July 17, 2014 - fundinmentalfundinmental

I have watched TV shows about Preppers, so when I saw this, I had to jump on it.

I know this is Book II of Graham’s Resolution, but I’m willing to dive right in.

How about you? Have you watched any of the Doomsday Prepper TV shows?

MY REVIEW

This is book II of Graham’s Resolution and I have not read Book I, The China Pandemic. I felt have read enough of these books, that I could guess a lot of what happened in Book I and it wouldn’t affect me in my ability to read this one.

The Cascade Preppers is an apocalyptic novel that borders on reality. I quickly became familiar with the characters and the back story. I felt their fear and wondered who would live and who would die. I had a good idea of how it would end, plus or minus an event or two, but I had a good time with the gang. I immediately felt Addy would play an important part.

The China pandemic – a flu that wiped out the majority of the population leaving pockets of people that survived the initial onslaught. Some doctors today believe that will be our downfall.

The Preppers (who are clear of the virus) lived on one side of the river and the Carriers (those infected with the virus) on the other. No one knows the long term results, so they stay divided. They do not mix, because of the danger of passing the disease to those uninfected.

Clarisse was their hope of finding a cure. What if they found a vaccine? Would it create immunity and allow them to interact with their neighbors, the Carriers? Even if they found a vaccine, could the virus mutate and bring about the need for another vaccine?

Their doctor is a vet and everyone is thankful for his skills.

Graham and Tala are a couple. She found out she was pregnant. It raised questions some wouldn’t think about – what happens if you are pregnant and a carrier? What will the baby be? Would you have it or abort it? Would do what was needed to keep the majority safe at the sacrifice of the individual.

Would you want to be one of the first to go or one of those left to figure out how to rebuild the world? Would you be one of those people, you know, “Why Me?”

What about relationships? Would you choose what would be beneficial for the group, no matter your own needs and desires?

Inner hidden strengths people never knew they had would rise to the surface. People would learn what is most important in life. They would need to get past all the pettiness and accept people as they are, foibles and all. The need to work together, combining everyone’s strengths may enable all to survive. Rebuilding the world would be done one person at a time.

A lot about the The Cascade Preppers is pretty predictable, but I love these books. I feel they are bordering on the truth of what will be the worlds’ downfall. The writing is detailed and realistic. The shift of POV messed with me here and there, but I did like knowing what each person was doing and thinking through their own eyes.

Next, Sam checked the wind direction by lifting the end of his barrel into the air. The thread tied to the end of this gun barrel floated up and slightly behind them .

Now that is realism. It is descriptions like this that make the story so believable.

I have watched a lot of the Alaskan reality shows on TV and find it reminiscent of what people would need to do to survive an apocalypse. It makes it easier for me to imagine what these characters are going through and visualize their actions. An injury in such a remote area could end your life and that would be the same for the characters here. Damage or scarcity of their food supply could cause them to starve to death.

What would a psychologist think of a nightmare about being chased by a giant safety pin? LOL

I received this ebook in return for an honest and unbiased review.

3 Stars – Would Recommend To Others

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Virtual Book Tour Dates: 7/9/14 – 7/23/14

Genres: Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, SciFi

Series: Graham’s Resolution, Book 2

Tour Promo Price: $.99 Countdown Deal: 7/10/14 – 7/17/14

Cover: Keri Knutson

BLURB

What the world dreads most has already happened. Now, there is only survival.

In her dystopian and post-apocalyptic bestselling novel, The China Pandemic, A. R. Shaw created a realistic world after a much too plausible pandemic event. Now, the remaining must not only survive but thrive or risk complete extinction. The story moves forward with…

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The Cascade Preppers

Graham is back in book two of the Graham’s Resolution series. In the tiny town of Cascade, Washington, the members of Graham’s camp endure a severe winter season. Meanwhile, The Prepper community remains dedicated to isolation and maintains their benevolent relationship. Tensions rise when tragedy strikes. The human traits of community and compassion are pitted against instincts to survive. Will they be doomed by their own efforts to coexist? Read the ongoing saga of Graham’s Resolution, Book 2, The Cascade Preppers, for the startling revelation.

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Excerpt

Chapter 1

The early winter sky cast in vibrant lavender led to piercing blue north of the horizon. It was as cold as hell is hot, if you can imagine the heat of hell as freezing. Graham pulled in the weighted line, hand over hand. He wrapped the twine from hand to elbow while staring down the murky blue ice hole of the frozen lake. The brown trout came squirming its way up the ice tunnel towards him, till it met its last fate.

Sam reached out and grabbed the greedy guy that currently hung in midair. Tearing the hook from its mouth, he dropped the frigid fish into a pail with its brothers. They went for quantity over size when fishing in the shallow waters beneath the ice, but the chore of getting enough to feed them all had taken a little longer than usual this morning. The sky had already gone from deep plum with a moon encircled in a fine mist to daylight so intense, eye protection and extra layers of fur to contain the fleeting warmth were called for.

Once they’d caught enough for everyone’s breakfast, they silently gathered their gear to make their way back up the trail to camp. Like any two men who’d worked the same routine, they would perform their job without uttering a single word with regards to the task. “Get your nose out of there, Sheriff,” Graham gently warned the dog in a worn, low voice as he caught him peering into the bucket. “You’ll get your share.” He tousled the dog’s head and picked up their morning haul. Sam came up behind him with the other lines after he’d covered the ice holes with spare plywood to keep them from freezing over too much.

“Ready?” Sam asked.

“Yeah.”

They crunched along the reliable crust as their boots echoed in the vast open until they met the trail between the trees. Mark had recently finished clearing the paths from that night’s continuous onslaught of snow.

As they walked up into the clearing, Bang, dressed in his snow gear from head to toe, tossed scraps to the chickens as they scampered all around him eager for their meager delicacies. Sheriff ran up ahead to help out his young friend. Amused that the dog didn’t understand why they kept the birds caged, nor why he wasn’t allowed to visit with them inside the coop, Graham laughed. The hens often ran away and rudely, collectively, scurried to the other end of their enclosure when Sheriff came to greet them each morning.

Graham called out to Bang, “Make sure you give them fresh water.”

“I always do,” Bang replied looking put out by the unnecessary reminder, then his expression changed. “Mark told me to tell you, Ennis isn’t up yet.”

“All right, thanks. I’ll give him a hand.” The two men walked in silence past the front of the cabin. Sam seemed to be pondering something which wasn’t unusual for the man. After spending the entire day with him, other than a nod or an occasional word, he didn’t say much, but Graham always suspected Sam was either thinking ahead or mourning his daughter. Whether he’d ever let another in on his thoughts, was anyone’s guess, so it surprised Graham when he spoke up.

“You know, he won’t see another winter. You might want to be prepared for that, Graham.”

Graham spoke softly. “Yeah, I’ve pretty much figured that out.” “We’re losing him a little each day. He rarely talks, but when he does it’s always warnings. Like, he’s trying to give us as much as he can before he goes.” Graham stopped in mid-stride and scuffed his boot at the ice, sending crystals a few feet forward. “I’m thankful we had him for as long as we did.”

Sam clapped him on the back in understanding. He liked Ennis too. The old man had even shown Sam a thing or two about carving the little wooden figurines he made for Addy, the daughter he could see and hear, but never again touch. If a man taught you something useful in life, he was a keeper in Sam’s book.

Buy Link: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A. R. Shaw, born in south Texas, moved to Washington State in the late eighties. Always writing quietly in what little spare time available while participating in the U.S. Air Force Reserves as a Radio Operator and business owner. Only now embracing a writing passion full time and finding a place in the author’s community, Shaw has found a following of avid readers along the way.