Iron Mike

First of all I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. For that alone, it deserves four stars. However, I had issues with it too. If Amazon allowed half stars, I probably give it 3 1/2. The things I loved: the book starts with a bang, and has a gritty realism. When we first meet Mike, he is your typical spoiled American teenager, but he is soon forced to become a man. You really feel for Mike and all the horrible things he has to go through as he faces an alien invasion. The author doesn't flinch from killing off some of her characters, and some of those deaths are pretty gruesome. It makes for a gripping story. I also loved Hershey, of course. Who wouldn't love Hershey? After all, he's quite a good dog. And Kari makes a strong and believable heroine. You cheer the three of them on, agonize when they are in trouble, and hope they can somehow find a happy ending. A few things troubled me about the book, however. And there may be some spoilers ahead so if you don't want to read them stop now. I thought the whole issue of the aliens' belief that transubstantiation equals cannibalism was not adequately handled. The question of whether humans are really sapient and worthy to be saved hinged on this, and yet we never see any debate about the final determination that the aliens reach. And given the import of the decision, it is strange that they interview two humans and a dog and ask them what they think other humans may have believed and apparently decide the fate of the human race based on that. Second, in a book that was so furiously realistic in places, I didn't like how the aliens' orb was used as a magic wand to provide healing whenever it would be helpful in the plot. You've been injured but we still have several chapters to go? No problem. We'll just have the aliens who are spying on you send in their handy-dandy healing orb and all will be well. Lastly, I did not care for the ending. First of all, there is a major, and I mean major, decision to be made, but the author skips over any discussion of the decision. Knowing these characters by now, I'm pretty sure the discussion would have been a fairly lively and interesting one. Given that one of the characters has made a difficult and heartfelt decision, it's hard to read how that decision is over-ridden without their consent. In a book where the aliens seem so concerned about ethics, this opens up a whole other can of worms that is not even addressed. Those are my problems, and your mileage may vary. Even so I did enjoy this book. The characters are well developed and you will come to care about them. The problems presented by the alien invasion are unique and interesting, too. Like a picky lover, I think I only noticed the flaws because they took my attention away from what was otherwise a most riveting read.

I have to admit that "Iron Mike" is not at all what I expected.Because of its subtitle - "A Boy. A Dog. The End of the World" - I had a vague idea that it would be somewhat like Harlan Ellison's famous "A Boy and His Dog."It isn't.It is, instead, far richer in both plot and narrative than Ellison's apocalyptic novella. Author Patricia Rose has laced "Iron Mike" with some sharp commentary about the arrogance of technologically superior societies when they come into contact with those they consider more primitive and some equally sharp observations about the willingness of politicians to sidestep not just protocol but also the law in favor of profits over people.At first glance, the plot seems fairly straightforward. An advanced alien race attacks Earth, intending to colonize it as a gigantic farm. In the first few days of the invasion billions of humans and most animal life perishes. Small groups of survivors scramble for safety and what remains of the military attempts to fight back.Rose, however, throws a few interesting twists into that plot. I'm not going to spoil the experience for those who have not yet read this excellent science fiction novel by delving too deeply into it but I will say that some of the characters experience crises of conscience during the fighting, which leads to some unexpected turns in the narrative.Rose has taken an interesting approach in that narrative. "Iron Mike" is told from multiple points of view and not all of the characters with a voice in this story are human. It's a risky approach because it requires the author to repeatedly shift perspective and tone but Rose has, in my opinion, found a way to do that skillfully. The result is an entertaining read that is surprisingly easy to navigate. She also does not slow her narrative down with minutiae or information dumps but, instead, gives her readers the right amount of detail to put the action and her characters into context.As all good novels do, "Iron Mike" asks its readers to think about important issues ranging from the appropriateness of vengeance to the challenges facing leadership in a time of crisis. It asks readers to consider, for example, what constitutes the greater good as well as the importance of maintaining a civil society in the face of disaster.Although Rose has injected humor and a little romance into "Iron Mike" this is not always an easy novel to read. As in all wars, people die and there are always those who will take advantage of the weak. Rose does not flinch away from those realities but meets them head-on with strong prose.The verdict: A really interesting plot combined with strong writing and intriguing characters makes "Iron Mike" a 5-star read.

Definitely my kind of apocalypse. And the survivors aren't always the ones you expect.Utilising an interesting array of perspectives, much like World War Z, Iron Mike takes you through the end of the world as we know it...and into a brave new world where martial law is necessary for survival of the human species. This book has the refreshing angle of being about the difficult choices those in leadership and on the front lines make to survive in the wake of disaster - something I haven't seen done this well since Niven's Lucifer's Hammer.It isn't all dark and gloom, as you might expect, either - the forays into Hershey's perspective bring light into the story in unexpected ways.If you love a good apocalypse that ends in hope...you must read this.

This book has been getting some high praise across social media, and although not a genre I would normally read, I decided to give it a try. I don't normally read post apocalyptic fiction as so much of it seems tired and stereotyped. Not Iron Mike! This story has been created with one hell of an imagination.You're drawn into the story immediately when Earth is attacked with devastating consequences. The impact is felt worldwide, but the story focuses on Mike, Kari and a small group of survivors. Mike has to grow up fast, look out for his younger sister, Jenn, and get a group of young children to a place of safety (and that's just the beginning.)The pace of the story is maintained through the use of the POV of the main characters. Each takes turns to have their say. I found this way of presenting the story easy to follow and thought it helped character development. My favourite POV was Hershey the dog. He helps provide some lighter moments, and it made me smile that the author seems to know the inner workings of a dogs brain so well!This book made me feel so many emotions. Laughter (because of Hershey,) anger (at how badly people can treat each other in times of crisis,) and sadness. It really takes a lot to make me upset as I read. Some of the things Mike experiences and has to do, no one should, especially someone so young. The way his thoughts and feelings were portrayed was excellently done.I'll be recommending this book to everyone, and after such an intriguing ending, I hope there's going to be a sequel.

It’s not very often that a book impresses me enough for me to give it five stars, but this novel achieved that feat.Iron Mike is an awesome story that starts with a widespread technological attack that takes out over 99% of the population. Left to look after his little sister, natural survivor Mike Sanderlin takes the reigns of chaos and struggles, with great difficultly, to tame the wild new world that threatens what little he has left. Teaming up with a host of other survivors, he learns that everything has changed, including himself.Every character in this book is detailed and original. There are moments of bone-cracking action, sizzling emotion, and cinematic tension. It’s a typical end-of-the-world story but it’s been executed with a writing style so fresh and an imagination so sharp that it rises far above more mediocre stories in its genre.I often end my book reviews with a critical point, suggesting something that I think could have been improved. Not this time. Quite simply, this is the best sci-fi novel I’ve read in a while. I was blown away. If a sequel appears – and I’m sure it will – I’ll be one of the first to buy it.

I'm tempted to simply say brilliant - but I guess I should say something more.The genre is YA/ Sci-fi/ Dystopian but I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story. My fav genre is crime/thriller and I loved this book.Highly imaginative, well constructed, thought provoking and inteligent I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I was initially intrigued by the opening chapters and I loved the way the story was concluded. If I was to be very picky I'd say there was a slight lull in the pace at about the third way point but overall this is a fast paced page turner.The characters were well drawn and believable and the unusual way the author handled the aliens was quite inspired and an additional way this book stands head & shoulders above other books of this genre. Great as the human characters were Hershey the dog was a real scene stealer.A great read, thoroughly deserving of the attention it is receiving.

Picked this one up on Amazon after reading the blurb and deciding that it sounded like a good read. It tells the story from several points of view of what happened the day after a world wide "terrorist" attack wipes out the majority of the population. It mostly focuses on Mike, nicknamed "Iron Mike" who goes from bratty teen to solider in the resistance force. It is a great post apocalypse book, aliens, war and all the devastation that comes along with it. The characters are likeable and the romance sub plot brings a lightness to the heavy events happening all around them. I loved it and will be keeping an eye on this author as she brings fresh eyes to the genre. Highly recommended!