Very entertaining

This book was offered free of charge in expectation of an honest review.

This book has an interesting concept of a far future where the very rich and very bored can escape by going into the past to experience some event. This event happens to be the explosion of EMP and the destruction of the technical world we exist in.

The story revolves around a young boy who unknowingly becomes involved with the team that has returned and the events in his life as the team prepare for the event and the aftermath of the event.

This story line is very good. The story is a first person narrative of the boy throughout a dozen years and the changes in his life. Well knitted and entertaining. It is a story where you hesitate to put it down even when it is 12 hours long.

The narration is outstanding. The words are well articulated and the multiple voices are well done. Even the voices of people who have trouble speaking.

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"Don't ask questions you don't want the answers."

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The author takes time to precede the opening chapters of his book to give his audience background information about E.M.P.s, and how just three strategically exploded nuclear devices could put out all of the lights in the U.S.A. He even commends to the reader a Government report about the dangers which was published on the same day as the one which investigated the happenings of 9/11 (and so was overlooked by the press).

And then the story begins...

From the very beginning the listener is drawn into a strange determination of a single female employee of some unknown facility, nuclear based, to blow up the building. All is set in motion but then she waits ... It will be a long time before we meet her again.

The scene changes as we are introduced to a teenaged boy, the main protagonist, named Dylan : and it is his life we follow as he is befriended by newly arrived neighbours with mysterious backgrounds, falls in love and survives the apocalypse. And discovers his neighbour's secrets.
It is a book of several parts, very unusual, mostly quite thrilling and not at all the usual story of total social breakdown found in most other post apocalyptic stories (although, inevitably, there are some such harrowing scenes). Plus, running through most of the book is the simple mystery - what does the person named as the Failsafe actually do?

The character building in Tourists of the Apocalypse is good, excellent in some cases - I especially enjoyed the development of Dicky, one of Dylan's near neighbours who had suffered brain damage as a youth. Yet somehow the people never really seemed to come fully to life, despite the best efforts of the marvellous J.Scott Bennett, whose narration was superb and each voicing individual and distinctive. An air of unreality seemed to hang over the central part of the story, as if the little group of individuals was somehow not part of the aftermath of the devestation. After the intriguing, exciting first hours, I found my attention wavering during this central section, only to be vigorously revived again in the latter part of the book. And the ending was superb.

So nearly a five star - for the originality, the different approaches, a sense of mystery, the absolutely thrilling chases towards the ending of the book, and even for the portrayal of Dylan and Dicky - yet for me it did not gel as seamlessly as a truly five star book should.
That said, it is an exceptionally good listen and my thanks go out to the rights holder who gifted me my copy, via Audiobook Boom. I would certainly recommend it to all post apocalyptic fans.

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100%

This has got to be one of the best audio book out this your scott Bennett is good as all ways

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Interesting story. A twist too..

Really enjoyed this. Not what I expected at all. Narrative very good.
Not your usual Apocalypse story but worth the listen.

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One of my favourites

I was given this book on the proviso that I give an honest review

This is one of the best books I have listened to this year and I don’t mean that lightly.
It is an original and gripping story with characters you care about.

The narrator does a great job and I will be looking for more of his work.

I would thoroughly recommend this to any post apocalyptic or sci-fi fan.

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Excellent book

Really enjoyed this book! Great characters who you really get to like ( and some hate)
Well narrated as well!
As with a couple of books I’ve listened to lately the only real downside is that the story ends! This book ends setting up a continuation of the story that the characters deserve and the author really should write!

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