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Din Eidyn Corpus #1
dEaDINBURGH: Vantage
Edinburgh, 1645:
The bubonic plague rages. In a desperate attempt to quarantine the infected, the city leaders seal the residents of Mary King's Close in their underground homes.
2015:
Mary King's Close is reopened, unleashing a mutated plague upon the city residents.
The UK government seals the entire city. Declaring it a dead zone they seal the survivors inside alongside the infected. dEaDINBURGH is declared a no man's land, its residents left for dead and to the dead.
2050:
Joseph MacLeod, born onto the cobbles of the Royal Mile and stolen from the clutches of the infected is determined to escape the quarantined city. Under the guidance of former –marine Padre Jock, he leaves the confines of the city centre and hones his archery and free-running skills.
Alys Shephard, born into an all-women farming community believes a cure lies in the south of the quarantined zone. The finest combatant in the dead city, Alys burns with anger. The anger of an abandoned child.
Something much worse than the infected waits for them in the south, in the form of a religious cult led by a madman named Somna who collects gruesome trophies and worships the dead body of a former celebrity. Added to this, the enigmatic Bracha, a supreme survivalist and sadistic former-Royal with his own agenda stalks the teenagers.
A self-contained story, dEaDINBURGH is a character-driven Young Adult/horror novel, exploring the human capacity for good, evil and for survival. Inspired by George A Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead', the works of Robert Kirkman and Jonahan Maberry's 'Rot and Ruin' series.
The bubonic plague rages. In a desperate attempt to quarantine the infected, the city leaders seal the residents of Mary King's Close in their underground homes.
2015:
Mary King's Close is reopened, unleashing a mutated plague upon the city residents.
The UK government seals the entire city. Declaring it a dead zone they seal the survivors inside alongside the infected. dEaDINBURGH is declared a no man's land, its residents left for dead and to the dead.
2050:
Joseph MacLeod, born onto the cobbles of the Royal Mile and stolen from the clutches of the infected is determined to escape the quarantined city. Under the guidance of former –marine Padre Jock, he leaves the confines of the city centre and hones his archery and free-running skills.
Alys Shephard, born into an all-women farming community believes a cure lies in the south of the quarantined zone. The finest combatant in the dead city, Alys burns with anger. The anger of an abandoned child.
Something much worse than the infected waits for them in the south, in the form of a religious cult led by a madman named Somna who collects gruesome trophies and worships the dead body of a former celebrity. Added to this, the enigmatic Bracha, a supreme survivalist and sadistic former-Royal with his own agenda stalks the teenagers.
A self-contained story, dEaDINBURGH is a character-driven Young Adult/horror novel, exploring the human capacity for good, evil and for survival. Inspired by George A Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead', the works of Robert Kirkman and Jonahan Maberry's 'Rot and Ruin' series.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2014
200 people are currently reading
2112 people want to read
About the author
Mark Wilson
15 books172 followersMark Wilson is the Amazon-bestselling author of ten works of fiction and one non-fiction memoir.
He also writes Psychological Thrillers under the pseudonym, CP Wilson.
Mark's short story 'Glass Ceiling' won first prize in May, 2015 on Spinetingler's Short story competition and will be included in Ryan Bracha's Twelve Nights at Table Six. dEaDINBURGH reached the quarter finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in 2014 and is a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, 2015.
Mark's works include:
Coming of Age - Bobby's Boy (Lanarkshire Strays).
Pyschological Thriller (Novella) - Head Boy (Lanarkshire Strays).
International Thriller - Naebody's Hero (Lanarkshire Strays).
Science Fiction Thriller - The Man Who Sold His Son (Lanarkshire Strays).
Horror novels - dEaDINBURGH: Vantage, dEaDINBURGH: Alliances, dEaDINBURGH: Origins, dEaDINBURGH: Hunted.
Satire: On The Seventh Day
Psychological Satire: Wake Up And Smell The Coffin
Autobiography - Paddy's Daddy
Mark also writes Crime Thrillers under the pseudonym, CP Wilson.
Mark's acclaimed Lanarkshire Strays series are standalone novels and feature Mark's home county. Lanarkshire Strays is also available as an omnibus edition.
His novels have been well received and feature Scottish characters and locations.
Mark has several other stories in progress:
Alice - A Psychological Crime Thriller - Due February, 2017
The Headnet - Sci-Fi Dystopic Nightmare - Due Easter, 2017
AMSTERDAMned - Horror - Due 2017
Mark currently teaches Biology in a Fife secondary school and is founder of Paddy's Daddy Publishing, a company he set up to assist Scottish authors. He writes in his spare time, in lieu of sleep.
You can visit Mark at markwilsonbooks.com or facebook.com/markwilsonbooks
You can also connect with Mark on twitter: @markwilsonbooks
He also writes Psychological Thrillers under the pseudonym, CP Wilson.
Mark's short story 'Glass Ceiling' won first prize in May, 2015 on Spinetingler's Short story competition and will be included in Ryan Bracha's Twelve Nights at Table Six. dEaDINBURGH reached the quarter finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in 2014 and is a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, 2015.
Mark's works include:
Coming of Age - Bobby's Boy (Lanarkshire Strays).
Pyschological Thriller (Novella) - Head Boy (Lanarkshire Strays).
International Thriller - Naebody's Hero (Lanarkshire Strays).
Science Fiction Thriller - The Man Who Sold His Son (Lanarkshire Strays).
Horror novels - dEaDINBURGH: Vantage, dEaDINBURGH: Alliances, dEaDINBURGH: Origins, dEaDINBURGH: Hunted.
Satire: On The Seventh Day
Psychological Satire: Wake Up And Smell The Coffin
Autobiography - Paddy's Daddy
Mark also writes Crime Thrillers under the pseudonym, CP Wilson.
Mark's acclaimed Lanarkshire Strays series are standalone novels and feature Mark's home county. Lanarkshire Strays is also available as an omnibus edition.
His novels have been well received and feature Scottish characters and locations.
Mark has several other stories in progress:
Alice - A Psychological Crime Thriller - Due February, 2017
The Headnet - Sci-Fi Dystopic Nightmare - Due Easter, 2017
AMSTERDAMned - Horror - Due 2017
Mark currently teaches Biology in a Fife secondary school and is founder of Paddy's Daddy Publishing, a company he set up to assist Scottish authors. He writes in his spare time, in lieu of sleep.
You can visit Mark at markwilsonbooks.com or facebook.com/markwilsonbooks
You can also connect with Mark on twitter: @markwilsonbooks
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
August 13, 2016
3.75 “Being eaten by Zoms. It's different...LOL...” stars.
I would like to take a minute to appreciate the genius in the title. dEaD and EDINBURGH... get it?!
Joey was raised by the brotherhood, where they honour the dead- The Children of Elisha. He is given a choice, become one of the brothers or be fed to the Children of Elisha, he runs.
Alys was raised by her mother, and a community of women. She has been taught that men are weak and treat women like slaves, expecting them to come to their beck and call. Then she sees Joey escaping the brotherhood, and realises that they were wrong.
After Joey and Jock part ways, he meets with Alys again. Now 18, they have suffered the full extent of hardships of living a life with zombies, having to watch their every step, every breath. There are rumours of a cure, they only have to pass through the majority of the city, right next to the Exulted. They have to be careful or Somna will make them a trophy, a bird, ingrained in his skin. But what they find will change their lives forever...
Edinburgh is cornered off, a fence surrounding it, nobody in, nobody out. Or so they think. When the plague first hit, Jock believed that they would be rescued, when a cure was found, after all, we wouldn't be human if we didn't.
For the first decade of isolation, I always believed that, sooner or later they’d find a cure, that they would release us. I should have remembered my history.
Mark has given a unique take on zombies, where there was a plague in 1645 and so, some people took up residence underground, and they then had children... But they weren't really children, they were zombies, and have a distinctive mark on their cheek, just like those in the plague.
Because Alys and Joey have been brought up in a world without electricity, and a constant battle for survival, they don't know much about the world before. It's really interesting to see what it would be like in a world without electricity, TV's and even radios. My guess is a jammer must of been used for them.
The ending was really unique, and only to other books/movies have been like that are and neither of those are composed of zombies, so this idea is really interesting to me.
dEaDINBURGH is really fascinating, but is slow, so from 0-75% I would give it between 3 and 3.5, the time was spent wisely though, giving loads of world building. At 75% though, wow. An absolute masterpiece, and made my heart beat super fast, although it was a bit crammed, so for that part I would have given it a 4.75, overall around a 3.75-4, but decided on 3.75.
A copy of dEaDINBURGH was kindly provided to me by Mark Wilson, the author, in exchange for an honest review.
I would like to take a minute to appreciate the genius in the title. dEaD and EDINBURGH... get it?!
Joey was raised by the brotherhood, where they honour the dead- The Children of Elisha. He is given a choice, become one of the brothers or be fed to the Children of Elisha, he runs.
Alys was raised by her mother, and a community of women. She has been taught that men are weak and treat women like slaves, expecting them to come to their beck and call. Then she sees Joey escaping the brotherhood, and realises that they were wrong.
After Joey and Jock part ways, he meets with Alys again. Now 18, they have suffered the full extent of hardships of living a life with zombies, having to watch their every step, every breath. There are rumours of a cure, they only have to pass through the majority of the city, right next to the Exulted. They have to be careful or Somna will make them a trophy, a bird, ingrained in his skin. But what they find will change their lives forever...
Edinburgh is cornered off, a fence surrounding it, nobody in, nobody out. Or so they think. When the plague first hit, Jock believed that they would be rescued, when a cure was found, after all, we wouldn't be human if we didn't.
For the first decade of isolation, I always believed that, sooner or later they’d find a cure, that they would release us. I should have remembered my history.
