The World Without Flags

by Ben Lyle Bedard, Caroline Waltz (Narrator)

Ten years after a plague of parasitic worms decimated humanity, turning some of them into zombies, the world has become a dangerous country of bandits and hunger. Across this landscape, a young woman must overcome terror and isolation to survive. Driven by determination and loyalty, she must leave the only home she has ever known, confronting both death and her past. Pushed to her uttermost limits, she will discover who she is and what she is willing to sacrifice.

Audible Audio

Published January 9, 2026

About the author

Born in Buckfield, a rural town in Maine, Ben grew up reading Tolkien, Stephen King, and Charles Dickens. When he went to college at the University of Maine at Farmington, he published his first piece of fiction in the local college journal. After moving across the country to study creative writing at Mills College, he began writing poetry as well as fiction. In his graduate studies, he published poems in several little magazines as well as a book of poems, Implicit Lyrics. He won honorary mention from the Academy of American Poets in the Friends of University Libraries Poetry Prize for his poem “All the Wind Points East.” During this time, he also worked on a collaboration with the painter Jackie Felix to produce the chapbook “We’re Really Happy”. Soon afterwards, he returned to writing fiction, his first love. While in Buffalo, New York and finishing his dissertation at the University of Buffalo, Ben finished his trilogy, The Slinger, a science fiction story told in a western dialect. The trilogy is set on a planet that is the unfortunate focus of two dueling superpowers. The first two books, The Equilibrium of Stars and Strange Bonds, were published with a small press, while the last book, All of a Darkness, along with the entire trilogy, was later released as The Slinger Trilogy on Amazon. In Buffalo, he met his future wife, Fernanda Glaser, a Fulbright scholar from Chile. To meet the requirements of her scholarship, she had to move back to Chile, and Ben followed her. They were married a year later, under crimson bougainvillea. Together they wrote and published a bilingual biography of the Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral, Criatura Regional/Regional Creature. While in Chile, Ben dusted off a book he had written in Buffalo called The Island, a coming-of-age story wrapped in a zombie apocalypse. Unable to find a publisher, he decided to publish it himself. After much revision, Ben renamed it The World Without Crows and released it on Amazon. It won an IndieBrag Award and had many favorable reviews. Encouraged by fans of the book, he wrote the sequel, The World Without Flags, which takes place ten years after the first book. He is currently living by the Pacific Ocean in La Serena while he researches and plans his next book.

Reviews

[Terry Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book via an ARC from the author, for Rosie Amber's Book Review Team. The fact that it was free has not affected this honest review.

I have an endless hunger for post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, but it has to be well-written, feasible, properly researched and edited, with great characters, realistic dialogue and a plot that keeps me turning the pages. I am delighted to say that this ticked all the boxes. I loved it.

It's actually a Book #2, but it's completely stand-alone; I didn't know of the existence of Book #1 until I looked up the Amazon links for this review.

Birdie is around sixteen (she is not sure of her exact age), and lives in the Homestead in Maine, where she lives with Eric, who she thinks of as her father. She has only vague recollections of the Worm, a disease that hit the world a decade ago, around 1990, rendering most of the population zombie-like, though only a few 'cracked' and became flesh-eaters. She is happy enough in her world - but then a traveller appears with news of a coming war between two factions, both of whom want to rebuild the country under their command.

This news leaves the community in a state of extreme anxiety, but worse is to come. Much, much worse...

Most of the story is about a journey that Birdie must make to ensure her own safety and that of those she loves, through land she doesn't know, where she will come up against much danger. The hazardous journey is a post-apocalyptic standard, but it works every time if done well, and this was. It's exciting, unpredictable, and Birdie's development, as she learns more about the world outside her safe enclosure and finds much strength within herself that she didn't know existed, is a joy to read.

If you love this genre, I recommend highly; even if you think you don't, I still recommend. Suffice to say that I've downloaded Book #1, and started reading it as soon as I'd finished #2. One word of warning: it's rather gruesome at times. Don't read it while you're eating. I say this from experience.

[Kat (Katlovesbooks) Dietrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

The World Without Flags by Ben Lyle Bedard is a post-apocalyptic tale, and a sequel to The World Without Crows.

First, let me thank the author for approaching me and for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:   (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
In 1990,  a virus from Brazil infected the world.  A "worm" wreaked havoc on the mind, turning the dead into zombie-like creatures.  Some zombies "cracked" and attacked others.  Some were fairly harmless.  Gangs of the living form, often fighting each other.  Other uninfected search for a quiet place to try and live in peace.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
It has been 10 years since 16 year-old Eric lead people North to Maine, where he figured the weather would be cold enough to kill off the zombies, and isolated enough to stay away from the gangs.  They have built a new life for themselves, and things are good.  Birdie has grown, and re-invented herself and now goes by the name Kestrel -- she is small and fast.

Then, word comes that two groups, both who want to re-build the government, are at war with each other, and the fight is coming close.

But there is worse to come, and Kestrel will have to find her inner strength.


My Opinions:  
I really enjoyed this book.  I loved the first one, but this was even better.  Yes, it's a book about Zombies, but again, it is more of a coming-of-age story.  This time it was Birdie's story.   She is simply wonderful.  She is a teenager with an inner rage that often spews out her mouth, but when she is not being ignorant, she  is loyal, and intelligent, and kind.  She is determined to do whatever she can to protect the ones she loves. The characters are deep, and all of them interesting.

The writing is great, and the dialogue very smooth.  There are some twists I didn't really see coming.  Just be warned, the novel is very graphic in its descriptions of the virus,  so it's rather gory.  It didn't bother me, but little does.

Please, read both the books.  This is being touted as a stand-alone novel, but you miss so much of the atmosphere without reading the first book.  They aren't just books about zombies.  They are about people coming together to re-build after a catastrophe, about strength, and weakness, about determination, and love.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and I have not idea if the author plans on a third novel, but I would read it if it appears.


For a more complete review of this book and others (including author information and a favorite quotation or two from this book), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

[Steph Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

I had no idea when I picked it up that this book was a sequel (The World Without Crows), so I can very confidently assert that it reads perfectly well as a stand-alone novel!

The story follows Kestrel as she attempts to survive in a post-plague world. With rumblings of a war between surviving US political factions looming, in which citizens are being compelled to choose a side, and the possibility that the dreaded ‘Worms’ plague may not be as over as everyone believes, Kestrel has to take on the whole world and fight, lie and scheme to try to protect the very few people she cares about.

I read this one during the Covid pandemic and that possibly wasn’t the best timing… or maybe it was, if the aim was to give myself multiple sleepless, plague-filled nights! I just couldn’t stop reading. The Worms are utterly, viscerally horrific, the action and suspense are gripping and the overall story of love, sacrifice and survival is very touching.

I can definitely recommend this story to fans of well-written, compelling horror-survival. Just don’t let those Worms get in your head…!

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...

[Meg Orton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: the author Ben Lyle Bedard kindly sent me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

In a post-apocalyptic America the human race is learning to live off the land after a terrible virus know as Vaca B or most commonly referred to as 'the Worm', ravaged through entire populations. After the virus was seemingly eradicated those still living are concerned only with survival, and reminiscing about the days before the Worm.

Kestrel, whose real name is Birdie, and whose parents were both killed by the Worm lives in a small community known as the Homestead with her sort-of adoptive father Eric who is the leader of the community. Many years ago Eric and his wife Lucia rescued Birdie, and after Lucia's death have remained close ever since. Birdie is 18 years old (or 17 or 19 – she isn't quite sure), loves to draw and has a best friend named Artemis. She's always struggled to make friends and is also a black girl living among a community of mostly white people. She is also fond of visiting the older Franky, whose love for the past is evident in his obsession with collecting all sorts of trinkets and filling his home with them. Other community members of note include a gang of young boys who like to terrorize Birdie, among them Pest who has always seemed a little bit odd and not quite like the other boys.

One day a friend of the Homestead comes to visit in the form of Randal the Vandal, or just Randy. Randy has been traveling around the country ever since the Worm happened and though usually bringing smiles and gifts from yonder, Randy brings the bad news that there is a war going on outside, and that they will all have to choose between the two factions: The Stars or The Gearheads. Both groups have elected themselves a president and hope to create a new America and in so doing will fly their own flags in what they hope to be a new world. This makes Birdie's home very nervous, and a little divided between those who are willing to succumb to choosing a new order and those that wish to remain free. They all turn to Eric for guidance but Eric is reluctant to make any decisions causing others to start questioning his leadership abilities. Randy leaves after the warning, and the community continue to pressure Eric leaving Birdie in the role of mediator.

