WHEN EVERYTHING FALLS APART, WHAT CAN YOU DO?The year is 3040.The location is Exxon 1, part of a six-planet system in settled space.Determined to avoid the mistakes of old Earth, the surviving humans avoided democracy and opted, instead, for a non-elective totalitarian system.The new way worked well, until now.A crazy, despotic president releases a nano-virus on the population.No one was ready … nano-virus on the population.
No one was ready for the fallout. It came anyway.
In this post-apocalyptic world, can you stay safe?
Praise for FALLOUT:
‘If you like dark, dangerous, and a little bit demented, this is the novel for you.’ … Staci Troilo
‘Fallout by Harmony Kent is a dark, gritty, twisted apocalyptic story guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.’… Mae Clair
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I don’t read too many post-apocalyptic novels, but the blurb on this one caught my attention. These three lines made me buy the book and look forward to reading it. “A crazy, despotic president releases a nano-virus on the population. No one was ready for the fallout. It came anyway. In this post-apocalyptic world, can you stay safe?”
My good faith gamble on the blurb paid off by an excellent plot and exciting story. I’m not going to relay the full scenario here but would instead focus on my overall impressions. The book takes place on the planet Exxon 1. There is one guy in charge, and for reasons, we’ll find out later he decides to take out the planet inhabitants with a virus.
The cure for the virus is on its way to the president when the vehicle carrying it crashes. A qualified special trooper with orders to find it arrives on the scene. He finds instead a girl named Pryia who has been raped and beaten and left for dead. The remainder of the book deals with Pryia experiencing the highs and lows of the human condition. What makes this main character unique is all the implants that most of the planet inhabitants rely upon for managing everyday life are missing. She is totally on her own in an environment where no one can be trusted, and instinct alone can be the difference between life and death.
If you like a story that rewards the reader with a well-conceived and tightly wound plot set in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this is one you will like. The action takes place in the future, but through the skill of the author, the reader comes to feel comfortable that the future is very much like today. In other words, the reader does not have to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy this book. I enjoyed Fallout by Harmony Kent very much.
Imagine yourself in the post-apocalyptic future after your world has been devastated by a virus. Add to that you’re in a place where no one can be trusted.
That’s what happens to Pryia, the MC in Fallout. Harmony Kent has done an excellent job at world-building and in creating multi-faceted characters where no one is as they seem. The plot is fast-paced, guaranteed to keep you on your seat and guessing until the end.
This is a long book, but the pace is ripping fast and the story flew by. A thousand years in the future, a virus ravages the human population inhabiting the planet Exxon II. What’s left is a lawless world where survival is precarious, infection threatens, and aspects of technology don’t function as they used to. There’s also a cure contained in a lost vial. This becomes the driver of the story as various parties are out to find it and use it to increase their political power and control.
The plot is complex and the world-building fascinating with technology that seems realistic on one hand while it stretches boundaries on the other. The virus, for example, can induce various superpowers in the infected, and serums are capable of imparting knowledge. There are political factions and lots of maneuvering, crosses and double-crosses and, dare I say, triple-crosses. Things move so fast, it’s important to pay attention.
Many of the characters are self-serving and devious to the point of sociopathic, so readers are wise not to take them at their word. Sexual violence and sexual manipulation are prevalent among these characters. Though a few repent and try to turn their lives around, I never found them likeable based on their past choices. The exceptions are Priya and Kaleb. Though the main character Priya begins the story as naïve and helpless, her arc rapidly progresses, transforming her into a woman of power who never surrenders her innate goodness. Kaleb is a tragic figure, and he’s the one that pulled on my heart strings.
Readers who enjoy a deep dive into post-apocalyptic science fiction with a complex plot and a flawed cast will find Fallout a fast-paced and polished read. Enjoy.
A year ago I purchased Fallout, but I only began reading it this week. I’m stunned. The story grabs and drags the reader down the back alleys of powerful, destructive people. Through unforgettable characters, readers experience a world controlled by fear—instilled by power-hungry demagogues. For a futuristic novel, this one is eerily current, replete with threats from an unknown virus and implants that control the people’s lives. Kent is a strong and effective writer. She is someone we all need to pay attention to, especially now.
Fallout by Harmony Kent is a dark, gritty, twisted apocalyptic story guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Exxon 1 has been devastated by a virus, the planet an inhospitable environment where no one can be trusted, especially the planet’s president who is responsible for the outbreak. While people succumb to the virus and others struggle to resist, a vial containing a potential cure becomes the focus of ruthless individuals.
Pryia, a young woman who finds out just how savage her devastated planet can be, becomes entangled in getting the vial into the right hands. But who can be trusted? In the world Kent has created, her multi-layered characters are far from black and white. No one is who they seem, each driven by dark histories and darker goals, each a study in duplicity. There are crosses and double crosses, noble characters who sink to corruption and corrupt characters who discover a sliver of conscience when the clock is ticking to zero hour.
The world building is exceptional, the plot complex but fast paced. This isn’t simply a book about rebuilding a decimated planet, but a story that takes a raw look at human nature. Finally, I loved the full circle arc of the opening scenes gelling so perfectly with the close. A wholly satisfying and riveting read. Highly recommended!
The Title Says it All; There’s Fallout!
I’ve been in sci-fi mode recently, and Fallout caught my attention. I’ve enjoyed other works by this author and was eager to give this story a try.
This story reminded me of a space-version of The Casual Vacancy—political power is up for grabs and everyone is keeping secrets. The duplicity is multi-layered and deliciously dark. Every time I thought someone had hit rock bottom, I was surprised to find another twist.
Exxon 1 is part futuristic, part dystopian, and all fascinating. The author created a world of advanced technology, tragic consequences, and complex subterfuge that kept me wondering until the very end.
If you like dark, dangerous, and a little bit demented, this is the novel for you.
If you are a sci-fi fan, then you gotta read ‘Fallout!’
Excellent character development in a world where nothing is as it seems to be. As a long time observer of human behavior, I found the interweaving of people, times, and events to be exceptional!
“Fallout” is a post-apocalyptic story that left me thinking and then rethinking again. Set in space where humans settle after the earth becomes uninhabitable, a virus is released changing their way of life. My favorite character, Priya is alone and brutally attacked. Her strength and relationships with the other characters had me rooting for her, and I loved the pet she acquired. Told through several POVs, the reader gets a full picture of a complicated situation that I enjoyed. The characters are flawed and realistic. It surprised me how many times there was a new twist I wasn’t expecting. This is a glimpse into the human condition where power, lies, and manipulation have taken over society. Ms. Kent skillfully gives us a dark peek into a possible future in the hands of a cruel leader. This is a great science fiction read that I recommend.