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After the Fall: The Engineer and the Apocalypse

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Haley left Dublin for a six-week internship in Seattle.

Four years later and she's living in the ruins of Washington State after the world fell in a cascade of nuclear bombs, computer viruses and human plagues.

When she is accused of her friend's murder, she flees into the night, with one destination in mind. Home to Marley, the love she left behind.

To escape her pursuers, skip around the swathes of chemical and radioactive waste, avoid the Kings, a roaming gang of marauders, she will need to use every bit of engineering knowledge she has.

Can she make it across the continent and an uncrossable ocean to finally get home?

Does home still exist, or did it perish in the Fall?

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 19, 2024

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Gerry Gainford

2 books1 follower

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
214 reviews7 followers
June 23, 2024
I am a sucker for a post apocalyptic story and I enjoyed this one very much. The characters and their actions are believable and there is some serious violence in this story so if that is a trigger, give this one a pass. Really loved the twist near the ending. Having the main character be someone who was only in the country temporarily kind of draws you in and makes you realize how many other stories exist beyond your own. The story also reminds you to not live your whole life inside a book. Get out there and learn some new things. Never know what is going to save your life or someone else's.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Sam.
2,323 reviews39 followers
June 26, 2024
This was really excellent! I did really enjoy it, a great paced, high energy adventure, set in an interesting apocalyptic world! I really liked the main character & the overall storyline, I start the book & really finished it in just one reading. It was such fun! I do recommend!
Profile Image for Gordon Long.
Author 28 books40 followers
September 15, 2024
This novel is a Post-Apocalyptic story stripped to its basics. The world has fallen apart, and it has really crashed. There are no enclaves of rescued technology and remembered ethical behaviour. Technology has been pushed back to the 1950s, politics and morality into the early Dark Ages. Feudalism would be a definite improvement. As stories in this genre run, this author has a pretty grim opinion of the human race. A note at the opening prepares us for scenes of violence and sexual assault.

The plotline follows a Hero’s Journey across this malevolent landscape, as she tries to get back to her country and her lover.

This is the simplest and most straightforward style of Apocalypse novels. The main character may carry her mechanical wizardry over from her former life, but the author spares us the interminable descriptions of technical fixes and gadgets that are typical of the genre.

The story is about people: the heroine and those who help or hinder her. Haley is an outlier for several reasons: social, sexual, and moral, and we can’t help but fear for her in this new society that is especially unkind to anyone who is different. This makes for a constant stream of suspenseful moments, as her life and journey spiral downwards, and only her grit and her dreams keep her afloat.

The implausibility of a single girl crossing a post-apocalyptic continent is mostly ameliorated by the careful thought and attention to detail that make each step of the journey, each success and pitfall, seem completely possible.

One minor distraction is the use of flashbacks to fill in the details of the previous months. This slows down the present-day action and sometimes leads to disorientation on the part of the reader. However, this is a minor distraction, and the details of the past are only given to us when we want them, so it works pretty well.

In general, a well-written basic Post-Apocalyptic novel. Highly recommended to fans of the genre.
Profile Image for Viking Jam.
1,232 reviews18 followers
June 20, 2024
2024

apoc

Review: I gutted this one out, only to pay respect to the cover art.

The timelines that follow our Irish Lesbian as she moves / runs through Wa. state is not temporally accurate. She starts in Seattle, and riding 35 mph, she is suddenly in Vantage. From Vantage the next day she is in Handford / Kenniwick. Next she is in Boise, then Elko with no mention of the Blue Mountains that would have been impossible to pass. She sure rides fast going 35 at top speed while crashing and looking for gas. The way the Columbia river flows directionally, is hit or miss as well.

I kind of liked this story line however overused it is. What limited the reach was the insertion of wokeisms. All the bad people are white men that love to rape and pillage for no reason. Mad Max and all that motorcycle rage. You also get subjected to a few chapters that have nothing to do with the story line other than proselytizing pride days in Ireland and her last kiss with snookums. No one gives a shjt, really.

This had some potential but the quest never gets off the fucking pot. Run......................Hide / Fight x 45. Rinse and repeat until you land no where near where the book promised you would go.

1.6/5
Profile Image for Robin Ginther-Venneri.
631 reviews31 followers
August 30, 2024

Robin’s Review-Kenan
"After the Fall: The Engineer and the Apocalypse" by Gerry Gainford

Haley, an Irish engineer, is fighting to survive in a brutal post-apocalyptic Washington State. 🌍💥 On a desperate quest to clear her name and reunite with her lost love, Marley, Haley's journey is a heart-pounding race against time. ❤️🏃‍♀️

With survival hinging on her engineering skills and a shocking twist that changes everything, this story is an emotional rollercoaster that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I recommend it to fans of post-apocalyptic adventures, science fiction, and LGBTQ+ stories that tug at your heartstrings. 💔✨

#BookReview #PostApocalyptic #ScienceFiction #LGBTQ+ #Adventure #EmotionalJourney
Profile Image for Mrs LIR Linda.
310 reviews11 followers
September 23, 2024
A good apocalyptic novel - a young Irish girl Haley should have been in the States for a short time ------ but the world changes with a fallout. Haley is a gifted hands on engineer and has used her skills to survive and be of use amongst the feuding factions that try and dominate the decimated States by violence.

One thought sustains her…………… return to her love 'Marley' in Ireland. This is the fist part of the story and it is well written.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
6 reviews
June 27, 2024
I really liked this book, got through it in 1 sitting. The characters were engaging and I think I cheered for Addy more than Haley. The book was a little end of the world, a little MacGyver and a good chase.

It looks like it's going to be part of a series, it seems to set up for a sequel and I am looking forward to the next one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Scott Coon.
Author 5 books28 followers
August 27, 2024
This story grabbed me right from the start and kept me riveted to the end. Haley is an engaging character with clear goals and a strong personality. She’s competent and confident but by no means invulnerable. Her escape across the wasteland takes us through communities of desperate people trying to build a new life while still processing the loss of the life that was, as well as why it was lost. Along the way I learned that if the world collapses, you need to find an engineer to hang with.
Profile Image for Sherry Fundin.
2,089 reviews147 followers
September 13, 2024
After The Fall by Gerry Gainford is an apocalyptic, dystopian, science fiction novel that kept engrossed in the story of a Washington State that lies in ruins. Nuclear bombs, computer viruses and plagues run rampant. I love that Haley tools around on a motorcycle that she manages to keep running because of her engineering knowledge.

All hell breaks loose when she makes a run for it, after her friend, Jimmy, is murdered.

Haley had left her girlfriend in Dublin and is trying to get back to her. Made me think of Darryl in Walking Dead and I’m curious to see how she is going to cross the ocean to get home. It’s bad enough that she has to dodge those who want her dead, radiation sickness, and plagues. I love a strong, female protagonist that manages to keep her humanity, yet does what is necessary to protect herself, including killing those who would kill her first if she didn’t defend herself.

The world building created a desolate landscape and the pacing made it as hard for me to stop as it did for Haley. The characters run the gamut, but many have lost their humanity. They take what they want, with no regard for their actions. Much of the collusion was hidden from me and I love how Gerry Gainford was able to keep me in the dark. It made it all the more dangerous, not knowing who to trust (NO ONE).

I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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