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Stranded #1
Stranded: Land
A hard earned class trip turns into a nightmare. Far from home when the lights go out, they not only have to try to get home, they need to survive the trip.
STRANDED far from home - Join a courageous group of teens as they make their way in a post apocalyptic adventure story of survival after an EMP has virtually shut down modern technology across North America.
Alex, Quinn, Josh, Cooper and Dara - setting out on foot with nothing more than some soon to be worthless cash and a little advice from a trusted teacher, they walk through a burning city that has come to a halt. The devastation they see as they make their way out of the city is a small part of the horror that the nation will become. As the days go by with no food deliveries and no water flowing from taps, civilization will start to crumble and it will be survival of the fittest. With 1500 miles to cross they will need to plan well, count on each other and pray for a little luck. Even with that, chances are slim of getting home when you are Stranded.
Remastered with new content, edits and covers the 6 book Stranded Series is sure to thrill.
STRANDED far from home - Join a courageous group of teens as they make their way in a post apocalyptic adventure story of survival after an EMP has virtually shut down modern technology across North America.
Alex, Quinn, Josh, Cooper and Dara - setting out on foot with nothing more than some soon to be worthless cash and a little advice from a trusted teacher, they walk through a burning city that has come to a halt. The devastation they see as they make their way out of the city is a small part of the horror that the nation will become. As the days go by with no food deliveries and no water flowing from taps, civilization will start to crumble and it will be survival of the fittest. With 1500 miles to cross they will need to plan well, count on each other and pray for a little luck. Even with that, chances are slim of getting home when you are Stranded.
Remastered with new content, edits and covers the 6 book Stranded Series is sure to thrill.
207 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 13, 2012
About the author
Theresa Shaver
28 books182 followersTheresa Shaver lives in South Central Alberta Canada.
As an avid reader, I used to dream about writing and sharing my own stories with the world. Publishing was a far off and intimidating goal until Amazon opened the gates! I love that I get real feed back from my fans on my books instead of some guy behind a desk who studies market trends. I write to share my dreams with the world and now I can. My first series is a Young Adult Post-apocalypse story. I love writing about the growth of characters faced with such huge challenges and plan to continue future stories in wrecked worlds. It's a new do it yourself world in so many industries so never stop believing in your dreams and do it yourself!
As an avid reader, I used to dream about writing and sharing my own stories with the world. Publishing was a far off and intimidating goal until Amazon opened the gates! I love that I get real feed back from my fans on my books instead of some guy behind a desk who studies market trends. I write to share my dreams with the world and now I can. My first series is a Young Adult Post-apocalypse story. I love writing about the growth of characters faced with such huge challenges and plan to continue future stories in wrecked worlds. It's a new do it yourself world in so many industries so never stop believing in your dreams and do it yourself!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 264 reviews
May 12, 2019
Having just arrived at Disneyland, the students and their teachers were shocked to see a plane plummeting to the ground off in the distance. Learning an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) had occurred, the head teacher organized groups with plans on what to do. They were all from Canada, so a long way from home. Some would attempt to sail, some would go to the Embassy and Alex, Quinn, Josh, Cooper and Dara would walk and cycle if they could get pushbikes.
Their adventures as they made their way across the country were sometimes quiet, sometimes exciting – but never dull. The danger they faced had them on alert, watching each other’s backs the whole time. Adjusting to no electricity, no electronics, no running water, was difficult, but they did it. It helped that Alex and a couple of others were from farms. But would they make it across 1500 miles of country? They missed their families; hated to think what had happened. The post-apocalyptic country was vastly different to anything they’d known.
Stranded: Land is the first in the Stranded series by Theresa Shaver and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Young adult/post apocalypse adventures with a group of sixteen-year-old teens, strong and resilient. Alex was a great leader and together they made a strong team. The abrupt ending was a shock – it obviously flows straight into book 2, Stranded: Sea – so of course I’m going to have to pick that one up soon! Highly recommended.
Their adventures as they made their way across the country were sometimes quiet, sometimes exciting – but never dull. The danger they faced had them on alert, watching each other’s backs the whole time. Adjusting to no electricity, no electronics, no running water, was difficult, but they did it. It helped that Alex and a couple of others were from farms. But would they make it across 1500 miles of country? They missed their families; hated to think what had happened. The post-apocalyptic country was vastly different to anything they’d known.
Stranded: Land is the first in the Stranded series by Theresa Shaver and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Young adult/post apocalypse adventures with a group of sixteen-year-old teens, strong and resilient. Alex was a great leader and together they made a strong team. The abrupt ending was a shock – it obviously flows straight into book 2, Stranded: Sea – so of course I’m going to have to pick that one up soon! Highly recommended.
September 22, 2014
Ugh.
Gave up about half way through this one...and it was a struggle to get that far. In the opening scene, in the very first seconds of the disaster, the main characters' teacher "knew" what had happened. When she immediately told them what to do to survive and gave them thousands of dollars, I knew this book had problems.
And then there was character development, which is non-existent. Sure we learn all kinds of things about these kids and their personal situations. But that's because the author TELLS us. Wrong. Real character development is revealed in what the characters do and say-- and by "say" I don't mean long, sad monologues about family life. I mean how they respond to various situations, good and bad. These characters aren't given any nuances at all. They are the "good guys" and we were are supposed to like them, dammit. But that's tough to do when their dialogue is so stilted and uniform that there's no difference between speakers. They don't even talk like teenager: the language is very formal, missing the ease and shorthand that kids use with each other.
Then there the happy coincidences. The author really didn't want to put these kids through the fire and test them because first chapter they are given money, then they find transportation, guns and food. Ugh, again. How much better this book would have been if they'd really had to work for those things. But no, they have a leg up on everyone else from the start.
I might have been able to forgive all that. I know how hard it is to write a book. But what made me stop reading and want to throw this one across the room (and probably would have if I hadn't feared for my Kindle) was the bad guys.
When characters confront complex bad guys, they are forced to grow and show themselves in ways that engage the reader. On the other hand, one-dimensional bad guys (and bad guys based on stereotypes) do the exact opposite: they create a black and white world without the moral shades of gray that characterize reality. And even more disturbing to me is when the bad guys are sterotyped class of people: gypsies, poor people, or in this case, a motorcycle gang.
UGH, again.
Perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to this because I am a person of color and I know that, in many post-apocalyptic stories, these stereotypes are veiled synonyms for the racism that runs like veins through the body of our culture. But whether that's the case here or not, when these teens start triumphantly killing these one-dimensional uglies like they're roaches, I had to stop reading. Yes, they were under threat. I get that. But even then, I think taking life deserves some pause. And I think that in most cases, evil is made not born. In the best stories, the bad guys are complex and worthy adversaries. They make the good guys confront something about what they believe, or see a side of themselves they hadn't known existed.
That didn't happen here.
This is a survival story. There should have been plenty things to survive without escaping violence as the only major plot device. I knew I was in trouble when the kids were handed all the gear they needed to make their journey and didn't have to make any hard moral choices about when stealing might be a necessity, or face serious hunger or thirst. I nearly abandoned the book then. I probably should have because now I'm angry with this book for all its missed opportunities and laziness.
I've got a soapbox built for books like this, but rather than jump on it now (or beat this struggling author over the head with it) I guess I'll write a blog or something one of these days. For review purposes, I'll just conclude with another "ugh" and my single star, more for the effort it took for Ms. Shaver to complete Land than for anything in its contents.
Gave up about half way through this one...and it was a struggle to get that far. In the opening scene, in the very first seconds of the disaster, the main characters' teacher "knew" what had happened. When she immediately told them what to do to survive and gave them thousands of dollars, I knew this book had problems.
And then there was character development, which is non-existent. Sure we learn all kinds of things about these kids and their personal situations. But that's because the author TELLS us. Wrong. Real character development is revealed in what the characters do and say-- and by "say" I don't mean long, sad monologues about family life. I mean how they respond to various situations, good and bad. These characters aren't given any nuances at all. They are the "good guys" and we were are supposed to like them, dammit. But that's tough to do when their dialogue is so stilted and uniform that there's no difference between speakers. They don't even talk like teenager: the language is very formal, missing the ease and shorthand that kids use with each other.
Then there the happy coincidences. The author really didn't want to put these kids through the fire and test them because first chapter they are given money, then they find transportation, guns and food. Ugh, again. How much better this book would have been if they'd really had to work for those things. But no, they have a leg up on everyone else from the start.
I might have been able to forgive all that. I know how hard it is to write a book. But what made me stop reading and want to throw this one across the room (and probably would have if I hadn't feared for my Kindle) was the bad guys.
When characters confront complex bad guys, they are forced to grow and show themselves in ways that engage the reader. On the other hand, one-dimensional bad guys (and bad guys based on stereotypes) do the exact opposite: they create a black and white world without the moral shades of gray that characterize reality. And even more disturbing to me is when the bad guys are sterotyped class of people: gypsies, poor people, or in this case, a motorcycle gang.
UGH, again.
Perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to this because I am a person of color and I know that, in many post-apocalyptic stories, these stereotypes are veiled synonyms for the racism that runs like veins through the body of our culture. But whether that's the case here or not, when these teens start triumphantly killing these one-dimensional uglies like they're roaches, I had to stop reading. Yes, they were under threat. I get that. But even then, I think taking life deserves some pause. And I think that in most cases, evil is made not born. In the best stories, the bad guys are complex and worthy adversaries. They make the good guys confront something about what they believe, or see a side of themselves they hadn't known existed.
That didn't happen here.
This is a survival story. There should have been plenty things to survive without escaping violence as the only major plot device. I knew I was in trouble when the kids were handed all the gear they needed to make their journey and didn't have to make any hard moral choices about when stealing might be a necessity, or face serious hunger or thirst. I nearly abandoned the book then. I probably should have because now I'm angry with this book for all its missed opportunities and laziness.
I've got a soapbox built for books like this, but rather than jump on it now (or beat this struggling author over the head with it) I guess I'll write a blog or something one of these days. For review purposes, I'll just conclude with another "ugh" and my single star, more for the effort it took for Ms. Shaver to complete Land than for anything in its contents.
July 28, 2022
A group of Canadian students never dreamed their trip to Disney would become a nightmare in a fight for survival. An EMP has taken out anything electronic across North America and five students will set out to reach home, 1500 miles away with barely a prayer of making it.
LAND by Theresa Shaver has it all, young adults facing the unknown with the pluck found only in youth. They will face the both the worst and best of humanity, be called upon to do the unthinkable and learn to survive by trusting in each other and the belief that they have what it takes to make it home.
