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The Alessandra Chronicles
The Solitary Apocalypse
Surrounded by people, Michael is alone.
Along with the rest of a North Georgia town that survived a deadly worldwide plague, Michael's forced to wear a steel ring around his waist wherever he goes. He's seen cohabitation banned. Marriages dissolved. Families torn apart.
But he's a good soldier, supporting the leader's draconian policies -- until he learns an explosive secret about her that threatens to destroy the delicate balance they've achieved between safety and order.
Now, Michael must enlist help to confront the awful truth about the town of Alessandra, and the fate of what may be the last human colony on Earth.
Along with the rest of a North Georgia town that survived a deadly worldwide plague, Michael's forced to wear a steel ring around his waist wherever he goes. He's seen cohabitation banned. Marriages dissolved. Families torn apart.
But he's a good soldier, supporting the leader's draconian policies -- until he learns an explosive secret about her that threatens to destroy the delicate balance they've achieved between safety and order.
Now, Michael must enlist help to confront the awful truth about the town of Alessandra, and the fate of what may be the last human colony on Earth.
- GenresDystopiaScience Fiction
ebook
Published October 21, 2017
About the author
Jeff Haws
11 books44 followersJeff Haws is an award-winning journalist whose writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Miami Herald, Arizona Republic, New Orleans Times-Picayune, and many other publications. His dystopian suspense trilogy "The Alessandra Chronicles," along with standalone novels "The Little Tragedy," "Assimilation" and "Killing the Immortals" are available in print and digital at Amazon. He also has a novella, "Tomorrow's News Today," and a short story called "The Slingshot" on Amazon Kindle. He lives in Atlanta.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 16, 2017
The Solitary Apocalypse is a perfect mixture of good and bad decisions made by humans who are forced to be stranded, isolated and restricted in a post-apocalyptic town.
I didn't know what I was getting into, when I first began reading this, but I'm so glad I wasn't disappointed, instead surprised by how amazing this book was. The story revolves around not just one human but a bunch of them, all affected by one single effect of the H6N1--a fictional virus. When the virus had taken millions of lives all over the world, Audrey, daughter of the Mayor who himself died of the infection, decided to take over the responsibility of the town, her town--Alessandra. Having taken up such a huge task, Audrey, no doubt, found herself in difficult positions and made unexpectedly wrong decisions. Not going into the mistakes in order to avoid spoilers, I would leave it at this: she made the lives of people a hell, just they didn't know they were in hell.
The plot is super interesting and as a lover of apocalyptic fiction, this was right up my alley. With a big wall guarding the boundaries of Alessandra and the townspeople forced to wear a metallic ring around themselves to avoid any form of contact with other human(s), the premise was definitely resonating with my idea of a post-apocalypse scenario. The descriptions worked positively and set up the aftermath structure of a fallen-down town perfectly. Little details like rationing, no jobs and the mention of a monotonous lifestyle, made me believe this was all true. There was a planned framework and the plot graph is beautifully drawn to get the peaks at all right places during the story.
"It was as if the walls formed not just a physical, but emotional barrier for her, and likely did the same for many others in the town. It was a separation, both literal and figurative. It separated the sick from the well, the before from the after."
The characters were real personas and humans at all costs, whether they were right or wrong. While Audrey and her younger brother, Paul, were morally incorrect, their views were brought forward in such an unbiased manner that they sounded right in their own minds. A villain who is living in their own apparently righteous bubble? Yes, please! And no, they weren't always extremely bad or made of steel; they knew deep down somewhere they might be wrong but they forced themselves to keep walking on the path they'd built, simply because they's come too far.
"Whatever problems they had in Alessandra, she tried to never lose sight of how lucky they were, and she tried to make the people of the town feel the same. And if this man making his way toward their walls had the virus that had ravaged the world, she had a responsibility to make sure he never saw the other side of Alessandra’s walls."
Similarly, there are the good people, Michael and Stephanie, and many others, who are doing the right thing in the name of fighting for their freedom but have to take wrong decisions because of certain circumstances. In fact, at the end, there's a little pondering over and how Stephanie thinks if everything was even worth it and knows how grey the answer is. All this contributed to bringing them all alive and three-dimensional to the reader.
