I’ve always been a sucker for a good old-fashioned apocalypse. There are very few that are more old- fashioned than the Book of Revelation. Christopher Mari has gone with his own interpretation of the aftermath, as told by John. All right, I’m on board, let’s go!

Mari set his story fifty years after The Apocalypse; humanity has moved on, re-growing and re-building. He has created a unique world which firmly plants itself within the dystopian genre. I got something that I didn’t quite expect. I’m all for exploring the aftermath of Revelation, but put it out there. I want to see that, but let me know what it is that I am getting. I felt that the synopsis hid the true content of the story.

For whatever reason I just didn’t connect with Mari’s characters. They felt like two-dimensional cut-outs thrust into what should have been a captivating story. It goes to show how important your characters are; without a connection, I tend to drift off as a reader, without a connection to the characters, I am not tethered to the story.

In the end, The Beachhead was a great concept, however, it lacked the extra finer points that make a book great. Would I give Mari a second chance? With all of the great books out there, I’m not so sure. You only get one chance to make a first impression.

*3.5 Stars

Fifty years after the residents of earth were decimated by a war between powerful winged creatures, the remains of humanity have been relocated to a walled community on the beach of an unfamiliar planet that resembles our own. One group of alien creatures attacked humanity, while another powerful group known as the Orangemen saved these “remnants” of the human race and brought them to the city of New Philadelphia. They were left there with some basic tools and whatever knowledge they had to rebuild civilization, and told to “be good.” They also received several thousand books – most of these were bibles and other Christian-themed texts.

Now, two generations later, most of New Philadelphia believes that the Orangemen are angels sent by God to protect them, while the other group that attacked humanity were Hell’s fallen angels. In contrast, others believe that the celestial battle was more secular, and that the now-captive humans are an experiment that the alien Orangemen are simply observing. Whatever their beliefs, the people on the beach generally get along – until a new family arrives for the first time in fifty years, calling into question everything they knew about the fall of humanity.

In response to these new arrivals, two young soldiers are sent out to the unexplored territory beyond the city walls to find answers – but their exploration only leads to more questions about the nature of humanity. John and Kendra find much more than they thought they would, including a possible explanation for the evolution of their planet. When they bring new information back to their formerly peaceful city, the community descends into chaos.

The Beachhead leans heavily on the bible’s Book of Revelation, although I thought it would eventually stand on its own – but it did not. I was uncomfortable with the implication that questioning the bible can only lead to chaos and war. From the start, I kept thinking that the religious undertones would be subverted by a more exciting and scientific plot, but it never happened. The author seems to be reinforcing his characters’ unquestioning beliefs, and the entire plot became completely predictable. I found the first half entertaining, but the ending and its conclusions about humanity were disappointing.

I received this book from 47North and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If the earth had ended this is one of the books I would hope would survive to help with the a new civilization.
this book is one of the best reads I have had in a long time, it is an amazing story of survival, don't let the tittle of this book fool you, The story is amazing and powerful, it will make you think and it may even change the perspective of how you look at your own life and world.

Beachhead is a unique and strange look at what happens after the fall of humans. 50 years ago, the entire human population is left on an unfamiliar beach by winged Orangemen who give basic tools, some books and weapons and a biannual visit. Many of those books are bibles. The people created a walled city, New Philadelphia, and a peaceful life. But people are beginning to question the stories of how they got there and why when a new family suddenly arrives.

Beachhead is a well written and thoughtful story. I really enjoyed the world he created and found myself invested in the outcomes for the main characters.