There Falls No Shadow

by David E. Crossley

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to think you were the last person alive on Earth? Or what you might face when you realised that you weren’t? What would you do, in a world devoid of everyone and every convention you have known, but surrounded by more riches than you could ever have wanted? Then add in the bodies of all those who have died. Are you in a vast warehouse of free shopping, or the vilest mortuary in the universe? Could you survive? Would you want to? Read on for the story of some who decided to live. And imagine yourself there. There Falls No Shadow is the story of a group of survivors struggling to rebuild their lives after a terrorist released plague mutates and decimates the world's population. Although each novel is complete in its own right, TFNS is the first book of a trilogy which follows the main characters from the first days of the plague to a stunning conclusion some years later. Live with them as they fight fear, disease, hunger, feral animals and one another. Feel the elation and devastation as they find and lose friends and lovers, face storms and fire, see their crops grow and fail. There have been disaster novels before. There has never been one so believable, nor so timely.

Genres: Fiction

292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Andy Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a planned series, although at the time of writing there doesn't appear to be a second book yet. I would read it if it is ever written.

The book follows an outbreak of a weaponised virus after a series of terrorist attacks of various types. For a change the group of characters that we follow is based in Scotland. A small percentage of the population is immune to the plague, so it's the usual case of people wandering around looking for each other and trying to salvage what they can of society before the storage food decays, the petrol breaks down, and so on. I've seen this sort of thing in a few novels and TV series, but it's done well here so I have no complaints that a lot of elements appear in other stories. The writing is good, with only a few typos, and the background knowledge of the author in terms of the locations and survival techniques, is obvious. I would recommend this to fans of John Christopher novels, the 'Survivors' TV series and the 'After the Fire' trilogy of books.

[pete dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Took me three days to read,that's how good it is..very believable post apocalypse settings..quite possibly how society would break down and struggle to re emerge...

[Jay Whiteley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book early last year – and it imprinted itself on my brain, in a good way. It was the first UK-based apocalyptic fiction book I'd read since John Wyndham's books, so it had a hard act to follow. And it did it, too, very well. It's very real, the Shadow book, and brilliantly paced, there's no padding at all. And it flows so well, it genuinely is a page-turner.

It was also pretty difficult to read in one way, simply because it's so real. And realistic – if an apocalypse happened in anything approaching this way, these might be the experiences we'd face. I'm trying not to give out any spoilers, so it might sound quite mysterious, I just don't want to give anything away. It's full of little touches, touches that show both character development and plot development, absolutely engrossing.

Highly recommended.