What would happen if the apocalypse happened and you somehow missed it? This is the central premise driving The Apocalypse Seven, and what I found to be a unique and different take on the end of the world trope.

It starts out by introducing you to the “apocalypse seven” and drawing you in to their individual experiences and collective discovery that something strange happened. I found the characters to be rich and interestingly diverse. Their introduction can be slow, but stick around.

Once this book gets going it was downright spooky at times. I genuinely did not know what to expect, and the ending did not disappoint. It left me with a barrage of emotions I won’t detail so as to not ruin the surprise. But suffice to say you won’t be disappointed with this excellent thriller.

This wasn’t a big hit with me like it was for other reviewers. I’m glad other people enjoyed it, but I never connected with any of the characters or the story. I did a lot of putting down and picking up with this one, never really being grabbed by the events in the story. Towards the end m, with the big reveal, I was left just kind of with a bored bland dumb feeling. I wish this book good success with other readers.

Entertaining end of the world tale. Liked the different roles the different characters filled. The ultimate explanation for what was happening was interesting but rushed a bit.

This was okay for me but not really what I was expecting. Good for fans of books like READY PLAYER ONE and other books with that kind of voice. I just don’t think I am particularly into the POV of college aged boys.

Overall: +6/10

It was a good sci-fi book to cleanse my palate that was overwhelmingly fantasy in recent months.

Writing/Plot/Pace: +6/10

Seven people in New England area wake up to find that they are only survivors of some kind of event (which they end up calling whateverpocalypse because they have no idea whatever happened!) and there are no other humans. The world is runover by mutated version of animals.

The first half of the book is all about the characters, their backgrounds and initial reactions to waking up here and how they end up meeting each other. I'd say this takes initial 60% of the book. The second part is they trying to piece together whatever happened and what steps next. The finale is where we get to the hard sci-fi part with explanations.

the explanations felt a bit rushed and imo (humble and ignorant) opinion, the science parts were glossed over too quickly and rational explanation to the events were very minimal. Wish the author had spent more time on this.

Characters: +6/10

I have conflicting thoughts on the series, but at the end was left with a positive impression. The characters are all done very well and are unique. Though I felt they behave lot more rationally that many when put in this situation, which felt a bit off. Anandha is a male name too, which stood out quite awkwardly!

What if you slept through the apocalypse? That's what 7 people think when they wake up to find themselves completely alone, the world in ruins and no sign of what happened. Robbie and Carol are two Harvard freshman who find themselves in the dorms, not in the correct rooms, completely alone, with dusty hallways, animals roaming the streets, plant life overrunning the city in what they think is one night. They soon run into Toure, another 20-something who thought he was alone in the world. With bizarre weather, new survivors also happen upon the three - Paul, a wild preacher, Win and her horse, Bethany, a 13-year-old, and Ananada an astrophysics who has her own ideas as to what happened. And something seems to be watching them. Can the 7 find out what really happened to humanity?

There is definitely a twist to this apocalypse story - its not what is generally thought of, and the characters are all well written and believable. The true answers aren't until basically the very end of the book, so don't expect to know what's going on until the very last page.

Well that was... Interesting.

This was a kind of Wanderers meets a reverse The Leftovers.

Carol and Robbie wake up in their dorm rooms at Harvard to discover that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is gone. After a little exploration, they also realize that there are wild animals everywhere and that all of Harvard is extremely overgrown with vegetation. They run into Toure, and then Bethany, and come to grips that they're in the middle of an apocalypse, or whateverpocalypse as Toure names it.

The focus on survival is next as there's no food on the shelves except some kind of tasteless blocks of packaged energy bars.

The books switches POV to Paul and Win, both in the country side who also experience their own versions of waking up to no one left in their worlds.

Ananda is the seventh and she's a scientist at Harvard who helps to unravel some of the truth of their new world.

I love apocalyptic tales. The Apocalypse Seven was exactly what I love about these types of stories. This one had a unique twist and seven interesting characters, none of which drove me crazy and I liked them all. And there are some extremely strange twists as the answers are revealed.

This was a fun apocalyptic story and I really enjoyed the read.

*Thanks so much to John Joseph Adams/Mariner Books and NetGalley for the advance copy!*

This is an end of the world story. The problem is the seven individuals who come together in the Boston area have no idea how the apocalypse happened or for that matter, when it happened.

Although well written, it did not appeal to me. The pacing was uneven and the plot was not interesting. I felt there was very little character development.

The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette is full of mystery and eerie excitement. The story follow random strangers who wake to find that the world is not the same as they last remembered. Each chapter is experienced through each of the strangers. They quickly find that the world seems deserted. As if that wasn't startling enough, vegetation and animals seem to have covered the city. How long have they been asleep?

In their search for answers and survival, the strangers slowly meet each other in their journey. How do you trust a complete stranger? In an effort to survive, you have to give a little trust and hope that the new people are trustworthy as well.

I enjoyed this book so much. I love starting things off with the odd and mysterious, without explaining any of the why. Stange enough to get you hooked and set with a cast of great characters that you want join them in this crazy story to find out how the heck will they survive while trying to find out what the heck happend. Yes, I was a fan of the TV show Lost for this reason. This book is Lost without going to strange and without the frustrations. Plus, I think folks will enjoy this ending.

I want to thank Gene Doucette, John Joseph Adams/Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for providing my an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this one, it was intriguing with a good sense of place. The author made it easy to visualise the city devoid of people and over run with wildlife. I was a little worried it would be too YA but I found I liked the characters and their interaction with each other, and I enjoyed the flashes of humour. At times I got frustrated at their poor attempts at getting organised, and failure to discuss anything properly, aaargh just talk to each other already! The book is something of a slow burn most of the way, but then the ending felt a bit too rushed, almost as if there was something missing. I would definitely like to read more from this author, 3.5 stars rounded up (the extra half star is for Elton the horse, my favourite character, I loved him ☺️). Thanks Netgalley.

disclaimer: i received a copy of this book via Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - John Joseph Adams/Mariner Books in return for an honest review.

from the beginning, my only thought was 'wait. what? what the @#%& is happening?' and i consider that an excellent way to start a book. there was a sense of mystery to it, a feeling like you could figure it all out if you just had the time... and maybe one or two clues.

it's good that the mystery was compelling, though, because for the first 1/3 or so of book, the characters were really just there to provide momentum & exposition. they didn't engender empathy or concern, but were instead strident, hollow caricatures of basic archetypes. there was no sense of being invested in their individual journeys or even that it might be necessary.


the mystery here was good - very good. but the events didn't do anything to help develop the characters, they only further enforced and expanded the mystery. i was definitely in it for the story, the mystery, but in the long term, story needs to sustain the characters, to assist in their growth and development - good or bad. 'what the @#%& is happening?' is an amazingly audacious way to start a story but it cannot be the entirety of the story.

two out of five stars

I’ll admit that it took me quite a while to finish the book. The exposition and setup for each of the seven characters took quite a long time and once I met all of them, I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep reading. Their backstories were interesting but I wasn’t sure where the book was going. The world building was interesting because, as a reader, you are constantly asking questions about what is important and what details needed to be remembered. There is a very long build up to the resolution or explanation for what is happening. It took longer to set up the plot twist than to explain it and I was left wanting a little more. Everything was wrapped up very quickly and I honestly would have like to hear more about that, what happens after the reveal. That’s really vague because I am trying to avoid spoilers.

I did appreciate the different chapters focusing on the characters. The dialogue felt natural. The writing was excellent because I could imagine exactly what was happening and where the characters were at. It didn’t quite feel apocalyptic in the sense that the setting was desolate or hopeless. The absence of humanity is definitely a key element of the setting. The book hints at cosmic questions about existence, life, and after-life, but it was very surface level. There are mentions of philosophers and scientific theories that are very casual but might have a tremendous impact on how the readers understands that is happening.

This review may sound wary or negative, but that had nothing to do with the quality of the writing, The plot just didn’t catch my attention and others might really enjoy it.

An ARC was provided by #NetGalley for an honest review.

Apocalypse 7: A Monotone Metronome.

Flighty
Almost too cheesy, but a bit too flat to allow for that.  Not sure the distinction matters, as both aren't ideal and I'd have probably felt the same disappointment either way.
Lack of connection.
Lack of drama.
Lack of excitement.
Not an ideal description when referring to a post apocalyptic fiction novel.

There are apocalyptic dangers specific to extreme and unpredictable weather that occur outside of the 4 seasons the survivors have always known. A blizzard one day, a tornado days later. In addition, the animal population has expanded and taken over all previously human occupied areas. Including the species that are the biggest threat to humans, bears, wolves, cougars, etc.

That sounds like it should be exciting, right? However, it ultimately... lacked soul? Now that sounds super cheesy. But it's true. There's no uptick in the heart beat. I had high hopes for this one. So realistically, I may feel more let down as a result.

I'm not sure if it was meant to be a probing philosophical approach about humanity and whether they will try to survive when faced with the most impossible circumstances. Or if it was about how will they choose to do that; will they give up or hold onto their principles prior to the apocalypse? Will those who believe in God question their faith?  All these topics are somewhat involved. Unfortunately, I must stress they're only touched upon very lightly, and enclosed in a YA level. With the lightened approach, it lacked the influencing quality to make me really think on it. It was too weak an attempt to create a spark, and I mostly didn't bother putting any brain power towards it, as the book itself never bothered to push my brain.

*Thank you to Gene Doucette for the advanced digital copy.

I loved this book! While I was reading it I had two different theories as to why the apocalypse happened, and one of my theories was about 30% correct. But when the explanation finally came at the end of the book, I had to read the page like three times just to confirm what I read. This book is so well done! And this is one of the few “end of the world“ apocalypse books I’ve read that depict the behavior of the survivors in a very realistic fashion. Most of the seven people have very little knowledge or skills that are useful in an apocalyptic situation. And I feel like that would be the case for most of us reading this book. Just a bunch of dopes with no clue what to do and no skills on how to do them. Super entertaining read!

Thank you to NetGalley & Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I have not yet read the author’s vanguard novel, <i>The Spaceship <b>Next Door</b>,</i > but <i>The Apocalypse Seven</i> does unfold literally <b>next door</b> to me, and I recognized every street, every town, and every loose cobblestone I’ve tripped over. It was fun to imagine the area overgrown and teeming with animals—I especially loved the sounder* of scary pigs in a flooded Boston and the packs of gigantic mixed breed wolves (or “puppies,” as Carol calls them), in an overgrown Cambridge.

I love apocalypse stories, and it was interesting how this one was presented. There are seven characters, and I really enjoyed how we see the catastrophe through their eyes, a natural take on the “blind men and the elephant” trope. Oh wait, perhaps the Seven Samurai would be a better analogy? No, no, Rashomon is what I’m thinking of. The author did an excellent job fleshing out these seven characters.

The story begins through the POV of a Harvard freshman. This was the most difficult part of the book to get through, as he was so lacking any street smarts (common sense). And the prose is a little stiff. He is such a helpless dork I really don’t see how he could become the de facto leader. But I promise that if you can get through his scenes, you will love the next character, Carol, another Harvard student, who is blind, yet wise, empathetic, and competent. She awakens to the apocalypse without her seeing eye dog, which is devastating both on a practical and emotional level. The author does a terrific, fairly nuanced job presenting a diverse group of seven people. For example the third character who is revealed is space case D&D nerd who shows some unexpectedly touching empathy for Carol’s predicament of being blind plus being sans her companion seeing eye dog. Each section describes a specific character and their world view, and none of it feels like it’s pandering just to insert the “obligatory [gay|PoC|disabled] character.” As is often the case with a character-driven novel, the pace is slow, which I appreciated.

While I recognize the need to present a diverse set of people, I think it’s easy to over correct into the land of comical unbelievability. One scene that had me rolling my eyes and chuckling was when the Xena Warrior Princess character was collecting the carcass of a deer she had instantly felled with her bow and arrow. A gaunt wolf shows up to steal her kill, but she banishes him with her Intense StareTM and an offhand “shoo.” And then she effortlessly heaves the deer over her shoulders as easily as I would drape cat across my shoulders. It’s all so unrealistic! (I also winced when she ignored the field dressing prep work and went straight to kitchen butchery.) In my eyes, all of this hyperbole isn’t a huge flaw but just strikes me as very funny and an unintentional homage to Xena.

In general, I loved seeing all of the competent, strong women characters; all are unique, yet any one is a valid role model. However I did feel bad that the males all got stuck with sort of crappy (yet entirely believable) roles: the man baby, the D&D nerd, and the bible thumper. That initially made me sad, but the author did show each of these men growing and maturing—even if only a smidge or against their will.

The story is presented by a straightforward omniscient narrator and the prose is a wee bit stilted with lots of nuggets of dark humor sprinkled throughout. The first few jokes seemed forced and made me groan, but I grew to appreciate some later ones, such as a sly allusion to the early American Roanoke settlement.

I liked the ending although it left me a little confused. I would have enjoyed a bit more explication in terms of both character analysis and science. This was a fun read, and I appreciate having received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

*I knew a group of pigs MUST had to have a weird name, so I had to look it up. A “sounder” of pigs? Who made up all of these nonintuitive words anyway?

The idea reader enjoys SF, time travel, aliens, and other flights of imagination.

An interesting twist on the apocalypse genre. I had a great time reading this book. I don't want to tread too deeply into spoiler territory, but in short some people wake up and find themselves in a world seemingly abandoned to wildlife. It's a story about survival and trying to figure out what happened to everyone else.

The characters are of varied backgrounds and pretty well defined. There are a lot of twists and turns along the way, especially at the end, and some interesting sciencey stuff going on at points. All in all, a fun story that wraps things in a pretty decent way.

The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette

Seven survivors have somehow made it through the great Apocalypse. They are confused, not understanding what has gone on and where everyone else is.

The seven survivors each take a turn in the book, with a narration segment, but the book starts counting out chapters for each person, which is a little different.

Meet the survivors:
Toure (I call Trey, he is a scavenger)
Robbie (college student, is the leader of their small band)
Carol (college student, blind woman, whose seeing-eye dog Burton is missing)
Bethany (13 years old, with locksmith skills)
Win (has hunting skills and has a wild horse named Elton)
Ananda (an MIT student with a PhD with a very analytical mind)
Paul (a preacher, with hunting skills, he's the eldest of the survivors)

They band together and try to find out what, why, when everything happened and how to survive in the aftermath.

I liked it, it makes you think of what skills you would have to offer if you ended up in this situation. Would you be a thinker or a hunter?

I received a complimentary copy from John Joseph Adams/Houghton #Mifflin Harcourt and #NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review. #ApocalypseSeven

4 stars... I think. I'm struggling with this rating. The first 75% or so was right about 4.5 stars. Then it was almost like the editor stopped reading - there was a specific block of time that was very obviously missing. In fact, I went back twice to reread it because I thought I must have missed a scene or accidentally skipped ahead on my kindle. It was very strange. This might be an ARC thing. I hope it is. Up until that point, I was completely on the edge of my seat every step of the way. After that, I admittedly had a bad taste in my mouth for a while and it made me feel a little untrusting. Still, all in all I enjoyed it and Paul's revelation at the end elicited a gasp from me and I'll be thinking about this one for a while yet.

Essentially, this is something of a puzzle box thriller. Seven very different individuals have all woken up one seemingly normal day to discover that the apocalypse happened while they were sleeping, and the Earth they have woken up to is VERY different from the Earth they thought they knew. We get to follow their different storylines as they try to piece together what has happened while struggling to survive in a world with mutant predators, no electricity, no information, and no food. The plot isn't bogged down with exposition or back story - we get to know the characters as who they are moving forward rather than descriptions/glimpses of who they WERE, and I loved that. We are granted front row seats to their discovering pieces of themselves they never would have known existed, and watch relationships develop between people who probably would have never crossed paths in the "real world."

We've got: 1) a blind college student with a heart of gold and a desire to be anything but disposable, 2) another college student who was just supposed to start classes today and finds out he's more of a leader than he ever thought he could be, 3) a hermit preacher with a lot of guns and an unpure past, 4) a crossbow wielding business woman who went to visit her mom in the country and now finds that the lessons of her youth are more important than what she learned in the city, 5) a teenager with an uncanny ability to pick locks and a quick trigger finger, 6) a gamer who is initially rather inappropriately excited it's the apocalypse because he has talked extensively through apocalypse scenarios with friends, and 7) an astrophysics professor who is described as "probably being on some kind of spectrum." Great characters, great dynamics, great relationships (I'm a sucker for a good "found family" story).

Though the ending made me feel a little unsatisfied, I still have to give this 4 stars because that was a hell of a ride.

Also, as I have debated with friends what my contribution to a post-apocalypse world might be, I can now say that I would like to officially be the wild animal tamer/domesticator.

Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the ARC!

I have never read anything by Gene Doucette and I didn't have very high expectations for "The Apocalypse Seven." For me, 'end of the world' books peaked around the time of World War Z and Oryx and Crake-- why read more books about the end of the world? It isn't very uplifting... which I guess is a strange way to start this review, since I intentionally requested to read this book.

"The Apocalypse Seven" really exceeded my expectations. Gene Doucette is clever, and I was so focused on thinking about how the characters were going to survive the end of the world that I didn't realize that there would be a 'twist' to the story.

Seven people wake up to discover that they are the only ones left in the world. Dubbed the "whateverpocalypse," by one survivor, most of the book is about these seven trying to navigate the first few months of isolation on their own. I did rate this a four-star book because until the characters meet up, reading about each individual character gets a bit tedious. Like any other story, a few characters stand out and I enjoyed reading those characters more than others.

Doucette added to the genre of apocalypse fiction with "The Apocalypse Seven"- his storytelling was engaging and his characters were fun. Once I started getting into the book (around 35% through), I started getting invested in the characters. Kudos to the author for the main character black and a main supporting character disabled. The whole cast of characters was diverse, especially considering that there were only seven people left.

Thank you to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend "The Apocalypse Seven" for YA readers and people who enjoy this type of genre. "The Apocalypse Seven' will be released on May 25, 2021.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review of, Apocalypse Seven, by Gene Doucette.

This book was interesting, different, throught provoking and anticlimactic.

Positively, it kept me guessing almost to the end, however, once the answer was revealed it left me feeling as if the ending was rushed. It seemed as if the author wrote himself into a corner and didn't know how to get out.

The book was hugely an information overload until the reveal. Then, there was nothing creative or overly explained as the rest of the book had been.

The characters were not very interesting and so much felt missing. I actually wondered a few times if chapters had been left out.

I felt the premise was appealing and could have been very promising yet it seemed as if the author lost his way.