Renewal [Kindle Edition]

JF Perkins (Author)

Book Description

In a post-collapse America, a young Reclamation Engineer is tasked with seeking and restoring farmland from dead suburban sprawl. On his first solo assignment, he encounters something that threatens to change everything he knows about the America of his generation.

Author's Notes: One of my reviewers gave me some great advice (Thanks, Stable Boy!), which should have been obvious from the beginning. That is, simply to describe what you are getting for your 99 cents. Renewal is the first part in a series. It's also the shortest part, weighing in at 17,500 words, give or take. The rest of the story is told in the following parts. Most of those range from 20,000 - 28,000 words. I didn't have a grand plan (or even a mini plan) until I was halfway through the series. Thanks to my lack of experience, it just came out that way. In any case, I just wanted to let you know that you are getting a novella's worth of reading in a series that tells a lengthy novel's worth of story. I'm thankful that many have found the tale worthwhile, and I hope that you will too.

In the course of writing this series, I've learned enough to write the continuing story, beyond the series, in full novel-length releases. With a bit of experience under my belt, I believe that novel releases work a bit better for everyone. I hope you'll come along for the ride.

Thanks and regards,

JF Perkins

Product Details

• File Size: 137 KB
• Print Length: 47 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004YX8P4M
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,168 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Good Story June 25, 2011

By "Dan"

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great little story and I enjoyed it very much. Its kind of short but well worth the read. I gave this book a 5 star, which I don't do that often because, to me, it was so, so, good! I'm not one to be bothered by editing issues too much as long as the story is great and this one was; however, there were a few times I had to reread a short section because I was thrown by editing problems.

I do recommend this book especially if you are into post apocalyptic reads.

I don't like to give stories away in my reviews but since this one doesn't have any other reviews yet for you to get more info if you so choose, I'll give you a little.

It's a story about a young man, freshly out of school working for the county as a reclamation employee. His duty is to go out into the post apocalyptic county and survey old rural subdivisions to look into the potential of turning them back into productive farms. His first assignment was no accidental assignment. He stumbles into what appears to be a nearly vacant subdivision only to find out later that a hidden, well managed post apocalyptic society already exist for one small community.

The story is mostly a recount from a middle aged gentleman from the community that was a major player in the development of the community ... from the time the "event" happened when he was just a kid to the development of the community which it is today.

Once again, its a nice little story and I enjoyed it a lot. I wished it was longer for sure but there might be a sequel, just need to check into it. If so, I will for sure get it.

It's not an action, shoot 'em up type apocalyptic book but rather a post apocalypse book on the rebuilding. Sure there is danger that exist, guns, farming and all that but no shoot 'em up events.

I read all apocalyptic books I can and although this was a little different because there wasn't any "in the moment" SHTF events, I thought it was great.

You can read it in an evening. Probably 3 or 4 hours for me and I am not a fast reader. Worth the .99 cents and maybe even a couple bucks to me but I would have been disappointed to have paid $5 for it.

(I originally gave this a 4 star rating but have edited my review because I didn't understand that it was a novella and counted off a star because it was short. I now understand this and I really love this entire series and its well worth the 5 star in my opinion)

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Pleasant Surprise... August 17, 2011

By W. Perkins

Format:Kindle Edition

I love post-apocalyptic fiction. The scenarios available to readers run the gamut from completely believable to absolutely ridiculous. Honestly, when my brother told me he was interested in writing within that sub-genre, I thought, "Yeah, right." I was fully prepared to be his worst critic. Having read everything from Max Brooks to James Wesley Rawles to Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, I was fully expecting to be let down. I finally got around to reading "Renewal" and I have to say that I'm impressed. Any of you who have read post-apocalyptic fiction know that it is often weighed down with technical details, not enjoyable characters. Not so with Renewal. Much to my surprise, this is character-based fiction that anyone can enjoy. I am the last person on the planet who wants to praise my big brother for his writing prowess, especially since I'm the one with the degree in literature, but I have to say that he has written a captivating novella, so much so that I bought the next four novellas (I'm sure he'd give them to me for free if I asked.) because I can't wait to see what happens next.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Way Too Short August 29, 2011

By Treebeard

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

While the writer has good ideas and thoughts, the abrupt endings of each "book" are very distracting and annoying. It seems he just gets going and then it's over! Probably each Kindle book would be a chapter or so in a "paper" book-so while they are fairly good reading-the dragging out of each one gets a bit silly.
It's not so much a series as it is one story split into multiple books, which detracts from the overall memory of the story. Yes it's only .99cents-but I've read lots of those 99-centers that tell a complete story! I'd recommend buying them all at once so the story will flow better.

More About the Author

I was born two years before we landed on the moon, somewhere in the middle of Long Island. I was too young to remember much, except for the park ritual of spinning three times on a stump, the bee that flew down my throat, and getting my fingernails smashed off in a car door. Ok, that's not fair. I also remember when the mean kid across the street was run over by the mailman.

When I was five, we moved to Tennessee, the land where kids roam free. I used my freedom to smash a neighbor's hibachi, search for crawdads in the creek, and attempt to recreate Evel Knievel's greatest hits on my banana seat bike. It all paid off when I won the nine-year-old division at the 4-H bicycle rodeo.

Fast forward to my freakishly large high school years, and the football coaches beat up the band leader to insure my place on the front lines of the gridiron. That place lasted into college, where a classic injury forced me to rethink my decision not to play the tuba. Luckily, my extreme shyness was mistaken for paying attention in class, and I had good grades to fall back on.

In my so-called adulthood, it feels like I've lived about four lives with the only common theme being creative work. I've spent most of that time with either a camera in my hand or a Wacom tablet under my fingers, while I tried to convince Photoshop to do what I wanted. I probably thought about writing from the time I heard that ACL crunch in college, but I spent at least two decades mustering the courage to actually put words to paper.

From the exalted height of my mid-forties (I can hear you laughing), it feels like I was reading "See Spot run." on Monday morning, and Lord of the Rings on Thursday night. In between, it had to be the Chronicles of Narnia or Madeleine L'Engle. Needless to say, I like SF. Most of what is waiting to escape my head via my keyboard is some kind of speculative form of fiction. It seems to be the one place where bold, radical ideas can be explored without having to go into hiding from offending someone.

I currently live in Olympia, Washington with my fantastic wife, Sharon, five dogs (Hunter, Hope, Elke, Jay, and Luna - Queen of the Lunaverse), and two cats (Donner - loves everyone, Jenny - rarely leaves the bedroom closet). Whew! That was a mouthful. I'm a digital artist by trade, woodworker by hobby, gardener by spousal association, and dog trainer by hard necessity.