Audible Book Review: Rise of the Locusts: A Post-Apocalyptic Techno-Thriller (Cyber Armageddon, Book 1) by Mark Goodwin

This is a fast-paced post-apocalyptic story.

Rise of the Locusts: A Post-Apocalyptic Techno-Thriller (Cyber Armageddon, Book 1)
By: Mark Goodwin
Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski

Series: Cyber Armageddon, Book 1
Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-03-19
Language: English
Publisher: Goodwin America Corp.
Genre: Christian, Futuristic, Post-Apocalyptic
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
Cyber Armageddon has come. America will not survive!
Cyber-security analyst Kate McCarthy knows something ominous is about to happen in the US banking system. She has a place to go if things get hectic, but it’s far from the perfect retreat.
When a new breed of computer virus takes down America’s financial network, chaos and violence erupt. Access to cash disappears and credit cards become worthless. Desperate consumers are left with no means to purchase food, fuel, and basic necessities. Society melts down instantly and the threat of starvation brings out the absolute worst humanity has to offer.
In the midst of the mayhem, Kate will face a post-apocalyptic nightmare that she never could have imagined. Her only reward for survival is to live another day in the gruesome new reality which has eradicated the world she once knew.
As with all works by Mark Goodwin, this book contains no profanity and no embarrassing sex scenes. However, if you're offended by conservative principles and references to Scripture, this book might not be for you.
©2018 Mark Goodwin (P)2018 Mark Goodwin.

Review:
Kate McCarthy works in cyber-security for a bank in Atlanta. The bank experiences a computer ‘glitch’ which requires a temporary shutdown. The bank officers are unhappy but trust Kate and her team to deal with the situation after she provides a detailed report of the risks and a plan to mitigate damage and find the breach. As the security team races against time to find the virus before it shuts down the bank, Kate begins to suspect that this is more than a simple virus. She believes there is a serious cyber threat that will shut down connectivity on a widespread, creating social chaos.

Kate convinces her brother to gather his wife and children to escape the city and seek shelter in their mountain cabin. They manage to escape the crowds but run into danger on the road that starts a trail of tragedy. The teens experience a range of emotions from confusion to fear to determination. Arriving at the cabin doesn’t assure safety especially when they discover their unproductive and noncontributing brother has already settled in with an unannounced guest. His thoughtless actions bring more trouble to their door. Things are going to get much more difficult while Kate and her family try to survive.

I have read other stories by Mark Goodwin and I believe he does a good job creating a realistic crisis and dangers. He develops characters of diverse natures who will have different but fitting reactions and growth. The story creates a bit of roller coaster tension as Kate and her family push from one danger to face another.

This is an easy and quick listen. I like that there is no foul language or sex. The author shares Christian faith, sometimes in an unusual way. I recommend this to fans of post-apocalyptic who, as noted in the blurb, don’t mind the conservative and Christian elements. I do plan to continue the series.

Audio Notes: Stacey Glemboski does a nice job with the narration. Although I am accustomed to some of the male sci-fi narrators, Glemboski delivers the emotions and intensity well from the view of the female protagonist. I enjoyed the audio and expect to listen as I continue the series.

Source: October 2019 Two for One Credit Audible Sale. This qualifies for 2020TBR, 2020Audiobook and 2020Alphabet goals.

Audible Book Review: Apocalypse: The Days of Elijah, Book 1, by Mark Goodwin

This story is very engaging, Biblically based, and I want to continue the series.
Apocalypse: The Days of Elijah, Book 1
By: Mark Goodwin
Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Series: The Days of Elijah, Book 1
Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
Unabridged
Release date: 01-19-17
Language: English
Publisher: Goodwin America Corp.
Genre: Apocalyptic, Religious, Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.50 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
After a massive wave of disappearances, 26-year-old CIA analyst Everett Carroll finally believes what he's been told about the biblical prophecy of the rapture. But will he be able to survive the gauntlet of destruction known as the Great Tribulation? Seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials of God's wrath are about to be poured out upon the earth, and woe to the inhabitants thereof! Global currencies have collapsed, famine and plague have claimed the lives of millions, and the world has crumbled into chaos. The only reason Everett and his girlfriend, Courtney, have survived the mayhem is because they were warned by John Jones, Everett's recently deceased boss, that all of these tragedies would occur. And what's more, through his inside knowledge at the agency, mixed with his interpretation of prophecy, Jones predicted that a world leader would ride in on a white horse to fix the ills of the planet. But who is this leader and what is his motivation for mandating the new identification implant and the global cashless currency?
Everett is surprised when he finds out that Elijah, the Messianic Jewish hermit who lives on the mountain above their retreat, did not disappear along with the rest of the Christians. When he tells Everett of a special mission that God has given him, the old prophet gives Everett more questions than answers.
This is the highly-anticipated follow-up series to the best-selling trilogy, The Days of Noah, which chronicles the economic, moral, and social collapse of the United States.
As with all books by Mark Goodwin, this book contains no profanity and no embarrassing sex scenes. However, if you're offended by conservative principles and references to scripture, this book might not be for you.
©2016 Goodwin America Corp. (P)2017 Goodwin America Corp.

Review:
Everett is a 26-year-old CIA analyst whose boss, John Jones, slowly convinced him to prepare for a collapse of society as we know it. Everett and his girlfriend, Courtney survived the collapse with the help of Jones’ advice and in the safety of the cabin Jones left to them. Another couple was sharing the responsibilities of survival preparedness and watch until one morning they disappeared… along with many other unexplained disappearances around the world.

The new government and the new world religious leader provide a strange tale of alien abductions to explain the disappearances. Even this bizarre story was predicted by Jones so Everett and Courtney are even more convinced that his conspiracies theories are more fact than fiction.

Everett and Courtney are a bit surprised to learn that the old Messianic Jewish hermit, Elijah, who lives up the hill, did not disappear with the other Christian believers. But Elijah explains he is waiting to fulfill a special mission and, in the meantime, he encourages the couple to believe and get right with God. Then God can be their biggest ally in the earthly battles.

Everett reaches out to another couple who he knows were underground resisters of the new marking and commerce system. The new couple joins them at the cabin and they begin to strategize how to acquire and store enough supplies to last the next seven years that is expected to be turmoil and oppression, especially for those who refused to accept the mark under the new government. There are dangers ranging from local thieves to government authorities when they travel to the city so that Elijah can confront one of the leaders, and finally nature itself presents its own mix of troubles in fires, landslides and earthquakes.

The “apocalypse” theme is not new but I enjoyed the characters and how the trials and disappearances played out in their lives. There is a good blend of action and theological argument. I also liked the prepper, survival elements. I enjoyed the first book in the trilogy, The Days of Noah, the series where Everett and Jones are first introduced. Although this picks up in time after the trilogy, there is a summary and enough fill in of the backstory so I didn’t feel like I missed too much. I do want to continue the story from here to keep track of the characters and their struggles to survive. I recommend this to readers who enjoy apocalyptic stories with a Biblical foundation and no foul language.

Audio Notes: Kevin Pierce does a fine job with the narration. He gives the characters distinct sounds and portrays the personalities set by the author. I really enjoyed listening to this in audio.

I selected this story with an Audible Credit in April 2017. This adds to my Audio Book Challenge.

Audible Book Review: The Days of Noah: Book One: Conspiracy by Mark Goodwin

This is an interesting story full of political conspiracies and a compelling view of what could happen in America in the near future.
The Days of Noah: Book One: Conspiracy
Written by: Mark Goodwin
Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
Series: The Days of Noah, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:11-13-14
Publisher: Goodwin America Corp.
Genre: Futuristic, Sci Fi, Political Conspiracy, Christian
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Could we be living in a time of which there is more prophetic writings than of any period in history? Noah Parker, like many in the United States, has been asleep at the wheel. During his complacency, the founding precepts of America have been slowly, systematically destroyed by a conspiracy that dates back hundreds of years. The signs can no longer be ignored and Noah is forced to pull his head out of the sand and see things for what they really are. Has his awakening come too late or can he and those around him reclaim the freedoms and principles which have been lost? Watch through the eyes of Noah Parker and his family as a global empire takes shape, ancient writings are fulfilled and the last days fall upon the once great, United States of America. The Days of Noah, Book One: Conspiracy is a fast paced fiction thriller which looks at how modern conspiracies might play into Biblical prophecy about the end times.
©2014 Goodwin America Corp. (P)2014 Goodwin America Corp.

Review:
I had been eyeing Mr. Goodwin’s work for a while and I am glad to have listened to this. The story follows two lines of characters to present a plausible theory of government manipulation by a secret group of powerful players.

Noah and his wife, Cassie, are Christian believers living fairly normal lives. He is a teacher and she works with a newspaper while homeschooling their seven-year old daughter, Lacy. Cassie has a strong belief that freedoms are being encroached on and will only become more limited. She is a 'prepper' planning with food stores, guns and some investments in precious metals. The couple belong to a small group from their church and many of them are quiet preppers too.

One day Noah’s students are discussing demolition and the possibilities that the 9/11 bombings were set internally and not a terrorist attack. Another day the forbidden topic of creation is raised in Noah’s class room. Noah merely states that some people believe that creation is a sounder ‘theory” than evolution. Noah is arrested for violating the government course curriculum restrictions.

While friends step forward to help bail Noah out of jail, authorities force their way into his home in a traumatic scene, killing their dog, confiscating guns and computers and placing Lacy in the clutches of a social services officer. Some of the officers realize that the government has gone too far and they quit their positions to support Noah and Cassie. Church friends find a good lawyer to fight the criminal and parental abuse charges and they all help set up a protest against the officers who bullied Cassie.

The second line of the story follows Elliot as an Intelligence Officer with the CIA. Elliot’s job is to monitor unusual purchases of firearms, ammunition, long term food storage, tactical supplies, gold and silver and components for explosives. Elliot reports some concerns regarding cryptocurrency purchases to his supervisor, John Jones. Although Jones downplays Elliot’s concerns he soon starts meeting with Elliot in secret and telling him to prepare for drastic changes.

I have read other near future, ‘America in crisis’ stories but most did not have the extent of conspiracy theories this book presents. The author creates likeable characters and I was pulled into the good pacing of events while rooting for the protagonists. I liked the combination of the faith beliefs and the all too plausible political possibilities. I recommend this to others who are interested in erosion of American freedoms and possible events leading up to end of the world times, or at least end of the world as we know it.

Audio Notes: Kevin Pierce has become one of the “go to” narrators for sci fi and prepper stories. Pierce does a solid job narrating the characters so, after a rather slow beginning, they become real, placing the listener in the story. I enjoyed listening to this story and look forward to more in the series.

I chose this from my Audible shelves for TBR challenge, Audio Book Challenge for "D" in Alphabet Soup Challenge.