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Corona: A Novel
In a fallen London, how far will one man go to save his family – and himself…
...or is it already too late?
Trapped in his top floor mansion block apartment in Denmark Hill, South East London, can The Man escape and pick his way through the crumbling ruins of the city, avoiding the violent gangs that now vie for supremacy, and find his heavily pregnant ex-wife?
Can a belated act of heroism wash him clean of his sins, or is he too far gone?
In a world where civilization has fallen, what hope is there for the future?
Corona is the deliciously dark and dystopian Sci-Fi, perhaps even Cli-Fi, debut novel from David Arrowsmith, author of Nevada A Trilogy of Short Stories.
Corona is a story about the dark – and the light – inside all of us. It’s about man’s inhumanity, and humanity. It’s a story in which the threat, the danger, comes from within us – not from the undead or vampires or even a virus, but from our neighbours, our friends, even ourselves. Corona combines elements of dystopian fiction with the literary survival horror of works like J.G. Ballard’s High Rise and Concrete Island. It’s the perfect read for fans of The Road, I Am Legend, The Last Of Us, The Walking Dead, Mad Max or even Shaun of the Dead.
...or is it already too late?
Trapped in his top floor mansion block apartment in Denmark Hill, South East London, can The Man escape and pick his way through the crumbling ruins of the city, avoiding the violent gangs that now vie for supremacy, and find his heavily pregnant ex-wife?
Can a belated act of heroism wash him clean of his sins, or is he too far gone?
In a world where civilization has fallen, what hope is there for the future?
Corona is the deliciously dark and dystopian Sci-Fi, perhaps even Cli-Fi, debut novel from David Arrowsmith, author of Nevada A Trilogy of Short Stories.
Corona is a story about the dark – and the light – inside all of us. It’s about man’s inhumanity, and humanity. It’s a story in which the threat, the danger, comes from within us – not from the undead or vampires or even a virus, but from our neighbours, our friends, even ourselves. Corona combines elements of dystopian fiction with the literary survival horror of works like J.G. Ballard’s High Rise and Concrete Island. It’s the perfect read for fans of The Road, I Am Legend, The Last Of Us, The Walking Dead, Mad Max or even Shaun of the Dead.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 29, 2023
About the author
David Arrowsmith
7 books69 followersAuthor of Narcoball: Love, Death and Football in Escobar’s Colombia.
New book Killing Maradona : How Cocaine, the Camorra and Crime Corrupted Football's Greatest Talent out 21.05.2026.
Also a writer of fiction.
New book Killing Maradona : How Cocaine, the Camorra and Crime Corrupted Football's Greatest Talent out 21.05.2026.
Also a writer of fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 10, 2023
A lone soul trying to survive corona-struck London
Arrowsmith proves to be a master of suspense. He creates a dystopian world, in which love, loneliness and the dark side of humanity come to live. Corona takes the reader into the ruins of London; it shows what could happen when disaster strikes.
Arrowsmith combines a realistic post-apocalyptic setting with thrilling scenes and unexpected twists. Recommended to anyone who loves a good story in a dark setting, with a touch of romance...
Arrowsmith proves to be a master of suspense. He creates a dystopian world, in which love, loneliness and the dark side of humanity come to live. Corona takes the reader into the ruins of London; it shows what could happen when disaster strikes.
Arrowsmith combines a realistic post-apocalyptic setting with thrilling scenes and unexpected twists. Recommended to anyone who loves a good story in a dark setting, with a touch of romance...
March 17, 2024
Yep a good read. I might look out for others by David Arrowsmith...
July 28, 2023
Arrowsmith successfully transfers his moody, evocative writing style he honed with the short story triptych Nevada Noir to long form with his post-apocalyptic novel Corona.
I enjoyed the premise - a kind of alternate history…what if the recent pandemic was even worse than it was and lead to the complete collapse of civilization? For awhile the book was a well-written retread of novels like The Road, but it took an interesting turn after a bit of the old ultra violence. It turned into a searing relationship drama about The Man, Lucy, and eventually Eve, with beautifully wrought, soaring, elegiac passages about a difficult decision ultimately made. I’ll forever remember the garden and the greenhouse in the dark and the rain.
I also liked that it ended on a more hopeful note than most books of this ilk.
Highly recommended.
I enjoyed the premise - a kind of alternate history…what if the recent pandemic was even worse than it was and lead to the complete collapse of civilization? For awhile the book was a well-written retread of novels like The Road, but it took an interesting turn after a bit of the old ultra violence. It turned into a searing relationship drama about The Man, Lucy, and eventually Eve, with beautifully wrought, soaring, elegiac passages about a difficult decision ultimately made. I’ll forever remember the garden and the greenhouse in the dark and the rain.
I also liked that it ended on a more hopeful note than most books of this ilk.
Highly recommended.
July 17, 2023
An engrossing dark tale that speaks too closely of what could have transpired in our own reality.
Playing out like a movie, David Arrowsmith has brought to life characters haunted by their actions in a world torn apart by Corona.
Utterly stunning!
Playing out like a movie, David Arrowsmith has brought to life characters haunted by their actions in a world torn apart by Corona.
Utterly stunning!
December 31, 2023
3.5 stars
Corona is an intriguing vision of what may have happened if the coronavirus pandemic escalated even further to national (and perhaps even global?) societal collapse. I'm always a fan of a "what if" story, and this book prompted several discussions with my husband about what we would have done if this scenario played out in the real world...
There's a very good exploration of the human condition, with some provocative musings on what the pandemic means not only for the human race, but for the earth itself.
As for the plot, it's an enjoyable and gripping personal story, zooming in on The Man, his struggles, history and relationships, and how he copes and survives in this new reality. The interspersing of diary entries with current evens was done well - although I was a little confused about them being out of order at first - unravelling what led to his relationship with Lucy breaking down, and how he survived those first few months after everything collapsed.
The action is done well, with genuinely tense moments and the violence and danger you might expect from such a setting. The surprises in the hospital were a great twist, ratcheting up the sense of danger to great effect. Saying that, I do wish that the events after the hospital were explored a little more, as the story comes to a bit of an abrupt ending for me, even with the quasi-epilogue we're given (although I do like the teaser of what's to come for Lucy and Eve...). I think the setting Arrowsmith has created could be a really rich storytelling source, and I just wish he'd scratched at the surface a little more and fleshed this particular story out into a deeper and more satisfying novel. As the book stands now, it is more a novella with a short - albeit gripping - story that I definitely enjoyed and would recommend for fans of the post-apocalyptic.
Corona is an intriguing vision of what may have happened if the coronavirus pandemic escalated even further to national (and perhaps even global?) societal collapse. I'm always a fan of a "what if" story, and this book prompted several discussions with my husband about what we would have done if this scenario played out in the real world...
There's a very good exploration of the human condition, with some provocative musings on what the pandemic means not only for the human race, but for the earth itself.
As for the plot, it's an enjoyable and gripping personal story, zooming in on The Man, his struggles, history and relationships, and how he copes and survives in this new reality. The interspersing of diary entries with current evens was done well - although I was a little confused about them being out of order at first - unravelling what led to his relationship with Lucy breaking down, and how he survived those first few months after everything collapsed.
The action is done well, with genuinely tense moments and the violence and danger you might expect from such a setting. The surprises in the hospital were a great twist, ratcheting up the sense of danger to great effect. Saying that, I do wish that the events after the hospital were explored a little more, as the story comes to a bit of an abrupt ending for me, even with the quasi-epilogue we're given (although I do like the teaser of what's to come for Lucy and Eve...). I think the setting Arrowsmith has created could be a really rich storytelling source, and I just wish he'd scratched at the surface a little more and fleshed this particular story out into a deeper and more satisfying novel. As the book stands now, it is more a novella with a short - albeit gripping - story that I definitely enjoyed and would recommend for fans of the post-apocalyptic.
August 14, 2024
I’m not usually a fan of post-apocalyptic stories (the 21st century already feels dystopian enough for me). But having been impressed by David Arrowsmith’s writing in Nevada Noir, I decided to give ‘Corona’ a whirl. Very glad I did, too. This is excellent stuff.
In many ways, the structure never gave me a chance to dwell on genre preferences, the rotating points-of-view injecting the sort of momentum where all you need do is buckle up (especially if in a creaking ambulance pursued by a crazed gang of scavengers).
The ‘suspension of disbelief’ so key to any alternative reality? That too is nicely achieved by making the early lockdown descriptions so familiar: increased birdsong, vague plans for self-sufficiency, an uptick in home drinking etc. The effect, whenever this version of history lurches into far darker territory, is to make it feel all too plausible.
Corona has a neatness to the small cast of well-drawn characters that sometimes felt like an intimate play, a collapsing society juxtaposed with the minutiae of a collapsing relationship. On the flip side, some sequences were so vividly cinematic only the big screen could do them justice.
Whichever adaptation I was picturing, when it came to the central plot twist in the hospital, all I can say is that it was an absolute humdinger – I did NOT see that coming.
Having picked my jaw back off the floor, the subsequent peril and action was satisfyingly pulse-raising, the dénouement nuanced and thought-provoking (having made it through all that dystopia, perhaps I craved a Disney ending!).
As for the final diary entry – very clever indeed. The end of one story and the start of another? We shall see.
In many ways, the structure never gave me a chance to dwell on genre preferences, the rotating points-of-view injecting the sort of momentum where all you need do is buckle up (especially if in a creaking ambulance pursued by a crazed gang of scavengers).
The ‘suspension of disbelief’ so key to any alternative reality? That too is nicely achieved by making the early lockdown descriptions so familiar: increased birdsong, vague plans for self-sufficiency, an uptick in home drinking etc. The effect, whenever this version of history lurches into far darker territory, is to make it feel all too plausible.
Corona has a neatness to the small cast of well-drawn characters that sometimes felt like an intimate play, a collapsing society juxtaposed with the minutiae of a collapsing relationship. On the flip side, some sequences were so vividly cinematic only the big screen could do them justice.
Whichever adaptation I was picturing, when it came to the central plot twist in the hospital, all I can say is that it was an absolute humdinger – I did NOT see that coming.
Having picked my jaw back off the floor, the subsequent peril and action was satisfyingly pulse-raising, the dénouement nuanced and thought-provoking (having made it through all that dystopia, perhaps I craved a Disney ending!).
As for the final diary entry – very clever indeed. The end of one story and the start of another? We shall see.
September 28, 2023
Corona
A dystopia with a twist?
It’s good, a page turner- kept me interested(enthralled?) on my flights to and from Lofoten. About a three-hour read.
Arrowsmith doesn’t give too much away too early and I can see that he probably had alternative endings, there’s plenty of action, brutal survivalist necessities of the brutal new world, interesting characters and I liked the development of his protagonist.
Do I detect a bit of vegan idealism? There’s animals around why wouldn’t they eat them (parrot stew, cat is supposedly chicken-like).
I would love to read Corona 2 and it’s got the makings of a top selling series!

A dystopia with a twist?
It’s good, a page turner- kept me interested(enthralled?) on my flights to and from Lofoten. About a three-hour read.
Arrowsmith doesn’t give too much away too early and I can see that he probably had alternative endings, there’s plenty of action, brutal survivalist necessities of the brutal new world, interesting characters and I liked the development of his protagonist.
Do I detect a bit of vegan idealism? There’s animals around why wouldn’t they eat them (parrot stew, cat is supposedly chicken-like).
I would love to read Corona 2 and it’s got the makings of a top selling series!

August 6, 2023
Gripping thriller of a post-apocalyptic world that might have been had the pandemic taken another turn. Arrowsmith keeps you on your toes, revealing just enough information for you to comfortably follow the storyline but holding back key pieces of the puzzle so that you want to read more. I read the entire novel in a single day. The prose is deft and vivid, without being overwritten. A great follow-up to the sparkling debut that was Nevada Noir and I look forward to the sequel!
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June 16, 2024Disclaimer: I read this as a judge for SPSFC#3, as part of the Wayward Stars team. However, the following is my own personal review and does not reflect on the teams score.
This was an intriguing title for the Wayward Stars team. The cover was enough to draw me in; I loved the gritty feeling to it and the contrasting colour palate. The book is fairly short at just over 200 pages and has a very interesting premise - a post-apocalyptic tale following the COVID pandemic. A man (or The Man as the blurb says) is stuck in his high rise flat in London following the Covid-19 pandemic. Here, the initial wave proves to be more brutal than we saw and leads to a fundamental breakdown in the fabric of society. The Man is living a solitary life until he is persuaded to leave the safety of his flat to find his pregnant ex-wife.
The story is told from a mixture of present day segments and flashbacks. This did lead to a bit of confusion, as it wasn't always clear which timeframe we were in. We see from the flashbacks what has led to his current position and what he would have done differently. As I said, the premise was fairly intriguing but I didn't think the plot matched the hype. There was a fair bit of action and quite a lot of gore (the ambulance and lamppost scene springs to mind) but I wasn't really sure what the point was. What was our Man trying to achieve? To begin with that was self-evident but this passed by and it all when a bit hazy. Did it want to be an action book? Did it was to be a study in human nature? I didn't know then and I still don't. There was some clarity towards the end but not enough to justify most of the book.
Our man protagonist is the Man - we never learn his name. During this story, he deals with his ex-wife giving birth in a weirdly empty hospital that still has an ambulance running, the man she ran off with coming back to stalk her and a doctor who is not what he seems. That's not including all the gangs that are lurking around his flat, waiting to take everything for themselves or the starving half-feral animals running about. I mean, that is a lot for anyone. But in all that, I never really liked him and I never really connected with his story. In fact, I felt that with all the characters. The decisions they made were dubious and their actions did not make me sympathetic to their cause. That lack of connection made sure I was never super involved with the plot.
Maybe this could have been a better book (for me) if it was longer. Maybe that would have allowed the characters and the plot to become more intertwined and cohesive. Or maybe not. I felt that the premise had a lot of promise but the characters let it down and in the end, it wasn't for me.
This was an intriguing title for the Wayward Stars team. The cover was enough to draw me in; I loved the gritty feeling to it and the contrasting colour palate. The book is fairly short at just over 200 pages and has a very interesting premise - a post-apocalyptic tale following the COVID pandemic. A man (or The Man as the blurb says) is stuck in his high rise flat in London following the Covid-19 pandemic. Here, the initial wave proves to be more brutal than we saw and leads to a fundamental breakdown in the fabric of society. The Man is living a solitary life until he is persuaded to leave the safety of his flat to find his pregnant ex-wife.
The story is told from a mixture of present day segments and flashbacks. This did lead to a bit of confusion, as it wasn't always clear which timeframe we were in. We see from the flashbacks what has led to his current position and what he would have done differently. As I said, the premise was fairly intriguing but I didn't think the plot matched the hype. There was a fair bit of action and quite a lot of gore (the ambulance and lamppost scene springs to mind) but I wasn't really sure what the point was. What was our Man trying to achieve? To begin with that was self-evident but this passed by and it all when a bit hazy. Did it want to be an action book? Did it was to be a study in human nature? I didn't know then and I still don't. There was some clarity towards the end but not enough to justify most of the book.
Our man protagonist is the Man - we never learn his name. During this story, he deals with his ex-wife giving birth in a weirdly empty hospital that still has an ambulance running, the man she ran off with coming back to stalk her and a doctor who is not what he seems. That's not including all the gangs that are lurking around his flat, waiting to take everything for themselves or the starving half-feral animals running about. I mean, that is a lot for anyone. But in all that, I never really liked him and I never really connected with his story. In fact, I felt that with all the characters. The decisions they made were dubious and their actions did not make me sympathetic to their cause. That lack of connection made sure I was never super involved with the plot.
Maybe this could have been a better book (for me) if it was longer. Maybe that would have allowed the characters and the plot to become more intertwined and cohesive. Or maybe not. I felt that the premise had a lot of promise but the characters let it down and in the end, it wasn't for me.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews