The Defiant: Grid Down

By: John W. Vance

Narrated by: Joseph Morton

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

When the lights go out, can you survive?

For years, a few have warned that a day of reckoning was coming, but those warnings went unheeded and even mocked. Then that day came...

When Nicholas McNeil, a father and dedicated husband, turned out the lights in his suburban home Sunday night, they would never turn on again. During the early Monday morning hours, a spectacular and well-coordinated attack destroys the grid and brings the United States to its knees.

Nicholas was a man who had heeded the warnings to a degree, but most did not. With a society unprepared and a government overwhelmed, panic turns to chaos and soon violence.

Fighting for what resources are still available, Nicholas and his family also find themselves fighting to survive as society turns on itself.

©2015 John W. Vance (P)2015 John W. Vance

A better SHTF novel.

Not sounding as dogmatically preachy as most end of the world novels The Defiant, Grid Down, is a pleasant surprise. The story , following the average "post EMP" plot keeps your attention none the less.
The narration was pleasant and I look forward to hearing more.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

The wrong narrator

What would have made The Defiant: Grid Down better?

The narrator's voice is deep and likeable, and would probably excel at commercial voiceovers. However, I don't think his style suits audiobooks for the following reasons: he uses the same voice for all characters (confusing), he misreads/mispronounces things repeatedly (instead of saying "Nicholas' bag" he will say "Nicholas bag").

Perhaps I should blame the editor/producer, too, because it seems like a professional one would have ordered multiple takes when an error occurred.

Would you recommend The Defiant: Grid Down to your friends? Why or why not?

I will not recommend this audio version, but I would recommend the paper book.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Joseph Morton?

Duke Fontaine, without a doubt!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

I have a new favorite author!

I have now officially listened to all of Mr. Vance's books on tape available on audible. I am eagerly awaiting his next one. The man really knows how to write a great book! You won't be disappointed

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Rip Off Aler! This is just a teaser!

What disappointed you about The Defiant: Grid Down?

The fact that you have to buy 2 more books to finish the story. I have been an Audible member for a number of years now and recently I have been noticing a significant trend towards shorter and shorter "books" that force you to eat up credits to get the whole story. Two recent examples are "The Defiant:Grid Down" and "Vagos, Mongols, and Outlaws". The first ebook mentioned is the worst offender, if you want to hear the whole story you have to purchase 3 books, burning up 20% of my annual allotment. At least the second book tells a whole story. There have been others over the last year that have struck me as a poor value given the length of the read.
As much as I enjoyed The Defiant, there is not way I am going to reward the author's and Audible's (Amazon) greed by shelling out two more credits for what should have been one.
If this trend continues I will look for an alternate source of audiobooks.

What did you like best about this story?

Well written and narrated

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Good story line and action, my issue is with the poor value proposition and the author's greed

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Only one thing bugged me

What did you love best about The Defiant: Grid Down?

I liked that it didn't just tell the story from one perspective. Characters from different places actually meet and come together. Fresh idea.

Would you recommend The Defiant: Grid Down to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes I would. It's a good book with a lot of interesting twists.

What does Joseph Morton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have listened to several books that he has read. He is a awesome narrator. I'm convinced he could take the worst book ever written and make it interesting.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes but I can't put it on here without telling some of the story.

Any additional comments?

Okay there is one thing that bothered me throughout the book. I happened to read "the end" by G. Michael hopf. There are many parallels in this book, and one section that seems straight up copied out of the book by Hopf. These books are so close in nature that it seems the authors wanted to have a competition. If that was the case "the end" blows this one out of the water. But still a good book.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Nothing, but potential

Story was a disjointed and a bit slow.
Would recommend author develops characters further as well as improving plot and subplot. This is an author with a lot of potential and I would consider picking up his next book to see how it goes.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Real eye opener 😬

I think this book was written in a way so its believable for most. Opens the eyes of those who dont want to plan for "what if"......... Cant wait to listen to the others! Thank you for a great book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

YES, another must listen! Very nicely done.

Great plot with several story lines each with outstanding character development. No superheroes, just everyday people; some you will like and a couple you will really dislike. Not because they are over the top nasty mean, but because we all know people who would become these characters.

Keep em coming, this plot has legs!

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Can't wait for the next one!

I was worried for the first 15 minutes but then I just couldn't stop listening. I like how realistic the story was. I will definitely be following this series!

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Nicely written and narrated.

Enjoyed this one from beginning to end...hope the next one is soon to arrive. Characters are developing. Michael Rowe, Indiana

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

story is copied from another book. pointless.

I was gutted to realise the story was almost identical to that of a book written by G Michael Hopf. the only difference is the names. I was able to easily guess what would happen next due to this. author can't expect credit for this. amd the reader can't seem to pronounce argh properly and sounds silly. he also doesn't portray shouting properly. so disappointed l.