Ryan has just thanked the man he has murdered for the pleasure he got from taking his life, when an incessant banging comes from his front door. He opens the door to Lilly, a frightened woman who is being chased by zombies. She explains that the world is being taken over by the living dead.
Then Lilly discovers Ryan’s secret hobby – killing the living. We discover that Ryan is a serial killer from the North of England and that he believes his best chance of survival in this new world of The Undead is to be part of a group. Lilly agrees to be part of his group – but with rules and conditions.
Ryan and Lilly then set off on an action-packed adventure, being chased by zombies as they search for somewhere safe.
The concept in Killing The Dead is brilliant. A serial killer in a zombie apocalypse. It’s great to read a zombie apocalypse story set in Britain, written by a British Writer.
Ryan’s character was fascinating. Cold and logical but still likeable. The other characters felt two dimensional and lacked development – but this was probably due to the relative short length of the novella format. I think the story would have been better as a novel.
Ryan’s character was so captivating, that his perspective was enough to make the reader want to read on. The use of hooks would have benefited the story. As would the use shorter sentences for action scenes, which would have added to the readers sense of tension.
Killing The Dead had good description and perfect pacing, however the ending was a bit abrupt and left the reader with no sense of conclusion or satisfaction. I have since discovered that this novella is part of a series – it’s good to know that more of the story will be told.
A lack of editing let Killing The Dead down. There were sentences that didn’t make sense due to missed or wrong words, a few grammatical inaccuracies and similarities that just didn’t work.
Recently, I’ve been a bad blogger. I’ve had so many things on that I’ve felt like I’m plate spinning. My daily creative play has stopped. My blogging and book reviews have stopped. But now I hope to get back to normal – whatever that is.
While I have been exceptionally busy, I have managed to listen to some new music, watch some good TV, re-watch some old films and do a bit of reading.
Musically, I’ve been enjoying Ed Sheeran’s new album X. I’m particularly fond of the first track, One. It’s sentimental and mellow. Perfect chill out music and believe me, I’ve needed to relax. I’ve had Sam Smith’s album In The Lonely Hour on repeat, appreciating the sound of his voice.
I bought Matt Fishel’s new album Cover Boy, but have to say that it was a disappointment. It was nowhere near as good as his first album Not Thinking Straight. I did like his cover of Finally, but I’m afraid that was all I liked.
I’ve watched season 2 of Under The Dome, well all but the final episode. It’s a brilliant show based on a short story by Stephen King. In Under The Dome the people of an American town are trapped under a giant dome. The plot is intricate, ever twisting and full of intrigue.
I’ve been watching the new series of Dr Who and have very mixed feelings about it. Peter Capaldi isn’t a convincing as The Doctor. Clara’s character feels a bit conflicted, not because of Mr. Pink (Danny) but because of the writing.
The Walking Dead has started again and I’m super-excited, thrilled and ecstatic during every episode. We’re only a few episodes in and it’s already my TV highlight of the week.
I’ve watched some old films like Jurassic Park 1, 2 & 3 as I love dinosaurs. In my mind, there just aren’t enough dinosaur films out there. The Adams Family 90s film has made me laugh, especially Cousin IT and thing who never fail to make me chuckle.
I’ve watched good triumph over evil through working my way through the complete collection of Harry Potter films. Mum and I are going to Harry Potter World (London) in November, so I wanted to be adequately prepared.
I got my essential hit of zombie versus kids by reading The Hunted by Charlie Higson. You can read the review I’ve wrote for The Hunted here. I felt elated reading Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella, which I will review soon. I’m currently reading the ridiculously funny Good Omens by legends Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman and the love story Us by David Nicholls.
The Enemy Series is a series of books by Charlie Higson about all adults becoming diseased sicko’s that like to eat children. The stories are about the kids survival (or not).
The first book in the series was The Enemy, which I reviewed here. The second book was The Dead, which I reviewed here. The third book was The Fear, which I reviewed here. The fourth book was The Sacrifice, which I reviewed here. The fifth book was The Fallen, which I reviewed here.
This review will be like the ones I’ve done for the other books in the series – it will give an overview of the storyline. So please be aware that this review contains spoilers.
