The Big Empty #1

The Big Empty #1

by J.B. Stephens

One year ago, a devastating plague called Strain 7 killed three quarters of the human race. Around the world, power systems failed and supply chains screeched to a halt. The surviving population of the United States has been relocated to the coasts; the heartland is now a wasteland called The Big Empty. But seven teens trying to put their lives back together will learn that the abandoned zone holds danger, secrets, and above all, hope.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Teen

212 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name
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Reviews

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my quest to reach my EOY goal with a bunch of short novels (lol), and because I'm home for the holidays, I picked up this young adult science fiction novel that I remember inhaling when I was like... fourteen years old. Honestly, a lot of it still holds up! A cute multi-perspective tale of a bunch of teenagers living through a plague-induced apocalypse as they are trying to find a utopic community in "The Big Empty." I remember this book had some of the first crushes / love stories in books that I'd read and I was obsessed lol. Glad to have reread and understand where some of my appreciation of science fiction came from in early reading years!

[Paige Ptak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick easy read, not a huge fan of the changing perspectives but I love the trope of a group of teenagers coming together to survive a post-apocalyptic world.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A devastating plague, known as Strain 7, has wiped out much of the population of the world. A new oppressive, military government has come into power and it has forced the plague’s survivors to move to coastal cities. The new government has declared the interior of the U.S. off limits, but seven teens have headed into The Big Empty. These teens left the populated areas to escape the oppressive government or to start a new life, but they all have one goal: find Novo Mundum, a new secret society that has been established in the heart of The Big Empty.

I’ve always had a special affinity for books set in post-apocalypse & dystopian societies, hence the rating of “3-Liked it.” The plot line was interesting, but as a stand-alone book, it did not contain enough substance to make it great. We are introduced to seven main teenage characters, but within this slim volume of 204 pages, the essence of these teens is only superficially explored. I will say that the premise of teens living alone, struggling to survive against the elements and against the government, is an enough to keep me reading. Let’s hope the next volume starts to tie everything together a bit better.

On a side note: I did a little research and found that “J.B. Stephens” is actually a pseudonym for a group of ghost writers who put this series together. Chances are each of the ghost writers were responsible for 1 or 2 characters and storylines/chapters that were then pieced together to make a cohesive story.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh goodness, what a cheese-fest! Told from multiple points of view, seven teenagers all find themselves traveling across the Big Empty, the vast, abandoned space between the costs of the US after a deadly virus kills most of the country's population. The concept of this book is fabulous and exciting but the execution just made me laugh. Characters were shallow and not well-developed and the book felt sort of forced at times. Things also wrapped up too neatly. With another writer, this book could have been fantastic.

[Abcde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bout a really bad storm like thing called the strain 7, that wiped out a lot of people including this girls dad, and little sister. She has now grown out of it and has new thoughts about a boy.I recommend it to everybody

[R-dawg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning:
The story opens during a High School Assembly. The principal is congratulating the students for surviving a contagious virus that wiped out over half of the world's population, called Strain 7. Keely, one of the main characters, is sitting in the audience thinking about the damage Strain 7 has done. When she fakes sick to go home, she finds an email from one "Von Moundum," a mysterious person she has been emailing for the past little while. Little did she know that this email would change her life forever.

Characters:
There is a wide range of characters that we meet in this book, most from completely different walks of life.

First we meet Keely, an intelligent girl that is great at solving puzzles, and she is very driven and determined to do anything she sets her mind to. Next we meet Michael an angry, "take-charge" kind of guy, that is very emotional. Then Maggie, his girlfriend, she is very clueless, complaining, and care-free. Diego, a funny, joking young man who is a hunter, he gets injured and everyone has to take care of him. Then there's Irene, she is very helpful, loving, kind, and a caretaker Amber an angry, bitter thief at first but turns out to be loyal and hurt by someone. Lastly, we meet Jonah, a confident, helpful, and positive young man.

Plot:
Strain 7 has killed off over half of the population. The President makes everyone that hasn't been killed to move to the coastlines and leave the Middle of America empty and abandoned. This area was called the Big Empty. These Characters are on the trail of a secret society called "Novo Mundum" that is located somewhere in the Big Empty, and is like a Utopia in these hard times. They have to avoid soldiers and renegades to find this fabled place.

