After the Before: A Post-Apocalyptic Novel by Ernie Gammage - Lots Of Action Thoughtfully Written

After the Before: A Post-Apocalyptic Novel by Ernie Gammage

This is a thoughtful look 300 years into a dystopian future. After the Before is about two young people on a journey of discovery in more ways than one and the challenges they face along the way. It is set in a small part of the United States that has been ravaged by an apparent war. The landscape is distressed, and people are forced to scavenge for things they need. But all the while, they must also be aware of the machines they call the A-Eye, which are also scavenging for people.

This novel is an easy to access sci-fi story that will leave the reader with many questions. I think the story could be easily enjoyed by readers who aren't necessarily sci-fi fans because of the many varied themes. Along with the dystopian elements, there is a little romance, a lot of tension, some triumph, and some tragedy. It is loaded with unexpected twists and turns, and there are mysteries that will leave the reader wondering.

In a scarred land ravaged by a past catastrophe, two young people search craters for items that may be useful. When Sophie and Markus discover a box they cannot open. The box is translucent, and there is an item inside that may hold answers to questions the pair have wondered about. They take the box to their village leader, who suggests a trip into the city where there may be someone who can figure out how to open the container and reveal long-forgotten secrets.

Sophie, Markus, Jen and Barth depart on a journey of discovery and peril, hoping the rewards will outweigh the risks.

Their journey is fraught with obstacles that must be overcome. The quartet encounters good people just looking to survive, a fanatic with a nefarious agenda, and the dreaded, flesh-eating A-Eye.

I enjoyed reading the story chiefly because of the well-developed characters. 

The principal characters, Sophie and Markus, face many challenges, not the least of which are a discovery of themselves. They have been together all their lives, searching the landscape for helpful things. As they spend time together, they find feelings awakening in them they don't understand, especially about each other. They have also had to grow up fast and learn the ways of survival in a hostile land. Their plight is compelling and fascinating.

Jen is a wise older woman whose guidance is invaluable to the two youngsters. Her past has a big influence in the story. She is mysterious, while at the same time, endearing. Her companion, Barth, is also a bit of an enigma. He is a man of few words, but he is also a man of action. He appears to have devoted his life to keeping Jen safe. The reader will also find Barth a character who is captivating through his actions.

The chief antagonist is a fanatic who seems to be able to justify anything he does as right. He is cruel and doesn't have any redeeming qualities.

Then, there are the A-Eye that are artifacts from a past long forgotten. They move about the landscape in search of anything they can use for energy, but especially human flesh. The A-Eye are a constant threat, always present even in their absence.

My favorite plot point in this story is more in what is not explained. As I read through the narrative, I kept looking for reveals.

Foremost in my mind was the question of what apocalyptic event took place to create the world's condition in After the Before? There are small hints, but no conclusions. Another was the item in the box. What was its nature, and does it have the answers everyone seems to have on their minds about the past? Personally, I love a story that leaves questions unanswered.

The theme that stands out the most for me involves the box. Is it just an item to advance the story, or is it a metaphor for a deeper theme? Does it symbolize hope? My takeaway from After the Before is to think about the goal (or what's in the box?), or is it more the journey? The item in the box may or may not have the answers everyone is seeking, but the characters in the story learn so much more as they traverse the landscape on their way to the city, where they might uncover wonders they have never dreamed of.

After the Before is an excellent book for those who enjoy dystopian science fiction. However, the characters and their adventure could be appealing to anyone who enjoys a great story. While the principal characters are young people, I would not call it a YA novel. Young readers in their late high school years may find some of the content appeals to them. There are some intense scenes of violence therein. It isn't a long read, coming in at 236 pages that can be read in a couple of sittings, but there is a lot of story packed into those pages. The pacing is steady. I enjoyed the unexpected twists and turns. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Writers are readers. Ernie's been an avid reader since he was a kid. In elementary school, he could order those nifty two-book paperbacks with a novel on one side and a different novel on the other and was drawn to science fiction as it was called in those days, now more broadly known as speculative fiction. The first post-apocalyptic novel he read was Pat Frank's Alas, Babylon, published in 1959. He was fifteen.

Although he wrote his first science fiction story when he was 12 years old, most of his writing has been as a songwriter. Whether it's a song, a short story, or a novel, it's all stories. Truth be told, he prefers writing fiction because it has fewer limitations than a song with its meter, rhyme scheme, and phrasing constraints.

As a musician, Ernie has appeared twice on PBS's Austin City Limits and is a member of the Texas Songwriters Association Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame. As an artist, he exhibits at art markets around the state. His art, music videos, and writing can be found on his website, www.ernies-artmusic.com.

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The Fate Unfollowed: Dark Ocean Saga Volume 1 by Philip J. Peterson - This Author's First Novel Is A Great Read!

The Fate Unfollowed: Dark Ocean Saga Volume 1 by Philip J. Peterson

I found this book because of a post by the author on a Facebook page. I went to Amazon and looked at the cover and blurb and both intrigued me.

Fate Unfollowed is a well written and edited post-apocalyptic science fiction story well worth the time to read. As a debut novel, it is a great start to a promising career. There is plenty of action, great characters that grow through the story, and some incredible world building included in this story.

In a world that has suffered a cataclysm, people work to survive as best they can. The planet they are on has been plunged into a dismal place where there are constant storms under darkened skies. Nearly everyone is exploited by politicians who have promised better conditions, and a despotic capitalist who wants power over everything, but isn't particularly interested in being recognized as the seat of governance.

Akara is a young man who isn't what he appears to be. He is actually a member of a race of beings that are thought to be extinct. He moved among the humans disguised as one and is in a relationship with a human woman named Marianne. She has no idea what he is, but they are very much in love. One of the things Marianne doesn't know is that Akara has a destiny beyond masquerading as a human.

Daemon Pramoore sits atop a tower that dominates the skyline of the city, quietly directing the fates of the people who live on the surface. He maintains control through the use of several henchmen who do his bidding without question. He also controls a large army of people with psychic abilities to make sure the non-human residents of the planet, if there are any left, do not cause him problems. But he also has a dark secret in the form of an army of genetically manipulated creatures standing by to enforce his will should they be needed.

Underground live the refugees of the beings thought to be extinct.

When it is discovered, the underground beings are still around, all hell breaks loose and the city is plunged into a bloody conflict that makes Akara have to fulfill the destiny he has so long denied.

The characters in this tale are at the center of the story. We get to know them and their ambitions. Many are characters one can care about as they go about their business, and their growth is amazing. Akara experiences the most growth in a journey of self-discovery when he finds himself pulled between his destiny and his relationship with Marianne. It causes a strain on his relationship with his father and his best friend and finally finds him having to make a difficult choice. Akara's story is a tragic one that will take the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride from the heights of happiness to the depths of despair.

But Akara isn't the only character worth watching, there are a plethora of others. There is a teacher and his pupil from the psychics that share a triumphant journey through this story. There is also some focus on Daemon’s minions that help flesh out the tale and paint a complete picture of life at the upper echelons of this society.

My favorite thing about this book is the world building. Peterson sets the stage with descriptions of the people and places that are almost poetic. I also enjoyed the noir feeling I got while reading this. The city is a desolate place that seems to hold little hope for those living in the city. The constant storms are a pall that hang over everything, making the mood dark and sometimes depressing.

Peterson's descriptions are full of metaphors that make the setting palpable. One can feel the feelings, sense the smells, and see the sights of this place.

My takeaway from this story is the theme that no matter how hard one tries, one cannot escape his or her destiny. This applies to Akara more than other characters, but it can be extended to them as well. The reader will see what I mean when they get into the book.

Fate Unfollowed is an outstanding story that will stimulate a reader's imagination. It is a tragic and triumphant story at the same time. Don't pass this one by; it is worth the time to read, and I give it high recommendations for readers who like a great sci-fi tale. I read this very quickly because every time I set it aside, all I could think about was getting back to it as soon as possible.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Phillip J. Peterson was born into poverty and grew up in a very old, barely painted house in central Wisconsin. It was a rundown centerpiece on a grassy plot of land, the kind of great big nowhere that neighbors don’t ask questions and the sounds of shouting fade off before they reach the tree line.

For reasons of self-preservation, he kept to himself, creating private worlds with his stuffed animals and flea market action figures. This seclusion led to an adolescence of poor decisions and social disparagement, which ultimately ended with him as an ostracized teen, hungry and homeless on the wintery streets of Wisconsin.

It was there that he returned to his fictional worlds, scribbling ideas onto the backs of placemats from 24-hour diners. In the long, slow hours of his mind’s eye theater, he followed each story to its inevitable conclusion – tragedy. That realization was all the spark he needed to reinvent himself and begin building a different life.

There were many more adventures in the years that followed, but he eventually found himself in a safe harbor. He now shares a warm home with the love of his life. They sing together and dance together. They take vacations. They cook meals, drink wine, and watch movies.

When fairy tales end with “-they lived happily ever after”, this is what they mean.

He writes these stories now, partially as remembrance, a testament to where he’s been, and partially as a beacon for others, a lighthouse to find their way through the murk and mire of their lives. It’s his hope that these tales will protect others as they did him, and inspire them to carry on, to reach their own happy ending.

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The Guardian Program: Book One of the Terre Hoffman Chronicles By Herman Steuernagel - Solid Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi

The Guardian Program: Book One of the Terre Hoffman Chronicles by Herman Steuernagel

I received an advance copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Guardian Program is the first book in a promised series of post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller novels chronicling events set some thirty years in the future. The story moves with blinding speed and is packed full of adventure set mostly around the San Francisco Bay Area. I enjoyed the story mostly but found myself taken out of the story a bit by a small, but irritating plot hole I will not reveal in this discussion. For the most part, the characters are good, but could have used more development; they felt somewhat one dimensional.

Despite my few reservations, Guardian Program is a grim look at what seems an all too plausible future. I found it disturbing (as it seems the author intends), because there is a great deal of death and destruction as well as a few graphic scenes of death.

The story opens at Anderson Air Force Base on the island of Guam. I.T. specialist Terre Hoffman is awakened in the wee hours of the morning by an alarm meant to alert base personnel of an imminent attack. The problem is, there have been many false alarms sounding for a while and there is no reason to think this incident is any different. Terre's wife and child are also awoken. He gets dressed, kisses his wife and child before heading to the command center to find what is thought to be a bug in the code.

Terre and his associate, Kristopher Klein, head for the command center, determined once and for all, to find and correct the bug causing all the false alarms, only this time, it isn't false. Battle drones bombard the base, imparting utter destruction, including the residences where civilian personnel live.

Terre and Kristopher work to find what is happening until the command center is hit. Both he and his associate are severely injured in the attack. In the aftermath, Terre learns his family are also victims. He and Kevin are taken to Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay for treatment and recovery.

They soon learn that the Guardian Program, originally designed to protect human life, has somehow turned against its programming, and has declared all-out war against humanity. Terre and Kristopher are thrust into a situation where they have to solve the problem, but first, they have to survive. It is no simple task when technology has turned against its makers.

Senior IT Specialist Terre Hoffman is a good man and a dedicated worker. He knows how things work, but is more of a supervisor than a technician, and he relies on others, like Kristopher, to help him keep the tech in order. His character that one can care about, but I would have liked to know a little more about him and his background. He is haunted by the death of his wife and daughter through the story, but he seems to have an ability to set his grief aside in favor of trying to get the job done. This aspect of the character was a little uncomfortable for me because it appeared so easy for Terre to do, especially since he appeared to be a deeply compassionate man who would sacrifice himself for others. 

