Final Days

Final Days #1

by Jasper T. Scott, Nathan Hystad

The countdown to the end of the world has begun. A mysterious convergence of natural disasters threatens to destroy life as we know it, and people across the United States are going missing. With no one left to investigate, Special Agent Kendra Baker takes the case, trying to solve the disappearances before she’s out of time. Among those abducted is Valeria Miller, the daughter of ex-Marine Corporal Andrew Miller, and he’ll stop at nothing to find her. With the help of an unstable conspiracy theorist, they find themselves on the trail of a reclusive billionaire who just might have all the answers. As the natural catastrophes escalate and the evacuations commence, it becomes a race against the clock to find the abductees before it’s too late. Final Days is a doomsday science fiction thriller, written by Jasper T. Scott and Nathan Hystad. Also available on Audible, narrated by the award-winning Ray Porter (We Are Legion, Galaxy's Edge, 14).

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Apocalyptic, Post Apocalyptic, Audiobook, Thriller, Fiction

339 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 9, 2020

About the author

Jasper Scott is a USA Today bestselling author of more than 20 sci-fi novels. With over a million books sold, Jasper's work has been translated into various languages and published around the world.

Jasper writes fast-paced books with unexpected twists and flawed characters. Join the author's mailing list to get two FREE books: https://files.jaspertscott.com/mailin...

Reviews

[donna backshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always juggling a few books at a time. One is an audiobook to keep me company during my commute, another keeps me invigorated during my runs/walks, and yet another I read at night when my goal is relaxing and shaking off the day. And then I love exploring those exquisite children's books that bring insight and humor when everything else gets humdrum.

Occasionally one of the books starts to stand out, and outshines all the others. This was the case with Jasper T. Scott and Nathan Hystad's Final Days. I stopped caring about all the other books, because this adventure was so exciting it demanded all my attention.

More Meg than Station Eleven, we're not talking high literature and in-depth characterizations here; rather Final Days grabs you with pure adrenaline and adventure. In this tedious and itchy stay-at-home stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes ridiculously exaggerated end-of-the-world adventure scenarios are exactly the distraction a lot of us need to read right now.

Final Days is the first in a series that promises to wow its readers with good old-fashioned science fiction, where the gruff "cowboy" of a protagonist is all bluster and bristle, and anything bad that can happen does. The surprise ending (or beginning, if you're going for the whole series) blows you away and gives that Quarantined You and Me a chance to dream of huge adventure, even when it seems the world is ending around us.

[Aristotle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Armageddon

Massive earthquakes, super volcanoes, category 5 hurricanes, EF5 tornadoes, biblical flooding, acid rain, and some other really bad stuff is happening all over Earth.
That's not good.
A megalomaniac James Bond villain is building Noah's Spaceship Ark and collecting the best of mankind to reseed mother Earth.
Isn't that special.

This turned out to be Syfy trash. A bloated and unoriginal story with bland and dull main characters.

[Bruce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cliffhanger Alert!
Goodreads doesn't list it as such, but this is not a freestanding book. It's a 2-book series, and is basically one book cut into two pieces. It stops right in the middle of the action. Don't bother with book 1 unless you're in for book 2 as well.

Update: Just finished the 2nd book, and it's another freaking cliffhanger. I despise authors that pull that crap, and wish I'd never started reading this book. There's no 3rd book listed on Goodreads, so avoid this series (and perhaps the author). I'm also dropping my rating down another star, to 2.

Update 2 Goodreads is finally showing this as the first book of a 3-book series, and I read the 3rd one. I like the series, but it's basically one book broken into 3 (smallish) pieces. There's no point starting it unless you're up for all three.

[M.W. Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Final Days” by Hystad and Scott receives 4 stars from me due to the interesting story concept and excellent execution of that concept.

First, let me discuss Ray Porter’s reading of this audio book. Porter is excellent at this. I enjoy the timbre of his voice, and his interpretation of the text. This is not my first book read by Porter and he never fails to deliver. His female voices are fine.

The book: This is mostly a plot driven text that is fast paced but not at break neck speeds. I needed this book right now as I was getting bogged down by two other books which plot are driving slow moving. Thus, I really enjoyed the jumping into the action right away. I loved hearing “___ days remaining” at the start of chapters as the book counted down to The End.

