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Countdown #1
January
It's New Year's Eve 1999 and everyone over the age of 19 has perished. There are no adults, no rules--no one in charge. As each day passes the survivors draw closer to their own 20th birthdays . . . and the end of their lives. The teenagers who have survived begin a desperate struggle to stop the countdown.
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First published December 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 16, 2018
I read this series back in 1999, when it first came out, and I know I enjoyed it, so I've decided to reread the series so I can remember why I liked it. Firstly, I can say it held a lot more intrigue back then, because we were moving into 2000AD and there was lots of talk about the end of the world and such; so Daniel Parker's
Countdown Series
was quite timely, considering it is a dystopian series about the year prior to the end of the world in 2000.
Countdown: January begins with an attack on a Russian base that holds some sort of sinister military weapon that basically kills off everyone, except for teenagers/young adults. The rest of the world is turned into puddles of clothing and black goo.
The story unfolds through the eyes of five characters, whose lives will obviously intersect at some stage during the series.
Ariel Collins is a seventeen-year-old girl in Washington, who spends most of her time getting drunk and partying, as a coping mechanism for dealing with the tragedy that sweeps the world.
Julia Morrison is another seventeen-year-old in New York City, who we meet with a fake ID in a nightclub, dealing with an abusive partner, who she sticks with because everyone else she knows has disappeared.
Harold Wurf, who at twenty-years-old, is the youngest person in history to graduate from University of Texas Medical School and is a resident at University of Texas Hospital with a inflated ego and a sense of self-importance.
Sarah Levy is an eighteen-year-old girl who is stuck in Israel with her brother, Joshua, and her Uncle Elijah. When Elijah turns into a puddle of goo, we find that he has the key to the whole series - a scroll with a prophecy, which makes Sarah one of the most important characters (at least at this initial stage of the series).
George Porter is a sixteen-year-old prisoner, who is trying to get out of his cell and survive in this new world.
This book pretty much sets up the story, so there's not a lot in it other than introducing characters and showing how they act and interact within this new world. Sarah Levy's scroll revelations are interesting, as it begins to show the reader what we can expect.
A great start to the series.
Countdown: January begins with an attack on a Russian base that holds some sort of sinister military weapon that basically kills off everyone, except for teenagers/young adults. The rest of the world is turned into puddles of clothing and black goo.
The story unfolds through the eyes of five characters, whose lives will obviously intersect at some stage during the series.
Ariel Collins is a seventeen-year-old girl in Washington, who spends most of her time getting drunk and partying, as a coping mechanism for dealing with the tragedy that sweeps the world.
Julia Morrison is another seventeen-year-old in New York City, who we meet with a fake ID in a nightclub, dealing with an abusive partner, who she sticks with because everyone else she knows has disappeared.
Harold Wurf, who at twenty-years-old, is the youngest person in history to graduate from University of Texas Medical School and is a resident at University of Texas Hospital with a inflated ego and a sense of self-importance.
Sarah Levy is an eighteen-year-old girl who is stuck in Israel with her brother, Joshua, and her Uncle Elijah. When Elijah turns into a puddle of goo, we find that he has the key to the whole series - a scroll with a prophecy, which makes Sarah one of the most important characters (at least at this initial stage of the series).
George Porter is a sixteen-year-old prisoner, who is trying to get out of his cell and survive in this new world.
This book pretty much sets up the story, so there's not a lot in it other than introducing characters and showing how they act and interact within this new world. Sarah Levy's scroll revelations are interesting, as it begins to show the reader what we can expect.
A great start to the series.
October 9, 2008
The beginning to an epic twelvology (probably not a real word, but oh well..). Although it is out of print, I really recommend it to anyone who reads sci-fi, supernatural books, or fantasy.
Read
September 10, 2021no rating, just a reread of a childhood fave - will be finishing the series!
February 27, 2021
I already have book 2 in my shopping cart.
Countdown is an end of the world story in the vein of Left Behind, but without the Christian focus. The world has essentially ended. Most of the population has died, melted into puddles of black slime and their clothes. All that is left are teenagers, and most of them will wish they had died early on.
January is the introduction so most of this book is character set up and establishing the world the series will inhabit. Their are hints as to some of the larger themes at play, but really this is all about getting to know our heroes and villains. I feel like this book established everyone well, and set a good idea for what is to come. The story is surprisingly dark, and there is plenty of death to go around. Tension is also high, and the small page count keeps the pace moving at a rapid pace. The story is serialized, so understand that this book ends on a cliffhanger. An effective one, I might add.
Looking forward to seeing what February has in store for this group of kids. Highly recommended.
Countdown is an end of the world story in the vein of Left Behind, but without the Christian focus. The world has essentially ended. Most of the population has died, melted into puddles of black slime and their clothes. All that is left are teenagers, and most of them will wish they had died early on.
January is the introduction so most of this book is character set up and establishing the world the series will inhabit. Their are hints as to some of the larger themes at play, but really this is all about getting to know our heroes and villains. I feel like this book established everyone well, and set a good idea for what is to come. The story is surprisingly dark, and there is plenty of death to go around. Tension is also high, and the small page count keeps the pace moving at a rapid pace. The story is serialized, so understand that this book ends on a cliffhanger. An effective one, I might add.
Looking forward to seeing what February has in store for this group of kids. Highly recommended.
November 4, 2024
I originally read this in the early 2000s, and I'm rereading it now. We're not barreling towards Y2K anymore, but in some ways, we continue to be ready for the next word ending event, and I'm curious what impact this story will still hold in that new context.
So far, it's a great character introduction. It is most definitely meant to be read as a 12 part full arch, so I don't anticipate any conflict resolution until much later.
Tldr: sci-fi, end of days narrative. Set in 1999. Featuring pseudo-relgious apocalyptic themes and teenagers.
So far, it's a great character introduction. It is most definitely meant to be read as a 12 part full arch, so I don't anticipate any conflict resolution until much later.
Tldr: sci-fi, end of days narrative. Set in 1999. Featuring pseudo-relgious apocalyptic themes and teenagers.
March 31, 2021
Okay - I'm interested. I don't like the journal handwritten parts, but it's got potential.
February 18, 2023
Enjoyed but didn't realize it was a continuing series, so disappointed. I found the handwritten parts hard to read.
March 4, 2017
I read this book originally in 1999 and don't remember the story even though I have them all. I think it looses some steam since it is 2017, but it is an intriguing start to a series.
November 26, 2012
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
Between December 31, 1998, and January 1, 1999, things start going wrong all over the world. It begins with a group of young women in hoods and robes taking over a mostly-deserted military installation in Russia. Throughout this twenty-four hour period, blackouts rage through the United States, Europe, Asia, and beyond. As teens everywhere are celebrating the start of a new year in style, everyone over the age of twenty seems to either disappear, or worse--dissolve into a puddle of steaming, black goo. What the heck is going on? Why are all of the adults and very young children suddenly gone from Earth--and how will the teens that are left cope? Added to the mix is that some people in the 19-22 range who survived the first round of deaths now seem to be succumbing to whatever happened, dying off like everyone else.
There's Ariel and Brian and their group of friends in Babylon, Washington, spending days getting drunk until they can figure out what to do. There's Julia and her abusive boyfriend, Luke, in New York City, trying to figure out what's going on. There's twenty-year old Dr. Harold Wulf, youngest resident at the University of Texas Hospital in Austin, Texas, who takes advantage of the situation to feel like a hero. We have eighteen-year old Sarah Levy, who along with her younger brother, Josh, are visiting their granduncle, Elijah, in Jerusalem. And last but not least, we have George Porter, a teen spending time in the local jail in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for hot-wiring a car.
As the book progresses, we get glimpses that all of the above teens, from all walks of life and in all different parts of the world, are destined to play a part in figuring out what happened on New Year's Day, 1999. As signs point to a deeper meaning than terrorists or global warfare, each teen sets out on a destiny that will, very likely, mean the difference between life and death.
Definitely a great start to an entertaining series, I'm looking forward to reading FEBRUARY, book two. Highly recommended!
Between December 31, 1998, and January 1, 1999, things start going wrong all over the world. It begins with a group of young women in hoods and robes taking over a mostly-deserted military installation in Russia. Throughout this twenty-four hour period, blackouts rage through the United States, Europe, Asia, and beyond. As teens everywhere are celebrating the start of a new year in style, everyone over the age of twenty seems to either disappear, or worse--dissolve into a puddle of steaming, black goo. What the heck is going on? Why are all of the adults and very young children suddenly gone from Earth--and how will the teens that are left cope? Added to the mix is that some people in the 19-22 range who survived the first round of deaths now seem to be succumbing to whatever happened, dying off like everyone else.
There's Ariel and Brian and their group of friends in Babylon, Washington, spending days getting drunk until they can figure out what to do. There's Julia and her abusive boyfriend, Luke, in New York City, trying to figure out what's going on. There's twenty-year old Dr. Harold Wulf, youngest resident at the University of Texas Hospital in Austin, Texas, who takes advantage of the situation to feel like a hero. We have eighteen-year old Sarah Levy, who along with her younger brother, Josh, are visiting their granduncle, Elijah, in Jerusalem. And last but not least, we have George Porter, a teen spending time in the local jail in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for hot-wiring a car.
As the book progresses, we get glimpses that all of the above teens, from all walks of life and in all different parts of the world, are destined to play a part in figuring out what happened on New Year's Day, 1999. As signs point to a deeper meaning than terrorists or global warfare, each teen sets out on a destiny that will, very likely, mean the difference between life and death.
Definitely a great start to an entertaining series, I'm looking forward to reading FEBRUARY, book two. Highly recommended!
December 2, 2024
On New Year's Day, billions of people die within 24 hours.
The survivors are left in a world of chaos with no rules.
And the only survivors left are teenagers.
I read this book years ago when I was a teenager. I didn't remember much other than I liked it.
Each chapter focuses on different characters in various locations. Not sure how I feel about the characters—the book is pretty short, so I don't feel I truly got to know them yet.
The story is interesting, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
The survivors are left in a world of chaos with no rules.
And the only survivors left are teenagers.
I read this book years ago when I was a teenager. I didn't remember much other than I liked it.
Each chapter focuses on different characters in various locations. Not sure how I feel about the characters—the book is pretty short, so I don't feel I truly got to know them yet.
The story is interesting, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
June 24, 2008
This is a great read, about the end of the world. If any of you have read the Left Behind series, this is a great follow-up, but wonderful on its own. I couldn't put this book down! This story applies to all the problems that would occur if it were just teens left on earth - how they would find food, shelter, civilization, electricity, and dealing with skinheads and other threats that are let loose without protection to their victims. An awesome book! Everyone should read it!
August 2, 2013
I loved these freakin books! I couldn't tell ya specific favourites of each month right now, but back then these were awesome and I couldn't wait for December. I remember wanting my firstborn girl to have the middle name Jezebel because I had never heard that name before and I thought it sounded badass.
They are short but sweet and kicked off a major read-a-thon that summer. These would be cool to have as all 12 months into 1 book.
They are short but sweet and kicked off a major read-a-thon that summer. These would be cool to have as all 12 months into 1 book.
September 28, 2013
Daniel Parker, whose true name is Daniel Ehrenhaft, starts this series with one of the most interesting premises I’ve read: every person older than 21 dies as the last year of the 20th century begins. In the aftermath, not only are teenagers faced with the responsibility of managing the entire world, they are also facing the awakening of forces with which their predecessors never had to deal.
May 16, 2012
This was a good introduction book to the series. Though I know something sinister is going on, I don't know what yet. This book mainly just introduces the characters (unfortunately, most of which I do not like) and a little of what's going on, but it doesn't give much beyond that. I'll give it another book or two before I really decide whether I like the series or not.
February 21, 2013
I read these books in middle school (~early 2000s??) and still remember a lot about them, which is saying something for me. I remember feverishly rushing to the library to pick the next one up as I finished each book. I remember them being small, but they clearly made an impression. Maybe it's time I go pick them up again...
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May 5, 2010F PAR count bk. 1
October 21, 2012
Great end of the world series!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews