‘I didn’t know danger was floating behind us on the breeze as we walked along the beach, seeping in through the windows of our picture postcard life.’Year 2024. New social networking site Private Life bursts onto the scene. Across the world, a record number of users sign up.A deadly virus is discovered in a little known African province, and it’s spreading—fast. The UK announces a countrywide … announces a countrywide vaccination programme. Members of underground group Unicorn believe the disease to be man-made – and that Private Life might not be as private as it claims.
Vicky Keating’s boyfriend, Dex, is working for Unicorn over two hundred miles away when the first UK outbreak is detected in her home town of Shipden, on the Norfolk coast. The town is placed under military controlled quarantine and, despite official assurances that there is no need for panic, within days the virus is unstoppable.
As the country descends into chaos, there are scores to be settled further north….
‘An innovative, multi-layered book’ ~ Whispering Stories book blog
‘Brilliantly written. Terry Tyler, a true people watcher, really understands human nature’ ~ Mrs Bloggs book blog
‘I can’t wait to find out what happens in the second book’ ~ With Love For Books blog
‘The plot is terrific, written and executed extremely well with insight, humour and wit’ ~ Between The Lines book blog
‘A devastating and strong novel’ ~ Brizzle Lass book blog
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Have you ever truly considered how you would react to an apocalypse? How would you really respond to widespread destruction or disaster? Most human beings pride themselves on their inherent kind and benevolent nature. A unique human ability to live according to a strong sense of morality which has us look out for the welfare and well being of others. However, what if these human beings we once sought to help and protect are now pitted against us in a struggle for survival? Would you still follow that lofty moral standard? Or would you sink to a new depth as you clash and skirmish for your very life? Neighbor versus neighbor! How do you think you would fare if faced with such a predicament? If such a potential phenomenon intrigues you, then Tipping Point by Terry Tyler is absolutely a must read!
The story begins by introducing us to our main protagonist, Vicky. She is living an idyllic life with her daughter Lottie and boyfriend Dex in the beautiful coastal community of Shipden. Life is quite perfect in Shipden and Vicky describes herself as “the happiest woman in the world,” living in a perfectly “grand” community. Unfortunately for Vicky and crew, it is also the ideal setting for impending doom and horror.
From early on in the tale we are able to see that things are not quite right. As an alternative to the popular social media platforms which have continually violated the privacy of their users, a new popular social networking site by the name of Private Life arrives. Promising to protect the privacy of their users, Private Life becomes incredibly popular. However, everything may not be as it seems and this possibility takes Dex away to work for an underground group named Unicorn.
A deadly virus has been discovered and is quickly spreading. The members of the Unicorn Group believe this to be a carefully planned conspiracy. Could this truly be the case? If so…what does Private Life have to do with it? When the virus hits the peaceful community of shipden, we begin to find out. With Dex gone to work for Unicorn, Vicky and Lottie must escape Shipden and fight for their very existence. What they see beyond the coastal community is more horrific than anyone could have ever imagined. Will they find Dex and be able to exist in this new world? Or will they become two more casualties in an operation gone wrong?
I found this novel to be quite brilliant in a variety of ways. While it can be categorized as a dystopian novel, it is far too complex and sagacious to be pigeonholed in such a fashion. The author shows how quickly society breaks down after it arrives at the “tipping point.” Anarchy, barbarity and sorrow quickly follow. However, while it would have been easy to simply focus upon the chaos and terror which this societal breakdown brings forth, that is not the case with this novel. The plot clearly concentrates upon the good versus evil theme. It reveals how even in the worst and most horrific of times, good remains rooted in the core of many individuals and cannot be extinguished. As a reader it makes you wonder which camp you would fall into. That is true engagement!
Terry Tyler’s writing is beautiful and has a wonderful flow to it. She weaves this craft throughout the novel, providing an excellent pace and explanation to the plot which keeps the reader enthralled and glued to the pages. She also provides a host of characters who are developed in great depth. Presented in the First Person, we are able to gain access to many of their innermost thoughts and fears. We see their bravery and their flaws as they negotiate this new world. Also, many of the characters actually complement one another very well and feed off each other’s strengths and needs. The reader will certainly identify with certain characters as they picture themselves in this new world.
Speaking of new worlds, Terry Tyler does an excellent job of depicting the setting. For the reader to be engaged and involved in the tale, it has to be authentic and believable. We have to be able to visualize ourselves in this place. Tyler is able to present the setting in such a way that this is thoroughly accomplished with details that are paced in such a way that they do not risk losing the attention of the reader. In fact, the story has so many parallels with current society that it is entirely conceivable, convincing and chilling. For this to happen in a novel requires a lot of forethought and research. Ms. Tyler has obviously done her homework and has managed to capture and expose many of our own innermost fears and use them to create this world. Well done!
I would recommend this story for a Young Adult and up audience. There is little doubt all ages will enjoy it as it is written so well. There is obviously violence in the novel and some of it sexual in nature so be forewarned.
If you are looking for an exceptionally well written and intelligent story which will engage you from start to finish, then I suggest you consider Tipping Point!
5 out of 5 Convincing and Chilling stars for this one! *****
I didn’t think I would like Dystopian fiction, but this book proved me wrong. Since reading it, I have read all the others in the series and been gripped by them all. Part of it is the very real scenario of what might happen in a small English seaside town in the event of a plague or pandemic, and Tyler draws the results with insight and skill. Part of what I enjoyed too were the widely divergent characters who all had something to gain and something to lose from the situation. Skipping from one point of view to the next, there is always something one character fails to see about another, and so it grips the reader and wont let go.
Brilliant. That’s what this book is. Just brilliant. I have read it in just two days. It’s totally gripping and utterly compulsive. With immense insight, Ms Tyler has tapped in to what is on many people’s minds these days…just what are these big corporations doing with all that information they mine from our social media pages, and just what could they do with it in the worst case scenario? And do we really believe our elected governments and the promises they make? How much are we being duped by the news that they and the controlled media dispense? The author has included possible answers to these in this excellent dystopian novel about a project to settle a few very important world issues that goes horribly wrong. Unlike many dystopian future books I’ve read, the chilling part of Tipping Point is that its setting is so close to the present day and the world we live in now, it seems completely plausible. The story (see the blurb) focuses on lovable, human Vicky, the sort of decent young woman everyone knows and loves. She makes a very credible hinge-pin for the main plot, but there are several other marvellous characters. Lottie, young, feisty and courageous, is Vicky’s daughter. Faced with the collapse of her safe little world in Norfolk, she grows up with lightning speed, but is also true to a teenage girl. Then there’s Rowan, the archtypal snob we’ve all met before; Heath, gentle widower and father; Kara, who is plucky and brave, but perhaps the most worrying is Wedge, ex prison inmate, violent and completely selfish. Terry Tyler has always understood people – all her novels have demonstrated this – and in Tipping Point, she has nailed the reality of human weaknesses and strengths as never before. We know from the outset, this is the first of a series and the climax of this novel sets the scene for the next one, but it is entirely possible to stop here and leave the future to the reader’s imagination, so in that sense, it is complete. A fantastic start to an addictive series. A big thumbs up from me, Ms Tyler! I like!!
A Wonderful Introduction To A Fascinating Series
Tipping Point is an original page-turner. I loved following Vicky and Lottie’s eventful journey across a disease-swept and decaying English countryside. The narrative was engaging, the plot intriguing, and the ending nicely set up the later books in this interesting series.
The prologue launches the reader into this exciting dystopian adventure in medias res. The very opening line tells us that our unknown protagonists are in mortal danger. The prologue contains lots of interesting information and a cliffhanger ending. At first, this was great.
Chapter 1 is set a few months after the prologue and contains more interesting hooks. It also ends with a strong hook relating to a missing character called Dex. Chapter 2 starts the timeline for a third time, this time years before the prologue. That was two too many story starts and time shifts for me.
I wasn’t happy with the timeline shifting three times during the opening chapters, and the information given in the prologue and chapter 1 provided spoilers for the main timeline which reduced the tension and took away any worry we might have about the main characters.
The three starts also meant that it felt like I was starting again three times, which really slowed down my entry into the story. Overall, I feel that this pandemic disaster novel would have worked much better and been more interesting to read if it had followed a simply linear chronology. Then there would have been no spoilers and we would actually have feared the possibility of death for the two protagonists before they reached their initial safe haven.
Chapter 2 suffers from a large amount of telling and becomes quite an infodump. Rather than being shown the deterioration of society, we are told it. The first “scene” jumps around the timeline and introduces a lot of information that is told rather than shown. This doesn’t provide a great intro into the beginning of the story, which is a shame because from chapter 3 onward the story becomes excellent.
Vicky is a wonderful protagonist. One of her biggest strengths as a viewpoint narrator is that she is “ignorant” of what is happening and needs spoon-feeding by the more cynical and aware Dex. This makes her a great medium for providing the reader with information about what’s going on as the United Kingdom falls into chaos.
When she is first introduced, Vicky is an everywoman character. Many readers will find it easy to identify with her. With her feelings and fear for Dex and her protective actions toward her daughter and neighbors, she soon becomes a likable character whom the reader can trust and invest in.
As the story progresses, Vicky becomes more and more proactive. She’s still an everywoman character, but her experiences and what she is learning are changing her. Vicky demonstrates great character development throughout this novel.
Lottie is a great young adult character with one foot in childhood and another in adulthood. Escalating events push her toward growing up ahead of schedule. She exhibits realistic teenage reactions to various eventualities that reminds me of Kevin and Perry from Harry Enfield and Chums. But she endears herself to the reader with the compassion she shows toward other characters and her efforts to help her mom.
Kara is a great “mentor” figure for Vicky. In some ways, this story can be viewed as a hero’s journey that has not yet reached its conclusion by the end of this book. Vicky is the peasant girl unaware of her potential, and Kara is the one who will teach her about her strengths and provide her with the necessary knowledge and skill set to achieve great things as the story progresses.
From Vicky’s viewpoint, her absent partner Dex appears to be a paranoid conspiracy theorist. As events escalate, it soon becomes clear that he isn’t as paranoid as he first appeared. However, we also learn that some of the thoughts Vicky had in the opening chapters weren’t as unfounded as she had begun to think.
There are two main plots nested together in this adrenaline-pumping apocalyptic thriller. The first follows the typical “escape to a safe haven” archetype found within this genre in books such as Last One At The Party and Situation Z. The second, broader plot explores the sinister reasons behind the rapid spread of the virus.
While both plot lines are interesting and this story is engaging, there is no final resolution within this novel. We learn lots about why things have happened and we see the characters stay in a semi-safe location, but the ending of this book is really setting up the rest of the series. The resolution is more about what the characters will do in the next book than resolving the conflicts within this one.
I was a little disappointed that there was a gap in the story between Vicky and Lottie first arriving in Tyne and Wear and months later in November 2024. I really wanted to see what would happen when Vicky and Lottie arrived and how they would be received by the people they met.
What were Vicky’s and Lottie’s initial impressions of the safe haven and the people already there? How did they introduce themselves? Were they expected? Were they well received? All these things are missing from the narrative as it fast forwards to later events.
The various settings in this novel are fabulous. Shipden is a typical British seaside holiday town that anyone who has lived in or visited the UK will readily recognize from their own experiences.
The initial safe haven is well described and contains various interesting features. The shopping mall incident and later shop parade incidents are both great with really interesting buildings to showcase the action.
The first-person narrative from Vicky’s viewpoint works well alongside the third-person narrative from other characters’ viewpoints. Except for the huge amount of telling in chapter 2, Vicky’s prose is immersive and engaging, and most of the story is shown rather than told.
Despite my disappointment about the missing segment of the story and my dislike of the dizzying time shifts in the first three chapters, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this dystopian adventure. I would recommend it to anyone interested in pandemic, apocalyptic, and dystopian tales.
However, I cannot give this interesting adventure novel full marks due to the telling segments found within the early narrative and the way in which much of the later story is given away by those initial spoilers. So, I am going to rate this interesting book 4 out of 5.
Post-apocalyptic scenarios that take a realistic look at what could happen after the disaster are my cup of tea. I not only enjoy the world building, but also enjoy what the world building tells me about the author’s worldview.
In “Tipping Point”, Terry Tyler gives us her take as to how people will act when the world as we know it gets flushed down the toilet. For her, in this book, the world after the end isn’t much different than the world of today (minus the technology, of course). Which isn’t surprising. After all, people are people. There are good ones and there are bad ones. The only difference between the here and now and that cataclysmic future is that there is no restraining hand of the law in the future to rein in the bad guys. Which means we get to see how ugly humanity can get. Of course history provides us with many examples of the utter baseness of human nature, so we don’t have to guess too hard.
Ms Tyler has done a superb job of telling this tale. She’s an accomplished storyteller. The story is laden with suspense, is laced with humor, is realistically portrayed, and filled with a very interesting cast of characters.
The main character is Vicky, and I’m sorry to say I didn’t like her very much. She came across to me as too weak and too emotional. Although to be fair, I think in a PA world there would be many, many people like her. For the purposes of the story, however, I think she’d have been better cast as a secondary character. As a main character, there just wasn’t much to like about her, IMO.
However, Ms Tyler has given us a wonderful array of secondary characters, some savory, some not so much, who save the day. And that is good, because I very much like everything else in this book.
If you enjoy realistic post-apocalyptic fiction, do get this series. You won’t regret it in the least.
There’s a new world coming. Get on board!
I had to double-check the date this book was first published. It was in 2017. Already then, the author had the insight of what it may be like when a pandemic strikes: the origins of the virus, the so-called “Bat Fever”, the vaccinations, the quarantine, the panic, the unrest, the control measures, the lies, the whole world falling apart. Tyler’s projections in “Tipping Point” are spot-on! And they will send a cold chill down your spine.
I was swept in the currents of the unfolding catastrophe, following Vicky and Lottie’s escape from the quarantined town of Shipden, their precarious journey to the safe house and Vicky’s desperate search for her partner, Dex. He and other activists belonging to a group called Unicorn have uncovered a sinister plot underpinning the outbreak, thus putting themselves directly in harm’s way.
There are many interlinked threads and subplots in this story with both very personal and intimate themes as well as broader social and political observations. Those are deeply unsettling, firstly because of how probable and imminent they appear to be; and secondly, because of Tyler’s nuanced and realistic characterisation. Every character is astutely observed and so real that I found instant affinity with them. I could easily picture myself in their shoes, experience their fears and think their thoughts.
“Tipping Point” is a crushingly prophetic tale of societal degradation on the one hand and the power of human spirit on the other.
I accidentally discovered this book in March 2020 during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The book is set in England in 2024. Bat Fever virus is killing much of England’s population. The author introduces us to characters who predicted what was going to happen and characters who chose to ignore reality until they could no longer do so.
It is amazing to me that when Terry Tyler published Tipping Point in 2016, she set this book about a fictional global pandemic in 2024 and, ironically, a real global pandemic is actually happening in 2020. And our current too real pandemic was most likely caused by a virus that “leaped” from a bat to a human in a wild animal meat market in China. Was she prescient?
I like the plot and the main characters in this book which is the first book in the Project Renovo series. I plan to read all four books. Perhaps I will gain insights into how to deal with our real pandemic. I highly recommend this book.
It has always shocked me how quickly a community, of whatever size, can succumb when put under pressure. How neighbour can turn on neighbour when they’d previously lived contentedly side by side, how a population can lose its humanity and atrocious deeds can be carried out in the name of peace keeping or self-preservation. Tipping Point covered all this, and more, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading how life in Shipden, and then everywhere else, unravelled.
The story is told mostly from Vicky’s point of view and I have to say that she really grated on me to begin with. Her boyfriend, Dex, was heavily involved with an underground group, Unicorn, who had whistle-blower type connections and were investigating the possibility of some sort of Armageddon like scenario. However, the self-obsessed Vicky was totally dismissive of his warnings being more concerned about the fact that he didn’t want her, or her daughter Lottie, joining the latest social media platform, Private Lives, and she was also convinced he was playing-away.
Lottie was a typical teenager, only interested in the present moment and without the same regard for life that you gain with age. One day, she and Vicky spent the day eating cheesecake and watching DVD’s as the world as they knew it was collapsing around them.
Gradually I started to soften towards Vicky, not because of her whining about Dex leaving them to cope alone but because of her naivety. Despite Dex’s warnings she had the same slow dawning that I think would come across most of us should something like this happen. Things clicking into place as small moments seem unbelievable but eventually enough of them happen to make you wake up to reality.
The rapid breakdown of society was very well covered. I have long been sceptical of online data collection, of being ‘watched’ by social media and Big Brother like surveillance. I was fascinated by the control of the media, of government manipulation over what was aired and I was so involved in the storyline at this point it came as something of a surprise to watch the news and not find some ‘reassuring’ message on there about Shipden as the equivalent of the plague struck it. Even though I knew Shipden was fictional!
Vicky eventually wakes up to the new reality, not a moment too soon, and fortunately for her and Lottie Dex has prepared an exit plan for them. They meet up with others and soon learn a new way of living. This part of the story slowed a little for me as I guess life would and it’s not long before the group start to get restless and look to move elsewhere. But they are not the only ones, and there is a particularly volatile character, Wedge, who could prove to be an interesting person for them to have to get along with. I shall be looking forward to that.
The ending leaves you with a satisfied feeling while plenty of threads remain to be continued in the next book of the series. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys well written character led fiction.