South

Divided States #1

by Frank Owen

A stunning high-concept post-apocalyptic debut novel.

The USA has been ravaged by Civil War. It's thirty years since the first wind-borne viruses ended the war between North and South - and still they keep coming. Every wind brings a new and terrifying way to die. The few survivors live in constant fear, hiding from the wind - and from each other.

In this harsh Southern expanse, brothers Garrett and Dyce Jackson are on the run from brutal law-enforcers. They meet Vida, a lone traveller on a secret quest. Together, they will journey into the dark heart of a country riven by warfare and disease.

This is the story of Dyce and Vida.

This is the story of The Cure and how it came too late.

This is the story of South.

'Dark and beautiful and surprising. I loved it' Lauren Beukes

'South is an absolute blinder of a book. With its cracking pace, unforgettable characters, deliciously gruesome premise and you-won't-see-them-coming twists, if this doesn't make 'book of the year' shortlists, I will eat my Stetson. 'The Sisters Brothers' meets 'The Stand', it's a post-apocalyptic genre game changer' Sarah Lotz

Genres: Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopia, Apocalyptic, Alternate History, Science Fiction, Romance

416 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2016

About the author

A pseudonym of Diane Awerbuck and Alex Latimer.

Reviews

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love a good post apocalyptic tale and this one was excellent. The world building is sound and it was horribly realistic- plus I found the main characters engaging and not always pure.

So North and South are divided by a wall (I kid you not!) after a divisive issue of unification gets taken to extremes. In the ensuing civil war the South nearly had it, unfortunately the other side had an evil genius who wiped out their numbers using virus and germs sent on the wind...

We follow a feud in the South, a girl who may be clever enough to save her world and the boy she meets and travels along with. The story is well paced and deliciously dark, an addictive and clever narrative that is at turns fascinating and scary.

Really good! I'll be reading "North" very soon and we'll see what life is like on the other side..

I'm looking forward to reading it.

This one definitely recommended for fans of the end of the world.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best post-apocalyptic novels I've read in a while. Up there with The Road and The Passage. Part thriller, part horror it draws you in and keeps you hooked right to the very end as Vida and Dyce try to outrun what is chasing them and at the same time trying to avoid the numerous viruses, being carried by the wind, threatening them. It is a story of survival and unimagined horrors but mostly it is a fast paced, engaging read.

[Amanda Patterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

'South' is set in America sometime in the future. Brothers, Garrett and Dyce Jackson are on the run when they meet Vida who is on a quest to save her mother.

It's been 30 years since the first wind-borne viruses ended the civil war between North and South, and still the sicknesses come. Every wind from the north brings a new way to die. The few survivors hide from the wind and from each other.

'South' has so much potential and it is so disappointing when it doesn’t work. The plotting is erratic - in fact I wasn’t sure if there was one. There could have been more attention to world building in this dystopian setting.

There are the two authors who write as Frank Owen, and I think this is at the heart of my problem with the novel. 'South' struggles against itself, changing in pace and style like a schizophrenic who may or may not be on his meds. There are times when the genre works and moves along briskly and then times when we are stuck in pages and pages of the description of the inside of a house.

I am not sure if the book needed more editing or if the two should rather write alone. I loved one of the author's books (Alex Latimer’s 'The Space Race') and so I tend to think it may be the latter.

[Bug · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars.

Because you automatically get one for writing a book (good job) and the second because there were a couple of parts that genuinely made me retch. Again, good job.

Apart from that I had no interest in the characters or story.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book for free as part of 'Goodreads Giveaways' in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books where I wish I could give a half star. It's deserving of more than two stars, but I can't quite convince myself that it's worth three. Two and half stars is where I'd like to be on this.

The storyline is a pretty basic dystopian one. America seems to have followed some sort of alternate timeline in which the North and South have descended completely into civil war. Viruses have been released in the chemical warfare to end all. This is the story of two people from the South, trying to get by.

Unfortunately, the story falls in flat because there is no real drive to it. The main protagonists, Dyce and Vida, don't really have an end goal in mind. They're being chased, then they're not. It's more a sort of glimpse into the life of, than an actual plot with beginning, middle, and end.

The prose is chunky and forced at time, with several things happening so suddenly that it needs rereading at points to get over the abruptness of it. I also think this is one of those books that has suffered from its editing. Sometimes, the whole timeline seems to skip ahead mid-sentence. In fact, there are several points throughout in which a character starts thinking about doing something and then suddenly they are doing it. It's like wishing themselves there.

The book takes no account of time to travel, and sometimes one leg of the journey can take ages, and then the same journey can be completed twice in a day. It's hard to keep track.

There are lots of spelling and grammar mistakes, but I tend to disregard these, as it really doesn't take much away from the plot.

But, there are some completely unbelievable things as well. Certain things which seem to deny nature and physics, such as how quickly the water rises in the rain. How slowly a body decomposes, how animals behave, and indeed (fundamentally and importantly) how viruses behave.

I do think the plot has potential. It just needs more drive. A focal point.
That all said, I would like to say that I adored the names of some of the characters! Bethlehem, Allerdyce, and Vida - these are brilliant names. At once familiar, and foreign. I loved them.

It's worth a quick read if you like this sort of thing, but honestly I'd suggest sticking to Stephen King's 'The Stand' instead.

[Carys Wiggans · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into this book at all.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings)]

Won in the Goodreads Giveaways - not read, passed to another reader.

[The Tattooed Book Geek (Drew). · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always the review canbe found on my blog: ThetattooedBookGeek.wordpress.com so why not hop on over and say Hi! :)

I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

South is a post-apocalyptic tale taking place thirty years after the war for unification ended between the North and South USA. The actual dates the events all happened aren't mentioned and your left to vaguely guess for yourself the years when the events did take place though it has to be wrote that the deliberate fugue in the time frame by Owen doesn't detract at all from the story.

South has a core set of main characters: Garrett and Dyce/Alerdyce Jackson, Vida Washington and her mother Ruth, Felix Callahan (the Weatherman) and Tye Callahan. We also meet various others along the way who all play varying roles in the book but the named group above are at the centre of the story. While on the run from the Callahan's, who are led by Tye and are the South's version of law enforcers, Garrett and Dyce encounter Vida when hiding from the winds, their journeying together though it has a few twists and turns and time apart subsequently leads them stumbling into Felix Callahan, after a few more mishaps and twists our group set out travelling to find The Mouth a colony that is supposedly free of disease, it's only been mentioned in whispers and no one knows for certain if it's real or not but the group set-out to find The Mouth and hopefully the cure to, though things don't go as planned as you move towards the books conclusion. This is only a very basic description of the story as I don't want to spoil the book in any way for any potential readers as it's a journey you need to take alongside the characters. So, I'll just write it's an engaging story with plenty of twists and turns, there are some you will see coming and others you won't with a set of fascinating characters in a brutal setting.

We learn about the past and the unification through Felix Callahan via a cassette tape he made sometime in the past and now listens to, as a way to make sure he still remembers who he is, the names of people, his cat in particular and the events that have happened to, he does this to make sure that he hasn't been infected by a virus caused by the winds. It's been done before in other books where recordings have been used to remember the past but I always like it as a plot device, finding it adds to the story instead of having the more standard flashback paragraph/chapters or characters talking about the past between them as a way to learn more about the time, the story and the world before. I think for me personally it's partly to do with my love of computer games, I always like finding the audio diaries scattered throughout the game world and listening to them (the Bioshock games audio diaries are amazing, any gaming fans will agree they contain some of the best writing in games) as they add alot to the story and your hearing first hand someone recounting their personal experiences. I know that would happen if you were speaking to the actual person but I find it poignant as your listening to someone and you don't know their fate and you could've listening to their last words. With Felix, yes he's alive but you listen with him as he listens to himself hoping he remembers what's on the cassette he's playing for his own sake, it really draws you into his character.

Anyhow, I digressed their slightly mentioning games in a book review, some of you willbe screaming travesty! Apologies, now back to the book. While not the main character, Felix is one of the most involved, playing a pivotal role but more than that acts as the anchor and bridge between the past and the present. Tye Callahan is in both timelines to but we only hear about him in the past from Felix reciting his memories on his cassette tape, though I will say Tye has a large role in the events that unleash the viruses upon the winds and it brings back story to Tye as you learn more about him and see why he acts how he does in the present.

South is both a story and a character driven read. The characterisation is of a high standard with each character having their own personalities, traits, flaws and reasons.You have your good characters and your bad and while it's clear who falls on each side of the line, it's not black and white, there's countless shades of grey in between and all couldbe deemed to be lacking in morality and be classed as morally ambiguous. Actions from some of the good characters surprise you, one keeps a secret merely for self-preservation - that's normally something you would associate with a bad character and though you don't like the bad characters often you can sympathise with their plight as they're all just trying to survive, even if you do question the methods used.

Along with the deep multilayered characterisation praise also has to go to the writing in South, it's informative without overburdening you with useless information that doesn't add anything to the story, instead the writing is sharp, well paced and to the point always moving the story forward while giving you detailed descriptions when needed helping to paint vivid imagery of the scenes and settings.

The science behind the wind-borne viruses and the cure are both believable and the actual idea of using the wind to carry viruses is unique and imaginative, it shows thought to try something different as the cause of the catastrophe for the South instead of just the far more standard nuclear bombing we see in many other books of the same genre. Yes, we have seen viruses before spread by humans and the subsequent germs in the air from their coughing, sneezing, breathing and also touching/contact with other people, in South, viruses canbe caught from these things to but it's still the wind that is the host carrier for the plethora of different viruses on the weather systems and your left with a sense of ominous dread, always being on the lookout for signs the wind is picking up in force and the need to find shelter before it does start gusting and blowing.

Unlike with some other books in the genre that encapsulate the destruction of the whole world and the aftermath, South is a smaller, much more personal book focusing on a small group of characters and a singular area (the South) we only ever hear of the unification war between the two sides of the US, we don't know what the rest of the world thought and/or if they tried to stop it happening. We don't find out if the wind-borne viruses have spread throughout the world or not and we all know that weather cycles move from one continent to the other (being from the UK we're always left with the aftermath of the storms that affect the US, it's only the remnants but it does make you question in the book if the winds have spread and are affecting other countries). For the North, they won the war thanks to the viruses and we're given the impression that things are going well for them, having a cure, food, electricity/power and most of the normal amenities. These may sound like bad things, the not knowing what's going on, etc but they're not as South is a streamlined and personal book pulling you into the tale of survival by a core group of characters in that one singular area. The book and Owen do a great job of portraying the South as a barren and desolate area that's been ravaged by the winds, the survivors have nothing only what they build and make for themselves, there's no food, only a small number of animals, no way to travel apart from walking and no real hope, always living with the constant threat of the winds and infection from both the winds and infected survivors, the people of the south have to carve out an existence as best they can.

Going back to the unification of the US at the beginning of the book, with the current state of the world, especially in the US and with the recent situation in the UK with the referendum and it's result. The unification is a premise that isn't a million miles away from reality and you can really believe that something like it could happen in the future, it's feasible and it really makes you think, questioning what if? What if this did happen to any country in the world, what wouldbe the consequences? And surely that's one of the signs of a great book, a book that makes you question and think.

I only found out about South after somehow stumbling onto the publisher (Corvus) via Twitter, after a cheeky tweet enquiring about a copy to review was met with a yes (many thanks) and now after finishing the book I'm glad to say I did! After been left majorly disappointed by a recent book in the genre that had garnered so much fanfare, advertising and praise behind it (The Fireman by Joe Hill) I found myself feeling jaded with the genre that contains some of my favourite ever books. However, the gritty, dark and realistic South has rectified that situation, sweeping in under the radar and then gusting up a storm as I read it-see what I did there with the weather/wind reference! :)

South is a high quality addition to the post-apocalyptic genre with a harrowing story about survival that captivates, engrosses and pulls you in from the first few pages through to the last. It's a book that deserves to be read. Owen deftly finishes off the tale of the South while leaving open possibilities for a sequel, North maybe?? Hint hint! :)

Highly recommended.

[Luke Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

More literary than genre (which was a nice surprise), this is an interesting take on the end of the world trope. While the number of characters is quite large, the focus is mostly on just two which gives the tale an intimate feel that contrasts nicely with the much larger scale of the apocalypse. While the pace does slack every now and again, I still enjoyed South a lot and definitely recommend it.

[Jen Thorpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic post-apocalypse story of family, love, and all types of cool medicines. Really enjoyed it and definitely going to buy the sequel - North

[Pieter Rossouw · Rating 1 out of 5]

You just have to know when enough is enough. I gave this book up to 150 to make sense just because it was written by a South African and i am unfortunately one of them. However this is more a show off about writing skills than anything else. Great use of language but i am really exhausted to track the story with this wild tangents that the writer goes into.
So much of the details don't make sense, like how a sick person can move and how someone can monitor a cabin after almost a chapter of walking away from it. If i missed the reasons for this its because it is covered in so much words that it sounded like a bible. Get to the point and tell the story, i don't care how well you write, i am here to be swept away to another world. This may be a joy for other but for me, sorry i can waste my time on other books. Stop boasting words and write a story, dammit.

[Michael Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a remarkable book. It's set in a US where the civil war didn’t happen until much later, when unification of the North and the South became more a matter of political ambition than of policy. By the time the war does happen, it has many modern warfare horrors available and spirals into germ warfare. The North uses the wind and multiple mutated viruses to destroy the South, and also builds a wall across the continent to enforce the separation. (Hmm. Where have I heard that idea before?) The world that Diane Awerbuck and Alex Latimer (writing as Frank Owen) build on this foundation is as real and bitter as McCarthy’s THE ROAD.
They were featured last month on ITW's Africa Scene in The Big Thrill - http://www.thebigthrill.org/2017/07/a...