When talking about the characters, the best thing would probably be the importance given to each and every one of them. Doesn't matter how long they've been in the story, all of them have been given a role to play all play it to their fullest. I sound like this is a TV series or a movie, but trust me, The Solitary Apocalypse has a huge potential to be on screen. Anyway, narrowing it all down to a single opinion: the character development in this book is on-point!
Another one of my personal favorite aspect of the story was the killings. I can't emphasize enough about how much impact each and every death or murder scene in this book has, because of the descriptive writing definitely, but also because how instantaneous they are. No unneeded drama or a dragged pause before pulling the trigger, slicing the throat or stabbing in the back. There were both good and bad who died, many who I didn't even expect to die but it was realistically pleasing so I let it play. Which brings me to a fair warning: this book has graphically violent scenes that might be uncomfortable for some.
Before this review goes out of hand and becomes a mere excitement driven blabbering, let me touch one last facet of the story--how humans can become monsters. Given the walls that can't be crossed, rings that can't be taken off and feelings that can't be touched upon, it's bound for any human to lose their shit and let go of any control. It has been wonderfully incorporated into this post-apocalyptic setting and the author used this trait of humans to the story's best advantage. Many of the murders happened solely for this reason. It depicted the sad reality of the human nature and gave the novel some verisimilitude.
Not only did the monstrous side of humans was shown, but the emotional side was portrayed too. It's often at tough times when a person feels the most guilt for not being able to do or say things that were inconspicuous but largely important. When a character would reminisce such moments, it brought another side to their personalities, thereby making me care about them.
"He’d done nothing to show he cared once they were married, nothing to show she was important to him, that she really mattered as more than just a trophy."
Overall, this is a must-read for all those who love a good post-apocalyptic book with characters as real as they can be.
Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange of an honest review but that in no way influences the rating or my opinion. Thank you Quill & Ink PR and Jeff Haws!
Read this and more reviews on my blog.
October 21, 2017
So, it's no secret that Jeff Haws is one of my favorite authors--as soon as I see he has a new book or short story out, I know I've got to grab it! I had the privilege of reading an advanced copy of The Solitary Apocalypse, and let me tell you...if you like speculative fiction and dystopian novels, you're going to love this book!
My favorite aspect of the story is the way Haws looks at how individual characters struggle to make sense of their new, post-apocalyptic reality...and how to deal with the power vacuum that results when the population is so suddenly decimated. Who rises up to be the new leader? Who would want to lead under such circumstances?
The Solitary Apocalypse is a tense, suspenseful page-turner with enticing characters and deep questions about society and morality. A definite must-read!
My favorite aspect of the story is the way Haws looks at how individual characters struggle to make sense of their new, post-apocalyptic reality...and how to deal with the power vacuum that results when the population is so suddenly decimated. Who rises up to be the new leader? Who would want to lead under such circumstances?
The Solitary Apocalypse is a tense, suspenseful page-turner with enticing characters and deep questions about society and morality. A definite must-read!
October 29, 2018
Jeff is, as ever, brilliant at writing the snowballing effect of society into utter chaos. An original dystopian exploring the inherent darkness (and the good) in humanity. Highly recommended.
April 13, 2018
A good read but at times I felt a little detached from the storyline.
November 8, 2017
Alessandra (city) St. Francis Hospital. Mayor Charles Handy had died from the H6N1 virus.
Dr. Richard Giles had completed his research & let everyone know it was being transmitted by touching another human.
For now, it appeared to be dormant.
Michael Sloan (Stephanie’s ex-husband), & Audrey Reese were giving a presentation at the community forum on the subject matter.
Trevor Kites had been killed.
Rachel Iles & Nick Dyerson had been taken into custody.
What happened to Danny?
What will Dr. Stephanie Sloan (U of North Georgia, medical, PhD; Emory U) find out?
Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A fairly well written Apocalypse book. It wasn’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish, but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great Apocalypse movie, animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. It wasn’t as exciting as I like them so I will only rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Shifty Squid, LLC;
Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Dr. Richard Giles had completed his research & let everyone know it was being transmitted by touching another human.
For now, it appeared to be dormant.
Michael Sloan (Stephanie’s ex-husband), & Audrey Reese were giving a presentation at the community forum on the subject matter.
Trevor Kites had been killed.
Rachel Iles & Nick Dyerson had been taken into custody.
What happened to Danny?
What will Dr. Stephanie Sloan (U of North Georgia, medical, PhD; Emory U) find out?
Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A fairly well written Apocalypse book. It wasn’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish, but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great Apocalypse movie, animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. It wasn’t as exciting as I like them so I will only rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Shifty Squid, LLC;
Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
December 5, 2019
I love a good dystopian fiction book and i wanted to love this one but I just didn't. In this story, the world is decimated by an outbreak of H1N6 flu. A small town in Georgia named Alessandra is semi isolated and a small group survives. They also happen to have a top research hospital that determined the virus was spread by touch. The town leaders decide the best way to keep people isolated is to attach a ring around their waist like a crude chastity belt and to move all women and children to another secure location. Anyone who shows symptoms is put into quarantine never to be seen again. The reader quickly finds that the leaders are hypocritical and best and psychopathic at worst.
So that all sounds like a really great storyline, but I found some portions a bit verbose to the point I lost some interest. Some of the internal dialogue seemed forced and I wasn't connecting with any of the characters. Also, they supposedly have a top notch research hospital but they do one study and then the one doctor who did the study (where were the research assistants etc?) disappears. The rest of the staff just take his word for it but no one ever follows up on the quarantine patients? Did they get H1N6 or did they just have a cold? Also Audrey the "mayor" obviously knows that touch doesn't spread the virus but she never questions the study and just goes along with her psychopathic brother. I just found some things just too unbelievable even in the aftermath of a chaotic apocalypse.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
So that all sounds like a really great storyline, but I found some portions a bit verbose to the point I lost some interest. Some of the internal dialogue seemed forced and I wasn't connecting with any of the characters. Also, they supposedly have a top notch research hospital but they do one study and then the one doctor who did the study (where were the research assistants etc?) disappears. The rest of the staff just take his word for it but no one ever follows up on the quarantine patients? Did they get H1N6 or did they just have a cold? Also Audrey the "mayor" obviously knows that touch doesn't spread the virus but she never questions the study and just goes along with her psychopathic brother. I just found some things just too unbelievable even in the aftermath of a chaotic apocalypse.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
November 11, 2019
When a global pandemic hits, it spreads quickly across the world, killing nearly all those in its path. The town of Alessandra somehow escapes its wrath, and a wall is built to keep the infected out. Scientists discover that the plague is spread by touch, so townsfolk are separated from their families, and everybody is forced to wear a heavy steel ring around their waist to physically prevent them from getting close enough to another person to touch.
If, at this point, you’re thinking that this sounds utterly preposterous, I have to tell you that you’re not alone. The bad news is that it just gets worse from that point onwards.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
If, at this point, you’re thinking that this sounds utterly preposterous, I have to tell you that you’re not alone. The bad news is that it just gets worse from that point onwards.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 3, 2017
An interesting concept about a viral pandemic and how one town secured itself from the viral invasion. A wall is built, families are separated, and people are forbidden to touch each other which is enforced by wearing large rings around their waists. The characters were interesting and well presented. I did not find any editorial errors, which was refreshing.
However, I gave it four stars in that some of the scenes were unbelievable (not going to give them away for the sake of future readers) and at other times the narrative was too long.
However, I gave it four stars in that some of the scenes were unbelievable (not going to give them away for the sake of future readers) and at other times the narrative was too long.
December 8, 2018
Dark and Haunting
I really like the premise of this novel, because the isolation "rings" implemented by the post-plague regime add another layer of complexity to your typical apocalyptic story.
I do wish we had seen more exploration of Nick's character, as one of the earliest civil disobedients. I also would have liked to see more of Officer Danny, as I felt he was built up and underutilized- though his last appearance drove home the hopelessness of the quarantine camp.
Very interesting book!
I really like the premise of this novel, because the isolation "rings" implemented by the post-plague regime add another layer of complexity to your typical apocalyptic story.
