The Storm Before the Storm: A Novel of Preparedness and Survival

American Sundown Series

By: Joe Russell

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

As a prepper, Dave Galanos has always made an effort to do what he can to prepare for the unexpected. But when something goes terribly wrong halfway through a backpacking trip with his wife and family, his world is turned upside down, and he is tested in a way he had never planned for.

The trip into the Alleghenys of West Virginia starts off well enough but takes an unexpected turn when the two women, Sandra and her sister, Jen, leave camp and don’t return from a nearby stream. Dave and Mike, Jen’s new boyfriend, go looking for them and find evidence that the women may have been kidnapped. Miles from civilization and with no working cell phones, Dave and Mike will set off to find Sandra and Jen, unconnected and unconcerned about what is happening in the world around them.

Dave has been hardened by real-world self-defense scenarios in the past and has naturally equipped himself with tools that may be required for an unexpected circumstance. He will have to work together with Mike, who he sees as more of an annoyance and a liability than a useful ally. They will have to work together to beat the clock, the elements, and a group of dangerous locals in order to rescue their companions in this realistic, rugged, and action-packed story of preparedness and survival.

The storm is just beginning. Will Dave and his companions have what it takes to survive?

The Storm Before the Storm is the premier novel by postapocalyptic author Joe Russell and the first installment in the American Sundown series.

©2017 Joe Russell (P)2018 Joe Russell

Great kick off to a new series

What I really liked about this book was that it really brings you into the next book nicely. There was a lot of character development in this book. But not in the way that it's boring.
This is an excellent action-packed book. It's a great process to what I believe the next books are going to be about, WSHTF. There's a lot of useful information in this book along with a great story line. I really look forward to reading more from the series.

Kevin Pierce does an excellent job as always narrating this book. He has quite a great voice for this line of work and seems to really get into the character development as well as the story line.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

You can tell if you read some of my reviews, I am very honest in my reviews.

Action packed.

The Storm Before the Storm is a wild fast paced action adventure. No spoilers, but I will say the majority of the book plays out more like a well done men's adventure story rather than your typical post-apocalyptic novel. This is Joe Russell's first book and I have to say I am quite impressed. I look forward to the next in the series, and I also must say after finishing the book I think the title is perfect.

Kevin Pierce is one of my favorite narrators and is without a doubt THE voice for survival fiction, and as always he does a fantastic job.

I received a copy of this audio title for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

A really good read

I loved this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Can't wait to read more.

If you can get past the slow beginning...

The Storm Before the Storm by Joe Russell is an end-of-the-world type prepper's dream. Well, not really, but the main character Dave is definitely that guy. If it's between prepping or saving for his daughter's college fund, he's more apt to make sure he's got everything together in the event of an EMP or other end of the world scenario. I was really interested in listening to this book, and initially got distracted listening to the super in depth descriptions in the first hour to hour and a half or so of the book. I wanted to story to start already! Though with this being the beginning of a series, I definitely understand the author's need to set up initial explanations, Dave's backstory, etc. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into the multiple story lines with much gusto. Obviously with tons of good reviews though, I am largely in the minority. The story jumps between multiple story lines in both the past and present. Reading the description, I really thought that this was going to revolve around the kidnapping of the women in the present.

Kevin Pierce did an excellent job with the narration. His voice is a perfect fit for this story and, well, I'd love to listen to more of his performances. His voice is is so easy to listen to and he has a perfect voice for narration, and adds emotion when needed. His narration was the highest point of the book. That being said, perhaps if you were a die hard prepper, or at least someone who could definitely get into that type of lifestyle, you may enjoy this book more than the non-preppers that didn't rate this book as high. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

God-fearing prepper finds trouble in WV mountains

Dave and Sandra are preppers who enjoy hiking the West Virginia mountains. They haven't had the best luck avoiding criminals, though, despite both being God-fearing Christians who live quiet, responsible lives. When a weekend camping trip goes completely off the rails, Dave will put his life on the line to ensure the safety of his family. But just as one hellish nightmare ends, another horror is awaiting them on the horizon.

This installment of the Sundown series is not a post-apocalyptic novel, but instead focuses on prepping, outdoor survival, and personal safety. There are descriptions of violence being committed to and by the main characters, but it isn't gratuitous and serves to illustrate teaching points in the story. A major twist at the very end sets up the next installment, and turns this story on its head. I'm already anticipating the next book!

Kevin Pierce is a flawless narrator, as usual! He brings a consistent and reliable professionalism to this story and to all of his performances, which is something I respect and have always enjoyed.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge. My review is unbiased and the opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

Good start to what I hope is a equally good sequel

liked it for the most part. sometimes I felt the character development took too long... but it is probably because this is the first fiction book I have read in years.

Great read

I enjoyed this story, it moved fast and had great character development and storyline - excites to see where it is going next. As always Kevin Pierce does a great job bringing the story to life.

Kevin Pierce Led Me To A New Author To Enjoy

This is my first book by Joe Russell, but definitely not the last. I truly enjoyed the fact that this book starts with a camping trip gone wrong. Lots of adventure, lots of internal decision-making based on Scripture (King David) and informed action due to previous experiences. It's a great thing to see that people get training to learn how to better handle themselves in unfortunate situations after going through something, instead of sticking their heads in the sand, hoping nothing bad will ever happen again. I can't wait for the next in the series. Having Kevin Pierce do the narration is more than a bonus because looking for something new that he's narrated is how I found Joe Russell.

Rising to the occasion.

The debut novel of a new series starts out with a warm-up adventure before the stuff really does hit the fan. Our family in focus consists of two couples; Dave, his wife Sandra, her sister Jen, and Jen’s boyfriend Mike. Our group is backpacking in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia when the two women disappear from camp. Dave and Mike have never gotten along very well together, but now they must put differences aside to find out what happened and bring their women home. This is a good story of people rising to the occasion to accomplish a mission regardless of the difficulties. As this is the first book of a series it concludes with the introduction to the next volume. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Excellent read

Awesome book. Having been born, raised and worked most of my life in the areas described in the book it made it a extra special read. Looking forward to more books in this series. Walter