The Long Road: A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The New World Series #2) by G. Michael Hopf

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Rating: ★★★★

G. Michael Hopf's second book in his, The New World series, is an amazing and heart-wrenching continuation of The End. By skipping the usual suspects found in post-apocalyptic novels, Hopf is able to focus on the real world possibilities that many would face in a dystopian scenario. In this series, the enemies are not brain eating zombies, but other human beings. 

After being forced out of their gated community, due to outside and inside threats, the small band of men, women and children proceed on the aptly named long road in search of sanctuary. However, nothing about this journey is proving to be easy or without confrontation. Many are lost on the long road and the biggest loss of all will make the reader reach for a box of tissues. This loss ultimately dictates the future for many characters and causes many riffs within the small group of survivors.

The Long Road is a heart breaking story for many reasons. The main being that each event and obstacle this small band of survivors encounters is very much a real possibility in a world that is no longer governed by laws or morals. 

This is an excellent book that will keep the reader enthralled until the very end. You will find yourself searching for justice in a world that no longer seems to understand the meaning of the word, and you will realize that revenge may be the only justice left in this desolate world. 

The End: A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The New World Series #1) by G. Michael Hopf

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Rating: ★★★

G. Michael Hopf's post-apocalyptic novel, The End, is not your average apocalypse novel. This story does not have the roaming zombies or nuclear wasteland "Mad Max" gangs. It tells the story of how a real life incident can lead to the end of the world as we all have come to know it. An EMP explosion leads the main characters to make drastic life altering decisions to help preserve what little is left of the United States and their families. As technology becomes obsolete, the true survivors make it known what is important in this new world.

The character development in this book is phenomenal and really makes you feel connected, as if they were your neighbors and not characters in a book. Human behavior during times of crisis can become quite irrational for some and for others they simply thrive on the ability to survive and take care of their own.

I gave the 3-star review for a simple reason. I am hoping the follow-up will delve deeper into the world outside and bring us a bit more action in terms of survivor versus survivor encounters. The brief glimpses of this in The End are very encouraging and I look forward to continuing this saga.