The Day After Never - Blood Honor

[GlenBarrington]

I read this through the Kindle Unlimited program. The Author is Russell Blake. I will cross post this to the book's Amazon page.

This is a very good post apocalyptic novel with a twist. The apocalypse doesn't happen because of nuclear war or alien invasion. Instead it's a series of events that by themselves don't mean very much and would be quite survivable as a single event.

Instead the apocalypse is triggered by two things occurring at the same time, first a pandemic hits, which was survivable. But it happens at the same time as a severe global economic recession, limiting the world's ability to respond. This, in turn, triggers other minor failures in our global civilization. The world as we know it doesn't end because of a catastrophe, it ends because it runs out of physical and spiritual energy.

The story takes place in Texas and eastern New Mexico. The cities are run by vicious gangs who tolerate no opposition; while smaller communities and the rural people try to carry on as best they can by paying tribute to the gangs and fighting off bandits who make inter-community commerce all but impossible.

Our Hero,Lucas Shaw, is a former Texas Ranger living with his grandfather on a ranch outside a small rural village. He earns his living by capturing wild horses and scavenging what he can out in the wild and selling what he finds to either a heavily armed trading post or the people of the village.

The story opens when the Lucas, comes across the remains of a travelling party clearly set upon by bandits. Apparently, the party was trained well enough, and armed well enough that they killed or chased off the bandits, but at the cost their own lives.

As Lucas sets about scavenging the weapons, ammunition, water and food, he encounters a lone survivor who is severely wounded. A young woman in her early twenties who is very close to death.

This sets off a chain of events, for the first half of the book at least, that sort of mirrors the apocalypse itself. Individually, the events are not noteworthy, but they lead to an interesting revelation about mid way through the book.

Since it is part apocalyptic novel, part western, and part a 'warning' to the rest of us about the nature of civilization, I was a bit reluctant to download the book. I was afraid that the author wouldn't be able to adequately keep the focus of the book.

But in a frenzy of needing something to read, I did download it, and I'm glad I did. The author very skillfully weaves the three genres together into a very satisfying whole.

It ain't great art, but it IS a very satisfying read. I most definitely will read the rest of the volumes in the series.

[Apache]

It looks interesting. I will have to try it. I see there are six books in the series too.
Thank you,
Apache

[John K]

Post apocalyptic without zombies? I'm on it!

The sample looked good so I bought it hoping it might cure my fiction reading slump. Thanks.