Review: Chronicles of a Nuclear World First Post-Apocalyptic Journal: “ Under the Ground” by Radislav Borr

Chronicles of a Nuclear World First Post-Apocalyptic Journal: Under the Ground by Radislav Borr

Self-Published

Publication Date: July 12th, 2020

Ebook. 503 pages

About Chronicles of a Nuclear World:

"International tensions are greater than ever. For the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis, leaders of major military powers are talking about the possibility of using nuclear weapons. This is made more dangerous by the absence of constructive dialogue between the United States and Russia, the war in Syria, disruptions of agreements with North Korea, Venezuela, Pakistan, and India, China’s growing military power, etc., etc., etc. 

The world is close to a full-scale nuclear war that might well destroy civilization. Yet, unlike the environmental crisis, no one is talking about it. This should be shouted from the rooftops! In this book, the author shows the horror of life after a nuclear war. 

Under the Ground is the journal of a teenager growing to adulthood in an underground military shelter during the unending winter following a nuclear war. Over the course of the novel, he grows to become first a rebel, then a leader, and finally the potential savior of his people."

Chronicles of a Nuclear World is a compulsive post-apocalyptic tale written from the perspective of fourteen year-old Robert Williams' journals during the start of the momentous World War III. Although this is a bit of a longer book, I've decided to keep it as a shorter review because I feel like so much of this book is better experienced from reading Robert's story firsthand. There are some important twists throughout the plot that I definitely don't want to give anything away from, and.

Robert is one of the few who has survived, hiding out in a bunker as the world is ravaged around him and the others fortunate enough to be surviving in the bunker with him. I enjoyed following along with Robert and meeting the others that are a part of this story, especially in consideration of viewing how everyone uniquely responds to the situations that they are currently stuck in. There are a lot of books out there that deal with post-apocalyptic worlds, WWIII stories, and nuclear wars, and I think Borr's own addition has added great things to the genre because of the vibrant world and character he includes.

One of my favorite things about this book that I want to make sure to comment on are the beautiful illustrations! Borr has included twelve unique illustrations within the book that I thought were incredibly well-done and really helped to bring everything to life, including characters, settings, and other details that I think really did a great job of adding more dimension to the story. I'm always a fan of illustrations in books, so that really helped to set this book apart.

This book is much more on the slower paced side for a post-apocalyptic/dystopian-esque story, which is understandable since the majority of the events takes place while Robert is living underground in a bunker. I can understand that this might not be an overly compelling draw for people that prefer a faster-paced story, but I didn't think the story dragged because of it and, in fact, I felt that the story kept me pretty evenly engaged throughout its entirety.

The main drawbacks I had with Chronicles of a Nuclear World were that I  found some of the writing and dialogue a little awkward at times, which occasionally drew me out of the story. This is likely due to the English version being a translation so it didn't affect my enjoyment overmuch knowing that, but it is still something that broke things up a little.

Overall, I've given Chronicles of a Nuclear World four stars! Awkward structure and dialogue aside, I really loved the overall premise of this book and all of the careful detail that Borr put into it. It was fully engaging and I look forward to reading more one day. If this genre is one you enjoy, then definitely give this book a read!

Amazon 

Review: Dead Man's Number by Matthew Cox

Dead Man's Number (Roadhouse Chronicles #3) by Matthew Cox

Curiosity Quills Press, 2018

Ebook. 398 pages.

*I received a copy of Dead Man's Number (and the first two books in the series) courtesy of Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating of the book.*

About Dead Man's Number:

"Safety is at best a relative thing in 2073, fifty-one years after nuclear war scorched the world. 

Kevin found a quiet little place to hole up with the woman who came to mean more to him than his lifelong dream, and a little girl she took in after the Virus wiped out her home. They’re well defended against bandits, raiders, and the occasional stray Infected. 

But walls don’t face the sky, and all the guns in what’s left of the world won’t do a thing against a biological weapon dropped from an Enclave drone. 

A message from a dead man disturbs this tenuous peace with a chance to stop the Virus for good, but it would send them right to the Enclave’s back yard. Tris can’t say no, and Kevin refuses to leave her side again, but they won’t bring a child along for such a dangerous ride. 

Knowing it’s not only their lives, but the lives of everyone outside the Enclave at stake, they decide to hit the road once again, hoping their home―and their daughter―will still be there when they return."

