Review: Good plot, good characters, good writing - what's not to like?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 8, 2013
I read the first two books in this series, and waited patiently for the third, which I was sure was coming. Okay, maybe not patiently - I actually contacted the publisher to ask when the heck they were going to get on the stick and release it. I've never done that before.So I was happy when their updates to me announced the release of Fire Birds. By that time, I'd become invested in the series and wanted more. I was not disappointed.More than anything, these books are a study in what happens when regular, ordinary, good people are exposed to the very worst life has to offer. I've perused the titles of many, many other zombie apocalypse books since I read The King of Clayfield. Most synopses sound like a bunch of former military people going out and blowing up stuff (sometimes the zombies and sometimes not), and just generally making heroes out of themselves. The protagonist in the Clayfield books (hmmmm . . . suddenly I can't remember his name) is no hero. What makes this series stand out is that this guy, this confused, hurt, overwhelmed guy, is just a guy. He could be the guy next door to me, the one down the street, the one at the convenience store or grocery or jewelers or gym. He's no hero. He's just trying to survive. And he's trying desperately to figure out the difference between the good guys and bad guys, a difference that sometimes seems to shrink or disappear altogether. Human nature being what it is, he discovers along the way that it can be very hard to tell sometimes. I can't think of one single thing that's more normal and average than walking out your door and trying to figure out which are the good guys and which are the bad. I have to do that practically every day - we all do. And he discovers that sometimes zombies are the scariest things out there.But from a writer's standpoint (and I am a writer) in this day and age of Indie publishing - and I am an Indie writer, lest you think I'm slamming them - it's rare to see a work of fiction that's really well thought out, well constructed, and well written, not to mention a work that has deeply developed characters with whom the average person can relate. Fire Birds and its predecessors have all of that, plus some twists and turns you won't see coming. I'd say it's a rollicking good time, but that would not be accurate; at times, I was very sad about things that happened and characters that were lost.Just like real life.If I could change anything about this series it would be nothing. I enjoyed it, and I think even those who don't normally read in this genre will too. So if you've resisted selections zombie apocalypse fare, try this one on for size. I wouldn't mind it one bit if there was a fourth book in this series, and I'll be looking for other work coming from this talented author.