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The Quake Cities
A woman tries to find her way home in a world decimated by earthquakes, but there are people determined to stop her and harvest her DNA.
Alice wakes up in the Los Angeles Quake Zone in 2025 having no idea how she got there. As her memories slowly return, she finds she's being hunted by several armed groups intent on capturing her alive.
At the same time, Este, a survivor of the quakes that destroyed Los Angeles, makes a living as a pathfinder for salvage teams in the city. Este rescues Alice from her pursuers and learns there is something not quite right about her - Alice is convinced it is 2003.
Aided by Este's occasional boyfriend Wilfredo and her dog Casey, Este and Alice try to evade those chasing Alice and discover why they value her so highly, all while trying to reunite her with her family as the earthquakes around the world grow worse.
Alice wakes up in the Los Angeles Quake Zone in 2025 having no idea how she got there. As her memories slowly return, she finds she's being hunted by several armed groups intent on capturing her alive.
At the same time, Este, a survivor of the quakes that destroyed Los Angeles, makes a living as a pathfinder for salvage teams in the city. Este rescues Alice from her pursuers and learns there is something not quite right about her - Alice is convinced it is 2003.
Aided by Este's occasional boyfriend Wilfredo and her dog Casey, Este and Alice try to evade those chasing Alice and discover why they value her so highly, all while trying to reunite her with her family as the earthquakes around the world grow worse.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2021
5 people are currently reading
4738 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 27, 2021
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I went into it with no expectations at all. Just wanted to read something as a "filler" before moving on to something longer. This started out as a typical dystopian, post apocalyptic story. Then, around the halfway point, there's a really big helping of science fiction added. I'm not the biggest fan of sci fi but I felt like it worked well with this story. There was a good amount of action and suspense which is always so much fun to read. I also felt like there was some really intense emotional aspects to this story. I thought the climax and ending were satisfying. It seemed to me things maybe were left open for a sequel? Definitely five stars from me as I was so utterly astounded by just how good this turned out to be.
April 9, 2021
A bit "out there" but thought provoking
I enjoyed this disaster/sci fi novel set in 2025 - an Earth that has been, and is still being, devastated by powerful earthquakes. These earthquakes leave entire cities flattened and uninhabitable while other other parts of the world are barely touched and become known as LoP - Lands of Plenty.
Este, a Registered Nurse in her life before the quakes, her friend Wilfredo, and her rescue dog, Casey, work as Pathfinders/Tour Guides in the Los Angeles Quake Zone. Most of the time they are exploring the ravaged area for items for a finders fee.
One day they happen upon a young woman while they are out working - hurt, disoriented, and believing it is the year 2003 - and all their lives will definitely never be the same again.
As I noted, this book is a bit "out there" but then if I wanted a dreary read I'd collect grocery lists or read cereal boxes.
I liked the characters. I liked the concepts behind the story. None were explained too thoroughly but that was okay with me.
I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy disaster thrillers and/or sci fi tales.
I received this book from Severn House through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
I enjoyed this disaster/sci fi novel set in 2025 - an Earth that has been, and is still being, devastated by powerful earthquakes. These earthquakes leave entire cities flattened and uninhabitable while other other parts of the world are barely touched and become known as LoP - Lands of Plenty.
Este, a Registered Nurse in her life before the quakes, her friend Wilfredo, and her rescue dog, Casey, work as Pathfinders/Tour Guides in the Los Angeles Quake Zone. Most of the time they are exploring the ravaged area for items for a finders fee.
One day they happen upon a young woman while they are out working - hurt, disoriented, and believing it is the year 2003 - and all their lives will definitely never be the same again.
As I noted, this book is a bit "out there" but then if I wanted a dreary read I'd collect grocery lists or read cereal boxes.
I liked the characters. I liked the concepts behind the story. None were explained too thoroughly but that was okay with me.
I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy disaster thrillers and/or sci fi tales.
