OUTBACK OUTBREAK by Frank Tayell

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I've read a lot of books by this author, so Amazon recommends others!

In a Nutshell: Beginning of zombie apocalypse, in Australian Outback.  

Frank Tayell has written extensively about the same zombie apocalypse, a main series (Suviving The Evacuation) that started about ten years ago and is up to Book 21, and the other related collections, set in different places.  Kind of like The Walking Dead with all its spin-offs!

This first book of the Surviving The Evacuation: Life Goes On series is set in Australia, in which a carpet salesman from Indiana called Pete Guinn goes on a mission to find his oddly elusive sister, where she works mending fences in the Outback.  The events of the first chapters were labelled as '18 hours before the outbreak', etc - the suspense building even though Pete didn't know it!  As well as breakdown of civilisation and the zombies, rich evil cartel type people provide Pete, Corrie and their friends yet more headaches.

I very much liked going back to the beginning of the apocalypse (I've only read up to about Book 8 of the original series), and enjoyed Pete's shock at the reality of trying to exist in the Outback, even before the zombies appear.  It's a good story and I did like it, but my interest waned with the original because the characters' conversations became too information-dump-ish, as though the dialogue is being used primarily as a vehicle for giving information to the reader, rather than as an expression of character, and I felt the same creeping in here.  This can result in the characters coming across a bit one-dimensional, or all speaking in the same 'voice'.  This wasn't the case in the earlier books (my review of Book 1, written 9 years ago, HERE).

Anyway, I still liked it!  Mr Tayell is a fine judge of pace, creator of plot, builder of suspense, etc - and, in case you ever read this, Frank, I laughed at this: He didn't know much about hotels, motels or any variation in between, but he knew carpet and the one beneath his feet was expensive.  A hard-wearing, two-ply, eighty per cent wool mix with a polyester coating to ease cleaning.  I used to know a chap who sold carpets, and he was not dissimilar.  We'd be watching telly and he'd point at the screen during a really dramatic scene, and say, "That's a nice bit of Worsted fibre bonded.  Made by Danflor, if I'm not mistaken'.

IRELAND: Surviving The Evacuation Book 9 by Frank Tayell @FrankTayell

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book:  I came across Frank Tayell's zombie apocalypse series during an Amazon browse, and have since read most of them; for other reviews of books in this series, please click the 'Frank Tayell' tag at the end of the review.

I've missed a few of the more recent instalments, simply because of the 'so many books, so little time' factor, but wanted to catch up with it.  Although these books are not stand alones, it was easy enough to get the basic gist of the story threads I've missed, and enjoy the book for itself; might be useful for other readers to know.

I enjoyed Mr Tayell's writing, as ever, and I'm a total post-disaster/danger survival addict, so loved all the detail about what Bill, Kim and their friends must do, to this end.  In Book Nine of the series, they're in south west Ireland, and need to get back to the safe haven of Anglesey - but this means travelling across a couple of hundred miles of zombie infested country.  Sailing seems like the best option.  One thing I really liked was the way that every time Bill's group came upon a new situation, any large building where it was obvious that people had sought refuge, they assessed what happened to those people and how they might have been killed.  Later, they meet a new group, amongst which is Siobhan, a former policewoman, who is able to suggest exact time frames to him from her experience in forensics.

I felt this book could have done with a better edit; there are lots of instances where the word 'I' has been used when it should have been 'me', which drives me nuts ('she'd refused to let Sholto and I row from Menai Bridge to Bangor'), and much of the conversation is unrealistically information heavy, but that mattered to me less than it would normally, possibly because it gave me the information I needed, even if it wasn't how people really talk to each other.  There is a section late in the book in which Bill talks to himself a lot, which was completely unrealistic and would have been better written as inner dialogue.  All this being said, though, I still enjoyed the book; these comments go to show how much dodgy stuff you can get away with, if you're basically a talented writer with a great story.

I'm looking forward to the Book Ten, which I have already bought and hope to get to before long.

HERE WE STAND 2: DIVIDED by Frank Tayell (Surviving the Evacuation Series)

4.5 out of 5 stars

Zombie Apocalypse series, US

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

I was really looking forward to this as soon as I'd read book one, so leapt on this when it came out.  I read it in one day, it's really good!

The first half of the book tells of Tom and Helena's struggles through the newly zombie infected landscape of Pennsylvania and surrounding states, and they meet up with some other travellers, all of them heading to Maine, where Tom's hideaway cottage by the sea is situated.  But then the dastardly Powell catches up with him..... added to the zombies, Tom also has to battle against his deadly enemies, and then the after effects of a nuclear attack.  I won't say anymore because it'll give the plot away, but it's pretty gripping, and I couldn't put it down!  

I wasn't so interested in the conspiracy underlying Powell and co's plan to grab power, perhaps because it became irrelevant once America was on its knees, but there were hints that all is not over on that front, and I expect all to be explained later in the STE series set in England, of which I have only read four books.  This is more than just a fighting-the-zombies-blood-and-gore type of book, as Tom has other quests of his own.  At his most desperate and lonely, the atmosphere and his feelings about the end of the world and life itself are so well written.

This series is always unpredictable and never boring, well thought out, and I recommend it highly if you're into the post apocalypse genre.

The prequel to this book and links to all other reviews of Frank Tayell books, including Amazon buy links, can be found HERE

 

HERE WE STAND 1: Infected by Frank Tayell (Surviving the Evacuation Series)

4.5 out of 5 stars

Zombie Apocalypse, US

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

When your immediate reaction on finishing part one in a series is to download part 2 and start reading straight away, you've got to give the book at least 4.5 stars, haven't you?  Shame it's not out yet!

I've read most of Frank Tayell's version of this story set in England, and in this sub-series we meet again the character of Sholto, alias Tom Clemens (alias various other names), with whom Bill Wright from England made contact in Book 1 of Surviving the Evacuation.

Tom's life is in tatters following the partial uncovering of a conspiracy against - well, the whole world, really, and he's a wanted man.  Then the virus is unleashed, and all around is mayhem.  He escapes New York with a woman called Helena, and together they flee north, avoiding zombies and various people who want to kill them as they go.  They're not as expert at dealing with their new situation as I would have expected; don't these people watch The Walking Dead??!  But they're learning....

I wasn't sure about the book at first, as it seemed a little rushed and in need of tidying up, but it gets better and better as it goes along, and by the last third I was completely engrossed and eagerly await more.  Highly recommended, if you like well-written zombie apocalypse series that have more behind them than just some unexplained virus, and are not too heavy on the goo and gore.

Reviews for other books in the Surviving the Evacuation series HERE 

SURVIVING THE EVACUATION Book 4: Unsafe Haven

5 out of 5 stars

Zombie apocalypse

On Amazon UK HERE 
On Amazon.com HERE

Now, that's more like it!  I loved this fourth episode in Frank Tayell's post apocalyptic world as much as the first one.   In Unsafe Haven the story goes back to the beginning and a completely new set of characters - single mother Nilda, her thirteen year old son, Jay, and her neighbour Sebastian.  To say any more would be to give the plot away, but suffice to say it's every bit as gripping as the original story about Bill.  

We follow Nilda through her ideas and plans for survival and trying to get a community together, through the inevitable realisation of the hopelessness of it all, and her pain as she loses people.  During this story we also get glimpses of another character, Chester.... and find out the identity of Sam, the man Bill was signalling from his window and who he thought had left him alone.  

If you enjoy stories of survival against all odds as much as I do, you'll really like this, too, and I love the way all the stories and characters begin to tie up, all the individuals from the four books coming together.  There are also a few thought provoking moments, about the nature of mankind and the question: is it just time for the species to end, and are all the survivors just clinging on to a metaphorical fast sinking ship?  Can't wait to read book five!

Only one tiny annoyance: English people using American speak.  For instance, saying they're operating 'out of' Anglesey, instead of 'from', and a middle-aged monk talking about being 'tasked' to do things.  Made my pedantic side go grrr, but I suppose doesn't really matter that much - this makes no pretence at being great literature!

Book 1: London reviewed HERE 

Book 2: Wasteland reviewed HERE 

Book 3: Family reviewed HERE

SURVIVING THE EVACUATION Book 3: Family by Frank Tayell

4 out of 5 stars

Zombie apocalypse

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

.... and so it continues.  Episode three sees the removal of those who had double-crossed Bill and Kim, and the reunion with those for whom they'd been searching, together with the journey to the beach in Wales where Sholto is sure lies the beginning of their rescue.  