The Hunted is the best book in the series so far! It starts with Ed finally getting small Sam to the National History Museum, only to find that Ella (Sam’s sister) left that morning for the countryside. Ed recruits a group from the Museum who set out to try to find Ella.
But the countryside is worse for disease-ridden adults than London. Ella and her group of children were attacked, but Ella was rescued by a grown up who she names Scarface. Ella is grief stricken after loosing her friend Monkey-Boy. Scarface hunts grown ups, can use weapons and takes Ella to a farm which is his home. The farm has boobytraps, chickens and there he takes care of Ella. She soon discovers that he can talk. He is like no grown up she has met since the disease came. Ella and Scarface become friends, but their routine is interrupted by some kids who are running away from an army of grown ups heading towards London. The army’s path will lead them straight through the farm.
Ella survives thanks to Scarface, but he’s injured and it’s her turn to look after him. He has a hiding place and Ella helps him there. Once there, as Scarface recovers he tells Ella his story. That he is not a grown up, only a kid that looks like one. Scarface is a kid called Malik Hussein, who went to Rowhurust School with Ed. He tells Ella how he became like he is and the mistreatment he’s suffered at the hands of a Dr Chris, a doctor who was looking after kids before he started suffering with the disease. Scarface tells Ella of mistreatment from kids who didn’t believe that he was a kid like them, yet knew wasn’t quite an ordinary grown up either.
Ella and Scarface decide they must move on from his hiding place. They’re running low on supplies and they decide that rather than just the two of them being together, that they need to be with a group of kids. Ella is rescued by The Golden Twins, but because Scarface looks like he does, they take him for The Races.
Meanwhile Ed and his group set off to find Ella. They come into contact with the Army of grown ups and have to abandon their car. Then they follow smoke to an old people’s care home. They discover elderly adults who’ve managed to escape the clutches of the disease. Amelia, one of the elderly explains that they are Scientists and were working on a cure before the collapse of society. She explains that she came to the old people’s care home to be with her sister Dot and ordered all the supplies they would need. Amelia explains that the army are merging on London to release disease spores, like a mushroom. To spread the disease to the next generation.
Amelia tells Ed and his group that without knowing where the disease originated it is difficult to create a cure. Luckily for Amelia, Trinity, one of the twisted kids has come along with Ed and knows the answers to all of Ameila’s questions. Trinity agrees to stay with Amelia and the other old people, while Ed and the rest his group continue on their search for Ella.
Ed and his group meet Josa and her group of kids who try to take their car off them unsuccessfully. Ed and his group then meet Ascot kids who tell Ed about The Races. Ed and his group go to The Races with a plan to win them. At The Races they catch up with Ella, who is worried about what happened to Scarface (Malik).
At The Races, the last event is an event were kids battle diseased sickos. The Golden Twins have kept Malik for this event. Malik uses the sicko grown ups as shields from the kids and kills many of the adults before mounting one of The Golden Twins horses. Ed recognises Malik and they are reunited, which is quite emotional. The book ends with Ed claiming his prize from the leaders of the other groups of kids. Ed wants all of the kids to come to London to fight the army of grown ups. The group leaders have no choice but to agree, as Ed won The Races. So the army of kids set off bound for London.
I’ve probably said it before, but this series has to many groups of kids to keep track of. That said, the main characters are well developed, well thought through and flawed like all good main characters should be. The telling of this story is superb using a good mix of show and tell, as it always is with Higson. Higson writes for children brilliantly, but his books can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike.
Higson got the pacing perfect, I absorbed every word and it left me wanting more. I do think that if one or two of the main characters died it would have improved how I felt in the action scenes. I didn’t feel any genuine fear for the main characters in actions scenes, as every time an action scene happened I just knew that the main characters would come out of it alive.
Higson has announced that the next book in the series will be titled The End and will be the last in the series. On the one hand I’m utterly devastated by this, but on the other hand I appreciate that he will have spent seven years of his life telling this story. I’m already excited for The End, which is likely to be published in September/October 2015.
If you’ve not done so already, you can buy The Hunted by Charlie Higson on Amazon. I highly recommend this book if you love action, zombies, apocalypse and survival type stories.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is written in an interview style, interviewing people from across the world, their memories unfolding what happened in the fictional zombie war. I had a huge problem with this style for two reasons.
Firstly, the reviews were set post World War Z. This meant that the reader knows from the outset that the characters being interviewed would survive, even if they be damaged physically or emotionally (which was usually apparent at the outset of the interview).
Secondly, there were so many different characters interviewed that I simply didn’t care for any of them. When the reader finds it difficult to connect with an ever-changing cast of characters it makes it difficult for you to care about their loss of family members, friends, colleagues, etc.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is well researched. Brooks has considered the politics, culture, society and economic operations of each country his interviewer visits. He demonstrates his exceptional knowledge of traditional warfare. The plot starts with the initial actions countries would likely take to a Zombie War. When these inital reactions don’t work Brooks moves the plot on to more extreme actions.
Brooks explores the entire globe (and beyond) through the interviews showing how the human race overcome the threat of extinction by coming together and working together. Humanity working together differently and creatively. The ending of the book is satisfactory; filled with hope for humanity, but is a little over sentimental for the genre.
Are you a Doctor, Nurse, Healthcare Assistant or Other Healthcare Professional? Or a Student?
Ways The Human Body Can Go Wrong covers every system of the body, what can go wrong when the body malfunctions or fails, symptoms (including why these happen) and cures/treatments available.
It includes knowledge around essential skills for Clinical Excellence such as Assessment, All Age Observational Norms, Models of Care, Communication/Handover Tips, the role of Specialities, Medication Tips, Dealing with Errors, Documentation Advice and a list of Useful Resources.
It is written in plain English, but highlights important medical terminology. It has been written at a level where someone from a non-medical background can pick it up and learn, but that it is still valuable to those with significant Clinical Experience.
My dear friend Roy decided to follow in his family’s footsteps and enlist in the Royal Navy.
I wanted to maintain our friendship, to continue to support Roy, to make him laugh and to entertain him. So I came up with the idea of sending him a weekly email on random topics.
These emails were on a variety of topics, always being entertaining, sometimes being interesting, sometimes funny and occasionally being serious.
Topics included: Jokes, Puzzles, Inspirational Quotes, Future Technology to Be Excited About, How to Fight A Shark, How to Woo A Turtle, Some of the Most Amazing Jobs in the World, Facts About Castles, Do Aliens Exist?, The Kindest Humans, A List of Cakes, 13 Weird Body Facts, 20 Super Space Facts, Ancient Egyptian Curses, 10 Weird Olympic Games, The Great Emu War of 1932, Quiz: Flags of the World, Legendary Characters from the UK and others.
My Royal Navy Friend is a copy of these emails. In total, there are 52 emails. Dispersed throughout the book are also Royal Navy facts and stories.
This workbook has been designed for anyone that is struggling with alcohol or has struggled with alcohol in the past.
It is written in a Motivational Interviewing style, one of the key therapies used to support people with alcohol issues. It has been designed using a trauma-informed approach and is strength–based.
What you will find in this book is more than just worksheets about alcohol. You’ll find all the tools someone needs to get into recovery from alcohol and stay there. It’s a therapy-based book, not an alcohol-based book.
SpellCast is a comprehensive compendium of spells, oils, charms and talismans. It is purely a book about magic, folk magic for the 21st century. The spells are ones that are tried and tested, with some that will stand the test of time.
In SpellCast you will read about the power of Instant Magic, of Banishment & Bindings, Blessings, Cleansing, Communication, Death, Employment, Finance & Money, Fertility, Friendship, Happiness & Joy, Health, Love & Relationships, Luck Magic, Protection, Transformative Magic and WishCraft.
This book will change your life. Your life will be abundant in all meanings of the word.
This book contains everything that you need to know about mental health and mental illness. Mental Health Wisdom is divided into three sections.
Understanding is section one and is all about the facts of mental health.
In section two, Empathy Through Lived Experience, the author shares his personal experience of mental illness.
Life Hacks is section three. It’s all about self-care and quick and easy ways to improve your mental health, prevent mental illness or relapse of mental illness.
Mental Health Wisdom contains everything that you need to know about mental health and mental illness.
Mental Health Wisdom is divided into three sections.
Understanding is section one and is all about the facts of mental health.
In section two, Empathy Through Lived Experience, the author shares his personal experience of mental illness.
Life Hacks is section three. It’s all about self-care and quick and easy ways to improve your mental health, prevent mental illness or relapse of mental illness.
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