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Mother Nature had been sending signs for three years, but most didn’t pay attention until she pulled the plug on everything. Nobody will forget where they were and what they were doing at 8:13 on that morning. They’re all still waiting for 8:14. Well, at least the ones that have made it so far.
He was stuck in Atlanta traffic, making his way to work, when the world fell silent. His car, his radio, his phone, his watch, anything that needed a spark, a battery, or an outlet died. The silence didn’t last long and neither did she. He didn’t know if the yellow sundress was the first to die, but he does know that she wasn’t the last. Not even close.
As aircraft fell out of the sky, panicked drivers lost control in the fast lane, and pace makers stopped keeping their rhythms, he got out of his car and popped the trunk. Most didn’t pay attention, but he did. And he knew what was coming.
Three years earlier during the first city-wide blackout in Atlanta, he lost his Samantha to cowards who were never caught. Those looking to take advantage didn’t hesitate, wreaking havoc at every opportunity. It took less than an hour after the event for society to start its disintegration.
He made a promise to himself never to feel that helpless again. He wasn’t a soldier or a cop, but he was one of the few that did have a plan. Get out of the city, get away from people, and don’t hesitate.
May God have mercy on their souls, because he won’t.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateNovember 24, 2013
- File size1037 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B008OLD5DG
- Publisher : Legacy Road Publishing (November 24, 2013)
- Publication date : November 24, 2013
- Language : English
- File size : 1037 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 328 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #242,369 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,973 in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #3,217 in Science Fiction Adventure
- #3,352 in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Eric E. Borton served six years with Naval Intelligence in North Africa, Southern Europe, and the Middle East. As a civilian, he served thirteen years with a rescue helicopter service in Atlanta, Georgia, where he currently resides. Learn more about the author and his other titles on his website at www.eeborton.com.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Unlike most of the genre, Borton does not try and explain what has happened to club Humanity back into the Dark Ages, he just sets the scene of mother Nature running rampant and has his crazed hero go with it. And this is a hero to be reckoned with. Having learned the lesson of 'not having a plan' from a previous city-wide blackout, our tall, dark and handsome man sets about improving his survival skills with lessons in shooting, knife fighting and carrying a pack full of provisions. He also dials his conscience to neutral; not that he is immoral, just realistic enough to know that the niceties of society are persona non grata when the lights go out and the 'cowards' come out to play. Because he is that more ready with his guns, knife and fists, he generally survives where nice people don't when the EOTWAWKI event occurs. Indeed, the body count starts early and keeps climbing right to the closing pages.
The protagonist's continued, vivid interactions with dead people was interesting and off-putting by turns. He is deep into psychosis before the book begins and it grows worse with each difficult decision he makes. Borton makes it clear that our hero knows his visions are not real and that these conversations are really with himself, but some of them are just creepy. Like finding the Malpaso Man wore dresses in his holidays, it did not fully accord with the general motivation or expectations of a EOTWAWKI hero character. He seems masochistic in both emotion and action on a number of occasions, but he is probably more realistic for all that than other accidental EOTWAWKI hero's. Perhaps being so well prepared skewed his brain in some fashion? I don't know, but mostly I overlooked his crazy, creepy mind-games because the basics of the story were so well put together.
Borton has an excellent turn of phrase for events, but I found a lot of the dialog stilted and formal. I also felt a lot of the dialog was realistic, and in some cases both from the same characters, which is why I went four stars instead of five. With regard those events, they are about as realistic as any other example of the genre and having Mother Nature exacting revenge allows for all manner of crazy - and probably impossible - climatic events that keep the plot ticking over. Add in a number of on-the-run relationships, then a stronger set piece at the end, and for the most part the story arc is satisfying.
There is considerable repetition in the hero's thinking throughout his quest, and I can understand why other reviewers noted that. Probably Borton could have cut fifty or so pages without ill effect, but honestly, it's not a show stopper for me. The extra pages gave our hero that much more time to kill more cowards and save another damsel in distress.
Borton writes sufficiently well that I was engaged by "Without" from the first few pages and that interest was maintained until the end. His hero is crazy enough that he does not do all the obvious things, which adds quite a bit of tension and suspense to what is a very basic premise. There were some laugh out loud moments, so it was not all 'Oh woe is me' Bleak House; indeed, for the most part, the hero is anti-'Oh woe is me'. If you like EOTWAWKI this is definitely worth a read.
