Failed States

By: Justin O'Donnell

Narrated by: Kyle Tait

In an America on the edge of extinction, Thomas La Stella serves as a Deportation Force officer.

Tom is old enough to remember America before Dayton Day, the attack that finally brought the country to its knees, and the earth towards its death. Still fighting for hope, Tom clings to his pregnant wife, Riley, and begrudgingly serves a government on the brink of revolution. When the president of the country goes missing, a new, radical force rises from within and threatens every hope Tom has for a better future.

In Failed States by Justin O'Donnell, we experience a grim, fast-paced speculative thriller in the vein of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. It is a tale that deals with political, religious, and violent themes ranging from cannibalism to abortion, while calling into question the fundamental clash between security and liberty.

©2022 Justin O'Donnell (P)2023 Justin O'Donnell

A hard look at tough topics.

A prior reviewer called this a “woke” story. Not sure what they were listening to but it can’t have been Failed States. The author offers a nuanced look into a difficult topic that many people want to be black and white but frankly is not. He portrays characters (some rational and others fanatics) who hold to both sides of the argument all within a post-apocalyptic/dystopian world that is spectacularly revealed through plot and dialogue.

The biggest complaint I have is wanting more. I want to know what else is happening in the surrounding areas. I want more of this world.

I also found myself going back and forth with the audio performance. On the whole it was well done, but the base tone of the performer was not my personal favorite.

Edge of my seat

Really enjoyed listening. The author goes into painstaking detail about the people, the events, their motivations.

It’s easy to develop a mental image of what’s happening - and it’s almost too timely for the division we see in the United States today, the ‘black and white’ perspectives we see on both sides of the aisle and paints a stark potential reality for what could be.

Really good

Makes you think all while being entertained. Well written. Would recommend highly. Ready for another one

Dullsville

Just meh. More preachy than entertaining. A woke book with thinly disguised woke messaging. Not so great.