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What Came After [Paperback]

Sam Winston
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)

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Book Description

December 15, 2011

WHAT CAME AFTER is the Amazon bestseller written by Jon Clinch (THE THIEF OF AUSCHWITZ, FINN, KINGS OF THE EARTH) under his pen name, Sam Winston.

The apocalypse doesn't need plagues or zombies or bombs. All it needs is us.

Set in the very near future, WHAT CAME AFTER takes place in a too-credible third-world America that's been hijacked by corporations in the service of the wealthy. The Federal government has collapsed, health care is inaccessible, and private armies keep order. The upper class is concentrated in the cities, while the middle class—decimated by disease and poisoned by genetically engineered foods—labors on in a handful of desolate Empowerment Zones.

One man, Henry Weller, has had enough. With his five-year-old daughter going blind, he sets out across a ruined America to find her the health care she deserves. He'll have to face a strange and hostile world—from the financial districts of a walled New York to the armed camp of Washington, DC—but if he's successful, his daughter might see again.

And along the way, a revolution might get started.

WHAT CAME AFTER is shaped by issues on everyone's mind right now: poverty, corporate power, access to heath care, the outsourcing of government, parents' obligations to their children.

But at its core, it's a post-apocalyptic adventure in a desolate and treacherous world: THE WIZARD OF OZ meets HEART OF DARKNESS, at the end of the American dream.

From the critics:

"Sometimes I just keep hearing about a book on social media and I get so curious, I seek out the book myself. Case in point: Sam Winston's extraordinary WHAT CAME AFTER, an e-book about the end of the world. I started reading after dinner and didn't stop until I finished. This is no ordinary book. Character-driven, haunting, and gorgeously written, I think it's a classic"

— Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of PICTURES OF YOU.


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Product Details

  • Paperback: 238 pages
  • Publisher: Porridge Hat Press (December 15, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0615580572
  • ISBN-13: 978-0615580579
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #824,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sam Winston is the pen name of Jon Clinch, award-winning author of FINN, KINGS OF THE EARTH, and the upcoming THE THIEF OF AUSCHWITZ.

Customer Reviews

The plot is something that could really happen, which makes for an interesting read. read2imagine  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
The story started out very abrupt and left a lot of open questions right from the beginning. Matthew Boersema  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 56 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sam Winston has hit it right on the head. This book is dog-gone near perfect. I've read hundreds of dystopian and post-apocalyptic works and this one shot right up to the Top Ten. In fact, he bumped out Stephen King on my Top 10 list...that is definitely saying something.

Where to begin. Before I start waxing poetic here, let's just say that the story is utterly and completely unique. There is nothing like it yet it is also understandable and approachable by the average person like myself. The characters are fleshed out yet it's done in such a way that you aren't aware they are being fleshed out, if you know what I mean. It's done with the story in mind. The background, history, story and action all flow from logical points of view and you can really see this in a future version of us. In that way, it's also a cautionary tale. But in the end what it is most is the story of the love a parent has for their child and what that parent will do to ensure the safety and happiness of that child.

Our hero, and he is a hero, is Henry Weller. Not a fortunate man or of fortunate birth, he is nonetheless a curious and intelligent man who has become something of a wizard at mechanics out amongst the ruins of the industrial world. Broken things abound and he is the one that can fix them. The Empowerment Zone, which is just a nice way of saying anyplace the rich aren't, where he lives with his small family isn't much, but it is home.

A chance meeting and a friendly favor start the entire story. We are introduced and then carried through this new world with Henry as he seeks to make things right for his daughter. The story flows so well that we, the reader, are swept along as an almost active participant. You'll find yourself tense when he is, relieved when he is and frightened when things don't go well. If you're looking for some relaxing reading, this isn't the one.

I'm firmly committed to not spoiling anything for anyone else with respect to this book so I've had to dance around the action and plot a bit and I hope you'll forgive me for it.

This book is most highly recommended to anyone that likes Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Heroic Parent, Thriller or Mystery stories. Basically, if you like to crack a book that isn't a Harlequin Romance, you're probably going to love this. Whichever big publishing house passed up on this certainly missed the boat. This is best seller material and I wouldn't at all be surprised to see an award or two in Sam Winston's future.

Bravo! Excellent work.
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40 of 45 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars The story was good. The writing style was mixed. December 15, 2011
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I thought Winston's portrayal of a corporate-controlled America was strikingly close to home, and that his story arc and characters were compelling. The only thing that I didn't like is that he had a repeated use of sentence fragments, presumably to make things sound poetic. But then they would happen. Every paragraph, half the lines. Words dangling without all the clauses they needed. Like they were looking for something. Someone to see the word-picture. To understand.
As you can see, that may be fine now and again but it happened just about every page of the book, and really took me out of the story. Still a worthwhile read, but be prepared for that. I would have given it 4 stars otherwise.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful surprise September 21, 2012
By Paula
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had no idea that this book, picked up from its cover description, would be among the best post-end-of-civilization books I'd read in years. As a published novelist myself, I find Winston to be a serious writer, a fine crafter of words, pacing, setting, suspense, and especially character. In particular, the women--the courageous and resourceful mother, Liz, and the equally courageous and even more resourceful Janey--are memorable, as is the brilliant researcher Dr. Patel and the self-sacrificing and unnamed mother of the raging "primitives'" leader. In fact, this is an unexpectedly fine work of literature and a pleasure to read. I hope Mr. Winston's works will soon become better known, and--yoohoo, Sam Winston--let's have some more of his novels.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars I tried
I gave up on page 75, there was just nothing to hold my interest. I was just looking for more, sorry Mr. Winston.
Published 14 days ago by Babs
4.0 out of 5 stars good story
I didn't understand why they left on the journey in the first place. Once it got started the story kept me interested.
Published 1 month ago by jim
5.0 out of 5 stars great book, very well written, superb sci-fi novel of one version of...
this is clearly not written by some fledgling author, it's very obvious that the writer is a professional- the writing is excellent. Read more
Published 1 month ago by susan
4.0 out of 5 stars This came after
This was a free book. Dont know this author. It was a good adventure. I would have liked it to have taken the story a little further, but maybe thats just me.
Published 1 month ago by S. Longenbohn
2.0 out of 5 stars Not a "Must Read' for the genre
I've read a few books from this genre and I'm sorry to say this is not one of the more enjoyable ones. Read more
Published 2 months ago by AZ golfer
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good
The first part of the book was tough to get through. It was like the author wasn't quite sure of the story and was vague about details to give him latitude to develop something... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Bloom
5.0 out of 5 stars Great!!
One could actually find oneself thinking about the United States in this exact position if we keep going in the direction we are going...... Read more
Published 3 months ago by codgers hill farm
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
I have not finished reading the book, but it holds my attention. Will recommend this book to my friends. Good reading.
Published 3 months ago by Sandra Golley
5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping read!
I don't remember how I found this book. I might have been a Pixel of Ink recommendation or random happenstance. Read more
Published 3 months ago by medelle
3.0 out of 5 stars Started out strong but storyline weakened as it went on
I enjoy this genre, great start, but from the Middle on the storyline lost its steam and seemed to drag a little.
Published 3 months ago by renee pagliuca
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