The Judas Syndrome [Kindle Edition]

MIchael Poeltl (Author)

Book Description

* People that bought The Stand, The Road and The Passage also liked this *

Joel and his friends are on the verge of graduation and excited and optimistic about their futures. But when they return from a camping trip in the remote woodlands to find themselves faced with a post-apocalyptic world, their daily lives acquire burdens and terrors hitherto unexperienced.

The Judas Syndrome is an unforgettable portrait of survival against the odds. Joel, the protagonist, is an average teen whose dreams of entering college in the fall have disintegrated with the rest of the civilized world. Experiencing a barrage of sinister premonitions prior to a camping trip, Joel struggles to shrug them off as nothing more than anxiety over the newest cyber-terror, the Grimm Reaper. For months the Reaper has been inundating the airwaves with threats of mass destruction if world governments do not adhere to his plethora of ridiculous demands. Finally, he does more than just threaten.

The deed done, the Reaper's threats now realized, Joel and his small band of friends find themselves alone in a dying world. Their families are all dead and gone, and Joel's family home is now their stronghold. Faith and faithlessness are investigated as his ongoing visions prepare Joel for the realization that the worst is far from over. Prisoners to a darkened sky and toxic earth, the group fights to survive. Through battles staged on their hallowed ground, through loss and victory, the group meets the Pilate to their Judas, unwittingly setting in motion - the Judas Syndrome.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...insight... is a textbook look at human behaviour and interdependancy. His comparison of the world outside and the world of the mind is spellbinding and the question throughout is ,which will collapse first. - ROGER LUTON



--facebook fanpage reviews

‎The Judas Syndrome is a stark and uncompromising vision of the future of our world... this is
the kind of story that seems destined to become only more relevant in the years to come. - CHRIS SABEL --facebook fanpage reviews

The surprising but entirely believable ending was a big plus. It came as a surprise, but once I thought about it, the logic became inescapable - it HAD to end that way - JEFF FARIS --facebook fanpage reviews

The Judas Syndrome is a nice departure from the familiar post-apocalyptic theme of scarcity... a solid debut novel that is worth the read and I look forward to Poeltl's next novel - JASON PERCY WHITE --facebook fanpage reviews

I had trouble putting it down the first night and finished it in one day... After finishing this book I couldn't get it out of my head and doubt I ever do.- JEANNE HOWARD --Good Reads reviews

From the Author

Writing The Judas Syndrome was a difficult journey as I struggled to understand the trauma of experiencing the end of the world through the eyes of a teenager. What horrors would they face, what sadness would engulf them, what hopelessness must feel like. Researching post traumatic stress, grief and survivors guilt helped me create the characters reactions and better understand the situations I was placing them in.
It could have been a beautiful day outside, the sun shining, the trees green and alive, but in my mind I was trudging through a barren landscape, clouded over by fall-out and toxic rains, wondering how I would survive another day.
The trip is dark and the story so very compelling, that I chose to continue the book as a series in Rebirth, the 2nd book in The Judas Syndrome series.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 373 KB
• Print Length: 200 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0981316808
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0040SXSEI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #459,182 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good concept, has potential.. Not without flaws. February 14, 2011

By Stefanie647

Format:Kindle Edition

To be honest, I feel rather torn about this book. However, I have been thinking about it for a few days. If nothing else, it has stayed on my mind.

There are parts of the book I didn't like. I thought there were too many characters that weren't developed enough. I couldn't keep them straight. Some of them seemed like "placeholders" in the story. I stopped trying to remember who was who after a while. I wasn't a big fan of the dialogue. There wasn't much deviation between the different characters. I get that the kids are probably smart, but the dialogue was pretty interchangeable. Any one of them could easily subsitute for the other. I would have liked to see more defined and memorable personalities.

There were parts of the book I didn't understand. How did the teenage kids know to immediately set up a watch? How did they manage to do so well by being high all the time? They didn't seem like teenagers at all, except for the gratuitous drug use. I'd place them well into their thirties, at least.

It absolutely broke my heart when Joel betrayed his friend. And of course, being that the book is called The Judas Syndrome, it had to happen, and then had to end the way it did. Still, it was unsettling.

The series definately has potential, and I believe it will improve with time. For the record, I am going to read the second installation.

There weren't any spelling errors or typos in the book. The formatting was of professional quality.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting & fairly intense February 13, 2011

By J H Sked

Format:Kindle Edition

This is a pretty intense book that I think will polarise readers - they are either going to love it or hate it.
It deals openly with a number of subjects that more conservative readers will be uncomfortable with, including fairly prolific drug use and some fairly harsh language. Although the main character and his friends are teenagers, this is not a children's book by any means.

For me the book had some excellent points and a couple of jarring notes. I'll start with the negatives first, since I think firstly they are pretty minor & easily fixed in future books, and secondly - what I didn't like is not going to apply to everyone.

1) Too much back-story. The first couple of chapters could have been condensed without losing the overall feel for the characters. Got to say though - absolutely LOVED the first page - Joel speaks.

2) I had trouble distinguishing between character voices, especially where there was a lot of dialogue. To me this was because they all seemed to have the same style of speaking for long periods of time. Not always, but enough that I had to flip back a couple of times to check who was speaking.

3) A lot of dialogue came across more as personal philosophy or thought instead of conversation between people - interesting, but not something I come across often and it did tend to jar me out of the story a bit.

What I loved:

1 - The concept was brilliant. I've read a number of post-apocalypse type books; this one struck me as quite different to the run-of-the-mill stuff.

2 - Joel. For me this guy was the perfect anti-hero - difficult to like, remarkably easy to sympathise with. No attempt at covering his flaws or making him a saint. What really struck me was watching this guy devolve slowly into utter paranoia and self-hate, and eventually self-destruct in every sense of the word, while constantly trying to do what he thinks is right. Joel in the end is the personification of the apocalypse, and I thought this was beautifully done.

3 - Stinky. How can you not love a talking skunk/avatar?

4 - The ending. I really, really liked it - very powerful way to end this story, and for me it made perfect sense in light of both the book and Joel's character.

I'd recommend it, although it takes time to get through. This is not a cute or fluffy book and there are some pretty hard hitting scenes in it that will stay with the reader for a while.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lord of the Flies revisited March 17, 2011

By fiddlerzvi

Format:Paperback

The Judas Syndrome starts with a group of young adults on a camping trip before school. A cloud hangs over the trip, namely a terrorist's threat of a nuclear holocaust. The trip itself gives the reader a chance to know these youths and how they react under normal circumstances. When they return, they find that the terrorists have struck, their homes and families are destroyed, and the world is in chaos.

How they respond makes up the bulk of the story. They must contend with poisonous rain, lack of power, unplanned pregnancy, marauders, religious fanatics, drug addiction and -- perhaps worst of all -- their own inner demons.

The author has a clear and lucid style that takes the reader from one vivid situation to another. The story is reminiscent of Lord of the Flies but without adults rescuing them at the end. What does happen at the end surprised me, though I admit the author had left several clues.

More About the Author

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Michael Poeltl earned his diploma in Interpretive Illustration and began a career in the field while educating himself on the art of writing. Writing quickly became his passion and after completing several shorts, he undertook his recently published work, The Judas Syndrome.

Drawn to the dark places of the mind, Poeltl often works through his own demons when putting words to paper. When the author lives the words he writes, experiencing each moment as it passes, it becomes more than a story,it becomes tangible, something the astute reader will pick up on.

And as with the Yin and Yang, he can appreciate the good in people, and the hope, and the dreams, and the work that is put into building a better life.

Currently, Poeltl is working on a fourth book not related to his trilogy which will deal with Past Life Regression and one woman's present, while she discovers her past in an attempt to understand her path. Look for Her Past's Present, June, 2013.

Poeltl lives in Ontario, Canada with his daughter, Tatum and dog Jackson.

Notable Quotes

"Memories are of the ethereal, and not the material world, that is how I know I am forever." -- Michael Poeltl
"Like balls on a dog!" - (usage: when something does not occur often) - Michael Poeltl

Michael Poeltl was voted Best Writer/Author for 2010 in October by The View Magazine: A weekly alternative newspaper serving the city of Hamilton, Burlington and the Golden horseshoe region, reaching over 1 million potential voters/viewers.