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astrilde's review against another edition
3.0
Going to give this one 3 stars, quite enjoyable but also rather reminds me of the Perseid Collapse series by the same author.
So we have the USA about 10 years from now, environmental disasters have caused huge population shifts and California is torn between successionist and one nation supporters. Dark forces are trying to break the deadlock and one man sees something he shouldn't have.
So we have the USA about 10 years from now, environmental disasters have caused huge population shifts and California is torn between successionist and one nation supporters. Dark forces are trying to break the deadlock and one man sees something he shouldn't have.
bkenned's review
5.0
Wow! A glimpse of the future?
At the beginning, I missed the original classic Konkoly "prepper" thriller. This seemed a little too sci-fi. By the end, I couldn't put it down! This turned out to be an incredible action story, and I can't wait to read more!
At the beginning, I missed the original classic Konkoly "prepper" thriller. This seemed a little too sci-fi. By the end, I couldn't put it down! This turned out to be an incredible action story, and I can't wait to read more!
poisedpenpro's review against another edition
5.0
America, about 20 years in the future. There has been no zombie apocalypse, no nuclear war and all the asteroids have missed us. But, the Southwestern United States has been in a twenty-year drought, and our southern border is a no man’s land ruled by Mexican Crime Syndicates.
Enter the California Liberation Movement. They want the State of California to secede from the Union. Their oppositions, The One Nation Coalition, is in control of the power base in California and will do anything to stop the Liberation Movement.
Water Reclamation Specialist Nathan Fischer, leads a quiet life with his family, until he is framed for blowing up the desalination plant, where he works. As the opposition forces close in Nathan must decide which side his loyalties lie. If he makes the wrong choice, it could mean his life.
This book was an excellent read and I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
Enter the California Liberation Movement. They want the State of California to secede from the Union. Their oppositions, The One Nation Coalition, is in control of the power base in California and will do anything to stop the Liberation Movement.
Water Reclamation Specialist Nathan Fischer, leads a quiet life with his family, until he is framed for blowing up the desalination plant, where he works. As the opposition forces close in Nathan must decide which side his loyalties lie. If he makes the wrong choice, it could mean his life.
This book was an excellent read and I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
shanehawk's review
4.0
Political assassinations. Overreaching state government. Creepy surveillance measures. 20-year drought. Gasoline rationing. Shady military contractors. Political activist groups for and against California secession. Mexican syndicates. Lingering conspiracies. Military tactics, vehicles and weapons. All within San Diego County and virtually my backyard! I literally live a mile away from the back gate of Camp Pendleton which is where a chunk of this story takes place. The locality kept me locked into this fast-paced thriller. I found this book and its sequel for free on Kindle Unlimited. Most books on there are misses and I’m thankful I found a hit. I was consumed right off the bat.
At the end of the book Konkoly, the author, is shown to have received a BS in English literature from the US Naval Academy and served eight years active duty for the Navy and Marines. His varied experience within our military brings effective knowledge to the table and creates a realistic dystopian near-future. The book indicates he researched well and knows how to develop characters to boot. I learned so many military terms. I appreciated the realism.
I docked my rating by a star because I felt he abruptly ended the novel without any clear resolutions. It sort of felt like he put a great amount of effort into it and was so tired of writing he just cut it off and probably shifted focus to the subsequent novel. I forgive him through because 90% of the book had me hooked and is one of the most exciting books I’ve read this year out of about forty total.
I look forward to reading the second in this series called Rogue State.
Thanks for the ride, Steven Konkoly, and thank you for your service.
At the end of the book Konkoly, the author, is shown to have received a BS in English literature from the US Naval Academy and served eight years active duty for the Navy and Marines. His varied experience within our military brings effective knowledge to the table and creates a realistic dystopian near-future. The book indicates he researched well and knows how to develop characters to boot. I learned so many military terms. I appreciated the realism.
I docked my rating by a star because I felt he abruptly ended the novel without any clear resolutions. It sort of felt like he put a great amount of effort into it and was so tired of writing he just cut it off and probably shifted focus to the subsequent novel. I forgive him through because 90% of the book had me hooked and is one of the most exciting books I’ve read this year out of about forty total.
I look forward to reading the second in this series called Rogue State.
Thanks for the ride, Steven Konkoly, and thank you for your service.
hazelbright's review
1.0
If this book was a scene in a TV show, it would be the one where the clean-cut middle-aged white guy with the gun enters a room and immediately rolls across the floor for no reason. Yes, there is a lot of action, but most of it is pointless to ridiculousness. After struggling to differentiate the good clean-cut white middle-aged men from the bad clean-cut white middle-aged men (because outside of their names and affiliations, they behave identically), we may or may not be introduced to some new clean-cut white middle aged man just to have him get a bullet between the eyes. If it's a woman who is not a wife of one of the main clean-cut white middle-aged men, it's pretty much guaranteed she will get a bullet between the eyes. It's not just clean-cut white middle-aged men who are featureless, even California has no personality, which is a rather neat trick, given California's starring role as a dominant artistic, financial, and intellectual driver of American culture. Having lived in California for much of my adult life, I have no doubt that Konkoly's experience with California is limited in the extreme. This is a state with a broad generous streak, a big bawdy sense of humor, and a lot of really clever people who can figure out solutions to problems and have shaped our world in countless ways. None of this is evident in the California described in this book. Hispanic names for streets, specific freeways named, and talking about palm trees and good Mexican food is about as close to descriptions of California as we ever get. What character California does have is some invention of a Nanny State on steroids worthy of a libertarian convinced that in 2018, Obama is still coming for his guns. The ill-defined eco-apocalypse initiated by depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer does not really explain why California, west of the Continental Divide, has been so strongly affected, while Idaho and Montana have had no problems at all. Presumably, if one just closes one's eyes and says "lalalalalala," apocalypses go away. Similarly, no mention of why California wished to secede in the first place is ever described in detail. That would have been fascinating, but I suppose the author did not have the nerve or the work ethic to explore this element.
I love prepper stories, I love a good suspense story, and I love California. I should have loved this book. It outright bored me. If "Fractured State" was a character in the book "Fractured State," it would be one of the nondescript, disposable characters who, in a matter of pages, ends up with a bullet between the eyes.
I love prepper stories, I love a good suspense story, and I love California. I should have loved this book. It outright bored me. If "Fractured State" was a character in the book "Fractured State," it would be one of the nondescript, disposable characters who, in a matter of pages, ends up with a bullet between the eyes.
irate59's review
5.0
Buckle up Buttercup, because you're in for intrigue, adventure, and family life as it could only get when corporate elements are out to overthrow the government and your dearest get in the crosshairs. Thank goodness I bought the second in this series due to Konkoly's previous novels. This new adventure is in the near future, but it could happen today. So many changes that calling it a rollercoaster ride would not give you a good sense of just how wild things can get in California.
Read on, for good fun, great characters, and some very apt observation of how things today can get out of hand tomorrow. That and much much more.
Read on, for good fun, great characters, and some very apt observation of how things today can get out of hand tomorrow. That and much much more.
colefree224's review
3.0
3.5 stars. I don't know. I mostly liked this book. It was weird because while I was listening I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue but when I'd shut it off i would wonder about the story and want to listen to the rest.
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