If It’s Too Good To Be True . . .

Jeffrey Rutherford’s brother is killed in a plane crash. When he goes to Washington, DC to take care of his brother’s estate he is unwittingly pulled into a plot to kill most of the world’s population. This causes him to question everything about his life.

Blake’s novel upon a pale horse is a fast-paced thriller. He mixes real-world events with a plausible fictitious story. It is every bit as scary as it is entertaining.

Even though this book was written many years ago I am reading at a time when we are dealing with the COVID-19 virus. It made me nervous and gave me a lot to think about.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Battle For Houston

     Lucas Shaw now commands an army of over 5,000 after the death of his good friend Art aka The General from lung cancer. Sierra chased after him with the children and are part of the ever-growing group headed to Houston. The Cartel has successfully rid most of Texas of The Crew with the help of the Illuminati. It is Lucas’ intent on driving The Cartel and the Illuminati out of Texas and restoring some semblance of order. The price he will pay will be very, very deadly.

Blake’s tenth novel in The Day After Never series, Rubicon Follows the Freedom Army as they encounter resistance in their quest. Though Lucas is a natural-born leader, he has never wanted to be in that position. Discord is rife within The Cartel and the Illuminati Which could work in Lucas’ favor.

The conclusion of this novel reads as though it is the conclusion to the series. It will be interesting to see if Blake decides to go further is the story.

Five out of five stars.

Too Many Promises

     Lucas Shaw is settling down with Sierra and the children in Provo, Utah. A deathbed promise puts his loyalties to the test and threatens to tear his family apart. Meanwhile, the Illuminati continues to take power throughout Texas with whoever will lie in bed with them. The Crew, though it has been decimated by the Cartel, is trying to make a comeback.

Blake’s 9th novel in The Day After Never series, Nemesis finds Lucas making strange bedfellows with the same goal of defeating the Illuminati and liberating Texas. As always, the story is action-packed and fast-paced.

I’m not exactly sure where the story is going to go but it’s obvious that there are several lore novels left in this series.

Five out of five stars.

The Illusion Of Sanctuary

Lucas Shaw runs into trouble everywhere he goes. No matter how hard he tries to go towards home he ends up helping others fend off or vanquish evil. Meanwhile, those in Shangri-La are fighting their own battles to survive. And, the Illuminati have their hands stirring the pot against those who do not want their rule.

Russell’s eighth novel in The Day After Never series, Legion follows Lucas as he winds his way back to Sierra and the kids. There seems to be a never-ending series of potholes he must navigate to get there. The crazy self-proclaimed prophet from book seven leads his people to exact revenge on the folks Shangri-La. Will any of them find sanctuary?

I love this series, but I’m ready for it to come to conclusion. There are only so many ways Lucas can escape death.

5 out of 5 stars.

Where’s The Originality?

Veritas Grey isn’t whom he thinks he is. When he discovers the truth, he finds himself caught in a fight for the future of humanity. The world is not as it seems. There are secrets dating back to the dawn of time that shakes the very core of man’s existence. Will Ver and his new friend, Selena do what must be done to tip the scales in their favor?

Blake’s latest novel, Quantum Synapse is the tired old tale where one man is the savior of the world. Add that to a retelling of The Matrix and you have a predictable story with no surprises. It has non-stop action and some cute moments. Otherwise, it isn’t all that interesting.

For someone with Blake’s talent, this is a major disappointment. No originality. The only redeeming quality is the fact that the main character is endearing.

2 out of 5 stars.

There’s a New Army on the Horizon

Lucas Shaw wants nothing more than to go home and be with Sierra and the kids. He keeps getting sucked into battles keeping him on the west coast. When Shangri-La is attacked he is away in one of these fights and unaware of the danger to his family. With no reliable outside contact neither Lucas or the folks in Shangri-La know anything about the Crew and their plans. It seems nothing is settled and no one can feel safe.

Blake’s seventh novel in The Day After Never series, Havoc – Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller is another fast-paced, hard-hitting story. There seems to be no peace for anyone. New enemies emerge while others try to reestablish themselves.

I found myself immediately sucked into the book. Blake has a way of piquing your interest and teasing you with more. There’s definitely room for at least another 2 or 3 novels in this series. I hope that he doesn’t stop any time soon.

5 out of 5 stars.

 

Time to Take a Stand

Lucas wants to leave and head back to his family. But, as luck would have it Astoria is invaded by the Chinese. In the process of evacuating the town to Newport, his friend, Ruby and some of the other ladies are captured. In Portland, the biker gang is relocating to Salem to escape the radiation poisoning. No matter which way Lucas turns he has a battle to fight.

Blake’s sixth novel in The Day After Never series, Perdition, asks the question ‘do you keep running or take the fight to the enemy?’ And, there are multiple enemies.

This is one of the best books in this series.

5 out of 5 stars.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Lucas and a team from Shangri La head out to Washington state to deliver vaccine to a like-minded group for reproduction and distribution. As with everything in this post-apocalyptic world the journey is fraught with danger. There are those that would have the vaccine to give only to a chosen few. The New World Order has their fingers in every pie.

Blake’s fifth novel in The Day After Never series, Insurrection, takes us away from the main group at Shangri La and presents us with new characters and new challenges. Lucas remains every vigilant and uncovers more nefarious plans than he had anticipated.

A very gritty tale that is beginning to bring bigger pieces of the puzzle to light. I look forward to the next installment.

5 out of 5 stars.

Who Rules the World Behind the Scenes?

The folks from Shangri La have relocated to Colorado after battling The Crew at their hidden valley. Knowing the leader of The Crew would stop at nothing to kill them all to stop the production of a vaccine for the 2nd generation super flu they had no choice but to move. The Crew has had a change in leadership due to demise of Magnus. Snake is trying hard to claim the title by dispatching any opposition. And, Lucas is making good on his promise to help Sierra find her son, if he is still alive.

Blake’s fourth novel in The Day After Never series, Retribution, is full of new unknowns and new powerbrokers lending to a fast-paced story full of action. The story is bigger than just that of Lucas. The entire world is at stake and there are those working behind the scenes to push their agenda.

This book is to me the best one of the entire series. I can’t wait until the next installment is published.

5 out of 5 stars.

Can Shangri La be Defended?

Lucas finally gets Sierra and Eve to Shangri La only to have The Crew mount an attack against them. Will The Crew be able to make the trek across Texas into New Mexico and through the Apache territory with their dilapidated vehicles? Can a peaceful village of 200 available fighters survive an attack by 1,000 hard core killers? Mistakes by either side will be deadly.

Blake’s third installment of The Day After Never series, Covenant, is by far the most action packed. Sierra continues to be an enigma and acts without thinking. Secondary characters are more fully developed in this book which tends to make the story more well-rounded. The first half of the story builds up to a fact paced second half where most of the action happens.

Great transition novel. This series continues to get better and better.

5 out of 5 stars.