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Europe Has Fallen
In 1879 Europe will change forever. Something is rising in the east and it will consume everything in its path. Captain Charles Hayward could be our last hope. A small fort in the Carpathian Mountains comes under a savage attack from a super-pack of wolves. It ends as quickly as it began, leaving many unanswered questions. The inhabitants of the fort use this window to escape, but find farms abandoned, villages empty and a strange silence. This changes at the Uzhok pass where they encounter something very different. Captain Hayward will now play his part in the cat and mouse retreat and where Europe will fight for her very survival. He must help lead this band of civilians and Royal Engineers on an epic journey through a disintegrating Europe. Where every dark forest looks on menacingly, every sound treated with caution. They must follow the path home, but with something close to his heart nearby, choices will have to be made.This is part 1 of the trilogy
- GenresHorror
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2012
125 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 15, 2016
Excitement at every turn
From the beginning to the end, Gouriet keeps an exciting pace. If you like historical thrillers with more than a dash of the paranormal, look no further. Though the writing style seems stilted, you will soon be drawn into this gripping tale of war, zombies, and human emotions.
From the beginning to the end, Gouriet keeps an exciting pace. If you like historical thrillers with more than a dash of the paranormal, look no further. Though the writing style seems stilted, you will soon be drawn into this gripping tale of war, zombies, and human emotions.
June 18, 2018
I could not put this book down
I read this story in one setting. You could feel the fear and terror caused by the invading creatures as you fought in retreat across Europe...
I read this story in one setting. You could feel the fear and terror caused by the invading creatures as you fought in retreat across Europe...
February 20, 2017
The premise of this novel is a good one--an evil is invading Europe from the East steamrolling over everything in its path. The story principally follows a regiment of English Engineers and their Austrian counterparts as they make their way from the Carpathian Mountains fleeing from the hordes that are close on their heels.
Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, it falls apart in the little things.
1) This needs some serious editing. Grammatical errors abound and though they are not detrimental to the story, each does distract from the reading experience.
2) The author tends to rely on telling rather than showing. There are scenes interspersed throughout the novel that focus on one or two characters' thoughts and/or interactions. However, there is way too much exposition even in these parts to make this a really enjoyable book.
All in all, the story is an interesting one, but poor execution really holds it back.
Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, it falls apart in the little things.
1) This needs some serious editing. Grammatical errors abound and though they are not detrimental to the story, each does distract from the reading experience.
2) The author tends to rely on telling rather than showing. There are scenes interspersed throughout the novel that focus on one or two characters' thoughts and/or interactions. However, there is way too much exposition even in these parts to make this a really enjoyable book.
All in all, the story is an interesting one, but poor execution really holds it back.
July 17, 2019
Really enjoyed this book and the sequel. Can’t wait for the final book of the trilogy.
February 24, 2018
Review to come
November 22, 2021
Interesting historical fiction
With a combination of zombies, military forces and the backdrop of war, Mr. Gouriet weaves a interesting historical fiction narrative. We are given a good idea of what the horrors of war do not only to the soldiers but civilians and countries as well. The action was intense with lots of jump cuts allowing the audience to see a lot of different sides. Interesting concept and was carried out well.
With a combination of zombies, military forces and the backdrop of war, Mr. Gouriet weaves a interesting historical fiction narrative. We are given a good idea of what the horrors of war do not only to the soldiers but civilians and countries as well. The action was intense with lots of jump cuts allowing the audience to see a lot of different sides. Interesting concept and was carried out well.
March 30, 2025
The beast from the east .....some with 2 heads .
Reasons ...who cares ...just go with the flow , evil baddies, plucky Brits far from home ....stiff upper lip time backed up with good old Sheffield steel ...first half ends in a bit of a drubbing ...but I'm sure a good cup of tea and a stern talking to will bring a second half revival ...Huuuzzzaaahhh .
Reasons ...who cares ...just go with the flow , evil baddies, plucky Brits far from home ....stiff upper lip time backed up with good old Sheffield steel ...first half ends in a bit of a drubbing ...but I'm sure a good cup of tea and a stern talking to will bring a second half revival ...Huuuzzzaaahhh .
July 12, 2025
Truly awful, very badly written, desperately needs an editor and someone who knows how to write. Really started to resent it towards the end and how much time and money I had wasted on it.
April 10, 2026
I’m a big fan of alternate history books. I’ve enjoyed both the what if the Stuarts and Jacobite rebellion were Vampires (William Meikle Watchers series) or Aliens landed in World War 2 (Harry Turtledove World War series). So zombies/flesh eaters in Victorian Europe seems an intriguing prospect.
The problem is the execution of this is poor. One huge weakness is the book has a very detached, informative “report” type style. Whilst this works for the opening chapter, where you think that you are reading an account of a doomed outpost’s last stand, when you realize the whole book is in this vein it becomes a barrier to the novel. It’s the opposite of immersive. It reads more like a Wikipedia recount of a novel than the novel itself.
This isn’t helped by bland characters, with very little depth to them (and any depth provided again reads more like a report card/brief than anything else), weak dialogue and repetitive action/plot. I’ve multiple issues with the plot from the excessive convenience of supplies whenever needed through to some unlikely choices by all parties involved.
The bad guys speak like a child’s cartoon villain further undermining the credibility of the whole book. Then there’s the forces of darkness themselves. There are so many different types of bad guy that you are struggling to believe or buy into it. If the flesh eaters were it, that would be one thing but on top of that there’s all sorts of other unusual beasts leaving the villains looking overdone and implausible. The whole purpose of what if books is to change one thing – albeit a big thing which has a massive impact. Adding in a whole new menagerie of monsters overwhelms the readers “buy in” to the series completely.
There are a couple of decent action scenes, which if not brilliantly reported are quite good settings, and the author does leave a number of questions unanswered. But it’s nowhere near enough to entice me to read the next book.
1 star
The problem is the execution of this is poor. One huge weakness is the book has a very detached, informative “report” type style. Whilst this works for the opening chapter, where you think that you are reading an account of a doomed outpost’s last stand, when you realize the whole book is in this vein it becomes a barrier to the novel. It’s the opposite of immersive. It reads more like a Wikipedia recount of a novel than the novel itself.
This isn’t helped by bland characters, with very little depth to them (and any depth provided again reads more like a report card/brief than anything else), weak dialogue and repetitive action/plot. I’ve multiple issues with the plot from the excessive convenience of supplies whenever needed through to some unlikely choices by all parties involved.
The bad guys speak like a child’s cartoon villain further undermining the credibility of the whole book. Then there’s the forces of darkness themselves. There are so many different types of bad guy that you are struggling to believe or buy into it. If the flesh eaters were it, that would be one thing but on top of that there’s all sorts of other unusual beasts leaving the villains looking overdone and implausible. The whole purpose of what if books is to change one thing – albeit a big thing which has a massive impact. Adding in a whole new menagerie of monsters overwhelms the readers “buy in” to the series completely.
There are a couple of decent action scenes, which if not brilliantly reported are quite good settings, and the author does leave a number of questions unanswered. But it’s nowhere near enough to entice me to read the next book.
1 star
April 9, 2026
A fun read, with a potentially interesting story. However it is rather marred by the quality of the writing, which is clunky and flat. The characters are wafer thin and there isn't really any development in how they deal with the horrifying circumstances they find themselves in. There is also a lot of repetition of phrasing.
Saying that, I am a sucker for zombie stories and despite the issues with the book, I did quite enjoy it and I would like to see where it goes, so will be reading the next part.
Saying that, I am a sucker for zombie stories and despite the issues with the book, I did quite enjoy it and I would like to see where it goes, so will be reading the next part.
April 10, 2026
Give it a try
I had little expectation for this story. It was cheap and thought why not. It is good story with plenty of action though it could do with a little more expansion in regards to the details of the battles. Hoping the next book adds a little more background.
It was a good purchase.
I had little expectation for this story. It was cheap and thought why not. It is good story with plenty of action though it could do with a little more expansion in regards to the details of the battles. Hoping the next book adds a little more background.
It was a good purchase.
June 17, 2025
Something a bit different
Whilst the writing style does not always seem to flow quite smoothly, the story pulls you in and drags you along, from the Carpathians to the coast of France. A solid read, and looking forward to the next instalment.
Whilst the writing style does not always seem to flow quite smoothly, the story pulls you in and drags you along, from the Carpathians to the coast of France. A solid read, and looking forward to the next instalment.
November 3, 2018
Awful writing, gave up after one chapter
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews