The sequel you’ve been asking for is finally available
I’m thrilled to announce that “The Other Side of the Sun – Apricity Volume I” is now available on Kindle, with paperback and hardcover editions arriving in the next day or two.
When I published “The Other Side of the Sun,” I wasn’t sure what to expect. The response from readers has been overwhelming. Your emails, reviews, and passionate discussions about John and Alex and the moral dilemmas they faced have been deeply gratifying. Many of you asked the same question: “What happens next?”
This is your answer.
Winter Changes Everything
If “The Other Side of the Sun” was about the immediate shock of collapse—the first desperate days when technology failed, and society began to fracture, “Apricity” is about what comes after. It’s about the long, brutal winter that tests everything these characters thought they knew about survival, community, and themselves.
John and Alex thought they’d survived the worst. They were wrong.
The world they’re navigating now is colder, more dangerous, and far more complex than anything they faced in those first chaotic weeks. New alliances must be forged. Old assumptions must be abandoned. And the violence they hoped to leave behind? It’s only getting started.
What You’ll Find in Apricity
Without spoiling the journey, here’s what awaits you:
The Characters You Know, Changed: John, Alex, and young Amelia have been hardened by their experiences, but they’re still fighting to maintain their humanity. You’ll also meet some new folks, whose perspectives add new dimensions to the group’s survival strategies.
New Faces, New Complications: Tony and his farm community offer hope for something larger than mere survival—but at what cost? The introduction of these new survivors brings both opportunity and danger in ways you won’t see coming.
The Winter Element: I’ve spent considerable time researching and writing about winter survival without technology, and all of that knowledge pours into this story. The cold becomes as much an antagonist as any human threat.
Moral Complexity: The ethical questions only deepen. What does it mean to build a community in a world without laws? How do you protect what’s yours without becoming the monster you’re afraid of? When is violence justified, and when does it cost you your soul?
A Glimpse of What’s Out There: Rumors of a military group. Stories of other survivor communities. The world beyond their immediate survival zone is beginning to reveal itself, and it’s more dangerous than they imagined.
The Story Behind Apricity
When I wrote “The Other Side of the Sun,” I knew there was more story to tell. The original manuscript was over 160,000 words, far too long for a single volume. The natural breaking point came roughly halfway through, creating, I believe, two distinct but connected narratives.
“Apricity Volume I” takes its name from the warmth of the sun in winter. A perfect metaphor for the small moments of hope and humanity these characters cling to in their darkest hours. It’s about finding light when everything around you has gone cold and dark.
Volume II will follow, completing John’s journey in ways that I hope will surprise and move you.
For New Readers: Where to Start
If you’re discovering this series for the first time, start with “The Other Side of the Sun.” You’ll meet John and Alex as their comfortable suburban life shatters, watch them make impossible choices, and see how quickly civilization can unravel when the technology we depend on… stops.
Then dive into “Apricity” to see what winter brings.
Both books ask the same fundamental questions: What would you do? How far would you go to protect the people you love? Who would you become when everything you relied on disappears?
More Than Just a Story
If you’ve been following this website, you know I’ve been building something alongside the novels, a comprehensive resource for understanding the skills and psychology of survival. Over the past months, we’ve explored:
- Finding and purifying water in crisis situations
- Locating and preparing food without modern conveniences
- Creating fire with and without tools
- Emergency first aid in a tech-free world
- Building shelter from available materials
- Navigating without GPS or technology
- Winter survival strategies
- Preserving knowledge without digital storage
- Community security and organization
- The psychology of societal collapse
These aren’t just theoretical exercises. They’re the practical foundation that informs the challenges my characters face. The fictional world of “The Other Side of the Sun” exists because I first asked myself: “If technology truly failed, what would actually matter? What skills would mean the difference between life and death?”
A Personal Thank You
Writing these books has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. Creating characters who feel real, putting them through impossible situations, and trying to portray both the brutality and beauty of human nature under extreme pressure, it’s been a profound journey.
But what makes it truly meaningful is knowing that these stories resonate with you. When readers tell me they’ve started thinking differently about preparedness, community, and resilience, that they’ve had conversations with family members about “what we would do if…” I know the books are doing what I hoped they would.
They’re not just entertainment. They’re thought experiments. They’re invitations to consider what truly matters when everything else falls away.
Get Your Copy Today
Kindle: Available now on Amazon Paperback: Available within 1-2 days Hardcover: Available within 1-2 days
Whether you’re returning to this world or discovering it for the first time, I invite you to join John, Alex, and Amelia as they face their greatest challenge yet: surviving a winter that may never end, in a world that will never be the same.
The lights went out in “The Other Side of the Sun.”
In “Apricity,” we discover what grows in the darkness.
What’s Next
Volume II is in final preparation and will be released soon. Without spoiling anything, I’ll say this: if you think you know where this story is going, you’re only half right.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you. What questions do you have about the characters? What survival topics would you like to see covered on this blog? What do YOU think happens next?
Connect with me:
- Email: [your email]
- Social media: [your handles]
- Blog comments below
And most importantly: if you enjoy the book, please consider leaving a review. In a world of algorithms and endless options, your words help other readers discover these stories.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. For believing in these characters. For engaging with the hard questions these books ask.
Now let’s see how they survive the winter.
__________________________________________________________________________________________Christopher Gardner is the author of “The Other Side of the Sun” and “Apricity.” When he’s not writing about the end of the world, he works in marketing and maintains a blog exploring practical survival skills and preparedness. He lives in Pennsylvania with his family.