“You're in the world...You do have to choose. There's no middle ground”

Not long after Randy's departure the Worm suddenly returns and those infected experience far more violent and devastating symptoms than ever before. Birdie's community are suddenly faced with the very real fear of being infected by the very people they have learned to love and call family. Those with the Worm are now forced into quarantine as the rest of the community wait for the dreaded 'turn' – when those infected become violent and crazed. A new 'normal' commences as over several hellish weeks the community are forced to shoot those that are exhibiting the worst symptoms and are then led to a funeral pyre where they are burned. With everything that is going on the impending war is soon forgotten as the community take turns caring for their sick, and it is then that Birdie discovers Eric, the person she cares for most in the world, has the Worm.

With the fear of being discovered and the knowledge that the community will end up shooting Eric she packs up the little they have and goes on the run with an Eric who is no longer the same person. He won't eat or sleep, is unable to communicate with anything more than a few moans and grumbles, and is incredibly slow. His eyeballs begin to bleed, and worms ooze from his mouth, and yet Birdie will not give up on him. Her plan is to go in search of a friend of Eric's, the elusive Good Prince Billy, whom Eric once claimed to have told him that people can and had once survived the Worm all those years ago.

The rest of the novel follows Birdie and Eric as they struggle across desolated landscapes to get away from the Homestead in search of the Good Prince and hopefully a cure. Their journey brings them into contact with a number of people who have ulterior motives including two men on horseback who call themselves Boston and Sydney, and the evil Dr. Bragg who is infecting people with the Worm in order to one day find a cure. Through it all Birdie's love for Eric never falters, even with the ongoing fear that she may contract the virus herself and no longer be able to take care of the only family she's known since her own parents died from this same virus.

In Bedard's novel of survival in a world without boundaries, though the Worm is devastating, the real monsters appear to be the living who have forgotten what it is like to be alive. The World Without Flags is well-written, exciting and filled with a warmth for its characters as well as being very in-tune with the notion of the human condition, and the lengths the human spirit will go to survive. This is a post-apocalyptic novel that will have you holding your breath from the first page, and rooting for Birdie right until the end.

[Vigilant Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title – The World Without Flags
Author – Ben Lyle Bedard
Genre – Horror – Postapocalypse
Word Count 125,000
Rating 5 Stars out of 5
No. 23 - 2020
Posted 6-27-2020

My Impressions: Gross descriptions of worm infestations, coming of age story, betrayal.

Main Characters:
Kestrel – Seventeen-year-old girl
Eric – Kestrel’s mentor, age 28
Pest – A young man from the Homestead where a small group of survivors live.

The World Without Flags is so gross I want to give it a three star rating, but the story deserves five stars. The entire world has been decimated by a disease called the WORM. Microscopic worms enter humans through the water, then grow and eat them from the inside out. As the worms grow they are visible in their victims eyes, ears, nose and mouth. In the later stages the victims bleed from their eyes. (I warned you it was gross.) Some victims die while others ‘crack’ and enter a violent zombie like state where they scratch or bite humans and pass the disease on.
A group of about forty humans live at the Homestead in central Maine. The Worm has been inactive for a decade but suddenly is again being transmitted and wiping out entire postapocalyptic settlements.

Kestrel lives with Eric at the Homestead but without intimate contact. They’re simply friends; he is her mentor. Then Eric is infected, and the plot turns to Kestrel trying to keep him alive while everyone else wants to kill him to prevent him from spreading the disease. Almost every page then centers on Eric’s condition and descriptions of worms poking out of every opening and blood flowing from his eyes.
The plot throws Kestrel and Eric into constant conflict and danger from unexpected sources. Then she learned a person considered a friend had betrayed every survivor for personal gain.
War is approaching this batch of survivors as two factions vie to recreate a central governing body. People will be forced to chose sides or be attacked and killed.

I compare the level of constant debilitating despair in The World Without Flags to We the Living by Ayn Rand.

The story is about 90% to 95% narrative in first person told from Kestrel’s point of view.

The editing and sentence structure are good with minor errors.
Character Development is good for the main characters and some support characters.
Details of this imaginary world are complete and clear.
The plot is a fresh but gory take on the zombie apocalypse.

