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Feral
From James DeMonaco, the writer/director of The Purge film franchise, comes the provocative and terrifying last stand of a lone outpost of women in the wake of a deadly pandemic.
Allie Hilts was still in high school when a fire at a top-secret research facility released an air-borne pathogen that quickly spread to every male on the planet, killing most. Allie witnessed every man she ever knew be consumed by fearsome symptoms: scorching fevers and internal bleeding, madness and uncontrollable violence. The world crumbled around her. No man was spared, and the few survivors were irrevocably changed. They became disturbingly strong, aggressive, and ferocious. Feral.
Three years later, Allie has joined a group of hardened survivors in an isolated, walled-in encampment. Outside the guarded walls the ferals roam free, and hunt. Allie has been noticing troubling patterns in the ferals' movements, and a disturbing number of new faces in the wild. Something catastrophic is brewing on the horizon, and time is running out. The ferals are coming, and there is no stopping them.
With Feral, writer/director James DeMonaco and acclaimed novelist Brian Evenson have created a challenging and entertaining novel of timely horror and exhilarating suspense."
Allie Hilts was still in high school when a fire at a top-secret research facility released an air-borne pathogen that quickly spread to every male on the planet, killing most. Allie witnessed every man she ever knew be consumed by fearsome symptoms: scorching fevers and internal bleeding, madness and uncontrollable violence. The world crumbled around her. No man was spared, and the few survivors were irrevocably changed. They became disturbingly strong, aggressive, and ferocious. Feral.
Three years later, Allie has joined a group of hardened survivors in an isolated, walled-in encampment. Outside the guarded walls the ferals roam free, and hunt. Allie has been noticing troubling patterns in the ferals' movements, and a disturbing number of new faces in the wild. Something catastrophic is brewing on the horizon, and time is running out. The ferals are coming, and there is no stopping them.
With Feral, writer/director James DeMonaco and acclaimed novelist Brian Evenson have created a challenging and entertaining novel of timely horror and exhilarating suspense."
309 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
August 30, 2024
This is the sort of story I love. I've been reading PA/EOTW fiction for a long time now. Maybe that's why this book doesn't get the 4 or 5 star treatment from me. The story was really very good, and there wasn't a single moment where I was bored. Lots of action, women hating ferals, and likeable characters. I wish it had gone on for another one or two hundred pages. "That's saying something!" I wanted to read about what had happened in those missing 3 years, I think it would have developed the characters more. And ultimately, for me at least, the people in any book are what makes the difference between just a good book, or a great one. Feral is a good book. I just wish it had been better and longer. Thanks to Netgally, and the publishers for making this story available to me.
I'd recommend this one! Hell, I'm ready for more!
I'd recommend this one! Hell, I'm ready for more!
April 3, 2017
Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.
As a noxious black smoke roils from a research facility, men start dropping like flies. Many will die quickly, the rest will go mad, turning completely feral in a matter of minutes. Husbands, sons, and brothers morph into monstrous beastie boys. The scent of the female of the species enrages them, and they attack.
The opening had my interest, but it didn't take long for things to segue into something that was all too familiar. Yep. Insta-love is back! And it's quicker than ever! Fold in a complete character turnaround of the leading lady and I lost my taste for the whole dish.
As a noxious black smoke roils from a research facility, men start dropping like flies. Many will die quickly, the rest will go mad, turning completely feral in a matter of minutes. Husbands, sons, and brothers morph into monstrous beastie boys. The scent of the female of the species enrages them, and they attack.
The opening had my interest, but it didn't take long for things to segue into something that was all too familiar. Yep. Insta-love is back! And it's quicker than ever! Fold in a complete character turnaround of the leading lady and I lost my taste for the whole dish.
February 22, 2022
DNF 25% I am thinking the zombie genre needs a break....
October 11, 2017
My original FERAL audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
I got my first inklings that Feral, by James DeMonaco (creator of The Purge franchise) and BK Evenson, was going to be a troublesome narrative right from the very start. Allie, a high school girl who the male authors want to make sure we understand sleeps in the nude, wakes up to a text message prompting her to click an innocuous link, which ends up taking her to a site where she can watch her best friend having sex. It’s clear to Allie that her friend is being secretly filmed, and she’s awfully gutted over this discovery. Thankfully, after Allie tells her friend that the boyfriend had invaded her privacy, secretly filmed them having sex, and then mass mailed the video to their entire high school, the bestie is totally OK with all this! It’s awesome news, in fact, the bestest thing ever since chocolate and Pornhub. She’s gonna be so popular now, like OMG! And then, on an otherwise completely unrelated note, the apocalypse hits.
So, look, I had some issues with Feral. In order to discuss them, I’m going to issue a BIG OL’ SPOILER WARNING FOR HERE ON OUT. Please consider yourself warned. Cool? Cool.
On the narrative front, Feral is a steaming, mendacious, tone-deaf pile of scat. On the narration front, it’s actually pretty well done and the story’s shifting points-of-view are told by different women. Structurally, this book is also a mess, with some chapters in third-person omniscient and others in first-person, usually for little rhyme or reason, and mostly just because, with occasional narration shift between Allie and Kim, when the authors or Allie can spare a moment’s thought for the poor, burgeoning twelve-year-old actress. The narrators are solid and adept in their readings, and I didn’t find any flaws in their delivery of the material or in the production of the audiobook itself. I just wish they would have had far better material to narrate.
Feral is well-packaged and well-narrated, but ultimately it’s just not very good. At its core, it’s essentially little more than poorly done Young Adult fiction strapped into a zombie harness. There are no shocks and even fewer surprises, other than how badly this whole damn mess was conceived and executed.
[Audiobook provided for review by audiobookreviewer.com.]
