by
V.L. Dreyer
464 Pages
Self Published, November 20, 2013
Genre: Horror, Zombies, Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi
Reviewed by Jacqueline Druga
The virus came
from deep in Africa. By the time
they had a name for the disease it had wiped out half the continent. Within a
year, it had decimated our world. Our species is on the verge of extinction.
Only a few of us have survived; those of us lucky enough to be born with a
natural immunity to the plague. We scavenge amongst the ruins of our old
civilizations, picking out a living from the devastation.
Ten years ago,
I watched my family die one by one. Now, I am alone. The year is 2024; it has
been a decade since the virus reduced humanity to a scattering of survivors
strewn out across the world. The rules that
governed our society are gone. Without laws
to protect the innocent, I have seen the worst of humanity throughout the
years. Now, I have found a new family who are determined to show me the best.
But a fresh mutation of the virus has started turning the harmless, pathetic
infected into monstrous predatory creatures bent on our destruction; even the
wildlife is turning against us.
We are forced
to leave our home and flee for our lives. It is only through unity that we
stand any chance of survival. Enemies wait around every turn. For the sake of
our children and our children’s children, we must find some way to survive and
flourish again. If we fail, then the human species will cease to exist. My name is
Sandy McDermott, and I am a survivor. This is my story.
Sandy rocks.
Let’s establish that. A young woman who spent her transition years of teenager
to adulthood in the midst of a undead apocalypse. It’s a touch of I am Legend
meets Castaway. Yes, I said Castaway, because Sandy is resourceful. She doesn’t
rely on schooling or brains, she relies on instinct and that is what got her to
survive for ten years.
She is a loner
and we know through her attitude and narrative that she has learned the hard
way not to trust. She’s been used and abused and pretty much said, “heck with
it, I’m taking this world alone.’ Which she has done quite well. She carries
empathy for the undead, even using names to remind, perhaps herself , that they
were human at one time.
When we meet
her, Sandy has her survival needs down pat and a routine. Even to the point of
being anal retentive about cleanliness. Ms. Dreyer does an excellent job of
characterization. We get to know her, vision her, care and often cringe for
her. I loved the flashbacks of how it all went down. I really liked when the
flashbacks started, because Sandy was so darned normal. She’s not a military genius nor does the author
feel the need to impress us with weaponry knowledge. The story stays true to
what the character knows and has learned. Kudos. A good job by Ms. Dreyer. The story
is strong and it focuses on the human side instead of the events. That makes a
good, strong story in my opinion. I quite enjoyed it.
So why did I
give it three and a half stars?
Ms. Dreyer has
a gift of gab, and while she can pen well what she writes, sometimes she will
over write. I don’t mean deeply describing a scene. I mean there were times
where it took a bit of time to reach a point, writing about every little thing
the character witnessed. Some things were not important. A good example was the
cleaning of the apartment. Although, I believe that’s a matter of taste. Some readers
enjoy that much information; personally it was a tough for me. Where she could have written more, she didn’t. Like
the flashbacks.
My other
reason – She dated herself. I don’t
mean, Ms. Dreyer dined alone and went to see a movie. Her novel is full of current
references of today. Yes, the book takes place in ten years, but she is
specific about ten years from now, right
now. Even giving the date of this year (2013), that alone takes away from
the fear aspect. December, 2013 is here and almost gone. Just like no one
really cares about the movie, 2012
anymore (If they ever did) or likes being scared of anything with 2012. It lost
its appeal. I know her book was aimed to
move, more than scare, but I want that realistic fear instilled into me, that
can only happen if I am looking at a ‘what if’ situation with no dates. Stephen
King has once said the worst mistake he made was putting a date of 1984 in The Stand. Something he has since gone
back and changed. While Survivors is
ten years in the future, I strongly believe this novel can be read long past
ten years from now and into another generation who may not know what Zombieland is.
That being
said, I personally enjoyed the novel and even more so as it went on. There are a
couple of things that transpire that are awesome, but I can’t divulge them
because it would just ruin it for you. Her foreshowing is so nicely done, you
don’t see it coming. I will say this, Sandy
meets up with a group of survivors that completely changes her outlook. The
character of Michael is brilliant.
Ms. Dreyer
does an awesome job of crafting an original story. And it really is a solid,
original story. She adds a twist with the zombies that I personally loved. This
is a book I would recommend and look forward to the sequel.
Stalk this author here:
Website
About the Reviewer:
Jacqueline Druga is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and a fulltime author. She has written and published numerous novels in various genres, along with two full length feature films currently available on DVD. More than anything, she prides herself on being a kickbutt grandmother.
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