The Diary of Craig Walsh

by Brian Parker

Eight years after the Collapse of the global economy and the fall of modern society, simply surviving each day is a gift. Starvation, disease, and death lurk in the shadows, waiting for their opportunity to claim another life. The great nations have fallen, replaced by local communities that will do anything to keep their people alive.

Jace Thompson finds himself fleeing from the insidious forces of the Collective. He makes it across the Potomac River into what was once the American state of Maryland. His fortune begins to turn when he stumbles across a house, unmolested by scavengers, which holds a gruesome mystery that will forever alter his life. In the basement, Jace finds three desiccated bodies near a solar-powered laptop. The laptop contains instructions on how to find a secret bunker that promises enough food to last for decades.

It’s an opportunity that Jace can’t pass up, but the discovery threatens to lead to him toward his death. Will he survive the journey, or will he end up as just another discarded body along the roadside?

303 pages, Hardcover

Published February 1, 2022

Reviews

[Cherye Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

Interesting post apocalypse read. A little to left, no one needs to go into detail why it is okay to kill. Other than that, good read. Definitely recommend.

[Marion Marchetto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A post-apocalyptic story that doesn’t have an EMP or a mutating virus? Yes, it’s possible and author Brian Parker has taken us outside that narrow box by creating a global economic collapse that triggers the fall of society.

Of course there are the scoffed at preppers, Craig Wilson being among them. But our protagonist, Jade Thompson, is on his own at the start of the book. He has managed to stay alive for eight years but due to the circumstances of that survival he’s had to become a hermit, venturing out only when necessary and keeping on the move. When he comes across the semi-burnt out house that still harbors a trove of life’s necessities, he has no idea that his future is about to change. Once he gets past the three decaying bodies in the basement, he finds directions to what promises to be a prepper’s paradise, a secret bunker. But getting to this underground haven proves to be fraught with danger as he must pass through territory now ruled by The Collective. If he can survive the journey, will he find like-minded people who will welcome him? Or will he be dispatched with on the spot? He sets out, hoping for the best.

Detailed descriptions of a world gone crazy bring this post-apocalyptic thriller to life. The main character, Jace, is still in his teens and not very worldly; so this is somewhat a coming-of-age story for him. He still has the misguided belief that everyone acts in good faith but by story’s end he learns that isn’t always true. It is also a bit of a romance for Jace as he finds McKenzie Craig, the niece of the author of the prepper’s diary that brought him to the bunker. The story is also a guide to the downfall of society which is all too plausible. This book will grab you from the first page and won’t let go until the final one.

[Fawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Diary of Craig Walsh

This was almost like reading two books in one. We are reading the diary of Craig along with reading about Jace and his life happenings mixed in between entries. It moves along quickly and was able to keep my interest going between the innocent personality of Jace and the not so innocent side of death.

[Chris Truman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

Jace is a great character, finding his way for years alone until he stumbles on the remains of a burned out house. What he finds is life changing.