I absolutely loved the plot, saw vast potential for the characters and was prepared to feel every step of their journey alongside each of them. I wanted to live their story, but I just couldn’t. The characters didn’t jump off the pages, I couldn’t pick their brains. I couldn’t believe in the events they faced and conquered and I desperately wanted to.
Don’t get me wrong, Ms. Shaver is an excellent storyteller, she allowed me to feel I was sitting in a movie theater, but when I read, I do not want a flat screen. I do not want to be told a story, I want to feel it. Maybe it’s just me, but that spark of “life” was missing and my own imagination was not jump started. There is a huge, HUGE potential for this story that just missed for me.
Series: Stranded - Book 1
Publication Date: April 13, 2012
Publisher: Theresa Shaver
Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic
Print Length: 205 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News: http://tometender.blogspot.com
LAND by Theresa Shaver has it all, young adults facing the unknown with the pluck found only in youth. They will face the both the worst and best of humanity, be called upon to do the unthinkable and learn to survive by trusting in each other and the belief that they have what it takes to make it home.
I absolutely loved the plot, saw vast potential for the characters and was prepared to feel every step of their journey alongside each of them. I wanted to live their story, but I just couldn’t. The characters didn’t jump off the pages, I couldn’t pick their brains. I couldn’t believe in the events they faced and conquered and I desperately wanted to.
Don’t get me wrong, Ms. Shaver is an excellent storyteller, she allowed me to feel I was sitting in a movie theater, but when I read, I do not want a flat screen. I do not want to be told a story, I want to feel it. Maybe it’s just me, but that spark of “life” was missing and my own imagination was not jump started. There is a huge, HUGE potential for this story that just missed for me.
Series: Stranded - Book 1
Publication Date: April 13, 2012
Publisher: Theresa Shaver
Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic
Print Length: 205 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News: http://tometender.blogspot.com
March 25, 2015
Read more of my reviews here: https://paigeturnerreads.wordpress.com/
This book was the epitome of ridiculous. A bunch of kids go to Disneyland, a nuclear bomb is dropped which causes an EMP. That’s not the ridiculous part. The ridiculous part is that in three seconds everyone starts freaking out. the teachers left are calling students expletives, the teachers are telling each other to shut up, all the adults somehow have thousands of dollars on their person, and the teachers calmly let a bunch of kids go off on their own because they’re “leaders.” Everyone is convinced that a group of sixteen year olds can make it from Disneyland to Canada on their own. What? Why? The whole scenario was absolutely ludicrous and it was painful to read. It takes one day before everyone just starts looting and gangs start to rise and all manner of order is one-hundred percent gone. Also, “five go by land, five go by sea.” If two groups are mentioned, why doesn’t the book ever follow the group that goes by sea? I would have liked to know what happened to them. (Further research shows that we find out in the next book.)
The characters. Each one of the characters were bland, annoying, stereotypes. And almost all of them had alcoholic parents. Why? There was the goth girl (Dara), “Mr. Responsibility” (Quinn) (yes, they said that), the bad boy (Cooper), and the class clown/jokester (Josh). They even managed to create a love triangle. You know how in a lot of teenaged movies, adults play the teenagers? That’s what it was like. Only the adults are in clothes too small and they have stereotypical voices and sometimes forget that they’re teens and use their natural adult tone.
The character development didn’t exist. Well, that’s not true. Ah, actually wait, yes it is. The teens went from regular sixteen year olds to bad-to-the-bone killing machines that didn’t mind seeing dead people or killing. Their train of thought was: “YIKES! Someone’s dead. Oh well. We’re going to see tons of dead people, might as well get used to it eh?” or “WOW! I just killed someone. BUT THAT’S OKAY. WE HAVE TO SURVIVE.” Not a single teen’s hand shook whenever they killed their first person. Instead it was almost like “I’m a man/woman now.” and they were ready to shake hands and throw a party. Is this what we expect from our teens?
Their journey was completely unrealistic. They’re giving a huge sum of money, I’m talking at least three thousand dollars. Then they manage to get a bunch of supplies and buy themselves bikes. While they’re buying bikes, the owner of the store is like “Okay kids, lock up when you’re done. I’m going home. I trust you.” What? Haha okay. The amount of just-in-the-nick-of-time coincidences they were given was crazy. Eventually they get working trucks. Not to mention, the bad guys they encounter were like this: “HELLO. THERE ARE WOMEN HERE? WOW. IT’S TIME FOR RAPE. MY NAME IS…UH…SKULL. YEAH. I’M THE LEADER. TAKE ‘EM HOME, SNAKE AND RAT.” (First of all, the names, seriously? Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of men than to encounter a man named Rat, am I right?) Oh no! Will they escape? Yikes! One of our buds is hurt Is this book serious? Every issue they ever faced was quickly taken care of and I was never worried.
I think the worst part was the ending. They somehow get across the border by threatening a guard (who, let’s be honest, didn’t have much going for him anyway) and the other guards are totally chill that Alex yelled at and put a gun between their comrade’s eyes. Then the guards listen to them on how to make sure “no hungry Americans get across the border” because they only want Canadians to cross. What’s their mighty foolproof plan? Ask them Canadian trivia questions: “What party did you vote for in the last election?” “Democrat.” “Wrong, not in Canada, back of the line.” (Yes, that actually happened.)
Somehow by the end of the book, they were celebrities going by the name (that Josh had provided) “The Maple Leaf Mafia.” Yeah okay.
This book was the epitome of ridiculous. A bunch of kids go to Disneyland, a nuclear bomb is dropped which causes an EMP. That’s not the ridiculous part. The ridiculous part is that in three seconds everyone starts freaking out. the teachers left are calling students expletives, the teachers are telling each other to shut up, all the adults somehow have thousands of dollars on their person, and the teachers calmly let a bunch of kids go off on their own because they’re “leaders.” Everyone is convinced that a group of sixteen year olds can make it from Disneyland to Canada on their own. What? Why? The whole scenario was absolutely ludicrous and it was painful to read. It takes one day before everyone just starts looting and gangs start to rise and all manner of order is one-hundred percent gone. Also, “five go by land, five go by sea.” If two groups are mentioned, why doesn’t the book ever follow the group that goes by sea? I would have liked to know what happened to them. (Further research shows that we find out in the next book.)
The characters. Each one of the characters were bland, annoying, stereotypes. And almost all of them had alcoholic parents. Why? There was the goth girl (Dara), “Mr. Responsibility” (Quinn) (yes, they said that), the bad boy (Cooper), and the class clown/jokester (Josh). They even managed to create a love triangle. You know how in a lot of teenaged movies, adults play the teenagers? That’s what it was like. Only the adults are in clothes too small and they have stereotypical voices and sometimes forget that they’re teens and use their natural adult tone.
The character development didn’t exist. Well, that’s not true. Ah, actually wait, yes it is. The teens went from regular sixteen year olds to bad-to-the-bone killing machines that didn’t mind seeing dead people or killing. Their train of thought was: “YIKES! Someone’s dead. Oh well. We’re going to see tons of dead people, might as well get used to it eh?” or “WOW! I just killed someone. BUT THAT’S OKAY. WE HAVE TO SURVIVE.” Not a single teen’s hand shook whenever they killed their first person. Instead it was almost like “I’m a man/woman now.” and they were ready to shake hands and throw a party. Is this what we expect from our teens?
Their journey was completely unrealistic. They’re giving a huge sum of money, I’m talking at least three thousand dollars. Then they manage to get a bunch of supplies and buy themselves bikes. While they’re buying bikes, the owner of the store is like “Okay kids, lock up when you’re done. I’m going home. I trust you.” What? Haha okay. The amount of just-in-the-nick-of-time coincidences they were given was crazy. Eventually they get working trucks. Not to mention, the bad guys they encounter were like this: “HELLO. THERE ARE WOMEN HERE? WOW. IT’S TIME FOR RAPE. MY NAME IS…UH…SKULL. YEAH. I’M THE LEADER. TAKE ‘EM HOME, SNAKE AND RAT.” (First of all, the names, seriously? Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of men than to encounter a man named Rat, am I right?) Oh no! Will they escape? Yikes! One of our buds is hurt Is this book serious? Every issue they ever faced was quickly taken care of and I was never worried.
I think the worst part was the ending. They somehow get across the border by threatening a guard (who, let’s be honest, didn’t have much going for him anyway) and the other guards are totally chill that Alex yelled at and put a gun between their comrade’s eyes. Then the guards listen to them on how to make sure “no hungry Americans get across the border” because they only want Canadians to cross. What’s their mighty foolproof plan? Ask them Canadian trivia questions: “What party did you vote for in the last election?” “Democrat.” “Wrong, not in Canada, back of the line.” (Yes, that actually happened.)
Somehow by the end of the book, they were celebrities going by the name (that Josh had provided) “The Maple Leaf Mafia.” Yeah okay.
August 20, 2020
I enjoyed this book! The main characters were teens that get stuck at Disneyland when an EMP happens and it's the end of the modern world as we know it. They must find a way back home to Canada. The teens split into different groups, but we follow the Maple Leaf Mafia. At times it does get a bit overstretched and impossible for a bunch of teens but it IS a story!!!
October 26, 2012
Ok, I don’t believe most books written are 5 star quality; most don’t compare to the classics or even The Hunger Games, but let’s get real how often does that type of book come along?! People seem to believe that a book has to be a Pulitzer Prize winner to be 5 stars, but because I read so much I’ve learned that certain books definitely stand out against the rest and this is one of them.
This is a genre that that people say is oversaturated, but yet unless you’re counting zombie books to me it doesn’t seem that saturated at all. I know The Hunger Games (especially the movie) has peaked people’s interest, but there truly aren’t that many post-apocalyptic books out there, at least for someone who reads a lot. There especially aren’t that many GOOD ones out there, but this is definitely one of the better ones I’ve read. I loved it!
Canadian teens are on a school trip at Disney Land when an EMP goes off. Alex has been reconnecting with her best friend Emily who she hasn’t been hanging out with lately because of Emily’s new jock boyfriend. Everyone is jolted into shock as everything mechanical stops, including pacemakers. One of the teachers Mrs. Moore (who just happens to be a prepper and knows what happened-convenient huh?! But necessary to the plot line) explains to the children and chaperones that they need to get out of the city quickly and return to Canada. Not surprisingly, most everyone freaks out including the adults. They want to go to a Canadian consulate in LA, because they believe the government will help them out. Why are people always so stupid in these situations?
