Year 12: A Half Past Midnight Novel

By: Jeff Brackett

Narrated by: Jamie Cutler

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Zachary Dawcett was eight years old on D-day, barely old enough to remember what life was like in the Old Days. He's a young man now. He's learned to live in this new world - learned to hunt and fight, and survive in the ruins of old East Texas. He, along with everyone else who survived the Doomsday War, have adapted to a new way of life. They have learned to accept that computers, electric lighting, automobiles, or any of the other conveniences they once took for granted are all things of the past.

Then, one night, Zachary spots a satellite in the sky - the first indication in twelve years that anyone is rebuilding. As events unfold, he is forced to question everything he thought he knew, and the decisions he makes will help determine the shape of a reemerging world.

Year 12 is the long-anticipated sequel to Half Past Midnight.

©2017 Jeff Brackett (P)2019 Jeff Brackett

Excellent coming-of-age story!

Our protagonist, Zachary Dawcett was eight-years-old when the SHTF. He’s twenty-years-old now and has survived with the remaining residents of Rajas, Texas. In twelve years, he had grown into a strapping young man. He was exceptional with animals, training his dogs Bella and Cricket to be excellent hunters and security companions. He was also an expert with the bow and arrow, not so much with firearms seeing how ammunition was in such short supply. As a satellite passed across the evening sky one night, people realized that there must a growing civilization out there somewhere. If you still had a working radio, ham, or short-wave you heard a message calling representatives of each community to gather at the Spaceport in Burns Flat, Oklahoma. Zach wanted to be that representative for Rajas, but he knew the town leaders or hid father would never choose him. Zach dealt with shame and disappointment over an incident that happened a couple of years after D-Day. He felt people would never truly respect him or treat him as the young man he had become. Zach was determined to represent Rajas as he left town in secret one night. As a representative for Rajas was chosen, Mr. Roche picked up Zach’s trail joining up with him. The two traveled together, Zach as Mr. Roche’s assistant. This is pretty much the background you’ll receive in the first couple of chapters. This is Zach’s story. An excellent story of a young man growing up in the apocalypse, learning just how much he didn’t know and accepting that fact. As always, be careful what you wish for. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A Series I Wish Had More Books...

I got this as a free review copy, for an unbiased review. But what a gift! I have a few thousand books in my library, and have listened to most, and there was one book I remembered reading that I was struggling to find to re-listen, as I loved it that much. I remembered the plot, but I couldn't remember the name and author. And I went through all my books but just couldn't find it. Then I saw the opportunity to get a review copy of this, and I checked my library, and I realized that I had purchased myself most of the books this author has released, and this was a new one. And then when I started to listen to it, I realized it was that in the series of that elusive book I was trying to find to re-listen to! So now I've downloaded the other book, and will re-listen to that next. Anyhow, the publisher description of the first book is too scant, so even reading it now it doesn't ring any bells of the story I was trying to find.

The story is contained, and with a new lead, a side character from the first book. It covers a journey of that character, both geographically, and personally in terms of growth and finding his place in the world. This is a post nuclear world, 12xyears later, and involved a community representative going to make contact with a group claiming to represent a rebuild of the US government.

Narration was top notch, and so easy to listen to immersively.

I just wish there were more books in this series!

Great Book

really enjoyed this book. Great listen and kept me interested and entertained. Great characters and plot will definitely listen tti the next one in this series. Great narration couldn't ask for better Great book to spend your money on.

year 12

This was long and plodding with some interesting parts to it.Safe cracking as a way to pass the time was pretty cool.Jamie Cutlers monotone narration lead to nodding off. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Boring

Story was slow and plodding. Narrator was monotone and dull. A bad choice for my first book. Listening about 2/3 and stopped. Was hoping for better. Sorry for trashing your work.