Cannibal Reign (edition 2012)

When I read the back of it, it looked like it had a pretty good premise. An asteroid slams into Earth, entering it in a small Ice Age as the atmosphere is filled with dust and ash, and many humans fall back onto their basic instincts in order to survive. Acts of rape, murder, theft and cannibalism are rampant, and the only hope for a new world order lies in the hands of only a few underground individuals. Despite the title though, it seems there was more rape, murder and theft then there was actual cannibalism, and the characters weren't exactly ones you would want to cheer for. The light-hearted dialogue was enjoyable at first, and served its purpose to establish the well-intentioned natures of the characters, but as the world descends into chaos, it becomes awkwardly inappropriate in many situations. Families have been separated, people are dying in horrific ways outside, yet the survivors below are just yucking it up and going after each other like horny college kids on a reality show.

First there is Jack Forrest, who, along with a few of his former Green Berets, establishes a base inside a missile silo, inviting up to 50 individuals that he deems worthy to stay in that hopes that they will survive the coming apocalypse. Most of these individuals are women, which, as Jack explains himself, was necessary in order to avoid copious amounts of conflicting testosterone.

But that does not excuse the ridiculous "boys will be boys" mentality that seems to be the theme of this book. The women themselves have no say in the proceedings of silo organization, neither are they taught how to use a gun or any form of self defense, despite the almost constant threat from the gangs and cannibals above ground. They are often mentioned as just looking after the children or referred to collectively as "the women," "the wives," or "the broads." Forrest also seems to think that it is his duty to keep these women in line. Yet throughout the book, it seems to be the men who can't keep it together, and he himself later cheats on his girlfriend. But don't worry, there's no shouting match and he's quickly forgiven, after all she pleads, "did I make a mistake?"

Only one woman fires a gun throughout the book, and her name is Shannon Emory, a survivor above ground. After surviving the shock wave, she is captured by a biker gang and raped multiple times before being rescued by the astronomer Marty. She admits to being a lesbian, but seems to have no mental qualms with giving men a hand job in order to manipulate them to do as she pleases. Seems to be something out of some kind of fantasy doesn't it? Marty meanwhile had shot his pregnant wife, to spare her from the very gang that raped Emory, yet just never seems very much affected by it.

Another survivor inside of the silo, Lynette, is described as an obnoxious formerly rich housewife, who despite being disliked by all other members of the group, and having a husband that never stands up for her, is in the end the only one among the defenseless women to fight back. And finally there is a teenager named Melissa, who might be the only character worth caring about in this book. She is the only living relative of Michael, her uncle, a psychologist who was invited to stay, and yet doesn't seem to occupy any of his thoughts or concerns. He quickly relieves himself of the responsibility of looking after her by passing her onto Jack Forrest to be her surrogate father. It seems to have given him more free time to chase after one of the women. In fact, he doesn't even offer to leave the silo to search for medicine that may save her life, but decides to hang back and let Jack do it.

So that all being said, it was the characters that just ruined the book. It had a good premise, it was indeed promising, but if I were you, I just wouldn't waste my time on it.

Here's just one quote to top this off:

"Ladies...I understand that you have been alone for some time now...but there are certain activities that are forbidden aboard a man-of-war...So...if you ladies are unable to restrain yourselves for t he remainder of the voyage, I will have to confine you to a small area of the ship." (and this from a captain who then immediately invites one of the women to a private dinner..) ( )

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/06/cannibal-reign-by-thomas-koloniar.html

Jack Forrest and his crew of former Green Berets are preparing for the end of the world in an abandoned missile silo, gathering a group of 50 men, women, and children in hopes of riding out the disaster to come. An asteroid is on its way towards Earth, and threatens to kill everyone within thousands of miles of impact, and kill millions more as the earth plummets into nuclear winter and ashy darkness. Meanwhile, astronomer Marty Chittendon knows it’s coming, and implores the only woman he’s ever loved to take the news public. Will Earth survive, or fall in a sea of death and destruction?

Well, from the title you can already tell that after the asteroid hits, things certainly aren’t coming up roses, but it’s hard to imagine just how awful things do become. In Cannibal Reign, the author has taken a familiar post apocalyptic scenario and turned it into his own creation of terrifying adventure and characters to root for (and fall in love with.) The narrative weaves among three separate storylines, eventually bringing them together to explosive effect. Jack Forrest is tough and very capable, but doesn’t take himself too seriously, which I loved. Quietly nursing his heartache over losing his son, the people in his care are in more than capable hands, and his core of humanity and loyalty runs very deep. Marty Chittendon starts as a geeky astronomer who’s inner strength gets to shine after the disaster. Shannon Emory, perhaps my favorite character, is a soldier that abandons her team after it becomes clear that they may have certain plans for the women of the group. She’s got the heart of a warrior and the skills to match.

The world post-asteroid is absolutely terrifying (to put it mildly.) People are succumbing to their baser instincts, including, but not limited to, rape, human slavery, and cannibalism. The food is running out and the weak are no match for those strong of will and evil of heart. Don’t worry, there are some shining souls in this blasted world, but they’re few and far between. The author is very good at the little details, which sometimes get lost in a book of this scope and length, and he obviously did his research into group dynamics and the psychology of post traumatic stress syndrome. The action is nearly nonstop and the fight scenes are choreographed to the hilt. I never lost my place, even when the action got particularly frenzied.

Cannibal Reign is not for the faint of heart, and even though things never get gratuitous, the author doesn’t pull any punches here. What makes things even more terrifying is that the horrors are perpetrated by thinking (I use this term lightly) humans that have devolved into vicious animals. To be sure, things are very, very dark and heartbreaking, but underneath it all, there are glimmers of hope, and the author never loses sight of that. Where there is hope, there is light, and our heroes (and heroines) will do anything to find it for those they love. Cannibal Reign is a scary, nonstop thrill ride into the dark hearts of man, shot through with the souls of those that refuse to surrender to the dark. I loved this book, and fans of post apocalyptic fiction and thrillers should not miss it! I can’t wait for the next one! ( )