[FE5]⇒ Download Above All Men Eric Shonkwiler 9780988201323 Books

Above All Men Eric Shonkwiler 9780988201323 Books

Download As PDF : Above All Men Eric Shonkwiler 9780988201323 Books

Above All Men Eric Shonkwiler 9780988201323 Books

This is a great novel. The language serves the setting. The tone is consistent. The characters are excellent. The dialogue is sharp and subtle. The familial nuances are beautiful. This is one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had all year.

Beyond language, character, and structure, what impressed me most is that this novel is not technically post-apocalyptic. An environmental cataclysm has not left the earth a ruined wasteland beyond hope. This is not The Road. This is not Mad Max. The setting is what I would call “post-collapse.” It is a world where technology and infrastructure have fallen, where drought and weather conspire against basic survival, where families and communities must maintain unity in the wake of this national turning. In Above All Men, America’s modern, technological, materialistic, and comfortable lifestyle bubble has finally popped. The world has not ended. The party is just over. The nation has been thrown back into the “dust bowl” era. Some reviewers have mentioned The Grapes of Wrath. I agree. But, Shonkwiler also taps into many “Western” elements. What we get is a world that has fallen, but is strikingly similar to the America that came before it. This world is not necessarily dismal, but it demands that its people be hard. There is no room for weakness or moral platitudes. Our protagonist becomes well-suited for this new environment, and his son, who will never experience the luxuries we exploit, becomes even stronger.

I greatly appreciated this fresh perspective, and it distinguishes Above All Men from other apocalyptic fiction. It is a refreshing journey through a familiar world that is reverting to an honest state of nature.


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Above All Men Eric Shonkwiler 9780988201323 Books Reviews

I would describe this book as a near-futuristic western, without the cheesy sci-fi connotation. If anything, it's so realistic it's brutal. The language is straight-forward and cutting, as are the characters. It's truly a portrait of what family, relationships, work, and life are without all the trappings of modern technology. It's a simultaneous look into the past and future. I reached a certain point where I could not stop reading. I could not wait to see justice served and family struggles resolved.
A great understanding and skill with words. A powerful novel of a mans struggle with his past, and his sense of doing what is right for his family and community while at the same time simply trying to survive in a world that has gone wrong.
As a young man David Parrish goes to war to try to save a world he little understands. Haunted by the ravages of battle, David returns to the blighted heartland of the country he fought to save only to discover that the battle rages on - only now to save his farm and family. " Above All Men" is a lyrical tale of survival and what it takes to be a man in the not to distant future. Not to be missed.
This is an amazing first novel by this author - very well thought out, compelling characters, dark and authentic. It's a cautionary tale for our times. I'm telling you - you'd really miss out if you didn't read this special novel! I finished reading a few days ago and I'm still blown away!
If it were possible I would award this book six stars instead of five. The setting is in farm country sometime after the nation’s oil supply has peaked and diminished. The land yields a bare living with the greatest difficulty. The protagonist is a tough man with a tough past. A good man who is his own worst enemy. The writing is masterful. The descriptive details are right on. The dialog is so real that it pulls the reader into the scene. The characters seem true. If you are looking for a story where everything turns out sweet and nice at the end, this isn’t for you. But if you appreciate realism expertly presented you are in for a great read.
Disclaimer I know Eric from college and would say we're friends despite not having seen each other for 5-6 years.

Having read Eric's early work, I am not surprised at the dark and frank look at human nature this book provides. However, I am startled at how mature and insightful it is, written by someone so young!

If you're looking for a fairy-tale ending or a summer beach read, this is not the book for you.

If you enjoy Cormac McCarthy, buy this book.

If you're looking to brag that you knew of a famous author before anyone else, buy a copy and take a selfie with it on Instagram. ...I did.
A feeling of desperation permeates the pages of Above All Men and from the first word to the last, the reader can sense this knife's edge looming over the fate of the characters. David, though haunted by memories of a previous war that he and his best friend lost their innocence to, is willing to go to dangerous and violent lengths to protect his family. Yet he is a conflicted man, a post-modern cowboy who stoically sits his horse against the sunset, while inwardly battling the demons of PTSD. When a neighbor's little girl is murdered, David assumes the role of vigilante and begins the nightmarish stalking of surrounding towns as he searches blindly for the killer. The vision of David, riding his dust-drenched horse through abandoned towns, calls to mind the iconic image of Rick Grimes entering the city of Atlanta, though David has more to fear than just the walking dead. His righteous pursuit of the murderer opens old wounds in his psyche and puts the one thing he loves the most- his family- at risk.

Yet despite the harrowing setting and plot, there are glimpses of hope peeking through like rays of light through dust-choked weatherboards. David's resilience, and that of his wife and son, remind us of the strength of human will and the primal instincts of loyalty and love. Above All Men is not a Hollywood disaster flick- it won't leave you with a feel good embrace when the credits start to roll- but it does elicit a powerful feeling of the potential of the individual to survive against all odds.
This is a great novel. The language serves the setting. The tone is consistent. The characters are excellent. The dialogue is sharp and subtle. The familial nuances are beautiful. This is one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had all year.

Beyond language, character, and structure, what impressed me most is that this novel is not technically post-apocalyptic. An environmental cataclysm has not left the earth a ruined wasteland beyond hope. This is not The Road. This is not Mad Max. The setting is what I would call “post-collapse.” It is a world where technology and infrastructure have fallen, where drought and weather conspire against basic survival, where families and communities must maintain unity in the wake of this national turning. In Above All Men, America’s modern, technological, materialistic, and comfortable lifestyle bubble has finally popped. The world has not ended. The party is just over. The nation has been thrown back into the “dust bowl” era. Some reviewers have mentioned The Grapes of Wrath. I agree. But, Shonkwiler also taps into many “Western” elements. What we get is a world that has fallen, but is strikingly similar to the America that came before it. This world is not necessarily dismal, but it demands that its people be hard. There is no room for weakness or moral platitudes. Our protagonist becomes well-suited for this new environment, and his son, who will never experience the luxuries we exploit, becomes even stronger.

I greatly appreciated this fresh perspective, and it distinguishes Above All Men from other apocalyptic fiction. It is a refreshing journey through a familiar world that is reverting to an honest state of nature.