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Toxic City #3
Contagion
Two years after London is struck by a devastating terrorist attack, it is cut off from the rest of the world, protected by a large force of soldiers (known as Choppers) while the rest of Britain believe that their ex-capital is a toxic, uninhabited wasteland.
But that's not true. Jack and his friends know that the truth is very different--and incredible: the few remaining survivors in London are changing; developing strange, fantastic powers; evolving. And the Chopper force guarding London is treating the ruined city as its own experimental ground.
Now, Jack's powers are growing. His friend Lucy-Anne's powers are developing too, and Nomad--that mysterious woman who started it all--is close by. But the Choppers have initiated their final safeguard--a huge nuclear bomb that will wipe out London, and everyone still within its boundaries.
Jack and his friends must spread the news of the bomb and save everyone they can. Before that can happen, Jack must face his father, the deadly Reaper, in their final showdown.
But that's not true. Jack and his friends know that the truth is very different--and incredible: the few remaining survivors in London are changing; developing strange, fantastic powers; evolving. And the Chopper force guarding London is treating the ruined city as its own experimental ground.
Now, Jack's powers are growing. His friend Lucy-Anne's powers are developing too, and Nomad--that mysterious woman who started it all--is close by. But the Choppers have initiated their final safeguard--a huge nuclear bomb that will wipe out London, and everyone still within its boundaries.
Jack and his friends must spread the news of the bomb and save everyone they can. Before that can happen, Jack must face his father, the deadly Reaper, in their final showdown.
229 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
741 people want to read
About the author
Tim Lebbon
294 books1,537 followersI love writing, reading, triathlon, real ale, chocolate, good movies, occasional bad movies, and cake.
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 15, 2020
Not a bad wrap to the series.
October 23, 2016
I decided to read this book because the cover looked good.
Something I liked about the book is that it is set in a post apocalyptic city with a nuclear bomb.
Something new I learned from this book is be careful who you trust.
A character I lied was Jack, he has very strong powers and is quite tall with brown hair, he has an adventurous attitude and is very sneaky.
Something I liked about the book is that it is set in a post apocalyptic city with a nuclear bomb.
Something new I learned from this book is be careful who you trust.
A character I lied was Jack, he has very strong powers and is quite tall with brown hair, he has an adventurous attitude and is very sneaky.
December 17, 2014
Seventeen hours. That's how long Jack has to save London or the people in it. Seventeen hours until the nuclear bomb goes off to clear out everything that has happened over the last two years. Contagion was a vast improvement over the disappointment of the second book in the trilogy. Instead of being bored and confused, I was eager, anxious, and still a little confused. Jack's powers are developing and multiplying fast, and he's desperately trying to find one that will help him warn everyone about the imminent destruction. There's not enough time though, so he has to work with what he has and team up with the mysterious Nomad and Lucy-Anne.
Once again, the format has changed with Contagion. But I think it's one that works really well and added to the story's sense of urgency. Each chapter counts down an hour until the bomb goes off. As the hours disappear, I found myself getting more and more nervous. I didn't see a way for Jack to disable the bomb and get everyone out of the city. It was going to be an either or situation, and I had a sad feeling about which way it was going to go. However, I never expected that ending at all. Contagion is truly a unique type of ending in this genre. There is no sunshine, rainbows or puppies here. No magical solutions to be found. Just...dang.
I flew through Contagion. It's short and fast paced as it only covers a time span of 17 hours. But it's a hectic 17 hours. All of the things that I was confused over in the previous two books finally come together. I had never liked Lucy-Anne and didn't see her connection to everything, but she finally becomes very important. Not in a direct way, but without her, Jack couldn't have done what he did. This conclusion was almost a 4 star for me, but that ending didn't hit me quite as hard as it could have if this series were more character driven. As it was, it shocked me more for being so far from what I've come to expect from Dystopian novels, rather than any emotional response. However, for that reason alone I'd definitely recommend Toxic City to anyone looking for something different.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
Once again, the format has changed with Contagion. But I think it's one that works really well and added to the story's sense of urgency. Each chapter counts down an hour until the bomb goes off. As the hours disappear, I found myself getting more and more nervous. I didn't see a way for Jack to disable the bomb and get everyone out of the city. It was going to be an either or situation, and I had a sad feeling about which way it was going to go. However, I never expected that ending at all. Contagion is truly a unique type of ending in this genre. There is no sunshine, rainbows or puppies here. No magical solutions to be found. Just...dang.
