Apocalypse Wow

Apocalypse Wow #1

by Ben Mariner

Jack Winters is in a bit of a pickle. Things started out just fine. He had a decent job and a few friends. Then he met the woman of his dreams. They go out on a date and things go really well. That’s when things go south. The morning after turns out to be a week later and the world went ahead and ended itself while Jack was far away in dreamland. Now he’s awake in a post-apocalyptic world with no family, no job, and worst of all, no girlfriend. Along with his friends and some other random tag-alongs, Jack will journey cross country to find the woman of his dreams against zombies, heavy metal horsemen, pirates, and a power so immense and evil it will put his very soul to the test.

A rip-roaring tale of one man's road trip through an apocalyptic wasteland, Apocalypse Wow takes the standard post-apocalyptic tropes and pokes them with the humor stick while knee deep in the world of 90's pop culture. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll hurl.

Genres: Zombies, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Humor, Horror, Fantasy

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 13, 2015

About the author

Ben Mariner is the author of the Apocalypse Wow, Tales of Cubonia, and Hero Chronicles series. He has also written The Many Lives of Zane Montgomery which some people definitely read. When not writing, Ben can be found searching the globe for the lost city of Atlantis or attempting to break the record for most consecutive hours spent doing nothing in particular. He is an avid consumer of useless knowledge, a staunch supporter of not eating vegetables ever, and once threw his underwear on stage at a One Direction concert.

Reviews

[J. Daniel Layfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a child of the 80s and 90s, this book definitely tickled my nostalgia bone. Reading this book felt like taking a trip with my own brother and friends through an apocalyptic wasteland. But this book is so much more than just a pop culture guidebook. Beyond the references is a thoroughly entertaining and unique story. I already have the second one downloaded and am excited to see what those last words mean exactly.

My only complaint is the riddle near the end of the book. Having a riddle without giving the answer is a dick move. Thankfully, Google was able to assist.

[Christina McMullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh boy! How do I even review this book? I guess I could take the easy route and compare it to a bunch of other things (a mash up of Dogma and Scott Pilgrim vs the World, but with more pop culture references), but that would be doing the uniqueness of this book a disservice.

Seriously. There are tons of dystopian stories out there, but very few (that I've seen anyway) that take place after the literal end of the world. This one does. After the fire and brimstone have rained down and destroyed life as we know it, and only the sinners and the meh-gnostics are left, one man sets off on a cross country journey to find the woman he just met. And hilarity ensues.

The book is dedicated to the nineties and you'll find at least one pop culture reference from the last decade of the 20th century on each page. Admittedly, having been quite a bit older that the protagonist in the 90s, some references I got, some were obscure, and some were things that made me go hmm...

My favorite moment (okay, one of them) had to be the revelation of who the four horsemen of the apocalypse were and how they were defeated. Highly recommended for fans of humor, fantasy, Super Metroid, and Buzzfeed's 90s nostalgia lists.

[Papaphilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book. Take Clerks, High Fidelity, add a bit of Ariel, some of the humor from John Dies at the End and a dash of the Wizard of Oz and Ready Player One, then shake it all up and you have Apocalypse Wow. The world has come to an end and our hero is chasing a beauty he had the worlds best date with across the landscape with his two buddies in tow because that is why you have wingmen.

Ben Mariner has taken the end of the world and made it fun. His sense of humor is not funny ha ha, but very subtle, which makes story even more perverse. Think of Harold and Kumar at the apocalypse actually trying to do good. This works on a number of levels. The book even gives you the sound track to read too.

Ben Mariner works with a couple of memes and blends them together seamlessly. It is a superb job. The story is not new, but is a fresh take non-the-less. I read the book in one day because I could not put it down. It is that good and that fun. I was truly disappointed that it ended so fast and I do not say that often. The writer is a true gem waiting to break out.

If you love nineties nostalgia, slackers, monsters along with fast and tight writing, you are going to love this book.

Very highly recommended

[C.B. Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fan art for this book was just so amazing that it became the cover for the second book! ... well, okay, fine. That isn't true. I did make the cover for the second book though. It was before I read this book, because I got this book after doing that, and then... you know what? That isn't important. Let's just review this book instead!

I am always of fan of anything that sets out to do something original and unique - something with a plot I haven't read before, or something that has a new concept, or something that just twists a regular idea for a plot by the nipples and makes it completely unique! Stories that do that get bonus points for being unique! It didn't hurt that there was some genuine funny moments in this story and some things I have never considered happening before (which is a big deal, in my head, because, wow!)

I can't wait until book 2 comes out. Oh... right... Book 2 is out. I made the cover for it! I have it over there on my shelf. I could read it now even... Apocalypse Now.

Side Note: I have a concussion! This review might be a bit crazy. I am not going to change it later, but will probably read it later and be terribly confused by it. Also, I wrote nipples in this review and it was amazing. Also also, did you know that I made the cover for book 2?

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Winters (narrator, employee) worked for Mike (owner record shop) as did Barry (record shop employee). The 3 were good friends.
Jill (Jack’s lover) has a hot date & the 2 quickly become an item.
She however decides to move.

BOOM. The town/world are completely changed forever.
The 4 horseman of the Apocalypse (Metallica): James Hetfield (war), Lars Ulrich (pestilence), Kirk Hammett (death), & Jason Newsted (famine) also were wreaking havoc on the world.
The adventures, thrills & the horrors of the 3 began.

Will Jack ever see Jill again?
Who are what is Mofo?

Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written paranormal book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great paranormal movie, animated cartoon or mini TV series. Nothing like Ive ever read. Totally bizarre but kept me fascinated. A very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Goodreads; Autographed; paperback book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The nostalgia factor was awesome and the story was fun and different. Can't wait to read the next one!

[Noah Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of things that I could say about this novel. Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. For one, it has resonated deeply with me. The "obscure" pop culture references made me reminisce about my own childhood (as well as my formal teen years), the witty narrative and dialogue embedded within hearkened back to a time when novelists weren't afraid to let loose with their fiction. I've preached about it in the past with other reviews of mine, but I have to reiterate it here once more...books are supposed to take you to another world. They're supposed to make you laugh, smile, feel something. Anything! Whether it be a negative or a positive feeling, it is irrelevant. A tale being told NEEDS to leave an impression on you. That's what Ben's book did for me.

Apocalypse Wow is an imaginative blast of fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously, it zips by at a good clip, and its surprises (as well as its hilarious cameos) are a true treat for the reader to come across.

Needless to say, I'll never look at Metallica in the same light again.

And for being a self-edited book, it's not too shabby, either. Yes, there are some typos here and there, but nothing that'll really break your immersion. Unless you're a stickler, that is. The cool thing about the author of this novel is that he's very receptive to any outside help from a fellow writer/editor. That being me, obviously. Not only did I read this book and enjoy it thoroughly, I made sure to detect errors along the way, for the fact was that I legitimately cared about the source material.

While I found myself incredibly invested in the crazy story unfolding before my eyes, any slight slip or grammatical issue that presented itself from time to time did stick out like a sore thumb for me. And that's really because I just loved it so much...I simply want/wanted it to be the best it can/could possibly be.

I did the past and present tense deal there since I know that the kinks will surely be ironed out in the near future. Pesky things like omitted words and misspellings should always be rectified.

I won't showcase what I've been referring to because I feel like a gentleman today. And I also know that Mr. Mariner will sincerely appreciate my impending email with the specifics. Or at least he should...as it's only meant to help improve the overall MS, which it so richly deserves. Since, you know, it's damn good.

All that being typed, this zany and unique yarn still gets the five-star status from me. I'm basing this off of the fact that I genuinely laughed out loud on several occasions. Also, I realized that I actually cared about the characters (and their fates) that Ben Mariner had created here. I don't usually give that much of a shit when it pertains to whatever tragedy befalls a fictional character, but he made me sympathize by way of his extremely entertaining writing style.

In closing, I am very much looking forward to trekking alongside Jack as he begins his search for Lola in the next installment. What exactly is the Lifestream? I guess I'll just have to find out once I dive into the sequel...

[Gertie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's the Apocalypse Wow playlist on Spotify.

I loved the music "chapter tracks"; embellishments like that really add to the fun and appeal of books for me.

This book was recommended to me by more than one friend who also enjoys apocalyptic fiction — I added it to my To Read list and bought the book sometime last year, but just picked it up this week. Typically I don't re-read blurbs before beginning a book, because the element of surprise always adds to the enjoyment of the reading experience. This is one of those times where it actually created a bit of confusion for me, as I got a decent way into the book before finally realizing that the story is in the glib, tongue-in-cheek style that I usually have difficulty with. Despite having read most of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony and The Freezer by The Freezer, and being a bit of a goofball, I don't really enjoy certain kinds of humor. I'd be hard pressed to articulate what works for me and what doesn't.

