Official Review: The Beginning of the End - It Starts

[AntonelaMaria]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Beginning of the End - It Starts" by John K. Williamson.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Beginning of the End - It Starts is book one in a dystopian series by John K. Williamson. We follow several characters in the USA after the world goes into a nuclear war. First, there is Jim, the president of the United States. He is leading the country during these unprecedented times. Then we have John, an inmate who, together with his friend Marvino escaped the prison the night of the attack. Henry is an army veteran currently working as a doctor. Finally, there is Janay, a single mother of two boys trying to get back to them from her job as a guard in prison. All of them are trying to survive the impending death and the crumbling of the world. Amid all the chaos and people losing their humanity, who will survive?

This is a character-driven book. Sure, the storyline of the nuclear war scenario is intriguing. But the characters and their destiny make this a captivating book. I sympathized, grieved, and feared with them. After I met all the characters, I wanted to know how will everything turn out. Furthermore, this becomes a page-turner of a book with excellent pacing.

For the most part, I like the author’s writing choices. However, there were some exceptions. I would have liked that he changed the Russian president’s name too. Why we need only his actual name used? More importantly, there is the constant use of racial slurs in the dialogue. It is something I immensely dislike. The ending is satisfying, despite being open for future books with some loose ends. It reads like the first book in a series with a setup for future books. We get the point of view of the antagonists as well. Our main four characters blurred the lines of moral behavior, but we get a clear picture of the villains. I didn’t find it necessary to be in their head. Nevertheless, all of those are subjective opinions, and other readers might disagree.

There are many gruesome, brutal, horrific, and appalling scenes in this book. It is not for a faint-hearted, that is for sure. When the rules of law no longer apply, people start to behave uncivilized and animalistic. The author captured that aspect of the story very well. Non-borderline profanity is abundant and frequent throughout the story. I would recommend this book to all fans of the sci-fi, dystopian, and horror genre. If the storyline of an apocalypse is interesting to you, with many unexpected twists, check this book out. Just be aware of the disturbing content and the use of crude language.

I will rate this book with three out of four stars. The editing of this book wasn’t flawless. I noticed some errors that show a requirement for another round of proofreading. However, it prevents me from rating this book with a perfect score. I would gladly read the next book in the series. The overall reading experience was captivating, so I can’t rate this book lower.

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The Beginning of the End - It Starts
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[NetMassimo]

Despite the flaws you pointed out, this seems like an engaging novel, though I'm not sure I feel like reading an apocalyptic story right now. Regardless, thank you for your great review!

[markodim721]

I like the fact that this is a character-driven book. That's the way it should be.

[AntonelaMaria]

Despite the flaws you pointed out, this seems like an engaging novel, though I'm not sure I feel like reading an apocalyptic story right now. Regardless, thank you for your great review!

I totally understand the hesitancy regarding the subjects in the book. I think last year was like living in such a novel. Still, I think readers who enjoy these types of books will find this one as an excellent choice.
Thank you!

[AntonelaMaria]

I like the fact that this is a character-driven book. That's the way it should be.

Agree. Thank you for reading.

[Mariana Figueira]

I really enjoy character-driven novels, and I love that it has closure. Thanks for the insightful review!

[D G M]

I too would have liked to change the name of the Russian president. Using his real name felt a bit off.