“Somehow he’d found beauty in the darkness the way the Nexis had.”This clever, meaningful passage is just one of the many that, in my mind, make the third, concluding book in the Welcome to the Apocalypse trilogy by D L Richardson stand out from the plethora of books in this genre.Coupling the powerful writing with her almost unrivalled ability to place vivid images of her post-apocalyptic landscape in the minds of her readers, Ms Richardson, in her closing episode, has conquered two obstacles inherent in this sub-genre of Science Fiction.She grasps the reader on an emotional level, an absolute must in all storytelling, and facilitates your seeing this ravaged, nightmarish world through the eyes of her characters.But the world Ms Richardson creates here isn’t entirely bleak. This is a mistake I’ve noted novice writers make regularly and veteran writers do as well. A 300-page novel or two-hour film of constant gloom is hard on readers or an audience. The journey becomes a despondent slide rather than a roller coaster with occasional bright moments.Ms Richardson cleverly relieves tension and lightens the mood through story granting the reader an optimistic view of a possible positive outcome. A survival. A new reality, certainly, but one that seems almost acceptable.I’ll include no spoilers with this review as the writer wove a neatly organised story which included numerous twists making the read that much more compelling.I will, however, include three additional passages I found meaningful to the story that also sparkle with imagination. As a writer and omnivorous reader, I am a huge fan of strong, often poetic, writing. DL Richardson offers up a generous assortment of well-written, profound lines that made reading this book enjoyable.“Staring across the open land, Reis viewed the bleak grey skies that joined the land below like a blanket to choke them with longing.”“Sasha was aware of her existence but not of her death.”“History had countless blueprints of failure, inked with the blood of overconfident men.”Well-done, Ms Richardson.What I liked most:Story:I’ve now read and reviewed this entire series. In it, DL Richardson did something I consider praiseworthy and rare. She did not recycle ideas. This book, specifically, presents a full menu of fresh settings, scenarios, action sequences and twists.I have a library full of books, sequels, I attempted reading but abandoned once I realised the writer was recycling and repackaging ideas they’d delivered in the previous book or books.Story ensemble:This is an ensemble piece with three, often four different, intertwined scenarios happening simultaneously. I like this type of story design and applaud authors who can pull it off without confusing the reader.I had no difficulty following the varying paths laid out by the author.Writing:As stated above, I’m a huge fan of powerful writing. Strong lines, like the examples I’ve included, make reading, for me, fun. Ms Richardson is a powerful writer – obviously someone well-read. Her well-crafted, meaningful and redolent lines are abundant and never seem cumbersome or contrived.Criticisms:Only one, and nothing that would lessen my 5-Star rating or high recommendation.Ms Richardson included many characters in this piece. This can challenge the reader. I did, at times, find myself reading back to reacquaint myself with a specific character and their significance to the story.Faster readers, and readers who aren’t typically reading two to three books simultaneously would probably not experience this difficulty.Summary and Recommendation:Welcome to the Apocalypse – Primal Scream (Book 3) is a fast-moving Science Fiction adventure with imagination, heart, slick dialogue, a nice dose of sentimentality and above all, clever writing.I give the closing installment in DL Richardson’s Welcome to the Apocalypse series 5-Stars and my highest recommendation.