Review by Shellie for: The First Days (As the World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy #1) ~ by Rhiannon Frater
A zombie story, with just enough gore to keep you at the edge of your seat. It has an amazing opening which will suck readers in…. zombie baby fingers grasping hungrily under a door!
About: Set in Texas, where characters have easy access to firearms, there is plenty of shooting- especially with survivors attempting to remain alive and zombies searching for their preferred food. Jenni and Katie the main protagonists, are thrown together because their world has collapsed. As they run from the growing hordes that are starving for their flesh, they become friends fast, sharing a similar loss of loved ones. On a mission to find Jenni’s teenage step son they stumble upon a refuge - a group of individuals who have created a walled community. In their attempt to make the area safe against the hungry hordes, there is ample room for all sorts of conflict (internal and external) as the compound’s residents try to create a relatively safe environment.
Thoughts: Rhiannon Frater has a very down to earth writing style which is easy to get lost in, making The First Days a page turning novel. It is the first in a trilogy which was serialized by the author online, later self published, then recently picked up by Tor for traditional publishing - understandably a dream come true for Frater. With psychological insight into the feelings of her characters and a diverse character range (one main character is lgbt), this story has some interesting twists. I liked the two relatable main characters with their strength and feistiness; a favorite kind of female protagonist for me.
A word of warning though. Like much horror that is effective, it has some rough language. Not much but some. There is a lighter side too, with some romance (light sexual references) and plenty of brain exploding gore for a zombie-loving fan base. This is an apocalyptic story with a monster that is a bit faster than your standard moan, groan and limp kind. They run at 30 miles per hour giving the survivors a bit more to worry about. And apparently they are learning too, all of which leaves loads of room for some heart pounding action scenes.
This was my third zombie book ever, I enjoyed it. It’s a 3.5 stars in my opinion and I am looking forward to reading what happens to theses poor souls stuck in this compound trying to get by in a world that has turned to hell; and where they are on the menu. I am suspecting that it will not end well.
The First Days (As the World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy #1) ~ July 2011; Tor Books; (first published August 2008)
Fighting to Survive (#2) ~ November 2011; (first published February 2009)
The First Days and Fighting to Survive, have won the Dead Letter Award for Best Novel from Mail Order Zombie. The First Days was named one of the Best Zombie Books of the Decade by the Harrisburg Book Examiner.
Seige (#3) ~ has an expected publication of April 2012.
Bio: Rhiannon Frater is a Texan. Working as a governmental consultant and traveling for her job, she started writing this trilogy as an online serial, later she self published, then the trilogy was picked up by Tor. The Last in the series is to be published in late Spring 2012. She is also the author of more zombie stories and several vampire tales. She is now a full time writer. http://www.rhiannonfrater.com
Aren’t these covers terrific? Thanks for reading.
2 comments:
Great review! The new breed of fast zombies who can learn is terrifying! If nothing else, I could always count on surviving a zombie apocalypse, but now....*yikes*
Alexia -
Thank you!
Lol... not sure I would want to survive. I think I would do a Judy Garland cocktail!
This really was a fun book. Frater is a great genre fiction writer.
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