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Cannibal Reign
A new star bursts onto the post-apocalyptic fiction Thomas Koloniar. An epic dark saga set in a dystopian near-future, Cannibal Reign follows the fortunes of a small band of survivors, as they make their way across a nightmare landscape populated by bestial, flesh-eating savages after an asteroid strike destroys America. A dark, smart, action-packed vision of a terrifying possible tomorrow—when the only law left is “eat or be eaten”—Koloniar’s Cannibal Reign is an absolute must-read for fans of TV’s zombie smash hit The Walking Dead, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Lucifer’s Hammer, the Mad Max movies, and, of course, Stephen King’s immortal horror masterwork The Stand.
517 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 26, 2012
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637 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
July 27, 2012
My first review after two months away from the blog....
http://badassbookreviews.com/review-o...
You can also read it below...
Did you ever read a book and think to yourself right afterwards..
This would make a great summer blockbuster movie?
That is exactly what I thought when I read Cannibal Reign. It is full of action, horror, drama, and lots of edge-of-your-seat suspense.
With the action, horror and suspense that was a constant throughout the book, I feared that the story would be incomplete or simply lacking. Thankfully, I was wrong. Koloniar clearly thought out his story. It was well developed from the moment Marty discovers the asteroid, through the preparations and decisions made by Jack, to the actual impact and everything that occured afterwards.
My only complaint? The female characters in the book not only take a minor role in the book but females seem to be at the mercy of their men for almost everything. In fact, the only strong, tough, standout female character was a soldier who acted like a man in all aspects even down to her sexual preferences..she likes women. And when this female soldier is raped repeatedly, Koloniar has her just move on like it was nothing but a sexual act.
When the book was finished, I wanted to love it, I really did. The story was so much fun, the suspense kept me flipping the pages, and it was downright scary at times. As time went by, and I kept thinking about the book, the more annoyed I was with the way Koloniar wrote his female characters. This annoyance regarding the female characters is new for me. I didn’t even know I cared about female representation until it wasn’t there. And if this book can bring out my inner feminist, you know something is way off.
Overall: A great story with a major flaw. If you can overlook the problem, you’ll love it. If characters are important to you, you might not.
http://badassbookreviews.com/review-o...
You can also read it below...
Did you ever read a book and think to yourself right afterwards..
This would make a great summer blockbuster movie?
That is exactly what I thought when I read Cannibal Reign. It is full of action, horror, drama, and lots of edge-of-your-seat suspense.
With the action, horror and suspense that was a constant throughout the book, I feared that the story would be incomplete or simply lacking. Thankfully, I was wrong. Koloniar clearly thought out his story. It was well developed from the moment Marty discovers the asteroid, through the preparations and decisions made by Jack, to the actual impact and everything that occured afterwards.
My only complaint? The female characters in the book not only take a minor role in the book but females seem to be at the mercy of their men for almost everything. In fact, the only strong, tough, standout female character was a soldier who acted like a man in all aspects even down to her sexual preferences..she likes women. And when this female soldier is raped repeatedly, Koloniar has her just move on like it was nothing but a sexual act.
When the book was finished, I wanted to love it, I really did. The story was so much fun, the suspense kept me flipping the pages, and it was downright scary at times. As time went by, and I kept thinking about the book, the more annoyed I was with the way Koloniar wrote his female characters. This annoyance regarding the female characters is new for me. I didn’t even know I cared about female representation until it wasn’t there. And if this book can bring out my inner feminist, you know something is way off.
Overall: A great story with a major flaw. If you can overlook the problem, you’ll love it. If characters are important to you, you might not.
October 25, 2012
Decent plot, excellent action, remarkably shitty portrayal of characters. Sadly, characters are required for stories. Everyone was two dimensional. All the women were helpless and happily dependent and never challenged the men's decisions...oh, except for the lesbian. She can give good head though, so it's okay. Koloniar's idea of a romantic moment is "Your dick is so BIG!" All the of character-driven conflict set up in the beginning of the story is abandoned somewhere along the way. I love a good apocalypse story, but I really couldn't get past the poor characterization in this novel.
dnfed
December 8, 2025DNFed at roughly 40%, I can't be bothered to finish this one. The whole women's condition after the apocalypse discussion was stupid and tired and I wasn't ready to burn more braincells on another book that just seemed to want to shove more rape scenes at me.
January 12, 2013
I heard about this book from the morning radio show I listen to. Sarah, from Sarah and Vinnie (RadioAlice 97.3 FM - San Francisco) was talking about a book that had been recommended to her and she powered through and couldn't put it down. On an odd note, apparently her talking about it helped the book to have huge sales via Amazon and the author wrote her an email.
Anyway - I, too, decided to give it a try. In a nutshell, it's a great, fast paced read. It reads like a movie. Scenes from a movie. Clear beginning, middle, and end. The story is pretty simple: Asteroid is plummeting to the earth. Government is keeping it quiet. It's similar to what killed the dinosaurs and will probably mean the end of the human race as we know it. The story centers upon a group of people that have prior knowledge and make a plan of survival. However, they aren't the only people that survived and we are given a very harsh reality of humans running out of food and turning on each other.
As I stated - it's a fast paced read. It is very engaging and the characters are very interesting and identifiable. Easy to get attached to. (I even found myself tearing up a couple of times) More than one storyline crosses and the author does handle the transitions well. Quite the adventure.
My only "con" is that even though there are very harsh and explicit realities laid out for the reader (cannibalism is the biggest of course) - there is the niggling sensation that it's still being told with a "light" hand. Without giving away any spoilers here, I will say that by the time you get to the end, it feels a little too....easy. Overall.
However, I highly recommend the book for the engaging story and adventure. Frankly the lead character of Jack Forrest is wonderful and there are some gems of secondary/supporting characters. Lastly? I did find myself having a hard time putting it down and finished it last night at 1:30am. I'm NEVER up that late.
Enjoy!
Anyway - I, too, decided to give it a try. In a nutshell, it's a great, fast paced read. It reads like a movie. Scenes from a movie. Clear beginning, middle, and end. The story is pretty simple: Asteroid is plummeting to the earth. Government is keeping it quiet. It's similar to what killed the dinosaurs and will probably mean the end of the human race as we know it. The story centers upon a group of people that have prior knowledge and make a plan of survival. However, they aren't the only people that survived and we are given a very harsh reality of humans running out of food and turning on each other.
As I stated - it's a fast paced read. It is very engaging and the characters are very interesting and identifiable. Easy to get attached to. (I even found myself tearing up a couple of times) More than one storyline crosses and the author does handle the transitions well. Quite the adventure.
My only "con" is that even though there are very harsh and explicit realities laid out for the reader (cannibalism is the biggest of course) - there is the niggling sensation that it's still being told with a "light" hand. Without giving away any spoilers here, I will say that by the time you get to the end, it feels a little too....easy. Overall.
However, I highly recommend the book for the engaging story and adventure. Frankly the lead character of Jack Forrest is wonderful and there are some gems of secondary/supporting characters. Lastly? I did find myself having a hard time putting it down and finished it last night at 1:30am. I'm NEVER up that late.
Enjoy!
June 18, 2023
This read like a John Grisham novel, no real depth to the characters and very dialogue heavy. I could see this making an interesting mini-series but it's not something that I'd recommend to read.
October 22, 2019
I really enjoyed this book!!!! The only thing I didn’t get was the selection process to the people in the bunker. And I just found out that there is a tv series that came out in 2015...🎉🎉🎉
First the asteroid would come, slamming into the earth just north of the Montana border, followed by earthquakes, tsunamis, and unending night. And after that... Hell.
Green Beret Jack Forrest knows the catastrophe is inevitable and begins stockpiling an abandoned missile silo with supplies while gathering together a small community of men, women, and children he prays can survive the apocalypse.
Then disaster strikes. In an instant the world they know ends forever, transformed into a nightmare realm of eternal darkness. Soon the few remaining humans are transformed as well, becoming savage things - raping, pillaging, and devouring their own.
And the time is approaching when Forrest and his people will have to leave their underground "Noah's Ark" to face a shattered world and the unspeakable terrors that dwell there - in desperate pursuit of one slim hope of survival … called Hawaii.
First the asteroid would come, slamming into the earth just north of the Montana border, followed by earthquakes, tsunamis, and unending night. And after that... Hell.
Green Beret Jack Forrest knows the catastrophe is inevitable and begins stockpiling an abandoned missile silo with supplies while gathering together a small community of men, women, and children he prays can survive the apocalypse.
Then disaster strikes. In an instant the world they know ends forever, transformed into a nightmare realm of eternal darkness. Soon the few remaining humans are transformed as well, becoming savage things - raping, pillaging, and devouring their own.
And the time is approaching when Forrest and his people will have to leave their underground "Noah's Ark" to face a shattered world and the unspeakable terrors that dwell there - in desperate pursuit of one slim hope of survival … called Hawaii.
December 31, 2012
I heard about this book from the morning radio show that I listen to. After hearing the DJ talk about this book, I decided why not check it out. From the moment I read the first page, I was hooked. Even though the premise of the book is a little dark and scary, it was so much more than that. I can't believe this is the author's first published book. I'm hoping they end up turning this into a movie because it would be so interesting to see this played out on film. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a page turner. I can't wait to read the second book that I hear he's writing already!
September 14, 2018
There’s a giant meteor (or is it asteroid) coming, and there’s nothing the world can do about it. The government, being the government, tries to cover it up. Courtesy of military connections, Green Beret Jack Forrest knows about it ahead of time, and organizes four military buddies into creating a survival shelter out of an abandoned missile silo. They can take their families, and maybe some additional women and children, and hide out there for as long as their food holds out. Meanwhile, Martin Chittenden, an astronomer, notices the asteroid and does his best to blow the whistle. Eventually, the asteroid hits, and all that matters is how well you prepared.
I’ll be up front. You don’t read a book called “Cannibal Reign” because you think it will be good literature. Unfortunately, this literature is just lukewarm all around. Spoilers ahoy.
Marty (Stu) is pure wish-fulfillment. He’s a scrawny scientist who stands up to the government, gets the woman of his dreams, mercy-kills said woman with minimal mental backlash, goes on a revenge crusade, becomes skilled at arms, saves the day multiple times, and apparently has a large penis, an attribute on which the other characters frequently comment.
The women are handled poorly. Now, you don’t expect a book called Cannibal Reign to treat women well. There is graphic violence and rape, but that part is handled with relative sensitivity. I’m talking about the women readers are theoretically supposed to empathize with and relate to. Susan gets the worst of it, embracing the role of damsel-in-distress, then being unceremoniously discarded halfway through the book. Veronica plays pointless mind games in a way you would expect if your understanding of women was gained from watching Mean Girls. There is a whole raft of casual misogyny occurring in the bunker - each woman had to sit on Santa’s lap to get a gift. Most of the women are given names and then a sex drive to fill out their personality. The treatment of Emory’s pregnancy made me cringe the hardest, as seemingly every single character tries to convince her that she must keep the baby even after she makes it clear she does not want it.
Next, the book avoids drama. It spends a lot of time setting up relationships between the characters, but it never goes anywhere! The swap from Michael and Veronica to Jack and Veronica happens with no fanfare. Instead of dealing with Oscar’s infidelity, it kills him off. It’s perhaps implied that Maria condoned it, but that points further in the direction of avoiding that conflict. There was a lot of opportunity for the author to capitalize on relationship drama if he so chose, but he just didn’t. This made the survival shelter a lot more boring than it needed to be.
Then there’s the cannibalism. The book jacket tries hard to convince you that these are some kind of superhuman, radiation-crazed Reavers or something. I dearly hoped this was being set up when they nuked the asteroid to try to divert it early on. But alas, they’re just your run-of-the-mill ugly and desperate humanity. I guess I’m blaming the book jacket, but with a title like that, I definitely expected something different.
Oh, and it took for-freaking-ever to get started. I’d say a good 40% of the book was pre-asteroid, setting up all of that drama that didn’t pay off. Not exactly why you get into a post-apocalyptic setting.
Having complained about all of that, is there anything the book got right? Eh. I mean, I finished it, I guess. The action scenes were well-plotted. Mr. Koloniar has a good understanding of military and scientific equipment. It honestly probably interferes with the story a bit too much, but I’ll count it in the positives column. Also, he slapped me into catching up on my reviews, so that’s a plus!
I’ll be up front. You don’t read a book called “Cannibal Reign” because you think it will be good literature. Unfortunately, this literature is just lukewarm all around. Spoilers ahoy.
Marty (Stu) is pure wish-fulfillment. He’s a scrawny scientist who stands up to the government, gets the woman of his dreams, mercy-kills said woman with minimal mental backlash, goes on a revenge crusade, becomes skilled at arms, saves the day multiple times, and apparently has a large penis, an attribute on which the other characters frequently comment.
The women are handled poorly. Now, you don’t expect a book called Cannibal Reign to treat women well. There is graphic violence and rape, but that part is handled with relative sensitivity. I’m talking about the women readers are theoretically supposed to empathize with and relate to. Susan gets the worst of it, embracing the role of damsel-in-distress, then being unceremoniously discarded halfway through the book. Veronica plays pointless mind games in a way you would expect if your understanding of women was gained from watching Mean Girls. There is a whole raft of casual misogyny occurring in the bunker - each woman had to sit on Santa’s lap to get a gift. Most of the women are given names and then a sex drive to fill out their personality. The treatment of Emory’s pregnancy made me cringe the hardest, as seemingly every single character tries to convince her that she must keep the baby even after she makes it clear she does not want it.
Next, the book avoids drama. It spends a lot of time setting up relationships between the characters, but it never goes anywhere! The swap from Michael and Veronica to Jack and Veronica happens with no fanfare. Instead of dealing with Oscar’s infidelity, it kills him off. It’s perhaps implied that Maria condoned it, but that points further in the direction of avoiding that conflict. There was a lot of opportunity for the author to capitalize on relationship drama if he so chose, but he just didn’t. This made the survival shelter a lot more boring than it needed to be.
Then there’s the cannibalism. The book jacket tries hard to convince you that these are some kind of superhuman, radiation-crazed Reavers or something. I dearly hoped this was being set up when they nuked the asteroid to try to divert it early on. But alas, they’re just your run-of-the-mill ugly and desperate humanity. I guess I’m blaming the book jacket, but with a title like that, I definitely expected something different.
Oh, and it took for-freaking-ever to get started. I’d say a good 40% of the book was pre-asteroid, setting up all of that drama that didn’t pay off. Not exactly why you get into a post-apocalyptic setting.
Having complained about all of that, is there anything the book got right? Eh. I mean, I finished it, I guess. The action scenes were well-plotted. Mr. Koloniar has a good understanding of military and scientific equipment. It honestly probably interferes with the story a bit too much, but I’ll count it in the positives column. Also, he slapped me into catching up on my reviews, so that’s a plus!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2023
I'm a bit baffled by the rave reviews for this book. It started off good, I'm a huge fan of any post-apocalyptic story so I was immediately drawn-in by the story. The author started developing characters, but quickly forgot about it as the story progressed. As a result I not only had a difficult time remembering who was who (there were a lot of characters and because they pretty much had no personalities, it made it difficult to keep track of them), but I didn't care about them at all. When one died it was glossed over so quickly and the other characters reacted so little that it did nothing to draw me into the story or make me feel sad.
More troubling than anything else was the author's sexist and narrow-minded view of women. I was downright offended by the how weak the women in this story were. They were all more than happy to just sit back and let all the men take care of them, make all the decisions, and completely keep them in the dark on every decision made. It was ridiculous and completely unrealistic. The only strong female character was a lesbian, making it even more offensive! When the group went out the men were the only ones carrying guns (even though they had more than enough) and the women did nothing but huddle together waiting for the big strong men to protect them. I sat there reading the book wondering why the hell they wouldn't teach these women to shoot a gun! If the world is really this dangerous, I just don't understand why they wouldn't try teaching the women to take care of themselves! I was disgusted by the way women were portrayed in this book. I don't know what kind of women the author has been around, but I know very few women who would react the way these women did.
More troubling than anything else was the author's sexist and narrow-minded view of women. I was downright offended by the how weak the women in this story were. They were all more than happy to just sit back and let all the men take care of them, make all the decisions, and completely keep them in the dark on every decision made. It was ridiculous and completely unrealistic. The only strong female character was a lesbian, making it even more offensive! When the group went out the men were the only ones carrying guns (even though they had more than enough) and the women did nothing but huddle together waiting for the big strong men to protect them. I sat there reading the book wondering why the hell they wouldn't teach these women to shoot a gun! If the world is really this dangerous, I just don't understand why they wouldn't try teaching the women to take care of themselves! I was disgusted by the way women were portrayed in this book. I don't know what kind of women the author has been around, but I know very few women who would react the way these women did.
August 1, 2012
Imagine, if you will, an unapologetic throwback of a creature- lovingly sewn together from parts of any number of John Wayne movies (Rio Bravo, Fort Apache, etc.), Lucifer's Hammer, Assault on Precinct 13 and an early Tom Clancy and what you have is Cannibal Reign....and I loved the hell out of it.
Now, when I say throwback, I say that in terms of a lot of fiction I grew up reading in the 70's- Robert Howard's 'Conan' books, the wonderful 'Casca' books, etc. You will not find a lot of philosophy here; nor will you find much political correctness here. What you will find here is a straight from the shoulder view into the hell that would be life after a borderline extinction level event. Not much of a setting to sit around and debate Team Edward versus Team Jacob and certainly not a setting where many Bella's would flourish.
There are a few nit-picky problems I had with the book in terms of Deus Ex Machina moments, but surrendering and just going with the flow was the order of the day as the book earned the good will to do so.
So...highly recommended. I can't wait for the further adventures of Chance...er...I mean Jack Forrest and Stumpy......
Now, when I say throwback, I say that in terms of a lot of fiction I grew up reading in the 70's- Robert Howard's 'Conan' books, the wonderful 'Casca' books, etc. You will not find a lot of philosophy here; nor will you find much political correctness here. What you will find here is a straight from the shoulder view into the hell that would be life after a borderline extinction level event. Not much of a setting to sit around and debate Team Edward versus Team Jacob and certainly not a setting where many Bella's would flourish.
There are a few nit-picky problems I had with the book in terms of Deus Ex Machina moments, but surrendering and just going with the flow was the order of the day as the book earned the good will to do so.
So...highly recommended. I can't wait for the further adventures of Chance...er...I mean Jack Forrest and Stumpy......
January 30, 2013
I'm a huge fan of post apocalypse novels, so much that I often overlook poor writing or lack of development. I really like the start of this story. Totally sucked me in but for some strange reason once the asteroid hits earth it goes to crap. Basically the book boils down to this. Guys rape and eat people. Women are defenseless and have no chance at survival. Now the women who are safe have some bizarre sex drive so in the midst of death and destruction oh and people eating people they are somehow "in the mood" at times the writer seemed to have handed over the writing to a 13yo boy who jotted down his fantasies about how women are turned on and what sex is like. The book wasted my time I'm not one to quit on a book nor write a bad review but something just got under my skin with this one
August 27, 2012
Pretty good read so far! Lots of prep work for the end of the world had me waiting for the final impact :) :) It was very suspenseful! I always wanted to see what was coming next!
I'm glad that it was realistic (in an unrealistic scenario I hope!) Great premise, the story wasn't too far fetched and showed how on the edge society really is when things break down. The dynamic btwn the characters was good too.
Great book :D It's worth reading twice, which I will be doing at some point again!
I'm glad that it was realistic (in an unrealistic scenario I hope!) Great premise, the story wasn't too far fetched and showed how on the edge society really is when things break down. The dynamic btwn the characters was good too.
Great book :D It's worth reading twice, which I will be doing at some point again!
August 5, 2012
I'm still not sure why I picked this up, other than a penchant for doomy doom doom stories and an interesting story blurb. It was dark enough to take me several days to read - and I would not recommend to those sensitive to gore and violence. That said, it's a book that makes you believe that maybe some people CAN be heroes if given the chance.
May 8, 2013
In CANNIBAL REIGN by Thomas Koloniar, the world learns an asteroid is about to end life as we know it. As the United States dissolves into chaos and anarchy, five Green Berets, benefiting from advance knowledge, have prepared, stockpiling food and recruiting a small group of survivors to join them in a refurbished, abandoned missile silo. Meanwhile, in Hawaii, a new nation emerges in the aftermath, one that might give humanity a second chance while the rest of the world succumbs to savagery and cannibalism. It starts off a little choppy, but once it gets going, it’s a fast-paced thriller of a read. The morality issues the author explores are interesting and a little arbitrary–those who eat people to survive are bad guys and should be put down like animals, and those who find a different way to survive are good guys and should be saved. I recommend it to fans of post-apocalyptic fiction as a taut thriller with engaging characters and tons of action.
June 30, 2012
OMG the best end of the world novel ever written. Do not pas this one up!!
November 6, 2016
Honestly, I don't think I've ever been so irritated with the book and it's potential.
This one started out great! I liked where things were going, and I was into the characters. Then, it just fell apart.
I do love post-apocalyptic fiction. So much so that I often read some rather sub-par novels. But this one makes those look like gold.
Not much can break me out of my immersion when I'm reading. The only time it ever happens is when someone comes up and talks to me. But at multiple times throughout this book, I was dragged back to the real world (kicking-and-screaming).
Here's what had me throwing my hands up in frustration:
- The apocalypse just kind of happened and everyone seemed fairly relaxed about it
- The characters were cliched cut-outs that never developed
- The main character literally told others what the weak points of the silo were! And then he never addressed them?!?!
- They prepared for months and then sat underground with nothing to do, but still did not find any way to protect the lift. They knew it was a weak-point, and their only answer to it was to send people in there with guns? They literally made a fire-trap by one of the blast doors to roast intruders alive, but they couldn't be bothered with the lift?!
- The conflicts the main characters came up against were easily bypassed and seemed trivial
- "Oh no! Someone died? Let's go back to what we were doing. No big deal."
- The portrayal of women. Just...no.
I try to find the best in what I read, I really do. But this book just made me want to drink an entire bottle of wine.
This one started out great! I liked where things were going, and I was into the characters. Then, it just fell apart.
I do love post-apocalyptic fiction. So much so that I often read some rather sub-par novels. But this one makes those look like gold.
Not much can break me out of my immersion when I'm reading. The only time it ever happens is when someone comes up and talks to me. But at multiple times throughout this book, I was dragged back to the real world (kicking-and-screaming).
Here's what had me throwing my hands up in frustration:
- The apocalypse just kind of happened and everyone seemed fairly relaxed about it
- The characters were cliched cut-outs that never developed
- The main character literally told others what the weak points of the silo were! And then he never addressed them?!?!
- They prepared for months and then sat underground with nothing to do, but still did not find any way to protect the lift. They knew it was a weak-point, and their only answer to it was to send people in there with guns? They literally made a fire-trap by one of the blast doors to roast intruders alive, but they couldn't be bothered with the lift?!
- The conflicts the main characters came up against were easily bypassed and seemed trivial
- "Oh no! Someone died? Let's go back to what we were doing. No big deal."
- The portrayal of women. Just...no.
I try to find the best in what I read, I really do. But this book just made me want to drink an entire bottle of wine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2015
I originally picked up this book because I enjoy the post-apocalyptic genre and the plot synopsis fit the bill. As other reviewers have noted, the most glaring problem with this book is the character descriptions. All the men in the book are either 100% brave and loyal or are 100% cowardly and rapey. All the women in the book are total horn dogs who immediately vocalize their desire to sleep with a person within minutes of meeting them. There is no in-between with these two types of characters. In addition, the reader is never privy to any internal thought processes of the characters. Every single thing that a character in the book thinks is said out loud. This leads to the book having tons of dialogue.
I will say that the book does get much better in the final 1/3. There are some decent action sequences and the author does a better job of creating a suspenseful atmosphere. The final portion of the book is not enough to make up for the first two thirds, however. I know that this book is the author's first and I hope that he does continue to write. While the execution was a little off, I thought he had some great ideas and it seems he has the basic tools to pull of a good story.
Overall: If you are really, really craving a post-apocalyptic book version of a mindless summer action flick than this book can scratch that itch, but I wouldn't recommend this overall.
I will say that the book does get much better in the final 1/3. There are some decent action sequences and the author does a better job of creating a suspenseful atmosphere. The final portion of the book is not enough to make up for the first two thirds, however. I know that this book is the author's first and I hope that he does continue to write. While the execution was a little off, I thought he had some great ideas and it seems he has the basic tools to pull of a good story.
Overall: If you are really, really craving a post-apocalyptic book version of a mindless summer action flick than this book can scratch that itch, but I wouldn't recommend this overall.
October 13, 2015
In order to review this book, I had to answer an important question: Why was a book that I thought was so stupid so hard to put down? Characters acted in a completely unbelievable way, and the dialogue was painfully unrealistic. Then it dawned on me: This book is like one of those “B” movies that’s so bad, it’s good. This is the Planet 9 From Outer Space of novels.
Apparently when society breaks down, men become one of two types of people:
1. A sadistic and brutal cannibal rapist
2. A dashing hero ready to lay down his life for any innocent person.
That’s it, there is nothing in-between. It’s either one extreme or the other. And it’s not just them men. The women are either one of two types:
1. A nymphomaniac who is only interested in banging as many guys as possible.
2. A butch lesbian who actually picks up a gun and tries to help her friends
That’s it – either/or. The only woman in the entire book who actually tries to contribute to the survival of the group is a lesbian. All the other women sit around helplessly and try to seduce the men.
I’m sure the author didn’t intend for a cannibal holocaust novel to be a “laugh out loud” read, but it was.
Apparently when society breaks down, men become one of two types of people:
1. A sadistic and brutal cannibal rapist
2. A dashing hero ready to lay down his life for any innocent person.
That’s it, there is nothing in-between. It’s either one extreme or the other. And it’s not just them men. The women are either one of two types:
1. A nymphomaniac who is only interested in banging as many guys as possible.
2. A butch lesbian who actually picks up a gun and tries to help her friends
That’s it – either/or. The only woman in the entire book who actually tries to contribute to the survival of the group is a lesbian. All the other women sit around helplessly and try to seduce the men.
I’m sure the author didn’t intend for a cannibal holocaust novel to be a “laugh out loud” read, but it was.
March 7, 2014
Wow. I can't believe I was even capable of reading this book, as I am a female and clearly an incompetent wimp whose only value is to pleasure a man. The idea and concept of this book was great and intriguing. But give me a break! As women we are completely useless. Simpering, whining, sniveling, brainless sex toys who have no will power and lack the ability to survive without men securing our safety???Geez. Talk about offensive.
April 8, 2019
Storyline was interesting, but the women were horribly written. They all needed a man and since there weren't enough to go around they were happy to share, except for the lesbian (and even she was pity servicing a male friend). I found that pretty unbelievable considering the situation. They didn't seem to contribute to much other than to be a harem.
August 5, 2012
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I could not put it down. Thomas Koloniar gives us a glimpse into the hell that would surely be reality if this sort of event ever happened. No sugar coating. Repulsive behavior by mankind, yet believable.
August 24, 2012
This is a great book. If you liked Lucifer's Hammer, You should like this. I found it very fast paced and could hardly wait to finish it. I recommend this as a must read if you like to read about people's struggle to survive after a disaster.
January 8, 2015
Certainly not what I thought it would be, but surely one if the more exciting and enjoyable books I've read in some time. Expect to feel a lot of anxiety should you choose to board this ride.
January 31, 2024
This book reads like an action movie and I was very entertained.
Or like if a very tough manly man wrote a suspense romance novel (there are a few low stakes romantic subplots).
Don't look too closely at this one as it is a bit dated now with a few problematic clichés but I'm going to go so far as to say: if the world ended like this, who's to say we wouldn't fall back into antiquated gender stereotypes/roles? Especially if it takes a certain brand of sociopath to survive. But I imagine if you are reading this book you are ok not nitpicking it to pieces and are here for the wild ride and it definitely is that.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first 30%. The prepping and build up to the meteor strike. The middle was fascinating in a car wreck sort of way because yeah it gets gruesome. And the last 30% was some serious non-stop "I had to put it down a few times and remember to breath" action/suspense.
Jack Forrest. What a character.
Or like if a very tough manly man wrote a suspense romance novel (there are a few low stakes romantic subplots).
Don't look too closely at this one as it is a bit dated now with a few problematic clichés but I'm going to go so far as to say: if the world ended like this, who's to say we wouldn't fall back into antiquated gender stereotypes/roles? Especially if it takes a certain brand of sociopath to survive. But I imagine if you are reading this book you are ok not nitpicking it to pieces and are here for the wild ride and it definitely is that.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first 30%. The prepping and build up to the meteor strike. The middle was fascinating in a car wreck sort of way because yeah it gets gruesome. And the last 30% was some serious non-stop "I had to put it down a few times and remember to breath" action/suspense.
Jack Forrest. What a character.
July 8, 2015
Reviewed by RJ at http://ineedanotherbookcase.blogspot....
In Thomas Koloniar’s first novel, Cannibal Reign, we find ourselves preceding the end of the world from two perspectives. The first is that of Jack Forrest and his friends and fellow Green Berets. The second, that of Marty Chittenden the astronomer. Both possess knowledge that very few others do: an extinction sized asteroid is on course to collide with Earth. Due to some inside information, Jack Forrest and crew gather supplies and outfit a recently purchased missile silo, preparing to survive within with carefully chosen family and friends. Simultaneously, Marty Chittenden, the man who discovered the meteor in the first place, is doing everything he can to warn the rest of the world of the inevitable catastrophe, seeking the aid of the women loved long ago. Unfortunately for Marty and everyone else on Earth, the United States government wants this kept a secret in order to prevent panic over this unstoppable event.
Marty Chittenden and those he falls in with find themselves in any number of dangerous situation. The two sources of conflict are created by both his desire to go warn the planet despite the wishes of the US government and survival on post-apocalyptic Earth. The situations they find themselves in are diverse enough that it’s interesting to see what will happen next, but there’s always the sense that their success has already been determined.
To all those horror movie characters who didn’t listen when I told you not to go in there, you could learn from this book. Jack and his allies always make the right decision due to, what we are asked to believe is, their military background. My knowledge of active military personnel begins and ends at what I’ve read or in movies and TV shows, but I can only assume that the main characters ability to act the way they do is because of said background. For obvious reasons I don’t know how soldiers act when preparing to confront, and actually confronting, danger, much less confronting the apocalypse, but they’re portrayed here as faultless, in respect to their ability to work under incredible pressure. Now that I think about it, in respect to just about every other way, too.
The logical actions of these characters was a unique quality of this book, something not often found in apocalyptic fiction (or many book genres for that matter). In this, the logical (read ‘correct’) method of action is always taken by the characters. Always. Which can seem a bit unrealistic at times.
In Cannibal Reign Koloniar approaches the apocalypse with the belief that ‘might makes right’ and that, as a general rule, awful people will survive because they are awful to other people (with the exception of the main character, who are essentially inside traders as far as knowledge of oncoming doom is concerned). Cannibalism, rape, tribalism, violence and more, everything one would assume to appear when there is no reason to follow now outdated societal laws and morals. The world within this book is that of a worst case scenario of societal fallouts with only small and widespread pockets of humanity left to make the world better.
One of my key complaints with this book is that the characters felt a bit lacking. Essentially, each character had a roll in moving the story along, but besides forming a purely mechanical relationship, they didn’t have much to them. Character flaws were either nonexistent or didn’t amount to anything that had any visible impact on the story. The characters were too logical, too perfect, and too plain.
The storyline had a similar problem. While problems and conflicts that arose throughout the story brought interest with them, they didn’t have a lot of density. The character did their perfectly logical thing and went about it the best possible way. The events of the story were handled perfectly. And in any story that wants to grip the readers and keep them wondering what will happen next, perfect is boring. Reading through this book I found myself not finding any points to stop and wonder at the twists the story had taken or the actions of the characters. My attitude towards it was that of “okay…and?”
I was glad to see a story with characters who acted rationally, but now that I’ve seen it, I realize why I don’t see it more often. People rarely act in such a way that is always beneficial to them, especially given these circumstances. However inexplicably easy to overcome they may have been. Along with some added complexity and tension to the plot, the characters need work to seem more real and deserving of the reader’s interest.
Mechanically, the plot and characters could both be improved, but the spirit of the story makes it worth the read. Is it brutal at moments? Yes, however it’s brutality that’s not out of place. For all those interested in Dystopia/Apocalyptic Fiction with the right bit of Military Fiction mixed in, I recommend you pick up Cannibal Reign for your next rainy day.
Rating 2.5/5
I should caution those readers out there who might be turned away by, or in any way insulted by, incredible violence by men towards women simply because of sexual reasons. While it is displayed in a way consistent to this specific view of the apocalypse and is present throughout the entirety of the book, it can be seen as bordering on, if not crossing, the line of excess.
In Thomas Koloniar’s first novel, Cannibal Reign, we find ourselves preceding the end of the world from two perspectives. The first is that of Jack Forrest and his friends and fellow Green Berets. The second, that of Marty Chittenden the astronomer. Both possess knowledge that very few others do: an extinction sized asteroid is on course to collide with Earth. Due to some inside information, Jack Forrest and crew gather supplies and outfit a recently purchased missile silo, preparing to survive within with carefully chosen family and friends. Simultaneously, Marty Chittenden, the man who discovered the meteor in the first place, is doing everything he can to warn the rest of the world of the inevitable catastrophe, seeking the aid of the women loved long ago. Unfortunately for Marty and everyone else on Earth, the United States government wants this kept a secret in order to prevent panic over this unstoppable event.
Marty Chittenden and those he falls in with find themselves in any number of dangerous situation. The two sources of conflict are created by both his desire to go warn the planet despite the wishes of the US government and survival on post-apocalyptic Earth. The situations they find themselves in are diverse enough that it’s interesting to see what will happen next, but there’s always the sense that their success has already been determined.
To all those horror movie characters who didn’t listen when I told you not to go in there, you could learn from this book. Jack and his allies always make the right decision due to, what we are asked to believe is, their military background. My knowledge of active military personnel begins and ends at what I’ve read or in movies and TV shows, but I can only assume that the main characters ability to act the way they do is because of said background. For obvious reasons I don’t know how soldiers act when preparing to confront, and actually confronting, danger, much less confronting the apocalypse, but they’re portrayed here as faultless, in respect to their ability to work under incredible pressure. Now that I think about it, in respect to just about every other way, too.
The logical actions of these characters was a unique quality of this book, something not often found in apocalyptic fiction (or many book genres for that matter). In this, the logical (read ‘correct’) method of action is always taken by the characters. Always. Which can seem a bit unrealistic at times.
In Cannibal Reign Koloniar approaches the apocalypse with the belief that ‘might makes right’ and that, as a general rule, awful people will survive because they are awful to other people (with the exception of the main character, who are essentially inside traders as far as knowledge of oncoming doom is concerned). Cannibalism, rape, tribalism, violence and more, everything one would assume to appear when there is no reason to follow now outdated societal laws and morals. The world within this book is that of a worst case scenario of societal fallouts with only small and widespread pockets of humanity left to make the world better.
One of my key complaints with this book is that the characters felt a bit lacking. Essentially, each character had a roll in moving the story along, but besides forming a purely mechanical relationship, they didn’t have much to them. Character flaws were either nonexistent or didn’t amount to anything that had any visible impact on the story. The characters were too logical, too perfect, and too plain.
The storyline had a similar problem. While problems and conflicts that arose throughout the story brought interest with them, they didn’t have a lot of density. The character did their perfectly logical thing and went about it the best possible way. The events of the story were handled perfectly. And in any story that wants to grip the readers and keep them wondering what will happen next, perfect is boring. Reading through this book I found myself not finding any points to stop and wonder at the twists the story had taken or the actions of the characters. My attitude towards it was that of “okay…and?”
I was glad to see a story with characters who acted rationally, but now that I’ve seen it, I realize why I don’t see it more often. People rarely act in such a way that is always beneficial to them, especially given these circumstances. However inexplicably easy to overcome they may have been. Along with some added complexity and tension to the plot, the characters need work to seem more real and deserving of the reader’s interest.
Mechanically, the plot and characters could both be improved, but the spirit of the story makes it worth the read. Is it brutal at moments? Yes, however it’s brutality that’s not out of place. For all those interested in Dystopia/Apocalyptic Fiction with the right bit of Military Fiction mixed in, I recommend you pick up Cannibal Reign for your next rainy day.
Rating 2.5/5
I should caution those readers out there who might be turned away by, or in any way insulted by, incredible violence by men towards women simply because of sexual reasons. While it is displayed in a way consistent to this specific view of the apocalypse and is present throughout the entirety of the book, it can be seen as bordering on, if not crossing, the line of excess.
June 27, 2012
You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/06/...
Jack Forrest and his crew of former Green Berets are preparing for the end of the world in an abandoned missile silo, gathering a group of 50 men, women, and children in hopes of riding out the disaster to come. An asteroid is on its way towards Earth, and threatens to kill everyone within thousands of miles of impact, and kill millions more as the earth plummets into nuclear winter and ashy darkness. Meanwhile, astronomer Marty Chittendon knows it’s coming, and implores the only woman he’s ever loved to take the news public. Will Earth survive, or fall in a sea of death and destruction?
Well, from the title you can already tell that after the asteroid hits, things certainly aren’t coming up roses, but it’s hard to imagine just how awful things do become. In Cannibal Reign, the author has taken a familiar post apocalyptic scenario and turned it into his own creation of terrifying adventure and characters to root for (and fall in love with.) The narrative weaves among three separate storylines, eventually bringing them together to explosive effect. Jack Forrest is tough and very capable, but doesn’t take himself too seriously, which I loved. Quietly nursing his heartache over losing his son, the people in his care are in more than capable hands, and his core of humanity and loyalty runs very deep. Marty Chittendon starts as a geeky astronomer who’s inner strength gets to shine after the disaster. Shannon Emory, perhaps my favorite character, is a soldier that abandons her team after it becomes clear that they may have certain plans for the women of the group. She’s got the heart of a warrior and the skills to match.
The world post-asteroid is absolutely terrifying (to put it mildly.) People are succumbing to their baser instincts, including, but not limited to, rape, human slavery, and cannibalism. The food is running out and the weak are no match for those strong of will and evil of heart. Don’t worry, there are some shining souls in this blasted world, but they’re few and far between. The author is very good at the little details, which sometimes get lost in a book of this scope and length, and he obviously did his research into group dynamics and the psychology of post traumatic stress syndrome. The action is nearly nonstop and the fight scenes are choreographed to the hilt. I never lost my place, even when the action got particularly frenzied.
Cannibal Reign is not for the faint of heart, and even though things never get gratuitous, the author doesn’t pull any punches here. What makes things even more terrifying is that the horrors are perpetrated by thinking (I use this term lightly) humans that have devolved into vicious animals. To be sure, things are very, very dark and heartbreaking, but underneath it all, there are glimmers of hope, and the author never loses sight of that. Where there is hope, there is light, and our heroes (and heroines) will do anything to find it for those they love. Cannibal Reign is a scary, nonstop thrill ride into the dark hearts of man, shot through with the souls of those that refuse to surrender to the dark. I loved this book, and fans of post apocalyptic fiction and thrillers should not miss it! I can’t wait for the next one!
Jack Forrest and his crew of former Green Berets are preparing for the end of the world in an abandoned missile silo, gathering a group of 50 men, women, and children in hopes of riding out the disaster to come. An asteroid is on its way towards Earth, and threatens to kill everyone within thousands of miles of impact, and kill millions more as the earth plummets into nuclear winter and ashy darkness. Meanwhile, astronomer Marty Chittendon knows it’s coming, and implores the only woman he’s ever loved to take the news public. Will Earth survive, or fall in a sea of death and destruction?
Well, from the title you can already tell that after the asteroid hits, things certainly aren’t coming up roses, but it’s hard to imagine just how awful things do become. In Cannibal Reign, the author has taken a familiar post apocalyptic scenario and turned it into his own creation of terrifying adventure and characters to root for (and fall in love with.) The narrative weaves among three separate storylines, eventually bringing them together to explosive effect. Jack Forrest is tough and very capable, but doesn’t take himself too seriously, which I loved. Quietly nursing his heartache over losing his son, the people in his care are in more than capable hands, and his core of humanity and loyalty runs very deep. Marty Chittendon starts as a geeky astronomer who’s inner strength gets to shine after the disaster. Shannon Emory, perhaps my favorite character, is a soldier that abandons her team after it becomes clear that they may have certain plans for the women of the group. She’s got the heart of a warrior and the skills to match.
The world post-asteroid is absolutely terrifying (to put it mildly.) People are succumbing to their baser instincts, including, but not limited to, rape, human slavery, and cannibalism. The food is running out and the weak are no match for those strong of will and evil of heart. Don’t worry, there are some shining souls in this blasted world, but they’re few and far between. The author is very good at the little details, which sometimes get lost in a book of this scope and length, and he obviously did his research into group dynamics and the psychology of post traumatic stress syndrome. The action is nearly nonstop and the fight scenes are choreographed to the hilt. I never lost my place, even when the action got particularly frenzied.
Cannibal Reign is not for the faint of heart, and even though things never get gratuitous, the author doesn’t pull any punches here. What makes things even more terrifying is that the horrors are perpetrated by thinking (I use this term lightly) humans that have devolved into vicious animals. To be sure, things are very, very dark and heartbreaking, but underneath it all, there are glimmers of hope, and the author never loses sight of that. Where there is hope, there is light, and our heroes (and heroines) will do anything to find it for those they love. Cannibal Reign is a scary, nonstop thrill ride into the dark hearts of man, shot through with the souls of those that refuse to surrender to the dark. I loved this book, and fans of post apocalyptic fiction and thrillers should not miss it! I can’t wait for the next one!
January 21, 2013
'Lucifer's Hammer'-like Book with Army SF guys buying a Minuteman silo and putting two years worth of food, med supplies and games and toys for a two year (or more) stay underground.
Meanwhile outside, the United States devolves into a 'Mad Max' dis-topia with renegade bike gangs and renegade military forces doing whatever it takes to survive.
One of the main characters, Max the Astronomer, who first discovers the Asteroid coming in from O.D.S. (Out Dere Somewhere), trys to warn the US but finds that the .Gov already knows and does Not want that info getting out.
Max gets a crash course in 'Escape and Evasion' from some Military folks he meets on the way to the new 'Grand Canyon' that the asteroid carves out.
Very dark book, but interesting take on the author's idea of how society devolves after a catastrophic event.
3 day read.....
Rich Johns
Yep, me too....lol. Army SF '79-'98
Security Contractor Iraq '03 to Present.
Meanwhile outside, the United States devolves into a 'Mad Max' dis-topia with renegade bike gangs and renegade military forces doing whatever it takes to survive.
One of the main characters, Max the Astronomer, who first discovers the Asteroid coming in from O.D.S. (Out Dere Somewhere), trys to warn the US but finds that the .Gov already knows and does Not want that info getting out.
Max gets a crash course in 'Escape and Evasion' from some Military folks he meets on the way to the new 'Grand Canyon' that the asteroid carves out.
Very dark book, but interesting take on the author's idea of how society devolves after a catastrophic event.
3 day read.....
Rich Johns
Yep, me too....lol. Army SF '79-'98
Security Contractor Iraq '03 to Present.
April 30, 2015
****BOOK OVER 500 PAGES*****
I have never read a book that has pulled at my heart strings, terrified me, made me chuckle and question what I may be made of. This was a brain - freeze ride of anxiety and suspense, the whole way through. My mind was forced to fathom layer upon layer of the human condition when survival is at stake. From this story, I take away a sense of entitlement. I have have never known the perils of war, the bludgeoning of starvation, the deep abyss of anarchy or the ache of loneliness. I glanced behind the curtain and I find myself weighed and measured. Kudos and many thanks to all those to run toward the hail of gunfire, so the rest of us can walk in the opposite direction. I am eternally grateful.
I have never read a book that has pulled at my heart strings, terrified me, made me chuckle and question what I may be made of. This was a brain - freeze ride of anxiety and suspense, the whole way through. My mind was forced to fathom layer upon layer of the human condition when survival is at stake. From this story, I take away a sense of entitlement. I have have never known the perils of war, the bludgeoning of starvation, the deep abyss of anarchy or the ache of loneliness. I glanced behind the curtain and I find myself weighed and measured. Kudos and many thanks to all those to run toward the hail of gunfire, so the rest of us can walk in the opposite direction. I am eternally grateful.
June 14, 2012
Interesting novel that has many layers to it. The writing was smooth, the characters were interesting, the plot line was unique in many ways.It is not for all tastes as at times it gets a bit graphic, hence the title. It is a novel you can sink your teeth into.
August 22, 2012
This books' title may have put a lot of people off, but it is the best PA novel I've read in years! Great character development and pacing; a true page turner that kept me reading when I should have been asleep at midnight!
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