Summer of the Apocalypse [Paperback]

James Van Pelt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2006

When a plague wipes out most of humanity, fifteen-year-old Eric sets out to find his father. Sixty years later, Eric starts another long journey in an America that has long since quit resembling our own, but there are shadows everywhere. Shadows of what the world once was, and shadows from Eric's past. Blood bandits, wolves, fire, feral children, and an insane militia are only a few of the problems Eric faces. Set in Denver, Colorado and the western foothills, Van Pelt's first novel is both a coming-of-age tale, and a story of an old man's search for hope in the midst of disaster. Eric's two adventures lead him through a slice of modern America and into the depths of one man's heart.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

After a deadly virus annihilates most of the world's population, 15-year-old Eric undertakes a perilous trek across a devastated Colorado landscape to find his missing father. Forging through a wasteland of abandoned autos and dead bodies, Eric survives crazed looters, wildfires, and a hangman's noose before joining a ragtag community of fellow survivors. Six decades later, after watching his brethren fall prey to illiteracy and a scavenger lifestyle, Eric embarks on another journey through a vastly transformed America, with the objective of rescuing lost knowledge from an abandoned library. His adversaries this time include wolves, feral children, and brutal survivalists. His encounters with the nastier side of human nature paradoxically provoke recognition of humanity's inherent goodness and give him hope for the inevitable renewal of civilization. Van Pelt's first novel is a solidly written, if somewhat routine, contribution to apocalyptic fiction, whose redeeming qualities arise from Van Pelt's deft subversion of contemporary, disaster-driven fears to forge a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Author

Hi, I'm James Van Pelt, the author of Summer of the Apocalypse. By releasing the book in its Kindle edition, I've finally entered the 21st Century! Unfortunately, right now, the Kindle Edition listing doesn't include the reviews the hard copy of the book has already garnered.

If you'd like to see what folks have already said about the book, you can read them at the print edition listing at Summer of the Apocalypse

Oh, as a part of this posting, I gave my book five stars. I didn't have an option of not ranking it, and I didn't want to default to NO stars. The real-paper version of the book has been reviewed 44 times on Amazon as I write this, and it has averaged 4.5 stars. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Fairwood Press, Inc (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974657387
• ISBN-13: 978-0974657387
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #642,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Van Pelt teaches high school and college English in western Colorado. He has been publishing fiction since 1990, with numerous appearances in most of the major science fiction and fantasy magazines, including , Talebones, Realms of Fantasy, Analog, Asimov's, Weird Tales, SCIFI.COM, and many anthologies, including several "year's best" collections. His first collection of stories, Strangers and Beggars was released in 2002, and was recognized as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association. His second collection, The Last of the O-Forms and Other Stories, which includes the Nebula finalist title story, was released in August 2005 and was a finalist for the Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award. His novel, Summer of the Apocalypse was released November, 2006. The Radio Magician and Other Stories appeared in September of 2009 and received the Colorado Book Award in 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will resonate for me for a long time to come., October 24, 2007

By 

Patrick S. Dorazio "Author of The Dark Trilogy" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Summer of the Apocalypse (Paperback)

I ordered this book based on Amazon connecting the dots: I like apocalyptic fiction and this book obviously qualifies, so they recommended it to me. Often I prefer a darker vision than the author had here, but the author's vision of the future did not disappoint. I was very glad I took a chance on this one.

You know the story if you have read the description above and the other reviews. We are introduced to Eric, both the boy and the man, who has experienced two book end journeys through the apocalypse as a boy of fifteen and a elderly man of seventy five and we are told the story of both in alternating chapters. But as Amy, a previous reviewer, mentioned this is a book about fathers and sons and the relationships that define them as much as it is about the breakdown of society and one man's journey through it. Through Eric's eyes we see the generational differences and similarities that both seperate and bind.

Eric as a teen tries to come to grips with both the world falling apart at the seams and a father who he does not completely understand. A father who is at the same time both distant and somewhat cold and yet caring and warm in his own way. Eric as a seventy five year old man is trying to come to grips with a world that is resistant to discovering ways of rebuilding and a son who he feels has never understood him and who, perhaps, he might have failed as a child. There is hidden resentments, failed gestures, and yet a profound understanding, in the end, that what binds them all together is a love that is deep and overshadows everything else.

A good storyteller not only plunges you into a story with compelling elements and a good plot but lets you identify, on some level, with his or her characters. In this, James Van Pelt has done a terrific job, fashioning an apocalyptic vision that felt real and logical, with elements that made it feel almost profound. He has also given us characters that, for me, were identifiable and totally human. Inside of each of us, as we grow older, is both the child that we once were and the man or woman we have become, so even though we have here a man at two very different times in his life we can see that he is the same person in both instances.

This story resonates for me because Eric's quest to resurrect the old technologies is inextricably tied in with his relationships with his father, son, and grandson. A father who represents the old world and all the good it meant to him and a son who rejects not only the old tech but what it means to his father. The author deftly ties everything together and brings it to a very satisfactory conclusion. Elements of my own relationships with my father and son made this story even more potent and touching to me.

I highly recommend this book.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Summer of the Apocalypse, November 23, 2006

By 

Gaddy Bergmann (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Summer of the Apocalypse (Paperback)

This book offers a great, surrealistic view of the commonplace. When a pandemic virus wipes out most of mankind, the survivors find themselves not only traveling by foot through the metropolis and suburbs of Denver, Colorado, but also trying to survive. This book has many captivating scenes. Some feature ferocious wild and feral animals, while others involve some creepy people who come out of the woodwork when society breaks down. There are some great debates between characters about the pros and cons of the "Gone Times" and the new times. And there are some interesting ideas about how people would survive an apocalypse, and where they would go thereafter. There are a handful of scenes where the cause of the action is not apparent, but overall the story is easy to follow and get involved in. But this book is mostly about one teenage boy who survives the apocalypse and then lives to become an old man in the new, post-apocalyptic world. It's the story of his perspective, his relationships, and his legacy to his family and friends. This book is exciting and thought-provoking, and I'm glad I read it.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fathers and Sons, October 6, 2007

By 

Amy "Hateful Harridan" (East Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Summer of the Apocalypse (Paperback)

"Summer of the Apocalypse" is categorized as sci-fi -- and it is -- but it's also a wonderful story of fathers and sons. The world's population is decimated by a virus. The remaining people struggle on, with the younger ones arguing for learning how to scavenge and live off the land more successfully. The "Gone Timers," those who lived before the plague, argue that humans must learn how to rebuild civilization, and books hold the key. The ensuing struggle is the backdrop for Eric to discover how his relationship with his father has affected the one he has with his son and his grandson. This is a beautiful story, with poetic themes and gripping action. It transcends the genre, and readers will not have to care for sci-fi to truly enjoy this book.