Stephen Wallenfels

When they arrived he was asleep in bed and besides his dog Dutch the only other person in the house was his over obsessive father. He was expecting to sleep for at least another hour before he had to drag himself out of bed and get ready for school. He expected to meet up with his best friend Alex. Instead he was dragged from his sleep by a head splitting screech and the presence of black spears in the sky.

When they arrived she had just said goodbye to her mother. She was awoken early by her mum leaving for work, she would be back soon and then they would head to the beach. She had never seen the beach before. She was left alone while her mother was gone. She was left alone when they arrived. All around her people were in a panic while she sat alone and waited her head exploding with noise and the sky fill with blinding flashes.

POD is a tale of two people facing a world in chaos. Josh is trapped in his home with only a father slowly driving him crazy, spending his days watching the world outside his window slowly fall apart. Megs is left alone in a hotel car park amongst strangers spending her days struggling to survive, watching as her world falls down around her. When an alien force takes over the skies it is the threat from those on the ground that is the greatest. An absorbing and stirring read that is original, frightening and a little heartbreaking.… (altro)

Enjoyable Read.

First thing first: this is a young adult novel. That’s not shade, but I didn’t go into it knowing that and it made the novel a little weird to get into. Not bad weird, just a little odd, like, oh right, these kids are younger than me. It starts out with three friends going on a camping trip only to discover their fourth partner isn't coming. They pick up a girl along the way and the four of them head out into Yosemite, unprepared for the time ahead.

It’s a fun study into our main characters as we see into the past relationship between Colin and Ceo. And then the fun really kicks in when the you know what hits the fan in the form of a blizzard, some poorly timed confessions, and an ax. It’s a solid read that’ll keep you turning the pages till the end just to know who makes it out alive.… (altro)

FROM AMAZON: It was supposed to be epic.
During a late-night poker game, tennis teammates Colin, Ceo, Grahame, and Rhody make a pact to go on a camping trip in Yosemite National Park. And poker vows can't be broken.
The first sign that they should ditch the plan is when Rhody backs out. The next is when Ceo replaces him with Ellie, a girl Grahame and Colin have never even heard of. And then there's the forest fire at their intended campsite. But instead of bailing, they decide to take the treacherous Snow Creek Falls Trail to the top of Yosemite Valley. From there, the bad decisions really pile up.
A freak storm is threatening snow, their Craigslist tent is a piece of junk, and Grahame is pretty sure there's a bear on the prowl. On top of that, the guys have some serious baggage (and that's not including the ridiculously heavy ax that Grahame insisted on packing) and Ellie can't figure out what their deal is.
And then one of them doesn't make it back to the tent.
Desperate to survive while piecing together what happened, the remaining hikers must decide who to trust in this riveting, witty, and truly unforgettable psychological thriller that reveals how one small mistake can have chilling consequences.… (altro)

Tennis buddies plan a camping trip. One bails and a girl is invited to take his place. The girl is a stranger to them and almost bail herself. Due to forest fire that is controlled, the foursome take a different route and soon find themselves in trouble.

The premise sounded intriguing and I thought this would be a suspenseful novel with mysterious undertones, but all I got out of this was four teenagers bickering and mostly over this girl (and who is she anyway?) When a snow storms hits and a possible bear attack, they scramble, fight some more, get lost and so did I. Didn’t care for the kids, the situation or the climax.… (altro)