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Folsom (The End of Men Book 1)

Folsom (The End of Men Book 1)

byTarryn Fisher
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Top positive review

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Carlene
5.0 out of 5 stars4.5 Lasting Impression Stars
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 1, 2018
There are books that leave their mark on you, whether it be a change in thought or an ache in your chest, but Fisher and Aster have done more with Folsom. I felt the shift in me as I read, my thoughts clicking into place as the book drew closer to its end, my heart beating in recognition of the similarities the book has with real events happening today. Folsom is a tale of fiction, the first novel in The End of Men series, but it is real in its power to make you think. Yes, I saw many similarities to The Handmaid's Tale, and even The Hunger Games, but I found Folsom to be a unique, powerful story as well.

"She wants to think she's seducing me, but my body is read. It's always forced to be ready."

There are twelve men left in the world with the ability to reproduce and there are thousands of women willing to shill out money for an appointment with those men. They are The End Men and they are owned by The Society; they will sleep with you, leave you thinking they enjoyed it, and return to their temporary housing alone. They are very aware that they no longer own their lives, but it is what they must do. The women rule the world, with female partners by their side as they lead their regions and try to uncover the science behind the failing Y chromosome. They treat the men as royalty, the youth are raised exalting the men, but even the meekest women can see that something is not right. Folsom is one of those men, the eldest and most praised End Men, and Gwen is supposed to be just another appointment, only she sees the real man behind the duty. She uncovers the truth that women have taken this power too far and the men are no longer even that, their name a harsh title for the reality, that they are a means to an end only.

"I can see the hope in her eyes, possibly the greed as well."

Gwen is quiet and defiant, a smart woman whose dream of a child drives her to enter the science field, something women who can bear children do not do, and still try to conceive with The End Men. She is smarter than she appears, her brains and mouth something others try to avoid, while Folsom finds himself drawn to her. Though their interactions at first are few and far between they leave an impression on eachother. Folsom, comfortable in his easy life though aware something is missing, has hidden his emotions away and accepted the now boring role. I enjoyed his chapters the most, this idea that just one person could spark his emotions back to life, lighting a fire in him, and others, to see that they are comfortable in something that is not okay was very interesting. It made me think of the years of appointments he'd kept, the ugly acceptance that someone else hold his choices in their hands, and yet one person speaking out made him shake the dust off and recognize that he too hates his role and the bleak future in front of him.

"I feel a shelling of jealousy; I had him first. And then I laugh to myself. Stupid woman."

I think the part I enjoyed most was the focus on women who were in power and still electing to do something so morbid. For me, it was similar to the view many have today that men are leading us astray with their power and their ability to control, but in Folsom, when men become the weaker women, their anger and resentment of the men becomes their ultimate downfall. It is mass sexism against men that Fisher and Aster weave this tale around, showing us that it is the women with humanity left in them, those not swayed by power, who can fix it. If you aren't following, it's the same power feminists fight against every single day, the same equality Gwen wants is the equality we want. Though the women's abuse of power can be seen as not embracing the age of women, it is those women who argue against it who truly are in power. It mirrors the politics of the present, but in Folsom we find hope in Gwen and her battle cry and the followers willing to fight for the dream of equality. Fisher and Aster are telling us that our compassion and sympathy, our general human awareness, will prevail over the thirst of power.

"This is the way it should be. Men allowed to hunt."

Folsom was an engaging read for me, not just because of the dystopian nature and politics, but also due to the sexy, forbidden romance between Gwen and Folsom. For some it may come across as an unrealistic, lust-driven bond, but in their shoes, with their power of self taken away, the comfort they find in one another to be themselves, to share their thoughts, is a powerful drug neither can deny. The draw they have to one another may be just a spark, the love may seem immature, but it lights a wildfire, and with an ending like that I am sure that Fisher and Aster have more to tell us about human nature and the connections humans cultivate.

"We don't belong to each other anymore. Be careful what you wish for."

I highlighted many passaged and though I could see hints of each author, with certain phrases definitely coming from the mouth of Tarryn Fisher, it is one of the best dual-author novels I have read. I highly recommend this one and cannot wait for more. If you're scared off due to the dystopian nature of it, fear not, it doesn't hold as much weight in this novel as many others in the genre do.
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Top critical review

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RedBaron
2.0 out of 5 starsI love the authors, but I didn't love this book. Spoilers ahead...
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 2, 2018
I never review books because how you respond to art is so subjective. I know what I like and you know what you like, so who am I to say that something isn’t good or not worth your time. I don’t love Picasso but he may be your favorite. I AM glad I kept looking at his artwork, because I eventually found some that I love. Does it make me like all of his art? No. But I still respect him for fearlessly giving us something so new that it changed the art world. How conceited would I have to be to believe that the fact that I don’t love everything he’s created in some way diminishes his indelible contribution to the world. Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster have given us such unique books and characters in the past, so my thoughts on this one will not make me write them off forever and it shouldn’t stop you from reading them either. This one simply didn’t work for me. But it may work for you. This review is not meant to steer you away from this book or these authors. I still have hope for the next books in this series. But until then, here are my thoughts on Folsom…

LAST WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

When I read the blurb, I cringed. I was instantly worried that these authors who I trusted were taking advantage of this girl power moment in time and the renewed popularity of The Handmaid’s Tale. I was so nervous that what they were writing would be a reductive gender-flipping of a classic, because anything that even tries to get next to The Handmaid’s Tale, a book so masterfully written it inspires and terrifies and is more poignant today than when it was released over 30 years ago, is going to be reductive by default. So I worried. But I was also curious. I love these authors and their previous works. Seriously. I one-click/ preorder everything Tarryn Fisher writes and I’m happy that she introduced me to Aster’s work. So I already knew I’d give them the benefit of the doubt and read it as soon as it was released. There were so many avenues to explore by flipping it to a “who runs the world – girls” concept and these authors have given us such strong, unapologetic female characters in the past. I was intrigued… but nervous.

So, what did we get? If The Hunger Games and The Handmaid’s Tale made a baby, but that baby was delivered prematurely and in the chaos of an unplanned delivery, it was fumbled and nearly dropped on its head. That baby is Folsom. Folsom has many issues because it didn’t get enough time to grow and develop. Failure to thrive is a real possibility, but so is a full recovery and a healthy, robust future - but only time will tell.

The dystopian setting was lacking. The little glimpses we got were very reminiscent of the previously mentioned books, but the execution missed the mark and it was not done anywhere near as well. The similarities and even the exact opposites (and therefore, still comparable) were so glaring, it kept taking me out of the story. Instead of being immersed in this world, I kept pausing to think of how it stacked up to Gilead and the Districts. (It didn’t.) I understand that the authors said they wanted to focus more on the characters and plot than the dystopian world-building… so I wish they had taken the time to do so.

Instead, we get forced insta-love: a girl who falls for the only guy she’s ever met because she likes his boots, and a guy who falls for the girl because she notices his boots before his d I c k. But let’s keep it real – then its all about the d. There’s nothing wrong with that, I love the smut (and that line about teaching her to ride – FIRE!), but this was billed as a love story and that was another aspect that felt weak to me. I wish there had been 20 more pages, even 10 pages – pages where they become emotionally invested in each other so we the readers have the opportunity to do the same. I don’t need everything spelled out for me. I love books that DON’T lay out every single detail, but instead let you think and create your own image in your mind, but in this case it just wasn’t enough. Does she love him, or love the idea of having a man for herself, or love getting laid on the regular, or does she just love him because she wants to do the right thing and he just so happens to be the End Man in front of her? Without exploring what is between these characters, the end of the book was just kind of… lacking. I didn’t feel the urgency because I didn’t feel for them. Because I didn’t really know them. Because I didn’t get their ‘love.’ And this from the author who gave us ‘love is the only thing’ in her last book.

Given the Tarryn Fisher Easter egg that allows her faithful readers to estimate when this story takes place (that was so fun!), it is disappointing that in the ‘age of women,’ women have so quickly effed everything up, haven’t learned from the mistakes the big, bad men made before them, can’t figure out science, and are still catty and shallow when it comes to getting the man, even when they know the score. There were hints at so many themes that could have been explored, but weren’t. Instead, we got the go-to TF ‘bad mommy’ and ‘evil redhead’ tropes. Try something new! We PROMISE we’ll go along for the ride! #PLN4LIFE

I know Gwen was supposed to be this powerhouse, the strong and fearless woman we could all root for and eventually, follow her into revolution. Yes, she was a scientist, but let’s be honest. She was kind of dumb. And naïve. And shallow. I guess she had her moments – good for her for realizing sexual slavery and child prostitution is bad (Ugh, seriously?! That’s where we’re setting the bar?!), but she only realized this AFTER she uses that very system to get what every women there wants, what it was designed to provide. So overall – not so much. Maybe it was the fact that she was going to have a son that got her woke, but it was just a bit flimsy. So, the whole Gwen-as-a-heroine thing doesn’t ring true. (Especially when she spends most of the second act of the book hiding out in a room in a basement. I want to know more about the heroes above ground actually taking the dangerous steps to make things happen.) When a book is already echoing better ones, it makes it that much more painfully clear she is no Katniss or Offred/June. Gwen’s rousing speech to get everyone on side? Yawn. This was so frustrating, because that was the moment that could have truly made her a hero and made us forgive and forget her previous foibles. But it was just so generic. And her writings that are being posted while she’s in hiding, the truth that inspires people to rise up and resist and fight – let’s see those! And all that time stuck in the room with Latticus could have yielded some great moments through their conversations to 1. give some depth to Gwen and 2. underline that Latticus is a child who has no understanding of the implications of being used like this, how he has been brainwashed into believing not only is it the right thing to be an End Man, but its fine, no big deal and 3. show more of the interesting nature vs. nurture aspect as Latticus still has an innate desire to know his father as a son, even though that is not how he has been raised because it is no longer a possibility in ‘the age of women’. I could go on... With what these authors have delivered in the past – it was just disappointing. They were swinging for the fences but ultimately ended up striking out.

Speaking of the co-author thing, I can’t imagine how difficult it is to write with someone else. Their styles meshed so well that there are only occasional little hints that let you know which of them wrote particular passages. But that almost became a distraction in itself. That might be a compliment. I don’t know. Maybe it’s my own fault for being such a fan of both of these authors that it made me curious, but again, it kept taking me out of the story.

Overall, not my favorite, but I have hope… Just because there are developmental issues at this early stage of the series (TF said there will be ten (10!) books coming), there is still time to make this something great, to set it apart and make it unique instead of derivative. This is just the beginning. Because of my faith in these writers and their previous art, I will absolutely read the next one. Hopefully, it will make me want to read the one after that for different reasons.
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From the United States

RedBaron
2.0 out of 5 stars I love the authors, but I didn't love this book. Spoilers ahead...
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
I never review books because how you respond to art is so subjective. I know what I like and you know what you like, so who am I to say that something isn’t good or not worth your time. I don’t love Picasso but he may be your favorite. I AM glad I kept looking at his artwork, because I eventually found some that I love. Does it make me like all of his art? No. But I still respect him for fearlessly giving us something so new that it changed the art world. How conceited would I have to be to believe that the fact that I don’t love everything he’s created in some way diminishes his indelible contribution to the world. Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster have given us such unique books and characters in the past, so my thoughts on this one will not make me write them off forever and it shouldn’t stop you from reading them either. This one simply didn’t work for me. But it may work for you. This review is not meant to steer you away from this book or these authors. I still have hope for the next books in this series. But until then, here are my thoughts on Folsom…

LAST WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

When I read the blurb, I cringed. I was instantly worried that these authors who I trusted were taking advantage of this girl power moment in time and the renewed popularity of The Handmaid’s Tale. I was so nervous that what they were writing would be a reductive gender-flipping of a classic, because anything that even tries to get next to The Handmaid’s Tale, a book so masterfully written it inspires and terrifies and is more poignant today than when it was released over 30 years ago, is going to be reductive by default. So I worried. But I was also curious. I love these authors and their previous works. Seriously. I one-click/ preorder everything Tarryn Fisher writes and I’m happy that she introduced me to Aster’s work. So I already knew I’d give them the benefit of the doubt and read it as soon as it was released. There were so many avenues to explore by flipping it to a “who runs the world – girls” concept and these authors have given us such strong, unapologetic female characters in the past. I was intrigued… but nervous.

So, what did we get? If The Hunger Games and The Handmaid’s Tale made a baby, but that baby was delivered prematurely and in the chaos of an unplanned delivery, it was fumbled and nearly dropped on its head. That baby is Folsom. Folsom has many issues because it didn’t get enough time to grow and develop. Failure to thrive is a real possibility, but so is a full recovery and a healthy, robust future - but only time will tell.

The dystopian setting was lacking. The little glimpses we got were very reminiscent of the previously mentioned books, but the execution missed the mark and it was not done anywhere near as well. The similarities and even the exact opposites (and therefore, still comparable) were so glaring, it kept taking me out of the story. Instead of being immersed in this world, I kept pausing to think of how it stacked up to Gilead and the Districts. (It didn’t.) I understand that the authors said they wanted to focus more on the characters and plot than the dystopian world-building… so I wish they had taken the time to do so.

Instead, we get forced insta-love: a girl who falls for the only guy she’s ever met because she likes his boots, and a guy who falls for the girl because she notices his boots before his d I c k. But let’s keep it real – then its all about the d. There’s nothing wrong with that, I love the smut (and that line about teaching her to ride – FIRE!), but this was billed as a love story and that was another aspect that felt weak to me. I wish there had been 20 more pages, even 10 pages – pages where they become emotionally invested in each other so we the readers have the opportunity to do the same. I don’t need everything spelled out for me. I love books that DON’T lay out every single detail, but instead let you think and create your own image in your mind, but in this case it just wasn’t enough. Does she love him, or love the idea of having a man for herself, or love getting laid on the regular, or does she just love him because she wants to do the right thing and he just so happens to be the End Man in front of her? Without exploring what is between these characters, the end of the book was just kind of… lacking. I didn’t feel the urgency because I didn’t feel for them. Because I didn’t really know them. Because I didn’t get their ‘love.’ And this from the author who gave us ‘love is the only thing’ in her last book.

Given the Tarryn Fisher Easter egg that allows her faithful readers to estimate when this story takes place (that was so fun!), it is disappointing that in the ‘age of women,’ women have so quickly effed everything up, haven’t learned from the mistakes the big, bad men made before them, can’t figure out science, and are still catty and shallow when it comes to getting the man, even when they know the score. There were hints at so many themes that could have been explored, but weren’t. Instead, we got the go-to TF ‘bad mommy’ and ‘evil redhead’ tropes. Try something new! We PROMISE we’ll go along for the ride! #PLN4LIFE

I know Gwen was supposed to be this powerhouse, the strong and fearless woman we could all root for and eventually, follow her into revolution. Yes, she was a scientist, but let’s be honest. She was kind of dumb. And naïve. And shallow. I guess she had her moments – good for her for realizing sexual slavery and child prostitution is bad (Ugh, seriously?! That’s where we’re setting the bar?!), but she only realized this AFTER she uses that very system to get what every women there wants, what it was designed to provide. So overall – not so much. Maybe it was the fact that she was going to have a son that got her woke, but it was just a bit flimsy. So, the whole Gwen-as-a-heroine thing doesn’t ring true. (Especially when she spends most of the second act of the book hiding out in a room in a basement. I want to know more about the heroes above ground actually taking the dangerous steps to make things happen.) When a book is already echoing better ones, it makes it that much more painfully clear she is no Katniss or Offred/June. Gwen’s rousing speech to get everyone on side? Yawn. This was so frustrating, because that was the moment that could have truly made her a hero and made us forgive and forget her previous foibles. But it was just so generic. And her writings that are being posted while she’s in hiding, the truth that inspires people to rise up and resist and fight – let’s see those! And all that time stuck in the room with Latticus could have yielded some great moments through their conversations to 1. give some depth to Gwen and 2. underline that Latticus is a child who has no understanding of the implications of being used like this, how he has been brainwashed into believing not only is it the right thing to be an End Man, but its fine, no big deal and 3. show more of the interesting nature vs. nurture aspect as Latticus still has an innate desire to know his father as a son, even though that is not how he has been raised because it is no longer a possibility in ‘the age of women’. I could go on... With what these authors have delivered in the past – it was just disappointing. They were swinging for the fences but ultimately ended up striking out.

Speaking of the co-author thing, I can’t imagine how difficult it is to write with someone else. Their styles meshed so well that there are only occasional little hints that let you know which of them wrote particular passages. But that almost became a distraction in itself. That might be a compliment. I don’t know. Maybe it’s my own fault for being such a fan of both of these authors that it made me curious, but again, it kept taking me out of the story.

Overall, not my favorite, but I have hope… Just because there are developmental issues at this early stage of the series (TF said there will be ten (10!) books coming), there is still time to make this something great, to set it apart and make it unique instead of derivative. This is just the beginning. Because of my faith in these writers and their previous art, I will absolutely read the next one. Hopefully, it will make me want to read the one after that for different reasons.
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Carlene
5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Lasting Impression Stars
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
There are books that leave their mark on you, whether it be a change in thought or an ache in your chest, but Fisher and Aster have done more with Folsom. I felt the shift in me as I read, my thoughts clicking into place as the book drew closer to its end, my heart beating in recognition of the similarities the book has with real events happening today. Folsom is a tale of fiction, the first novel in The End of Men series, but it is real in its power to make you think. Yes, I saw many similarities to The Handmaid's Tale, and even The Hunger Games, but I found Folsom to be a unique, powerful story as well.

"She wants to think she's seducing me, but my body is read. It's always forced to be ready."

There are twelve men left in the world with the ability to reproduce and there are thousands of women willing to shill out money for an appointment with those men. They are The End Men and they are owned by The Society; they will sleep with you, leave you thinking they enjoyed it, and return to their temporary housing alone. They are very aware that they no longer own their lives, but it is what they must do. The women rule the world, with female partners by their side as they lead their regions and try to uncover the science behind the failing Y chromosome. They treat the men as royalty, the youth are raised exalting the men, but even the meekest women can see that something is not right. Folsom is one of those men, the eldest and most praised End Men, and Gwen is supposed to be just another appointment, only she sees the real man behind the duty. She uncovers the truth that women have taken this power too far and the men are no longer even that, their name a harsh title for the reality, that they are a means to an end only.

"I can see the hope in her eyes, possibly the greed as well."

Gwen is quiet and defiant, a smart woman whose dream of a child drives her to enter the science field, something women who can bear children do not do, and still try to conceive with The End Men. She is smarter than she appears, her brains and mouth something others try to avoid, while Folsom finds himself drawn to her. Though their interactions at first are few and far between they leave an impression on eachother. Folsom, comfortable in his easy life though aware something is missing, has hidden his emotions away and accepted the now boring role. I enjoyed his chapters the most, this idea that just one person could spark his emotions back to life, lighting a fire in him, and others, to see that they are comfortable in something that is not okay was very interesting. It made me think of the years of appointments he'd kept, the ugly acceptance that someone else hold his choices in their hands, and yet one person speaking out made him shake the dust off and recognize that he too hates his role and the bleak future in front of him.