I flew through Contagion. It's short and fast paced as it only covers a time span of 17 hours. But it's a hectic 17 hours. All of the things that I was confused over in the previous two books finally come together. I had never liked Lucy-Anne and didn't see her connection to everything, but she finally becomes very important. Not in a direct way, but without her, Jack couldn't have done what he did. This conclusion was almost a 4 star for me, but that ending didn't hit me quite as hard as it could have if this series were more character driven. As it was, it shocked me more for being so far from what I've come to expect from Dystopian novels, rather than any emotional response. However, for that reason alone I'd definitely recommend Toxic City to anyone looking for something different.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
October 19, 2013
Ok, so this was really bad. Really really bad. Characters were flat and boring, not to mention ridiculously repetitive. Jack, the main character, kept agonizing over the soldiers he killed in the very beginning of the book. Seeing as how he has lived in this wasteland for a while now, and the soldiers were shooting at him, I found his obsession ridiculous. Yes, killing someone for the first time would be a bit traumatizing. However, he doesn't seem to have a problem with the violence and death around him, as long as he didn't cause it himself.
The setting is in a military controlled and quarantined London where people have developed fantastical abilities due to some sort of chemical spill that killed off most of the population. Seeing as how the destruction was two years ago, and this is the third book in the series I found it extremely irritating to be reminded every 10 pages or so, as to how destroyed London was, and how many people were dead. We get it. You don't have to keep reminding us. There is a way, and other authors like S.M. Stirling have done it successfully, to show that things are vastly different and the old world decayed. Beating your readers over the head with a brick makes us irritated.
I really liked the idea behind the book, I just feel that it needed a better author to correctly tell the story. Do yourself a favor, and don't waste your time on this series.
The setting is in a military controlled and quarantined London where people have developed fantastical abilities due to some sort of chemical spill that killed off most of the population. Seeing as how the destruction was two years ago, and this is the third book in the series I found it extremely irritating to be reminded every 10 pages or so, as to how destroyed London was, and how many people were dead. We get it. You don't have to keep reminding us. There is a way, and other authors like S.M. Stirling have done it successfully, to show that things are vastly different and the old world decayed. Beating your readers over the head with a brick makes us irritated.
I really liked the idea behind the book, I just feel that it needed a better author to correctly tell the story. Do yourself a favor, and don't waste your time on this series.
February 2, 2014
I don't know if this affected my viewing of the novel or not- but I haven't read the first two books in the series.
I had a couple of problems with this book. First, I felt like the plot was kind of pointless. Second, the character relationships seemed a bit superficial to me. Again, I don't know if that's a result of my not reading the first two books, but whatever. Third, I felt that Jack was a bit too overpowered and was focused on too much. It would have been better if other characters such as Sparky and Jenna were elaborated on.
The romance was also a bit rushed. I have no idea whether or not Jack met Rhali before this, but their romance was just meh. He saves her, then like twenty minutes later he's thinking about how her hand feels in his. Apparently feelings of strong protection instantly change into love. Ok. Sure. Honestly, even though there was a lot going on, they should of at least had some time to themselves to get to know each other better. I know that romance wasn't really a main focus of the book, so I kind of wanted it to be... swoonier? I dunno...
The whole "OMG bomb but only Jack and Nomad can stop it" thing was annoying. Other characters need strong powers too!
Despite its overall boringness, the action scenes were nicely written. The internal struggle withing Jack was well-written too.
So overall, almost DNFed this, but kept on reading.
I had a couple of problems with this book. First, I felt like the plot was kind of pointless. Second, the character relationships seemed a bit superficial to me. Again, I don't know if that's a result of my not reading the first two books, but whatever. Third, I felt that Jack was a bit too overpowered and was focused on too much. It would have been better if other characters such as Sparky and Jenna were elaborated on.
The romance was also a bit rushed. I have no idea whether or not Jack met Rhali before this, but their romance was just meh. He saves her, then like twenty minutes later he's thinking about how her hand feels in his. Apparently feelings of strong protection instantly change into love. Ok. Sure. Honestly, even though there was a lot going on, they should of at least had some time to themselves to get to know each other better. I know that romance wasn't really a main focus of the book, so I kind of wanted it to be... swoonier? I dunno...
The whole "OMG bomb but only Jack and Nomad can stop it" thing was annoying. Other characters need strong powers too!
Despite its overall boringness, the action scenes were nicely written. The internal struggle withing Jack was well-written too.
So overall, almost DNFed this, but kept on reading.
August 24, 2016
Contagion provides a sad but satisfying resolution to Tim Lebbon’s TOXIC CITY series. Jack, the hero of the books, comes to grips with his new powers, while outside quarantined London, Jack’s mother and sister spread the truth of the mutation agent Evolve.
In the TOXIC CITY series, two years ago on a date now called Doomsday, a scientist named Angelina Walker released a virus-like compound in London. It changes people. Some people it gives extraordinary powers; other change into beasts or monsters. London was evacuated and quarantined, patrolled by a group called Choppers. Jack, his former girlfriend Lucy-Anne, and a group of friends entered the city to find his mother and sister who were being held captive. In the second book, Reaper (reviewed here) Jack confronted the altered man who was his father ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
In the TOXIC CITY series, two years ago on a date now called Doomsday, a scientist named Angelina Walker released a virus-like compound in London. It changes people. Some people it gives extraordinary powers; other change into beasts or monsters. London was evacuated and quarantined, patrolled by a group called Choppers. Jack, his former girlfriend Lucy-Anne, and a group of friends entered the city to find his mother and sister who were being held captive. In the second book, Reaper (reviewed here) Jack confronted the altered man who was his father ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
November 22, 2016
It was better than the second. Quite a bit better, actually. For that reason, I almost gave it two stars. Then I reset my star meter, and remembered that being significantly better than an absolutely horrible book doesn't entitle you to two stars. The science still makes no sense. I still don't care about any of the characters (it's worse than not liking them...I honestly don't care about them). And the themes still don't come together into a cohesive unit. One star is still fair.
And...dear book jacket, Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic are different! Thank you for your time
And...dear book jacket, Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic are different! Thank you for your time
December 4, 2015
I am not really sure if I can put to words how I feel about this book. At this moment, having just finished the novel, I am disappointed. I don't really feel this book lived up to the true potential it had in the beginning. It seemed thrown together, and then it was quickly over. There didn't seem to be much holding it together, like the author was under a time crunch so just rushed the story.
April 20, 2015
I hated it. I just finished it to say I completed the series and maybe I gave it a few more second chances than it deserved. Also hated the ending but only because I thought it was dumb not because I actually cared about the characters. I said the seven deadly words (I Just Don't Care About These People) so many times throughout this series. So now go and read.
August 29, 2014
i was blown away by the ending of this book. also the situations the characters had to face was displayed very vividly which left you feeling like you were part of the action.
again mr.lebbon out did himself kudos
again mr.lebbon out did himself kudos
March 22, 2014
Contagion, Toxic City book 3, by Tim Lebbon fulfilled all the promise of book 1 and 2, London Eye and Reaper's Legacy and moved beyond. Really good. I couldn't put it down.
December 8, 2013
That was a bit of a mess.
October 23, 2014
Dude. Definitely not the ending I had anticipated. What a strange ending to an odd ending.
May 9, 2016
I did get invensted in the Characters and I did shed a tear or two. However; I skimmed a lot and was just ready to be done with it.
July 7, 2015
Not the ending I had expected. Overall, it's a good read but that ending is going to be bugging me.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews