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Welcome to the Apocalypse - Pandora (Book 1): A sci-fi adventure story by [D.L. Richardson]

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D L Richardson

Welcome to the Apocalypse - Pandora (Book 1): A sci-fi adventure story Kindle Edition

by D.L. Richardson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

28 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Welcome to the Apocalypse

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“Players. Welcome to the apocalypse…”

Kelly Lawrence is a grieving widow. Jack Minnow is a website designer. Reis Anderson is the son of a senator. These three friends have their own reasons for signing up to The Apocalypse Games, a state of the art virtual simulation experience, designed to prepare people for any number of catastrophic scenarios. But nothing will prepare them for what happens on launch day when the computer malfunctions, trapping over a hundred players inside a never-ending cycle of apocalypses.

There’s reason to worry. Their simulation pods are designed to last 3 days. And they have no communication in or out. Yet there’s a bigger threat. The artificial intelligence they call Pandora is taking over.

And Pandora wants to play with them.

Great for fans of sci-fi adventure, complex characters, and as many apocalypses as you can find in one book. Grab your copy today!

The story continues in:
Welcome to the Apocalypse - CyberNexis (Book 2)
Welcome to the Apocalypse - Primal Scream (Book 3)

Also available as a 3 book bundle for those who like to binge read in one go.

Print length

298 pages
Language

English
Publication date

November 21, 2016
File size

2995 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

#1 Bestseller Amazon in Post Apocalyptic Science Fiction

#5 Amazon Hot New Release in Science Fiction TV, Movie & Game Tie-In

"It was thoroughly enjoyable. I look forwarding to reading more in this series." - Netgalley reviewer.

"Really enjoyed this book, if you're a fan of apocalyptic fiction then this is definitely the book for you." - Gemma M, Netgalley.

"The character build up is nice and you can see the connections and the relationships build and fit perfectly." - Mike S, Netgalley/Goodreads.

"With today's interest in gaming this book grabs your interest." - Pamela, Librarian, Netgalley review.

"I'm exhausted after reading this roller coaster of a novel. I kept finding myself holding my breath at times. Love the main three characters." - Carol F, Netgalley reviewer.

"This was an action-packed story that also managed to explore the team's personalities and problems." - Bobbie K, Netgalley/Goodreads.

"What makes Welcome to the Apocalypse: Pandora so exhilarating, though, is its ingenuity. It resembles a blend of The Hunger Games and Jumanji, while still maintaining a level of believability not achieved in those works." - Authors Talk About It.

"The suspense is biting and the reader can feel the pulse of the characters. From the very first to the last page, the story is emotionally charged, the action intense, and the conflict driving the plot forward." - Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite.

"The concept and plot was so different to any dystopian novel I've ever come across. It wasn't exactly Terminator, with robots rising up to kill humans, but more like Star Trek-type technology becoming sentient and killing humans." - Rachel Sawyer Diaries.

"Interesting concept - stuck in a virtual reality game." - A.B Shepherd, Goodreads.

"Couldn't wait to keep turning the page to find out what was happening next." - Pauline Ryan, UK.

"Just finished reading it yesterday - couldn't put it down. Looking forward to part two - any hints?" - Gisele Ni Mhoinseal, Spain.

From the Back Cover

"Players. Welcome to the apocalypse..."

Kelly Lawrence is a grieving widow.
Jack Minnow is a website designer.
ReisAnderson is the son of a senator.

Each of these players has their own reasons for signing up to The Apocalypse Games, a state of the art virtual game designed to entertain doomsday preppers, gamers, and cosplayers. Altogether, over 100 people enter NASA designed simulation pods and hook up to the mainframe computer with one goal: survive 24 hours of an apocalypse. Instead ofgame over at the end, they're plugged straight into a new game. Then another. It's clear the computer has malfunctioned. What's not clear is why. With no communication to or from the outside operators, they can only fight endless battles and hope they're rescued before it's too late. While they can't die inside the game, they can die if the pods break down while they're still hooked up. This game of survival just got real.

ASIN : B01N01QFTQ
Publication date : November 21, 2016
Language : English
File size : 2995 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 298 pages
Page numbers source ISBN : 1539545695
Lending : Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,043,931 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,018 in Metaphysical Fiction
- #2,459 in Metaphysical Science Fiction eBooks
- #2,528 in Science Fiction TV, Movie & Game Tie-In

Customer Reviews:
28 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		44%
4 star		19%
3 star		14%
2 star		5%
1 star		17%

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Top reviews from the United States

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RussellR

Good idea, but a little grating

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2016

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The blurb gives away a lot of the plot, which I never think is a good idea. But I won't spoil any more of it for you.

The main thing that irritated me is that this is set in a virtual reality world, but one of the main characters is so anti-violence that she hates the thought of even killing vampires or zombies. I think this alone will make a lot of people stop reading this book as it's quite grating. It's not just the one character though. It's quite a strong theme through the book and it's quite grating; it's almost like the author has a personal issue with killing in a virtual reality world.

The execution of the story was alright, but I think it feel well below its potential., given the general idea of the story.

I'd give it a 3 or 3.5 star rating; it wasn't bad, and I'll likely get book two, but I really feel that it could have been so much better.

6 people found this helpful

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Jeanette

Fast paced, gripping - virtual reality at its scariest

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2017

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Welcome to the Apocalypse (Pandora, #1) by D L Richardson keep me reading right to the end.

In The Apocalypse Games players are trapped in a virtual reality game that introduces a range of potential human extinction events and a sentient AI, Pandora. The apocalypses keep up the suspense, but it is the emotional and personal challenges that Kelly (a grieving widow), Jack, Kelly's concerned brother and his business partner, Reis, face as they interact with the challenges of the game and the NPCs that makes this a gripping read.

Though the ending was a bit sudden I really enjoyed the read and look forward to reading then next in the series.

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Daniel Baker

This entire book was one deus ex machina after another and hinged upon throwing the characters through one "character changing"

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2016

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Complete trash. So much deus ex machina and suspension of belief, mixed with the endless monotony of bouncing aimlessly from one apocalypse to another all the while having the plot be pushed by the death of the main characters husband. Possibly one of the most regret able purchases I've made from kindle.

4 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

Love reading books about the apocalypse

One person found this helpful

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Galileon

Waste of time.

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

I got a little over 10% into the story and quit. Out of three potential MCs, two guys and a gal, the author chose to use the gal as the MC, which would not have been bad in a VR game setting but, she's all depressed and still in mourning over the death of her spouse and to top it all is NOT a gamer! So the two guys, who are gamers, waste a lot of time trying to keep the chick safe. For me, this really took a lot of the fun out of the story, and I can't recommend it.

9 people found this helpful

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JoanneG

Reality or Simulation--Can You Tell the Difference

Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2017

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I was hooked. I almost gave up, but I'm glad I didn't.

Everyone knows the story of Pandora: She opens a box and unleashes all the evils of mankind into the world. She thinks she's finished, but there's a knock from the box. Doing the knocking is Hope, which helps people to overcome and triumph over evil.

The story is about a new virtual reality game: The Apocalypse Games. Probably everyone that reads post-apocalyptic fictions wonders if he/she would be able to survive. This game gives people the opportunity to find out.

For $5,000, each player is connected to a pod that connects to a virtual reality simulation of an apocalypse. The players have one day to survive or be killed and then the game is over. Along with 100 players connected to the games, there are numerous NPCs--Non-Player Combatants--that are computer-generated. The players may or may not be able to determine who is real and who is not.

The story centers on three of the players: Jack and Kelly, brother and sister, and one of their good friends, Reis. All three of them go into the game for different reasons and all three have secrets they have never revealed to other people. None of them realize what the game has in store for them.

The three players enter their chosen scenario--vampires--and live out their day; however, instead of waking up, they are taken to another apocalypse. They don't know why this happens and this soon becomes the central mystery of the book. Instead of waking up in their pods, they are taken from one apocalypse to another, and they have no idea why.

When players are killed in the game, they experience "death dreams". The strongest emotional moments of the book happen in the death dreams, as each person is confronted with their fears, regrets, missed opportunities, and other emotional baggage they are carrying inside them. These are the most intense scenes of the book. Reading them left me exhausted from the impact.

The players start to wonder if they'll ever get out. They also worry about their bodies trapped in the virtual reality pods because they know each day they are in the simulation is one more day their bodies will deteriorate. At times, the line is blurred between apocalypse and the buried secrets of the players. That is confusing to both the players and to the readers and adds to the feeling of being trapped, either in the game or in a bad situation in life that can seem like an apocalypse.

Sometimes the players want to give up, but they know that to give up means death in the game and they no longer know if death in the game is as innocent as they were led to believe. Of course, at these moments, hope rears its head, and they continue on.

The ending is ambiguous. It has to be. Are they able to get out of the game? Did the game malfunction because of an actual apocalypse or disaster? What world will they face when they wake up the next time--real or simulation--and will they be able to tell the difference?

I was intrigued and moved by the book, and I recommend it to fans of post-apocalyptic fiction and mysteries/thrillers. The book has plenty of both.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, through Reading Deals, so I could give an honest review.

2 people found this helpful

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Thomas Eduard

Science Fiction on Hyperdrive - A Five Star Action-Packed Adventure

Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2017

Welcome to the Apocalypse is a fast-paced, sci-fi/fantasy adventure that pulls you in from the opening and refuses to let you out until the very last chapter with the author craftily leaving you only partially satisfied and craving more.
One hundred players enter a total immersion virtual reality game designed to award each player a realistic glimpse of not just one apocalyptic future, but many. From Vampires to Zombies, and from Bio-toxins to an alien invasion, DL Richardson has taken the apocalyptic sci-fi sub-genre to another level. A high-octane, energy charged one with some really neat twists.
The action is constant, the creativity laudable and the characters are thoroughly believable making this a very enjoyable read.
My only criticism, one that was washed away after a second reading, was based on a personal interest. As a writer and avid reader of Sci-Fi, I’m always looking for buried meanings, philosophical statements, subtle metaphors, and thoughtful warnings. Especially in this genre of fiction.
I didn’t find one the first time through but did on my second. To avoid dropping a spoiler here in my review, I’ll just include what I feel to be a very significant, well-written, extract.
“I thought the premise of the game was ‘kill or be killed’,” he said. “But it’s not. You can’t pick and choose which rules you obey and which ones you ignore. When it all goes to hell, the thing that gets you through the chaos is order.”
‘Welcome to the Apocalypse’ is an imaginative wild ride and I will definitely be looking forward to the next instalment in this series.

T. E. Mark

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mirren Hogan

Intense

Reviewed in Australia on April 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

If you think this book is about gaming, think again. Yes, it's set in a big computer game gone wrong, but it's a comment about human nature, and how the worst of circumstances brings out the best and worst of people. DL Richardson is astute in pinning down those emotions and responses. I've read previous works from this author and while they're all good, this is the best so far.

Marie Thorpe

Not your typical Apocalypse!

Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

It was an enjoyable read with a nice change from the typical Zombie apocalypse theme. I found it hard to put down!

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