Fighting to Survive
Rhiannon Frater
Tor, Nov 8 2011, $14.99
ISBN: 9780765331274
As The World Dies not with a whimper or a bang but with a zombie bite, a few of the dwindling human populace in Texas Hill Country convert a small construction site into a fortress. Travis led the conversion that provides some security from the surrounding ravenous zombies. However, inside the shelter is a big ghetto with overcrowding and not enough supplies to survive an extended siege.
Salvation is next door at a hotel overrun by the reanimated horde, but getting there and cleansing the place will not be easy as human scavengers like the biker gang lurk nearby and the ever present and growing zombies occupy the joint. While the external threat is dire, the biggest break down is inside amongst the survivors. Having endured The First Days, the cohesiveness no longer exists. Rival groups offer solutions while dealing with psychological issues like survivor guilt that overwhelms at times people like Jenni and Katie.
With a deft merging of Maslow’s hierarchy inside of a George Romero world, the second As The World Dies zombie apocalypse is an exciting tale of hope and despair as the euphoria of the early days of just surviving by the minute loses the adrenalin surge. The story line is at its best when the humans debate how to live and when the outside world assaults them. When the lead two females and their “mates” turn romantic rather than sexual escapism from reality, Fighting to Survive loses psychological momentum; for instance Jenni not to long ago watched her husband dine on their toddler, but now has a boyfriend of sorts. Still Rhiannon Frater provides a super middle book as the adrenalin is gone, but the end of days remains imminent.
Harriet Klausner
Rhiannon Frater
Tor, Nov 8 2011, $14.99
ISBN: 9780765331274
As The World Dies not with a whimper or a bang but with a zombie bite, a few of the dwindling human populace in Texas Hill Country convert a small construction site into a fortress. Travis led the conversion that provides some security from the surrounding ravenous zombies. However, inside the shelter is a big ghetto with overcrowding and not enough supplies to survive an extended siege.
Salvation is next door at a hotel overrun by the reanimated horde, but getting there and cleansing the place will not be easy as human scavengers like the biker gang lurk nearby and the ever present and growing zombies occupy the joint. While the external threat is dire, the biggest break down is inside amongst the survivors. Having endured The First Days, the cohesiveness no longer exists. Rival groups offer solutions while dealing with psychological issues like survivor guilt that overwhelms at times people like Jenni and Katie.
With a deft merging of Maslow’s hierarchy inside of a George Romero world, the second As The World Dies zombie apocalypse is an exciting tale of hope and despair as the euphoria of the early days of just surviving by the minute loses the adrenalin surge. The story line is at its best when the humans debate how to live and when the outside world assaults them. When the lead two females and their “mates” turn romantic rather than sexual escapism from reality, Fighting to Survive loses psychological momentum; for instance Jenni not to long ago watched her husband dine on their toddler, but now has a boyfriend of sorts. Still Rhiannon Frater provides a super middle book as the adrenalin is gone, but the end of days remains imminent.
Harriet Klausner
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