There are no holes left in this text. They cover all the bases that they establish and resolve all issues. One issue that was resolved, in my opinion, need not have been resolved, which kind of annoyed me. This, however, is personal.

Any negatives? The cover.

Recommended: yes, and I think I’ll read / listen to the other two in the series.

[Manfred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! My favourite read this year so far, couldn't put it down. While the earth is dying fast, a father searches for his abducted daughter and an FBI agent searches for hundreds of missing people. A hacker investigates the actions of a billionaire. Their lines cross and they all find themselves together in the end. And what happens then we'll learn in book 2. Highly recommended if you like post-apocalyptic and thrillers.

[Netsmile · Rating 1 out of 5]

Struggling with covid for 2 weeks stuck with the audio book version of this trilogy.
Honestly, it was not a big help.
It really felt like watching a cheap tv show like Walker the Texas Ranger.
First book in along while where I said , People get paid for this?Man I could write stuff like this with ease...
If you are a wannabe writer, read this trilogy, it will give you confidence in your work, just not a real one.

[Karen’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book because it appeared to be apocalyptic and it was performed by my favorite narrator. Ray Porter.

But throughout much of the story, it seemed to be a mystery with a father looking for his daughter. In bits and pieces, the apocalypse finally happens.

And then… it became an entirely different genre at the end and ended on a big cliffhanger.

I actually think I’ll like the second book more.

[Γιώργος Λιαδής · Rating 2 out of 5]

Οκ, είναι σαν μια ταινία καταστροφής που όμως έχεις περισσότερο χρόνο στην διάθεσή σου για να εκνευριστείς με τους επίπεδους χαρακτήρες. Δάκρυα που ξαφνικά αρχίζουν να τρέχουν λες και είναι αυτόματο πότισμα - για να σταματήσουν μετά από έξι λέξεις. Ο πρωταγωνιστής είναι ΚΑΙ πρώην πεζοναύτης ΚΑΙ αλκοολικός που το παλεύει ΚΑΙ χωρισμένος που θα έκανε τα πάντα για την κόρη του. Τέτοια πράγματα.
Αυτό που δεν θα καταλάβω ποτέ, είναι γιατί από τις 500 σελίδες του βιβλίου, ο συγγραφέας προσπαθεί να κρατήσει μυστικό τον τρόπο που θα σωθούν οι πρωταγωνιστές από την καταστροφή της γης, στις πρώτες 498. Αλήθεια. Ο αναγνώστης θεωρητικά δεν γνωρίζει τι γίνεται μέχρι την προτελευταία σελίδα. Ο κόσμος γύρω τους καταστρέφεται κι αυτοί είναι κλεισμένοι κάπου, χωρίς να γνωρίζουν που. Υποθέτουν. Αναρωτιούνται.
***Είναι μέσα σε έναν πύραυλο που θα ταξιδέψει μακριά από την γη***
ΕΙΝΑΙ ΣΤΟ ΓΑΜΗΜΕΝΟ ΤΟ ΕΞΩΦΥΛΛΟ. Σοβαρά, είναι αυτό που δείχνει το εξώφυλλο! Αν πιάσεις το βιβλίο χωρίς να διαβάσεις την περίληψη, θα δεις έναν πύραυλο να απογειώνεται. Πρώτα θα δεις αυτό και μετά θα διαβάσεις πως καταστρέφεται ο κόσμος λ.χ.
Ναι, είναι καλό πέιτζ τέρνερ που λένε και στο χωριό μου, γιατί σε κάθε σελίδα κάτι συμβαίνει και κινδυνεύουν να πεθάνουν. Κάποια στιγμή που αφαιρέθηκα και δεν καταλάβαινα τι γινόταν, δεν γύρισα πίσω να ξαναδιαβάσω, ότι κι αν ήταν θα την γλίτωναν μέχρι την μεθεπόμενη σελίδα.
Αποφάσισα να διαβάσω αυτό το βιβλίο γιατί ήθελα κάτι ελαφρύ και γρήγορο και πράγματι - όσο χαζό κι αν είναι (ή ίσως επειδή είναι χαζό), το ρούφηξα μέσα σε δυόμιση μέρες (πολύ γρήγορα για τα δικά μου δεδομένα). Αν θέλεις να διαβάσεις το σενάριο μιας ταινίας καταστροφής, αυτό το βιβλίο είναι ακριβώς αυτό που θα περίμενες - σε τίποτα δεν είναι καλύτερο απ' ότι φαντάζεσαι αλλά δεν είναι και χειρότερο.
Ίσως, αφού κάνει καλά την δουλειά του, να μην έπρεπε να το θάψω. Αλλά από την άλλη, έλεος με το εξώφυλλο! Θα διαβάσω και το δεύτερο βιβλίο, ελπίζοντας πως θα έχει κάτι αναπάντεχο - κυρίως γιατί αγόρασα όλη την τριλογία και έτσι όπως είναι "φωτογραφημένο" δεν φαίνεται το εξώφυλλό του δεύτερου...

[Freida B. Herron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Have a hard time recommending this. Not worth my time.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated it, it was horrible. Plenty of questions, but no answers. This is the worst book I ever read as an adult, it was a colossal waste of time.

[Tory Thai · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unoriginal and generic, could not eyeroll hard enough of all the overused material that's been seen so often that you can practically solve what's happening maybe an hour into this.

Character building moments made me cringe soooo severely on all the generic portrayal pieces to oversell. Like a veteran with PTSD and these really dramatic freezes within minutes in meeting the character. And a bunch of macho generic manly man stuff to sell how man manly macho aggressive tough man that don't follow no rules manly way man he is, that has a soft spot but still manly protective but will joke about punching you but won't but I'm still a man so don't try be man. Like.... I don't think any generic way to present this type of character was missed and it's dumped on you hard. This type of generic overload happens constantly.

Also... I could not believe this was released in 2020. The audacity haha. So many of these tropes are so overused and the plot line exhausted, the twist, predictable, everything about this book just screams that it could have been thought up by A.I. And cleaned up to make a generic cash grab. And not even a good A.I. But A.I. With a very limited focus on reliable sci-fi junk food that's been done before but change it just a bit so maybe it'll work for another cash grab for before that well runs dry.

This is bad.

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers, I guess?

Imagine if Se7en’s poster was Gwyneth Paltrow’s head in a box? Or if The Sixth Sense movie poster was Bruce Willis’ gravestone?

So the start of the story sets out that there are enormous natural disasters which will cumulate in massive destruction. Well. Judging by the cover art, I’m guessing it ends with people escaping into space?

We find out that thousands of people are going missing. Well. Judging by the cover art I’m guess they are being abducted so they are taken on the space ship to avoid the end of the world?

A mysterious billionaire is up to some funny business. Well. Judging by the cover art I’m guessing that he built a spaceship and a launch platform in the middle of the ocean.

The protagonist’s daughter is missing. Well. Judging by the cover art I’m guessing that she has been taken to a launch platform in the middle of the ocean.

And even though the preposterous meeting between Kendra and her sister was completely unrealistic - I still expected that too. In fact - the only thing that did surprise me was that the sister wasn’t PiedPiper19.

The story is fine. The writing is fine. It’s basically a cliff hanger ending with no questions answered. I think this is disrespectful to the reader and I won’t be reading anything else in this series.

[Walter T. Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book!

This book was one of the most fascinating and action packed I have a ever read. I Could put it down and everything else kind of fell by the wayside !

[Carrie]

Bad do not read.

[Jas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final Days is a Sci-fi mystery thriller, that is action packed and moves at a pace that makes the Fast and the Furious look like they have taken Miss Daisy out for a drive.
It has two main streams, the first follows Kendra Baker, a Detective who is has been on the job for a while and knows her stuff. The type of veteran cop that is willing to listen, but if you push them too far, they have no problem pushing back.
She starts looking into multiple missing cases, at a time when no one else is interested, because there are constant news reports, media hype, and general public unrest about siesmic activity along the San Andreas fault line, and a subsequent massive flow on effect, people evacuating, panicking, the usual things you expect.
With little or no support, Kendra is left to her own devices to follow up on all these missing persons, as even the Police are leaving, and those that remain, are being tasked with things deemed more important than missing persons.
The second main character is Andrew Miller, an ex-Marine, now divorced, who is just trying to get on with things. During his story, his daughter, Valeria, goes missing, and Andrew starts hunting for his Daughter, even though the rest of the coast is leaving and moving inland.
This is a really intriguing and fascinating story, you have no real idea about what is going on, why are people missing? What is this countdown? Are the rumours of a mass siesmic ‘end of the world’ type event true??
And in the middle of all of this, we have Andrew and Kendra, both trying to look for missing people, One a desperate Father looking for his little girl, the other a determined Cop, who, in the face of everyone else abandoning their post, she just won’t give up on these people – basically following the same leads in similar circles, and both of them coming up with increasingly more frightening answers.
The character work in this book is beyond exceptional, it is so realistic, that there is a particular part in which Andrew Miller, the ex-marine, has a flashback PTSD episode. The detail in the scene, the description of his attack and how he feels, what he goes through at that exact moment, it was so realistic, that as someone who actually suffers from a similar form of PTSD, I had to actually stop reading for a bit as the book had a physical effect on me. This is how good the story is.
His Daughter, Valeria helps him through this particular episode, helps him pull back from the pain he is suffering, and this to was exceptionally well written, like they had climbed inside someone who suffers the illnesses head.
This is one of those stories in which when you finish, you are left sitting thinking about the Characters for a good couple of days afterwards, they are incredibly powerful and emotive with real grit.
There are some other really great characters, including Miller’s Wife, and Valeria’s Mum, who again, is portrayed with brilliant accuracy as the emotional Mother, terrified for her Daughter in the face of a country that is falling to pieces around her. Her new husband (Valeria’s parents are separated), is a rich sleaze, and his character is just funny.
There are several others I am not going to mention as I don’t want to give away spoilers, but each character in this book is done with a purpose, has backstory and depth, and has been thought through. The character work is just outstanding and is a real highlight of this book.
Both Authors have also given a lot of attention to simple details as well, such as the type of weapon that the Officer carries, and making sure that they had extra ammunition (they run out of ammo to, no never ending ammo clips).
It’s this attention to detail that creates an additional layer to an already masterful level of character driven story telling, and makes this so much fun, as there is a level of realism to it that makes it so much more enjoyable.
This is a story that is utterly intriguing, from the very first pages, where it starts to build, rumours in the background, we move between the two major streams so that we can see there is something going on, but no one knows what, and to the common person, they are just bits of talk on TV, until suddenly Miller’s Daughter goes missing, and the story ramps up to full speed, and you are flicking through pages to see what happens next…
If you want a really fun, exciting, action-packed thrill ride, with a powerfully emotive, character driven story, Hystad and Scott have got the book for you, and they don’t disappoint!

[Ziggy Nixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. I went ahead and rounded up (the book was offered at quite an attractive price after all) but my rating was precariously close to being 2 stars. A very solid 'MEH' would be a good way of summarizing my feelings about this book, which I found to be ultimately very mediocre and far too predictable.

First of all - and I truly truly hate when this is done - the damn cover is an unnecessary SPOILER. We could have all been happy believing that "Eden" was the new Ark set to sail the turbulent seas of a destroyed Earth but no. I won't say any more ... but if you're looking at this review, well, you know how this book ends. Neener neener.

Secondly, though I would not say the writing was bad by any stretch of the imagination, it was certainly neither challenging nor as tense as it could/should have been. I mean, I expected the end of the world to be presented with a bit more 'oomph' than what our view was. The action was decidedly abrupt in sections with some key scenes happening without fanfare or connecting dialogue until after the fact (the demise of Tesla Man for example). Furthermore, all the characters (whole lotta honkies in this one btw) are at best EXTREMELY tired clichés and I struggled to find sympathy with any of them. With this cast (a real 'Made for ScyFy' group for sure) everything happens as if programmed by an AI and there are almost no surprises whatsoever. In the end, I found myself reading to, well, read it.

Really though the whole book lacks any kind of plausibility and that's excluding!!! the end of the world stuff. The sheer lack of utter chaos is the first give-away. Then, to have an amateur sleuth with severe PTSD and a struggle with alcoholism (oh gods the clichés again) do a better job than the FBI (she wound up working in the Missing Person Bureau because of course her sister had disappeared so many years ago... oh how it led to so many character descriptives and oh yeah a driving need to find the kidnapped folks... barf). Oh and the shut-in computer geek that had done nothing for years except try to, quote, 'get to the bottom of things'? Well, he manages to man up enough to kill at least two people without any sign of remorse or regret. How his atrophied muscles managed to do any of that was amazing in a kind of head-shaking, nope nope nope, kind of way...

I am really torn now. The series naturally keeps going and now that we know the direction if not destination they're headed in or to, well, hope springs eternal for a better story-line. There are a few mysteries to solve still - really, was all this Mother Nature finally beating the crap out of humanity or the actions of a billionaire with a Messiah complex? - but honestly, my interest dropped considerably as this first chapter reached its own incomplete conclusion. We'll see. I think I'll wind up starting Book 2 but if its more of the same, well, another DNF in 2020 will just have to be accpted. I've got a lot more books on my TBR shelf that hold real promise.

[(Bryan) Scott]

A good story with real characters facing real world problems. And the end of life as they know it.

A good story with real characters facing real world problems, while being confronted with this other pesky issue of the end of life as they know it.

I did enjoy this book. It was engaging and well written, with plenty of "edge of your seat" moments where things could go very bad for the main actors. This isn't a "ponder the meaning of life" story, but it is an exciting read with characters you find you do want to get to know more about. (I only wish the jacket design didn't hint at what might be to come.)

This is an end of days story told primarily from the rather unusual perspective of three characters you would more likely meet in a multiple missing-persons police detective novel. It is an interesting look from the outside of something hinted at that is far bigger than the serial disappearances of hundreds of people.

Yes, the world seems to be coming to an end, litterally, but these characters are too wound up in their current endeavours to really be bothered by the reality that keeps getting in their way.

But when they begin to suspect there is a wizard at work here, someone who has their own hidden agenda, it is too late to do anything for themselves now, but to survive.

And we don't really get any idea of what the man behind the curtain is doing, until the very end, where it is hinted that there may be something even bigger going on than the end of all humanity.

[James Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abductions and mysterious disappearances of some of the best and brightest minds on the planet

I really enjoyed this book immensely, it reminded me of one of the first sci-fi books I read and enjoyed when I was a boy entitled "When Worlds Collide".

I loved the plot line the author has with this book, (Trilogy?) ( Series?) especially the way he weaves the three separate characters into a cohesive group and eventually family unit. FBI Special Agent Kendra, haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her sister Carrie from years ago, takes on the case of hundreds of missing and abducted people while the world around her is collapsing from multiple cataclysmic and catastrophic events. In the meantime, the paranoid and seemingly delusional hacker Rollie Rollands is trying to stay invisible and hidden from the people behind the abductions; while the mercurial and explosive former marine Andrew Miller, suffering from PTSD, can't figure out why they would kidnap his daughter, Val when they've only taken adults before. Andrew and his exwife just want their Daughter back as they desperately try to track down and rescue her from the mysterious group.

Then there's the mysterios billionaire Lewis Hound , hmm hound, hunting and abducting people? how'd he know what was coming to prepare for it? And why is he the only person on the planet with the ad danced technology to save them? These are questions I look eagerly to finding out answer for in the second book. I'm hooked how bout you?

[George P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final Days
What's better than reading a book from one of Americas best selling authors?
Reading a book penned by two of Americans bestselling authors.

This collaboration from Jasper T. Scott and Nathan Hystad is refreshing and exciting.
The individual character development of Special Agent Kendra Baker and Ex-Marine Corporal
Andrew Miller is intriguing.
The development starts slowly and builds while the chase between them is on.

Not only between Baker and Miller, but also against the Global countdown which is expected to be the mother of all-natural events. Can Mother Nature coordinate a sequence of natural catastrophes against a calculated doomsday, or is there something else behind it.
Why are random people mysteriously disappearing all over the country?
Why is Miller's daughter missing?

The obsession to find his daughter is the driving force for Miller.
The case of missing people is Bakers fixation.
Time is against them, as disasters continue to escalate, and the directive to evacuate is reinforced.

Each page will keep you reading, with its twists, and at times, dead-end paths.
The twists and "I didn't see that coming" sections will keep you entertained, and drive you further into each characters pathway.
In my opinion, this is by far the best read for 2020.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe I've read and reviewed most of the books by these two fantastic authors. I was afraid that their brilliance would be diluted by joining together to write this book. I've seen other great authors try this and, often the individual writing styles were so apparent the story felt like a poorly edited attempt at a candidate for a Condensed Digest collection. Not So with these guys, if anything, their output quality has more than doubled.
I've been an advance reader for both Jasper and Nathan in the past and was almost disappointed I couldn't find anything needing editing, not even a single typo. I usually feel as though I was a contributor to their success but, they've done it without me this time.
If you've read any of my reviews you'll know I don't do what I refer to as HS Book Report style reviews where there is an attempt to summarize the story. I believe the authors do a superior job summarizing their own story and won't reveal plot details that should be revealed at the author's chosen pace. I will say that the title itself gives an indication that this story is about the final days before a growing series of natural disasters destroy the world and how some people attempt to avoid the effects. I know this is a bit of a "spoiler" but, I'm so glad this is the first in a series...YEA!

Review by THE HOLEY ONE

[Ryan H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the second one in the series. How could you not enjoy it though? Ray Porter is the narrator and he is hands-down one of the best in the business. The story kicks off with a bang and won’t let you go. There’s action running at you from every direction and it’s really great when the storylines start to converge into one. Adding in the extreme weather events makes everything just a little bit more difficult for our characters. We got those characters that you’re route for and will continue to root for throughout the entire story but the author does a really great job of lending us those characters who you love to hate throughout the book and at times are just moaning and groaning at them how come they won’t perish or why won’t something bad happened to them? The narration is spot on and you can’t really say anything bad about a performance such as this. So many unique different voices and so many little nuances really give life to the authors words. Picking up the second audiobook to the series very shortly and I will no doubt fly through this one as the first one leaves a little bit of a cliffhanger ending and I’m excited to see what comes next for our characters.

[Roksy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special Agent Kendra Baker takes one final case, determined to find answers as people across the United States are going missing. Among those abducted is Valeria, daughter of ex-Marine Andrew Miller. Nothing and no one will prevent Andrew from finding Valeria, even if it means teaming up with a pair of strangers: Kendra and an unstable conspiracy theorist. But as a mysterious convergence of natural disasters threatens to destroy all life on earth, they’re running out of time. They have to work together to track down a reclusive billionaire who may have the answers behind the missing persons and the impending world-wide catastrophe.

I decided to peek into this series in large part due to Ray Porter, who is arguably my favourite audiobook narrator. As in the past, I’m glad I followed his voice: Final Days is a solid action-thriller that is fast-paced, mysterious, and intense. Part apocalyptic scenario and part conspiracy theory, the story is grounded by characters that are deeply engaging, and whose flaws and resilience bring them to life. I’m eager to continue this journey with them in the future.

[Kay Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to know exactly what to write, spoilers are so close and easy to stumble over. Final Days has at its base the apocalypse of all apocalypses. So much happens to Earth, tsunamis, acid rain, fault lines, hurricanes, killer fogs and more. There’s a fairly large cast of characters, Kendra the FBI agent and Andrew the ex marine are the two main ones. Both have demons in their past that affect what they do in the present. Andrew will never give up searching for his daughter, who has been kidnapped. For Kendra it’s the case of hundreds of suddenly missing people, impacted by the loss of her sister. Together they struggle to find answers and Andrew’s daughter. The story keeps up a speed that is almost adrenaline creating. It doesn’t pay to get complacent for things can and do change in an instant. This is a very believable and scary example of how our world could end! And oh boy what a cliffhanger ending!

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beginning of the end

This was such a great start to what I expect to be an exciting post apocalyptic, dystopian, Sci-fi series.
I had no qualms about the story writing calibre it was in good hands Nythan Hystad and Jasper T Scott; they both know how to create their worlds and place realistic characters in the stories they weave around them.

This story starts with the end of the World as the back drop to the characters we meet, their stories all some how linked, all bound to one fate.

All may not be as it seems, an exact count down to disaster, so many catastrophic events all at once is this a natural event or is it linked to the richest man in the world Lewis Hound?

The book ends dramatically, but no spoilers here, suffice to say the title of the second book suggests a possible outcome for some...

A compelling, exciting read that I highly recommend. Looking forward to Colony very much!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this. It's got a lot of apocalyptic events going on- everything from Yellowstone exploding to tropical storms to hurricanes, all of which together will completely wipe out humanity, and likely all life on earth.

Which is why I found the character of Kendra Baker to be very lacking in anything resembling common sense, or reality. I get "rogue cop married to a case", but trying to figure out where missing girls are at the end of the world doesn't make any logical sense at all, especially when she's not going to save them anyway. She'd be more useful directing traffic (how do they all manage to drive around to different states when every road would be jammed with vehicles?). It ruined her character for me, and to some extent the book.

But there's enough post-apocalyptical craziness and mysteries that it was still a decent book...I just hope that the second is a bit better.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final Days opens interesting enough, with the world going to hell in a handbasket. Many people don't believe it yet, but the end is happening and happening soon. The main characters are going about their daily lives trying to make it like any/all of us. Drama and intrigue develop into life and death situations that ultimately lead to what the Final Days story is really about. An ARC ready to take man to the stars to avoid the death that is coming to our world. This is basically a prequel to the real upcoming story that will be books, 2 and 3. Definitely got me interested enough to want to see what the story is really about and what will happen to this incredibly complex plan masterminded by a billionaire with a vision. Interesting characters with plenty of real issues that plague mankind. I did receive this ebook as an ARC and this is an honest review, now please on to book #2! I expect it to be epic.

[KHB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really pleased to see two authors that I always enjoy come together in Final Days.

I didn't know how this collaboration would work out, but combined they have produced a fantastic start to this series. Couldn't put it down.

It appears there will be three books in the series and that the release of both will be this summer, so I won't have to wait too long to find out what will transpire.

It's nice to see a full length novel like this in a series. Too many series books seem to be quite short today (novella).

I enjoyed the character development with each chapter dedicated to a character as they eventually came together later in the story.

Don't want to spoil it, but two of my favorite genres are covered in the book too. Thoroughly enjoyed this read. If you like Jasper T. Scott and Nathan Hystad, you'll like this book.

[Curt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version with Ray Porter as the narrator - great as usual. I enjoyed this book. It is written with 3 main characters who start out separately but end up all working toward the same end. Interestingly, each of the characters is pursuing his/her end goal despite the count-down to an extinction-level series of events. The pace was quick and the characters believable, each with his/her own hangups they are trying to overcome. The ending is a bit of a surprise particularly from a technological perspective leaving me wondering if all this is the result of alien interference. The fact that all the disasters occur at the same time and the technology employed by the billionaire is beyond human's current capability provides some hints in that direction.

There are unanswered questions that no doubt will be answered in book 2. I think I will read it.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was a slightly different take on the "end of the world".
Multiple worldwide disasters are happening, and the west coast is called to evacuate to Texas, deemed the only place marginally safe, from the tsunamis and Yellowstone volcano eruption.
A police detective decides not to leave, she thinks she can quickly find some of the people who have gone missing in the last few months.
An "on the wagon" father decides not to leave, because he has to find his daughter, one who very recently went missing, but the police are too busy to worry about.
A computer hacker decided he was safe and took the job the father asked of him, to help find his daughter.
See how all these stories come together and reach a climax that was unexpected. Unexpected by me at least. Perhaps if I'd looked closer I wouldn't have been as surprised. ;)

[Noodle The Naughty Night Owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10: Excellent read, well written, fell right into the fictional world created.

Apparently the only people left in the city were either insane or suicidal. Andrew absently wondered where he fit on that spectrum.

Nice, easy end-of-days read. I enjoyed Andrew as the main character. And liked Special Agent Kendra as a side character.

“What’s a woman like you doing chasing after a case when the world is ending?”

And the Reverend was a great addition, mudding up the already turbulent waters.

Of all the attitudes to have at the end of the world, “smug prophet” had to be the worst.

I went straight onto book two. This was an engaging story and now I have a new author to stalk.