The Fall

by Michael S. Vassel

"Drive to survive, man!" he screamed. "Keep moving … or you're dead!"It's been more than a year since the Earth saw its last pandemic, yet things still aren't right in the world. Human births have slowed to a virtual crawl, and birds – along with most large mammals – are becoming extinct at an alarming rate.In addition to these odd happenings, people all over the globe are starting to act strange … as if their personalities have been changed. Some of these altered individuals go into wild tirades trying to destroy everything around them. Whereas others … others affected by this alteration simply curl up in place and die.Seeing society crumble all around them, Paul and his wife, Lorie, leave their Northeast Ohio home in search of the two things they need the power … and normal people. People, like themselves, unaffected by the bizarre affliction that seems to be killing off everything and everyone.Paul eventually realizes they have only one If they want to live, they'll need to keep moving. They need to get on the road and try to find a place unaffected by this mysterious malady.A bizarre affliction some have started calling ... The Surge.

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 21, 2021

About the author

Voted Cleveland's Best Local Author/Writer for 2023, Michael has written several dark fantasy novels. These include his supernatural series “The Castle Chronicles,” the short story collection "Bits & Bites: Tales from a Twisted Mind," the psychological thriller "The Haunting of Matthew Keys," and the dystopian thriller "THE FALL"

Reviews

[Kathy Manns055 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rounded this book up from 3.5 to 4, mainly because it was so enjoyable. There are some cons: 1. When I first started reading, the main character's 'voice' sounded so juvenile that I thought he might be a teenager; however, I quickly realized he was a 30 something. 2. The character kept referring to himself as "ex-military" and that was, I suppose, an explanation for his ability to cope in a world that had fallen apart. The guy, however, had been a clerk-typist in the military, and yes, he'd been through basic training...but give me a break. There's a reason they call it 'basic' training...so the repeated references to being ex-military seemed stretching the point a bit. 3. The writer seems to greatly admire Stephen King. I say that because his writing style made me think of someone who was trying to ape King. He's not King...but he isn't bad. Like King, he kept the story going at a nice pace and made his characters interesting. He lacks King's ability to bring a character fully to life, but I still cared about what happened to the main character, so he did a pretty good job. 4. Please, writers everywhere: we know you hate Trump. We know you hate Fox News. But for the love of God, can you give us a break and leave your politics at the door? It is so terribly disconcerting to be into a story and then have to read a snide aside about Trump, Fox News, or the folks that follow both. It's cheesy and adds nothing to the overall story or the characters, and it takes the reader out of the story, which is what you don't want. You want us totally immersed, and the repeated airing of political opinion disguised as fiction today is defeating that purpose. It abruptly brings the reader out of the story and focuses his/her attention instead on the writer. Okay, now on to the good stuff: this is a darned good story! I read it in two days and hated to put it down. It moves quickly, is filled with action, and if one can say this about dystopian fiction, it was a heck of a lot of fun! An easy, interesting and good read! I would recommend the book and I will be checking out the author's other books.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the Fall

The Fall is a first person account of the fall of society as we know it. Paul Davidson narrates his life story as society plunges into a dystopian world none expected due to some issue with our sun. Most people are just dying in their sleep or they become "crazies" which really are just people who've chosen the dark side as the world collapses. The few normal people like Paul struggle to stay alive knowing that the birth rate is practically nil if any at all. The story has a great flow and definitely keeps you invested in the outcome. Didn't love the ending as it does leave one hanging a bit, but from the first sentence, you know it's inevitable. Is was worth the $1.99 and a few hours of my life. A really good dystopian read.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Style

A really good read, in an interesting style, I would call it conversational. It wasn't what I was expecting, it feels more realistic, more personal. I would have liked the story to progress a little more quickly, but that's just a personal preference.
If you like post apocalyptic stories, this one is a very different experience and well worth the read.

[Marie Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fall

I enjoyed the first person narration. Hated the ending. I can see a follow-up book in the future. I’ll just leave it there.

[wendi c duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good fast read. I felt that it had alot of areas that could have been expanded but aside from that it was pretty good

[Katie (spellboundbooks_) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved The Haunting of Matthew Keys (which if you love psychological thrillers - I definitely recommend!) so I was eager to give Vassel's newest book a chance - and it didn't disappoint!

This book takes place during an apocalypse and the MC has to drive to see if he can find someplace safe that has electricity. It is a quick and very easy read with a lot of things happening along the way. The book follows the MC as he narrates into a tape what happened during the apocalypse - so as you are reading be prepared to read his own commentary on the situation which gave it an interesting twist. There are plenty of twists and turns as well as interesting characters along the way. This book gave me The Stand vibes and I loved it!

Another 5-star read for me by Vassel! If you are a fan of urban fantasy and apocalyptic stories - give this one a try!

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[Bobby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn’t leave politics out….even if half the country would be offended. Oh well. We’ve certainly learned what an asset aBiden is. Two losers but we’ll only toast one. Otherwise, not bad!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have called it a 3.5 if we had half-stars.

Pretty quick read. Overall enjoyable.

Subject matter was interesting, and I liked the 1st person narration. The story is more about the psychological impact of societal collapse than just the physical acts of survival.

Some of the dialog was a bit 'off' in that it didn't feel natural, and really I felt like the book could have been twice as long if some of the exploration, scavenging, and survival side-stories were explored further.

[Hannah Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did keep my interest but the narrator was annoying in a lot of parts. I get the narrator was ‘talking in a recording’ but I didn’t care for that style or the dialogue of the narrator. I feel like a lot of things should have been thought out more and more details like the gas and traveling so far. It was an easy and fast read though.

[kathy pittenger · Rating 2 out of 5]

the fall

I read the book Thinking it would get better. It didn’t. Wast of my life reading it that I will never get back.

[Teresa Hays · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard

Found this book a hard read. Thought it would get better further on. No it didn't. Not one character was likable. Don't like one person books.

[Sharon Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a tragic story is Paul’s. I can see how this situation could happen just as it was described.
And the ending, oh my.
Spoiler alert…there isn’t a happy ending to his tale. But it was engrossing just the same.