I regret spending money on this book and wasting the 9 hours listening to it (I have a hard time stopping a book once I start). I kept hoping it would improve but it never did.
I feel like I was reading a book written by a high school student with its use of slang in the narrative and its severe lack of research on the topic.
A few examples: Item 1: After a full scale nuclear exchange with Russia that resulted in every major US city and military target being hit you could not just walk out of your shelter after 30 days and rebuild the community like it had just experienced a hurricane or tornado. I’m sorry but this couldn’t happen. The devastation and radioactivity would be deadly for months if not years.
Item 2: Consider NATO. If a war like this started it would more than likely include most of the Northern Hemisphere not just two countries.
Item 3: Everyone would be experiencing radiation sickness not just a handful of people in the community.
Item 4: Rigor Mortis is not a permanent condition. You would not see corpses in cars 30 days after death “frozen in rigor mortis”.
Item 5: Phlebotomist have very little knowledge about medical conditions. They are technicians that draw blood and deliver it to the lab. They are not the middle men or facilitators of information in a clinic.
Then you have the main characters, from the panic/anxiety stricken loser (Nate) that becomes the hero of the story and due to the nuclear war his life became 100x better. Sorry not going to happen. Nuclear war would just SUCK!
The stereotypical born-again Christian (Simon) that doesn’t follow any of Christ’s/biblical teachings and deep down is just a psychopath that wants to rule over everyone.
Then my personal favorite stereotypes: only panic/anxiety stricken people are “preppers” and Christians would rather all commit suicide than face the end of the world.
The book is full of oxymorons: Nate has fond memories of fishing and hunting with his father yet he completely hates his father. Simon’s son is a “real mamma’s boy” yet craves his father’s praise. Simon is giving and concerned about others but all of his actions are selfish.
I could go on and on but then this would be as boring as “Wormwood”.