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Fractured State: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Paperback – May 17, 2016
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A land in ruin. A state on the verge of secession. A man on the run.
In a future California ravaged by drought and on the brink of political upheaval, a high-profile assassination triggers a cascade of violence and sabotage facilitated by the highest levels of power. Nathan Fisher, an unassuming government employee, is drawn into the unraveling conspiracy after accidentally witnessing a suspiciously timed clandestine military-style operation.
Hunted by ruthless killers seeking to ensure his silence, suspected by the authorities, and aided only be a loyal Marine officer with a mysterious agenda, Fisher and his family must somehow stay a step ahead of their relentless pursuers, navigating a dangerously changed world in a desperate search for sanctuary.
With their lives on the line and California on the brink of secession, can they save themselves―and ultimately their country?
- Print length400 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateMay 17, 2016
- Dimensions5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-101503935582
- ISBN-13978-1503935587
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About the Author
Steven Konkoly is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and a veteran of various regular and elite Navy and Marine Corps units. He has brought his in-depth military experience to bear in his fiction, penning the speculative thrillers The Jakarta Pandemic, The Perseid Collapse, and The Black Flagged series. Konkoly lives in central Indiana with his family.
Product details
- Publisher : Thomas & Mercer
- Publication date : May 17, 2016
- Language : English
- Print length : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1503935582
- ISBN-13 : 978-1503935587
- Item Weight : 14.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- Book 1 of 2 : Fractured State
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,408,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,004 in Political Thrillers (Books)
- #2,311 in Thriller & Suspense Action Fiction
- #7,149 in Military Thrillers (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author

Steven Konkoly is the Wall Street Journal and repeated #1 Amazon bestseller of over twenty thrillers.
Steven graduated from the United States Naval Academy, receiving a bachelor of science in English literature. He served the next eight years on active duty, traveling the world as a naval officer assigned to various Navy and Marine Corps units. His extensive journey spanned the globe, including a two-year tour of duty in Japan—and travel to more than twenty countries throughout Asia and the Middle East.
From enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq, as a maritime boarding officer in the Arabian Gulf, to directing aircraft bombing runs and naval gunfire strikes as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) assigned to a specialized Marine Corps unit, Steven's "in-house" experience with a wide range of regular and elite military units brings a unique authenticity to his thrillers.
He still wakes up at "zero dark thirty" to write for most of the day. When "off duty," he spends as much time as possible outdoors or travelling with his family--and dog.
Steven is an active member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) organizations.
You can contact Steven directly by email (stevekonkoly@striblingmedia.com) or through his blog (www.stevenkonkoly.com).
WORK BY STEVEN KONKOLY
DEEP SLEEP SERIES—Conspiracy/Espionage/Black Ops thrillers
"Stopping the most dangerous conspiracy to ever threaten America means believing the unthinkable. A modern day conspiracy thriller filled with twists and turns."
1.) Deep Sleep
2.) Coming Dawn (October 2022)
THE RYAN DECKER BOOKS—Action-Adventure/Vigilante/Black Ops/Conspiracy thrillers
"A heart-pumping thriller of betrayal, revenge, and conspiracy for fans of Tom Clancy and Lee Child."
1.) The Rescue
2.) The Raid
3.) The Mountain
4.) Skystorm
THE BLACK FLAGGED SERIES—Black Ops/Political/Conspiracy/Espionage thrillers
"A gritty, no-holds barred covert operations and espionage saga."
0.) INCEPTION (PREQUEL)
1.) ALPHA
2.) REDUX
3.) APEX
4.) VEKTOR
4.5) COVENANT
5.) OMEGA
THE ALEX FLETCHER BOOKS—Action-Adventure/Conspiracy/Dystopian thrillers
"A tense, thriller epic, chronicling the aftermath of an inconceivable attack on the United States."
1.) The Jakarta Pandemic
2.) The Perseid Collapse
3.) Event Horizon
4.) Point of Crisis
5.) Dispatches
THE FRACTURED STATE SERIES—Dystopian/Conspiracy/Near future techothrillers
"A near future conspiracy series set in a southwest United States on the verge of secession."
1.) Fractured State
2.) Rogue State
THE ZULU VIRUS CHRONICLES: A BLACK FLAGGED THRILLER SERIES SPIN OFF—Bioweapons/Conspiracy/Post-apocalyptic thrillers
"A modern thriller series based on the events surrounding an unthinkable bioweapons attack against the United States."
1.) Hot Zone
2.) Kill Box
3.) Fire Storm
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this post-apocalyptic thriller engaging, with one review noting how the author incorporates real-world issues into the narrative. Moreover, the book receives praise for its believable near-future setting and breathless pacing, with one customer highlighting how much action is packed into such a short book. Additionally, customers appreciate the well-developed characters, excellent writing style, and find it hard to put down, describing it as a real page-turner.
AI Generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the action-packed story of this post-apocalyptic thriller, finding it suspenseful and believable, with one customer noting how well the author incorporates real-world issues into the narrative.
"...Cali is impressively believable and upgrades this to a serious work of speculative fiction comparable with my most respected scifi authors...." Read more
"...Mr. Konkoly writes short, concise chapters which are filled with story lines that draw you even deeper in forcing you to keep reading even though..." Read more
"Lots of intrigue, lots of action, and some thought provoking. I read it straight through. The story was scarily believable." Read more
"...with believable characters, natural family dynamics, and tense confrontations...." Read more
Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a fascinating and intense read that kept them engaged throughout.
"Not a bad read. Spoiler alert...." Read more
"...This is well written and definitely intense." Read more
"I love his stories and great writing and happily read a lot of his books...." Read more
"...It's an enjoyable read, I recommend it and all of his books." Read more
Customers find the book's story believable and thought-provoking, with one customer noting its fantastic job of creating a very believable near future.
"...The world building of a near future Cali is impressively believable and upgrades this to a serious work of speculative fiction comparable with my..." Read more
"Lots of intrigue, lots of action, and some thought provoking. I read it straight through. The story was scarily believable." Read more
"...of some of today's stories, you'll see that this book is very much grounded in reality." Read more
"...An excellent story with intricate details of how many liberties were given up to ensure that a "big brother" type government kept the crime..." Read more
Customers praise the book's pacing, describing it as breathless with no slow moments, and many report finishing it in one sitting.
"...Things just escalate from there and the pacing is near breathless with much more creatively written action scenes than just one fire fight after..." Read more
"...state issued ration, all the way to the ending cliff hangar, the fast paced action will make it hard for you to set the book down for food or..." Read more
"...This book moved quickly with some very intense and action-packed moments...." Read more
"...These books (Fractured State) were a little slower, although still well within thriller status...." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as an edge-of-your-seat story that's easy to read, with one customer noting it reads like potential headlines of the future.
"...Mr. Konkoly writes short, concise chapters which are filled with story lines that draw you even deeper in forcing you to keep reading even though..." Read more
"...This is well written and definitely intense." Read more
"Konkoly's writing continues to be enjoyable, with believable characters, natural family dynamics, and tense confrontations...." Read more
"...While some aspects of the plot are "hinky" and the dialogue is definitely weak, the basic concept is interesting and plausible, and the author's..." Read more
Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book, with one customer noting how easy it is to follow them, and another highlighting how they set the pace for speculative fiction and action adventure genres.
"...Vividly drawn characters done with depth and skill whether the good girls/guys or the bad ones...." Read more
"...The characters are believable and identifiable like they’re your next door neighbour...." Read more
"Konkoly's writing continues to be enjoyable, with believable characters, natural family dynamics, and tense confrontations...." Read more
"Good action, liked the characters, good storyline. A fast read, couldn't put it down. Portrays California's possible future!..." Read more
Customers find the book hard to put down.
"Easy to get into. Liked the short chapters and how you kept the story lines going...." Read more
"...and weapons enhanced the believability of this fast-paced, hard to put down novel, set not too far in the future!..." Read more
"A good story. Hard to put down. Better involvement in describing/identifying characters. Seems to need a little touch from a female author...." Read more
"Enthralling! I could not put it down, from the first page to the last...." Read more
Customers find the book engaging, describing it as a real page-turner.
"Have to say it. A real page turner that makes you long for more. The ending certainly leaves an opening for sequel. I hope I’m correct. Excellent work" Read more
"...Writing is above average, and it kept me turning the pages: recommended." Read more
"...This is a page-turner, and I didn't want to put it down. I already have the next book in the series and look forward to reading it." Read more
"...is excellent, his storyline is well explained, keeps up and keeps YOU the reader, up as well. Outstanding piece of fiction!" Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2016Format: KindleVerified PurchaseNot a bad read. Spoiler alert.
This one starts with the death of Elissa Almeda who's a senior congressional representative for the State of California. A State that seems to have deep sixed the constitution. A State where some want to secede from the Union. A State where others will do whatever it takes to stay part of the Union.
Almeda's murder will start the ball rolling on a chain of events and deaths to further the cause of a group of men and women who don't want Cali to secede from the Union. A death that takes place in Washington DC. A death where her killer is her chief of security. A man who's employed by that group of men and women.
