Publication Date: September 8, 2015
In [easyazon_link identifier=”B016E5JDKC” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]For Us The Living: Judgment Day[/easyazon_link] an electromagnetic pulse hits the Earth leaving it in an apocalyptic state. Sergeant Danielle Walker goes from a special ops mission in the Middle East to fighting an unknown force. Her husband, Dixon, knew this day would come but even his preparation might not be enough to weather the end of this world.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B016E5JDKC” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]For Us The Living: Judgment Day[/easyazon_link] is a novel embracing two genres. One story line is prepper and set in northern Florida. The other story line takes place in Yemen with highly trained military personnel and assets and falls firmly into the sci-fi genre. There is an elegance in the way that Peters divides the narratives of those people in the know from those still guessing as to what has transpired and without comprehension of how complex the end of the world has become.
I am 100% for strong female characters. I’d never want to discourage authors from writing strong women.But, Sergeant Danielle Walker is a little bit too awesome to be believable. Let’s be clear, it’s the end of the world and things happen but the way she takes the Muslim world by storm is a little difficult to swallow…even in the face of her awesome fighting prowess. Suspension of disbelief runs thin in the face of a woman not bitten by a radioactive spider or the availability of a billionaire built iron suit.
I found Dixon’s story to be the more interesting line. He’s a prepper and well prepared for the end of the world when his supplies literally go up in flames. In actual fact, while Dixon considers himself a prepper, he doesn’t really seem all that savvy or really prepared from the start. He has a step-daughter to protect and she’s a bit of a challenge and not someone you want to be stuck with at the end of the world.
The shift between the story lines is pretty seamless. They provide a nice break from one another. It does take a while for things to really get going but once they do, the story is fast moving. The readers are permitted to see the bigger picture and as we do, we see the Florida characters grow and the woman stuck in Yemen become more legendary and powerful. The settings are laid out well and distinct. My uncle lives in the area of Florida in which the Dixon story line is set and I’ve been there many times. It is instantly recognizable in the novel.
The ending was perhaps not what readers might expect. The wrap-up of the story seems perhaps a bit hasty. There is a promise of further novels.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B016E5JDKC” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]For Us The Living: Judgment Day[/easyazon_link] is a really good novel with a really good idea. If you can ride through a few eye rolls, and enjoy sci-fi, you should pick this novel up today.Read an excerpt and buy Us The Living: Judgment Day (Volume 1) by R.A. Peters on:
Amazon U.S. • Amazon U.K. • Amazon Canada
For more information about Richard Peters and his work, visit his website. You can connect with him on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter @OpEnduringUnity.