Thursday, June 14, 2012

Cannibal Reign-Thomas Koloniar

Cannibal Reign


Thomas Koloniar

Harper, Jun 26 2012, $7.99

ISBN: 9780062025821



Green Beret Captain Jack Forrest learns that an NEO will crash into North America. The feds are hiding the information to avoid a panic. Jack and his four team unit begin preparation to hide in an abandoned Nebraska missile silo. They will bring with them selected men, women, children and Laddie the dog for a two year or so stay.



Astronomer Marty Chittenden locates an asteroid that will hit the earth in under ninety days. He visits Susan Denton who he loves unrequitedly about the near extinction event. They go to JPL to speak with Linda Creasey. When they realize the Feds know, he escapes. He heads to Idaho where retired astronomer Ester Thorn lives to tell her about Thor’s hammer.



When the NEO hits in Montana, the world is gone as darkness will remain for years to come. Many above ground become raging animals eating human flesh when the food supply dwindles. While Marty struggles to survive the surface horror, Forrest leads his survivors in side their underground "Noah's Ark".



There are several other subplots that enhance the final months before and a couple years after the impact though the two above are the prime segues. What makes Thomas Koloniar’s superb thriller work is the focus is on good people trying to survive in bad times without resorting to becoming vile beasts. Fans will appreciate Marty’s efforts to stay alive as an astronomer in a world he never imagined; while the underground community deals with social interactions including ennui. Putting aside the misleading sensationalist title (though cannibalism is rampant), this is an exhilarating tale of life before and after a NEO crash rivaling what happened to the dinosaurs.



Harriet Klausner

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