The story sadly was very reminiscent of other stories I have read, so a lot of the time I was wondering if I had read this book before. I carried on regardless and did eventually see that I hadn't read this book, just others very like it. So, in its own right I feel I can give it 4 stars because it definitely was interesting enough for me to read it to the end, without stopping halfway through.
Okay well where to start? Firstly let me say that the back of the book describes an almost zombie like invasion but in reality the zombie like puppets were only a small portion of the book. The book is really about two ancient deities at conflict using the small town of Wakely and its inhabitants as pawns in the game. The book was a fast paced read and I really enjoyed that it was not bogged down with over exaggerated descriptions and too much emotional baggage of the main characters. This book has a supernatural element to it so those expecting a full on zombie like novel may be a little disappointed. I recommend this book for those looking for a fast paced good solid read with a supernatural feel and a few zombie like characters thrown in for good measure! 4 stars!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Three people are brought together during a freak fog and land in a small town in Scotland. The town seems nearly deserted and disaster is in the air, eery and ominous. There is death everywhere, gruesome and gory. Monsters and demons run amok, feasting on the remains of the villagers. It seems that two Celtic deities are battling it out, and there is a small boy who holds the key to victory.
Okay, dark nights, fog, demons, dead bodies, no way out...maybe these ideas together aren't original, but the way the author stirred it all together achieved the goal of an entertaining, dark read, full of horror, death, and blood. And, yes, I checked under the bed before turning off the lights that night!
The book was fine at best; long and drawn out, and poorly edited. At one point the author changed from rating distance in meters, to feet. I was able to finish the book in a day, but thought, many times, about not finishing because it didn't feel worth my time. I knew it would bug me if I never finished though, so I trudged through. The ending was a vast disappointment. The author painstakingly explains every little detail about every stupid thing and then cruises through the last 100 pages leaving gaping holes of story, the mystery of the riddle solved but leaving you unsure how it happened. I would not recommend this book, and can only be glad it was a freebie and I didn't waste more than a day's time on it.
I quite liked this book, and indeed it was very scary, in that implacable way I so prefer. In the wrong hands, the plot and theme could very easily have gone off the tracks, but gratifyingly it proceeded apace and seamlessly. Author John Dow juggles a number of characters, keeping them involved while the village, its populace, and the immediate surrounds experience literal hell on Earth. Readers who like their horror well-written, with empathetic characters, and a firm touch of violence and gore as orchestrated by a very angry, very powerful, Celtic deity, line up right here for the time of your life!
You should definitely check out this book. It is far from your typical brainless zombie novel. Set in an eerie, ancient village in Scotland, it is the story of a woman, two men, a child, some hellhounds, a couple of long-forgotten deities, and a whole raft of zombies. The setting was just as much a character as those I previously mentioned. I picked this book up on a whim, and was so pleasantly surprised by how great it was once I started it. "From Within" is definitely one that you should try out, even if you are not usually a fan of horror.
Not a bad read, bit of zombie action but mostly about supernatural entities controlling zombies in a small english village. Didn't really care enough about the characters to get into it really, but read to the end so thats a good sign!