The Borrowed World

Close and personal story of the apocalypse

I've read many 'end of the world' books. Some supernatural ends, some aliens, some invasion stories, some nuclear... this book treads many of the well worn paths of those stories, but it takes a somewhat different tact to most of what I have read.

Most stories like this fall into the "end of the world only just happened" or "it happened ages ago and we are just surviving" stories. This is the former, yet other than an opening chapter/prologue that goes into a bit of the events leading up to the attacks that cause the end of the world Horton doesn't really describe the action and events. We don't really see anything at all from the POV of our characters, because none were there. There is speculation and some small news reports talking of the damage but nothing clear. Our characters are not involved in the major events, they are the small people that get caught up in the results of it.

In this was it reminds me most of William R. Forstchen's "One Second After", showing a small town and the events that occur because of the attacks.

The book follows two groups - Jim Powell and some co-workers, trying to get home, and Jim's wife and kids on their farm. The wife and kids part reminds me very much of Forstchen's book and covers very similar grounds - buying up suppliers, dealing with lack of power and fuel, protecting the property. it is enjoyable but nothing I haven't read before.

Jim's story is the more interesting one and in fact works as a nice counterpart of Forstchen's book, in that Forstchen's characters must deal with travelers and an influx into their town and this book is from the POV of one of those travelers and what it is like to be the outsider trying to get in (or through).

As always in these books the world goes to shit, some people are good some turn super selfish and our characters have to deal with it.

The book is a bit of a preppers and gun lovers book, as that is what the main character is. despite being on a work trip he has his prep bag in case something goes wrong and thus has stuff he can use (like night vision goggles and ration packs etc). it also allows for a small 2nd amendment "aren't you all lucky we have guns" rant from one of the characters

There is also attitude throughout the book that everyone who is poor must not want to work and just wants handouts from everyone else. It's not characters espousing it, it's part of the narration and (I guess) a part of Horton's outlook. This reduces 'the poor' in the book to a stereotype and, in my opinion, weakens the book.

Beyond the story the actual writing is a bit all over the place. It switches between 1st person for Jim's story and 3rd person for the rest. yet during Jim's story he tells of things that he cannot possibly know. At one point he talks about some guy who lost a kid when the kid was in the army and recently had a wife die, so therefore doesn't care if he dies as well. the problem is Jim has never spoken to this guy (and never does because he gets himself killed 3 seconds later) so there is no way Jim knows what he knows. Horton accidentally slips into 3rd person omniscience halfway through a 1st person chapter.


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Narration by Kevin Pierce is pretty good. He has a husky "manly" voice that really suits Jim's character. the other characters, and parts where we focus on Jim's family don't fit as well. Pierce differentiates characters well enough, without doing actual individual voices. He puts inflection and feeling into the reading as needed.

Certainly easy and enjoyable to listen to.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of audiobookblast dot com.

67 of 73 people found this review helpful

Engaging and realistic post-apocalyptic,

My rating 4.25.

A coordinated terrorist attack strikes at the infrastructure of America, taking down bridges and dams and enough of the electrical grid to shut down most of the food delivery and communications systems. Jim Powell and several co-workers are five hundred miles away from home attending a work conference. Jim and his friend, Gary, are preppers who have been expecting trouble and are prepared. The four ladies with them are skeptics and not all cooperative. They do not believe Jim’s explanations of the downward societal spiral that will occur. Still, they all agree to get back in their cars and head for home.

They soon run into difficulties as the government seizes control of all fuel sources leaving them, and many others, stranded. The group are soon surrounded by erupting violence and hard decisions. One woman is killed by panicked gunfire and two others decide to go to a FEMA relocation camp. That leaves Jim, Gary and HHH to continue the long trek towards home.

Meanwhile, the story covers Jim’s family as they face dangers on their home turf. His wife, Ellen, thirteen-year-old son, Pete and eleven-year-old daughter, Ariel, prepare to face the deteriorating society. Jim has left supplies and instructions which the family quickly begins to follow. They life outside of the community but there is a transient trailer park down the road where the tenants soon threaten those they perceive as easy prey. They have no idea the steps a mother will take to protect her family.

This reminds me of the Survivalist Series by A. American that I have listened to. It starts out similarly and is also told, in parts, from first person view of the primary protagonist. Other portions are third person including some bits that are beyond Jim’s knowledge. I liked the addition of the home front point of view and both threads have plenty of action and danger. So far there is no addition of military cohorts but this is just book one.

The story moves quickly and, to me, it is realistic and gives practical aspects for preparing to face an EOTWAWKI (end of the world as we know it) scenario. There is some bad language and of course violence fitting the situation. I suspect I will continue to listen to this although I don’t feel compelled to rush to get the rest in the series just yet. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy the post-apocalyptic genre.

Audio Notes: Kevin Pierce does a good job with narrating. His voice fits Jim and although he doesn’t actually portray individual voices he manages to present the characters distinctly. I did enjoy this in audio format for the ease and engaging listen.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Outstanding Find!

Where does The Borrowed World rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This story has two very good plots, man who is prepared to get home and home that works to survive until he does. No unnecessary character build up, no unnecessary "this is why I feel like I do" fillers, just a good old start to finish survival story that makes sense and kept me interested. Very, very good find, eagerly waiting for the next book!

15 of 19 people found this review helpful

Meh

Kevin Pierce brings the story to life masterfully. However, while the story line has a plausible initiating sequence for a post-apocalyptic novel, the author believes that chaos will reign in only a matter of hours. The story has more in common with a B grade action movie script. Maybe that is what the author was trying to achieve.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great prepper book

Any additional comments?

Loved the book! Excellent narration and great prepper and survival info. Looking forward to book 2 and other books by this author!

13 of 17 people found this review helpful

Not buying the second book

What was most disappointing about Franklin Horton’s story?

The premise of an terrorist attack taking out the US electrical and fuel distribution is plausible but not the way the author portrays it. Two motor shells randomly launched a refineries may slow them down for a day but I doubt they could shutdown all fuel production for more than day. Examples being recent refinery explosions and fires. Second the country falls apart in the first 24 hours. Having lived through Sandy with no fuel deliveries and no power I am have a different expectation of the fuel already in the ground and the resourcefulness and charity of my fellow citizens in the early hours of a disaster.

Characters are portrayed as good or evil. When I steal food from the vending machines that feed the family of the hotel manager, the author treats this as my good sense to grab extra food that I might need down the road. Yet when the trailer living scum down the road seek food for their families nothing short of the death penalty is appropriate. The same action is treated as moral and righteous or evil and diabolical based on the type of person doing it.

17 of 23 people found this review helpful

It's a good start

Post Apocalyptic, I'm a fan. I think this is a good start to what is probably going to be a great series. I struggled with how prepared the main characters were considering that they were far from home when disaster struck. Small observation, but an annoying one in any case. Yes, it's a great idea to be so prepared but hardly anyone would be. Still, I enjoyed the story and the narrator does a decent job with the delivery. I would be very interested to see where this goes in volume 2.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

THE POOP HITS THE FAN

PARANOID OR PREPARED
I am a fan of the apocalyptic novel, not so much the Bug out books. This is the exception to the rule, because of the above average writing. I felt nervous during most of this, because it was so intense. I never knew from one minute to the next what was going to happen. At least with a Zombie book, you can tell yourself, Zombies don't exist. This is so realistic and I could imagine these things happening. The realistic element makes this book scarier than a Zombie book. I am giving this all fives and I am buying the second book.

JIM USUALLY TOOK CARE OF THESE THINGS FOR THEM.
I do have some nit picky things to say about the book, but it is still a great book. This is the first Prepper book I have read all the way through. The other two I could not finish. What they all have in common is the little woman at home. These women are always perfect obedient wives, with no minds of their own. They do as they are told, they are too stupid to do any of the planning ahead of time, there husbands must write it out for them. This woman can't lift anything or back up a trailer. This husband spends thousands of dollars on guns, but keeps it a secret from his wife. I think a husband would look stronger, if he could handle a strong wife. One character is a okay, until he says he does not like guns and then Whamo!! , he is a cowardly liberal. If you don't have a bug out bag with you at all times, you are stupid, yet Jim's bag must have been insufficient, since within 24 hours of the attacks, he is stealing food and blankets from others. Finally we are supposed to hero worship the guys grandpa, cause he is tough, yet he is too cowardly to live as a cripple and he involves his grandson in helping him do the most cowardly act anyone can do. Those are my opinions, but I still love the book, and I am going to continue the series.

The narrator is good. He does make all the men sound like they are in their sixties or older. Not sure they are suppose to be that old.

28 of 40 people found this review helpful

You Will Want to Get Them All!

Well written story of the collapse that follows a coordinated terrorist attack on America's infrastructure. The tale follows a man trying to get home to his family after the attacks. We get a good glimpse into the preparations he's made for his family. It alternates from his POV trying to get home (and all that he and those with him encounter) to his wife and kids waiting for him to make it back. Slight spoiler...the family back home has a few problems to deal with too. I can't wait to read the next one, because the story continues. We're left with two cliff-hangers.

Kevin Pierce does a splendid job narrating this. His pace, tone, characterizations are all spot on. I sometimes have a tendency for my mind to wander with some narrators, but Pierce's presentation of the prose was so gripping I never lost interest. I would've listened to it straight through if I hadn't had to work. As it was, I got through it in two days. Excellent audiobook all around.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

TEOTWAWKI Ad Infinitum

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the opening setting -- mass ISIS attacks on easy infrastructure targets -- but then the story devolves into a number of classic, but frequently repeated elsewhere end of the world scenarios -- the stranded motorist, the long walk home, fenced off towns, crazy ex-cons and gangs on the loose -- all centered around a guy that has apparently prepared himself and his family for years for the end of the world. Nothing complex here, just pure, unadultered, prepper porn that I ate up like popcorn.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful