The Forest Beyond the Earth
Matthew S. Cox
Publication date: February 6th 2018
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult
Matthew S. Cox
Publication date: February 6th 2018
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult
Under the watchful eye of the Mother Shrine, twelve-year-old Wisp ekes out a simple, but challenging life with Dad, foraging for food and losing herself in old books from the world that came before. She loves the Endless Forest ― except when the Tree Walkers come for her.
In ages past, the great rain of fire and ash destroyed the Earth, wiping out the ancients and everything they had made. Nature has reclaimed much since then, spreading out in a vast forest full of wonder and dread. Ever in fear of being taken away, she follows Dad’s rules without question while learning to survive off the land.
No longer a small child, she accompanies Dad on one of his treks, her first time more than a few steps away from the cabin. A day exploring with him is the happiest time of her life, but joy is short-lived.
A monster follows them home.
Safe in her Haven, she hides while Dad goes outside to confront the beast. She wakes alone the next morning, and waits. Alas, her hope of his return fades with the daylight. Desperate, she breaks his strictest rule and goes outside alone. Not far from the cabin, she discovers his rifle abandoned next to the monster’s strange footprints.
Afraid but determined, Wisp sets off on her own into the Endless Forest to find Dad ― before the Tree Walkers catch her.
Guest Post
For my guest post topic, I'd like to know
how the author would spend his first day if he woke up in a post-apocalyptic
world. Emotions, reactions, etc.
Well, considering the way things are going
these days politically… I feel like I’m back in the 1980s wondering if any day
might be the day that the skies turn orange. I think upon waking up in a post
apocalyptic world, I’d have that few minutes of “oh, cool” since I like the
genre so much… but that wouldn’t last long before the “crap… how not to die”
takes over.
Since I don’t have any real training in
survival, I’d likely be pretty damn worried for a while at first. It would
probably involve a bit of work not to panic. I don’t believe society would
instantly plunge into a Mad Max-esque “raiders and settlers” paradigm, at least
not right away. Of course, people who always had the intention to break the law
but held back out of fear of consequence would have no reason not to give in to
their desires, so every meeting with other people brings with it that
apprehension toward their intentions. Bear in mind, the odds of survival
increase in groups (at least for those of us who aren’t Special Operations
commandos with survival training).
I’d like to think that human nature would
prevail and in the face of circumstances like that, most people would try to
band together and help each other.
For the first day, what I did would depend
largely on the condition of my environment. If my apartment remained habitable,
that would satisfy the need for shelter, otherwise, I’d go looking for
somewhere better. Food would be the next concern, which would likely entail
raiding a store for canned goods…. Though that wouldn’t last forever. I’d
probably wind up having a crash course in agriculture at that point. Maybe even
try to head west to farmland and try to join up with others who have the
necessary means to grow sustainable food.
It would be a heck of an adjustment away
from electronic distractions, with no internet or video games left. Though,
given the way my luck usually goes, I would be shocked if I survived the
initial blast (or event) that caused the apoc in the first place, lol.
Author Bio:
Born in a little town known as South Amboy NJ in 1973, Matthew has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Somewhere between fifteen to eighteen of them spent developing the world in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, and The Awakened Series take place. He has several other projects in the works as well as a collaborative science fiction endeavor with author Tony Healey.
Hobbies and Interests:
Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- after="" also="" and="" cats.="" deliberate="" fiction="" fond="" happens="" he="" intellectual="" is="" it.="" life="" nature="" of="" p="" questions="" reality="" science="" that="" the="" what="">
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