Monday, September 19, 2016

Audio Book Review: Apocalypse Machine

Apocalypse Machine

By:  Jeremy Robinson

Publish Date:  March 15, 2015, Audiobook Release July 12, 2015

Format:  Audiobook - 10 hrs 18 mins
Narrated By:  Jeffrey Kafer

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  Stand alone

First Impression:  Wow. So much more than expected!

Synopsis:
THE HUMAN RACE STARTED THE SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION ON EARTH.

A chain of subglacial volcanoes erupt in Iceland. The melting ice floods the countryside. Poisonous gas descends on Scotland. A tsunami devastates the Norwegian coastline. An ash cloud rises into the atmosphere, blotting out the sun across Europe, ushering in a new Ice Age. Dozens of nuclear power plants, flooded by ocean water, experience meltdowns. Millions perish. Many more are displaced. All on the first day.

On the second day, a series of earthquakes moving in a straight line, reveal the presence of something massive, walking across the landscape. Concealed by a thick, radioactive ash cloud, the ‘aberration’ heads west, toward Russia.

Abraham Wright, a science writer for Modern Scientist, who wants nothing more than to be reunited with his family, finds himself at the center of the United States’ response to the crisis. Under his new title as Assistant Science Advisor to the President, Wright is sent to Europe with a team of Army Rangers, where he uncovers the truth about the ancient behemoth laying waste to the world: there have been five mass extinctions on planet Earth, and the aberration has been present at each.

On the third day, the world fights back.

And loses.

Separated from his family by continents and oceans ravaged by countless disasters and populated by strange new life, Wright struggles to survive in an evolving world. Hoping to uncover the key to mankind’s redemption, he fights for answers, and to reach his loved ones—before the human race’s extinction.

THE APOCALYPSE MACHINE WILL FINISH IT.

Jeremy Robinson returns to the Kaiju Thriller genre he popularized with the largest Kaiju to ever appear in fiction: the Apocalypse Machine. Bursting with all the epic action, desperate struggle and complex characters that readers have come to expect, Robinson takes the world to the brink once more, pitting humanity against the greatest threat he has yet to conjure, and asking the question: Does humanity deserve to inherit the Earth, or is our time up?

First Sentence:
T.S. Eliot got it wrong.

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles  /  Book Depository

Audible

My Thoughts and Summary:
*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com, at my request.

I'll leave the synopsis of the book stand for the description. I'm afraid if I give a description I'll give away the book because it's one of those that builds and builds on itself and full of suspense and racing for lives.

Jeffrey is an amazing narrator for suspense. His pace keeps the urgency at a pacing that's easy to understand and think on as it's happening. He vocalizes the event with rise and fall of his voice that keeps me on edge, waiting and wanting to hear what's next.

Interesting beginning. We start in Iceland, on a volcano that's to be studied when they find a spire sticking out of the ground. Abe grabs it and has one heck of a vision. A vision predicting the world to burn and rebirth of a nation from the ashes. When the volcano erupts, I found I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see if the characters will make it away!

We get a few different views to see the horrors that wreck across Europe from the eruption of the strip of volcanoes, though the whole world is affected. The lives of the people and how they are touched with the fall outs - deadly gas, earthquakes, and tsunami. This gives us the first hand view of all that's affected, the many terrible tragedies that happen when the world falls apart. People have created many things that could easily kill us when the world goes wrong, and we see those along with naturally caused dangers and deaths. All these terrible events and suggestions Abraham makes come to be obstacles in his path.

I really enjoyed listening to this story as it didn't stop. I would have sat and listened to this all day if I could. The first two hours flew by as it leads up to what really happened at the volcano. It was excellent. Even the events of trying to stop the machine, then we jump to 15 years later, when the world is completely changed. Wow. All of it was gripping for me.

Abraham is the main character throughout the book. He's a journalist, and being in this field he's experienced and worked with many different people and circumstances. In doing this, and being a studied person as well, comes in handy with all he faces. Abraham faces more dangers than I would ever want to see, or hear about, in this book as he is put in places to learn what he can of the Apocalypse Machine, which he names. I like how his life's experiences bring him to know details while he's on the move. This puts a light on the events that gives us something to relate to in what could be seen as fantasy moments and moments we would not have experienced (like nuclear plants failing).

Abraham also faces a few things about himself too, things he doesn't want to think on but is brought to his attention - like why he's always taking jobs away from his family that he's always wanting to get back to. Is there something he doesn't want to face there? He does have a special and unique relationship in his home life.

Then the story takes a turn I did not expect to see. Wow. The way of the world in the future, those that have survived the devastating events that changed the world as it was known to something completely new. We see the now and the changed future.

This story was one of the greatest finds I've come across in a long time. It's much more than an apocalyptic moment changing the world or a monster story. I am highly impressed with Jeremy's take on the events and twist to telling his story.

I found I was emotionally invested in the book and characters too. I teared up at moments, mostly the happy ones but a few sad ones too. I even smiled when I found my way back to my regular characters in the story.

I am totally amazed with this book! I didn't expect what I got here, and I'm thrilled with it. I was constantly held at attention. Even the last sentence hit me with a whoosh, it made sense.



**If you found my thoughts helpful, please click Yes at Amazon and/or Audible. Thank you!

3 comments:

  1. This sounds so good! Oh I love it when you find a book like this and you cannot say enough good things about it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That sounds really bad for humans, eeek

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sure does sound like my kind of story. Wicked cover too!

    ReplyDelete

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