Not only is this a great read, it's such a profound study in human nature.

I couldn't put it down once I started reading it!

Non-stop action! If you love sci-fi, you will love this book. Characters are chaotic but believable and this is a must-read for any fan of the genre.

This dystopian story gave me I Am Legend vibes! If you like a multi-perspective storyline, you will appreciate this, as it is told from two different peoples perspectives, and both people have valuable insights as to what is going on.

The story starts out with the world in collapse; a virus has infected the masses, turning them into Primitives— a human being in their most primitive state— similar to cavemen.

Seth Keller, the grandson of a scientist, has spent most of his life in isolation in the dessert, passing the time hiking, and catching Primitives for his grandfather to experiment on. One day, Seth experiences something in the lab that shifts his mindset about Primitives, and his grandfather shares the truth with him about how the world came to be the way it is. Seth learns there is a cure to the virus, and sets out to walk all the way to the lab where it all started.

Sarah Peoples lives in Costa Rica, and dreams of the day she can escape and see the world beyond her village. One day, she experiences something horrific hidden in the lab; while in the lab, she gets caught, and is taken captive. Because of what she has seen, they will not release her, and she is forced to go on a convoy mission to the lab where their only mission is to burn it to the ground.

Though Seth and Sarah’s paths start separately, their paths eventually merge; the only problem is one is intent on saving the world, and the other is intent on destroying it. As their paths collide, objectives shift, and new alliances are formed.

Both Seth and Sarah endure significant hardships independently of one another, and together, they must work to overcome one obstacle— ultimately deciding if humanity deserves to be saved, or left to its own demise.

📚📚📚📚📚/5

I wasn't the right reader for this work, it didn't catch my interest but I recognize it may interest others who enjoy slow-burn dystopian novels.

It’s been a long while since I read a decent post apocalyptic novel. This was a million times better than what I was expecting. It blew me away! It was fast-paced and had me staying up late into the night.

It was super creepy and had me questioning everything I thought I knew about the world. The characters were three dimensional and came alive on the page, making the story even more absorbing. I’m excited to read more from the author in the future. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author, for a chance to read and review this book.

From the first two chapters, I was completely engrossed. I was pleasantly surprised by the writing's tone, cadence, and "naturalness" and found that it much exceeded my expectations. I was simply drawn in and held there till the very last page. As I read the sentences, the first-person narration gave me the impression that the event was still in progress.

Krauss's emotional literacy and fluency are evident on every page without appearing too analytical or verbose. He has obviously been exposed to a wide variety of people from all spheres of life and from the depths of the human mind. The richness and depth of his characters magnificently demonstrate his profound knowledge with both the beauty and fragility of humans. However, this close-up picture is insightful and intelligent.

Despite being a thrilling adventure, this novel is not a tale of good guys and bad guys wearing black and white hats. Instead, it is a complex account of the conflicting forces that push us all in so many different directions. Every character in the book—including some of the creatures—comes across as complex performers in a nuanced drama, and this is something that consistently astounded me.

In addition to the well developed characters and realistic action, the fundamental idea of "Primitives" also has a strong, well-supported scientific foundation; particularly in light of current global events, the catastrophic ending occasionally appears more genuine than a purely fictitious outing.

I couldn't put it down and am eagerly looking forward to the next book.

Very fun read. Interesting take on the post apocalyptic genre. I am looking forward to reading more about these characters. I will certainly share this title with my students.

This is a near future dystopia with a sort of inevitable feeling to it, given the pandemic we're still living through. In this version, a man-made virus causes debilitating fatigue for the few who survive it. There are very few people left in the world, and one of them, main character Seth, believes himself one of the last. A big part of the story is exploring what it might feel like to be so alone. Far away, the originator of the virus has set up a commune of survivors, and the other main character Sarah starts to unravel the truth there. I did find this interesting, not just for the actual story which was somewhat predictable, but for the thought experiments regarding such a devastating pandemic, and the resiliency of humans. The ending was set up in such a way where the story could be continued, but also ends satisfactorily.

Seth and Sarah are two different people, in different parts of the world, grappling with the same issue: The Great Fatigue. The blurb from the publisher fits best:

“On separate journeys a world apart, Seth and Sarah find themselves swept up in a deadly race to save humankind. Their fates will come crashing together in an epic struggle between good and evil, where the differences aren’t always clear. Among the grim realities of civilization’s demise, they discover that the remaining survivors may pose an even greater threat than the abominations they were taught to fear.
Fighting for their lives, they’re confronted with a haunting question.
Does humanity deserve to survive?”

This is book 1 of a saga. I thought this book was well written and really kept me guessing what would happen next. There was a bit of a nod to some biology/microbiology that I appreciated as that’s some of my background, and the author does mention why in their note at the end of the book. I felt there was an appropriate amount of depth and complexity, and I’m looking forward to book 2!

Thank you to Briar Road Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Well I'm kind of on the fence for this one. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. I wanted more from this story, so much more. More background on the events that led to the current situation of the world, more inclusion in the story of the people affected by the virus and the reaction of the vaccine on their bodies and minds. Maybe the next in the series will answer all my questions, so I guess I'll just have to wait to see. I find that for me personally, when it comes to series, it always takes the second book to hook me, so I will eagerly be awaiting that next book.

I'm giving this a 3.5 stars

A well crafted thriller that combines disastrous effects of a pandemic that nearly destroys all human life, with a race to survive and find a cure for humanity. This is an intense and thought provoking read. The book will be enjoyed by people who read medical thrillers, apocalyptic futures,and science fiction.

I really enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, I apparently forgot to review it after I finished reading it and now I do not remember enough details to do a proper review.

I can say that I cannot wait until the next book is released, as this was a very interesting read!

Seth is living on top of a plateau with his adoptive father for his entire life. They have never seen another normal person. Seth discovers his father has been experimenting on primitives in his lab. Thirty years ago a virus devastated mankind. Most human caught a wasting virus that turned them all to primitive beings. Now Seth goes on a quest to try and reverse the virus.

Primitives was a step out of my comfort zone, but I do love a good post-apocalyptic thriller. This one has influences clearly from The Stand, World War Z, The Passage, and pretty much any zombie book ever written. That's not to say it's a bad thing--I found The Primitives to be highly entertaining--but I wish it didn't end on a cliffhanger (I did not know it was the first of a series before I read it).

Set three decades after "The Great Fatigue", Seth discovers something incredibly disturbing in his adoptive father's lab in Utah. The aftermath of his discovery sends him on a journey to collect something that can save the world. Miles away in Costa Rica, Sarah is trying to escape the survivor's colony she was born into when she gets swept into something bigger. As they both head to the same location for different reasons, they question everything they've known and what it means to be human.

Reading this in a "post-COVID" world was eerie, but Krauss hit the high points needed in any postapocalyptic book. I appreciated that one of the main characters is a woman, even if all the secondary ones are men (which now makes me wonder if that was a commentary on gender politics in a postapocalyptic world or if Krauss is just more comfortable writing men). It was good, and I'll likely read the next one in the series.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a wild adventure! The pace of this book was great, and I finished it really quickly. The story takes place in the aftermath of a pandemic that causes humans to lose their higher brain function, and it flops between two different perspectives- Seth, who lives alone in the desert with the scientist who raised him, and Sarah, who lives in a protected community in Costa Rica. They both end up on a dangerous journey after making disturbing discoveries about the world they thought they knew, and their paths cross in an explosive way. It was also really interesting that the author based the Great Fatigue on his experience battling chronic Lyme disease.

I liked both perspectives and kept imagining what I would do in each of their situations, and who I would trust. Though there was quite a bit of violence in this book, it wasn't enough to give me nightmares and was not as scary as The Walking Dead, for example. However, if you can't read about gory wounds in detail, then this is not the book for you. There were also many situations when I thought a character would get sexually assaulted, and though it didn't happen I would say it is definitely still triggering.

I only wish there had been more emotional revelations at the end, however. I kept waiting for mysteries to get resolved or characters to connect more deeply, but they never did. I am not sure if this book is the first in a series, but I think it must be due to the huge cliffhanger at the end and the sheer amount of information that was hinted at but never actually resolved. If there is another book, I will definitely add it to my reading list!

This book was a super fun and quick read I really enjoyed it I will recommend for everyone to read and will also be purchasing

The premise of this book looked very promising, including elements I love in dystopian futures, and I fully anticipated giving it 4-5 stars. The story began slowly, with simple, casual writing (seemed more geared to upper middle school through high school) while alternating between Seth and Sarah, two survivors of the Great Fatigue who incorrectly each believe that their small part of the world contains the only survivors, and who each wants to escape the relative safety of their homes to explore and see the world for themselves as they don't believe what they've been told by the scientists or government or elders. Besides humans, Primitives exist as the result for an attempted "cure" for the Great Fatigue, creating cave-man-like creatures who have lost higher thought processes. As an RN certified in Public Health, I was extremely disappointed and very surprised that a book that was coming out during the current pandemic would have this as its premise, as it adds to the already mistrust and misunderstandings surrounding "government-sanctioned cures" (such as vaccines) and the scientists who are working diligently to provide safe measures for prevention and relief, basically touting current anti-vaxxer talking points. I do think this story could have easily been reworked a bit to not make governments nor science the villains (how about nature itself? or corporations?). After the first third of the book, it began to pick. up and I was very interested in discovering more about what happened, the characters pasts and futures, and finding out if humanity will survive, evolve or even deserves to be rescued. The settings were descriptive and immersive, however the characters could have used a bit more depth and description to better imagine them. I kept waiting for some revelations to occur, especially towards the end of the book, however I was extremely disappointed that the last several chapters (after Seth and Sarah finally meet) were very rushed, described incompletely, jumped ahead too far in their journey and then just simply ENDED. HUH? As I received an Advanced Reader Copy Ebook for review, I wondered it there was some error, or mistake, but looking at other reviews, the book does end this way. I understand this is meant to be first in a series, but most series that I have devoured resolve MOST/MANY of the problems posed giving the reader a sense of fulfillment, and then leave a bit more dangling for the addicted reader to want more. This story, however answered NONE, so I was just left feeling disappointed, confused and wondering what was the point? Will these questions even be answered in the second book or will everything be put off for a 3rd or 4th? I think answering even SOME of these would have made for a much more satisfying ending (example--Sarah and Seth discussing their big questions with the Professor, getting some answers and THEN the book could end as it did). The illustrations that were included in the ARC ebook I received for review were beautiful, but it looks like that each chapter in the final book has an illustration starting the chapter (mine was just a swirl of color) and I think that would definitely add to the enjoyment of the story. I do look forward to seeing where this story goes, so I will look forward to reading the second book.

Immersive, dystopian story that will leave you wanting to read the sequel right away! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy. I liked the dual points of view throughout and unique take on a dystopian story. Interesting plot and characters.

Do humans deserve to live?

I am a big fan of the post-apocalyptic genre and I enjoyed author Krauss' take on this end of the world scenario.

Mankind has mostly died out after the Great Fatigue. Most survivors regressed to a primitive, animal-like state and very few kept their humanity.

Seth grew up in the desert in Utah and Sarah grew up in a larger camp in Costa Rica. Both head to the same place in California but on different missions. Which one will come out ahead?

I enjoyed this story even though it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm glad to know the story is to be continued.

I received a hardcover of this book in a contest from Goodreads and I also received this book from Briar Road Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Book received for free through NetGalley

On my goodness. Once I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down. The scenery was incredible, the characters so believable, and the story arc gut wrenching. It did leave on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’d love a continuation soon-ish.