Although some of the inner monolog sounds a little clunky at times, the story supercedes it and the action is well written. Recommended read for sure.

if you're in the mood to feel greatly depressed by our political and social climate, yet also oddly hopeful. It's good. It's not happy, but it's good.

I'm a hardcore fan of dystopian novels and this only slightly disappoints, with jumpy plot and characters that should have been fleshed out more. Thoroughly enjoyable tho!

The After War was incredible.

It was quite obvious to me that the author spent well over a decade crafting and perfecting this book. It's the kind of book you only write once in a lifetime.

The characterization was wonderful. The depth and nuance with which they were written was second to none. It was plainly obvious who was narrating at any given time without needing to be told the character's name.
I loved every single one of them, but of course, the loyal and beautiful pup Winston will always be the best boy (please don't kill him later in the series, Brandon!!!).

The prose was stunning. Intricate and full of rich worldbuilding, but never slowing the story down.
QUOTE: Some things can be unseen, but the death of Stanley Jacobs was not one of them. There was no funeral or eulogy given. Stanley Jacobs' corpse was left frozen to the marrow of his bones, deep underground in the bunker, where he would remain forever in darkness.

The plot was everything I wanted. It played out like the best post-apocalyptic movie ever.

The pacing and tension were expertly done, combining heartracing horror with deep breaths of philosophical beauty that everyone could learn from. The whole ride was a rollercoaster in the greatest possible way and the ending didn't let me down.

My favourite part of The After War, was the ingenuity of the plan of action at the end. It was so exciting to read. I didn't predict any of it, yet it remained completely within the realms of possibility.

I have nothing negative to say about this book. I've read other reviewers state their concerns that the plague wasn't more clearly defined. I don't think that fact impacted the book negatively at all. If a plague suddenly ravished the world today, would the survivors all know exactly what it was and where it came from? The not knowing added an extra element of horror, as I believe it would in real life. Besides, the story isn't about the plague, it's about how these wonderful characters overcame it and everything else thrown at them, in a completely believable and heart-wrenching way.

My very favourite quote says all that needs to be said about the importance of the Second Amendment:

"Today - just hours ago," Simon said as everyone found seating around the fire, "we witnessed Nick Byrnes deliver a speech where he announced the greatest threat yet to us all. He took away our means of survival. He took away our weapons. And he did so under the guise of friendship, security and the town's overall advancement. What's scarier yet is the majority of people, our friends, don't see the danger in him stripping us of our power. They applauded Nick's speech and handed over their weapons without the slightest reservation."

My mind will keep going back to this book in time to come, such is the impact it's had on me. I wish there were 10 more books in the series.

5*.

There are good twists in this post apocalyptic suspense. My rating 4.5.

Brian and Steve are best friends/cousins. They have lived together for two years in a well-supplied bunker hoping to survive the plague and chaos that hit America. Steve is a huge ‘bear’ of a fellow who goes in to red rages. He relies strongly on Brian to help him deal with day to day living and navigating when people are around. They were unhappy to leave friends on the surface but they promised to stay hidden for two years and then set out on their goal. They are to travel to collect Steve’s sister, Bethany, from her bunker states away. Then they are to continue east to find Bethany and Steve’s Uncle who was in the military and had some foreknowledge of the troubles to come.

Simon and his dog, Winston, emerge from a secluded cabin in the Canadian woods on the edge of America. They too are headed east to meet up with his wealthy, political family who sent him off shortly before the devastating war began two years earlier. Simon is a skilled naturalist who embraces nonviolence but is also an adept tracker with hidden warrior abilities.

Both character groups (and that includes wonderful Winston) face danger, evil and heart ache as they travel. There are some calm experiences but those don’t last long. Eventually their paths will intersect as they come together in a tense battle to save their communities from a brutal, megalomaniac, evil tyrant.

The first part of the book follows the travelers in alternating chapters fill in their histories as well as their encounters on the journey. The second part shows the communities where they arrive and find a chance at home and future. The writing moves well with good action set with mostly realistic scenes and dialogue. There are some situations which aren't fully believable such as Simon’s successful hunt first time out and Brian and Steve dumping food cans at the edge of their camp and being generally careless in their travels. On the other hand, I really liked the tidbits of natural food spources and cures the author shares through Simon’s character.

All of the main characters are well developed and had me rooting for their success. The chaos, devastation, greed and survival by theft and violence seem all too real and plausible. There are secondary characters in the mercenary tribes who are terrifyingly evil. I was able to guess some of the problems that would be faced but there were some surprise events too. It was a nice change to have a story with real (sadly enough) evil rather than zombies. There is violence and some, but not excessive, foul language.

This is a strong post-apocalyptic/dystopia story that kept my attention from beginning to end. I recommend this to readers who enjoy the genre.

A little forethought into how to survive the apocalypse has paid off for cousins Brian and Steven. Following the firm instructions given to them at the very beginning of a global pandemic, the two young men are now ready are ready to re-emerge back into the land up top. Two years spent in a bunker with only each other was not easy, but the time was not wasted. They are physically strong but are they mentally tough enough to face what the world was become?

Alone with his dog in a remote forest cabin for years since it all went to hell, Simon is finding it hard to leave the safety of his isolated surrounds. The time however has come to find out what has become of his parents who did what they had to do in order to give Simon his best chance – the heart-breaking act of sending their son away.

When not actively reading this novel, I found myself thinking it quite a bit and wondering what everyone was up to, as if all the mayhem and survivalist horror was playing out whilst I wasn’t around. I enjoy reading a fair few pandemic novels (reading ‘sorbet’ away from dark crime) so if the authors are managing to keep their creations active in my mind when my eye is way from the pages, there’s been some solid work put into character development.

THE AFTER WAR I can’t see as being categorized as young adult fiction, but I feel that teenagers were probably the target audience for this work. (Also taking in consideration the lack of page time spent on female characters, possibly it was aimed at the boys?) The book’s plot doesn’t follow an overly complicated arc but this doesn’t necessarily detract; there is lots of action, a good assortment of young folk making tough decisions in a brave new world, redemptive opportunities offered to characters when they fall off the moral path – and a dog. (The staunch and loyal pet is always a welcome addition, though you are scared throughout that the furfriend will come to some horrible end).

A little more attention to editing would have professionalized this book. There’s a few shlocky inclusions such as a mad doctor and gorey scenes of dismemberment that don’t actually achieve in giving to give the novel a more mature tone – quite the opposite – but these are minor pick points.

THE AFTER WAR would translate well to the screen for sure with its punchy action scenes flipping back and forth between the perspectives of survivalist Simon and (mostly later) to the man mountain Brian. The first half of the novel I found to be the more absorbing as Simon and cousins Brian and Steven emerge separately back into what is left of civilization. The “road” chapters are the strength of THE AFTER WAR. It gets a little bit more pedestrian once the three young men are in contact with newly established communities, with all the associated power struggles and politics. It is so difficult to create a new world, fully populate it and evolve it through to a brave new order, all within the confines of just one book and you can see that writers’ conflict in THE AFTER WAR. So much to detail, so little time.

There is a great story here in THE AFTER WAR and hopefully we are seeing the beginning of a brand new series.

A great addition to the post apocalyptic book world!! I originally had reservation about this book as i could not get past the first chapter but once it picks up it is riveting. The whole time reading this book i was imagining it take place as a movie. I would not be surprised if a movie appears once a movie writer, producer whatever their called, reads this book and has the same reaction.

3.5 stars. The story was easy to follow and kept me interested. I wish there was more description of the dystopian post - apocalyptic world and what lead up to it. The ending felt a little rushed and the story unfinished but overall I enjoyed reading this book.

I absolutely loved reading this. It pulls you in and you're immediately wrapped up in the two converging stories. Two cousins who waited out the war in a comfortable bunker, and one who eked out his existence surviving off the land and wild. Even after the devastation is over they face corruption in those who still have power in this shell of a world. A thrilling read.

I liked how this book was different as it started 2 years after a world breakdown. It kept my interest but I wanted more.

Unfortunately I couldn't get past the first page although the synopsis sounded great.

I enjoyed this book. It's not your typical post apocalyptic book. I think it's more realistic than most. The beginning was very strong and kept my interest. I have to admit towards the end, some of the characters seemed to become a little excessive as far as being overly aggressive. I liked the fact that there are 2 men in one bunker with a plan once it seems safe to come out. They are going to find one of men's sisters along with her friend and her friend's husband. There is also a man who has been living on his own in the woods who is also leaving the safety of the place he's been hiding to find his family. All in all, it was a good book. It held my attention and I had a hard time putting it down at times. I couldn't wait to see how it would end and I was pleasantly surprised.
**I was given an advance copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in return I am giving my personal review of the book.**

It's after the end of the world and what happens next? Well, the dog I do love, who doesn't right? However, it feels like an addendum to The Walking Dead in some ways. Still a reasonable read, but not on my top favorite books list. I did get my copy from Net Galley, but the book was free about that same time and I got my own copy as well. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

I couldn't put the book down. Loved the characters and found the plot to be so entrancing with enough action to keep the pages turning to see what would happen next that it was even hard put the book down. The book starts with a bang and doesn't let up. The author has an amazing imagination. The characters are well developed, realistic, complex and interwoven into a roller-coaster plot. One of the most addictive books I've read in years. The story grabbed me from the first page. Overall, I really really liked this book and recommend it highly, if you enjoy this genre.

I was a little hesitant to start this novel, as I feel the market is overly saturated with post apocalyptic/ dystopian young adult trash. ( we will save that rant for another post )

I am so glad I was given the opportunity to read this book via Net Galley.

It was brilliant! The cover was also a bit cliche and off putting at first, and could use a redo to be less gimicky

Great pacing, great indie novel. I will certainly pick up more books by this author.

Simon was an annoying character, let me just get that out there. He was way too granola, let's sit-on-the-ground-and-meditate before we actually do anything worthwhile for my taste. If that appeals to you, great, but it just irritated me. I think in an actual apocalyptic situation, he'd be one of the first ones knocked off. I liked the other characters much better, including the dog (though I doubt he'd have lasted long either, man was he poorly behaved) which is why rates 3 stars.

*ARC via netgalley*

This book is made of two parts. The first part introduces the nuclear war and disease that caused the downfall of the US (and presumably the world). It has the main characters coming out after two years of hiding and trying to get to the east coast to family and safety. The second part details the aftermath, where there is a group of military experts who've been able to reestablish a working town. Things are going well there, until chaos starts.

Brian and Steven are cousins, raised like brothers, who've been hiding out in a completely stocked bunker during the war and disease. Their uncle is a general who knew something bad was coming and had these bunkers built for his family members. The cousins are working their way to Steven's sister Bethany (who is also in a bunker) and then they're going to find the general.
Simon is a rich kid who's a survivalist and knows everything about living off the land. He's got his dog Winston and they've been hiding in his family's vacation cottage in Canada. After two years, Simon is also working his way east to find his parents. At first, their lives are separate, but later in the book, their stories intersect.

The book is nicely written. But we don't get much of a history regarding the downfall of the US. We get vague bombings, with major cities being decimated, and then the disease. Don't know if it's viral or bacterial and how the general was able to know that it would be safe to come out of hiding after two years. Even the characters don't know the origin of the disease, with some saying it's from the Middle East, some saying it came from China. So that part of the story is not explained. But I guess it's because the author is focusing on the aftermath of it all.

When the characters finally get to their destinations, things seems great. Their towns are running smoothly and everything is organized. Society is coming back. I like how the author had Simon, the nature-loving non-fighter, join the Rangers at his town. Their job was mostly scouting and foraging, so it's a less aggressive job than being a soldier. It suited Simon's character.

There's a ton of violence, much of it gruesome. I like to think that after a disaster, most people would stay good and try to help each other, but in post-apocalyptic books like this, there are always plenty of sickos.

Set two years after an apocalyptic disease has wiped out society and much of mankind, we see a new USA. There are pockets of people struggling to survive by whatever means - fair means or foul. We follow Brian and his cousin Steve as they leave their bunker for the first time in two years. They plan to journey east to connect with other family members. At a similar time Simon and his dog Winston leave their cabin in the woods to return to Simon's family home. We follow them as they head into the unknown. What is left of a civilized USA? Are there societies left or just violent gangs?

I like the fact that this book starts two years after the major event. We learn very little about the disease or the break down of society but rather concentrate on what stage society has got to two years later.

Aside from the above, there is very little in this book that I haven't read before in a similar work. People treking through the unknown, marauding violent groups, desolate town, the vestiges of society hanging on in small areas and so on. There was nothing particularly new in the main bulk of the book. There is a big climax at the end which also wasn't that surprising but it worked well within the story.

Having said that the book wasn't particularly original, it was quite well written. Although there are gruesome scenes and plenty of violence I didn't feel that was the main purpose of the book. This wasn't the case of a basic story on which to hang graphic scenes of violence. This was a well structured book with a good plot. The characters develop well as the book progresses and we do get insights into their minds. The large climax scene takes a while to build with plenty of firm footings placed within the plot on which to construct it. There were a few small twists in the end scenes which I didn't forsee which I did appreciate.

As a book of this genre it isn't that original. There isn't a USP - unique selling point. However it is well constructed with a good plot and well developed characters. It is certainly one of the better books I have read of this style. The ending was left open with the option for a sequel. I would be interested in reading the sequel and seeing how the characters develop after this ending.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Interesting take on the post-apocalyptic storyline. An easy read with short chapters and several different POV characters.

The After War is the first book by Brandon Zenner that I have read so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a well written post apocalyptic thriller. This is a standalone book. There is a lot of violence.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all of that info here. While I thought that the storyline would be predictable, I was surprised by twists and turns. This book is better than average and worth reading.