Famine

When some kind of blight starts taking over Ed’s wheat field in Kansas in a matter of hours, he soon learns this is affecting many areas of the U.S. and many different types of crops. Meanwhile, Ed’s wife Season has decided that she does not like life on a farm and misses the city; she packs up and takes their daughter with her to California to be with her sister.

I could have done without the stretch of politics at the start; I kind of lost interest through part of that. The story itself of the food all going bad was good, and to what lengths will people go to get (and/or stockpile) food. Even more so, I could definitely have also done without every female character having big boobs and a ton of sex; and all the derogatory comments show more toward the woman characters. I almost rated it lower due to this, but decided the story itself was enough for me to rate it slightly higher, so I decided on a middle ground at 3 stars (ok). show less

A mysterious blight is spreading through Ed Hardesty's crops at an alarming rate. Worried for his living he reports the problem but finds that he is not alone. All food crops are being attacked and surely this years harvest across the USA will fail unless a cure can be found.

The blight is reported and Senator Jones takes control, but all he can see if how to cream off a few million dollars for himself by way of a relief fund. Meanwhile the crops get worse and the unsuspecting American publics are still being told that there is no issue and a vaccine is nearly ready. Can Hardesty survive the Famine? And can he allow the rest of his country to descend into unknowing chaos?

The book has a number of subplots as we follow not just Hardesty show more but his estranged wife season, we get to see how Famine affects Town and Country alike. Although the fresh harvest has failed America still has canned and dried goods, so surely they will survive? They can't be spoiled? Or can they....

This is my first book by Masterson and in a way he reminds me of a cross between Richard Layman and Stephen King. Plenty of suspense and graphic sex scenes (I believe the author was an editor of a few porn magazines). If I had to compare this to another book I would say the Stand has a lot in common, although Famine is no where near as much of an epic.

So why only 3 stars? I really enjoyed the book but for me the timescales involved made the plot pretty implausible. Masterson expects us to believe that after even a few days without food people resort to cannibalism and suicide, maybe after a number of weeks, yes. But days? Also the extent of rioting and looting..... it just happens all too quick for me.

I will definitely be seeking more of his novels though. show less

This was a pretty good book, actually. If you can get past the 'America is the world' attitude, the book is a real thriller. I enjoyed it so much I read it twice.