However, 10 of the teens believe that Mrs. Moore is right and getting out of the city and home ASAP is essential. What they can’t decide on is how to travel, by sea or land. Alex, Quinn, Dara, Josh, and the bad boy Cooper all choose to travel by land since no one knows how to sail. Sadly, Emily, chooses to go with her boyfriend and his “townie” friends by Sea. Mrs. Moore feels that it’s her duty to stay with the chaperones and other children and go into LA for the Canadian Embassy (which should have been consulate, but not a big deal). That part made me sad as I mentally waved bye-bye to the soon to be dead Mrs. Moore, but hopefully I’m wrong on that count and Shaver will have her survive. I know that the secret Mrs. Moore shared with Alex will be used in the upcoming books, yea for Mrs. Moore! :)
Mrs. Moore gives the teens $5,000 to buy what they can to aid their long trip home; food, bikes, tents, anything and everything. Ummm, I would like to know how a few adults have that much money for 1 day at Disney Land and be adopted by them! They quickly team up and head out as quickly as possible before other people realize what is happening and all hell breaks loose. They buy the essentials once they get out of town and begin on their journey. Their bikes make it a lot easier on them, but those as well as all of their gear make them a big target for others once people realize that a catastrophic event has taken place. Plus the fact that they will have to go through the desert to get home and they won’t have enough water for that.
Alex, Josh, Dara, and Quinn have all grown up in the country together so they all know how to shoot guns, which is a good thing because they’re gonna need them. While I found that part believable since my dad as well as some of my friends grew up in the country and were taught from an early age how to shoot, I’m not sure how easy it would be to go from rifles to pistols and semiautomatic weapons. But, I’m not a gun connoisseur so it could be much easier than I suspect.
I enjoyed the back story that Shaver gives on the teens, and how relationships are strengthened but also slightly tested. Dara and Alex reconnect and Alex finds herself in the middle of a love triangle; gotta love the apocalypse! There were a couple of instances when the teens were rounded up by a biker gang that were slightly unbelievable, but given the details that Shaver gave us regarding Alex’s gymnastic background it is actually a realistic feat that she accomplished. And no, I will not give any spoilers because the book is that good that you need to read it for yourself! There were times that I was laughing as well as times that I cried because Shaver described something in such a poignant way.
I loved Alex’s feistiness! She is so funny and to watch her change over the course of the book was great. She never loses her heart and compassion, but also doesn’t take BS from anyone. When she said something along the line of, “ My fresh baked buns are really good, word was bound to get around,” was great! The scene at the border crossing had me cracking up, it was hilarious; between the name of their “gang” being known and the way Josh cut through red tape to determine who was a true Canadian had be laughing out loud. Good thing only my dog was around, even she lifted her head and looked at me funny! Shaver showed how attitude truly affects people’s behavior and ability to cope with difficult situations, and humor is the best way to keep spirits up.
While it’s true that this book didn’t involve tons of horrific situations the way some of the adult apocalyptic books do I thought that was a positive. First, because it is a YA book or at least geared with teens in mind, and secondly no one wants to see teenagers tortured or raped (and I know I “see” the book that I’m reading when I’m immersed in it). I respected that about her writing.
I’m looking forward to her next book, I hope it continues where this left off but maybe it focuses on the teens that go by sea. Either way, I’ll certainly be reading it!
This is a genre that that people say is oversaturated, but yet unless you’re counting zombie books to me it doesn’t seem that saturated at all. I know The Hunger Games (especially the movie) has peaked people’s interest, but there truly aren’t that many post-apocalyptic books out there, at least for someone who reads a lot. There especially aren’t that many GOOD ones out there, but this is definitely one of the better ones I’ve read. I loved it!
Canadian teens are on a school trip at Disney Land when an EMP goes off. Alex has been reconnecting with her best friend Emily who she hasn’t been hanging out with lately because of Emily’s new jock boyfriend. Everyone is jolted into shock as everything mechanical stops, including pacemakers. One of the teachers Mrs. Moore (who just happens to be a prepper and knows what happened-convenient huh?! But necessary to the plot line) explains to the children and chaperones that they need to get out of the city quickly and return to Canada. Not surprisingly, most everyone freaks out including the adults. They want to go to a Canadian consulate in LA, because they believe the government will help them out. Why are people always so stupid in these situations?
However, 10 of the teens believe that Mrs. Moore is right and getting out of the city and home ASAP is essential. What they can’t decide on is how to travel, by sea or land. Alex, Quinn, Dara, Josh, and the bad boy Cooper all choose to travel by land since no one knows how to sail. Sadly, Emily, chooses to go with her boyfriend and his “townie” friends by Sea. Mrs. Moore feels that it’s her duty to stay with the chaperones and other children and go into LA for the Canadian Embassy (which should have been consulate, but not a big deal). That part made me sad as I mentally waved bye-bye to the soon to be dead Mrs. Moore, but hopefully I’m wrong on that count and Shaver will have her survive. I know that the secret Mrs. Moore shared with Alex will be used in the upcoming books, yea for Mrs. Moore! :)
Mrs. Moore gives the teens $5,000 to buy what they can to aid their long trip home; food, bikes, tents, anything and everything. Ummm, I would like to know how a few adults have that much money for 1 day at Disney Land and be adopted by them! They quickly team up and head out as quickly as possible before other people realize what is happening and all hell breaks loose. They buy the essentials once they get out of town and begin on their journey. Their bikes make it a lot easier on them, but those as well as all of their gear make them a big target for others once people realize that a catastrophic event has taken place. Plus the fact that they will have to go through the desert to get home and they won’t have enough water for that.
Alex, Josh, Dara, and Quinn have all grown up in the country together so they all know how to shoot guns, which is a good thing because they’re gonna need them. While I found that part believable since my dad as well as some of my friends grew up in the country and were taught from an early age how to shoot, I’m not sure how easy it would be to go from rifles to pistols and semiautomatic weapons. But, I’m not a gun connoisseur so it could be much easier than I suspect.
I enjoyed the back story that Shaver gives on the teens, and how relationships are strengthened but also slightly tested. Dara and Alex reconnect and Alex finds herself in the middle of a love triangle; gotta love the apocalypse! There were a couple of instances when the teens were rounded up by a biker gang that were slightly unbelievable, but given the details that Shaver gave us regarding Alex’s gymnastic background it is actually a realistic feat that she accomplished. And no, I will not give any spoilers because the book is that good that you need to read it for yourself! There were times that I was laughing as well as times that I cried because Shaver described something in such a poignant way.
I loved Alex’s feistiness! She is so funny and to watch her change over the course of the book was great. She never loses her heart and compassion, but also doesn’t take BS from anyone. When she said something along the line of, “ My fresh baked buns are really good, word was bound to get around,” was great! The scene at the border crossing had me cracking up, it was hilarious; between the name of their “gang” being known and the way Josh cut through red tape to determine who was a true Canadian had be laughing out loud. Good thing only my dog was around, even she lifted her head and looked at me funny! Shaver showed how attitude truly affects people’s behavior and ability to cope with difficult situations, and humor is the best way to keep spirits up.
While it’s true that this book didn’t involve tons of horrific situations the way some of the adult apocalyptic books do I thought that was a positive. First, because it is a YA book or at least geared with teens in mind, and secondly no one wants to see teenagers tortured or raped (and I know I “see” the book that I’m reading when I’m immersed in it). I respected that about her writing.
I’m looking forward to her next book, I hope it continues where this left off but maybe it focuses on the teens that go by sea. Either way, I’ll certainly be reading it!
August 13, 2014
There are great YA novels out there that can pull off an apocalypse, dystopia, or TEOTWAWKI so well that it crosses all age barriers. This is not one.
'Land' follows a group of Canadian teenagers, visiting California when an EMP sends North America back to the Stone Age, on their journey home. For a novel about a trip through a drastically changed world, there was no tension at all. By the most amazing luck the teens have a grown-up with them that, when things go bad at the very beginning of the book, turns out to be a Prepper. This woman instantly knows what's going on, tells the teens that government can't help them now, and sends them on their merry way. You have to admire the author for skipping any obstacle to getting straight to the non-existent action.
I never felt at any point that the teens were in any real danger. First off the bat, they manage to acquire a ton of supplies. They bike for miles without much of a problem, trailing carriers that are loaded with food and equipment, even though there was not much indicated about the characters that showed they could handle such punishing travel. A couple of days into their trip the teens discuss how hard the next part will be to traverse by bike. Voila! The next day they come across a dying old man who tells them to take his vehicles, which still run due to their lack of electronics. Of course the old man has tons of food for them to take, too. They get captured by a biker gang. Of course they all escape, kill some bad guys, rescue some kids, burn down a drug warehouse, get the kids back to their town and then kill some more bad guys. Right in front of the sheriff of the town, who evidently was unable to pull his gun and join in the killing spree. One of the teens gets shot, later in the story. Will he pull through? Do you even need me to answer that? I seriously lost it when the teens make it to the Canadian border, where they have a run-in with an incompetent guard. Of course the teens get the guard to step down, get cheered by the other guards, and then start telling the border guards how to process the mass of citizens waiting to cross into Canada.
Is there nothing this group can't do? And let's not even start on the casual misogyny. The girls in the group do almost all of the cooking, and spend their time in the motor home they got from the old man baking. The guys give orders, plan the trip, and fix vehicles. Wow.
When more detail is is told about how potatoes are cooked over a fire than how badly things are falling apart, that's a sure sign to pass on this book.
'Land' follows a group of Canadian teenagers, visiting California when an EMP sends North America back to the Stone Age, on their journey home. For a novel about a trip through a drastically changed world, there was no tension at all. By the most amazing luck the teens have a grown-up with them that, when things go bad at the very beginning of the book, turns out to be a Prepper. This woman instantly knows what's going on, tells the teens that government can't help them now, and sends them on their merry way. You have to admire the author for skipping any obstacle to getting straight to the non-existent action.
I never felt at any point that the teens were in any real danger. First off the bat, they manage to acquire a ton of supplies. They bike for miles without much of a problem, trailing carriers that are loaded with food and equipment, even though there was not much indicated about the characters that showed they could handle such punishing travel. A couple of days into their trip the teens discuss how hard the next part will be to traverse by bike. Voila! The next day they come across a dying old man who tells them to take his vehicles, which still run due to their lack of electronics. Of course the old man has tons of food for them to take, too. They get captured by a biker gang. Of course they all escape, kill some bad guys, rescue some kids, burn down a drug warehouse, get the kids back to their town and then kill some more bad guys. Right in front of the sheriff of the town, who evidently was unable to pull his gun and join in the killing spree. One of the teens gets shot, later in the story. Will he pull through? Do you even need me to answer that? I seriously lost it when the teens make it to the Canadian border, where they have a run-in with an incompetent guard. Of course the teens get the guard to step down, get cheered by the other guards, and then start telling the border guards how to process the mass of citizens waiting to cross into Canada.
Is there nothing this group can't do? And let's not even start on the casual misogyny. The girls in the group do almost all of the cooking, and spend their time in the motor home they got from the old man baking. The guys give orders, plan the trip, and fix vehicles. Wow.
When more detail is is told about how potatoes are cooked over a fire than how badly things are falling apart, that's a sure sign to pass on this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2015
**********BEWARE SPOILERS************
If I had to describe this book in one word it would be "Convenient". If I had to give it a genre, I would actually call it "Cozy Dystopian". Why you ask? Well everything went to shit and everything seemed to be working out for the characters. It seemed like they were skipping along enjoying this little "epic adventure". Yes one of the characters described trying to get from Disneyland in California to Central Canada on bikes and foot as an epic adventure. You know what I say? BULLSHIT!! Let me explain.
A group of Canadian Teenagers (yes, the Canadian part needs to be pointed out and I will explain later) are on a class trip to Disney in California. A nuke is dropped somewhere (where exactly was not specified) which in turn caused an EMP and everything mechanical stopped working. Ok I can buy that. It's a great start to a dystopian novel. What comes next is a bit unbelievable. Their Teacher, Mrs. Moore, just happens to be a doomsday prepper and knows exactly what happened, what will happen, and exactly what they need to do to survive. If the woman had any paper she probably would have written it all down. However she verbally explained and these teenagers just happened to absorb all the information they needed to do what they needed to do. Then she hands over 5,000 to them, tells them to get supplies and bikes, and wishes them luck as they begin to make their way back to Canada while she decided to stay with the group that refused to go to Canada and were waiting for help. remember that word I used in the beginning? Yeah, everything was convenient.
So the kids take off on foot and they find a sporting goods store. They talk to the owner about buying stuff and convince the man to take some of his stuff home as well because apparently he wasan't smart enough to think of this on his own. They hand the money over and he tells them to take whatever they need. Then hands them the key to the store and tells them to put in the drop when they are done and he leaves. So the kids get exactly everything they need and they leave the store on newly purchased bikes with carriers on the back so that they can haul their supplies around. Convenient you say?
On their travels they meet a man who is burying his wife because she died from diabetes in one. They help this man and just before he keels over himself he tells them to take whatever they want from his house including his old camper van that works because it was pre 1970's. Of course it works and of course this man has all sorts of supplies that they can stock their camper with. It seems our wayward group of kids seem to be on a lucky streak. But wait, this isn't nothing.
It seems the groups luck runs out when a lawless motorcycle gang abducts them and takes them back to their local hideout. Snake and Skull (the leaders of the gang) are supposedly the most notorious biker gang in Utah and the law enforcement has not been able to stop them. The kids get tied up, smacked around a bit, but of course they happen to escape when Alex swings her leg up and breaks the neck of one of the gang members. She gets everyone else free, shoots a few more dead, and then discovers a group of elementary kids who were also abducted and were hidden in a shed. She saves them, blows the place up, and escapes in their vehicles. Off they go to return the kids back to the town they are from. The gang catches up with them and the kids are able to take out what is left of the gang with a spray of bullets from some assault rifles that they took with them from the gang hideout. The little kids are returned and this group is celebrated like they are long lost heroes.
So now the 5 teens have three vehicles between them that they just happen to drive very well across roads that they are not familiar with. They also have an arsenal full of weapons, food, medical supplies, and everything they need to survive.
Do you get what I mean when I say convenient? Everything seems to fall right into place for this group of 16 year olds from another country. I don't buy it and it makes the story sounds so fake or like it was written by a group of 12 year olds. Another little tidbit I noticed and it's kinda small and you might just miss it, but it seems like the author has her own little agenda placed in this story. I saw the minor slap at the USA about guns and gun control. I didn't miss that part at all. The way it was written sounded like a jab and to be honest it pissed me off. I don't disagree, but don't lump every American into the same category. That would be like me thinking every Canadian rides a Zamboni to work and flavors everything with Ketchup. I also got the little jab about people here being sheep and how anybody who doesn't prep is going to die a horrible death. Gee thanks..Why don't you tell us how you really feel.
I don't see Book 2 in my future any time soon unless it's free and even then I will have reservations.
If I had to describe this book in one word it would be "Convenient". If I had to give it a genre, I would actually call it "Cozy Dystopian". Why you ask? Well everything went to shit and everything seemed to be working out for the characters. It seemed like they were skipping along enjoying this little "epic adventure". Yes one of the characters described trying to get from Disneyland in California to Central Canada on bikes and foot as an epic adventure. You know what I say? BULLSHIT!! Let me explain.
A group of Canadian Teenagers (yes, the Canadian part needs to be pointed out and I will explain later) are on a class trip to Disney in California. A nuke is dropped somewhere (where exactly was not specified) which in turn caused an EMP and everything mechanical stopped working. Ok I can buy that. It's a great start to a dystopian novel. What comes next is a bit unbelievable. Their Teacher, Mrs. Moore, just happens to be a doomsday prepper and knows exactly what happened, what will happen, and exactly what they need to do to survive. If the woman had any paper she probably would have written it all down. However she verbally explained and these teenagers just happened to absorb all the information they needed to do what they needed to do. Then she hands over 5,000 to them, tells them to get supplies and bikes, and wishes them luck as they begin to make their way back to Canada while she decided to stay with the group that refused to go to Canada and were waiting for help. remember that word I used in the beginning? Yeah, everything was convenient.
So the kids take off on foot and they find a sporting goods store. They talk to the owner about buying stuff and convince the man to take some of his stuff home as well because apparently he wasan't smart enough to think of this on his own. They hand the money over and he tells them to take whatever they need. Then hands them the key to the store and tells them to put in the drop when they are done and he leaves. So the kids get exactly everything they need and they leave the store on newly purchased bikes with carriers on the back so that they can haul their supplies around. Convenient you say?
On their travels they meet a man who is burying his wife because she died from diabetes in one. They help this man and just before he keels over himself he tells them to take whatever they want from his house including his old camper van that works because it was pre 1970's. Of course it works and of course this man has all sorts of supplies that they can stock their camper with. It seems our wayward group of kids seem to be on a lucky streak. But wait, this isn't nothing.
It seems the groups luck runs out when a lawless motorcycle gang abducts them and takes them back to their local hideout. Snake and Skull (the leaders of the gang) are supposedly the most notorious biker gang in Utah and the law enforcement has not been able to stop them. The kids get tied up, smacked around a bit, but of course they happen to escape when Alex swings her leg up and breaks the neck of one of the gang members. She gets everyone else free, shoots a few more dead, and then discovers a group of elementary kids who were also abducted and were hidden in a shed. She saves them, blows the place up, and escapes in their vehicles. Off they go to return the kids back to the town they are from. The gang catches up with them and the kids are able to take out what is left of the gang with a spray of bullets from some assault rifles that they took with them from the gang hideout. The little kids are returned and this group is celebrated like they are long lost heroes.
So now the 5 teens have three vehicles between them that they just happen to drive very well across roads that they are not familiar with. They also have an arsenal full of weapons, food, medical supplies, and everything they need to survive.
Do you get what I mean when I say convenient? Everything seems to fall right into place for this group of 16 year olds from another country. I don't buy it and it makes the story sounds so fake or like it was written by a group of 12 year olds. Another little tidbit I noticed and it's kinda small and you might just miss it, but it seems like the author has her own little agenda placed in this story. I saw the minor slap at the USA about guns and gun control. I didn't miss that part at all. The way it was written sounded like a jab and to be honest it pissed me off. I don't disagree, but don't lump every American into the same category. That would be like me thinking every Canadian rides a Zamboni to work and flavors everything with Ketchup. I also got the little jab about people here being sheep and how anybody who doesn't prep is going to die a horrible death. Gee thanks..Why don't you tell us how you really feel.
I don't see Book 2 in my future any time soon unless it's free and even then I will have reservations.
October 6, 2014
Think of the show Man vs. Food. When they put a huge platter of chicken wings or a giant burrito in front of Adam Richman it looks delicious and he's excited to try it but by the end of it the food looks disgusting and he looks like he hates himself for even attempting to eat that much. That's basically how I felt while I was reading this book. I stared with high hopes and don't really know why I actually finished reading it.
The concept of the book was intriguing as I am a big fan of SHTF/ITEOTWAWKI stories. A group of Canadian teenagers are on a class trip at Disneyland when an EMP hits North America. That's about how far the story gets before it gets completely unbelievable. As soon as the lights go out one of the teenagers' teachers knows exactly what is going on because she is a prepper. After some debate the school group decides to split into three groups: one that will go back to Canada by land, one by sea and one will stay in the city and try to reach the Canadian consulate. The teacher decides to stay in the city even though as a prepper she knows that will likely yield the worst possible outcome. She instructs the kids going by land on exactly what to do. By some miracle of Canadian breeding all of these teenagers are responsible, self aware and get along like best friends.
The rest of the book consists of childish dialogue and even more childish conflicts and resolutions. Need to buy supplies? Don't worry we have $5,000 in cash! Need an old working vehicle? Of course, here is an old man that is willing to give you everything he owns! Kidnapped by a bunch of tough bikers named "Skull," "Snake" and "Rat"? Just shoot them and burn their clubhouse to the ground! One of the characters gets shot? That's ok, one of the girls watches Grey's Anatomy and emergency room shows on TV so she can perform surgery!! OH and during all of this give yourself a ridiculous name like "The motherfucking Maple Leaf Mafia!" Every single conflict that the characters run into has a quick and tidy solution.
On top of all of that the characters are completely flat, boring, generic teenagers. There is the bad boy! The goth girl! The good two shoes! The husky farm boy! All of these characters are unrealistically mature and self aware. After shooting and killing people they are apparently well adjusted enough to say "Well they were bad people so it's ok!" Also what would a good YA book be without a love triangle!
If you loved the movie" Birdemic: Shock and Terror" then you'll love this book. Otherwise I would recommend saving space on your Kindle for other books. If you want a really good EMP/SHTF/ITEOTWAWKI book pick up "One Second After" by William Fortschen.
The concept of the book was intriguing as I am a big fan of SHTF/ITEOTWAWKI stories. A group of Canadian teenagers are on a class trip at Disneyland when an EMP hits North America. That's about how far the story gets before it gets completely unbelievable. As soon as the lights go out one of the teenagers' teachers knows exactly what is going on because she is a prepper. After some debate the school group decides to split into three groups: one that will go back to Canada by land, one by sea and one will stay in the city and try to reach the Canadian consulate. The teacher decides to stay in the city even though as a prepper she knows that will likely yield the worst possible outcome. She instructs the kids going by land on exactly what to do. By some miracle of Canadian breeding all of these teenagers are responsible, self aware and get along like best friends.
The rest of the book consists of childish dialogue and even more childish conflicts and resolutions. Need to buy supplies? Don't worry we have $5,000 in cash! Need an old working vehicle? Of course, here is an old man that is willing to give you everything he owns! Kidnapped by a bunch of tough bikers named "Skull," "Snake" and "Rat"? Just shoot them and burn their clubhouse to the ground! One of the characters gets shot? That's ok, one of the girls watches Grey's Anatomy and emergency room shows on TV so she can perform surgery!! OH and during all of this give yourself a ridiculous name like "The motherfucking Maple Leaf Mafia!" Every single conflict that the characters run into has a quick and tidy solution.
On top of all of that the characters are completely flat, boring, generic teenagers. There is the bad boy! The goth girl! The good two shoes! The husky farm boy! All of these characters are unrealistically mature and self aware. After shooting and killing people they are apparently well adjusted enough to say "Well they were bad people so it's ok!" Also what would a good YA book be without a love triangle!
If you loved the movie" Birdemic: Shock and Terror" then you'll love this book. Otherwise I would recommend saving space on your Kindle for other books. If you want a really good EMP/SHTF/ITEOTWAWKI book pick up "One Second After" by William Fortschen.
March 1, 2020
Kind of wooden.
Might be popular with younger readers.
Not really for me.
Might be popular with younger readers.
Not really for me.
June 14, 2013
The opening scene read something like this:
Setting: Disneyland. A group of high school kids from Canada on a field trip watch as an airplane falls from the sky and crashes in the distance. Their cell phones are dead.
The teacher turns to them and says, "A nuclear bomb went off somewhere so life as we know it is over and governments no longer exist. Here's some money. Find some bikes. Good luck getting home."
Uhhh....what? Definitely had to suspend belief and reality for that opening sequence.
Setting: Disneyland. A group of high school kids from Canada on a field trip watch as an airplane falls from the sky and crashes in the distance. Their cell phones are dead.
The teacher turns to them and says, "A nuclear bomb went off somewhere so life as we know it is over and governments no longer exist. Here's some money. Find some bikes. Good luck getting home."
Uhhh....what? Definitely had to suspend belief and reality for that opening sequence.
April 13, 2015
This was a quick read but it was just ridiculous. The opening scene where a disaster stuck and the teacher, who was a "prepper", instantly knew the world was over. I realize it was written for YA but it was just so simple and basic. I am wondering about what happened to the kids who went by sea, but I just can not read another book in this series. Time would be better spent reading something else. Sorry.
July 7, 2013
I came half way and gave up. The premise sounded really good. But the dialog and situates were not realistic. From what I read everything works out. The characters are wise beyond their years and do not don't sound like our typical teenagers. The writing doesn't pull me in. The message about what to do what to avoid is good.
September 4, 2014
'Landed' aka:
'Five Go To Canada' (for teenagers)
'The Swiss Family Robinson Head North'
'Survive an EMP for Dummies'
Sorry, the whole 'nuclear blast/ITEOTWAWKI/heroic teenager' scenario simply didn't work for me - cycling 60+ miles on the first day without any real problems?
It was all far too easy and there was no real tension.
'Five Go To Canada' (for teenagers)
'The Swiss Family Robinson Head North'
'Survive an EMP for Dummies'
Sorry, the whole 'nuclear blast/ITEOTWAWKI/heroic teenager' scenario simply didn't work for me - cycling 60+ miles on the first day without any real problems?
It was all far too easy and there was no real tension.
August 16, 2016
I wish I was not required to give any stars. This book was absolutely ridiculous. The only thing it has going for it, is it's free on Kindle Unlimited. The plot? There is none. No conflict. The characters? Stifled and unbelievable. It was pretty much a pile of stereotypical garbage. DO NOT RECOMMEND.
February 24, 2019
This had a really good story to it but I felt the writing itself was terrible. I still enjoyed it as I enjoy post apocalypse disaster stories. I also enjoyed the Canadian references and how it portrayed the teenagers as the nice guys but you mess with there own and they fight back. I may read more of the series in the future.
April 19, 2023
A fast paced low stakes (at least early on) dystopian book. So if you get annoyed waiting for the characters to figure out the world's gone to shit this might suit you. It's not the best but it is a book
Minor Content Warning
⤷
Minor Content Warning
⤷
March 29, 2020
I figured given the circumstances of the world is now this would be a perfect time for a apocalyptic/end of the world kind of read. For the most part I enjoyed this but there were a few things that just nagged me. First the convenience off things, like the characters were way to lucky in my opinion. They had hardships but only for a moment and then what they needed would magically appear. I understand that the author may have not been trying for accuracy but for me accuracy in a book always makes it better. Secondly the dialogue at times was cringeworthy at best. I found myself laughing at some of the situations that were meant to be tense. However despite all this I still enjoyed it. I largely think this was due to the likability of the characters and the premise of EMP. I look forward to reading the second book.
December 3, 2020
From Disneyland to the Maple Leaf Mafia - it's quite a ride!
Cataclysm at Disneyland becomes a survival story for Canadian teens struggling to return home . They becomes friends and bond in battle.
Cataclysm at Disneyland becomes a survival story for Canadian teens struggling to return home . They becomes friends and bond in battle.
July 29, 2024
EOTWAWKI. Read Kindle book using Alexa audio asset. Borrowed on July 29, 2024, Kindle Unlimited. Some Canadian kids on a trip to Disney get stranded by an EMP and struggle to get home. They find out the border is closed.
August 26, 2015
Actual rating: 3.5
High school students are in Disneyland when an EMP knocks out the power & everything electronic - across the entire continental US. The group is divided over what they should do - some end up staying in LA and trying to get to the Canadian Embassy for help, while others think the best thing would be to head back home, north of Edmonton, Alberta (a far journey, if you don't know your Canadian geography). Even then, those who are trying to head home are divided - land or sea. Some of the group decides to head to the coast, find a boat, then sail up the side & only trek across British Columbia (which in itself would be difficult due to the large cities on the coast and then the huge mountain range between BC & Alberta). The group that decides to go on land, is made up of some quite smart students - they get out as quickly as they can & make a plan of how they're going to survive the long journey.
They face many perils and scary mishaps along the way, but through it all, they begin to bond with one another, push the limits of what they thought they could do, as well as wrestle with their moral compass.
Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed this book. I'm not usually into post-apocalyptic styles of books, but I think the fact that the pacing was quick, the characters were relatable & the book wasn't too long, is what saved this for me.
I did find that there were a number of things that were unbelievable - they 'wished' for something to happen and within a few pages, that's exactly what happened. I mean, I wanted them to survive the journey, but I found them to be just a little bit too lucky at times.
High school students are in Disneyland when an EMP knocks out the power & everything electronic - across the entire continental US. The group is divided over what they should do - some end up staying in LA and trying to get to the Canadian Embassy for help, while others think the best thing would be to head back home, north of Edmonton, Alberta (a far journey, if you don't know your Canadian geography). Even then, those who are trying to head home are divided - land or sea. Some of the group decides to head to the coast, find a boat, then sail up the side & only trek across British Columbia (which in itself would be difficult due to the large cities on the coast and then the huge mountain range between BC & Alberta). The group that decides to go on land, is made up of some quite smart students - they get out as quickly as they can & make a plan of how they're going to survive the long journey.
They face many perils and scary mishaps along the way, but through it all, they begin to bond with one another, push the limits of what they thought they could do, as well as wrestle with their moral compass.
Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed this book. I'm not usually into post-apocalyptic styles of books, but I think the fact that the pacing was quick, the characters were relatable & the book wasn't too long, is what saved this for me.
I did find that there were a number of things that were unbelievable - they 'wished' for something to happen and within a few pages, that's exactly what happened. I mean, I wanted them to survive the journey, but I found them to be just a little bit too lucky at times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2014
I read all 3 books in order. I will copy this review for each book. A trilogy. This is about a class group that's in California while an EMP hits the USA. they want to go home. Their decisions slit and leaves two groups of sixteen years olds trying to get home. Book # one "Land", is about the several teens that go to Canada over land. They have battles with several gangs & people. Plus teenage crushes on each other. Book #2 Sea is just as good. This young group goes to Canada by choice of the ocean/boat. Terrible things happen on that voyage to all of them. In the last book, Home, All the teens are united at home & think everything will be okay. (No spoilers.) The characters were well written. The author took time (1-2 pages) to tell the back ground of each person, so the reader would understand why each one acted as they did. I loved the characters (most of them), but a reader is not suppose to love all the characters- that would be dull. This is an excellent story with some complex ideas. Well written. You must read all three books to get the entire story. The first book is a cliff-hanger.(so is book #2) They are not long books. I thought the author could have easily made this into 2 books. Would recommend to anyone over 14 years old.
August 31, 2012
wow i reeeeeeeally loved this book! it was so realistic and really hit home! this is something that could definitely happen in our time and age. I think it was so very clever of her to create the series the way she did, so that first we get the story of the kids on land, then we'll move to the story of the kids who went by sea, and then we'll come to read about the whole group reuniting back at home! well at least thats how i assume she'll play this out! sooooo excited for the next one!
February 27, 2016
Land by Theresa Shaver was a free bee on amazon for kindle, so I picked it up… and then it sat on my kindle for awhile and then one night I read it. And i couldn't put it down! This is one of those rare gems to find, a free great reading book. It had a great plot, some of it seemed to stretch a little far, but mostly is seemed very tangible. I read it from cover to cover in about two days. Try it, you won't regret it!!
May 30, 2012
This book was so Awesome! Can't wait to read the next one. The Maple Leaf Mafia are my hero's. I hope this is a trilogy because I want to know what happened to Mrs. Moore as well as the kids at sea. All of the characters felt very real to me. The situations as well.
July 11, 2019
This certainly wasn't the best book or anything, but I couldn't put it down! I love survival stories.
February 19, 2016
REVIEW CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS
*This review contains slight spoilers.
*"Is this appropriate for my child?" -Read this review.
Book: Land (Stranded #1) [Paperback]
Author: Theresa Shaver
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Young Adult, Apocalyptic, ect.
How do I begin this? I have jumbled thoughts about this book that I need to get out, but they need to be sorted out. I'll try the best I can, but no guarantees. This review is going to get a whole lot of editing. I'm going to try and be nice.
Brief Summery: Teens from a school in Canada wins a trip to Disneyland. They haven't even begun exploring Disney, when the power goes out. An EMP. Lucky for them, one of their teachers, and their favorite, Mrs. Moore, is a prepper, and knows exactly what has happened. She explains, then gives the teens a vote. They can either bike it home to Canada, go by sea, or wait for help. Of the huge group of teens, 10 choose differently than the rest. 5 teens chose to go by land, 5 chose to go by sea, and the rest want to wait for help. Mrs. Moore gives the 5 teens that choose to go by land $5,000 to get bikes, supplies, ect. and they go their separate ways.*
*Book 1 is about those who go by land, book 2 is about those who go by sea.
Now that you know what the book is about, let's begin...let's start with the characters (I'll talk about different parts of the story with each character).
>The Main Characters
There are 5 main characters. Of the five, Alex is more of a main character, as it is more of her thoughts and perspectives in the book. All of the characters had flaws. ALL.
Alex>> Bendy girl. In love with who knows who (she can't figure who's better, Cooper or Quinn?) Wants to re-connect with Dara and Emily* (*a character who chose to go by sea), blah, blah, blah.
Quinn>> Mr. Responsible. (Yeah, they really use that in the book-it suits him well.) Quinn, oh where do we start with Quinn? He automatically took charge of the group as soon as they started on their way home. He likes Alex, oh, and he gets shot. Yeah, he's annoying with his big long (LONG) explanations to everything. "Don't cook hot food, it'll draw attention" or "Don't do this, don't do that." He's like a control freak, and it drove me nuts.
Cooper>> Mr. 'Bad Boy'. He also likes Alex, (ah, such a huge craze over her, and I don't understand why.) and has a drunk for a dad.
Dara>> She's got blue streaks in her hair. She likes Josh, has crappy parents, therefore being forced to take care of her little bro. She's a wimpy girl who did a whole lot of (no) good to the group. Wait, never mind, she can bake buns and ride a bike. That's about it.
Josh>> Umm...he's just Josh. Not a whole lot about him. In love with Dara, thinks he's very humorous, killed a cow and cooked it. *applause*
>Other Characters
There were main other characters, but here are the main other characters...
Mrs. Moore>>Ok, I seriously don't understand why everyone is all like "Oh, Mrs. Moore is a kick*** person" Whoopty doo! Umm...did ANYONE else find it such a coincidence that she happens to be a prepper and knows exactly what's happening and just gives the kids a ton of money? "I believe in you." she says. "I know you'll make it home."
OH BROTHER.
>The Bad Guys
Haha. Excuse me while I laugh...yeah, looking for some awesome bad guys? You won't find them here! Anyway, this books 'bad guys' are (drum roll please) Snake and Skull! Tada! Oh, did I mention Snake has a snake tattoo and Skull has a skull tattoo? Yeah, they do, oh, and such real original names. *applause* So Snake and Skull are the two main bad guys, then their is their little minion-Rat. No, not a pet rat-a short little man named Rat.
We're done talking about most of the main characters. Now onto more about the book...
>The Bad
I don't know where to start. Ok, first, there was more BAD than there was GOOD.
1) The Characters
Yeah, the extra characters were pretty bad. Ok, I lied, ALL the characters were pretty bad. As in, no character development and weird personalities. Any time the group met anyone, the people they met were WAY to nice. Seriously WAY to nice. I mean, it's not like an EMP just happened, so yeah, sure, you can just come to our town and we'll treat you nice.
"Hey, need some water? Here you go. How 'bout food?"
"Nah, we got plenty of food. But hey, want some of our famous buns we made in our camper?"
"Sure, hey how 'bout we have a town party?"
"Great idea!"
"Cool, let's do it!"
*party time*
Yeah...it was like they were friends. Uh, WEIRD.
Also, the teens trusted anyone they met. In real life, they would have died within the first day. Who was my favorite character in this book? Ha, if you think it was one of the main characters-think again! It was the dog. Yeah, I liked the dog-who may I add was LEFT by the teens to lay by his owners grave and die of sadness! My first thought when they did that was "That's it!? They just leave the dog?!". I only knew the dog for a few pages, but that's really saying something if I like the dog over any of the other characters (whom I read about for over 100 pages) If ANYTHING, I would rather see the dog live than all 5 of the main characters, or the other characters I met during the process of reading this book. Sorry-wait, I'm not.
2) The Swearing
Yeah, that was pretty bad too. I have never ever ever read a book with so much swearing. There was(at least) a cuss word every two pages, then nothing for ten, then back to the cussing. (a list has been provides of the cuss words [and the page #]-located at the end of the review) And the thing was, it was 'fun' cussing. It wasn't like "Oh, I stubbed my toe", it was just, hey, I'm just gonna swear 'cause I can.
3) Miscellaneous
1- The Store Manager Dude
Ok, let's talk about him. He appears in the very beginning of the book. The kids know what is happening (thanks to Mrs. Moore) and have come to this store to gather supplies. They are able to convince this dude to let them get supplies, after explaining there's an EMP, telling him to get his own supplies, and they giving him a couple grand to pay for the stuff they get. The Store Manager gathers his supplies first, and then goes to the kids to tell them thanks for telling him whats happening, for paying for the stuff, and then he hands them the KEYS to the store and tells them to lock up when they are finished. Ahem, ok? Who in their right mind gives the keys to the store to five teenagers? Hear that sound? That's me slamming my head against the table.
2- The Weird Dude who kidnapped 2 Kids
So this dude kidnapped these two boys and told them he'd beat them if they didn't say he was their dad because everyone would feel sooooo sorry for them that they would give them food if they knew he had kids. Fast foreword, and the teens have come across them. They invite these three strangers into their camper. The kids are given food and the oldest boy starts talking about how bad this man is. The guy rudely talks to them, and then threatens them with a gun. He's outnumbered so he surrenders. He then says, "I wasn't going to hurt you none..." *groan* Talk about a bunch of bull crap. You just threatened them, and now you're saying you weren't going to hurt them?! But wait, if you think about it, A LOT of people do this in the book. (there are to many to list-so just think of it this way-if they are a bad guy, they do it.)
3-Dog
Okay, so the bad guys Snake and Skull have this one kid they kidnapped from this one town and they call him Dog because they make him walk on all fours and do stuff for them...which is literally the DUMBEST IDEA EVER. Why would do think of something like that? That's retarded.
4- Quinn's Injury
Ok, let's talk about this part in the book. First, there was no struggle for him even being shot. All you know is they have been hearing gun shots within the past few hours, but it's not directly at the, ect. Also, when Quinn does get shot, they don't know who, where, or how. Who shot Quinn? They don't know cause the dude (or lady) never shows up, is introduced, or even mentioned. Where is this person? Who knows, probably in Missouri by now. How did he get shot? Well, he was standing 'guard' and he was just shot (and it seems for no apparent reason but as to add intensity to the book). I feel that if he had died, it would have been more dramatic, but no, he gets shot in the leg and is walking around normal after a few days (that is after his bullets are removed). Second, his friends (well, Alex) removed the bullets after having no experience WHATSOEVER. All we know (apparently according to her friends) is that she wants to be a doctor. Dara is about to throw up, Josh has no clue what's going on, and Cooper (who I thought out of ALL of them) doesn't want to do it. Leaving Alex, oh poor poor Alex to do the job. -_- I am annoyed that having never done it before, she [Alex] happens to NOT HIT A DANG ARTERY IN HIS LEG. Please, just let Quinn die. Ok, sorry, but I am done talking about this part...it's giving me a headache.
5- Transportation
This review is turning into a long one and I have been working on this review so stinkin' long that this it's getting annoying and I'm ready to be done. Maybe someday I will edit it and add more detail. There is a word count though. Anyway, TRANSPORTATION. Ya, it was pathetic. They get these bikes (story already explained) and then they get these two vehicles and put their bikes in the and drive around with two vehicles loaded with guns, ammo, buns, and retarded people. I'm not saying anything more. (but if you're really THAT desperate, comment below).
6- Bad Guys Hide Out
So after they defeat the bad guys, they go and snoop around to find anything that may be useful. They gather guns, ammo, and a bunch of other crap, but in the basement they find...ILLEGAL DRUGS! (I believe it was cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and some others). Hmm...what should they do with it? It could make a good trade...but they are illegal so LET'S BURN THE PLACE!!!!!!! *evil laugh* Umm...you're retarded....you know what, I don't really care what you do anymore. I just hope all you stupid main characters die. Then we'll see who has the last laugh. *evil laugh*
- I probably have a gazillion other things, but I can't remember them at the moment.
>The Good
Pfft...um...it was kind of fast-paced because it was one disaster after the other, ect. I don't know what else to say...I really gotta think some more about what else was good... (Update!) Dude, it's been a few days (as I'm updating this review) and I am still trying to think of something I liked about this. Ahem, apparently anything I did like wasn't to important if I can't remember it.
>The Writing
It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the greatest either. Anytime a character talked it was either a sentence long or 3,000 paragraphs of them talking. When you have a characters that says something a paragraph long, you get bored, loose your place, and you loose focus on what you were even trying to focus on in the first place. This book was written in third person.
>The Story Itself
Well, besides everything I didn't like about it...it seemed good. I liked it. I'll be reading book two...and if book two isn't horrible, yeah, I'll even read book three. I like the setting. Smart (ish) having it at Disneyland. Big. Populated. *nods head* Yeah, *shrugs* it was good.
>My Rating
While after ALL my complaints, it seems like I should be giving this book one star (hmm...), I am giving this book three stars. I did not like the swearing, and I found this book and it's content could use some work. Because of this, I wouldn't recommend this book, but I wouldn't say it was necessarily horrible either.
>Final Thoughts
I would describe the characters as pathetic, too nice, and unrealistic. The story itself was also unrealistic (they call this 'fiction') but I still liked it. Oh, and I laughed so hard when one of the bad guys said this to the kids: "Well if it isn't the cast of High School [bleep] Musical." (pg. 104) Oh how I remember those HSM days.
>In Summery
-BEWARE, there is a crap load of swearing!
-I suggest you be at least 15 before you read this book, as there is adult content.
-Be prepared to throw the book across the room a few times because you will want to smack every. Single. Characters. Face. Every. Single. Time. They. Are. Stupid. (which is 99.98% of the book)
List of Cuss Words
*All of the words listed below were used in this book.
FINALLY THIS REVIEW IS DONE!
-I am happy to help answer any questions about this book. Just comment below.
*This review contains slight spoilers.
*"Is this appropriate for my child?" -Read this review.
Book: Land (Stranded #1) [Paperback]
Author: Theresa Shaver
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Young Adult, Apocalyptic, ect.
How do I begin this? I have jumbled thoughts about this book that I need to get out, but they need to be sorted out. I'll try the best I can, but no guarantees. This review is going to get a whole lot of editing. I'm going to try and be nice.
Brief Summery: Teens from a school in Canada wins a trip to Disneyland. They haven't even begun exploring Disney, when the power goes out. An EMP. Lucky for them, one of their teachers, and their favorite, Mrs. Moore, is a prepper, and knows exactly what has happened. She explains, then gives the teens a vote. They can either bike it home to Canada, go by sea, or wait for help. Of the huge group of teens, 10 choose differently than the rest. 5 teens chose to go by land, 5 chose to go by sea, and the rest want to wait for help. Mrs. Moore gives the 5 teens that choose to go by land $5,000 to get bikes, supplies, ect. and they go their separate ways.*
*Book 1 is about those who go by land, book 2 is about those who go by sea.
Now that you know what the book is about, let's begin...let's start with the characters (I'll talk about different parts of the story with each character).
>The Main Characters
There are 5 main characters. Of the five, Alex is more of a main character, as it is more of her thoughts and perspectives in the book. All of the characters had flaws. ALL.
Alex>> Bendy girl. In love with who knows who (she can't figure who's better, Cooper or Quinn?) Wants to re-connect with Dara and Emily* (*a character who chose to go by sea), blah, blah, blah.
Quinn>> Mr. Responsible. (Yeah, they really use that in the book-it suits him well.) Quinn, oh where do we start with Quinn? He automatically took charge of the group as soon as they started on their way home. He likes Alex, oh, and he gets shot. Yeah, he's annoying with his big long (LONG) explanations to everything. "Don't cook hot food, it'll draw attention" or "Don't do this, don't do that." He's like a control freak, and it drove me nuts.
Cooper>> Mr. 'Bad Boy'. He also likes Alex, (ah, such a huge craze over her, and I don't understand why.) and has a drunk for a dad.
Dara>> She's got blue streaks in her hair. She likes Josh, has crappy parents, therefore being forced to take care of her little bro. She's a wimpy girl who did a whole lot of (no) good to the group. Wait, never mind, she can bake buns and ride a bike. That's about it.
Josh>> Umm...he's just Josh. Not a whole lot about him. In love with Dara, thinks he's very humorous, killed a cow and cooked it. *applause*
>Other Characters
There were main other characters, but here are the main other characters...
Mrs. Moore>>Ok, I seriously don't understand why everyone is all like "Oh, Mrs. Moore is a kick*** person" Whoopty doo! Umm...did ANYONE else find it such a coincidence that she happens to be a prepper and knows exactly what's happening and just gives the kids a ton of money? "I believe in you." she says. "I know you'll make it home."
OH BROTHER.
>The Bad Guys
Haha. Excuse me while I laugh...yeah, looking for some awesome bad guys? You won't find them here! Anyway, this books 'bad guys' are (drum roll please) Snake and Skull! Tada! Oh, did I mention Snake has a snake tattoo and Skull has a skull tattoo? Yeah, they do, oh, and such real original names. *applause* So Snake and Skull are the two main bad guys, then their is their little minion-Rat. No, not a pet rat-a short little man named Rat.
We're done talking about most of the main characters. Now onto more about the book...
>The Bad
I don't know where to start. Ok, first, there was more BAD than there was GOOD.
1) The Characters
Yeah, the extra characters were pretty bad. Ok, I lied, ALL the characters were pretty bad. As in, no character development and weird personalities. Any time the group met anyone, the people they met were WAY to nice. Seriously WAY to nice. I mean, it's not like an EMP just happened, so yeah, sure, you can just come to our town and we'll treat you nice.
"Hey, need some water? Here you go. How 'bout food?"
"Nah, we got plenty of food. But hey, want some of our famous buns we made in our camper?"
"Sure, hey how 'bout we have a town party?"
"Great idea!"
"Cool, let's do it!"
*party time*
Yeah...it was like they were friends. Uh, WEIRD.
Also, the teens trusted anyone they met. In real life, they would have died within the first day. Who was my favorite character in this book? Ha, if you think it was one of the main characters-think again! It was the dog. Yeah, I liked the dog-who may I add was LEFT by the teens to lay by his owners grave and die of sadness! My first thought when they did that was "That's it!? They just leave the dog?!". I only knew the dog for a few pages, but that's really saying something if I like the dog over any of the other characters (whom I read about for over 100 pages) If ANYTHING, I would rather see the dog live than all 5 of the main characters, or the other characters I met during the process of reading this book. Sorry-wait, I'm not.
2) The Swearing
Yeah, that was pretty bad too. I have never ever ever read a book with so much swearing. There was(at least) a cuss word every two pages, then nothing for ten, then back to the cussing. (a list has been provides of the cuss words [and the page #]-located at the end of the review) And the thing was, it was 'fun' cussing. It wasn't like "Oh, I stubbed my toe", it was just, hey, I'm just gonna swear 'cause I can.
3) Miscellaneous
1- The Store Manager Dude
Ok, let's talk about him. He appears in the very beginning of the book. The kids know what is happening (thanks to Mrs. Moore) and have come to this store to gather supplies. They are able to convince this dude to let them get supplies, after explaining there's an EMP, telling him to get his own supplies, and they giving him a couple grand to pay for the stuff they get. The Store Manager gathers his supplies first, and then goes to the kids to tell them thanks for telling him whats happening, for paying for the stuff, and then he hands them the KEYS to the store and tells them to lock up when they are finished. Ahem, ok? Who in their right mind gives the keys to the store to five teenagers? Hear that sound? That's me slamming my head against the table.
2- The Weird Dude who kidnapped 2 Kids
So this dude kidnapped these two boys and told them he'd beat them if they didn't say he was their dad because everyone would feel sooooo sorry for them that they would give them food if they knew he had kids. Fast foreword, and the teens have come across them. They invite these three strangers into their camper. The kids are given food and the oldest boy starts talking about how bad this man is. The guy rudely talks to them, and then threatens them with a gun. He's outnumbered so he surrenders. He then says, "I wasn't going to hurt you none..." *groan* Talk about a bunch of bull crap. You just threatened them, and now you're saying you weren't going to hurt them?! But wait, if you think about it, A LOT of people do this in the book. (there are to many to list-so just think of it this way-if they are a bad guy, they do it.)
3-Dog
Okay, so the bad guys Snake and Skull have this one kid they kidnapped from this one town and they call him Dog because they make him walk on all fours and do stuff for them...which is literally the DUMBEST IDEA EVER. Why would do think of something like that? That's retarded.
4- Quinn's Injury
Ok, let's talk about this part in the book. First, there was no struggle for him even being shot. All you know is they have been hearing gun shots within the past few hours, but it's not directly at the, ect. Also, when Quinn does get shot, they don't know who, where, or how. Who shot Quinn? They don't know cause the dude (or lady) never shows up, is introduced, or even mentioned. Where is this person? Who knows, probably in Missouri by now. How did he get shot? Well, he was standing 'guard' and he was just shot (and it seems for no apparent reason but as to add intensity to the book). I feel that if he had died, it would have been more dramatic, but no, he gets shot in the leg and is walking around normal after a few days (that is after his bullets are removed). Second, his friends (well, Alex) removed the bullets after having no experience WHATSOEVER. All we know (apparently according to her friends) is that she wants to be a doctor. Dara is about to throw up, Josh has no clue what's going on, and Cooper (who I thought out of ALL of them) doesn't want to do it. Leaving Alex, oh poor poor Alex to do the job. -_- I am annoyed that having never done it before, she [Alex] happens to NOT HIT A DANG ARTERY IN HIS LEG. Please, just let Quinn die. Ok, sorry, but I am done talking about this part...it's giving me a headache.
5- Transportation
This review is turning into a long one and I have been working on this review so stinkin' long that this it's getting annoying and I'm ready to be done. Maybe someday I will edit it and add more detail. There is a word count though. Anyway, TRANSPORTATION. Ya, it was pathetic. They get these bikes (story already explained) and then they get these two vehicles and put their bikes in the and drive around with two vehicles loaded with guns, ammo, buns, and retarded people. I'm not saying anything more. (but if you're really THAT desperate, comment below).
6- Bad Guys Hide Out
So after they defeat the bad guys, they go and snoop around to find anything that may be useful. They gather guns, ammo, and a bunch of other crap, but in the basement they find...ILLEGAL DRUGS! (I believe it was cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and some others). Hmm...what should they do with it? It could make a good trade...but they are illegal so LET'S BURN THE PLACE!!!!!!! *evil laugh* Umm...you're retarded....you know what, I don't really care what you do anymore. I just hope all you stupid main characters die. Then we'll see who has the last laugh. *evil laugh*
- I probably have a gazillion other things, but I can't remember them at the moment.
>The Good
Pfft...um...it was kind of fast-paced because it was one disaster after the other, ect. I don't know what else to say...I really gotta think some more about what else was good... (Update!) Dude, it's been a few days (as I'm updating this review) and I am still trying to think of something I liked about this. Ahem, apparently anything I did like wasn't to important if I can't remember it.
>The Writing
It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the greatest either. Anytime a character talked it was either a sentence long or 3,000 paragraphs of them talking. When you have a characters that says something a paragraph long, you get bored, loose your place, and you loose focus on what you were even trying to focus on in the first place. This book was written in third person.
>The Story Itself
Well, besides everything I didn't like about it...it seemed good. I liked it. I'll be reading book two...and if book two isn't horrible, yeah, I'll even read book three. I like the setting. Smart (ish) having it at Disneyland. Big. Populated. *nods head* Yeah, *shrugs* it was good.
>My Rating
While after ALL my complaints, it seems like I should be giving this book one star (hmm...), I am giving this book three stars. I did not like the swearing, and I found this book and it's content could use some work. Because of this, I wouldn't recommend this book, but I wouldn't say it was necessarily horrible either.
>Final Thoughts
I would describe the characters as pathetic, too nice, and unrealistic. The story itself was also unrealistic (they call this 'fiction') but I still liked it. Oh, and I laughed so hard when one of the bad guys said this to the kids: "Well if it isn't the cast of High School [bleep] Musical." (pg. 104) Oh how I remember those HSM days.
>In Summery
-BEWARE, there is a crap load of swearing!
-I suggest you be at least 15 before you read this book, as there is adult content.
-Be prepared to throw the book across the room a few times because you will want to smack every. Single. Characters. Face. Every. Single. Time. They. Are. Stupid. (which is 99.98% of the book)
List of Cuss Words
*All of the words listed below were used in this book.
FINALLY THIS REVIEW IS DONE!
-I am happy to help answer any questions about this book. Just comment below.
December 6, 2017
Caveat Lector. All of my reviews contain spoilers.
I knew by the description that this book would be campier than an all-American Boy Scout troop earning their survival badges. What I didn't expect was the amount of eye rolling and sighing that would escape me near unbidden.
For starters, this author must have done little to no research on what an EMP actually does. In the novel, the entire premise revolves around a nuclear strike hitting Kansas and the resulting EMP knocking out all electronics in the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. However, nuclear EMPs barely last for more than a few days in the local area of impact.
Again: the local area of impact.
Kansas being close to California is about as accurate as the Bermuda Triangle being close to the Marianas Trench, and that's where the story begins--California. A nuclear blast hitting Kansas would indeed cause some problems, but unless a meteor-sized megaton bomb destroyed the middle of the US, I can't see how a believable scientific explanation exists for an EMP affecting California if the impact area was Kansas.
Another note on EMPs: even if one managed to hit California (and everywhere else, according to the author), most devices nowadays have been manufactured to recover within hours should an EMP hit. That being said, if the author wanted to go for a sci-fi feeling, something futuristic where such an electromagnetic pulse exists, sure. My disbelief could be suspended. There are, however, some criteria that must be met for disbelief to suspend even an inch off the ground, things like character development, worldbuilding, plot, dialogue, believability, and prose.
"Cardboard characters" quickly has become a catchphrase of mine, and now I'm understanding that that is for good reason. Much like the sexy lamp test, the cardboard character test may be run as such. If the characters can be replaced by cardboard cutouts that look like them, can be moved like them, and are voiced by the same person, then a writer should take stock of where their draft. Or at least on which number they are working. This novel reads and feels like a high school junior's first attempt at YA Dystopia. In the middle of life-threatening events and end-of-world scenarios, our main character Alex worries about which boy she likes better, Quinn or Cooper. What's more, some of the supplies the teens pick up (FOR SURVIVAL) include hair dye, shampoo, and condoms (for bartering, which never happens in the entire span of the novel).
As a result of the lack of character development, every single character has the same voice--from the cliche biker villains, to the sheriff protecting his town, to the old man who suddenly dies after the teens help him bury his wife. The prose suffers an equal lack of care; adverbs run abundant, and beside the misplaced bits of grammar, some of the infodumps made me wish I could throw my Kindle without consequence. Characters suddenly broke into their life stories without a warning, and the relevance of such dialogue/exposition not only stilted the novel even further, it made the read unintentionally funny.
My biggest issue with this novel is not the lax writing, or the people who read this and told the author it didn't need work, it is the amount of plot devices and deus ex machina moments with which the author drowns us. From chapter one, they begin and don't stop coming: the teacher with the teens knows exactly what happened and has $5,000 for them to use to get supplies and start heading back to Canada; the old man they meet has two vehicles with working engines and all the supplies they could need so the teens don't have to use their bikes; Alex watched Gray's Anatomy and wanted to be a medical student, somehow giving her the power to take two bullets out of her friend's leg without any ill side effects, all in a recently-abandoned vet's office they just so happened to stumble upon; the biker gang that kidnaps them has guns that the teens use to free themselves and the children being held captive there, who just so happen to also be the kids of townsfolk who reward the teens with more supplies and warm places to sleep.
I'll stop there because I cannot possibly remember everything.
With a little more research, a lot more editing, and cutting any sort of romance at all, this book may be worth reading some day. Until then, though, don't bother yourself. Land can set itself out to sea with no repercussions to the writing world.
I knew by the description that this book would be campier than an all-American Boy Scout troop earning their survival badges. What I didn't expect was the amount of eye rolling and sighing that would escape me near unbidden.
For starters, this author must have done little to no research on what an EMP actually does. In the novel, the entire premise revolves around a nuclear strike hitting Kansas and the resulting EMP knocking out all electronics in the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. However, nuclear EMPs barely last for more than a few days in the local area of impact.
Again: the local area of impact.
Kansas being close to California is about as accurate as the Bermuda Triangle being close to the Marianas Trench, and that's where the story begins--California. A nuclear blast hitting Kansas would indeed cause some problems, but unless a meteor-sized megaton bomb destroyed the middle of the US, I can't see how a believable scientific explanation exists for an EMP affecting California if the impact area was Kansas.
Another note on EMPs: even if one managed to hit California (and everywhere else, according to the author), most devices nowadays have been manufactured to recover within hours should an EMP hit. That being said, if the author wanted to go for a sci-fi feeling, something futuristic where such an electromagnetic pulse exists, sure. My disbelief could be suspended. There are, however, some criteria that must be met for disbelief to suspend even an inch off the ground, things like character development, worldbuilding, plot, dialogue, believability, and prose.
"Cardboard characters" quickly has become a catchphrase of mine, and now I'm understanding that that is for good reason. Much like the sexy lamp test, the cardboard character test may be run as such. If the characters can be replaced by cardboard cutouts that look like them, can be moved like them, and are voiced by the same person, then a writer should take stock of where their draft. Or at least on which number they are working. This novel reads and feels like a high school junior's first attempt at YA Dystopia. In the middle of life-threatening events and end-of-world scenarios, our main character Alex worries about which boy she likes better, Quinn or Cooper. What's more, some of the supplies the teens pick up (FOR SURVIVAL) include hair dye, shampoo, and condoms (for bartering, which never happens in the entire span of the novel).
As a result of the lack of character development, every single character has the same voice--from the cliche biker villains, to the sheriff protecting his town, to the old man who suddenly dies after the teens help him bury his wife. The prose suffers an equal lack of care; adverbs run abundant, and beside the misplaced bits of grammar, some of the infodumps made me wish I could throw my Kindle without consequence. Characters suddenly broke into their life stories without a warning, and the relevance of such dialogue/exposition not only stilted the novel even further, it made the read unintentionally funny.
My biggest issue with this novel is not the lax writing, or the people who read this and told the author it didn't need work, it is the amount of plot devices and deus ex machina moments with which the author drowns us. From chapter one, they begin and don't stop coming: the teacher with the teens knows exactly what happened and has $5,000 for them to use to get supplies and start heading back to Canada; the old man they meet has two vehicles with working engines and all the supplies they could need so the teens don't have to use their bikes; Alex watched Gray's Anatomy and wanted to be a medical student, somehow giving her the power to take two bullets out of her friend's leg without any ill side effects, all in a recently-abandoned vet's office they just so happened to stumble upon; the biker gang that kidnaps them has guns that the teens use to free themselves and the children being held captive there, who just so happen to also be the kids of townsfolk who reward the teens with more supplies and warm places to sleep.
I'll stop there because I cannot possibly remember everything.
With a little more research, a lot more editing, and cutting any sort of romance at all, this book may be worth reading some day. Until then, though, don't bother yourself. Land can set itself out to sea with no repercussions to the writing world.
April 29, 2020
**PG-13: Violence, language, alcohol and drug references, threat of rape**
Given the rating above, you would think this book was full of objectionable material; however, it is not out of line with most post-apocalyptic fiction for Young Adults. It could have been a lot worse. And a lot better.
The main character is Alex, a sixteen-year-old, Canadian girl on a field trip with her schoolmates to Disneyland in California.
On their first morning in the entertainment park, an unspecified nuclear event happens somewhere in the world, with the resulting electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Everything with electronic parts is knocked out: the power plants, most vehicles, planes, cell phones . . . You know, the basics.
In the first hour, the members of their group, including the teachers, the students, and the parent chaperones must decide what to do with their lives. Because life as they know it is over. They are far, far from home, and nobody is coming to help them.
Stranded: Land is about one group of five students from the field trip—Alex, Quinn, Josh, Cooper, and Dara—who choose to walk, ride, and drive the 1,500 miles to reach their hometown amid chaos and dangerous conditions.
A companion novel, Stranded: Sea, follows a set of their friends who choose to travel by boat from southern California to Canada. There are other books in the series, but as interesting as the *Land* story was, I will not be returning for more.
Alex and her friends are straight from the stereotype drawer—an overachiever, a responsible golden boy, a clown, a Goth, and a bad boy—and their adventure is pure, implausible fan fiction.
I understand and enjoy suspending belief, but as an editor, I couldn’t help noticing the head hopping and the run-on sentences. For me, this ruined the experience.
The plot was predicable (pick any low-budget disaster movie), and the world-building was sub-par. The author relied heavily on her readers’ knowledge of United States geography instead of providing adequate descriptions.
And of course, there’s a love triangle. But at least Alex realizes she cannot make boyfriend decisions in the midst of a life-and-death situation. Kudos for that!
To give her credit, the author did a good job of thinking through the probable consequences of an EMP and how, overnight, our world and society would be forever changed.
Three stars.
Given the rating above, you would think this book was full of objectionable material; however, it is not out of line with most post-apocalyptic fiction for Young Adults. It could have been a lot worse. And a lot better.
The main character is Alex, a sixteen-year-old, Canadian girl on a field trip with her schoolmates to Disneyland in California.
On their first morning in the entertainment park, an unspecified nuclear event happens somewhere in the world, with the resulting electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Everything with electronic parts is knocked out: the power plants, most vehicles, planes, cell phones . . . You know, the basics.
In the first hour, the members of their group, including the teachers, the students, and the parent chaperones must decide what to do with their lives. Because life as they know it is over. They are far, far from home, and nobody is coming to help them.
Stranded: Land is about one group of five students from the field trip—Alex, Quinn, Josh, Cooper, and Dara—who choose to walk, ride, and drive the 1,500 miles to reach their hometown amid chaos and dangerous conditions.
A companion novel, Stranded: Sea, follows a set of their friends who choose to travel by boat from southern California to Canada. There are other books in the series, but as interesting as the *Land* story was, I will not be returning for more.
Alex and her friends are straight from the stereotype drawer—an overachiever, a responsible golden boy, a clown, a Goth, and a bad boy—and their adventure is pure, implausible fan fiction.
I understand and enjoy suspending belief, but as an editor, I couldn’t help noticing the head hopping and the run-on sentences. For me, this ruined the experience.
The plot was predicable (pick any low-budget disaster movie), and the world-building was sub-par. The author relied heavily on her readers’ knowledge of United States geography instead of providing adequate descriptions.
And of course, there’s a love triangle. But at least Alex realizes she cannot make boyfriend decisions in the midst of a life-and-death situation. Kudos for that!
To give her credit, the author did a good job of thinking through the probable consequences of an EMP and how, overnight, our world and society would be forever changed.
Three stars.
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