[Bec · Rating 2 out of 5]

Am I sick of dystopias? Could it actually be that my favourite type of fiction has been done to death? I don't know but I didn't like that last 2 I read, this one & Wool. It just all seems a bit lazy, the secret slogan is 'Fuck Renard', surely they could have tried a bit harder than that? I know what it is, the book failed to evoke all of the senses. I know what it looked like a bit, but what did it smell like? What did Vida look like, other than being black. I think I'm going to stop reading dystopias for a year.

[Luke Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one I feel bad about. It's actually very well written but my goodness it's boring. There was an element of interest in what happens to these people but I lost the patience in the end.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't entirely sure whether this would be the book for me or not - I will admit to being swayed by one reviewer comparing it to The Stand - but I decided to give it a go. Sorry but The Stand it is NOT, it is very, very good though just not quite epic enough (The Stand is a 10 Star read when the maximum is 5) or the characters engrossing enough or the science anything other than fiction. The other thing that kind of bothered me was that there is no clear timeframe to hang your hat on - which period is this supposed to be set in, yes I am aware that this is an altered (as well as alternate) reality but it seems to spot about all over the place with cultural references.

However, what it boils down to is a tale that is well told and sucks you in to it. I did find that it was a read in bursts and then allow what I had read to digest before reading the next segment. That is a good thing because it meant I was really paying attention to the struggles of not just Vida and Dyce but to all who they encountered on their journey. You could feel their tension as even a visit to draw water meant being hypervigilant for changes in the weather and particularly that virus laden wind.

The use of The Callahans as Wild West Sheriffs was rather an odd choice of device. They morphed from being a couple of vigilantes chasing Garrett and Dyce for personal reasons in to suddenly becoming the overlords of the South with everybody mortally afraid of attracting their attention. Bit of a strange jump but I went with it. Mainly because as a plot device to force our characters to keep moving on and encountering the Ghost Colony and The Mouth it worked very well.

I would caution though that in order to derive the best enjoyment from the book you do need to remove any scientific knowledge from your mind - nothing fully makes sense here and does not bear close scrutiny. However, it is a very engaging story that does sweep you along with the characters and I did find myself mulling over the odd plot point or two when I should have been going to sleep - or paying attention in the office. Don't expect a scientifically sound tale but do expect to be thoroughly entertained.

I'm really looking forward to reading North now that I have finished this one.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A to Z in 23 - author for the O's - Frank Owen - actually.... Diane Awerbuck and Alex Latimer - I did not know this while perusing the O authors in my library but Frank Owen is a Pseudonym for these two authors. I'll have to check with the refs if this still counts towards my A to Z goal...?

Well, I got to thinking about why such a generic name? The actual authors are from South Africa so maybe that is an exciting name where they are from? It certainly does not seem to be a combo of their names - that would be Alan Awermur or Dilex Latibuck (which is a great space adventurer name) or and perhaps more likely they are capitalizing on the fact that there are very few authors that have the last name starting with O. As i have searched the libraries for my letter based authors I have come to realize that certain letters are more popular than others when it comes to authors. Hmmm, a study to determine what your profession will be based on your name.... nope, i digress, that is a different topic altogether. But when you search the letter H in a library you get several rows and even several stacks of authors, when you search O in a library... one row with bookends because it doesn't even take up all of the available space. Good strategy IMO publishers... I grabbed it off the shelf.

The book itself - an amazing world and what an awesome fully realized vision of a dystopian apocalyptic future. The story itself though falls a little flat but overall I am glad I dove in. Apparently there is a part 2 in this world, I am hopeful its great but...

[Rachel Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't really know what to expect from this book, especially it seems to be influenced by current affairs in the US and I'm not the most political of people if I can help it. The book is set 30 years after an American Civil War and strange and deadly viruses ride the winds that attack the South on a nearly daily basis. It's a brilliant concept that mixes biological warfare and a dystopia future that feels new but worryingly possible. The story follows brothers Garrett and Dyce (Allerdyce) and a woman they meet on their journey across the violent wasteland, Vida.
This book is in no means for people expecting a fast paced, action packed, apocalypse story. But this book never seems slow, some parts are fast and strange and aggressive but some parts are steady and comfortable and quiet. It's a great story about the interactions people would have during an apocalypse as much as it is about surviving the end of the world.
There's some action, there is conflict and violence, betrayal and death, there's even friendship and romance all twined into one well paced book about journeying through a wilderness that was once a home and there is the constant threat that these people will end up alone because death can ride the slightest breeze.
I loved the dynamic between the characters and the different characters stories that all overlap and crossover each other to make one large story about living in a world that's trying to kill you. It's a weird but realistic view of what a post-apocalyptic world could be like.

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in an America which is once again divided into North and South, this dystopian tale sees the South ravaged by disease engineered in the North and delivered on the winds. The main characters in the book are Vida and Dyce, alongside Dyce's brother Garrett. The brothers are being pursued by a family named Callahan, who hold Garrett responsible for the death of their daughter. The story takes in their life on the run and their meeting with Vida on the road.

I was a bit unsure about it at first, but I'm glad I kept reading as it turned out to be an interesting story. It did meander a bit in places but it was worth sticking with. There were lots of mentions of phlegm and mucus so if you are a bit squeamish about this be warned. Also I didn't like how some of the animals were treated in this book, I know it was probably realistic, but I found it a bit off putting.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Atlantic Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

[Mark Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

More about characters going on a quest than any larger philosophical themes. Of the two big situations of the book, the viral pandemic gets paid more attention. Less time is spent on the dissolution of the USA into two warring states.
Life in the South is evoked as like a Western. As such it has echoes of Cormac McCarthy - but he would have made much better of these two central ideas.
Frank Owen is a pseudonym for a male and female writer working together. This helps them establish the various points of view in the book, which are one of its strengths.
Where the book failed for me was that the characters and them constantly surpassing obstacles were not that interesting or insightful.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like a post-apocalyptic kind of book, and this delivered in spades. It was written in a completely believable way, beginning with a second American Civil war, that was ended by the North releasing hundreds of airborne viruses that infected and killed those in the South indiscriminately. And those viruses continue to kill.
Vida meets two brothers, Garrett and Dyce, and they travel together in a world where to travel alone is death, to travel or to be outside when the wind blows is death.
I loved the world building in this. There will always be comparisons to Stephen Kings ‘The Stand’ with books like this, but other than viruses and a complete breakdown of society, I couldn’t actually see a comparison.
I’m looking forward to reading ‘North’, which is the final part of this two part series, and seeing where the authors take us.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Corvus, for my copy of this book.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost gave up on this book but stuck with it. Interesting concept of North America split up into the "North" and the "South", by a huge wall. The "North" have sent wind-borne viruses down South with devastating consequences. This book is about two people, drawn together by circumstances, who end up heading North. It didn't really fully deliver for me despite the cover recommendations. Will there be a sequel? I really don't care.

Ray Smillie

[Ian S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renard to the North, the Callahans in the South, and the winds blowing everywhere south of the Wall. After the Second Civil War, America is left divided and the South must do what it has to to keep alive. We follow two survivors, Vida and Dyce as they make their way through the forgotten world of the South to survive Renard’s diseases, the Callahans’ power, and the lawlessness of a collapsed civilization left behind years ago.

[Heather Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The USA has been ravaged by Civil War. It's thirty years since the first wind-borne viruses ended the war between North and South - and still they keep coming. Every wind brings a new and terrifying way to die. The few survivors live in constant fear, hiding from the wind - and from each other.” Dark and terrifying, an apocalypse created by civil war. Enthralling and unique story of a country and people divided. Top book of the year and one of my favorites!

[Ridgerunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually avoid post-apocalypse novels but saw good reviews and tried it.
Pleasantly surprised that i enjoyed. I thought that the idea of wind born man made plagues was all to believable and frightening. The hand to mouth existence of the those remaining seemed realistic and was well described. The two main characters Dyce and Vida provide some hope that there may be some means of long term survival and i felt the action moved quite quickly. Liked some of the interesting settlements they encounter. Quite an upbeat ending but i suppose there had to be as there is a follow up book.

[Archiegitdog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am staggered this has got less than an average of 4 out of 5. I thought it was an excellent book and loved it from beginning to end. I have hit rich vein recently and this is well worth being right up there! Well written, great story, great pace, thank you, Mr Owen!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than I initially thought I would, the plot and characters improve as it moves forward. The setting is well formed. Probably 7/10 really, but not deserving of only 3 stars.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writing, great story. Looking forward to North!

[Ifor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

This was a good book to read. The story something different but we'll thought out. Give this a go, you won't be disappointed.

[John M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of two parts for me: an intriguing start and middle and a poorly executed final part. Left me wanting less.

[Alex Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably entertaining but unnecessarily gross at times.