Jack Hunt is off to a good start in the first book of his new post-apocalyptic series. Although he hasn’t reinvented the wheel, he has done something new by creating a slightly morally-flawed protagonist. Although Sam, a former special forces soldier who finds himself in Boston to take his estranged daughter home to her ailing mother when the lights go out, is generally a sympathetic character, he makes some ethically-questionable choices without usual and expected self-doubt and justifications. Fortunately, his daughter quickly moves past the whining and blaming stage and becomes a self-sufficient and valuable partner on the trip from Harvard to Breckinridge, Colorado. Unfortunately, another member of the group assumes the role of the never ending victim you want to sacrifice to the bad guys, but it wouldn’t be a post-apocalyptic novel without that character, would it? The story is enhanced through the narration of the incomparable Kevin Pierce, who was terrific as always. My only criticism is that the book is barely over 5 hours long, and it is hard to use a credit on anything shorter than 8 or 9 hours. With that exception, I recommend this book for anyone who likes post-apocalyptic books. I received this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