Having just finished reading Armada a couple of weeks ago, it probably didn't help that I was feeling a bit burnt out on pop-culture from a particular decade. Ernest Cline loves the 80's, as you can see from Ready Player One and Armada. In Apocalypse Wow, the decade being honored is the 90's. This isn't necessarily a drawback for me (I am in my 40's after all), but having seen this approach before and so recently, it wasn't a plus either.

There are zombies, vampires, pirates, the afterlife, the devil, heaven, a "pristinely beautiful" love interest, plays on names, love at first sight, pop culture, etc. It was quite a lot to process. I think this would appeal greatly to some people though, a lot of variety, a lot going on. I was never able to find it in myself to care what happened next however, partly due to not especially liking the characters. Between those that drive drunk, hook up with hookers, etc. it's actually a bit hard to like them. I don't think I'd like these guys in real life.

Speaking of the characters, the head-hopping made my own head feel a bit wobbly. When each chapter starts, you have no way of knowing who the narrator is, so the first paragraph (or more) is spent trying to figure out who it is. Names under chapter headings would have helped here.

I did encounter a dozen or so errors, though it was nothing egregious. However, if it's more than a couple it becomes more memorable. This is reparable though at least.

I'm clearly not the right audience for this book, but I do think that if you enjoy humor, some silliness, and the 90's, you might enjoy this book.

[Nicholas Karpuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a certain tendency, often in a writer's early books, that I've become weirdly familiar with over time. The book starts off hot and heavy with an almost excessive style, and I immediately wonder how long it will take before the pressures of telling an actual story force it down.

In the case of Apocalypse Wow, I think I clocked it somewhere around 20%. In general, you can be a stylist, or you can tell a fast paced adventure, but I've seen very few people do both. The style in this case involves an absolute ton of references and quippy dialogue.

The references in general don't work for me, even though I fully understand the bulk of them. Here's the trouble with references: They should do something more than merely give the thrill of recognition.

There's a moment where the protagonist, Jack, says that Ducktales is awesome. Yeah, I know Ducktales is awesome, but that is, in and of itself, not interesting to me.

You know what's interesting to me? The fact that Scrooge McDuck was the only one who could swim in the money bin. There's an actual episode where the Huey, Dewey, and Louie attempt to dive in his money and hit it like a brick wall. This suggests, along with his arm wrestling prowess, that Scrooge is built like a feathery tank.

Specificity is more interesting to me in references. It's the difference between saying, "that looks like the Death Star" and Kevin Smith's discussion of its contract labor. Don't just point at the pop culture thing, tell me what's interesting to you about the pop culture thing.

Once the stylist stuff mostly burns off and the story's pacing kicks into gear, it becomes a sort of fantasy picaresque, with Jack going from one apocalyptic set piece to another. Many of these set pieces are amusing, and probably could have occupied entire books in their own right. The adventure story parts of the book functioned the best for me.

What detracted from the book overall for me was Jill and Lola. There's only two women through most of the book, and they never have a conversation together. Probably because they're the same person, which doesn't help matters. Lola doesn't have much of a personality. In general she likes all the things Jack likes, which feels like a personification of the Cool Girl speech from Gone Girl. I know fiction has a long and proud tradition of using the women as the MacGuffin, the ultimate loot drop, but this doesn't give them a ton of room to have defining characteristics.

Overall it's not boring, and not being boring is an underrated criteria. But the flat references and the female characters hold it back from its potential.

[Nick Rossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost, I love a good play on words. I also love Martin Scorcese, which is why I could not help but accept to review the magnificently titled, genre mash-up novel "Apocalypse Wow".

As the title suggests, the novel is indeed set during the Apocalypse, whatever that may mean. The main character here is the simply titled Jack Winters. He's an average dude - has a job he semi-enjoys and a group of friends that he likes to hang out with. Throw in an encounter with a woman he thinks may have been sent to him from his dreams and he's one happy camper. However, as this is a piece of fiction that has to subvert and move a narrative forward that enthralls the reader, Jack awakens from his dream date to find out that the world has ended. Imagine waking up to that. And you thought hangovers were bad.

With his friends by his side, Jack and some newly acquired acquaintances, embark on a journey to be reunited with the woman of his dreams. Along the way, they naturally have to battle zombies, the four horseman of the Apocalypse itself, and the truest nature of evil. Sounds heavy, I know. But what author Ben Mariner does so deftly is he injects a humour in this tale where everything bad that could happen happens and all that the characters have left are ways to not succumb to the madness that has encapsulated the world in such a short while.

It's quite genius that the author provides the reader with a recommend soundtrack per chapter. It makes the novel quite interactive and amusing. It's a clever take on the heaviness that often accompanies books of this genre, not to mention the negative proverbial weight that tends to characterize these types of tales. Humour is indeed the only real way that sometimes cope with such awful, dire situations, and this is what's expressed in Apocalypse Wow.

The novel literally has something for everyone. It's funny and endearing, comical and evocative. It shows the true talent of an author that I hope goes on to create more works to share with the world. It would make for a great TV series.

Like this review? Read more like it at www,readingotherpeople.com

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I foolishly started this book thinking that in spite of the amusing tone to the cover summary, it was aiming to be a serious post-apocalyptic story with a fun "soundtrack" of suggested music for each chapter. I worry that this colored some of my opinion before I began to look at it as a light-hearted romp (adding the music helped with this). Once I did, however, I enjoyed it more and didn't think so much about any realism issues (who cares about realism in Hitchhiker's Guide for example?).
So, with these parameters, why just 3 stars? Well, first, these were some ideas that I felt the author could have run with a bit further to improve the book (the Pirates, the train, and the four horsemen are a few examples) because, otherwise, the resolutions seem to come-off trite. Second, there was at least one storyline that seemed to disappear... the man searching for his family... he seemed to have forgotten them entirely by the time he was in a position to search in earnest. Lastly, the author ended the book on a much more serious note than the previous tone of would have suggested (and revealed it was the first book of a series).
So, who should read this book? Well... if you love 90's references, if you can read a book that doesn't take itself seriously, if you would like a book that can be paired with music the way that food is paired with wine, you will enjoy it. Would I read (and pay for) the subsequent books? I think so. The main character was compelling enough and frankly I like to be able to laugh while I read without it taking me out of the story.

Full Disclosure: I received this book as part of a Goodreads First Read Giveaway. Thank you to the author for providing me the opportunity to read his work.

[Lyndsey Herring · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really fun to read. Being from the same home town as the author, I was led through a post-apocalyptic version of the area where we grew up. I really enjoyed the depth of the characters and how relatable they are.
This book is chock-full of 90's pop culture references that made me smile with every page turn. With each new chapter, readers aren't left with the standard chapter number and chapter title, the author graciously provides a "Chapter Track" to set the mood for the upcoming happenings.
This book is unique and exciting. I highly recommend Apocalypse Wow, and I'll be anxiously waiting for more Jack Winters.

[B.J. Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that I am not much for apocalypse stories, but I couldn't resist the title of this book. I liked that it wasn't too gory, and was actually quirky funny with the 90s pop culture references. The story is about how the end of the world hits, and three guys travel across the country looking for safe haven. They encounter the four horsemen, who are actually the members of Metallica, pirate ships, and a sketchy heaven/hell camp.

If you are a sucker, like me, for stories about people on a trip then you will not be disappointed in this story. Ben Mariner does a great job of taking us with his characters on their journey.

[Corine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. The author paints a vivid picture throughout with plentiful descriptions that help you visualize his version of an apocalyptic America. I definitely felt nostalgic for the nineties reading this and enjoyed the songs corresponding with each chapter. An easy read with twists and turns. I look forward to reading the second installation to see how Jack Winters stumbles and bumbles his way into saving the world!

I did receive this book as a free giveaway.

[Riley Amos Westbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a couple weeks ago, but I haven’t really had the time to get my thoughts down in that time. It took me a little bit to get into this book, but once I did it was fast, smooth sailing. It started out slow, taking about a quarter of the book to hit the action, but once it does get to the meat and potatoes of the book, I found myself whipping through it in no time. An enjoyable journey chock full of pop culture and video game references.

[Ashley M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a joy and a pleasure to read. It made me laugh a ton and I found so much nostalgia in its pages. If you're a man-child or woman-child that knows just how totally radical the 90s were, this book is for you. Stoked for more to this story. [Insert cheerful sitcom music here to play me out. "everywhere you look..."]

[Kate Muus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really innovative and funny. I love Ben's dry sense of humor and the MOFO. Oh my goodness. So many things about this book harkened me back to the 90s. Such a great time in life and in this book.

[Trey Forsyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apocalypse Wow? Hell Yes!!

