I am so confused by the number of post-apocalyptic novels that get passed by editors and publishers with SO. MANY. MISTAKES. The spelling and punctuation are abysmal, and the continuity errors just push me right over the edge. This had so much potential. I loved the character development, and though the plot periodically stalled, it was enough to hold my attention. Every error, however, separated me from the story just long enough to berate the author and the system.

If this author paid an editor, it’s time to reconsider that contract.20224 s Corinne Marshall290 3

This was such an interesting and exciting read. It's one of those books that you just don't want to put down. The storyline is fast paced and intriguing with strong and able characters. Really looking forward to reading the next book. Hooked !1 Vaun Fiedler199 3

Outstanding read!

Life's challenges after an EMP takes out power would stress almost anyone! Follow Devon C. Ford's characters as they face those challenges. 1 Julie55 1 follower

Great start to a new series

Shaun, is a flawed main character , fighting his own demons before the lights go out. Two separate stories, his journey back to the family hes split from, and theirs as they navigate the situation. Easy too read, flowed smoothly when switching between storylines. Read the book from start to end and wanted more . Can't wait for the second book !1 Jude SamsonAuthor 2 booksRead

(Discussing all 3 books)
I just want to say that while I point out various issues it's for the purpose of feedback in the hope that it helps future works and not that the story isn't good.

I've enjoyed a good number of Devon's books over time but I'm not sure what's happening. Normally a writer will hone their skills over time but I feel Devon's work is getting... not worse, necessarily, but definitely not improved. He's also falling into terrible tropes and weird fixations. Not to mention borderline sexism and an inappropriate transphobic mention.

First - THREE BOOKS! Why? This could have been a wild ride within a single book without losing any of the important elements. It's spread out across three books mainly because we have random off-shoots of side stories that are sometimes brought up for a brief moment in book one and don't come out until book three. Otherwise, book 2 and 90% of book 3 are really just filler where we see the characters doing essentially the same thing on repeat as the page count adds up.

Second - what is the weird hyper-fixation? In another book (Toy Soldiers?) there was an inordinate amount of references to balls (testicles) but in this series (especially book 1) there's a hyper-fixation on urinating.

Third - so much repetition. The glittering bullets glittered in the light. Immediate and rapid - yes, technically two different actions but they are still conveying the same urgency. We only need one or the other. There were a surprising amount of these redundancies throughout the series. It's not even what most authors do (even major celebrity names) where they repeat/reword the same content throughout the book to fluff the page count - these were redundant within the same sentence. There was also an issue with running off on random tangents. It seemed he'd get an idea and then would side-quest the thought and then bring it back. There are also various grammatical issues (and some that aren't necessarily mistakes but also show immature writing). If we trimmed those issues we'd be well on the way to making a far tighter story.

The entire concept of the biological attack was so unneeded and just seems utterly contrived. We're introduced to a character in book 1 that we start to even become invested in but then he seems to disappear through almost the rest of the book until he suddenly pops up out of the blue in the first book Devon forgot he hasn't mentioned the character in a while and forgot he was going to make this additional storyline. Book 2 is really just a reiteration of everything from 1 just drawn out. Book 3 seems it just remembered about the biological element but winds up spending so much time just rehashing the same actions from books 1 and 2 and just tossing in minor scenes pertaining to the biological element it seemed so rushed and slap-dash. The best thing would be to remove all traces of the biological story elements and make that an entirely different story. There was enough here and there that it could be fleshed out into a good (single) book but presented across this series it comes out as stunted and just so out of place.

Trimming this story arc, cutting out the excessive journey actions, and the various repetition issues you'd have an action-packed, fast-paced, exciting story. Even with an increasing cast of characters - it's well-balanced enough to not overwhelm the reader.

Devon is definitely ahead of the game compared to many other male writers of this genre when it comes to his female characters. They aren't the damsel in distress types, which is refreshing. A few times some of the statements come off as borderline sexist but he never crosses that line. However, there was absolutely an unneeded and inappropriate transgender remark. Since it had nothing to do with the story, didn't have any importance to the scene, and definitely came out of nowhere it comes off as ignorant and unsettling. It does nothing to the story other than to make readers (at least some) cringe especially (again) because it was just so unneeded.

I also enjoy that Devon doesn't fall into the weapon-porn trope so many others tend to find themselves doing in this genre. We do get introduced to various weapons and some descriptions/terms but we are also dealing with military characters who would speak that way and it's never to the point where your eyes just cross. Abby was hard to enjoy or even root for as a character. I'm not sure if she was written that way or not, but I wanted to just kick her ass out from the moment she got to the first safe haven and never warmed up to her. There was definitely some "cheating" by repeatedly using the excuse for Sean that he must know how to do this or that because he saw it in a movie or show. Once? Okay, that's forgivable but it was done on various occasions and seemed more lazy writing. There were times when characters did really weird things too. a leader arguing for more information instead of rushing to the scene of what is very clearly an emergency. Assuming certain actions of other characters that just didn't make sense. It wasn't too often but it happened enough times to draw attention to it as an issue and would tend to bring me out of the story rather than help immerse me further.

All the issues aside I do want to point out that Devon is a good storyteller. I've enjoyed his various works and will usually add something from him to my "to read" list without even checking what it's about because I trust him enough as an author. I would definitely love to see him develop the craft better (or get a better proofreader) and will keep reading his works. Elli LewisAuthor 2 books15


Great Narration, Interesting Journey


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