It’s only a week since I scribbled words about the first book in this series. I was wondering if I’d write about each book in an individual article or just do a round up at the end. I’m still thinking but this is book two. I’m guessing I’ll be doing individual articles, but I’m still thinking.
I think I’m hooked. I’m reading these faster than before and trying hard not to miss paragraphs. When I read too fast that’s entirely possible and it takes will power to make myself slow down.There are times when I don’t have that will power because I must find out what’s happening. But some of the details are important. And that’s where I am now, stuck in Book 3 trying not to read too fast. And being grateful these books are set in the past, they would be all too worrying if set in the future.
Book one was about the comet, preparation for a new world and then just surviving. Book two is about changing from survival to preparing to thrive. With Jack not just surviving by himself, but seeking out someone to work for a future with. It is a game changer in this book and also in real life.
Jack hooks up with Shane. They’ve gotten through a sticky situation together and have decided to buddy up in a location where they have more control. I don’t want to say any more because of spoilers. That’s going to be more of a problem with Books three and four, but I’ll worry about that when I get there.
We see the action in the first person through Jack Baldwin’s eyes. We’re being asked to see him as a reliable narrator despite his age. He has his eighteenth birthday during the action in this book. It’s more of a meh day for him because he’s already been performing as an adult without the backup of his parents.
I found this book easier to read than book one. The reason is because the worst of the action is past. I know it gets harder, and more aggressive in book three, but it’s not as hard as a comet hitting and wiping out where I live.
Something that really helps me see where the action is set are the series of maps that are placed strategically through the books. They only ever show Adelaide, but certain streets and places are labelled. It’s giving me some sense of where everything is and how far apart the locations are.
At one stage Jack is watching an electrical storm. He’s musing over how little it takes to entertain him since the comet. Straight after the rock hit he was spending as much time as he could playing games and watching movies, doing the things he would have done pre-apocalypse. But in book two he’s started to slow down and doesn’t need to do these things as much. He can now stop and smell the roses, as they say, even if the roses are actually bolts of lightning.
This is a really good lesson for me. I tend to multitask far too often, trying to get as much done as I possibly can. Sometimes doing three things at once. I should take a leaf out of Jack’s book and go outside for a walk.
In case you want to look at book two here’s a link. Thanks to all those people who have clicked on links, you make me feel really good.