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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
The Balkan Escape by Suad Jakupovic follows Dino Tutic, whose short family visit to Bosnia leaves him with no means back to North Carolina when power, transport, and law enforcement fail across the region. As villages arm themselves and militia groups roam freely, Dino relies on his tactical background in securing food, weapons, and safe passage while trying to move west. His journey draws him into local defense efforts, violent reprisals, and a reckoning tied to his father’s wartime execution. Traveling by bicycle, vehicle, on foot, and eventually by sea, Dino forms fragile alliances with people whose survival depends on constant movement and hard choices, driven in an effort to cross borders, outpace spreading violence, and reach the coast as order continues to erode behind him.
The Balkan Escape by Suad Jakupovic is a brilliant SHTF novel linked to a large-scale electromagnetic pulse event, setting itself apart in how credible it feels. First off, it must be said that the Balkans, particularly Bosnia and Croatia, are so beautifully integrated that they almost serve as characters themselves. Jakupovic avoids the trap of turning the book into a makeshift travelogue, depicting instead how a community imposes order and the judging of risk, time, and distance while moving through hostile terrain. The action scenes are fast-paced, and Dino is someone we really want to root for in a position of leadership under collapse. Vesna is easily my favorite secondary character. Overall, this is spectacular speculative fiction with the potential for a series. Very highly recommended.
