Scan barcode
jessica_reading_writing's review
4.0
A great zombie horror which moves along at a fast pace and never lets up. It is a short book and easy to read. I was totally invested within the first chapter. Already reading the second book and pre ordered the third. The only issue I had was it needed a bit more character development and at times it was too much telling not showing. But the characters themselves were likeable and I'm already rooting for them.
lucygwrites's review
4.0
This was a good start! I look forward to seeing where the authors take the rest of the series.
stitching_ghost's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up.
The redshirting was a little too obvious for my liking and the characters were somewhat generic but overall it's a decent zombie story.
The redshirting was a little too obvious for my liking and the characters were somewhat generic but overall it's a decent zombie story.
maketonightstay's review
4.0
out of all of the subjects of horror, zombies always creeps me out the most. even for YA this had some pretty gross and gory parts. will definitely read the second.
drskspawn's review
4.0
“Apocalypse” is the first book in Hayley Anderton and Laura Swift’s “Apocalypse” series of zombie-themed stories and, appropriately, details the initial outbreak of an unexplained phenomenon that causes the recently deceased to became ravenous, flesh-hungry cannibals affectionately referred to as “rotters” by the book’s young cast of characters. The story follows a bunch of college-aged students as they desperately try to first make sense of, then fight back against, and then escape and find safety from the persistent zombies that now plague their campus grounds, as well as following the efforts of a young farm girl as she fights to keep her siblings safe from the same threat.
Primarily, the college-side of the story focuses on non-identical twins Cassie and Eliza, their tardy friend Heidi, and their friends and acquaintances at college, including rude Luke, shy but helpful Warren, and wannabe tough guy Tobi. These kids are surprisingly adaptable considering the horrific events that quickly unravel around them; while their friends and peers are attacked, devoured, or turn into rotters, our protagonists quickly adapt to the situation, seeking refuge in large groups, arming themselves with whatever they can find, and proving quite adept at bashing the zombies’ heads in with shovels and the like. As ever with any good zombie story with its salt, there’s a high degree of social tension within the group, especially with the males; while most of the girls are quite calm and level-headed, dealing with their grief and the shock of the situation either in private or with a degree of dignity, the boys tend to vie for power, make rash and foolish decisions in an attempt to be heroic, or come across as stubborn, cold-hearted, and misguided individuals. Those that prove more useful to the group’s survival still take a backseat to their more capable and emotionally stable female peers; even when Cassie is risking her life and the lives of others to try and check on her little brother, it’s still framed as being more proactive than meekly waiting for orders or shouting the odds like some of their male companions.
Indeed, in this sudden apocalypse, the usual concerns of these characters are quickly abandoned in favour of survival. Grades mean nothing now, and characters are judged on how capable they are in a fight, the input they make to plans, and their ability to be useful, regardless of how grating their personalities might be. Still, the girls take charge and it’s great to see; the writers clearly pay homage to the gory works of legendary zombie director George A. Romero while referencing more modern and satirical zombie media, like “Shaun of the Dead” (Wright, 2014), especially in the book’s very British setting. I found farmgirl Ginge to be a very entertaining character; if I had to guess, I’d say one writer wrote her chapters while the other writer wrote Cassie and the others but the whole book is seamless in its execution, and I really liked how Ginge was a tough, capable hand against the rotters while still being vulnerable at times. The emotion and relatability of the characters is as palpable as the depictions of gore and gruesome deaths; Anderton and Swift don’t hold back when the rotters attack, but also use the gore sparingly, focusing more on the desperation and the tenacity of the dwindling survivors in finding ways to escape or reach safe refuge.
Ultimately, this was a really enjoyable page-turner. The book never outstays its welcome and gets right to the point, and I liked the dialogue, interactions, and reactions the characters had to this bizarre and horrific situation. In true zombie fashion, Anderton and Swift never explain how the outbreak occurred and instead focus on adapting to it, learning how best to fight off the zombies, and exploring how these characters think, feel, and act to each other and their ravenous enemy. As the first chapter in a longer series, “Apocalypse” rightly ends on a cliffhanger and there are several plot threads and character relationships left open-ended, and I’m keen to see where those go and who falls or turns in the other books. As a homage to zombie cinema, “Apocalypse” works very well while still offering a new take on the genre with its college setting and using younger characters, and I have to say that I was very entertained throughout thanks to the British colloquialisms and engaging writing.
Primarily, the college-side of the story focuses on non-identical twins Cassie and Eliza, their tardy friend Heidi, and their friends and acquaintances at college, including rude Luke, shy but helpful Warren, and wannabe tough guy Tobi. These kids are surprisingly adaptable considering the horrific events that quickly unravel around them; while their friends and peers are attacked, devoured, or turn into rotters, our protagonists quickly adapt to the situation, seeking refuge in large groups, arming themselves with whatever they can find, and proving quite adept at bashing the zombies’ heads in with shovels and the like. As ever with any good zombie story with its salt, there’s a high degree of social tension within the group, especially with the males; while most of the girls are quite calm and level-headed, dealing with their grief and the shock of the situation either in private or with a degree of dignity, the boys tend to vie for power, make rash and foolish decisions in an attempt to be heroic, or come across as stubborn, cold-hearted, and misguided individuals. Those that prove more useful to the group’s survival still take a backseat to their more capable and emotionally stable female peers; even when Cassie is risking her life and the lives of others to try and check on her little brother, it’s still framed as being more proactive than meekly waiting for orders or shouting the odds like some of their male companions.
Indeed, in this sudden apocalypse, the usual concerns of these characters are quickly abandoned in favour of survival. Grades mean nothing now, and characters are judged on how capable they are in a fight, the input they make to plans, and their ability to be useful, regardless of how grating their personalities might be. Still, the girls take charge and it’s great to see; the writers clearly pay homage to the gory works of legendary zombie director George A. Romero while referencing more modern and satirical zombie media, like “Shaun of the Dead” (Wright, 2014), especially in the book’s very British setting. I found farmgirl Ginge to be a very entertaining character; if I had to guess, I’d say one writer wrote her chapters while the other writer wrote Cassie and the others but the whole book is seamless in its execution, and I really liked how Ginge was a tough, capable hand against the rotters while still being vulnerable at times. The emotion and relatability of the characters is as palpable as the depictions of gore and gruesome deaths; Anderton and Swift don’t hold back when the rotters attack, but also use the gore sparingly, focusing more on the desperation and the tenacity of the dwindling survivors in finding ways to escape or reach safe refuge.
Ultimately, this was a really enjoyable page-turner. The book never outstays its welcome and gets right to the point, and I liked the dialogue, interactions, and reactions the characters had to this bizarre and horrific situation. In true zombie fashion, Anderton and Swift never explain how the outbreak occurred and instead focus on adapting to it, learning how best to fight off the zombies, and exploring how these characters think, feel, and act to each other and their ravenous enemy. As the first chapter in a longer series, “Apocalypse” rightly ends on a cliffhanger and there are several plot threads and character relationships left open-ended, and I’m keen to see where those go and who falls or turns in the other books. As a homage to zombie cinema, “Apocalypse” works very well while still offering a new take on the genre with its college setting and using younger characters, and I have to say that I was very entertained throughout thanks to the British colloquialisms and engaging writing.
More...