After the Fall

Jason's Tale

By: David E. Nees

Narrated by: Gabriel Zacchai

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

In a world without power, Jason must fight for survival as he heads to the wilds of the Appalachian Mountains. In this story, ably narrated by Gabriel Zacchai, an electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States shuts down all power, communications and transportation. With no food deliveries, and no vehicles working, society begins to unravel. Starvation and death begin to reign and panic leads to violence. Marauding gangs roam the countryside, stealing, killing or worse and cities begin to wall themselves off from the danger outside. As society breaks down, Jason heads to the Appalachian Mountains to avoid the growing anarchy, hoping to wait out the chaos. The gangs threaten but loneliness becomes his biggest enemy as the solitude envelopes him. In a secluded mountain valley he finds a woman, Anne, and her two daughters struggling to survive. They are near starvation when Jason shows up. Violence soon follows him. Survival will mean fighting...and killing. The power hasn't returned, the country is still shattered and Jason and Anne must struggle for a new life in a dangerous world. If you like One Second After and other survival/post-apocalyptic stories, you will enjoy this personal story of trying to survive and thrive after an EMP attack. Gabriel's compelling narration brings this exciting tale to life.

©2013 David E. Nees (P)2016 David E. Nees

Great listen!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, the narration was excellent and the story was engaging and well written.

Predicts a Dystopian Future

I think the author did a nice job imagining what would happen if an EMP wiped out communications and transportation across the US. The descriptions in the book mimic what I think of when I think of the end of days. People hunting people, people taking advantage of others.

The books is well-written and the characters are believable. Some of the bad guys are one dimensional, but many bad guys are. I thought the solutions proposed by the book were solid. I liked the fact that there was a fight and even the good guys got hurt, and some of the good guys got killed. Jason Richards as a lead character is very nice, and there were plot twists with relationships between him and Catherine (and Anne) that I was interested in seeing him resolve. He did so nicely. I will read the rest of this series.

Interesting listen, keeps you wanting more.

I'm not sure why I like the post apocalyptic books but I do. Good listen.
I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

Great main character in believable settings

The audio isn't perfect but it kept me engaged. I'm a fan of educational fiction where the skills are described for the education of the listener and this story had some nice lessons.

Not bad

A apocalyptic tale that gets into the process of survival. Some of the storyline goes into delves into questionable scenarios (feelings of teens) but the main character is likable and the storyline, while not action filled, plausible and interesting. I had a hard time determining when the narrator switched between male characters at times as the voice never changed between males.

One of these days...

One of these days several Middle Eastern freighters are going to steam their way towards the United States. Within each of their holds is a container containing a short range ballistic missile carrying a 20 megaton warhead. On a clear night early in the morning multiple missiles will launch like a shot in the dark, detonating in earth’s atmosphere creating massive EMPs across the majority of the North American continent known by its attackers as “The Great Satan”. Terrorist cells implanted and hidden within the United States for years rejoice as the results of their attack is realized and they are set loose upon the civilian population to create additional damage and chaos. One of these days this scenario may come to pass for real. This is Jason’s Tale. As the nukes detonate and the planes begin to fall our protagonist, Jason heads for higher ground. During his journey Jason will come upon a widowed woman, Anne with two teenage daughters, Catherine & Sarah who is alone, frightened, and low on food and supplies. Jason offers his labor, protection and military training in exchange for a place to stay. While extremely cautious Anne agrees and Jason gets to bunk in the barn. The group gets along with one another and eventually Jason and Anne begin a relationship. From here the tale chronicles the fortification of the house, training the women in self-defense and firearms, and introduction to the other homesteads in the valley. The family and the valley are subject to attacks by looters, gangs and the usual mix of ne’er-do-wells that crawl out of the woodwork during a disaster. The story is an intimate study of people, relationships and coping with stress and chaos in the midst of the apocalypse. The characters are well-developed and likable. Gabriel Zacchai did a fine job of narration. I understand there is another book coming “Catherine’s Tale”. I look forward to enjoying it.

great story

so many I listen to have one climactic part or battle it builds up to and I'm completely bored until then and then after but this story was good and kept me intrigued..I hope there's a part two with more marauders and fights between gangs and corrupt officials in Hillsborough

i'd want to be with Jason after an EMP attack!

Where does After the Fall rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's hard to rank, as this is a new genre for me. I found it credible and fascinating in the preparedness and self-sufficiency details.

What was one of the most memorable moments of After the Fall?

How the "family" was able to defend itself in a pitched battle with a roving marauder gang/ army.

Which character – as performed by Gabriel Zacchai – was your favorite?

Jason. It's hard to separate out the Zacchai's performance from the portrait of Jason drawn by the author.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was impressed with the author's knowledge of self-defense skills, combined with his understanding of character development and sensitivity to relationship issues. I found it an unusual combination and one that made the book much more interesting to me.

Any additional comments?

I would read another book by this author, even though it is a bit scary to contemplate such drastic and far-reaching scenarios hitting us in such a seemingly simple event, a power outage. I really enjoyed the book, and listening to it on audible.

More please

very good luck hope there's more 10 Way author really did a good job can't wait for the next installment

To the Author

You have a pretty good talent for writing a story and keeping it interesting. However, here's a little constructive criticism I would like to toss in the mix for the future. The first point is learn the details! The people that listen to books of this genre are not lonely housewives or elderly women hoping to read about desire. When you refer to AR-15 rifles as .223 throughout the entire book, it drives me crazy because they are mainly 5.56. Although a 5.56 will shoot .223 ammo, the chamber pressures are much higher. Plus, you cannot use any found 5.56 ammo in a rifle chambered for truely .223. Please learn the difference!!! You built Jason as a former sniper that only selected a Ruger .223 caliber when he got out. Are you kidding me? These guys train with everything from the .260 caliber up to .50 cals and are intimately connected with their weapons. They may own AR-15s but an AR-10 is a more believable story. Jason took his bow and taught Katherine how to use it. Dude! There's no girl in her teens that is going to stealthily and accurately pull back a mans normal draw weight of 55 to 70lbs. Especially in a physically demanding role and a slightly malnourished state! Please learn the difference between a clip and a magazine. Lastly, the narrator was ok. Kevin Pierce as a narrator is on a whole other level. If you going to write a story set in the Appalachian mountains, a person with a clear yet refined southern accent for the narrator will do wonders for your story. That's enough!