Shades: A Post-Apocalyptic Novel

by Louise Vee

What would you do if the world as we know it just… ended, in a flash of light? If the people you loved tried to rip you to pieces as you went to hug them? If you had no food, no water and not even Instagram to help you? When Ruby Brook steps out of the darkness of a Manchester cinema, she discovers that the world has changed. One hundred and fifty miles north in Newcastle, Benedict Brown leaves a gym changing room and nothing is as it should be. Ruby and Ben’s tense journeys to escape The Blind will teach them that monsters come in many forms, and are round every corner. 28 Days Later meets The Royle Family in this gritty and authentic northern epic.

542 pages, Hardcover

Published October 18, 2025

Reviews

[⚓ Basil ⚓ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent UK PA

Author notes that this book was written over a long time period - years. It doesn’t end on a cliffy, but I sure would like to read a continuation. Maybe in a few years, eh? I loved the writing style. Detailed, thrilling, even funny in spots. It felt very real. I recommend it and would read a sequel.

[Kym Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, maybe a few tissues needed

Brilliant read, ready for the next in the series. A few tissues were needed especially near the end.



SPOILER ALERT



( a small part of me is hoping she was pregnant with triplets, amazingly this happened to someone I know)

[Jeff Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragic yet fun. Liked it. Different in a hood way


Enjoyed the very Englishness of the story, prose and location. Not ponderously heavy as many of these stories, Glad I read it.

[Michael Marketing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shades is a post apocalyptic novel that focuses on atmosphere, survival, and the human response to a world that has fundamentally changed.
Rather than relying only on large scale destruction, the story builds tension through uncertainty and emotional weight. The environment feels isolating, and that sense of isolation shapes both the pacing and the tone.
One of the strongest aspects of the book is how it aligns with the core of the genre. Post apocalyptic fiction often shifts the focus away from the catastrophe itself and toward how people adapt, survive, and search for meaning afterward.
The narrative maintains a steady sense of tension, with each moment carrying weight because of the fragile nature of the world the characters inhabit.
What makes the story effective is its focus on mood and internal experience, creating a reading experience that feels immersive and reflective rather than purely action driven.
A strong choice for readers who enjoy post apocalyptic fiction with atmospheric depth and a focus on human resilience.

[Alice Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hits with a jolt right from page one and never lets up. Ruby and Ben’s parallel journeys through a broken, terrifying northern England feel brutally real, grounded in everyday people facing unthinkable chaos. The threat of The Blind is relentless, but what makes the story unforgettable is how it exposes the darker corners of human nature just as much as the monsters lurking outside. It’s gritty, tense, and eerily believable, an apocalyptic tale that balances raw survival with a very British sense of authenticity.

[Stefan Krt · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the other reviews well Each to their own a DNF for me; the writing is good as is the story but the whole thing began to annoy me the characters except for Ruby and Ben are well caricatures.