Crash

The Obsolescence Trilogy, Book 1

By: Chris Muhlenfeld

Narrated by: Price Waldman

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

And then it went dark…the world’s electrical grid was gone. 

Who would survive the chaos? 

For James and Alexa, they saw it unfold from their ranch, which was a blessing. They were away
from the chaos, and they thought they were safe. They thought wrong. 

What will they do? 

All across the country cities are in crisis. 

Logan and his family look out from their Manhattan penthouse. The world is crumbling before their eyes. Unprepared, he’s got to do something. They can’t stay. But how can they leave and where will they go? 

Someone has a solution. 

It’s Logan’s domestic android. 

Can he believe a machine? 

You won’t believe the twists and turns, but you’ll love the adventure.  

Get it now.                              

©2018 Chris Muhlenfeld (P)2018 Chris Muhlenfeld

Crash

Well this was just fantastic!!!
Is it weird that I love Post-Apocalyptic/end-of-the-world type books so much! Yeah it probably is.
I have read many book of this genre and this is one of the best! There is so much happening it keeps your full attention all the way through.

I love that there are different groups of characters that you follow throughout the story. Warning - do not get too attached to any of them... people do die in this book. This is not a fluff story. It is gritty, edgy, sad at times and a little scary. That being said - great characters and equally great development.

Although it was very intense and very futuristic/sci-fi-ish it is also very easy to follow. An excellent beginning to a series that I will definitely want to continue!

AUDIO -
The narration was absolutely outstanding and in this case, really made the story for me! Often I will love the story but not really care for the audio but I give both the story and audio 5 stars!

If you are a fan of Post-Apocalyptic type books you will definitely want to give this one a try! I promise you will not be disappointed!

I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from The Audio Bookworm - Thank You!

Who did it?

This audiobook is set in a possible near future and follows various groups of people after the world's power systems and technology fails. I liked most of the characters and found them believable. The story moves along at a good pace, switching between the survivors' story. But this is done smoothly with new chapters. The plot keeps you guessing as to whom the "big bad" actually is, and does draw to a reasonable conclusion., leaving the story open for a sequel. The narration was well done, with nothing too distracting to take away from the audio, and I felt the production worked well. I will definitely be looking forward to listening to the next instalment of this series when it becomes available. Good story.

slightly biased he is my cousin

I really enjoyed the first book now on to the next one. can not wait

Average

Intriguing and suspenseful until final chapter. Disappointing ending made me roll my eyes. Won't read sequels. Reader was great!

New to sci-fi and this book made me a convert

Crash was my introduction into the world of futuristic science-fiction. As a reader of history and nonfiction, it was a stretch and out of my comfort zone, but it came so highly recommended that my curiosity got the better of me. It did not disappoint. The author outlines several story-lines in engaging and captivating ways, and I got through the book quickly and intrigued for more. More often than not, my mind came back to the cast of characters long after I finished the book, and I had to buy the trilogy to satisfy my intrigue. Muhlenfeld is a relatable writer that not only stretches the reader’s imagination, but also does so with an eloquence that allows readers from any background or level to relate to the characters and story-line.

A intriguing plot

Crash.
I think this will be a terrific series, Book 1 is an intriguing look into a fairly common plot.
There are many questions some of which are answered in the book, many of them are not, so bring on the next book. Let the truth be out..
It's a great read and entertainment.
I received a free copy of this audio book at my own request and voluntarily leave this honest review. .

A new take on the apocalypse

Crash grabbed me right from the beginning and held my attention all the way through. Set in the near future, the apocalypse strikes. At first, no one knows what is going on. All rely heavily on their tech for info and safety. Personal robots are acting oddly, no world news is available, and humans start behaving badly. Not all of our heroes will make it.

Liam and Jess were the first two I really got attached to. 11-year-old Jess has just flown into an airport that is about to go a little crazy. Liam, a romance writer from the UK, helps her out and the two make a good team, heading towards Atlanta, where Jess’s mom is. Along the way, Jess meets friend and foe alike.

Logan, Mia, and their daughter Zoe live in a New York City apartment but when trouble strikes, their personal bot ushers them to a new shelter. Logan is an executive manager with a big tech and communication company (EA?) and he’s puzzled by all the fancy tech he experiences going forward. He’s positive no one has tech that advanced but everyone just wants him to shut up and be grateful for surviving. I think Logan is wise to be suspicious but he treats the AIs badly so I sometimes want to slap him upside the head.

Then there’s James and his girlfriend Alexa out near Flagstaff, AZ. Haha! Nice, naming a character Alexa. Ha! My little Alexa kept thinking the audiobook was talking to her and wanted to know if I wanted to order art supplies from Amazon. So I had to turn off my Alexa while I listened to this book (which was fine).

Even though we have 3 major viewpoints (and one minor viewpoint from a military base), all of them are told from a man’s point of view (at least until Jess takes over telling her tale, but that switches later to anther kid, Tyler). So I would have liked a little more gender balance in telling the story, though the ladies do get to do a few things (but, alas, no major plot decisions).

Jess’s tale was the most emotionally charged. Logan’s story is the most realistic – he’s ticked with how things have happened and suspicious of all that he’s been told. James’s story was pretty mellow, not much drama, and a little boring. Until the ending – OMG! I’m so glad James’s tale got kicked up a notch at the end. And I’m also really glad that I have Book 2 already in my Audible library. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Price Waldman gave a good performance. I liked his voice for Liam (from the UK) the best especially when Liam is trying to be polite but firm with the scary country hick (Scooter) he and Jess come upon. His little kid voices were OK and his female voices were OK as well (though a touch more femininity wouldn’t go amiss). The pacing was perfect and there were no tech issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Chris Muhlenfeld. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

A great start to a new dystopian story

Some years from now, in a world with neuroderms, bots, food assemblers, something has gone wrong. Ian and Jess are on a plane that is redirected to land and as soon as the people are off a load of robots fill up the plane and take off. Nothing is connecting to the web and nothing is working. Ian takes Jess under his wing and tries to get her home to her parents.

Logan, Mia, and Grace are shepherded from their apartment to a secret underground bunker then to New Chicago. A world of strange material, everything is automatically provided for them and not wasted. But something is wrong with this new city, the story of a nuclear war doesn’t sound right, and Logan can’t help but try to get his family safe.

James and Alexa are on his ranch in the forties when things go wrong. They have managed to stock up and have neighbors that are similarly minded. Strange reports are coming in from around the world and everyone is worried about whatever caused the crash.

This was a really good start to the series. It seems humans have become very dependent on technology. When something happens some turn evil and many people die. It’s interesting to follow along with the different groups. It’s not real surprising what happens if you love dystopian stories like I do.

Price Waldman does an amazing job narrating this book. He had my attention through the whole story even if I become a touch tired of the redundant events. I admit that I guessed what happened but then again I love these kinds of stories. I am really glad that I have the whole series to review because although Crash tended to drag at points I am excited to see what happens next. If you like dystopian stories I think you will like this one. It’s definitely worth checking out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to listen to and post an honest review.

Terrific Post-Apocalyptic Tale

4.5 stars

Ahhh, it’s a rare day when I find a book that comes close to blowing me away but Crash certainly did and for a variety of reasons. Now, I’m already predisposed to like post-apocalyptic, especially when the story involves an EMP or other event that causes the grid to catastrophically fail because I really appreciate the concept of people having to learn how to live without so many of the niceties of life we’ve become so used to. I also like that we don’t get all the answers because, if such an event were to happen to us, we wouldn’t have all the answers since worldwide communications wouldn’t be working, would they?

In a not too distant future setting when everything goes dark, there are immediate effects such as most vehicles not working and having no lights or elevators but it doesn’t take long for people to realize even more devastating things are beginning to happen, food and drug shortages among them. Many of our characters lose contact with family members with unimaginable consequences for some, particularly children, and my first encounter with a homeless child came at the very beginning. Jess is on a plane heading to the East Coast when the flight attendant announces a diversion to Charlotte and she and her seatmate, a grown man named Liam, help each other through their unsurprising nervousness and make a pact to stick together after they land. Liam is determined to get Jess to her mom in Atlanta.

Elsewhere, we meet James and Alexa who are better off than many on their ranch, somewhat sheltered from marauding bands of looters and well-supplied with food and water for the time being, but trouble is coming. Then there are Logan and his family who are definitely not in a safe place in a highrise but their options really seem limited until a surprising yet suspicious solution is offered.

And then there’s a very special droid.

Crash is one of those tales that keeps the reader feverishly reading or, in this case listening, because so much is happening, questions are becoming intense and it’s getting worse by the day for the characters. Speaking of which, let me warn you, don’t get too attached to any of them because Mr. Muhlenfeld is not afraid to take us there. Nuff said. As for the audio narration, Mr. Waldman does a fine job. I can’t say he’s the best I ever heard because he doesn’t do very distinctive voices for women and children but he has great pacing and tone and it never took me long to know which character was speaking. All in all, this book excited me and I’m still savoring it. On to the next episode!

EMP, Terrorists or Alien attack?

I read a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction and am always looking for the next great read. This isn't a great book, but it is pretty good.

In the world of the future, humans are highly dependent on technology to the point of having neural implants, bots doing most of the work, and using virtual reality sites for entertainment, often to the point of addiction. Suddenly, planes are being forced to land, power grids are down and the bots seem to be in control.

The author focuses on three groups of individuals and jumps from one to the other throughout the book. The first group the reader encounters is a young girl travelling to Atlanta on one of the diverted planes. Jessica is taken under the wing of her seatmate and they decide to take their chances outside the Charlotte Airport in order to get to Atlanta.

The second group is Logan, Mia and their daughter Grace, who are herded like cattle from their NYC apartment to an underground haven by their Bot. And, the third group is James and his girlfriend, Alexa, who try to weather the impending disaster on his ranch outside Flagstaff, Arizona.

As the groups of survivors try to discover what is happening, they encounter some people who are less than savory. Be prepared for the deaths of some of the characters that you have come to care about. This was almost a deal breaker for me because I couldn't really see where the author was going with this particular storyline. Also, I thought that the book got to be a little boring at times. It moved at a fairly slow pace at times and the jumping between stories got confusing and tiresome.

There were some unique aspects to this book that made for a very different ending. Of course, since this is the first in a series, it ends without anything being resolved. The author does offer a novella to bridge the gap between the first and second book, so I will check that out before deciding whether or not to continue the series.

The narrator does a good job and his pacing keep my interest at times when I wanted to give up on the story. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book by Audiobookworm Promotions and chose to review it.