Tag Archives: apocalypse

Code Name Atlas by Tony Evans

Code Name Atlas by Tony Evans

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Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Thriller/Sci-Fi

Rating: **** Four Stars

Pages: 310

Veteran Author: Yes, Army

Availability:

Kindle: YES Nook: Yes Smashwords: NO Paperback: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate retailer.

Author:

Tony Evans is an American writer of science fiction. He is a military veteran who completed a tour in Iraq conducting more than 50 combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom where he recieved the Army Commendation Medal. He has a bachelors degree in Computer Science. His debut novel is Code Name Atlas.”

Description:

“Atlas is a war hero caught between his wife’s love or saving the survivors of earth. Earth has been destroyed by unknown forces leaving it in ruins. The closest thing to organized leadership is the packs of scavengers that take what they want. To keep his wife safe he builds an army. To give her the life she wants he fights. To win back their home he must go to war. But, she doesn’t believe that his sacrifice is for her and his selflessness is driving them apart. As he struggles for his wife’s devotion he is caught in a war with a tyrannical dictator. To win the war and his wife safety he must give her up and fight a war where defeat is expected. To fight a dictator he must become a warlord.

Hovering over everything is the threat of an alien invasion which Atlas slowly pieces together through unreliable stories told by the survivors. He soon learns that his fight is only a small part in a war that has been raging for hundreds of years and reaches throughout the galaxy.

A gritty and realistic feel blends with minimal use of science fiction elements to create a rich, believable contemporary story of one soldier’s heart-wrenching post-apocalyptic journey to keep his family alive.”

My Two Cents:

A breath of fresh air during the end of the world.

Definitely a new twist on the post-apocalyptic thriller genre. I mean, the hero’s girl isn’t supposed to resent him for being a hero and the good guys always win, right? From the big to small twists, this tale bucks every rule of action adventure. The bad guys are sympathetic and the good guys have a dark side.

This is no prepper tale of survival, but a military veteran’s take on rebuilding the world. As such, it stresses discipline, organization and teamwork over heroics. All with several mysteries hanging over the survivors… and did I mention the aliens?

My only real complaint is that these huge questions, there’s a lot of them, don’t get wrapped up until the end. Some of the most interesting tidbits come only in the final chapter. Sure, the best is saved for last, but I wonder why?

Still, a fun and different book that’s well worth the read.

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Review of 3 YEARS AFTER… by G. R. Mountjoy

3 Years After… (A Military and Zombie Apocalypse Series) by G. R. Mountjoy

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Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: *** Three stars  

Estimated word count: 44,000 words

Availability    

Kindle:  YES   Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paperback: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate retailer.

Author:

 “G.R. Mountjoy was born in Indianapolis, IN in 1974. He went to the Franklin Central High School and Graduated in 1993. Upon graduation he enlisted in the United States Army, and was stationed at Fort Bragg N.C. as a member of the Scout Platoon in 1/504 PIR. He spent 14 years in the Army with various assignments that included the Infantry, Aviation, and Recruiting. He has been stationed in Georgia, New York, North Carolina, South Korea, and on the island of Great Exhuma Bahamas. He medically retired from a simple kidney stone surgery gone bad. His interests include science fiction reading, movies, golf, and sports. He is an avid sports fan, loves the Chicago Cubs, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Indiana Hoosiers, Indianapolis Colts, and Alabama Crimson Tide. He is married to his wife and has a daughter with another child on the way.”

Description:

“3 Years After” is a story about a Special Forces team put together to help our nation in a most fragile time. The post 9/11 world has forced the United States government to develop new ways to fight and counter terrorism. During the initial testing of the latest technological breakthrough, Time Travel, a catastrophic failure occurs. This strands the test team three years into the future. They are greeted by a new world which has been decimated by war and infested by zombies.

Will the team and humanity survive?

Do they figure out what happened in time?

This is the new version that has been edited.”

My Two Cents:

Mr. Mountjoy really tries to give the reader everything at once: zombies, time travel, a commando story and post-apocalyptic world rebuilding. He comes agonizingly close to pulling it all off. With a bit more detail- the book is too short- this might have been an instant cult classic.

A mixed team of different high speed operators are assembled for a “secret project” that lands them 3 years into the future… just after the zombie apocalypse. They spend surprisingly little time worrying about that, shrug their shoulders and set off on a mission across the country to link up with the remnants of the US Government. Along the way they slaughter zombies by z-bucket full, of course. Where it gets really interesting is how they unite various bandit and survivor groups and inspire hope in the pockets of the scattered human resistance. A fun improvement to the simple survival tale.

What’s disappointing is that you never feel the warriors are in real danger. They’re armed to the teeth, are always conveniently given excellent intel ahead of trouble and are just way too lucky.

Now, the action is incredibly fast paced and does flow quite naturally, but when that speed is combined with the lack of real stress for the heroes I just couldn’t get really excited or emotionally invested. That said, the author’s character dialogue is spectacular. Earthy and real, without being over-the-top macho. I bet they’ll remind you closely of people you know.

All in all, an entertaining read. The flaws are not deal breakers; this book is worth the time. This book is one heck of a teaser for the rest of the series. I’ll most definitely read the next one.

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