The Big Empty had a great concept of a safe haven in the midst of destruction and chaos. I love the thought of the "Under-Dog" group of teenagers and young adults banning together to overcome adversity. The book kept you entertained and trying to guess what would happen next.

I did not enjoy the fact that there was little emotional and character development in and between the characters, basically the way you met the characters was the way they stayed throughout the story. There was much talk of the renegades, A.K.A. The Slash, and soldiers, and what they do to those caught in the Big Empty, and how they have to avoid them at all costs. They made a big deal of nothing. There was one major instance with a soldier, and really no interaction with the Slash. I must admit, i was looking forward to those interactions, but they never happened. Great concept! Just a little predictable.

Grade:
On a letter grad basis, I would give the Big Empty a B overall.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so much potential. A ruthless virus wipes out most of humanity, leaving everyone else to struggle for survival in a nation under martial law. People are forced to evacuate from the heartland of America into major cities where resources can be distributed and order can be maintained. The concept is fascinating; the execution was awful.

To begin with, the characters were unremarkable and underdeveloped. There was some background information provided for each one, but there was nothing that sparked an interest or investment in their individual stories. Quite honestly, I just didn't care that much about them. I wanted to, but there just wasn't enough there. The dialogue was cheesy and unnatural, and at times I found myself cringing at the awkwardness.

For me, poor character development was the biggest disappointment, but the plot was equally awful. Everything happened too conveniently. Every time the characters faced an obstacle, they immediately found a solution without any sort of struggle. There was no conflict that hindered their journey or slowed their progress, and everything happened so quickly and effortlessly that I found myself rolling my eyes every few pages. The most critical part of the plot, the point in their journey that should have been the most difficult, was over and done with in a single page. Boom. Just like that. No obstacles, no challenges, no barriers. Nothing. Two pages later the book ended. I felt totally gypped. It was as if the author got bored and rushed to finish the book as quickly as possible.

In the end, I gave this book two stars because I loved the concept and mostly enjoyed the first half. It's the first in a series, so who knows, maybe it gets better. The books are out of print, however, and I don't see myself hunting them down to find out what happens next. I can live without knowing.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I don't know why it wasn't more popular. I bought the sequel online and I can't wait for it to get here.

After Strain 7, a plague, destroyed half of Earth's population, a military government took control of the United States and evacuated the people from the middle of the U.S. to the coasts, leaving a no man's land called "The Big Empty." The lives of seven teenagers struggling to survive collide as they make their way towards a new life in Novo Mundum, a settlement hidden somewhere in Missouri where artists, scholars, and other like-minded people are trying to start a new civilization. The trouble is, the location of the settlement has to remain a secret and the only way to find it is to follow a series of clues. The chapters jump from one character's experience to the next. YALSA Quick Picks For Reluctant Readers 2005. Check out the sequels Paradise City , Desolation Angels, and No Exit to see what other adventures these resilient teens face.

[Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book needs more description of the characters and setting and the other book,the second one,is alot better but it was a good book.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic premise for a series. However the first book falls a little flat. It was still interesting but I was really hoping for more than shallow details. I feel that there are too many surface characters with no main character. Have one main character and lots of surface characters or have all well developed characters. This book sounds like the chapter introductions I used to have to do for creative writing classes with just enough extra thrown in to tie all the chapters together. Here’s hoping book two will be better since (hopefully) all the character intros are out of the way.

[Nathaniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A interesting book with a good plot, but not very memorable. It takes place in a dystopian type world that has been ravaged by a plauge that has 6 known strains, spread by intense storms this takes place In pittsburgh, where the seventh strain will be born, it's ruled by a dictator like branch of goverment forces who might've gone rouge, and there's something called Navo Mundam which all of our 5 shallow protags are looking for, good plot horrible executon.

[Mary Haynes · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting book to read in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Personally, I think it would have been more interesting if Stephens had focused on a single main character (instead of 7) in order to strengthen character/world building. With so many characters to mash into 200-odd pages, the book fails to ask any Big Questions and is little more than a teen drama. It's possible things get better as the series goes on, but I don't think I'll stick around to find out.

[Rachael T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not entirely sure how I feel about this one. I found it interesting to be reading during covid-19 times as it also includes a pandemic from a respiratory disease. The mention of masks being worn is very familiar, but the book was a much more dystopian world. There were many characters that I really enjoyed but two that I absolutely couldn't stand and that seemed to put a damper on the book for me. I'm torn on whether or not I will seek the sequel out or not.

[G. Edweird Cheese · Rating 2 out of 5]

a really cool concept, just executed poorly. the characters were pretty lame and one dimensional. i found myself not giving a crap about them, and confusing them because they were all pretty much the same person. there was no real antagonist or hardships to overcome. things just kind of work out. maybe the series gets better, and if i come across any of them ill check it out, but im not going out of my way to hunt them down.

[Shana Gottschall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those books that was in the free pile at the library. I had some down time and figured I’d give it a go beings as it was set in a pandemic, ironically a respiratory virus. It was a quick read, with a few twists and turns that kept you going. Because of the story ending on a cloak and dagger event, the show must go on and I ordered the rest of the series to finish.

[Brenda Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this book! Very quick read (one sitting) and am looking for books 2&3.

I grabbed this book as a freebie in a thrift store. I liked the characters and the story line resembled “A Land Before Time” LOL!! But overall well written.

[Videofun8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book ever made!

[Katelyn B · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf.
The povs are confusing and disjointed. I don't have enough memory to recall nor do I care what a characters backstory was 7 chapters ago when I finally cycle back to them. Wasn't interesting.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This looked good but hadn't been checked out for several years, so I read it. I thought it was a good post-virus teen survival. Don't look too deeply; just enjoy the read.

[RaeAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a fun concept, but it switches between perspectives too fast so none of them have the chance to be properly fleshed out.

[Helena Trofa · Rating 3 out of 5]

(shelf cleaning again) This was simple and okay… kinda eire and weird to read about a disease that runs through the nation and wipes out half the population

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Rating: 3.5]

"The plague wiped out entire cities before it even had a name."

This book was a nice fast fun read. Seven teens are trying to find Novo Mundum, a sanctuary hidden in the Big Empty all for very different reasons. Basically, the Big Empty is in the middle of the USA, where a deadly virus called Strain 7 decimated over half the population. All the people that remained alive were located to the coasts. Now these 7 teens are risking everything to get to a place that feels safe:

Keely: She's a 16 year old who's tired of her mundane life in Los Angeles. When she is contacted by Novo Mundum via email, she jumps at the chance.

Diego: He's a 17 year old who actually lives in the Big Empty on his family's farm. He lives on supplies his family has hidden and on hunting. When he is shot, he gets found by a girl seeking Novo Mundum. And who is this girl?

Irene: She's a 16 year old with her brother Aaron and her dad looking for their guide to Novo Mundum. Instead, she finds Diego. When she starts to take care of him, her brother and father say they will find the guide and "come back for her." Only they don't.

Michael: He's a 16 year old and a CEO's son. When he gets accused of a crime he didn't commit, he flees with his "girlfriend" Maggie to try to find a better place to live.

Maggie: She is Michael's girlfriend. She was set up to be the fall guy of the crime by her friends. When her boyfriend walks in to the scene, she flees with him.

Amber: She is a 15 year old girl who got pregnant by her boyfriend Carter. ( 15 years old? Really? Who gets laid at 15? ) When she sneaks on his laptop and finds out he's heading to a place called "Novo Mundum", she follows him.

Jonah: He's introduced more than halfway in the book. He's waiting for his guide to Novo Mundum at the way station, but disaster strikes. Now he has to find Novo Mundum on his own.

Along the way, all of them meet up somehow and they have to work together to decipher the clues and get to Novo Mundum. Can they do it?

The plot line was interesting. The points of view switches from character to character, so sometimes it was hard to follow the story. BE FOREWARNED! If you don't like POVs switching a lot, then this book is not for you. Some things that could have made this book better are backstory and character development. I felt that the author didn't describe them enough, what their lives were like before this whole adventure, their personality, etc. But since this was the first in a series, there might be more in the following books. :) Also, do we get to find out what eventually happens to Maggie?

The climax was not at all what I had hoped it would be. I hoped it would be more built up. I actually imagined what should have happened. The ending was a little abrupt, but it did end on a good note.

But despite the flaws, this was a very fun, fast read. I'd recommend it for fans of post-apocalyptic YA. Even though, I did rate it a little low, I will continue with the series.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read a book, I can get bored pretty easily. I don’t like a whole lot of time between action scenes, too much set up in the everyday life of the characters, or just anything that makes the story develop too slowly. The Big Empty by J.B. Stephens, which is the first of the four part The Big Empty series, was not one of those boring books and that is it’s biggest strength. The main jist of the plot is that there are seven teenagers that are living in a post-apocalyptic United States after “Strain 7” hits. They all start out in their separate world but when they get recruited to the secret civilization Novo Mundum in the Big Empty, they start to cross paths until they’re all working together to get to the safe land.

I believe that the main reason why this piece of science fiction was such an attention grabber was because of the way it’s structured. The sections in it are put into forty chapters. It’s also written in the third person omniscient point of view. This is very important to how everything works out because the reader gets to see how each character ends up meeting the group. This also allows there to be continuous action and less boring stuff. An example of this is how the entire climax took place in the last twenty pages, when the group finally gets welcomed to Novo Mundum.

Another part of the book that I particularly enjoyed was the secrecy behind Novo Mundum. The people in it had to be very careful to not alert the tyrannical military government that took control after the virus hit. This meant they had to alert recruits in a very discrete way, using codes and riddles. One of my favorite riddles was one of the first that Keely received that started her journey to the Big Empty. They had previously been talking about books that told her what Novo Mundum is and who runs it. It read “If you liked that book, you should try these: The History of Griffith, by Parker Quatre [and] Today’s Child, by Ineo Carousel” (40). This message ended up meaning that Keely should meet a contact at Griffith Park, that day (today) at four o’clock.

My main grievance is how the book ended. It ended very abruptly, not giving any hint at what Novo Mundum is like. I thought that until I found out that it is part of a four part series. Then I understood more, but I still felt like more could have been given away about it. It simply ended saying “Novo Mundum. I found my future” (204). But I guess that could just be an effective strategy to almost make me read the next one.

Overall, I think that The Big Empty by J.B. Stephens was a pretty good book. It seemed to fly by and kept me reading. I would recommend it to anybody who is interested by dystopian apocalyptic fiction books.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of the U.S. after a terrible plague has wiped out most of the population. The government has been taken over by a virtual dictator who uses the military to keep law and order, an order which tends to involve shooting people who commit almost any crime at all; sometimes even killing them.

The "big empty" refers to the middle of the U.S., an area from Pittsburg west to around Reno, Nevada, which has supposedly been evacuated with people moved to the east or west coasts. The central U.S. is now patrolled by soldiers who have orders to shoot anyone they find; by The Slash, a group of vicious gang thugs, and by a mysterious city.

The book involves the story of seven teenagers who end up journeying together to find this safe place. The teenagers include:

1. Keely, a high school student who doesn't think much of the type of education given students any more. Her mother works in a lab, but often has to do regular medical doctor-type of work due to the shortage of regular doctors. Keely seems to be a pretty nice girl.

2. Diego, who spends most of the novel shot and trying to survive his wound. He lives in the Big Empty area, but beyond that we don't find out much about him.

3. Michael, a young man who was coping the best he could. He went to break up with his girlfriend and things went wrong from there.

4. Maggie: His now ex-girlfriend, a girl whose amazing ability to complain is in inverse proportion to her intellect. (Translated: she's dumb as a brick). A most thoroughly unpleasant character.

5. Amber: fifteen, pregnant, trying to track down the father. Not above stealing what she needs.

6. Irene: lives in the Big Empty, finds and takes care of Diego. Not much character development other than that.

7. Jonah: sort of a handyman.

The group is in search of a place called Novo Mundum.

This is a really good story and quite interesting. There is obviously a lot that needs to be explained and hopefully will be in the other books in the series, but for now the story of the seven teenagers is good. Kelly and Amber seem to be the most interesting characters, and the story of what they have to go through to try and find this mysterious city, and what the U.S. has become after the plague is a story that definitely keeps your attention. A very good first novel for the series.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book on the back shelf of my library one day, expecting an easy read until I could pick up another "good" book. The series totally hooked me.

When a deadly virus called Strain 7 wipes out over 50% of life on Earth, people are left scattered, struggling to survive in urban cities. Rogue gangs run the open land in between, and the government is at a loss.

Then a sixteen-year-old girl named Keely starts corresponding with a mysterious penpal...someone who assures her that there is a place out there; a place called Novo Mundum where survivors are keeping civilization and culture alive. Keely, desperate to escape from the constant fear in her city, latches onto the promise, and begins a journey.

