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Survive the Collapse #1
Brink of Darkness
The unthinkable has happened.
The World goes dark. All technology is lost.
An EMP attack takes out the power grid putting two hundred miles and a dangerous crew of hired assassins between former police detective Sam Wallace and his family.
Sam knew this assignment could be dangerous, but now he has to protect the witness and fight his way back home to his family without transportation and technology.
Lauren Wallace is one hundred miles from home picking up Sam’s son, Charlie, at the airport when the lights go out. She and thirteen-year-old Charlie have no way home when danger spikes. As darkness approaches, they discover nowhere is safe.
Brink of Darkness is a high-octane, post-apocalyptic EMP survival thriller. Look for book two, Brink of Chaos, coming August 31st.
The World goes dark. All technology is lost.
An EMP attack takes out the power grid putting two hundred miles and a dangerous crew of hired assassins between former police detective Sam Wallace and his family.
Sam knew this assignment could be dangerous, but now he has to protect the witness and fight his way back home to his family without transportation and technology.
Lauren Wallace is one hundred miles from home picking up Sam’s son, Charlie, at the airport when the lights go out. She and thirteen-year-old Charlie have no way home when danger spikes. As darkness approaches, they discover nowhere is safe.
Brink of Darkness is a high-octane, post-apocalyptic EMP survival thriller. Look for book two, Brink of Chaos, coming August 31st.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2022
511 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 24, 2022
What would you do
The author has done a great job with the start of this series. Can't wait for the next installment. You stay on the edge of your seat.
The author has done a great job with the start of this series. Can't wait for the next installment. You stay on the edge of your seat.
September 16, 2022
This was a very good EMP story and like always humans are the most dangerous thing, how people turn into beasts is amazing, one can always wish to find the best in people, but when rules and law go into the drain who will be able to protect the ones that want to play fair?
I got to listen to the audiobook, and I kind of wish it had two different sets of voice, one for the males and other for the female (Lauren), that could make the audiobook even better.
We get some different points of view during this book being the most important ones, Sam and his wife Lauren, Sam is at work away from his family trying to keep a witness safe when the SHTF, there’s no way to call for help and at the same time Lauren is miles away from home getting Sam’s son from the airport, and they kind of get stranded there, to make things scarier, they are almost runned over by a plane T_T yeah things happen really fast in this book.
More than half of this book takes place almost in the same day everything happened but things happen and people die… yeah it is a hard story… but I guess if a EMP were to happen things would get really dire in very little time…
I really thank the author for the free audiobook and this is my honest opinion.
I got to listen to the audiobook, and I kind of wish it had two different sets of voice, one for the males and other for the female (Lauren), that could make the audiobook even better.
We get some different points of view during this book being the most important ones, Sam and his wife Lauren, Sam is at work away from his family trying to keep a witness safe when the SHTF, there’s no way to call for help and at the same time Lauren is miles away from home getting Sam’s son from the airport, and they kind of get stranded there, to make things scarier, they are almost runned over by a plane T_T yeah things happen really fast in this book.
More than half of this book takes place almost in the same day everything happened but things happen and people die… yeah it is a hard story… but I guess if a EMP were to happen things would get really dire in very little time…
I really thank the author for the free audiobook and this is my honest opinion.
August 6, 2022
After starting the book, I thought it would end up being a lawman and his charge chased by hired killers "thriller" and coincidentally complicated by the apocalypse. Often in these scenarios, the disaster is just a way to remove help from law enforcement etc but it is still one big chase scene. This ended up having the chase, but pleasantly was mostly about people trying to survive an EMP. The fact that the lawman's wife (also initially stranded with his son) was a town mayor highlighted what a town might need to do to survive such a disaster. There were some minor punctuation etc issues, but overall the writing and editing were fine. As the wife of an amateur radio person, those devices and the repeaters would be permanently damaged by an EMP and only the very old tube radios would work (unless a bunch of those guys had stuff in Faraday cages). Also, Cody impressed Lauren as being a useful, capable guy but then he disappears from the story after being sent to the compound. I did enjoy this story and look forward to book 2.
October 10, 2025
T.L. Payne’s Brink of Darkness delivers a gripping, high-octane survival thriller that plunges readers into a post-apocalyptic world where chaos reigns and every second counts. The sudden loss of technology and the collapse of the power grid creates an immediate, palpable tension as former detective Sam Wallace races against time to protect a witness and his family from deadly threats. Payne masterfully balances heart pounding action with emotional stakes, making Sam and his family’s struggle deeply relatable. The novel’s tightly paced narrative and relentless suspense make it impossible to put down, and it sets the stage perfectly for the next installment, Brink of Chaos.
November 30, 2022
People Get Ready
The old song said “There’s a train a coming”. Today it says “There’s a train wreck a coming”!
How do we prepare for an EMP? To me it’s putting into practice the things I m ready about.
Water, food, community, protection…
We cannot make it alone. I hope to be ready for this o4 a Cyber attack that brings the grid down. Time will tell but I’m not waiting for someone else to take care of me and mine. We have to do it ourselves and find like minded people who care just like we do!
The old song said “There’s a train a coming”. Today it says “There’s a train wreck a coming”!
How do we prepare for an EMP? To me it’s putting into practice the things I m ready about.
Water, food, community, protection…
We cannot make it alone. I hope to be ready for this o4 a Cyber attack that brings the grid down. Time will tell but I’m not waiting for someone else to take care of me and mine. We have to do it ourselves and find like minded people who care just like we do!
February 19, 2025
I enjoy reading these survival books. Don’t know why, cause they are scary. But, hopefully just “stories” and stuff like this would never happen. But….
This was a good story but my gripe (-1 star), even though I know it’s a series that continues the story, I think this stopped a bit too short. At least clear up some of the drama. But…I will read the next one, for sure. I read the Desperate Age series by this author. But it got a little tiresome with all the bad guys, shooting, killing. Hope this series doesn’t do that.
This was a good story but my gripe (-1 star), even though I know it’s a series that continues the story, I think this stopped a bit too short. At least clear up some of the drama. But…I will read the next one, for sure. I read the Desperate Age series by this author. But it got a little tiresome with all the bad guys, shooting, killing. Hope this series doesn’t do that.
September 9, 2025
It's a decent premise for a book and the author clearly did a lot of research about his subject matter. The conflicts and action were entertaining and engaging.
The dialogue was.. not great. I couldn't tell if it was the voice acting or the writing, but the dialogue ranged from just okay to terrible and jarring. It pulled me out of the story at times. I wish the author had spent as much time on dialects and conversation writing as he did firearm knowledge. I don't think I will continue the series, which is a shame.
The dialogue was.. not great. I couldn't tell if it was the voice acting or the writing, but the dialogue ranged from just okay to terrible and jarring. It pulled me out of the story at times. I wish the author had spent as much time on dialects and conversation writing as he did firearm knowledge. I don't think I will continue the series, which is a shame.
June 23, 2022
I read an advance copy of this book. This is the first book in a new series by this author. It did not disappoint. The characters are believable and the story is filled with twists and turns. It is set in eastern Tennessee and Atlanta, GA. Lauren and Sam are away from their home when the EMP strikes. Sam is in Atlanta and Lauren is pi king her stepson up at the airport in Knoxville. How will they get home? Can't wait for the second book in this series!
December 6, 2022
Page turner
Be aware, this is a series, so it is continued. That being said, I feel it is well worth continuing. An EMP has happened and the power grid has shut down all electric, cell phones and most vehicles. Sam is trying to get back to his home. Lauren, his wife, has picked up his son at the airport. She is mayor of their town. Read the book and see what happens. As for me, I am grabbing book 2.
Be aware, this is a series, so it is continued. That being said, I feel it is well worth continuing. An EMP has happened and the power grid has shut down all electric, cell phones and most vehicles. Sam is trying to get back to his home. Lauren, his wife, has picked up his son at the airport. She is mayor of their town. Read the book and see what happens. As for me, I am grabbing book 2.
March 23, 2023
Wrong Order
It’s a shame, this is a good author, I have read the Days of Want series and the Fall of Houston series. Both were well written and good books. But someone, maybe Amazon, I don’t know, has the reading order of these books mixed up. What days book 1 is really book 3. Book one is no where to be found. Book 3 is actually book 3, so it’s there twice. Maybe, if they can fix the book one problem, I will try again.
It’s a shame, this is a good author, I have read the Days of Want series and the Fall of Houston series. Both were well written and good books. But someone, maybe Amazon, I don’t know, has the reading order of these books mixed up. What days book 1 is really book 3. Book one is no where to be found. Book 3 is actually book 3, so it’s there twice. Maybe, if they can fix the book one problem, I will try again.
December 2, 2022
Awesome book!
This really is an awesome start to what looks like will be an epic end of times story.
Sam, Lauren and Charlie. Sam trying to get home from Atlanta while Lauren and Charlie have to make it from Knoxville. We can only hope they all can make it home in one piece and can withstand the ugliness coming for them.
This really is an awesome start to what looks like will be an epic end of times story.
Sam, Lauren and Charlie. Sam trying to get home from Atlanta while Lauren and Charlie have to make it from Knoxville. We can only hope they all can make it home in one piece and can withstand the ugliness coming for them.
December 26, 2022
Entertaining
When the power goes out every power hungry low life weasel steps up to grab the brass ring to enslave or just kill the vulnerable population. How do you stop it with the bread down of law and order? Maybe you can’t. In Sam and Laren Wallace’s world you can only do a small piece of it.
When the power goes out every power hungry low life weasel steps up to grab the brass ring to enslave or just kill the vulnerable population. How do you stop it with the bread down of law and order? Maybe you can’t. In Sam and Laren Wallace’s world you can only do a small piece of it.
May 3, 2023
An EMP has hit the east coast
Sam is trying to get home to his family Charlie and his wife Lauren who is the mayor of Sam is a former police officer and a special investigator with the county sheriff's office. Sam was in Atlantic get a witness now trying to make a home by walking The Appalachian trail.
Sam is trying to get home to his family Charlie and his wife Lauren who is the mayor of Sam is a former police officer and a special investigator with the county sheriff's office. Sam was in Atlantic get a witness now trying to make a home by walking The Appalachian trail.
June 24, 2022
This is a brilliant first book for the start of this new,exciting, end of the world series! As always really well written, grabbed me from the start & I literally flew straight through it I enjoyed it so much! I do recommend for all fans of apocalyptic stories! You will not be disappointed!
July 3, 2022
Loved
Another great book by T. L. Payne. I love the characters in this book and series. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. I would recommend this book and all of T.L.’s books.
Another great book by T. L. Payne. I love the characters in this book and series. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. I would recommend this book and all of T.L.’s books.
August 16, 2022
darkness for sure!
A complex and rapid paced story of good and evil, love and hate, and the perils that come with societal breakdown. With impressive characters, world building and battles, this is one first in what is bound to be an epic series.
A complex and rapid paced story of good and evil, love and hate, and the perils that come with societal breakdown. With impressive characters, world building and battles, this is one first in what is bound to be an epic series.
October 22, 2022
Great beginning of a new series!
I liked the characters and their relation to the situation. The people were believable and the story was captivating. I hope this is enough words, because I'm done.
I liked the characters and their relation to the situation. The people were believable and the story was captivating. I hope this is enough words, because I'm done.
January 12, 2023
survive the collapse book 1
Brilliant start to what looks to be a good series. Plenty of action going on, in and around the appelation trail. Towns hit by the EMP, folks pulling together and bad guys.
Brilliant start to what looks to be a good series. Plenty of action going on, in and around the appelation trail. Towns hit by the EMP, folks pulling together and bad guys.
October 5, 2023
Very good storyline great pace
I have enjoyed this book and the pace has been fast the constant twists keeps you flipping pages to read what happens next looking forward to the next book in the series thank you Mr Pay new for another good read
I have enjoyed this book and the pace has been fast the constant twists keeps you flipping pages to read what happens next looking forward to the next book in the series thank you Mr Pay new for another good read
November 13, 2023
A fair tale!
Way too many mistakes and inconsistencies! For instance, in the beginning, a plane is 100 feet away from crashing, which would be less than 1/2 a second, yet the story allows a whole lot to occur before it hits. Just no realism!
Way too many mistakes and inconsistencies! For instance, in the beginning, a plane is 100 feet away from crashing, which would be less than 1/2 a second, yet the story allows a whole lot to occur before it hits. Just no realism!
June 6, 2024
Another great book a d start of a new series by T.L. Payne
I really enjoyed the story and characters and can't wait to start the next book in the series. I really enjoy all of T.L. Payne books. Now onto the next book!
I really enjoyed the story and characters and can't wait to start the next book in the series. I really enjoy all of T.L. Payne books. Now onto the next book!
July 6, 2022
BRINK OF DARKNESS BOOK 1
Great reading. Lauren and Charlie have a long road ahead. Sam needs to get home to help his family, but things keep getting in his way.
Great reading. Lauren and Charlie have a long road ahead. Sam needs to get home to help his family, but things keep getting in his way.
August 15, 2022
Brink of Darkness Book I
Enjoyed this book right from the beginning through to the end! Can’t wait to read book 2. Great story that keeps you ready!
Enjoyed this book right from the beginning through to the end! Can’t wait to read book 2. Great story that keeps you ready!
October 4, 2022
Great story! I read book #2 first and just now read book #1. Book #3 is not out yet...
November 7, 2022
Brink of Darkness
This book has an easy to follow plot and interesting characters. I recommend this book to all readers that enjoy learning more about post Apocalypse.
This book has an easy to follow plot and interesting characters. I recommend this book to all readers that enjoy learning more about post Apocalypse.
November 14, 2022
IT was pretty good post collapse book, has a new spin on it having a female mayor as a protagonist.
November 30, 2022
Loved it!
This was another awesome book! I’m so glad that I waited to read it so now I don’t have to wait for rhyme next one!
This was another awesome book! I’m so glad that I waited to read it so now I don’t have to wait for rhyme next one!
December 5, 2022
Great characters
The characters in this book seem so real and feel like they could be family member or friend. Can't wait to read book 2.
The characters in this book seem so real and feel like they could be family member or friend. Can't wait to read book 2.
December 11, 2022
Wrong Book
Do you realize that book one is missing! This is actually book 3 under the cover of Book 1. I’ve been trying to find book one but all attempts have failed!🤷🏽♀️
Do you realize that book one is missing! This is actually book 3 under the cover of Book 1. I’ve been trying to find book one but all attempts have failed!🤷🏽♀️
January 4, 2023
Intense
I enjoyed this story and can't wait to read the next book in the series. Interesting characters and lots of action. Well written.
I enjoyed this story and can't wait to read the next book in the series. Interesting characters and lots of action. Well written.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews