Travelers is the first book of the Travelers Series by Al Hess. This is the second series by him that I have read. The first being the Hepcats of Boise. This story is more post-apocalyptic than the dystopian Hepcats stories were. Though it is the first book of the series, there was a prequel story that was released later titled Toskaheart, that I had read first. It was listed as Book 0 of the series.
Given the option, I would suggest reading that one first, as it chronologically first. You also get to meet Sasha that is introduced later in Travelers’ book. This is nice because having his background beforehand made his appearance more enjoyable and his antics make more sense. Toskaheart also gives a clear explanation as to what has happened to the world. In Travelers, the characters don’t have a clear worldview.
Travelers takes place in North America in the former United States. There are hints and clues as to what part of the country they are in, but I won’t spoil that as it’s fun to guess while reading the story. In the future, a plague hit North America killing most human life. Reading this book during the Pandemic lockdown made it quite surreal. The few survivors who had a natural immunity have managed to forge a living, but modern conveniences as we know them no longer exist.
What the survivors are not aware of is that the plague only affected North America. The rest of the world had isolated themselves from the States to protect themselves from the plague. Now those same countries are wanting a chance to invade and take the land for farming and be able to produce food, as the rest of the world is not in great shape either.
We meet Owl, she is traveling alone trying to escape from something that the reader doesn’t learn about until later. During her travels, she injuries herself and is found by a man who happens upon her. Owl’s instincts kick in and she believes he is a highwayman who probably wants to rape, rob, and kill her. But he ends up helping her, though it is a long time before she can trust him.
Trav, the name she gives him, is from a set of islands off the coast. Most mainlanders don’t trust anyone from there. There are stories about his kind being cannibals and jealous of mainlanders. As she spends time with him, she learns that he is nothing like that. The pair travel together and the reader learns that she is searching for her brother. During their adventure, they encounter a man named Sasha. He is a part of a group of scientists from Russia who have come to study the plague and its effects and find a vaccine. The survivors aren’t aware that the plague still exists and it is then we learn that it is airborne. If anyone who is not immune steps on North American soil, they will die an instant painful death.
Though these scientists have come up with a temporary vaccine it isn’t without side effects. In the case of Sasha, he now has a weak heart.
This book kicks off a series that has eight titles. I enjoyed both travelers and Toskaheart. The author has released a complete collection of the series including the bonus stories as an eBook package deal.
If you are a fan of adventure stories and post-apocalyptic stories, I would highly recommend this story. I am looking forward to continuing the series. So far, everything I have read by Hess has been amazing and I look forward to their future books.
Travelers available on Amazon
Toskaheart available on Amazon
Complete Travelers Series available on Amazon
Follow Al Hess on Twitter
Esteban Q Mathieus 