 Book: The End Of Jack CruzYear: 2012 Publisher: Montag Press Author: A. A. Garrison Language: English Chapters: 31 Pages: Paperback = 274, E-Book = 276 Type: Novel |
 Author’s Summary: The movies never prepared him for this, even the ones that ended badly. Jack “Colonel” Jones is suddenly alone in the world. After surviving a plague that decimates the U.S., and perhaps the entire human population, he is left in a junkie’s nightmare where hard drugs are the only remedy for an ongoing virus and dead bodies are his only companions. Sick and desperate, he meets a savior who goes by the name Jack Cruz. Jack Cruz is a hulking behemoth with a giant pistol and stockpile of post-apocalyptic supplies, but he also has a mysterious past and an increasingly disconcerting obsession with the death and decay that surrounds them. As Colonel’s suspicions rise, and he begins to feel complicit in the wrongdoings of his post-apocalyptic roommate, Colonel must grapple new the questions: Can you be moral when there are only two people left on earth? Can there be sanity? And who decides? Is Colonel just paranoid, or are his fears justified? As the stakes heat up and the intensity flares, Colonel must find out the truth and decide – when your only companion in the world might be a murderer, and there is no one left to kill, is surviving worth it? The End of Jack Cruz grabs readers as a plague memoir by a Renfield-like character, Jack “Colonel” Jones, who becomes the unwitting companion to a man on a mission from God to ‘save’ humanity’s final moments. Through tormenting impotence, grinding doubt, and the weakest constitution, Colonel attempts to understand the sole survivor to whom he’s become enslaved. An existential drama, much like Waiting for Godot, The End of Jack Cruz is much more than just a story about two people locked into a battle of survival; it’s the story about a man’s final chance to awaken from life lived in the shadows. |
Review: Jack Cruz is a psychology teacher at Seattle University, and a doctor studying virology. He also has his own bastion full of food which is key. Jack is, if I may, a jack of all trades. He is one of the few survivors in a hospital where he works where a woman there needs more drugs or dope so to speak. A virus outbreak called “slick” killed almost every living thing on Earth except for those under this concoction of medication. When another character called Jack also, Jack Jones to be precise, meets up with Jack Cruz there is some perturbing events that happen.
Jack Cruz is not as innocent as he may seem in the beginning, he’s a maniacal killer. People are unsure of events that are taken place until other weird deaths surface which causes Jack Jones, his assistant, to suspect or question his motives and devices that have been taken place. In the end, it may shock you, it may disturb you, but the outcome is clear…this may be The End Of Jack Cruz.
This is a different story, I was expecting zombies – that didn’t happen, this virus decimated the planet and it is very bleak which I liked. Many stories have fairytale-style guidelines but in this you were wondering where it could lead…a big positive for me. Another plus was; there were very few characters. I have said it before in my reviews, when you are involved with only a couple people, it is much more comprehendible and enjoyable to me.
The writing style was not my favorite, it felt like a narrative where Jack Jones is always speaking about Jack Cruz. I would of liked to see the novel from Jack Cruz’s point of view instead. This is one of my pet peeves while reading – it sometimes felt disjointed to me even though I knew who the heroin was. At times the book was unexciting because Jack Jones was always talking to himself about all sorts of daily life. The horror was minimal, I didn’t feel for any of the lead characters, it was quite obvious to me, more of a story of survival, still though…I didn’t have a problem getting through the book.
The End Of Jack Cruz is available on Paperback at many online locations for $15.95. You can also get the E-Book or electronic edition at a price of $4.95. The End Of Jack Cruz has a very colorful book cover that really shines, huge marks for the artist, it really pops. All of my suggestions are below.
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 Reviewer: Dark GoddessDate: 09/11/2012 Rating: 5/10 Suggestion: Paperback: Avoid Suggestion: E-Book: Buy |
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