Book Review: American Apocalypse II

As per FTC regulations, I am required to disclose that I have a financial relationship with the author.

Sounds unseemly, doesn't it? Not to worry, it's better than it sounds.

I was the editor for American Apocalypse II, written by nova. This relationship came about after I received the copy of the first book in the series and volunteered to send the author corrections for it. Instead, I ended up editing the second book for him, and, if I may say so - and I may since this is my blog - it made a considerable difference in the quality and readability of the second book.

I enjoyed the editing process and learned quite a lot while doing it. Besides general proofing and editing, the story needed to be converted from blog form to a more traditional format for a fiction novel. I hope that readers of the first book, and nova's blog, will be pleased with the difference they see in the second published book. And, I hope that the more polished quality will attract new readers to the series as I think nova has an interesting and fresh voice in the world of post-apocalyptic fiction.

American Apocalypse II: Refuge picks up where the first book left off. The existence of a part two to this story is a spoiler in and of itself as the first book left us wondering whether the protagonist, Gardener, and any of his friends were still alive. In order for the story to continue, some characters must survive. This book finds them alive, but wounded and bleeding. During their recovery, the author takes the opportunity to continue developing their characters. We begin to get more familiar with what makes them tick and see their bond to each other strengthen. The growing love between Gardener and Night weaves through the story, keeping the reader hoping for a happy ending.

The group treks to a small town where they hope to find refuge through the winter before continuing their journey. After a rocky start, they integrate into the community and provide local law enforcement. Through their encouragement, the town becomes better prepared for life after the economic crash. The need to contend with outsiders intent on grabbing power and resources provides opportunities for frequent high-intensity action scenes throughout the book. The plot builds to a surprising climax likely to give anyone living in a densely populated part of the country pause.

In a twist from the standard post-apocalyptic fiction genre, nova introduces a character who claims to be a Norse goddess. While some readers on the blog initially expressed disappointment that he was venturing into the fantasy realm, I think most agreed later that this element gives the tale an interesting added dimension. No matter what your opinion, nova will keep you riveted from beginning to end in this new installment of the American Apocalypse series.


The book is available from Amazon in print or electronic form. I prefer the cover the author chose for the electronic form so that is the one pictured here.

I suppose the FTC would also like me to tell you that while I do not receive a percentage of the book's sales, I will earn a bonus as the editor if the book sells a lot of copies so I do have a stake in encouraging you to buy the book.

If you enjoy fiction in the action/adventure, Western, and/or post-apocalyptic genres, though, I'd recommend this book regardless. It's a good read that is perfect for summer. You can, of course, choose to read it in original rough draft form on nova's blog but extensive rewrites and corrections before the book was published mean it is a somewhat different and improved version of the original story.

Before my readers point out that I seem to be violating my "no ads" blog policy, I wish to provide some clarification. I feel that promoting something that I personally have had a hand in creating is quite different than allowing someone else's ads to appear on my blog. Other than the first book in this series, I have never accepted a product for free and reviewed it here, and I would not have done it this time if I didn't already like the product (nova's writing).

I would also like to point out that I really enjoyed the editing process and hope to be taking on the next books in the American Apocalypse series. Eventually I may be doing the same thing with some of my writing. In addition, I am open to the possibility of doing some editing for others if they are interested in publishing their fiction. Non-fiction would be okay, too, as long as the author was responsible for the fact-checking. Feel free to ask. Well, maybe wait until after I get this five foot stack of boxes unpacked in the office.

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