Downfall

America Gone, Book 1

By: Derek Shupert

Narrated by: Chris Monteiro

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

As the CME strikes, two strangers cross paths.... And discover the true cost of survival....

Lance was just trying to get through his terrible day when his world came crashing down....

As the blazing sun dipped below the horizon, Lance's heart pounded in his chest, each beat pushing him closer to the edge of desperation. Racing against time and a cosmic cataclysm, he must navigate a ravaged world after a monstrous CME strikes the Earth, plunging it into darkness. But this harrowing journey is not solely to survive the aftermath; it's a race to reach his injured father in distant Kansas, where a lonely farmhouse stands as their last beacon of hope.

Will Lance survive the treacherous unknown as he sets out, fueled by love and determination, to reunite with his father before the relentless CME consumes everything they hold dear?

Sophie was just trying to survive another day....

In the depths of darkness, 10 years of captivity could not extinguish the fire burning in Sophie's soul. Branded by her past, she was stolen as a child and sold into a life of relentless torment. Yet, as the shadows of her captors loomed large, a defiant spark ignited within her heart, fueling a desperate yearning for freedom.

With each passing day, Sophie's determination grew stronger, until one day a CME strike gave her an extraordinary opportunity to escape.

Fueled by the indomitable strength that only the desire to reunite with her family could summon, Sophie must elude her captors' ever-watchful eyes and unravel the mysteries of her past. The clock is ticking, and the pursuit of freedom becomes a pulse-pounding race against time, where Sophie's unwavering spirit becomes her most potent weapon in the quest for redemption and reunion.

Until her path intertwines with that of a young man trying to get home to his own family, sparking a chain reaction that could change their futures forever.

©2023 Derek Shupert (P)2023 Derek Shupert

engaging beginning

the characters were likeable and the events seemed plausible. I can't wait for more to be put on audible

A treacherous post-apocalyptic landscape!

In Derek Shupert's "Downfall," narrated by Chris Monteiro, the post-CME apocalypse unfolds through the eyes of Lance and Sophie. Shupert's writing is gripping, and Monteiro's narration brings their resilience to life. Dive into this powerful story of survival and hope, a must-listen for dystopian adventure enthusiasts.

Downfall

I loved this book. Lance and Sophie's struggles to get home is an emotional action-packed drama that captures the listener. I can't wait for book 2.

Good story line

Good story line and great narrative. The story was believable and interesting. Heartfelt for the characters.

Like a Ford Pinto in a Drag Race.....Slow

I made it half way through and gave up. I know there has never been an EMP or CME large scale event in modern history but I doubt that people would be so non-challan about an earth changing event as this book. It is slow and full of unnecessary dialogue that one cannot stay engaged. The story flips between two people who probably will unite in their quest to survive but I will never know as I did not care about the "heroes" or find credible their stories. Plus the author make the police look like bumbling fools. I mean it is the end of the world and a deputy pulls over a car for a cracked taillight? I am sure there are better end of the world stories out there so go find them.

Good plot, bad dialog

The story beats and plot points were good and I liked the characters but the dialog was horrible. Most characters spoke in excessive exposition that sounded like they were reading from a technical manual.
If you ask a store clerk where the restroom is, he might point and say "Over there in the corner". He wouldn't say "The restroom you are asking about is in the southwest corner of the building we are occupying."
Characters who were supposed to be low or average IQ spoke with great precision and specificity that I found jarring.

That's what it felt like to me.