Fugitives from Northwoods

De: Chris Bostic

Narrado por: Eddie Frierson

Eight teenagers escape imprisonment at a work camp to brave the wilderness. Tested to their limits, they struggle to survive their terrifying dash for freedom.

After the total collapse of the world economy, the United States could not stand together. So they failed separately. In the small region-state of Winnkota, poverty and greed are turning the idyllic Northwoods of Minnesota into a barren wasteland of clear-cut forests and over-fished lakes. Every able-bodied teenager is conscripted into a labor force and sent to work in harsh, prison-like conditions. They are enslaved young so they never learn to think for themselves. But Penn is different. He's determined to win back freedom - for himself, his friends, and someday for his homeland.

On a cold autumn night, the group makes their dash for freedom north of the border. The fugitives endure a series of difficult wilderness challenges while pursued by the ruthless camp guards. They weave through dense forest, scale cliffs, swim through the bitterly cold lakes, and otherwise try simply to survive. Pushing his friends to the breaking point, Penn guides the fugitives through a harsh, but ironically beautiful, backdrop of amazing Northwoods scenery. Adversity and loss abound, all while an unexpected physical attraction leads to a burgeoning love story.

Should any of them survive to reach the border, will the freedom found equal all that they expected?

©2013 Chris Bostic (P)2015 Chris Bostic

super

slow start in figuring out the plot but picked up and was excellent. on to book 2

Tight shot on the dystopic

Any additional comments?

I am all about free books for two reasons. One, it’s FREE. Two, sometimes I actually get exposed to new authors, new genres and new ideas that I actually like. It’s been pretty eye opening for me to branch out into areas I never would have traveled. For instance, I never would have picked up Fugitives from Northwoods if the author himself hadn’t offered a free audible version for a review.

It’s worth it to note that the narrator, Eddie Frierson, is pretty darn good. He adds a dimension to the story that readers might miss on the page. I have another book narrated by him on my wish list and am looking forward to the moment I get to hear him again. I think Mr. Frierson was a very good choice to read this book to me.

Also, I am always doing something else when I’m listening to books. I just can’t sit still during daylight hours. Sometimes, when listening and doing something else the story or the narrator keeps droning on in my ears, but my thoughts have traveled elsewhere and I have to rewind. If that happens a few times, I give up on the audio and turn back to the page for my own immersion reading. That never happened with Fugitives from Northwoods, not even once.

Now, about the story:

After I finished and the credits rolled, my first thought was: That’s it? And not in the I need the sequel kind of way. It was that there wasn’t enough. There wasn’t enough character development for me to cry when I was supposed to cry. There wasn’t enough description of the dystopic world. There were brief instances that clarified. They seemed to end too soon. It feels like my peripheral vision didn’t exist. I couldn’t see the whole picture.
Because Chris Bostic creates the immediate setting so very well, I kept expecting a similarly rich description of the greater world even if it was just dropped in conversation the way the backgrounds are.

Aside from a few passive voice instances that stood out to me in the last ¼ of the book (I usually don’t notice those easily when listening rather than reading.) The writing is solid and descriptive. The voice of Penn is consistent. He felt like a kid learning to be a man. He is the strong silent type of man not willing to show weakness, especially in a leadership position in such a dangerous situation. At the same time, he can draw strength from Cesswi without thinking of it as weakness.

I usually read other reviews before I delve into a book. This time I did not. Now, going through what others have said there is, as usual, one point on which I do not agree. Some say that the beginning is slow. I did not find that.

The beginning starts with a daring midnight escape. How is that slow?

The imagery is fantastic. The pacing is just right for an escape. I’m actually thinking about the sequel, but will probably wait ‘til it hits Audible.

I can’t wait for my boys to listen to it and tell me what they think.

Fugitives from Northwoods

I read a lot of dystopian books and truly enjoy this genre. This book was good, but not great.

The premise of the book is that young people are "recruited" to work in the Northern woods of Minnesota because the nation's economy has crashed. The workcamp is more of a prison, though, with cruel guards, poor conditions, and horrible food. Penn and his friends decide to escape and so the adventure begins.

My fault with this book is that there is very little character development. The book is told entirely from Penn's viewpoint, so the reader really doesn't know what is motivating the others to risk their lives in leaving the camp. The fishing scenes are numerous and I feel like I know more about the fish species than I do the human characters!

There were a lot of unanswered questions in the plot of the story, too. How did Penn learn about the Federation? What did he expect to find (obviously not what they actually found!). With more insight into the characters, this would have been a very good book. However, I really never engaged with any of them and don't really see myself reading the rest of the trilogy in order to see what happens next.

The narrator does a good job, but the reading was a little slow for my liking since the story was slow in itself. I sped up the book to 1.25 speed and was able to follow along without any problems, even through the few action sequences.

I was given the chance to listen to this book by the author and chose to review it.

Kept me on the edge of my seat.

Would you listen to Fugitives from Northwoods again? Why?

I love the storyline and I really loved the way it was performed. It's a story that pulls at your heart strings makes your heart race and takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fugitives from Northwoods?

When they finally made it to the border, WOW just WOW!

Have you listened to any of Eddie Frierson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but he did awesome.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh absolutely, I couldn't "put it down." My daughter and I were like WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!

Any additional comments?

I'm going to read the rest of the series, this is well written and performed what a fabulous story.

A bit of slow start ....

Any additional comments?

I was given this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.
This is a young adult dystopian story set in a frightening future USA.
I liked the actual plot idea, and it is rather well written,good discpitions, but I found the first two thirds of the book rather slow paced and uneventfull,(which I don't really feel was the authors aim) they are trudging though the woods again and again. Not until the last part of the book did I feel any serious suspense. If the whole book was as good as the last part , I would have gladly given it 4 or 5 stars
On the possitive side, the narrator Eddie Frierson, did a really good job and I liked the subltle use of sound effects now and again.