Armageddon Dimes By Aaron Michael Ritchey, Book Review

In 2053, Mariposa Hernandez sacrifices everything to get home from the Sino-American War. It's the first of many mistakes. Bored of civilian life, haunted by the war, Mariposa is invited by a long lost friend on a treasure hunt into the wastelands of Denver. Can Mariposa reclaim a fortune in abandoned dimes before the ghosts of her past consume her?

This description comes from the book and it provides a great basis for what the reader can expect.

Armageddon Dimesis a free novella prequel to the Juniper Wars Series.

Setting

The world made it through another war that left scars across the landscape. The Sino-American War took a toll on the people of the United States who fought in Asia. And the land wet through upheavals from the Chinese nuking the Yellowstone Caldera.

The ensuing eruption led to the general area of the Rocky Mountain States being pushed back in time as the geological formation of a permanent electro-magnetic field. The area, now called The Juniper, has no electricity and the inhabitants have embraced their heritage in making The Juniper a modern Wild West.

Along with the loss of modern technology in the area of the Juniper mankind is dealing with the results of the Sterility Epidemic. The war took many lives and many men died early on. Women became the main fighting force until the conclusion of the fighting. Now women outnumber men and in many ways are the dominate gender.

Overall

Armageddon Dimes was a fun read. The story is told from the point of view of Mariposa, and we get a post war tale dealing with the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) she is suffering from. For those who have dealt with PTSD, personally or through someone they know, the description of the issues deal with the issues well without getting too deep.

The backstory of Mariposa's experiences are well crafted into the story to provide foreshadowing and a completeness to the story. Even recognizing what is probably in store, there is a desire to see how it unfolds.

The setting of Armageddon Dimes is a combination of elements that give it an original twist. The mythical old west, post-apocalypse, and steampunk combines to present a location clearly ripe for plucking stories out of. The setup and setting is intriguing. I already have the first book of the Juniper Wars Series, Dandelion Iron, in my queue for review and I am looking forward to when it makes the top of the stack.

I give Armegeddon Dimes 5 out of 5.

The Author (from the book)

Aaron Michael Ritchey is the author of The Never Prayer, Long Live the Suicide King, and Elizabeth's Midnight. In 2016, the first book in the epic Juniper Wars Series, Dandelion Iron, will be published by Kevin J. Anderson's WordFire Press. Aaron was born on a cold and snowy September day in Denver, Colorado. While he's lived ad traveled all over the world, he's a child of the American West—sagebrush makes him homesick. He lives in Colorado with his cactus flower of a wife and two stormy daughters.

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