CROW COUNTRY by Emily Sullivan

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: freebooksy

In a Nutshell: Bleak post-apocalyptic world in which men are mean and crows are ... huge.

“Everyone was, in one night, made basic again. For when the Lord snapped his fingers, the Devil took the stage. What tremendous music he made”.

A strange book ... highly atmospheric, and that was what kept me reading.  That and wanting to know if the main character, Judge, would make it.

It's almost three decades after some event that caused a blackout across America, a situation never reversed.  Alas, we never find out what happened on October 9th, nearly thirty years before, or why fertility has been affected.  This isn't really a criticism as the book is about the events of the present; I just like to know the full story!  Judge lives in Colorado, in the new town of Genesis, run by a man known only as Law (at first).  Gradually, little bits of information are dropped in to show the reader details about the past.  I liked the way this is done, as by the time this appeared I really needed to know what the backstory between Law and Judge was.

As well as dealing with the usual horrors of a post-apocalyptic world, the inhabitants of Genesis must take cover from the crows, grown huge and predatory.

I found the writing style compelling (in that I couldn't have not read until the end) yet frustrating at times, when something was not explained as much as I would like; at other times, though, this was most effective.  Occasionally there were odd word choices, unusual ways of describing a feeling, the weather, the atmosphere that mostly worked very well but now and again had me thinking, what does she mean?  I noted afterwards that the author writes Westerns, and this book is very much in that vein.  It's raw, bleak, with little comfort for the characters and a dark portrayal of the worst in man.

I liked it.  It's good.  Now I want to read a prequel!

RUN by Blake Crouch @blakecrouch1

4.5 out of 5 stars

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

How I discovered this book: I'd loved Abandon, didn't like Snowbound half so much, but perused his titles on Amazon and the subject matter of this one appealed.

Nothing I love to read about more than post apocalyptic survival, so this novel was a box ticker as soon as I read the blurb.  The US has degenerated into a killing field in a matter of days, and no one knows why (it's revealed early on, by the way).  Worse, those not intent on killing cannot tell the goodies from the baddies.  Jack Colclough is forced to flee with his family, and Run takes us through their breathtaking, horrifying race northwards from Albuquerque.  It's one hell of a page turner, and I read it all in one day.  

The downsides: 1.  Tense/verb participle inconsistencies (though I realise a stylistic thing to add tension, and it kind of works).  2.  The unlikely coincidence of him and his wife meeting up again days after they were separated; I will say no more, but Montana is a big place (it's to do with the particular town being special to them, but I felt that Crouch had thought of this at the last minute to make it feasible).  Not to mention just happening to run into a certain someone from Albuquerque there, too (if you're not familiar with the geography of the US, look up New Mexico and see how far it is from Montana).  3.  The amazing shooting skills of people who have previously never held a gun.  BUT!!!  Unlike in Snowbound, this book was so good that I was unable to suspend my disbelief. 

I liked the way that the novel just plunges in, without build up, to Day 5, when everywhere is mayhem - the blurb is the prologue, in a way, and it's not all explained, but you get the picture as it goes along.  Also liked the idea that not much backstory is given about Jack and Dee's previous life; it's no longer relevant.  The fear, tension and desperation is very well done indeed.  I also liked this new take on a pandemic - a bit like the 'Rage' virus of 28 Days Later, but the baddies still have all their mental faculties.

Not quite sure if I'm all Crouched out for the time being or not.  Yeah, I'll probably try another one.  If you like exciting, dangerous stories of survival against terrifying odds, and aren't too picky about them being great literature, you'll love this.