In the State everything is monitored. Everyone has a California Resource card to buy groceries and gasoline with. They swipe when buying anything and the card keep track of what resources are used. Time spent out of your residential district is recorded. Cameras are everywhere recording everything along with police check points. Phones can be tapped. Even burner phones can be listened to. The State is anything but an enjoyable place to live and the State has been experiencing a twenty year drought so water consumption is carefully monitored.
Mason Flagg works for the men who engineered Almeda's death. NIck Leeds is his go to guy for death and destruction. A Nick Leeds who was Almeda's Chief of Security. A Leeds who murdered her on Flagg's orders. Her death was part of a plan to swing things the groups way and not the secessionists.
Nathan Fisher is a water reclamation engineer and had moved to California from Tucson, AZ. California was thriving economically an observation that wasn't lost on Fisher when he received multiple job offers after he resigned from the Tucson Water authority. Things were under control in California. Swiping a state issued card to buy food and gas for the rest of his life seemed like a small trade off for the security California seemed capable of providing. He, his wife Kiera and son Owen moved to California. How quickly he realized the State wasn't as secure as one might think.
Nathans dad retired as a Sgt. Major in the Marine Corp. While Nathan joined the ROTC and learned about guns and his Dad took him on all the bases he never wanted to be in the military. He went to college and has two degrees but he still knows how to handle a gun and has never forgotten what his father taught him.
Nathan goes to the ocean several times a week to get water. He has a desalinization machine at home. This provides he and his family with more water than what he and his family are entitled to. On his last trip to the beach he thought he saw something in the ocean. He got his binoculars out to look. Sure enough he saw boats. Boats with no lights and what looked like four men in scuba gear getting into them from the ocean. He watched to boats leave. Next thing he knew an SUV was right in front of him. Fisher lay down behind the scrub grass and stayed still. The vehicle used a spotlight to look around then left. Fisher was wondering just what the hell he just saw.
The next day he found out that there was a problem at one of the nuclear plants. This nuclear plant that was on shore next to where the boats were. Nathan didn't tell Kiera what he saw and he knew he should have. The fact that he saw what he saw is going to put he and his family in the path of murderers.
So begins a pretty good read.
This one has Nathan, Kiera, Owen, Captain David Quinn who saves Fishers and his families lives, a Quinn who takes out several of the bad guys to get Nathan and his family out of his house, a Quinn who takes them to Camp Pendleton, a Quinn who turns out to be one very capable guy, his wife Alison, Nick Leeds, Flagg, his bosses, a murdered police officer, a Nathan who's framed for that murder, Ray Olmos an ex Navy SEAL who works for Leeds, an Olmos and his men who tampered with the nuclear reactor causing it to be shut down, a Leeds with orders to kill Fisher and his family, a Leeds who leaves evidence at Fishers house making it look like he killed the police officer that Leeds actually killed, Fishers Mom and Dad who live in Utah, his Dad who gets the word from Quinn's Dad to bug out, a Nathan, Kiera and Owen who are hidden in Camp Pendleton, the San Diego PD who's looking for Nathan who they see as a cop killer, the Commandant of Camp Pendleton who isn't letting them in to search for anyone, a Quinn who's approached by his Commander and told he and Fisher and family will be leaving headed for Yuma, a Flagg who finds this out, an all out attack by Leeds on the Marines and Nathan Fisher doing his best to save his family figure it all out and stay alive.
Five Stars.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2019Format: KindleVerified PurchaseFractured State takes place in the near future-2030's in California. Severe weather across the midwest has sent millions of refugees fleeing for the big cities. California quickly implemented border controls avoiding the worst. Things are relatively good on the left coast with economic growth fueling a decent if precarious standard of living. Internal dissension threatens the good times as more and more locals want to secede from the U.S. and go it alone. As usual big money has their own plans and stand to lose if the secessionists get their way. As the book opens behind the scenes maneuvering threatens to break into open warfare as a major Cali politician is assassinated followed by big time infrastructure sabotage then another assassination. Into this wanders an innocent, Nathan Fisher, who is our hero. Normally a mild mannered water reclamation engineer just trying to get through the day until he sees something he shouldn't have and all hell breaks loose. A lavishly funded, anti-secession, quasi military covert operations group surfaces that is dedicated to whatever it needs to do in order to eliminate Nathan and his dangerous knowledge. Nathan isn't much of an action hero type and dead meat is the best description of his, his wife and ten year old son's chances of survival until he calls his dad. Dad is a whole different ball game, a retired senior Marine NCO with major intelligence/counter insurgency credentials. He is also still wired into the sergeants network and although Dad lives as a semi-survivalist in the boonies he reaches out to a close buddy who quickly dispatches his son, David Quinn, to help. Quinn is doing active duty as a marine counter insurgency captain at Camp Pendleton just down the road so he can respond quickly and appropriately. He pretty much steals the show from Nathan as he overcomes major enemy action in his efforts to keep Nathan and family alive. Things just escalate from there and the pacing is near breathless with much more creatively written action scenes than just one fire fight after another. Vividly drawn characters done with depth and skill whether the good girls/guys or the bad ones. The world building of a near future Cali is impressively believable and upgrades this to a serious work of speculative fiction comparable with my most respected scifi authors. Throw in Konkoly's major action adventure chops with the bonus of his even handed treatment of both sexes and you have an author to keep an eye on.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2025Format: KindleVerified PurchaseFrom a not to distant future comes a story of unimaginable possibility of love of family, country, betrayal, intrigue and duty neatly wrapped in a package of excellent writing. Make sure you set aside a few days of reading time because you won’t want to do anything else for that time once you start. Mr. Konkoly writes short, concise chapters which are filled with story lines that draw you even deeper in forcing you to keep reading even though you might have other things you should be doing. The characters are believable and identifiable like they’re your next door neighbour. The bad guys are bad and you find yourself rooting against them. If you like a good thriller, this will meet your expectations!
- Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2025Format: KindleVerified PurchaseWhat I would have considered to be an impossible scenario 5or 6 years ago doesn’t seem so unimaginable in light of trends in the last few years. This is well written and definitely intense.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2024Format: KindleVerified PurchaseLots of intrigue, lots of action, and some thought provoking. I read it straight through. The story was scarily believable.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2025Format: KindleVerified PurchaseWhoa! Could see VS going this way. Page burner, two night read. Could not put it down. On to t
he next one!
Top reviews from other countries
- Julie Johnson-beggReviewed in Australia on September 16, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute thrill ride
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseI had been reluctant to purchase this series as the pre-purchase blurb does not do the novel content justice. But I enjoy writing so brought it. I could not stop reading this blunt action and twisted plot this novels concept is at extreme quiet believable. Konkoly’s fast paced action sequences are a great to read combined with his ability to rapidly sketch out the dimensions of his characters keeps you fully engaged with his story lines.
- Iain LockhartReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripped from start, finished within 48hrs, I’m a slow reader, nuff said
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseAs the review title said, I’m a slow reader but so gripped from the start that I blitzed through in less than 48 hrs, minus sleeping, completing my wife to-do list and taking Snoop, our dog for his daily walks. Can’t recommend these books highly enough
-
RagerReviewed in Germany on October 23, 2016
4.0 out of 5 stars Starker Beginn
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseDer erste Teil des Buches stellt eine gar nicht mal so unwahrscheinliche Dystopia vor, die Kaliforniens Zukunft, von massiven Wassereinbußen gebeutelt, gekoppelt mit verstörender Überwachungstechnologie gepaart, widerspiegelt. Ein spannendes Szenario, sehr gut ausgespielt. Zum Zeitpunkt der Handlung strebt Kalifornien die Trennung vom Bundesstaat an, dem natürlich mächtige Widerstände entgegengebracht werden. Auftragsmorde und Sabotageakte prägen das Bild. So weit, so gut. Im zweiten Teil des Buches wird aber dieses Thema kaum noch weitergesponnen zu(un)gunsten einer wilden Verfolgungsjagd. Hier holt wahrscheinlich den Autor seine Vergangenheit als langjähriger Armeeangehöriger ein, da wird es dann extrem militärtechnisch. Ansonsten wäre der Plot gut und gerne 5 Sterne wert gewesen!
- Walter ScottReviewed in Canada on December 14, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars California – A Big Brother State
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseTwo generations of a family find themselves caught in the middle as the California Liberation Movement begins the process of California seceding from the United States of America. At this stage, and unknown to the majority of its citizens, (who have gotten used to Draconian travel restrictions, as well as severe water use limits) there is a war taking place involving cutting edge surveillance, armed drones, special forces personnel conducting black ops missions.
As a Canadian citizen, this evoked the October Crisis in 1970, when the FLQ (Front de liberation du Québec) initiated a violent attempt to separate the Province of Quebec from Canada. There were bombs set off. People died. There were kidnappings of high level politicians. And in a referendum held several years later, 49 percent of Quebecers voted to separate. A 50% vote was needed. Things were that close.
Steven Konkoly once more has written an intense, explosive, action-packed thriller… to be continued in Rogue State. I already read the second one, and the story is not over yet.
- simon hadleyReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars Started slowly before racing to the finale
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseBit of a slow burner at first but began to pick up pace. Enjoyed reading it once it became a total page turner.