This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.

[Hikes in Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway, for which I am very grateful. In return, this is my honest review of it.

A well written and edited book. It combines a number of my favorite things in an escapist type of novel, science fiction, a dystopian environment, and good first person writing. First person is tough! This is actually the book in a series, which was wisely written as a stand alone novel. It's good enough that I will look up the first one, to complete my knowledge of this universe.

Following on the heels of the COVID sorta-pandemic is a story of the aftermath of a real one, complete with zombies. Or what will pass for them until the real ones arrive. It's been ten years since the outbreak of the disease. It's a particularly disgusting and upsetting one, appropriately called The Worm. Parasitic worms infest the victim, and are discharged via any and every orifice, sometimes creating their own. This gives the book a number of "ew!" moments, perhaps more than was needed. The disease also causes the victim to stink abominably, a condition not helped by the main character not realizing for way too long that her infected friend's, um, bodily functions continued in his pants. But hey, she's only sixteen, more or less, and hasn't been exposed to this kind of thing.

To keep things interesting, factions have developed among various groups of survivors who want to restore the country and government, and of course they don't agree so they reinvent war. Population is now down to single digit percentages of what it used to be, so of course we have to go to war. *sigh*

Overall, a well written entertaining novel. I need to follow this author for more of his works.

[Suanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

World Without Flags is Mr. Bedard’s second novel and a sequel to his first, The World Without Crows. I haven’t read the first, but World Without Flags can certainly be read as a stand-alone book. Enough backstory is given that I didn’t feel I missed any critical information.

These two books are about a disease apocalypse called the Worm. Set ten years after the disease nearly wiped out humanity, World Without Flags shows how humanity has survived. But, war between the Gears and the Stars, two opposing factions who want to reunite the ravaged United States. And the Worm resurges.

I particularly liked that the protagonist, Birdie, is a young black woman, but her race is not her defining characteristic. She, to paraphrase the words of Christopher Robin, is …braver than she believes, stronger than she seems, and smarter than she thinks.” She risks her own life (and sometimes those of others) to save the one she loves. The book was at times repetitious, especially Birdie’s internal monologue. There are some places where the writing hangs up and where a good editing would have helped, but none of these complaints kept me from finishing the book. That said, in this Covid-19 world, some people may be distressed by reading about the disease, its symptoms, and the effects on the world.

[Insert Name Here · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten years after the disease that brought the human race to its knees, the survivors are just about on an even keel. But the world outside their little haven is teetering on the edge of war and they can't ignore it forever.

First of all; this is the second in a series, but I haven't read the first and I didn't feel at all like I was missing anything. This book follows a character who would have been a small child during the first book, adopted by who I think was the main character of the first one. The background was given neatly without feeling like an exposition dump at any point.



However, don't read this on a full stomach. I promise your stomach won't be full for very long. I'm not going into more detail on that; you'll figure it out.



I did enjoy the read. Birdie is a very determined character, clever when she tries to be, impetuous like most teenagers. The rest of the characters were well drawn, and a couple of them surprised me here and there. I'll look out for the first in the series now; I'd like to know how everyone got to where they are now, although I don't feel like I'm missing vital information.



A great read if you like zombie or post apoc stories.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The World Without Flags is captivating. I've been sitting here for hours trying to figure out how to write this review. This book just grabs you from the first page, and you can lose yourself in its pages for hours. I love how real all the characters feel, even when they're not central to the story. If you're up for a great post-apocalyptic read, then get comfy and grab this book, because you won't want to put it down.

[Kami Vogel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It may have been the unfortunate timing, but I had  hard time with his book. I started reading right before the closures due to COVID-19 started and that may have impacted my views.

I found the main character, Birdie, to be unrelatable and irresponsible. Most of the choices she made put not only herself in great danger, but also those around her. I found myself mad at her often because I couldn't believe some of the things that she did.

[Fred Fanning · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a dystopian future for America and the humans that survive. The tale of their struggles and how they overcome them is interesting and entertaining.

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that THE WORLD WITHOUT FLAGS by Ben Lyle Bedard is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great novel. Dystopian, smart, scary. The World Without Flags is all you might want in an end-of-the-world novel, and more. The main character is both relatable and weird, and her travel is stressful and awesome. I cannot praise this novel enough.