4.5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: I read Book #1 Among Wolves, following Amazon browse, and had to start reading Book #2 straight away!
Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian, SciFi, Horror
I found this book almost as compelling as the first ~ although a continuing story, it's a different chapter, as protagonist Gabriel and his friend Mags set off in search for a haven safe from those who threaten their group, and come across some who they trust, at first, later to find out that not all of them have their best interests at heart. The sense of bleakness, of cold and silence, is so well done all the way through.
As with the first book, I applauded the structure of this book ~ it starts with Gabriel trying to get out of the pickle in which he has found himself, then goes back ten days to show how he got there. Running alongside is the associated story of a boy kept imprisoned; the way in which this gradually intertwines with the main story works so well. I loved the building of suspense, and the hints of danger to come.
One thing I was not so sure about, in this book, was the way in which Gabriel seemed to know so much about how the world was before the fall, given that he was six at the time and had received little formal education, learning things only by conversation, and reading novels and the odd scrap of old newspaper. It didn't bother me a great deal, and I was able to suspend any disbelief most of the time, but I felt that the author had sometimes forgotten that he was writing from the POV of a seventeen year old boy who had lived a very insular life for the past ten years. But the end was full of the unexpected, I really enjoyed the book and will certainly be reading the next one ~ which is what matters!
5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: Amazon browse
Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian, SciFi, Horror
Gabriel is sixteen, and has been living in a bunker inside a mountain since the world went to hell ten years before ~ he and his classmates were on a school trip to the White House on what turned out to be the Last Day. The US President was already dead from the virus, but the newly sworn-in replacement insisted that the children should be saved too, and taken to the bunker. Now, Gabriel goes out scavenging for anything that can help the inhabitants of Eden survive. Outside, the world is cold, silent, where ash storms rage. No one know what started the virus that precipitated the end....
I loved this book. It's one of those stories that builds up gradually, so that, chapter by chapter, you begin to understand why the situation is as it is now, and this makes it a real page-turner. The narrative goes back and forth between then and now, which is one of my favourite structures. The sense of suspense is so good, all the way through, as Gabriel begins to uncover the truth about his situation. Much of the book is taken up with the trips outside Eden that Gabriel makes with former soldier Marv; there is much practical detail that in a less well-written book would be boring, but R A Hakok had me glued to every page.
Alongside Gabriel's story is that of Eliza, an analyst sent to Korea back before the Last Day, to look at the nuclear reactors. But she has another, far more sinister mission to complete. Slowly, the two plot threads come together.
The action really revs up in the last 20%, and the ending is great, making it a complete story but kind of a cliffhanger as well - now excuse me while I go and download the next one!
