The Dust: The zombie apocalypse in Ireland

by Jonathan Lynch

All over Ireland people begin to drop dead around a young mechanic named Eric Ward. At first Eric believes it to be just a lethal virus, but all that changes when the dead start to come back to life and the giant man-eating-rats appear with a voracious appetite for human flesh. Eric's pregnant girlfriend and ailing grandmother need to be brought to hospital to be inoculated and protected from the virus. But getting there will be nearly impossible as the streets are now overrun by the giant vermin and psychotic creatures that were once his neighbours and friends. Eric finds himself in a battle to stay alive long enough to save his loved ones.

The Dust is the second novel by award winning author Jonathan Lynch

Genres: Horror, Zombies

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 10, 2015

Reviews

[BennettLisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey,


I hope you’re doing great. I recently discovered your story and I was genuinely impressed. Your storytelling feels vivid and engaging, and it instantly made me think about how incredible it could be as a comic or webtoon.

I’m an artist specializing in comics, manga, webtoons, character art, and book covers. I’d absolutely love the opportunity to be commissioned to bring your story to life visually and turn it into something eye-catching.

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Best regards,
bennett.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm frankly shocked at the rave reviews of this book. To me, it was merely meh. Perhaps it's just that I've read some decent-to-excellent zombie books in recent months but this was simply okay. There's little to no character development, and it mostly just catapults along from danger to danger without a breath to help you care about the characters. Or the plot. And I'm sure some people want to read it merely because it's set in Ireland but ... there's nothing distinctively Irish about it.

Don't get me wrong -- I've read worse. I didn't throw it down in disgust (although it's extremely short so didn't require a lot of patience). The writing didn't make me cringe (I'm looking at you, Courtney Konstantin). It's just fairly standard zombie fiction.

If you want better books along the same lines, I recommend The Complete Deadland Saga by Rachel Aukes, the Rise books by Ben Tripp, the Undead series by R R Haywood (set in Britain), and anything by Sarah Lyons Fleming (my favorite) and Rhiannon Frater. If you're more into distinctly male voices/characters, try Mark Tufo's Zombie Fallout series, Joe Ledger by Jonathan Maberry, and J. L. Bourne's Day by Day Armageddon series.

[Raymond St. Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

It started out keeping my interest but then the story started to drag an get dull. I kept reading but then towards the end skipping pages an the ending well clearly in my opinion anticlimactic. Maybe this ending of the main character being alone was intended as a prequel? If so it's a weak ending for another another beginning tale.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent tale of survival

This book has all the bases covered. Horrible humans, horrible beasts and horrible politicians.
I liked the back story on how the outbreak happens. Hopefully there are more stories about Eric to follow.
Well worth a read if you love a good Zompoc.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathan Lynch sets his second novel, The Dust, in Dublin Ireland. People start dying soon after excavation begins on a new underground metro rail system in the city center. The narrator is a young mechanic named Eric Ward. Rats the size of cats are soon loose in the streets attacking people, followed shortly by the rising of the dead who turn into walking zombies. Eric struggles to save himself, his grandmother and his pregnant girlfriend Lauren. What happens next? It’s a bonafide page-turner you won’t want to put down until you find out.

Lynch represents a fresh, young voice in the zombie genre. The Dust is well written and the main character is engaging. I quickly found myself rooting for him as he struggles against all the odds. If you liked World War Z, you’ll thoroughly enjoy The Dust. I highly recommend it.

[Rachel Horon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would you survive a zombie apocalypse? Set in Ireland, The Dust is a riveting story of Eric who is trying to survive. He has no hunting or survival skills; he is running on the hope that he gets to the end and find his pregnant girlfriend and grandmother. As he meets other survivors in his search, the reader is drawn in to the action and pondering one may have when their world is turned upside down. It is difficult to stop at the end of the chapter when it is thrilling and keeps you wanting more. If you like zombie apocalypse stories, you will enjoy this one very much!