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The Apocalypse Seven: A Darkly Comic Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi First Contact Thriller and Mystery
Scott Sigler called Doucette’s cozy apocalypse story, “entertaining as hell.” Come see how the world ends, not with a bang, but a whatever . . . The whateverpocalypse. That’s what Touré, a twenty-something Cambridge coder, calls it after waking up one morning to find himself seemingly the only person left in the city. Once he finds Robbie and Carol, two equally disoriented Harvard freshmen, he realizes he isn’t alone, but the name Whateverpocalypse. But it doesn’t explain where everyone went. It doesn’t explain how the city became overgrown with vegetation in the space of a night. Or how wild animals with no fear of humans came to roam the streets. Add freakish weather to the mix, swings of temperature that spawn tornadoes one minute and snowstorms the next, and it seems things can’t get much weirder. Yet even as a handful of new survivors appear—Paul, a preacher as quick with a gun as a Bible verse; Win, a young professional with a horse; Bethany, a thirteen-year-old juvenile delinquent; and Ananda, an MIT astrophysics adjunct—life in Cambridge, Massachusetts gets stranger and stranger. The self-styled Apocalypse Seven are tired of questions with no answers. Tired of being hunted by things seen and unseen. Now, armed with curiosity, desperation, a shotgun, and a bow, they become the hunters. And that’s when things truly get weird.
432 pages, Paperback
First published May 25, 2021
353 people are currently reading
3560 people want to read
About the author
Gene Doucette
43 books436 followersGene Doucette is a hybrid author, albeit in a somewhat roundabout way. From 2010 through 2014, Gene published four full-length novels (Immortal, Hellenic Immortal, Fixer, and Immortal at the Edge of the World) with a small indie publisher. Then, in 2014, Gene started self-publishing novellas that were set in the same universe as the Immortal series, at which point he was a hybrid.
When the novellas proved more lucrative than the novels, Gene tried self-publishing a full novel, The Spaceship Next Door, in 2015. This went well. So well, that in 2016, Gene reacquired the rights to the earlier four novels from the publisher, and re-released them, at which point he wasn’t a hybrid any longer.
Additional self-published novels followed: Immortal and the Island of Impossible Things (2016); Unfiction (2017); and The Frequency of Aliens (2017).
In 2018, John Joseph Adams Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) acquired the rights to The Spaceship Next Door. The reprint was published in September of that year, at which point Gene was once again a hybrid author.
Since then, a number of things have happened. Gene published two more novels—Immortal From Hell at the end of 2018, and Fixer Redux in 2019—and wrote a new novel called The Apocalypse Seven that he did not self-publish; it was acquired by JJA/HMH in September of 2019. Publication date is May 25, 2021.
Gene plans to continue writing novels for both markets (traditional and self-published) as long as that continues to make sense. His most recent self-published novel is Immortal: Last Call (2020). He is currently at work on a large science fiction world-building project taking place on his Patreon site, the result of which will be a multi-novel series.
When the novellas proved more lucrative than the novels, Gene tried self-publishing a full novel, The Spaceship Next Door, in 2015. This went well. So well, that in 2016, Gene reacquired the rights to the earlier four novels from the publisher, and re-released them, at which point he wasn’t a hybrid any longer.
Additional self-published novels followed: Immortal and the Island of Impossible Things (2016); Unfiction (2017); and The Frequency of Aliens (2017).
In 2018, John Joseph Adams Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) acquired the rights to The Spaceship Next Door. The reprint was published in September of that year, at which point Gene was once again a hybrid author.
Since then, a number of things have happened. Gene published two more novels—Immortal From Hell at the end of 2018, and Fixer Redux in 2019—and wrote a new novel called The Apocalypse Seven that he did not self-publish; it was acquired by JJA/HMH in September of 2019. Publication date is May 25, 2021.
Gene plans to continue writing novels for both markets (traditional and self-published) as long as that continues to make sense. His most recent self-published novel is Immortal: Last Call (2020). He is currently at work on a large science fiction world-building project taking place on his Patreon site, the result of which will be a multi-novel series.
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December 6, 2021
Wanderers meets Stand and Revolution series vibes. It’s not too close definition of this quiet mind spiraling, grey cell fryer, thought balloons popper, teeth gritting, nerve bending novel but at least it is a start!
Seven strangers wake up in different places, finding out the earth they were living is deserted, overgrown with wild life. Pigs, wolves chase them at the night. The electricity failure seems like permanent malfunctioning.
A college student Robbie finds himself at another person’s dorm room ( the room number is right but he finds other person’s clothes at the drawers) and only thing he cares is not getting late to his class! What kind of drinks he had at party? But he wakes up to a different world! The dorms look different! The vegetation, the buildings, even the air he breathes is different and only person he finds a young Chinese blind woman who is agitated because her guidance dog is missing! Her name is Carol and she has no idea what the hell is happening to them! Why the streets are isolated? Why there are more animals touring around?
A geek boy on his bike stops at the last minute not to hit Robin and he congratulated them for missing the apocalypse just like he did last night. His name is Toure and last thing he remembers he passed out in front of his computer when he was coding.
And the rest of gang includes Bethany, 14 years old girl who is really good at opening the locks, Paul: a convicted man who becomes preacher in his early 50’s, Ananda: a smart, middle aged, scientist and Win: a badass farmer girl who is better arrowing skills than Oliver Queen!
You keep asking yourself: what the hell happened to them? Are they denying their situation and they are like Bruce Willis acting like curing a young boy till they understand they are on the ghosts the boy can see? Did somebody kidnap them? Or are they living in parallel universe? Are they aliens? Is this really end of the world?
And you keep thinking why they are chosen ones! Instead of badass Win and some street smart knowledge of Paul, none of them have surviving skills. But that must be something they are in common, what makes them so special!
My brain is on fire! Too many conspiracy theories exhausted the hell of me. I partially find some answers but the conclusion was unexpected! Did I like it? Yes! The ending was well-served and played!
And at least three characters became my favorites! Geek boy Toure was my number one because he was the only one having so much fun about the idea of apocalypse and without him: this book couldn’t be one of my favorite sci-fi novel without his existence!
And badass, intestine carver, horse rider Win carries her big girl pants so stylishly!
Let’s not forget Bethany is quite genius girl is another badass teenager who can break into the places, find resources to survive, fire guns like she’s related with Dirty Harry but she is still lost, emotional kid who still tries to understand what they are dealing with and interestingly she’s closer to find answers!
This is well written, riveting, entertaining and surprising survival, sci-fi, apocalyptic story with remarkable characterization which deserves my full five stars ( and the stars of the universe where those 7 last standing survivors live! )
Special thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/John Joseph Adams/ Mariner Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Seven strangers wake up in different places, finding out the earth they were living is deserted, overgrown with wild life. Pigs, wolves chase them at the night. The electricity failure seems like permanent malfunctioning.
A college student Robbie finds himself at another person’s dorm room ( the room number is right but he finds other person’s clothes at the drawers) and only thing he cares is not getting late to his class! What kind of drinks he had at party? But he wakes up to a different world! The dorms look different! The vegetation, the buildings, even the air he breathes is different and only person he finds a young Chinese blind woman who is agitated because her guidance dog is missing! Her name is Carol and she has no idea what the hell is happening to them! Why the streets are isolated? Why there are more animals touring around?
A geek boy on his bike stops at the last minute not to hit Robin and he congratulated them for missing the apocalypse just like he did last night. His name is Toure and last thing he remembers he passed out in front of his computer when he was coding.
And the rest of gang includes Bethany, 14 years old girl who is really good at opening the locks, Paul: a convicted man who becomes preacher in his early 50’s, Ananda: a smart, middle aged, scientist and Win: a badass farmer girl who is better arrowing skills than Oliver Queen!
You keep asking yourself: what the hell happened to them? Are they denying their situation and they are like Bruce Willis acting like curing a young boy till they understand they are on the ghosts the boy can see? Did somebody kidnap them? Or are they living in parallel universe? Are they aliens? Is this really end of the world?
And you keep thinking why they are chosen ones! Instead of badass Win and some street smart knowledge of Paul, none of them have surviving skills. But that must be something they are in common, what makes them so special!
My brain is on fire! Too many conspiracy theories exhausted the hell of me. I partially find some answers but the conclusion was unexpected! Did I like it? Yes! The ending was well-served and played!
And at least three characters became my favorites! Geek boy Toure was my number one because he was the only one having so much fun about the idea of apocalypse and without him: this book couldn’t be one of my favorite sci-fi novel without his existence!
And badass, intestine carver, horse rider Win carries her big girl pants so stylishly!
Let’s not forget Bethany is quite genius girl is another badass teenager who can break into the places, find resources to survive, fire guns like she’s related with Dirty Harry but she is still lost, emotional kid who still tries to understand what they are dealing with and interestingly she’s closer to find answers!
This is well written, riveting, entertaining and surprising survival, sci-fi, apocalyptic story with remarkable characterization which deserves my full five stars ( and the stars of the universe where those 7 last standing survivors live! )
Special thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/John Joseph Adams/ Mariner Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
September 16, 2022
TW// animal death, human death, descriptions of gore, mention of drowning
I’m so disappointed in this one. I had really high hopes because the synopsis sounded amazing and I usually love apocalypse stories, but I hated almost everything about this story. The only thing I liked about this book was the setting. It was interesting to read about the different locations in the story and how the characters were able to use the unique locations to their advantage. That’s the only praise I can give to this book.
My major issue with this book was that it was extremely boring and dull. There was so much potential to have this be a super fast paced, action packed adventure, but everything dragged and the writing style made me nearly fall asleep while reading it. There was also nothing appealing about the characters to keep me interested in the story. There’s Paul, a religious nut job who would’ve supported Trump if he were a real person. Paul’s religion was extremely shoved onto the reader and it got a bit overkill at some points in the story. Robbie was just straight up bland and boring. He was like a piece of cardboard. Touré was supposed to be the comedy relief, but the author sucked at writing any sort of humor. Bethany was a rebellious teen, but she was also a straight up jerk. Win was probably the most interesting character, but the story didn’t spend enough time developing her character. Ananda went on scientific rants that left me feeling really confused. And Carol… Carol had the potential to be the best character. She’s someone who’s blind and likes animals. That seemed like an interesting person to have in an apocalypse, but she ended up having somewhat of an annoying personality and all of the characters viewed her as a burden. She clearly wasn’t a burden, but everyone viewed her that way and it pissed me off that the only disabled character in this story was viewed as a burden.
To make matters worse, nothing made any sense until the very end of the book. Most apocolypse books have a clear reason why there’s an apocalypse whether that be global warming, zombies, or aliens. Most of the time you are aware of what the reason for the apocalypse is at the start of the book. This book didn’t do that at all. It kept throwing in random events throughout the whole story, like freak weather or no humans or giant animals, but there wasn’t any answers until the last 10% of the book. Even then, though, not everything was explained. Only the reason why there weren’t many people was explained. Even that explanation was confusing as it dealt with a lot of technical scientific terms that I didn’t understand at all.
The icing on the cake of my hatred for this book was how this book dealt with women. This story kept bringing up how the men weren’t good with women for no reason and it rubbed me the wrong way. Like what was the need for a character describing that he’s not good at guessing women’s ages if they’re between the age of puberty and thirty? And why is it socially acceptable for things like that to even be written in a book? This book also made a joke about misogyny and a male character played it off like misogyny isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The women also kept refering to their first period as when they first “bled.” No women says this and the whole period talk sounded very scientific. It felt like the author understood the scientific elements to periods, but not how women actually talk about it. Cis men just shouldn’t include disucssions of periods in their novel unless they talk to someone with a uterus about it. The way this book dealt with women and periods wasn’t exactly sexist, but it raised some red flags for me and I’m sure a lot of other people will hate how this book dealt with women as well.
I honestly have no clue why this book has so many positive reviews. It’s almost like I read a different book than everybody else. Overall I’d only recommend this book if you’re a fan of the author’s other works. If you haven’t read any of his other works, then skip this one. There’s tons of better apocalypse books out there.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m so disappointed in this one. I had really high hopes because the synopsis sounded amazing and I usually love apocalypse stories, but I hated almost everything about this story. The only thing I liked about this book was the setting. It was interesting to read about the different locations in the story and how the characters were able to use the unique locations to their advantage. That’s the only praise I can give to this book.
My major issue with this book was that it was extremely boring and dull. There was so much potential to have this be a super fast paced, action packed adventure, but everything dragged and the writing style made me nearly fall asleep while reading it. There was also nothing appealing about the characters to keep me interested in the story. There’s Paul, a religious nut job who would’ve supported Trump if he were a real person. Paul’s religion was extremely shoved onto the reader and it got a bit overkill at some points in the story. Robbie was just straight up bland and boring. He was like a piece of cardboard. Touré was supposed to be the comedy relief, but the author sucked at writing any sort of humor. Bethany was a rebellious teen, but she was also a straight up jerk. Win was probably the most interesting character, but the story didn’t spend enough time developing her character. Ananda went on scientific rants that left me feeling really confused. And Carol… Carol had the potential to be the best character. She’s someone who’s blind and likes animals. That seemed like an interesting person to have in an apocalypse, but she ended up having somewhat of an annoying personality and all of the characters viewed her as a burden. She clearly wasn’t a burden, but everyone viewed her that way and it pissed me off that the only disabled character in this story was viewed as a burden.
To make matters worse, nothing made any sense until the very end of the book. Most apocolypse books have a clear reason why there’s an apocalypse whether that be global warming, zombies, or aliens. Most of the time you are aware of what the reason for the apocalypse is at the start of the book. This book didn’t do that at all. It kept throwing in random events throughout the whole story, like freak weather or no humans or giant animals, but there wasn’t any answers until the last 10% of the book. Even then, though, not everything was explained. Only the reason why there weren’t many people was explained. Even that explanation was confusing as it dealt with a lot of technical scientific terms that I didn’t understand at all.
The icing on the cake of my hatred for this book was how this book dealt with women. This story kept bringing up how the men weren’t good with women for no reason and it rubbed me the wrong way. Like what was the need for a character describing that he’s not good at guessing women’s ages if they’re between the age of puberty and thirty? And why is it socially acceptable for things like that to even be written in a book? This book also made a joke about misogyny and a male character played it off like misogyny isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The women also kept refering to their first period as when they first “bled.” No women says this and the whole period talk sounded very scientific. It felt like the author understood the scientific elements to periods, but not how women actually talk about it. Cis men just shouldn’t include disucssions of periods in their novel unless they talk to someone with a uterus about it. The way this book dealt with women and periods wasn’t exactly sexist, but it raised some red flags for me and I’m sure a lot of other people will hate how this book dealt with women as well.
I honestly have no clue why this book has so many positive reviews. It’s almost like I read a different book than everybody else. Overall I’d only recommend this book if you’re a fan of the author’s other works. If you haven’t read any of his other works, then skip this one. There’s tons of better apocalypse books out there.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 27, 2021
I won this e-arc in a Goodreads giveaway and I dropped all reads to start. I regret nothing. Give me a bunch of people surviving an apocalypse and I will buy your book. I don't care what the plot is, if the cover blows, or if it's full of flat characters, deus ex machina's or whatever. I. Will. Read. It.
Imagine waking up and finding out the entire planet has vanished replaced with wild animals, crumbling buildings, overgrown vegetation, and zero electronics. Well, that sounds like a problem. We start the book from Robbie's perspective. He wakes up in his dorm room after a night of partying to find everyone gone, save for a blind woman named Carol who seems to have lost her seeing-eye dog. Together they navigate Cambridge, MA, looking for shelter from massive coywolves and locating food, water, and survivors.
I need to pause here and tell you how terrifying the apocalypse would be if you were blind. I actually tried imagining it and it only added to my anxiety.
So Robbie and Carol run into a coder named Toure' and a 13-year-old girl named Bethany. Soon after, they add Win, a seriously fierce farmer and hunter, Ananda, a scientist, and Paul, a nondenominational preacher. While they battle the rapid wildlife, injuries, starvation, and unpredictable weather, they soon put the pieces together as to why they were the only survivors.
Life was inconvenient to me. Why is eating and sleeping more important than continuing this book?
This was like The Stand, but without the killer virus but with shimmering fireflies that take the shape of humans and maybe could be good and maybe could be bad? Each character has their own POV and their own issues with coming to grips with what's going on.
Did I mention this book is set in my hometown???
Enough about the story and more about the writing. This is my first book by the author and I'm thinking that I should probably stack my kindle with the rest of his books because they're anything like this one, I'm going to be neglecting a lot of reality. The voice of this book is what kept me reading. Its humor and heart along with its horror are up there with the likes of King and Douglass themselves.
Can we give a round of applause for Elton, the horse, though? He may have stolen the show. And my heart.
This review is EVERYWHERE because I literally just finished the book and could not wait to write down my thoughts. I loved it. I loved every second of it. The characters stood out as individuals and the humor was balanced perfectly with the dread and confusion of this quiet apocalypse. This book is smart, funny, and downright terrifying. My only gripe was that it felt rushed at the end and I was HOOOOOOPING for a cliffhanger or an open-ended ending to lead us into a book two, but alas. There's still hope though, right? Do authors read their reviews?
O_O Gene, are you reading this right now?
Book two. Stat.
FIVE STARS FROM YO GIRL
Imagine waking up and finding out the entire planet has vanished replaced with wild animals, crumbling buildings, overgrown vegetation, and zero electronics. Well, that sounds like a problem. We start the book from Robbie's perspective. He wakes up in his dorm room after a night of partying to find everyone gone, save for a blind woman named Carol who seems to have lost her seeing-eye dog. Together they navigate Cambridge, MA, looking for shelter from massive coywolves and locating food, water, and survivors.
I need to pause here and tell you how terrifying the apocalypse would be if you were blind. I actually tried imagining it and it only added to my anxiety.
So Robbie and Carol run into a coder named Toure' and a 13-year-old girl named Bethany. Soon after, they add Win, a seriously fierce farmer and hunter, Ananda, a scientist, and Paul, a nondenominational preacher. While they battle the rapid wildlife, injuries, starvation, and unpredictable weather, they soon put the pieces together as to why they were the only survivors.
Life was inconvenient to me. Why is eating and sleeping more important than continuing this book?
This was like The Stand, but without the killer virus but with shimmering fireflies that take the shape of humans and maybe could be good and maybe could be bad? Each character has their own POV and their own issues with coming to grips with what's going on.
Did I mention this book is set in my hometown???
Enough about the story and more about the writing. This is my first book by the author and I'm thinking that I should probably stack my kindle with the rest of his books because they're anything like this one, I'm going to be neglecting a lot of reality. The voice of this book is what kept me reading. Its humor and heart along with its horror are up there with the likes of King and Douglass themselves.
Can we give a round of applause for Elton, the horse, though? He may have stolen the show. And my heart.
This review is EVERYWHERE because I literally just finished the book and could not wait to write down my thoughts. I loved it. I loved every second of it. The characters stood out as individuals and the humor was balanced perfectly with the dread and confusion of this quiet apocalypse. This book is smart, funny, and downright terrifying. My only gripe was that it felt rushed at the end and I was HOOOOOOPING for a cliffhanger or an open-ended ending to lead us into a book two, but alas. There's still hope though, right? Do authors read their reviews?
O_O Gene, are you reading this right now?
Book two. Stat.
FIVE STARS FROM YO GIRL
March 21, 2021
Well that was... Interesting.
This was a kind of Wanderers meets a reverse The Leftovers.
Carol and Robbie wake up in their dorm rooms at Harvard to discover that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is gone. After a little exploration, they also realize that there are wild animals everywhere and that all of Harvard is extremely overgrown with vegetation. They run into Toure, and then Bethany, and come to grips that they're in the middle of an apocalypse, or whateverpocalypse as Toure names it.
The focus on survival is next as there's no food on the shelves except some kind of tasteless blocks of packaged energy bars.
The books switches POV to Paul and Win, both in the country side who also experience their own versions of waking up to no one left in their worlds.
Ananda is the seventh and she's a scientist at Harvard who helps to unravel some of the truth of their new world.
I love apocalyptic tales. The Apocalypse Seven was exactly what I love about these types of stories. This one had a unique twist and seven interesting characters, none of which drove me crazy and I liked them all. And there are some extremely strange twists as the answers are revealed.
This was a fun apocalyptic story and I really enjoyed the read.
*Thanks so much to John Joseph Adams/Mariner Books and NetGalley for the advance copy!*
This was a kind of Wanderers meets a reverse The Leftovers.
Carol and Robbie wake up in their dorm rooms at Harvard to discover that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is gone. After a little exploration, they also realize that there are wild animals everywhere and that all of Harvard is extremely overgrown with vegetation. They run into Toure, and then Bethany, and come to grips that they're in the middle of an apocalypse, or whateverpocalypse as Toure names it.
The focus on survival is next as there's no food on the shelves except some kind of tasteless blocks of packaged energy bars.
The books switches POV to Paul and Win, both in the country side who also experience their own versions of waking up to no one left in their worlds.
Ananda is the seventh and she's a scientist at Harvard who helps to unravel some of the truth of their new world.
I love apocalyptic tales. The Apocalypse Seven was exactly what I love about these types of stories. This one had a unique twist and seven interesting characters, none of which drove me crazy and I liked them all. And there are some extremely strange twists as the answers are revealed.
This was a fun apocalyptic story and I really enjoyed the read.
*Thanks so much to John Joseph Adams/Mariner Books and NetGalley for the advance copy!*
May 9, 2025
In the first line of this book's description on Amazon there's the bit "this cozy apocalypse" that's why I picked up the book. While there were some funny bits I really didn't get cozy so much as disconnected. Whateverpocalypse seems right because there's a whatever feeling to the whole thing and I think I'm just not nonchalant enough to really get with it. The part of the book where we get to know the characters was great and I liked the mystery of aspect of the story but the pacing just wasn't it.
February 25, 2021
Apocalypse 7: A Monotone Metronome.
Flighty
Almost too cheesy, but a bit too flat to allow for that. Not sure the distinction matters, as both aren't ideal and I'd have probably felt the same disappointment either way.
Lack of connection.
Lack of drama.
Lack of excitement.
Not an ideal description when referring to a post apocalyptic fiction novel.
There are apocalyptic dangers specific to extreme and unpredictable weather that occur outside of the 4 seasons the survivors have always known. A blizzard one day, a tornado days later. In addition, the animal population has expanded and taken over all previously human occupied areas. Including the species that are the biggest threat to humans, bears, wolves, cougars, etc.
That sounds like it should be exciting, right? However, it ultimately... lacked soul? Now that sounds super cheesy. But it's true. There's no uptick in the heart beat. I had high hopes for this one. So realistically, I may feel more let down as a result.
I'm not sure if it was meant to be a probing philosophical approach about humanity and whether they will try to survive when faced with the most impossible circumstances. Or if it was about how will they choose to do that; will they give up or hold onto their principles prior to the apocalypse? Will those who believe in God question their faith? All these topics are somewhat involved. Unfortunately, I must stress they're only touched upon very lightly, and enclosed in a YA level. With the lightened approach, it lacked the influencing quality to make me really think on it. It was too weak an attempt to create a spark, and I mostly didn't bother putting any brain power towards it, as the book itself never bothered to push my brain.
*Thank you to Gene Doucette for the advanced digital copy.
Flighty
Almost too cheesy, but a bit too flat to allow for that. Not sure the distinction matters, as both aren't ideal and I'd have probably felt the same disappointment either way.
Lack of connection.
Lack of drama.
Lack of excitement.
Not an ideal description when referring to a post apocalyptic fiction novel.
There are apocalyptic dangers specific to extreme and unpredictable weather that occur outside of the 4 seasons the survivors have always known. A blizzard one day, a tornado days later. In addition, the animal population has expanded and taken over all previously human occupied areas. Including the species that are the biggest threat to humans, bears, wolves, cougars, etc.
That sounds like it should be exciting, right? However, it ultimately... lacked soul? Now that sounds super cheesy. But it's true. There's no uptick in the heart beat. I had high hopes for this one. So realistically, I may feel more let down as a result.
I'm not sure if it was meant to be a probing philosophical approach about humanity and whether they will try to survive when faced with the most impossible circumstances. Or if it was about how will they choose to do that; will they give up or hold onto their principles prior to the apocalypse? Will those who believe in God question their faith? All these topics are somewhat involved. Unfortunately, I must stress they're only touched upon very lightly, and enclosed in a YA level. With the lightened approach, it lacked the influencing quality to make me really think on it. It was too weak an attempt to create a spark, and I mostly didn't bother putting any brain power towards it, as the book itself never bothered to push my brain.
*Thank you to Gene Doucette for the advanced digital copy.
November 2, 2020
Well, this was fun.
Ever read a book and just know that the author would be a blast to talk to in real life? This is that book. The author has a wonderful sense of humor and humanity that just shines through on almost every page.
The book definitely kept me guessing. Each time I thought I knew what was going on, I was quite wrong.
No spoilers here. I’ll just say that I wasn’t quite all in on a later character to the book. Just didn’t love that one. But I still thought the author handled everything well.
As for the reason behind everything, I’ll just say that it had a surprising gravitas – surprising because, for a book about the apocalypse, most of the book is pretty lighthearted.
I liked it. I’d definitely read the author again!
*ARC via Net Galley
March 1, 2021
I enjoyed this one, it was intriguing, with a good sense of place. The author made it easy to visualise the city devoid of people and over run with wildlife. I was a little worried it would be too YA but I found liked the characters and their interaction with each other, and I enjoyed the flashes of humour. At times I got frustrated at their poor attempts at getting organised, and failure to discuss anything properly, aaargh just talk to each other already! 🤦♀️ The book is something of a slow burn most of the way but then the ending felt a bit too rushed, almost as if there was something missing. I would definitely like to read more from this author, 3.5 stars rounded up (the extra half a star is for Elton the horse, my favourite character, I loved him ☺️). Thanks Netgalley.
November 1, 2021
I really enjoyed this book—from the diverse characters to the realistic dialogue and settings, everything was masterfully developed and seamlessly integrated into the story line. What most appealed to me, however, was the unexpected humor this author infused into many of the high stress scenarios. Unfortunately, it all fell apart when the author attempted to bring this one to its conclusion. I had a very difficult time wrapping my head around what actually transpired, and while I’m fairly sure I got the gist, the details remain murky. It was a disappointment, at that point, on many levels, including the author’s tech-laden geek explanation as well as my own clearly subpar intellect. So a solid 4, bordering on a clean 5, immediately bore the brunt of my frustration, resulting in a 3.
December 12, 2021
Review coming soon.
February 15, 2021
The story didn't work for me.
A combination of story pacing and structure caused this book to fall flat. In a traditional three-act story there's the setup, then confrontation, then resolution. The first act of this book consumed 80% of the pages. It's as if Doucette really liked the beginning of disaster movies, where they're forming the team, but didn't come through in the end. The confrontation shouldn't have been focused on the nature battles (which for smart people attending Harvard, should not have been so dumb). I would like to have seen more with the true advisory.
The characters ... not sure what to say about them other than they were what they were. Again, looked like a Hollywood cast of types and personalities. Any changes or growth they accomplish in the epilogue, like a cutaway scene. We don't see them change. Also, the characters are written the same, and all think of things in numerical order. This was a pet peeve of mine. The author uses 1) ... 2) ... 3) ... categorization for when a character is thinking of options or possible outcomes or whatever. But each character does this! It's as if they all have the same mind.
I'm sure there's an audience for this book, but it isn't me.
I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Story: 2 stars
Character Development: 2 stars
Writing: 2 stars
https://readingbetweenthestitches.wor...
A combination of story pacing and structure caused this book to fall flat. In a traditional three-act story there's the setup, then confrontation, then resolution. The first act of this book consumed 80% of the pages. It's as if Doucette really liked the beginning of disaster movies, where they're forming the team, but didn't come through in the end. The confrontation shouldn't have been focused on the nature battles (which for smart people attending Harvard, should not have been so dumb). I would like to have seen more with the true advisory.
The characters ... not sure what to say about them other than they were what they were. Again, looked like a Hollywood cast of types and personalities. Any changes or growth they accomplish in the epilogue, like a cutaway scene. We don't see them change. Also, the characters are written the same, and all think of things in numerical order. This was a pet peeve of mine. The author uses 1) ... 2) ... 3) ... categorization for when a character is thinking of options or possible outcomes or whatever. But each character does this! It's as if they all have the same mind.
I'm sure there's an audience for this book, but it isn't me.
I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Story: 2 stars
Character Development: 2 stars
Writing: 2 stars
https://readingbetweenthestitches.wor...
November 5, 2020
Gene Doucette blew my mind with Unfiction some time ago. Difficult to go from there, once the bar is set that high. With this, now my third read by him, he definitely doesn’t disappoint, it’s no Unfiction, but it’s quite good. I’d read more of Doucette’s, but he’s got this penchant for series and I prefer standalones. This one seems to be a standalone, at least for now, but it can easily be serialized too.
So anyway…that’s obviously why I selected to read it, the other reason being…hey, it’s apocalypse, perfectly appropriate for the worst election on US record ever. So…did Doucette’s tale of whateverpocalypse as the seven survivors of it come to call it distract enough from the ever disappointing and depressing news? Well, yeah, it kind of did. Doucette’s a very good writer, he does great descriptions, dynamic pacing and dialogues and likeable engaging characters, but his greatest asset is his wild originality and imagination.
And so his stories go places other works in the genre just don’t get to. Although…this one for me was very reminiscent of Wayward Pines, but it was still very much a beast of its own. Apocalypse comes quietly in this story, people just wake up to it, wake up to a barely recognizable world grown wild in flora and fauna and strangely peopleless. Seven survivors of Beneton ad different races (this is not a mere PC nod, it’s logical to the plot as you’ll understand in the end) and of varied ages come to find themselves at the end of the world and must band together to survive it and find out the truth about how it all came to be. The truth takes quite a while to uncover, so for a long time you’re stumbling around as cluelessly as the seven, but in the end the scientist among them gets there. But even armed with the truth, the fight still isn’t quite fair or balanced, because whatever’s after them may not be a force that’s well meaning or even terrestrial. So it’s a survival story and a mystery with a pretty crazy plot twist in the end.
And it works, on every level. Despite the abundance of young characters, it never gets dumbed down to YA levels, in fact the youth acquire themselves nicely and maturely in this brave new world they find and work well with the older of the seven, the scientist and the pastor.
The depiction of the apocalyptic world they inhabit is vivid and stark, made me think of the World Without Us, which is a high compliment since that’s one of my all time favorite nonfiction (and apocalyptic) reads. The funny thing is that Doucette set the story right around where he lives, which just makes you appreciate how different the writer’s brains are wired, to jauntily and brutally fictionally annihilate their surroundings just for fun.
And fun it is, oodles of fun. I really enjoyed this story, it was exciting, compelling, original, infused with just enough humorous aspects and wtf*ckery to prevent it from being opressingly bleak, this is the end of the world you don’t want to sleep through…unlike the titular apocalypse seven. Very good read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
So anyway…that’s obviously why I selected to read it, the other reason being…hey, it’s apocalypse, perfectly appropriate for the worst election on US record ever. So…did Doucette’s tale of whateverpocalypse as the seven survivors of it come to call it distract enough from the ever disappointing and depressing news? Well, yeah, it kind of did. Doucette’s a very good writer, he does great descriptions, dynamic pacing and dialogues and likeable engaging characters, but his greatest asset is his wild originality and imagination.
And so his stories go places other works in the genre just don’t get to. Although…this one for me was very reminiscent of Wayward Pines, but it was still very much a beast of its own. Apocalypse comes quietly in this story, people just wake up to it, wake up to a barely recognizable world grown wild in flora and fauna and strangely peopleless. Seven survivors of Beneton ad different races (this is not a mere PC nod, it’s logical to the plot as you’ll understand in the end) and of varied ages come to find themselves at the end of the world and must band together to survive it and find out the truth about how it all came to be. The truth takes quite a while to uncover, so for a long time you’re stumbling around as cluelessly as the seven, but in the end the scientist among them gets there. But even armed with the truth, the fight still isn’t quite fair or balanced, because whatever’s after them may not be a force that’s well meaning or even terrestrial. So it’s a survival story and a mystery with a pretty crazy plot twist in the end.
And it works, on every level. Despite the abundance of young characters, it never gets dumbed down to YA levels, in fact the youth acquire themselves nicely and maturely in this brave new world they find and work well with the older of the seven, the scientist and the pastor.
The depiction of the apocalyptic world they inhabit is vivid and stark, made me think of the World Without Us, which is a high compliment since that’s one of my all time favorite nonfiction (and apocalyptic) reads. The funny thing is that Doucette set the story right around where he lives, which just makes you appreciate how different the writer’s brains are wired, to jauntily and brutally fictionally annihilate their surroundings just for fun.
And fun it is, oodles of fun. I really enjoyed this story, it was exciting, compelling, original, infused with just enough humorous aspects and wtf*ckery to prevent it from being opressingly bleak, this is the end of the world you don’t want to sleep through…unlike the titular apocalypse seven. Very good read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
June 19, 2021
I'm still debating the rating on this one. It's somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but not sure where I'm gonna end up on it. The first 2/3's of the book, I really liked. It was a little slow, but I still enjoyed the characters trying to figure out what was going on and how to survive. This part would probably be 4 stars, for me.
The final third is where I get kind of iffy. We find out what caused the whateverpocalypse, but I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it. Things get a little too cheesy and some of it just feels too off from the original story for me. I'm pretty sure the whole book was supposed to be a soapbox lesson on the consequences of global warming and fossil fuel usage (not the cause of the whateverpocalypse, though). It didn't get too preachy, but there could have been better ways to do it and incorporate it into the story.
The final third is where I get kind of iffy. We find out what caused the whateverpocalypse, but I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it. Things get a little too cheesy and some of it just feels too off from the original story for me. I'm pretty sure the whole book was supposed to be a soapbox lesson on the consequences of global warming and fossil fuel usage (not the cause of the whateverpocalypse, though). It didn't get too preachy, but there could have been better ways to do it and incorporate it into the story.
May 18, 2021
Great cover and blurb, but lacking execution.
It appears I'm the outlier here and I'm asking myself if I read the same book as everyone else, but my main problems were with the thinking and acting of the characters.
One (being me!) would think that instead of taking an almost leisurely stroll, after picking up a blind girl on the way and hearing wolves, you'd panic, run for cover, try to get a backpack, find water, food and some sort of weapon until you know what's going on. The characters already immediately assumed the power grid was down and nobody tried finding a cell phone or telephone. I mean those are young adults in the 21st century right? Nobody even tried to check if a key was left in the cars on the road. Instead they talk about how the car doesn't look "good enough". Seriously?!
"Ah we cannot cook anything (after checking a restaurant)...why don't you try and loot some houses, gas stations or whatever and try to find a lighter or cans or food left behind?
Let's just say I got EXTREMELY frustrated very quickly and didn't make it further than 20% before I gave up.
The ideas with nature taking over and oversized wolves were great, but boy did the writing, world building and characters not make sense at all.
If you like dystopian, by all means try it out, but if you're wanting some common sense and logic with it, better skip this one.
It appears I'm the outlier here and I'm asking myself if I read the same book as everyone else, but my main problems were with the thinking and acting of the characters.
One (being me!) would think that instead of taking an almost leisurely stroll, after picking up a blind girl on the way and hearing wolves, you'd panic, run for cover, try to get a backpack, find water, food and some sort of weapon until you know what's going on. The characters already immediately assumed the power grid was down and nobody tried finding a cell phone or telephone. I mean those are young adults in the 21st century right? Nobody even tried to check if a key was left in the cars on the road. Instead they talk about how the car doesn't look "good enough". Seriously?!
"Ah we cannot cook anything (after checking a restaurant)...why don't you try and loot some houses, gas stations or whatever and try to find a lighter or cans or food left behind?
Let's just say I got EXTREMELY frustrated very quickly and didn't make it further than 20% before I gave up.
The ideas with nature taking over and oversized wolves were great, but boy did the writing, world building and characters not make sense at all.
If you like dystopian, by all means try it out, but if you're wanting some common sense and logic with it, better skip this one.
July 9, 2022
I honestly loved this book from start to finish. I loved that we were gradually introduced to characters and the story progressed and as everyone started to come together, all of the little details started to solidify and start making sense as well.
The pacing was great, the characters were fantastic, and the twists were so well done. I haven't read a good post-apocalypse story in a while, and this one was so good.
The characters were one of my favorite parts of this book, I loved Carol and her determination, not letting her being blind get in the way of anything. Robbie was great and a natural leader, determined to take care of everyone. Toure was a good comedic aspect, adding his flair to everything. Bethany was so interesting, a smart kid who spent the pre-apocalypse bored and causing havoc in her neighborhood. Paul, Win, and Ananda were all so intriguing in their own ways, I loved watching as the gang came together and started figuring stuff out.
I definitely want to check out more of Gene Doucette's books after having read this.
The pacing was great, the characters were fantastic, and the twists were so well done. I haven't read a good post-apocalypse story in a while, and this one was so good.
The characters were one of my favorite parts of this book, I loved Carol and her determination, not letting her being blind get in the way of anything. Robbie was great and a natural leader, determined to take care of everyone. Toure was a good comedic aspect, adding his flair to everything. Bethany was so interesting, a smart kid who spent the pre-apocalypse bored and causing havoc in her neighborhood. Paul, Win, and Ananda were all so intriguing in their own ways, I loved watching as the gang came together and started figuring stuff out.
I definitely want to check out more of Gene Doucette's books after having read this.
December 14, 2020
I haven't reviewed anything in weeks, and I'm out of form, but here goes nothing.
I received an Arc from Netgalley and HMH in exchange for an honest review
Personal rating- 6.5/10
The book starts with Robbie waking up. He's in some other person's dorm. Everything's a bit different somehow, the plants are overgrown, his phone isn't charged, and there aren't any people around on a usually busy street. Where did everyone go? wait is that a deer in the middle of the road?
Carol, a blind person wakes up without their support dog. Things aren't where they are supposed to be.
Toure, Bethany, Win, Paul, Amanda. Everyone asks the same thing. Where did everyone go?
Did they sleep through the apocalypse or something? These are the Apocalypse seven.
Now that I'm done trying to sound professional, let's get back to my opinions, that's all my reviews are worth anyways.
First things first, I feel like this is a plot-driven story even though I noticed a few attempts to make it character-driven. This is neither a pro nor a con for me. It's just something that I noticed.
I'm gonna rant first and gush later, as usual. What I disliked-
- The Opening: I'll be honest it just wasn't that good. It was very easy to put down for about the first 100 pages. I wasn't very invested in it. Someone on the reviews said it'd be more interesting if we woke up on Carol's perspective, and I agree. Ir would achieve further emotional investment from the audience. Oh well, missed opportunities I guess.
- Ananda. No, I didn't have any problem with the character but I have problems with the character but the name itself offended me. I had a conversation with my other Bookish Desi friends, and we all agreed that Ananda is a masculine name. This name is used for a female character. We were NOT pleased. Please change it in the finished manuscript.
- Paul. Yes, this time I do have a problem with the character. It Just seems that he never made any wrong decisions. I love that the other characters did make wrong decisions given the circumstances, or were just plain stupid. That made them human, Paul seems to have been written with a narrative bias and I found him very uninteresting. The one time he was "wrong" I immediately called it; I was right but I really wish I wasn't. He had an amazing foundation as a character tho.
- The Rising Action. It builds to one climax and that's it. Don't get me wrong, I actually loved the climax and was laughing like a maniac, but that said- if I hadn't liked that climax and plot twist, that'd be it for me. It'd be a 1 star, no questions asked. Because there isn't; anything else worthwhile or a big enough sub-plot to keep me invested in liking it. To be absolutely honest, I did consider DNF-ing this many times, and I probably would've had I not owed a review.
I'm done ranting, now onto the gushing.
- Great tone. I really vibed with this on. The world-building is FANTASTIC! It captures the feeling of being alone in such a big world very well. Keeping the locations and setting concise was a brilliant move. The Setting was tough to navigate, but the World is so much bigger. You get this feeling when you're in a mountain peak, looking down upon the realms; or when you stargaze and you feel so small, and insignificant... so alone, within the vastness of the universe.
- Character Growth: Apart from Paul (I didn't like how he was written) and Toure (I love to hate him because he's such an a**hole) but seeing that he got this much reaction out of me is saying something. I loved the other characters, Win is such a badass. I'm not gonna dwell too much on Character Arcs since I'm going for a spoiler-free review, but Bethany and Robbie's arc was so satisfying to complete. It was done really well. I loved Carol's internal fight to stay useful, I get that feeling sometimes and it was painful yet nice to see. I'd like to think of Robbie as the MC so IDK why the synopsis I read focuses on Toure.
- The Diversity. IT MATTERS!! Aside from that Ananda hiccup, it was done well... I think. I don't speak for other cultures, and I don't specialize in sensitivity reading. But at its core, the representation is of the type where the characters just exist, and we love to see it. You don't get the "struggles of PoC in western society" narrative because there IS no society anymore, that's the point. There is a disability rep (Carol is blind), and an Lgbt rep (Bethany is bi/Gay), again this is not about their struggles as minorities. This is about the fundamental human experience of trying to survive and trying to make sense of the world around us. This curiosity of our existence transcends race. That said- PLEASE CHANGE ANANDA'S NAME!!!!!
- The Ending: IT WAS SO GOOD! It was a bit abrupt but I liked it nonetheless. I was thinking that something was up, I have to say that the plot twist was a bit tamer than what I was theorizing but it was satisfying, and I'm happy with it.
Ps. I'm categorizing it as new-adult because of the ages of protagonists. It's easily accessible to the YA audience. I think of it as a great intro to adult/NA. There is some violence and gore, I'd rate it 16+ but I'm not the best at this either so take this with a grain of salt,
That's all I had to say about the book, here are my points I thought were noteworthy. Give it a go if you're interested in it. Thank you for reading my review this far. Happy reading!
I received an Arc from Netgalley and HMH in exchange for an honest review
Personal rating- 6.5/10
The book starts with Robbie waking up. He's in some other person's dorm. Everything's a bit different somehow, the plants are overgrown, his phone isn't charged, and there aren't any people around on a usually busy street. Where did everyone go? wait is that a deer in the middle of the road?
Carol, a blind person wakes up without their support dog. Things aren't where they are supposed to be.
Toure, Bethany, Win, Paul, Amanda. Everyone asks the same thing. Where did everyone go?
Did they sleep through the apocalypse or something? These are the Apocalypse seven.
Now that I'm done trying to sound professional, let's get back to my opinions, that's all my reviews are worth anyways.
First things first, I feel like this is a plot-driven story even though I noticed a few attempts to make it character-driven. This is neither a pro nor a con for me. It's just something that I noticed.
I'm gonna rant first and gush later, as usual. What I disliked-
- The Opening: I'll be honest it just wasn't that good. It was very easy to put down for about the first 100 pages. I wasn't very invested in it. Someone on the reviews said it'd be more interesting if we woke up on Carol's perspective, and I agree. Ir would achieve further emotional investment from the audience. Oh well, missed opportunities I guess.
- Ananda. No, I didn't have any problem with the character but I have problems with the character but the name itself offended me. I had a conversation with my other Bookish Desi friends, and we all agreed that Ananda is a masculine name. This name is used for a female character. We were NOT pleased. Please change it in the finished manuscript.
- Paul. Yes, this time I do have a problem with the character. It Just seems that he never made any wrong decisions. I love that the other characters did make wrong decisions given the circumstances, or were just plain stupid. That made them human, Paul seems to have been written with a narrative bias and I found him very uninteresting. The one time he was "wrong" I immediately called it; I was right but I really wish I wasn't. He had an amazing foundation as a character tho.
- The Rising Action. It builds to one climax and that's it. Don't get me wrong, I actually loved the climax and was laughing like a maniac, but that said- if I hadn't liked that climax and plot twist, that'd be it for me. It'd be a 1 star, no questions asked. Because there isn't; anything else worthwhile or a big enough sub-plot to keep me invested in liking it. To be absolutely honest, I did consider DNF-ing this many times, and I probably would've had I not owed a review.
I'm done ranting, now onto the gushing.
- Great tone. I really vibed with this on. The world-building is FANTASTIC! It captures the feeling of being alone in such a big world very well. Keeping the locations and setting concise was a brilliant move. The Setting was tough to navigate, but the World is so much bigger. You get this feeling when you're in a mountain peak, looking down upon the realms; or when you stargaze and you feel so small, and insignificant... so alone, within the vastness of the universe.
- Character Growth: Apart from Paul (I didn't like how he was written) and Toure (I love to hate him because he's such an a**hole) but seeing that he got this much reaction out of me is saying something. I loved the other characters, Win is such a badass. I'm not gonna dwell too much on Character Arcs since I'm going for a spoiler-free review, but Bethany and Robbie's arc was so satisfying to complete. It was done really well. I loved Carol's internal fight to stay useful, I get that feeling sometimes and it was painful yet nice to see. I'd like to think of Robbie as the MC so IDK why the synopsis I read focuses on Toure.
- The Diversity. IT MATTERS!! Aside from that Ananda hiccup, it was done well... I think. I don't speak for other cultures, and I don't specialize in sensitivity reading. But at its core, the representation is of the type where the characters just exist, and we love to see it. You don't get the "struggles of PoC in western society" narrative because there IS no society anymore, that's the point. There is a disability rep (Carol is blind), and an Lgbt rep (Bethany is bi/Gay), again this is not about their struggles as minorities. This is about the fundamental human experience of trying to survive and trying to make sense of the world around us. This curiosity of our existence transcends race. That said- PLEASE CHANGE ANANDA'S NAME!!!!!
- The Ending: IT WAS SO GOOD! It was a bit abrupt but I liked it nonetheless. I was thinking that something was up, I have to say that the plot twist was a bit tamer than what I was theorizing but it was satisfying, and I'm happy with it.
Ps. I'm categorizing it as new-adult because of the ages of protagonists. It's easily accessible to the YA audience. I think of it as a great intro to adult/NA. There is some violence and gore, I'd rate it 16+ but I'm not the best at this either so take this with a grain of salt,
That's all I had to say about the book, here are my points I thought were noteworthy. Give it a go if you're interested in it. Thank you for reading my review this far. Happy reading!
February 9, 2021
4 stars... I think. I'm struggling with this rating. The first 75% or so was right about 4.5 stars. Then it was almost like the editor stopped reading - there was a specific block of time that was very obviously missing. In fact, I went back twice to reread it because I thought I must have missed a scene or accidentally skipped ahead on my kindle. It was very strange. This might be an ARC thing. I hope it is. Up until that point, I was completely on the edge of my seat every step of the way. After that, I admittedly had a bad taste in my mouth for a while and it made me feel a little untrusting. Still, all in all I enjoyed it and Paul's revelation at the end elicited a gasp from me and I'll be thinking about this one for a while yet.
Essentially, this is something of a puzzle box thriller. Seven very different individuals have all woken up one seemingly normal day to discover that the apocalypse happened while they were sleeping, and the Earth they have woken up to is VERY different from the Earth they thought they knew. We get to follow their different storylines as they try to piece together what has happened while struggling to survive in a world with mutant predators, no electricity, no information, and no food. The plot isn't bogged down with exposition or back story - we get to know the characters as who they are moving forward rather than descriptions/glimpses of who they WERE, and I loved that. We are granted front row seats to their discovering pieces of themselves they never would have known existed, and watch relationships develop between people who probably would have never crossed paths in the "real world."
We've got: 1) a blind college student with a heart of gold and a desire to be anything but disposable, 2) another college student who was just supposed to start classes today and finds out he's more of a leader than he ever thought he could be, 3) a hermit preacher with a lot of guns and an unpure past, 4) a crossbow wielding business woman who went to visit her mom in the country and now finds that the lessons of her youth are more important than what she learned in the city, 5) a teenager with an uncanny ability to pick locks and a quick trigger finger, 6) a gamer who is initially rather inappropriately excited it's the apocalypse because he has talked extensively through apocalypse scenarios with friends, and 7) an astrophysics professor who is described as "probably being on some kind of spectrum." Great characters, great dynamics, great relationships (I'm a sucker for a good "found family" story).
Though the ending made me feel a little unsatisfied, I still have to give this 4 stars because that was a hell of a ride.
Also, as I have debated with friends what my contribution to a post-apocalypse world might be, I can now say that I would like to officially be the wild animal tamer/domesticator.
Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the ARC!
Essentially, this is something of a puzzle box thriller. Seven very different individuals have all woken up one seemingly normal day to discover that the apocalypse happened while they were sleeping, and the Earth they have woken up to is VERY different from the Earth they thought they knew. We get to follow their different storylines as they try to piece together what has happened while struggling to survive in a world with mutant predators, no electricity, no information, and no food. The plot isn't bogged down with exposition or back story - we get to know the characters as who they are moving forward rather than descriptions/glimpses of who they WERE, and I loved that. We are granted front row seats to their discovering pieces of themselves they never would have known existed, and watch relationships develop between people who probably would have never crossed paths in the "real world."
We've got: 1) a blind college student with a heart of gold and a desire to be anything but disposable, 2) another college student who was just supposed to start classes today and finds out he's more of a leader than he ever thought he could be, 3) a hermit preacher with a lot of guns and an unpure past, 4) a crossbow wielding business woman who went to visit her mom in the country and now finds that the lessons of her youth are more important than what she learned in the city, 5) a teenager with an uncanny ability to pick locks and a quick trigger finger, 6) a gamer who is initially rather inappropriately excited it's the apocalypse because he has talked extensively through apocalypse scenarios with friends, and 7) an astrophysics professor who is described as "probably being on some kind of spectrum." Great characters, great dynamics, great relationships (I'm a sucker for a good "found family" story).
Though the ending made me feel a little unsatisfied, I still have to give this 4 stars because that was a hell of a ride.
Also, as I have debated with friends what my contribution to a post-apocalypse world might be, I can now say that I would like to officially be the wild animal tamer/domesticator.
Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the ARC!
May 26, 2021
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
You know that feeling when you're reading a really awesome book and you think "I could legit just keep reading this story forever"? That is me with Apocalypse Seven. Full stop, I did not want this story to end, yet at the same time I desperately craved all the answers! So I will try to break down what made this such a win for me!
►The characters were just so relatable. These folks are not the Katniss Everdeen of the apocalypse. They're all bumbling, fumbling, and completely the same as most of us would be in their shoes. They panic, they cry, they behave exactly as you'd expect everyday people to. And eventually, slowly, they start to get the hang of surviving, but they're not particularly tickled about it.
►The humor is so fun! Admittedly, a global apocalypse in which only seven people (as far as we know) have survived is... a downer. But the humor laced throughout this story was perfect. It was just the right amount of lightheartedness in between the rough stuff to make it so incredibly readable.
►There is a mystery- of the "what the heck happened here!?" variety. The characters are not only trying to survive. Once their basic needs are handled, they kind of want to know why the world ended, and why they, of all people, are the ones who survived. And I loved the way the mystery unfurled, giving us bits and pieces as the story went on- just enough to be satisfying without giving away too much.
►Mind. Blown. There were some incredible twists that just... well, like the heading suggests, blew my mind.
►Honestly it is just really enjoyable, entertaining, and well-paced. I had so much fun reading this book, and that's that.
Bottom Line: So entertaining and engaging, I simply could not put this one down!
You know that feeling when you're reading a really awesome book and you think "I could legit just keep reading this story forever"? That is me with Apocalypse Seven. Full stop, I did not want this story to end, yet at the same time I desperately craved all the answers! So I will try to break down what made this such a win for me!
►The characters were just so relatable. These folks are not the Katniss Everdeen of the apocalypse. They're all bumbling, fumbling, and completely the same as most of us would be in their shoes. They panic, they cry, they behave exactly as you'd expect everyday people to. And eventually, slowly, they start to get the hang of surviving, but they're not particularly tickled about it.
►The humor is so fun! Admittedly, a global apocalypse in which only seven people (as far as we know) have survived is... a downer. But the humor laced throughout this story was perfect. It was just the right amount of lightheartedness in between the rough stuff to make it so incredibly readable.
►There is a mystery- of the "what the heck happened here!?" variety. The characters are not only trying to survive. Once their basic needs are handled, they kind of want to know why the world ended, and why they, of all people, are the ones who survived. And I loved the way the mystery unfurled, giving us bits and pieces as the story went on- just enough to be satisfying without giving away too much.
►Mind. Blown. There were some incredible twists that just... well, like the heading suggests, blew my mind.
►Honestly it is just really enjoyable, entertaining, and well-paced. I had so much fun reading this book, and that's that.
Bottom Line: So entertaining and engaging, I simply could not put this one down!
September 12, 2021
Find all my reviews at https://www.urlphantomhive.com
Short review:
The characters named their apocalypse the whatever-calypse, and that is about how invested I got into this novel.
Slightly longer review:
I have been interested in apocalypse stories for a long time, on one condition: that they are done well. Unfortunately, I feel that The Apocalypse Seven and I got off on the wrong foot. It starts with a rather forced introduction of the characters who need to form our band of merry strangers, and despite the fact that apparently they are supposed to be very different from each other, I had difficulties keeping them apart. I sometimes lost which characters was talking because to me, to basically all sounded the same.
If not the characters, then maybe the apocalypse itself might be interesting to follow, I thought. But as the characters do not seem to care much about the origin of it, or why they are the only seven people left on Earth, or why all of the last humans would be on the US East Coast, I found it hard to care and easy to put the book down.
Near the ending there is a rapid succession of revelations and plot twists which neatly fits everything together, but I was left feeling unsatisfied. What happened to most of the animals, where did all the freak weather come from? I would like to say I wanted these and more questions answered, but in the end, whatever.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Short review:
The characters named their apocalypse the whatever-calypse, and that is about how invested I got into this novel.
Slightly longer review:
I have been interested in apocalypse stories for a long time, on one condition: that they are done well. Unfortunately, I feel that The Apocalypse Seven and I got off on the wrong foot. It starts with a rather forced introduction of the characters who need to form our band of merry strangers, and despite the fact that apparently they are supposed to be very different from each other, I had difficulties keeping them apart. I sometimes lost which characters was talking because to me, to basically all sounded the same.
If not the characters, then maybe the apocalypse itself might be interesting to follow, I thought. But as the characters do not seem to care much about the origin of it, or why they are the only seven people left on Earth, or why all of the last humans would be on the US East Coast, I found it hard to care and easy to put the book down.
Near the ending there is a rapid succession of revelations and plot twists which neatly fits everything together, but I was left feeling unsatisfied. What happened to most of the animals, where did all the freak weather come from? I would like to say I wanted these and more questions answered, but in the end, whatever.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
dnf
July 3, 2021DNF @ 13%
I was admittedly quite curious about this one (in the beginning) but having given up the ghost at a mere 13%, that curiosity clearly died quite rapidly. The Apocalypse Seven opens from the POV of a college freshman who woke up confused as to where he was, thinking that he was late for class, and worrying about how he smelled because he fell asleep in yesterday’s clothes. The sympathy is not strong for this one. But there were subtle curiosities, like the fact that he couldn’t find any of his personal belongings in the room, but he was for sure in the dorm room he was assigned. The world outside his dorm has become overgrown with vegetation and animals roam freely, a far cry from the world that he fell asleep in just a few hours prior. The subtle curiosities kept popping up (the strange wolves, the breakfast place that was a completely different business, the lack of electronics, and more so, the complete lack of people) but everything else about this “whateverpocalypse” (a name given by one of the characters) was unfortunately too dry for my liking.
This “whateverpocalypse” may very well have developed into a full-fledged story if I had actually given this one more of a chance, but unfortunately, I just felt, well, whatever about it.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I was admittedly quite curious about this one (in the beginning) but having given up the ghost at a mere 13%, that curiosity clearly died quite rapidly. The Apocalypse Seven opens from the POV of a college freshman who woke up confused as to where he was, thinking that he was late for class, and worrying about how he smelled because he fell asleep in yesterday’s clothes. The sympathy is not strong for this one. But there were subtle curiosities, like the fact that he couldn’t find any of his personal belongings in the room, but he was for sure in the dorm room he was assigned. The world outside his dorm has become overgrown with vegetation and animals roam freely, a far cry from the world that he fell asleep in just a few hours prior. The subtle curiosities kept popping up (the strange wolves, the breakfast place that was a completely different business, the lack of electronics, and more so, the complete lack of people) but everything else about this “whateverpocalypse” (a name given by one of the characters) was unfortunately too dry for my liking.
This “whateverpocalypse” may very well have developed into a full-fledged story if I had actually given this one more of a chance, but unfortunately, I just felt, well, whatever about it.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
October 29, 2021
There are a lot of wild animals in this book, but as far as humans there are truly only the seven. They are all richly described and you really get to know them. The plot pacing is perfect. The setting is in and around Harvard and MIT, and it was fun to follow the action through the streets of Cambridge on Google maps. If I were basing my rating only on the last part of the book, I would give it three stars. However, most of the book was more compelling and enjoyable than that, so I’m giving it four stars.
May 19, 2021
I read a lot of apocalyptic themed books and the blurb for this book sounded really good. The book is a quick read and it wasn’t easy to guess they reason for the apocalypse but the characters and the why kind of fell flat for me. It didn’t have any build up and I wasn’t on the edge of my seat waiting for the big climactic ending. Thanks to NetGalley for an early review copy.
June 6, 2021
4 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
When the world ended, it wasn’t with a bang. It was with more of a… blah.
Thus passes the Whateverpocalypse—the end of the human race, where cities fall to ruin and the entire planet becomes overgrown. There seem to be no survivors, except those few that overslept the end of the world, awakening only after everything had already ended.
Carol and Robbie are students at Harvard—both freshmen, they awaken to find their dorms deserted and Cambridge around them in ruin. While Carol had spent her last night in, Robbie had gone out drinking. Neither remembered the world ending, but Robbie didn’t even recall stumbling home. And while disoriented, he’s barely in the dark at all compared to Carol—as she’s blind and all.
The two soon run across Touré—a twenty-something coder, and the only person excited by the prospect the end of the world presents. With him in tow, the group soon adds Bethany, a teen with a mysterious past and a helpful skillset (all of which suggesting a record). As they explore the ruins of Cambridge, the group soon discovers that the end of humanity is only the beginning of their poor luck. There’s also the lack of power, the packs of violent boars choking downtown, the freakish weather (including hailstorms, tornadoes, snowstorms and heat waves all in the same week), not to mention the horse-sized wolves.
Elsewhere, the world is little better. Paul is a non-denominational preacher living in backwater Vermont. He awakens to the apocalypse on Monday but it takes the man til Sunday to notice anything wrong. Once he does, he discovers a voice on the radio—the last sign of human life he’s seen. Soon he sets off for Boston, eager to meet Ananda, a former MIT adjunct, who remains picking through the ruins of her former campus for clues. Also there’s Win—an olympic hopeful stranded in the countryside. All leads eventually point to Boston, where the Apocalypse Seven might eventually meet, if they can survive the Whateverpocalypse long enough to find one another.
And even then, it’ll take all their combined effort to not only discover what ended the world, but to survive what comes next.
I do love a good apocalypse now and then. This one does it all without any undead, too, which is impressive. I was getting major Last of Us vibes from this—not so much the story, but the world. Those stolen moments between the cutscenes where nothing’s actively trying to kill you. The decaying, overgrown cities. The wildlife just milling about. The quiet. For the most part, this was a quiet apocalypse. One that provided a good premise, and then just let the story unfurl until The 7 (my shorthand for the survivors) finished filling it in. I can’t say enough about how much I loved the story. It combines a physical sense of loss and deterioration with the struggles of its survivors. Carol is missing her seeing-eye dog. Everyone’s lost family. Some are away from home. None are in their comfort zone. Mental breakdowns co-mingle with physical hardships. Loss with hope. The mystery of what’s befallen the world brings them all together, focuses them on something other than just trying to survive (well, except maybe Touré). And throughout it all there’s an undercurrent of lively—sometimes silly, sometimes dark, always entertaining—humor. Lots of jokes seemingly off the cuff. In conversation. During emergencies. At the literal end of the world. It all goes together exceptionally well—which I loved.
Despite this being the end of the world, it never seems all that hard to survive. I mean, there IS everything that’s trying to kill The 7 all the time, but otherwise. They’re helpfully stocked with Noot Bars—your lembas from LotR, grot from the Faithful and the Fallen, and a number of other things from other places. Noot is basically an foodstuff that never goes bad, has all the nutrients a body needs to live, and leaves something to be desired in the taste-department. So… basically an MRE. And since the young’uns are all stocked up, they’re not likely to starve to death. Win and Paul can hunt, but this is mostly glossed over shortly upon being introduced. Ananda’s nutrition is barely even addressed. I honestly would’ve expected a lot more survival from this story, but there’s comparatively little. It’s a tale more about the mystery, the strange happenings, and the atmosphere.
And the end of the world atmosphere is strong. It kept reminding me of the Last of Us or the like: huge sprawling metropolises empty of people, overrun by animals, overgrown and haunting as hell—except with out all the zombies. No zombies. Just the end of the world, and whatever happened to cause it. I have to say, while I eventually called the ending, the big reveal was nowhere near done after one twist. There were a number of other details that made the whole thing worth it twice-over, even though I did pretty much guess the overarching mystery. And even if you wouldn’t read this for the mystery of what happened, it’s a well-written apocalypse tale with a tense, spooky atmosphere and wolves the size of horses—recommending it is pretty much a no-brainer.
I would recommend skipping the epilogue. While it may provide a little closure, for me it raised more questions than it answered. And as I assume this is a standalone—you don’t need that in an ending. Everything was all well and truly wrapt up before—don’t ruin it.
TL;DR
The Apocalypse Seven is a thoroughly enjoyable post-apocalyptic science fiction dystopian set in a world teeming with life. Just empty of humanity. No undead, no super mutants, no robotic overlords. Just an overgrown world with desensitized wildlife and wolves the size of compact cars. And the mystery of how it got that way. Only seven survived (The 7) and they alone set out to solve this new world or die trying. Possessive of a tense, haunting atmosphere; a strong and immersive mystery; an all-too human cast complete with both strengths and weaknesses; and another twist even when you assume all’s been said and done—the Apocalypse Seven presents an excellent post-apocalyptic scifi and executes it just as well. While there’s comparatively little survival in terms of the Pincher-Martin-level I expected, the mystery and tension carries the story more than well enough. There’s little to hate about this one, and a lot to love.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
When the world ended, it wasn’t with a bang. It was with more of a… blah.
Thus passes the Whateverpocalypse—the end of the human race, where cities fall to ruin and the entire planet becomes overgrown. There seem to be no survivors, except those few that overslept the end of the world, awakening only after everything had already ended.
Carol and Robbie are students at Harvard—both freshmen, they awaken to find their dorms deserted and Cambridge around them in ruin. While Carol had spent her last night in, Robbie had gone out drinking. Neither remembered the world ending, but Robbie didn’t even recall stumbling home. And while disoriented, he’s barely in the dark at all compared to Carol—as she’s blind and all.
The two soon run across Touré—a twenty-something coder, and the only person excited by the prospect the end of the world presents. With him in tow, the group soon adds Bethany, a teen with a mysterious past and a helpful skillset (all of which suggesting a record). As they explore the ruins of Cambridge, the group soon discovers that the end of humanity is only the beginning of their poor luck. There’s also the lack of power, the packs of violent boars choking downtown, the freakish weather (including hailstorms, tornadoes, snowstorms and heat waves all in the same week), not to mention the horse-sized wolves.
Elsewhere, the world is little better. Paul is a non-denominational preacher living in backwater Vermont. He awakens to the apocalypse on Monday but it takes the man til Sunday to notice anything wrong. Once he does, he discovers a voice on the radio—the last sign of human life he’s seen. Soon he sets off for Boston, eager to meet Ananda, a former MIT adjunct, who remains picking through the ruins of her former campus for clues. Also there’s Win—an olympic hopeful stranded in the countryside. All leads eventually point to Boston, where the Apocalypse Seven might eventually meet, if they can survive the Whateverpocalypse long enough to find one another.
And even then, it’ll take all their combined effort to not only discover what ended the world, but to survive what comes next.
I do love a good apocalypse now and then. This one does it all without any undead, too, which is impressive. I was getting major Last of Us vibes from this—not so much the story, but the world. Those stolen moments between the cutscenes where nothing’s actively trying to kill you. The decaying, overgrown cities. The wildlife just milling about. The quiet. For the most part, this was a quiet apocalypse. One that provided a good premise, and then just let the story unfurl until The 7 (my shorthand for the survivors) finished filling it in. I can’t say enough about how much I loved the story. It combines a physical sense of loss and deterioration with the struggles of its survivors. Carol is missing her seeing-eye dog. Everyone’s lost family. Some are away from home. None are in their comfort zone. Mental breakdowns co-mingle with physical hardships. Loss with hope. The mystery of what’s befallen the world brings them all together, focuses them on something other than just trying to survive (well, except maybe Touré). And throughout it all there’s an undercurrent of lively—sometimes silly, sometimes dark, always entertaining—humor. Lots of jokes seemingly off the cuff. In conversation. During emergencies. At the literal end of the world. It all goes together exceptionally well—which I loved.
Despite this being the end of the world, it never seems all that hard to survive. I mean, there IS everything that’s trying to kill The 7 all the time, but otherwise. They’re helpfully stocked with Noot Bars—your lembas from LotR, grot from the Faithful and the Fallen, and a number of other things from other places. Noot is basically an foodstuff that never goes bad, has all the nutrients a body needs to live, and leaves something to be desired in the taste-department. So… basically an MRE. And since the young’uns are all stocked up, they’re not likely to starve to death. Win and Paul can hunt, but this is mostly glossed over shortly upon being introduced. Ananda’s nutrition is barely even addressed. I honestly would’ve expected a lot more survival from this story, but there’s comparatively little. It’s a tale more about the mystery, the strange happenings, and the atmosphere.
And the end of the world atmosphere is strong. It kept reminding me of the Last of Us or the like: huge sprawling metropolises empty of people, overrun by animals, overgrown and haunting as hell—except with out all the zombies. No zombies. Just the end of the world, and whatever happened to cause it. I have to say, while I eventually called the ending, the big reveal was nowhere near done after one twist. There were a number of other details that made the whole thing worth it twice-over, even though I did pretty much guess the overarching mystery. And even if you wouldn’t read this for the mystery of what happened, it’s a well-written apocalypse tale with a tense, spooky atmosphere and wolves the size of horses—recommending it is pretty much a no-brainer.
I would recommend skipping the epilogue. While it may provide a little closure, for me it raised more questions than it answered. And as I assume this is a standalone—you don’t need that in an ending. Everything was all well and truly wrapt up before—don’t ruin it.
TL;DR
The Apocalypse Seven is a thoroughly enjoyable post-apocalyptic science fiction dystopian set in a world teeming with life. Just empty of humanity. No undead, no super mutants, no robotic overlords. Just an overgrown world with desensitized wildlife and wolves the size of compact cars. And the mystery of how it got that way. Only seven survived (The 7) and they alone set out to solve this new world or die trying. Possessive of a tense, haunting atmosphere; a strong and immersive mystery; an all-too human cast complete with both strengths and weaknesses; and another twist even when you assume all’s been said and done—the Apocalypse Seven presents an excellent post-apocalyptic scifi and executes it just as well. While there’s comparatively little survival in terms of the Pincher-Martin-level I expected, the mystery and tension carries the story more than well enough. There’s little to hate about this one, and a lot to love.
May 28, 2021
Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher -- I won this terrific book in a giveaway!!
I found myself mumbling or exclaiming “WTF???” practically once a chapter, start to finish, in this incredibly entertaining and mind-blowing novel of the apocalypse.
Or, as Touré puts it, the whateverpocalypse.
Seven seemingly random strangers wake up to find that they’re alone in a world suddenly overrun by plant life and wild animals — in what was formerly an urban college town. At Harvard and at MIT, several individuals wake up in confusion. Robbie wakes up in his dorm room bed, frantic that he overslept on the first day of freshman classes, only to discover that his technology doesn’t work, he has no idea what time it is, the clothes in the dresser drawers aren’t his, and there’s absolutely no one else around.
Before long he meets fellow student Carol, a blind young woman unsuccessfully trying to locate her dog, and the two then meet free-spirited Toure. Meanwhile, MIT astrophysicist Ananda wakes up at her office desk, confused by why she’s wearing her “Monday clothes” on a Tuesday, teen-ager Bethany wakes up in her suburban family home to see the shrine her family has erected in her memory, pastor Paul leaves his isolated New Hampshire mountaintop chapel when he realizes he’s all alone, and tough-girl Win mounts a horse to head toward a city and try to find other people.
They quickly realize that they’re the only people in the greater Boston area, and most likely in the world, but they have no idea why. How could all these trees and plants have grown so rapidly? Why are there deer and boar and wolves roaming and/or rampaging through the city streets?
Survival is the first issue to address, and initially, Robbie, Toure, and Carol are in rough shape, with no practical skills between them. As they connect with the others and explore local resources, they form plans, raid local malls to stock up on tools and clothing, figure out which parts of campus are safe (and where they’re most likely to run into packs of slavering wolves), and generally start to squeak their way toward something like building a way of staying alive.
The question remains, though: Why did they survive, and no one else did? What made them different? What actually happened to the human population of earth?
Don’t look at me — I’m not giving a thing away! Hints and odd facts and anomalies come to light along the way, but it’s only in the last 20% or so that the characters start to arrive at some real answers. I gotta be honest — even having finished the book, I’m not sure I completely get it, but I think it’s more a question of my brain not being able to fully follow the WTF-ness of it all than it not making sense. There is definitely an answer — but it’s kind of bent my brain into a pretzel, and it’ll take me some time to untangle it all.
There’s so much to love about The Apocalypse Seven. I’m often put off by books that focus on a group coming together, because many times the characters are introduced too quickly or in too large a chunk for them to really differentiate themselves as individuals. Not so in this book — each of the seven are special and memorable, with distinct personalities and backstories and abilities, and I really appreciated how well described they all are.
I also really enjoyed the setting. Who would have thought that a college town like Cambridge would offer so many resources for hiding, finding survival gear, and making a safe(ish) long-term shelter? The use of the campuses and their resources is really ingenious, and I was charmed by the characters’ inventiveness.
It’s also worth noting that this book — despite being about the near-total extinction of the human race — can be really, really funny. The characters are clever and the banter is crisp, and certain elements are just ridiculous enough to make me laugh out loud (or feel quietly charmed).
I really, really want other people to read this book! First of all, it’s so enjoyable and mind-warpy, frightening in its own way — but really, how seriously dire can the end of the world feel when characters use words like “whateverpocalypse”? Beyond the terrific reading experience, I want people I know to read The Apocalypse Seven so someone can explain the ending to me and tell me if we understand it the same way!!
Really and truly, though, The Apocalypse Seven is a terrific read, and I had a great time zipping my way through it.
I found myself mumbling or exclaiming “WTF???” practically once a chapter, start to finish, in this incredibly entertaining and mind-blowing novel of the apocalypse.
Or, as Touré puts it, the whateverpocalypse.
Seven seemingly random strangers wake up to find that they’re alone in a world suddenly overrun by plant life and wild animals — in what was formerly an urban college town. At Harvard and at MIT, several individuals wake up in confusion. Robbie wakes up in his dorm room bed, frantic that he overslept on the first day of freshman classes, only to discover that his technology doesn’t work, he has no idea what time it is, the clothes in the dresser drawers aren’t his, and there’s absolutely no one else around.
Before long he meets fellow student Carol, a blind young woman unsuccessfully trying to locate her dog, and the two then meet free-spirited Toure. Meanwhile, MIT astrophysicist Ananda wakes up at her office desk, confused by why she’s wearing her “Monday clothes” on a Tuesday, teen-ager Bethany wakes up in her suburban family home to see the shrine her family has erected in her memory, pastor Paul leaves his isolated New Hampshire mountaintop chapel when he realizes he’s all alone, and tough-girl Win mounts a horse to head toward a city and try to find other people.
They quickly realize that they’re the only people in the greater Boston area, and most likely in the world, but they have no idea why. How could all these trees and plants have grown so rapidly? Why are there deer and boar and wolves roaming and/or rampaging through the city streets?
Survival is the first issue to address, and initially, Robbie, Toure, and Carol are in rough shape, with no practical skills between them. As they connect with the others and explore local resources, they form plans, raid local malls to stock up on tools and clothing, figure out which parts of campus are safe (and where they’re most likely to run into packs of slavering wolves), and generally start to squeak their way toward something like building a way of staying alive.
The question remains, though: Why did they survive, and no one else did? What made them different? What actually happened to the human population of earth?
Don’t look at me — I’m not giving a thing away! Hints and odd facts and anomalies come to light along the way, but it’s only in the last 20% or so that the characters start to arrive at some real answers. I gotta be honest — even having finished the book, I’m not sure I completely get it, but I think it’s more a question of my brain not being able to fully follow the WTF-ness of it all than it not making sense. There is definitely an answer — but it’s kind of bent my brain into a pretzel, and it’ll take me some time to untangle it all.
There’s so much to love about The Apocalypse Seven. I’m often put off by books that focus on a group coming together, because many times the characters are introduced too quickly or in too large a chunk for them to really differentiate themselves as individuals. Not so in this book — each of the seven are special and memorable, with distinct personalities and backstories and abilities, and I really appreciated how well described they all are.
I also really enjoyed the setting. Who would have thought that a college town like Cambridge would offer so many resources for hiding, finding survival gear, and making a safe(ish) long-term shelter? The use of the campuses and their resources is really ingenious, and I was charmed by the characters’ inventiveness.
It’s also worth noting that this book — despite being about the near-total extinction of the human race — can be really, really funny. The characters are clever and the banter is crisp, and certain elements are just ridiculous enough to make me laugh out loud (or feel quietly charmed).
I really, really want other people to read this book! First of all, it’s so enjoyable and mind-warpy, frightening in its own way — but really, how seriously dire can the end of the world feel when characters use words like “whateverpocalypse”? Beyond the terrific reading experience, I want people I know to read The Apocalypse Seven so someone can explain the ending to me and tell me if we understand it the same way!!
Really and truly, though, The Apocalypse Seven is a terrific read, and I had a great time zipping my way through it.
June 15, 2021
The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette is a fantastic science fiction thriller with a clever ending you will not see coming. This book is The Wanders by Chuck Wendig meets Contact by Carl Sagan. A really good mix of the apocalypse with alien involvement. The characters are unique only a couple are annoying, by most in a quirky sort of way. The plot moves pretty fast and the more you find out is pretty interesting, every chapter digs more into the mystery. The finale is was really clever in what it means, I was kind of disappointed in the direction it was going but the book has a twist that totally redeems its self. I really hope people read this book, this has been my favorite new science fiction since The Wanders and Recursion. I don't think it is on the same level as those books but was very surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I read this book curtesy of Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as part of John Joseph Adams/Mariner Books. The Apocalypse Seven was published on May 25 2021.
The Plot: Robbie wakes up in his dorm after at Harvard after a hangover, to find everything in his room changed, he's in the right dorm but everything is different. It is so different he can not find another living soul on his floor. He here's faint crying from a distance it is a blind woman Carol calling for her seeing eye dog. She says she can't hear anything, and Robbie looks out side to see a vast forest and no other species around. They start finding various people and finding signs temperature changes, tornadoes, and roaming wolf packs, that the earth as they know it doesn't exist. They call it the whateverpocalypse because it is so random, but will they survive it? They feel watched but can't see who is watching?
What I Liked: I liked how funny parts were, it makes the novel really flow. I liked the mystery of what happened to 7 random strangers and how it kept building with every chapter. I liked liked how Carol who is blind was written through sounds and feeling, which made for intense scenes with the wolf pack. I love loved the ending, I was setting myself up for disappointment but the final twist was great one that changed everything. I liked that we met the puppet master and he was not who anybody was expecting. I liked how Robbie became the reluctant leader. I loved Win and how tough she was.
What I Disliked: The character of Toure was a bit much at times. I wanted to see more of Paul's encounter's with the wild. There were a couple of moments where you have to suspend disbelief and science a lot, I was able to do that and still enjoy the book, I know some people can't and this might not be the book for you.
Recommendation: I think this was a fun little book, with good storytelling and fun characters. The ending is fantastic and such a good twist. I had a lot of fun with this book. I rated The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette 5 out of 5 stars. The rating was between 4 and 5 with the fun level and twist pushing it to a 5. This is my first Gene Doucette but I will check out other works in the future.
The Plot: Robbie wakes up in his dorm after at Harvard after a hangover, to find everything in his room changed, he's in the right dorm but everything is different. It is so different he can not find another living soul on his floor. He here's faint crying from a distance it is a blind woman Carol calling for her seeing eye dog. She says she can't hear anything, and Robbie looks out side to see a vast forest and no other species around. They start finding various people and finding signs temperature changes, tornadoes, and roaming wolf packs, that the earth as they know it doesn't exist. They call it the whateverpocalypse because it is so random, but will they survive it? They feel watched but can't see who is watching?
What I Liked: I liked how funny parts were, it makes the novel really flow. I liked the mystery of what happened to 7 random strangers and how it kept building with every chapter. I liked liked how Carol who is blind was written through sounds and feeling, which made for intense scenes with the wolf pack. I love loved the ending, I was setting myself up for disappointment but the final twist was great one that changed everything. I liked that we met the puppet master and he was not who anybody was expecting. I liked how Robbie became the reluctant leader. I loved Win and how tough she was.
What I Disliked: The character of Toure was a bit much at times. I wanted to see more of Paul's encounter's with the wild. There were a couple of moments where you have to suspend disbelief and science a lot, I was able to do that and still enjoy the book, I know some people can't and this might not be the book for you.
Recommendation: I think this was a fun little book, with good storytelling and fun characters. The ending is fantastic and such a good twist. I had a lot of fun with this book. I rated The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette 5 out of 5 stars. The rating was between 4 and 5 with the fun level and twist pushing it to a 5. This is my first Gene Doucette but I will check out other works in the future.
September 16, 2022
3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Apocalypse Seven.
I love apocalypse books (especially if zombies are involved) and this title is great! I was excited when my request was approved because I'm always hopeful there is a book somewhere out there that will surprise me.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
The Apocalypse Seven was different (in a good way) from what I was expecting.
I was expecting survivors being chased by zombies, having to fend off predators of all kinds, and making their way to each other amid a new world.
There are no zombies, but there are predators and the world is a strange and frightening place. Especially when you wake up and it's not your world anymore.
Without giving anything away, I really enjoyed The Apocalypse Seven.
The concept was original, and all the characters are likable and relatable in their own way.
There's plenty of exposition on each character, world building for each individual as they acclimate and adapt to their new surroundings and make sense of the new world.
I sort of figured out how the seven ended up where they were, but the author kept me guessing, dropping frightening clues and hints which made my mind whirl at every turn.
I'm a big fan of The X-Files and The Apocalyptic Seven gives off some of those something's not right here vibes of the iconic show.
The revelation/explanation at the ending was satisfying, especially to a reader who always identified more with Spooky Mulder than rational Dana Scully.
I eagerly look forward to the author's next book.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Apocalypse Seven.
I love apocalypse books (especially if zombies are involved) and this title is great! I was excited when my request was approved because I'm always hopeful there is a book somewhere out there that will surprise me.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
The Apocalypse Seven was different (in a good way) from what I was expecting.
I was expecting survivors being chased by zombies, having to fend off predators of all kinds, and making their way to each other amid a new world.
There are no zombies, but there are predators and the world is a strange and frightening place. Especially when you wake up and it's not your world anymore.
Without giving anything away, I really enjoyed The Apocalypse Seven.
The concept was original, and all the characters are likable and relatable in their own way.
There's plenty of exposition on each character, world building for each individual as they acclimate and adapt to their new surroundings and make sense of the new world.
I sort of figured out how the seven ended up where they were, but the author kept me guessing, dropping frightening clues and hints which made my mind whirl at every turn.
I'm a big fan of The X-Files and The Apocalyptic Seven gives off some of those something's not right here vibes of the iconic show.
The revelation/explanation at the ending was satisfying, especially to a reader who always identified more with Spooky Mulder than rational Dana Scully.
I eagerly look forward to the author's next book.
December 15, 2023
Well...that went places I didn’t expect it to go.
A couple of reviews I’ve seen liken this to Wanderers, and yeah, there’s some Wanderers-type vibe going on. Though instead of everyone being mentally locked inside a simulation while their physical bodies are still walking around, everyone in this book just...disappeared. Everyone except for the Apocalypse Seven that is.
7 characters is a lot of narrative to follow, especially in the beginning, but as we moved further into the story it became easier. The start was great, instantly into the apocalypse or whateverpocalypse as it’s dubbed in this book. And it was fun initially as the characters woke up to their new reality and tried to work out what had happened to the rest of humanity.
I liked that they weren’t preppers or survivalists. I liked that they were diverse. I loved that animals became the top of the food chain and that the weather was all kinds of off. It sounds like a recipe for disaster yes?
But, and it is a heavy hearted but, I feel a little let down by what eventuated. I couldn’t really connect with the characters. While the writing was good, I found the dialogue to be stilted, more academic, rather than conversational. And the drama didn’t take the book to the heights that I was hoping for.
Thank you to Gene Doucette, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A couple of reviews I’ve seen liken this to Wanderers, and yeah, there’s some Wanderers-type vibe going on. Though instead of everyone being mentally locked inside a simulation while their physical bodies are still walking around, everyone in this book just...disappeared. Everyone except for the Apocalypse Seven that is.
7 characters is a lot of narrative to follow, especially in the beginning, but as we moved further into the story it became easier. The start was great, instantly into the apocalypse or whateverpocalypse as it’s dubbed in this book. And it was fun initially as the characters woke up to their new reality and tried to work out what had happened to the rest of humanity.
I liked that they weren’t preppers or survivalists. I liked that they were diverse. I loved that animals became the top of the food chain and that the weather was all kinds of off. It sounds like a recipe for disaster yes?
But, and it is a heavy hearted but, I feel a little let down by what eventuated. I couldn’t really connect with the characters. While the writing was good, I found the dialogue to be stilted, more academic, rather than conversational. And the drama didn’t take the book to the heights that I was hoping for.
Thank you to Gene Doucette, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 11, 2021
‘The whateverpocalypse. That’s what Touré, a twenty-something Cambridge coder, calls it after waking up one morning to find himself seemingly the only person left in the city. Once he finds Robbie and Carol, two equally disoriented Harvard freshmen, he realizes he isn’t alone, but the name sticks: Whateverpocalypse. But it doesn’t explain where everyone went. . .’
THE APOCALYPSE SEVEN, by Gene Doucette, was fun! Twisty-mind-bending-fun-at-times, but fun nonetheless. As many of you know, I’m a massive fan of survival-apocalyptic-type stories; this one is minus the Zombies.
So, when I say ‘fun’—from the reader's perspective—I love to see the said writer of the story I’ve submerged in throw their characters into the literal apocalyptic-sh**t-storm, stir it up a bit, and bear witness to the tension-filled narrative that unfolds.
Doucette does a great job confusing this reader, and the characters, as we struggle to piece together their altered surroundings.
The one pet peeve I have is the depiction of Carol regarding her inability to be self-sufficient and contribute. I don’t want to tread down Spoilerville Lane, so I will stop there.
Thank you, NetGalley and Mariner Books, for loaning me an eGalley of THE APOCALYPSE SEVEN in the request for an honest review.
Recommend!
THE APOCALYPSE SEVEN, by Gene Doucette, was fun! Twisty-mind-bending-fun-at-times, but fun nonetheless. As many of you know, I’m a massive fan of survival-apocalyptic-type stories; this one is minus the Zombies.
So, when I say ‘fun’—from the reader's perspective—I love to see the said writer of the story I’ve submerged in throw their characters into the literal apocalyptic-sh**t-storm, stir it up a bit, and bear witness to the tension-filled narrative that unfolds.
Doucette does a great job confusing this reader, and the characters, as we struggle to piece together their altered surroundings.
The one pet peeve I have is the depiction of Carol regarding her inability to be self-sufficient and contribute. I don’t want to tread down Spoilerville Lane, so I will stop there.
Thank you, NetGalley and Mariner Books, for loaning me an eGalley of THE APOCALYPSE SEVEN in the request for an honest review.
Recommend!
December 30, 2020
Seven people living in the Boston area wake up to discover they are the only people left alive on the planet. Not only that but seemingly over night, the bodies of the dead have turned to dust inside their rusted out cars, some buildings have completely disappeared and wild life, including wolf packs, has taken over the empty streets.
I really enjoyed the first approximately 80% of The Apocalypse Seven by author Gene Doucette. The premise was interesting, the characters were mostly likeable, and there was plenty of twists and turns to keep my attention. Unfortunately, the last 20% seemed rushed. If this was the first book in a series, it would have been a way to pique interest for the next entry. For a standalone novel, it seemed unsatisfying. As a result, the first part of the book was an easy four stars but I’m deleting one star because of the ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
I really enjoyed the first approximately 80% of The Apocalypse Seven by author Gene Doucette. The premise was interesting, the characters were mostly likeable, and there was plenty of twists and turns to keep my attention. Unfortunately, the last 20% seemed rushed. If this was the first book in a series, it would have been a way to pique interest for the next entry. For a standalone novel, it seemed unsatisfying. As a result, the first part of the book was an easy four stars but I’m deleting one star because of the ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
July 21, 2021
Seven ordinary(ish) people wake up one day to find that the world has ended. Some find themselves alone, others are lucky enough to find others. Each seems to have their own ideas about what has happened to cause the "whateverpocalypse" and as they try to puzzle it out, surviving becomes more and more difficult. And things become stranger and stranger.
I do love apocalypse stories, and this story did not disappoint. The mystery of what had happened was more than enough to keep me reading even when the characters tended to get a little, let's say, annoying. I did like that this story included people that had zero idea about how to survive - let's face it, a lot of us, including me, definitely would not!
But then there was the end. I mean ... not what I expected. The cause, okay, sure. But "Noah"? Certainly a non-traditional ending to an end-of-the-world tale like this!
I do love apocalypse stories, and this story did not disappoint. The mystery of what had happened was more than enough to keep me reading even when the characters tended to get a little, let's say, annoying. I did like that this story included people that had zero idea about how to survive - let's face it, a lot of us, including me, definitely would not!
But then there was the end. I mean ... not what I expected. The cause, okay, sure. But "Noah"? Certainly a non-traditional ending to an end-of-the-world tale like this!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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