Tag Archives: Steven Konkoly

Event Horizon Book Review

by Gunguy

Event Horizon is the second book in the Perseid Collapse series of post apocalyptic books by Steven Konkoly. Event Horizon picks up right where the The Perseid Collapse left off as the situation in Boston is set to go to hell in a hand basket.

All Alex has to do is escape Boston with two teenagers and then travel home back to Maine with the area falling into anarchy. Alex Fletcher desperately crawls through the urban jungle of Boston to save his son as well as his neighbor’s daughter. This herculean task is no small feat as the entire USA has been blacked out by a massive EMP blast. Chaos is running rampant and local militias are trying to take over various sections of the east coast including parts of Boston. Many of the militias believe that the EMP blast is a result of a government takeover and they are against any form of government, military or law enforcement presence.

Alex’s actions in this book are about the rescue and the aftermath of escaping Boston with his son and friends. His return to Maine and the defense of his family and friends is an amazing story and only his military training and his abundance of luck gives them a possible chance at survival. This series is well written and entertaining to read. Point of Crisis is the third installment of the Perseid Collapse series and is next up on my reading list.

Event Horizon - The Perseid Collapse Series Volume 2

Event Horizon – Book 2 in The Perseid Collapse Series

The Perseid Collapse Book Review

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by Gunguy

The Perseid Collapse is the first book in the Perseid Collapse series of post apocalyptic books by Steven Konkoly. The Jakarta Pandemic was the prequel to this series and introduced us to all of the main charachters. The book was a fast read as the action flowed quickly and the characters were further developed and fleshed out. I liked how the book went into detail about how quickly civility starts to go out the window after the collective memories of the experiences during The Jakarta Pandemic kicks in.

Throughout the book I enjoyed the descriptions of the protagonists friends and family and their interactions. They are written as believable characters who are very prepared and are either scared senseless or tactically proficient. Yet they still have moments when they want to curl up and hide, and instead step forward to do what they have to, even when that means accepting their own weakness or taking on a new role for the good of the group. They aren’t perfect but they are fiercely devoted to each other and they just keep going.

If you’re a prep minded, the moments when the characters discover they’ve made a bad gear choice or forgotten some small thing with critical results will make you reconsider your own plans. I don’t want to give any spoilers but I did find Mr. Konkoly’s approach to the militia issue to be very refreshing since he gives the reader a view of both the positive and negative aspects. The contrast between the two groups is telling and makes for exciting reading.

I highly recommend The Perseid Collapse for anyone looking for a fast paced, action-oriented thriller that will make you wonder what you would do if the lights went out. My only gripe with it is that it ends at a critical moment in the plot. I hate having to wait to find out what happens next. Luckily the next book in the series, Event Horizon, is out and next up on my reading list.

Book One in The Perseid Collapse Series

The Jakarta Pandemic Book Review

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by Gunguy

The Jakarta Pandemic by Steven Konkoly is a fantastic Post Apocalyptic novel and I would rate this as one of my favorites. A new strain of the H1 influenza virus starts spreading like wildfire across the globe with the death toll building at an alarming rate. Alex the contemporary upper-middle-class american protagonist, his wife Kate and their two young children live in a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath colonial-style home of recent vintage in a subdivision in southern Maine full of doctors and lawyers and business executives.

The story follows Alex: a pharmaceutical sales rep who loves his wife and kids and who is slightly disgusted with his job. So far, so normal. Alex, however, is also ex-military with some guns and lots of supplies in the basement and just enough salt to co-opt his employer’s flu vaccine samples for those in need when the pandemic hits Maine. We’ve all dreamed of the perfect exit from a demeaning job and Alex’s coup de grace does not disappoint. What follows is a fascinating account of the disintegration of a suburban neighborhood as a deadly influenza descends. Lack of food and water quickly become more threatening than the virus itself. The scenes of denial and desperation among Alex and Kate’s neighbors are particularly well done, and the build-up to the inevitable deadly show-down is intense and absorbing.

The author did his homework on both the influenza virus’s history and what it take to be prepared for long term emergency situations. While the Jakarta Pandemic can be deadly serious, it also can make you laugh with the banter between husband and wife and the ribbing between good friends. There are thrillers out there from more well known authors for three times this price and they don’t come close to the story telling here.

If you are not a prepper or for that matter even if you are, pay attention as you may learn a few things in this book that could help you make the best of an emergency situation. You cannot go wrong buying this book. I cannot wait to read the next installment of this story: The Perseid Collapse.

The Jakarta Pandemic

Steven Konkoly – Books and Site

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by Woodsbum

Gunguy talked me into reading one of Steven Konkoly’s books called The Jakarta Pandemic. It was actually quite good and got me started on his Perseid Collapse series. Until I got started on this genre from Gunguy, I was mostly a biography and nonfiction reader. This series really surprised me and I found it to be a great distraction from my normally boring selection of reading material. Although informative and educational, my reading selection immediately before Steven’s books was The Adams-Jefferson Letters. Honestly, the letters were not as entertaining.

Come to find out, Steven Konkoly actually has a blog that he runs. On this blog I found out that he opened up his storyline to other authors as a setting for additional stories to be written. I have yet to finish his original Perseid Collapse series (currently on the 4th book), but I must say that I am looking forward to what other authors have done.

On his blog there are also many resources and interviews that you may find interesting. He also has done several blog entries on such things as homesteading, survival, and even writing resources. It contains a broad spectrum of subject matter and his writing style is quite captivating.

Once I finish up with the Perseid Collapse and the associated writings based upon that world, I think I am going to start in on his Black Flagged series. It appears to be a thriller based upon a covert operatives and government conspiracy. It should be quite interesting.

Take some time and poke around his site. I think you will find at least something to catch your interest whether it be homesteading, survival, tactical operations, or just entertainment.