I got my first inklings that Feral, by James DeMonaco (creator of The Purge franchise) and BK Evenson, was going to be a troublesome narrative right from the very start. Allie, a high school girl who the male authors want to make sure we understand sleeps in the nude, wakes up to a text message prompting her to click an innocuous link, which ends up taking her to a site where she can watch her best friend having sex. It’s clear to Allie that her friend is being secretly filmed, and she’s awfully gutted over this discovery. Thankfully, after Allie tells her friend that the boyfriend had invaded her privacy, secretly filmed them having sex, and then mass mailed the video to their entire high school, the bestie is totally OK with all this! It’s awesome news, in fact, the bestest thing ever since chocolate and Pornhub. She’s gonna be so popular now, like OMG! And then, on an otherwise completely unrelated note, the apocalypse hits.
So, look, I had some issues with Feral. In order to discuss them, I’m going to issue a BIG OL’ SPOILER WARNING FOR HERE ON OUT. Please consider yourself warned. Cool? Cool.
On the narrative front, Feral is a steaming, mendacious, tone-deaf pile of scat. On the narration front, it’s actually pretty well done and the story’s shifting points-of-view are told by different women. Structurally, this book is also a mess, with some chapters in third-person omniscient and others in first-person, usually for little rhyme or reason, and mostly just because, with occasional narration shift between Allie and Kim, when the authors or Allie can spare a moment’s thought for the poor, burgeoning twelve-year-old actress. The narrators are solid and adept in their readings, and I didn’t find any flaws in their delivery of the material or in the production of the audiobook itself. I just wish they would have had far better material to narrate.
Feral is well-packaged and well-narrated, but ultimately it’s just not very good. At its core, it’s essentially little more than poorly done Young Adult fiction strapped into a zombie harness. There are no shocks and even fewer surprises, other than how badly this whole damn mess was conceived and executed.
[Audiobook provided for review by audiobookreviewer.com.]
November 11, 2017
2.5/3
One of my complaints about the book has to do with the format. I didn't understand why some chapters were written in first person and others in third person. Like, having a first person narrative from the perspective of "Allie" for one chapter and then the scenes would continue in the next chapter but suddenly it's in third person about Allie. I did like that we got different perspectives from many characters, though.
The premise was interesting and creepy, but I don't know. Something about the book seemed off to me. I can't pinpoint what. Some plot points were predictable. Allie was a frustrating character. She kept saying she cared so much about her sister and wanted to protect her, but she always ignored her sister and was super mean to her. That was pretty strange.
One of my complaints about the book has to do with the format. I didn't understand why some chapters were written in first person and others in third person. Like, having a first person narrative from the perspective of "Allie" for one chapter and then the scenes would continue in the next chapter but suddenly it's in third person about Allie. I did like that we got different perspectives from many characters, though.
The premise was interesting and creepy, but I don't know. Something about the book seemed off to me. I can't pinpoint what. Some plot points were predictable. Allie was a frustrating character. She kept saying she cared so much about her sister and wanted to protect her, but she always ignored her sister and was super mean to her. That was pretty strange.
March 14, 2017
I received an e-copy from Netgalley for review purposes.
Starts out strong, gets weaker as it goes along. I liked the concept, liked that it didn't drag out the start of the infection. The characters were mostly unlikable asshole types. I did not like the love story, nor did I like the ending.
It was a quick read. It took me roughly two hours to get through.
Starts out strong, gets weaker as it goes along. I liked the concept, liked that it didn't drag out the start of the infection. The characters were mostly unlikable asshole types. I did not like the love story, nor did I like the ending.
It was a quick read. It took me roughly two hours to get through.
February 17, 2018
Man, this book started off so good I thought I was going to have to find a way to give it 10 stars. Strong women up against crazy odds, and they are learning, and kicking some ass physically as well as mentally. A thriller with smart and bad ass women in the lead. Love it. But then... a love interest pops up and the brains slowly dissolve away. :( A few pages a go this character could have used her smarts and physicality to get out of any situation. Now, suddenly she's too busy thinking about a guy and wondering what he's thinking so now she needs his help to survive. *Sigh* But even with the abrupt change in behavior the story is still a very exciting and entertaining one. I really wish Goodreads and other book review sites allowed for 1/2 stars. This is more like a 3 1/2 star but I rounded up because of the great beginning and most of the middle.
Netgalley ARC received for an unbiased review.
Netgalley ARC received for an unbiased review.
September 14, 2020
"The world, as it turned out, didn’t end in either a bang or a whimper, but in pus and sweat and infected men emitting unearthly cries as they destroyed woman after woman."
DNF @ 130 Pages
Okay, do you want to know a secret? *looks around* *waves you closer* * I lean in and whisper in your ear* I’ve never seen any of the Purge films. I know! It’s blasphemy! So I was glad to read something new and exciting. I can at least say that this read was new....
What started off as a homage to b-grade horror films quickly turned in a trope-filled hot mess with a chemical virus being released from a plant after an explosion that only seemed to attack men, which then turns them into blood and pus leaking zombie-ish walkers with super-human strength. Yikes!
Feral just wasn't what I thought it was going to be and if this is how his movies are, then count me out.
DNF @ 130 Pages
Okay, do you want to know a secret? *looks around* *waves you closer* * I lean in and whisper in your ear* I’ve never seen any of the Purge films. I know! It’s blasphemy! So I was glad to read something new and exciting. I can at least say that this read was new....
What started off as a homage to b-grade horror films quickly turned in a trope-filled hot mess with a chemical virus being released from a plant after an explosion that only seemed to attack men, which then turns them into blood and pus leaking zombie-ish walkers with super-human strength. Yikes!
Feral just wasn't what I thought it was going to be and if this is how his movies are, then count me out.
November 1, 2019
Good book but there were a few things that didn’t make sense to me.
