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Red Death #1
Red Death
Tara Green and her husband Lee are an average American couple living in a small but average Midwestern town. It’s all quite average—until the day their next door neighbors began projectile vomiting up their liquefied internal organs. Tara finds herself at ground zero in a worldwide pandemic that threatens the extinction of society. Can she learn the skills needed in time to save them all? A powerful story of life and death, greed and cruelty, culminating in a battle between good and evil against the backdrop of a desperate struggle to survive in a brave new world.
166 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2015
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255 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 21, 2016
Not one I loved, but an okay read overall.
May 4, 2016
Very good
A different take on the end of the world story line. No strange illness that raises the dead to become shambling beings. This is the story of two strong women. One who didn't think she was and another that helped become one.
A different take on the end of the world story line. No strange illness that raises the dead to become shambling beings. This is the story of two strong women. One who didn't think she was and another that helped become one.
August 24, 2017
While depressing, there was a lot about the book I did like, such as the strong women who rose to the occasion because they needed to. I liked the way Tara, the heroine, used books and what she learned from them to scavenge for what they needed when food supplies ran low. I like the way they improvised when they needed to without being preppers who had everything they thought they'd need stashed away somewhere. And the scenario, an Ebola epidemic, was plausible. (And no zombies.)
What I didn't like was a resistance that did nothing -- not exactly a resistance. And what I really didn't like
What interests me more than the actual disaster as it's unfolding is what happens afterward. If Robinson has written a sequel to that, I might read it. But it's a depressing book, probably because of all the scenarios for TEOTWAWKI, a pandemic seems the most likely to me.
What I didn't like was a resistance that did nothing -- not exactly a resistance. And what I really didn't like
What interests me more than the actual disaster as it's unfolding is what happens afterward. If Robinson has written a sequel to that, I might read it. But it's a depressing book, probably because of all the scenarios for TEOTWAWKI, a pandemic seems the most likely to me.
December 26, 2017
Ok but not great. Sometimes lacking plausibility. Really? After seeing what happened in Africa with Ebola I can't believe an outbreak anywhere in world would be as innocuous as portrayed in this book. The strong female characters are believable but maybe in a different setting. That said I did finish it which is me a than can be said of some I've started.
May 23, 2018
Sorry but awful
Can't say I would recommend this book to anyone. Very shallow characters and unbelievable situations. Poorly written. Very disappointed in it.
Can't say I would recommend this book to anyone. Very shallow characters and unbelievable situations. Poorly written. Very disappointed in it.
August 29, 2018
Decent read
This book had a good story, the main character was a little annoying and her husband bothered me too. Other than that, the plot was exciting and entertaining.
This book had a good story, the main character was a little annoying and her husband bothered me too. Other than that, the plot was exciting and entertaining.
July 14, 2015
Another independent horror novel of a decidedly post-apocalypse bent, Red Death by D.L. Robinson is an ebola-themed epidemic story. It is a short but bittersweet novel, averaging about 167 pages for ebook readers.
The premise is Tara Green and her husband Lee are at ground zero in an outbreak of the titular plague from Edgar Allan Poe's classic, in this case a mutated form of Ebola. Her neighbors die horribly, the government in the area becomes tyrannical, and there is a general breakdown in society. Weirdly, of all things, the book mostly reminded me of John Milinus' Red Dawn. For those unfamiliar with the 1980s jingoistic Red Scare classic, it was about a group of young survivors dealing with a Soviet takeover of the hometown. I remember that movie very strikingly not for its ludicrous premise of the guerrilla warfare, though I did as well, but because of the terrible struggle the children went through suddenly stripped away from civilization.
The similarities between that movie and Red Death aren't in any way the plot or the characters (the villains are Americans after all) but the general sense of your hometown transforming from a place of safety and security into a horrible occupied nightmare. There's also a strong sense of community and good will at the center of the novel, which is rare in post-apocalypse stories not written by Stephen King. Tara and Lee are perhaps a little too good to be true but given how awful the majority of people seem to become at the drop of a hat in post-apocalypse fiction, it was nice to see an alternative presented. Even the tyrannical government premise which the novel seemed to be forwarding has a subversion. I liked the character of Mary as a strong contrast yet compliment to Tara, showing two very different reactions to a situation by women with the same fundamental core.
The novel is filled with diary entries from Tara which could have easily formed the entire basis for the novel but which help supplement the action going on during the drama. The pacing is quite good, moving from the initial outbreak, to people starting to die close at hand, to martial law, to insane overreaction, to resistance, and beyond. I'm particularly fond of the vaccine twist as it's just the kind of crazy survival-at-all-costs mentality which does more harm than good. There are a lot of terribly potent and emotional moments in Red Death. One particular moment at the climax, involving "sending the women and children out first" was one of the most shocking I've read in a novel in the past year. Robinson has a grasp of good drama and a very visual style which I think most readers will find moving. She's also rather minimalist, meaning the plot moves along at a lightning pace. The story still captures the humanity of the characters extremely well, however.
Overall, I'm not a huge fan of epidemic post-apocalypse fiction and kind of rolled my eyes at the author's dig at zombie-fiction at the beginning but I highly recommend this novel to those who find that up their bailiwick.
9/10
The premise is Tara Green and her husband Lee are at ground zero in an outbreak of the titular plague from Edgar Allan Poe's classic, in this case a mutated form of Ebola. Her neighbors die horribly, the government in the area becomes tyrannical, and there is a general breakdown in society. Weirdly, of all things, the book mostly reminded me of John Milinus' Red Dawn. For those unfamiliar with the 1980s jingoistic Red Scare classic, it was about a group of young survivors dealing with a Soviet takeover of the hometown. I remember that movie very strikingly not for its ludicrous premise of the guerrilla warfare, though I did as well, but because of the terrible struggle the children went through suddenly stripped away from civilization.
The similarities between that movie and Red Death aren't in any way the plot or the characters (the villains are Americans after all) but the general sense of your hometown transforming from a place of safety and security into a horrible occupied nightmare. There's also a strong sense of community and good will at the center of the novel, which is rare in post-apocalypse stories not written by Stephen King. Tara and Lee are perhaps a little too good to be true but given how awful the majority of people seem to become at the drop of a hat in post-apocalypse fiction, it was nice to see an alternative presented. Even the tyrannical government premise which the novel seemed to be forwarding has a subversion. I liked the character of Mary as a strong contrast yet compliment to Tara, showing two very different reactions to a situation by women with the same fundamental core.
The novel is filled with diary entries from Tara which could have easily formed the entire basis for the novel but which help supplement the action going on during the drama. The pacing is quite good, moving from the initial outbreak, to people starting to die close at hand, to martial law, to insane overreaction, to resistance, and beyond. I'm particularly fond of the vaccine twist as it's just the kind of crazy survival-at-all-costs mentality which does more harm than good. There are a lot of terribly potent and emotional moments in Red Death. One particular moment at the climax, involving "sending the women and children out first" was one of the most shocking I've read in a novel in the past year. Robinson has a grasp of good drama and a very visual style which I think most readers will find moving. She's also rather minimalist, meaning the plot moves along at a lightning pace. The story still captures the humanity of the characters extremely well, however.
Overall, I'm not a huge fan of epidemic post-apocalypse fiction and kind of rolled my eyes at the author's dig at zombie-fiction at the beginning but I highly recommend this novel to those who find that up their bailiwick.
9/10
June 16, 2015
Loved This Book!
I don't often give five stars because in my mind a book has to have a special quality that makes it really stand out and this book has it in spades! The funny part is, where this book is concerned I'm not sure exactly what it is about this story that I love so much but when a book can make me laugh, have me hold my breath as I await the outcome of a situation, bring me to tears, and have me feel like like I'm saying bye to dear friends when I close i, for me that's a book worth passing along or recommending!
The characters are wonderfully relatable, the story is one I think everyone can relate to and will strike a chord of fear in most, if not all, and is a tale of survival written in such a way that any one of us could very easily see ourselves being one of the main characters yet being deeply grateful we aren't.
I don't often give five stars because in my mind a book has to have a special quality that makes it really stand out and this book has it in spades! The funny part is, where this book is concerned I'm not sure exactly what it is about this story that I love so much but when a book can make me laugh, have me hold my breath as I await the outcome of a situation, bring me to tears, and have me feel like like I'm saying bye to dear friends when I close i, for me that's a book worth passing along or recommending!
The characters are wonderfully relatable, the story is one I think everyone can relate to and will strike a chord of fear in most, if not all, and is a tale of survival written in such a way that any one of us could very easily see ourselves being one of the main characters yet being deeply grateful we aren't.
April 24, 2015
A well-written story of average people trying to survive a sudden viral apocalypse. As the story unfolds, the reader is plunged into a horrifying nightmare. The Ebola virus spreads and takes a hold of a community. Tara Green is a resourceful woman who is forced into a desperation situation of survival. If you like the tightly-knit character-driven stories (think The Walking Dead) you will love this book.
September 23, 2017
Thriller writing at its finest. I enjoyed being sucked into the realness of this story and was unable to put it down ... gave me chills ... and you really can't beat that. This is the first installment to the series. I look forward to reading the next.
February 21, 2015
Wow. Love this one.
May 8, 2015
Got about 65% of the way through and stopped. It was well written but when you read tons of this genre you are looking for something different. Too many of the genre memes.
June 5, 2015
Red Death review
Red Death is a post apocalyptic horror story about a massive Ebola outbreak in the United States. It paints a very grim picture of the citizens struggle to survive.
Red Death is a post apocalyptic horror story about a massive Ebola outbreak in the United States. It paints a very grim picture of the citizens struggle to survive.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews