Well written but gory for me

It was a well written story wandering through the viewpoint of several characters. If you like dystopian and don’t mind gore it’s for you. I’m more a “let’s get through this together peacefully” type more than gore and survival. Someone else will enjoy it more.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

not bad

only read first two books, maybe gets better ? but just kind of trolled along not to exciting.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

It's pretty rudimentary

It's not pushing any boundaries. The dialogue is particularly stiff. Decent bones of a story but it doesn't fulfill its potential.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Excellent read

I was so glad to have these author’s on audible.

I’ve been reading their books for years. This is one of their many books that they have, and it’s a great listen.

Love the writing, pacing, story line and narrator. It would be great to have him read the rest of the series.

Great job everyone.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Must be written by a child

I finished this book and wad not impressed but decided to continue the series. big mistake and waste of time and money.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

'Little Women' meets 'Dune'

T.W. Piperbrook offers a take on the 'Arrakis' environment (complete with huge creatures lurking under the sand and sensing vibrations to hunt) in a story that could easily be about fledgling Fremen tribes struggling with the life-threatening aspects of their world.. but adding some post-apocalyptic twists, hidden secrets, and a focus on the super-responsible children of a family torn apart:

• Book One ('Sandstorm') introduces us to 'Neena' and 'Raj' - siblings coping with life on the remote desert planet Ravar and taking care of their younger kin after their Father abandoned the family. Each embarks on an adventure to elucidate the challenges of the environment (limited food and resources, mysterious monsters, fiercely isolationist colony leadership, and deadly storms that come out of nowhere). They also navigate relatively mundane problems like bullying and indifferent neighbors in an essentially lawless hand-to-mouth society (like a frontier town in the 1800s.. but even more primitive - like, Stone Age hunter-gatherer primitive).
The book is well-written, introduces some interesting ideas.. and was strikingly ho-hum.
• Book Two ('Windswept'), basically continues where the first book left off: opening with Neena and an ally from another colony/tribe named 'Kai' imprisoned by Colony Leadership; and Raj collapsed into a coma in the local cemetary. They uncover a conspiracy to keep colony citizens in the dark about the dangers of Ravar led by entrenched politicians and an army of Gestapo clones called "The Watchers".
Until the climax, the book is noticeably lacking in threat (the Watchers beat up some prisoners at one point), the description is weak, and the motivation for the bad guys to hide the truth is nebulous (xenophobia? maybe?).

Bottom Line: these books are really quite boring - lacking in action that makes sense, and bogged down in political obstinacy & family dynamics.

I am unsure why Scott Brick is so sibilant on this recording, either. He extends his s's to an extent that I have not heard in dozens of audiobooks read by the man. Perhaps Podium Audio engineers mixed it lazily or something.
Regardless, I found the performance typically "above average" otherwise (anytime you listen to Mr Brick, set Playback speed at 1.15X to restore his cadence to a more natural state and tolerate his faintly arrogant overall tone.. but anticipate a thoroughly professional narration - Scott is one of the best in the business).

Altogether, this pair of books rates 3 out of 10 stars.
I've never read any of Mr. Piperbrook's PostApocalyptic/Zombie fiction, but could imagine it's of decent quality, mind you (his understanding of suspense and judicious use of gore is impressive) - it's just evident that the 'Sandstorm' series is so focussed on family drama that it's hard to stay interested.
Even as a 'Plus' selection, this Publisher's Pack wasn't worth the time investment. Paying a Credit for it would be hard to defend.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!