Solstice

by Donna Burgess

On the eve of winter Solstice, a massive flash envelopes the Earth and then there is nothing. The sun no longer shines and civilization is plunged into unending darkness. Those exposed to the mysterious flash have changed—they have become bloodthirsty, cunning, and determined to devour anyone who is not infected. They are Ragers.

In Sweden, a group of uneasy travelers hears a broken broadcast. There is hope. Something called Sanctuary waits, but it is thousands of miles away, somewhere on the shores of the British Isles.

Meanwhile, in a London supermarket, a high school English teacher from the States finds himself stranded along with a handful of students on a senior trip. Outside, hoards of hungry Ragers await, ready to tear them limb from limb. Their only hope is to find Sanctuary.

Solstice is a tale of hope, terror, survival, and finding love at the end of the World.

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction

247 pages, ebook

First published May 7, 2012

About the author

Donna Burgess is an author of dark fiction and poetry who enjoys surfing, painting and has a deep affection for all things Monty Python and low-budget horror flicks. Over the past fifteen years, her fiction and poetry has appeared in genre publications such as Weird Tales, Dark Wisdom, Sybil’s Garage and others. She has been married for nineteen years and has two children.

Her book include Breaths in Winter, a collection of short fiction and A Song of Bones, a poetry collection.

Reviews

[Courtney Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this one for free on Amazon. Seriously, it's probably one of the best books I've read this year and zombie stories period.

It's a creepy blend of 28 Days Later and Pet Semetary, plenty gory details and really quality writing. I'd emphatically recommend this to fans of the genre or people looking for an intense horror book.

[Giselle · Rating 3 out of 5]

If it wasn't for the flaws in logic, this could've been a really great book. It's got intense scenes, a steady pace, and plenty of characters to keep you captivated, but it's hard to forget that nagging voice in your mind that tells you it doesn't make sense. Pushing that voice in a corner, I found I was able to enjoy the chilling story nonetheless.

Sure, talking zombies have been done in novels like Dearly, Departed and it works, but that's because we get a scientific explanation. Something has been done to give them a functioning brain in their undead state. It's much harder to suspend disbelief when we have a present day zombie apocalypse caused by a mysterious flash/storm that leaves the world filled with flesh eating monsters who walk around with would-be fatal injuries that don't seem to phase them. Yet, they speak. They speak with intelligence, luring and mocking its prey. One even runs away out of compassion or remorse for humans. At first I was expecting an explanation such as it being a freaky infection where they're actually still alive, turned into savage cannibals. But as the book moves along, we get more and more confirmation that these creatures are truly undead, thus should not have any brain function. It does not compute! Therefore, I suggest you to throw logic out the window, because the rest is actually pretty engrossing.

One thing that Solstice does not lack is in its characters. We get bombarded with quite a few character arcs to follow. I was a bit overwhelmed at first and it did take me a while to recall who was who when we switched to another POV. We eventually get to a point where a few of these people band together to give us only two POVs which is more manageable in a story so fast paced, leaving character building as a secondary thought - at least at first. So there we go, two POVs; two mismatched families who are fighting to survive this apocalypse. In a way we get two different stories inside the same world. I really enjoyed this style of telling; it's unnerving, with regular chapter cliffhangers that get you flying through to get back to where you left off, without really wanting to leave the story arc you're currently on. It's a great way to keep the reader enraptured. Between the two, I did favor the perspective with Tomas' family as I found the characters more compelling. I felt I cared more about their fate than I did the ones in Stu's story - which I thought was a bit all over the place, leaving me disjointed every time we got back to it.

With such a big cast, the plot is not incredibly character driven. I never felt truly invested in the characters, at least not until the last quarter where it becomes a bit more emotional. The fast pace makes up for this, though, with its constant feeling of doom in the air. This is also helped by the lack of sunlight, leading us into a very spine-chilling, gloomy setting. I'm not sure if the author plans on writing a sequel. If not the ending is bit disappointing as I feel nothing was really resolved or explained; it's all very unsettling. Overall as an author's first novel and as a rabid zombie fan, I did enjoy it. Yes it has flaws, but there's more than enough action and turbulence to keep you on your toes.

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For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

[Tom Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK. I liked the premise - on the Eve of the Winter Solstice, the sun suddenly goes dark, and the dead arise. The zombies themselves also had some new traits that were both interesting and eerie. My main problems were the characters, lots of contrivances, and towards the end it took a sharp nihilistic turn. If the characters had been more likable, I probably could have overlooked the other problems; but the characters just really weren't any fun.

