What do you think?
Rate this book
The Reckoning: A Novel
John Morrison´s life has been a wreck. . .but it´s about to get even worse. An unspeakable apocalyptic event has transformed John´s turbulent existence--an event that threatens to end his life at any given moment. With the aid of two companions, John struggles to hide from demented mobs, fight when necessary. . .survive. But is it a struggle for survival--or absolution? Learn the answer in D. Mikels´s powerful novel, "The Reckoning."
124 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2006
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 17, 2024
At first glance, 'The Reckoning' is marred by slightly hammy writing and a story that reads mostly like a male power fantasy. While there is more under the surface, you have to look pretty hard to find it.
For a relatively short novel, there are a lot of overdone descriptions and a reliance on stereotype to define many of its characters - plus more than a few straight-up misspellings of words. John, the main focus of the story, has the most depth of anyone in the book, but even he reads as mostly flat: a "hero" without much in the way of a personality. He's a painfully average guy who just happens to be surviving a sudden apocalyptic event.
The event itself feels by-the-numbers. Humans turned almost feral by a zombie-like plague? Check. A small group of survivors who might be immune, or just lucky? Double check. Awkward rote characters whose role is based mostly on physical attributes? Yep.
'The Reckoning' is somewhat redeemed by an attempt to show the flaws in the main character along the way, and ending that at least acknowledges the more ridiculous points of the plot. But I've seen and read this story done better in both books and movies.
For a relatively short novel, there are a lot of overdone descriptions and a reliance on stereotype to define many of its characters - plus more than a few straight-up misspellings of words. John, the main focus of the story, has the most depth of anyone in the book, but even he reads as mostly flat: a "hero" without much in the way of a personality. He's a painfully average guy who just happens to be surviving a sudden apocalyptic event.
The event itself feels by-the-numbers. Humans turned almost feral by a zombie-like plague? Check. A small group of survivors who might be immune, or just lucky? Double check. Awkward rote characters whose role is based mostly on physical attributes? Yep.
'The Reckoning' is somewhat redeemed by an attempt to show the flaws in the main character along the way, and ending that at least acknowledges the more ridiculous points of the plot. But I've seen and read this story done better in both books and movies.
November 5, 2010
This is a very intimate and personal story of a man who is given the opportunity, with a backdrop that is devastating and unthinkable, to allow his own life to be reviewed in great detail.
There is a sudden explosion and things change for John Morrison. It changes for everyone around him as well. Some sort of attack, some sort of diabolical distruction has been wrought against mankind...at least all of those in the United States, if not everywhere. In an instant, a green gas has caused many people to go insane--they have become rabid animals, attacking everyone they see. Their red tinged eyes give a clear indication that they are something "other" than human now.
John has not gotten sick with this poison. People who have not gotten sick are victims to be pummelled and destroyed by the condemned. John does his best to survive, hooking up with a couple of other survivors, desperately trying to find a place that is safe, a place where the others cannot go.
But that is just half the story. The author uses flashbacks to allow both us and John to examine his life. He and his wife were seperating when the blast occurred--he was packing his things so he could move across town. His son died in a horrible accident a few weeks before and his life has unravelled. Throughout this tale of his desperate attempt at survival we revisit all the aspects of his married life that he felt were his failings--all the things that he did wrong, all the things that crumbled within his grasp.
So why is John lucky? Because usually when we are presented with our mortality, or own eminent demise, we not given much of a chance to better grasp what it is that happened to bring us to our current state. With a world in such a chaotic state usually a sudden and abrupt ending happens while the world crumbles around us. We are given no chances to comprehend anything at all. John however not only gets the chance to escape the demons of his exterior world but also face his inner demons at the same time.
This is a novella that was well put together and is tightly bound. The author drew me and quickly made me appreciate what agony our main character is going through--more so the agony of his past existence than even the horrible experiences of the apocalypse around him. Things are revealed both to him and to us, the reader, that are both terrifying but provide incredibly profound revelations. Whether you feel that John is a wretch of a man or simply weak, like all of us are, there is something to him that makes him incredibly human and noble as he does his best not just for himself but for those who he is still trying to save.
