Book Review: Downfall by KW Callahan (Systemic Series #1)

Something terrible is breeding in the mountains of northwest China…a virus so infectious, its symptoms so overwhelming that its mortality rate is almost absolute. The “Su flu” as it eventually becomes known, quickly ravages the body of its host, killing it within just days, and worse yet, it’s gone airborne. Just weeks after making its appearance on the world stage – the earth’s population held as its captive audience – the virus has taken that stage and annihilated nearly all its spectators.

Writer and stay-at-home dad John Stevens never considered himself a “prepper” like the ones he’d seen on television. Just a regular guy, married to a regular girl, with a wonderful two-year-old son, life in the suburbs of Chicago is good, and John and his family are living the American dream…that is, until the Su flu strikes. With mankind suddenly gripped by the worst pandemic in history, will the foresight that led John to prepare some emergency supplies and an evacuation plan be enough for him and his family to survive not just this deadly virus but the chaos that ensues? Or will they succumb to the renegade lawlessness that has turned much of humanity’s remnants into a vicious, scavenging, do-anything-to-survive populace? As John and his family search for some semblance of the world they once knew, they’ll discover just what they’re willing to do to survive in a grueling post-pandemic world. 

My Review:
***NB-I first read this book back in March 2016. I am doing a re-read so I can now read the rest of the series*** 

China has lost control of quarantining a deadly biological outbreak which started in the mountain villages and news of a deadly flu reaches the US media where amateur prepper, freelance author and stay at home dad Jack is concerned about what it might mean. His worry turns to fear when he hears of cases of this flu in the hospital where his wife works as an occupational therapist, and he makes preperations to take the family on a 'camping trip' to a safe previously scouted location for a few days, determined that they are not be coming back. Can he escape to a rural camping area before the flu hits? And can he persuade his doubting extended family to join them in that safe place?

Jack has a small amount of stored supplies compared to other preppers but it is enough for the family to survive a short amount of time at the rural camp ground that Claire's dad chose for this bug out location. Jack persuades Claire, who has no prepper interest to go away with him for a few days in the guise of a weekend camping trip. While she expects to return to work as planned in a few days, Jack is sure that the flu will by then be all over the hospital and beyond, and that their stay at the site will be long term. He has written letters to all their loved ones asking them to join them in this safer place but will they choose to come? Will they believe his doomsday warnings? And will those that choose to head for the campground get there safely as the city of Chicago falls apart around them?

This was an enjoyable apocalypse tale. Jack is a normal family man who has some concerns about how dangerous the world is and has taken a few precautions just in case the worst happens. He has a modest amount of supplies and a plan to get to a safe place not too far away. He is not your full doomsday prepper but he spends a lot of time watching the news to keep up on events and it is this attention to detail that gets his family out there before the pandemic really hits. His wife Claire has no interest in these matters but her father is a small time prepper as well, so he understands Jack's concerns. As he watches the flu outbreak start to arrive in the US, Jack starts looking at his options and getting nervous. Discovering that there have been a couple of deaths at the local hospital related to the outbreak is enough for Jack to put his basic plans into action. Getting his family on board is more difficult.

I enjoyed watching Jack get ready and take his family to the new location. We are with him as he sets up his camp in a well hidden area and starts getting organised for a longer stay, looking at water, food, hunting, security, resources. It is only when they hear radio reports of the flu outbreak rapidly spreading that Claire agrees not to go back. That is when people start to arrive in the area. We follow the fortunes of other members of Jack and Claire's families as they try to get to the safe haven at a time when all hell is breaking loose in the towns and cities as the flu spreads. Not everyone is ready for such a disaster and there are those who are determined to take from others.

I did have a few very minor niggles with the plot. The first was the idea that the men should bond over smoking cigarettes together and Jack's plan falls through when the non smokers don't want to. That to me is very stupid. First, why should a non smoker feel obligated to smoke so he can 'join in'??? This makes no sense. The second was going into the nearby town to practice shooting BEFORE checking it was clear of people. They check the gas station and diner but ignore the houses and head off to shoot nearby which was stupid and leads to trouble. Claire decides to jump into water of an unknown depth and gets into a bit of trouble too with a snake nest. These are stupid things to do at any time but in the apocalypse a lot more care needs to be taken with no medical help around for injuries.

The characters are good and I feel that they are a realistic representation of the people that are going to be in this situation. The added problem of Claire being diabetic is interesting as we see her problem in what she eats and how to store her medication. There is also a vegetarian in the group which adds its own challenge when the group plan to hunt for their winter food and not much is growing to eat in the forest. We also get a look at the problems that the handful of survivors in the town have to face when a convoy of criminals comes looking for supplies and are prepared to kill everyone. The bad guys are of course very bad and you wish violent death on them straight away! I have to warn that the book does end in a huge cliffhanger but the other books are already available to read.

This has all the elements of a good apocalypse series-the family setting up in a new place, the dangerous road trips, the worry over missing family members and the bad guys who are out there causing trouble. There might not be anything really new to the plot but I usually enjoy this kind of thing. There is a lot of action towards the end of the book and there are a few plot twists that I wasn't expecting. It was entertaining to read and I want to read the rest of the series so I can't ask for much more than that!

Read originally September 2017
Re-Read October 2019
4 stars.