Will to Survive by Eric Walters

Series: The Rule of Three (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Apocalyptic Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: blackouts, survival, thriller, pilots

Setting: The suburban neighborhood of Eden Mills, which is a real place in Ontario Canada, west of Toronto, near the Credit River, but supposed to be set in the USA for this series.

POV/Tense: 1st person POV, past tense: Adam

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 310 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Macmillan: FSG

Summary/ product description: “As this apocalyptic trilogy hurtles to a chilling conclusion, Adam is pushed to the edge of his endurance and sanity.

Adam has killed again. It had to be done, part of him knows that, but murder changes a person. It can certainly change a teenager who's already grown up too quickly, too harshly, in the wake of the catastrophic global blackout five months ago. In the name of safety and survival, Adam and his neighbors have turned their middle American suburban neighborhood into a fortress, defending against countless enemies. But what's lurking in the dark is a greater danger than ever before: somebody who wants to destroy the neighborhood and Adam at any cost. Soon, the hunted will have to become the hunter . . . and Adam hates himself for what he will have to do. Because sometimes even the dark is not cover enough for things that would never happen in the light.”

My Review:  Will to Survive is the 3^rd and final installment of the Rule of Three trilogy. If you’re not familiar with this series, it’s about a guy named Adam, who’ father is a pilot and who he himself knows how to fly a plane too. With the help of an old ex-military guy named Herb, Adam’s neighborhood of Eden Mills bands together to survive post-blackout.

A few months ago, a computer virus caused everything with computerized component controlling it to stop working. No phones, newer cars, laptops, and no electricity unless you have a generator or engine. Eden Mills for the sake of the story is supposed to be in the United States, near the north shore of one of the great lakes. In actuality it’s west on Toronto, Canada, near Mississauga, Ontario, along the Credit River, where the author lives. Maybe some stuff was changed for the US edition. I’m not sure if there is a Canadian edition.

In the previous book, Fight for Power, a young officer named Brett went rough and tried to kill Adam and Herb. He was helping the ex-military run group called the Division. Adam is now feeling paranoid that he could be attacked at anytime. It’s just a matter of time before Brett comes back and attacks Eden Mills again.

Herb is trying to strengthen the defenses. They decide to build another wall to encompass other neighborhoods close by. Adam, Lori, Herb and Todd go up in the Cessna plane to scout the area, looking for any that could help them. They create allies with other communities trying to survive, and develop trade. They’re trying their best to bring civilization back.

There’s also some romance between Lori and Adam. It’s kind of sweet, but not as important as the survival stuff. I like the humor and banter in the dialogue, especially Todd. Todd is a hilarious guy. He loves food and keeps talking about how much he misses the food they used to have. There’s also some action in this series, but I feel like parts of this book move too slow. I wish it was more thrilling. There’s definite appeal to a male audience with this series, but I enjoyed it anyways.

This series is a lot like Ashfall by Mike Mullin, minus the ash. Also it makes me think of the TV show Revolution, because the blackout. I recommend this book if you liked: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick, The 5^th Wave, the Ashfall series, Life As We Knew It/The Last Survivors series.

Cover Art Review: Cool cover illustration reflecting the stories content. It is a little busy looking, but it is also eye catching.

Fight For Power by Eric Walters

Series: The Rule of Three (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Apocalyptic Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: blackouts, survival, thriller, pilots

Setting: A suburban neighborhood called Eden Mills

POV/Tense: 1st person POV, past tense: Adam

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 346 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Macmillan: FSG

Summary/ product description: “As this apocalyptic trilogy hurtles to a chilling conclusion, Adam is pushed to the edge of his endurance and sanity.

Adam has killed again. It had to be done, part of him knows that, but murder changes a person. It can certainly change a teenager who's already grown up too quickly, too harshly, in the wake of the catastrophic global blackout five months ago. In the name of safety and survival, Adam and his neighbors have turned their middle American suburban neighborhood into a fortress, defending against countless enemies. But what's lurking in the dark is a greater danger than ever before: somebody who wants to destroy the neighborhood and Adam at any cost. Soon, the hunted will have to become the hunter . . . and Adam hates himself for what he will have to do. Because sometimes even the dark is not cover enough for things that would never happen in the light.”

My Review: Fight for Power is the sequel to The Rule of 3. 10 weeks ago the light went out. Everything connected to a computer system stopped working. The only electricity can come from generators and batteries. Newer car don’t work. No running water or pluming either. Adam’s neighborhood was attacked at the end of the previous book and they had to blow up a bridge and kill hundreds of the men attacking them.

The people in the neighborhood had banded together to create a functioning society in which everyone chips in on the work. Adam is flying his lightweight plane doing air patrol. Adam’s mom is over seeing law enforcement and patrol since she was originally the commanding officer/chief of police in their town. Brett is running night patrols. Other folk are doing their part to keep the town running. Without an outside threat anymore, tensions are high and little disputes get bigger. Also, Brett is a complete jerk to Adam and his girlfriend Lori.

There’s nothing spectacular about this sequel, honestly. Action-wise atleast. It’s more of an exploration of humanity and right vs. wrong is good. This story has good a good message. Herb is a mentor figure to Adam. Though Herb has a lot of personal demons in his past, he keeps the town running and became a fair leader. He’s nothing like the cruel dictators with secret agendas of other YA dystopian books. He’s always got a plan, but he’s not plotting to kill. Another character might be though. 

I feel like this series would definitely appeal to boys. The pilot aspect is cool. Dystopian is still pretty hot, but this is a post-catastrophe dystopian set only month after the fact. It’s a lot like Ashfall by Mike Mullin, minus the ash. Also it makes me think of the TV show Revolution, because the blackout. I recommend this book if you liked: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick, the Ashfall series, Life As We Knew It/The Last Survivors series. Any dystopian book with survival, really.

Cover Art Review: Very dramatic illustration. Fits with previous cover.

The Rule of Three by Eric Walters

Series: The Rule of Three (bk. 1) Or a Standalone?

Genera(s): Apocalyptic Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: blackouts, survival, thriller, pilots

Setting: A suburban neighborhood called Eden Mills

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, past tense: Adam

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 405 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Macmillan: FSG

Summary/ product description: “One shocking afternoon, computers around the globe shut down in a viral catastrophe. At sixteen-year-old Adam Daley’s high school, the problem first seems to be a typical electrical outage, until students discover that cell phones are down, municipal utilities are failing, and a few computer-free cars like Adam’s are the only vehicles that function. Driving home, Adam encounters a storm tide of anger and fear as the region becomes paralyzed. Soon—as resources dwindle, crises mount, and chaos descends—he will see his suburban neighborhood band together for protection. And Adam will understand that having a police captain for a mother and a retired government spy living next door are not just the facts of his life but the keys to his survival, in The Rule of Three by Eric Walters”

My Review:  The Rule of Three is an interesting and thrilling dystopian book. Adam is at school when suddenly everything digitally electronic stops working. Laptops, cell phones, cars. His car is old and doesn’t have any computers in it, so it still works. His dad is a pilot and he’s at O’Hare when it happens. I never found out where the story is set, but he keeps saying that his dad is a thousand miles away, so most like somewhere near the east cost.

When Adam gets home, he sees his neighbor Herb, who’s about 70. Herb decides to give out water bottles to the people who had to walk home. Herb becomes a major character in the story. Adam may be the narrator, but Herb’s like the second main character. He becomes a mentor for Adam. Since his father isn’t there, Herb becomes the grandfather figure that teaches Adam about leader ship and community and how to survive. Herb was a diplomat and was stationed at embassies in foreign countries. He knows about how people behave in a crisis and he’s a great negotiator.

One this that I found refreshing about this book was that it was dystopian, but it seemed more realistic in that communities didn’t completely fall apart. People still wanted to be neighborly and contribute. They could get water and food in return. Looting will still be an issue because many people panic and worry only about themselves and their families and don’t want to help their neighbors. Adam’s mom is a police officer and she and a few other officers and civilians do a neighborhood watch to prevent looters.

I really enjoyed that Adam was training to be a pilot and he had an Ultra-light plane. You don’t see a lot of planes used in dystopian book. Most people have to travel on foot. Adam gets to fly around in the small plane he and his father built. It works because it has no computers or digital components. It runs on gasoline. He takes Herb up in it to check out what’s going on outside of their neighborhood. I never read a book about a pilot, so I found it pretty unique.

There was a bit of romance between Adam and Lori, but it seemed unnecessary. There was more tension and action and a lot of survival stuff. It’s a book that would definitely appeal to teenage guys like my brother. There are guns, planes and explosions. I liked a few of the side characters. Todd, Adam’s friend, was a comic relief kind of guy. He made me laugh. I liked Herb a lot too because he taught Adam so much. I think I learned a lot in this book actually.

For the most part this book made me think of the TV show Revolution, because the blackout. I recommend this book if you liked: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick, the Ashfall series, Life As We Knew It/The Last Survivors series. Any dystopian book with survival really.

Cover Art Review: Interesting cover. It is very dystopian, so it’s perfect for the book. Has a plane on it since the main character was training to be a pilot. This will definitely attract young teen guys.