Tag: Futuristic

ECONOGAL > Futuristic

Dating After the End of the World Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Zombie Fiction

Jeneva Rose wrote the Zombie filled Dating After the End of the World at the request of a fan-her father. Since this is my first zombie novel, it has no comparisons. And the author suggests it is a mix of genres.

The fast-paced book is both gruesome and entertaining. Her writing is topnotch even though it will be a while before I pick up another zombie story…if ever. But I do look forward to reading more from Rose.

Plot

Dating After The End Of The World opens up with a young Casey Pearson struggling with the doomsday prepping task of building a perimeter fence with her off-the-wall prepper dad. She hates the work and harbors bitterness for her dad and more so for the kids that torment her at school over the family lifestyle.

Flash forward sixteen years and Casey is bantering with her fiancé Nate Warner as the pair of doctors begin making rounds at a city hospital during an influenza outbreak. But this is not the regular flu and patients are biting everyone in sight. Zombies are here.

The pair escape the hospital only to be separated weeks later. Casey does the only thing she can and heads home.

Romance in Dating After the End of The World

Rose’s novel includes a lover’s triangle with Casey at the center. One of the inhabitants of her dad’s compound is Blake Morrison. He was chief tormentor at her high school. There are plenty of bitter memories and perhaps a few that conflict. So, sparks fly between Casey and Blake as they struggle to keep the compound safe from the Zombies.

Things get very complicated when Nate shows up.

Plenty of Action

Since Dating After the End of The World is an action thriller at heart, the characters face danger on almost every page. Bonds form, and romance is mixed in. The fight scenes are graphic and so are the love scenes. If books had ratings this one would definitely be for over 18.

Recommendation

This is the first Jeneva Rose book I have read, and I could hardly put it down. Despite the gory details of the zombies, the book resonates with those that look at the conflict between good and evil. Forgiveness also plays a small part. And for those crazies out there that fantasize about a reset in the world, Rose has a very realistic ending. Be careful what you wish for!

I bought my copy at Target but maybe you can find a copy at your library.

Upgrade Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Upgrade by Blake Crouch is a 2022 release that is part futuristic, part action, part dystopian and totally page turning. But the most compelling part of the story is the humanity demonstrated by the hero, Logan Ramsey. A man no longer a “normal” human. But one genetically altered.

Plot Twists and Turns

Simplistically, the plot is of one man racing to save the world from destruction. But Upgrade is so much more. Ramsey works for the GPA-Gene Protection Agency. His job is to track down rogue geneticists. Only he is caught in a spiderweb of familial deceit.

Crouch utilizes a number of plot twists to keep the reader on the edge. The bad guy switches from one person to another as a poorly conceived attempt to save the world spirals out of control. Throughout, the genetically altered Logan Ramsey is determined to stop the plan to create a world of superhumans, at the cost of the essence of humanity.

Upgrade and Current Events

The underlying theme to Upgrade is the current state of affairs on Earth. Mankind is at a crossroads with respect to human and artificial intelligence, exploding expansion in technology of all kinds including biological and a growing climate crisis. All of the above plays heavily into the story.

Yet, the author provides a balance to the racing technology. Most of the insight comes from the journal entries of Ramsey. But not all. A recorded video of his mom before her death also casts a light on the importance of seizing a moment. Furthermore, many passages remind the reader of just what is crucial to human life. Kudos to the author for these reminders.

Memorable Character

Logan Ramsey is one of those characters that will stay in your memory. Repenting of his past, protective of his family and honor bound to do what is right. Even in the face of betrayal. The reader easily connects with Ramsey and agonizes alongside him. Each step of the way as he fights to keep the human race from being genetically altered-as he was.

And then Blake Crouch throws in one final twist.

Of Blood And Bone Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Of Blood And Bone is the second in the Chronicles of The One trilogy by Nora Roberts. I reviewed the first in the series, Year One, two years ago. This sequel came out last year but I am just now reading it. This delay had a purpose, because I can now go from the second installment to the finale without a large gap of time.

The tone Of Blood And Bone is a bit different than its predecessor. The initial novel centered on survival whereas the second book in the trilogy is a coming of age novel. To be truthful, I liked the sequel better than the start of the series. Perhaps because the back story was already known. Or maybe from the possibility of romance foreshadowed for the last book in the trilogy. Regardless, I really enjoyed Of Blood And Bone.

Fallon Swift

The center of the novel and indeed the trilogy is Fallon Swift. She is The One. Her birth ended the first of the series and her passage through puberty is the focus of the second. I love the character. She is an uncanny and hence otherworldly, yet she is human too.

Roberts has created a compelling persona in Fallon. She is mature one moment and immature the next. So like the teenager she is, caught between child and adult. Her lessons with Mallick are important for both plot and character growth. The pages fly through the telling.

Return to New Hope

Even though Of Blood And Bone has a very different tone, the climax once again is centered at the outpost called New Hope. History repeats itself with yet another of Fallon’s blood and bone meeting their end.

But before that happens, the reader reconnects with many of the original characters. Since fifteen years have passed, the babies are now front and center. And romance stirs.

Of Blood And Bone

I thoroughly enjoyed Of Blood And Bone. As stated above, I rate the novel above the first of the series. Furthermore, I am anxious to get my hands on the finale-The Rise of the Magicks. Now that the entire trilogy is out, I can see how one might binge read from start to finish. If only I were snowed in with no chores to do! Some binge watch television, but my idyll is to binge read by the fireplace!

Fantasy and futuristic fans should add Of Blood And Bone to their book lists. But, there is plenty to like for those who prefer a coming of age story. Best of all for those of us who love romance, there is a promise of just that for Fallon Swift.