If you're looking for a new take on the post-apocalyptic thriller genre, you've found your next read. The story moves along smoothly and quickly, across a future Europe that has become mostly a desert, with plenty of dangers for those willing to traverse it. I think what I found most chilling is how plausible a future this is, especially with global warming and where the planet is currently headed. Price did an excellent job of bringing both setting and characters to life, transporting the reader into a world where survival is uncertain, and risks must be taken if you aren't rich or smart enough to be in a protected area. This is definitely dark even for post-apocalyptic fiction, so don't go in expecting a light read. Overall, a bleak look into a possible future that will have your heart pounding, and keep you turning pages for hours.

This book caught me by surprise. I enjoy dystopian stories, but they tend to follow a formula, especially if they deal with destruction of the planet by humanity's bad choices or climate change. But this story of the aftermath of the fall of civilization really grabbed my attention immediately and kept it until the final page. The story is well-written and not formulaic or melodramatic. The characters and world are well-developed and believable.

The world is completely different since The Change. Europe was decimated and what is left of humanity scrabbles for scraps in the dirt. Some even resort to murder and cannibalism to survive. A group called The Korporation has fortified walls that protect the largest sources of fresh water and supplies. Outside the walled border, runners drive up and down roads delivering supplies to settlements and taking what payment they can get -- water, supplies, food. It's a hard life. But, a settlement in Italy has been working to develop a machine that could reverse the damage to the planet and climate, but they need help and supplies to finish the project. The Koalition wants to seize the machine and prevent it from being used. A group of runners is willing to help....but they will face extreme odds. It's a long trip....and the forces of The Koalition want to stop them.

This story has a lot of action. It's definitely never boring. It paints a bleak picture of a planet and civilization destroyed by mismanagement and greed. Very enjoyable read! I will definitely be reading more by this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from John Hunt Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book, and though I’d have like a little more world building, what we did get was really interesting. Plus we see so much about how the world has come to be, which I enjoyed.

I struggling to connect with any of the characters and I found it hard to believe Cassady had even been the guy the others made him out to be, and we don’t really get much of a connection between that and what we see on page. I did like Hearst, but you don’t really see enough of the others, except Ghazi, to connect with them. This did make me struggle to keep reading, but the storyline was strong enough to keep me going.

I also like that it’s not full of the hope of a brighter future - it’s bleak throughout, and even the ending remains so to a degree. Worth a read.

World leaders need to read this book and understand what climate change will do. Grant Price's vision of the world after climate change has taken hold and really done some damage, is scary. With this back drop, this story describes the journey two "runners" make in a bid to save and restore the world as we know it. It is your future story of two truckers who are not making your regular delivery to the supermarkets, but delivering the future of the world. It is a very sobering story of a potential future scenario that no one wants to imagine but is entirely possible.

A few months ago I took a step back from dystopian as I felt that there was nothing new to the genre for me, I’m so glad that the author reached out to me to review By the Feet of Men as this was certainly the book I had been waiting for to pull me out of that feeling. Fully immersive, thoughtful, gritty and as realistic an interpretation as you’re likely to get of a dystopian future in my view.

There were so many things that this book got right, the world, the characters and the premise. It was also really refreshing to have a dystopian set outside of the USA. What was left of Europe made a great setting, the diverse landscape and terrain making it easy to flip between conditions and as a European reader it was easier to visualise where they were travelling. It’s got a real road movie feel and plenty of Mad Max vibes for good measure. The real stand outs though are the characters, very much driven by them, (pun not intended) the story is somewhat introspective which is what really makes this book stand out from its peers. Rather than the cinematic writing style, all action fights and car chases often favoured by this genre, we have quiet contemplation, teamwork, and long forged friendships but also suspicion and the sense that it has all just become too much to bear. This makes fertile ground for the medical supply run that our runners are tasked with – a chance to make things a little better. By the Feet of Men really looks into the impact of living day to day in an established dystopian terrain. How the characters reconcile what they have to do and have done to survive, whilst retaining their humanity. It tells of a lonely life where friendships with travelling companions are often the only thing to keep runners going. There was also great female representation too, the women are just as tough as the men and I liked how the women present weren’t reduced to eye candy or damsels in distress, they are all runners. You may be thinking that this would make a dull read, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are fights and plenty of action, but only when necessary, there is a great parallel story running along the edge of our characters journey, which provides much of this and could be great scope for a sequel. The real page turning coming from the need as a reader to find out if the convoy makes it in time in the end and how they overcome each obstacle. This is without a doubt a page turner of a read and doesn’t rely on gimicky cliffhanger chapter endings to drive the story forward, it’s able to that under it’s own steam.

I really loved how the vehicles, the Pantechs, were characters in their own right too, they are very much the runners livelihood and it’s only right that were given the credit and care that they were due!

Were there any things that went wrong for me then? Very little in fact. Honestly, I didn’t really like the cover. It works well in the context of the story, by way of representation of the Pantechs, but it’s not one that jumps out to me and doesn’t really convey the great story underneath. It would actually work quite well as a movie poster though! I have to say I did on occasion feel a little confused about the characters that were speaking and being spoken too. For the most part all the team are referred to by surname, so when we’re given a first name as part of a round table discussion it wasn’t always clear to me. This is ultra ultra picky of me though but it did pull me out of the story a few times.

Truly though, this is an exceptional story with highly accomplished writing, I found it a timely reminder too of all that is currently wrong in the world with climate change. It’s totally a standalone but I would love to see a return to the world and one characters next steps as there are clearly plenty of opportunities to expand the world further!

*Received via NetGalley for review*

I was drawn to this because it seemed very Mad Max to me - a group of drivers, surviving along a barren wasteland, decide to fight for something better.

It's not quite that - not as action packed, not as political, not as non-stop. But it is an enjoyable read.

Cassady and Ghazi clearly have a history behind them, and while it's never made explicit, it's clear that it informs their arguments and interactions. The other characters are not quite as well developed, but it isn't really their story.

It's a good survival story with easy prose and liekable characters. There's nothing incredibly original about it, but I enjoyed it. I's recommend this book for people who love survival stories in post-apocalyptic setting.

This dystopian future is well drawn and plausibly relates to the current range of fears about a climate catastrophe. In the setting of a road trip, a group of characters who are well drawn, struggle to overcome endless obstructions on a quest which may just lead to the reversal of the damage man has inflicted on a ravaged world. This is a sort of Mad Max for more cerebral readers.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Future catastrophe staries can ve very amazing. This one was not. There were few moments of exitement interposed with long drudging interludes of dry explanations. Some issues did not jibe. The implication was that the future was water poor but elsewhere the story incuded heavy rains and floods. These seeming errors make the story hard to read and follow.

Thank you for inviting me to view this title. Global warming is always a real danger and threat to society. But what happens when the effects of global warming trigger a domino-effect and life as we know it begins to crumble. This story borders on reality and fiction, which makes it so compelling. You won't want to stop until you've turned the last page.

Very good. Unlike the more articulate reviews, I'll just say that I enjoyed the well-crafted characters, and the unpredictable plot with some philosophy thrown in. Plus, there didn't seem to be filler, just what was needed to tell the story. Nice work.

I really appreciate the copy for an honest review!!