Shattered Skies

Summary

Shattered Skies ignites the After the Impact series with a meteor strike that is savage, realistic, and unstoppable. Forget viruses, EMPs, or aliens — this is the sky itself turning traitor, rewriting everything we know in a single instant.

The story follows Nick Alvaraz, a TV anchor who catches a gut-churning, anonymous asteroid warning moments before going on air. His instincts scream run, and that snap decision saves him and production crew member Tara Winslet when a city-killer smashes into Manhattan.

Nick’s wife, Criss, is left to defend their neighborhood from looters, while their daughter Gabby volunteers with FEMA to dig through the devastation. Their struggles feel raw and grounded, giving the collapse a deeply personal edge.

As Nick teams up with Cha June Press — a civilian near-earth watcher silenced by authorities — the real horror surfaces: more rocks are coming, and no one wants to talk about it. Broadcasting the truth could be their only shot to save anyone.

 Pre-Review Context

I had another book queued up for the podcast this week, but Shattered Skies pulled me in like a gravity well. It’d been parked on my Audible wishlist for weeks, and the moment I saw it ready to download, I jumped.

Zerobit, my AI co-host, was fully on board — anything that ties a real-world collapse scenario with cosmic stakes is an instant priority.

Spoiler Review

Nick’s storyline is tight, believable, and painfully honest. He doesn’t grandstand; he runs on instinct, grabs Tara, and survives. The meteor strike is described with a ruthless precision that leaves no illusions — Soward paints it straight, no Hollywood sugarcoating.

When Cha June appears — a quiet civilian amateur trying to warn the world — the stakes sharpen. Cha’s storyline hits hard because it feels entirely possible. If an asteroid were inbound tomorrow, do you think you’d hear about it in time? Exactly.

The book’s tension ramps up as Nick and Tara fight to get a half-broken news van on air to broadcast Cha’s warnings of further strikes. Meanwhile, Criss has to organize neighbors against gangs taking advantage of the lawless aftermath. Gabby, trying to help with FEMA, faces her own moral and physical challenges in the wreckage.

Best moment?

Cha June’s final words: Where he explained to everyone in shock that more is incoming, what time, what size and even the locations.

Best gamble?

Stacking impacts. The first meteor is devastating, but learning it was just the opening act dials the dread up to eleven. That gamble pays off, setting up a sequel with a genuine sense of panic.

Narration

Andrew Tell kills it. His performance is controlled, steady, but never robotic. Nick’s growing dread, Tara’s resilience, Cha’s resigned frustration — all come across naturally.

No goofy accents, no cartoon radio theatrics — Tell keeps it rooted, letting the terror flow through without ever overplaying it.

Judgement

Kenny Soward absolutely delivers. Shattered Skies is tense, personal, and painfully real, turning a meteor impact from cheap spectacle into a believable end-of-the-world scenario. If you’re tired of EMPs and pandemic tropes, this will shock your system awake.

Judged Worthy — No question. Start this series and clear your schedule.