(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

The world’s most important astrophysicists, astronomers, and mathematicians have all died within the same twelve-month period.  Or so their families and friends think.  What very few know is that the countdown to doomsday has begun: an asteroid is racing towards the planet, threatening to extinguish humanity as we know it.  The world’s brightest minds are actually huddled together in a secret location, desperately plotting to avert a catastrophe.  But it’s only when Billy, a teenage boy with rare gifts, is recruited to the cause that they can hope to prevail over evil and return themselves—and the Earth—to safety.

There are many books that deal with an end of the world scenario, be it zombies, pollution/climate change, new global powers or asteroids.  Pretty much everything has been done before, including the asteroid-about-to-hit-Earth scenario presented in End of Days.  But what distinguishes Eric Walters’ pre-apocalyptic novel from the rest is not only his incredible writing talent, but also the way he handles the premise.

This is not an uplifting book by any stretch of the imagination and as I was reading it, I began to picture Eric Walters as a cynic like myself.  You see, when it is revealed that an asteroid will hit and likely destroy the Earth, society does not band together to save itself.  It falls apart as people quit their jobs to spend time with their families and basically do whatever they want.  Society is chaos.  And you know what?  It’s a plausible scenario that is presented well by Eric Walters.

The characters are memorable.  Joshua Fitchett, Billy, Dr. Sheppard…they’re all based on archetypes we’re familiar with, but Eric Walters puts his own spin on his characters.  It makes them unique, but sympathetic as well and their completely different perspectives offer an interesting look at the end of the world.  Really, what else could you ask for?  The plot is fast and will keep you reading into the early morning hours and I don’t want to give anything away, but the ending is classic, really.  A lot of despair and a little bit of hope make the perfect apocalyptic novel.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Amazon*     Barnes and Noble**

*Only available as Kindle or used.

**Not available at all.  What the heck, Barnes and Noble?