I have had some good luck in the reading of three great books in a row!
First I read “One Man’s Island” by Thomas Wolfenden.
I first got to know the author via Facebook. He has a fantastic, sarcastic, and self-deprecating sense of humor. I saw him promote his book and of course being a post-apoc/apoc junkie, I had to give it a shot. Glad I did! I was so pleasantly surprised! This story starts with Tim, on furlough from the military and finding his life turned upside down. Then to make things worse, some sort of apocalyptic event wipes out most of the people. So Tim goes on, in search of a safe place to lay his head and maybe help out or rescue anyone else that’s alive. He ends up eventually finding other survivors and they go on together. I wont spoil the story…its really great. It was never predictable and always interesting. I found myself really rooting for the occasionally ornery Tim. I felt the distinct possibility of a sequel…..there better be!
Next I read David Forsyth’s latest offering, “Sedulity”.
No zombies this time! Nope…this time we are on a luxury cruise line in the Pacific ocean, just in time to see an asteroid crash into the ocean. It causes massive waves and crazy weather events, people are dying, screaming, things are burning, flooding…..holy crap. This read more like a Hollywood Blockbuster than a novel. There is tons of action, a dash of Poseidon Adventure, a splash of Titanic and a bit of Lucifer’s Hammer. My only complaint is that it left little room for character development. That said, I still read it in a non-stop, reading frenzy, the hallmark of any good book in my eyes. There’s a sequel in the works, I hear….maybe I will get a bit more out of the individual characters with the next one.
and finally…I read “Until the End of the World” by Sarah Lyons Fleming.
Another author I met via Facebook (as much as I make fun of stupid Facebook, I have met some great people and authors and found some fantastic books through it). So, honestly, this book sat in digital purgatory on my ereader for months. Sarah had sent me a copy as prize for a contest I won and I was just so into the Game of Thrones thing that I ignored everything else. When I finally got around to reading it, I was almost annoyed with myself for waiting because it was stinkin AWESOME! The story is zompoc with almost thirty-something’s, initially trying to escape the city as the dead begin to walk. It was a mostly typical virus outbreak that causes the zombie thing and really….there’s not a whole lot you can do to make that original these days. Its all been done and done! so what’s really important if your writing zombie survival stories is the characters and their interactions. This is where Sarah really shines. All the characters are believable, human, and so very real. I felt like I really knew Cassie and Nelly and the others, and I was rooting for them as they made their way through New York on their way to Cassie’s parents house. There were some gut-wrenching moments and a few that brought tears to my eyes. I also found that it was very cool the story takes place in New York and they travel through my old stomping ground and on up toward my current home…I really want to read book 2 right now but I have other commitments so it will have to wait….unless I sneak it in…..shhhhhh…
Blondie Loves Books 