A plant explodes and releases a chemical in the air that only effects the male population. The males turn feral and attack women at the beginning. The women are left to there own devices to survive.
After 3 yrs the women that have survived have compounds located throughout that have been overrun by ferals. A lot of women are killed but some are captured by the ferals. A group of new women show up that have survived an attack that inform women that they have found one man that hasn’t turned feral and they are trying to find him in the hopes of repopulating.
Again there were a lot of questions that I felt that needed to be answered that weren’t and it didn’t make sense.
A plant explodes and releases a chemical in the air that only effects the male population. The males turn feral and attack women at the beginning. The women are left to there own devices to survive.
After 3 yrs the women that have survived have compounds located throughout that have been overrun by ferals. A lot of women are killed but some are captured by the ferals. A group of new women show up that have survived an attack that inform women that they have found one man that hasn’t turned feral and they are trying to find him in the hopes of repopulating.
Again there were a lot of questions that I felt that needed to be answered that weren’t and it didn’t make sense.
April 8, 2017
This review and more on my blog https://bookdrblog.wordpress.com
This was a quick and easy read, a couple of other reviews that I’ve read claim that as this book went on it became really slow. I disagree. The pace does slow a little, but early on it is very fast so even slightly slower it is still well paced, you are never bored, there is no “down time” filled with long unnecessary explanations or descriptions, something interesting is always going on. The chapters are also quite short which I think most people agree makes a book quicker to get through.
The chapters are told from the point of view of several different characters but many/most are from the point of view of Allie, the main character. Unlike the other points of view, that of one character is often told in the past tense while discussing what is currently going on in the book. This doesn’t really seem necessary and gives away certain things, like who survives, or at least that one particular person survives. It’s not a major issue but I don’t really know why it is done when every other point of view is in the present tense.
The characters are appropriately developed. With some characters, as expected, we are given less information than with others but in those cases it wouldn’t be appropriate or necessary to know more. This is very much a plot driven, rather than character driven book.
The story itself is pretty good, no major shocks but some interesting developments. It is a little gory, there is a lot of chat about smearing blood all over everything and everyone, but given the topic of the book I suppose a little gore is to be expected. The only thing I didn’t really like in terms of the story was the “romance”. There is nothing wrong with the way it was done, it’s just something that I personally don’t really like in books. One point to do with the romance was also completely predictable but it didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment of the book.
Some of the science isn’t exactly accurate, and the genetic mutation mentioned would quite possibly give the opposite effect to that described in the book. There is a real syndrome to that described in terms of extra chromosomes, though the extra chromosome isn’t the only change in the book. The mutation described also makes something towards the end of the book potentially impossible, or at least less likely also.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
This was a quick and easy read, a couple of other reviews that I’ve read claim that as this book went on it became really slow. I disagree. The pace does slow a little, but early on it is very fast so even slightly slower it is still well paced, you are never bored, there is no “down time” filled with long unnecessary explanations or descriptions, something interesting is always going on. The chapters are also quite short which I think most people agree makes a book quicker to get through.
The chapters are told from the point of view of several different characters but many/most are from the point of view of Allie, the main character. Unlike the other points of view, that of one character is often told in the past tense while discussing what is currently going on in the book. This doesn’t really seem necessary and gives away certain things, like who survives, or at least that one particular person survives. It’s not a major issue but I don’t really know why it is done when every other point of view is in the present tense.
The characters are appropriately developed. With some characters, as expected, we are given less information than with others but in those cases it wouldn’t be appropriate or necessary to know more. This is very much a plot driven, rather than character driven book.
The story itself is pretty good, no major shocks but some interesting developments. It is a little gory, there is a lot of chat about smearing blood all over everything and everyone, but given the topic of the book I suppose a little gore is to be expected. The only thing I didn’t really like in terms of the story was the “romance”. There is nothing wrong with the way it was done, it’s just something that I personally don’t really like in books. One point to do with the romance was also completely predictable but it didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment of the book.
Some of the science isn’t exactly accurate, and the genetic mutation mentioned would quite possibly give the opposite effect to that described in the book. There is a real syndrome to that described in terms of extra chromosomes, though the extra chromosome isn’t the only change in the book. The mutation described also makes something towards the end of the book potentially impossible, or at least less likely also.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
February 22, 2017
I'm a fan of The Purge movies, so when I saw the writer/director had written a book, I was immediately intrigued.
The first part of this book is fantastic - the reader sees through Allie's eyes how this apocalyptic event begins and the hard choices she makes in order to survive. Flash forward three years, and Allie has transformed from a talented lacrosse player worried about boys to a hardened feral killer with trust issues. Obviously, living through something like this will change a person, but I would have appreciated the inclusion of some events that caused this alteration. The three year interval is a blank slate and the reader sees what Allie is like mostly through internal monologues and observations of other characters.
Which brings me to this - Feral alternates between first person and third person, some of this with the same character, and different POVs from several characters. Different POVs aren't really a problem for me, but the shifts between first and third person are somewhat jarring.
Overall, this is a solid read - it doesn't bring anything new to the table with this genre, but it's fast-paced with some exciting action sequences and a pretty quick read. The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.
The first part of this book is fantastic - the reader sees through Allie's eyes how this apocalyptic event begins and the hard choices she makes in order to survive. Flash forward three years, and Allie has transformed from a talented lacrosse player worried about boys to a hardened feral killer with trust issues. Obviously, living through something like this will change a person, but I would have appreciated the inclusion of some events that caused this alteration. The three year interval is a blank slate and the reader sees what Allie is like mostly through internal monologues and observations of other characters.
Which brings me to this - Feral alternates between first person and third person, some of this with the same character, and different POVs from several characters. Different POVs aren't really a problem for me, but the shifts between first and third person are somewhat jarring.
Overall, this is a solid read - it doesn't bring anything new to the table with this genre, but it's fast-paced with some exciting action sequences and a pretty quick read. The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.
January 6, 2019
Meh. Just meh. I love end of the world type books. This one was a bit juvenile and predictable. It was written by two authors and you can sure tell! They definitely alternated writing chapters and have a very different style. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read but it doesn't even come close to Swan Song or The Stand. Men get infected with a virus and want to kill women. Women try to survive. That's the premise. There are better books out there in this genre. Skip this one.
April 17, 2017
Although predictable, it was an enjoyable read on the zombie genre (in this case, all the males on the planet effectively became our mindless zombies, attacking women on site or scent.) Will read the sequel.
March 13, 2017
For all my reviews, visit Clues and Reviews
www.cluesandreviews.wordpress.com
Allie was still in high school when a fire at a research facility releases an airborne infection that spreads to every male on the planet; although killing most, the surviving men become consumed by symptoms like uncontrollable violence, strength and ferociousness. They are feral. As the world crumbles around them, the unaffected survivors (all women) ban together. As Allie scavenges for supplies for the group, she begins to notice strange patterns with the ferals. Something is brewing. And time is running out….
Feral, a post-apocalyptic style horror thriller, by James DeMonaco was a thoroughly entertaining read. I read it easily in a few sittings; it’s subject matter and fast paced writing style made it easy to devour. A virus that only affects men? A world run by women? I was all over this book.
This author is the same writer (and director) of The Purge films; I am a huge fan of those films because of their realism. I found this to be true in Feral as well, although a post-apocalyptic style novel, it never felt far-fetched or completely unrealistic. There was always that constant “hmm, what if…” running through the back of my mind.
The novel is told through multiple (and sometimes random) first person perspectives. Most often, Allie narrates the plot and I thoroughly enjoyed her commentary. She is strong, smart and hardened. I’d take Allie on my team any day in an apocalypse situation. We also get perspectives from a doctor (who, ironically, was partially responsible for the initial outbreak) as she hunts down a serum to cure the ferals before the human species is lost forever. Her perspectives were also interesting. However, I had some issues with chapters randomly narrated by secondary characters and, occasionally, a chapter would switch to third person. When these switches happened, I had to slow down my reading so I could figure out who was speaking.
I feel like fans of The Walking Dead series will enjoy the style of this one; it was also a little reminiscent for me of I Am Legend. It would not surprise me to see this one on the big screen. Overall, for entertainment value alone, I gave this one 4/5 stars.
www.cluesandreviews.wordpress.com
Allie was still in high school when a fire at a research facility releases an airborne infection that spreads to every male on the planet; although killing most, the surviving men become consumed by symptoms like uncontrollable violence, strength and ferociousness. They are feral. As the world crumbles around them, the unaffected survivors (all women) ban together. As Allie scavenges for supplies for the group, she begins to notice strange patterns with the ferals. Something is brewing. And time is running out….
Feral, a post-apocalyptic style horror thriller, by James DeMonaco was a thoroughly entertaining read. I read it easily in a few sittings; it’s subject matter and fast paced writing style made it easy to devour. A virus that only affects men? A world run by women? I was all over this book.
This author is the same writer (and director) of The Purge films; I am a huge fan of those films because of their realism. I found this to be true in Feral as well, although a post-apocalyptic style novel, it never felt far-fetched or completely unrealistic. There was always that constant “hmm, what if…” running through the back of my mind.
The novel is told through multiple (and sometimes random) first person perspectives. Most often, Allie narrates the plot and I thoroughly enjoyed her commentary. She is strong, smart and hardened. I’d take Allie on my team any day in an apocalypse situation. We also get perspectives from a doctor (who, ironically, was partially responsible for the initial outbreak) as she hunts down a serum to cure the ferals before the human species is lost forever. Her perspectives were also interesting. However, I had some issues with chapters randomly narrated by secondary characters and, occasionally, a chapter would switch to third person. When these switches happened, I had to slow down my reading so I could figure out who was speaking.
I feel like fans of The Walking Dead series will enjoy the style of this one; it was also a little reminiscent for me of I Am Legend. It would not surprise me to see this one on the big screen. Overall, for entertainment value alone, I gave this one 4/5 stars.
January 29, 2018
It started off rather more gruesome than I prefer, but calmed down a bit after. It basically reads like a movie. This means that there aren't really a lot of surprises. Movies usually go a certain way... And this follows the formula to give you the kind of tension that a zombie-esque movie would do.
I'm not sure I at all liked one of the later revelations and some of the weird thoughts characters had that sprang from it (really, end of the human race is looming and THIS is your takeaway?!). Plus, it seemed to erase some of what seemed to be the underlying message, which is a shame.
I'm not sure I at all liked one of the later revelations and some of the weird thoughts characters had that sprang from it (really, end of the human race is looming and THIS is your takeaway?!). Plus, it seemed to erase some of what seemed to be the underlying message, which is a shame.
March 20, 2024
I received a copy of this book as part of a Horror Mystery Box from Penguin Random House. Naturally, I was suckered in by the cover captions "A Blumhouse Books original" and "from the writer/director of The Purge" and thought this could be a fun choice for a mini-book club I suggested to a friend. I'll cut to the chase and explain my 2-star rating - I rounded up what would have been a 1-star because in spite of many flaws, the book was still a page-turner and surprisingly bingeable if somewhat clumbsy in the transition between chapters.
Now for the elements working against a successful story. I'm not exactly sure who this book was written for. The cover implies an adult horror fan but the writing felt less sophisticated and more YA - at times reminding me of R.L. Stine or Christopher Pike novels from my middle school days. The tone of the book stood in perplexing contrast to the adult themes, language, and plot points (i.e. semen harvesting). I'm no prude by any means...it just seemed like a confusing mix.
I was prepared to give this book a higher rating due to elements that kept me engaged but I was fairly bothered by the portrayals of lesbians in the book - especially concerning the characters Jacky and Emma. The stereotyping as man-haters (they even explicitly state they "have no use for men") smacked of the outdated depictions of gay people readily cast as villains in 20th century books and films. Other "sympathetic" lesbians in the novel were women who were presented as situationally gay. All of this felt like it fed into the heterosexual male fantasy. At one point, Jacky even comments on this by questioning if some of the girls would stick with her or continue to be gay if men returned. Jacky gets a redemption of sorts once they board the ship at the end, but up to that point, she feels like the main antagonist - even over the leader of the ferals.
This book took few risks and was almost beat-for-beat formulaic but as a breezy read it kept me going and hoping for surprises. In general, the post-apocalyptic / pandemic sub-genres are pretty well-trod domains and I find they don't offer much to me. For some reason, I still find the idea of a collapsed society interesting but few in recent years have managed to say or do anything particularly new.
Now for the elements working against a successful story. I'm not exactly sure who this book was written for. The cover implies an adult horror fan but the writing felt less sophisticated and more YA - at times reminding me of R.L. Stine or Christopher Pike novels from my middle school days. The tone of the book stood in perplexing contrast to the adult themes, language, and plot points (i.e. semen harvesting). I'm no prude by any means...it just seemed like a confusing mix.
I was prepared to give this book a higher rating due to elements that kept me engaged but I was fairly bothered by the portrayals of lesbians in the book - especially concerning the characters Jacky and Emma. The stereotyping as man-haters (they even explicitly state they "have no use for men") smacked of the outdated depictions of gay people readily cast as villains in 20th century books and films. Other "sympathetic" lesbians in the novel were women who were presented as situationally gay. All of this felt like it fed into the heterosexual male fantasy. At one point, Jacky even comments on this by questioning if some of the girls would stick with her or continue to be gay if men returned. Jacky gets a redemption of sorts once they board the ship at the end, but up to that point, she feels like the main antagonist - even over the leader of the ferals.
This book took few risks and was almost beat-for-beat formulaic but as a breezy read it kept me going and hoping for surprises. In general, the post-apocalyptic / pandemic sub-genres are pretty well-trod domains and I find they don't offer much to me. For some reason, I still find the idea of a collapsed society interesting but few in recent years have managed to say or do anything particularly new.
January 10, 2022
I'm giving this 2 stars because it wasn't a bad book necessarily, just not the book for me. I have a hard time buying into a story of survival and all men are literal monster's, except for one who shows up and we have chemistry and I love him and now I'm having his baby and I'll risk my life and the lives of everyone around for one guy, except for my sister's life, so I guess that's good she exists to keep the story moving forward? It was a unique story but not one I'm particularly feeling rn, or happy to have started my year with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2025
When I first started this, I was hooked in & couldn’t put it down, but as the story went on, I just got kind of bored. I felt like the middle section of the story was so slow and dragging on for what felt like forever. By the ending, it picked up again and wasn’t terrible. Although, I did hate the ending. 3 stars
April 13, 2025
3.5 stars. I didn’t love the ending but the story itself was really interesting.
May 15, 2024
From the screenwriter of “The Purge” comes this novel about feral beasts that are made of men who have contracted something airborne very quickly. They feed on women and boy does this get crazy in a hurry!
The main character, Allie, is a Lacrosse star in high school. Strong-willed and all that jazz and when the world falls apart around her and she witnesses loved ones doing horrible things she is forced to adapt. She basically becomes your typical femme-badass years later when she is the scout and head of security for a women’s compound.
Theresa plot to this book is solid enough that I can’t help but wonder, this is a blumhouse book, why didn’t they make this a movie? It’s a perfect dystopian/post-apocalyptic paint job on the “infected” sub-genre of horror.
The big thing in this story that keeps things interesting is when Allie is out exploring on her own one day and she discovers a man….years after believing all men were feral monsters who only screeched and wailed.
The writing was good. Story moved along great. All the right story beats were there but this really would’ve been a better movie I feel like.
All in all…still check out the book.
This is perfect validation for anyone in a “men ain’t shxt” kind of mood.
The main character, Allie, is a Lacrosse star in high school. Strong-willed and all that jazz and when the world falls apart around her and she witnesses loved ones doing horrible things she is forced to adapt. She basically becomes your typical femme-badass years later when she is the scout and head of security for a women’s compound.
Theresa plot to this book is solid enough that I can’t help but wonder, this is a blumhouse book, why didn’t they make this a movie? It’s a perfect dystopian/post-apocalyptic paint job on the “infected” sub-genre of horror.
The big thing in this story that keeps things interesting is when Allie is out exploring on her own one day and she discovers a man….years after believing all men were feral monsters who only screeched and wailed.
The writing was good. Story moved along great. All the right story beats were there but this really would’ve been a better movie I feel like.
All in all…still check out the book.
This is perfect validation for anyone in a “men ain’t shxt” kind of mood.
January 12, 2024
This would make a really good movie!
***also I listened to the audiobook on Spotify and towards the end there was a random thirty minute chapter from another book?
***also I listened to the audiobook on Spotify and towards the end there was a random thirty minute chapter from another book?
April 19, 2017
Back when I was still watching The Walking Dead (before all that Negan nonsense), I went through a post-apocalypse phase with my reading choices. Survivors scrambling to endure as the world falls apart around them while zombies and bad guys hunt them like dogs. As much as I enjoyed reading them, it didn’t take long to notice a pattern with the storylines and the type of characters in the sub-genre.
