Endless Winter: Giant Post-Apocalyptic Prepper Saga with 800+ Pages of an American Family Surviving a New Ice Age

by Riley Miller, Grace Hamilton

A brutal new Ice Age covers the Earth…

When an experiment to reverse climate change goes disastrously wrong, Jarred and his daughter Hope are forced to head south in search of warmth. This man-made eternal winter shows no signs of stopping, and with temperatures continuing to plummet, fears of a new ice age drive survivors into a panic.

Jarred and Hope don’t have the wilderness skills needed to survive this disaster. But when their car spins out of control, they’re forced to fend for themselves in the ruthless and unforgiving forest surrounding them. And as they journey through the snow-swept wilderness, they slowly discover they are not alone…

Survivalist Fiona knows how to deal with a harsh winter on her own, but this new world is deadly. She’s got a cabin stockpiled, and is all alone until she runs across Benjy, a forest ranger who’s ready to help, but has his own reasons for staying with her.

Civilization is crumbling. There’s no electricity. The cold is getting worse, and resources are scarce. To survive, Jarred and Hope will have to find allies they can trust, and push themselves harder than they ever imagined. Because even a moment’s weakness in this harsh icy wasteland can mean only one thing.

Freezing to death in the merciless cold…

Exciting news! Endless Winter is better than ever – it was expanded & republished in September 2023!

808 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2021

Reviews

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a massive multi part book covering a new ice age brought to the planet by meddling scientists, who hoped to solve the problem of the polar ice caps melting and flooding land and the effects of man on climate change, by artificially producing more clouds and colder temperatures. Unfortunately their experiments led to a sudden winter storm in September that covered the planet and brought about what seemed to be a never ending winter and severe snowstorms. One of the main characters is single dad Jarred, who lost his wife to a short battle with cancer and has been trying to raise their daughter Hope as best as he can. He gets a call from a good friend warning of severe weather and telling him to leave immediately and head south as far as he can. He quickly packs up a few essentials and gets on the road with Hope, who isn’t happy. Fiona is another key character who has lived alone for the last fifteen years just outside of the town Glencole. On her small homestead that she has run by herself, like she prefers. She doesn’t like the company of others, preferring her solitude and working hard for everything she has. The sudden storm means she has to quickly move her animals and try to save as many of her crops as possible, which at this time of the year is not a lot.
The storm is already getting to whiteout proportions as Jarred drives south and he sees other vehicles that have already spun off the road. He is trying to hurry, but also be sensible and try to keep them safe, agreeing to stop at the next town for some food and to warm up. He ends up like many others, spinning off the road and his vehicle is totalled. It is too cold to stay in the car without an engine going to keep them warm, so they try to walk to the next town, having broken down pretty much right between two small towns! Fiona has done as much as she can to move her supplies and animals, even putting her goats and chickens down in her wet basement, when she gets an unexpected and unwelcome visitor. Forest Ranger Benjy has turned up at her door, knowing he can only survive in his ranger cabin for a few weeks and preferring the company of Fiona, someone he has been fixated on for quite some time, and not in a good way. He presumes that Fiona would be grateful to have a man about her house to help with everyday tasks and he couldn’t be more wrong. He is loud and annoying and also a bit creepy as we soon find out. He ignores all of Fiona’s comments about wanting to be alone and not really needing any help and almost forces her to accept some help in exchange for some fuel for his snowmobile.
Jarred and Hope come across a holiday cabin near the woods and break in for the night and then try to stay there, but it is wholly inadequate for the weather and they soon have to leave. They trek through the woods to avoid the deep snowdrifts, but Jarred falls down a slope and badly breaks his ankle. Hope has to go for help and uses her Girl Guide skills to make him a windbreak. Hope spots the lights of Fiona’s home and arrives just as Fiona was kicking Benjy out! He fetches Jarred with his snowmobile and now Fiona has more people in her cottage, but she doesn’t mind Jarred and Hope as much as she does Benjy. He uses his smarmy ways to make a friend of Hope and get her on his side, which later leads to a very dangerous situation for thirteen year old Hope. Fiona and Jarred end up having to rescue her from Benjy, but by then he has a small group of townsfolk on his side and is ready to take her cottage for himself and them, by force if need be! Most of the townsfolk have heeded the evacuation order and tried to flee south, but a few stubborn people stayed behind and are now struggling as the winter weather seems to have no end.
A deadly face off occurs in the general store and the survivors make it back to Fiona’s cottage, crowding the place with bodies and noise that are overwhelming for Fiona most of the time. The weight to the snow is causing problems for them all, as her old cottage is not meant for so much snow and they soon are forced to leave. They know that the town offers no real chance for long term survival and one of the other townsfolk, Larry, suggests a location he knows of which would be perfect and be in no danger of collapse due to the heavy snowfall. It is a dangerous journey that takes far longer than expected, and of course they run into a few dangerous situations along the way. From hungry animals, to blood thirsty pirates out for themselves, and even religious fanatics who hide behind a weird belief system and punish any transgression severely! Some of the group will get separated and have to face their own perils as they try to reconnect with the rest of them and Fiona finds herself unwillingly seen as the leader of their group, something she doesn’t feel comfortable with. The weight of all the decisions and everyone expecting her to have the right answer to keep them all safe in this ever changing landscape, works on her confidence in her own abilities and not in a good way. BY the end, a death of one of the group is taken personally by her and a trial which must be endured in their new safe location, she insists on doing herself and then retreats in a slump of depression when she fails. They all have to endure a lot of suffering, but the place they end up in, no matter how strange, is certainly better than facing the harsh and icy wasteland outside yet again! A cracking post-apocalyptic saga, that is basically three books in one, takes you through a range of emotions and suffering, as well as danger, adventure and learning to live in a world so far removed from what most are used to. There is no waiting around to read the next book in the series, as this is the full saga, from beginning to end, and you will need to give yourself a good chunk of time to get through it all, which you won’t regret! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant book. From opening the first page I was engrossed. I followed Fiona on her journey and the people she met, some she passed by and others she allowed to join up with her. There were plenty of ups and downs along the way and at times fraught. Not everyone in her party survived. I loved this book, the story was excellent and quite simple and the characters are so realistic. A great read.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider Grace Hamilton the queen of the "after the fall" genre. I do not have to check the book synopsis to know that I'll enjoy the read. I do not have to worry that the story will be a warmed over version of one of her other books.....and she as many. I do know that within the covers of this book, I will find an enjoyable, entertaining, sometimes WTF read.

[Anthony Philosophos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Miller and Hamilton's novel. The book portrayed a believable scenario and the plot was fast paced. The book goes into good detail, so the reader just naturally follows along. Definitely 5 stars!

[Amy Wels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting premise, I was entertained. The only note I have is the term used frequently “wifey.” I know it was used as an endearment, but I found it to be cringe worthy.