After The Revolution

by Robert Evans

What will the fracturing of the United States look like? After the Revolution is an edge-of-your-seat answer to that question. In the year 2070, twenty years after a civil war and societal collapse of the "old" United States, extremist militias battle in the crumbling Republic of Texas. As the violence spreads like wildfire and threatens the Free City of Austin, three unlikely allies will have to work together in an act of resistance to stop the advance of the forces of the white Christian ethnostate known as the "Heavenly Kingdom."

Our three protagonists include Manny, a fixer that shuttles journalists in and out of war zones and provides footage for outside news agencies. Sasha is a teenage woman that joins the Heavenly Kingdom before she discovers the ugly truths behind their movement. Finally, we have Roland: A US Army vet kitted out with cyberware (including blood that heals major trauma wounds and a brain that can handle enough LSD to kill an elephant), tormented by broken memories, and 12,000 career kills under his belt. In the not-so-distant world Evans conjures we find advanced technology, a gender expansive culture, and a roving Burning Man-like city fueled by hedonistic excess.

This powerful debut novel from Robert Evans is based on his investigative reporting from international conflict zones and on increasingly polarized domestic struggles. It is a vision of our very possible future.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Dystopia, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Cyberpunk

380 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Nathan Shuherk · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a fun time of post apocalyptic ultra violence. A drug fueled, perplexingly cathartic look at the world after collapse.

[Lynne Nunyabidness · Rating 5 out of 5]

You ever wonder where more authoritarianism, climate change, economic disparity, Christofascism, AI and surveillance technology implemented without consideration for ethics, military-level law enforcement, limitless military, bioengineering, and an inability to agree on reality will get the U.S. in the end? After the Revolution is essentially a fictionalized account of what the future could hold, based on extensive research by the journalist-author for his 2019 podcast series

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evans is doing it again and writing a book that's voice is just a delight to experience.

With a primary cast of interesting, complex and relatable characters, Evans takes us on a ride through a truly unsettlingly possible (Dolphin Headed Mad Max Orgies notwithstanding) post apocalypse in a near future American Continent. Those of us who grew up in the rural US and have moved about a lot can see where much of Evans fictional predictions come from and some of his more scifi elements enhance the world in ways that aren't too "out there" to prevent the story from being very grounded in our shared reality.

Looking forward to Evans taking us on an adventure through other regions one day, perhaps the Western Rockies where we can learn if a future Robert ever got his Compound in the mountains of Idaho

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dynamic new post-apocalyptic science fiction, written with expertise but not about the science. Rather, the author (podcaster extraordinaire from Behinds the Bastards) is an experienced Middle Eastern war correspondent who writes authentically about a hypothetical Christian-type ISIS after the fall of the United States.

There's also issues of transhumanism, about how veterans of wars find it tough to acclimate back into society except by way of cybernetic enhancements. It's a bit over-the-top, very extreme and vulgar as these guys are just constantly on every drug ever. Sometimes it's even funny.

Note the audiobook is all free as a podcast. Not the deepest story, but very entertaining and would make for an above average smart action movie if not the deepest work of literature. Fans of postcyberpunk looking for something current would get a lot out of After the Revolution.

[James Tullos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is simultaneously depressing and very funny.

[Michael McCune · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew Robert Evans was a good writer from the Behind the Bastards podcast and his articles at Cracked, but I wasn't sure what to expect from a fictional story. He absolutely blew me away with world building and convincing characters that would be an impressive achievement for any author. There's definitely messaging and warnings that are important for today, but he integrates them into the story subtly enough that it doesn't feel preachy or ham-fisted at all.

I listened on Spotify and I highly recommend it. The sound effects and music bring the story to life (though Robert's British accent could use some work, as he readily admits). However, I'm also excited to download the epub at some point and experience it that way. It's hard to believe the whole thing is free, which makes me recommend it that much more.

[Bram · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are familiar with the work of gonzo journalist Robert Evans, his first foray into speculative fiction will be all too familiar for you. Not only has he long predicted significant civil conflict in the near future of the United States, but his experience in war zones such as Syria gives this hypothetical scenario a scary amount of verisimilitude. Along with that come his research into US fascism and his personal interest in drugs and firearms, all of which feature extensively throughout this novel. The most significant downside to all this is that the story becomes somewhat predictable at times. The anarchistic and posthuman tendencies found herein are a nice modulation, but otherwise it reads very much like the war against ISIS has been transposed to Texas. Still, it's a solid first effort, and I'm interested in whatever Evans writes next.

[Spektrall · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the Revolution is a 5/5 for world building and a 4/5 for execution. It's the way speculative fiction should be. Makes great use of limited 3rd person perspective cycling between three very different well defined protagonists with their own unique voices. A new entry into this emerging "post-America" genre of fiction that reminds me of the alt-history show For All Mankind which is similarly honest. It's 2070 and a generation after the civil war and the last American president. The former united states is now a collection of a half a dozen republics with radically different ideologies and disputed borders. I think California is an authoritarian police state now which is terrifying. Most of this is information we get from oblique references and the civil war itself isn't the focus. Two of the protagonists grew up after it finished, and the other one can't really remember much of anything.

I really enjoyed this book so here are some nitpicks, it's psychotic but that's how I show appreciation. I listened to the audio version with occasional sound effects and ads.
-Sasha is basically Sansa Stark. Same journey from piece to player. I really enjoyed her chapters and perspective but there's no getting around how similar those two characters are.
-there's no map and if you're not American you will probably struggle with the geography, it's pretty involved. I probably should have googled at some point to figure out the relative positions of Dallas, Austin, Waco etc but I never did. Also was confused about where and how far Sasha traveled.

There's a lot more I could say about After The Revolution (so much drugs, so much biotech) but I'll just end by mentioning the connection between Robert Evans and Jason Pargin (Robert's editor at Cracked, wrote John Dies at the End; Fancy Suits and Futuristic Violence). There are two characters in After the Revolution, Jim and Skullfucker Mike, who feel like they could live in either of those universes.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Robert Evans' Behind the Bastards podcast (like "top podcast in my Spotify Wrapped 2022" type of fan). So After the Revolution very much intrigued me. Alas, while I started reading in September, I put it on hold - several times! Candidly, the premise - a civil war resulted in the United States fracturing into several nation states, from ultracapitalist to Christofacist, and three very different individuals must navigate the routine conflict and brutality and soullessness - felt all too plausible. And, well, that obviously freaked me out, especially now that I have a young child and daily fret about the state of the country.

Still, I ultimately found After the Revolution as compelling and rich as it was deeply unsettling. It is very much a "movie book," aka the type of book that evokes such vivid imagery and thrilling suspense that you envision - even crave - it playing on the silver screen. At the same time, it possesses great nuance and color that you can't help but fear would dissipate if translated to film.

The story was initially slow going, but balancing complex worldbuilding and maintaining reader interest can be tricky - and by the time I reached the halfway mark, I was reluctant to put the book down. The conclusion lacked some emotional payoff, largely due to the absence of conversations between key characters. It was open-ended enough for Evans to revisit in another book, but I have no idea if that will come to fruition. And while I don't think it is strictly necessary, I certainly wouldn't say no to more stories in this universe.

[GiGi]

overall, i respect robert for writing this and putting up the whole thing + audiobook + illustrations for free. i'd recommend it if you really like the podcast BTB and robert's sense of humor. i listened to it because i was kind of tired of the other content i was listening to, and this was a welcome break. to be honest, i probbably wouldn't have read the whole thing if i'd tried to read it as it's not the sort of thing that i usually read. i give him a lot of points for making a story that had me listening straight through despite the flaws that i think are present in it.

probably the biggest detractor for me: the incredibly frequent mention and description of hyperbolic drug use was really tiresome.

the second biggest was that i felt like a lot of what was happening was on the nose/over-explained by the book itself.

on the other hand, a big positive was that (ignoring the couple of clichés and repetitions) a lot of the descriptive prose was creative and fresh to me.

not sure if this exists, but if this is really a vision of the US/NA that Robert sees happening, i'd love to hear more detail re: how he thinks it could come about exactly.

i'll probably end up checking out the sequel to know what happens to certain characters, so props there too.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A generally entertaining read, but the ebook is in desperate need of a good editor.

[Lucia1200 · Rating 5 out of 5]

who the fuck are you people

[Steven Spivak · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is alright.

An interesting look towards a possible future of American society, but I don’t consider the characters incredibly complex or the plot terribly interesting just because it was too short! I wish there would have been more than just descriptive writing on those LARPing in a dystopian future.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audiobook at work over a couple weeks, pretty fun book. I thought Sasha was the most interesting of the bunch, though her character development at the end felt sudden. Rolling Fucks method for keeping empathy as a foundation of their society was pretty creative.

[Meg ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Seth Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a well-written story in an intriguing world. As a fan of Robert Evans’ podcasts, you can hear some of his familiar voice coming through in the prose and dialogue. If you like dystopian fiction and you’re not put off by some gore and vulgarity, give it a shot.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not saying I'm looking forward to the collapse of the Union, but this book does make it feel a lot more exciting than it will probably end up being.

[Camille McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very violent, so please be aware before reading if you're not into that kind of thing.
I listen to Robert Evans every week on his podcasts, "Behind the Bastards" and "It Could Happen Here" (along with the Cool Zone Media crowd) so I feel like I know him personally, even though I don't. I bought this book a few years ago and only recently read it. Evans' career was originally in war correspondence, and that shows; he seems very knowledgeable about battles, military equipment, and the violence of war. He also has a great imagination and a deep knowledge of American culture and history, so even though a lot of the book was fantastical, it wasn't difficult to imagine that if such a situation existed and such technology were widespread, this is how it might play out in a fractured United States.
The book is told from three perspectives, two of which are men who do a bunch of fighting, one of which is a teenage girl obsessed with Christianity who runs away from the stable federation and joins a Gilead-like region to spread a fanatical form of Christianity. It was her point-of-view portions that were the most interesting to me, and I thought Evans did a great job of presenting how a teenage girl in her situation might think and act. I didn't really like the ending she got - it seemed a little rushed - but the rest was well-done, and reminded me of the Handmaids Tale.
The afterword of the book made a lot of sense, as Evans explains that he wrote it as his marriage was breaking up and he was dealing with a lot of PTSD, and that certainly makes sense for how much violence and trauma there is in the book.
It took me a little time to get into because it was so violent and I didn't relate as much to the male characters, but once I did, it was a pretty good book, especially from someone who isn't a seasoned fiction writer. I definitely appreciated it and it presented some interesting scenarios to ponder.

[Medusa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3 stars. A solid post apocalyptic novel about an unfortunately plausible possible future in which the United Sates Balkanizes into warring factions, including murderous, fanatical christo-fascists and solipsistic “post humans” who mostly want to get high and screw. I took one star off for the nearly magical powers afforded to the post humans, and certain authorial tells which troubled me, but it’s still a good book and I’ll certainly read the next one(s) in the series. This books puts plausible human faces on a nightmare near future scenario ,highlighting the easy banality of murderous ideology and self justifications.

[Munsi Parker-Munroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delighted me, frankly. Fun and weird and well thought through and in places terrifying, full of sex and drugs and violence and even more drugs. Robert Evans has a narrative voice that's easy to enjoy (an actual voice too, for that matter, I listened to this on audiobook) and this is an interesting look at what a balkanized future America might look like that isn't afraid to take a turn for the bizarre. A fun, odd, briskly paced story paced such that, had it not come out a chapter a week, I'd have happily breezed through in a day. Very good, you should absolutely check it out.

[Dan Mathis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pacing is dreadful, the characters a bit plastic at best: pair that with the best names of the 80's and 90's and you have one hell of a snoozefest. Truly it seems a big ego stoker with nothing new or inspired. I'd ask the author when bias and bigotry is ok, because apparently Mr Evans knows. The epilogue, seriously? Truth is, if I were to make a comparison; this book is the scene of a murder that someone needs to visit to get his rocks off. Bored. On a final note, it seems geared to be an independent film that just doesn't hit the mark.

[Corvus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This definitely grew on me over time. More macho than I bet the author intended and I'm not big on how women were treated as characters. But I'm also holding Evans to a higher standard because I know his politics. Ending is action packed and heartbreaking. I'm definitely interested in the next book if it happens. Better review later perhaps when not on my phone.

[Dj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like some kind of warped lovechild of Stephenson and Hunter S Thompson; a scary, but entertaining look into a possible future. Fantastic debut novel from our favorite exposer of bastardom.

[Sarah Vincent · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly terrible. And I like Robert Evans as a journalist, but this is just bad story telling.

[Mackenzie Marrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We all spend a lot of life helpless. So when you actually have a chance to do something, to make a difference for someone... Personally, I recommend you fuckin' take it.”

Unless you are wholly unaware of who Robert Evans is, his debut novel will not have much in it to surprise you plot wise (and that's okay!! He's a man who is consistent in his principles). In After the Revolution, Evans takes from his career as a war-time journalist, researcher, and newly shattered sense of self, (see the Afterword) to create a bonkers fucked up world that's just a little too close to reality for comfort at times! The prose is in Evan's characteristic style, with are moments of pure absurdity to level out some really fucked up shit, and an incredible cast of characters including our three POV narrators. Because, while the world he has created is fully fleshed, and the overarching political commentary is intriguing, what Evans wants you to focus on is these characters and how they react to the world around them. What happens to a persons psyche when they are face to face with the true evil of war and lust for power? And is there a right way to preserve our humanity through it all? Or is it useless to try...

As we go through increasingly unprecedented times, we must do all we can to preserve our humanity, dignity, and not give into despair. Your life is still worth living even while you're desperately trying to stay informed with more information than humans should have ever been able to consume. Children still need happy childhoods, and you can take an hour to go fucking bowling or something.

“There is always time to eat shitty food with a pretty girl. Fuck the war, fuck what's a 'good idea.' Go eat some garbage and stare into her eyes. Do something human in this inhuman place.”

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely a rough book to read if the current political and social climate has you in a bad headspace. Evans brings to life an "America" divided after a revolution broke out years ago and significant advancements had been made in the human modification. It is a bleak picture he paints, and it was honestly really rough to get through at times with the way the base social upheaval felt like something I could see or hear now. The characters we follow- Roland, Manny, and Sasha- serve as the points we see the story from and also offer up the rays of hope in people not lost to dangerous rhetoric.
The concept of all of the modifications and installations this future has was very intriguing and I loved seeing how Evans worked in both the ones the military would take ruthless advantage of creating and ones who clearly only had cosmetic purposes. All of the post-humans were interesting characters in so far as representing a technical next step in human advancement, and their approach to life only adds to that.
The storyline easily gripped me and I found myself frequently getting genuinely emotional whilst reading. All in all a great book, but one you need to be in a good headspace for.

[Brandon Pilcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot better than most other future dystopia literature out there, since it feels like something that could plausibly happen to the United States were it to collapse and break apart in another civil war. The chapters with Sasha were my favorite since they tell the story of a young woman's radicalization into religious fascism, only to find out how patriarchal and self-serving its leaders are behind their self-righteous rhetoric. If I had anything about the story to critique, I felt that the "Heavenly Kingdom" should have presented itself as much more explicitly racist, given how integral White supremacy is in the modern far-right movements on which it is based. The Kingdom does have racist aspects that become apparent the deeper the characters dig into it, but I feel that the "Martyrs" should have worn that racism on their sleeves if they were anything like modern "alt-righters".

[Harry Steinmetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some twisted but very good s**t

I really wasn’t sure I would stick with this book as it started. So much carnage! I really needed a chance to catch my breath. But, just at the right moment it slowed down a bit and I started to get into the characters. Althought it’s written in a very casual style, it actually gets pretty deep into the characters and what makes them tick in the apocolyptical hell that is Texas in the 2070s. Its an excellent read that I kept wanting to get back to, rather than working. Something like this could happen right here in the good ol’ USofA, or whatever is left of it. Now I want to know about the other parts, besides Texas.

[Daniel T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alot of great ideas and good characters, but the overall plot is too slow and obvious. Evans builds a believable and interesting world then doesn't do anything with it. And like his podcasts, it's too damn long. That being said, spending time in a post revolutionary and splintered America is a good time.

[Georgia King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had so much fun with this book and read it in Evan's voice. His experiences growing up in Texas and as a conflict journalist ground the fantastic world he builds. Christo-fascism, superhuman military technology, drug fuelled benders, and well crafted characters. I can't wait for the next one!