MOUNTAIN MAN by Keith C Blackmore

5 out of 5 stars

Zombie apocalypse/serial killer/thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

Well, I wanted a new zombie apocalypse series to get stuck into, and I saw this one mentioned in a review for one of The Walking Dead books (the reviewer thought the TWD book was rubbish and suggested Mountain Man as something much better).  So I tried it, and loved it. 

I wasn't sure at first, because the first few pages included much talk of bodily functions and too many sentences starting with 'He'; I thought it was going to be grisly realism for the sake of it and not very good writing, but within a few pages I changed my mind.  The story is set in Canada and starts over two years after the zombie virus hit the world.  Gus has found himself a house up a mountain which he has made safe, and got the scavenging for supplies thing down to an art.  Only trouble is, he's got an alcohol problem (which he doesn't see as a problem) that needs constant feeding, and doesn't realise how much he's missed other people, until he saves someone who becomes his companion.  Later, another new friend is not all she seems, and lurking in the background is a danger more sinister than the walking dead....

One of the things I love about this genre is reading about how the characters survive, on a day to day basis, and there's plenty of that, but also lots of thrilling and well-written human and zombie showdowns.  It's quite a brutal sort of book, not for the faint-hearted, but the characterisation is great (I really liked Gus's friend Scott), and the characters' thoughts on their present situation versus the old world, versus just dying, are interesting.  I read it over a period of a couple of days, definitely recommend it if you like this genre, and am looking forward to starting book two.