They've Got The Kingdom Locked Up

The authorities should have been more careful after the first zombie breakout infected half of England and disrupted lives right across the country. Unfortunately, either someone got careless, again, or the disease was far more virulent than anyone expected. The remote fishing village of Kilkorne with its picturesque castle and harbour was the last place to expect an attack, despite its proximity to the experimental facility where the disease was invented. Once the second outbreak had been officially announced by the Ministry, anyone resisting capture was to be shot as being infected with zombieism. Alternatively you could surrender and be kept in a quarantine camp, where last time the survival rate was zero.

Refusing to accept either option, five teenagers and five adults separately begin journeys from opposite sides of the village. They attempt to stay one step ahead of an insane horde of highly infectious, half dead creatures, the army's orders to shoot on sight, and the Ministry's instructions to burn down the village. Furthermore, the endeavour was not exactly helped by a suspected case of haunting.

BRITISH ZOMBIE BREAKOUT, PART ONE: THE CASTLE by Peter Salisbury is a strong start to a series that would definitely appeal to YA fiction readers. I love how the author immediately establishes that this is not the first zombie outbreak that the characters have had to deal with. However, the characters do not seem to fare much better, apparently having gotten too comfortable living somewhat normal lives again. Therefore, it's no surprise when their evacuate-by-boat plan falls through. The two groups of survivors, some adults and some students, then decide to make for the village's nearby castle.

The POV switches back and forth from the adults to the children, until the groups merge onto the same location, which kept the action flowing, but I would have liked a third POV from the soldiers who appear to be shooting anything on two legs.

Check back for reviews of each installment!

As always,
AstraDaemon