"I feel a shelling of jealousy; I had him first. And then I laugh to myself. Stupid woman."

I think the part I enjoyed most was the focus on women who were in power and still electing to do something so morbid. For me, it was similar to the view many have today that men are leading us astray with their power and their ability to control, but in Folsom, when men become the weaker women, their anger and resentment of the men becomes their ultimate downfall. It is mass sexism against men that Fisher and Aster weave this tale around, showing us that it is the women with humanity left in them, those not swayed by power, who can fix it. If you aren't following, it's the same power feminists fight against every single day, the same equality Gwen wants is the equality we want. Though the women's abuse of power can be seen as not embracing the age of women, it is those women who argue against it who truly are in power. It mirrors the politics of the present, but in Folsom we find hope in Gwen and her battle cry and the followers willing to fight for the dream of equality. Fisher and Aster are telling us that our compassion and sympathy, our general human awareness, will prevail over the thirst of power.

"This is the way it should be. Men allowed to hunt."

Folsom was an engaging read for me, not just because of the dystopian nature and politics, but also due to the sexy, forbidden romance between Gwen and Folsom. For some it may come across as an unrealistic, lust-driven bond, but in their shoes, with their power of self taken away, the comfort they find in one another to be themselves, to share their thoughts, is a powerful drug neither can deny. The draw they have to one another may be just a spark, the love may seem immature, but it lights a wildfire, and with an ending like that I am sure that Fisher and Aster have more to tell us about human nature and the connections humans cultivate.

"We don't belong to each other anymore. Be careful what you wish for."

I highlighted many passaged and though I could see hints of each author, with certain phrases definitely coming from the mouth of Tarryn Fisher, it is one of the best dual-author novels I have read. I highly recommend this one and cannot wait for more. If you're scared off due to the dystopian nature of it, fear not, it doesn't hold as much weight in this novel as many others in the genre do.
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Crankster
4.0 out of 5 stars Folsom Blues
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 3, 2018
Verified Purchase
As an evolutionary theorist, survival of the species is something I've had long conversations over. As I've often said to my husband, in terms of survival of the species, women are far more important as it would only take three fit men to fertilise an area the size of continental Europe. Of course, those were theoretical discussions, but Folsom (The End of Men Book 1) gives us some insight into how that would occur at a practical level. Spoiler: it's not pretty.

In some ways, Folsom is an inversion of the Handmaid's Tale. If the Handmaid's Tale is an exercise in intimate domestic terrorism where women are the possessions of men (Offred i.e. Of Fred) and reduced to fertile wombs by the merging of religion and the State, Folsom is an examination of the flip side. In Folsom's world, there are only twelve fertile men left (End Men) and their duty is to bring the male population back from the brink of extinction.

Women run the world and men are objects, public property, belonging to what appears to be an atheist State. If Offred is the stereotypical male fantasy of subservience, Folsom is the opposite. He lives a life servicing women by appointment as part of his duties to the State. If the Handmaid's Tale is up close and personal conducted within the private domain, Folsom's experience is public. He adopts the public persona of an alpha male, while essentially being a slave.

Folsom's sexual duties are devoid of intimacy and connection. His world, like his name, is a prison. In other words, the method of saving humanity is absent of the same.

Enter Gwen: At twelve, she had a dream/vision of having a baby and her politically connected mother has done everything within her power to ensure this becomes reality. It is within this context that Gwen and Folsom meet and form a connection that has political ramifications.

Through her burgeoning relationship with Folsom, Gwen's fantasy about End Men and the world she lives in are put to the test. Here is where key thematics of the story unfold: the freedom of the individual versus the state, freedom of choice, speech, to love who you want to—whilst balanced against the survival of the species. The broader question is whether the species deserves to survive when it needs to enslave people to do so.

All in all, I found this a compelling read. It's more humanist (and I use that in the academic sense of the word), than radical. In this world—the world of women—Fisher and Aster are unafraid to show women's inhumanity to women. Ambition, power, and cruelty are gender neutral traits, and the inference is that no matter who is in charge (male or female) it is human nature for some of the worst of us to be attracted to ruling others.

It is a bit of a slow burn, but the emotional, albeit predictable ending, certainly made up for it. Although I saw it coming, it didn't make it any less impactful. I thought the world building could do with some extension and I would love to know more about how it came to be, rather than just the perfunctory references to destruction, death, and disease.

Although I liked Gwen, there is a wide-eyed innocence about her character that did bother me. Protected by privilege, she didn't really become involved until events affected her personally and she got everything she wanted bar one thing, which sparked her rebellion. Until that time, she worked for an organisation that was intimately involved in the rejuvenation of the species, which is dependent on the enslavement of men.

Perhaps this is a pet peeve, but I find characters (and people) limiting who can only relate to events if they have some kind of personal stake in matters.

I am mindful after reading Folsom—just as I am after reading and watching The Handmaid's Tale, that these might be dystopian stories for some segments of the population, but they are the histories of other groups.

I look forward to reading the sequels.
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AlohaD
5.0 out of 5 stars #TeamGwen #RiseOfTheWomen
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
I read all sorts of books but one genre that I rarely delve very deep into is dystopian. Just isn't for me.
But with Folsom I felt I was getting so much more than future and what life is to become when the male species falls off.
It was about women and their empowerment and what they are going to do with it. It was about procreating in a way that is a job and not a sensual thing. Relationships are a thing of the past and it is a woman's world. For better or worse.

"I live in their world now: the age of women."

Folsom has been sent to live in a certain region for the year and is 'sentenced' to have sex with as many women as he can and try to impregnate them with a male. The male species is basically non-existent and they need to create more men in order for the human species to not die off. The idea that these men can perform multiple times a day was crazy. It was only going to be a matter of time until something exploded. Folsom is pure and utter sex. He is there for no other reason than to impregnate the upper crest women. No attachments, no real friendships. Just travel to be with women. He is the future and what will help society grow.

"I...I know that we need you desperately. But when what is right for the whole world becomes wrong for an individual, what is to be done?"

Then we have Gwen. Who we first see as a sweet, albeit wild-haired opinionated woman. She has wanted nothing but to have Folsom and have a son. But she is also a strong character that is looking for a solution. She is working toward finding answers. She is kind of a contradiction....at first. Soon we see why she is the woman we all want to be. She speaks her mind. She speaks truth and she goes against the grain of popular societal beliefs. Her words and actions are her sword and she will wield them for the better part of mankind.

"Words are a powerful weapon and they never die."

Willow Aster and Tarryn Fisher wrote together flawlessly. The story flowed together in such a way that I couldn't tell who wrote what. It was as if one person wrote the book and has an idea of where they want the story to go. They will lead us with actions and words and we will be surprised at what these two characters are going to bring in the future. But watch out for the families. Watch out for people who have become friends. Who is an ally and who is an enemy? My heart is already pounding just writing this review. I simply cannot wait for book 2 and see what our second End Men is going to bring to the future.
This is just book one. Where is the future going to take us? Words and beliefs are questioned. Trust no one. We are about to cause a major uprising. Who will be a part of your team?
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Amy Vox Libris
4.0 out of 5 stars Meet Folsom, your new Hot Hero
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
You know how sometimes you think you wouldn't rock the headboard with someone if he were the last man on earth? Well, in the world that Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster create, there are only twelve men on earth, and you would pay a pretty fortune to spend quality time with them.

One such End Man is Folsom, who's been at this gig longer than any of his brethren. He travels from region to region, spending one year at each, during which he impregnates as many women as he can, a job for which he makes a pretty sweet living (he has his own jet). But it's lonely, and it's isolating. One thing Folsom absolutely cannot do is fall in love.

So OF COURSE he does.

Gwen, the object of his affection, is also one of his recipients. Their initial attraction intrigues them, and those feelings increasingly become far more potent (so to speak). Folsom has felt an emotional emptiness not helped by his line of work, so meeting Gwen shows him that he can form emotional, spiritual connections with someone. But he's supposed to avoid that very thing.

Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster establish Folsom's conflict as well as Gwen's. The closer she gets to Folsom, the more aware she is of the world around her and its false façade, particularly where Folsom is concerned. I really enjoyed how Fisher and Aster showed Gwen's growth. She begins as a young woman who allows others to control her and begins to emerge as someone driven to expose her world's wrongs.

Those of you looking for a Hot Romance Novel have come (no pun intended) to the right place. Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster write some scorching hot love scenes that deliver the quiver AND THEN SOME.

Not as well detailed are some plot points that need more development. There are a couple of plot points that take such an abrupt turn from what Fisher and Aster established that you're left with a bit of a head scratcher. Why did this person change so sharply? Why does that person appear to do a 180 on how she's been drawn up to this point? You don't get any answers, at least not any that feel organic to the rest of the plot and characters. My hope is that you will in future books in this series.

The driving theme of this book is power--who has it, who wants it, who abuses it, and who needs it. Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster immerse you in Gwen and Folsom's world, letting you experience the powerlessness each feels, as well as the sense of disenfranchisement of even the most privileged. The world Fisher and Asher draw here is bleak, but Gwen's strength and defiance give you hope.
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Sarah Arndt
5.0 out of 5 stars A book that can bring out that intensity of emotion, that can stoke a fire so deeply in my soul is a must-read in my book.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 29, 2018
Verified Purchase
Folsom was MADDENING, in the best way possible. As I was reading I was left with anger burning so deeply in my belly; I’m not sure anything could slake it. A book that can bring out that intensity of emotion, that can stoke a fire so deeply in my soul is a must-read in my book. I don’t read many dystopian novels, but the themes of Folsom – so similar to that of the Hunger Games – struck a chord with me and forced me to take notice of things we all take for granted.

This is a plot unlike any other I’ve read. While the idea of a world predominantly devoid of men isn’t a new one – I’ve had conversations about how amazing it would be and how we’d need very few men – the humanity of what that world might look like never occurred to me. Folsom lent a blinding light on how absurd a position women could put a man in if forced to do nothing but father children with willing women. It was a gut-punch to see how quickly we could make them nothing but another commodity to be traded.

Gwen was everything. I wasn’t sure of her in the first chapter; there seemed to be something too soft, too timid about her, she quickly dispelled those fears. Her unique intelligence and ability to look beyond the propaganda she’d been served her entire life gave her a thorny kind of strength, she refused to let anyone close enough to her to sway her from her convictions; any time someone tried to repress her ideologies she struck back with no apologies. Her desire to bring a revolution to the complacency she’d lived with her entire life was awe-inspiring and a picture of the significance of true feminism.

I was surprised by how much empathy I felt for the End Men. Two days ago, I would have easily told you that I would implement the exact system that existed in this book. Today, I would tear down the walls trying to prevent something like that from ever happening. To people who think that romance isn’t an intellectual genre, that it has nothing to offer the world, you’re wrong and this book, this dystopian romance that expands on a society we’ve all postulated about, exemplifies just how much romance has to teach the world.

I have read several books from both Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster, some I’ve loved and some I’ve absolutely hated. And for that, I find them both to be must-read inkslingers, anyone who can make me feel so profoundly after reading the words they’ve put on paper is doing something incredible. I have never left a book by either author without feeling their stories deep in my soul and, to me, that is the surest sign of a superb author. This book joins a long list of their books that go beyond a story to become an experience.
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Buzy_reading
5.0 out of 5 stars Freedom comes at a high cost...doing nothing gives others power
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
In Folsom, we meet Folsom Donahue the first man in the Society of Regrowth. He was the first to be recruited, the oldest of the twelve at thirty-four. Folsom lives in the End Men compound, a place that keeps the recruited men before they are moved on to a new Region.
This is a community controlled by women. These recruited men are controlled by this society to repopulate. The regions are focused on rebuilding the population that it’s losing its humanity.
This is a concept that has been discussed by people for years. The thought of women overpopulating society with very few men left. I’m sure it’s not too far fetched of an idea. In fact, Tarryn and Willow surprised me with how well thought out this idea could play out. I suppose I was narrow minded to think all men would love an opportunity to bang an endless amount of willing women. What I didn’t expect is for the boredom to occur. I love how Folsom’s character exudes that human element of bonding. He’s an object to the society. A piece of furniture to be used. Pleasure isn’t the end game it’s conception.
I must admit I was hesitant to read another dystopian book. I must also admit I was apprehensive about reading a book corroborated by two authors. While I’m a fan of Tarryn’s books it seems when authors join forces with another I become leery. Putting all fears aside I read one review that changed my entire outlook on this book for that reason alone I bought it. I must say I’m enjoying this book.
This book opened my eyes to the various ways in which this concept can affect both the female and male race. The conformity is the most difficult aspect of this book. The new roles and expectations placed upon the women and End Men in this new society was alarming.
Folsom contained many similarities with the Hunger Games as far as a society controlling its population in eight Regions.
It’s not an unrealistic or unreasonable possibility for the male population to become extinct. Tarryn and Willow provide an eye awakening experience at what our world would look like if it ever came to that.
Gwen’s defiance to rules and structure is what every society needs to prosper. Her courage to stand up against a community driven by conformity adds the necessary encouragement to a dyer situation.
Folsom a man blessed with great genes takes his responsibility in stride. It’s easy to bend both ways and believe in the greater cause while also bend toward the pressure imposed upon him to conceive men.
I’m looking forward to Jackal. I’m glad I gave this book a chance to dispel my original fears.
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Love2Readtoo
5.0 out of 5 stars Another win for Fisher.....
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
i bought Folsom the same day it was published, because duh, Fisher… but held back on reading right away because i didn’t want to have to wait for book two, but then had to travel for business and with several layovers, this book just called to me.

The writing, superb. The book was a collaboration between Fisher and Aster. I’m not going to lie, when i first started reading, my intent was to try and see who wrote what, because you know, we all think we know our authors so well ;) after chapter 3, I was pulled into the story, it tug at my heart and my mind and I just let the book take me away. So much so that I almost missed my connecting flight in Houston. Not a good thing!..missing the flight that is :)

I felt the relationship between the h/h was a bit rushed, but it worked in this instance. Their relationship and how Gwen felt and acted, affected me in so many different ways. She is a kick-ass character. This is what I like to see in books. Strong female leads knowing and going after what they want. Fighting for what is right. Loving with their heart and soul.

The book had more characters than I expected and though the main characters are well developed, I would have liked to see a little more into the brain of some of the secondary characters. This, in no way lessens the awesomeness of this book. As, with any book we read, authors gives us the opportunity to fill in some blanks with our own theory / conclusion, so this may be the case here, but hoping book two will give me this when it comes out at the end of June.

One of the things I love about this book, as I’ve read other reviews and comments in social media is how different the writing has affected other people and how strong we all feel about the different characters and writing style. Often time, a book brings many readers together, when there is that one character we all love to hate, and though there is that here (of course, right?) This book also has enough power to individualize our feelings.The book does have some hot steamy sex, so if you are a prude, please stay away, though better yet, just skip through those pages, so you don’t miss out on this great bookI

I recommend this book if you love strong female leads, don’t mind some hot steamy sex, a hero that makes you swoon and swoon and swoon.. well you get the picture, where there are characters you want to strangle and characters you want to protect, and where deep in your souls you see hope for humanity.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking and heart-wrenching
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
This one is hard to review because I have some conflicting feelings about it. I absolutely love the premises, the idea of the Age of Women and the message that you don't right a wrong by doing another wrong. Women finally came to their own and have no men to put them down or disrespect them in any way, but their answer to that is to place men in a humiliating position that turns them into baby-making machines and nothing else. Not cool.
Love the way they fall in love in spite of the circumstances and that this love is what wakes Folsom up from the emptiness that is his life.
Hated the language (specially the repeated use of the term p***y which has some very bad connotations for me) but thought that it fit well with the story for the most part. I would have stopped reading it after the first chapter if that was not the case. The characters are well developed and you can't help but loving and rooting for them. I also loved a surprise (won't say what because of spoilers) at the end.
Now for what I didn't like and the reason I gave it four stars instead of five. There are a couple scenes that really rubbed me the wrong way.

***Possible spoiler***

The first one is when they are at the SIM. They are finally on a real date and what does Folsom choose to do? Have sex with her while watching a simulation of the two of them having sex (their version of porn, I guess). You would think that a man who spends his days having sex with so many women and has nothing else in his life would enjoy something a little different--an old-fashioned date, talking over coffee, getting to know each other, or anything but what they did. That made me feel that he didn't really care for her, that he was only interested in her for sex.
The second one really pissed me off. We're in Folsom's POV, the man is basically being tortured, treated like a piece of meat or a sperm-producing machine, he's suffering both physically and emotionally, his thoughts go to Gwen and bam! enter a totally unnecessary, super crass, and disrespectful sentence. It totally ruined the moment and again reduced Gwen to just another sex object. I was very disappointed with that.
That said, it was well-written, interesting, thought-provoking, and entertaining. Bravo.
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Jacqueline Sanders
4.0 out of 5 stars Very different and un-put-down-able!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
In this world, times have definitely changed. Men are all but extinct with the exception of the 12 end men. They are in charge of populating the world, but things aren’t all what the regions (higher government) would have you believe. Folsom is the original end man and in all the years he has done this, he has learned to keep his head down and body ready for the next woman to try and impregnate. Is this life he wanted for himself? No, but it’s all he’s able to do now. Each woman is no different than the last and Folsom has mostly checked out and accepted his life of loneliness and civil duty. That is….until Gwen.

Gwen comes from an upper class group of women and her mother was able to snag her, as well as her sister, an appointment with the original End Man. She’s always wanted a baby along with every other woman in the world and she hopes beyond all hope that Folsom is able to provide her with one. Gwen is sassy and likable while Folsom is endearing and raw. Their personalities together mesh well, even though I did think the entire relationship between the two went kind of fast.

Once the deed was done between Folsom and Gwen that should have been it. But Gwen realizes after a few run ins with Folsom that this isn’t the life he wants and that the government treats them like horses only good for breeding. He’s tired of the games, the responsibility of the world resting his and the other 11 men’s shoulders, and the endless amount of women who only look at him as if he’s only good for one thing. Gwen’s feelings for Folsom, and his for her, are just too much for them to ignore and so they set on a path that will eventually bring the regions to its knees.

The insta-love between these two is again, paced pretty fast, but it didn’t take away the overall quality of the book in my opinion. Overall, I loved the premise of the story and I’m thoroughly intrigued on how this series will play out. I didn’t care for the pace of it, but I still connected to it easily. Jackal, book two, releases June 29 and I can’t wait because…wow….the cliffhanger at the end kind of threw me for a loop!!!
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