An Apocalypse and Then Some

A Teenager's Guide to Saving the Earth, Book 1

It was Chris Alan's very first day of seventh grade.

That's hard. It's bad. No child should be asked to do such an awful thing. Humiliation, embarrassment, and social isolation await him. Then, of all days, the aliens decide to launch their conquest of Earth. So, along with Chris's preteen angst, he gets aerial bombardment, and then vicious insectile aliens pile out of their ships and start killing humans in earnest. What a rotten first day of class!

As his world collapses around him, Chris makes a frantic run for safety. Alone, he heads into the Rocky Mountains to avoid capture. Now, he faces the perils of alien pursuit, and soon, the Montana winter. And he's completely on his own, forced to live by his wits. A betting person would wager big money on Chris failing. But that gambler doesn't know our hero. Chris never quits, and he is committed to saving his species. All he lacks to do so are resources, experience, and help of any kind. Yeah, no big deal. He's got this.

While he struggles to survive, Chris chances to observe significant people from his past. A teacher, classmates, and even a girl he had a crush on. But can he fulfill his promise to himself and save any of them? If he does, not only will his meager supplies be strained, but he risks betrayal. A desperate person might try to purchase their freedom by selling out anyone they could to their cruel masters. If Chris slips up just once, he knows he's a goner.

The aliens are holding humans in bunches with no evident plan. Anguish over what unknown fate awaits humankind, starvation, and the absence of any hope are slowly killing the captives. An unbelievable discovery might make it possible for Chris to turn the tide on our evil conquerors. But can a teenager on his own possibly mount an effective defense? The chances are so small, most people would curl up in a ball and give up. But that's not how Chris Alan is put together. He is willing to roll the dice in an impossible gambit to save his species. Is he brave? Crazy? Nope, he's a teenage boy. Hey, what could go wrong?

©2025 Craig Robertson (P)2025 Podium Audio

Great story!!!!

Wow this was a sleeper!!! This took off after the first few chapters. I could not stop listening. I can’t wait for the next one!!!!!

Outstanding Storyline

One of my favorite authors does it again. This new series is just as good as the Forever series. My only complaint is that I now have to wait for the next book to cime out.

Loved it

Great book absolutely loved it can’t wait for the next one later in the month

Not worth a credit, woke, poor story and meh natration

I have listened to several books by this author and liked them at first but eventually got burnt out with "Ryan". I was glad to see a new series by him. Unfortunately it is a stinker. If it was free I wouldn’t complain, but i wasted a precious credit on this and didnt enjoy it. The narration isnt terrible but its not great and its a little slow which he makes the short book even shorter. The one family talked about in the book is “Grace” and her wife, and their little girls then a teenage boy who starts playing house with them. Save your credits for something good, eventually this will be free and you can try it out when its in the plus category if you must.

Fun story, but definitely written for teens as the target audience.

I'm starting book 3 now....more out of my OCD'ness in needing to finish a series I start rather than my love for the books. I like the author but this series is a bit too PG-13 teenager oriented. Where there is great opportunity to go deep and shock, the author instead goes for the sappy teen love story. Humans outside the group are regulated to simple two dimensional characters and the real hero, the A.I. Peaches, is regulated to a fancy talking buddy. Peaches is a treasure trove of possible information, knowledge and abilities and the characters don't bother to ask the most basic "we always wanted to know this about the universe " kind of questions. Very disappointing as far as what the author could have really done with these characters. The main character lacks in the intelligence and unique personality department. Hell, I lost all my faith in the kids empathy when he so easily abandoned his dog after the invasion. The author has dumbed down the characters so completely that I feel like I'm just trudging through a twilight series novel..... not that I've ever read any of those. It's just what I imagine them to be like. There's no sense that anyones life is ever in jeopardy or that the World is in the worst condition thats its ever been in. Lastly, please tell this orator to speak faster and with less whining. It's grating on the ears. Maybe use RC Bray in the future. That guy is amazing.