After the sturm and drang of books like World War Z and Robopocalypse it seems the quiet apocalypse is becoming the order of the day. Books like Station Eleven and Good Morning, Midnight eschew the cataclysmic to focus more purely on the personal. When the English Fall starts with a bit of a bang (a passenger plane falls from the sky) and there is clearly some violence happening somewhere. But for the most part, things are pretty quiet in rural Pennsylvania.
When the English Fall is told as a series of diary entries by a Amish man called Jacob. There is a fairly unnecessary intro by the soldiers or researchers who find the diary at some later time which is never returned to or referred to again and shines no light on the open ending. The English of the title is the description used for anyone who is not Amish so includes their American neighbours. The Amish have lived a fairly devout and simple existence – think the movie Witness - horses and buggies are commonplace, very little machinery is used in their farms and they have guns but they are only used for hunting. So while they are not deliberately survivalists, Jacob’s little community is well placed when a cataclysm hits and practically everything electronic and mechanical on Earth is knocked out by a massive solar flare.
The focus of this book stays on the Amish community. The army has been called out and all hell is breaking loose in nearby urban centres but the community prevails – working their farms, attending prayer meetings, helping the army when they can. But this situation can only last so long, and soon the collapsing world, the displaced and the hungry start to impinge on their isolation. The violence that comes with this is something that this god-fearing and deliberately non-violent community ("a sword cuts both ways" is a saying oft repeated) has a hard time dealing with.
David Williams uses this novel as a way of exploring the Amish in a way that might not have been possible or as interesting if it was just set in contemporary Pennsylvania. The changed world puts their faith and way of life to the test and it is found at least up to the task. It is the outside world, content to leave them be when conditions were fine, that outs the pressure on. So that When the English Fall is more of a study of the Amish and their way of life than a post-apocalyptic thriller. And is all the better for it.

It's so nice to read an end-of-days story that is neither bleak nor depressing. It doesn't have grandiose solutions but instead offers cautious optimism that challenges you to believe in a good way.

It's hard to read dystopian/end of the world novels right now, but this was an interesting premise.

I had to think about this one for a while but I'm changing my initial rating from 3 to 4 simply because I'm still thinking about it.

I received a free advance reader copy of this book from the publisher.

I was on a cross country flight this week for a librarian conference and just desperately going through my ebooks looking for something to read after I finished the amazing Ender's Game. I tried one and was bored, I scrolled thru the list several times, I had zero memory attached to the cover of this one so I clicked on it to see if I could figure out the plot from the first page or two (one thing I hate about advance reader copies is that there's no book info attached). so I read a page, didn't remember, read another page and had a vague recollection of Amish post-apocalypse, read another page and by now I was hooked.

in fact, even when planes were falling out of the sky I didn't correlate that *I* myself was in an airplane. and I am a poor flyer to begin with. it was that engrossing.

the premise is simple but revealed slowly due to the Amish POV. it's written in diary form by Jacob, a farmer, husband, father, worshipper, valiant member of the community. a massive solar flare or sun storm has knocked out electricity and fried circuits world wide and people in cities are losing their shit. the reader hears about that very removed as Jacob never sees it firsthand in a city. the community he lives in is carrying on pretty much business as usual with the farming and praying. there is a lot of both to do after all. but isolated attacks and scavenging start occurring to his friends as society devolves.

it's a short read but it's focused. I've read a lot of post-apocalypse fiction and consequently experienced a range of human reactions to the psychological and physical stresses of their new reality. this was different. the Order, as the Amish community refers to itself in the book, aren't reliant on technology the way the rest of the world is and aren't impacted in the same way. as an exercise in focused human experience from a single POV to a realistic potential future event, this was incredibly interesting and well written.

and now here's what I didn't like. what was up with the semi prologue introducing Jacob's journals as a find via letter between humanities colleagues? was that necessary? sometimes Jacob's writing was oddly repetitious. he would write the same short phrase twice. it distracted me out of the flow of the book every time. this is not a real example: the river flows so smoothly, so smoothly. see? it was just a writing device I didn't agree with, total personal preference. and lastly there were certain parts in the latter half of the book that made me want to scream. there is being naive and there is being purposely stupid. some of the things they did and DIDN'T do to protect themselves made me furious. I know it was part of the point of the religion and way of life to trust one another and provide for all but it was like in a horror movie where you yell at someone not to go in the garage or separate from the group.

but overall, an excellent thought experiment, easy, short read and ripe for discussion. I could easily see this being taught in a classroom or as a book club read.

I'll be the first to admit that dystopian books are not my cup of tea - in fact I find them quite depressing. While the Amish are trying to protect their goods from the English since the Amish prepare for any eventuality, and the rest of us probably don't do as good a job. When the power goes out in the the area, fights break out as the English want the goods of the Amish. The whole book is kind of depressing, but really the end is most satisfying and lets one go to sleep at night thinking all will be right iin the world - eventually.

Standard end of civilization novel, with a big helping of religion. Not my cup of tea.

The aftermath of a solar storm causes the collapse of civilization, as told through the journal of an Old Order Amish man. Although better prepared than the "English" -- the rest of us -- to weather the destruction of the electric grid and all electrical and electronic devices, the Amish come to realize they can no longer exist as an island in the larger society. WHEN THE ENGLISH FALL is a worldwide disaster writ small, rendering it exquisitely powerful and quietly terrifying.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and very thought provoking. The narrators voice was very true, I admired his outlook on life and his connection to God. I will definitely recommend.

I had to give up on this one. i just couldn't get involved in the story and the "unusual" daughter just didn't appeal to me.

Told through diary entries of an Amish farmer/woodworker, When the English Fall is a fascinating apocalypse story. Jacob journals nightly, and the first 25-30 pages did not grab me. But as I got accustomed to the pacing and language, which I assume were chosen to mirror what an Amish male would sound/write like, I came to appreciate this choice. After a major solar storm (per the book jacket), all the trappings of 'modern' life disappear. While the Order where Jacob and his family of four live are not overly affected, since they don't rely on computers, phones, refrigeration, etc, the outside world is upheaval, and it eventually arrives on their doorstep. His reaction and the consequences are interesting to follow. This book is going to stay with me for a long time.

With thanks to the author and Algonquin Books for the Advanced Reader Copy. Set to be published on July 11, 2017

This would have been a great book if I had come upon it before reading One Second After by William Forstchen. Unfortunately the premise and even the development was too similar to keep my interest. In both books, a small community is living simply when some unexplained natural catastrophe abruptly shuts down the power grid. Here an Amish community is self sustaining and could easily continue their old-fashioned ways without much inconvenience, but unfortunately the English, that is, the prevailing culture comes after them with force, destroying the peace of their community. We witness brutal violence and are caught in the clash of cultures. Told by one Amish farmer through the pages of his journal, it is a gripping story with a believable conclusion. It would have been even better if the premise wasn't already familiar to me.

Debut author/book.
I am not a big fan of YA Dystopia Novels. This book was sent to me, I read the preview and was intrigued. I was excited for the chance.

Amish family living the Amish Way.
Their daughter foresees disasters and modern life crumbles.

The English lose power, cars/trucks won't start, no radios, no cell phones...EVERYthing to a STOP!
The stars get brighter in the night sky. Amish remain unaffected. The Amish try to stay away from trouble, but it keeps finding them.

Great look at Amish Life and Ways
I hope this story continues.

The premise and cover of this book are marvelous.On the other hand, William's writing was dry and simple throughout the whole book. I'm not sure if that was supposed to be like that to reflect how simple the Amish live (since our narrator is Amish) but I just wasn't impressed.

The plot was pretty solid and I'm sad we were left with the ending that we were left with. However I feel like Williams could have fleshed out the characters so more. You don't feel connected with any of them, not even Jacob. The only time I felt deeply for anything of them was when a seriously dramatic thing was going on. (Not going to say anymore than that because spoilers!)

I have to say if it wasn't for the synopsis I probably wouldn't have even known some of the things that were going on in this book. For example, I barely grasped that it was a solar storm that caused all that devastation. I thought it was an electrical storm/bomb type thing. Also I really wanted Williams to expand on some of plot points that are in the book; like did Jacob have a serious falling out with his father and uncle because that's what I was gathering, and similar things along those lines.

In the synopsis we are told that in When the English Fall we will "examines the idea of peace in the face of deadly chaos: Should members of a nonviolent society defy their beliefs and take up arms to defend themselves? And if they don’t, can they survive?" but I never even really examined those thoughts. It was never a question in Jacob's mind what he should do; and therefore why would it be a question in mines? I feel that if Williams had had Jacob feeling more conflicted about picking up arms that it would have been more prevalent in the reader's mind.

I'm very interested to see what else Williams has in store for his readers and I wouldn't mind picking up another one of this books.

This book has a fascinating and unique concept: Postapocalyptic Amish fiction (as described by the author here: http://algonquin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/when-the-english-essay-1.pdf). The story was told in journal entries, and I felt like the narrator and his wife became my personal friends. Their daughter added an extra layer of depth to the story. When the book ended, I was desperate for more of the story, but the ending was so well done that I almost wouldn't want a sequel. But just almost! It would be great for book clubs to discuss.

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Fascinating premise with a somewhat lackluster execution.

Review copy provided by publisher.

When a major “event” kills power all over Earth, chaos reigns. Aircraft fall from the sky, cars won’t run, communications cease, food and water supplies dwindle. Unaffected are the Amish, who never used electricity or motor vehicles and kept large supplies of food stores. Suddenly, the Amish have what the rest of the world want. Told in a journal format in the words of Pennsylvania Amish farmer Jacob, readers get a first class seat to the fall of the modern world and the depravity and violence that is spawned as desperate people resort to violence and murder to get what they want. How far will a man raised to believe in peace and passivity go to protect his wife and his way of life? This is the first Apocalyptic novel I’ve read featuring an Amish community, and I’m surprised now that someone didn’t think of it before. Williams paints a stark, believable portrait of a man driven to the edge

When the English Fall by David Williams gives a decidedly different approach to a dystopian novel.

From the description: When a catastrophic solar storm brings about the collapse of modern civilization, an Amish community in Pennsylvania is caught up in the devastating aftermath.

Jacob is an Amish father whose daughter has what appear to be epileptic seizures in which she says, "The English fall." The English are what the Amish call those who do not belong to the Amish community, but Jacob and Hannah have no idea what their daughter's words mean.

A disastrous solar storm creates a world-wide EMP, an electromagnetic disturbance that causes planes to fall from the sky, the lights to go out around the world, and hospitals lose power. The modern world quickly begins to fall apart.

In the initial stages, farmers are more fortunate than city dwellers. In the Pennsylvania community where Jacob and his family live, the "English" and the Amish are friends and neighbors who are better able to support themselves and who rely on and support each other. Even they, however, must make huge adjustments as machinery and generators and refrigeration damaged by the storm make life so much more difficult. Most cars won't start and fuel rapidly becomes a problem for the vehicles that still work.

As expected, violence eventually results when food becomes scarcer and scarcer. How will the Amish respond to the inevitable violence?

It is surprising to find that for the most part Jacob's journal entries calm the reader. Jacob is a thoughtful man and his beliefs are solid, so even when he knows what to expect, his responses are troubled but reflective and thoughtful.

No solution to the end of the world as we know it available; there is little hope that there will be a rebuilding of society in any way similar to the one lost during the solar storm. How people survive will be a matter of personal choice.

The novel contemplates the way in which the Amish, committed to lives of peace, prayer, and non-violence, will respond when confronted by the unavoidable reactions of the hungry, the frightened, and the violent in the aftermath of this disaster.

I like that David Williams takes such a different approach to the dystopian novel.

Read in Feb.; blog post scheduled for June 14.

NetGalley/Algonquin Books

Dystopian. July 11, 2017. Print length: 256 pages.

Jacob's daughter foretold the disaster. She saw angels in the sky and claimed the English would fall. And fall they did. Solar flares killed off almost everything electric, bringing the modern world to its knees.

But for Jacob and the rest of his community, life went on almost as per usual. Planning and planting for the winter, canning and preserving the current crops to see them through the season, community, and worship. And when the English supplies fall short, Jacob and his community gave what they could. But as the outside world become more and more desperate, Jacob and his neighbors faced the ultimate challenge: could they remain true to their beliefs and their faith even when their very safety was in question?

I never met a post apocalyptic tale that didn't appeal to me in some way. This was no exception, though in retrospect I must admit that it likely would have completely missed my radar had I not seen it on the list of "19 Science Fiction Debuts We Can't Wait to Read in 2017" from Barnes and Noble. When I came across the ARC shortly thereafter, I had to read it immediately.

I can't tell you how glad I am that this one came to my attention, because it really is superb. It's a quiet sort of story, one that is ultimately a morality tale.

Jacob and his family are Amish. And though their community is less strict than the one he and his wife grew up in, they still live by the basic tenets all Amish do. Those tenets include helping your fellow man and not raising arms. So when technology in the world around them fails, they're not very affected at first. With only a few exceptions, they live completely by and on the land with no reliance on technology or electricity.

Of course an over reliance on technology is the downfall of the towns and cities that surround their community and soon people come in search of help. The story will no doubt remind you of Aesop's "The Grasshopper and the Ants" up until this point. But here the story deviates - Jacob and his community are more than willing to help.

Though the tale is told through Jacob's own journals, the Amish aren't the only characters in the story. Through Jacob's writings, readers are given insight into his family and his community and their beliefs. We're also given insight into their neighbors and acquaintances - English who live and work alongside Jacob's community.

David Williams's debut examines the hearts of men at times of true testing: when disaster strikes and all seems lost. Some react with sorrow and violence, while others hold firm and strong in their beliefs, but no one remains immune to or untouched by the fear of uncertainty.