FALLEN (After Trilogy #1) by Traci L Slatton-a review

FALLEN (After Trilogy #1) by Traci L. Slatton

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FALLEN is the first book in author Traci L. Slatton’s After trilogy. Following an apocalyptic nightmare where most the world’s population has been eaten by the poisonous mists that seem to appear out of thin air, the remaining small pockets of survivors (throughout the world) fight to stay alive. With rations in short supply, and marauding bands of thieves and cannibals on the search for a new source of food, Emma Anderson and her little family of 8 surviving misfit children must find a way to stay alive in the once proud country of France. But when the mists encroach towards her young daughter, she is relieved and awed by a group of men and their leader when they are seemingly able to control the mists. And to ensure their continued safety, Emma offers herself up to the man in charge. But Emma was secretly hoping that one day she would find her husband and eldest daughter alive and doing well.

Arthur is a leader. An alpha male whose word is law and a once proud military man, Arthur must defend and protect his encampment in the outskirts of France. Daily he and his men must patrol and hunt for supplies as well as fighting the rogue band of cannibalistic warriors and ward off other encampments hoping to procure their supplies. But when a beautiful young woman with blonde hair offers herself up to protect the children, Arthur’s heart begins to thaw, if only for a short time. People are dying and they had to find a way to survive.

The poisonous mists are a mystery. Approximately eleven months earlier, a seemingly harmless mist appeared over the Arctic Circle, devouring everything in its’ path-everything that contained minerals. But a side effect of the mists was an increase in human psychic energy. Many of the survivors had developed some powers and that included Emma and her daughter Mandy.

Throughout the story we are taken on an adventure in survival 101. Death is always present especially when many of the people would quickly succumb to the mists poisonous side-effects. But Arthur had a secret and a few at the encampment and surrounding sites knew, and it was with that secret that many feared and hated Arthur for the man he was Before the Day. Now Arthur appears to be the only one who is able to control the mists and it was a secret that Emma wanted to know.

Emma and Arthur’s relationship begins as an exchange to keep the children safe-their safety is guaranteed as long as Emma remains as Arthur’s mate. But as the storyline develops, we are witness to a man who never believed he was able or capable of finding love with a woman such as Emma. As their love for each other grows, so does the distance between them with the knowledge that each is hiding something from the other. And it is Emma’s desire to find her husband that will set a series of events between she and Arthur on a road to heartbreak and horror.

Death is a fact of life among the encampments as madness and psychotic breakdowns begin to eat away at the surviving hordes. Day after day, people hoping to find safety are willingly offering themselves to the camp, in order to be shielded from the mists, because Arthur has somehow protected his camp. But over time the camp has amassed a group of people who were once professionals in the Before. Doctors, engineers, cooks and scientists will gather to determine if there is a possibility of life in the After. But Emma will learn that life as she now knew it, was not necessarily an act of God, but an act of war that went horribly wrong.

FALLEN is a remarkable and well-written story of what people must do to survive. Cannibalism aside, the small bands of survivors are determined to eke out an existence knowing that their lives could end horribly and painfully within a matter of minutes or days. Those with some psychic abilities are sought after and used, but it is Emma’s powers that find her imprisoned in another camp by a one-time associate of Arthur’s.

There is plenty of science fiction and paranormal activity. The minds of the survivors begin to merge as the potential for a collective consciousness known as bio-mind grows stronger within the encampments, but Emma will discover that her abilities are stronger that she had previously proclaimed. And the origins of the mists will force Emma to make a decision that will leave a trail of broken hearts and the thoughts of betrayal foremost on her mind. Some may not agree with what the people must do to survive, but then again, most of us will never know what it is like to live in an apocalyptic nightmare.

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Reviewed by Sandy