America is decimated and the few that survive are forced to live in a country with no government where, truly, only the strongest survive. Millions are wiped out by radiation poisoning, while others suffer the slower deaths of the toxins that linger in the air, on the ground and in the water. Slavers led by a man named Cesar have arisen, taking possession of the weak and defenseless and using them for their own sick pleasure, while one man, Adrian, has created a place of protection for the survivors he encounters - Safe Haven.
The Survivors: Book 1 (Life After War) flits between various central characters and their stories as it goes from chapter to chapter, so it can be hard to get everyone straight initially, but I enjoyed seeing what was occurring through the eyes of the different people. Samantha is a young woman who was supposed to be transported to the safety of NORAD because of her government work, but instead, her chopper crashes and she is taken by a pair of ruthless brothers who use and abuse her until she is able to kill them and escape. When she finally makes it to NORAD and realizes there is no safe place, she is devastated.
Kenny and Charlie are a step-father/son pair, with Kenny being a Marine and Charlie being a 14-year-old Cadet. Although they initially get separated when the bombs hit, Kenny was able to rescue Charlie and the pair want nothing more than to survive and return to Angela, Kenny's wife and Charlie's mom. But Angela has hit the road in search of Charlie, unable to bear waiting for the pair to return. Angela is a very special woman, one with strange "gifts" that allow her to read people's thoughts, send messages to those in tune with her (like Kenny and Charlie), and some far more dangerous powers, as well. She is also a doctor, so her presence is desperately needed among the few survivors she encounters. She initially has difficulty leaving her hometown because the local survivors not only want her to stay to care for them, they realize her powers exist and they want to possess her for their own uses. She (mentally) calls on Marc Brady, another Marine and a man she fell in love with when she was just a young girl, but they were separated by their families for religious reasons. He rushes to her side, but she is distrustful of all men, especially Brady, and has deep, dark secrets she keeps from him.
Adrian is the leader of Safe Haven, a roaming group that takes the survival of America and its people very seriously, although Adrian has terrible secrets of his own. They have created a guarded and organized traveling caravan and take on new members all the time. They are in search of a place to rebuild and come upon Kenny and Charlie, with Kenny quickly being accepted and rising in Adrian's ranks. Although Kenny is far more dangerous than he appears, as least where Angela is concerned, Adrian and the group at Safe Haven are fooled by him. Will his façade be blown when she and Brady finally show up to reclaim her son? Further, will Kenny give her up without a fight or will blood be spilled?
These are questions that are left hanging at the end of The Survivors: Book 1 (Life After War). When I started the book, I was absolutely enthralled. I am a big fan of disaster movies and apocalyptic scenarios, so The Survivors drew me in immediately. It hits the ground running with a breathless and intense pace and the book is fairly gritty, not glossing over the evil that humans are capable of inflicting on one another. When Angela's powers were first introduced, I was wary because I prefer more realism to fantasy (at least in a book with this scenario), but it wasn't overdone or ridiculous and it worked well into the plot. I am anxious to see where Book 2: On the Road takes these characters as an explosive meeting between Angela, Kenny and Brady is imminent and Adrian's troops are stirring with distrust and jealousy since Kenny is moving through the ranks so quickly. I am racing on to Book 2, so look for a review shortly!
