Brandon Zenner

If ever there was a book that I would love to see brought to TV or film, this would be it.

I was grabbed from the very beginning. When things started getting interesting with Simon, the story switched to Brian and Steven, and part of me screamed, "No!" Then, it would switch back to Simon when Brian and Steven found themselves in a pickle and I just had to keep on reading. It wasn't confusing the back and forth and instead added to the suspense. I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to show more end.

I think what I loved most was how all of the characters start out as a part of their own story and as they journey on, their paths cross and the multiple stories become one. It's not an easy task to melt storyline together seamlessly, but Zenner does it well.

I'm also a big fan of a book that emphasizes the bond between a man and his dog. I'm a sucker for pets, I'll admit it, and I was rooting for Simon and Winston to have their happy ending from the very beginning. The relationship between them was exactly what you would expect to find between a man and the dog he has had since a pup. It was wonderful and beautiful. Winston saved Simon in more ways than one.

I enjoyed the concept of this novel as well. The U.S. is at war and intelligence has been leaked that a deadly disease will follow the fighting. Because of this intelligence, some have prepared to hide and wait the 2 years needed fo the disease to die out. What follows the war is just as disastrous as the war itself. Mercenaries, cannibals, and criminals run free, but there is hope in sight because some members of the military have prepared to restore society to its former glory when the time comes.

Like I mentioned before, I hope this becomes a TV series or a movie one day. Chapter 63, the major battle between the band of mercenaries and the people of Alice, was AMAZING! Simon, the peaceful one, became a beast, killing men left and right to save Bethany and Winston. The fight was glorious and I'm not even a fan of action packed scenes.

I do have one complaint, though. Where are all the women???? In the Book of the Unnamed Midwife, there was disease that killed more women than men, but in The After War nothing like that was mentioned. Yet, there are very few women after the war and the disease. So, what happened? Is this some sort of jab that women wouldn't be able to survive a war on American soil or was the disease more devastating to women and I just missed that part?? Speaking from a female perspective (particularly a mother), I'm not exactly battle ready, but I would kill 1000 men if it kept my kids safe and I'm sure there are plenty of women out there who would agree with me here.

I'm glad this was both Part 1 and 2 because when I finished Part 1, I was dying for more. I enjoyed reading the "what if" scenario and following the characters through the aftermath. I loved how all of them end up a part of the same story and this one kept me on the edge of my seat, feverishly flipping pages to find out what happened next.

Great work Zenner! show less

***This book was reviewed for the San Francisco Book Review***

Zenner's The After War is a fierce post-apocalyptic story of war and loss, of nature's vengeance, of survival in the face of overwhelming odds. As humanity begins to wage World War III upon itself the very planet decides to wage its own war against the species that has become a global parasite. We are due another slate-wiper virus, a disease so virulent, and so hardy, that it decimates the majority of the population. In a time of show more fast global travel, what once may have been isolated to a region, or continent, can spread with ease across the entire planet. Zenner has woven a gritty narrative of a future all too terrifyingly possible for us.

The first part of the story follows Simon Kalispell and Winston, and Brian and Steven Driscoll in turn. They have all been safely sequestered away by family- Simon in a remote cabin, and the Driscolls in an underground bunker. We follow each as they begin to emerge from their havens some two years after war and nature have torn civilisation asunder. Each has a plan to reunite with family and they set out on the long road to reach the meeting places.

What they find after emerging is beyond anything they might have imagined. Humanity has very little claim to that title any longer. Those pockets of humans still alive are few and far between. Either out of desperation, or in the spirit of taking complete advantage of the conditions, many people have turned to indulging their darker sides. Slavery, murder of helpless captives, rape, cannibalism. All that and more has become commonplace. It's under such conditions that our protagonists must navigate. We are also treated to reminisces of the past long before, and directly leading up to the war. Not all who start this journey are destined to complete it.

The second half of the book shifts tone and focus. We still get perspective from Simon, Winston, and the Driscolls, but it becomes more sharply focused. No longer about surviving a journey, now it's about surviving amidst the remaining humans. They've found places they can tentatively call home. Now they are being called upon to defend it against rot from the inside and the out. This section, more than even the last, shows the depths to which humanity can sink.

I couldn't put this book down, even when I knew I reallllyyy needed to be getting to bed. Sleep is good, but books are better. It's easy to become attached to these characters. I was biting my nails at points, hoping everyone was going to survive the scene, or the chapter. Heck, sometimes just to the end of the paragraph. I really hope a sequel to The After War might be in the future at some point. I'd love to see how humanity, and Simon and Winston in particular, recovers.

My favourite storyline is Simon's, throughout both the first and second parts. I liked the meditation and metta-meditation lessons woven throughout his narrative. Simon, and his past, resonated with me. He's a person I'd like to meet here, now, in this time.

Zenner did a great job of bringing the terror of a pandemic to full life. This virus, though unnamed, seems the nasty older brother to Ebola Zaire, and that's saying something. E. Zaire is one scary customer. I find stories like this, involving slate-wiper viruses. They're like reset buttons, these virii, allowing a chance for the land to heal from humanity's predations.

🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻 Highly recommended for those who enjoy post-apocalyptic stories akin to The Postman, The Alpha Plague, The Darwin Collapse, Wayward Pines, and others stories of a nature-born apocalypse. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed "The After War: The Complete Series" by Brandon Zenner and can honestly blame him for my lack of sleep during the last few days. The story is told in two parts - in the first, the author focuses on the cross-country trek of two separate groups, two years after a virus almost decimates the entire population. Part 2 follows the same groups as they acclimate to living with other survivors in towns and communities that are interconnected and protected by a trained security show more force.

Simon is a rich kid whose parents were preppers and had prepared a cabin in the deep woods of Canada for just such a situation. Here, Simon, who by the way is an expert in tracking, hunting, and foraging from almost a decade with the scouts, lives with his dog, Winston. They've survived the 2-year quarantine period and leave to head back home to his family.

Brian and Steve are cousins and best friends who live together in an underground bunker which was built and stocked with food, water and supplies to last three or more years. They too, must leave their quarantine after two years and travel east to link-up with their uncle after retrieving a sister and friend from another private bunker in another state.

En route, both groups are in awe of the devastation and encounter others - some welcome - others not as they want to take everything they own. Oftentimes, they are outgunned, and are lucky to escape with their lives. Without supplies, Brian and Steve, weak from the lack of food and water, become lethargic and have a falling out. They become separated and Brian continues by himself, barely alive, finally reaching the bunker of Steve's sister and friend. After nursing him back to health, the threesome leave their sanctuary and set out to locate their uncle.

Part II is about the community life of the survivors one year after the two groups arrived. They are doing well and set-up trades with neighboring towns. However, groups of mercenaries are traveling cross-country and overrunning towns - killing the inhabitants and taking all the supplies for themselves. Two such groups are heading their way and want everything the community has. The odds are overwhelming against the good guys...how will it all end? Readers will be on the edge of their seats for most of the story...heads-up!

Highly recommended! I also have to mention that the author has a knack for describing things - adding off-the-wall comments or phrases about it that will make readers smile or laugh outright. You'll see what I mean. Great job, Mr. Zenner...writing an Apocalypse book without zombies!

John Podlaski, author
"Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel" and "When Can I Stop Running?" show less

This story was told from a few different points of perspective but the main character I enjoyed the most was Simon. Simon is a young man who longs to be in the wilderness and someday be a forest ranger. He is in survivalist training and about to graduate from school when he is called away to return home. He comes from an extremely wealthy family who explains to him that we are at war and that he is to go to his uncle's cabin in Nova Scotia and stay there for at least two years so that what show more is coming will have had time to pass. He leaves with his dog Winston and proceeds to live in isolation, meditating and becoming "one with nature".
The 2nd point of view is from two cousins, Brian and Steven, who have been living in a bunker for the past two years and who have also been told to wait 2 years and to go to a certain town to get their sister and cousin.
Simon heads back to his home only to find that his parents have died and that the town has been designated as the Blue Zone due to its water filtering facility and is run by the military. Brian makes it to his cousins and they proceed to what is now known as the red zone for its access to fuel.
The antagonist in this story is a evil militia style group that terrorizes anyone they come across and they manage to fool the blue zone into allowing them entry as additional reinforcements for their community.
I really enjoyed everything about the book except for the fact that it seemed way to obvious what the Red Hand militia was up to before they were officially invited to come in. I think Simon's character was very unusual as far as this type of book goes, he very much wanted to use non-violence to solve the problems and start the world back on the right foot. I found the fact that he became everything he was against near the end very surprising but quiet satisfying. Looking forward to the next book. show less