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Michael Evans is only in rural St. Davids to maintain a low profile after his time spent as a city cop ended in disaster. The town is perfect for him: isolated. A tiny population. Virtually no crime.

Until the night the strange canisters fall from the sky and the town priest starts killing people with his teeth. To Michael, the bloodbath looks like a murder case that the quiet town's two police officers can't possibly handle.

But this isn't just a crime scene.

And the priest is just the beginning...

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 31, 2013

442 people are currently reading
2513 people want to read

About the author

K.R. Griffiths

17 books146 followers
Born the son of a wealthy philanthropist, Griffiths was orphaned by crime at a formative age, and subsequently raised by the family's kindly butler.

Nursing a bone-deep rage at the loss of his parents, Griffiths invested his inherited billions into extensive combat training and the development of sophisticated technology which he now uses to bring justice to the streets of -

No, wait. That's Batman. Sheesh. I always do this.

I was born in Wales, and lost myself in books as soon as I discovered them. That kid who hangs out in the library. Yeah, that was me.

I never wanted to be anything other than a writer/superhero and eventually I moved to London, finding work as a journalist and editor, before turning to writing horror and science fiction, and being continually amazed that people actually read it.

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5 stars
318 (22%)
4 stars
447 (31%)
3 stars
450 (31%)
2 stars
146 (10%)
1 star
60 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
Profile Image for Kira Simion.
917 reviews145 followers
November 12, 2015
Literally it took me a month to finish...

I am an emotional reader. While I am stoic in public, my leisure time is spent trying to feel more than just a gap where my heart should be. I want to cry when the character(s) cry, laugh when they do, and etc.

When this started the story was doing well. There was plenty of action, the characters started to seem interesting, and I wanted to know more.

As I continued to read, I began returning to the book at a slower and slower pace, not as eager to continue.

It was when I finally reached 58% that I lost focus and downloaded another book. A few days ago I started skimming. Sure it had good action scenes but, I didn't care about the people that were actually in the scenes.

3/5 stars.
Profile Image for Kristen.
285 reviews246 followers
January 31, 2014
Panic is definitely a different approach on the apocalyptic tales that have sprung up lately. After a mysterious canister lands in a small town, the residents begin to change into eyeless zombie-esque creatures from a seemingly blood-born illness/effect. The book often switches between different characters and their points of view, so it's hard to establish early on who's going to be the main character. A pet peeve of mine with this book, or maybe a stroke of genius on Griffiths part, was to get you invested in a character only for it to die. It occurs so much that I lost interest in becoming invested in any of the characters.

Towards the ending, you do see that a main character is established. But I was disappointed with the predictable ending and cliff hanger. A trigger warning should be included for a couple of the scenes at the end, as well.

This book is fast paced, though. I was surprised to notice how quickly I was reading it. Regardless of my pet peeves and dislikes, Griffiths knows how to keep the flow going well. There were a few editing mistakes (misspelled words and the like), but they are easily overlooked and forgiven.

All in all, Panic was a decent read. I would recommend it to the die-hard apocalyptic genre crowd. Though, I'm not interested enough to read the rest of the series.

**I was gifted this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for David Dalton.
3,039 reviews
February 3, 2016
I liked this book. I thought it was very well written and certainly set up a spooky/creepy mood. Not really a zombie story, but more like the movie Crazies. Gruesome at times, but it fits the story. I picked up the first two books in this series for free and I now suspect I will end up getting all six books in this series.

I am now "following" the author and used Kindle Unlimited to start on Adrift by K.R. Griffiths , which is getting off to a very gruesome start.
Profile Image for Dawn.
1,211 reviews53 followers
July 5, 2017
I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I thought it might be something light-weight I could read to have a break from fast-paced and action-packed... Oops!
There are quite a few typos (missing words, poor punctuation in places, etc.) especially as you get further along in the story - I guess even the editor/proof readers were excited by the story.
K.R. Griffiths manages to weave the backstories of the characters into the action (which I find very skilled), and there's almost no let up in the action.
There's a couple of real shocks in store too... but I won't say anything else about that.
Read it as soon as you can.
Profile Image for Tere J.
266 reviews3 followers
June 9, 2015
So I'm mixed on this. At 15% in I fell out laughing, texted my friend who was also reading this - and couldn't believe where a POV came from. Knowing it won't cause spoilers - it was the dog. Since I couldn't stop talking bout that chapter, and the fact the dog had a POV, it's why I gave this 2 stars. I'm still talking about it, and know I will mention it again!

Intriguing concept, how a virus infects this tiny British town, but I swear I didn't feel it was consistent how people were infected, it seemed that some were direct contact, where as others were in the same room. Maybe other books in the series answer that question.

It was a quick read if you could get thru the detail, and a few sections made it amusing. It does go thru a bunch of characters and their impacts. The final chapter is what did me in. (my friend, who thought he finished the book before me, and told me to quit reading, but I had finished it as well). To quote the book directly (and the book had it referenced plenty of times) it "didn't add up".

This book had no resolution. And I don't mean it left cliffhangers, I mean what was discussed in the epilog was never referenced again - so it definitely seems that the next book in the series must continue the story.

I'm not rating this book at all for that style - some series books do have a conclusion to a main storyline, and the other books may have a new story line but continue with characters or other characters, so the series ties. This is NOT that. This is definitely, tell you a story, some people die, but the question you have at the end of chapter 1 you will have a the end of the book. I'm not a fan of series like that; because it would be obvious that book 2 would end the same way, and I don't wish to put the investment into THIS series. This first book wasn't that strong to keep my interest. But again.. LOVED that dog's POV..
Profile Image for Jonathan Currinn (Good Star Vibes).
247 reviews10 followers
January 20, 2016
Now this was amazing, a free book from Amazon, and it's exactly what I've been looking for. Totally gripping, a zombie novel I fully enjoyed!

So much to love about this story... Where to start...

In the world we're currently living in, supernatural creatures and the paranormal are extremely popular, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches the list is endless, but what hasn't really kicked off is zombies. Zombies are ugly scary things that usually ends the human race. There's been no different zombie so far, they're all the same and so not much description is needed as we all know what they are and what they are all about.

This story may not exactly turn the typical zombie story on it's head, however it does bring out extremely interesting points. There's a narrative from a zombie itself, for a whole chapter. And don't even get me started on the narrative from the dog who also turns into a zombie. That is just out of this world bonkers yet brilliant idea.

The story also paints an evil human, I love how this has become common in zombie stories, there is always a human being much worse than a zombie, one who would be better off as a zombie than being human as he is pure evil. Again, the author is brilliant because we get a few narrative chapters from the evil guy himself. We know exactly what he is thinking and answers most of our questions about him.

There are some pure amazing descriptions, that literally transported me into each scene. K.R. Griffiths has done a brilliant job, and if anyone asks me to recommend a zombie book to them, Panic will be the first word to escape my lips. This is a zombie book, zombie lovers NEED to read!

Thankfully Amazon gave me a link to the next book in the series, and I bought the ebook straight away, can't wait to start the next story in the series!
Profile Image for Mya.
Author 31 books193 followers
January 30, 2015
While I enjoyed this opening novel in the 'Wildfire Chronicles,' I have to admit that the overwhelming backstory, flashbacks and introspection drags the narrative down considerably. When sightless, infected monstrosities are chasing a character, the reader does not want to know about all of their failings in life, their goals and dreams either. The action (which is really poignant) is stunted by cutscenes that take away the edge of excitement, I feel. It's not that I don't mind a good character reflection, on a seasoning of backstory but for main characters, not for every character, zombie-chow included.

Don't get me wrong though, this book was entertaining. The notion of a zombie/mutant outbreak in a small town in Wales, UK (not exactly known for having liberal gun ownership-police included) gives a whole new outlook on the bullet-heavy apocolyptic fiction I have been gobbling up as of late, so I will be moving on to the next book in the series with curiousity and eagerness.
Profile Image for Alison G..
168 reviews5 followers
February 4, 2014
This book just wasnt my cup of tea. Its the first book in the Wildfire series by Griffiths. I guess Im not as into zombies as i thought i was.

Rachel comes home from college to celebrate her dads birthday. When she gets home she finds her father in the basement, dead. At this time her brother comes in the house. They cant find their mom, so they go off into town looking for her. This is where all hell breaks loose. Zombies start ovettaking the small town of St. David, Wales.

While this was going, police officer Michael was going through his own troubles with the zombies. Eventually Michael, Rachel and Jason (the brother) meet up and try to figure out what is going on.

Its a pretty short book, but if you arent into zombies like i thought i was, it might take you a while to get through.
Profile Image for John Podlaski.
Author 11 books68 followers
January 14, 2015
Panic offers a different twist on the zombie apocalypse - canisters from the heavens cause this pandemic - once infected, zombies lose their eyes but their remaining senses are enhanced - smell being the most potent. Zombies chasing the living...the living hiding...all set in a small town in England. It was difficult for me to get through this book, and I concur with other reviewers that this story was extremely wordy and slow in between action scenes, eventually causing me to lose interest. I did make it to the end, but It took me much longer when compared to other books in this genre. As a result, I won't be continuing with this series.

John Podlaski, authorr
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
Profile Image for Katrina G.
721 reviews38 followers
January 26, 2016
What I liked about this book: Right from the get go there was something going on. Even thr prologue started with a precher turned zombie killing his wife. There was a lot of action going on and that was really nice.

What I didn't like about this book: Almost every chapter introduced characters, only for them to be dead by the end of the chapter with the exception of a few people. This made it hard to come to like characters, and to figure out who the main characters actually were.

All in all, I think this was a pretty good zombie story, but then the end just got a little weird with that Victor guy. I know he was supposed to be some crazy creator of this whole disease, but I feel like a lot of what happened while they were in the bunker didn't need to happen.
Profile Image for Liz.
2 reviews
June 26, 2013
This is pretty impressive for a first novel. I liked the characters, and the plot moves along at a good, fast pace, dragging the reader along with it. Its suspenseful, and very difficult to finish a chapter without being sucked into the next one. Nice, underused setting for this type of story too.

I'd have liked to have spent a bit more time with one of the characters, and for me personally I could have stood it being a bit more gory, but the level of gore is enough for an adult, and not too much for a young adult. These are minor quibbles really. Well worth a read and it ends with a hint of a sequel which I'll definitely get if/when it comes!
Profile Image for Alicia Huxtable.
1,899 reviews60 followers
November 12, 2016
The rating is only 2 due to not being able to completely finish this book. I believe it would have been a great horror read but I wasn't able to stomach it. In saying this, the part of the story I did read was extremely well written, that I could imagine the gore in my head.
Profile Image for Dana.
10 reviews1 follower
May 17, 2017
This is the second book by K.R. Griffiths that I've finished in the last three days. I am in love with this author's style of writing and the imaginative way he can spin a twisted yarn and have me hanging on every word. I literally stay up half of the night while enjoying peace and quiet, just to consume his terror-filled worlds of unspeakable horror.

Panic is a zombie story that I assumed would closely resemble all of the others on the "trendy horror" market of today. It actually does, and yet it doesn't. It's familiar, but not overly complex. It breathes a breath of fresh air into a genre subject that has been slaughtered, buried, dug back up, and then murdered again. In a lot of zombie stories, there is too much backstory, too much guessing, too many characters, and not enough substance. I am pleased to say that Panic is the perfect mixture of zombie appeal and actual story-telling.

The small community of St. David's in Wales is a quiet place that time and technology have all but forgotten. This quaint little setting is the beginning of a story shrouded in chaos, gore, fright, and shock. After an aerial drop of unknown sources penetrates the silent night sky in the sleepy little town, a local pastor's wife awakens to an awful discovery about her loving husband. The beginning........

From there, the story skyrockets into the most gruesome domino display ever concocted. A town turned upside down...from heaven to hell in the blink of an eye.
It's a world we all fear. It's a scenario we all question.....it's the most terrifying "what if".

Do yourself a huge favor and take a bite out of book one of the Wildfire Chronicles. Chew the fat and savor the flavor. I just know it will only get juicier from here.
Profile Image for Patti.
2,106 reviews
February 3, 2020
What I really hated about this:

The method of infection was not consistent. Maybe looking at what fell, maybe a bite, maybe just being near the infected.
Cross-species infection was mentioned, with a chapter devoted to the POV of an infected dog, then completely forgotten. I hate cross-species infection, anyway.
Speaking of the dog chapter, in his chapter, he had "memories" despite apparently being infected. Yet humans had none, other than a supposed link to their family members.
Strong woman introduced only to become rape fodder.
Big strong Jason hears his sister being raped repeatedly, but does nothing because he's catatonic. Hears Victor taunting Michael about his infected ex-wife and missing daughter and wakes the fuck up and kills Victor.
Michael becoming paralyzed. Seriously?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for RJ.
2,044 reviews13 followers
October 31, 2020
Canisters falling from the sky, infecting people, turning them into raging zombies. The apocalypse develops and escalates, yet little more is discussed about the canisters. Are they an alien weapon of judgment sent to reset the earth? Perhaps a malfunctioned weaponized virus delivery system went off course? Something to be reexamined later no doubt. We’re introduced to Michael Evans and the small group of survivors who will be traveling with him. Follow along as the usual string of events present. Ultimately, our survivors come upon a potential savior as they run for their lives through the forest. Savior or oppressor? Three.point.five for potential. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Profile Image for YoliYearnsReads.
24 reviews
August 12, 2017
Not bad

Not a bad book. Story line was a little weird sometimes and stuff developed a little too quickly or slowly. There was unnecessary detailed information about mundane things. I hated how the main character became crippled and it makes the story definately seem fake and I relatable. Because there is no way in that new society that someone who cannot walk woukd survive. I found it also interesting how Jason just snapped out of his shock with no real important stimuli. He heard his sister raped multiple times and nothing and then he suddenly snapped out of it? Weird. Anyways not bad. Not sure if I wanna continue reading though.
Profile Image for Krisaundra.
218 reviews13 followers
October 3, 2017
Intriguing Concept

I found the concept of how the world, or at least the people, suddenly changed to lead to a mass elimination of them to be a well thought out idea. The characters in the story are well rounded and engaging. However, for me the overall story seems to have a drawn out, slow feel to it making it hard to get fully pulled into the story. Hopefully book two will be different now that the overall ground work and back story have been laid out.
Profile Image for Matt Egan.
597 reviews4 followers
February 20, 2024
Good opening gambit

This isn't a "standard" zombie outbreak novel, the Infected blind themselves as of yet inexplicably, yet hunt and behave more like those from a 28 Days Later manor than a Walking Dead type. Characters are well written, complex, stronger than initially implied. A particularly unique character is involved. Better written than many other works in the Zombie Canon. I'm looking forward to the next installment!
Profile Image for Janis.
566 reviews12 followers
February 1, 2017
Definitely different - I wasn't sure if it was an alien invasion, zombie apocalypse or biological terrorist attack. It's sort of all three really, no little green men, but a rage virus that will bring humanity to its knees and society to an end. Our survivors have plenty of obstacles in their way, not the least of which are the Infected and those who set of this disaster.
Profile Image for kathy bracy.
213 reviews11 followers
September 18, 2017
Very well written

I really liked this book. A manufactured virus turns most of the people of st Davids into mindless animals killing their fellow humans. Michael is a policeman who is having food in the local cafe when the priest walks in holding his wife's decapitated head. A bit gory for me personally but still excellent and I want to read the series for what happens next.
Profile Image for B.E..
Author 20 books61 followers
June 3, 2018
Good bit of horror fiction set in a tiny town in Wales, which made it a little more personalized I think. Zombie-like, but not with actual zombies. Mutants created by some kind of canisters dropping from the sky that make people insane and bloodthirsty. Not my typical read, but I enjoyed reading it.
1 review
January 21, 2018
Interesting

I chose this rating because it kept me sucked in for so long that I felt like I was in their world with the imagery my brain was producing. I read this book in about 4 days!
Profile Image for Teresa.
1,900 reviews35 followers
October 14, 2019
Not a bad book, but I dislike endings that have tied up nothing. I bought the first 3 books on an Amazon special.

It was interesting enough that I wanted to read “Shock “ which sucked, a useless way to make you pay for something that does not advance the story at all.
Profile Image for Lindsey Malick.
197 reviews2 followers
October 17, 2020
The premise of the book was interesting but too much stuff was thrown into the book.
An idyllic small town turns into zombies and mauls everyone they meet.

I think the rest of the series will expand on this opening battle and could do it well but I'm not interested enough.
1 review
April 1, 2021
Not terrible, not great... In general not a bad storyline, and not terribly predictable, but some chapters felt rushed while others felt drawn out. I can’t put my finger on what exactly was off in the book... perhaps just not my style.
Profile Image for Richard Mendenhall.
106 reviews2 followers
January 26, 2025
Not for me

I finished it so I gave it 3 stars for being interesting enough to keep me reading, but zombie stories just aren't for me and had I known it was a zombie story (sort of) I probably would not have started it.
Profile Image for Marjorie.
60 reviews1 follower
March 14, 2017
It's a bit like the Walking Dead

I think the writer had a hard time getting this book going. As I said it has a little Walking Dead going with it
9 reviews
August 18, 2017
Great read!

Caught me from the first chapter! Plenty of scares and a storyline that is easy to follow. You can ask for more in a good zombie novel!!
70 reviews
June 12, 2018
This was very good

Loved the story loved the characters I hope to be able to read more of your work as they become free
Profile Image for jonathan sanford.
190 reviews1 follower
June 28, 2018
Brilliant story

Brilliant book and well worth a read. I couldn't put it down. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
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