I hold my hands up and freely admit that I am a sucker for a post apocalyptic tale. To have one set in the North East of England near where I live? You have me “hook, line, sinker and copy of Angling Times” to quote the writers of Red Dwarf.
Now you can’t be hyper critical with this kind of tale. It’s very much an overdone genre and almost anything you write will have to cross a few clichés. It’s just the way the genre is. That never stopped any of those folk writing the bloody awful romantic vampire tales now did it? So having taken that on board I sat down to enjoy the novel.
Having read some of Rod Glenn’s work before I knew that I would more than likely enjoy the read. I wasn’t wrong. Rod’s fast and pacy style doesn’t so much lead you as drag you along by the scruff of the neck. The initial scenes deal with the release of a virus that leads to the breakdown of society as we know. Fast forward twenty years on and we see a very small community of ordinary folk trying to carry on as normally as possible. Well I won’t put any spoilers in this review but as you might expect things don’t remain idyllic for very long.
Tragic events soon lead to five young friends having to journey to the mysterious Black City or Middlesbrough as we know it. Not only is this an adventure tale but also a coming of age tale as the author charts the destinies of the friends. With strong adult language and themes throughout this is a tale for the older reader. Whilst there are bloody events and scenes of a gratuitous nature I don’t believe these are over done as some reviewers suggest. With a city full of warring factions and sub-human “crazies” you have to expect a little blood and guts don’t you?
A cracking read that I would recommend particularly for fans of the genre.
Genre: Post Apocalyptic Adventure
Publisher: Wild Wolf Publishing
Format: E-Book Novel
Price: £1.98
Rating: 5/5
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