The central character of the story (who remains nameless through most of the book) has a goal in mind after an assumed EMP knocks out every motor and electrical device in the area. The goons and criminals are coming after those that have anything to steal to help them survive, so our hero heads out of town on foot trying to reach his parents' cabin in the North Georgia mountains to ride out the chaos alone. The weather has also gone crazy, sending floods, hurricane force winds, and rapidly changing temperatures to add another layer of misery to the character's journey and the recovery efforts of those he meets along the way.
No real explanation is ever offered as to how and why the EMP-like event happened or why it affected storage batteries and hand-cranked generators as well as knocking out all of the motors and electrical gadgets. The only in passing remarks about the weather changes are things about Mother Nature getting back at humans for abusing her. It's also noted that the earth's magnetic poles have shifted to the point that magnetic compasses are no longer reliable. I'm used to science fiction at least making a stab at the "why" of what happens in the story, so I was disappointed that no hypothesis was forthcoming in the book to attempt an explanation for the environment of the drama.
Most of the book is taken up with the difficulties the protagonist has with traveling and the people he interacts with, many of whom he is forced to kill in order to save himself or others. There is one huge event that I still cannot fathom anyone doing when facing the privations this character is facing. The explanation he gives to himself and others simply doesn't ring true, and it is a major plot turning point of the book. Without giving away any spoilers, I can only say that you'll know to what I'm referring when you read it. It's akin to someone crossing a bridge, then destroying the bridge before they are sure whether or not they may need to retreat back across that bridge to safety. It's a very odd and counter-intuitive action for someone trying so hard to survive in a hostile and ever-changing environment to take.
There is another point where the book takes a hard 90 degree turn into a hornets' nest about a cult following a corrupt charismatic leader that had me scratching my head. Of all the places this was going, I didn't expect this departure. It seemed bolted onto the main story of survival and the ways communities come together for mutual protection in times of need. It was a very disappointing way to end things.
There is enough to mildly recommend this book as a quick diversion, but it could have been much better as a straight apocalyptic survival chronicle without the odd plot turns.
Top reviews from other countries

This book reminded me of 'The Shack' but in a dystopian setting. It focuses more on the choices previous law abiding people have to make once food, water and medical help becomes scarce. Add to this, not having many of the items or facilities they take for granted because either they don't work or are no longer available and then, for many, to find out there's more to survival skills than operating a microwave. In this way, the story focuses on one man who has already lost the love of his life in a previous power outage; when men who thought everything was theirs for the taking, raped and murdered her. Since that day he prepared for future events and when the ultimate power outage happened he was kitted out and ready to take on the long walk to his late parents' home in the mountains.
From this point on, we learn about solitude, family and protection of family. We also learn about a good man having to make hard choices. Who can you help when there is so little to go around?
The other theme in this story is Mother Nature and all the weird and exaggerated weather she is throwing at everybody. People have to survive giant hailstones, ice storms, heatwaves, and massive hurricanes, and that's just for starters.
Overall, this story put me in mind of the TV programme 'Falling Skies' which I also enjoyed, but without the aliens, just other humans.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It had tension, love and pathos and I'm so glad I already have book #2. I definitely recommend this different perspective of an apocalypse. Also, I saved the best part for last, no zombies! 😲 ☺

Then for the last third it turns into a typical God and Christianity right to bear arms whilst conveniently killing anyone in his way. Of course he survives tremendous injuries e.g. one moment he has a broken wrist then when it is plastered buy a convenient doctor he gets told it will be 4 weeks before the bone will be set yet 2 days later he is fit and killing people again. For some reason he blows up a house in some psychotic episode, a house he has spent a good part of the book trying to get to because it's so precious to him. A couple of days later he is sane and welcomed by a family group of survivors who all think like him but welcome him with open arms even though he hasn't seen them for years.
On the good side the descriptions of societal collapse are convincing even if it's dressed up in some cross between environmentalism, mother nature then the bad guy is a preacher who despite twenty plus men can't kill the lone hero.
A good start to the story an average middle then just silliness.


