Siege (As the World Dies #3) by Rhiannon Frater review

MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for the first two books in this trilogy.

Siege is the conclusion to Rhiannon Frater’s As the World Dies trilogy, which should appeal to fans of The Walking Dead. Both The First Days and Fighting to Survive won the Dead Letter Award from Mail Order Zombie. The First Days was named one of the Best Zombie Books of the Decade by the Harrisburg Book Examiner.

The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and living bandits.

Katie has made peace with the death of her wife and is pregnant and married to Travis, who has been elected Mayor. Jenni, her stepson, Jason; and Juan—Travis’s righthand man—are a happy family, though Jenni suffers from PTSD. Both women are deadly zombie killers. In Siege, the people of Ashley Oaks are stunned to discover that the vice president of the United States is alive and commanding the remnants of the US military. What’s left of the US government has plans for this group of determined survivors.

From Goodreads

A wild ride would be a flippant description of this final novel in the As the World Dies trilogy, but I am drawn to that phrase. I was prepared for some of the changes that were going to take place, but I didn't see all the heartbreak coming at all. Rhiannon Frater has absolutely no problem butchering characters to make her point. A key theme in this book was the fragility of life coupled with the ability to lose anything. This book drove that point home.

As usual, we pick up where we left off. Travis is mayor of the fort & married to a pregnant Katie. Jenni, the ax-wielding Loca, is with Juan and her step son Jason. The fort is doing quite well & is thriving off its supply scavenges while continuing to keep the zombies at bay by intriguing means. That doesn't mean that things don't go screwy sometimes, but for the most part life is good.

With winter giving way to spring, the group resumes expanding their hold on downtown. What they don't expect is for one of their own to lose their head, killing fort members. In a race against time & better judgement, a team heads to a local hospital (knowing that hospitals meant death traps on the first day of the rising) to gather much needed supplies to tend to the wounded. On their way back, Jenni & a fellow supply runner are kidnapped by none-other than a power-hungry politician who will stop at nothing to see the fort under her control.

While nothing has been a guarantee since the rising began, safety is becoming a relative term.

Rhiannon Frater has done what few authors have been able to do for me. They gave me a zombie story I could believe. The humanity in these characters is so perfectly embodied & their actions actually make sense. Their reactions & interactions are so true to life, I wouldn't be surprised if she had done research on people's reactions in an emergency situation/crisis.

The writing style is one that usually bothers me, but for some reason I hardly noticed it in this instance. The majority of the story is told from Katie, Jenni, & Travis's points of view, but interspersed between them are other survivors tales. That doesn't mean they overpower the narrative, they just seem to give credence to what is taking place in the story. By far the most important aspect of the writing, and one that Frater does extremely well, is the flow. There has to be a certain pace & balance between action and narrative in order for the reader not to feel overwhelmed. Frater walks that line perfectly. If you view the series as a whole it becomes increasing clear that it has been a main element since the beginning.

There didn't need to be too much character development in this book as the first two because it was really just a continuation of an already established routine. What does change though are the dynamics between the characters. With a new baby on the way & certain people's flaws and strengths come into quick view. These character traits are what create the plot of the story.

With just enough gore & violence to keep things active, Siege is a smashing finale to this phenomenal series. I find it interesting to note that out of all the zombie books I've read (or tried to read) the ones I really like are the ones written by women (Rhiannon Frater, Gena Showalter, Ann Aguirre, & Mira Grant). Hmmm, I wonder why that is? 

How about you? Do you have any favorites or suggestions along those lines?

Fighting to Survive (As the World Dies #2) by Rhiannon Frater

Spoilers ahead if you haven't read the first book The First Days!

Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

From Goodreads

Katie & Jenni have made it to safety after a terrifying fight to survive the new zombie-infested world. They've rescued those that they could and are mourning those they have lost along the way. But there is no rest in this uncertain and ever-changing world.

We find our heroines still safely ensconced in the makeshift fort in Ashley Oaks, Texas. While tensions run high among the residents due to strained resources and the constant threat of attack, the women settle into their new roles. Since they have so much real-time experience hunting and fending off zombies, both women are working on the protection detail.

As more survivors are brought in, the leaders decide that they need to expand upon their little territory. By taking over a few neighboring stores and a largely remodeled hotel, they ensure that their community can continue to rebuild. What they can't control are the zombies and the vigilantes out to destroy anything and everything. With so much at stake, the women must push through their personal issues while trying to move toward a better, if uncertain, future.

Fighting to Survive isn't quite as heart-pounding in the same way as The First Days. It was however just as thrilling to struggle alongside the survivors. What could easily become routine & mundane continues to offer exciting and unique scenarios. The best part about this book was watching as the shock value of the zombies wore off and reality started to settle in. People began to move forward with their lives and started to make peace with all that had taken place.

While The First Days really focused on introducing us to the situation from Jenni & Katie's viewpoint, Frater  has given us an uncommon narrator. The majority of the story is told from the two main women's point of view, but other characters creep in little by little. We see more from Juan and Travis, the men in these women's lives, and are even given a glimpse into the point of view of one of the dogs. It all adds up to a richer story with fleshed out details that allow the reader to completely immerse him/herself in the book's events.

There is romance, thrilling heroics, sacrifice, and a lot of bloodshed in this book. Nothing that you wouldn't expect from a zombie book, but in a way, the calm/collectedness of those doing the dispatching can be a might frightening at times. Still totally worth a read if you into this sort of thing or are looking for a strong character base.

Waiting on Wednesday: Fighting to Survive: As the World Dies II by Rhiannon Frater

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm looking forward to the November 8th release of the 2nd installment in the As the World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy entitled Fighting to Survive by Rhiannon Frater. There don't seem to be spoilers in the blurb, but read at your own risk if you haven't read The First Days.

Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

From Goodreads

Now, if you haven't gotten the chance to read the first one yet and are on the fence, be sure to read my review of The First Days. It was surprising entertaining. There wasn't a whole lot to laugh at, I mean this is a vicious zombie apocalypse, but it was still a good read. I'm not sure how well the zombies are faring in the paranormal/sci-fi genre, but I seem to enjoy a few here & there. This is a keeper, so I'm excited to see the story continue! What are you waiting on this week?

The First Days by Rhiannon Frater review

Jenni only thought her husband couldn't become any worse a human being. She thought wrong. After being bitten the night before, Jenni's husband is turned into one of the undead & decides to make a meal of his family. Barely escaping with her own life, Jenni is rescued by lesbian, lawyer Katie in a pick-up truck. Katie too has lost all that she has after her wife become one of the undead. As the women get to know one another they start to comprehend the reality of the situation they face. The infected are dying & then coming back to life and the government is the last group you want to listen to.

On their way out of an over-populated city (soon to be teeming with the undead) they stop for supplies in a rural town. They manage to hole-up with the sweet old married couple who just happen to own the guns & ammo shop while planning their reconnaissance mission to save Jenni's camping-in-the-woods stepson. With renewed strength & spirit the women vow to keep in touch with the couple & save as many as they can because the only way out of the whole mess is through it. If they just keep running, maybe they can outrun the pain of all that they've lost, but at what cost to those who remain?

The First Days is a remarkably stark look at what could be considered a realistic reaction to a zombie apocalypse. Two ordinary women manage to cobble together an existence that allows them to hope for a future while surviving the present. Even better was the fact that this book was set in Texas. Now that may not sound like much, but it's like saying a book takes place in the South, there are mannerisms & societal norms that lend themselves to having a zombia apocalypse book set there.

The book's chapters were broken down into mini-chapters like one would expect to see of a book that was originally released in serial format. The narrator didn't change with every mini-chapter or even every chapter which made it a nice surprise when we shifted perspective. The characters were each unique adding their own personal experience to the situation they wound up in. Even better was how the characters ended up where they were when they met & assisted other survivors. The interactions with local drug dealers, old girlfriends & the founding members of the community really lent a sense of realism to the story.

While there were several editing errors that could have easily been fixed with a little more attention, the story itself was rather engaging & terrifying. This was the first zombie book that I've read & I definitely believe it won't be the last! Give it a shot & let me know what you think!