[T.M. Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real life, honest to goodness, Zombie book! WooHoo!!!
My favorite genre of books are Zombie books; I especially enjoy a good zombie book; this was a great zombie book!
Burgess unfolds such an interesting post apocolyptic world for us, you are drawn in more and more with every page as you learn about these
blood thirsty zombies in a human shell (Ragers).
Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed was the justification; how these "Ragers" came to be. They also retained their human memories, locked up somewhere in their psychotic mind, but still there in the forefront. Then we have the human aspect of the story with our characters like Melanie and Tomas, Stu and Tana, adding to the gravity of the situation at hand and delving into the how far would you go to survive? To ensure the survival of and to protect the ones you loved? How far is too far, is that even a question in this type of situation.
This is a very dark, bloody, dystopian world Burgess has created and I thouroughly enjoyed it.
I give it 4/5 stars for 2 reasons; first off at one point during the story the author mixed the names of the two main characters (Stu and Tomas) and I had to scroll back to re-read and verify I was with the right people. Secondly.. our main female lead, Melanie, drove me a little crazy sometimes, her mood was close to bipolar.. swing a door, it changed. All in All though this was a fantastic take on Zombies and I would recommend this book to anyone. Obtained my copy during a free weekend on Amazon but, I would have paid $10 for this book gladly!!

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

11 or 12 stars would be apropos!


An electrifying “what if”-a coronal mass ejection on the sun, an ordinary and not infrequent event, serves as the “pulse” which totally knocks out the power grid everywhere on earth. And not just that-not just total loss of communications, Internet, television, subways, and so forth-but all those exposed to it, outdoors or indoors, turn into something really worse than zombies-flat grayish eyes, burnt skin-and an enormous and intense hunger for flesh. Even worse, if possible, is the fact that there is no sun: total darkness, as if at the Poles, except now, without reflected sunlight, there is no moon-no light from the moon, only stars. The global populace is immediately in a worse state than the original humans, for at least they had sun and moon. Here is a mostly civilized planet, attempting to cope, without warning, with constant darkness, no communications, heat only from wood, dwindling food supplies; and raging “monsters” outside their doors (and too often, inside).

Well-written, enticing, and captivating, this story will run chills up your spine-not the least because the situations it presents are entirely potential and plausible! The delineations of character, especially those who have fallen prey to the damage and become monsters, is superb-the protagonists’ coping with changed loved ones will tear your heart strings!

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Not a terrible book, but I didn’t enjoy it. Talking Zombies, characters I didn’t care about and crappy dialogue kept me from liking it

[Rolando Gill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a pretty fast reader and I tend to just fly past the fluff that authors put in to fill pages. I go from visual description to visual description. That is what made this book passable. The author was able to describe situations in a way that I could understand and see them. However, in order to enjoy this book you must make HUMONGOUS leaps of logic in almost every chapter. So much so that I had to create this unbelievable irrational construct in my mind. That is where the story stops being enjoyable. If you are going to create rules in your story you must follow your own rules. *Spoiler* The word "solstice" has no effect on the sun or the moon it is nothing more than a descriptor. If the sun disappears the earth freezes, but not in this book. Ragers are alive and can talk, then they are dead and can talk then they become infectious as a result of the solstice. What? These are just a few of the problems. It gets a lot worse. Consider that there may be thinking dead, nice zombies (Tana). Believe me, this book is not good and around 60% I just kept getting more and more frustrated. The author should read a few books in the genre to see what works and what does not work.

[Wanda Hartzenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to star, where to start? What can I say that would convince you that you seriously need to read this book? I don’t know the answer, so I am imploring you, trust me, you want to read this book. This was my first ever Zombie book. Post apocalyptic Europe had me enthralled. The characters, again very human and very flawed had me rooting for some and wishing others would dissolve like an aspiring in water. The author managed to use the dystopian backdrop as a character all in and of itself. I loved it. The reaction of the characters, at time heroic, at times normal had me saying out loud, NO, NO, NO, don’t go into that shop. No, don’t let her in. NOOOOOOOO. It is not often that I get this involved in a story line. It is not many an author that manages to grip a reader and pull them this forcefully into the story.
I wondered about the start rating I would a lot to this book. I ended up with a 9 * thrill rating. The only reason why it is not a ten, is because I still need to read the other books the author has published, I doubt if they are even better, but in case they are, I will reserve the perfect 10 for them.

[Nazish Ahmed (Nazish Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this book 3.5 stars.

I just reviewed this on my blog (also, my stop for the blog tour).
To view my post for the blog tour and other reviews, click here Solstice: A Novel of the Zombie Apocalypse by Donna Burgess



(I was given the ebook for free to review, as part of the "Solstice" blog tour.)

Sex: yes
Gore: yes, lots and lots of it
Magic: no
Romance: yes

Action: 5 stars
Pacing: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4 stars


First of all, I love the cover, partly because it's blue, but also because...I don't know, I just like it. Although, I wonder who that girl is on the cover, it obviously can't be Melanie because she never turned into a zombie.

I wonder if the book is called Solstice because all of this crazy stuff happened after the solstice, since they kept referring to it that way.


The story starts with a girl named Melanie, who is getting ready to go home from university for the Christmas holidays. On her way home in the train, the train suddenly stops, and that's when the zombies come out.

This book is mostly about a family that is trying to escape this mess and hoping that they would find a better place to live. Along the way, they meet many people who they become good friends with and dread leaving them when they need to leave. There is another "family", but they're not actually a family, they're a bunch of people who have gotten together hoping to survive and end up becoming like a family, unfortunately, many of they don't survive. It's like there are two different stories inside the same world, it's different and I like this style of storytelling even though it got kind of confusing sometimes.

The zombies or Ragers, as they call them in the book, claim that they saw a light right before they turned, yet it is never explained what they meant by that or how that came to be in the first place. There is no sunshine or moonlight, so it's always very dark, and because of this storm/light, the world is now filled with blood thirsty cannibals, a.k.a. zombies, with fatal injuries and dirty and ripped clothing that don't phase them at all. These zombies also speak, it doesn't make sense how they could talk with intelligence, since their brains don't work anymore, but as I said above, I tried not to think about what made sense and what didn't and I ended up enjoying it more than I would have if I didn't ignore it.

In the beginning, there were four point of views, it was kind of confusing at first, but then I got used to it, later on in the book, it reduced to three povs as one of pov person met another pov person, and then near the end there were only two povs, which made it a bit easier to understand who's point of view was whose, but it was also sad too.

This book has: intense scenes, lots of action, many characters, a creepy setting, and it's fast paced, although, it does have a flaws in logic, but it's book, so I usually don't think too much about logic when I read paranormals, fantasies, and horror books and movies, it helps me enjoy the story better. There are also cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, this made me want to keep reading to see what's going to happened to them next. It's a great way to keep people reading. Between the two, I liked/enjoyed Tomas' families story better, plus they got lucky that none of them died or turned into a zombie...well, no one that we or they actually care much about, you can guess who that is when you meet Tomas' family near the beginning of the book. Although at the end, something very sad happens, i can't say what, because I don't want to spoil the book for you.

It was hard to tell who was the main character, was it Tomas or was it Melanie? Since they both had around the same amount of povs and neither of felt like they were more important than the other.

Even though there are so many characters in this book, the story isn't too character driven. Even though I did care about some of the characters' fates, I didn't love any of the characters like in many other books, but that's ok because there's so much going on, plus you keep thinking who's going to die next, since no ones safe in this world.

This is the first time I read a zombie novel, besides Generation Dead, which is the opposite of the zombies in this book, it's hard to explain withought giving too much away, if you want to, you can read my review of the second book in that series.
Click here to read my review on Generation Dead: Book 2 Kiss of Life.

Since I never read a novel about man eating zombies before this, I'm just going to explain my reactions for what I think of zombies aas a newbie.To be honest, they scared me a lot, and there were a lot of disgusting moments too. I watch and love The Vampire Diares tv show, and lots of people die in there, but that doesn't bother me too much, unless it's one of my favourite characters that die, but in this book, it freaked me out, I think it's because it's my first time reading a zombie novel, maybe after I read a few more, it won't bother me much anymore and I might actually like them, but right now, I'm not so sure. Especially because of the unnecessary ending, it was too much and too sad.

I wonder if the author plans on writing a sequel to this book, because right now all I know is that this is a standalone novel with a disappointing ending, with none of our questions answered. Questions like these: What is that light that some of the zombies kept mentioning? How could the zombies still be able to think and speak properly when their brain isn't functioning? Is this zombie apocalypse ever going to end? What are the zombies going to do if every human is dead? Are they going to die too? Start eating animals? Die for Good? These are the things that I'm wondering about.

This book was fast-paced, intense, action packed, and really creepy. I liked it. When I signed up for this blog tour, I wasn't exactly sure what this book was about, besides zombies, so I decided to give it a try, since I never read a zombie novel before, except for Generation Dead, and I liked it better than I thought I would, but I didn't love it, especially because of the unnecessary ending, it was too much and too sad, I cried. I don't like reading tragedies, I'm going to be really careful when I decide to read a zombie novel. She could have stopped a few pages earlier, but instead she continued and made it feel like there was nothing left in their world to live for.
After reading this, I feel like reading a light contemporary novel, I don't think it's a good idea to read a paranormal novel or anything like that right now, I need a brake from those, especially after this book.

[Sam Bowring · Rating 1 out of 5]

So you’ll really like this zombie book if you agree with the following statements:

1) While hiding out in your house during the zombie apocalypse, it would take you about four days to have the bright idea, ‘Hey, I should probably go and find where my gun is.’ You would in fact hold off on this thought until a zombie was right in the middle of bashing your door down, just to make everything more exciting!

2) Once the world has been overrun by zombies, and you are holed up in a dark supermarket, it is a good plan to stand right up close to the big glass window at the front, smoking a cigarette and watching strange shapes run about in the night. A good plan!

3) If you are still able to log onto the internet thanks to your home generator, but are then dismayed to discover that no one else on the planet has left a message online or a status update anywhere – you would NOT then bother to leave a message or status update of your own. NOT, for example ‘Is anyone on my friends list still alive?’ or ‘Does anyone know wtf is going on?’. You would simply log off, disappointed, and be done with the whole thing for good.

4) You wouldn’t be, sort of, you know … HUGELY traumatised if your youngest son was to turn into a rampaging flesh-hungry monster. You’d be a BIT traumatised, sure, just not – you know, it’s not worth obsessing over it for like hours and hours, is the thing. What’s done is done. May as well just go have a snog with one of the other survivors.

5) Five minutes after the zombie apocalypse begins, assume 95% of people will instantly disappear without any explanation. Not just the living, but everyone – alive people, undead people, even corpses – so that even a very populated city will be instantly transformed into a desolate winter wasteland in a matter of moments. It’s just the way it happens, okay, it’s known as ‘the law of being scenic’.

6) DVDs and laptops are a good thing to put in your survival kit when venturing out into a zombie infested world where most of the power has been shut off.

6) Etc. I got about, I dunno, a quarter of the way through or something. Maybe after that everyone starts behaving really sensibly.

[Zander Vyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay! Something different for zombie genre lovers. And, it's well written, and error free.

This was a free download. I've been on a quest this summer to download, read, and review as many free ebooks as possible. I only download items in genres I regularly read that sound interesting, and I am brutally honest with my reviews.

So far, I've found very few books to review positively. Most new e-books seem like hastily thrown together, rough drafts; self-published efforts that would have benefitted from professional editing.

Solstice, however, reads like the well-edited work of someone who's been at this a while. The ideas are reigned in, given direction and focus, and the characters are relatable, and likable. That's key in a story like this, to keep it from becoming just another survivors-on-the-run-from-zombies story. I'd say this one is similar to The Walking Dead in that respect - the character stories only add to the zombie story.

I had no issue with the way people become infected (ragers, the author calls people who've turned), though some reviewers indicated they did. Like the best horror plots, this one doesn't spend a lot of time on the "why" things happened. It just gets right into the here and now, with enough details to make it plausible. This author changes up the zombie mythology too - her zombies can think and talk, and this adds some really good moments, and a whole new wrinkle.

The ending leaves things open for more, and I hope the author delivers. I think this would make a fun movie too.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really really want to give this book 5 stars. It was so good. I had a zombie nightmare for the first time in years after I finished it.
I really liked Melanie and Tomas's story. I wasn't so hot on Stu and Tana. I was cheering for Tomas and Mel from the beginning. They seemed to have more to live for and didn't just hide in a store the whole time. Their part of the story had the most action aspects of the story and really seemed to fly by. Stu et al had the most horror moments. When they did leave the store they encountered the zombies at an alarming rates. The zombies said some of their most freighting lines when they encountered Stu, Tana and the students. And the scenes with Tana and her children were heartbreaking. I can't talk to much about the story without giving things away.
The writing was good. She kept my attention throughout the book. I connected with Melanie way more than any of the other characters. Which is probably why I liked that part of the story better.
This is story is depressing. Yes, there are some happy parts but for the most part it is a dark novel. The whole Solstice caused/created the zombies was a little weak and confusing. It wasn't very well explained. That's the main reason I couldn't give this book a full rocking five stars. Although, let's be honest...zombies. So realistic. Not really. At least I hope not.

Check out our blog at http://contagiousreads.blogspot.com

[Martin Belcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the day before Winter solstice, Earth is hit by a huge flash of light and then darkness..... The horror has only just begun as most of the population seems to have become ravenously hungry zombies.

In Gothenburg, Sweden, Tomas and his estranged wife Leila and his son Christopher are joined by Melanie a university student from Stockholm, they barricade themselves into their remote house until they can stand it no more and then decide to take the perilous journey across Northern Europe to France and then attempt to cross the English Channel to England and what could be salvation as they hear a radio announcement begging survivors to travel to sanctuary in Southampton, England for boarding an ocean liner to take them to America.

In London, Stu an American High School teacher and his students are in England on a study trip and find themselves suddenly dropped into a horror movie as the zombie ragers storm through London attacking the living. Stu along with some friends find shelter in a supermarket and also hear the radio message from sanctuary in Southampton.

Can these disparate bands of survivors make it to Southampton and why is it still dark?

I loved this book, a zombie novel with a bit of an attitude and I especially loved it that the zombies or "ragers" in this book have the ability to talk, this adds a whole new dimension of horror. Brilliant and highly recommended.

[Marissa Farrar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy a good zombie novel which focuses on the characters rather than the zombies, and this one didn't disappoint. I thought all the characters were well-written and well-developed - from Tomas, with his well-meaning love for his family, to Melanie with her nervous ticks and her love for Tomas. The book had me hooked from the first couple of pages and I read it straight over two days.

My only real gripe with the story was a few of the things set in England weren't quite right. The English character, Tana, speaks with distinctly American language (apartment, etc). At one point they go to a primary school in inner London to get one of the school buses which are all parked up at the school (we don't have buses dedicated to a particular school like in America). Also, Tomas decides to randomly change his route from Dover to London, rather than going to Southampton, which is a pretty big change of direction, and yet is completely glossed over.

Saying that, these were my only complaints - and I'm really being picky. This novel added some originality to the much done zombie-genre by having everything happen in the dark, and also having the zombies being able to talk! The ending was sad, but had it's own little ray of light as well.

I'd definitely pick up another book from this author!

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is told from multiple points of view about what happens when one day the world goes mad. One Solstice there are major solar flares and all light goes out on earth. No power, no phones, and people you love are dead but still moving and worse, eating people. This is the second zombie apocalypse novel I have read this week and it was not more of the same. This story focuses on the emotional and physical toll this would take on people and the extent to which people will go to save those they love.

How many people living in our gadget and computer dependent society could live without electricity, gas stations, supermarkets, and societal defined norms? I have friends who have never slept outside, never started a fire, or had to worry about where the next meal was coming from. Something like this levels the playing field and puts everyone on the same footing regardless of race, wealth, age, educational level or other things we use to judge people.

I enjoyed reading this book, although at times the characters seemed emotionally unavailable, that was the point of that portion of the book. I give this book 5 out of 5 clouds.

This product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

[Karen Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, the good: Not your typical zombie novel, Solstice imagines the undead creatures a bit different, which is a breath of fresh air. I found the writing to be quite good, the action fast-paced and the descriptions very vivid. I plowed through this book in one sitting, so anxious was I to see how it ended.

Now, the bad (which isn't all that bad, I swear!)-- This book doesn't delve into the scientific reasoning behind the sudden appearance of zombies or the constant state of darkness, which bugged me a little. I prefer at least a little science with my science fiction. My qualm was soon forgotten though as the story pulled me in deeper.

And thinking about it a bit further, I can see that not having the answers is more realistic. I mean really, when daylight suddenly disappears and grade school kids are taunting you with "I want to see how you taste," will it really matter what cataclysmic event is responsible? No. Staying alive will become the priority.

[Paula Mccue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't normally go for these kind of books, zombies aint my thing but this book was going for free and I fancied a change, absolutely loved it, It was a totally different take on zombies where the zombies still had memory of there lives they knew who they were, they just had a hunger for flesh and they were pure evil. It was gruesome and dark but the stories of the people were so good, the characters all had depth and I felt like if this kinda thing ever happened this is how it would be. It was also very sad, I did cry, I know what your thinking " crying to a zombie book?" haha that's how good it was, read it you will love it.

[Puddlyduck · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be devoured in one bite.

Solstice is a swift-paced collection of experiences of gore, loss, love, self discovery and fear in the aftermath of an apocalypse.

As the characters discover, humanity is not measured in heartbeats alone.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems lately I have an appetite for zombie-themed books. I finished “Hollowland” by Amanda Hocking and then, on the recommendation of a friend, got started on this one. I finished it in no time because once the story got its hold on me, it just wouldn’t let go until I had read the last page at 02:30 in the morning.

Everyone who has been following my reviews by now knows that I’m a big fan of the horror genre. And let’s be honest: zombies are much more horrifying than vampires, werewolves and demons, which have become rather stereotypical and predictable creatures in every second paranormal novel on the market today. I suppose many will say the same about zombies, but “Solstice” gives a startling new meaning to fear with its depiction of the living dead.

I have to applaud the author for not holding back in her use of shock techniques to get the reader to fully comprehend the direness of the situations faced by the various characters, and the fear they’re constantly experiencing knowing their lives and those of their loved ones could end at any minute. Can you imagine living in a world where the sun no longer exists and it being impossible to discern between day and night? How about being as frightened of the living as of your zombie neighbor trying to make a meal out of you or your child? Or even worse; your child being the zombie trying to make a meal out of you! But what really had me chewing my nails and my nerves on end was the constant darkness in which the characters couldn’t even see their hands in front of their faces, and the terrifying sounds of running footsteps and howls behind them made by zombies and marauders chasing them down. All this while fleeing through burning cities they once called home.

Even without these flesh-eating monsters, the whole concept of living in a post-apocalyptic world where you not only have to run for your life, but fight against the cold and starvation to stay alive, is frightening in itself. The author does a great job taking the reader into that world and making the experience as realistic as possible. A lot happens in this fast paced book and the story is told from many different points of view. Although there’s not much in the way of plot twists, it is filled with shocking scenes, heartrending moments and boatloads of action. From Sweden all the way to London, this novel takes the reader on a horror-filled journey with characters whose fears and vulnerabilities are easy to relate to, thanks to the author’s skilled writing.

I agree with other reviewers who mentioned that the book needs some editing, but any book that has me reading into the wee hours of the morning because it’s impossible to put down, receives a ten star recommendation from me.

[Stephanie (Gorelenore) Cover2CoverBlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Background: A flash of light and then an unbearable darkness has taken the world by surprise, leaving its inhabitants shocked. Those who saw the flash have become man-eating Ragers, a talking version of what is commonly considered a zombie. These Ragers are attacking the others all over and the living is trying to adapt to darkness, no power/electronics, and survival against the Ragers. Their only hope is a short radio transmission.

Review: I received this book as part of a blog tour to read for review. The premise is great. I was expecting a zombie apocalypse and that is essentially what I got, humans running or their lives, collecting weapons, and trying to find other survivors. There were intense scenes of violence and escape and breathtaking examples of survival when you think all is going to hell. The only problem was the lack of explanation. Yes, there was a flash of light and then darkness, but What? Why? I felt like I was watching a movie that had been over edited trying to cut out parts, so they cut out important ones. There seemed to be many of these plot flaws throughout.
The novel is presented in the tales of a few different groups of survivors and their different techniques of survival. We follow Melanie a college student and her adoptive family, and then a father/ teacher who was on a school trip with a handful of students and a mother and son who meet up with them. I think the most interesting part of this apocalypse was the Ragers; they were intelligent, they knew they were dead and could talk to those they were trying to attack. So there was a lot of egging on the survivors and trying to get them to come out of their hiding places, as well as knowing who people were to them before they became monsters.
Little by little you learn more about the characters and their families, and they are very interesting but not enough to hold me since there was no explanation of why these events were occurring… All I wanted was a character to come into the story who knew what was up…and that never happened.
If you enjoy Zombie movies and shows than you may enjoy this book, just be prepared for the survival story taking precedence over the reasoning behind why …

[Chrystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay first off I loved how quickly this story moved. Solstice was a mixture of chaos, high running emotions and terror for the characters. I can only imagine the emotions that people would be experiencing at a time where the world is in complete darkness and people have gone stark raving mad. Also, the fact that this takes place in post-apocalptic Europe was an added bonus (London and Sweden). It was nice to see a change from the usual American locations, though there are some American characters in this story, so great mix.

The story itself flips back and forth between the two countries and has a multiple point of view narration. Between the two main POVs, I really enjoyed Melanie and Thomas' story more than Tana and Stu, though each had some really great moments. The dynamics of the groups they are in are completely different from each other and perhaps I was able to identify with Melanie more because her character calls to me. It's almost like Thomas and Melanie believed in their efforts to find a way through all of this a little more than the other group. Though I think Tana had the most heartbreaking moment of the entire story - I still want to cry a little for her each time I think about her introduction to the reader.

The zombies (or Ragers) are quite interesting as well. They are not your traditional mindless and soulless beings. I think they are much creepier this way - they cause so much carnage and instill a fear like no other zombie could. But you will have to read the story to see what I am talking about... it's kind of a teaser if I tell you more about their differences.

Honestly, the entire story is just well written. It will keep you turning pages because of the drama and it's ability to draw you in. Hoping that this is just the beginning, because I would really love to read a sequel.

[Paranormal Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solstice is different from your everyday Zombie or Rangers as they are called in this book. Tragedy happens and the world begins to end. People are transformed into Rangers, zombies who can talk to you and they love to taunt their victims. There is rumors of a safe place and some of the survivors try to find their way their. The only bad thing is the Rangers aren't the only ones you have to look out for. The bad and crazy people have come out as well.

This book follows several different characters and you get to see what they go through as they try to survive. Thomas is looking for the safe place along with his wife, son and friends daughter Mel. I found his the hardest part to read not because it was badly written but because it was so heartbreaking at times. You really feel him suffer as he tries to protect and hold his family together. The other story lines we get to follow are Stu and Tana. Stu is a high school teacher who holds up in a supermarket to try and save his students. Tana is on the run from a terrifing sight with her son and hides out in the supermarket with Stu and others. On Thomas journey they meet Stu, Tana and others as they talk about how to find safety and if it is worth the risk of running. This book will break your heart at times. Got to say the author isn't afraid to let people die and I love that. That might sound bad but no one is safe in this book and it is a refreshing change. I hope she continues this story cause i want to read more of it. If you want a thrilling and horrifying book with zombies pick this one up. Just know it will cause you all kinds of horror and your emotions will be out of whack when you finish this.

[John Podlaski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have recently been attracted to zombie books and taking full advantage of the "free ebook promotions" by Amazon. This book is unlike the other apocalypse books that I've read...these zombies have super strength, memories, can think, speak, see in the dark killing machines.

Solstice basically follows two groups of survivors. One is traveling through England and the other trekking through the north Baltic countries en route to England. Both had been attracted by sporadic radio announcements promising safety and salvation to those meeting a ship in South Hampton on a certain day. They find life very stressful in trying to evade the zombie hordes, while all along trying to survive in total darkness without heat, electricity and food.

The survivors soon find a new threat to contend with - marauding groups of survivors. These rogue groups use humans as bait, sacrificing them to create a diversion when they need to search for food and supplies for themselves. Then killing as many zombies as possible while they are feeding.

Their fight for survival continues for months, many survivors have had enough and are tired; suicide is an easy out for many. I've come to know and like many of the characters throughout the book, unfortunately, not all of them make it to the end. Do the others find salvation? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Does this nightmare end? You'll have to read the book and find out for yourselves.

John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not stress enough that if you are looking for a fast paced zombie novel, you HAVE to read this!

I saw this show up on a side bar on Good Reads and it perked my interest, even with zero reviews to go on I knew I had to try this.

The writing is extremely smooth and well written. You have a couple different points of view but they are very well written and they transition very well through out the chapters and book itself.

There is plenty of zombie carnage which is def a must in a zombie book! I don't want to put exactly what her twist on the zombies were in my review, but she added an really intriguing aspect/characteristics to the zombies. This made me love the book even more. Much different than the brain dead rotting flesh we are used to!

I felt that the character development was strong and I really liked the characters and really felt like I was understanding their emotions and reactions right along with them. I was completely engrossed in their lives and their feelings.

Her writing style set the mood and world perfectly in my head. It was just enough description with out being too much. It was dark, bitterly cold and creepy. I read part of this while camping and was glad I was reading it in the daylight.

I can't say it enough, I LOVED this book and if you are looking for a fresh twist on Zombies, you've got to pick this up.

Kudo's to the author on this one!

P.S. it appears it could be left open for a sequel. There are a few things I'd love to find out... going to research that now!

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was a perfect book of imperfect characters! I didn't always like all their decisions, for instance choosing to move around when it's obvious that it makes more sense to find a place to hide, especially when you have a small child. Still, the romance, the grief, the horror were all done so perfectly that I know it's going to be awhile till I get this one out of my head. I did think the author, Donna, could have let a couple more of the characters live, as one in particular was pretty heartbreaking.

For those that are complaining about the science not being there behind this book, I kinda like it. In a real situation like this, most people are not going to figure out what has happened. It's not like the characters don't question and wonder, they also wonder if things are going to get better again. Still, they never have an answer for their questions. The book doesn't take place over a long period of time, maybe a year by the end, so to me it makes sense that these normal people don't know the truth of what has happened. I also love that it's left open for another book, with possibly a few more characters thrown in, with some back story of their survival.

Anyone that loves zombies, loves apocalyptic fiction, especially great ones, then check out this book. I'm betting you wont be able to put it down! Even though I was able to pick this book up for free, it would certainly be worth the money to buy it. Such a great story, and I'm really hoping for a sequel, although Donna Burgess might kill off more of the characters I've come to love!

[Carlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book.

You can call them zombies as a way of identifying the book for those looking for zombie related books. The author uniquely calls them Ragers and gives them their own distinct characteristics. Anyone reading a traditional zombie book would have to stop and do a double take when reading this book.
Ragers, talk. Yep, they are walking talking flesheaters. They laugh, tell bad jokes, know who they are, drive cars and get pissed when you won't opent the door and let them take a little bite out of you.

I love the phrase they use when they are constantly askkng people to let them have a little taste.

This zombie story occurs because a solstice radiation or whatever turned people into these creatures. From that moment on the sun doesn't shine and the story takes place in darkness. I didn't like that a dark story got light at times. Ex. Leila, tomas wife, said she would kill herself, her baby, and the others if given a chance. She says nothing when they want to sacrifice her husband, except it is for the best. Yet, they constantly save her life and drag her with them. A truly dark husband would have blown her away as soon as she said it. Why she was kept around for so long is beyond me. There are dark moments but not enough for me to call it a truly dark story. All in all, a good read.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad zombie story and provides a different take on a zombie apocalypse. Image zombies that know they are dead and can talk and reason.

-- Spoliers Follow --
This is not a happy ending book. Characters you might have liked and cheered for will not make it. There's some parts that are seriously sad and tear jerking.

Also , the plot does not follow the path you might expect...

So why a 3 star? The whole sun going out thing just bugged me. There's just no way. And there was no explination or attempt at one. Also with no solar radation (i.e. sunlight) the earth would begin to freeze very quickly, sparking a new ice age in weeks and a snowball earth in months.

But I do like the attempt at something different. I can't help but "help" the author. I'm thinking that the solar system passed through a stellar dust cloud that obscured the Sun. And that maybe this is something that could have been tracked to happening every XX million years, corresponding to other past mass extinctions... Doesn't explain the zombies, but does help with why the Sun "went out".

Anyway, if you like zombie stores, even with all I've said, I still feel this is one you should read...

[chucklesthescot · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's never a good thing in a zombie apocalypse novel when you meet all the main characters prior to the outbreak and hope that every single one is eaten quickly. We have the spoiled rich brats on the trip who think that having money entitles them to whine, moan, throw their weight around and behave like obnoxious toddlers. We have the girl who was brought up by her dead parent's friend-and she spends her time mooning and flirting with the man and wondering why his wife seems to dislike her visits. Hmm, that's a tricky one there. Add in the obnoxious cheating tart wife who is planning to divorce the only decent character in the book and you can see why I'm on Team Zombie!

The whole point in a zombie book is to have characters you care about being pursued by monsters and you worry they won't all survive. If the author provides a group of morons you don't care about, it defeats the whole point! I didn't really care by the time the zombies arrived and I abandoned the book.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally signed up for this book through the giveaways section, but decided that it sounded intriguing enough to not wait to find out if I was chosen as a first reader and immediately bought it. Two days later, I read the last page. It is a very fast paced book with several likeable, yet flawed characters that I was rooting to survive. The author told the story through the limited POV of several characters, so if they didn't know the cause of the sun disappearing or people turning into Ragers,(I found her take on the Ragers interesting and new) then the reader didn't either. I would like to see a sequel made of this book that does answer a few of those questions but that's a personal preference as some people may not mind keeping some things a mystery.

[Crystal Clifton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually the first book about zombies/ragers i have ever read . the characters in this book were so believable and make you think of what you might do in the case of the end of the world, Stu, Tana Melanie and Thomas are some kick ass characters that were very enjoyable to read. EIt was serious, humorous and sit on the edge of your seat excitement. I think everyone should have this book in their collection especially for those of you that love Zombie stories I mean these Zombies/Ragers make you laugh. Thanks for such an awesome book for my first taste of Zombieism (no pun intended) :D

I won this book on goodreads Thank You very much