A lethal super-virus has wiped out much of the population, toppling governments, religions, and most of society.
Stranded on a remote, faraway mission, Col. Noah Dresdon agonizes about what’s become of his family in Florida. Did his wife survive? The last time he talked to her, she was already sick.
What about his two daughters? When the plague began, they were in college on opposite ends of the state. But it’s been weeks. He’s heard nothing.
It’s not like Dresdon can just abandon his post to look for them. He’s stuck on a NASA space station 250 miles above the Earth.
But when a resupply mission to the station goes wrong and some of the crew contract the virus, Dresdon and a colleague commandeer the lone remaining shuttle in a desperate bid to get home.
The world they return to, however, barely resembles the one they knew before. Civilization has collapsed. Roving gangs—small private armies of heavily armed marauders—rule pockets of the country amid endless wars for food, weapons, and the few remaining resources.
Making it back to Earth was just the beginning. To find his family, Dresdon must navigate a reality turned upside-down while evading the bloodthirsty mobs who might kill him on sight.
In Last Apocalypse, author Richard C. Hale, creator of the fan-favorite Jaxon Jennings crime series, delivers the powerful first installment of a new sci-fi series that could be ripped from today’s headlines. The sun has almost set on humanity, Hale cautions us in his new, gripping tale, and mankind will have to fight like hell just to survive one more day.
Richard C Hale has worn many hats in his lifetime including Greens Keeper, Bartender, Musician, Respiratory Therapist, and Veteran Air Traffic Controller. You can usually find him controlling Air Traffic over the skies of the Southeastern U.S. where he lives with his wife and children.
The first half of the book was very enjoyable. It had a good theme and enough action to keep you intrigued. Alas the second half was boring and trite. There was a lot of filler and not much to keep you interested. I had to skip to the end to finish it. Very boring.
Title says it all. This book ended up being one of those rare entries that lost a half a star as it went on, finally stopping at two when it was all said and done. I'm a fan of apocalyptic stories and was feeling quite confident that this could be the latest series to suck me in, but sadly, it didn't pan out that way. When it eventually came to a point that I was (a) wishing for zombies, (b) sighing from waning interest, and (c) waiting for it to be over so I can move on to something else, I knew I wasn't sitting on a winner. And, petty of a complaint it may be, but the fact that this author had a serious obsession with his characters grinning at every damn thing (81 times to be exact) was a distracting nuisance. People DO have other facial expressions, you know.
As I said, the start of the story was strong in this one, (and quite unique for an apocalyptic story). We meet Noah Dresdon, an astronaut who is "trapped" on the ISS with his comrades while a crazy new strain of virus is ravaging the planet. The crew's means of making it back down diminishes significantly as humanity takes a beating, in which most of the population was rapidly dying off from the virus. It was a rather fascinating (and even emotional) scenario since it involved characters whose only solace was an Earth that could just as easily kill them as the ISS without resources can. This book is presented in three parts, and Noah's story was the first. While there were a few weak, unbelievable bits, it was an enjoyable 1/3 of the book.
Sadly, once Noah's POV ends to relinquish the reigns to the next two parts of the story told by other characters, that's when things started to deteriorate for me. Not only is the plot rushed and robotically presented, but the characters are quite difficult to like, at least not in their entirety. The writing style (due mostly to its clunky pace) got less appetizing. The dialogue got woefully corny. The believability suffered too, particularly in a moment that involved a run-in with a certain animal. There were simply too many things going on that didn't flow or connect in a very convincing way. Much of what was occurring wasn't even compelling either, feeling more like filler designed to get you to care about the characters but failing to do so (at least to me). The little romance angles were so hastily and tackily developed (and I use that word lightly) that I legit cringed.
All in all, my hope for delving into a new apocalyptic journey has effectively been dashed. Sometimes I'm willing to overlook the missteps of the first books to see if the next one can pick up the pieces, which definitely has happened a time or two, but I don't feel the motivation to do that this time. I simply stopped caring. I shall now move onto other series and consider this one a loss.
I’ve been reading Post Apocalyptic short stories and novels by Kyla Stone and R.L.Kennedy of late and was surprised that Richard C Hale had also jumped on the genre and started this series.
And he does quite well!
If you have a chance, read the Prequel first: The Last Dawn: Chaos.
His take is the world in disaster following a great viral pandemic related to Ebola. As the majority of people succumb, a handful fight to survive redneck opportunists and warring local militias trying to carve out their territories at the expense of normal families.
Two parallel quests drive the main plot lines. There is an astronaut who makes his way back to Earth after being marooned on a space station, and one of his two daughters search for her sibling. The daughter meets a young man trying to find his sister in turn, and they cooperate as their relationship grows.
And the missing sister of the young man shows up with her own partner in tow. However, they’re members of a well organized military group whose ambition is to eradicate the lawless local militias, and to strip resources from local towns, one of which had been organized to the point of reestablishing a civilized cityscape.
There’s dangers and story twists, all the while developing a cast of characters with their own tales to fulfill.
[I received an ARC version of the novel, in return for edits and reviews.]
This started out well with astronauts on a space station while a deadly pandemic sweeps the planet. It was exciting to following how the 2 of them make it back and then the natural quest to find out the fate of loved ones starts. It started to strain credibility as the sought-after family members are still alive despite most everyone else dying. I often can't find my family in a large Costco if we are wandering around trying to find each other, yet these groups going from Miami to the Florida panhandle (and some from Houston) are able to find each other on the road. There is obviously an intent for the younger members to hook up and broaden the group. Just a bit too much serendipity here, but I will probably give book 2 a chance to see what happens.
The story starts with 5 astronauts being left in Space as they learn and watch as mankind on Earth die quickly from a terrible virus much like Ebola only faster. (no spoilers here) but within a couple of days the five are whittled down to two, there is a last ditch effort for a rescue plan sent from earth, but even that carries the dreaded virus but due to fast thinking, innovation and hunger the stranded pair are able to use the new shuttle to make their way back to Earth. They return to Florida where a world has ended as we know it, at Cape Canaveral they meet with a few others who are immune to the virus. The pair, Noah Dresden (pilot) and the Doc cannot believe that everyone is dead, at least not their loved ones so they set off to find then, they go to doc's home first because it is nearby and find her husband is still alive and near madness from grief but alive none the less so they make their way back to the Cape Canaveral base where Doc will nurse her husband back to health and Noah will continue his journey, he knows where his wife is and knows that she is dead from communications with her from Earth to Ship but he wants closure and to be able to bury her. Then Noah sets out to find his two daughters, both at opposites ends of Florida, Cori at Maimi U. and Michalla at Tallahasse at MSU of course neither girl is there both have fled to find each other, it turns out that both are also immune. The rest of Book one tells of Cori and how she meets trouble on her travels and meeting Dak who saves her from abductors. Cori saves Dak from a horrible bear attack using her nursing skills. The two then set off to find both of their sisters, Cori's sister Micalla and Daks sister Emily is a in nurse in Houston who has her own story to tell and how she meets up with Zeke. Book One has a surprise ending and sets the tone for Book Two. I found this book to be a fun read, I'm hooked on the dystopian genre a few of them are not well written but this book is, the story flows with no grammatical errors to distract and if it did I'm such a fast reader I may not have noticed.
Hale is a new author to me and I am impressed. The story line, action, and characters kept me interested. So much so I am getting the next book to find the next installment in the characters story. If you're a fan of this genre you will probably enjoy it.
I really liked the introduction of the two astronauts. I think any of my friends will also like that idea when I tell them what I'm reading, but I'll bet most of them are already acquainted with Mr. Hale. He certainly keeps me reading far too late In the evenings.
Apocalypse starts off with three astronauts aboard a space station. Things are not going as planned, as explained in Chapter 2 their food supply becomes unavailable. On Earth “The Pukes” has killed the majority of the population, including the staff at Cape Canaveral. The station's pilot, Noah Dresdon, and the station's doctor bot have family members they are concerned about. As it turns out they are able to return to Earth, only to find things are not as they were when the left Earth.
Noah is determined to find out if his wife and their two adult girls are alive of had become victims of “The Pukes”. We follow Noah around Florida as he searches, first for his daughter who was attending Miami University. After a few small adventures at Cape Canaveral, Noah heads to Miami. With the help of Chet, who Noah meets on the way to the university, they find out that things are not what one would expect to see on the campus of a higher education facility. After leaving Miami Noah, with a few unexpected survivors of “the pukes”, heads to his home to see if his wife, and maybe a daughter or two, are there.
The story changes to Cori Dresdon, who was introduced in the prequel “The Last Dawn:Chaos”. We follow Cori who is not doing so good as we first meet her this time around. She is rescued, from three thugs who are after Cori and what she offers as a female, by Dak. As the two of them head to Cori's parents' house things become dangerous. At one point Cori, who is a nurse, needs to use all of her skills to attend Dak after he becomes injured. Cori learns that Dak is determined to go to Houston to find his sister. Along the way they stay in a community that may offer a “normalized” life after they each find any surviving family members. As we come to their part of the book they are surprised by events that bring us to the third story line of “Apocalypse”.
We meet Emily and Zeke, another couple that come together thru events that “The Pukes” brought about. They both become part of a military group that is determined to bring calmness and order to the area that the group controls. As things progress Emily starts to rethink what she has become involved with. This becomes even more of an issue as the military group starts to go after other groups that has inventory of military value that is needed by the group Emily and Zeke has joined.
The first full length novel of “The Last Dawn” series is a page turning that will keep you wanting to read, even after you know you need to get some sleep. It is a series that you will want to continue with future books in the series.
I received an "ARC" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
The story begins with Noah, Cori's father, in the Space Station thinking about his family down below and whether they were still alive. The food onboard is quickly running out and they will need to make a decision. There is a space shuttle that was sent up earlier to resupply them, however the members of the crew caught the virus and died. The Commander decided to do his own thing. Ultimately it was only Noah and the Doc who made it back to Earth. After arriving, the rest of the section follows Noah searching for his family and the obstacles he has to overcome.
The second section of the book picks up with Cori going to look for her sister. Things do not go like she planned and she is rescued by Dax. Dax and Cori after surviving more attacks start to head to find Cori's sister. Dax at the same time went to help and then start to hunt for Dax's sister. Their journey brings them to a location where they wind up staying for a while. When they decide to leave, an attack is being made on their location.
The last section of the story introduces Dax's sister Reilly. Learn how Reilly and Zeke meet up and how Reilly finally meets Cori and Dax. Follow the entire group including Noah's people once they meet and then start their search for Sarah's sister.
I loved every second of this book. The story really keeps you gripped throughout the entire book and it is very well written. The book starts off with Noah, who is an astronaut and is stuck in space while the 'pukes' have spread across the world. He is desperate to get home and find his wife and two adult children. You follow his story about how he returns and what the world is like which he has been away from for so long. The next part of the book tells Cori's story. If you have read the prequel you would have already been introuduced to her. This aren't going to well for her as she comes up against men who think they can have what they want. She meets a young man who is also trying to find his sister, just like she is. They decide to stick together as it is safer that way. The last part is about another couple and what they have been going through. This book is full of dangers and plot twists, if you like a post-apocalyptic then I would highly recommend this series. The characters and being developed well and it is interesting following each of their stories. There is so much danger along the way and this story doesn't shy away from that. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series! I just want to read more!
After I read The Last Dawn: Chaos, I was pretty sure this new series from Richard Hale would be really good, now that I’ve read The Last Dawn: Apocalypse any doubt I may have harbored as to how good this series would be is all gone. This book hooked me from the first page, and I didn’t put it down until I had finished it. The character development in Apocalypse and Chaos is excellent, and you begin to get so invested in the story that now I’m dying to read the next installment. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories grab a copy of The Last Dawn: Chaos and Apocalypse and settle in for an excellent experience. While you could treat this book as a stand-alone, it would be sad to skip the well-developed back story from Chaos. I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the author and chose to provide my review.
A variation on the dystopian story. No EMP, but a deadly disease which reduces the population drastically. Some electricity is available and cars still,work however people still adopt the same survivor mentality.
A dystopian story that seems frighteningly real, The Last Dawn: Apocalypse sets its characters in a world of pandemic upheaval. The venues described are highly believeable and the characters well-drawn. Mr. Hale has crafted a storyline that is full of action, adventure, tragedy and joy. This is a truly well crafted novel with a variety of interesting characters. I have read Last Dawn: Chaos and expected this book to be as pithy and action-filled. I was not disappointed. This is a dystopian novel that could predict what can happen in our world if current events become worse. I suggest reading "Chaos" first, but the book is stand-alone and can be enjoyed as well. I received and ARC and this is my voluntary review of this novel.
Large populations are dying from a pandemic they call the Pukes. Noah is an astronaut in outer space at a space station. A rescue ship is sent to try to get them home. All die except Noah and Brenna. Noah hopes to find his two daughters. Militia groups are forming to take control of territories. Terror is a daily event from these ruthless groups. A number of story lines that are connected with a lot of action.
I received an advanced copy of this book. I really loved this book. I sped through the story. There were a couple of errors in my copy( extra words and such). The story itself I thought was great. I connected with the characters and liked the pace told. I did wonder about the quick bonding between several of the male\female characters but it is the end of humanity so strong feeling may play into it. I will be waiting for the next in series.
I don't usually read post-apocalyptic stories, but this one sucked me in. Following astronauts stuck on the space station and the daughter of one on the ground, there's plenty of intense moments. The characters are very relatable and it's easy to get sucked in. There is a prequel too, but this book can be read as a stand alone.
Another apocalypse story predicting how quickly mankind descends into barbarity at the drop of a hat. This is redeemed by the fact that the main characters are able to find their family and forge new relationships despite the hardships that befall them so it's not all bad news. Tyrants aside the story is well written and a happy ending with a lead in for the next episode makes it a good read.
Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. I have only read a German Apocolypse books, and this is my favorite! I really liked how easy it was to follow the multiple point of views, the bonds that formed, and all the action incorporated throughout. Very well written and very entertaining.
Another great book by Richard Hale. He has great characters and stories. I have enjoyed everything of his that I have read and appreciate the common locations in northern Florida. Definitely looking forward to the next one in this series. Recommend this one for sure.
This topic has been pretty popular since Covid hit us. But I haven’t seen a story quite like this one. Full of suspense, intrigue and drama throughout the story. I can’t wait to get the next book.
A good read, and not for the squeamish. A family trying to reunite, and creating more families on the way, uniting from the horrors that get in the way.
I really liked reading this book. So far the characters are likeable and believable. I also hope to see some run-in with some of the other characters. Just to see how they ended up. So im looking forward to book two.
After this first book this one really delivered, carrying on with the story but getting better with each page. Expect the unexpected! A highly recommended read.