Customer Reviews

American Apocalypse: The Beginning (Beginnings)

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

A fantastic and riveting read from the first time we meet the Gardener until the last page. Nova starts with the economic meltdown and unemployment problems of today and describes a beliveable and very possible vision of the near future. Not for the faint of heart, the vision has a very dark side, but also a ray of hope emerges as his main charactor evolves. An outstanding tale.

A gripping narrative of an all too plausible outcome of economic collapse - and the transformation of the main character, as the world spins out of control - kept me turning the pages until all too quickly volume 1 was finished and I was left wanting more!

I have read all 3 now and this was my favorite but they are all 3 good. I find 2 and 3 a little comic bookish though. This first one though is pretty darn good. It is not in the same class as Patriot but it is a good story for those that dont prepare in the city. Good job and I recommend if you like the what-if type fiction books.

Wow, this was bad. The edition I got had obvious typos on virtually every page. Maybe the newer version has corrected that, but still there is a little of value in this book. This reads like it was written by a high school student - there is a lack of descriptive language throughout and little to no character development. Plus the plot is a bit of stretch. Survival "clans" based on online gaming communities? A supposed Marine war hero who joins forces with a deranged main character that kills or attacks people with questionable motivation and lack of moral consideration? Please. You won't find any good survival info here and definitely not quality literature by a long stretch.

This book arrived and I was already excited by the time I read the title.

We live in a generation of uncertainty, where too many people depend on fragile systems that can instantly collapse the minute a natural or man made disaster occurs. This book follows one common man as he adjusts to the new hierarchy of life in a post-collapse world.

This a must read for anyone interested in what life would be like if the grocery store deliveries stopped and they ran out of food, the government collapsed and the law of the jungle and the wild west returned again.

Not only this, it was written and edited as a quick page turner, so even if you want to put it down, you pretty much HAVE to turn the page to find out what happens next. The book is the perfect length for an evening of excitement and adventure in the American Apocalypse.

In this book, the reader meets "Gardener" (I won't give away how he earned this name) through the first couple years immediately following a global economic meltdown. We learn a little about his past as a corporate drone and even tidbits of his childhood, but most of the book is focused squarely on the present and its pressing needs (finding food and water, learning to protect himself and others, and the general grinding collapse of society as we know it).

As some writing of the genre can be, this book was not far fetched in the least, and was one of the more plausible story lines I have read. It appears the author let a lot of his opinions concerning modern issues subtly be known, and were woven seamlessly into the plot. Readers will recognize many current events rearing their heads as they move along.

As post-apocalyptic literature goes, I loved the story line and character development (no one knows each other's real name, but you really feel like you know the characters). My one and only complaint would be the editing, which is the sole reason I gave it four stars instead of five. Punctuation, capitalization, and spelling started off horrendously, but seemed to even out as the book went along, though I'm unsure if I simply just got used to it. It took me a full 10-15 pages before I could position my brain to figure out the author's style in order to read undeterred by misplaced periods, mid-sentence capitalizations, and flip-flopped words.

The book ends with a bang, and I immediately downloaded the sequel, which I'm eagerly anticipating. With the price you pay for the pleasure of an adrenaline-pumping thrill, you can't go wrong with this book.

Nova artfully paints a graphic picture of what might become of America. The new edition of the first novel is ripe with allusion to current events, which all add directly to the story line (and are very pertinent...And that should make you visit the Army Surplus store....IMHO: well done!!!!). Gardner is a strong lead character with some obvious flaws in his psyche. Some readers are less than satisfied with the innuendos that might cause them to think through religious beliefs. However, good literature causes one to think, so what's the big deal?

This is just one fictional account of what could be-- one man's vision. Open your mind when you get to the third book; I thought it made you think about beliefs from all angles, inside and out. What side would you choose? Who is doing 'the most good'?

Hurry up with IV!!!!

MM