Amateurish

I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of SHTF (Sh*t Hits The Fan) literature.. but I've read enough to recognize quality and garbage. This one is middling.
Shawn Underhill is clearly setting up a series by introducing readers/listeners to a cookie-cutter scenario: relatable self-sufficient preppers guarding their loved ones from neighbors who are burning homes, murdering friends, and looting for some reason, while our heroes fight for survival - putting their stockpiled nonperishable food, concrete bunkers, and arsenals of Armalite Rifles to good use.
This book is cynical, nonsensical, silly.. and entertaining. Underhill fashions a fairly unoriginal story - but with quirky characters, capable vocabulary/prose, and creditable description skills.
Less fortunately, the dialogue is amusingly stilted, the plotting eventually turns to a cartoonish "government oppression" narrative, the book takes on the feel of a high school creative writing assignment (complete with limited swearing & violence), and the pacing is ridiculously slow. In fact, very little happens until Chapter 28. "GET ON WITH IT!!" leaped to mind annoyingly frequently.

On the "Plus" side of the ledger, reader Paul Costanzo clearly enjoys the book. Tantor Audio sound engineers struggle to soften Costanzo's natural sibilance, but his tone is pitch-perfect for the author's intentions. This is an above-average listening product overall.

If you can get this 5/10-star recording as a free 'Plus' selection, it's a relatively short listen - perfect for a quiet afternoon. It didn't grab me (I won't be continuing with the wank-material-for-reenaged-3-percenters 'Live Free Or Die' series), but it may do so for you. If they ask for a Credit, however, there are better options available.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Not the smartest hero

Stealth into the forest. But hey I think I will light a cigarette to show the bad guys where I am. Plus hit the wife can smell cigarette smoke residue

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Terrible story line

I’m a big fan of those sort of genre, but this story line was terrible. All the characters were so dislikable and not believable. The story jumps around and is really just a long winding introduction for the bigger series (I assume, I won’t be listening to the rest) and absolutely doesn’t stand on its own. The narrator seems to only convey anger with a sort of bitter mocking tone that gets old fast, and the volume level jumps up and down randomly as it switches from dialog to narration. I kept listening hoping it would improve (and because I didn’t have the time to search for something better to listen to) but I regret sticking it out!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Like WHAT…?

It was good, until it wasn’t. The cop out at the end with the shimmery guy, then the dream tank. IDK, it feels like the author had no idea how to finish the story.
Both my husband and myself had to most puzzled looks on our faces while listening to the last 1.5 hours. That ending made the whole book bad. Waste of 6 hours.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!