Half Past Midnight [Kindle Edition]

Jeff Brackett (Author)

Book Description

The Doomsday Clock gauges the threat of nuclear war. Currently, the clock is set at six minutes before midnight.

What happens after the hands reach midnight?

Survivalist Leeland Dawcett finds out when he and his family are plunged into the nightmare of their country returned to a third-world state.

No phones. No computers. No television.

At first, Leeland thinks basic survival is the answer.

Until he crosses the path of the wrong guy...

Someone who wants to do more than just survive...

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Red Adept Select Book

About the Author

The storytelling gene was inescapable. A father whose daredevil adventures personified the rebellious preacher's son, a Choctaw mother, and a veritable cast of characters in the family made for lots of "Did you hear about?" stories, as well as the inevitable oral histories. Influenced by martial arts, trigonometry, Star Wars, and ice cream, Jeff finally decided what he wanted to be when he grew up—which should happen any day now—an author. His long-ignored and oft-lamented Attention Deficit Disorder notwithstanding, you hold in your hands the result of many years of patient writing, re-writing, research, and long hours at the computer. Jeff's incredibly organized and intelligent wife's influence may be noted in this novel, but she in no way claims responsibility for any of the content, other than to say the story could use some "spice," which is what you would expect from a fan of J.D. Robb. Jeff and his family live somewhere near Houston, Texas, with two "goggers," three kids, one grandchild, and Dead Tehya, the cat. Half Past Midnight is his debut novel. Note from the author: And that, dear reader, is what you get when you allow your wife to write your bio page!

Product Details

• File Size: 538 KB
• Print Length: 338 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1468008536
• Publisher: Telemachus Press, LLC (December 10, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006KJ221U
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,339 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 94 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I like it, but...................... December 21, 2011

By Traveller

Format:Kindle Edition

I had this huge internal debate about how to rate this book. On the one hand, I liked the premise and the writing,very much. On the other hand this book has been edited down to the bone. All the meat is gone.In this book the main character figures out far too quickly what has happened.Theres a few paragraphs and wham, he knows exactly whats happened and what to do about it. Without giving away too much, his father is killed and we get a couple of sentences about that and then hes never really mentioned much again. Same thing later in the book. A main character dies and we get a couple of sentences about it.
The difference between an okay read and a great book is in the details.This book needs a little fleshing out. Not so much it gets bogged down, but enough where I at least know what the main characters look like and something about who they used to be.Its mentioned quite a few times that the main character is a survivalist, but we never know why or for how long. It goes from situation to situation a little too quickly with out any real description or time spent on the interesting parts. Theres a good part where they have a nasty exchange of gunfire on a bridge and the villian is duped. Im just getting into whats going on, and the next line says ""This leads to a nasty 3 month war"and that particular situation is abandoned, yet again.This happens over and over again throughout the book. Some parts that could of had you on the edge of your seat, dont. They just kinda leave you hanging.I would have liked a little more detail about everything and everybody, but thats a fine line too. For a first time author, this was a good effort.I didnt stop reading half way as Im prone to do with boring books, this was interesting enough to hold my attention. I enjoyed it.
If I see another of his books in the future, I'll read it. I think this writer will get better and better.

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to believe this is a first novel - I couldn't put it down! December 23, 2011

By Staci M. McDaniel

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

A fantastic first novel that focuses on the aftermath of nuclear war in America, from the perspective of a man who thought he had planned for every contingency.

In the eerie light from a "second" sun glowing in the sky, Leeland Dawcett and his family flee Houston for a rural cabin, planning to wait out the worst in a fallout shelter filled with their supplies. But they quickly realize that they need the help of their neighbors - and that the nearby town needs their help, too. Unfortunately, on the trip to the cabin, Leeland crossed paths with a man who sees the post-apocalyptic world as a chance to seize power, and views Leeland as an enemy who needs to be dealt with, leading to a violent showdown with an uncertain outcome.

Another reviewer found fault with the novel's lack of detail in terms of the background of the main characters and a feeling that some things (like grief and long periods of skirmish fighting) are skimmed over too quickly. I do think that the story would be more emotionally wrenching if those areas were fleshed out in greater depth; however, I also think that it would have completely slowed down the pace of the book, which would have been a real loss. This is DEFINITELY a page-turner. I also believe that it's more in Leeland's nature to press forward rather than dwell on what cannot be changed, which is exactly what enables him to survive and even thrive in a world that has been stripped bare of safety and convenience. If he spent his time mourning the life he lost, he wouldn't be effective in the present - in fact, his relentless drive forward may be the best tool in his survivalist toolkit.

This book is compelling, believable, and definitely has me wondering exactly what I would do after the nuclear midnight the title refers to. If you are a reader of post-apocalyptic stories, or if you are simply intrigued by the premise, you won't be disappointed by this book!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great debut novel with hopefully more to come! December 26, 2011

By Karen West

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Apocalyptic stories are among my favorite genre and I was really looking forward to "Half Past Midnight" by Jeff Brackett with great expectations. For a debut novel, I wasn't disappointed. His characters had all the required development to make them believable under extraordinary circumstances. Leeland, the main character, was a survivalist who realized that the world had changed in the matter of a few minutes.

This is a story of a man who fights to saves his family and create a way to live in this new world. Unfortunately, he is hampered by some who want what others have in order to survive. As his family makes their way from the city to a less populated and "safer" environment, he is confronted with a band of killers and makes an unwise decision that will prove costly.

Obviously, Mr. Brackett has done a lot research to make his characters knowledgeable in marital arts and weaponry. As Leeland and his family try to assimilate with the other survivors, we are introduced to a lot of characters with special talents. All of the characters has an interesting side to their personality which adds greatly to the story. Megan, his daughter for instance, is also trained in martial
arts.

Overall, if you enjoy stories of this nature, you will not be disappointed. Actually, I think, if the author wished he could continue with the storyline. The only reason I gave this a four star instead of a five is that I wanted to know who/why dropped the bomb. I also wanted to have an idea of what was going on in the rest of the country, if the government was doing anything to "restart". That is just my curiosity, it really didn't effect the story in anyway and the characters were to busy to have to time to dwell on anything but staying alive.

More About the Author

The storytelling gene was inescapable. A father whose daredevil adventures personified the rebellious preacher's son, a Choctaw mother, and a veritable cast of characters in the family made for lots of "Did you hear about?" stories, as well as the inevitable oral histories.

Influenced by martial arts, trigonometry, Star Wars, and ice cream, Jeff finally decided what he wanted to be when he grew up--which should happen any day now--an author. His long-ignored and oft-lamented Attention Deficit Disorder notwithstanding, you hold in your hands the result of many years of patient writing, re-writing, research, and long hours at the computer.

Jeff's incredibly organized and intelligent wife's influence may be noted in this novel, but she in no way claims responsibility for any of the content, other than to say the story could use some "spice," which is what you would expect from a fan of J.D. Robb.

Jeff and his family live somewhere near Houston, Texas, with two "goggers," three kids, one grandchild, and Dead Tehya, the cat.

Half Past Midnight is his debut novel.


Note from the author: And that, dear reader, is what you get when you allow your wife to write your bio page!