SURVIVAL (Great Bitten Book 2) by Warren Fielding

4 out of 5 stars

Zombie Apocalypse

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

The prequel to this book, Outbreak, was the first of this genre I read, and I loved it ~ this was when I discovered that zombie apocalypse books aren't a load of childish comic book nonsense, but are all about the ways in which human nature reacts to the world turning upside down.  There is a link to my review, below.

I've since discovered through reading lots more post apocalyptic books (not all zombie orientated) that there are many plot standards, and Survival deals with one of them, ie, the discovery of a 'safe haven' community that turns out to be something other than is initially perceived.  Dawn Peers (Warren Fielding is the protagonist's name) has done a bit more with it than most, though.  The character of Warren is great, I could really get along with this guy!  All her characters are clearly defined, I could 'see' them all.  

Ms Peers is an excellent, sharp, insightful writer, she has so much of the basic storytelling knack, and this book didn't bore me for a moment; I'll definitely read the next one.  As far as the genre goes, it's got oodles of zombie stuff going on for people who like theirs packed with goo and gore, but enough of the character relationships/philosophical thought business, too.  I've only given it 4* rather than the 5* it could have had, though, because I felt it needed another redraft to tighten it up, and perhaps a final copy edit to get rid of the missing punctuation, occasional grammar error, and to add the occasional 'I said' or 'Rich said' in the long streams of dialogue; I had to trace back to see who was talking, several times.  A copy editor might also advise against calling two main characters Rich and Rick - that was seriously confusing.  

I'd most certainly recommend this book if you like this genre - and I'd love to see that final polish on the work of this writer, to do it justice. 

OUTBREAK (Great Bitten Book 1) by Warren Fielding reviewed HERE 

MR CLASSICAL by Warren Fielding reviewed HERE

MR CLASSICAL by Warren Fielding

4 out of 5 stars

Zombie apocalypse, short story

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
 

I read the first novel in the Great Bitten series (Outbreak) and loved it (see below for link).  Mr Classical is the first of a series of long-short stories showcasing some of the individuals the protagonist of Great Bitten, Warren Fielding, meets on his quest to stay alive during a zombie apocalypse in southern England.  It's a really neat idea, showing how different people deal with the catastrophe, not necessarily the heroes of such stories who have all the bright ideas and manage to survive.

Monty is a conservative man who loves classical music and lives in a quiet apartment block alongside elderly, lone and similarly conservative neighbours.  The story starts as the terrible news breaks about what is happening throughout the country; Monty is waiting for his lover, Alec, and his only concern is that they should be together.  Mr Classical has a distinctly amusing side, as Monty comes up against denial about their situation amongst his co-residents, makes ill-advised plans for safety and comes to terms with certain truths about himself.

From 74% you can read the beginning of 'Great Bitten: Outbreak', which I highly recommend.  

I felt Mr Classical could do with a copy-edit and a final proofread to remove grammatical and punctuation errors, and perhaps a final re-draft to tighten it up, but the tale itself is very clever and unusual, sad and amusing in turn, and I am sure it will be enjoyed by all fans of this genre - and it has a nice little twist at the end, as all short stories should have!

GREAT BITTEN: Outbreak by Warren Fielding reviewed HERE 

GREAT BITTEN: Survival by Warren Fielding reviewed HERE

 

GREAT BITTEN: OUTBREAK by Warren Fielding

5 GOLD STARS

Post Apocalyptic, zombies, thriller

Originally posted on Amazon UK HERE on 23 July 2014
On Amazon.com HERE

If you loved 28 Days Later, you MUST read this!

Well! This was the first book I'd ever read about a zombie apocalypse - and I LOVED it! Because it's not about zombies, really - okay, there's a fair bit of gory description, but this is a book about people, about human nature, about how in any microcosm of society (like the group of survivors on the pier), there still rise up the leaders, the sheep, the carers, the power hungry, the practical, the weak, the turncoats, the good and the evil.

I so much liked Warren, the main character (I love intelligent, practical people who don't mince their words), and had a certain affection for his sister Carla, and brother in law Rick. The character of dastardly 'Doughy' Austin was brilliantly portrayed. It's a sharp, funny book, as well as being so tragic. Loads of astute observations, and so many thought provoking aspects - how Warren felt so 'alive' because all he had to concentrate on was survival. What was also so notable was, of course, how quickly society breaks down and how priorities change; I liked the bit where he found a twenty pound note in his pocket and saw it as just a bit of purple toilet paper.

This book really needs a sequel - I was trying to make it end less quickly when I got to 96%, and I so want to know what happens next. Negatives? There are a few editing/proofreading errors, but they're nothing horrendous and don't stop me wanting to give this five stars. The only other negative is that it put my iPad in danger - I couldn't stop reading it, and so had to carry on doing so IN THE BATH - not a sensible thing to do!

MR CLASSICAL by Warren Fielding reviewed HERE 

GREAT BITTEN Book 2: SURVIVAL by Warren Fielding reviewed HERE