What do you think?
Rate this book
The Cost of Living
A brand new zombie/survival horror story from the author of the best-selling AUTUMN and HATER novels (optioned for film by Guillermo del Toro).
The world is dying. An abhorrent epidemic is sweeping the globe, destroying everything it touches. Contact with even a single drop of contaminated blood or saliva is enough to spread the disease. Within hours even the healthiest people are transformed into hideous, germ-spewing creatures. They hunt out the uninfected in their tens of thousands, their sole purpose to continue spreading the infection.
On a recently-built housing development on the outskirts of a large city, one man will stop at nothing to protect his family from the coming storm. Stuart has been one step ahead of the game from the beginning. His garage is stocked high with supplies, the doors and windows of his home fortified, weapons held ready in case of attack.
With each passing minute, there are more and more infected surrounding the house. With each passing minute, Stuart and his family have less food and water available. Some time very soon, the balance of power will inevitably shift.
But Stuart won’t give up on his family, no matter what the cost.
The world is dying. An abhorrent epidemic is sweeping the globe, destroying everything it touches. Contact with even a single drop of contaminated blood or saliva is enough to spread the disease. Within hours even the healthiest people are transformed into hideous, germ-spewing creatures. They hunt out the uninfected in their tens of thousands, their sole purpose to continue spreading the infection.
On a recently-built housing development on the outskirts of a large city, one man will stop at nothing to protect his family from the coming storm. Stuart has been one step ahead of the game from the beginning. His garage is stocked high with supplies, the doors and windows of his home fortified, weapons held ready in case of attack.
With each passing minute, there are more and more infected surrounding the house. With each passing minute, Stuart and his family have less food and water available. Some time very soon, the balance of power will inevitably shift.
But Stuart won’t give up on his family, no matter what the cost.
173 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2014
147 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
About the author
David Moody
77 books1,258 followersDavid Moody first released Hater in 2006, and without an agent, succeeded in selling the film rights for the novel to Mark Johnson (producer, Breaking Bad) and Guillermo Del Toro (director, The Shape of Water, Pan's Labyrinth). Moody's seminal zombie novel Autumn was made into a movie starring Dexter Fletcher and David Carradine. He has an unhealthy fascination with the end of the world and likes to write books about ordinary folks going through absolute hell. With the publication of continuing Hater and Autumn stories, Moody has cemented his reputation as a writer of suspense-laced SF/horror, and "farther out" genre books of all description.
Find out more about his work at www.davidmoody.net and www.infectedbooks.co.uk, and join Moody's mailing list to keep up with new releases.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
September 13, 2024
A great read.
The title is quite apt even though it was written ten years ago. It's a great read and very well-paced. The characters were good, especially whingy Stu. Although it's a zombie book it's not as gory as others. It's so well-written that it totally absorbed me and it is well worth reading.
The title is quite apt even though it was written ten years ago. It's a great read and very well-paced. The characters were good, especially whingy Stu. Although it's a zombie book it's not as gory as others. It's so well-written that it totally absorbed me and it is well worth reading.
March 8, 2015
Every once in a while I am looking for that dark, depressing book, the one that does not have the happily ever after; because let’s face it, life is not all rainbows, lollipops and unicorns. Whenever I am in that kind of mood, David Moody does not let me down.
Stuart is a family man. He has the house, the wife, the two point five kids (actually three) and the family cat. When the world starts to go to hell, Stuart pays attention, he gets ready. Stuart’s family will survive.
I love the double entente of the title with the story. The Cost of Living starts with Stuart and Gabby fighting over money while on a shopping trip. It moves forward to the freedom that the family loses in order to survive the end of the world.
Included with The Cost of Living were two previous attempts that David Moody made to tell this story. It was really interesting to see the evolution of the story, with the improvements that the author made to create such a fantastic story.
The best part of The Cost of Living is how the author keeps it real. Whenever I read a PA book, I always like to think, “What would I do?” Stuart acts like anyone would, he looks out for his family and he has to make some hard decisions. The conflicts and problems that arise are real. David Moody creates that personal connection with his characters, they are anybody and everybody…they are you and me and the people we know.
If you are looking for a story with princesses and bubble gum, then do not read The Cost of Living. If you want a real story that is raw and dark then you need to read this book.
Stuart is a family man. He has the house, the wife, the two point five kids (actually three) and the family cat. When the world starts to go to hell, Stuart pays attention, he gets ready. Stuart’s family will survive.
I love the double entente of the title with the story. The Cost of Living starts with Stuart and Gabby fighting over money while on a shopping trip. It moves forward to the freedom that the family loses in order to survive the end of the world.
Included with The Cost of Living were two previous attempts that David Moody made to tell this story. It was really interesting to see the evolution of the story, with the improvements that the author made to create such a fantastic story.
The best part of The Cost of Living is how the author keeps it real. Whenever I read a PA book, I always like to think, “What would I do?” Stuart acts like anyone would, he looks out for his family and he has to make some hard decisions. The conflicts and problems that arise are real. David Moody creates that personal connection with his characters, they are anybody and everybody…they are you and me and the people we know.
If you are looking for a story with princesses and bubble gum, then do not read The Cost of Living. If you want a real story that is raw and dark then you need to read this book.
September 28, 2023
Entertaining apocalypse listening 🎶🔰
This is a free novella e-book from Amazon. Oh how I love 💘 those free books 📚!I
This is my first book by this author.
The end of the world 🌎 is coming. A man 🚹 ties everything possible to save his family. Months go by, the food supplies continue to get lower, and then it ends. I would recommend this novella and author to 👍 readers of fantasy horror apocalypse novels 👍🔰. 2023 😀👒☺🏡
This novella take place in England.
This is a free novella e-book from Amazon. Oh how I love 💘 those free books 📚!I
This is my first book by this author.
The end of the world 🌎 is coming. A man 🚹 ties everything possible to save his family. Months go by, the food supplies continue to get lower, and then it ends. I would recommend this novella and author to 👍 readers of fantasy horror apocalypse novels 👍🔰. 2023 😀👒☺🏡
This novella take place in England.
June 25, 2024
Well that was depressing (in a good way)
January 20, 2017
GABBY
SATURDAY 9 MAY – 11:38am
And I’m just looking at him thinking, did you really just say that? ‘It’s a pair of bloody supermarket leggings, Stu, that’s all.’
Bloody good times, ha ha! Except there's really no blood in this one, and it's not really good times, it's creepy, depressingly silent end-of-the-world as only Moody can do it. "The Cost of Living" details the lives of a British family of 5 - anal retentive dad Stuart, mom Gabby, teenaged Nathan, and two young girls - as society around them collapses from an infectious disease. The story is told from varying first-person perspectives of the adults, and it's a brilliantly done study into their descent into depression and madness and suicide ideation. The infected here aren't really zombies - no cannibalism, no biting, no blood. Instead, they seem to exist to spread the disease, and once they infect you - vomit, spit, whatever - they move on to the next victim. It's gross, it's icky, it's weird, and I really want a hot, hot shower.
SATURDAY 9 MAY – 11:38am
And I’m just looking at him thinking, did you really just say that? ‘It’s a pair of bloody supermarket leggings, Stu, that’s all.’
Bloody good times, ha ha! Except there's really no blood in this one, and it's not really good times, it's creepy, depressingly silent end-of-the-world as only Moody can do it. "The Cost of Living" details the lives of a British family of 5 - anal retentive dad Stuart, mom Gabby, teenaged Nathan, and two young girls - as society around them collapses from an infectious disease. The story is told from varying first-person perspectives of the adults, and it's a brilliantly done study into their descent into depression and madness and suicide ideation. The infected here aren't really zombies - no cannibalism, no biting, no blood. Instead, they seem to exist to spread the disease, and once they infect you - vomit, spit, whatever - they move on to the next victim. It's gross, it's icky, it's weird, and I really want a hot, hot shower.
August 24, 2019
This was a very fun short read. Reading this one reminds me of how much I loved his older novel series like Autumn and Hater. David Moody has a real talent for writing superiors novels about the living dead. I dropped one star only because I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrator, but he did a decent enough job. My attention didn’t waver too much with this audiobook, and I had a lot of fun guessing what direction the story would lean towards. Surprisingly David kept me on my toes and guessing all away to the very end.
March 14, 2016
Strong, compelling novella from Moody about a father fighting to save his family when faced with the end of society as a deadly contagion spreads through the world population. The zombie-like humans known as the "infected" are roaming the population trying to turn the healthy survivors into one of them. The father decides to hide his family from the infected by shutting themselves inside the homeowner complex in which they live but the reality of the situation begins to affect each member's outlook on the future. Moody's brilliantly stark writing elevates a simple, seen-this-before plot into a gripping, emotional tale that keeps you wondering if there is any hope for the frightened family right to the powerful, gut-wrenching ending. Not for the feint of heart. Moody does this sort of thing better than anyone I've read. Highly recommended.
June 3, 2014
That’s the question posed by the novella TCoL. After a virus outbreak a man decides to hide his family in their home in a newly built housing estate. He’s convinced they can ride it out. However, with ever dwindling supplies was this the right thing to do?
It’s written like a diary and this reportage style works really well and sets the pace perfectly.
David Moody has been on my reading radar for a while now so when I saw TCoL as a stand alone novella I decided I would read it. Glad I did, so will be checking out his other works.
It’s written like a diary and this reportage style works really well and sets the pace perfectly.
David Moody has been on my reading radar for a while now so when I saw TCoL as a stand alone novella I decided I would read it. Glad I did, so will be checking out his other works.
May 21, 2024
It's fiction but ..... you could feel stuarts anxiety while trying to keep his family safe coming off the pages! Fiction never felt so real!
September 4, 2024
I can't believe this book was published in 2014 as some parallelisms with what happened with Covid are unbelievable!
I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator Brian Portsmouth did a good job trying to portray the different characters and their different take on life, given the difficult circumstances.
I have to say that I hated the main character Stuart as not only was he arrogant, but how he took it all on himself, cutting out both his wife (Gabby) and his teenage son was awful!
And that's what I think was part of the story, how people would react to a deadly and not curable pandemic like in the book. Which approach would anyone take and not only to what extent would anyone be willing to go, but for how long as well!
Would you focus all your resources on survival, so quantity of life, or quality of life?
This book really made me reflect and gave me a whole different meaning to the cost of living for sure!
Be sure to check it out if you like apocalyptic/survival horror.
Thanks to the author for a code and this is my honest opinion.
I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator Brian Portsmouth did a good job trying to portray the different characters and their different take on life, given the difficult circumstances.
I have to say that I hated the main character Stuart as not only was he arrogant, but how he took it all on himself, cutting out both his wife (Gabby) and his teenage son was awful!
And that's what I think was part of the story, how people would react to a deadly and not curable pandemic like in the book. Which approach would anyone take and not only to what extent would anyone be willing to go, but for how long as well!
Would you focus all your resources on survival, so quantity of life, or quality of life?
This book really made me reflect and gave me a whole different meaning to the cost of living for sure!
Be sure to check it out if you like apocalyptic/survival horror.
Thanks to the author for a code and this is my honest opinion.
June 17, 2014
http://Bookbloke.weebly.com
For me David Moody is the master of the British, zombie subgenre. His Autumn and Hater series’ are some of the most gripping, horrific, emotional and absolutely brilliant books I have read. The cost of Living, Moody’s latest release does not disappoint.
A cost of living is a novella, following the life of Stuart, an everyday man, his wife, and three kids. On a trip to the supermarket, they witness a disturbing attack by an elderly woman, the woman is sick; the woman is spreading the sickness by attacking, vomiting and drooling on those around her. Stuart then takes it upon himself to ensure the safety of his family, having read the signs early he decides to prepare for the worst, hording food and equipment and fortifying their family home, Stuart prepares for the worst. As the world around them falls apart, people become infected, their primary purpose to infect others, Stuart and his family reside in the relative safety of their home. As the story develops, there’s plenty of action involving the infected, descriptions of horror, violence and gore, something which Moody excels at. Yet the main focus of this novella is the emotional and mental toll of living isolated from the rest of the world, confined to four walls, in the same company day in and day out. Cracks start to form, supplies start to dwindle, other threats present themselves, how far will Stuart go to save his family?
Relating to Moody’s characters for me was very easy, being married with three children had me rooting for Stuart and also questioning how I would do things if in his shoes. A very short story that will have you eager to see how Stuart and his family survive, an ending that will leave you stunned, this is an intense zombie story that I would recommend to anyone.
For me David Moody is the master of the British, zombie subgenre. His Autumn and Hater series’ are some of the most gripping, horrific, emotional and absolutely brilliant books I have read. The cost of Living, Moody’s latest release does not disappoint.
A cost of living is a novella, following the life of Stuart, an everyday man, his wife, and three kids. On a trip to the supermarket, they witness a disturbing attack by an elderly woman, the woman is sick; the woman is spreading the sickness by attacking, vomiting and drooling on those around her. Stuart then takes it upon himself to ensure the safety of his family, having read the signs early he decides to prepare for the worst, hording food and equipment and fortifying their family home, Stuart prepares for the worst. As the world around them falls apart, people become infected, their primary purpose to infect others, Stuart and his family reside in the relative safety of their home. As the story develops, there’s plenty of action involving the infected, descriptions of horror, violence and gore, something which Moody excels at. Yet the main focus of this novella is the emotional and mental toll of living isolated from the rest of the world, confined to four walls, in the same company day in and day out. Cracks start to form, supplies start to dwindle, other threats present themselves, how far will Stuart go to save his family?
Relating to Moody’s characters for me was very easy, being married with three children had me rooting for Stuart and also questioning how I would do things if in his shoes. A very short story that will have you eager to see how Stuart and his family survive, an ending that will leave you stunned, this is an intense zombie story that I would recommend to anyone.
February 6, 2017
A zombie tale with a lesson
It almost seems like one of Aesop's Fables! It was a sad story but a true one. One that addresses what can really happen when the whole world shuts down. A virus..spread by mucus, sneezes, spitting..is pretty hard to avoid. Worse than trying to avoid a zombie bite. A diabolical pathogen is really scary!
I like the different endings, how the author gives us different views of everyone's point of view. Inevitably it seems that either you fight or you run/hide till your time is up.. and you choose your own fate.
It almost seems like one of Aesop's Fables! It was a sad story but a true one. One that addresses what can really happen when the whole world shuts down. A virus..spread by mucus, sneezes, spitting..is pretty hard to avoid. Worse than trying to avoid a zombie bite. A diabolical pathogen is really scary!
I like the different endings, how the author gives us different views of everyone's point of view. Inevitably it seems that either you fight or you run/hide till your time is up.. and you choose your own fate.
June 25, 2014
I like short books. Books where things happen on the first page and continue happening until the end. Those are the sort of books I grew up with, but then someone came along and decided all books had to be at least 500 pages long, with extra padding that did nothing to further the story. So books became boring and everyone stopped reading them. This is a short book. Stuff happens. There’s no boring bits. The world needs more books like this.
October 5, 2015
READABLE AND BELIEVABLE - ALTHOUGH IT'S ZOMBIE FICTION
Like Stephen King in 'Salem's Lot' (OK, that was vampires, not zombies, but...), David Moody begins his story in an ordinary suburban setting. A cash-strapped family are shopping at the supermarket when they witness a disturbing incident. Gradually, horror and tension build until the extraordinary becomes commonplace (alas, not in a good way). Very readable and believable - which is somewhat amazing for zombie fiction.
Like Stephen King in 'Salem's Lot' (OK, that was vampires, not zombies, but...), David Moody begins his story in an ordinary suburban setting. A cash-strapped family are shopping at the supermarket when they witness a disturbing incident. Gradually, horror and tension build until the extraordinary becomes commonplace (alas, not in a good way). Very readable and believable - which is somewhat amazing for zombie fiction.
June 17, 2014
David Moody got me again! Amazing read!
Story was brilliant and characters even better each making the story come more to life after every chapter. A must read for not only David Moody fans but for all apocalyptic fiction readers
Story was brilliant and characters even better each making the story come more to life after every chapter. A must read for not only David Moody fans but for all apocalyptic fiction readers
January 12, 2016
What can I say? I like a good zombie story and Mr. Moody is an apocalypse artist.
December 30, 2023
I was pretty disappointed in this book. I love apocalypse stories usually and the dark theme / ending was an exciting change of pace ( author spills this little secret in the intro , so no spoilers here )
The story started off interesting enough. We go back and forth from the husband and wife’s POV as an illness is unfolding.
We go straight to “ must plan. Must save family “ from Stu and we never move or evolve. Not much back story. Not much else about him other than “ must plan. Must save family “
The rest of the characters may as well have been NPC. There was no character development on any of them and the interactions felt very clumsy. I didn’t feel the love or connection between them that would explain his actions throughout the book.
I found myself staring at the % read as I went through wondering if things would pick up or just be over already .
The story started off interesting enough. We go back and forth from the husband and wife’s POV as an illness is unfolding.
We go straight to “ must plan. Must save family “ from Stu and we never move or evolve. Not much back story. Not much else about him other than “ must plan. Must save family “
The rest of the characters may as well have been NPC. There was no character development on any of them and the interactions felt very clumsy. I didn’t feel the love or connection between them that would explain his actions throughout the book.
I found myself staring at the % read as I went through wondering if things would pick up or just be over already .
January 24, 2024
An excellent little horror story! I think I got this on "Terrify Your Tablet" day, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this is a dark tale with all sorts of horror in it. The infected zombie things are gory and gooey, but there's also plenty of psychological horror going on with the family.
I liked that we got mostly Stuart's POV, but with the odd look at Gabby and the son's POVs. This book feels like it was written this year - post-COVID lockdown, right in the middle of a cost of living crisis, so it surprised me it was written back in 2014. I think the boredom and terror of hiding away from a disease is so much easier to empathise with now. The vomit zombie things are pretty scary and gnarly, and it's great to see a bit of a twist on the zombie idea.
Just a really dark, intense novella, and a great story throughout. I really liked the ending as well.
I liked that we got mostly Stuart's POV, but with the odd look at Gabby and the son's POVs. This book feels like it was written this year - post-COVID lockdown, right in the middle of a cost of living crisis, so it surprised me it was written back in 2014. I think the boredom and terror of hiding away from a disease is so much easier to empathise with now. The vomit zombie things are pretty scary and gnarly, and it's great to see a bit of a twist on the zombie idea.
Just a really dark, intense novella, and a great story throughout. I really liked the ending as well.
November 9, 2024
I actually loved this book, a different take on most zombie/ end of days books, written very well with a definite claustrophobic feel, you could almost feel the tension as the weeks went past, The ending I didn’t see coming, was a definite surprise, but in the same place how many of us would do the same. I will definitely read more from this author, so 10/10, not a long read but everything is packed in it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2017
A fairly short but excellent zombie/post-apocalyptic novella. I felt the author really got to grips with the swift breakdown of society and the thin layer of 'civilisation' we have. A layer which can all too easily be swept away, and then it's every man for himself. Will definitely check out some of the author's other work.
December 5, 2023
Fun little book
I don't care, I love zombie books, and this one was a new take with a different mode of transmission (just sharing bodily fluids instead of biting) and it focused on one family in quarantine trying to survive. The main guy, the dad, is pretty nuts and gets worse as time passes.
I recommend this for other horror fans
I don't care, I love zombie books, and this one was a new take with a different mode of transmission (just sharing bodily fluids instead of biting) and it focused on one family in quarantine trying to survive. The main guy, the dad, is pretty nuts and gets worse as time passes.
I recommend this for other horror fans
August 31, 2025
An Engrossing Work
Moody keeps the action going with believable characters driving a plot that is very realistic for a zombie trope. Closer to real world possibilities, his style of writing is fast paced, with little exaggeration, with a credible twist at the end. Overall, a dependably entertaining work on an otherwise worn out and cliched trope.
Moody keeps the action going with believable characters driving a plot that is very realistic for a zombie trope. Closer to real world possibilities, his style of writing is fast paced, with little exaggeration, with a credible twist at the end. Overall, a dependably entertaining work on an otherwise worn out and cliched trope.
October 10, 2018
Not very exciting
It was ok. Not as action packed or as gory as I like my Zompoc to be. And the alternative endings were just confusing and ultimately pointless, as each one wasn't really any different to the others. Not one I'd recommend really - a bit boring
It was ok. Not as action packed or as gory as I like my Zompoc to be. And the alternative endings were just confusing and ultimately pointless, as each one wasn't really any different to the others. Not one I'd recommend really - a bit boring
October 6, 2022
Short, sharp and very bleak. A family, isolated in their house inside a fenced estate, try to outlive a virulent infection taking over the entire world. If you like you're post apocalyptic fiction to have no hope whatsoever, this is for you.
August 4, 2024
This was a great zombie story! I do love my zombies & this was a great addition to the genre, as far as I am concerned! I liked the characters & ideas, never a moments calm in this well paced, action packed adventure! A fun read!
September 28, 2024
I really really enjoyed this! In a crisis the most important thing is protecting your family but at what cost to yourself? This is definitely one of those books that makes you say would I do the same? That ending was perfect because it’s certainly what I’d do!
April 4, 2025
Well. That was a punchy little book. I've often thought, when reading or watching anything apocalyptic, ok, so now what. We survived, and there's chaos and death and destruction everywhere - yippee! I'm with the wife on this one. Plus, Stuart was kind of a dick.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2025
A bit 'infected' a bit survival and the ending was just so incredibly sad :(
Stu will do literally anything for his family, and it kinda put in prospective, like, what would you do if it was the end of the world??
Stu will do literally anything for his family, and it kinda put in prospective, like, what would you do if it was the end of the world??
December 29, 2017
Another take on the zombie genre, but with a dark and surprising ending.
January 8, 2018
What defines living and how is that different from existing? This is a story about one family's survival.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews