Earth Has Fallen

Return from Darkness

By: Peter Servidio

Narrated by: Grayson Pickar

The destruction of the world following WWIII was just the beginning....

Earth Has Fallen chronicles the aftermath of World War III, a conflict that plunged the planet into nuclear winter. Despite predictions that it would last for no more than a decade, 50 years have passed with no end in sight. The few who survived the initial devastation have moved underground to scrape out a life in once-abandoned mines and bunkers - the hopeful venture to the surface to scavenge and search for signs of a healing Earth. But out in the wastes, the Ash Walkers have adapted to a new kind of world, one characterized by violence and the hunt for human flesh.

Will humanity ever see the sun again? Only time will tell.

Servidio seamlessly blends history, the fantastical, and the science of war in this hauntingly speculative work. With relatable characters and an engaging narrative style, Earth Has Fallen is a memorable beginning to the series.

©2021 Peter Servidio (P)2022 Peter Servidio

Imaginative descriptive narrative!

I turned this on to help ease me to sleep. That failed… It is now 4:07 a.m. in NYC and I have just finished this brief novel. The story of a dystopian world 50 years after a planet killing war has been told many times before, but this narrative is fresh and exciting. The author tells a new tail of people trying to survive the horrors of man made destruction while continuing destroy mankind.

The narrator sounds young, like the main protagonist, but also successfully gives life to the other characters.

The author has a talent for descriptive narrative. I am able to see and breathe the air in the underground warrens of the main mine. I also picture the darkness and can almost feel the frost of the nuclear winter on the surface world.

It is now 4:16 a.m. and I just looked to download the next volume. Fortunately, it will not be released until next month, so now I can get to sleep! I will probably dream of nuclear winters and flesh eating ash walkers and hopes of survival and mushroom cider and…

A great story!

It had taken less than two weeks for mankind to knock out the vast majority of human life and to blot out the sun with nuclear fallout. Now, nearly 60 years later the world is still in the grips of perpetual nuclear winter.


Many children born since WWIII are either stillborn, die shortly after, or have major defects. Loreto is one of the fortunate.


Born in the underground deep inside the Emery Mine Loreto lives with his community of 3000 people. Aside from shelter from the elements above, the only thing the mine has to offer is a fresh spring providing plenty of drinking water. This means that scavenging for food and supplies is a necessity. In order to do that, it means going to the surface.


Now at an age to be provided a job Loreto is appointed to be a Topsider. His job - scavenge for what he can and take notes in regards to if the surface is becoming habitable. Living deep underground has its own health risks but going to the surface is considered a death sentence, but someone has to do it. For Loreto, this was an honor.


I am not going to go into any more detail on this Novella in an effort to not provide spoilers. What I will say is that I really enjoyed this story. This is not a story that I normally read so I can't say if it is unique as I really have nothing to compare it to in the world of books. It has its unique elements if I were to compare it to film.


I found the story frightening as I listened to it for it really wasn't far off the mark of what could actually be if we were to play our cards wrong. Not with the Ash Walkers, but... Well, maybe if there is nothing left there could be people that resemble them. Ah...you need to read it to learn who they are.


I think Peter Servido did a fantastic job describing the doom and gloom of the new world Loreto was born into. The characters were well thought out and intriguing. It made me think of Mad Max Beyond Thunder Dome. I loved the way the main character - Loreto - told the story. In fact, I would have liked him to continue telling me what happened all the way through rather than move into dialogue.


The narration: This was narrated by Grayson Pickar. I LOVED his voice. I thought it was spot on for this story. I loved the tone he set right from the moment he spoke his first word. In fact, I think that is why I wanted the book to continue with him simply telling me what happened. His voice and his tone are what drew me in making me want to hear it through. He could have simply explained the whole story to me without ever acting out a character and I would have loved it.