This book is so over the top that you think it can't work, but somehow Mariner makes everything come together. It's funny and suspenseful and just plain crazy! Take a chance on this book and you just may find a new favorite author!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book comes from the same vein as Kung Fury, with increasingly absurd premises wrapped in 90's nostalgia. It's a lot of fun, and will make you want to immediately listen to at least one of the songs it's chapter titles reference.

[Troy Neenan · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all I feel very disappointed in this book. For starters judging from the cover and the first chapter I thought that this would have been a GameLit series but it isn't. Imagine if you will if a person who had never read the bible had drunk several bottles of whiskey, watched that episode of the Simpsons about the rapture on mute with the subtitles on, while heavy metal music played in the background. This might be the outcome.
There are several main problems that I have with this book. One is that the main characters instantly falls in love with a hot girl. Classic love at first sight, nothing that hasn't been done before but it just feels like she is using him. The next problem is that the author doesn't tell us whose point of view it is at the start of each chapter, you have to actually wait or guess who it is. Very little if anything is explained, the end boss is pathetic, the battles don't leave an impact, and the side stories don't go anywhere.
One big problem is the relationship that Jack has with his crush. There is no romance. She's Princess Peach or Zelda. She's not treated like somebody who we should care and relate to but a goal to keep the story going. This might have worked if this was a GameLit but not in this book. The MC could have been trying to save his pet goldfish and it would have made more sense.

Plot: Jack is a gamer working at a record store when he falls in love with Lola, an attractive magic macguffin who he instantly is ready to die for. After a one night stand he wakes up to discover that he slept through the apocalypse. It then turns into a road trip through the wasteland that is America.

Characters:
Jack is our MC who is a retro gamer. It's stated early on that he is somebody who was born in the decade. Instead of a personality he is given a goal, find the girl who he met for five minutes or die trying. Because love, apparently.

Lola is a character I can't get too into because of spoilers but from what I can tell this woman is a high level manipulator.

Mike is friends with Jack. When the apocalypse hits he finds that his family have acceded into heaven and he goes on a quest to find them. Unfortunately, Mike's storyline doesn't go anywhere. He is driven by plot and not logic, and he ends up just being there. Very disappointing.

What I like: I suppose that it isn't boring and it's shorter than most books.
What I don't like: See above.

[Nicholas Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I was hoping for was a fun ride and I sure got it.

The story centers around Jack Winters who works for his friend Mike at his record store. Their friend Barry also works there. One day, a woman walks into the store and Jack is smitten by her right away (the girl of his dreams). Of course, he can't find the courage to say anything to her, so she ends up being the one to make the first move.

After their date, Jack wakes up weeks later to find out that he missed the apocalypse. He goes to see if Lola (his date from that night weeks ago, although at first he thinks it's only been one night) is okay. He checks the apartment she lived at only to find a note in a empty field that has a great classic line on it.

Barry and Jack meet up to start their journey east. They run into a girl that is the spitting image of Lola named Jill who joins them on their quest to find Jack's one true love (Jill just wants to get home). Mike on the other hand, wakes up the morning after, discovers his family is gone and decides to go to see if he can find his wife and two kids on his own (he leaves their home town before Barry and Jack does, which they both think he's dead).

This book is great. This is a love letter to the 90's. I found myself enjoying the nostalgia of the pop culture references. I know my description above doesn't do it justice, but trust me. This is a fun and funny tale (it also has it's heartfelt moments that work, too).

Every chapter is named after a movie or tv show from the 90's. The author also puts under the chapter title the song track that goes along with the chapter. I have never seen anything like that before and it works. I'm not one to listen to music while reading, but knowing the song title adds to what is coming forth in the chapter (even if one hasn't actually listened to the song before, the title is enough).

He throws a lot of references at the reader at first, but slows down towards the end. Even so, I found that I was smiling whenever he did.

We also get different perspectives. Sometimes we are reading about Mike's side and other times (most of the book) it's Jack (although, one of the early chapters is from Barry's). When the gang gets back together, it's through Jack's eyes.

Now, the reason I gave this book a four versus a five star rating is because of an unfortunate thing that happened while reading. The editing. The book for the most part is solid, however, I did notice some missing or missed spelled (Though the missed spelled happens maybe once or twice compared to the missing ones) words. I had found that it stopped the reading a little, but not too bad (still noticeable though).

Even with the mistakes that I mentioned, I still loved where this book took me. When I finished, I went to go look for when the sequel was coming out and to my surprise it came out the same day I'd finish reading this. Wow! Bonus!

Even if one doesn't catch all of the references, one can still enjoy the book. Hopefully, the sequel is as good as this one.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The great Roger Ebert wrote that he tried to review movies not so much on what the movie did, but how well it did what it set out to do. That's a pretty good standard, I think.

Apocalypse Wow does, I think, exactly what it sets out to do. It takes the reader on a trip through a kitchen-sink post-apoc setting. There's a lot of Protestant Rapture going on, plus zombies (because of course there are zombies) and vampires and roving gangs of trouble. There's a lot in here, and Mariner mostly manages the blend pretty well.

Every few chapters, the narration changes perspective without notification, and the first couple of times, it's jarring. The narrator characters' voices aren't especially different, so it takes some external information to know when you're no longer in Jack's head, or Mike's, as the chapter may require.

Look, it's a fun read, and there are a few laughs, and the read rarely drags. Points there. It is clearly self-published, though, and needed another editing pass and reformatting (left-justification in a 280-page book is madness). It'll entertain you for a couple of hours, and there are worse things for a book to do.

I received this book free of charge from Goodreads giveaways.

[Felita Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe Ben Mariner to be quite a talented writer. His descriptions of the characters, settings and situations was very colorful. I could envision his characters whole-heartedly. I loved all the cultural references to music, video games, movies and such. This book has a kind of snarky humor to it.
One thing I should note is that the work is all in first person, and not just from one person’s eyes. Every time you started a new chapter, you need to read a paragraph just to figure out which character is speaking/ thinking. There’s nothing wrong with that per say, just a complication in enjoying the narrative.
If you like off the beaten path sci-fi, this is just the ticket for you. I was provided a free copy to read in order to write an honest review.

[Brittney Rz. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was interesting. That was definitely a book that was a wild ride. To start I enjoyed the pacing, I found to easy to keep turning pages. It never particular lagged.
The dialogue was also quite good. It was funny and felt real for the most part.
But I have to say the plot itself was all over the place! I felt like i was reading something similar to the movie "Dude where's my car?" As in everything got weirder and weirder and made less and less sense. I got the apocalypse scenario but trying to throw in everything was a bit much. And certain things didn't make sense like vampires? Where did they come from?
What saved this all for me was definitely the dialogue because it was fun, witty and creative. I found myself reading just to see what they would say next!

[K.K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

First person narrative. Lots of '90s references and product placement ads thus far.

I'm sorry, Ben, but I cannot finish reading your book. It fits a quirky kind of niche that isn't for me. I don't play video games (except for Zelda p.130 two decades ago) and the Chapter Tracks are an assortment of pop music that never appealed to me. This is the "it's not you, it's me" part of the explanation. I like a narrow range of dark and fatalistic apocalyptic fiction. Your brand is more "apopalyptic", yo!

Thanks for the book and sorry I couldn't give it a better effort. Good luck to you in your future endeavors.

[Julia Damatto · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars*
With this book I found myself in a crossroad.
Apocalypse Wow is hilarious, with funny situations, witty dialogues, smart references, an awesome soundtrack and an original plot, but somehow, all that became fuzzy towards the end, I lost the storyline several times and it was a bit rushed.
Overall, I laughed at loud, really enjoyed the 90's references and our main characters were delightful!!
This book is the perfect read for a boring day, it will cheer up your day!
P.S. You must listen to the songs of each chapter while you're reading.

*I received a Free Copy in exchange for an Honest Review*

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading this story like yesterday. It was that good. I didn't exactly spit milk from my nose, but it was kind of close there. I loved reading about Jack and his life and what happened afterward. I loved it when he met 'the girl of his dreams' and found out some things about that. I didn't have a problem reading it. The setting was great. The characters were spot on and I am looking forward to reading more about him and the others.

Kudos on creating such a funny book for readers.

[Tyler Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rollercoaster ride of nostalgia

Apocalypse Wow is an Armageddon story rife with pop culture references from the 90s. As a 90s kid myself, I enjoyed the nostalgic adventure occurring throughout the book. Other than that, the story was fairly simple. I'll admit it must be near impossible to make a coherent 90s apocalypse story, but some references to pop culture seemed to do nothing more than that... refer to 90s pop culture. I rate this book because I am a fan of the 90s, but not as much for the writing style.

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books sometimes are hit and miss for me. This book was ok. I was a little lost about some of the story but it didn't capture me the way I was hoping for through out the book. I really do not like the cover either but just my opinion. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

[Ben Mariner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it ethical to review your own book?