Quick and thrilling, my cup of tea.
Still trying to scratch my apocalyptic itch, I've decided to give this series a go and am quite glad I did (so far, of course). This first entry was a solid start to what I hope can be an enjoyable series that will maintain its stamina. Having become so familiar with stories like this, it can sometimes be hard to stay original. There's usually always a military man, as well as a smattering of other characters contending with harrowing circumstances. Fortunately, neither of those clichés bother me. Frankly, I prefer it. So long as you give me a believable story, I'll be won over.
Thankfully, this book did more than a decent enough job in keeping my interest with its quick pace, believable story, and likable characters. The narrative responsibilities are shouldered mostly the main family: Caleb (former marine), Elizabeth (his wife), and Lana (their daughter). There are a couple of other narrators in the story, but not as dominant. I enjoyed the perspectives of the main core group and appreciated their growth in so short a period of time. It was also nice to see just the kinds of mental battles that can plague regular people dealing with the same situation.
The story itself was gripping from the start. I mean, it's an asteroid on its way to Earth; how could it NOT be gripping? And terrifying. Especially considering that this particular asteroid is pretty much the government's dirty little secret, something they'd rather not reveal too soon for whatever reasons they see fit. While some readers may find such ideas as a nation's government willingly hiding things of this magnitude far-fetched or conspiratorial, I'm so not one of them. I appreciated the dare to explore such a notion as this. Heck, I believe it's high time to stop this constant assumption that governments have its peoples' best interests at heart. But that's another topic.
Anyway, I have very little complaints about this first book. While the quick pace didn't really bother me, I'm not gonna say I wouldn't have liked it to be a little longer. Some moments seemed to have ironed out a bit too perfectly too. A couple of other quibbles not worth mentioning or not really memorable, so I won't dwell. All I know is, I'm so ready for book two.