And across the U.S., so do others. Irene, a gentle girl with a knack for nursing. Diego, a wilderness buff with nothing left to protect him from the government troops encroaching on his land. Michael, a CEO's son whose flaky girlfriend Maggie gets him in the worst possible situation. Amber, a pregnant girl searching for the boyfriend who left her. Jonah, whose caretakers were abducted by a gang.

All of them heading into the now unoccupied wild space called The Big Empty, searching for the one last paradise in a ravaged world.

There's action. There's fear. There's fights. There's romance. All of the characters have realistic personalities, strengths, and flaws. It's an amazing apocalyptic story, but one that's more down-to-earth than others I've read. It just makes it all the easier to immerse yourself in the world.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this book was published back in 2004 (wow, it feels so long ago sometimes!!) it kind of pertains to what we are involved with right now. A lot of conspiracy theorists are afraid of a "super virus" that will kill over half of the population, and they think that the government is cooking it up right now or something silly like that. The thing about this book is that for anyone who has read or watched Stephen King's The Stand knows that there are fears of a super virus and this book more then just puts it perspective for the reader. This book occurs about a year after the virus Strain 7 killed three quarters of the human race. This book follows seven teens through the abandoned zones through the Big Empty to the secret community of Novo Mundum. On the way each teen somehow or another meets up with one another and some even fall in love (or out of it) with each other, causing some serious tension in some places, and their journey really shows how life could be if this ever happened. I loved this book as well as the next books in the series. It was suspenseful as could be and had a great story line that was easy to follow and kept you extremely interested the whole time.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A deadly virus known as Strain 7 has wiped out more than half the human race, and the U.S. government is now under martial law. Life for most is filled with paranoia, fear, and a complete lack of freedom. All surviving people in the U.S. have been forced to leave their homes and their land, and now the land West of Pittsburgh and East of Reno is known as the big empty. Seven teenagers fall into each other’s paths on a journey to find freedom once again within a secret society hidden somewhere in the big empty. With their lives at stake and soldiers constantly on patrol in the big empty, this story is fast paced, with danger at every turn.

Although this book was fast-paced, I would have liked a little more character development. The book was short, just over 200 pages, perhaps this is why the characters were lacking. Overall, the plot was believable and the clues leading to Novo Mundum were interesting and fun to figure out.

[Valencia Benitez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading "The Big Empty" and I have to say that even though it was an easy and predictable story, I still loved and followed through everyone stories.
The book has seven seven different stories for all the seven different kids *SPOILER* (?) that eventually end up turning into one story and I honestly felt emotions towards them every time something good or bad happened to them. Like I said, it was a very easy to read book, but it was definitely one you will enjoy when you want to take a break from a complex book or if you are looking for something you could finish fast.
I recommend, but like I said, it does get a little predictable and cheesy at times.

More *SPOILERS* Also, I hated Maggie. She really did drive me insane and I could feel Michaels pain. I am glad she stuck with her decision at the end and continued on her own way even after Amber choose to go back and warn the rest of them. A big relief went over me when they fucking made it to Novo Mundum.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read this book, I didn't realize it was part of a trilogy (which it apparently is...) so I was left wondering why this book sets up a whole batch of characters and then doesn't take their story anywhere. Now that I know there's more to the story, I bumped my rating up by one star. There's not enough of a set-up, I think -- Keely is recruited by the Novo Mundum, and the reason for her interest is fairly clear. But the other characters who were recruited -- what are their skills? Why do they feel drawn to this new world, other than the fact that they have nothing to lose? What is the deal with Maggie? What happened to the rest of Earth's population? I just feel that everything comes across as incomplete or unresolved, or just not well thought-out. I'm not curious enough to read the last 2 books.

[Zach Wetzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if over half of the human population was dead. This book “The Big Empty” by JB Stephens. This is a SIFI book. The main characters are Keely, Diego, Michael, Maggie, Amber, Irene, Jonah. The setting is America in the big empty. Strain 7 is a virus that killed over half of the human population. The big empty is an large area of the U.S. that was evacuated. The 7 teenagers are trying to get to novo mundum. Novo mundum is a safe place where people can live. It is in the big empty. Soldiers are patrolling the big empty. The theme is to have hope.
This is a very good book. It had a great story line. I would recommend this book to 6th graders and older because of violence and running away. My favorite part is Diego is running and he is shot. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars because it is a great book. I highly recommend this book.