Review: A thought provoking post-Apocalyptic journey across America
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 11, 2014
I'm not a real fan of post-Apocalypse, "PA" stories because they tend to be really dark. Yet the saving grace of a well told PA story is it shows people at their best under difficult circumstance. Nine Meals does that extremely well as the story of two protagonists, Shep, a man with a tortured past and Tig, a seventeen-year old girl. The two of them band together in a forced quest for a rumored haven named "Halcyon."They are pursued by another man, Bray, across the country from Pennsylvania to Colorado who's driven by revenge and demons from his past. Along the way, they encounter places and experiences typical of post-Apocalyptic stories. They find a couple enclaves of normalcy that aren't all they appear, isolated hamlets where decent people eke out a subsistence living, abandoned farms and the ever-present, murderous Bray who is pursuing them.The author throws in several twists, which I won't give any away because a few are biggies. I will say this, there are some bold ones you don't see coming. You'll be thinking about this book long after you've finished reading it because of them. The best part of the novel are its deep characters. The author weaves them throughout the tale using flashbacks to allow you a look into past events which mold both the personalities and motives behind their actions. By the end of the book you cheer for Tig and even empathize for the deranged Bray.The book portrays several events which force you to consider these questions: What would I do for someone I love? When is murder an act of pity or kindness? What am I willing to die or kill for?I had a difficult time reading a few of the scenes, not to mention going along with the science behind the apocalypse. Yet I find myself pondering their actions and wondering how I would act if I'd been in their circumstances. So if you want to escape on the dark side, this book will take you there. I give it a solid four stars.