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. 

Children of Fiends by C. Chase Harwood

**A copy of this book was received in exchange for an HONEST review. Reviews through Novel Idea Reviews are NOT bought and every opinion is that of the reviewer and was in no way influenced by the author or in exchange for a free copy of the book.**

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Rating: ★★★★

This is C. Chase Harwood's follow-up to the previously reviewed Of Sudden Origin. I was very excited to see how this unique story would progress. I was not disappointed with this continuation of the Of Sudden Origin saga. Harwood continues to explore the post-apocalyptic landscape of the new USA and takes us beyond the relative security of the protective boarder set up to protect the few remaining Americans. As opposed to the previous book, this omnibus focuses on the children of the fiends. These children are the creatures of your nightmares and posses the ability to telecommunicate and control the few remaining humans and cause them to bend to their will. We meet a new set of characters as this book takes place some years after the initial outbreak.  

Overall, the writing is very easy to follow and has a page turning effect. I found myself excited to see what else could go wrong and to see just how these characters were going to escape from some of the outrageous situations they are forced in to. 

I would highly recommend this saga to any zombie loving, dystopian genre, apocalyptic fan. Harwood takes us past the stereotypical zombies and shows us what could be when you factor in the idea of the survival of the fittest and evolution. 

The Outbreak (Fyre Trilogy #1) by Tayler Wright

**A copy of this book was received in exchange for an HONEST review. Reviews through Novel Idea Reviews are NOT bought and every opinion is that of the reviewer and was in no way influenced by the author or in exchange for a free copy of the book.**

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Rating: ★★★★

I have to admit I was a bit leery of this book upon receiving it. I was curious as to how the story of a zombie apocalypse could be told in under 200 pages. However, once I began Tayler Wright's, The Outbreak, I could not stop. I was intrigued by the simplicity and ease of Wright's writing and the page turning way she went into this story. By skipping all of the usual build up, Wright jumped right into the action. 

My only criticism would be the lack of a background story for some of the main characters. There was a brief glimpse into the character's past, but some more background would have made the entire book a bit more entertaining. Some explanations for why the main character seemed more than prepared and a reason for her excellent marksmanship would have been very useful for the reader. 

The ending was fantastic and is not the usual ending you expect from this genre. It was a great twist that you will definitely not see coming. I can not wait to continue this trilogy and see how the characters develop after that surprise ending. 

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.