Endemic: Within Each of Us, A Power and a Curse

by Robert Chazz Chute

I was a nail. I am a hammer.
As the United States falls to disease, killers and thieves rule New York. Bookish, neurotic, and nerdy, Ovid Fairweather finds herself trapped in the struggle for survival.

Bullied by her father, haunted by her dead therapist, and hunted by marauders, Ovid is forced to fight.

With only the voices in her head as her guides, an unlikely heroine will become a queen.

Fun, surprising, and suspenseful, Endemic is the new apocalyptic novel from the author of Citizen Second Class, This Plague of Days, and AFTER Life.

412 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2021

About the author

After escaping retail hell, I trained as a journalist and worked in newspapers and magazines before becoming a drone in the book publishing hive. I worked for Harlequin, The Canadian Book Information Centre, Lester & Orpen Dennys and Cannon Books in various capacities in editorial, publicity and sales. I learned a lot about what not to do. (All of the above companies are dead and gone except, of course, for Harlequin. I didn't kill them. It was suicide.)

I went over the wall again and worked a few miracles in the field of alternative medicine. Then "they sentenced me to 20 years of boredom, for trying to change the system from within." (Identify that quote and we are inextricably, irrevocably friends.)

Writing full-time now, I tell everyone I'm "in Suspense." I hope you read, review and enjoy my books.

Reviews

[Gerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Awesome story with good characters, richly described, and fabulous word choices. This book tickled my sense of humor and I hope others follow!

[Book Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Endemic by Robert Chazz Chute follows Ovid Fairweather as she tries to navigate a world ravaged by a disease that turns people essentially braindead. As with any collapse of society, a power vacuum develops, and various individuals group together to seize that power. The Memory Keepers are no different, as they seek to weaponize information necessary for all to survive. Can Ovid find a way to survive in a world that aims to take whatever she has left? And can she do it while reconciling with her troubled past?

Other reviewers have it right when they say that this story is not one that neatly falls into the post-apocalyptic or dystopian genres, thanks in large part to the level of realism it maintains. This is a considerable strength of the story and will keep readers interested from chapter to chapter.

The structure of the story, while this could have been action-packed or dripping with tension from scene to scene, we are instead interrupted by flashbacks from Ovid as she attempts to deal with the trauma of her past, both with her parents and her therapist. Some readers may find these enlightening, giving readers a look into Ovid’s past and gaining a better understanding of why she does the things she does.

Ovid endures a great deal in her past and present life. The author does a fantastic job incorporating her past experiences into the main plot points, thus keeping readers guessing and gasping as they read. I would be happy to read more from this setting, and its characters in the future, so here’s hoping there’s a sequel on the way soon.

Endemic is a suspenseful and thrilling science fiction novel with a dystopian twist. Readers will be drawn into the world that at times is almost too real and plausible and left with an eerie feeling of could this happen to me.

[Scott Sammons]

Often more stream of conscious than story.


This may well be a deliberate stylistic choice by the author. I didn't like it. The main character was believable and makes a lasting impression, the world building is well done. There are just long sections that bog down the plot and annoyed me.

I would perhaps like this story more with a different reading. It's embarrassing but true that the quality of the story has too much to do with the setting of the reader.

[Ben Boven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful addition to the apocalypse genre. Ovid is well rounded character and the action is great when it's around. There are more than a few flashback chapters that read like therapy sessions that I could have done without, but I'll be buying more titles from this author for sure.

[Judith Braunstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into book. First one this year I couldn't read.