I don't tend to read a lot of post-apocalyptic books, but the premise of the Roadhouse Chronicles books sounded exceptionally interesting, plus I read and enjoyed another book by Matthew Cox earlier this year--Wayfarer: AV494--so I figured I should try them out. Dead Man's Number is the third book in the series, and although I will avoid any large spoilers from this book and others, there may be hints of minor spoilers from the previous two books so just keep that in mind if you have any plans to begin the series.

With this third installment, Cox continues to expand upon the harsh, fascinating world he created and adds new obstacles for his characters to overcome. Although circumstances and threats change, the overarching high-intensity of this series has not diminished. Dead Man's Number is just as thrilling and action-packed as the previous two books and is a hard book to put down.

Our main characters, Kevin and Tris, are now joined by Abby whom they now act as caretaker for. Kevin has already grown a lot over the series, going from a loner to figure to now being emotionally attached to two people, and he continued to grow even more in this book. I found it interesting to see just how much change Kevin has undergone as a character and how positive much of it is. He seems more confident in various areas, but also more mature and aware of those around him.

Tris has grown in  many of the same ways as Kevin and I've enjoyed seeing her personality develop. Despite the positive aspects, both Kevin and Tris remain just as mistrustful--if not more--of the Enclave and the world around them. They are both a bit jaded by this point and are constantly worried for both their safety and now the safety of Abby. Abby is an exciting, fresh new perspective that we get to enjoy fully in this book. I enjoyed seeing her take and experiences in this world.

One of my favorite parts of this book is the mixture and use of technology in this post-apocalyptic world. This is what gives it more of a sci-fi feel to me at times, since some of the weapons and technology used are not quite what we have in our regular world. However, the part that I love is that there is nothing overtly 'out of this world' or anything that you have to majorly suspend your disbelief for. Cox incorporates a slightly futuristic sense that makes everything used and explored feel viable and authentic.

As much as I've enjoyed this series, there is something about it that doesn't make me fall in love with it. I was very much interested in the storyline itself and in finding out what would befall our protagonists, but I never felt overly connected or invested in them. The dialogue was well-written most of the time, but there were a few instances where it felt unnatural and hard to follow. It's a well-written story overall, but it just wasn't quite as strong as I expected.

Oveall, I've given Dead Man's Number 3.75 stars! If you like post-apocalyptic sci-fi with high-intensity action and strong characters, then be sure to check out this series.

Buy the book: Amazon

You might also like:
Wayfarer: AV494 by Matthew Cox

Mini-Review: After World by Brittany Miller

After World: Tales of the Post-Apocalyptic by Brittany Miller. Brittany Miller, 2018. Ebook. 66 pages.

To begin, the only reason that I'm labeling this a mini-review is because this collection is only about sixty-six pages long and consists of nine post-apocalyptic flash fiction pieces/short stories. There's only so much I can say about each one without simply retelling each story to you.

I've read only a small handful of post-apocalyptic books, so this is an area that I've been interested in exploring more of and which made me eager to explore this collection. Miller also pitched this book to me as having no zombies, which pretty much sold me because I am just not a huge zombie fan--I just don't get the appeal.

I was really impressed by Miller's writing in these short little stories.She has a talent for saying a lot in a short amount of words, which showcases her deft skill at both word choice and the ability to develop a strong atmosphere. There is a very simplistic, almost austere quality about these stories, which seems to fit well with the post-apocalyptic genre of this collection.

"The Pleasure Earth" and "The Man of Snow" were probably my two favorites for very different reasons."The Pleasure Earth" felt so relevant and so honest, and I loved the bleakness that it ends with. "The Man of Snow" is probably the longest story of the bunch and is packed full of interesting things to ponder--I hesitate to go into any details because it'd be best for you to explore all of these without much knowledge going in.

"She Dreamed of Horses" is one of the shorter, simpler stories one of the bunch, but I have to say that it is also one that has stuck with me. It is about a girl who only wants horses in a world where none are left, and it's subtle emptiness really grabbed me.

Overall, I've given After World four stars! If you like short fiction, want to read more short fiction, or are a fan of post-apocalyptic stories, then I very much recommend After World!

Buy the book: Amazon 

(note: at the time of writing this review, the Kindle edition was only $2.99!)

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