Talk of a cashless society has been around for many years but few people take the time to actually think about how the world would work if we had no access to cash. W. Michael Gear lays the consequences out clearly and few transactions would escape the catastrophic results of being unable to pay our way through daily life. This group of young women and men will experience first hand what so many of us hope to never face. Their dilemnas are true to life and their options so limited as to be one or none. The story is frightening in it's realistic predicaments and the teamwork the group will have to display to survive. A different type of apocalyse story for this fan of the genre.

I've read several of this author's early North American series and love the level of detail and imagination he puts in his writing, but this book was completely different from what I expected. I love apocalyptic books and this one just blew me away! Our main character, Sam Delgado, is a graduate on a research trip that he plans to use as the topic of his dissertation. Along with his classmates, they're headed to a ranch in Wyoming that's agreed to host their trip, providing supplies and horses to travel to the archeological site where they'll do mapping and testing. Their first idea that something's wrong comes when they stop at a gas station accepting cash only. Being a holiday weekend, they assume everything will be fixed the next week and continue on. Being in the wilderness with very little reception, they continue to be oblivious until some ranch hands come to tell them that the country has been hit by a cyberattack and the nation has descended into chaos.
I'm so glad this book is only the first in a series! I'm looking forward to reading the next one!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow, what a fun twist on the post apocalyptic genre. I really enjoyed the western-esque theme and the anthropologist play on the genre. I would read a second book if one was published.

another great book by W. Michael Gear, I love the way Mr. Gear writes and I enjoy how much fun the books are. I loved that this book was a different take on Westerns and still had the feel that I wanted from it.

<b>Dissolution</b> follows a group of anthropologists who are one their way to a dig site in Wyoming when banking system crashes. They manage to make it to their dig site where they meet survivalists who help them survive the coming storm.

The beginning of the novel was amazing. I loved the diary entries at the end of each chapter that talks about the impact the banking crash had on society and the average person. I liked how social media was discussed as I know social media affects everyone but I didn’t realize how entrained in everyday life it has become.

The last third of the novel wasn’t as good as it felt too much like a shooter game. They were plenty of action, gun battles, and a war against the bad guy. I could see this happening, but not so soon after the fall of a country. I could see warlords rising but not in the weeks portrayed in this novel.

The characters were okay but far too cliche. Characters from cities were hipsters and characters from the country were hicks.

I loved the dystopian fall of the country and then the world. I could see this actually occurring as the safety measures we have in place to prevent this aren’t as strong as we think.

Unlike some dystopian novels the reader learns what has occurred in the rest of the world, which I LOVE. I only wish Canada was mentioned as we do share a border with the USA.

I would suggest this novel to action/dystopian fans as it takes on a different angle form the world ending.

Thank you to Wolfpack Publishing LLC and NetGalley for this ARC.

5 stars, Devolving of society

DISSOLUTION: THE WYOMING CHRONICLES, BOOK 1
by W. Michael Gear

This book has a little bit of everything, cyber-attacks, nuclear explosions, emp strikes, invasions, devolving of society as we know it, powerful people trying to take over a state or nation, and the people who fought back.

I received a complimentary copy of #dissolution with #thecowboy from #netgalley I was under no obligation to post a review.

Very good read! The story and characters had interesting twists and turns of gritty reality. A keeper!!!

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"A cyber attack collapses the American banking system, and an already fractured nation descends into anarchy and chaos." An interesting, and somewhat frightening, take on how our society would react.

2.75☆

Dissolution (The Wyoming Chronicles #1)
by W. Michael Gear
As a long term fan, I can only hope that Michael Gear is not precognitive, although his prior books make you really really hope that he doesn't follow form. Dissolution, the breakup of the American way of life is extremely detailed and very frightening. The idea that life in the US is bound by a thin thread of trust. That we can break that thread easily and find that we are more vulnerable from internal conflict than anything outside. We are on a precipice of collapse because of the divisions in our society. The eternal blame game accentuates what divides us. Dissolution is a dark dark warning of what we can be if we don't find trust, unity, and responsibility. I stayed up last night finding that I could not sleep until I finished the story, the connection to the characters wants you to see it through. Like many of Michael Gears stories, when you turn the last page you want to know what happens next. I hope that they consider looking into writing another book. Can't wait for you to meet Sam.

Dissolution by W. Michael Gear is an absolute phenomenal breakout book in a brand-new series!!

Dr. Gear is usually the second half of an outstanding anthropological husband and wife team that writes The First Americans series, but Dr. Gear also has several books of his own, and Dissolution of The Wyoming series is proving to be just as amazing an anthropological story as those he writes with his wife.

If you are a fan of Dr. Gear's prior work, you have to give Dissolution a chance. This story is a true symbol of the human heart and the struggle we face in our almost daily decisions of whether or not we are going to "follow the light or turn to the dark side" and the indomitable human spirit as the people refuse to give up and allow themselves to sink into despair.

This book was not what I was expecting. I was hoping more for a Belial series type book. I had a hard time getting into the story and did not really like any of the characters. If these type of books are what you like, then this would be perfect for you. However, for just a “pickup and read on a whim”, this isn’t it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to review.

I love apocalyptic stories usually. This one starts out slow and I expected it to build but it didn't. By 35% I'm so bored to tears that I had to stop reading. I confess I didn't like or feel a connection to any of the characters. I love this author so much but this one wasn't for me. Because I didn't finish the book I won't be posting my rating or review publicly beyond Netgalley. Thank you so much for allowing me the chance to read it.