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Author Chris Pike's debut novel Unexpected World is a gritty and compelling survival tale about human courage and steadfast determination to live, to endure, and to persevere against all odds. Assistant District Attorney Dillon Stockdale is on the phone with his daughter when an EMP obliterates the entire electrical grid of the United States. Anything relying on a computer is fried, including the plane his daughter is on.
The North Koreans launch a surprise Nuclear EMP attack on the USA. Our hero, Joe doesn't care about politics or what happened, he just knows his world went to Hell. Planes fell out of the sky, people went nuts looting and killing as he scrambled to hide from all of the craziness. Joe had a cabin and land in Southern Oregon when TSHTF and retreated to the cabin to survive the massive die-off that was always predicted for an apocalypse. The weeks before the Grid went down weren't much better for Joe because his best friend, his fiancé, and his beloved Grandma all died before lights out.
If society collapsed, could you survive? When Morgan Carter's car breaks down 250 miles from his home, he figures his weekend plans are ruined. But things are about to get much, much worse: the country's power grid has collapsed. There is no electricity, no running water, no Internet, and no way to know when normalcy will be restored - if it ever will be.
America is on the verge of a second civil war, and Ava must pull it together if she wants to survive. Violent protest, widespread destruction, and politicians who insist on letting the disassociated vent their rage will bring America to her knees, threatening to decapitate the laws, principles, and values on which the country was founded. Ava refuses to give into fear, but she simply cannot survive on her own. She must deal with her crisis of faith and learn to trust other people, or she’ll never make it through the bloodiest period of America’s history.
Lauren Russell often wondered why her father had been so adamant about teaching her skills that most other fathers wouldn't even consider teaching their daughters. Ever since she was little, she had been taught how to live and survive outdoors, and how to use firearms to protect herself and those around her. Some of the training had been a bit extreme. Or had it been? Many of her questions were answered the day the world as she knew it ended.
After an EMP obliterates the nation's electrical grid on New Year's Eve, it's not long before society unravels and panic ensues. As the lights go out and silence spreads over the city that never sleeps, four ordinary strangers - a bike messenger, a homeless person, a support rep, and an ex-convict - must forge a connection in order to stay alive. When they realize the danger is far greater than they expected, they must embark on a perilous journey out of the city.
Author Chris Pike's debut novel Unexpected World is a gritty and compelling survival tale about human courage and steadfast determination to live, to endure, and to persevere against all odds. Assistant District Attorney Dillon Stockdale is on the phone with his daughter when an EMP obliterates the entire electrical grid of the United States. Anything relying on a computer is fried, including the plane his daughter is on.
The North Koreans launch a surprise Nuclear EMP attack on the USA. Our hero, Joe doesn't care about politics or what happened, he just knows his world went to Hell. Planes fell out of the sky, people went nuts looting and killing as he scrambled to hide from all of the craziness. Joe had a cabin and land in Southern Oregon when TSHTF and retreated to the cabin to survive the massive die-off that was always predicted for an apocalypse. The weeks before the Grid went down weren't much better for Joe because his best friend, his fiancé, and his beloved Grandma all died before lights out.
If society collapsed, could you survive? When Morgan Carter's car breaks down 250 miles from his home, he figures his weekend plans are ruined. But things are about to get much, much worse: the country's power grid has collapsed. There is no electricity, no running water, no Internet, and no way to know when normalcy will be restored - if it ever will be.
America is on the verge of a second civil war, and Ava must pull it together if she wants to survive. Violent protest, widespread destruction, and politicians who insist on letting the disassociated vent their rage will bring America to her knees, threatening to decapitate the laws, principles, and values on which the country was founded. Ava refuses to give into fear, but she simply cannot survive on her own. She must deal with her crisis of faith and learn to trust other people, or she’ll never make it through the bloodiest period of America’s history.
Lauren Russell often wondered why her father had been so adamant about teaching her skills that most other fathers wouldn't even consider teaching their daughters. Ever since she was little, she had been taught how to live and survive outdoors, and how to use firearms to protect herself and those around her. Some of the training had been a bit extreme. Or had it been? Many of her questions were answered the day the world as she knew it ended.
After an EMP obliterates the nation's electrical grid on New Year's Eve, it's not long before society unravels and panic ensues. As the lights go out and silence spreads over the city that never sleeps, four ordinary strangers - a bike messenger, a homeless person, a support rep, and an ex-convict - must forge a connection in order to stay alive. When they realize the danger is far greater than they expected, they must embark on a perilous journey out of the city.
Five years after a pneumonic plague killed two-thirds of the world's population, army veteran Marcus Battle is isolated. He's alone with his guns, his food, and the graves of his wife and child. Unaware of the chaos that's befallen everything outside of his central Texas ranch land, Marcus lives a Spartan life. If anyone steps onto his property, he shoots first and never asks questions. But when a woman in distress, chased by marauders, seeks asylum, Marcus has a decision to make.
What the world dreads most has happened because of a mutated avian bird flu (H5N1) pandemic. It has ravaged the globe. Only 2% of the population has survived. A dying mother knows that her young child is among the few remaining immune to the virus. What will she do to ensure his survival before her own coming tragic death? Meanwhile, Graham has buried his last remaining family member. Following his father's advice to make it to the family cabin, he meets with triumph and tragedy; learning new rules along the way.
For decades, American administrations have forced our military to be neutered in many respects - hampered by restrained rules of engagement, passed in strength by Russia and China, and tested by rogue nations like North Korea and Iran. As a result, nuclear Armageddon hangs over us like a mighty sword. Military analysts agree that the United States can't start World War III. Why? We might lose. Sabers are rattling, and the war of words escalate between America and her enemies....
Rick is like many Americans. He's concerned with what he sees on the news, and how the country seems to be ready to tear itself apart. His biggest concern has been civil unrest. Already an avid camper, he sets out to secure his future, and career, by finding his own Eden.
Ripley's a tomboy at heart who has never met a stranger. Her plans were to finish her veterinary studies and take her family to the country, where life wouldn't be such a struggle. She thought the worst she'd have to deal with at the University of Maryland were the unwelcome advances and attitudes of affluent students, and the occasional East Coast hurricane. She never expected the sun to fall down.
As a prepper, Grayson Rowan was prepared for almost anything...anything other than being totally alone when the sh*t hits the fan. While he sat back and watched the US rattle swords with Korea, play chicken with Russia, and strong-arm China, he felt sure if the lights went out that he and his family would be ready and safe. What he wasn't prepared for was his family not being home if it ever happened. Olivia Rowan is with her sisters, Gabby and Emma, on a girls-only trip to Myrtle Beach. Graysie Rowan, a freshman at university, just wants to go home.
As a prepper, Dave Galanos has always made an effort to do what he can to prepare for the unexpected. But when something goes terribly wrong halfway through a backpacking trip with his wife and family, his world is turned upside down, and he is tested in a way he had never planned for.
A college student in Knoxville. An Irish couple on their dream vacation in Orlando. A bank robber in an Atlanta prison...what do they all have in common? They are survivors of vPx073, the most deadly virus ever to be unleashed on the planet. One that has brought civilization to a standstill.
Grace Hardwick's dad is a science fiction writer who makes his living destroying the world. When Grace decides to go away for her first year of college her dad, Robert, can't help but think of all of the potential ways that society could collapse and strand his daughter hundreds of miles from home. Then, near the end of her freshman year, it happens.
When a massive solar flare fries the electrical grid, Captain Jordan Hughes' problems are just starting. Stranded far from home with a now-priceless cargo of fuel and a restless crew, Hughes weighs his options as violence worsens ashore and the world crumbles around the secure little world of his ship, the Pecos Trader.
The survivors have come to settle in the mountains of Wyoming, fighting day in and day out to establish a home for themselves in a near-empty world. Things are good at first; scavenging is a workable, short-term solution that seems to be providing all they need. But they know that it’s only a matter of time before the food runs out. They need to scramble to find a sustainable solution before the clock stops, and for a little handful of people up in the mountains, the odds don’t seem very favorable.
Days away from a catastrophic event that will end the world, five strangers find themselves stranded in the suicide capital of America dealing with the difficulties, regrets, and choices in their lives while trying to survive. Among the group is a talented performer, a petty thief, a gambler, a lady of the night, and a hard working cab driver. With the clock ticking down and a sliver of hope found in a text message, their only hope is to get out of the city and embark on a dangerous journey across the country together.
It's happened once before, and it will happen again.
In the year 2030 the Maunder Minimum, a period of solar inactivity, will cause a mini-ice age like it did between the years 1645 and 1710. When it does, Bishop will have to save her not only from the effects of severe weather but also from man himself.
Maeve Tildon and her son Ben live alone in the rural town of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Since her husband died in the war, she's barely kept her head above water, and when the first freeze strikes in the fall, she's completely unprepared for what lies ahead. Only a war-torn man, one who prefers the solitude of the Kootenai National Forest, can rescue her and her son.
From the best-selling author of the Graham's Resolution series, Shaw brings you Surrender the Sun.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
Unfortunately I felt that there were some things that were wrapped up way too quickly and conveniently which caused the story to lose some of its plausibility. Although the overall ending was fine, and the expected resolve has been experienced, I kind of felt...I don't know exactly...I guess cheated is the right word.
Which character – as performed by Kevin Pierce – was your favorite?
In my opinion, one of Kevin's greatest assets is his ability to read characters without actually characterizing them. There is no character better or worse than another based on his performance, they are all solid, easy to follow, and enjoyable to listen to.
Any additional comments?
Overall I enjoyed the book; it was fun, action filled, and it was nice to listen to something with a slightly different twist. However, I think it would have been more enjoyable if there was a stronger emphasis on the survivalist aspect of the "event". Instead it read a little more like an action movie. This isn't necessarily a terrible thing, but it was enough to make the listen somewhat agitating at times.
There were a few characters that didn't seem to have a reason to exist other than as convenient vessels or fodder to assist in passing from one scenario to another, timings that were way off to the point where i had to go back and re-listen to a couple of spots to make sure I didn't miss something like "...days went by before Bishop...", and activities that took place seemingly only to setup a scene rather than making sense to the situation and characters. Sometimes it was as if there were a bunch of "scene's" written first then "filler" was added between them after the fact to move us from one to the other. It's tough to discuss these without posting spoilers but they are the reasons I gave the story only 3 stars.
I will probably go ahead and pick up the next book if one is released. Although it wasn't my favorite it was still fun and my expectations will be adjusted accordingly.
This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful
Where does Surrender the Sun rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of the better prepper disaster type of books. Well written and researched and mostly plausible.
What does Kevin Pierce bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Kevin Pierce always does an excellent job of narration and brings more depth and characterization to the books he narrates. This one is no exception.
Any additional comments?
Well written book about a unprepared mother and son. Of course most of the other characters in the book are unprepared as well. The signs are all there and as probably will always be true, they are ignored. Fortunately the prepared ones are mostly decent and do help as they can. There are a lot of hard cold facts as well. Facing a total breakdown of the infrastructure, at least locally as well as the extreme cold prove more than most can cope with.
There are a few moments that stretch credulity, but by in large this book is credible, possible and entertaining.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful
It’s pretty hard to find a series narrated by Kevin Pierce that’s bad. I’m reviewing all three books since I pretty much listened to them all in two days. While the story isn’t alarmingly new it was definitely engaging and worth the credits I spent. I don’t want to give any details because honestly I don’t want to give spoilers.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Loved it. I wish it didn't have to end. A great story about an ice age in modern times.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
a widowed mother and her young son face the "unexpected" ice age with the help of a real world guardian angel/hermit and along the way step up when a whole town is too scared to make a stand.
the sign of a great writer is when they are able write a story with an actual beginning, midddle and a true ending (no stupid cliffhanger) that you feel good about while also leaving the reader anxious to read where the story goes next.
the author paints such a vivid image of the setting that you can't help but see the snow covered landscape while looking into booking a winter weekend on Lake Coeur d'Alene.
ready for book 2!
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
After finally getting to listen to this, I have to say it was well worth that hassle!! What happened was that when I first got this, I downloaded it to my kindle fire. When I clicked on it to listen... it disappeared! It just disappeared! I tried to re-download it but it wouldn't work, so I left it for a week or two and tried again. Thankfully after restarting my fire for the millionth time ;), it downloaded and I was able to listen!!
Anyway, this is the story of a mum and her son living in a remote area. Her husband was dead and she was trying to live life as best she could. When meteorologists warn people that the weather is worsening and there is extreme cold coming, nobody really listens. So when it does hit, Maeve and Ben aren't prepared. She thinks it's only going to last a few days and it will get better, but it's the beginning of the end! With the help of a friend, Maeve and her son struggle to survive in weather that will kill you in minutes.
I loved this book!! It's not so much a prepper book, as it is a book of survival. I know that even with the widely known aspects of prepping and why people do it, 90% of us would be screwed if something like this were to happen! I liked that Maeve is just a normal mom and wasn't an ultra prepared type. It takes her a while to fully grasp what is happening in the world and even then, she struggles with it. This was easy to believe. Bishop, on the other hand is sort of prepared. By that I mean, he wasn't a prepper, he was a man who came back from the war broken, and just wanted to live a life of solitude. He has some food stored away and is really good and knowledgeable about outdoors survival. Again, believable and a character that was easy to like.
The plot was really good and unique in the post apocalyptic genre. The idea that a mini ice age could happen is something we can all believe, especially the way the weather is worsening everywhere. The author did the research needed to make this a believable, entertaining and addicting read. It grabbed me from the very first page and held my attention till the very end. A well written and developed world, great characters and plenty of action, make this a fantastic read. Highly recommend and can't wait to see more from this author and this world!!!
I think I've said everything there is to say about Kevin Pierce and his ability as a narrator. He is the perfect one for stories of this type as he really knows how to tell the story properly. He is easy to listen to and always delivers a great performance.
*I received a free copy of this but voluntarily reviewed it. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.*
6 of 8 people found this review helpful
Although accepting the inevitable 'Maunder Minimum,' the main characters of Surrender the Sun refuse to accept mankind's imminent demise as inevitable. Though dealing with the depravity many survivors exhibited and excused as survival of the most ruthless, Bishop and Mave fought to survive yet maintain their humanity and compassion for other, often weaker, survivors. Unfortunately, many times this presented an ethical dilemma of life-and-death proportions.
Although much of this book held true and typical of doomsday fiction, I was especially intrigued by its empathetic, but not overly sympathetic treatment of main and secondary characters suffering from PTSD due to wartime or from surviving the apocalypse or its more sinister human elements.
Without being overly detailed about preparation or tedious in describing survival tactics, this book concentrates on the human elements-good and evil-and in doing so gave encouragement that moral and physical survival is possible even when surrender to that that cannot be avoided is inevitable.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I've never read any prepper fiction but I've certainly read my share of dystopian works and hoped this would fall more on the later. There were a few red flags going in but I chose to ignore them.
Weirdly, one of the best criticisms of preppers was in a young adult novel I read, called "The Girl at the end of the World" where the protagonist assesses a crazed last-man-on-earth after a viral outbreak that leaves very few survivors. She off handedly quips that preppers are gamblers who have to pick their global catastrophe of choice and the man who she encounters is the lottery winner who to prepared for a viral outbreak, as he's replete with all the hazmat suits and decontamination gear to survive. His survival was sheer luck, not actual insight and thus lies the conundrum of preppers and survivalists. It's a slap in the face of smarmy attitude of preppers who welcome the oncoming disaster as it's a chance to prove themselves right... finally, as they look down those who weren't wise enough to prepare.
The plot really doesn't take much to kick into gear. There's a big snowstorm and Maeve on her way to drop her son off almost hits a hermit on his horse in the blizzard. She stops her car and apologizes to the mysterious man. This is where the book gets silly, and spirals downward fast, the mysterious stranger just so happens to be the one man who has the background to correctly assess Maunder Minimum. He's also an ex-solider, prepper, jack-of-all trades and is the estranged former best friend of her late husband. Despite the vague generic "saved each other more lives than each other could count" relationship our stranger has with the late husband, Maeve doesn't know him... at all despite her late husband asking this mystery man to watch over her. It's forced, contrived and ham-fisted. There's no nuance to be seen, while the writing itself is not terrible, it's story telling without subtly, deftness or even appropriate ramp up to create tension. Instead, it hits with the stupidity of a late 90s/early 2000s disaster flick. "Plot? That just gets in the way of the special effects!" Again, there's more depth to be found in young adult dystopian fiction, books written for tweens, not adults.
The stranger quickly inserts himself into her life, by helping her out. The escalation of events is absurdist, by day four of the magic snowstorm that freezes as far south as Texas, civilization has broken down. Yes, in four days civilization is over and people are looting, pillaging and murdering. Also, I say magic as there's a fundamental misunderstanding of the little ice age, as current theory is it was a combination of factors, one being vulcanology as multiple large volcanoes were active prior and during the little ice age nor was the winter unending. While the author does throw crumbs to climate change in a much needed author's note at the end, she never mentions man's involvement which strikes me as a bit irresponsible in an era of rampant science illiteracy. Her outro feels more like a bad overture to the new conservative of anti-science platform that climate change is real (which is a silly concession as we have ice core samples, fossils, and many other ways to prove climate change a zilloin times over) but either failing to mentioning man's role in climate change or denying man's involvement. It wouldn't have taken much to make at least the event to feel more plausible, and contain a little nuance by adding in multiple factors that make the storm less magical, (one of the fears of climate change is the fall of trade winds / ocean currents which could lead to larger polar caps and more desertification).
Lastly, the book falls into classic man-pandering. There's plenty of passages explaining the "role of men" as protectors and the agents of change. Maeve is hopelessly frail, because... she's a woman. Even her six year old son shows more guile and a collectedness under stress. Yes, her six year old son is more capable of fending off an adult male attacker than her and it happens twice. While I wasn't expecting political correctness to dictate a fictional book, it struck me as inherently stupid that an adult woman is less capable than a six year old child. It every situation, it takes a man to arrive at a course of action or fend off an attacker. It's weirdly sexist coming from a female writer and not a criticism I expected to lob at the book. Maeve is worthless and her own real value is an object to be put in peril for our stranger to rescue, and fawn over her pretty red hair.
In the end, the book mostly stays apolitical when it comes to politics, but science and sociology has a wildly and crassly conservative edge. The biggest crime however is the book is stupid. I've read worse but I found myself rolling my eyes numerous times and annoyed how forced situations felt. Over all, if this is one of the more original entries in prepper fiction, then all the stereotypes I harbor about the genre are true.
Notably, the narration is good, Kevin Pierce kept me listening and I applaud him for keeping me listening.
9 of 13 people found this review helpful
What did you love best about Surrender the Sun?
I loved the idea of the plot line itself. How would you survive in an emergency such as this? That's what kept me interested in the book itself... as I don't know the answer to that at the moment... and that was a good thing.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
The plot line is one interesting aspect of the story, but there was one conflicting issue: the actual air temp.. The main characters kept mentioning that it was getting colder and colder, and yet, it didn't go very much below zero degrees... even in the later chapters. The wind chills would have been bad enough, I grant you, but the impression I had of the lot was that it was supposed to get bad with all the snow and the cold temps.
Lotta snow, and definitely getting colder. But nothing like I'd imagined.
Have you listened to any of Kevin Pierce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes.
Any additional comments?
I loved being able to read this for free. Thanks audible!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
SHTF scenario with a twist. Very well done! Look forward to the next one.
"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Any additional comments?
When it started to snow at the end of October and they cancelled Halloween, few people were prepared for how bad it would get. Certainly not still grieving widow, Mauve. Her husband, Roger had been killed in the war a year before leaving her alone with a young son, Ben, in an isolated house by the Forrest. fortunately, he had asked an old military friend, now living as a recluse in the woods, to look out for them. And he did.This is their story of survival as a mini ice age envelopes their world, a fight against the cold, lack of provisions and the rapidly escalating civil unrest. And it is a terrifying tale as there is a real sense of both immediacy and possibility, sometimes missing in other apocalyptic books.
The main characters are well drawn by the author and Kevin Pierce's excellent narration really brings them to life as well as his reading being pleasant on the ear. A good pepper's starter book, too, reminding us all that disaster can strike when least expected and at least some basic provision should be made for when it does -even if this only means keeping the larder stocked up with more than just a couple of days food. More could well be hard to come by even in a temporary disaster.
My thanks to the right's holder for gifting me a copy of Surrender the Sun, via Audiobook Boom. It was most enjoyable, well written and certainly worth the listen. I believe there is to be a sequel. If so, I will certainly want to hear it.
Recommended.