When Your Luck Runs Out...

When a devastating plague wipes out 96% of the population, student nurse Yvonne flees the medical centre and its unimaginable horrors to refuge with a group of youths at an abandoned naval base. Jaded and embittered, Yvonne's negativity soon creates frictions and drives a dangerous divide between her and the rest of the group. But when a mysterious, faceless stranger imposes himself between them, the fragile alliance is tested to the limits resulting in a tense final confrontation between Yvonne and the people she once called her friends.

Orphans of the Infected by Edward Chilvers is an apocalyptic delight. Yvonne's abrasive personality is strangely appealing. I disagree with the story's description..Yvonne is not being negative, just realistic. The arrival of Blake is definitely what the group needed to motivate them to make changes. I love how Yvonne settles all the disputes at the end.

I get so sick of stories with survivors who act like doormats and allow themselves to be victimized. Yvonne is a breath of fresh air in a rotting undead world.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sci-Fi Sunday: Abandon All Hope

Deep Space Dead by Edward Chilvers is an entertaining mix of horror and science fiction. I expected a story about zombies in space, but this novella is so much more. Not only is there a brutal loss of one colony, but the second attempt also fails as the colonists deal with alien mutants, food shortages, rioting and betrayal. In addition to the tragedy in the community, the main characters are struggling with failed relationships and family drama on a personal level. Difficult decisions have to be made and all of them will cost more lives.

I'm satisfied with the ending if this is a stand-alone, but Chilvers could continue the storyline into another book if he wanted to. I would definitely look forward to reading more about Hearthstone...perhaps the next story could be told from Guya's point of view?

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I'm moving on from short stories to the full-length novels on both my request list and my personal reading list, but I've been struggling to find time to write reviews. I'm hoping I can catch up on posting this week.

I can't stand to admit this, but I have authors who have been waiting over a year for review requests. However, I'm determined to catch up on all the new sequels for each series in my collections for each genre.

Keep checking back!

As always,
AstraDaemon

Throwback Thursday: UK Zombie

The Bitten Man by Edward Chilvers takes place in the UK, and is told from the POV of a father trying to find a safe place for his son. This piece of flash fiction is similar to The Road by Cormac McCarthy, but instead of fighting cannibals, they have to fight zombies…um, wait…same thing? Hmmm…

Chilvers manages to pack of variety of action within a few pages, as well as write an unexpected ending. Not to mention, throughout the story, the father does some questionable things that will no doubt shock many readers, but I respect how unconditionally the character puts his son’s safety first, above all others.

The Bitten Man is a juicy bite perfect for zombiephiles without much free time.

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You can always count on the zombie genre to find something else that is worse than death. Never underestimate the desperation of a loving parent. While this story was originally published a few years back, Walking Dead fans might find the situation all too familiar.

As always,
AstraDaemon