After a war, not just nuclear but biological, the world is a wasteland. The Lochlear family are stranded in the middle of it, trying to find shelter, a home, or simply sanity. But in this wasteland of the walking dead and twisted creatures the worst monsters are in human form.

I am going to add a severe mature content warning here: this is not suitable for children and even some younger teens. Make no mistake, this is not your standard Young Adult post-apocalypse story. This is horror; the visceral, the gory, and the psychological are all found here. The author has no compunction over killing named characters, unnamed characters, pets and children. It is a gripping read, but not an easy one.

The story is told in first person from Rob Lochlear’s point of view as he tries to keep his family safe. There’s not much focus on the rest of the family as characters, but the reader cares for them because we see how important they are to him even as we watch the world fall apart before his eyes. Expect cannibalism, rape, and murder, and yet the author makes each horrific and never lets the reader become desenitised or accepting simply because Rob does not.

Formatting, grammar, spelling? Didn’t notice and didn’t care. If the reader had unanswered questions the characters didn’t get answers either. It may be book one, but the ending…well, it is hard to see how the story could go one from here.

I finished this book feeling like I’d taken a boot to the head. It has a creative collection of horrors, a definite ability to produce an emotional reaction, and… Well, from the moment Rob kills his best friend, you know the author’s not messing around. That’s not a spoiler. That’s page 2.

Horror fans will love it, it is a hell of a ride. Others should approach with caution. Good taste, decency, and cutting away, are totally absent.