#NetGalley Book Review: Survive the Fall (EMP: Return of the Wild West Book 1) by Grace Hamilton

This is a post-apocalyptic story focused on one family in two locations.
Survive the Fall (EMP: Return of the Wild West Book 1)
by Grace Hamilton

ASIN : B08JH9PQ5W
Publication date : December 9, 2020
File size : 3025 KB
Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

Survival of the fittest becomes harsh reality in the blink of an eye. Greg Healy isn’t fooled. The hunting trip is merely a ploy contrived by his wife and mother to force Greg and his father to end their estrangement. Not even Greg’s teenage daughter or his father’s hunting buddies along for the ride will be enough of a buffer to heal the rift of long-standing resentments. But the helicopter has barely dropped them in the remote Canadian wilderness when they discover their new equipment is dead with no explanation. Now they’ll have to rely on each other and resort to Old West ingenuity to find their way home—before the hunter becomes the hunted.
For seventeen-year-old Darryl Healy, things aren’t much easier on his grandparents’ cattle ranch. Not when his highly intelligent and successful mother keeps hounding him about college applications. But college quickly loses its allure when the lights go out after a cyberattack. Frightening responsibilities fall squarely on Darryl’s unproven shoulders as a power-hungry politician is determined to confiscate the ranch’s resources—by any means necessary.
Danger and death await the Healy family as each group attempts to navigate this terrifying new post-apocalyptic world while the vast wilderness separates them. When deceit arises from within their ranks, they’ll face threats as lethal as the grizzly bears and mountain lions lurking in the shadows.
And in order to survive the nightmare, a deal with the devil might be their only saving grace.
Prepper survivalist author Grace Hamilton invites you to step into a post-apocalyptic, EMP-ravaged world filled with strong, resourceful characters, survivalist knowledge, and edge-of-your seat action.

Review:
Greg has agreed to go on a hunting trip with his father, Tuck, whom Greg tends to avoid due to their pattern of arguing. Greg is surprised by his teenage daughter’s enthusiasm for the trip. Emma is excited and has been studying to prepare to show her father and grandfather that she can be trusted in this environment. There are two other men along for the trip: Tuck’s best friend, Tommy, a rugged fellow, and Eustace, the brawny foreman of the pipeline company who is to serve as guide on the company land.

Greg is distressed when his satellite phone doesn’t work and the hunters soon realize none of their electronic equipment is working. When they see a fire in the distance three of the men make the hike to discover that the helicopter that dropped them off has crashed. Finally, they are realizing that something is very wrong and they are apparently stranded with minimal supplies and limited hope of rescue. As they agree to trek their way down the pipeline it is clear that there are secrets and hidden tensions that threaten the group as much as the stark wilderness with snakes and bears.

Meanwhile, back home, Greg’s son, Darryl, is struggling to complete his college applications while trying to help his grandmother and mother run the family ranch. When the power failed, none of the ranch hands showed up for work. Since the mechanical equipment isn’t working, the cows have to be milked by hand. Fences have to be repaired to control the herd and soon they realize that the fences need to be turned into a wall to protect against predators - wild animals and human thieves. Will these three be able to help their neighbors and protect their property against the powers in the local town who seek to take their resources, even at gunpoint?

I found this to be a fairly predictable EMP power loss, post-apocalyptic story. The author has presented dual, well-constructed plot lines with flawed – very human – characters. The story reads easily but I was disappointed by what I will call a lack of energy. The two threads of the story are adequately written technically and have some danger and intrigue. Still, both experiences seemed depressed to me. The story ends with a shoot-out and a trailing enemy who will no doubt make trouble in the next book.

It may just be that I wasn’t particularly gripped by any of the characters. I will recommend the book to fans of post-apocalyptic genre, and there are plenty of five-star reviews to encourage them to read this..

Source: 2020 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2020NetGalley and 2020Alphabet goals.