National Service

Beyond These Walls #2

by Michael Robertson

For most, survival is success. For Spike, it's just the beginning ...

With the month of training over, Spike’s about to start national service and step outside Edin’s gates for the first time in his life. He doesn’t know much about what lies ahead, but there are four things he knows for sure:

One - Over the next five months, he will face scores of diseased intent on ending his life.

Two - People he knows and cares about will die.

Three - To stand a chance of being the next protectors’ apprentice, thereby taking him closer to a future with Matilda, he must survive and do it in a way that makes his leaders happy. To keep his leaders happy, he must hold his ground when other teams are in battle, letting them manage their own fights, even if their lives are in danger ... Even if Matilda’s life’s in danger.

Four - Ranger Hopkins will do everything in his power to make sure Spike fails, targeting both him and those he cares about in an attempt to prevent him from making it to the trials.

For most, survival is success. For Spike, it’s just the beginning. In five months' time, his world will be very different. Will it be for the better?

Check out National Service, book two of Beyond These Walls to see if Spike can survive, conform, and help protect those he cares about most while remaining on his path to becoming Edin's next protector.

Genres: Dystopia, Fiction, Horror, Post Apocalyptic, Young Adult, Ebooks, Action

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2018

About the author

Michael Robertson is an author and blogger. He has had several short stories published, including one with HarperCollins. He is the author of Crash - http://michaelrobertson.co.uk/crash--...

You can connect with Michael on Twitter at @MicRobertson, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MichaelRober... and you can also contact him through his website at www.michaelrobertson.co.uk

Reviews

[Meenaz Lodhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You gave yourself in service to this great city.”
Edge of the seat, page turner into the night, scary, dangerous and daunting book 2, inside and outside the wall! Really worth the wait. The story building is tremendous, nail biting( not that I do, more of munchies), the onslaught is nerve wrecking. Full of unimaginable twists. The need to satisfy the curiosity of what lays outside the walled city...both by the protagonists and myself! The characters are so realistic in personality I couldn’t avoid being heartbroken by the loss, the suffering, the hardship they go through. Hope prevails, on top of everything else, a strong sense of survival instinct so innate in human beings, very well manifested. One of the best post apocalyptic books I’ve ever read! I received an early version of this book from the publisher and my review is entirely voluntary.

[David Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you thought the first book in this series was good, then buckle in because National Service answers many of the questions you may have had while taking you on a very wild journey inside and outside the walls of Edin and the national service area. The friction between Spike and Ranger grows as this story progresses, but it is only a small part of the whole. I found myself so deeply invested in these characters that my emotions were raw by the end, so many started their national service in this group, and what they go through to get to the end of their obligation was emotionally draining. Yet with everything going on there was always the hope that Spike would be chosen to compete to be a protector. Of course, to figure out how that works out you have to read the book. If you are a post-apocalyptic book fan, this series is one of the best I have read! I received an Advance Reader Copy and chose to provide this review.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, this is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it. I could say many things that might make you want to read it. But, the most important reasons are 1-it caused me to hold my breath with tension several times 2-one of the characters made me so mad I cried! 3-National Service grabbed me from the first paragraph and did not turn me lose until I read the last page-at 2:36 in the morning. Although you could read this as a stand-alone, do yourself a favor and read book one I'm this series, Protectors. I hope you enjoy it at least half as much as I did and you will still be very happy you chose it.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this ebook from the author and I am posting this review so that others will have the excitement that I had while reading it.

[Jill James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is getting intense. On to book #3.

[Ahw · Rating 3 out of 5]

By the end of this book I was furious that I'd been tricked in to reading it.
The first book made me very curious about the world. I wanted to know what was going on.

There was a lot to like here.
I must give the author credit (because I'm really attacking this book)
The combat and action was frequent and varied and decently interesting.
There are an amazing number of ways to kill (and be killed by) a zombie (or "The diseased" as they are called here).

I found the world building ridiculous. I listed several of those instances in my review of book #1.
I have more...
The book eventually explains a bit more about the diseased. They don't live very long. That was actually plausible and a reasonable concession to biological realities... And then one of the characters asks the obvious question. In a world with ONLY the town of Edin with 10,000 people .... where the heck do the diseased come from? By book 5 they never even hint at an answer.

This book has "Ranger" as an omnipotent super villain who ... is an unlikable IDIOT .... who just happens to always be in a position to watch every move that our hero's make and be there to thwart them and never get caught. This got ridiculous.

The romance between Spike and Matilida continues ... for no apparent reason because neither of them are really likable people. That's unfair I guess they are likable but there is nothing in the book that makes me think they should like *each other*.

The whole death rate from National Service seems idiotic. There simply aren't enough children to continue the population. I think the author wants you to see a society that needs to reduce its population (which isn't an abnormal problem) .... but a society like that kills off the OLD and the very, very young. NOT the people who are *just about* to enter their productive years.

The author wants to have people divided into districts based on occupations but can't think of enough occupations and fills them out with stupid ones.
In a civilization that can barely feed itself they don't have an entire group of people dedicated to
doing laundry or tailoring.
The whole "people can't move out of their district idea" might be dystopian interesting but just how does the laundry get from one district to another without lots and lots of people moving from place to place... hence a love affair between kids from different districts isn't that great of an obstacle to overcome.

I hate this book series for so many different reasons. The stupid world building is only the easiest to pick on. And it is THIS book that started me on the hatred spiral. By the end too many things had piled on that I could no longer forgive it.

I'm still going to give this book 3 stars. It was only at the end where I realized how bad it was.
There was lots of combat and "daring do" and emotional pain (There was also a lot of stupid, but at least there was some good to it)
I strongly recommend against the book.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: National Service
Author: Michael Robertson
Publisher: Michael Robertson
ISBN: B07JZ6TMSD
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel
Blurb:
Beyond These Walls 2

For most, survival is success. For Spike, it's just the beginning ...

With the month of training over, Spike’s about to start national service and step outside Edin’s gates for the first time in his life. He doesn’t know much about what lies ahead, but there are four things he knows for sure:

One - Over the next five months, he will face scores of diseased intent on ending his life.

Two - People he knows and cares about will die.

Three - To stand a chance of being the next protectors’ apprentice, he must follow orders. One of those orders is for him to hold his ground when other teams are in battle. Even if their lives are in danger. Even if Matilda’s life’s in danger.

Four - Ranger Hopkins will do everything in his power to make sure Spike fails.

For most, survival is success. For Spike, it’s just the beginning. In five months' time, his world will be very different. Will it be for the better?

Check out National Service now to see if Spike can survive, conform, and help protect those he cares about most while remaining on his path to becoming Edin's next protector.

Total Score: 5/5 and a Recommended Review

Summary:

Once you start to read this you just can’t put it down. Spike lives in a world that is struggling to survive after it was almost destroyed. No one knows what happened, but the diseased are barely being kept in check by the protectors and that is exactly what Spike is determined to be. All he has to do is survive his time in the National Service and prove his worth to become an apprentice. The only problem is no one ever told them how difficult it would be. As they watch others fall and die Spike and Matilda are determined to find a way to stay together. Even when they are separated into different groups they continue to fight. The terror of dealing with the diseased and watching their friends die is horrible, but Spike finds the strength to follow his inner truth even when it is against everything he is told to believe. If that wasn’t bad enough Spike is in direct competition with Ranger, a protector’s son, who is determined to take Spike and everyone around him down.

This was a will ride for the very beginning and I for one can’t wait to find out what is in store in the next installment of Beyond These Walls. This story deserves a Recommended Review and shouldn’t be missed.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look, three stars because it was better than book 1. The writing was better and hey, at least something happened. However, I will be leaving the series here.

1) The world has really doesn’t make sense. For starters if it’s so desperate that they expand the wall to give them more space why do people only do national service for 6 months and then never again? And why do they have so few protectors? Surely that’s a job they would want as many people as possible to do to fight the diseased?

And the whole “you shall not save eachother” makes no sense. To say you can never intervene to save a fellow cadet, even when it’s totally possible to save them, is illogical when they supposedly want these cadets to survive.

And why can people move freely between districts before national service if they can’t after national service? What’s the point of their free movement other than to cause dissent? The only logical reason would be if cadets got to pick what district they returned to after national service kind of like on Divergent.

2) Ranger. They act like his Dad is the next coming of Christ or something. His dad is a protector not the Prime Minister… yes he might get a bit of special treatment for being a legacy but would he really get a free pass to blatantly attempt to murder other cadets on multiple occasions? Would any society want that psycho as a protector? Absolutely not. It makes no sense.

3) Spike and Matilda have no chemistry and Matilda is really underdeveloped.

4) why can there only be one apprentice candidate from each team when the teams were randomly assigned? What if all the best candidates had been assigned in the same team? And why would a minor injury that will heal, like a sprained ankle, rule you out from ever being a protector if you were a strong candidate? And again, why would there only be one protector a year when it feels like a pretty important job… And why on earth would a weak cadet like Hugh be selected who clearly a) doesn’t want to be a protector and b) isn’t brave or strong enough? the book also didn’t seem able to decide how many protectors there actually were.

5) I stand by what I said in my review of book 1. Book 1 didn’t need to be a book in its own right, combining book 1 and 2 into 1 book would have made much more sense.

I know it seems like I should have rated this book less than 3 stars, but there really was some good zombie action and it did hold my attention. Ultimately there are just too many flaws to make it work investing any more time in.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book 2 of the series, Beyond These Walls we see Spike and Mathilda carrying out their national service as cadets, Spike is in team Minotaur whilst Mathilda is in team Dragon. Spike is aspiring to make it to the next grade and be admitted as apprentice once this period as cadet is over, and finally he wanted to be the one chosen as protector. Survival is a win, no matter how it is achieved and it was everyone for themself once outside the gates, in a situation of survival of the fittest and dog eats dog, when they faced the lurchers, who were waiting for them to exit in order to turn them! The stress levels were very high and many of the cadets could not cope with the fear of facing the lurchers. These were what kept the citizens of Edin locked behind the walls, oppressed and terrified of the diseased waiting beyond the walls to get to them. Spike needed to be the next protector, to be chosen since he and his girlfriend came from different trade classes and only by becoming protector would they be allowed to make a life together. However life was challenging both outside the walls as well as inside cause bullies are found everywhere and Ranger, a coward at heart was the biggest bully ever and he had latched on Spike as he saw him as a threat. He vowed to make his life as miserable and difficult as he could by attacking those Spike cared about. The only problem was that Spike cared for everyone and he could not resist breaking the rules if it meant sticking up for his friends even if this endangered his place as the next apprentice. So when Mathilda vanished beyond the gates Spike broke all rules and went to look for her in the desolate city beyond the walls in the lurchers domain. Book 2 continues where book 1 left off and delivers as big a punch to the gut, if not more so this time around. In the usual Robertson’s gritty style of writing, he does not beat around the bush but gives us the crudest and goriest of details to bring the horror of life in this post-apocalyptic city to life for us, the readers. If you enjoy dystopian novels this is a book/series for you for sure!

[Michael Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the Beyond These Walls series, so I jumped at the chance to obtain an advance reader copy from the author, which was given without a requirement to post a review. Mr. Robertson is an excellent writer, who has created a dangerous world that was almost completely destroyed, but for reasons that have not been revealed. The small town of Edin is completely walled, to protect against constant attack by diseased, barely-human creatures. The National Service requires 18-year olds, both male and female, to spend 6 months working outside the gates to build additional segments of the walls, to protect the city’s growing population. The characters are well-developed; you are there with them as they make friends, put up with conflicts and constant battles with the diseased. The action is non-stop and very vividly portrayed. This book could be read as a stand-alone story, but it makes so much more sense to read the series. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Petrina Binney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story continues for Spike and his friends as they go beyond the walls of Edin to extend the boundary into the lost city. But with the diseased running rampant through the old concrete and metal maze, how will the recruits manage when entitled brat, Ranger, starts messing with their equipment? How many will fall before their national service is over? How many skin-traced love hearts is too many? And will Spike’s aversion to authority and his overpowering gut instincts see him lose his chance at becoming a protector?

Very good pacing, a little more of the back story comes out in this, the second part of the series, which I found enjoyable. In National Service, we find out where the story is actually set, which was a nice development. The characters are true to themselves and there was a brilliant moment, during the introduction to the current protectors, who go beyond the wall in advance of the recruits and their wheelbarrows, when I got the theme tune to the 1990s ITV show Gladiators stuck in my head. Came out of nowhere, but it made me happy.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book to review. This second book in the continues the story of William “Spike” and Matilda, two 18 year olds in love, who have started their national service training to defend a city by rebuilding its walls and fighting the diseased. A story of adventure, love, courage, and overcoming personal fears. This book is even better than the first, and the third is going to be a definite must read for me. Michael’s descriptive writing style is always a delight to read. The series is highly recommended to all readers of dystopian novels and if you are unfamiliar with the genre and want to to give it a go, this is the perfect introductory series. While there is violence in the book, it not gratuitous, the language is almost entirely clean, and the book and series is suited as teen read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the opening book.tilly and spikes quest to be together continues during their national service duties.beyond the walls of edin the diseased reign supreme.many cadets fall during the training exercises being lead by the instructors and protectors.this book saw hugh spikes best friend undergo a transformation after the loss of someone near and dear to him.as for ranger the deranged son of magma he continues down a road the assuredly can only lead to unadulterated evil.by books end so much tragedy has occured that I felt like I needed to take a timeout and catch my breath before starting book 3.

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant story in this series. I have the six box set but wanted to review book two while fresh from finishing.

Spike is a great character and book two shows a deeper awareness of his strength and decency. I like Matilda, too, her wisdom and bravery shining through. Oh yes, we all know the villains - ugh.

Plenty of action but the behaviour, emotions and thought processes are far more interesting. There are secrets that I hope will be revealed as the series unfolds.

Twists, turns and surprises make this fast-paced, well-written story compelling.

Highly recommended.

[Jenny Coyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping that with the second book in this series I would become more engaged, but I still don't feel connected to any of the characters. As characters are killed, I find myself not reacting or caring and sometimes I'm not even sure who they were. There's no one that I'm rooting for and I don't care who gets killed off next. I won't be completing this series.

I gave this 3 stars because I feel that this series is written in the style of a YA series and may be better received if the series was marketed for this audience.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following Spike and Matilda through the remainder of there national service. There are plenty of shocks and twists to this second story. The characters are strong and the story is solid I could not it put it down its a real page turner. It pulls you in from the very first page and keeps you gripped throughout.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Hero is Born

Spike begins national service and it is filled with fighting monsters and the death of other cadets. As he experiences loss he becomes a true hero. He also begins to question just what the leaders of Edin really know about the monsters and what they may be hiding. This book was impossible to put down! Great series!

[D.S. Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

“They’ve fallen. All of them.”

That about sums up national service!

"Even the most active were broken beyond healing, but not so broken that they couldn’t commit the final act of sinking their teeth into his soft flesh."

What an absolute thrill ride that was, every single page full of action and separated the heroes from the fools.
Spike really shows his worth!

Loved every second :D

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Their National Service is almost done when the unthinkable happens - Tilly's group is breached and she looses her weapon. She makes a break for the ruins and the Protectors that are hunting there. Spike must choose - keep his word to Tilly or break the rules and go after her and destroy their future together but save her life.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Rating 1.5) —- This one didn’t feel like a distinct book, rather a follow on from the first book, which is maybe the point of these types of series. Overall, there’s nothing really interesting about the setting and the characters are just cardboard cutouts of people - a hero just because we are told he is, a villain with no real reason to be so evil, a love interest with no chemistry.

[Teresa Akers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent read. But I have no clue why the leaders let so many cadets die instead of teaching to help each other. Apparently standing by and letting the cadets be killed is better than helping? Allowing kids to be killed and one sabotaging others also leading to their death…?? Descriptions are still somewhat confusing or repetitive. Not sure I’ll continue with this series.

[Üzüm Onur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing more than a high school drama but with a “zombie-survival-twist” in a most basic way possible. After the first book I thought a longwinded introduction to a “new universe” might be acceptable, however in the second book there were still not even roughly explanations to very simple facts on which the whole story might be based on.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books is awesome. I couldn’t read it fast enough. It’s like the “Alpha Plague” (by the same author) on steroids. There are so many moments which made me gasp, sit on the edge of my seat and left me wanting more. I really cannot wait until the next instalment. This series is epic so far and there is so much more to come. There are unanswered questions which I am sure will be revealed in time. I strongly recommend that you read it too.

[Kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Read It

This series was recommended to me and I’m so glad I started book one because here I am having finished book two and about to start book three. This is a great story and if you give it a chance you’ll read that for yourself.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoy the story, the writing is a bit repetitive for me, how many times did he refer to Matilda as my love, his love, etc, ok we get it! Still going to keep reading though because I really enjoy the premise.

[Cathie Cataldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exccellent

So I've finished the second book in this series. I love it. I can't put it down. I'm ready for the next book. Keep them coming

[Robert Keith Collingwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping to the end

I couldn't wait to read book two which kept me turning the page's with anticipation .I'm now about to read book 3

[Andrew Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I only gave the first book 4 stars but this one surpassed it in every way. Suspense, build up, what a great book through and through.

[Deryk Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep. another great read.

[Mario Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an improvement from the 1st book. More action and faster pace.