Originally posted on my blog, SpecFic Junkie.A "what-if" alternate history, where the Cuban Missile Crisis turned into an all-out nuclear war, Resurrection Day appears to be heavily researched... but somehow misses that an all-out nuclear war would create more than a local catastrophe. Unfortunately, that's not the only issue.I feel like a lot could have been done with this premise. And I feel like Brendan DuBois really tried his damnedest to make it happen. Unfortunately, there was a significant amount of naivety that made it difficult for me to keep my suspension of disbelief.Post the Cuban War, the United States has mostly fallen apart and is under military rule. The newspapers have a censor who can strike any stories and edit however they please. People aren't allowed to freely come and go, or even live in cities, because they need farmers. Plenty of people are going hungry.Wait. Farmers? Didn't the US just get hit with multiple nuclear strikes 10 years ago? ...so, how are they farming? Well, good thing the British are doing a good job with relief, kind of a return for the US's help during the Blitz. But wait. The USSR was bombed to the point of slag and the US was hit repeatedly... but Britain is 100% okay?However, what broke my suspension of disbelief most often, was the way the plucky reporter protagonist continually dug himself out of every hole. There's a point where you have to go, "Wait now. How's he survived up until this point?" Basically, it relies on the military really sucking as their job, even though we've continually been informed how good they are at it.Oh, and the issue of race relations was solved. Basically, the army went in and ended segregation and Jim Crow because we needed the nation united. Because that would fix race relations. And it's so realistic. It's not like the United States has ever realized it's easier to profit off of an underclass than trying to unite everyone...At times, the dialogue feels forced and uncomfortable. The romance makes no fucking sense. It would have made more sense if it had turned out to be spy shenanigans, but no, no, she actually fell in love with him.The ending, also, made me roll my eyes even more. Not the substance of the end... I saw that coming from a hundred miles away. But more once again, the plucky reporter manages to survive against all odds.Honestly, I would have been happier if we hadn't been given a Happily Ever After ending.
Actually 4.5 / 5 for story and 3.5 / 5 for narration but rounded upSet in an alternative 1972, the USA is heading towards the 10 year anniversary of a nuclear war started when JFK failed to stop the Cuban Missle Crisis and Cuba fired upon the US. The story follows a retired solider turned investagative journalist Carl Landry as he investigates the murder of another war veteran. The murdered war vertan had previously contacted Landry promising the sotry of the centruy, and Landry starts to suspect that he may have been murdered because of that story. Landry must deal with government censorship, personal and societal shame about the events of the war, international politics and urban legends to get to the bottom of the murder.This book is alternative history at it's finest, showing what could have been if the Cuban Missle Crisis hadn't ended in a stand-off. DuBois slowly releases details organiscally into the story explaining the events and how it came about and how the US has changed since. And everything about it just comes across as plausible - Collapse of NATO, European nations providing food and support etc (in a reverse Marshall plan sort of way), government or military men placed as editors at all newspapers to ensure that no unapproved story is printed, the shame of the people at what was done in retaliation, the oppressive atmosphere that means none of this is talked about openly... It just created a create mood for the book.The story itself is full of twists and turns, with you never really sure until the end who is good and who is bad, and what each persons agenda is, and what the 'great story' the murdered vet actually had. Absolutely loved it and I htink anyone who likes alternative history should check it out.McVicar's narration is good. It took me a little while to get used to his accent (it is american, but I'm not sure which part it is from) but once I was used to it I was then able to really enjoy the book. He provides voices and accents for characters (although his initial british accent right at the start of the book was a little difficult to listen to) and provides the right inflection for what the characters said and did. Overall rather enjoyable.This audiobook was provided by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of audiobookblast dot com.
Do You like book Resurrection Day (2000)?
Boston, 1972. As the ten-year anniversary of the Cuban War approaches, the United States remains locked in a national malaise it hasn't been able to shake off since Washington, New York, San Diego, and Miami were decimated by Soviet nuclear weapons. The media is censored, checkpoints are common, and the bright glory of America has dimmed and rusted.Carl Landry, a retired US Army veteran, is a metro reporter for the Boston Globe who is assigned a story about a murder in East Boston. Little does he know that he's started down a path towards secrets that could overturn everything he - and the entire nation - believes to be true about the events of the Cuban War.DuBois did a fantastic job of creating a world where Kruschev didn't back down and the Cuban Missile Crisis turned into a nuclear war, albeit one which spared much of the world. The former Soviet Union is gone, bombed into radioactive black glass by the US, which has, in turn, become a second-world nation reliant on endless help from Britain. New York, Washington, San Diego, and Miami are gone, and the rest of the nation has too little food, too much National Security, and little hope. DuBois had a way of throwing in jarring details which are both entirely realistic and wholly unsettling.The plots begins slowly, but once Carl begins to connect some dots, it rapidly accelerates, and the final 150 pages or so are deeply immersive.Character development was decent, although it was hard to care too much about either Carl or his British love interest Sandy. There is one very poignant moment near the end of the book which again provides a jarringly realistic look at the level of suffering caused by the war, and this was the one moment of real connection I felt to Carl as a character.Despite the issues with character development, this is one heck of a yarn.
—Rich Andriole
I loved it. It is an alternate history book set in 1972 which would be 10 years after JFK screwed-up the Cuban Missle Crisis resulting in a nuclear war with Cuba nad Russia. Sometimes these books come off kind of cheesy, but this one delivers. It kept twisting the plot so that I never really new what was coming next. Besides the alternate history there are murder mystery and political intrigue aspects to the book as well. I rarely give a 5-star but this book earns it. I really want to read more of this author.
—L J
It's 1972, and the people of the United States are doing everything they can to forget the past 10 years, starting with the Cuban Missile Crisis, which led to the Cuban Nuclear War, which led to America's current position as a decidedly second-class world power. Only Washington, New York, and San Diego were hit, but even those impacts were enough to essentially destroy the country. The British, not forgetting how the US helped them in their dark times, have responded generously with food, medicines and assistance. But do they have an ulterior motive? One reporter from the Boston Globe is going to try to find out...I read a lot of alternate history and post-nuclear fiction, and this book has trappings of so many others: the character name Two-Tone is found in Alas Babylon, the idea of a man with a past and all his associates quietly being murdered is found in Fatherland, the descriptions of the fragmented US after a limited nuclear strike, as well as the visit to the salvagers of New York City are straight out of Warday, the squatters making a better life for themselves than people following the law is similar to Gibson's Bridge trilogy, the crazy general is right out of Seven Days In May, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are other allusions I don't even get. But make no mistake about it, DuBois combines these elements into a story that is unique, plausible, and very, very scary.
—Patrick Di Justo
