I listened to 30 hours before I realized it would never pick up. This series is a naive depiction of a societal break down is filled with contrived characters, overly described scenes and feelings, and mind numbing inner monologues about abandoning hope every few minutes.
The author tells and never shows. The level of detail regarding locations sounds like google maps and destroys immersion as you get the feeling the author is somehow trying to show off. The same can be said for what passes as survival tactics which come off more like a DIY book than a novel. The real life statistics on crime, immigration, and the drug trade that are littered throughout the story also contribute to feeling that you’re listening to a know it all and not a story.
As the characters fight for their lives, and kill to survive they use very PG language, like the scene was written by a 10 year old who wasn’t allowed to curse. It is very jarring, to hear words like “wet turd”, “butthead”, and “goat humper” when someone is being murdered with a nail bat.