Mark has given a unique take on zombies, where there was a plague in 1645 and so, some people took up residence underground, and they then had children... But they weren't really children, they were zombies, and have a distinctive mark on their cheek, just like those in the plague.
Because Alys and Joey have been brought up in a world without electricity, and a constant battle for survival, they don't know much about the world before. It's really interesting to see what it would be like in a world without electricity, TV's and even radios. My guess is a jammer must of been used for them.
The ending was really unique, and only to other books/movies have been like that are and neither of those are composed of zombies, so this idea is really interesting to me.
dEaDINBURGH is really fascinating, but is slow, so from 0-75% I would give it between 3 and 3.5, the time was spent wisely though, giving loads of world building. At 75% though, wow. An absolute masterpiece, and made my heart beat super fast, although it was a bit crammed, so for that part I would have given it a 4.75, overall around a 3.75-4, but decided on 3.75.
A copy of dEaDINBURGH was kindly provided to me by Mark Wilson, the author, in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2014
I was flattered to be asked to read this book by the author, Mark Wilson. Here is my honest review.
This was a really interesting take on the zombie plague. It is set in Edinburgh, Scotland in the near future. In current times, the plague is released when an old section of underground Edinburgh is opened after having been sealed since the days of the Black Plague in the 1600s. Unfortunately, there were some Black Plague survivors that had been trapped in this underground area and their progeny mutated into carriers of the zombie plague that takes Edinburgh by storm. Flash forward 40 years and we have the story of Joey, a boy being raised by a group of monks that worship the zombies, and Alys, a girl raised in a walled commune of women-only warriors. Joey and Alys eventually meet and become allies in finding and fighting a common enemy and in doing so discover the truth about the city they try so hard to survive in.
I really liked the setting and the descriptions of the crumbling city and the secret gardens and hidden communities were really interesting. It will be interesting to see what happens to these two now that they the reality behind their walled off city.
This was a really interesting take on the zombie plague. It is set in Edinburgh, Scotland in the near future. In current times, the plague is released when an old section of underground Edinburgh is opened after having been sealed since the days of the Black Plague in the 1600s. Unfortunately, there were some Black Plague survivors that had been trapped in this underground area and their progeny mutated into carriers of the zombie plague that takes Edinburgh by storm. Flash forward 40 years and we have the story of Joey, a boy being raised by a group of monks that worship the zombies, and Alys, a girl raised in a walled commune of women-only warriors. Joey and Alys eventually meet and become allies in finding and fighting a common enemy and in doing so discover the truth about the city they try so hard to survive in.
I really liked the setting and the descriptions of the crumbling city and the secret gardens and hidden communities were really interesting. It will be interesting to see what happens to these two now that they the reality behind their walled off city.
honestly-ill-never-get-around-to-it
June 4, 2014Books I would read purely for the author bio: "Mark left Bellshill Academy in 1991, qualification-free."
May 14, 2015
Perhaps more a 3.5 than an actual 4. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel, and will very likely pick volume 2 at some point.
While the theme of zombies is nothing new and has been overdone, especially in the past couple of years, dEdINBURGH's approach on it is character-driven enough for me to care about Joey and Alys, and wonder about all the people left in the city. There were some quirky ones in there, Bracha not being the only one. (I kind of liked Bracha, with his golfer attire and posh accent. Completely mad, and utterly dangerous, in the way I liked reading about. I wonder what happened to make him this way?)
The city itself was another strong point for me. I admit I'm probably being partial here, for the mere reason that for once, I could relate to the setting (I live in Edinburgh). After so many books set in US cities, being able to picture every place clearly, to compare with what Edinburgh is right now, was delightful in its own, twisted way. Areas I go through every day to go to work, abandoned buses, the Princes Street Gardens converted into a community and devoted to keeping actual gardens, the way basement flats were included (there are so many here)... It definitely influenced my enjoyment of this book, and I'm not going to hide it; conversely, though, it means that other readers may not like it as much if relating to the setting was an important point for them. (I think the descriptions were good enough in general to help picturing the setting even if you've never been there.)
I was somewhat sceptical about a few things: a couple of fight scenes, how the protagonists were able to escape infection (shouldn't it be too late as soon as you've been bitten?), some of the remnants of the former city--the plague spread 30 years prior to the beginning of the story, so should there still be ways of getting electricity or finding camping gear? On the other hand, the revelation at the end may also be an explanation: maybe those were actually left there with a purpose in mind (also, it's small enough a city, and a lot of people died in the beginning, so it can't be approached it with the usual "US setting with plenty of people left to loot stores" idea
I'm still balancing between 3 and 4 stars here, but for now, considering the genuine enjoyment it provided me with, and my undying love for Edinburgh that basically makes me squee every time the city's involved, let's round it up to 4.
While the theme of zombies is nothing new and has been overdone, especially in the past couple of years, dEdINBURGH's approach on it is character-driven enough for me to care about Joey and Alys, and wonder about all the people left in the city. There were some quirky ones in there, Bracha not being the only one. (I kind of liked Bracha, with his golfer attire and posh accent. Completely mad, and utterly dangerous, in the way I liked reading about. I wonder what happened to make him this way?)
The city itself was another strong point for me. I admit I'm probably being partial here, for the mere reason that for once, I could relate to the setting (I live in Edinburgh). After so many books set in US cities, being able to picture every place clearly, to compare with what Edinburgh is right now, was delightful in its own, twisted way. Areas I go through every day to go to work, abandoned buses, the Princes Street Gardens converted into a community and devoted to keeping actual gardens, the way basement flats were included (there are so many here)... It definitely influenced my enjoyment of this book, and I'm not going to hide it; conversely, though, it means that other readers may not like it as much if relating to the setting was an important point for them. (I think the descriptions were good enough in general to help picturing the setting even if you've never been there.)
I was somewhat sceptical about a few things: a couple of fight scenes, how the protagonists were able to escape infection (shouldn't it be too late as soon as you've been bitten?), some of the remnants of the former city--the plague spread 30 years prior to the beginning of the story, so should there still be ways of getting electricity or finding camping gear? On the other hand, the revelation at the end may also be an explanation: maybe those were actually left there with a purpose in mind (also, it's small enough a city, and a lot of people died in the beginning, so it can't be approached it with the usual "US setting with plenty of people left to loot stores" idea
I'm still balancing between 3 and 4 stars here, but for now, considering the genuine enjoyment it provided me with, and my undying love for Edinburgh that basically makes me squee every time the city's involved, let's round it up to 4.
May 27, 2014
This book was better than I expected it to be. Meaning no offence to the author by saying that, it's just that I can be pretty critical of Dystopian/Zombie novels because they are one of my favourite genres. However this action packed read didn't disappoint.
The pacing was good and the plot was intense. One thing I really enjoyed about this novel were all of the twists. They were really well done in that they were shocking but believable.
Overall this book is a great zombie adventure with fun twists and interesting characters. Can't wait for the sequel!
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
May 8, 2015
dEaDINBURGH: VantageDeadinburgh Vantage
Brilliantly I had no idea whatsoever when I picked up this book on kindle (ridiculously low price of 99p at the time) of what i was to expect
I’d read another book by the author Mark Wilson called Head BoyHead boy, a Scottish gangster novel of sorts (also excellent) so I was expecting something similar.
However what I got was something so far removed you would be surprised it was written by the same feller. I think it is safe to describe this series (unashamedly) as YA.
Deadinburgh Vantage turned out to be book 1 of a trilogy (much to my delight) and is an epic tale based mainly around two young characters Joey and Alys.
This story tells us how, after bubonic plague infected the city of Edinburgh in the 17th century and how the infected were entrapped into catacombs beneath the city to keep the plague at bay and protect the rest of the city / country. Centuries later in 2015 the crypts are opened up and all hell breaks loose as hordes of what appear to be zombies are released ono the unsuspecting people of modern day Edinburgh.
As you’d expect the Zombies (or “the Ringed” as they are named throughout) waste no time in savaging the citizens in swift and dramatic fashion, creating new insatiable flesh eating zombies in their wake. The British government act quickly and seals off the entire city with impenetrable walls and fences.
Once the back story is told the book moves forward to the year 2050. Edinburgh is split with roaming zombies (the Ringed) and communities of non-infected citizens doing all they can to lead as normal lives as possible, whilst fending off insatiable and seemingly never ending numbers of ringed.
We learn that Joey was raised in the protected environment of a religious order who worship and feed the ringed and seem to be able to remain unaffected and un-hunted by the usually non-discriminate hordes of the undead.
It becomes clear that Joey has his doubts about the order’s devotions and is getting a taste for freedom. We find out that Joey is skilled in the arts of Bowman ship after he spend all of his spare time outside of his religious duties perfect the art relentlessly after a bow was left at his bedside as a very young child.
The order is supplemented by a local, women only, community who leave gifts of food from their plentiful gardens for the order. This is where we meet Alys. Another teenager silently yearning escape from the confines of her community. Skilled beyond belief in all manner of martial arts by her ruthless and relentless mother, Alys is also tasked with delivering the food to the gates of the zombie worshiping order.
Joey and Alys’s paths inevitably cross and a tense relationship of sorts begins. Alys resents him but is fascinated by him and watches as he practices his skills, away from the main section of the monastery (it’s not a monastery, but you get what I mean).
Tension builds and they clash and this leads to the introduction of the wonderful Jock (that’s his name, I’m not being racist!).
Jock takes Joey under his wing and away from the religious order and they travel together “silencing” the ringed as they travel, helping survivors and communities and living off the land whilst Jock teaches Joey invaluable fighting, hunting, slaying and life skills until their world is turned upside down by the introduction of the brilliantly insane lone killer named Bracha (never trust anyone named Bracha!).
Bracha , (so much more to come from him in the rest of the trilogy) a posh, ginger madman, dressed impeccably in an old fashioned golfing ensemble, easily breaches the duo’s defences when they are holed up for the night and immediately shows he is far superior in the art of combat and also far superior in terms of being a clinical killer. Jock is no more
What follows is the tale of Joey hunting Jock whilst ably slaying or avoiding the ringed.
Bracha, armed with information slipped by joey and Jock is on his way to the aforementioned women’s only community to recruit a skilled small army to get to a hospital where he believes there is a cure for the infected. The hospital though is protected by a particularly vicious and highly skilled strong army of psychopathic killers led by the biggest psychopath of them all Somna.
Somna has no eyelids…..he likes to take the eyelids of each and every one of his victims and The God he worships is a very famous ex professional English footballer, (yeah, you know him) who is in fact infected and is one of the ringed. Somna somehow has entrapped the footballer, complete with bedraggled football kit and is on permeant show in a pose showing him about to volley a football, whilst his head slathers and craves flesh and blood provided to him by soma and his followers.
Bracha’s attempt to get to the women is interrupted by Alys and her young innocent niece Steph. As with Joey and Jock, Bracha quickly establishes that his skills are superior to even those of Alys and it takes the timely intervention of Joey to rescue Steph and Alys.
This is where the real story kicks in as Alys and Joey eventually decide to hunt down Bracha and head to the hospital where Bracha is heading for a showdown with Somna and his army (The exalted).
We meet all manner of different people and communities in between relentless battles against the ever increasing numbers of the ringed leading to a showdown with Bracha and all manner of shocking revelations that turn the story on its head.
I hope Mark Wilson won’t mind my comparing it in part with a mix of The Hunger Games and Matt Shaw’s Sick Bastards as all three stories have a theme in common. The difference with Mark Wilson’s Deadinburgh trilogy is that although there is no denying there is a YA theme, the writing, content and violence is far more real and vital compared to the Hungers games and where Matt Shaw goes for full on gore, shock and horror in Sick Bastards, (culminating in a similar themed ending) Mark Wilson’s writing is so wonderfully descriptive he doesn’t have to venture into shock tactics to keep you engaged.
I wouldn’t describe myself as a YA fan, and I wouldn’t get hung up on whether this is a YA series or not…it’s just an enthralling epic tale of two young people discovering themselves and discovering all is not what it seems.
I got attacked (nicely, …..as they do on goodreads) by some of my goodreads friends after I gave a Jean M Auel book 3 out of 5 in a review. The people who castigated (and threatened me with the lash) could not believe I could not identify more with the strong female character in the book (Ayla). They were wrong. I love an ass kicking female heroine. I just felt the book was a bit slow for my liking. I genuinely think those same people will love Alys (and Joey) as they come of age in the most desperate of times in this trilogy.
I highly recommend this book to all. I have already finished book 2 (review to follow shortly) and am halfway through book 3.
Give it a go, I bet you will not be disappointed
Brilliantly I had no idea whatsoever when I picked up this book on kindle (ridiculously low price of 99p at the time) of what i was to expect
I’d read another book by the author Mark Wilson called Head BoyHead boy, a Scottish gangster novel of sorts (also excellent) so I was expecting something similar.
However what I got was something so far removed you would be surprised it was written by the same feller. I think it is safe to describe this series (unashamedly) as YA.
Deadinburgh Vantage turned out to be book 1 of a trilogy (much to my delight) and is an epic tale based mainly around two young characters Joey and Alys.
This story tells us how, after bubonic plague infected the city of Edinburgh in the 17th century and how the infected were entrapped into catacombs beneath the city to keep the plague at bay and protect the rest of the city / country. Centuries later in 2015 the crypts are opened up and all hell breaks loose as hordes of what appear to be zombies are released ono the unsuspecting people of modern day Edinburgh.
As you’d expect the Zombies (or “the Ringed” as they are named throughout) waste no time in savaging the citizens in swift and dramatic fashion, creating new insatiable flesh eating zombies in their wake. The British government act quickly and seals off the entire city with impenetrable walls and fences.
Once the back story is told the book moves forward to the year 2050. Edinburgh is split with roaming zombies (the Ringed) and communities of non-infected citizens doing all they can to lead as normal lives as possible, whilst fending off insatiable and seemingly never ending numbers of ringed.
We learn that Joey was raised in the protected environment of a religious order who worship and feed the ringed and seem to be able to remain unaffected and un-hunted by the usually non-discriminate hordes of the undead.
It becomes clear that Joey has his doubts about the order’s devotions and is getting a taste for freedom. We find out that Joey is skilled in the arts of Bowman ship after he spend all of his spare time outside of his religious duties perfect the art relentlessly after a bow was left at his bedside as a very young child.
The order is supplemented by a local, women only, community who leave gifts of food from their plentiful gardens for the order. This is where we meet Alys. Another teenager silently yearning escape from the confines of her community. Skilled beyond belief in all manner of martial arts by her ruthless and relentless mother, Alys is also tasked with delivering the food to the gates of the zombie worshiping order.
Joey and Alys’s paths inevitably cross and a tense relationship of sorts begins. Alys resents him but is fascinated by him and watches as he practices his skills, away from the main section of the monastery (it’s not a monastery, but you get what I mean).
Tension builds and they clash and this leads to the introduction of the wonderful Jock (that’s his name, I’m not being racist!).
Jock takes Joey under his wing and away from the religious order and they travel together “silencing” the ringed as they travel, helping survivors and communities and living off the land whilst Jock teaches Joey invaluable fighting, hunting, slaying and life skills until their world is turned upside down by the introduction of the brilliantly insane lone killer named Bracha (never trust anyone named Bracha!).
Bracha , (so much more to come from him in the rest of the trilogy) a posh, ginger madman, dressed impeccably in an old fashioned golfing ensemble, easily breaches the duo’s defences when they are holed up for the night and immediately shows he is far superior in the art of combat and also far superior in terms of being a clinical killer. Jock is no more
What follows is the tale of Joey hunting Jock whilst ably slaying or avoiding the ringed.
Bracha, armed with information slipped by joey and Jock is on his way to the aforementioned women’s only community to recruit a skilled small army to get to a hospital where he believes there is a cure for the infected. The hospital though is protected by a particularly vicious and highly skilled strong army of psychopathic killers led by the biggest psychopath of them all Somna.
Somna has no eyelids…..he likes to take the eyelids of each and every one of his victims and The God he worships is a very famous ex professional English footballer, (yeah, you know him) who is in fact infected and is one of the ringed. Somna somehow has entrapped the footballer, complete with bedraggled football kit and is on permeant show in a pose showing him about to volley a football, whilst his head slathers and craves flesh and blood provided to him by soma and his followers.
Bracha’s attempt to get to the women is interrupted by Alys and her young innocent niece Steph. As with Joey and Jock, Bracha quickly establishes that his skills are superior to even those of Alys and it takes the timely intervention of Joey to rescue Steph and Alys.
This is where the real story kicks in as Alys and Joey eventually decide to hunt down Bracha and head to the hospital where Bracha is heading for a showdown with Somna and his army (The exalted).
We meet all manner of different people and communities in between relentless battles against the ever increasing numbers of the ringed leading to a showdown with Bracha and all manner of shocking revelations that turn the story on its head.
I hope Mark Wilson won’t mind my comparing it in part with a mix of The Hunger Games and Matt Shaw’s Sick Bastards as all three stories have a theme in common. The difference with Mark Wilson’s Deadinburgh trilogy is that although there is no denying there is a YA theme, the writing, content and violence is far more real and vital compared to the Hungers games and where Matt Shaw goes for full on gore, shock and horror in Sick Bastards, (culminating in a similar themed ending) Mark Wilson’s writing is so wonderfully descriptive he doesn’t have to venture into shock tactics to keep you engaged.
I wouldn’t describe myself as a YA fan, and I wouldn’t get hung up on whether this is a YA series or not…it’s just an enthralling epic tale of two young people discovering themselves and discovering all is not what it seems.
I got attacked (nicely, …..as they do on goodreads) by some of my goodreads friends after I gave a Jean M Auel book 3 out of 5 in a review. The people who castigated (and threatened me with the lash) could not believe I could not identify more with the strong female character in the book (Ayla). They were wrong. I love an ass kicking female heroine. I just felt the book was a bit slow for my liking. I genuinely think those same people will love Alys (and Joey) as they come of age in the most desperate of times in this trilogy.
I highly recommend this book to all. I have already finished book 2 (review to follow shortly) and am halfway through book 3.
Give it a go, I bet you will not be disappointed
February 26, 2014
Once in a while I shut my day down, climb into bed to read because I just can't put a book down. dEadinburgh had me from the first chapter. I even ignored my kids calling from school for a few hours. Sorry kids! I did eventually answer them.
30 years after a zombie plague is released in Edinburgh Scotland the cities survivors are left to cope with most of the city turned to zombies. The outside has erected a wall so the plague will be contained and the survivors feel abandoned with no contact out of the city. Different groups have formed inside. Some worship the zombies, others only allow women and they become warriors and some are just crazy and creepy.
I really liked this book because even though it had a creepy feel to it the author didn't cross the line. I can't stand books that claim to be ya but are actually adult. My teenage boys are a hard audience to please and I know they will love this book. I also loved ready about Edinburgh. I spent a lot of time between pages googling places mentioned in the book. Now Edinburgh is on my top five of places I must visit in my lifetime!
The best part of the book was the surprises. There were a couple twist and turns and some fun popular culture references that I got a kick out of. I can't wait to see where this story goes and will be looking for other books by this author!
30 years after a zombie plague is released in Edinburgh Scotland the cities survivors are left to cope with most of the city turned to zombies. The outside has erected a wall so the plague will be contained and the survivors feel abandoned with no contact out of the city. Different groups have formed inside. Some worship the zombies, others only allow women and they become warriors and some are just crazy and creepy.
I really liked this book because even though it had a creepy feel to it the author didn't cross the line. I can't stand books that claim to be ya but are actually adult. My teenage boys are a hard audience to please and I know they will love this book. I also loved ready about Edinburgh. I spent a lot of time between pages googling places mentioned in the book. Now Edinburgh is on my top five of places I must visit in my lifetime!
The best part of the book was the surprises. There were a couple twist and turns and some fun popular culture references that I got a kick out of. I can't wait to see where this story goes and will be looking for other books by this author!
July 2, 2014
I feel just emotionally spent after reading this. I have read quite a few zombie stories lately, many of them quite good, and none of them have made me feel like I have lived a journey as much as Deadinburgh has. This is surprising considering how confined the world is in this book. I think half way through reading, when Jock and Joey are on their journey, I had this moment where I had to stop and think wow this is one city. It might be a big city, but it is still just one city. And so much is happening here. So much is divided that each little place feels like its own world. I think that is truly a testament to how involved I was with reading this. I absolutely loved and was completely invested in the lives of Joey and Alys, which definitely led to some nail biting throughout my frantic reading ( particularly when you look at the prologue). They are both such interesting characters and have so much strength, courage, skill, and beauty that you forgot at times that they are only 18 years old by the end of the book. I was a little surprised at first by how quickly they seemed to connect and how intense their friendship was right from the beginning. But I think that this makes sense given the world that is created here. Everything happens so quickly here and decisions have such lasting and often permanent results that any choices made including whether to let someone into your life are made full throttle with no fickleness. it’s a sign of this world that they are in and it is played out beautifully. The violence of the world is also depicted so authentically throughout the book. Unlike many horror/zombie apocalypse books the violence does not seem gratuitous at all here. Don’t get me wrong it is quite real, quite graphic and extremely cringe worthy. But it is often cold and commonplace - something that is just a reflection of the world that the characters find themselves in (which incidentally makes it all the more cringe worthy)!
I loved the interludes, journal entries and changes in narrative point of views. I think that it gave a nice freshness to much of the book and allowed us to see more of the world right after the outbreak. It was also a really clever way to introduce many of the later characters, although I wish at times that there would have been more distinction in the voices ( even if it was just in the print type of journal etc) that would have given a little more depth. I think that there are some aspects near the end that are a little predictable (no spoiler of course but you can see certain connections being drawn early on) but that doesn’t make them any less thrilling to watch unfold. And the final chapters themselves are simply brilliant - I found myself so upset that people at the coffee shop I was reading in where actually looking to see what I was reading - another sign of a good book J. I cannot wait to read the next installment of this and I am going to go out and devour everything else from this author. I would recommend for anyone who loves zombie books but I would also recommend for fans of Mark Chadbourn, Steve Boyett’s Ariel, Neil Gaiman, and Sergei Lukyanenko’s Night Watch series.
I loved the interludes, journal entries and changes in narrative point of views. I think that it gave a nice freshness to much of the book and allowed us to see more of the world right after the outbreak. It was also a really clever way to introduce many of the later characters, although I wish at times that there would have been more distinction in the voices ( even if it was just in the print type of journal etc) that would have given a little more depth. I think that there are some aspects near the end that are a little predictable (no spoiler of course but you can see certain connections being drawn early on) but that doesn’t make them any less thrilling to watch unfold. And the final chapters themselves are simply brilliant - I found myself so upset that people at the coffee shop I was reading in where actually looking to see what I was reading - another sign of a good book J. I cannot wait to read the next installment of this and I am going to go out and devour everything else from this author. I would recommend for anyone who loves zombie books but I would also recommend for fans of Mark Chadbourn, Steve Boyett’s Ariel, Neil Gaiman, and Sergei Lukyanenko’s Night Watch series.
March 17, 2014
DISCLOSURE: Mark Wilson sent me dEaDINBURGH as an ebook for my honest review.
I have picked up other zombie novels, started to read them, and put them down because they were boring or failed to capture my interest.
Not the case with dEaDINBURGH. At first glance, I was worried this would be a pale imitation of Rot and Ruin. Boy, was I wrong. The action sucks you in right away and you move along with and get to know the characters fairly quickly.
Also, Wilson has put some of his own interesting twists on "the zombie plague" that give this one a unique flavor and ambiance about it. His real strength though is in creating characters.
Each of the characters was compelling and believable. Their motivations made sense and one could easily imagine them as real people. The two main characters are very well-done, which is important. I cared about Joey and Alys and rooted hard for them from the beginning. But the real coup for Wilson here is his antagonist. Bracha is an awesome villain with layers and a story of his own that's just as compelling a read as any in the book.
Wilson also kept the cast small, giving us only a few characters to focus on, and thus giving himself plenty of room to explore each of the characters in detail.
The plot doesn't plod though, which is sometimes the case with character-driven work. The characters and plot work together revealing layers about both the people and their inter-woven stories that is compelling reading and a quick read.
As with all GOOD zombie stories, social commentary is inter-woven. Wilson handles this deftly and smoothly--making sly observations about our society and tendencies toward zombie-ness along the way. These are never heavy-handed, nor, in my opinion, inaccurate.
Also, I'm a pretty avid reader and have seen enough fiction that I often see surprises coming before they come. Wilson managed to sneak one twist in there that blindsided me and I did not see coming at all. It was awesome--a definite pleasant surprise for me.
The book is well-edited with no misspellings, typos or grammatical train-wrecks that distract from the story. Often with 99 cent Kindle stories this is a worry, and one wonders, will this be a book I delete before chapter 5, or will it be a pleasant surprise that makes me seek out more work by this author? dEaDINBURGH falls nicely into that latter category.
My only quibbles with the book were with some of the pacing early on. the training of our two youthful heroes goes by rather quickly at times and I felt it was just a tiny bit rushed. I hated seeing the exit of one character during this time, but unless we're settling in for a 10 book series or 500+ page book, there's hardly time to spend pages and pages training and growing those characters. Still, given the obvious talent Wilson possesses as a writer, I think he could have stretched the training out a little more.
All in all, a very good read. I will be recommending my 7th graders that liked Rot and Ruin put it on their to-read list, and I look forward to the sequel.
I have picked up other zombie novels, started to read them, and put them down because they were boring or failed to capture my interest.
Not the case with dEaDINBURGH. At first glance, I was worried this would be a pale imitation of Rot and Ruin. Boy, was I wrong. The action sucks you in right away and you move along with and get to know the characters fairly quickly.
Also, Wilson has put some of his own interesting twists on "the zombie plague" that give this one a unique flavor and ambiance about it. His real strength though is in creating characters.
Each of the characters was compelling and believable. Their motivations made sense and one could easily imagine them as real people. The two main characters are very well-done, which is important. I cared about Joey and Alys and rooted hard for them from the beginning. But the real coup for Wilson here is his antagonist. Bracha is an awesome villain with layers and a story of his own that's just as compelling a read as any in the book.
Wilson also kept the cast small, giving us only a few characters to focus on, and thus giving himself plenty of room to explore each of the characters in detail.
The plot doesn't plod though, which is sometimes the case with character-driven work. The characters and plot work together revealing layers about both the people and their inter-woven stories that is compelling reading and a quick read.
As with all GOOD zombie stories, social commentary is inter-woven. Wilson handles this deftly and smoothly--making sly observations about our society and tendencies toward zombie-ness along the way. These are never heavy-handed, nor, in my opinion, inaccurate.
Also, I'm a pretty avid reader and have seen enough fiction that I often see surprises coming before they come. Wilson managed to sneak one twist in there that blindsided me and I did not see coming at all. It was awesome--a definite pleasant surprise for me.
The book is well-edited with no misspellings, typos or grammatical train-wrecks that distract from the story. Often with 99 cent Kindle stories this is a worry, and one wonders, will this be a book I delete before chapter 5, or will it be a pleasant surprise that makes me seek out more work by this author? dEaDINBURGH falls nicely into that latter category.
My only quibbles with the book were with some of the pacing early on. the training of our two youthful heroes goes by rather quickly at times and I felt it was just a tiny bit rushed. I hated seeing the exit of one character during this time, but unless we're settling in for a 10 book series or 500+ page book, there's hardly time to spend pages and pages training and growing those characters. Still, given the obvious talent Wilson possesses as a writer, I think he could have stretched the training out a little more.
All in all, a very good read. I will be recommending my 7th graders that liked Rot and Ruin put it on their to-read list, and I look forward to the sequel.
March 12, 2014
I'll tell you what I look for in an author, whether you like it or not. I like diversity. I like curve balls. I like an ever evolving, ever growing force of a catalogue that gives you something different every time. That's what I like. So that, my friends, is why I like Mark Wilson. Bobby's Boy gave us melodrama with a great taste in music, Naebody's Hero gave us a post modern alternate reality in a superhero tale with a difference, Head Boy was a violent and dark trip into the twisted mind of a drug pushing sociopath. And in dEaDINBURGH, once again he takes us in a completely new direction, down a nasty little YA path filled with the undead, eyelid stealing ganglords, and a ginger, golf club swinging maniac.
So this is the tale of Alys and Joey's trials and tribulations in the quarantined city that used to be known as Edinburgh. Inside the walls of the city roam the infected, or `Zoms' to give them their Sunday name. The uninfected fight for survival in whichever way they see fit. Some create communities, others roam alone, feeding off the desperation of others. Alys has been raised in a community of women, self-sufficient and more than equipped to deal with any threat to their way of living. Joey was raised, to a degree, by a brotherhood who worship and feed the Zoms that wander among them. Both of them are skilled in combat, Alys has learned close combat talents from her protective mother, and Joey has been groomed from afar to be skilled with a bow by the mysterious Padre Jock. Their paths cross only very occasionally, until one day they find themselves as a formidable team on a mission for a cure.
Wilson's major attribute is his propensity for writing quality relationships, and painting the emotion required to make it work, and feel real, without taking it into corny territory. He allows his characters to live, and breathe, and work things out for themselves. That's what he's done in dEaDINBURGH. He gives Alys and Joey a naivety, and a freshness to them, and pushes them out into an urban wilderness to figure life out on their own terms. Bracha (no relation), the eccentric and violent loner spits some quality one liners our way, and I'm looking forward to seeing where my ginger namesake goes next, and what lengths he's prepared to go to. Not only that, Wilson makes the undead city a character in itself. Every street, each stairwell, each corner is another creepy little danger for our young heroes.
So all in all, it has to be said I really enjoyed it. Another victory for Mark Wilson, who continues to push himself, and take his readers out of their comfort zone. That this is the first of a trilogy is excellent news. dEaDINBURGH is an intriguing read, and a breathtakingly assured and fearless foray into YA writing by an author who literally takes it up a gear with every new release he unleashes into the world. God help us all when he's into double figures, because there will be no hope, we'll be his undead slaves by then.
So this is the tale of Alys and Joey's trials and tribulations in the quarantined city that used to be known as Edinburgh. Inside the walls of the city roam the infected, or `Zoms' to give them their Sunday name. The uninfected fight for survival in whichever way they see fit. Some create communities, others roam alone, feeding off the desperation of others. Alys has been raised in a community of women, self-sufficient and more than equipped to deal with any threat to their way of living. Joey was raised, to a degree, by a brotherhood who worship and feed the Zoms that wander among them. Both of them are skilled in combat, Alys has learned close combat talents from her protective mother, and Joey has been groomed from afar to be skilled with a bow by the mysterious Padre Jock. Their paths cross only very occasionally, until one day they find themselves as a formidable team on a mission for a cure.
Wilson's major attribute is his propensity for writing quality relationships, and painting the emotion required to make it work, and feel real, without taking it into corny territory. He allows his characters to live, and breathe, and work things out for themselves. That's what he's done in dEaDINBURGH. He gives Alys and Joey a naivety, and a freshness to them, and pushes them out into an urban wilderness to figure life out on their own terms. Bracha (no relation), the eccentric and violent loner spits some quality one liners our way, and I'm looking forward to seeing where my ginger namesake goes next, and what lengths he's prepared to go to. Not only that, Wilson makes the undead city a character in itself. Every street, each stairwell, each corner is another creepy little danger for our young heroes.
So all in all, it has to be said I really enjoyed it. Another victory for Mark Wilson, who continues to push himself, and take his readers out of their comfort zone. That this is the first of a trilogy is excellent news. dEaDINBURGH is an intriguing read, and a breathtakingly assured and fearless foray into YA writing by an author who literally takes it up a gear with every new release he unleashes into the world. God help us all when he's into double figures, because there will be no hope, we'll be his undead slaves by then.
March 29, 2014
Edinburgh 1645, the time of the bubonic plague. The victims are locked underground in catacombs. 2015 and these same catacombs are opened, the plague attacks the Scottish population. 2050 and Edinburgh is quarantined off. There are rumours of a cure, but finding the source is believed to be certain death at the hands of the zombies. Joey MacLeod is a trainee 'priest' part of a church that worships the zombies. But he escapes and with the help of Alys Shepherd learns about his past and the real source of the zombies..
Now I don't usually read dystopian or zombie novels. With a very few exceptions I don't get on with either genre particularly well. If there's a zombie TV programme, such as The Waking Dead, I usually switch off eventually. I also very rarely read YA either. However, I have previously greatly enjoyed Mark Wilson's writing - so I gave dEaDINBURGH a try, and I'm glad I did. This is one of those aforementioned rare exceptions.
Phew!
So, the premise is a disease has created zombies, but there are still a few humans clinging onto life. There are several interdependent communities and we receive protagonists from each to drive the story forward. There's a group of zombie worshippers, literally religious nuts - Joey is a youth reluctantly waiting to be ordained to serve the zombies for the rest of his life. But there's something mysterious about his past, he's an orphan and doesn't know who his parents are. Padre Jock is one of the order, but he's not like the rest, he seems to know something about Joey. Then there's a community of women, no men are allowed - Alys is a born fighter, but questions why they have to be separated from the rest. Then there's Bracha, a vicious survivalist who'll do anything to stay alive.
Okay, so far so good. I was intrigued, caught by the characters, interested to see what happened next when the pair, Joey and Alys, 'escape' their respective confinements and go into the wider world accompanied by Jock. The kids are naive but learn quickly, and brutally. Then Wilson delivers several twists and surprises which elevates dEaDINBURGH beyond a straightforward zombie novel. I won't reveal what they are as you should find these out for yourself, but they're to do with Joey's past and the zombies themselves. The conclusion sets us up for book two very neatly.
Edinburgh and its surrounding countryside is a great backdrop, the author uses the scenery well. The characters are strong and the story drives along at pace. The zombies aren't really the major part of the story, there are touching inter-relationships that develop, taut situations the characters must develop. All in all an interesting, intriguing book. I'll be reading the follow up for sure.
**Originally reviewed for Books and Pals blog. May have received free review copy.**
Now I don't usually read dystopian or zombie novels. With a very few exceptions I don't get on with either genre particularly well. If there's a zombie TV programme, such as The Waking Dead, I usually switch off eventually. I also very rarely read YA either. However, I have previously greatly enjoyed Mark Wilson's writing - so I gave dEaDINBURGH a try, and I'm glad I did. This is one of those aforementioned rare exceptions.
Phew!
So, the premise is a disease has created zombies, but there are still a few humans clinging onto life. There are several interdependent communities and we receive protagonists from each to drive the story forward. There's a group of zombie worshippers, literally religious nuts - Joey is a youth reluctantly waiting to be ordained to serve the zombies for the rest of his life. But there's something mysterious about his past, he's an orphan and doesn't know who his parents are. Padre Jock is one of the order, but he's not like the rest, he seems to know something about Joey. Then there's a community of women, no men are allowed - Alys is a born fighter, but questions why they have to be separated from the rest. Then there's Bracha, a vicious survivalist who'll do anything to stay alive.
Okay, so far so good. I was intrigued, caught by the characters, interested to see what happened next when the pair, Joey and Alys, 'escape' their respective confinements and go into the wider world accompanied by Jock. The kids are naive but learn quickly, and brutally. Then Wilson delivers several twists and surprises which elevates dEaDINBURGH beyond a straightforward zombie novel. I won't reveal what they are as you should find these out for yourself, but they're to do with Joey's past and the zombies themselves. The conclusion sets us up for book two very neatly.
Edinburgh and its surrounding countryside is a great backdrop, the author uses the scenery well. The characters are strong and the story drives along at pace. The zombies aren't really the major part of the story, there are touching inter-relationships that develop, taut situations the characters must develop. All in all an interesting, intriguing book. I'll be reading the follow up for sure.
**Originally reviewed for Books and Pals blog. May have received free review copy.**
March 17, 2014
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. So with that said, here goes…
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The setup: In the 1600s, Mary King’s Close (in Edinburgh, Scotland) is sealed off in an attempt to quarantine those infected with the plague. In 2015, the Close is reopened, releasing a new plague that has mutated over hundreds of years. This new plague turns all infected into the walking dead. As the infection spreads, the entire city of Edinburgh is sealed off.
This story is set 35 years in the future, in a city of the dead with pockets of survivors. The story focuses on two of these survivors: Joey and Alys.
At the beginning of the story, Joey is a 15-year-old orphan, who is being raised by The Brotherhood. This is a religious order that reveres the dead as the meek who have inherited the earth. Joey’s only friend is his bow, which he practices daily. As a result, he’s an excellent marksman.
Alys, also 15, lives nearby in The Gardens. This is a camp of only women, most of them fierce warriors. Alys spends most of her time being trained by her mother, the camp’s leader. So she is a highly skilled combatant and is especially adept with her blades.
Alys often sees Joey outside practicing with his bow and hates him for the freedom he seems to enjoy. Likewise, Joey sees Alys outside the walls of his home and resents her apparent freedom as well.
However, as with all Young Adult fiction, that is all about to change. The two eventually meet and, after three years (which I won’t detail because of spoilers), become fast friends. They decide to embark on a quest to go south and find a much rumored cure for the disease. The main problem, besides a city filled with ravenous zombies, is that the south is controlled by an extremely dangerous religious sect. This sect is said to torture and kill everyone it finds as a sort of sacrifice to its god. Nice touch of Jonathan Maberry here.
The book is really well written with sympathetic characters that you can really care about. The heroes are heroic. The villain(s) are sufficiently creepy. The pace never drags, and the book is very easy to read. And the twist at the end caught me completely by surprise. Excellent job, there!
I do, however, have one nit: Several of the characters suffer pretty severe injuries that don’t slow them down at all. For example, one character’s finger is amputated after being bitten by a zombie. But the character just shakes it off and makes jokes about it. Now, granted I’m not facing a horde of zombies. But if that happened to me, I would definitely need to take a minute.
All-in-all, I’ve giving the book 4.5 stars. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The setup: In the 1600s, Mary King’s Close (in Edinburgh, Scotland) is sealed off in an attempt to quarantine those infected with the plague. In 2015, the Close is reopened, releasing a new plague that has mutated over hundreds of years. This new plague turns all infected into the walking dead. As the infection spreads, the entire city of Edinburgh is sealed off.
This story is set 35 years in the future, in a city of the dead with pockets of survivors. The story focuses on two of these survivors: Joey and Alys.
At the beginning of the story, Joey is a 15-year-old orphan, who is being raised by The Brotherhood. This is a religious order that reveres the dead as the meek who have inherited the earth. Joey’s only friend is his bow, which he practices daily. As a result, he’s an excellent marksman.
Alys, also 15, lives nearby in The Gardens. This is a camp of only women, most of them fierce warriors. Alys spends most of her time being trained by her mother, the camp’s leader. So she is a highly skilled combatant and is especially adept with her blades.
Alys often sees Joey outside practicing with his bow and hates him for the freedom he seems to enjoy. Likewise, Joey sees Alys outside the walls of his home and resents her apparent freedom as well.
However, as with all Young Adult fiction, that is all about to change. The two eventually meet and, after three years (which I won’t detail because of spoilers), become fast friends. They decide to embark on a quest to go south and find a much rumored cure for the disease. The main problem, besides a city filled with ravenous zombies, is that the south is controlled by an extremely dangerous religious sect. This sect is said to torture and kill everyone it finds as a sort of sacrifice to its god. Nice touch of Jonathan Maberry here.
The book is really well written with sympathetic characters that you can really care about. The heroes are heroic. The villain(s) are sufficiently creepy. The pace never drags, and the book is very easy to read. And the twist at the end caught me completely by surprise. Excellent job, there!
I do, however, have one nit: Several of the characters suffer pretty severe injuries that don’t slow them down at all. For example, one character’s finger is amputated after being bitten by a zombie. But the character just shakes it off and makes jokes about it. Now, granted I’m not facing a horde of zombies. But if that happened to me, I would definitely need to take a minute.
All-in-all, I’ve giving the book 4.5 stars. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
March 1, 2014
First off, I received this book for free from the author. That being said, I loved this book, and cannot wait for the next installment. The storyline is a little hunger games, wrapped up with some zombies, religious factions, and characters that while not together yet, still impact each other's lives.
There are twists and turns, and all though I kind of figured out where the story was going, I still could not wait to get to the end. I may even be correct on who I think Bragha is, and who the dead footballer may be.
Joey and Alys are a great team and two teens that you want to know more about. They grew up in dEaDINBURGH and have learned all sorts of skills that compliment each other, so that they can survive. I even love that the author threw in that Joey was a freerunner. This story is not only horror, but action, maybe a little bit of a love story (but with whom), and some eye opening glimpses at what a future society could do for enjoyment.
This book is a quick read, and leaves the ending open for so many possibilities to come in the future.
There are twists and turns, and all though I kind of figured out where the story was going, I still could not wait to get to the end. I may even be correct on who I think Bragha is, and who the dead footballer may be.
Joey and Alys are a great team and two teens that you want to know more about. They grew up in dEaDINBURGH and have learned all sorts of skills that compliment each other, so that they can survive. I even love that the author threw in that Joey was a freerunner. This story is not only horror, but action, maybe a little bit of a love story (but with whom), and some eye opening glimpses at what a future society could do for enjoyment.
This book is a quick read, and leaves the ending open for so many possibilities to come in the future.
December 19, 2015
Published:10/03/2014
Author: Mark Wilson
Recommended for: fans of zombie plagues
Edition: EBook
I received a copy of this book by the author.
I thought that the storyline was a very interesting one and definately one that I could get lost into easily and I wasn't dissappointed, it was a fantastic read! It is incredibly well written by a very talented author.
A book about a Zombie Plague....definately my kind of read, it is set Edinburgh which is very well described, you can actually picture in your imagination the old crumbling city with it's secret garden and hidden communities. It drew me in straight away and when I was away from it, it played on my mind which kept drawing me back to it to find out what happens next.
I am extremely grateful to the author for being given the chance to read this incredible book I would/will definately read more by Mark Wilson!. This book is a must read!
Author: Mark Wilson
Recommended for: fans of zombie plagues
Edition: EBook
I received a copy of this book by the author.
I thought that the storyline was a very interesting one and definately one that I could get lost into easily and I wasn't dissappointed, it was a fantastic read! It is incredibly well written by a very talented author.
A book about a Zombie Plague....definately my kind of read, it is set Edinburgh which is very well described, you can actually picture in your imagination the old crumbling city with it's secret garden and hidden communities. It drew me in straight away and when I was away from it, it played on my mind which kept drawing me back to it to find out what happens next.
I am extremely grateful to the author for being given the chance to read this incredible book I would/will definately read more by Mark Wilson!. This book is a must read!
February 27, 2014
when i read the blurb for this book i thought this wasnt for me. I dont like zombies and im not much of a sci fi fan either more of a realist. Anyway i read it and what can i say, the plot is brilliant, lots of depth and detail . Mark writes in such a way that i could imagine being there with Joey and Alys throughout, I felt their pain and suffering during their desperate bid to find a way out of the hell they live in. The book has many twists and turns along the way each one more unexpected than the last . This book for me was more than just another zombie story it was a story of how humankind adapts and changes in order to survive. There is a lot more to discover about the characters and the plot and i cant wait to find out more in the coming books . The Author has done an amazing job with a plot that could have gone either way .
April 5, 2014
dEaDINBURGH was a truly infectious tale (pun intended). Although zombie novels or YA are not my usual choice for reading material, I took the plunge based on my appreciation for Mark Wilson's other works. I was not disappointed. On the contrary, I was highly impressed. He spins a tale based on the premise of Edinburgh's dark history involving the plague centuries ago. He turns this fascinating part of the city's past into a rich back story for an amazing dystopian environment full of the undead, or the "ringed" if you will, and the uninfected survivors who struggle to keep them at bay. The heroes are believable and incredibly colorful while the villains are terrifyingly wicked.
I hope that this turns into a long-running series of books that will keep me awake long into the hours of the night. Highly recommended.
I hope that this turns into a long-running series of books that will keep me awake long into the hours of the night. Highly recommended.
July 2, 2014
This is definitely the type of book that I love to read! It started off a little slow for me but I ended up really getting into it. The relationship between Padre Jock and Joey was really amazing. I went from thinking he was a total sleeze ball to thinking of him as a hero and father to Joey. As I got further and further into the story things only got more interesting and there were many things that I wasn't expecting. I'm a big fan of zombie books and this one did not disappoint. It brought a different perspective to zombie style stories. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Alys and Joey and seeing how they slowly started to trust and really understand each other made it a great read.
June 16, 2017
My love of post-apocalyptic works is well known, and while I do love the occasional B-movie style book, I'm always on the hunt for something well-written and original. I found that with dEaDINBURGH, which gave me twists I did not see coming, driven home with compelling characters and smart writing. At first I thought it was going to be the rather standard quarantine/end of civilization story, similar to the panned (but fun) movie Doomsday starring Rhona Mitra. And don't get me wrong, that was a hoot of a movie, but in terms of great plot structure, not so much.
This book takes the fun and adrenaline of a Romero, which some sophisticated plot structure and twists. There were a couple that I thought I saw coming, but the final big reveal had not even occurred to me. It honestly blew me away, and I can't wait to see where the author takes it from here.
This book takes the fun and adrenaline of a Romero, which some sophisticated plot structure and twists. There were a couple that I thought I saw coming, but the final big reveal had not even occurred to me. It honestly blew me away, and I can't wait to see where the author takes it from here.
April 19, 2018
Loved this book. A huge surprise twist at the end that I did NOT expect. This book will not disappoint.
July 12, 2017
please read my full review on my blog RA Girl
July 14, 2017
I really enjoyed this zombie thriller. The characters were well put together, and you genuinely care for them, and hope they succeed. The twist at the end was great, and I look forward to reading more in the series!
February 26, 2018
Great zombie concept. Loved the reveal at the end. Planning on picking up the next one to see where it goes.
June 28, 2017
One hell of a story!
Wow! Didn't expect that! I love zombie stories, and this, did not disappoint! Strong characters, great story line, and a wicked twist! Lived it! On to book 2!
Wow! Didn't expect that! I love zombie stories, and this, did not disappoint! Strong characters, great story line, and a wicked twist! Lived it! On to book 2!
March 10, 2014
I received and ARC from the author "Mark Wilson" in exchange for my honest review.
I must admit that though I am not a fan of the zombie genre I chose to accept and read this title solely because I have read other titles by this gifted writer.
This is a well written and fast paced story of communities of people fighting to survive against an outbreak that created flesh eating zombies.
Alys a YA brought up in a community of women and children has been trained from a young age by her mother, the leader of this community. There are no men in this community and none are ever allowed in. The men that were once part of this community were forced out by the women and told to never return.
Joey, an infant saved outside the gates of the "Brotherhood" and brought to the monks. Brother Jock convinced them to let this infant stay here in safety and grow up. He was given a bow and arrow and has been training with them since he was a small boy. When he becomes a young man the monks want to convert him to their faith and serve the undead. He refuses and leaves the only home he has ever known.
Brother Jock also leaves the safety of the church and travels with Joey, protecting and training him. Until one day they meet a man who attacks them. They escape and find a place to spend the night thinking Bracha is long gone and they will be safe there. Joey wakes up to find that Bracha had snuck in during the night and killed Jock.
Joey decides to head back to the home where he grew up and see if the Compound of Women outside the gates of the Brotherhood will take him in. He wants to see Alys again as he hasn't see her in many years.
Alys and her cousin Steph are outside the compound exploring and they meet up with Bracha who attacks Steph causing her to lose an eye. Alys severly injures Bracha and Joey shots him in the eye and the hand with arrows. Bracha runs away. Joey, Alys and Steph return to the compound where Steph is treated. Joey spends time there resting and training with Jennifer, Alys' mother. Joey and Alys decide to travel to the Hospital compound and see if the rumor of the cure really exists.
The two of them fight their way through the zombies making it to the hospital and meeting up with Bracha again. Bracha is no match for these two young warriors and they incapacitate him. They explore what they believe is the hospital to discover it really isn't.
They hear a voice telling them he wants to help them escape but they have to listen to him and follow his directions.
The story ends with them safely escaping and the reader learns some surprising discoveries about who Joey and Alys really are.
I must admit that though I am not a fan of the zombie genre I chose to accept and read this title solely because I have read other titles by this gifted writer.
This is a well written and fast paced story of communities of people fighting to survive against an outbreak that created flesh eating zombies.
Alys a YA brought up in a community of women and children has been trained from a young age by her mother, the leader of this community. There are no men in this community and none are ever allowed in. The men that were once part of this community were forced out by the women and told to never return.
Joey, an infant saved outside the gates of the "Brotherhood" and brought to the monks. Brother Jock convinced them to let this infant stay here in safety and grow up. He was given a bow and arrow and has been training with them since he was a small boy. When he becomes a young man the monks want to convert him to their faith and serve the undead. He refuses and leaves the only home he has ever known.
Brother Jock also leaves the safety of the church and travels with Joey, protecting and training him. Until one day they meet a man who attacks them. They escape and find a place to spend the night thinking Bracha is long gone and they will be safe there. Joey wakes up to find that Bracha had snuck in during the night and killed Jock.
Joey decides to head back to the home where he grew up and see if the Compound of Women outside the gates of the Brotherhood will take him in. He wants to see Alys again as he hasn't see her in many years.
Alys and her cousin Steph are outside the compound exploring and they meet up with Bracha who attacks Steph causing her to lose an eye. Alys severly injures Bracha and Joey shots him in the eye and the hand with arrows. Bracha runs away. Joey, Alys and Steph return to the compound where Steph is treated. Joey spends time there resting and training with Jennifer, Alys' mother. Joey and Alys decide to travel to the Hospital compound and see if the rumor of the cure really exists.
The two of them fight their way through the zombies making it to the hospital and meeting up with Bracha again. Bracha is no match for these two young warriors and they incapacitate him. They explore what they believe is the hospital to discover it really isn't.
They hear a voice telling them he wants to help them escape but they have to listen to him and follow his directions.
The story ends with them safely escaping and the reader learns some surprising discoveries about who Joey and Alys really are.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2014
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
dEaDINBURGH by Mark Wilson is a journey through post-apoc zombie-infested Edinburgh, Scotland. Fans of Jonathan Maberry's Rot and Ruin series will find many similarities in this opening tale of what promises to be a multi-volume YA series. Inspirational credit is given at the book's close to Maberry, Robert Kirkman of Walking Dead fame, and George Romero (of Living Dead fame) and the influences are obvious, and fans of their work will see some of the reflection of those creators in the worldbuilding done by Wilson in the first novel in the series. More homages than carbon copies, but in spots the parallels are fairly clear.
Wilson handles the prose with ease and the YA novel reads very smoothly. One issue I did take was that the injuries inflicted on characters appeared to be much less debilitating than one would guess. Whether this is a factor of some glossing over to lighten the impact on the intended YA audience, I'm not sure, but to avoid spoilers, there are characters in the novel that lose digits (or worse) and within a paragraph or so - and mere minutes in character time having passed - the characters are laughing with others, in one case racing up a tree! Suspension of disbelief in those few moments was stretched pretty taut. There was one combat sequence that stretched credulity as well, near the end of the book, but largely the action sequences and overall pacing were spot on and very deftly handled. The dialogue was appropriate to the age and situations of the characters as well, something I find can often not be the case in less skilled hands.
I touched briefly on the world-building earlier, and I'd like to circle back briefly to that. Wilson has crafted something that felt unique to me in the post-apoc version of Edinburgh. A bigger city and the surrounding environs yet it felt real and intimate. The layout of the city was easy to visualize and the various seeds he planted as the characters journeyed throughout the wasteland look to bear some fruit in the next volume to come. The history of what happened in that area before our story starts and the origin of the Zoms (or Ringers) is unique - kudos to Wilson for that.
Overall, the book was a very pleasant experience. The author has a great voice for telling the tale at hand, and for fans of Jonathan Maberry's YA zombie fiction, you'll find some fun to be had in Wilson's world as well.
dEaDINBURGH by Mark Wilson is a journey through post-apoc zombie-infested Edinburgh, Scotland. Fans of Jonathan Maberry's Rot and Ruin series will find many similarities in this opening tale of what promises to be a multi-volume YA series. Inspirational credit is given at the book's close to Maberry, Robert Kirkman of Walking Dead fame, and George Romero (of Living Dead fame) and the influences are obvious, and fans of their work will see some of the reflection of those creators in the worldbuilding done by Wilson in the first novel in the series. More homages than carbon copies, but in spots the parallels are fairly clear.
Wilson handles the prose with ease and the YA novel reads very smoothly. One issue I did take was that the injuries inflicted on characters appeared to be much less debilitating than one would guess. Whether this is a factor of some glossing over to lighten the impact on the intended YA audience, I'm not sure, but to avoid spoilers, there are characters in the novel that lose digits (or worse) and within a paragraph or so - and mere minutes in character time having passed - the characters are laughing with others, in one case racing up a tree! Suspension of disbelief in those few moments was stretched pretty taut. There was one combat sequence that stretched credulity as well, near the end of the book, but largely the action sequences and overall pacing were spot on and very deftly handled. The dialogue was appropriate to the age and situations of the characters as well, something I find can often not be the case in less skilled hands.
I touched briefly on the world-building earlier, and I'd like to circle back briefly to that. Wilson has crafted something that felt unique to me in the post-apoc version of Edinburgh. A bigger city and the surrounding environs yet it felt real and intimate. The layout of the city was easy to visualize and the various seeds he planted as the characters journeyed throughout the wasteland look to bear some fruit in the next volume to come. The history of what happened in that area before our story starts and the origin of the Zoms (or Ringers) is unique - kudos to Wilson for that.
Overall, the book was a very pleasant experience. The author has a great voice for telling the tale at hand, and for fans of Jonathan Maberry's YA zombie fiction, you'll find some fun to be had in Wilson's world as well.
March 4, 2014
I received a copy of this book for an honest review. First of all 
This book blew me away.
It was action packed and fast paced. I didn’t have any high expectations because I have never heard from this writer.
The plot had me screaming out loud, normally I see the plot coming from a mile away. Boy, this one had me surprised. The writer was influenced by other writers and I was afraid that I would read some copy versions of other books with just some name changing, thank god that was not the case.
dEaDINBURGH belongs to the YA/Horror and Dystopian genre and it has zombies . I love zombies.
Edinburgh, 1645:
The bubonic plague rages. In a desperate attempt to quarantine the infected, the city leaders seal the residents of Mary King's Close in their underground homes.
2015:
Mary King's Close is reopened, unleashing a mutated plague upon the city residents.
The UK government seals the entire city. Declaring it a dead zone they seal the survivors inside alongside the infected. dEaDINBURGH is declared a no man's land, its residents left for dead and to the dead.
Joseph MacLeod or Joey was saved as baby from the zombies just after his mother gave birth to him. He was brought to the Brotherhood they are a church cult worshipping the zombies . They believe the zombies are God’s chosen and the brotherhood has to serve them.
Joey doesn’t agree with the ideas of the brotherhood but he has to live somewhere. When he’s eighteen he has to take his final vows but he’s not planning on staying. He has some little freedom that allows him to go above the ground and wonder around. One day Joey finds a bow in his room and starts training, with time he becomes very good.
Alys lives with her mother in an all women community. It not clear why the men left. Alys is the best fighter after her mother. She is a kick ass with her knives. Alys and Joey become best friends. Joey is 15 years old when he leaves the brotherhood with Jock and with the years he and Alys stay in touch.
Joey is a nice young man and is always smiling or joking around. He has this positive vibe and his character is well developed. I liked the banter between him and Alys. Alys is a strong female and she and Joey are a deadly team.
This book blew me away.
It was action packed and fast paced. I didn’t have any high expectations because I have never heard from this writer.
The plot had me screaming out loud, normally I see the plot coming from a mile away. Boy, this one had me surprised. The writer was influenced by other writers and I was afraid that I would read some copy versions of other books with just some name changing, thank god that was not the case.
dEaDINBURGH belongs to the YA/Horror and Dystopian genre and it has zombies . I love zombies.
Edinburgh, 1645:
The bubonic plague rages. In a desperate attempt to quarantine the infected, the city leaders seal the residents of Mary King's Close in their underground homes.
2015:
Mary King's Close is reopened, unleashing a mutated plague upon the city residents.
The UK government seals the entire city. Declaring it a dead zone they seal the survivors inside alongside the infected. dEaDINBURGH is declared a no man's land, its residents left for dead and to the dead.
Joseph MacLeod or Joey was saved as baby from the zombies just after his mother gave birth to him. He was brought to the Brotherhood they are a church cult worshipping the zombies . They believe the zombies are God’s chosen and the brotherhood has to serve them.
Joey doesn’t agree with the ideas of the brotherhood but he has to live somewhere. When he’s eighteen he has to take his final vows but he’s not planning on staying. He has some little freedom that allows him to go above the ground and wonder around. One day Joey finds a bow in his room and starts training, with time he becomes very good.
Alys lives with her mother in an all women community. It not clear why the men left. Alys is the best fighter after her mother. She is a kick ass with her knives. Alys and Joey become best friends. Joey is 15 years old when he leaves the brotherhood with Jock and with the years he and Alys stay in touch.
Joey is a nice young man and is always smiling or joking around. He has this positive vibe and his character is well developed. I liked the banter between him and Alys. Alys is a strong female and she and Joey are a deadly team.
March 11, 2015
Nothing seems more unbelievable than a bunch of five-star reviews for a book from a relatively unknown author. I'm one of those people who think "they must be all from friends and family". I can assure you this is not the case in this review. I never heard of Mark Wilson before he asked me if I would review his book if he gave me a copy. I read the blurb...it sounded slightly like a rip-off of the movie 28 Days Later, but I liked that movie so I thought I would give the book a try. Aside from having a quarantined area and zombies, it's nothing like that movie. dEaDINBURGH is much better.
So the story takes place in Scotland. We first meet Joey who's living in an underground village called Mary King's Close. I Googled it and it's a real place in Edinburgh. An old part of the city with narrow streets that in the time of the bubonic plague, this section of the town was sealed off and somehow got buried (so cool that this is a real place). Many years have passed since the walls of this rediscovered part of town were opened up unleashing a mutated strain of the plague that didn't kill people but turned them into zombies. The military was quick to erect fences around the city of Edinburgh. The problem was they never came back to rescue survivors. Joey was born into this place but his mother died at his birth so he was raised in Mary King's Close by the Brotherhood. A cult that worshipped the zombies. There are many different communities of survivors in this horrible Edinburgh. In one of them lives a girl names Alys who ends up becoming Joey's best friend.
I don't want to say more about the story for fear I could give something away. It was much too good for me to ruin it on you. For a book that's considered young adult, I found it very realistic, harsh, and mature in it's themes of friendship, survival and family. There is no fluff in this story. Oh, and did I mention the twist at the end? Never saw that coming. I usually don't but I don't think anyone will guess this one. I think I liked this better than Rot and Ruin...just don't tell Jonathan Mayberry.
So the story takes place in Scotland. We first meet Joey who's living in an underground village called Mary King's Close. I Googled it and it's a real place in Edinburgh. An old part of the city with narrow streets that in the time of the bubonic plague, this section of the town was sealed off and somehow got buried (so cool that this is a real place). Many years have passed since the walls of this rediscovered part of town were opened up unleashing a mutated strain of the plague that didn't kill people but turned them into zombies. The military was quick to erect fences around the city of Edinburgh. The problem was they never came back to rescue survivors. Joey was born into this place but his mother died at his birth so he was raised in Mary King's Close by the Brotherhood. A cult that worshipped the zombies. There are many different communities of survivors in this horrible Edinburgh. In one of them lives a girl names Alys who ends up becoming Joey's best friend.
I don't want to say more about the story for fear I could give something away. It was much too good for me to ruin it on you. For a book that's considered young adult, I found it very realistic, harsh, and mature in it's themes of friendship, survival and family. There is no fluff in this story. Oh, and did I mention the twist at the end? Never saw that coming. I usually don't but I don't think anyone will guess this one. I think I liked this better than Rot and Ruin...just don't tell Jonathan Mayberry.
March 3, 2014
Deadinburgh is an exciting addition to the Young Adult horror genre, and if you're looking for some honest to goodness flesh rending zombies wrapped in an amazing easy read style, then Mark Wilson is most definitely your man. The city of Edinburgh has been infected for years, Alysa has been raised in a community which thrives on its ethos of working to carve a decent living in their haven within the city. The all female group sustain themselves and are skilled in their fight to protect what they have. Joey has been raised in the crypts where the dead are worshipped, and the brothers are addicts. Before initiation, young Joey has become accomplished with his bow and flees that fate with the help of Alysa and Padre Jock. Fast forward three years and I was choked with emotion when Jock is murdered and we have a brief scene during which Joey pays his final respects. One of the most touching that I've ever read, the Padre first warns about 'The Exhalted' and Joey promises to heed. Seeking out Alysa once again, Joey finds that he cannot hope to fulfil the Padre's wishes and is drawn into her quest to find the cure. Throughout this novel, the reader is given tantalising pieces of information which ratchets up the tension. The character of Bracha is psychotic, and as part of 'The Corporation' his interest in survivors, especially the girls and Joey, is disturbing and keeps the reader guessing at his motives until the end. The surprises keep coming as this tale progresses, discovering more about the organised groups and their interesting links to one another. The benefits of the Brothers' 'Carrion' is revealed by Wilson in heart stopping definition. Without giving any more away, Wilson has created a story of horror, yes, definitely, but it's also one of friendship, loyalty, betrayal and intrigue with a good dash of humour and sets up nicely for the next instalment of this adventure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2014
The author gave me an ebook version of his book to read and review due to my interest in YA zombie books.
Students looking for more apocalyptic zombie books after reading Maberry's Rot and Ruin, Bick's Ashes, or Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth will be pleased with this version set in Scotland. My American students may stumble with a little unfamiliar diction, but the intense storyline full of intrigue, action, heart, and mystery will rapidly propel them through to the riveting conclusion.
Set in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2047, 15-year-old Joey is tiring of his life with The Brotherhood, who took him in as an infant, and wants to explore more of the world outside. The Brotherhood live in an underground town where they have taken "vows of silence and of servitude to the risen dead, whom they called the Children of Elisha. Believing that the meek had finally inherited the earth, The Brotherhood believed that the Children of Elisha were God's chosen and that the Brotherhood were spared solely to serve them." Up top, the whole town of Edinburgh has been closed off and quarantined to keep the zombies from spreading throughout all of Scotland.
I enjoyed the creative origination of the zombies, or the ringed as they're called here, that links them back to the Black Death (bubonic plague) of 1645.
The only person his age that Joey has ever seen is 15-year-old Alys who belongs to a nearby farming community made up of only female warriors who supply food to The Brotherhood. However, Alys has been raised to distrust all men as her whole life she's been told they are weak and not trustworthy. What will it take for Alys to trust any guy?
Teens will enjoy reading of Joey's adventures after he leaves The Brotherhood and seeing how his storyline connects with Alys as the two of them end up battling for survival in an ever-changing, but always dangerous, world.
Students looking for more apocalyptic zombie books after reading Maberry's Rot and Ruin, Bick's Ashes, or Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth will be pleased with this version set in Scotland. My American students may stumble with a little unfamiliar diction, but the intense storyline full of intrigue, action, heart, and mystery will rapidly propel them through to the riveting conclusion.
Set in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2047, 15-year-old Joey is tiring of his life with The Brotherhood, who took him in as an infant, and wants to explore more of the world outside. The Brotherhood live in an underground town where they have taken "vows of silence and of servitude to the risen dead, whom they called the Children of Elisha. Believing that the meek had finally inherited the earth, The Brotherhood believed that the Children of Elisha were God's chosen and that the Brotherhood were spared solely to serve them." Up top, the whole town of Edinburgh has been closed off and quarantined to keep the zombies from spreading throughout all of Scotland.
I enjoyed the creative origination of the zombies, or the ringed as they're called here, that links them back to the Black Death (bubonic plague) of 1645.
The only person his age that Joey has ever seen is 15-year-old Alys who belongs to a nearby farming community made up of only female warriors who supply food to The Brotherhood. However, Alys has been raised to distrust all men as her whole life she's been told they are weak and not trustworthy. What will it take for Alys to trust any guy?
Teens will enjoy reading of Joey's adventures after he leaves The Brotherhood and seeing how his storyline connects with Alys as the two of them end up battling for survival in an ever-changing, but always dangerous, world.
June 12, 2014
I received my copy of dEaDINBURGH in exchange for an honest review.
It was an excellent book. I read a lot of zombie novels, and they are becoming more and more cliched as the genre gets more and more popular. This was a fresh take on the theme, and also came across as a bit of an essay on humanity and our behaviours and our need for entertainment.
The book centres around two different teenagers growing up in post zombie uprising Edinburgh, Scotland. The zombies (or Ringed) have been active in the city for about 30 years when the story opens up, and the city has become a quarantine zone, cut off from the rest of the world. The two teens, Joey and Alys have never known a city with electricity, or running water or a city without zombies. Joey has been raised by a cult of monks who worship the zombies as their leaders, and Alys was raised in an all woman commune by her mother, who is the head fighter of the commune. They come together in a strange set of circumstances and become good friends, especially after Joey's mentor, Jock, is killed by a madman, named Bracha. Together they set out to find and kill Bracha, and maybe find a cure for the zombie plague.
I really enjoyed this book because it seemed so much more real than other zombie stories. A city being closed off is a reasonable action to take if it's the only infected city. And people learning to cope with the zombies and learning to live with the menace took a long time. A lot of people died because they didn't believe it was really happening, or that they were in some way immune. I know a lot of people who feel that way. Can't happen to me.
The book was well written, and edited, I blew through it in a day and a half, because I couldn't put it down. All in all, if you are into zombie lit, read this book. I can't wait for more!
It was an excellent book. I read a lot of zombie novels, and they are becoming more and more cliched as the genre gets more and more popular. This was a fresh take on the theme, and also came across as a bit of an essay on humanity and our behaviours and our need for entertainment.
The book centres around two different teenagers growing up in post zombie uprising Edinburgh, Scotland. The zombies (or Ringed) have been active in the city for about 30 years when the story opens up, and the city has become a quarantine zone, cut off from the rest of the world. The two teens, Joey and Alys have never known a city with electricity, or running water or a city without zombies. Joey has been raised by a cult of monks who worship the zombies as their leaders, and Alys was raised in an all woman commune by her mother, who is the head fighter of the commune. They come together in a strange set of circumstances and become good friends, especially after Joey's mentor, Jock, is killed by a madman, named Bracha. Together they set out to find and kill Bracha, and maybe find a cure for the zombie plague.
I really enjoyed this book because it seemed so much more real than other zombie stories. A city being closed off is a reasonable action to take if it's the only infected city. And people learning to cope with the zombies and learning to live with the menace took a long time. A lot of people died because they didn't believe it was really happening, or that they were in some way immune. I know a lot of people who feel that way. Can't happen to me.
The book was well written, and edited, I blew through it in a day and a half, because I couldn't put it down. All in all, if you are into zombie lit, read this book. I can't wait for more!
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