This was a mixed one for me.  I read the free short story, in which we are introduced to George Tull, the (relatively) young and sprightly resident of an old peoples' home.  This story takes place just as the outbreak starts, and is very, very good - go read it!  Some of the conspiracy uncovering and resolving stuff I found a little bit too outlandish, coincidental and not in keeping with the realism of the rest of it (if talking about realism when referring to a zombie apocalypse novel doesn't seem too daft), and also a little information-heavy; George didn't seem to bear much relation to the old chap I'd met in the short story.  There was too much long conversation which was all there just to impart the background and subsequent cover-ups to the reader, it wasn't that interesting to read.  

However!  There were also some splendid bits.  There's a truly shocking episode around the middle, when the group have come through a fairly zombie-free few miles, only to look over a hill into the abyss - literally millions of them, all on a shambling march to nowhere.  I won't say how they hide from them because it'll spoil it if you read it, but the descriptions of this, their escape and how the horde of moving undead turn the countryside into something like the face of the moon were so good I read it twice.  There's also a balloon ride that I read twice, too, and I loved some of Bill's thoughts about the world and the situation they were in.  

To sum up - some bits were a bit tedious, but I still really liked it, and am still going to start book 4.... now!


Book 1: London reviewed HERE

Book 2: Wasteland reviewed HERE

Book 4: Unsafe Haven reviewed HERE  

SURVIVING THE EVACUATION: Book 2: Wasteland by Frank Tayell

4.5 out of 5 stars

Zombie apocalypse

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Yes, the second of the series read in 24 hours, too!  In which Bill Wright's leg gets better enough for him to move around a bit, he travels south, meets people, abandons old plans, makes new ones, gets betrayed, discovered - oh, look, it's another page turner, right?  Put it like this - husband and I were watching a good film and he fell asleep; I very quietly turned the sound down to low and picked up my Kindle so I could read as much of this as possible before he woke up again....!

Bill and Kim's experience is a lot more terrifying than in other zombie apoc books I've read, or indeed The Walking Dead.  In Frank Tayell's books there are hardly any survivors and a hell of a lot more zombies; I notice that each person who writes these stories has a slightly different take on how the infection spreads.

We discover more in this part about Sholto and the Prometheus project - all good stuff.  I found the ending a little bizarre, and not quite in keeping with the realism of the rest of the book, which is why I have knocked half a star off an otherwise fab second episode.  And I've already bought the other three.

Book 1: London is reviewed HERE

Book 3: Family is reviewed HERE

Book 4: Unsafe Haven is reviewed HERE  

SURVIVING THE EVACUATION: Book 1: London by Frank Tayell

5 out of 5 stars

Zombie apocalypse

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Just read this in the space of 24 hours - it's not a very long novel, only just over long novella length, I think....  no, just looked at the blurb, it's 74K words long, must have seemed shorter because I was enjoying it so much!

This is the journal of Bill Wright, the man who was unlucky enough to break his leg just as the trouble started.  The first half of the book is taken up with his survival, hope and growing despair as he recuperates in his flat, the second half with his escape and attempt to find a place in which he can be safe and live some sort of life again.  Alongside all the day to day worries, though, he uncovers to the reader (and to himself) the real truth behind the outbreak and the 'evacuations'...  suffice to say I downloaded the next straight away and will start reading it as soon as I have posted this review!  

I'm fascinated by tales about survival against all odds, and think Frank Tayell has done a marvellous job of this.  It's a lot more intelligent and well written than many books in this genre that I've started and abandoned, and the pace of the first part is spot on.  I found the intricate details of Bill's ideas for day to day survival completely engrossing, and a round of applause for not just copying half the scenarios from The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later or Survivors; this actually paints a slightly different picture of such a disaster, and not one in which the protagonist keeps coming across groups of people who just happen to have all the skills necessary to survive in the new world, either.  Loved the conspiracy orientated bits, and I can't wait to read the truth about Lenham Hill.....

I'd definitely recommend this to any fans of this genre - and it's set in England, too!

Book 2: Wasteland reviewed HERE

Book 3: Family reviewed HERE 

Book 4: Unsafe Haven reviewed HERE