I received this book from Severn House through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
October 23, 2022
I'm not upset at how the science turned out but this was not a time travel sci-fi as advertised. We follow a girl misplaced from time and when she awakes, the Earth (the not so distant future, I might add) has been ravaged by unfathomably immeasurable quakes. On her travels back through her memories to figure out her situation, she runs into a doctor/ex from her past. She comes to find out, this friend is the mastermind of the whole problem (her, not the quakes). One thing leads to another and it's a solid antagonist trying to play God with stolen techniques and a half-baked idea of immortality. ANYWHO...in the end, good wins out and everybody lives, again (iykyk). The epilogue was only displaced by a month so I'm not sure why it was an epilogue and not just the last chapter. The planet-destroying earthquakes were never explained and why were they only in NA? Europe has fault lines too! But I digress. Likable characters that didn't make many stupid decisions and a canine companion that really should have had more page time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2021
A Captivating Novel With a Touch of Science Fiction
A woman wakes in the dark place and doesn’t know where she is. I fact, she doesn’t at first remember her name. Her legs are not fully functional. She hears others shouting, and wanted to call out. A hand clamps over her mouth. It’s another young woman who tells her to be quiet and that her name is Este who tells her a way out. The woman remembers her name, Alice, but the voices seem to found her. There were muzzle flashes down the hall, and luckily they were not aimed at her. When Alice reached the street, she sees total major city in total destruction. She wanders to find water and food and avoid any people. Meanwhile Este and her partner, Wilfredo discover that there is a one million dollar bounty for a woman matching the description of the woman she saved earlier. The novel proceeds from here.
The main storyline timeline is set in the near dystopian future. Este’s and Wilfredo’s goal is to find the woman and collect the million dollars. The city is Los Angeles that had suffered three monumental earthquakes. This was a trend for many as major earthquakes happening around the world. There are people living within the ruins for various reasons who eschew the near normal living outside the quake zones, called LoP, Land of Plenty. Soon, into the novel a significant event occurs that significant changes the direction of how Este and Wilfredo will achieve their goal. These significant events keep occurring that also change Alice’s goals. My attention was captured and solidly held all the way to the end.
The B-storyline of both Este and Wilfredo is extensive and is portrayed by them talking with each other, with Casey, Este’s dog, and Alice. For Este, her actions and also tell much about her. There are several submain storyline threads that allow Este and Wilfredo to show additional sides of their personalities. Alice’s background is a major part of the main storyline and unfolds with the main storyline. The author weaves these B-storyline threads seamlessly into the main storyline threads. They enriched my enjoyment in reading this novel.
For areas that some readers find objectionable, there are not any intimate scenes, and foul language instances are the low single digits with zero f-bombs. The most possibly objective language is the use of OMG. Violence is another story. Most of it is described as it occurs which is more edgy. There is significant implied violence. While the level is significant, I did not find it objectionable. This book should not raise any red flags to readers.
I was surprised that this novel really was science fiction. The only novels that I had read by this author before this one were the three Luis Chavez novels that were straight mystery thrillers. I do read science fiction, and this is the type that I enjoy as it is a more story interaction that science fiction. There wasn’t anything negative in this novel for me. It kept me quite interested in continuing to read late into the night and the first thing when I woke in the morning. Everything was tied up by the end. Writing about the end, indicated that the future after the novel probably will challenging but there is hope. This is a good science fiction ending for me.
Overall, this novel met all the aspects I need for a five star rating. I enjoyed it. If you like action adventures with a little science fiction, I believe that you will like it also.
I received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Severn House Publishers with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Severn House Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.
A woman wakes in the dark place and doesn’t know where she is. I fact, she doesn’t at first remember her name. Her legs are not fully functional. She hears others shouting, and wanted to call out. A hand clamps over her mouth. It’s another young woman who tells her to be quiet and that her name is Este who tells her a way out. The woman remembers her name, Alice, but the voices seem to found her. There were muzzle flashes down the hall, and luckily they were not aimed at her. When Alice reached the street, she sees total major city in total destruction. She wanders to find water and food and avoid any people. Meanwhile Este and her partner, Wilfredo discover that there is a one million dollar bounty for a woman matching the description of the woman she saved earlier. The novel proceeds from here.
The main storyline timeline is set in the near dystopian future. Este’s and Wilfredo’s goal is to find the woman and collect the million dollars. The city is Los Angeles that had suffered three monumental earthquakes. This was a trend for many as major earthquakes happening around the world. There are people living within the ruins for various reasons who eschew the near normal living outside the quake zones, called LoP, Land of Plenty. Soon, into the novel a significant event occurs that significant changes the direction of how Este and Wilfredo will achieve their goal. These significant events keep occurring that also change Alice’s goals. My attention was captured and solidly held all the way to the end.
The B-storyline of both Este and Wilfredo is extensive and is portrayed by them talking with each other, with Casey, Este’s dog, and Alice. For Este, her actions and also tell much about her. There are several submain storyline threads that allow Este and Wilfredo to show additional sides of their personalities. Alice’s background is a major part of the main storyline and unfolds with the main storyline. The author weaves these B-storyline threads seamlessly into the main storyline threads. They enriched my enjoyment in reading this novel.
