Customer Reviews

Summer of the Apocalypse

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

"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.

This novel is part Cliff Simak meets _Canticle for Leibowitz_, part Heinlein meets _The Postman_. While largely a "How Do We Survive This?" novel, it is far more. Because of the structure of the book, we get to see the protagonist both as a 15 year old coming to terms with his father, and as a 75 year old doing the same with his son (and grandson).

For dessert, you get a confrontation between Librarians and New Barbarians. Who could ask for more?

I love end-of-the-world fiction. Ever since I first laid eyes on "The Stand" and "On the Beach" while in high school, I've been hooked. That said, many end-of-the-world books are poorly conceived and poorly written.

But every now and then a superior example of the genre comes around, and James Van Pelt knows how to string his sentences together. The story unfolds over a 60-year stretch following a virus that wipes out most of humanity. The depictions of society crumbling, as seen through the eyes of a teenaged boy, are chillingly believable. Intertwined is the story of the boy at the other end of his life trying to keep the flame of civilization alive. He embarks on a journey through the changed world, finding some things that might be expected (a crazed militia) and some unexpected (a tribe evolved from feral children).

For all of the death and destruction, however, this is a surprisingly humane novel, and it builds to the kind of emotional climax that only "On the Beach" has achieved within the genre.

I was perusing through amazon and came across this book again. I had read it a few years ago and remember it as one of the most touching and introspective post-apocalyptic books I've read. It reminds me a little of "Earth Abides" which is an excellent book and a masterpiece written decades ago.

While Summer is completely original (in fact VERY original and unique) and bears no resemblance to Earth Abides as far as storyline, it does share a thoughtfulness and exploration of characters who must deal with the end of modern society. It also shares a breadth of scope that spans many decades of the aftermath. While many post-apocalyptic books out there focus mainly on action, Summer does have all of that but goes much deeper.

This book centers around Eric at two points in his life: when he's fifteen during the beginning of the apocalypse, and sixty years later as an old man who carries memories of the "old world" but lives among the new generations who never knew it. It's a fascinating and haunting story of how Eric views the world at both points in his life. How's he's somewhat of a stranger... first as an ill-equipped teenager in a fallen world, and years later as a survivor in a new world that doesn't necessarily miss the old one. I don't mean that in a cliched science fiction way. I think summer paints a realistic picture of how a new society would evolve from a destroyed one. Eric is just part of both worlds.

The author did a masterful job of telling Eric's parallel stories at the same time. One, with the world falling apart and the other decades later. They are seamlessly told and brilliant in how they describe two different people who are really the same man, just separated by years annd experience. In this review, I hadn't even touched upon the father and son relationship with is beautifully told. There's so much to say about this book but I want to keep this review at a reasonable size. There are other reviews which will share that and more, much better than I could. After all, its been a few years since I've read Summer.

I loved this book and have thought back to it from time to time. It's a book that makes you think. Now that I'm writing this review, I think I'll pull it from my bookshelf and give it another read. :-)

The synopsis you can read from others & the book review. I will simply state that this book resonates with me in ways that are almost impossible to put into words. If you want "the Stand" read it (great book by the way). I've also read Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" and George Stewart's "Earth Abides" and find this story as affecting and as wonderful as those. Don't allow a small minority of "griefer" reviewers to ruin your change to read this wonderful and short book.

Jim Van Pelt is a teacher and a gifted writer, and I'd love to have had him as a teacher "back in the day". This book kept me up until 3 in the morning because I didn't want to put it down.

In this book Nature or God may have shrugged and said, "Start over, people." And a virus kills almost everyone. Eric's journey, both as a 15-year-old, and recapitulated as a 75-year-old is a visitation through a damaged world where bad things and some good things are still happening. The descent of Eric's village into ignorance and illiteracy was sad and believable. Even Eric's son, a leader in the village has a philosophy (if one can call it that) that scavenging can take the place of education.

There is a bit of perhaps what one might call "magic realism" in the story, which sends a bit of shiver down one's spine but I was gripped and carried willy-nilly through the ruins of a once powerful America to the savage militarism of "The Federal" with powerful left-over guns and a book-burning frenzy.

As I told others, this book is wonderfully written.

Thank you, Mr. Van Pelt

Set many years after a devestating plague wiped out 99% of the Earth's population, the story follows one old man in his quest to bring back books for his village. I loved the way the book switched from present to past to present. You get to see the old man, Eric, dealt with the aftermath of losing both his parents to the plague and how he managed to survive. Excellent writing. James Van Pelt, I'm looking forward to your next novel.

Before reading my review further please beware there are spoilers. This is the story of Eric; you'll follow his life from a teenager to old man. When Eric is young a sickness hits our planet called the plague. As schools are being closed down and people start dieing his father decides it's time to take his family from their home in Littleton Colorado to the mountains. For quite some time his father has been stock piling a cave he's found for the family. After Eric's mother gets the sickness and dies, his father leaves telling Eric he's going for help to take mother back to town. However, he never comes back. Eric will then take off on his own. Before both his parents are gone they gave Eric a key to a drawer in their home and tells him to go back home in the event they are gone. So this is where Eric heads off to, hoping to find his lost father on the way. He'll meet Leda, the woman he spends his life with and has his own son. As this book progresses each chapter switches between young Eric and old Eric; the Now Times and the Gone Times. What I am still in the dark about is the Earth Dancer. How did she know who Eric was? How did she know about the noose that almost killed him if not for Leda? I don't think this was ever explained or I just plain missed it.

There are several heart felt moments in this book, particularly when Rabbit is killed. This was a very sad point and brought tears to my eyes. Following Eric's life I felt as though I really knew him. The ending was satisfying and again I cried. Another plus for me, it takes place here at home. Made it feel more real to me.

If you don't read any other book this year, you should read this book. It's a page turner full of emotion. I'd love to see a sequel to this.