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Dark New World #1
Dark New World
Society crumbles after an EMP attack, and the terrifying nightmare has only just begun... Three people from different walks of life each experience the end of America. Cassy is a 33-year-old prepper and single mother, away on business. Ethan is a hacker and conspiracy nut living underground. Frank is a family man out camping with friends and family. When a devastating EMP attack in the middle of the night destroys America's infrastructure, they are propelled on an unforgettable journey across an ocean of chaos to reach safety... Safety from an unknown invader and from once-fellow Americans now hungry and desperate. Dark New World is a prepper story of survival and the fight to retain humanity in the face of an apocalyptic event.
180 pages, Paperback
Published March 26, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
September 1, 2024
An excellent read.
I really liked this book. It did start slightly slow but very quickly built up to a good pace. The characters were mostly good and there are some good twists and turns that keep the story interesting and entertaining.
I really liked this book. It did start slightly slow but very quickly built up to a good pace. The characters were mostly good and there are some good twists and turns that keep the story interesting and entertaining.
February 24, 2018
Simply awful. Being that I live where the book takes place the characters who are placed as residents in this location is entirely off base! This is right wing religious right post EMP crap. The characters are like cartoons. I listened to this book and the narration was awful... at the beginning as the "prepper" Cassie is about to get raped there is not an ounce of inflection in his voice at the description. None of the characters are consistent. None are likeable. One of the worst I've read. Ugh. If it hadn't been so short I would have listed it a DNF!
March 22, 2018
Yet another EMP survival book focused on how great the conservative male preppers are. Shallow, flat characters, generic plot, and full of right wing ideals. There is no subtle prompting the reader to think of the views encouraged by the author. Political leaning is shoved down the readers throat continuously throughout the book. I really like dystopian and end of the world type novels. I used to love the genre. I'm now giving up hope of finding any more good ones. I keep coming across the hero prepper nonsense celebrating the conservative white man. This concept was glaringly obvious in this novel and it is very similar to all the other EMP novels. The plot is so thin and weak it is almost non-existent. IT is very obvious the point of this novel was not the story but expressing the author's view of how people should live and think plus the bonus of portraying every personal choice he doesn't agree with as belonging to people who are attacking, lazy, and failing unless they are rescued by our hero prepper. I hate it, absolutely hate it.
September 11, 2016
This story had a nice premise but lacked in execution. The flow in the story feels rushed and the characters feels to close to flat. Especially the mother-character who apparently is a prepper person who has spent her whole life just waiting for the destruction of society. She has a safe house fotress at home, she always travels with wilderness equipment with her. She is also stupidly trusting of people and I barely reacted when something happens to her.
I usually love a good survival story but there is to many unanswered question for me to enjoy this book.
I usually love a good survival story but there is to many unanswered question for me to enjoy this book.
March 24, 2018
Stupidity reigns supreme
In this EMP disaster novel, Cassy, a 30-something mother of two, is on a business trip in Philadelphia when the lights go out. All cars and cellphones are out as well. She is supposedly a prepper, so she has supplies at her home in Lancaster, but she will have to get her children first.
She has a few supplies in her bug out bag, and she starts walking out of the city.
Now this is what I found so irksome: she's a prepper. She has a gun and a knife and a few other survival items in her bug out bag. But she trusts the first person she talks to with near disastrous results. She completely trusts the next person, who proceeds to steal her gear. The very next day she meets a group of people and after speaking to only a few of them, she decides to trust them enough to tell them about her home and stored supplies, and invite them to join her. All this happens before I even got halfway through the book! I can't imagine what further ridiculousness I might have to wade through before finishing, so I'm not going to.
Results: I couldn't finish this, so maybe it ends up being a great book. But I'm not taking the chance.
In this EMP disaster novel, Cassy, a 30-something mother of two, is on a business trip in Philadelphia when the lights go out. All cars and cellphones are out as well. She is supposedly a prepper, so she has supplies at her home in Lancaster, but she will have to get her children first.
She has a few supplies in her bug out bag, and she starts walking out of the city.
Now this is what I found so irksome: she's a prepper. She has a gun and a knife and a few other survival items in her bug out bag. But she trusts the first person she talks to with near disastrous results. She completely trusts the next person, who proceeds to steal her gear. The very next day she meets a group of people and after speaking to only a few of them, she decides to trust them enough to tell them about her home and stored supplies, and invite them to join her. All this happens before I even got halfway through the book! I can't imagine what further ridiculousness I might have to wade through before finishing, so I'm not going to.
Results: I couldn't finish this, so maybe it ends up being a great book. But I'm not taking the chance.
August 28, 2019
I hated this book. The characters are so slow and their thought processes are so stupid. There is also a layer of predictability that I find cringe worthy. The worst part is this predictability is based on certain cliches that are obviously aimed at criticizing distinct lifestyles or creeds. Lastly, I was barely able to relate to any of them. ("This dude is gonna die? Oh well.") Not only because the are soooo dumb but also because the author fails to drum up any interest in the character before killing them off. The only reason why I powered through it was because I had to read it for a book club.
February 22, 2018
This feels like a book written by committee. The characters are a little flat and the author seems to emphasize the darker nature of humanity on all most everyone that the main characters encounter. The book is very short as it is part of a larger series.
I struggled to read this. If you want to read a good EMP Apocalypse book then the standard is One Second After.
I struggled to read this. If you want to read a good EMP Apocalypse book then the standard is One Second After.
March 9, 2019
I cannot fathom how this book has such a high overall rating. First, it’s a thinly veiled prepper manual. Prepper manuals are all well and good but when I’m reading a fictional story I’m not interested in passages that seem like they were copied and pasted from prepper manuals. Second, the entire situation with the guy who gives her a ride is ridiculous and proof that men are utterly clueless about women. Any man would have been understanding of a female walking alone carrying a weapon. His reaction is so far fetched it seems more like a terribly poor excuse for the author to write a kinky rape scene to get his own rocks off than having any realistic or actual barring on the story. Everyone “speaks the same” in that there’s no stylization or mannerisms that distinguish the characters. Not even a “he said with a southern drawl” or any such descriptions so everyone “sounds” exactly the same. Even the rhythm of everyone’s speech is the same. And this goes for the kids too. Does the author even have kids because he seems to be thoroughly unaware of how they act, think, and speak.
If you want an EMP book go to One Second After instead. This one is such gutter trash I had to stop.
If you want an EMP book go to One Second After instead. This one is such gutter trash I had to stop.
March 22, 2018
* sigh * I don't usually review but felt I had to with this series.... I enjoy distopian novels, & have read (listened to) many..these have a balanced amount of surprisingly useful (in an apocalyptic scenario ) information, and the awful things humans can do to each other when society and life expectancy falls. The violence is not too graphic or excessive, which is a welcome relief.
What I have HATED about the books, & what drove me to write this, is the sporadic anti-islamic, anti-middle eastern, offensively narrow minded name calling that some of the characters stoop to. Initially I thought it was a method to make the reader dislike a character....but then a 'good' character began. It feels like propaganda....like Team America but it's not ironic nor funny. It feels like these comments are the authors actual attitude towards Afghanistan and it's people.....surely it's bordering on inciting hate?
a shame as I was impressed by the inclusion of permaculture farming and sustainable food production.
I won't be reading the rest of the series.
What I have HATED about the books, & what drove me to write this, is the sporadic anti-islamic, anti-middle eastern, offensively narrow minded name calling that some of the characters stoop to. Initially I thought it was a method to make the reader dislike a character....but then a 'good' character began. It feels like propaganda....like Team America but it's not ironic nor funny. It feels like these comments are the authors actual attitude towards Afghanistan and it's people.....surely it's bordering on inciting hate?
a shame as I was impressed by the inclusion of permaculture farming and sustainable food production.
I won't be reading the rest of the series.
March 13, 2018
Actual Rating 2,5 stars
May 19, 2016
I started this book expecting an EMP survival story and nothing more. I would have been ok with that, but I was pleasantly surprised to find much more! It started out a little slower than I expected, but very quickly picked up and I was hooked. We aren't given much back story about any of the characters, though somehow it worked. The story is told in several points of view, and is done really well. It starts out with these characters seeming to be totally unconnected to each other. I absolutely love how each thread of the story winds up mingled together by the end of the book. The author obviously has knowledge of "preppers" which shows throughout the book. It made me think a bit about what I would do in this situation. Kevin Pierce was the narrator of the audiobook, and he does a great job. I have listened to a couple audiobooks narrated by him, and I really like his voice. I enjoyed this audiobook, and I hope the next one is released soon!
**I was provided with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own regardless of that fact.
**I was provided with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own regardless of that fact.
May 28, 2016
Very enjoyable fast-paced book. Looking forward to starting book #2.
April 21, 2016
Good survival book
Very good book with some good survival techniques. Holden obviously knows about prepping and surviving in dire times. This book is not only enjoyable with well thought out characters, but also has good survival skills that some of the characters use and understand. You can read this book for the pure enjoyment and also learn along the way. I will definitely read the next book in the series. I like that the story line is NOT the same as every other book. It is very different and to be honest scarey because the possibility of what is happening to his characters and the USA is to close to home.
Very good book with some good survival techniques. Holden obviously knows about prepping and surviving in dire times. This book is not only enjoyable with well thought out characters, but also has good survival skills that some of the characters use and understand. You can read this book for the pure enjoyment and also learn along the way. I will definitely read the next book in the series. I like that the story line is NOT the same as every other book. It is very different and to be honest scarey because the possibility of what is happening to his characters and the USA is to close to home.
March 4, 2016
A post apocalyptic story follows a prepper, a grandma with grandkids, a soldier, a family, and a young woman in the days after an EMP shuts everything down. It's an exciting take on how people would realize the severity of things and react. I have more faith in people and was disappointed that people, as well as civilization, devolved so quickly. Interesting take, and I will read the second book in the series when it comes out.
January 18, 2017
(I listened to the audiobook version of this title.)
Hm... I found myself rolling my eyes and scoffing far too often, while listening to this short novel. I can't do more than round it up to three stars, unfortunately.
The blurb describes this as a "prepper story of survival", and that's about right. The heroes/heroines are preppers, and the whole thing feels like it's very strongly aimed at preppers-- which is fine. I mean, if you're writing a book for preppers, I suppose this is what you get. It does feel a little cartoonish at times, though... It's like someone took a long list of things a prepper might think about when planning for a disaster scenario, then went down it and checked them off, one by one. (...And yet this book doesn't go into great detail about how to be a prepper. In my opinion, that doesn't really belong in a work of fiction, anyway. This is more of a prepper-themed adventure.)
At first, it's refreshing to have characters who are prepared (for once) for the disaster at hand. I enjoy the "planning and taking calculated action" portions of post-apocalypse/doomsday stories, myself, and this has a lot of that. However, planning can get dull after a while-- and to keep the drama high, our primary heroine, Cassy, has to find herself in some bad situations, some of which she (as a prepper/survivalist) should probably have been able to avoid.
Cassy-- well, pretty much all of the characters, to be honest, started to get on my nerves after a while. Too many of them were stereotyped, for one thing. Yes, sometimes stereotypes exist for a reason, but I can only handle so many of them in one dose. (Oh my gosh, that teenage girl! So annoying!)
There were times when I felt I was almost being lectured or preached at-- or at least bombarded with heavy-handed "lessons", which is unpalatable.
I also have some issues with the timeline and pacing.
First: Maybe it's naive, but I don't think that society would break down quite so quickly as it seems to do in this book-- or at least not so completely in such a short space of time. I do think it would/could happen at some point, but friendly next-door neighbors threatening to shoot one another in only one or two days? ...I find it doubtful.
Second: The story sped up at the end to the point that I had a hard time keeping track of what was happening to whom, because the perspective shifted so frequently. I'm still not entirely sure what happened to Of course, part of the problem is that I was doing yard work while I listened and may have been distracted for a few moments-- but I still think the pacing was a bit off in the last section of the book.
Readers may be disappointed that there's not a completely satisfying conclusion at the end of this first installment of the series. At least Based on a little peeking, the series will have at least four books-- maybe more-- and it sounds like each one leads directly into the next. Very serialized. At the moment, I doubt I'll bother with the second book. The premise of the series still interests me, but I found too many of the characters too annoying to want to spend much more time listening to or about them...
Hm... I found myself rolling my eyes and scoffing far too often, while listening to this short novel. I can't do more than round it up to three stars, unfortunately.
The blurb describes this as a "prepper story of survival", and that's about right. The heroes/heroines are preppers, and the whole thing feels like it's very strongly aimed at preppers-- which is fine. I mean, if you're writing a book for preppers, I suppose this is what you get. It does feel a little cartoonish at times, though... It's like someone took a long list of things a prepper might think about when planning for a disaster scenario, then went down it and checked them off, one by one. (...And yet this book doesn't go into great detail about how to be a prepper. In my opinion, that doesn't really belong in a work of fiction, anyway. This is more of a prepper-themed adventure.)
At first, it's refreshing to have characters who are prepared (for once) for the disaster at hand. I enjoy the "planning and taking calculated action" portions of post-apocalypse/doomsday stories, myself, and this has a lot of that. However, planning can get dull after a while-- and to keep the drama high, our primary heroine, Cassy, has to find herself in some bad situations, some of which she (as a prepper/survivalist) should probably have been able to avoid.
Cassy-- well, pretty much all of the characters, to be honest, started to get on my nerves after a while. Too many of them were stereotyped, for one thing. Yes, sometimes stereotypes exist for a reason, but I can only handle so many of them in one dose. (Oh my gosh, that teenage girl! So annoying!)
There were times when I felt I was almost being lectured or preached at-- or at least bombarded with heavy-handed "lessons", which is unpalatable.
I also have some issues with the timeline and pacing.
First: Maybe it's naive, but I don't think that society would break down quite so quickly as it seems to do in this book-- or at least not so completely in such a short space of time. I do think it would/could happen at some point, but friendly next-door neighbors threatening to shoot one another in only one or two days? ...I find it doubtful.
Second: The story sped up at the end to the point that I had a hard time keeping track of what was happening to whom, because the perspective shifted so frequently. I'm still not entirely sure what happened to Of course, part of the problem is that I was doing yard work while I listened and may have been distracted for a few moments-- but I still think the pacing was a bit off in the last section of the book.
Readers may be disappointed that there's not a completely satisfying conclusion at the end of this first installment of the series. At least Based on a little peeking, the series will have at least four books-- maybe more-- and it sounds like each one leads directly into the next. Very serialized. At the moment, I doubt I'll bother with the second book. The premise of the series still interests me, but I found too many of the characters too annoying to want to spend much more time listening to or about them...
February 10, 2021
Excellent EMP/SHTF series. I actually listen to the audio version and am 5 books into the series so far. I have read many books in this genre and this one has been my favorite so far. While I credit , "One Minute After", with getting me hooked on having a preparedness mindset, this series is much better written as OMA was too black and white while this series you get to see the world from many different perspectives, even the not so good ones.
After reading many reviews it seems that many of the poor reviews are people who really do not like the uncomfortable fact that is you are not prepared for something like this in terms of skills, mindset and supplies, you'll most likely end up as someone else's meal ticket. It should serve as a wakeup call and not an opportunity to get defensive if you see yourself on the side of being "unprepared".
Despite being a prepper Cassy makes some big mistakes that could have cost her her life, but I think when a hard reality sets in so fast it may be difficult to make the mental adjustment, as we saw with her co-worker at the Philly conference.
It's not a politically correct series as there are racial slurs thrown around from time to time from some of the characters but those are few and far between and in no way shape the book or the tone of the story. It is also not a right or left leaning book or even a religious book so ignore anyone using that angle to trash the book as it's not accurate. Characters come from all walks of life in the book and you'll see later in the series that one of the most important characters in the series is a Korean pacifist Buddhist, the exact opposite of what you would consider a hero in this brave new world.
If this is your first book in the series then you have a lot to look forward to. The world gets much bigger and interesting as the series goes on and there are lots of new and interesting characters that enter the series.
After reading many reviews it seems that many of the poor reviews are people who really do not like the uncomfortable fact that is you are not prepared for something like this in terms of skills, mindset and supplies, you'll most likely end up as someone else's meal ticket. It should serve as a wakeup call and not an opportunity to get defensive if you see yourself on the side of being "unprepared".
Despite being a prepper Cassy makes some big mistakes that could have cost her her life, but I think when a hard reality sets in so fast it may be difficult to make the mental adjustment, as we saw with her co-worker at the Philly conference.
It's not a politically correct series as there are racial slurs thrown around from time to time from some of the characters but those are few and far between and in no way shape the book or the tone of the story. It is also not a right or left leaning book or even a religious book so ignore anyone using that angle to trash the book as it's not accurate. Characters come from all walks of life in the book and you'll see later in the series that one of the most important characters in the series is a Korean pacifist Buddhist, the exact opposite of what you would consider a hero in this brave new world.
If this is your first book in the series then you have a lot to look forward to. The world gets much bigger and interesting as the series goes on and there are lots of new and interesting characters that enter the series.
July 25, 2022
So Very Real
As I read, I could see how very real this could be.
How many of us are prepared for some large catastrophe?
So many patriots are poor. We have guns, ammo but not enough food or meds.
Hopefully as people read these books they will see what is needed to survive something like in these books.
We keep believing we have tomorrow to start getting things done. As we read in this book, tomorrow can be gone along with our chance at survival.
Read these books, plan and survive.
As I read, I could see how very real this could be.
How many of us are prepared for some large catastrophe?
So many patriots are poor. We have guns, ammo but not enough food or meds.
Hopefully as people read these books they will see what is needed to survive something like in these books.
We keep believing we have tomorrow to start getting things done. As we read in this book, tomorrow can be gone along with our chance at survival.
Read these books, plan and survive.
May 10, 2017
Great start to a series!
Loved the fact that nothing was out of reason or over heroic! Female lead was refreshing in the sense that she wasn't special forces or CIA just a mother with insight to have a little precaution and planning for any event. Her struggle to get to her family was completely believable and I didn't find myself trying to coach her through her journey in my mind. LOL!
Loved the fact that nothing was out of reason or over heroic! Female lead was refreshing in the sense that she wasn't special forces or CIA just a mother with insight to have a little precaution and planning for any event. Her struggle to get to her family was completely believable and I didn't find myself trying to coach her through her journey in my mind. LOL!
March 30, 2023
I neither think this book is as great as some reviewers do, nor is awful as others. An EMP changes America in a second. Cassy is in Philly and she starts walking to her children, mother and prepped homestead. There are lots of theological and moral problems with the writing of this book, but there is also good food for thought. And every day this scenario seems more likely. Pray God it never happens!
September 7, 2017
This book accurately describes the relentless and quick descent into societal collapse when the scenario depicted in the book occurs. There is a nice twist in this version, which I won't reveal because of spoilers, but there are many enemies in this Dark New World and survival is far from guaranteed for the well developed characters in this book.
November 1, 2017
Hmmmm.....
Doom and gloom. The US is getting its butt kicked. EMPs apparently knocked us out, and somebody is attacking.
I find the attacking hard to believe, but the author wrote this. I think more people would have been fighting each other because of hunger and fear. Still, this is fairly interesting, but I think I'll pass on continuing this series.
Doom and gloom. The US is getting its butt kicked. EMPs apparently knocked us out, and somebody is attacking.
I find the attacking hard to believe, but the author wrote this. I think more people would have been fighting each other because of hunger and fear. Still, this is fairly interesting, but I think I'll pass on continuing this series.
October 16, 2017
I like this
Well told story of post EMP survival. Great characters, although you'll have some of them. That's just because they are so realistic. I can't wait to start the next book in the series.
Well told story of post EMP survival. Great characters, although you'll have some of them. That's just because they are so realistic. I can't wait to start the next book in the series.
November 2, 2017
Wow amazing book
Wow that was an amazing read. Frightening realistic how quickly society falls. I loved everything about it.I liked the characters and felt there panic and fear. Emp attack and soldiers invading. Amazing read.
Wow that was an amazing read. Frightening realistic how quickly society falls. I loved everything about it.I liked the characters and felt there panic and fear. Emp attack and soldiers invading. Amazing read.
June 2, 2018
EMP
Excellent EMP tale. Grabs you on the first page. Follow single mom Cassie and others as they try to get home and to safety after an EMP and invasion by a foreign army. Believable characters and great storyline. Now on to book 2.
Excellent EMP tale. Grabs you on the first page. Follow single mom Cassie and others as they try to get home and to safety after an EMP and invasion by a foreign army. Believable characters and great storyline. Now on to book 2.
March 20, 2019
Descent into social madness post EMP attack is inevitable, and almost instantly in this tale. The US has not been under direct open attack in several decades but this brings the possibility to a thought provoking stage.
August 5, 2017
Good book
Read all of the books in order to really enjoy. Characters are realistic and get better and better. Storyline continues to grow and develop.
Read all of the books in order to really enjoy. Characters are realistic and get better and better. Storyline continues to grow and develop.
March 29, 2018
Excellent book!
This is a great book, likable characters and some that are easy to hate. I would recommend this to those like me who love EMP stories.
This is a great book, likable characters and some that are easy to hate. I would recommend this to those like me who love EMP stories.
June 2, 2018
Wow!
Action packed! The good, the bad, and the ugly. This book included it all an Emp, WW III, and a family trying to survive.
Action packed! The good, the bad, and the ugly. This book included it all an Emp, WW III, and a family trying to survive.
July 16, 2018
Great read!
So far I have enjoyed the different characters and story line! Looking forward to reading on in the series and see where it goes! Great start!
So far I have enjoyed the different characters and story line! Looking forward to reading on in the series and see where it goes! Great start!
July 30, 2018
A great read, a good story of after an EMP blast.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews