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Calamity #1
Calamity
When society collapses, who will you choose to save?
The United States, reeling from an infectious disease, has reached a tipping point. Society’s collapse is imminent. The rabies variant virus is decimating the southern states and the National Guard can no longer contain it. In response, the heavy hand of the government initiates extreme and violent measures to quarantine half the nation.
SWAT Officer Derrick Hart and his best friend, Army Ranger Brandon Armstrong, are at the tip of the spear trying to keep it all together as society loots, riots, and revolts against the government. Hundreds of miles lay between them and their family as another city falls to the vicious infected hordes. These two brothers in arms must choose between their duty and the ones they love.
When the country they once served becomes the oppressive force that now threatens their lives, Derrick and Brandon must fight together if their loved ones stand a chance at survival.
When the country collapses, who will you let die?
Calamity is book one in the Calamity Series.
The United States, reeling from an infectious disease, has reached a tipping point. Society’s collapse is imminent. The rabies variant virus is decimating the southern states and the National Guard can no longer contain it. In response, the heavy hand of the government initiates extreme and violent measures to quarantine half the nation.
SWAT Officer Derrick Hart and his best friend, Army Ranger Brandon Armstrong, are at the tip of the spear trying to keep it all together as society loots, riots, and revolts against the government. Hundreds of miles lay between them and their family as another city falls to the vicious infected hordes. These two brothers in arms must choose between their duty and the ones they love.
When the country they once served becomes the oppressive force that now threatens their lives, Derrick and Brandon must fight together if their loved ones stand a chance at survival.
When the country collapses, who will you let die?
Calamity is book one in the Calamity Series.
- GenresHorror
592 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2021
27 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Sam Winter
5 books2 followersSam Winter is an American author who enjoys creating gritty fiction. Calamity is his debut series that reimagines the collapse of modern society from the very first minutes of disaster. When he's not writing, Sam enjoys binge-watching epic shows online and exploring the world one country at a time. He currently resides in Michigan with his dog.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 19, 2022
This book is almost 600 pages and I finished it within two days. I didn't feel the length at all. Calamity opens in media res, at the height of an apocalyptic outbreak of a rage virus that transforms the infected into mindless, bloodthirsty maniacs (basically living zombies). The action is swift, nonstop, and brutal. The setting is truly hell on earth, and I felt I had to decompress after finishing this. Multiple main characters die and others are pushed to their absolute breaking point. One in particular, Sharon Hill, goes from ordinary suburban mother to victim of multiple severe traumas, each one capable of destroying a person on its own, let alone in succession. I was genuinely afraid for her at one point, and I never scare while reading.
(Side note: there is a Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania.)
My only critique is Winter taking a page from 28 Days Later and creating a virus that turns humans into ax-crazy monsters within seconds of infection. On the one hand, this explains how it spreads so quickly and causes such mayhem, but it's also biologically impossible and made it hard to suspend my disbelief, especially in the midst of an actual pandemic. The virus's closest real-life counterpart, rabies, needs weeks or even months to travel from the bite location to the brain in order to cause its infamous symptoms. An incubation period of a few hours would have made this virus more plausible, and that's still pushing it.
Also: content warning for a rape scene. It is from the POV of the victim, however, and is not gratuitous or titillating. It fits in with the violence and chaos of the story as a whole.
(Side note: there is a Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania.)
My only critique is Winter taking a page from 28 Days Later and creating a virus that turns humans into ax-crazy monsters within seconds of infection. On the one hand, this explains how it spreads so quickly and causes such mayhem, but it's also biologically impossible and made it hard to suspend my disbelief, especially in the midst of an actual pandemic. The virus's closest real-life counterpart, rabies, needs weeks or even months to travel from the bite location to the brain in order to cause its infamous symptoms. An incubation period of a few hours would have made this virus more plausible, and that's still pushing it.
Also: content warning for a rape scene. It is from the POV of the victim, however, and is not gratuitous or titillating. It fits in with the violence and chaos of the story as a whole.
December 29, 2021
Great book, can’t wait for the sequel. The book could use some minor technical assistance as the author used some incorrect technical terms a few times in the book. I recommend talking with an ex military person for military terms. But, this is just a minor thing, still a great book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews