American Apocalypse: The Beginning (Beginnings) [Paperback]

nova (Author)

Book Description

Series: Beginnings | Publication Date: November 11, 2009

In the not so distant future, the American economy fails, stumbling from a sharp decline into full out collapse. One casualty of the fallout finds himself homeless in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and faces new challenges at every turn just trying to survive. As he changes and adapts he learns hard lessons, makes new friends and ultimately becomes a formidable force of harsh justice in a lawless land. An unrelenting coming of age story set in the backdrop of a once proud America spiraling downward into third world squalor and violence.

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About the Author

The author lives in Washington, DC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (November 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449575285
• ISBN-13: 978-1449575281
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #472,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vision of one possible future, January 8, 2010

By 

David Z. Moss (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Apocalypse: The Beginning (Beginnings) (Paperback)

Volume 1 hypothesizes a possible future after an extended economic crash in the United States. Things slowly get worse for our protagonist Gardener and the rest of the country, but Gardener does a better job than most at adapting to changed circumstances. Effectively he embraces violence and sets himself up as a survivor and future warlord in an increasingly Mad Max style universe. OK, I admit I got hooked on the story after reading Volume 1 and am now in the middle of Volume III (which you can read right now on Nova's website). So I'm projecting a bit. But just a bit. In Volume 1 the future is not quite post-apocalyptic although it is getting there, and you can see and believe in the devolution of society happening through Gardener's observations.

I don't necessarily see the future heading this way myself, but American Apocalypse is a profound vision of a potential future that cannot be lightly dismissed. And if it does come to pass (or anything like it) you'll appreciate having seen a glimpse from Nova before getting there yourself. Perhaps more importantly, the book is an excellent page turner and a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

If I could I'd give the book four and a half stars. The downgrade comes from the relative lack of editing and the fact that the stream of consciousness style leaves you wondering a bit about some things. (Why for example do none of the characters get any news from the radio and learn about what is happening outside of the US?) But since I can't and it's either four or five, I'll go with five stars because it makes you think in a way that few other books can.

56 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Keep browsing for a better book/series, September 9, 2010

By 

Eric Davis "grizz30002" (Bennett, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Apocalypse: The Beginning (Beginnings) (Paperback)

After reading the reviews, and reading this (and book 2), I was disappointed.
Yes, it has a "end of days" theme however everything happens so easily and so lucky for the characters.
I agree with other reviews that the editing is horrible if not non-existant.

Book 2 is a little better, but not much.
It's disturbing how things happen so easily and lucky for the characters.
"He grabbed a bottle of water..." Where or how did he get such an important item so easily?
There was a gas shortage everywhere, but not for them apparently.
The main character never liked guns but all of a sudden he becomes a marksman.

The series leaves a lot of significant details how hard will work to aquire/build/ necessary items during EOD.
This is a "everything falls into their lap" EOD series.

And the character introduced near the end of book two is just silly. Really? (I won't ruin the story for those thinking of buying book two)

Call me old fashioned, but I could do without the foul language and NUMEROUS scenes where the character just so happens to stumble upon some guy or a group of guys molesting a boy, a woman or a girl. I think the author has personal issues with the topic. For this reason I had to go from three stars down to two stars.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not with a BANG....but a drawn-out whimper, July 1, 2010

By 

S. Sokoll (Manassas, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Apocalypse: The Beginning (Beginnings) (Paperback)

I am a great reader of apocalyptic and disaster fiction and non-fiction. What interests me the most in this genre are the changes wrought to society and the way individuals cope with this. While most books of this group see one event or an inter-connected cascade of events that causes the collapse of the known society, this book differs in that there is no flash point which starts the slide. This is much more frightening and absorbing than the known disaster - the unknown crisis, whether financial, political or ecological, which echoes so much of what is occurring in our current society and situation.

I agree with the reviewer who found this book poorly edited, but do not think these problems prove as jarring to the ordinary reader as implied in that review. This is a chilling book which should act as a cautionary tale to those waiting for the BIG BANG. It may come as a small slide, that slowly avalanches everything in its path, including us.