A reckoning is defined as an appraisal or judgement but is also can be defined as a settlement of accounts. John is blessed and lucky, as I mentioned in the title of my review, because he is not only forced to do the former but is also able to strive for the latter in this story.
There is a sudden explosion and things change for John Morrison. It changes for everyone around him as well. Some sort of attack, some sort of diabolical distruction has been wrought against mankind...at least all of those in the United States, if not everywhere. In an instant, a green gas has caused many people to go insane--they have become rabid animals, attacking everyone they see. Their red tinged eyes give a clear indication that they are something "other" than human now.
John has not gotten sick with this poison. People who have not gotten sick are victims to be pummelled and destroyed by the condemned. John does his best to survive, hooking up with a couple of other survivors, desperately trying to find a place that is safe, a place where the others cannot go.
But that is just half the story. The author uses flashbacks to allow both us and John to examine his life. He and his wife were seperating when the blast occurred--he was packing his things so he could move across town. His son died in a horrible accident a few weeks before and his life has unravelled. Throughout this tale of his desperate attempt at survival we revisit all the aspects of his married life that he felt were his failings--all the things that he did wrong, all the things that crumbled within his grasp.
So why is John lucky? Because usually when we are presented with our mortality, or own eminent demise, we not given much of a chance to better grasp what it is that happened to bring us to our current state. With a world in such a chaotic state usually a sudden and abrupt ending happens while the world crumbles around us. We are given no chances to comprehend anything at all. John however not only gets the chance to escape the demons of his exterior world but also face his inner demons at the same time.
This is a novella that was well put together and is tightly bound. The author drew me and quickly made me appreciate what agony our main character is going through--more so the agony of his past existence than even the horrible experiences of the apocalypse around him. Things are revealed both to him and to us, the reader, that are both terrifying but provide incredibly profound revelations. Whether you feel that John is a wretch of a man or simply weak, like all of us are, there is something to him that makes him incredibly human and noble as he does his best not just for himself but for those who he is still trying to save.
A reckoning is defined as an appraisal or judgement but is also can be defined as a settlement of accounts. John is blessed and lucky, as I mentioned in the title of my review, because he is not only forced to do the former but is also able to strive for the latter in this story.
July 12, 2008
The Reckoning chronicles John Morrison's journey as he struggles to survive in a post apocalyptic world. His once imperfect life is now complicated by a strange sulfuric fog that pollutes the air and water and 'changes' people, ultimately killing them.
John's life was far from stellar before 'it' happened. As the current story unfolds, the author begins each chapter with a glimpse into John's past, creating an image of a man deeply flawed.
The story flows fast and furious and the writing is of the caliber that you don't want to put it down; eager to get to the next level of action, fear or discovery. The author takes you on a creative ride between the past and the present; he gives you a realistic feel of the emotions and responses the characters convey in the face of adversity.
Though the book is only 124 pages long, it is not lacking in content. It is rich and detailed, telling a tale of a horrific event, as seen by a damaged man and finally about forgiveness and peace. A great read.
Cherise Everhard, April 2007
John's life was far from stellar before 'it' happened. As the current story unfolds, the author begins each chapter with a glimpse into John's past, creating an image of a man deeply flawed.
The story flows fast and furious and the writing is of the caliber that you don't want to put it down; eager to get to the next level of action, fear or discovery. The author takes you on a creative ride between the past and the present; he gives you a realistic feel of the emotions and responses the characters convey in the face of adversity.
Though the book is only 124 pages long, it is not lacking in content. It is rich and detailed, telling a tale of a horrific event, as seen by a damaged man and finally about forgiveness and peace. A great read.
Cherise Everhard, April 2007
July 15, 2010
Novella was a solid 3 up until the end, which didn't do it for me.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews