Review: Haunting... "What if?"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 26, 2013
The current obsession with apocalypse, plague and pestilence leaves me cold; no make that a little freaked. Fear and horror have rarely been more popular, and, even when well done, somehow fail to strike the requisite chord within me. I've been known to have nightmares after horror movies, and Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road' had to be prized out of my numb, frightened fingers.This book is different. First I was drawn in by the poetic title. I couldn't resist it, so I just had to download this free start of the trilogy. The story is believable and absorbing, the scope of the author's imagination is astonishing. I like the fact that this is the second 'end-of-the-world' in living memory, and countries, states and borders have already changed. Many people live in stringent conditions, and class divides have deepened, yet traces of our time remain, including streets named after present presidents: an afterworld well thought out and realized.The book reads like a movie, seen from the perspective of the central character, Martin, in his twenties, likable and energetic, if impulsive. Unafraid to venture into dark spaces, he takes us on a ride throughout the desolate New York terrain, adapting and surviving to the terror.Then everything gets a lot worse.No spoilers here, but the descriptions, internal dialogue and bravado alternating with mounting fear make the book hard to put down. Nicely written, and the odd typo doesn't detract from the story. Rather than a stand-alone novel, this is clearly part of a larger tale, and makes a further purchase (or two) necessary. It was haunting and moving, and had me wondering, "What if?"Yes, it's true, I should just have bought all three at once.