by
Pages: 325
Size: 5.00 x 8.00 in
Pages: 446
It’s 200 years after WWIII and he earth is poisoned with Carbon-14 and plutonium. Following the decade long night of nuclear winter and the Great Famines, what’s left of the human race is fragmented and much of the old world is nuclear wastelands inhabited by different factions, from the cannibalistic Ferals, who have reverted to savagery, to the Scavengers who pick among the ruins of the old world cities for useful items to barter with the Dusteaters, nomadic warlike factions who are at war with the despotic Utopians, the most technologically advanced and powerful of the human enclaves, who have forged a new civilization that is controlled by an elite of fertile scientists and intelligentsia who live underground in Sub City, which sprawls beneath Silo City and Surfer Town, where the infertile topsiders called the Mudsurfers live and work for their troglodyte masters. Thundersky often wonders why he doesn’t get sick? All the topsiders get sick from the radiation and the cancers. So sick, that living to 35 is considered a grand old age. Only the Scholars live for longer. But the Scholars manufacture the medicinals that everybody needs to survive. Thundersky is different, not only is he immune from the radiation and cancers that have plagued the earth for 500 years, he’s also a genius and just 19, he has designed an antimatter impulse drive capable of achieving 50% the speed of light. It’s been months since Thundersky submitted his data and applied to the prestigious Tech Training Academy but has heard nothing since. Not all the Scholars are tyrants; some believe the exploitation of topsiders is cruel and wrong. The human experimentations conducted in the Utopian prisons on Dusteater terrorists is barbaric and inhuman. Among them, Grand High Scholar Blackstone Washington and High Scholar Blossom Flora, who for the past twenty years, following the purge of the geneticists and bioengineers have been protecting the “Genesis Child” from the Grand High Council who would kill him. But now people are getting suspicious and asking questions about the topsider who never gets sick, they must act quickly before his true identity is discovered and contrive to bring Thundersky into Sub City and alter his records with a little help from the ARTI-QS-Six-Zero-Two Quantum AI. Zim Steven, head of the SSS is soon suspicious of the new young genius and discovers that he is the Genesis Child, but before he can act, an ancient quantum system is activated at a secret location beneath the flooded ruins of Manhattan, and a countdown begins to unleash another thermonuclear holocaust upon our dying world and a race against time begins. Thundersky is selected to go to New York with an elite team of military tacticals to locate the NORAD system and deactivate it. Meanwhile, Zim Steven lays his plans to make certain that Thundersky and his companions never return to Silo City alive. After their transport drone is shot down by Dusteaters, Corporal Venus Jane and Fox, Thundersky and his best friend Tiger White are the only survivors, with just an armored vehicle. They are pursued by Dusteaters and the infamous Godders of Pennsylvania and a desperate battle for survival begins. While in the wilderness, the foursome make unlikely allies, and Thundersky falls in love with a handsome young Dusteater fighter, Reaper Bloodbuck. Utopia’s arch enemy, the queen of the Dusteaters, the Prophetess will reveal things to Thundersky’s that will unravel his life and everything he believes in, and soon, it’s realized that the humble Mudsurfer is far more powerful than even the Scholars could have imagined…
Editors:
Genres:
Tropes: Antihero, Band of Misfits, Chosen One, Conspiracy, Dying World, Dystopian Governments, Enemy to Ally, Found Family, Post-Apocalyptic, Quest, Sentient AI, Space Pilot
Word Count: 325
Setting: North America
Languages Available: English
Tropes: Antihero, Band of Misfits, Chosen One, Conspiracy, Dying World, Dystopian Governments, Enemy to Ally, Found Family, Post-Apocalyptic, Quest, Sentient AI, Space Pilot
Word Count: 325
Setting: North America
Languages Available: English
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "NORAD's Ghost" by Chris Black.]
Book Cover
4 out of 4 stars
Share This ReviewA tale of a post-apocalyptic era ensuing from the events of a nuclear war in March 2025 leaves a permanent scar on the earth. The remnants of humanity struggle for survival through fatal conditions. NORAD's Ghost, written by Chris Black, is a science fiction story you don't want to miss.
The Genesis project, started by Utopia's scholars to put an end to infertility, the shortened lifespan of man, and radioactive-induced sicknesses, turned out to be a success. This breakthrough threatened the inhumane rule of the Scholastic Order. They destroyed the experiment and eliminated the scientists to mandate their rule over the dying masses. The key to preventing humanity's extinction is Thundersky Reece, a mysterious child who is immune to the effects of the current hazardous conditions. Hidden secrets and lies of the Scholastic Order are uncovered. Will Thundersky Reece and his friends bring salvation to humanity? Grab this book to get informed.
This book is one born out of great creativity by the author. I must commend the author on the explicit description of places, people, weapons, and events, creating images of the old world that existed before the war and how the new world emerged from the ruins of the war. This made the book fascinating. I love how the author created a storyline full of twists and suspense, carefully uncovering mysteries such as lies and corruption. This caught my attention and made the book impossible to let go of. Furthermore, the characters were well-built and played their roles perfectly.
Additionally, the author explored technological advancements that are extremely exciting. The use of technical terms shows that the author did an impressive job in his research. The author also explained such terms to help readers fully understand. The book talks about how men crave power and how it drives men to do anything to keep it. It teaches the values of courage and resilience. It also teaches the act of fighting for freedom and justice. Likewise, it talks about how humans' strive for survival brought out the worst in them—ranging from the savage ferals to the scavengers who traded valuable items they picked up to get food and medicine. He also spoke about the Dusteaters who fought for justice and the selfish Utopian Scholastic Order who oppressed the masses to get the services they needed in exchange for medicine.
Furthermore, I found no errors that altered its readability due to its professional editing. Therefore, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I did feel like the author tried to oversell the technological aspect of the story, and sometimes the book got a little boring, but these are not enough to affect my rating.
I recommend this book to sci-fi story lovers and anyone who loves fictional stories.
FROM MY READERS OF THIS NOVEL
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2021
The fear of nuclear war will always scar us, since the bombs we remember were used for destruction and fury. These old scars get traced, with a foreshadow of fallout and the resulting dystopia for survivors five centuries after, making NORAD's Ghost by Chris Black a fascinating read.
Thundersky Reese is a worker sent on an unexpected high-stakes adventure when he discovers he is not at all who he trusted he was. Set five centuries into our future, Thunder is thrust into the elite Silosian empire, which has a tight rein on all citizens within its grasp. This does not include the scavengers, religious zealots, or cannibals that claw at the city borders, but they maintain a veil of safety from outside threats.
With the awakening of ancient, crumbling technology deep in a mountainside that had laid waste to the Old-World in 2025, this uneasy peace between factions will not save a soul if live nuclear warheads suddenly awaken then count down to detonate in ten days. Thunder and his sudden ally Tiger White team up with soldiers and a faction from the wilds beyond their borders to track down the missiles set to launch. Despite aid from the omnipresent yet mysterious AI named Arti, betrayal and manipulation from the highest levels of society threaten to stop the team. With the puzzle pieces of his past falling into place, and a new love falling into his arms, Thunder is put to the ultimate test.
The hierarchies here, a sort of caste system, work really well. The writing is vivid and descriptive, yet moves the story along at a fast pace; a good balance. Fans of high-tech, the low-rent dystopian drama will find a lot of meat on these bones. Reminiscent of William Gibson in this being recognizable as our world, 2525 is enough years removed that the feel of a space opera takes hold, as these characters are alien beings in so many ways. If there were no ‘Matrix’ in the titular film, the world surrounding that story would feel like home to the characters in Black’s alternative world.
NORAD, or North American Aerospace Defense Command, is a series of installations across Canada and the US as we know them and function the same now as they did in this book. This puts the story on the map authentically, as fiction fans with a love of modern warfare are more than familiar with NORAD. That said, even readers not as widely read in the genre can have a lot of fun here, as with other similar futurist properties like Planet of the Apes there are cities and states that are familiar or renowned.
A minor distraction is the use of creative but awkward compound words. We find similar wordplay in some great futurist or science fiction and fantasy work, yet the distraction here is that the words chosen don’t always fit as well as they could. Traction could be gained with restraint in choosing what words to stitch together or using fewer of them instead of a handful of curse words and slang strung into phrases. Otherwise, the creative glossary is varied and interesting while being mostly organically absorbed as the story unfolds and the reader gains footing.
Richly woven landscapes, from the new cites to those crumbling nearby and the forested wastelands in between, are more than memorable and well written. The characters are dressed with fascinating names, weaponry, and wearable tech so even being part of a large cast every one stands out with each more varied and interesting than the last. From battles to boardrooms, the pace of NORAD’s Ghost is taut and time well-spent.
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2021
Norad’s Ghost is a science-fiction post-apocalyptic novel written by Chris Black. This book follows the mysterious man, who defies all that it means to be topside. Those who are topside have lessened lifespans, radiation sickness, and infertility due to the war in 2025. Thundersky (the man who defies all) makes some discoveries about himself that he is supposed to keep secret. However, it is that secret that holds the potential future for everyone. As the secret unfolds, it also reveals the deception and corruption of the Utopians. It comes down to if Thundersky and his friends can help save everyone.
I cannot stress enough how much I love this book. Black has written such a fascinating and engaging science-fiction book. I had a hard time putting the book down from the start. The concept of the apocalypse and people living through part of that with dire consequences is such a good one. I love the idea of an old computer program that comes through to the new-age technology and has a domino effect on a well-crafted plot. From there, we discover so many aspects of Thundersky that are pivotal to future action.
There are so many secrets that are revealed throughout, but they come out in a way that leaves so much tension building. It kept me engaged and wanting more from the book and wanting more quickly. The storyline was easy to follow but had a lot of depth to it with layers of deception and explanation. I also liked how the story building occurred, telling us what happened that led to the current situation, including the science involving the secret behind Thundersky. One of my favorite parts was learning about the different types of people that evolved from the nuclear winter and the famines. I found this book to be thrilling, and if people like futuristic, science-fiction this book is definitely for them. There is supposed to be a sequel, and I am very excited about that!
