After the Sky

Spirits of the Earth, Book 1

By: Milo James Fowler

Narrated by: Steve Campbell

Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The meek have not inherited the earth.

The world isn't how they left it. When the bunker airlocks release them after 20 years in hibernation, the survivors find a silent, barren world outside. But they are not alone. There is a presence here, alive in the dust - spirits of the earth, benevolent and malicious as they interact with the human remnant.

Milton is haunted by a violent past he's unable to escape, despite the superhuman speed the spirits give him.

Not interested in bearing the next generation, Daiyna is determined to destroy the flesh-eating mutants lurking in the dark, pierced by her night-vision.

Luther is a man of conviction who believes the Creator has offered humankind a second chance, yet he's uncertain they deserve it - and he's perplexed by the talons that flex out of his fingers.

Willard is a brilliant engineer-turned-soldier who refuses to leave his bunker, afraid of becoming infected and willing to destroy any obstacle in his way.

As their lives collide, the mysteries of this strange new world start unraveling, culminating in the ultimate life-or-death decision one survivor will make for them all.

Don't miss this post-apocalyptic adventure with a paranormal fantasy twist! It's perfect for fans of Stephen King, T. W. Piperbrook, and The Walking Dead.

©2020 Aethon Books (P)2020 Aethon Audio

An interesting cross genre merger

Superhero’s crosses with a post apocalyptic dystopian world goes to interesting places. Imagine the wold of fallout with superpowers and the wold it self wants to kill you

Sheesh!

This story was absolutely AMAZING!

So much intensity, so much adventure, such a wild ride!

The only thing I can use to describe it is, Fallout meets Heroes.

This was such an epic story, and the perfect narration by Steve Campbell made it a 10/10 listen for me. Can’t wait until the next one!

Reminds me a lot of Fallout

This was a pretty interesting read, reminiscent of Fallout and the book series "Wool", with a little X-men thrown in for good measure. When I got the book, I expected something else more akin to Apocolypse/survivor fiction based in a world similar to our own. This book departs from that and adds more science/magic to the world than I normally would have liked. However, all-in-all it was a good read and I look forward to listening to more books by Milo Fowler.

New Favorite Post-Apocalyptic Book

First off this book blew me away. This is my new favorite book in this genre and I am so excited to see where this series goes. What happens when the world seems to be ending, but people are manifesting powers? Why is this happening? Where is the source of the powers? The writing and pacing are phenomenal. I loved that each chapter switched to focus on a new perspective from one of the main characters. It flowed so well. This was a fresh take on this genre and it was amazing. It has it all. End of the world, mystical powers, religion, suspense all masterfully crafted into one thrilling ride. Steve Campbell brought this story to life with his audio narration. He was the perfect choice for this book. I can’t wait to see where this series goes now!

Interesting and different

I don't follow a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction, but of the ones I've read/listened to this was probably the most unusual. Kind of a mash up of Book of Eli meets X-Men with a little The Shining thrown in. Took a little getting used to, but once I got further into the story, it really started to grow on me. At times, I wondered where it was going, but it all came together and I ended up really liking it. Will definitely get the next in the series when it comes out.

I Fell In Love With This Book

4.5 out of 5 stars

Normally when a book is this long I hesitate before picking it up.  Thankfully, I knew going into this that I already liked the narrator, so when I saw that it was a post-apocalyptic book with a bit of a twist... I was in. I didn't know what kind of twist and I didn't know just how in I was going to be, but Milo James Fowler's After The Sky sucked me in and wouldn't let me go.

Without diving into the plot, this book seemed to be a mash up of a post-apocalyptic thriller and a fantasy novel.  The Earth is basically decimated almost beyond recognition. People were put into vaults (very Fallout-like) to hopefully come out on the other side. It seems that some of the vaults weren't what they seemed (also Fallout-like) while others caused people to come out... different.

The story itself was a good one. Winding its way between different characters. Showing their points of view, how they thought and felt. And just going through how life was for them. Things weren't slow or boring though. Things keep happening so even if the book as a whole was a bit of a slow-burn that doesn't mean that it wasn't action-packed. Fowler took his time telling a methodical story about the survivors, the fantasy elements (trying not to spoil it here), and the Earth.

After The Sky was a book that I didn't know how I was going to feel about in the opening few chapters. But once I got into the meat and potatoes of the story I fell in love with it. Fowler's character building is top notch and this story really took me to another world (even though it's on a near-future Earth). It's rare that I find a book that surprises me as much as this one did, but I'm happy when it happens.

I couldn't finish my review without chatting about Campbell's narration. He does a great job.  In the beginning each character has their own voice and speech pattern and that doesn't really affect you, but as the story progresses there are scenes when two male characters are together and you wouldn't be able to tell them apart without his differentiation (that he set up chapters before). It was a great performance and took a good book and made it great. I'm interesting to see where the story goes and I hope that Campbell is along for the ride.

New and different - very interesting!

(I received a copy of this book for review)
I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy. This is post-apocalyptic, with an element of the supernatural. Very well done, and not overly graphic. I'll be looking for the next book.

Cool Post Apocalyptic Future story

I thought this book was great from start to finish, Without spoilers this tells the story from a few perspectives. The story builds from the first few pages into a great story i look forward to listening to the second book once its available on Audible.

Masterfully written and performed!

Wow. Three letters that can’t even begin to express the depth and breadth of this book. From Campbell’s performance of Milton to the emotional heart-wrench that continually drags you through the series (sometimes, like me, sleeplessly for 15 hours), I can’t recommend it enough.

I’d only read Fowler one other time and it was a short story. It was well-written, but I was not expecting such a well-executed long-form from him.

I’ve listened to the narrator before, but I honestly think this might be his magnum opus.

Would make a great movie!

Another great performance by Steve!
Fantastic story and great characters. On to book 2!