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Life After War #1
The Survivors
Untold miles of lawless, apocalyptic roads wait for our feet
Note from the Author:
"This is Safe Haven Refugee Camp. Can anyone hear me? …hello? Is anyone out there?
The end of the world has given us a harsh, merciless existence, where nature tries hard to push mankind to the very brink of extinction. Everything is against us, between us... Untold miles of lawless, apocalyptic roads wait for our feet, and the future, cold and dark, offers little comfort. Without change, there can be no peace. Only survivors.”
From dangerous trips into dark, apocalyptic cities, to patriotic rescues and furious revelations, Life After War is an action-packed fantasy series where those left alive must come to terms with their mistakes in the old world, while fighting for a place in the new one. Life After War. Magic and Reality blended into a post-apocalyptic fantasy series that you won't ever forget.
Summary in 20 words or less:An action adventure quest, with a supernatural romance, and many other subplots, set during the aftermath of the apocalypse.
What can you expect to discover in this fantasy series? The End of the World, up close and full of apocalyptic horror. A government conspiracy that caused the apocalypse. An adventure into the wastelands to find family, supplies, and safety. A supernatural romance with a dangerous secret about a child's parentage and a love strong enough to survive nuclear armageddon. An invasion, ambushes, attacks from nature and man-guns and magic! A refugee camp with very different laws, picking up those who have survived. A hero you will love, even as you ponder the secrets that could lose him leadership. A witch, a doctor, a government storm tracker, a star, and three Marines struggling to keep their people alive and together as they prepare to defend themselves against Cesar's slavers. A constant battle for survival that includes deadly trips into decaying American cities, insanity, relics of the past, and ghosts that stalk their every move.Note from the Author:
This book has now gone through multiple editors since the release in 2010: The total I have spent is more than 3K, just for the file you are about to read. If there are still mistakes, I apologize.
659 pages, ebook
First published May 12, 2010
2244 people are currently reading
3514 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 339 reviews
December 27, 2012
Free eBooks have a stigma attached to them for being poorly written. I keep downloading them in the hope that I'll find one that bucks this trend. Sadly The Survivors doesn't. The only positive thing I can say is that the idea behind the story was pretty good, though very badly executed.
The cover is extremely poor. The font elicits feelings of fantasy rather than apocalyptic genre, and whilst the story apparently has a fantasy element to it, it feels wrong. Though I guess the old saying: "Never judge a book by its cover" is always easy to say, but not always true. We judge everything on sight first and foremost, and if an author can't take the time to get that much right then the content doesn't matter. It might be the most profound piece of writing ever, yet if a potential reader finds the cover off putting those wonderful words will never be read.
The story starts off in the first person. All well and good. But the chapter with the President is written in the third person with some insights that can't possibly have been known by that of the character who starts the story.
The layout is shocking, gaps between paragraphs, chapters indented on the first paragraph, chapter headings inconsistent and awful images at the start of each chapter for no reason other than the author assumed they were needed and looked good.
Spelling and grammar are awful with more than one mistake or error on every page. Not only that but the author doesn't seem to have any grasp on how narrative works. Instead of saying: "John said..." she insists on weird stuff like: "the marine said" which is okay if reader doesn't yet know the name of the marine in question. However, even when names are revealed descriptions like: "the two males sat down" and "the blonde woman" are everywhere.
The story flits from one character and situation to another, with very little to link any of them together. I made it to 50% on my Kindle before deleting it. With too many errors, inconsistencies and generally terrible writing, I had to stop reading.
What I find strange is the mixture of different reviews on Amazon. Clearly those who LOVE the book have no idea how a story is supposed to be written. There are some who give it one star and state how the poor quality of amateur Kindle books is giving self publishing a bad name. Angela White, the author states that some titles have been taken off for editing. This one reads like a first draft at best and should never have been uploaded for consumption without it.
As a writer myself I've considered taking the self publishing route but have held off in the hope to find an agent to take on my work. Time will tell. My current writing project has been through 7 edits which has taken over a year to polish to it's current draft.
I applaud anyone who has the balls to take the plunge and release their work on such a vast place like Amazon Kindle, however just because you can string enough words together to form a book doesn't mean you're a writer and assume anything you do write is good enough to be published, free though it may be.
The cover is extremely poor. The font elicits feelings of fantasy rather than apocalyptic genre, and whilst the story apparently has a fantasy element to it, it feels wrong. Though I guess the old saying: "Never judge a book by its cover" is always easy to say, but not always true. We judge everything on sight first and foremost, and if an author can't take the time to get that much right then the content doesn't matter. It might be the most profound piece of writing ever, yet if a potential reader finds the cover off putting those wonderful words will never be read.
The story starts off in the first person. All well and good. But the chapter with the President is written in the third person with some insights that can't possibly have been known by that of the character who starts the story.
The layout is shocking, gaps between paragraphs, chapters indented on the first paragraph, chapter headings inconsistent and awful images at the start of each chapter for no reason other than the author assumed they were needed and looked good.
Spelling and grammar are awful with more than one mistake or error on every page. Not only that but the author doesn't seem to have any grasp on how narrative works. Instead of saying: "John said..." she insists on weird stuff like: "the marine said" which is okay if reader doesn't yet know the name of the marine in question. However, even when names are revealed descriptions like: "the two males sat down" and "the blonde woman" are everywhere.
The story flits from one character and situation to another, with very little to link any of them together. I made it to 50% on my Kindle before deleting it. With too many errors, inconsistencies and generally terrible writing, I had to stop reading.
What I find strange is the mixture of different reviews on Amazon. Clearly those who LOVE the book have no idea how a story is supposed to be written. There are some who give it one star and state how the poor quality of amateur Kindle books is giving self publishing a bad name. Angela White, the author states that some titles have been taken off for editing. This one reads like a first draft at best and should never have been uploaded for consumption without it.
As a writer myself I've considered taking the self publishing route but have held off in the hope to find an agent to take on my work. Time will tell. My current writing project has been through 7 edits which has taken over a year to polish to it's current draft.
I applaud anyone who has the balls to take the plunge and release their work on such a vast place like Amazon Kindle, however just because you can string enough words together to form a book doesn't mean you're a writer and assume anything you do write is good enough to be published, free though it may be.
February 23, 2013
I downloaded this because it was free and I enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction.
I wanted the money I did not spend back quickly. I can get over editing issues. I cannot however, get over the extreme sexism, blatant racism, and rampant xenophobia.
1. Why are all the women so pathetic? They just cannot get by without a Man to help them.
2. Clearly the author sees herself as the character Angela. Nothing I would be particularly proud of. Angela is a constant victim.
3. Why does almost every single character have green eyes? A few characters have blue eyes.
4. Where is everyone getting weed from? Seriously.
5. Using America WAY too many times. We get it. This is 'Murica!
6. Who knew Mexicans hated America so much. Now I know though! Anyone with skin darker than a person of Asian descent are BAD!
7. What is the nonsense about Jesus, Mary, and their descendants have to do with the story? Did I miss something?
8. Most of the men in the book are revolting. All swagger and bossy. Adrian referring to people as sheep constantly? Just the kind of leader I would like to have.
If I did not have to pay for the rest of the books I might be tempted to read them just to see what happens.
I wanted the money I did not spend back quickly. I can get over editing issues. I cannot however, get over the extreme sexism, blatant racism, and rampant xenophobia.
1. Why are all the women so pathetic? They just cannot get by without a Man to help them.
2. Clearly the author sees herself as the character Angela. Nothing I would be particularly proud of. Angela is a constant victim.
3. Why does almost every single character have green eyes? A few characters have blue eyes.
4. Where is everyone getting weed from? Seriously.
5. Using America WAY too many times. We get it. This is 'Murica!
6. Who knew Mexicans hated America so much. Now I know though! Anyone with skin darker than a person of Asian descent are BAD!
7. What is the nonsense about Jesus, Mary, and their descendants have to do with the story? Did I miss something?
8. Most of the men in the book are revolting. All swagger and bossy. Adrian referring to people as sheep constantly? Just the kind of leader I would like to have.
If I did not have to pay for the rest of the books I might be tempted to read them just to see what happens.
January 15, 2014
***SPOILER ALERT***
Where to start?
Let's start with the science first. Nuclear fallout does not cause a contagious disease, so there is no need to quarantine anyone who comes into camp. Nuclear radiation will probably cause mutations, but those mutations will kill the organism 99.9% of the time, they will not cause giant rats, giant wolves, giant ants, and blind birds that spread infection. Nuclear warheads are exploded in the air to maximize the amount of damage they do to things on the ground (the resulting downward pressure wave and upward reflection pressure wave will make a shock front that will do far more damage). With that in mind, such a warhead will not cause earthquakes. A nuclear winter will cause global decreases in temperature, including in the tropics which will tend to blunt the strength of hurricanes. Also, nature doesn't have a consciousnesses and will not be out to get humans like the writer implies.
An EMP caused by a nuclear warhead is a localized event unless that warhead is exploded in space, with that in mind there will be quite a few pockets of working electronics, but what won't happen is for so many vehicles to be working, especially since she implies that this book takes place in the near future...any vehicle made after 1986 that is in an EMP zone will be inoperable.
Finally, the battery powered heater her main protagonist had and used nightly. Batteries hold very small amounts of power compared to chemical fuels, that's why electric cars still cannot travel as far as a gasoline-powered car. She never described what kind of battery her heater used, but I can only assume that she didn't actually research to see if they actually exist (they don't) or if such a device is possible (not by current technological standards). Just to give an idea, a 12-volt car battery could run a 1200 watt space heater for less than half an hour before being completely depleted.
Geography. I would recommend anyone who writes to keep an atlas open. If a hurricane moves in from the Gulf of Mexico and strikes Valdosta, Georgia, it will be moving northeastward. In order for it to then head across the US and cause problems in the midwest and plains, it will have to make a hard, almost 100 degree turn to the left, and the writer did not mention that. Dams across the Mississippi River do occur, but only along the Upper Mississippi, and the writer should have made a point that heading from Ohio to Utah...or wherever they were actually heading (not completely clear) would require a detour of hundreds of miles.
Characters. The writer displays a severe misandry. I'm not sure if that is her actual views, but in this book every male (with the exception of the middle-aged doctor) is a deplorable individual, and the doc has his chauvinistic flaws also. Why does everyone who is scraping by trying to survive have time to smoke pot and drink heavily, and for that matter, where are they getting all the drugs in the wasteland that was America. The writer also displayed severe xenophobia: the good guys were, not only Caucasian, but blond-haired and blue-eyed, and the antagonists were either Hispanic or black. Where were the Americans of Hispanic descent who made it into the good guy's camp?
The Military. Yes we know that two of the main characters were US Marines; don't tell us every other paragraph. Also, before you write about marines, learn a little bit about their history, training, and ideals. First, never, never, never call a marine a soldier; soldiers serve in the Army, airmen serve the Air Force, sailors serve in the Navy, and marines server in the Marines. Also, the severe abuse your main antagonist displays, and displayed before the event, would have led him to the brig and drummed him out of the corps, especially acting against a superior NCO.
The plot and the story. The story got so bogged down with minutiae, especially describing the gore in explicit detail, that important topics got lost, like why the war started in the first place. Also an entire storyline (that did not tie in with the rest of the book) was started then dropped (The Pitcairn Island thread.)
Finally, grammar and spelling. I'm sorry to say that the writer's utilization of proper English grammar is atrocious. The sheer number of misplaced commas and apostrophes were too many to count, as were the number of synonym mistakes. The most common were the usual "there, their, they're" and "its, it's." Also, the past tense of "drag" is "dragged" not "drug."
All these mistakes made me more and more annoyed as I was reading the book, and I kept waiting on the redeeming features to start, but it never happened. I would not recommend this book to be read.
Where to start?
Let's start with the science first. Nuclear fallout does not cause a contagious disease, so there is no need to quarantine anyone who comes into camp. Nuclear radiation will probably cause mutations, but those mutations will kill the organism 99.9% of the time, they will not cause giant rats, giant wolves, giant ants, and blind birds that spread infection. Nuclear warheads are exploded in the air to maximize the amount of damage they do to things on the ground (the resulting downward pressure wave and upward reflection pressure wave will make a shock front that will do far more damage). With that in mind, such a warhead will not cause earthquakes. A nuclear winter will cause global decreases in temperature, including in the tropics which will tend to blunt the strength of hurricanes. Also, nature doesn't have a consciousnesses and will not be out to get humans like the writer implies.
An EMP caused by a nuclear warhead is a localized event unless that warhead is exploded in space, with that in mind there will be quite a few pockets of working electronics, but what won't happen is for so many vehicles to be working, especially since she implies that this book takes place in the near future...any vehicle made after 1986 that is in an EMP zone will be inoperable.
Finally, the battery powered heater her main protagonist had and used nightly. Batteries hold very small amounts of power compared to chemical fuels, that's why electric cars still cannot travel as far as a gasoline-powered car. She never described what kind of battery her heater used, but I can only assume that she didn't actually research to see if they actually exist (they don't) or if such a device is possible (not by current technological standards). Just to give an idea, a 12-volt car battery could run a 1200 watt space heater for less than half an hour before being completely depleted.
Geography. I would recommend anyone who writes to keep an atlas open. If a hurricane moves in from the Gulf of Mexico and strikes Valdosta, Georgia, it will be moving northeastward. In order for it to then head across the US and cause problems in the midwest and plains, it will have to make a hard, almost 100 degree turn to the left, and the writer did not mention that. Dams across the Mississippi River do occur, but only along the Upper Mississippi, and the writer should have made a point that heading from Ohio to Utah...or wherever they were actually heading (not completely clear) would require a detour of hundreds of miles.
Characters. The writer displays a severe misandry. I'm not sure if that is her actual views, but in this book every male (with the exception of the middle-aged doctor) is a deplorable individual, and the doc has his chauvinistic flaws also. Why does everyone who is scraping by trying to survive have time to smoke pot and drink heavily, and for that matter, where are they getting all the drugs in the wasteland that was America. The writer also displayed severe xenophobia: the good guys were, not only Caucasian, but blond-haired and blue-eyed, and the antagonists were either Hispanic or black. Where were the Americans of Hispanic descent who made it into the good guy's camp?
The Military. Yes we know that two of the main characters were US Marines; don't tell us every other paragraph. Also, before you write about marines, learn a little bit about their history, training, and ideals. First, never, never, never call a marine a soldier; soldiers serve in the Army, airmen serve the Air Force, sailors serve in the Navy, and marines server in the Marines. Also, the severe abuse your main antagonist displays, and displayed before the event, would have led him to the brig and drummed him out of the corps, especially acting against a superior NCO.
The plot and the story. The story got so bogged down with minutiae, especially describing the gore in explicit detail, that important topics got lost, like why the war started in the first place. Also an entire storyline (that did not tie in with the rest of the book) was started then dropped (The Pitcairn Island thread.)
Finally, grammar and spelling. I'm sorry to say that the writer's utilization of proper English grammar is atrocious. The sheer number of misplaced commas and apostrophes were too many to count, as were the number of synonym mistakes. The most common were the usual "there, their, they're" and "its, it's." Also, the past tense of "drag" is "dragged" not "drug."
All these mistakes made me more and more annoyed as I was reading the book, and I kept waiting on the redeeming features to start, but it never happened. I would not recommend this book to be read.
September 8, 2012
This book is full of horrible grammar, spelling and timeline errors, but that's not even what disturbed me most. It's the badly hidden (perhaps not even purposeful, I hope?) racism that really got to me. All the heroes are white (green eyed blondes, seriously?) and all the bad guys are either African American or otherwise dark skinned and/or not American. I'm a blue eyed woman with dirty blonde hair and it still got to me! The way the characters are either very, very bad indeed or very, very good is also rather annoying, as most, if not all, humans are more multidimensional than that. I also tried to count how many times the word "America" was mentioned, but I lost count after about page 60. Is it really necessary to repeat it so many times, especially when this is a book about global nuclear holocaust, not just the destruction of one single country, and when it's impossible to forget what country this book is set in if you have any sense in your head at all? I know the author takes pride in her patriotism and love of everything it stands for (she says so on her website) but the repetition can sound arrogant and racist in the context it's mentioned in so many times during the run of the novel. The equivalent would be J.R.R. Tolkien mentioning that the Lord of The Rings is set in Middle Earth on every other page. Why didn't he do it? Because it's not necessary and it also shows bad taste.
I truly did give it my best effort, but I just can't like this book even if the story in itself is rather good. If this was edited better and the insidious and maybe accidental racism was cut out I might give it another chance.
I truly did give it my best effort, but I just can't like this book even if the story in itself is rather good. If this was edited better and the insidious and maybe accidental racism was cut out I might give it another chance.
November 12, 2014
This book went wrong on a number of levels (and by wrong I mean it was a disjointed nightmare to read):
1) Plot - It just didn't make sense! I can tolerate the fantastical nuclear fallout results and inconsistent unexplained magical powers. What bothers me is the fact that the story takes us across 50% of the United States and there are less than 1000 people alive. The author merely writes the entire population as dead in the street with no reason or explanation. Within two weeks of this occurrence all remaining women have been subjugated and claimed by either good guys (white men) or bad guys (Mexican men). She tries to hint at some illuminati/freemasonry type of orchestration behind the initial catastrophe but fails to mention it even one more time for the duration of the novel. Then she throws in ridiculous weather disasters that are happening because nature wants to kill people... nothing is connected or explained. All characters have and consume an endless supply of marijuana and beer but seem to have trouble finding gas... clean water and fresh food never run low either...
2) Characters - I can tolerate split personalities and magical powers but please limit characters to 1 - 3 nicknames. Referring to multiple people by first names, last names, nationalities, traits, ranks, code names and merely "the man/woman" gets a little hard to follow. One way to keep readers interested in a self-touted "apocalyptic survival horror" book is to not write a reverse chronology, revealing who makes it before you launch into the story may not be the best approach... No research was done on the military characters who all speak and act painfully unnatural. I have never read anything with characters so starkly placed in gender and race boxes; it was appalling. Also, the "charismatic golden child leader of the Arian race remnants who will rebuild America with a pure bloodline" has no qualms about committing sexual assault on a character in his camp who has an issue with his leadership. This is written as a positive corrective action and the right decision.
There was more but I'm just going to stop the review because there is nothing good to say and I want to forget this book as soon as possible.
1) Plot - It just didn't make sense! I can tolerate the fantastical nuclear fallout results and inconsistent unexplained magical powers. What bothers me is the fact that the story takes us across 50% of the United States and there are less than 1000 people alive. The author merely writes the entire population as dead in the street with no reason or explanation. Within two weeks of this occurrence all remaining women have been subjugated and claimed by either good guys (white men) or bad guys (Mexican men). She tries to hint at some illuminati/freemasonry type of orchestration behind the initial catastrophe but fails to mention it even one more time for the duration of the novel. Then she throws in ridiculous weather disasters that are happening because nature wants to kill people... nothing is connected or explained. All characters have and consume an endless supply of marijuana and beer but seem to have trouble finding gas... clean water and fresh food never run low either...
2) Characters - I can tolerate split personalities and magical powers but please limit characters to 1 - 3 nicknames. Referring to multiple people by first names, last names, nationalities, traits, ranks, code names and merely "the man/woman" gets a little hard to follow. One way to keep readers interested in a self-touted "apocalyptic survival horror" book is to not write a reverse chronology, revealing who makes it before you launch into the story may not be the best approach... No research was done on the military characters who all speak and act painfully unnatural. I have never read anything with characters so starkly placed in gender and race boxes; it was appalling. Also, the "charismatic golden child leader of the Arian race remnants who will rebuild America with a pure bloodline" has no qualms about committing sexual assault on a character in his camp who has an issue with his leadership. This is written as a positive corrective action and the right decision.
There was more but I'm just going to stop the review because there is nothing good to say and I want to forget this book as soon as possible.
March 3, 2013
I love dystopian literature. The premises in this book are good; the grammar, sentence structure & organization are terrible. Some sentences border on "incoherent."
For example:
"Only slightly reassured, America's beloved President looked over what might be his last address with worry burning intensely in his heart."
"Hands already stained with blood, there was a violent, crimson flash and the former President slumped to the floor."
"Now,the guns were louder than the cries of the sick, blind birds, as they were flew by instead of trying to land."
The author also has multiple designations for the same character; in one short paragraph, a single man is called variously "Kyle", "The Mobster", "The Italian" & "the man." Kenn is also "Kenny" & "The Marine." This is repeated with many characters. "The redhead" is used to refer to both a male & a female character. Even the group of survivors are called "sheep." White probably thinks she is being descriptive but is actually just confusing the reader. Even one of the main characters has three personas: "The witch", "the new Angela" & "the old Angela."
Descriptions are repetitive; the majority of the women have "curls" , are "tiny" and have waists that "his two hands could span." The men are "big". Also, I am unaccustomed to someone referring to a man as "the blonde" or "the redhead."
Other aspects of the story are completely unbelievable. Men degenerate into sexual predators immediately; one would think they had more important things to do, such as make survival preparations! Women become slaves; animals & insects instantly mutate. Children other than a few teenagers, are not mentioned in the novel at all.
All in all, what could have great, is merely mildly interesting & very confusing. The most confusing issue of all is what started this Armageddon & why it happened so quickly..that should have been the main premise, but is somehow never fully developed.
For example:
"Only slightly reassured, America's beloved President looked over what might be his last address with worry burning intensely in his heart."
"Hands already stained with blood, there was a violent, crimson flash and the former President slumped to the floor."
"Now,the guns were louder than the cries of the sick, blind birds, as they were flew by instead of trying to land."
The author also has multiple designations for the same character; in one short paragraph, a single man is called variously "Kyle", "The Mobster", "The Italian" & "the man." Kenn is also "Kenny" & "The Marine." This is repeated with many characters. "The redhead" is used to refer to both a male & a female character. Even the group of survivors are called "sheep." White probably thinks she is being descriptive but is actually just confusing the reader. Even one of the main characters has three personas: "The witch", "the new Angela" & "the old Angela."
Descriptions are repetitive; the majority of the women have "curls" , are "tiny" and have waists that "his two hands could span." The men are "big". Also, I am unaccustomed to someone referring to a man as "the blonde" or "the redhead."
Other aspects of the story are completely unbelievable. Men degenerate into sexual predators immediately; one would think they had more important things to do, such as make survival preparations! Women become slaves; animals & insects instantly mutate. Children other than a few teenagers, are not mentioned in the novel at all.
All in all, what could have great, is merely mildly interesting & very confusing. The most confusing issue of all is what started this Armageddon & why it happened so quickly..that should have been the main premise, but is somehow never fully developed.
June 5, 2012
This is a great story. I have read all three books in the series and each book got progressively less interesting. But, I would say this first book is a really good read. However, the editing is so poor that it takes away from the enjoyment of the book. There are many misspellings and grammar errors. Several words are consistently used wrong- passed instead of past, lightening instead of lightning, butt instead of but, etc... I can forgive a few errors in a book and look past them. But, when there's something on every page, it gets very distracting.
ETA: Even the title of this book seems to have a grammatical error. The Survivor's what? Or, did they mean Survivors plural instead of possessive?
ETA: Even the title of this book seems to have a grammatical error. The Survivor's what? Or, did they mean Survivors plural instead of possessive?
February 22, 2013
If you are into End of the World type of story, don't waste your time even if you did get this book for free...The characters are slow to develop with way too much repetitions in descriptions...
Also I am not sure why the author/hero thinks that all men are bond to become beast or sexual predators when the world ends..?
Anyway it is too bad because if you read this you have been fascinated with the concept of Nuclear War survivors...I suggest you read "The Road" or "Malevil" instead...
I have not been impressed with Angela White writing skills but I know she has a solid potential and hope that she eventually will get better with time...
I have to admit it was so bad, I could not finish the book!
Also I am not sure why the author/hero thinks that all men are bond to become beast or sexual predators when the world ends..?
Anyway it is too bad because if you read this you have been fascinated with the concept of Nuclear War survivors...I suggest you read "The Road" or "Malevil" instead...
I have not been impressed with Angela White writing skills but I know she has a solid potential and hope that she eventually will get better with time...
I have to admit it was so bad, I could not finish the book!
September 20, 2013
I read all genres of books and have read a lot of post-apocalyptic type books lately. That being said, I could not stand this book. By the time I was a quarter of the way through the book, I still had no idea who the characters were (there were too many and the plot bounced around so much not only was it hard to keep track, the descriptions ended up being very similar). I did not care what happened to the characters and just wanted the story to be over. After finishing, I still do not know who the characters are and I still do not care. The writing was lacking and seemed like the author was just making things up with no logical background or reasoning. Granted, I know there is some extent of suspension of disbelief necessary for a lot of supernatural fiction, but these ideas were out of left field.
For a review of this book that I agree greatly with, check out - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I could repeat what he said, but I have already wasted too much time on this book.
For a review of this book that I agree greatly with, check out - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I could repeat what he said, but I have already wasted too much time on this book.
May 20, 2014
This was my first free e-book. I wish I'd never picked it up.
1. The author can not write. The novel is horribly edited, and horribly organized on every level, from sentences on to entire chapters. Grammatical mistakes abound. I'm no grammar Nazi, but the text would be unacceptable from an eight-grade student, much less a published author.
2. The novel is racist and sexist.
3. The heroine is a Mary Sue, which generally denotes an author with little self-awareness. Had the novel been less bigoted or better written, I could have tolerated that Mary Sue. Given this disaster, I could not.
I'll have to wait a year or two before trying another free e-book.
1. The author can not write. The novel is horribly edited, and horribly organized on every level, from sentences on to entire chapters. Grammatical mistakes abound. I'm no grammar Nazi, but the text would be unacceptable from an eight-grade student, much less a published author.
2. The novel is racist and sexist.
3. The heroine is a Mary Sue, which generally denotes an author with little self-awareness. Had the novel been less bigoted or better written, I could have tolerated that Mary Sue. Given this disaster, I could not.
I'll have to wait a year or two before trying another free e-book.
March 28, 2013
I only wish I could recommend this book, but alas, that is never to be.
This was painful to read and making it to the end could only be compared to the Trail of Tears March by the American Indian.
My mother did tell me that if I didn't have something good to say that I shouldn't say anything so in that vein let me say this about this book:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
That about covers it.
This was painful to read and making it to the end could only be compared to the Trail of Tears March by the American Indian.
My mother did tell me that if I didn't have something good to say that I shouldn't say anything so in that vein let me say this about this book:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
That about covers it.
September 13, 2013
I've been had again! I hate it when I pay good money for a book, and it ends in the middle of the story without any conclusion. I am then cajoled into buying the next one in the "series" in order to continue reading the same story to (hopefully) a conclusion. Otherwise I would have given the book more stars.
November 3, 2014
I made it as far through this absolute trash as I possibly could, and even then, it was a struggle.
BAD POINTS
The Science - Last time I checked, nuclear fallout didn't cause a contagious disease.
The Women - Whiners, complainers and perpetual victims who need a man to wipe their noses, and/or have an inflated sense of their own self-worth.
The Men - Pigs. Does the author not like men? Adrian in particular reminded me of one of those TV preachers who shout and scream about sin, and then go and commit the same stuff. Was he supposed to be the Saviour? If so, humanity is stuffed.
The Villains - African-American, Mexican, and anyone else not white, apparently. Does the author have a problem with these people? Because the blatant racism is annoying.
The Story - What was with all that witchy stuff? It seemed to be thrown in to make the character of Angela (an author expy, perhaps? Nothing to be proud of, there) more interesting, but it doesn't work.
On top of all that, this book could have really used a good editor. Spelling and grammar are just all over the place. And the constant reminders that this happened to America. Yeah, I got it the first time, but the author seems to have the impression that her readers are a bunch of Adrian's sheep.
GOOD POINTS
None that I noticed, although I now know to stay well away from anything else this author may have spewed out.
BAD POINTS
The Science - Last time I checked, nuclear fallout didn't cause a contagious disease.
The Women - Whiners, complainers and perpetual victims who need a man to wipe their noses, and/or have an inflated sense of their own self-worth.
The Men - Pigs. Does the author not like men? Adrian in particular reminded me of one of those TV preachers who shout and scream about sin, and then go and commit the same stuff. Was he supposed to be the Saviour? If so, humanity is stuffed.
The Villains - African-American, Mexican, and anyone else not white, apparently. Does the author have a problem with these people? Because the blatant racism is annoying.
The Story - What was with all that witchy stuff? It seemed to be thrown in to make the character of Angela (an author expy, perhaps? Nothing to be proud of, there) more interesting, but it doesn't work.
On top of all that, this book could have really used a good editor. Spelling and grammar are just all over the place. And the constant reminders that this happened to America. Yeah, I got it the first time, but the author seems to have the impression that her readers are a bunch of Adrian's sheep.
GOOD POINTS
None that I noticed, although I now know to stay well away from anything else this author may have spewed out.
July 1, 2012
Didn't make it more than 40 pages before I deleted it from my Kindle app. I still have no clue what the heck was going on as there were too many characters, some weird dialogue, randomness everywhere. Maybe someday I'll try again, but for now. Pass.
June 13, 2015
I reached chapter 4 and just gave up on it. it's too boring. the first few pages made think I was reading something interesting. but the stories keep dragging for no reason. characters are not well described. there is no feel of imagining them.
August 21, 2011
The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it seemed like everyone was making women slaves. I know that if something like this ever did happen that there would probably be rape and murder and all that. But it seemed like the majority of males were chaining women up by their necks and using them as sex slaves. Just not that believable to me that everyone would instantly turn into horrible people. But maybe I am just naive.
Either way, I am still going to read the 2nd book in the series - because even though I didn't love this first book I did like it and am willing to keep reading to see if it gets better!
Either way, I am still going to read the 2nd book in the series - because even though I didn't love this first book I did like it and am willing to keep reading to see if it gets better!
October 22, 2011
When I purchased The Survivors, I obviously didn’t read the full summary. I love post-apocalyptic novels, but I didn’t realize that there was also a fantasy element in this book.
Having said that, the book started well, straight into the action with the nuclear war of 2012 devastating America and the inevitable nuclear winter, and continues with the survival stories of the characters which are introduced gradually throughout the first part of the book.
There are also some minor characters introduced through the book that are only heard of once, presumably to be reintroduced in the next book/s in the series, although for me that was slightly disappointing as I wanted to have their stories fleshed out a little more to make them more memorable.
As the action slowed down in middle parts of the book, I did find my attention wavering, and started to enjoy the book less and less, however it picked up again towards the end when characters started to develop more.
The fantasy theme I found to be unnecessary at times and added to the story at others, but I think without this element I would have enjoyed this book more.
As another reviewer says, the Kindle formatting is distracting and I too found myself slightly irritated by the breaks between paragraphs where there is no break in the story.
One thing that I also found strange was the description of some characters not by name but as ‘the blond’, ‘the dirty blond’, ‘the Marine’ etc. I knew who was being described most of the time, but sometimes (as there is more than one blond character!) it really confused me.
I do have the second and third books in this series, which I will read.
Having said that, the book started well, straight into the action with the nuclear war of 2012 devastating America and the inevitable nuclear winter, and continues with the survival stories of the characters which are introduced gradually throughout the first part of the book.
There are also some minor characters introduced through the book that are only heard of once, presumably to be reintroduced in the next book/s in the series, although for me that was slightly disappointing as I wanted to have their stories fleshed out a little more to make them more memorable.
As the action slowed down in middle parts of the book, I did find my attention wavering, and started to enjoy the book less and less, however it picked up again towards the end when characters started to develop more.
The fantasy theme I found to be unnecessary at times and added to the story at others, but I think without this element I would have enjoyed this book more.
As another reviewer says, the Kindle formatting is distracting and I too found myself slightly irritated by the breaks between paragraphs where there is no break in the story.
One thing that I also found strange was the description of some characters not by name but as ‘the blond’, ‘the dirty blond’, ‘the Marine’ etc. I knew who was being described most of the time, but sometimes (as there is more than one blond character!) it really confused me.
I do have the second and third books in this series, which I will read.
February 14, 2013
I really liked the concepts of this story, and I think most people who enjoy this type of story will really love it.
There was a lot of focus on a few of the gifted folks in the story, which I really enjoyed and is why I gave the book 4 stars. Some of the organization the author used just didn't work so well for me. For example, I got to the end of the book and couldn't tell you who all 7 gifted survivors were. On the same token, the very beginning almost gave too much away and otherwise hinted at a lot that wouldn't be touched on. I think the story would have worked better for me if I hadn't had those expectations. I would have read book 2 anyway to see what Cesar did. I liked how the booked wrapped up and wanted to find out more!
Personally, I did not care for the star-crossed lover (or ex as the case may be) scenes, but that is only me. I am sure it had great appeal to some and there was fair warning in the front of the book that this should be for the over 18 crowd. In that regard, I was actually pleased that it wasn't as bad with that type of "stuff" as the warnings indicated. I didn't think it would be fair to take any stars away for this one :)
There was a lot of focus on a few of the gifted folks in the story, which I really enjoyed and is why I gave the book 4 stars. Some of the organization the author used just didn't work so well for me. For example, I got to the end of the book and couldn't tell you who all 7 gifted survivors were. On the same token, the very beginning almost gave too much away and otherwise hinted at a lot that wouldn't be touched on. I think the story would have worked better for me if I hadn't had those expectations. I would have read book 2 anyway to see what Cesar did. I liked how the booked wrapped up and wanted to find out more!
Personally, I did not care for the star-crossed lover (or ex as the case may be) scenes, but that is only me. I am sure it had great appeal to some and there was fair warning in the front of the book that this should be for the over 18 crowd. In that regard, I was actually pleased that it wasn't as bad with that type of "stuff" as the warnings indicated. I didn't think it would be fair to take any stars away for this one :)
February 19, 2013
I know that this review is only supposed to be about Book #1; however Kindle gave me Books 1 and 2 at the same time and I read through to Book 4. The story, at its face, is an interesting concept. However I realized about two chapters into Book 4 that I just couldn’t take it anymore. As I said, the concept is an interesting one. However, there are many things about the book that make it an impossible read for me. Some of these things would affect others (the poor grammar and spelling; poor character development; blatant racism; etc) there are other things that just bothered me personally that perhaps others can live with – for example; if I had to read the phrase “You know it” one more time, bad things would have happened. However the thing that really bugged me the most about this book – again, yes this is probably JUST ME – was the fact that the author chose HER OWN NAME for that of the main character. When reading the first three books I guess you can strike it up as a coincidence that they both have the same first name; but when you learn her last name in Book 4 and find it to be the same, it was just too much.
November 14, 2012
You are going to want to go buy lots of water and supplies and start exercising after reading this series. Angela White has such a great imagination. It's like she brings us right there into the apocalypse. It made me think a lot about my family and what we would do in this situation. It's hard to even wrap my head around. I really wish that this story could be made in to a t.v. series (definately Showtime material :))
I didn't read any other reviews on this series until after finishing the first three books. I have to say I was appalled as to how mean people can be in a few of them. I am usually the first to notice any spelling/puncuation errors. I really didn't even notice enough mistakes for people to be this terrible to someone who obviously has poured her heart and soul in to making her story come to life. I was so consumed in the story, none of that petty stuff mattered to me. I am very glad that I had the opportunity to read it and have recommended it to many of my friends.
Thank you Angela. Now I'm on pins and needles waiting for #5 :)
I didn't read any other reviews on this series until after finishing the first three books. I have to say I was appalled as to how mean people can be in a few of them. I am usually the first to notice any spelling/puncuation errors. I really didn't even notice enough mistakes for people to be this terrible to someone who obviously has poured her heart and soul in to making her story come to life. I was so consumed in the story, none of that petty stuff mattered to me. I am very glad that I had the opportunity to read it and have recommended it to many of my friends.
Thank you Angela. Now I'm on pins and needles waiting for #5 :)
August 17, 2013
This is a very dark book, describing a reality that everybody wishes to be just fiction, but that the author brings with such vivacity that we feel like we are living the situation. Plot can be resumed in a few words: survivors struggle to adjust to the new world order. All the radiation emitted causes mutations on animals and sickness on people. Among the survivors we have a woman searching for her son that call for help of an old boyfriend, that turns out to be the real father of her son. He is a marine, as well as her current husband. Other parallel stories are developed, but the central one deals with survivors that are grouped in a community called Safe Heaven in search for a new place to establish themselves. But there are also the bad guys that are trying to take advantage of everything in this new lawless world.
I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that loves a well written book full of action. I bought this book from Amazon.com. Opinion expressed here is my own.
I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that loves a well written book full of action. I bought this book from Amazon.com. Opinion expressed here is my own.
December 24, 2012
This book could have literally ripped my nightmares directly from my head. World destruction and the aftermath are generally two topics that I avoid at all cost, simply because the subjects do freak me out that much.
However I found myself so engrossed in the characters I was unable to stop reading the book.I found the characters strong, and the female leads relate able. The situations presented in the book are the horrifying moments I could definetly see in the apocalypse.
My only criticisms are same that I usually have with independently published, grammar and simple spelling errors that need to be fixed, but I dont feel detract from the story at all. The strongest complaint I have is the lack of strong minority character. There needs to be a balance created there since all the good guys are white, and bad are Latino or African american.
However I found myself so engrossed in the characters I was unable to stop reading the book.I found the characters strong, and the female leads relate able. The situations presented in the book are the horrifying moments I could definetly see in the apocalypse.
My only criticisms are same that I usually have with independently published, grammar and simple spelling errors that need to be fixed, but I dont feel detract from the story at all. The strongest complaint I have is the lack of strong minority character. There needs to be a balance created there since all the good guys are white, and bad are Latino or African american.
February 23, 2012
This is an impressive first novel for indie writer Angela White. Her effort is amazing, there are grammatical errors, but if you've read anything about her, you would know that she wrote this book while working full time, found someone to edit for free, and published it herself online. Set in post apocalyptic America, after a nuclear war has devastated the United States. The Survivors is one of 3 books, the series being pretty good so far. Throughout the concepts of life and death, good and evil are played with, with a wasted country as their back drop. It shows the ugly things people can resort to when everything they loved has been taken away, what would one do to survive, and the idea that human being are not meant to esist alone.
May 15, 2019
2019 grade FZ
I abandoned this book after only 2% but you might want to know why. Yes "War is Hell" and rioting during the beginning of an apocalyptic war is even worse. If an author wants to write specifically about that hell- OK, but that does not mean I want to read it. I reserve the F grade mostly for things I wish I had not read. Parts of the first chapter qualified. I am probably more sensitive than other readers, but that's the way it goes. Fortunately the book was free. The Z grade means I abandoned it.
I've read many books about post apocalyptic survival and some include some rough places. But most start after the war or only give the overall details of the war. The title is "Survivors" not "Victims." Misleading the audience is not good.
Not recommended.
I abandoned this book after only 2% but you might want to know why. Yes "War is Hell" and rioting during the beginning of an apocalyptic war is even worse. If an author wants to write specifically about that hell- OK, but that does not mean I want to read it. I reserve the F grade mostly for things I wish I had not read. Parts of the first chapter qualified. I am probably more sensitive than other readers, but that's the way it goes. Fortunately the book was free. The Z grade means I abandoned it.
I've read many books about post apocalyptic survival and some include some rough places. But most start after the war or only give the overall details of the war. The title is "Survivors" not "Victims." Misleading the audience is not good.
Not recommended.
June 29, 2015
When will I stop downloading free books?!? This is good in theory but it had so many issues that you can't overlook. 1. Apparently in this post-apocalyptic world all women are raped and only good for their bodies. Even the elderly or extremely young are just food for men. 2. The supernatural aspect is soooo dumb. 3. I only want to finish the story to find out what really happens with safe haven. Don't waste your time starting this book. Sadly bc j started I will eventually finish but I'm not happy about it.
October 22, 2014
Well ugh. This was a rather meandering story of survivors of a nuclear holocaust in different areas, most of them intended to come together at some point. And then we have WITCHES! That telepathy really comes in handy. There were a number of awkward uses of language ("inabilty to catch pregnant") that would have benefited from a decent editor. Since I don't really care if these people survive, I won't be finishing the series.
October 20, 2012
I gave up. The opportunity cost of reading this book was just not good. Poorly edited.
November 18, 2012
Just couldn't finish it. Found the story to be confusing and jumped from character to character at weird spots.
May 27, 2015
I couldn't even finish it... I felt it just dragged on.
November 18, 2017
I loved this book! It had me hooked from the beginning to the end. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.
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