Zero Hour

The Blackout Series, Book 2

By: Bobby Akart

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Would you have the mindset to survive?

To provide for and defend the ones you love at all costs?

Willing to confront the depravity of man?

This is a true story, it just hasn't happened yet.

Book one of this new post-apocalyptic survival fiction series, 36 Hours, provided the listener a glimpse into the rapid decline of society once word of the catastrophic solar flare racing towards Earth began to spread.

Book two, Zero Hour, continues to follow the obstacles faced by Colton Ryman, his wife, Madison, and their teenage daughter, Alex. In 36 Hours, the Ryman family and the rest of the world was thrust into the darkness of a post-apocalyptic world. A catastrophic solar flare brought with it a blast of solar matter in the form of an EMP, leaving America in darkness.

The Rymans weren't preppers and had no concept of what prepping entails. They applied common sense, logic, and a will to survive to their decision-making as they prepared for the post-apocalyptic world created by the EMP.

The dangers they face are not from the solar flare itself, but from their fellow man. Who can they count on? Who is a threat? The words of Colton Ryman's grandfather repeated in his mind.

Never underestimate the depravity of man!

Note: This book does not contain strong language. It is intended to entertain and inform audiences of all ages, including teen and young adults. Although some scenes depict the realistic threat our nation faces from a devastating solar flare, and the societal collapse which will result in the aftermath, it does not contain graphic scenes typical of other books in the post-apocalyptic genre.

©2016 Bobby Akart Inc. (P)2016 Bobby Akart Inc.

Bob @ Platypire Reviews

*I received a copy of this audiobook for an HONEST review*

The story of the family continues, going into neighbor turning on neighbor. They have to do what it takes to protect themselves and their own, while still doing why they feel safe doing for friends. Again, I really loved the flow and feel of the story, and have grown quite attached to this family.

What more is their to say about this narrator? Love him!

Bob says: 4.5 Platypires

Too short for another credit..

What does Kevin Pierce bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

As usual, Mr. Pierce rules

Any additional comments?

Two books should be made into one in this series, kevin pierce makes an ok story excellent as usual, but i dont like to be milked out of my credits

The Ryman’s are prepped, but are they prepared?

The Blackout series continues with Zero Hour — the EMP from the sun has hit, causing everyone and everything to be thrown into the dark ages. No electronics work, and very few of the amenities that people are used to are working anymore. The Ryman family prepared as best they could, but were they prepared for what comes next?

Kevin Pierce narrates Zero Hour and obviously knocks it out of the park. Pierce just has that perfect voice for this type of story, no matter who is telling it inside of the book. Pierce is the go-to guy for Post-Apocalyptic fiction and I haven’t heard another narrator that can compete. Just look at Pierce’s backlog and you’ll see what I mean. Or check out the vast amount of books I’ve reviewed of his and you’ll see.

Zero Hour picks right up where 36 Hours left off. The book jumps right into the action as the Solar flare turned EMP turns everything off. It’s supposed to be the great equalizer, but it only takes those back who are not prepared. The Ryman family was prepared and this story follows them as they continue to prep and defend their homes.

The story itself was really well thought out, from the anticipation of it hitting in 36 hours to it actually being here and the “now what” feeling that most people would have. Akart really knows how to write fiction that keeps readers interested.

Zero Hour was no different. Each Ryman had their own way of dealing with things and each one of them were on display in this book. I found myself liking them more and more and rooting for their every move. The book goes through a lot of “what if” scenarios, even if you lived in a suburban area like the Ryman’s do.

Overall, Zero Hour took all of the anticipation of 36 Hours and brought it down on everyone. It was a fast-paced book full of twists and turns. And it was easily one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in this genre in a while.

I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

why is this book so short?

I genuinely dislike when authors publish such short books here and charge full price. Audible should offer these books as a box set instead of individually. The books are well written and the story is good.

Good continuation of the story

In this book the author does get a little preachy about government dependence and FEMA. He doesn't go off the deep end like a lot of writers in this genre so it's still readable, but he definitely wants to make his opinion known about big government, gun ownership, and he also has a Hillary Clinton stand-in who is the president in the book and makes some stupid choices just because she doesn't like guns, etc etc. In one part someone tells her they don't have enough manpower to secure all the areas and crime might start to happen and her response is basically 'Oh we don't have enough soldiers and police to secure the cities? Well lets undertake a GIANT and MANPOWER INTENSIVE campaign to go door-to-door and take people's guns and extra food. He really did his own storytelling a disservice there. GOOD NEWS THOUGH that's only a small part of the book, it's not riddled with that stuff.

The family deals with the immediate aftermath of the grid going down, the neighbors start to get a little feisty about not having enough supplies to survive, and of course this author like almost all others in this genre just write in a really convenient out for the characters in that the people who want to 'share' the family's supplies end up being bad guy criminals and that problem just disappears and noone bothers them about it again(even though the neighbors are still starving). Classic mistake, but whatever.

A criminal gang also shows up towards the end, and they HAPPEN to be a black gang. This could have been fine but the author once again takes several paragraphs to talk about how black people in America today are equal to white people and have no disadvantages and that any group promoting 'black rights' is just a bunch of whiny freeloaders who don't want to work hard and hate white people, etc.

Overall the book is decent but if the first book was a little to political for you then this one is going to be WAY too political for you.Good story continuation though.

Great Book!

Loved Bobby Akart 's second book in the Blackout Series! Clean enough for my tween to listen to. Great information and well researched!

Suspense

I'd call this a page turner, if it wasn't on Audible! heading to the Yellowstone series next!

Subtle racism

Other than the lame political commentary and the subtle and not-so-subtle racism in spots, the story was OK as apocalypse stories go.

One thing all these EMP stories seem to get warm is the most vehicles and electronic devices will not be fried by the pulse unless they’re connected to the grid.

Exciting continuation of the Blackout Series

This is the second installment in Bobby Akart's dystopian Blackout Series. I have been a fan of this author for some time now. I've read many of his series and enjoyed each one for different reasons. One of the things I enjoy most about this author is that they aren't completely fiction series. They are fiction in the fact that they haven't occurred yet, yet being the keyword. He creates well thought out and researched scenarios that could happen. He adds in some events that have occurred. There is always plenty of action and this book does not disappoint. The author set the dystopian event in the first book, now in the second there is much more action. We have learned enough about the main characters to form emotional attachments that add a new level to the action packed scenes. I am anxious to begin the next book in this series. I chose to listen to the audio version of this book and the narrator does an exceptional job of adding emotions to the authors words.

I am now hooked! I like the premise...

I like the characters, it's usually what draws me in, so far so good on to book 3