Half Past Midnight / Jeff Brackett

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

Approximate word count: 115-120,000 words

Availability
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: NO Smashwords: YES Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Perusing Jeff Brackett’s bio in the “About the Author” page in his book and on his website, you’ll find that besides writing he has a longtime interest in the martial arts and makes knives as a hobby. (These aren’t regular knives. Some might call them works of art.) He shares both these avocations with the protagonist of his story. For more, visit Brackett’s website.

Description:

A nuclear war blasts the world back in time, with much of the technology we take for granted rendered no longer functional. Follow survivalist Leeland Dawcett and his family as they adapt to their new world.

Half Past Midnight has been designated a “Red Adept Select” book.

Appraisal:

For years, scientists have argued about the effects of a global nuclear war, the best guesses saying there would be many human survivors, but the impact on the world as we know it would be immense. Electromagnetic pulses from the bombs would render most electronic equipment useless. Fallout would have impacts on the food supply, both animals used as meat and crops.

In Half Past Midnight, author Jeff Brackett has imagined what it would be like in this post-nuclear-war world and how families like his own would survive. His protagonist, Leeland Dawcett, has thought about this eventuality and is more prepared than most, but soon finds that you can’t plan for everything. As the Dawcett family adapts to the changing world, they discover what is important and what it takes to survive.

I found Half Past Midnight entertaining, not only as a vicarious adventure, but also as a thought exercise. How would I do in this situation? (Not very well.) How prepared would I be if it did happen? (Hardly prepared at all.) Books give us a chance to imagine experiences we’d like to have and those we’d rather not. I’ll pick option B this time.

FYI:

A small amount of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars