Across The Lake

Across the Lake #1

by Doug Kelly, Andy Weir (co-author)

Across The Lake is the first post-apocalyptic book of a two book series. In less than a day, an apocalyptic asteroid impact brought civilization to its knees and drastically altered the geography of North America. After the impact, cataclysmic events killed most of the world’s population, and for years beyond this tragic aftermath of human suffering, people continued to die in droves. Those who survived struggled against formidable obstacles such as hunger, disease, and the murderous conflicts that accompanied scarce vital resources, but the will to live was strong. Humans crawled from under the rubble of toppled civilizations and began the long, multi-generational trek back to organized society. Over time, Earth began to heal, survivors banded together, and communities arose.
Earth had survived, and so had the ancient stories of the Americans, myths and legends passed down from parent to child. Of the Americans, only fables of their existence and the ruins of their cities remained. The ancient ones had disappeared, but tales of their accomplishments persisted from generation to generation. This is merely one story of survival and revenge that took place in what remained of Louisiana.
Aton Matin, the clan leader’s only son, was a hot-tempered young man. He had eyes full of romance for his warlord’s oldest daughter, Esina Regalyon, but her father, Olar, had nothing but contempt for Aton, who was the only man she loved. Under the warlord’s watchful eyes, Aton and Esina were star-crossed lovers.
Against his father’s advice, Aton devised a secret plan to build a boat and sail across the gigantic lake that bordered his clan’s territory. In a distant and unfamiliar region on the other side of the lake, he desired to prove his bravery and find manhood in battle while serving under a cruel warlord from the merchant city of Acadia. He planned to come back home as an accomplished warrior, a hero, and rich with the spoils of war, but soon after he finished the boat, a series of unexpected events caused him to flee for his life. He escaped in his vessel and sailed across the enormous lake. What adventures wait for him, Across The Lake? The story concludes in this dystopian novel’s sequel, The Long Journey Home.
Book 1: Across The Lake
Book 2: The Long Journey Home

Genres: Dystopia

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2015

About the author

Doug Kelly is the author of four novels. After the release of his first book, Into The Darkness, it climbed the charts and went to number one after being designated as the best EMP novel on Goodreads. Shortly thereafter, he published his first book's sequel, Fade To Black, which also received rave reviews.

His third novel is Across The Lake. It is the first book of a two book series. The fourth novel is the sequel and conclusion to Across The Lake, and it is titled The Long Journey Home.

His stories often have a touch of rural America and the wilderness. He continues to work full time while devoting his evenings and weekends to his next novel.

Reviews

[Alexandru_c · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please use your limited time on Earth for something better. Slow, childishly written, fully predictable.
Artificial and lacking logic. Either a poor editor had to suffer over it or, probably, gave up and took a leave of absence.
Some points are strange ... wonder if not discriminatory: "The cannibal was the enduring spawn of a great welfare state, who had survived on the charity of others and had refused to avail themselves of the benefits of civilization ..."
Just wonder how A. Weir name ended on the cover ...

[My work is never done · Rating 1 out of 5]

Right Wing romanticism of America. There's even one part of the book mentioning a cannibal who is the survival of a "welfare state" where people were too lazy to work. It says it in more flowery language than that. It's utter garbage. Probably would have been better received in another century. Not in modern society though.

[Malingamashrafi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The literary techniques used in this book are excellent. The character development and the development of the plot are what readers will appreciate in this book. Yes, I love the development and sequential arrangement of events. This is a story of survival and revenge that took place in what remained of Louisiana. I really enjoyed reading it, and I can read it again and again. I will recommend it for any reader who needs a story of suspense. Great job!

[Doug Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the kind reviews are wonderful.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Co-author is Andy Weir. I found this first book of a two part series enjoyable. I liked the story (dystopian) and the pace was good. Very hard to put down.