Roll Call, Book #1 in The Roll Call Trilogy
by Gwen Mansfield (New Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi Survival Thriller)
In 2067 the asteroid Jurbay severs the continent, amputating 22 western states, and submerging them into the Pacific Ocean in the course of a day.
In a world of brain-swappers, GEBs, the 14 Deadlies, and the scary rulership of The Third, twenty-two-year- old Avery DeTornada hesitantly leaps into inherited leadership. It’s impossible to follow the footsteps of a deceased father—the founder who birthed the nation—or to discover a role model in a mother embedded as a subterranean in the ranks of The Third.
Avery finds leading a fledgling country everything she could imagine and more—a nightmare. On-the-job training proves treacherous and make-it-up-as-you-go tangles alliances, jeopardizes friendships, and exposes her poor love choices.
Riding high on the zip wires strung throughout the city and forging hidden routes in the tunnels of the History Labyrinth, Avery DeTornada raises up a rag-tag band of comrades—an army of dump-pickers, library boys, and minstrels to confront The Third and navigate the scars of a postapocalyptic world. There’s going to be a roll call—add your name to the list.
Reviews:
“Although the novel is aimed at young adults, sophisticated jolts of turmoil charge the narrative, as when Avery has ‘lost the time to let beauty perform its work on [her] spirit’. Overall, this masterful series opener is in better company with William Gibson’s Neuromancer than safer fare such as The Hunger Games. An exhilarating ride, full of sheer drops and whiplash curves.”—Kirkus Reviews“Roll Call strikes at the fundamental nature of the human story. With humor, imagination, and gripping realism, Mansfield transports us to a world in which essential myths of our time play out and we are compelled to reexamine where we are as a society.”—Valerie Veatch, Director “Love Child” (HBO 2014) and “Me @ the Zoo” (HBO 2012). Sundance Film Festival 2012, 20214.
Purchase at Amazon. Available editions: Kindle unlimited, Kindle, and Paperback.
Purchase at Barnes & Noble. Available edition: Paperback.
Inside the Third: Book #2 in the Roll Call Trilogy
by Gwen Mansfield (Post-Apocalyptic Sci-fi Thriller)
The Third may think they’re still chasing Avery DeTornada and her quirky, powerful crew, but Avery has other plans..
With the help of Degnan (The 28 United’s unholy alliance), Pasha abandons Avery’s leadership, creating massive cracks in Avery’s strategy. Pasha infiltrates The Third with some unexpected followers. Together they plan to rip power from Dorsey the Commander of The Third.
Chapman, Avery’s macabre 10-year-old GEB son rises to work with Commander Dorsey, and Avery must fight on seemingly insurmountable fronts, all the while considering how love can exist in a post-apocalyptic world. She battles for answers and hopes beyond her imagination.
Reviews:
“Concepts like Pepper, an unfinished GEB who’s pregnant and unable to give birth, and a nightmarish cliffhanger prove Mansfield has boldness to spare. Radiant concepts, dialogue, and prose elevate this dystopian tale.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Once again Gwen has placed all the characters that will define a trilogy clearly in context and … glued us to their futures and the development of the plot she has so carefully carved. The exceptional Young Adults trilogy continues not only the epic, but also underlies the importance of this fine author.”—Grady HarpPurchase at Amazon. Available editions: Kindle unlimited, Kindle, and Paperback.
Purchase at Barnes & Noble. Available edition: Paperback.
Reluctant Warriors, Book #3 in the Roll Call Trilogyby Gwen Mansfield (Post-apocalyptic Dystopian, Sci-fi Thriller)
“The cost of commandership is unfair, brutally painful and incessantly consuming, but I rally for the sake of family, for the love of home and the future of those who have stood to be numbered in the roll call.” ~ Avery DeTornada
Avery’s troops have boots on the ground in an escalating battle with Chapman and eyes on the asteroid belt, attempting to disrupt the unwanted trajectory of Earth’s annihilator.
McGinty fights for his life, while Avery’s entangled relationship with Degnan moves one more time through the territory of unholy—for the sake of the planet.
Commanding The 28 United, Avery seeks justice for her people, trying to take down Chapman, her half-GEB son who strategizes to assume the command of The Third. But Avery must also confront three reluctant warriors—Raghill, Morris and Annalynn—who accuse Avery of giving too much attention to war and not enough to corralling the aggressive asteroid menace.
In the final book and concluding chapters of the Roll Call Trilogy, a familiar cast of characters joins Avery in a tale of dystopian sci-fi survival. She must find some sort of reconciliation between her own driven objectives and those of the reluctant warriors. Justice is always worth the risk—isn’t it?Reviews:
“Only Avery’s chapters are first person yet the prose never fails to instill the ‘ticking of the world’s clock’ in readers…A strong series finale that celebrates the growth of both individuals and societies.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Once again Gwen has placed all the characters clearly in context and has allowed us to know them, care about them, feel the discovery of love amidst the devastation they face. This exceptional Young Adults trilogy underlines the importance of this fine author. Very highly recommended.” –Grady Harp
Purchase at Amazon. Available editions: Kindle unlimited, Kindle, and Paperback.
Purchase at Barnes & Noble. Available edition: Nook (eBook).