melds into a single piece that had me rushing to reach the end.
The story is written in a non-linear way, that I'll admit threw me off a bit in the very beginning. I was questioning how these two worlds lined up, how long had people been living underground? Thankfully, it gets explained later on and the timeline starts to become easier to follow. Events that seemed one off come together to paint a picture of the characters' lives and just how entwined they all are.
While I felt some of the chapters dealing with the underground dragged, they were well done and the world that Turner has created is quite compelling. It feels like a familiar place, but with a new spin on it. I absolutely love the idea of a hidden world beneath our feet.
The book is the first in a series and with the way this one ended, I'll definitely be looking forward to the next one.
"People can say they believe in the greater good, but they want someone else to take care of it for them."
What happens when the lights shut off and never turn back on again? Stuck in an endless winter, humanity is on the brink of extinction while everyone tries to survive the new world.
A bit slow to start, Bulb weaves an interesting story. It feels more like two separate books at first: one about an apocalypse and one about a dystopia. But then the two come together and it melds into a single piece that had me rushing to reach the end.
The story is written in a non-linear way, that I'll admit threw me off a bit in the very beginning. I was questioning how these two worlds lined up, how long had people been living underground? Thankfully, it gets explained later on and the timeline starts to become easier to follow. Events that seemed one off come together to paint a picture of the characters' lives and just how entwined they all are.
While I felt some of the chapters dealing with the underground dragged, they were well done and the world that Turner has created is quite compelling. It feels like a familiar place, but with a new spin on it. I absolutely love the idea of a hidden world beneath our feet.
The book is the first in a series and with the way this one ended, I'll definitely be looking forward to the next one.
June 14, 2020
From the first chapter of this book I was completely submerged into the half-forgotten-half-dystopian world of Bulb.
Excellent storytelling along with deep character backstories make this one of the most exciting and gripping books I’ve read.
Throughout this novel I every so often get little nibbles of such great classics like “I,Robot” and “the dark tower” series.
I cannot wait until the second story of this series is published. kudos to Nicholas Turner for penning such an amazing beginning to what I know will be an epic series!
Excellent storytelling along with deep character backstories make this one of the most exciting and gripping books I’ve read.
Throughout this novel I every so often get little nibbles of such great classics like “I,Robot” and “the dark tower” series.
I cannot wait until the second story of this series is published. kudos to Nicholas Turner for penning such an amazing beginning to what I know will be an epic series!
May 5, 2024
well woven together.
Lot of books like this are disjointed but this one is tied together well. It’s worth reading and I think I’ll get the next one.
Lot of books like this are disjointed but this one is tied together well. It’s worth reading and I think I’ll get the next one.
January 22, 2025
This was an interesting read.
Multiple points of view following 2 groups of people. 1 group is fighting to survive a world where the power has gone out, and a permanent winter has settled in over North America.
The second group seems to be living in secret, in a high-tech, secret, underground city thats been separated from those on the surface for decades.
The plot is engaging and relatively quick moving. Most of the characters were likable enough, others were kind of tedious. One of the characters actually calls out the behavior saying "this is how adolescents behave," and it's so spot on.
There was one major plot hole that really left me kind of confused.
When 1 of the characters was on the run, he decided to steal from some random person who just so happened to be someone who was involved in some kind of spying. It was oddly convenient.
All in all, it was a fun little read. I'll be looking for book 2 soon.
Multiple points of view following 2 groups of people. 1 group is fighting to survive a world where the power has gone out, and a permanent winter has settled in over North America.
The second group seems to be living in secret, in a high-tech, secret, underground city thats been separated from those on the surface for decades.
The plot is engaging and relatively quick moving. Most of the characters were likable enough, others were kind of tedious. One of the characters actually calls out the behavior saying "this is how adolescents behave," and it's so spot on.
There was one major plot hole that really left me kind of confused.
When 1 of the characters was on the run, he decided to steal from some random person who just so happened to be someone who was involved in some kind of spying. It was oddly convenient.
All in all, it was a fun little read. I'll be looking for book 2 soon.
August 20, 2024
so this was enjoyable but really seemed more like a collection of related characters stories rather than a book. not that that's a bad thing. it just seemed truncated. just when you might get a greater sense of what's going on as characters seem to be coming together it ends. Suddenly.
the characters and their back stories are enjoyable. the premise is solid post apoc. good stuff.
i'll check out the second book as i do want to know what's going on but i do hope there's more meat and less mystery. it irritates that there are at least 2 factions in the book and we learn nothing about them.
the characters and their back stories are enjoyable. the premise is solid post apoc. good stuff.
i'll check out the second book as i do want to know what's going on but i do hope there's more meat and less mystery. it irritates that there are at least 2 factions in the book and we learn nothing about them.
August 11, 2024
Nice Romp Through a Dystopian Future
Was not sure what to expect from the Amazon description of the book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! Takes a little while to get into the real story, but very good and mysterious at the end!
Was not sure what to expect from the Amazon description of the book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! Takes a little while to get into the real story, but very good and mysterious at the end!
October 21, 2024
It has its moments
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews