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Limited Exchange: A Story of Two Families Surviving Nuclear War
How would you ensure your family survived a modern nuclear war in America? In the late 2020s, two Christian families find themselves caught in the middle of a nuclear war with China, fighting for survival. Carson Akins and his friend Neal Reiter find themselves trapped in unenviable, life-threatening situations while war rages and fallout descends around them.
Carson, a high-tech engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area races against the clock to rehabilitate a 70 year old fallout shelter for his family. Across the bay, Neal must get his wife and disabled five-year-old daughter out of Silicon Valley and to safety in Oregon. Little do either of them know it is too late as the warheads explode and deadly fallout descends.
Neal, a former US Air Force nuclear weapons technician, struggles knowing that weapons he maintained have now killed millions while Carson makes difficult choices about the survival of strangers. Their ordeals test their faith in God as they wrestle with the place of suffering in what appears to be the last days.
While this work is free from profanity and crude or offensive humor, other works by this author do feature such elements and may not be appropriate for sensitive readers.
Carson, a high-tech engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area races against the clock to rehabilitate a 70 year old fallout shelter for his family. Across the bay, Neal must get his wife and disabled five-year-old daughter out of Silicon Valley and to safety in Oregon. Little do either of them know it is too late as the warheads explode and deadly fallout descends.
Neal, a former US Air Force nuclear weapons technician, struggles knowing that weapons he maintained have now killed millions while Carson makes difficult choices about the survival of strangers. Their ordeals test their faith in God as they wrestle with the place of suffering in what appears to be the last days.
While this work is free from profanity and crude or offensive humor, other works by this author do feature such elements and may not be appropriate for sensitive readers.
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 19, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 20, 2021
Interesting
Good bok from a different perspective. Worthy of your time. Enjoy! Well developed characters that had a hard time. Hope it never happens.
Good bok from a different perspective. Worthy of your time. Enjoy! Well developed characters that had a hard time. Hope it never happens.
November 16, 2022
limited exchange is a good read
I love the technical detail, characters and plot. The story held my attention and was a good story of survival. I definitely recommend this book.
I love the technical detail, characters and plot. The story held my attention and was a good story of survival. I definitely recommend this book.
March 20, 2025
Good and informative book
Interesting and very good information contained in this book on some of the things you might need to do in a nuclear attack scenario.
Interesting and very good information contained in this book on some of the things you might need to do in a nuclear attack scenario.
June 24, 2026
People from Ventura County, CA have discounted imaginations if I may say. If you were there for the pandemic they LOVED living in fear of their lives! Trust me those people love drama! The author Don Shift was a VCSD deputy and he gave the most simplest practical scenario. I don't remember the two family story part as far as I was concerned it was the man who was former USAF ICBM officer and his family; and I notice that the theme of you don't NEED a firearm to defend yourself was used in this book was it was good deterrence.
Most people including Annie Jacobs are convinced that nuclear war means a full exchange and I 'am afraid that is not the case. Never mind us as civilians do not know the accuracy of said ballistic missiles or the airworthy condition of the rocket boosters. Yes for those who aren't aware you have to be respectably accurate with a nuclear weapon as it needs to land in general vicinity of its target to be fully effective. Oh and a little fun fact, nuclear bombs depending on the payload have a shelf life. Like 8 years maximum yield. How long they have been maintained in their silos, again we do not know!
I haven't read or in this case audio booked a fiction story in awhile but since it was a scenario based book with mostly well researched theories I let it rip. It wasn't boring but even in a limited nuclear exchange certain things our author predicts would not have happen and it was a little watered down. Should a Chinese SLBM land in L.A most likely it's population wont be able to return back for probably 20 years given. I doubt FEMA would send people back home even it was safe until 2 weeks after detonation as that's how long it takes for the fallout to effectively dissipate.
At the end he just got lazy, threw in a small scare and closed the book.
Most people including Annie Jacobs are convinced that nuclear war means a full exchange and I 'am afraid that is not the case. Never mind us as civilians do not know the accuracy of said ballistic missiles or the airworthy condition of the rocket boosters. Yes for those who aren't aware you have to be respectably accurate with a nuclear weapon as it needs to land in general vicinity of its target to be fully effective. Oh and a little fun fact, nuclear bombs depending on the payload have a shelf life. Like 8 years maximum yield. How long they have been maintained in their silos, again we do not know!
I haven't read or in this case audio booked a fiction story in awhile but since it was a scenario based book with mostly well researched theories I let it rip. It wasn't boring but even in a limited nuclear exchange certain things our author predicts would not have happen and it was a little watered down. Should a Chinese SLBM land in L.A most likely it's population wont be able to return back for probably 20 years given. I doubt FEMA would send people back home even it was safe until 2 weeks after detonation as that's how long it takes for the fallout to effectively dissipate.
At the end he just got lazy, threw in a small scare and closed the book.
July 1, 2022
This reads more like a survivalist/prepper manual than it does a novel. I suppose it’s a good place to start if you prefer your nuclear war fiction with a nice cup of coffee and a calculator to work out the detailed mathematics of radiation exposure and decay over time.
There are two stories about two people who apparently know each other, but the stories have no real connection or resolution. I would’ve preferred a more detailed account of one of the families or a better (or no) connection, rather than what seems to be a deus ex machina existing only to support more variety in the survivalist/prepper information.
None of the characters are particularly interesting or well developed, and it’s burdened with a lots of anti-government/conspiracy theory baggage. It’s also a little too Jesus-y for me, particularly as I don’t believe that has much of a place when it comes to man-made apocalyptic events.
In the end, the simple net is that it just isn’t all that compelling, nor is it particularly well written. If you’re looking for classic post-nuclear apocalypse fiction, this ain’t it.
There are two stories about two people who apparently know each other, but the stories have no real connection or resolution. I would’ve preferred a more detailed account of one of the families or a better (or no) connection, rather than what seems to be a deus ex machina existing only to support more variety in the survivalist/prepper information.
None of the characters are particularly interesting or well developed, and it’s burdened with a lots of anti-government/conspiracy theory baggage. It’s also a little too Jesus-y for me, particularly as I don’t believe that has much of a place when it comes to man-made apocalyptic events.
In the end, the simple net is that it just isn’t all that compelling, nor is it particularly well written. If you’re looking for classic post-nuclear apocalypse fiction, this ain’t it.
December 27, 2020
Two families survive a nuclear attack - Lots of christian overtures
Started off as a good tale of 2 families using different strategies to survive a nuclear attack - I didn't enjoy the constant injection of Christianity throughout the book, felt that the book should have been labelled as a Christian fiction book.
Not bad but wouldn't recommend.
Started off as a good tale of 2 families using different strategies to survive a nuclear attack - I didn't enjoy the constant injection of Christianity throughout the book, felt that the book should have been labelled as a Christian fiction book.
Not bad but wouldn't recommend.
June 4, 2026
Simple Story
Simple story that is easy to follow. Technical information is good. This is a quick read. If you are interested in SCI-fi about surviving the first week or so after the bombs drop you’d fine this a fun read.
Simple story that is easy to follow. Technical information is good. This is a quick read. If you are interested in SCI-fi about surviving the first week or so after the bombs drop you’d fine this a fun read.
May 25, 2020
Scary but good and full of information.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews