A destructive 8.7 earthquake nearly destroys San Francisco. The Prescott family’s home is demolished, the mother killed, and the father crippled. Their two sons, Jack, a senior in high school, and Dillon (former SEAL) in college, are unhurt—but determined to be prepared for the next disaster. When the Prescotts discover manmade forces were behind the disaster, they purchase a 315-acre island off the coast of Maine where there are no earthquakes. They recruit a community of friends/preppers with unique skills, some military—survival foremost in their plans yet there are sparks of romance. Before they finalize their preparations on the island, the unthinkable happens—a massive global disaster strikes, the world spiraling into an Ice Age—manmade pre-events the cause. While they attempt to find out who’s behind it all, local law enforcement, and workers who helped build their island fortress, come after Echo Island’s wealth of food/water, shelter, and energy—betrayals adding to the threats. The Prescott’s Echo Island community is forced to survive more than the ice age—they must defend their lives.
Well done. This was definitely a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed the story immensely, and can’t believe I had it in my library for a few months before I started reading it. Although it is totally apocalyptic science fiction, it is definitely one of the better stories I have read this year, with lovable characters, hateable villains, and a storyline that is easy to follow.
This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. If you have ever wondered what it would take to survive an ice age caused by man manipulating nature, this book is for you.
What a Fantastic Book Highly recommend it , One of those books You can't stop reading but are watching the thickness get smaller and You don't want it to end. Can't wait until there is another. I want to tell you some fantastic parts but I am never a spoiler (of stories anyway)
Echo Island: Be Prepared by Gary Travis is an action/adventure, dystopian novel that focuses on a group of survivalists who are preparing for the worst. Dillon Prescott, an ex-Navy Seal, is in class at College in California when a massive earthquake strikes the Palo Alto region. Rushing home, fearing the worst, Dillon discovers his parent’s house has been totally destroyed, burying his mother and father. Thankfully his young brother is still at school but when Dillon finally manages to dig his father out of the rubble, he discovers his mother is dead and his father needs urgent medical assistance and an amputation of one of his legs. He texts his Seal buddies who swiftly arrive to assist him. After the younger brother Jack sells an invention to GE, the Prescott’s find themselves immensely wealthy. Determined not to be caught out by natural disasters again, the Prescott’s go full-on survival mode and purchase an island in Maine where they will set up an invincible fortress and a self-contained community for themselves and their friends. They will first have to deal with a corrupt and over-zealous local sheriff who wants the island for himself and is determined to send these interlopers packing. Once they become aware that evil forces somewhere are actually triggering these natural disasters, for their own financial benefit, Dillon and his team understand just how important their sanctuary will become in what looks like being a near-extinction event.
Echo Island: Be Prepared is an exciting, action-packed, roller-coaster of a ride for any reader. The survivalists, who have special forces soldiers at their core are experienced and well capable of building an impregnable fortress there on Echo Island. Author Gary Travis has unpacked a set of characters who although stereotypical of special forces personnel are indeed endearing and likeable. They don’t take any crap but that being said, they have hearts of gold. I have to admit though, I did get a little tired of their endless “hooyahs” eventually but it didn’t detract from the story too much. For lovers of a little romance there’s plenty of that here and the relationship between Dillon and Lauren was well written. The writing style is fast and frenetic as befits a thriller as well as being incredibly easy to read. I was thrilled as I get to the end of the story and realise that it wasn’t necessarily, actually, all over and that the door was left wide open for a sequel. I am particularly excited about the prospect of Dillon and his team attempting to take down the forces that caused this mass-extinction event. This appears to be a debut novel from Travis and I would have to say he’s done an exceptional job first up. I look forward to more from this author and can definitely recommend this tale for those who like their action, fast and frenetic with plenty of human values thrown in for good measure.
Echo Island: Be Prepared by Gary Travis is a prepper fiction novel that follows the Prescott family after a destabilizing earthquake takes the life of the family matriarch, Dana Prescott. From the wreckage and with the help of Dillon Prescott's former military comrades, father Taylor Prescott is lifted from the collapsed California home—the loss of a limb less of a hardship when young Jack Prescott sells off a lucrative patent for a sum in the hundreds of millions. The Prescott's vow to never be unprepared again, pooling their material resources, training, and survival knowledge to build up an offshore colony. When the truth of the first earthquake arises at the same time a catastrophic second worldwide disaster strikes, the Echo Island community is forced to contend not just with the environmental effects, but the societal upheaval that follows.
Gary Travis has written an engrossing tale of conspiracy, survival, and social psychology in Echo Island: Be Prepared. There is a lot of red meat out there for readers of the prepper genre, but I've found most to be a little chewy and overcooked. Travis allows for the seasoning of the story, layering its progress with strong characters that are well developed and pacing that builds with steady, evenhanded momentum before the searing scold of its climax hits. Having grown up in San Francisco in a military family and watched my city burn after the Loma Prieta earthquake, there was a personal connection that I felt to the underlying theme of being prepared. Of course, the little bug-out bags we created in the aftermath pale in comparison to the work of the Prescott family, but nevertheless Travis struck a cord in a book that gives a no-holds-barred look at the devolution of humanity in the face of catastrophe, and the innate desire that families are sure to have that is universal: to survive at all cost.
This book ranks in the top 5 for books I've read in the prep genre, particularly as it pertains to the writing itself and the creativity of the underlying plot.
The action started on the first page (actually, the first paragraph) and the Prescotts were pressed to adapt to everything that followed. Themes of family, trusted friends, betrayals, danger, life and death struggles, and community are explored in this novel. I felt a part of their quest and was fascinated how it all came together, fell apart ... and with an ending that begs for more. I hear there's a follow-up book in the works. Keep it coming, Gary.