Johnny B Truant and Sean Platt aren’t strangers to the indie scene by any means. Just a few years ago they worked together to write over 1.5 million words. As some of you may know, they are two-thirds of the hosts of the popular Self-Publishing Podcast, which I listen to weekly. Other than Yesterday’s gone (Season 1… and as of writing, part of Season 2) I hadn’t really settled down to try any of their books. Then, as luck would have it, I got an offer in my email box a few months ago offering a free copy of Invasion for something or another. (Bran fart moment won’t allow me to remember exactly how I got it, only that I did.)
Needless to say, the story hooked me from the start.
The book starts out in New York, where Meyer Dempsey, super-prepper/entrepreneur/father/etc, catches news of mysterious objects moving towards Earth. While that would freak out most people, Meyer saw it coming and had a plan. Of course, his plan involves dragging his family across the US to Colorado where he’s built a bunker to keep them safe. The plan was solid, but as most plans, they failed to hold up at the first sign of trouble.
You get to watch (or is that read?) first hand, as society breaks down in advance of the objects, which everyone assumes to be spaceships. Given the series title, I’m inclined to agree. What was supposed to be a quick flight across the country turned into a road trip against the clock.
But if taking care of his family wasn’t enough, he’s also promised to take care of his ex-wife, Heather, and ends up taking on his daughter’s boyfriend, Raj, as well.
If I have a complaint about the first book, it’s that there is no sign of an alien. Given the complaints about the series (and having read the second book as well) I know they don’t make an appearance until book 3. But, it does allow you to see the effects it has on humanity as the assumed threat approaches. Most books (especially in the dystopian and zombie genres) don’t go into detail about how things went to hell, only that they did. This is why I enjoyed Fear the Walking Dead, even though it was at a slower pace than its parent show. You got to see, and understand, what happened for the world to end up like it did. Every single misstep and mistake along the way.
As of now, four books have been released in the series, including Annihilation which came out last week. If you are a fan of alien invasion books, or have a fascination with the apocalyptic like I did, I recommend giving it a shot. You can get it at the following link.