It's the 2040's and the world has become a horrifying place. The country is recovering from a nuclear war that scourged most of the earth. To make things worse, billionaire moguls have purchased the rights to water only to sell it back to the public at ridiculous prices. Josh and Maria become worried when people mysteriously begin to disappear...
It's the 2040's and the world has become a more terrifying place than anyone could’ve foreseen. The country is recovering from a devastating nuclear war that has left much of the earth scourged and uninhabitable. Some billion-dollar corporations took advantage of the destruction by purchasing the rights to water and selling it back to the public at ridiculous prices.
Joshua Wyman and Maria Perez struggle to adapt to this new violent world where muggings and murder over water are a common occurrence. The new water barons assign an army of brutes called "Purifiers" to instill order, but when people start mysteriously vanishing, Joshua and Maria begin to wonder if the Purifiers are behind their disappearance.
When Maria receives a frantic email from a friend in danger, she learns of the water barons’ plans for the “indigents” who can’t afford water. She desperately searches for someone to share her dark secret with who might be able to help. When her information falls into the hands of a violent anarchist group, their beaten down, oppressed city must confront what its inhabitants have long since hinted about, but never dared to whisper. Uprising
Excerpt
“The end is near! The final days are upon us! Do you hear me?” An elderly woman in tattered,
dirty clothes stood on the sidewalk in front of Maria’s workplace. She held a cardboard sign that
read “Save yourselves” and raised it for every passing vehicle. Her shiny, gray hair was tangled
and her eyes wild. Maria flung her purse over her shoulder and scurried toward the door, hoping
to avoid her. “They’re coming for you too, young lady.” She spotted Maria and waved the sign.
“They’re coming for us all. Get out while you can.”
“That’s enough, you crazy old bat. You need to move on.” A Purifier marched toward her
brandishing his baton.
“They’re the ones who make people go away. They do the work of the devil!” She turned to
Maria and pointed an accusing finger at the Purifier.
“I told you to leave!” He swung his baton at the woman’s torso, striking her rib cage. She hit the
sidewalk hard and dropped her sign. He kicked her in the stomach while she curled into a fetal
position and moaned. “Stop! Leave her alone!” Maria stepped toward them.
“Get inside your building and mind your own business,” he yelled.
“You can hit me if you want. I’ve taken plenty of beatings from my husband, so it’s nothing
new. I’m helping this woman up before I go inside.” Maria stepped up to the thick, muscular
man and looked him in the eye, surprised by her own courage.
The Purifier seemed both shocked and angry as he took a step back. He clearly wasn’t used to
anyone standing up to him. Maria took hold of the lady’s arm and helped her stand. “Can you
walk?” she asked.
“I think so,” she groaned and grabbed hold of a bus stop sign.
“Walk with me.” Maria gently pulled her along as they made their way down the street. The
Purifier looked on with an expression of rage and hatred.
“There’s a battered woman’s shelter across the street from the courthouse. Tell them Maria sent
you,” she said as they rounded the corner.
“You’re a good soul.” The injured woman winced and held her side. “They don’t like that. Find a
place to hide before they get you.” She let go of Maria’s arm and hobbled down the street.
Professional Reviews
Blogger Erica Robyn
Parched: The Days Before Exile (The Wastelands #1) by Anne Joyce is a story of fear, desperation, and violence caused by the fall out of a war. In this new world, water, as well as trust in humanity, is becoming scarce.
When diving into this book, I highly recommend having Arid ready to go. You’re going to want to see what happens next immediately! But if you’re like me and read them out of order, this one is a lovely step back to see how we got to the situation in the second book.
I highly recommend checking these two books out if you’re a fan of dystopian stories!
Amy's Bookshelf
What a thrilling and compelling story in Parched by Anne Joyce. I read her book Arid and enjoyed it. I really liked this one as well. Here we are in the future, 2040-something, and it's after the nuclear war that has left more than rancid air and fallout. It's survival of a dying world, and trying to get the simplest of needs, water. Violence and crime is common, but still is hard to get used to, and there are secrets and corruption, and just survival, and dealing with the world as it is. It's the end of the world as we know it, and now, even the revival of a new world may not be so. It's a well-told story, written in the best descriptions, to show this new, terrifying, world. The characters had a lot of depth, and the story was written with different layers, and it works. The reader can feel the devastation seeping off the pages as Maria and Joshua, among others, struggle. I am a definite fan of this author! This book deserves a second read! (and maybe more). The story brings the reader on a superb journey. This is a magnificent story that kept this reader turning the pages. A definite attention grabber, so much I couldn't put it down. Both thrilling and intriguing, all the way to the end. The characterizations are engrossing and dynamic. Parched is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews.
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