After America

By: John Birmingham

Narrated by: Kevin Foley

Length: 20 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

March 14, 2003, was the day the world changed forever. A wave of energy slammed into North America and devastated the continent. The U.S. military, poised to invade Baghdad, was left without a commander in chief. Global order spiraled into chaos. Now, three years later, a skeleton U.S. government headquartered in Seattle directs the reconstruction of an entire nation - and the battle for New York City has begun.

Pirates and foreign militias are swarming the East Coast, taking everything they can. The president comes to the Declared Security Zone of New York and barely survives the visit. The enemy - whoever they are - controls Manhattan's concrete canyons and the abandoned flatlands of Long Island. The U.S. military, struggling with sketchy communications and a lack of supplies, is mired in a nightmare of urban combat.

Caught up in the violence is a Polish-born sergeant who watches the carnage through the eyes of an intellectual and with the heart of a warrior. Two smugglers, the highborn Lady Julianne Balwyn and her brawny partner, Rhino, search for a treasure whose key lies inside an Upper East Side Manhattan apartment.

Thousands of miles away, a rogue general leads the secession of Texas and a brutal campaign against immigrants, while Miguel Pieraro, a Mexican-born rancher, fights back. And in England, a U.S. special ops agent is called into a violent shadow war against an enemy that has come after her and her family.

The president is a stranger to the military mindset, but now this mild-mannered city engineer from the Pacific Northwest needs to make a soldier's choice. With New York clutched in the grip of thousands of heavily armed predators, is an all-out attack on the city the only way to save it?

©2010 John Birmingham (P)2010 Tantor

Better than part 1

I am looking forward to reading book 3 in this series! Good writing and good narration! The only thing that would be better is a little less cursing.

Narrator

The voice used for the president sounded like a cartoon character with a sinus infection.

Great multi faceted story

Great multi faceted story but no ending for any of the characters. Seemed like th last chapter was missing, I double checked but no .... it just wasn't there. Sad

Note to Audio Publisher

I purchased the first Audio Book in this series, Without Warning, and really enjoyed it. I gave that Audio Book 4.5 Stars. What really made that Audio Book in addition to the good writing was the Narrator Tom Weiner. He made that Audio Book. He painted this picture in my head composed of these different characters and voices. I enjoyed the new book, but the narrator and the audio just didn't compare to the first. They didn't feel like the same characters, and in my opinion took away from my enjoyment. If there is going to be third book in series, go with your original narrator, PLEASE.

Narration is Painful

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. It's not a bad story, but it's not a great story.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I got comfortable with the narrator of the first book. Try as I might, I never did get used to this voice.

Great Story

I thought this book was well written. The story was though provoking and dialog was stimulating. Having finished the first book only weeks ago I was quite pleased to learn of this one, and it does a great job at keeping the timeline in sync.

Must read again

If you could sum up After America in three words, what would they be?

Awesome, another book please

What did you like best about this story?

What happened after the wave disappeared

What about Kevin Foley’s performance did you like?

Good reader conveys emotions of the book

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The end when somebody died.

Any additional comments?

Must read for anybody

Despite some Flaws, It's worth the Credit.

After America as a story suffers slightly from "Second Book" syndrome. Not as much of a complete story as Without Warning. That being said, I enjoyed it immensely. All the intertwining story-lines were interesting, and the characters engaging, particularly a Polish expatriate fighting with an Army Squad in the battle for New York. My biggest problem with the story was basically the characters progressions all seemed more about physically getting them somewhere, then actually accomplishing anything.

Sadly, the narration was flawed. The sound had a tinny quality, and the readers voices were annoying at times. Somehow Foley managed to make the President sound like a prissier version of Mr. Magoo.

This review may seem overly negative. In fact, I really enjoyed the book, and point to the negatives to prepare listeners, not to scare them away. The flaws with the narration seemed a bit jarring at first, but eventually I eased into it, and by the end, the story had captured me so much, I barely noticed it.

Poor narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This guy would sound better narrating lectures or something more academic. I was not pleased with his narration. His delivery of female characters was off-putting. The story is OK. It ends abruptly, for the next book to take up I suppose. I won't be reading it.

Would you recommend After America to your friends? Why or why not?

No

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Kevin Foley?

Anyone

OK....

Exciting book. Continues the story started with the last book. Several story lines/characters continue, and continue, and continue. The end is not really an end, just another transition which I can't wait to listen to in the next volume.