The Deadly Prophecy of Enoch by Douglas C. Atkins - Book Tour & Review + Giveaway
Author: Douglas C. Atkins
Series: Standalone Title
Genre: Dystopian Fantasy with Christian Elements
Publisher:
Release Date:
Edition/Format: 1st Edition/Format~ eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Hundreds of years ago, deep within an ancient Jewish religious work, the details of a prophesied judgment day are revealed. Written in 300 BC, the book of Enoch holds the truth for the future. The world needs to know the reality, but one question remains-who will spread the word?
Long after the turn of the twenty-first century, water and oxygen are in short supply. With nearly all the natural resources depleted, a megacompany controls the insatiable demand for water and oxygen through its international desalination plants. But when the company's network administrator discovers someone is sending out classified security information about the plants, he has no idea that it is all part of a plot hatched by the Church of the Elect. Its leader, Shaul Eitan, is determined to carry out a plan to destroy all the desalination plants and, worse yet, to initiate a nuclear holocaust. Eitan wants nothing more than to destroy the human population forever. The Watchers have no choice-they must risk everything.
Chaos reigns in a future dystopian world as everyone wonders if the book of Enoch has foretold a truthful ending to the universe.
Book Links
Amazon Kindle (Free in KU)
Amazon Print
From Chapter 28
“Better take it easy on that,” Kamryn said. “We have to
conserve as much as we can. Wait a minute, how much did you drink?” Sabino held
up the jug and saw that he had almost emptied it. He experienced a deep feeling
of guilt. “Why the hell did you drink so much?” she demanded.
“I couldn’t help it. I was afraid I would dehydrate. I had
to drink a lot, and I had to wash out my cut.”
“Well, Ping,
congratulations. You just finished a whole day’s water supply. Now we have
enough for less than a day. I should drink the water, and you should go through
all of the work of preparing a cactus.”
“Kamryn, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t stop,” he said, lamely
trying to defend himself. “It’s like something that came over me. I had to
drink.”
“Oh, bullshit. You have no self-control. That’s all. You
come from a world of self-indulgence. You have no sense of conservation.”
“I said I’m sorry.”
“Sorry won’t save our lives,” she said. “Well, forget about
it. We’ll just have to deal with it. Let’s have a look at your cheek.”
They continued to talk while she doctored his laceration.
“It seems to have gotten worse during the day,” she said.
“There’s no way to disinfect it. I don’t know anything about improvised
medicine.”
“What time is it?” he asked without thinking to look at his
own watch. He was trying to change the subject. The pain of her cleaning the
wound was much worse than the last time she had done it.
“It’s nearly five o’clock. How are you with that gun?”
“I’ll bet I can shoot better than you.”
“We need to hunt for something to eat. There are snakes out
here, and maybe some mice, but they’re a bit small to shoot.”
“That’s my choice?”
“Unless you want to eat insects.”
“I’ll put on my shoes,” he said and started to grab them.
“Wait! Don’t pick them up. I’ll show you how to do it.”
“I can’t pick up my shoes?”
“Scorpions like to crawl into things. Pick it up by the toe
and shake it upside down, then look inside. Don’t put your hand or foot in
there until you’re absolutely sure nothing is inside.”
He looked inside and didn’t see anything, but he shook them
anyway and looked again. Then he put them on.
“Thanks for the tip,” he said. They walked around in the
late afternoon heat but didn’t find any game. The work of hunting made them
very thirsty, and they drank a lot of their scant water supply. Soon, they
packed up the site. The sun was almost down when Kamryn said it was time to
walk. He was really hungry and wondered when he would have the opportunity to
eat.
Like the night before, there was only a half moon. It was
hard to see some of the rocks and smaller shrubs. Sabino stumbled many times;
so did Kamryn. He heard her swear often. They rested several times and took
stones and sand out of their shoes. She had told him that if they didn’t keep
debris out of their shoes, it might cause blisters and sores. That could be
disastrous. If that happened and the sores got infected like his cut, there
would be no way to go on. They would become stranded in the desert and die.
Set in the future, the world's resources (mainly water and oxygen) are limited, and a large corporation controls it all. They have thousands of factories around the world, and no one else can break the monopoly this company has. But there is one group that is determined to take away control from the company, and in doing so, they'll start an apocalypse that will kill everyone who is a non-believer aka Watchers. Watchers are the bad guys, according to the Church of the Elect, and only true believers/members of the church will survive the coming chaos.
I was intrigued when I first read the synopsis for the book. I normally don't read Christian/religious fiction, but I do enjoy dystopian novels, so I figured I'd give it a go. I also really liked the cover and thought it was neat.
The book starts off a little slow, then starts to build, but doesn't really go anywhere until closer to the end. There is a lot of build-up to the coming apocalypse, and I spent a lot of the time I was reading this wishing it had been shorter or at least more action-packed. I wanted something exciting, but instead I felt like everything was happening at a snail's pace. I had to force myself to keep going, because I was determined to see how it all ended.
I can't say I really liked or connected with any of the characters. The only one I even mildly cared for was Boucher, the FBI Agent. I found pretty much everyone else a bit annoying, to be honest.
I also felt like there wasn't much world-building. I like dystopian novels that really give me in-depth imagery of what the world is like after whatever disaster happens. This one is more of a lead-up to a disaster, and even though the world is in distress because of the lack of fresh water and oxygen (that isn't being controlled by a company), it just seemed like an everyday, normal world. I wish there had been something more to that too.
Overall, The Deadly Prophecy of Enoch isn't a bad story. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I did finish it, and I was happy with the way it ended (even a little surprised), but I just wanted more. More action, more thrills, more...everything.
Even though I wasn't keen on the story, I'm still giving it 3 stars for being well-written. It may appeal to other readers who are fans of the genre. Check it out.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Doug Atkins has always felt that the human race is and has been raping and pillaging an abused earth. He deeply believes that the fresh water supplies of the world will disappear and we will be destined to survive on water supplies created at desalinization plants near our oceans. The Deadly Prophesy of Enoch takes place in that dystopian future.
He is a survivor of horrific life events. Drug and alcohol abuse, arrests, brushes with death, and the violent loss of his daughter, and the agonizing passing of his wife, plunged him into darkness and severed him from loved ones.
Never forgetting the despair of “the least of these,” he began loving others as a mentor to inmates nearing release, an advocate for the homeless in need of housing, and a hospice worker. Today, he is a volunteer custody case reviewer for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.
Doug also served others through writing. He wrote hospital and church grants, was a copywriter for New Hope Chapel, an art critic for The Patriot Ledger, and a guest blogger on Boston Globe’s innovation and technology blog. He has also appeared in the academic/peer reviewed publication The Journal of Product and Brand Management.
In addition, Doug received honorable mention in L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest, as well as placing second in the inspirational category of the Veteran’s Administration nationwide writing competition. He has been mentored by members of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and continues to improve his craft through continuing education programs, writing conferences, and his writing group.
Today, Doug is again happily married to Terri. Upon their vows, he gained three adult children and seven grandchildren. When he’s not writing, he can be found playing with dolls or acting out the role of a villain or superhero. He is having the time of his life!
0 Comments
Please try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.