Rapture (Rapture Trilogy #1)
Author: Phillip W. Simpson
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release Date: December 1, 2011
Description:
The Rapture has occurred, just as the Bible predicted. The faithful have risen up to Heaven. Those left behind are in a living hell.
Earth burns, hell-like in its oppressive heat. Every volcano in the world has erupted, and tsunamis and earthquakes continue to devastate the planet. Clouds continually rain ash onto the scorched landscape, sparking fires all around. Plants and animals are dying. Food is scarce. The night sky is devoid of stars, and the moon - when it can be seen - is the colour of blood.
The remnants of humanity fight for survival. Most have fled the cities and now hide in caves deep in the mountains. By night, demons stalk the Earth, capturing the remaining humans and killing them - if they're lucky. The less fortunate are converted to worship of the Devil, and ushered into endless hell.
Eighteen year old Sam is unable to rise up because he is half demon. Hikari, a Japanese sword master and demon expert and his beautiful daughter, Aimi, have been all the family Sam has ever known. Now they're gone, and Sam must set out on the mission Hikari charged him with long ago: to help all the humans left behind. Armed only with his beloved Japanese swords and his wits, Sam wanders the post-apocalyptic world alone, separated forever from everyone he loves. Cursed by his demonic heritage, he must now embark on a quest that will take him across the US to the City of Angels.
There he will confront his destiny. There he must fight to save a friend ... and the souls of the living.
Rapture is the first book in the young adult dystopian trilogy that is set in a world after the Rapture has happened - just as the Bible had predicted it would. The faithful have risen into Heaven and now Hell has been unleashed upon the Earth. Demons have taken over the world and freely walk among the humans, causing chaos and destruction in their wake. Among this frightful future landscape, we find Sam - a half-demon who can't rise up due to his partial demon lineage; Hikari and Aimi - Japanese swordsmasters who have been the only family Sam has known since the Rapture. Sam finds his purpose in life by saving humans who have been left behind. The only question is - will Sam be able to save the only ones who have ever mattered to him before it's too late?
Growing
up going to church, I have always heard stories and sermons dealing
with the "End Times." The Rapture, the Antichrist, the Mark of the Beast, hell being unleashed on Earth
- all of this is familiar to me. That might be part of the reason that I
was so engaged in this book. It was creepily familiar and had a tinge
of possible reality to it that made it all the more engrossing for me to
read. It's a great concept with a well written and fast paced narrative
regardless of the reader's familiarity with the concepts. The
characters are flawed and completely believable, so it's easy to
identify with them early in the book. As I mentioned, the plot deals
with the apolcalypse and other references from the Bible, such as the
Antichrist, the Mark of the Beast, the Rapture, etc.
I
found the entire story to be a page-turner and I was completely hooked
until the end. The novel ends with a great cliffhanger, so I was left
wanting more - I wanted to know what happens to the characters and how
things were going to end. I couldn't put this book down until the very
last page and I am definitely eagerly awaiting the next book. I highly
recommend this novel to fans of YA, dystopian, apocalyptic, and thriller
genres.
Phillip W. Simpson is an author of mostly children's books - both fiction and non-fiction.
As well as being a writer, he is an elementary school teacher. Career highlights include being in the
army, gaining a Masters in Archaeology, owning a comic shop, becoming obsessed with martial arts
and oriental weapons and turning down a job at the British museum.
His YA novel RAPTURE (the first in the Rapture trilogy) was released Sept 1st, 2011 by Pear Jam
books. RAPTURE is a dystopian/post-apocalyptic story about the end of the world featuring demons,
angels and a half demon protagonist caught in the middle. RAPTURE was shortlisted for the Sir Julius
Vogel award for best Youth novel.
Book 2, TRIBULATION, was released in December, 2012. The final book, APOCALYPSE, will be out
early 2013.
On a personal note, he is married to Rose, has a son (Jack) and two border terriers, Whiskey and
Raffles. He loves fishing, reading, football (soccer) and single malt Whiskeys.
Webite info:
Blog:
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http://twitter.com/#!/PhillipWSimpson
http://twitter.com/#!/PhillipWSimpson
Buy Links:
Smashwords author page:
Amazon:
Rapture (kindle version)
Tribulation (kindle version)
Giveaway: (3) Print copies of Rapture and (1) Print copy of Tribulation
a Rafflecopter giveaway
OMG!! I LOVE Dystopian books!! I am so HAPPY that I found this giveaway on this blog. The book series sounds AWESOME!!! My fingers are double crossed to win a copy and they all are on my wish list and TBR!!! Thank you so much for a chance at winning in your awesome giveaway!!
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