For areas that some readers find objectionable, there are not any intimate scenes, and foul language instances are the low single digits with zero f-bombs. The most possibly objective language is the use of OMG. Violence is another story. Most of it is described as it occurs which is more edgy. There is significant implied violence. While the level is significant, I did not find it objectionable. This book should not raise any red flags to readers.
I was surprised that this novel really was science fiction. The only novels that I had read by this author before this one were the three Luis Chavez novels that were straight mystery thrillers. I do read science fiction, and this is the type that I enjoy as it is a more story interaction that science fiction. There wasn’t anything negative in this novel for me. It kept me quite interested in continuing to read late into the night and the first thing when I woke in the morning. Everything was tied up by the end. Writing about the end, indicated that the future after the novel probably will challenging but there is hope. This is a good science fiction ending for me.
Overall, this novel met all the aspects I need for a five star rating. I enjoyed it. If you like action adventures with a little science fiction, I believe that you will like it also.
I received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Severn House Publishers with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Severn House Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.
April 27, 2021
A really great read, I highly recommend The Quake Cities. Mark Wheaton employs his unfettered imagination and his top-notch writing talent to deliver a thriller/sci-fi novel that offers escapism and entertainment, both much needed in my life right now. You know how they say "every story has been told before"? This one hasn't.
February 13, 2022
In Quake Cities the earth is being changed by major earthquakes worldwide that are leveling large swaths of civilization. The warmth of climate change has melted the ice caps and changed the balance of the tectonic plates causing massive earthquakes around the world. In the LA Quake Zone, Este, a survivor and pathfinder for salvage teams, comes across a naked woman whom she befriends. Alice is the target of some kind of military group. There is something different about Alice - she believes that it is 2003 instead of 2025. As the evidence mounts, Alice realizes that she is indeed in 2025 and that the world she knew has changed radically. She is determined to find her husband and figure out what has happened to her. Este, her dog Casey and her boyfriend decide to help Alice, eluding her pursuers and traveling through the dangerous quaking world.
September 14, 2021
The story interested me because of the whole idea of earthquakes destroying huge swathes of civilization across the planet. The story started mid-action, and that made it hard to understand initially. It is a post apocalyptic story, but with a sci-fi twist involving regenerating lives. However, at every point, the protagonists accomplish the most unbelievable feats that I had a hard time buying into the story. It was a bit over-the-top even for sci-fi.
August 24, 2022
Hard to suspend disbelief on this one. Alice keeps coming back from the dead. Wilfred's motorcycle goes airborne with a german shepherd in his sidecar, and Este and Alice do the same on another bike with no mention of injury or damage to man or machine. Sounds like a bad episode of CHiPs! Shelved this one at p75.
August 10, 2021
I have given this book only one star, which is somewhat unfair on the book and the author. However, I could not say I liked this book. It was too real and scary, which shows how well written it must have been! Well done Mark, but sorry I couldn't give you a greater number of stars!
Want to read
August 26, 2021Not in library
August 20, 2022
Rather a seeming homage to Resident Evil but with a few twists.
January 9, 2021
This book started out strong. The writing wasn't bad, and neither were the characters.. The plot was interesting, but not amazing.
I think this is one of those "it's not you, it's me" kind of books. It was not exactly terrible but it didn't really fit with the kind of sci-fi novels that I, personally, enjoy. I like fast-paced and exciting novels, usually with first-person POV (though I have loved some in third-person). This was not that kind of novel, and so, I did not particularly enjoy The Quake Cities. If you like third-person, slower-paced sci-fi, this might be a book for you. If not, then I would not advise you to read this one.
I think this is one of those "it's not you, it's me" kind of books. It was not exactly terrible but it didn't really fit with the kind of sci-fi novels that I, personally, enjoy. I like fast-paced and exciting novels, usually with first-person POV (though I have loved some in third-person). This was not that kind of novel, and so, I did not particularly enjoy The Quake Cities. If you like third-person, slower-paced sci-fi, this might be a book for you. If not, then I would not advise you to read this one.
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May 6, 2023I tend to have a hard time with stories that start mid-action, I like a little buildup. I find those stories confusing and hard to get into. I think this was a pretty good story once I got over the beginning scenes and started to better visualize what was happening.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews