Steve

This review is based upon my listening to this book in graphic audio most recently, though back in the 80's and 90's I owned all of the Survivalist books up to and including Mid Wake and read them all at least once. As the other reviewer mentioned this is the first major plot pivot point in the series, or it is set up as being so. The problem, and why I gave it a less than favorable review in relation to the other books, is that the Aherns didn't really pull it off and the transition doesn't really work. If the reader can set aside that somehow Rourke's super bunker managed to not only stay sealed and in tact over the last 500 years, but that everything inside was somehow shielded from the ravages of time...magically, the story just gets really clunky and silly. It starts off with Rourke deciding to take his kids out of hibernation early, spend a couple of years with them teaching them to be little versions of him (all knowing and invincible), and then he hops back in his cryo machine for 20 years so that they can grow up, by themselves, and therefore be useful full grown adults when he unthaws the rest of the group. What do the kids do for 20 years...he doesn't really say, other than work on some arts and crafts and eat down Rourkes supply of food that he has socked away. The narrative gets kind of weird and 'spacey' from there. It's almost like the Aherns built up the rest of the story to this point and then just kind of were out of ideas. After the rest of the adults wake up it is discovered that Michael, Rourkes Son, has gotten himself in a jam that will require them to go out in to the wasteland and kick some butt, so they do that, and that's kind of where it ends. You don't learn much about the world that exists 500 years in the future, just that there are still people worth killing in it. Don't get me wrong, I really liked reading the Survivalist books growing up in the 80's, they were raw and straight forward and didn't require keeping much of any of the plot in your memory in order to enjoy, sort of like a Chuck Norris movie in book form. I was really expecting something different and imaginative out of the Awakening, and instead it really falls flat.

I agree with the other reviews mostly. This is a fun book with a lot of plot threads that don't collapse under their own weight. Having said that though, I have to take 2 stars off for the very lack luster climax. They raid the camp, shoot everybody instantly and then the book ends, there was no real final struggle. Oh well, still a fun time.

good plot, started quickly with good action liked how both able team and phoenix force were involved equally scale 1-10 I give it an 8