Unprepared

The Scourge, Book 1

By: Tom Abrahams

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

A mutating plague is spreading. It's killing two of every three people on Earth. And Mike Crenshaw is totally unprepared.

From the world of The Traveler Series comes a new cast of characters, new obstacles, and the same devastating, world-altering virus which plunges society into the depth of a dystopian hell.

Unprepared begins in the hours before The Scourge takes hold. As if ripped from today's headlines, governments react too slowly and the disease spreads too fast. Quarantines don't work. Infrastructure fails. People die.

Follow Mike and his friends as they try to survive this new landscape and find out how the world in which The Traveler Series was set came into being. It's a thrill ride that will keep you up at night with the lights on and the doors locked.

©2020 Piton Press LLC (P)2020 Piton Press LLC

Ripped From The Headlines

This series, to quote Abrahams exact words “The Scourge series is based on the same plague that altered the world in the eight-book Traveler series featuring Marcus Battle. However, this collection follows the adventures, trials, and perseverance of an entirely different cast of characters.” That opening line really sucked me in (this is before the story even begins). But knowing the Traveler series and how much I liked it, I can’t wait to figure out what happens when people aren’t prepared. I’m also excited that we’re diving in earlier into the Scourge and we’ll get to see it as it begins instead of months after it’s ravaged millions of lives.

What I was… unprepared for was how similar the stuff that Abrahams wrote was going to be like our current circumstances. Example:

“It’s not blown out of proportion,” said the masked woman.

“People are dying from it.”

“Says the woman wearing a mask,”

This book was fantastic though, Abrahams is able to take a fake “scourge” and make it feel real. Of course, the stuff that is going on outside of our self-isolated windows is so close to what he described it really took this book to another level. Some people might have a hard time with this one because of that, but honestly it was interesting to see what an author wrote compared to what was going on. Thankfully COVID-19 is not plague based – but that doesn’t make any of the things that he predicted a year ago when writing this any less scary. The only thing he got “wrong” was the random run on toilet paper. Everything else (people fighting over food, mask shortages, etc) were all spot on.

The characters in this story were different than his average too. Definitely different than Battle. Honestly, it reminded me a bit of his Alt Apocalypse series since it took normal every day people and threw them into an apocalyptic situation. The jobs that they came from and the things that they had to deal with as they were trying to flee to safety all felt real and made this story even more rooted in realism.

Overall, a fantastic start to another Abrahams Post-Apocalyptic story. It looks like these are going to release quick throughout May (and maybe June). Hopefully Kevin Pierce can get the audio done as well because I can’t wait to dive into more of these and see what happens. Especially the next book since (the cover gives it away so I don’t feel like it’s a huge spoiler) it looks like it’s going to take place on a boat. I’m super curious to see how that goes.

Another Ridiculous SHTF Story

Another SHTF story where people turn into murderers within hours of a disaster. What I would give for just one realistic book!

5Star4Me

Abraham’s books are dependable. He builds the characters and keeps them true. The writer is knowledgeable in the subject and anticipates future events well.
No filthy language or filthy description of sexual deviancy. Some cussing. I greatly appreciate this.

EXCELLENT!!!

WOW! This book could have been written last month with the Coronavirus situation!

I really love how the book is written from the view point of the average "UNPREPARED" American.

Michael, a typical guy living in central, Florida when the Scourge hits. This book is action from beginning to end!

Love this book and can't wait for book 2, Adrift!

Unprepared is Pretty Realistic

This is a spin off of Tom Abraham's Traveler series. It helps fill in the back story of the plague that happened years earlier.
The character's are unprepared as advertised. They make the usual mistakes one would expect, underestimating the severity of the situation. A variety of characters deal with their own situations and viewpoints until they are brought together at the end of the book.
Well narrated as always by the voice of the apocalypse, Kevin Pierce. He even get's a nice nod as a character in the book.

Great book. Pandemic post apoc.

Some people say they wouldn't want to read about something so negative that's happening in today's society but I disagree, I like reading about it and hoping I might learn something that can be relevant with what's actually currently going on. Great characters great storyline. Can't wait for book two.

tom doing it agane

this is a must book to read.
cant wait for next book.
kevin .p reading makes it just perfeckt

awesomeness

great book, great narrator, all around fun to listen to. very much spot on for these days.

all right I'm sucked in

what an excellent read I had to power through it. also an excellent reminder on just how unprepared we really are as a nation to the individual. I truly wish there was more interest in basic first aid, stop the bleed and cert programs.

And so it begins.

Abrahams and Pierce again come together for an amazing journey. pre scourge, pre Marcus Battle. Loved it. Can't wait for Adrift.

Another great offering from a fine SHTF author

As an avid fan of the genre, I genuinely enjoyed Tom Abraham's Traveler series, which followed Marcus Battle as he dealt with the countless bad guys, various politics and personal demons that followed a worldwide pandemic, "the scourge".
On discovering this follow up series I was genuinely excited to find out what else the author had imagined for us, in this very realistic and so familiar universe. I was not disappointed.

As with the Traveler series, the characters are complex, imperfect and all the more realistic and likeable for it. The author manages to set this off vivid descriptions of set and setting, and the plot moves along at a good tempo but leaves enough space for us bond with the key characters. As ever the preparedness elements are are as accurate and detailed as a good SHTF novel requires, without getting too technical.

Most importantly, this is a great tale of flawed individuals dealing with the pressures of a society on its knees, and I'm very much looking forwards to seeing how they get on in the next installment, Adrift, which to my knowledge is available now.

Kevin Pierce narrates as well as ever... and is even name-checked in this book, in a narrator's version of a cameo performance. Love it.

I genuinely loved this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre or other high tempo thrillers. I have no vested interest and received nothing in return for a review.

☺

This audio book is 1000 % I think I will be looking for more of there work