It’s been a while since I’ve listened to a decent EOTWAWKI book so when the surprise opportunity to review "Fight Like a Man" came up I was excited to dive into another post-apocalyptic novel featuring an epic reading by Kevin Pierce. I was not disappointed one bit by his narration, it was excellent as usual. This is the kind of story I believe Kevin does best and, honestly, it was the only reason I was able to complete the book.
I love listening to this kind of novel and I really, really wanted to like it. Right from the beginning I was concerned simply because of the the name of the book but I went for it anyhow because…well…it was free and hey, Kevin Pierce is the narrator! It started off fine and after a while I even began to think that my initial reactions to the title were unfounded; it wasn’t half bad!
But somewhere along the way it got lost. Character and personality development from early on seemed to be ditched leaving the various protagonists responding and acting in ways that made no sense after what the listener had been setup to expect. Many actions became completely frustrating and unbelievable while the characters got dumber and dumber before my very eyes.
I was willing to put up with these inconsistencies just to get my "prepper fix" presented by the great Mr Pierce but there were two things that finally killed it for me.
First, and it’s probably just nitpicking, I don’t like it when an author ends a chapter by telling the reader what’s about to happen. For example, lines like "They thought their troubles were over, but soon they would realize just how wrong they were" drive me nuts. They remind me of Dukes of Hazard episodes, circa 1980, when leading into a commercial break leaving the General Lee suspended in mid-air after rocketing off yet another uncannily placed jump over a washed out Hazard County bridge while Waylon Jennings says "you know, them Duke Boys might’ve got themselves in a heap o trouble this time…"! I prefer that an author let the reader discover what’s going to happen on their own, otherwise why keep reading (or listening of course).
Second, the political ranting. Akers went on, and on about Trump and Clinton and Sanders, his thoughts about the election, etc. It was annoying and made absolutely no addition to the progression of the story. I could care less about the authors political views to begin with so having to sit through his "schpeal" multiple times almost made me give up altogether. Even with an epilogue to claim that these views were those of the characters in an attempt to give them depth and credibility (my words, not his) made absolutely no sense.
So unfortunately I could only give the story itself 2 stars. I really appreciated the listen but it just didn’t cut it.
This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.