Becoming a soldier

I was given a free copy of this book. Thomas is given his first mission and can not fail or he will loose his brother. Great story. Loved the voice of the narrator. Can't wait to read/listen to the next book!

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3 people found this helpful

OK

Days Since. .
This is an OK read, it's not really fast paced or what I would describe as gripping. . However it is a decent read/listen and maybe the groundwork for the future books. Good enough to want to listen to the next in the series - Yes
The narration is good. 1st narration by Matthew Crow that I've heard and am impressed.
Recommend this audiobook? yes if you like a bit of post apoc.
I received a free copy of this audio book at my own request and voluntarily leave this honest review. ..

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Excellent first book in a series

An enjoyable, fast paced, action packed adventure. The post apocalyptic world presented in this book is extremely likely. Man against man. Good vs evil. Oftentimes who’s good depends on the perspective. Things aren’t always what they seem in this book.

The narration was good. Sometimes the narrator would say something and then the book would say he shouted, but the narrator didn’t shout it. Nothing major but at times I felt it could have added to the story.

Looking forward to the next book. I hope the plot becomes a little more complex as the series continues.

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Awesome first book of a series

I love this book because it’s one that keeps you on the edge of your seat and it makes me wanting to read more! The reader will not be disappointed

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Works as a start to building an interesting world.

This story sets up a world that could go in several directions but really doesn't take any of those paths yet. The focus seems to be the main character that is well written like a character study of PTSD. The main drag for me is the voice actor who can be very monotone and is just reading to you instead of telling a story.

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4.75 solid ★s

A great start to a new series by an up and coming author! :-D Now, I cannot comment regarding proofreading as I listened via narration. Which was perfect, by the way. :-) 

When I began reading, I didn't pay attention to the length, so before I knew it, I finished it in one night. 8-) 

The storyline wasn't new for the genre, however, the promise was still interesting. I liked how he had to deal with PTSD from his time in Syria while on a mission to save a group of women and children. That's true to live! It doesn't just disappear once you're out of the region, mission or the military itself. So, kudos for getting that spot on.

I do hope to get to know Thomas better as the series continues. In addition, the world building could be developed some so that we get a better feel of where they are stationed in America, lol, when I'm reading I don’t like to stop and hit Google to get the landscape laid out in my mind's eye. Plus, maybe, I was tired but the scenes amongst the trains was a bit confusing. 

Regardless, this was a nice read with a good ending. :-) I'm off to read book 2. I hope y'all enjoy this as much as I did!


My star ratings include these 5 elements:

1★ story line
1★ engaging characters
.75★ use of world building/descriptions
1★ the ending
1★ narration or editing


"I was given this free review copy/audiobook at *MY* request and have voluntarily left this review."

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Intriguing

I won't lie, I'm going to continue with this series. It has grabbed my interest and there is so much more to learn about this world. Which is why I can't give it a 5-star review, I listened to the book and still have great gaps in my understanding of the world. A little more understanding might make the decisions the characters make more weighty. Additionally, the narrator was a little aggressive, what may have been hesitation or trepidation in the writing came off as all right angles and hard to empathize with. A slightly softer approach to life and death decisions would go a long way to allowing the listener to experience "with" the characters.

That being said, it's an interesting story and it makes you want to know what happens next. Isn't that the goal of every series?

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Struggling to do the right thing

*I have recieved this audiobook for free for an honest review*


Life after humanity is almost wiped out, how do you start over? Thomas struggles to maintain his sanity and do what is needed. There is a clear PTSD struggle in this story. Flashbacks, seeing things that aren't there, trying to keep the humanity within yourself. There is not a lot of context to this book. I would classify this as a great start to a good story. I feel it should be revisited and revised. I didn't fully connect with the characters, but I feel the writing has promise.

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good book, but....

I did enjoy the story as well as the characters in this book. my only complaint would be the narrator, I think that had he maybe read the book more, it wouldn't sound as though he was lost at times. that being said, I would recommend this book and I will be listening to the second in the series. I want to find out what is happening with the characters now that i am invested in their story.

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Becoming a Soldier

'Days Since...Thomas: Day 758' is the first book in author Robert Wilson's post-apocalyptic series 'Almawt Virus'. I wanted to like this series starter, but ultimately had problems with it. I am a fan of post-apoc fiction, leading me to request a free review copy of this audiobook. The following is my voluntary opinion of it.

Some may consider my comments to be spoiler-y, but I was told I'm being too cautious. Use your discretion.

In this 1st book of a series, Thomas, a survivor of the Almawt virus, has taken on the responsibility of a young child whose parents died of the disease. He has made the decision it's safer to stay under the protection of the Second Alliance, a military group establishing territory in the aftermath of the mass death caused by the virus. Thomas must complete a mission to be promoted to Soldier, and be considered officially part of the group.

My issues start right at the beginning. Women in this universe don't have any value above sexual subjugation and the performance of 'women's work'. Trafficked women and overseers of children in the Second Alliance, called 'Mothers', are almost the only women the reader sees. It would seem to me that every skill a woman could provide would be utilized after so many have died. I find it hard to believe that the world would turn into such a dystopia in 2 short years.

I also find it hard to believe that people have lost all technology. I'm sure there are survivors that could rig up solar panels for some electricity. They might even be able to provide running water. And, seriously, I'm sure someone would have figured out a better human waste solution. Using the storm sewer and relying on the rain to wash it away? Probably not a good idea when there's a heavy downpour. Things like this made it hard to suspend disbelief.

The author employs Thomas' internal monologue quite a bit in this story. I'm not really a fan of this type of storytelling. There are also several instances of flashback that confused me. Part of the confusion is due to no pause to indicate the scene change. Maybe this was intentional?

Something I really enjoyed is the interaction between Thomas and his adopted son, Joey. We only get brief glimpses of their relationship. I would have liked the book more if the focus had been on the newness of a father/son relationship. I also liked the one woman who seemed to have some autonomy, Joey's babysitter/neighbor.

Narrator Matthew Crow does an OK job here as well. His performance is a little stilted and unemotional but it didn't make me want to stop listening.

Edit (for what I believe is some added clarification):

I have come to realize that my hyper-focus on this being a post-apocalyptic survival story (it's not), instead of what Robert Wilson intended the 'Almawt Virus' series to be, clouded my original comments. This first book is now clear to me as the set-up for a dystopian tale.

After listening to this book, I felt there was something I didn't quite get. I read the summaries to the books in this series and saw that I had erroneously understood it to be more immediate post-virus based.

I am leaving my previous comments unaltered. I still have the same views but they are now tinged with the knowledge that the author intended the reader to feel uncomfortable with his story. I'm still a little dubious that society would revert to such extremes in just 2 short years. I'm willing to let Mr Wilson guide me on this journey and look forward to listening to Book 2.

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