I do wish we had seen more exploration of Nick's character, as one of the earliest civil disobedients. I also would have liked to see more of Officer Danny, as I felt he was built up and underutilized- though his last appearance drove home the hopelessness of the quarantine camp.
Very interesting book!
December 3, 2019
The solitary apocalypse starts as most do - a crisis happens and decisions must be made. Are they the best decisions who knows, we just want to live to tomorrow. The assistant mayor takes control and gets power hungry: she lives the adage live as I say not as I party and when people start to question the restrictions after a year there is heck to pay! Good story, well rounded characters. I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 9, 2018
It's possible I've just read too many apocalyptic books and seen too many movies and television shows based on the premise. But this novel seemed a bit redundant. The writing is good and the characters are well developed but I'm not sure it really added anything new to the genre.
August 12, 2018
A few glaring inconsistencies but overall engaging with both likeable characters and genuine villains with believable motives
Too bad they never try to find other survivors
Would read this author again especially if more in this genre
Too bad they never try to find other survivors
Would read this author again especially if more in this genre
November 4, 2019
Bad language
I only read one page which was enough to encounter foul language. I scanned and found over 60 more occurrences.
I only read one page which was enough to encounter foul language. I scanned and found over 60 more occurrences.
October 21, 2017
A deadly virus hit the world and The Solitary Apocalypse is the story of a small town in North Georgia, Alessandra and its survivors.
After the virus hit and people starting getting sick and dying all Audrey wanted to do was protect her town and the people in it. So Audrey has the town doctor run some test on the virus and when she was given the results of how the virus was spread and found out that it was spread through touch she made it mandatory that everyone wear a steel ring around their waist when they were out in public to prevent the spread of the virus.
After his best friend was arrested and taken away for something he didn’t do Michael starts to doubt Audrey and how the virus is really spread. Are what Audrey and her brother Paul telling them the truth or is it all lies, lies that keep them in control of the people and the town? Michael enlists the help of his ex-wife, Stephanie, a doctor to help him find the truth about the virus which puts their lives in danger.
I really loved reading The Solitary Apocalypse and the world the author created. I always love reading apocalyptic stories about a virus or zombies taking over the world and I really loved this story and the wearing of the rings to keep people from coming in contact with each other. I don’t see how wearing a ring would stop people from being together but I guess if your life depends on it a human would do just about anything, especially if it could save the lives of the ones they love.
The Solitary Apocalypse is filled with lots and lots of twist that will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to know more and not being able to put the book down for wanting to know what is around the next corner. A real page turner!
I would recommend The Solitary Apocalypse to anyone who loves reading apocalyptic books. I would like to know more about what is on the other side of that wall. How did the outside world or other people deal with the virus? What about the people of Alessandra’s families? What happened to them? Where are they now?
After the virus hit and people starting getting sick and dying all Audrey wanted to do was protect her town and the people in it. So Audrey has the town doctor run some test on the virus and when she was given the results of how the virus was spread and found out that it was spread through touch she made it mandatory that everyone wear a steel ring around their waist when they were out in public to prevent the spread of the virus.
After his best friend was arrested and taken away for something he didn’t do Michael starts to doubt Audrey and how the virus is really spread. Are what Audrey and her brother Paul telling them the truth or is it all lies, lies that keep them in control of the people and the town? Michael enlists the help of his ex-wife, Stephanie, a doctor to help him find the truth about the virus which puts their lives in danger.
I really loved reading The Solitary Apocalypse and the world the author created. I always love reading apocalyptic stories about a virus or zombies taking over the world and I really loved this story and the wearing of the rings to keep people from coming in contact with each other. I don’t see how wearing a ring would stop people from being together but I guess if your life depends on it a human would do just about anything, especially if it could save the lives of the ones they love.
The Solitary Apocalypse is filled with lots and lots of twist that will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to know more and not being able to put the book down for wanting to know what is around the next corner. A real page turner!
I would recommend The Solitary Apocalypse to anyone who loves reading apocalyptic books. I would like to know more about what is on the other side of that wall. How did the outside world or other people deal with the virus? What about the people of Alessandra’s families? What happened to them? Where are they now?
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews