More Character Sketches of The Judas Syndrome Cast

Conner:

18 years old. 5'10", muscled upper body, and seemingly always sporting a tan, Conner is Joel’s best friend and Joel his. Athletically inclined, he would participate in school sports merely to pass the time and be granted excuses for leaving math or history class, frustrating his coaches who only saw potential in him as an athlete.

Conner does his best to be seen as someone who is down to earth. It's a quality that he'd always admired in his older brother but found he had to work at. Conner 'suffers' from a sixth sense type ability that makes it difficult to always seem accessible or approachable. He will find himself stuck in a moment, a déjà-vu, and in working through it he allows the déjà-vu to show him a future state.

He believes he obtained this ability from his grandmother on his mother’s side. He remembers stories; even premonitions she'd revealed to him and witnessed come to pass.

Conner gets that he's different but in getting that, he goes out of his way to be normal. Graduating high school is about as far as he wants to take his classroom education. Travel would compete with college in the fall and travel won out.
He is in no way ashamed of his lack in interest in furthering his education in such things as literature, history and science in the classroom. The world would teach him what he needed to know and feed his independence.

Earthy and tough, Conner ‘s character is a perfect complement to Joel’s, both friends realizing that upon their first meeting in the sandbox.

Sara:

18 years old at the beginning of The Judas Syndrome, Sara is the 'it' girl at her highschool. Beautiful, smart, athletic and engaging. Her populatrity was assured, but popularity does not impress Sara, determination and purpose impress and drive her. Her choice of a best friend in Julia, a specticled overacheiving book club type, pretty in an unorthadox way, gives us an idea of her value in popularity.

She is blessed with perfect features, a main of thick shiny brown hair and the body of a cheerleader. Standing at 5'8", Sara is taller than most of her girlfirends, but in no way uncomfortablein her own skin. The majority of her highschool career Sara dates a volleyball player and though he was driven, it proved not enough for her as she yearned for more intellectual stimulation.

Sara is a family oriented person who never complains about taking family vacations or trips to the beach with her mom and dad. She chererishes her time with them. That being said, she is a teenager and happily splits from the family unit when a party or other social event involving her friends comes up. She endulges in all the illegal fun her popular friend base enjoys, but rarely to excess.

Sara is a confident girl, secure in her choices and thoughful of her actions. She believes in Karma and is mindful of her spiritual nature. Raised in the Luthern faith, Sara was baptised as a baby, confirmed as a young teenager and has carried the Christian teachings close to her heart. She believes in God, but accepts that she is human and so imperfect.

Sara heads up the cast of Rebirth , telling her story in 1st person, advancing the story from its tragic beginings with The Judas Syndrome.


For more Character sketches of The Judas Syndrome cast visit the website

Movies featuring the apocalypose

Can anyone help me compile a more complete list of apocalyptic movies, books and Television?

2012 (Movie) Nine (movie-annimated) Resident Evil Extinction (Film) Children of Men (Film) Heroes (T.V.) The Road (Book/Movie) Jericho (T.V) The day after tomorrow (Movie) Armageddon (Movie) Left Behind (Book/T.V.) The Postman (Book/Movie) The Stand (Book/Mini Series) Mad Max/Road Warrior (Films) I am Legend (Film) 12 Monkeys (Film) 28 Days/Weeks later (Films)


Thanks!

The Judas Syndrome (Book 2009/Film 2012)

New website for The Judas Syndrome series

With the new look of The Judas Syndrome comes a new website to introduce the series of apocalyptic fiction for teens and adults alike.

The teenage characters that have found themselves at the end of an age struggle into adulthood prematurely as they fight to survive in a a dying world.

Vsit the new website for video trailers, character sketches, maps and more.
Read about the second installment of The Judas Syndrome series, Rebirth, and when it will be available for purchase.

Character sketch of Joel, The Judas Syndrome's main character

18 years old. Lean muscular build. Dirty blonde hair frames his handsome face as though worked into place. His style mirrors a favorite band, unkempt, with clean lines. Outwardly his mood reflects that of his deceased father, calm. But this calm he recognizes as little more than a mirage, his mother’s anxious nature prevalent in the back of his mind. A quiet intelligence radiates from him, he wins friends easily with little effort, a skill or trait not learned but rather something he’d been born with. He couldn’t recall a time where he made the first gesture of friendship. It went that way with girls as well. Joel had been single a total of 6 months throughout his high school career.

He finds himself the center of attention in many situations, not the least of which is making choices for his friends. He’d rather be the one making the decisions than following someone else’s anyways, and if his decisions and opinions could be projected onto his friends favorably, what’s the harm.

Joel is a compassionate person, focusing mainly on those who seemingly cannot help themselves. He feels a responsibility toward them, to help them, protect them, and is likely one of the reasons people are drawn to him.

His weakness is his mind. Anxiety overwhelms him, the physical stress of it at times paralyzing him. It comes without warning , his pulse quickens, pins and needles attack his extremities, the numbness in his face and the frightening certainty that death lurks around the corner. Though undiagnosed he fears the worst. He is very aware of this flaw in himself, and manages it as best he can, alone.

Though this dark secret he carries plagues him regularly, he keeps it from his mother, not to worry her, keeps it from his doctor and friends and buries it deep within himself, controlling the outbursts by self medicating with drugs and alcohol. Careful not to become dependent on the lifestyle, he practices deep breathing and daydreaming to calm the symptoms.

Regardless of the loss of his father and his anxiety disorder, Joel is a remarkably active and vibrant person, enjoying life as it comes and where it lulls, making something from nothing. He has never allowed his dark side to completely overwhelm his life, his motto, ‘shit happens, when you get a lemon, make lemonade.’ It has served him well through his high school career and he is ever hopeful it will serve him well into adulthood.

Watch for more character sketches of the other characters in http://www.the-judas-syndrome.com as they are released

More reviews for The Judas Syndrome

Todd Dowd
"5 Stars out of 5"
A group of teens move from their camping trip back to their homes and find all that they thought they knew ravaged and dead, forcing them to adapt. I thought The Judas Syndrome paralleled the exit from Eden and the loss of innocence.

The author paints very believable, and unwelcome world.

I rate the book five stars, as I felt that ...in no way did the author fail to create an unique, original, and enjoyable work.

Stacy Maskell

"4 Stars out of 5"
Well, when the book began, I was unsure - I didn't "feel" it like I had hoped, but as the story developed, the struggles of the characters and weight on Joel's shoulders became more than apparrent, and as the book was coming to a close, I didn't want it to end, yet I adored the ending, I read it 3 times. Great job Michael, it did capture and hold my attention and I couldn't put it down.

Melissa Anne Stoutenburg

"5 Stars out of 5"
This book not only had me thinking outside of reading it, but in my dreams as well. I never thought a book could have such a big impact on my mind. The plot kept me wanting to read on, was interesting and never bored me. If all else fails go to the forest...

For more reviews on this suspenseful and dark novel visit the facebook Fanpage

More reviews for the most original telling of the coming Apocalypse

Brad Larsen

"5 Stars out of 5"
This is an incredible jorney ,from being to end I could not put it down. Really shows you that when you think things are bad there is always that possiblity that it can get worse. Dark and riveting book. Thank you once again for the journey and can not wait for the next one.

Rhonda Fintelman

"5 Stars out of 5"
The Judas Syndrome; a book that brings you on a journey of joy, struggle, darkness and survival. Not knowing if friends are enemies or enemies are friends.

Trust is not something the future can hold for Joel and his surviving friends. Twists and turns in their journey of survival brings them together while pulling them apart.

A great ...book leaving readers to wonder where they would stand in the hierarchy of a surviving group, their reactions to other's authority in desperate situations, and what they could or could not live to endure...

Jason Percy White

"4 Stars out of 5"
The Judas Syndrome is a nice departure from the familiar post-apocalyptic theme of scarcity. The debut novel by Michael Poeltl is rich in its use of excess – from copious amounts of drugs to
gratuitous violence to the emotional highs and lows of the main characters. The book does of good job of exploring the abundance of a ...suddenly depopulated world.

The main character, Joel, leads a gang of high school friends who find themselves among a handful of post-holocaust survivors. At first the friends treat the end of the world as an opportunity to party. They find a massive grow-up, scrounge more liquor then they could ever consume, and try their best to forget the family and life they have lost. However, every now and then reality seeps in, usually in a pot induced, hyper paranoid state, and Poeltl does an excellent job of connecting the reader to the pain and denial the characters are feeling. This is perhaps the book’s strongest achievement.

A post-apocalyptic cult leader antithesis, who is typical genre hyperbole, confronts Joel and his gang roughly half way through the Judas Syndrome. The cult leader is on an Inquisition style mission to root out evil and makes outrageous demands on the school gang.
Naturally Joel refuses to submit to the cult questioning and a surprisingly good fight scene ensues. But, the cult leader is not a significantly developed foil for Joel’s character to battle. The lack of a clear antithesis is the book’s weakness. On one hand, it could be said that Joel is his own worst enemy, or that the cryptical Grimm Reaper – a cyber terrorist who took credit for unleashing the apocalypse is the antithesis. Perhaps the reader will decide for themselves. In any case, The Judas Syndrome is a solid debut novel that is worth the read and I look forward to Poeltl’s next novel.

For more reviews on the coming Apocalypse visit Michael Poeltl's facebook Fan page

Reviews for the Apocalyptic novel - The Judas Syndrome

A sampling of reviews as found on The Judas Syndrome Facebook fanpage

Trevor Lockhart
"4 Stars out of 5"

What happens when the world ends but you don’t? Michael Poeltl’s debut novel “The Judas Syndrome” addresses this question when a group of friends return from a camping trip only to find out that something terrible has happened while they were away. The story focuses on this group of friends who have to come together to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. What ensues is a nightmarish journey into human frailty and betrayal. I found myself aching every time a poor decision resulted in disaster, wishing I could steer the group to back to safety and happiness. It reminded me of McCarthy’s “The Road” and Wyndham’s “The Chrysalids”, although with a greater nihilistic outlook.

Chris Sabel
"4 Stars out of 5" ‎

"The Judas Syndrome" is a stark and uncompromising vision of the future of our world. Considering the never-ending reportage of wars, man-made catastrophes, and natural disasters that have appeared in the news recently, this is the kind of story that seems destined to become only more relevant in the years to come.


Mike Pongracz
"4 Stars out of 5"

‎...a stunning debut novel from Michael Poeltl. A dark, gritty exploration of the razor thin morality line that we as humans walk - especially when faced with extraordinary circumstances. Reading the novel was like watching an autopsy from a first person view; seeing everything that once gave life, exposed, separated, displayed and examined in raw, sometimes unpleasant detail. A fine read!

Jeff Faris

"5 Stars out of 5"

How would you deal with the apocalypse?

Have you ever wondered what you might go through if the rest of the world ended and left you and your friends to fend for yourselves? Mike Poeltl has written an excellent book – the Judas Syndrome gives a fantastic, well-imagined answer. The characters, familiar to everyone and rooted firmly i...n the strengths and weaknesses of human nature, are put through a series of exciting, chilling and though provoking events.

The surprising but entirely believable ending was a big plus. It came as a surprise, but once I thought about it, the logic became inescapable - it HAD to end that way.

Have you read The Judas Syndrome? If so, what was your experience like?