Sunday, July 15, 2012

What I'm Reading --- As the World Dies trilogy

Yes, I'm back to zombies...but this series is so addictive!! I'm loving it.  I read the first book about two months ago and just had to get the other two.  The author, Rhiannon Frater, self-published the first book online, The First Days.  It was so successful, she was picked up by a publisher.
It's about the zombie apocalypse, of course, and how two women survive the first day and beyond, making their way through a series of encounters with both the living and the dead, to a small town in Texas (why are zombie books all based in Texas?)  One is a battered wife who's children all succumbed to their zombie father (the baby zombie fingers reaching for her under the door was a chilling beginning to this book), and the other is a  big time lesbian lawyer (the writer focuses on lots of lifestyles in her books, so I mention it only because she does.  It becomes a big part of her story telling style.)

Anyway, the town has basically boarded itself up to protect themselves from the horde using construction materials from a company that was in town building a hotel had with them. What I enjoy about her writing is that she develops the characters so that you feel like you know them, and care about what happens to them. The second book, Fighting to Survive, continues the story of how this band of people continue to build their fort, taking over the hotel and bringing in survivors from around the countryside.  They begin to get attacked not only by the undead, but by gangs of lawless humans who are terrorizing the area.

I just got the final book, Siege, but haven't read it yet.  The fort becomes too tempting to the remaining military, it appears.  Should be interesting to see who survives this final assault and what kind of world they are left with.

The writer does tend to gloss over some areas that would definitely be a problem in a zombie world.  For some reason, they continue to get electricity and water.  I'm a little skeptical that these would not be a problem.  They eat food like there's an endless supply, which I think would be a mistake.  They scout the area and pick up supplies, but don't mention a plan for when those supplies eventually run out.  There is no mention of animals other then dogs.   But since this is an imaginary world, I guess you can build it the way you want to!
Thumbs up for this series!  I hope the writer will continue and start a new one.

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