Forgive Us

Post Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

Fiction - Science Fiction
366 Pages
Reviewed on 02/27/2021
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

E.T. Gunnarsson is an 18-year-old award-winning post-apocalyptic thriller author who suffers from dysgraphia and cannot write by hand easily. He grew up on a horse-rescue ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. He is a home/ online schooler and is currently pursuing college online.

He is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a brown belt in Judo, and trained with the Judo and Grecco-Roman Wrestling Olympic teams at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Knowledgeable in Norse mythology and religion (he writes in Futhark!), he manages an online community for Norse pagans. Forgive Us is his first book. Abandon Us, the prequel to Forgive Us, is scheduled for release in early 2022.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Forgive Us is a work of fiction in the post-apocalyptic science fiction genre and was penned by author E. T. Gunnarsson. It is aimed at older readers due to the presence of explicit language throughout, and scenes of graphic violence. The book follows three characters struggling to stay alive in a world that has gone beyond inhospitable. As one races into the new world bearing the dream of building a new civilization where the soil and air are poisonous, another simply seeks to keep their daughter alive as a war between survivors brews. Above them all is the space station Arcadis; on the surface an Ark in which a select group of humans can survive the end of the world, but beneath that surface, authoritarian rule lurks.

Author E. T. Gunnarsson delivers a powerhouse of post-apocalyptic prose in this highly engrossing and cinematically styled novel. As a huge fan of the genre myself, I am always looking for new twists and clever plays on the desolation and survival aspects of the genre, and I found this novel to be both innovative and surprising, whilst also keeping many of the popular themes and dilemmas that readers have come to expect. The novel is as rich in its characterization as in its worldbuilding, delivering a story which develops over time and gives us generations of heroes and villains forged from a dire circumstance. For its edge-of-your-seat thrills, inviting character work, and deep conceptual realism, I would highly recommend Forgive Us to fans of dystopian worlds, suspenseful horror, and for survival fiction fans everywhere.

Lit Amri

Greed has created a post-apocalyptic world in 2079 and humanity has to brave a harsh life ever since. Forgive Us by E.T. Gunnarsson is told through the lives of several individuals, decades apart in timelines. In 2099, 36-year-old lone rider Oliver, a living relic of the old world, heads east beyond the Rocky Mountains in search of a better settlement. In 2154, nomad London and his young adopted daughter Rose find themselves unwillingly involved in a war between two emerging nations. Thirty-one years into the future, Simon is one of the Workers of Arcadis Station, a home for the human descendants who fled the dying planet in 2078. The growing rumors about the change in leadership and returning to Earth increase the suppressive nature of the Leaders, and Simon is determined not to succumb to their autocratic rules.

E.T. Gunnarsson skillfully introduces and builds up the concept of Forgive Us around three timelines, giving enough room for character development for several protagonists; Oliver, London, Rose, and Simon. The well-paced plot is matched by an engaging narrative that chronologically alternates between the characters' perspectives until key events lead them to cross each others' paths. The protagonists' struggles and perseverance show the beauty and the ugly side of human grit. With a strong balance between descriptions and dialogue, the dark and nail-biting moments are convincing and heart-wrenching. The ending serves not only as the conclusion to an excellent dystopian sci-fi story but as a reminder that ignorance and a greed-ruled world can certainly plunge the human race into an undesirable future. Simply put, an excellent read.

Rabia Tanveer

Forgive Us by E.T. Gunnarsson is a science fiction/dystopian novel that takes readers across three timelines as the characters struggle to survive. In 2099, Oliver traveled through the devastated land and poisoned air to find a safe place. However, he would have to fight off mutants to build a new world. In 2153, London did his best to protect Rose as they tried to survive a depleted Earth and the dangers that came with it. Resources were hard to come by, and London had no idea that even living would become a luxury. And lastly, in 2184, some humans left Earth and settled at Arcadis Station. Simon lived there as a technician and tried to keep his head down and his nose out of trouble. However, he soon realized something was disturbing about their settlement. Little did he know, he would be the one to make a difference for the whole settlement.

The world-building was phenomenal in this brilliant and entertaining novel. The author gave readers exceptional characters that drove the story forward and allowed them to form a relationship with each of them. What would you do if Earth became a wasteland? That was the question I asked myself as I read the story. E.T. Gunnarsson crafted a believable universe that was very easy to imagine. The credit goes to the author and his narrative style. The author jumped between years with a convincing tone without giving readers whiplash. He added cohesiveness to the story that allowed readers to connect the different storylines and understand what was happening in the grand scheme of things. Forgive Us is an incredibly complex yet refreshing story!