Spectacular World War | Horror Review | AstraDaemon

FORTRESS OF FLESH is the third book in the Hissers series by Ryan C. Thomas, co-written with Anthony Tervino. Connor and Am managed to escape Castor, form a survivor group with Doug and Olive, and find a scientist to share the top secret data with...and the military finds them. When a familiar face greets the group with promises of safety and a plan of action, the teens are not willing to trust the man who failed to save their loved ones.

The characters are some of the best I've ever encountered in an apocalypse series, but the scene stealers in FOF are definitely the Hawk brothers. At some points, their behavior seems over the top, but, considering their unique upbringing, their choices are not surprising.

The are three major developments in the storyline: the Hissers have mutated several times over and are showing intelligence, the rest of the world is blaming the U.S. for the global spread of the virus, and, last but not least, the survivors have less than a week to field test the serum designed to kill the monsters.

There are no dull moments, and, while I wouldn't change anything about the ending, I feel the Hawk brothers need a short follow-up story of their own, perhaps including Doug.

I'm highly recommending this series!!

As always,

AstraDaemon

Apocalyptic Coming of Age | Horror Review | AstraDaemon

DEATH MARCH by Ryan C. Thomas is the sequel to HISSERS. (I've been re-reading the series, since the third book was released in May.) Only two of the original characters make it out of Castor alive, but this installment introduces several adult characters, emphasizing the generational differences in attitudes and survival tactics. The inclusion of music references adds a fantastic layer to many scenes.

The author's monsters have also changed since the night of the plane crash, from mutant zombies to undead leviathans, and, of course, people have gone crazy and then some. The survivors are faced with a choice of journeying further into the new hellscape or taking their own lives. The theme in this book appears to be finding something or someone to keep living for, when it would be much easier just to stop running.

If you'd like more details, check out my original review here.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Sequel to Hissers

When a plane crashed in the quaint town of Castor, it unleashed a virus that turned everyone into hissing, blood-thirsty, undead monsters. Monsters that could transmit their plague in seconds, that could run as fast as dogs, and that could fuse themselves together to create massive mutated beasts. Four teens—Connor, Seth, Amanita, and Nicole—fought for their lives to secure vital data from the plane wreckage, some of them making the ultimate sacrifice.

Now they need to get to San Diego with their secret, but the plague is spreading too fast. They have no friends or family, nowhere to hide, and death lurks behind every corner. Worse, the hissers are evolving, and it may be impossible to stop them at all.

DEATH MARCH by Ryan C. Thomas is the sequel to HISSERS. Connor and Am have grown as characters, while maintaining the personable traits only 14 yr olds are capable of, such as Connor's gaming references and Am's penchant for f-bombs.

The addition of adults Doug and Olive is a wise move by the author, adding depth to their unusual relationships by comparison and contrast of the generational gaps between characters. The difference in musical tastes is a clever touch as well, particularly when Doug and Am sing together during one of the most intense scenes in the novel.

Thomas manages to include quite the menagerie of monsters: mutant zombies, undead leviathans and a few others I won't give away. Some action scenes explode on the pages, while others slowly creep up when you're not expecting anything major to happen. The survivors' desperation to find some place to rest, during their insane quest to keep a promise to a friend, will leave readers breathless with terror.

As always,
AstraDaemon