What if the end of mankind's dominance on earth was as swift, brutal and unstoppable as our own world rule?
What if you were left to observe the end of the world, alone and surrounded by new and frightening creatures that spawn and mature seemingly in the slow blink of an earth day?
Such is plight of Emily Baxter, she has survived act one; the red rain that took the lives of everyone she knew (and seemingly the lives of every other living creature).
Question is, will she survive the aftermath?
This is the premise for Paul Antony Jones' post apocalyptic series, which begins with the red, blood like rain in book one, Extinction Point, heralding the beginning of the end for mankind.
Like any good series, Extinction Point, raises many intriguing questions; with What the? and Why? being key among these.
Jones' writes his book from the perspective of his resolute heroine, Emily. Her view-point can seem transactional at times (i.e. did this, had to do that to survive) , oddly enough this adds to the success of the story telling rather that distracting from it. Emily's observations gradually reveal the scope of what is happening, adding to the realism of one person struggling to survive in an unrecognisable world.
Emily heads north on her stolen (but who really cares, right?) bike, following the advice of the only other human voice she has heard since the apparent extinction of every other living soul. Jacob is a scientist, based in the cold north of Canada, who believes that the cold dramatically reduces the success of the red rain and the creatures it has spawned.
The real adventure starts here in book two, 'Revelations'; as more people get involved in Emily's story (all be it not many more) the emotional impact ramps up dramatically. Many readers will relate to at least one or two of the characters and their fates. After reading one plotline, I was left so sad I spent the night staring at the dark ceiling of my bedroom feeling something akin to grief.
Over the course of the three books, Jones does supply us with the answers to the key questions. Some of these seem a little preachy and trite (environmental damage by humans etc), perhaps reducing the final impact of the series.
This aside however, I loved this trilogy. The end of the world has never seemed so real, so relentless and so very very frightening!
If you would like to experience the end, the Extinction Point series is available for purchase through Amazon.com via the following link.
Extinction Point; by Paul Antony Jones.
For reviews similar to this, explore the 'Post Apocalyptic' tab at the top of 'Little Miss Kindle'.
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