NASA employee Kristopher Klein is a character right out of the Geek Squad. He understands tech inside and out, but the bug in the code has eluded him, which causes him a lot of irritation. He also is the person responsible for a lot of the programming that went into the Guardian Program. The reader gets very little development on Kristopher, and I didn't find him to be a character I could care about on a personal level.

I felt the best developed character in the story was the artificial intelligence technology and its many uses as the author projected it into the future. For me, it was obvious the author did his homework and gave a great deal of thought on what the effects AI might have on the future of humanity, even if that future is full of strife when the machines take over.

My favorite point of plot in Guardian Program is the descriptions of the places the characters find themselves. I was born in San Francisco and the setting felt like home to me. The author did a great job placing the reader in the surroundings and captured the feel of the Bay Area, where most of the story takes place.

What I take away from this story is that one should never take a false alarm for granted. Things happen for a reason, and one must be ever vigilant when something seem innocent can be a very real warning of future disaster. Terre, Kristopher, and many others worked hard to figure out what was wrong with the AI programming but didn't see the impending doom until it was too late.

Guardian Program is a good, solid story that moves at a pace worthy of the films we see today. There is never a dull moment in this tale. While the characters are a bit shallow, the story is fleshed out well. It is well written, well thought out, and is an exhilarating thrill ride. I recommend it for those who enjoy post-apocalyptic thrillers with a heavy dose of death and destruction. There are many scenes that some may find disturbing as the story unfolds.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Herman Steuernagel was inspired to complete his first novel after running a half-marathon in 2019. He thought to himself: "If I can put that much time and effort into completing something I bare want to do, then I surely can do the same for something I've always wanted." It was then that his author journey truly began.

Herman grew up with a love of story and writing. Since the age of six, Herman wanted to be a writer and earned a Bachelor of Arts (English Major) from the University of Calgary in 2004.

Herman lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada, where he enjoys cycling, hiking, kayaking, and wine tasting.

Herman Steuernagel's debut novel, Lies the Guardians Tell, the first in the page-turning YA Sci-Fi Series, Lies of the Guardians.

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Plague War: Outbreak By Alister Hodge - A Zombie Apocalypse Novel That Caused Me Nightmares - It's That Good!

Plague War: Outbreak by Alister Hodge

I found Alister Hodge's Plague War: Outbreak after I read his Escape from Viperob Island. I didn't read it right away because I had my fill of 'plague' considering the COVID crisis and didn't need to read anymore about spreading diseases. There was already enough in the news. I didn't realize it was actually a story about zombies. Now, I have to add, I am not a fan of zombies; I'm more of a space-opera nerd (I've never watched a single episode of The Walking Dead). But I am also a huge fan of post-apocalyptic fiction. Recently, I cracked open this story and read it in two days! After all, it's an Al Hodge story!

I was mesmerized by this book that is heavily character driven, as are all of Al's publications.

Harry is a doctor working his last shift in the emergency department of a hospital when an incoming patient presents with a bite from an animal. As her vital signs rapidly drop, Harry works to keep her alive until she dies on the table. Everyone is shocked when the body of the unfortunate young woman suddenly reanimates and begins attacking everyone she can find - but this is only the tip of a very large iceberg.

The Lysan Plague, a virus spread by broken skin contact, spreads across Australia at an alarming rate, causing a terrifying zombie apocalypse. It isn't long before the police and military are overwhelmed and the situation becomes a fight for survival between the living and the undead.

Harry and other survivors form an alliance to survive and hopefully escape the fray. The enemy is relentless and difficult to fight. It will be through determination, knowhow, and luck if they are to survive at all.

As always, the strongest point in Al's storytelling is his ability to create and write characters who jump off the page and make one care about them. Outbreak is no exception to the author's skill as a writer.

Harry is an emergency room doctor who is getting ready to move to another posting. He has a good relationship with his co-workers, but looks forward to his new life. He is compassionate, believing in his Hippocratic oath. When faced with the problem of killing the infected people he encounters along the way, he, at first, is reluctant to do so. As time goes on, he is forced to resign himself to doing what is necessary to survive, but he still doesn't like it. After all, he is sworn to save, not take, life.

Steph is Harry's cousin. They don't know each other. They do know they are related. When she is cut off from escaping the city, she contacts Harry for rescue. Harry finds her and takes her home with him where she becomes instrumental in planning and execution. She is a strong female character who provides common sense to the group.

Penny is a police officer who starts out on guard duty for a quarantine facility. At first, she seems a little timid, but as time goes on, she finds purpose because of a traumatizing incident. She turns out to be a strong character, heroic in the execution of her duties.

Mark is a soldier having served in Afghanistan just looking forward to a reunion with his girlfriend before he is redeployed. He is a member of the Australian Army and serves as a "sapper," a combat engineer who can fight as well as perform numerous engineering duties. Mark encounters the infected, just as he is called back for domestic duty to fight them. He cannot report because of the plague and decides he needs to save his girlfriend, who dumped him in a text message. He is a sharp character and knows his stuff and becomes instrumental to the survival of Harry's band of survivors. Mark has a tough time fighting his self doubt, but proves himself a leader as time goes on.

Georgie is Mike's girlfriend, instrumental in the survival of herself, Mark, and Penny as they try to escape the cities and get out of harm's way. Another strong female character who finds her place in the group.

Finally, the group is joined by a pair of teenagers who narrowly escape becoming infected. A brother and sister prove their worth when the eventual zombie assault comes upon Harry's stronghold.

All characters are well developed and become real people as the story unfolds.

The main plot point that stood out to me was how anyone, even the weakest, can find their inner strength and do what is needed when the time comes. While everyone in the story has some self-doubt, when the situation calls for action, no one lets the rest down. All the characters have flaws helping them become real to the reader, but they show their strength by overcoming their weaknesses to become heroic assets to their community. Their heroism is not something that the reader can predict, but how they become heroes is a major part of the story and worth the time to read.

As one might expect, there are disturbing images throughout the story. Scenes of extreme violence and descriptions of eviscerated moving corpses abound. I would warn those with weak stomachs to avoid this story. I read over half of this book in the first sitting and actually had a bad dream that night. Despite that, I have to say I enjoyed this book immensely, surprising myself because this is not my usual kind of reading material.

Along with great characters, the story is told at a blinding pace that will hold your attention through to the end. If you have to set it aside to catch your breath, trust me, you'll want to get back to it as quickly as possible.

If you are someone who can handle the violence and gore expected from this kind of story, I give it my highest recommendations for a good solid tale with characters who find their inner strength. You won't want to set this down until you get to the end, and then you'll be ready for the next two installments in the series, Plague War 2: Pandemic and Plague War 3: Retaliation.

Al says about himself: I am a Sydney, Australia-based author, writing within the genres of horror, thriller, and fantasy.

Outside of writing, I work as a Nurse Practitioner. Through working in Emergency, I’ve come in contact with humans at their best and worst. I’ve treated medical emergencies and witnessed the beginning and end of life. In such environments, the usual facades are stripped away, and it is a privilege to work with people in what can be the most stressful time of their life. It’s also an environment that reinforces the fact life isn’t always fair.

I think these experiences are reflected in my novels. My characters have flaws and face challenges. There is evil, and unfortunately the worst is often found in other humans and what we do to each other. When I describe blood, gore and pain, or life and death situations - it comes from personal experience. I know how the crunch of a broken bone feels under hand, and what the pattern of blood looks like on the ground after it squirts from a severed artery. I’ve experienced the stress and self-doubt that must be overcome during a medical emergency, and also witnessed the grief and distress of family members confronted with the loss of a loved one.

These are unforgettable experiences that can’t help but leave a mark on my subconscious and writing.

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