Synopsis: A small rural town in a ruthless fight between The Shale Gas Fracking Corporation and The Residents Association sees the multi billion pound energy company drilling beneath the town with catastrophic results. A freelance reporter teams up with a mysterious council leader in a fight to save humanity against one of science's most fearsome and deadly creations. They must race to find a cure whilst battling against hordes of flesh eating zombies intent on one thing and one thing only...........KILLING!
A gripping tale of intrigue, thriller and suspense combined with bribery, corruption and money beyond imagination culminating in a twist to an end you won't see coming. For anyone loving zombie horror stories but who needs a little bit more of a story than just how many ways to kill the undead, this is for you, the plots, twists, romances and storyline will keep you reading to find out what happens next as well as giving your mind a good work out, culminating in a final chapter that will leave you wanting more.
There are graphic scenes of violence included in this book and some mildly explicit love scenes though mostly by implication rather than description so suitable for ages 12yrs and upwards. This book should take you from your surroundings and place you behind the rifle scope or in the meeting rooms or even flying high over the country in a helicopter............I hope, as the author, that it does just that.
Review: Ah, zombies. More zombies, and then, more zombies. It's been done before, hasn't it? So many times in fact, it's hard to come up with a new and refreshing take on it. I admit to not reading too many zombie novels, but This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers and Jordan's Brains by J Cornel Michel are definitely two of the better tales in the genre.
So on picking up Salby Damned, I thought 'beat that!'
The synopsis gives us a detailed breakdown of what is to come, but where the story scores highly is the fracking subplot, which runs parallel to the zombie breakouts and a romantic storyline too. You would be forgiven for thinking there is too much going on, but the author Ian D Moore structures the tale so well, I could imagine it being an afternoon story on Radio 4.
Aside from the fracking plot line, the story runs a reasonably familiar course, and this is fine, because the author takes us on one rather graphic fun ride after another. You won't forget how certain scenes are described. I think I have a quite strong stomach, but even I was thinking 'Ugh! Gross!' on many occasions.
Of course, this is the kind of reaction the author wants, much like a comedian wants us to laugh at his jokes, or a horror movie to deliver on a scary premise.
Salby Damned is elevated above many zombie tales because it sits itself in the adult section of the genre. There's no rooms full of post-pubescent kids, wondering whether to have sex just before the deadheads get them.
It's a much more intelligent book than that - and sits well within the thriller genre too.
Nathan, our hero, plays out his role with aplomb. His beau - Evie, is a little more complex, which is great because I don't want all the characters to be facsimiles of each other. Nate is pure Action Man, and he doesn't show any fear. I would have liked more flaws in him, but if that is how he is written, that's okay. The interaction with Evie works as a subplot, never distracting from the overall storyline.
I was torn between a four and five star rating on Amazon for this book. In the end, I think 4.5 is the rating I would give Salby Damned. It works on pretty much every level, just I wanted to care for the characters more, and in this, I felt a little disconnected. But I would believe a re-read would engage me more with them.
Why this book gets a five on Amazon is simply this - the twist is brilliant and will have you pulling your hair out. It's not so obvious that a twist is coming either, and I really like that.
Pick up Salby Damned. I rather think you'll like it too.
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