Heather’s Bookshelf: Struggle for Existence
Author: Geoff Jones
Released: 06/24/25
Genre: Post-apocalyptic sci-fi ARC
“Priya took one last look at the stars. Earth had slid from view while she slept. She wanted to stay and watch, to verify the ship’s rotation and orbit, but that wouldn’t give them the answers they really needed. Why had they been brought here? Where were the people in storage? What had happened on Earth? She turned and walked out of the hexagonal corridor.”
“Struggle for Existence” is book 2 of the Preservation of Species” series. While a sequel, this review was done as a standalone. If you are interested, find the review for Rule of Extinction, book 1, here. Do not read ahead if you don’t want any spoilers to book 1.
A world-ending comet has hit the Earth. David Williams and a small group of humans, including his two children, were saved by aliens who moved them elsewhere. David and his group have captured one of their “caretakers”, ousted those who harmed the group, and are committed to making this new life one worth living.
Attempting to learn more about what happened and where they are, the group look into their captured caretaker and his craft. They stumble upon controls, including a torpor, which has potentially devastating effects on all those nearby. Additional dangers- new and old- threaten to end David, his family, and his friends.
Will they be able to fend off the threats, discover the truth about their situation, and save themselves or will their struggle for existence truly come to an end?
Trigger Warning: violence, sexual situations, assault, adult language, prehistoric animal death, death
Author advised trigger warnings:
https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/1429918?index1=-1&index2=-1
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. As I mentioned above, this is a standalone review, but I absolutely recommend reading the first book prior to starting this one. While the author does a quick recap, I think you’d really miss out on a lot of the character development and the emotion/horror of what happened prior to this tale. It also sets you up for some of the more shocking moments during this story and carries over absolute disdain for that damn Randall. It’s been a while since I’ve read a tale with a more loathsome character than him. He personifies basically everything horrid that could occur in one human being. In contrast, David’s character can come off as self-righteous. Each explores their voices as providing POVs to the tale. There are too many notable ancillary characters to mention here and I mean that in a good way. The author does an amazing job providing a voice, distinct personality, and clear motivations for many. I especially enjoyed Sierra and Priya’s back and forth, Kim’s emotional turbulence (especially as a teenager), and the addition of Tyrell (who wouldn’t root for a guy who spends his last days on Earth saving dogs?) The pacing in this tale is quick- it’s a page turner and the multiple POVs beg you to keep reading. Looking forward to book 3!!!
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
Book 2 in a post-apocalyptic found-family tale with strong characters, aliens, and dinosaurs…so yup, it’s pretty good.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Geoff Jones
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