There was usually at least one alpha male who coincidentally had an end-of-the-world “prepper” buddy with a secluded cabin. Other members usually included a feisty old guy, a child and at least one hot girl whose only purpose seemed to be constantly stumbling into stupid situations from which she needed to be rescued and serving as a love interest for the alpha male. One of the reasons I cut back on my post apocalypse reading is because I just wasn’t seeing anything outside this basic setup. Then I came across Feral.
Right out of the gate, the book blurb grabbed me by making it clear the main character wasn’t some muscle bound, ex-Navy Seal turned cop. It was a high school kid and a girl. Surely she joined up with some manly men who would rescue and then bed her, right? Nope. In this post apocalypse story, the guys are the problem, not the solution. By the time I got halfway through the blurb, I was in.
One way Feral doesn’t break with convention is by opening the story right before the end-of-the-world outbreak. This is where we’re introduced to Allie and she makes it abundantly clear that she’s not like other high school girls during her practice.
"And then, late in practice, things get even more precise, everything fluid, and there’s an amazing moment when I can’t do anything wrong. There I am, running fast, spinning, pivoting, sprinting towards the goal. Nothing can stop me—I know it somehow, really know it—and even when the way looks blocked by three other players, I serpentine my way through. I take a hard hit, but it doesn’t slow me, then another, and today I don’t even feel it. I’ll welcome the bruises tomorrow"
Once the opening establishes Allie as the alpha female, it jumps ahead a few years. She and her little sister have joined a group of women holed up in a walled compound to protect themselves from the roving male ferals who are violent, super strong and can literally smell females from miles away. By this point, Allie has become a fierce hunter/protector for the community but even she’s not prepared for the unexpected twists that begin to take place both inside the compound and out in the wild.
Overall, the plot moves at a comfortable pace with enough twists thrown in to keep things interesting. There are a few angsty, YA moments but for the most part, it’s kept to a minimum as the characters are forced to deal with multiple, rapidly changing scenarios. Big picture moral dilemmas symbolizing the brutal choices every society makes to protect the greater good play out in real time as Allie struggles to figure out what’s right for everyone concerned but mostly for the ones she loves.
Given how many things are left unresolved at the end, I was a bit surprised there’s been no mention of a sequel. This story is begging to made into a series. I think it’d be a good one.
My other major disappointment is that the book is priced at $11.99. I was given a copy to review for free but even knowing it’s an above average read, I don’t think I’d pay that much for any book not written by someone named Stephen King. I think the publisher is doing Feral a disservice by pricing it so high which is a real shame considering how much it has going for it.
There was usually at least one alpha male who coincidentally had an end-of-the-world “prepper” buddy with a secluded cabin. Other members usually included a feisty old guy, a child and at least one hot girl whose only purpose seemed to be constantly stumbling into stupid situations from which she needed to be rescued and serving as a love interest for the alpha male. One of the reasons I cut back on my post apocalypse reading is because I just wasn’t seeing anything outside this basic setup. Then I came across Feral.
Right out of the gate, the book blurb grabbed me by making it clear the main character wasn’t some muscle bound, ex-Navy Seal turned cop. It was a high school kid and a girl. Surely she joined up with some manly men who would rescue and then bed her, right? Nope. In this post apocalypse story, the guys are the problem, not the solution. By the time I got halfway through the blurb, I was in.
One way Feral doesn’t break with convention is by opening the story right before the end-of-the-world outbreak. This is where we’re introduced to Allie and she makes it abundantly clear that she’s not like other high school girls during her practice.
"And then, late in practice, things get even more precise, everything fluid, and there’s an amazing moment when I can’t do anything wrong. There I am, running fast, spinning, pivoting, sprinting towards the goal. Nothing can stop me—I know it somehow, really know it—and even when the way looks blocked by three other players, I serpentine my way through. I take a hard hit, but it doesn’t slow me, then another, and today I don’t even feel it. I’ll welcome the bruises tomorrow"
Once the opening establishes Allie as the alpha female, it jumps ahead a few years. She and her little sister have joined a group of women holed up in a walled compound to protect themselves from the roving male ferals who are violent, super strong and can literally smell females from miles away. By this point, Allie has become a fierce hunter/protector for the community but even she’s not prepared for the unexpected twists that begin to take place both inside the compound and out in the wild.
Overall, the plot moves at a comfortable pace with enough twists thrown in to keep things interesting. There are a few angsty, YA moments but for the most part, it’s kept to a minimum as the characters are forced to deal with multiple, rapidly changing scenarios. Big picture moral dilemmas symbolizing the brutal choices every society makes to protect the greater good play out in real time as Allie struggles to figure out what’s right for everyone concerned but mostly for the ones she loves.
Given how many things are left unresolved at the end, I was a bit surprised there’s been no mention of a sequel. This story is begging to made into a series. I think it’d be a good one.
My other major disappointment is that the book is priced at $11.99. I was given a copy to review for free but even knowing it’s an above average read, I don’t think I’d pay that much for any book not written by someone named Stephen King. I think the publisher is doing Feral a disservice by pricing it so high which is a real shame considering how much it has going for it.
May 2, 2017
We are knee-deep back into the apocalypse with Feral, a new science fiction thriller by James Demonaco and B. K. Evenson. This is not unknown territory for either Demonaco or Evenson as Demonaco is best known as writer and director for The Purge film trilogy and B.K. Evenson is a pseudonym for Brian Evenson whose Last Days remains one of the most memorable forays into weird speculative fiction in the 21st century. Yet in their collaboration, we enter a weirdly familiar zombie-esque environment that pits the sexes against each other,.
In Feral, Allie is going though the usual teenage angst with the biggest problem being telling her best friend that her boyfriend posted a sex tape on the internet. Yet these mundane issues seem trite when all the men become sick and start attacking the women. Allie is barely able to save her sister Kim from an attack by her father and soon they are the few survivors living in the world where all men have become feral, attacking and killing any female on sight.
Flash forward to three years later. The few surviving women have hunkered down in make-shift forts battling off the ferals who are like animals and simple in their rage. A scientist is attempting to find a cure to the disease using the ferals Allie catches in her hunting forays outside the settlements as guinea pigs . It is on these explorations that she discover the ferals are showing signs that they may no longer be mindless and disorganized. She also discovers something else that will turn the women's perception of the world upside down.
The battle of the sexes taken to extremes is what attempts to set this novel apart from the many other post-apocalyptic zombie type books that inundate the market place. Yet there is lot of it that still sounds very familiar. Lets look at the good parts first. Allie is a powerful protagonist. She is forced into the role of protector and doesn't look back. It doesn't seem to be a role she always enjoys. It is a reluctant calling. Her teenage angst has turned into a one-sided survivalism aimed primary at the protection of the community but mostly the survival of her younger sister. When the big reveal comes, she become torn between her community and her own emotions. She is the best thing about the tale and her choices are what drives the plot. The authors has also created a believable nightmare environment where we can feel the dangers and the risks involved as we learn more about the choices facing this community of women. I liked the overall flow of theme and action throughout the novel.
Yet when all is said and done, there is too much that feels familiar. Perhaps The Walking Dead have inured us to this type of story. Beside Allie and one other, there are really few rounded out characters. It feels a little too much like a graphic novel in prose and sometimes I could read "Movie Deal" between the lines which i do not consider a good thing. There is indeed a riveting final battle for survival at the end and the authors put their all into the description. But it wasn't enough to rise above the formula. In fact, it kind of cinched the formula
In the balance though, Feral does become a very entertaining read and will please those who like post-apocalyptic novels. There are some soft moments that add to the reader's concern for the protagonist in this book, giving us a nice blend of action and emotional connection. But for me, It just isn't enough to place it above the pack of novels like this. I know that may be a tall order but when I read something like this, it is what I look for. Ultimately, we have a good novel in the sub-genre but not a contender.
In Feral, Allie is going though the usual teenage angst with the biggest problem being telling her best friend that her boyfriend posted a sex tape on the internet. Yet these mundane issues seem trite when all the men become sick and start attacking the women. Allie is barely able to save her sister Kim from an attack by her father and soon they are the few survivors living in the world where all men have become feral, attacking and killing any female on sight.
Flash forward to three years later. The few surviving women have hunkered down in make-shift forts battling off the ferals who are like animals and simple in their rage. A scientist is attempting to find a cure to the disease using the ferals Allie catches in her hunting forays outside the settlements as guinea pigs . It is on these explorations that she discover the ferals are showing signs that they may no longer be mindless and disorganized. She also discovers something else that will turn the women's perception of the world upside down.
The battle of the sexes taken to extremes is what attempts to set this novel apart from the many other post-apocalyptic zombie type books that inundate the market place. Yet there is lot of it that still sounds very familiar. Lets look at the good parts first. Allie is a powerful protagonist. She is forced into the role of protector and doesn't look back. It doesn't seem to be a role she always enjoys. It is a reluctant calling. Her teenage angst has turned into a one-sided survivalism aimed primary at the protection of the community but mostly the survival of her younger sister. When the big reveal comes, she become torn between her community and her own emotions. She is the best thing about the tale and her choices are what drives the plot. The authors has also created a believable nightmare environment where we can feel the dangers and the risks involved as we learn more about the choices facing this community of women. I liked the overall flow of theme and action throughout the novel.
Yet when all is said and done, there is too much that feels familiar. Perhaps The Walking Dead have inured us to this type of story. Beside Allie and one other, there are really few rounded out characters. It feels a little too much like a graphic novel in prose and sometimes I could read "Movie Deal" between the lines which i do not consider a good thing. There is indeed a riveting final battle for survival at the end and the authors put their all into the description. But it wasn't enough to rise above the formula. In fact, it kind of cinched the formula
In the balance though, Feral does become a very entertaining read and will please those who like post-apocalyptic novels. There are some soft moments that add to the reader's concern for the protagonist in this book, giving us a nice blend of action and emotional connection. But for me, It just isn't enough to place it above the pack of novels like this. I know that may be a tall order but when I read something like this, it is what I look for. Ultimately, we have a good novel in the sub-genre but not a contender.
June 9, 2017
!SPOILER ALERT!
This book has me so conflicted! The first half of the book had me desperate to love the entire thing, but it derailed.
The good points:
This book is so easy to read, despite some weird tense switching as chapters are told from perspectives of different characters.
It's easy to totally immerse yourself in the horror of what's going on, especially when all of the men are struck down by an airborne virus which either kills them or turns them into adrenaline fuelled monsters (think 28 days later). As women are unaffected by the disease, they have to start banding together for their own safety and, where possible, work on a cure.
So far, so brilliant!
Allie, the main character, is 16 when the story starts and she witnesses the end of the world. 3 years on and she has perfected her hunting skills and is the main scout for her settlement - she's a strong, capable protagonist until about halfway through.
The bad points (and SPOILERS):
She meets a man. An uninfected and remotely attractive man. BAM! Instaromance.
Suddenly she loses all ability to fight, make rational decisions and keep her settlement safe - not only her, but all of the women who have had the fortitude to survive the end of the world as we know it and stay safe for THREE YEARS, suddenly forget how to differentiate between their arses and their elbows and need a man to save them.
Yep, only the last healthy man on the planet can save a whole civilisation of women.
This story started off so strong and then spiralled down as soon as Allie meets the new love of her life. I felt so cheated as soon as the story took a turn in this direction - it felt like it was all set to be a book about women handling themselves like heroes, creating a cure and restoring order to the planet. It felt like the authors had to make a special effort to make it go this way rather than let it take its natural course.
So yeah, mixed feelings - if they could just go back and rewrite the ending of this novel to represent women as they actually are, it would be a strong contender for my book of the year! As it stands... I feel cheated.
This book has me so conflicted! The first half of the book had me desperate to love the entire thing, but it derailed.
The good points:
This book is so easy to read, despite some weird tense switching as chapters are told from perspectives of different characters.
It's easy to totally immerse yourself in the horror of what's going on, especially when all of the men are struck down by an airborne virus which either kills them or turns them into adrenaline fuelled monsters (think 28 days later). As women are unaffected by the disease, they have to start banding together for their own safety and, where possible, work on a cure.
So far, so brilliant!
Allie, the main character, is 16 when the story starts and she witnesses the end of the world. 3 years on and she has perfected her hunting skills and is the main scout for her settlement - she's a strong, capable protagonist until about halfway through.
The bad points (and SPOILERS):
She meets a man. An uninfected and remotely attractive man. BAM! Instaromance.
Suddenly she loses all ability to fight, make rational decisions and keep her settlement safe - not only her, but all of the women who have had the fortitude to survive the end of the world as we know it and stay safe for THREE YEARS, suddenly forget how to differentiate between their arses and their elbows and need a man to save them.
Yep, only the last healthy man on the planet can save a whole civilisation of women.
This story started off so strong and then spiralled down as soon as Allie meets the new love of her life. I felt so cheated as soon as the story took a turn in this direction - it felt like it was all set to be a book about women handling themselves like heroes, creating a cure and restoring order to the planet. It felt like the authors had to make a special effort to make it go this way rather than let it take its natural course.
So yeah, mixed feelings - if they could just go back and rewrite the ending of this novel to represent women as they actually are, it would be a strong contender for my book of the year! As it stands... I feel cheated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2017
I was really disappointed with this. The Purge is one of my favorite movies, so I thought I would be really into this book, and maybe that's why it fell flat for me.
It was slow to get into it and all of the female characters (or, actually, ALL the characters) were really macho. At times it was difficult to give them a female voice in my head, and I often forgot that they were female. It was also predictable.
Jacky's overuse of "motherfuckers" was REALLY annoying.
I was wondering how That's a separate issue though.
It was slow to get into it and all of the female characters (or, actually, ALL the characters) were really macho. At times it was difficult to give them a female voice in my head, and I often forgot that they were female. It was also predictable.
Jacky's overuse of "motherfuckers" was REALLY annoying.
I was wondering how That's a separate issue though.
April 14, 2017
Loved it!
A fabulous take on the old zombie genre, Feral deals with an out of control virus that only affects the male of the species.
Allie is great as the tough but soft centred heroine, running on autopilot to keep herself and her sister safe.
Bloodthirsty but also hopeful, this apocalyptic tale tells of a world occupied by escaped women and infected men/animals, who will survive?
I really hope there is going to be a sequel to Feral as there are so many loose ends that I want tying up, it sure would make a great movie.
Great story, great author.
A fabulous take on the old zombie genre, Feral deals with an out of control virus that only affects the male of the species.
Allie is great as the tough but soft centred heroine, running on autopilot to keep herself and her sister safe.
Bloodthirsty but also hopeful, this apocalyptic tale tells of a world occupied by escaped women and infected men/animals, who will survive?
I really hope there is going to be a sequel to Feral as there are so many loose ends that I want tying up, it sure would make a great movie.
Great story, great author.
April 12, 2017
Scary, creepy and kinda good.....hated Allie thought she was obnoxious, thought loved seeing the new world through her eyes. I thought the book started off really string then got weaker then stronger again towards the end.
Love the walking dead and this was similar, was an easy read and finished it quickly and enjoyed it too, a good read if your into this kinda book....and not a bad read if you're not!!!
Love the walking dead and this was similar, was an easy read and finished it quickly and enjoyed it too, a good read if your into this kinda book....and not a bad read if you're not!!!
February 27, 2022
I really liked the concept of this one, but I wish that there wasn't a romance element or a conveniently placed male saviour.
March 30, 2017
I received this as an ARC in a Goodreads contest
I keep going back and forth between 2 and 3, I was going to be generous with 3 stars but I couldn't. I enjoyed the first 50ish pages before it started to decline and then it got better towards the end. I hate to say this but you can tell that it was written by men.
The main character is Allie who sees the world more or less come to an end after a fatal lab accident. For most of the novel she is 19 years old in a society of only women, and is her sister’s only caretaker. Allie is so difficult to like being arrogant, angry, and sometimes sad, but her emotions are very shallow and don’t feel real. She is awful to everyone in the camp including her sister.
My main issues with the book are how casually the rape and unjustified imprisonment are glossed over and just seem to be okay with everyone in the book. The other is the representations of the women are terrible. You can have tough characters or soft characters but they need to be humanized, this book didn’t do that. I hated everyone in the book except Sam. I don’t know if women would just “turn gay” without men around but it was a bit disgusting to read one girl trying to seduce another, who just had a concussion/head injury while her baby sister is sleeping (but she wasn’t) in the next bed. The one character who was initially gay was another generally awful character she was crass but also wanted to “teach her girlfriend a lesson” by giving her the silent treatment when she messed up handling a prisoner. I’m actually pretty disappointed that the authors felt the need to drop not only a love story into this, but a love at first or second sight story. In the end it’s important for the plot but it was hello, bye, I’m totally in love with you. The narration was difficult to follow as well, mostly it was from Allie's point of view, but other characters also had chapters and then there was a separate narrator, when the narrator broke in I couldn't always tell if it was in a character's POV or not, then which character. As mine was an ARC it may not have been the final edition and there were mistakes with who was supposed to be speaking and who was involved in conversations, at one point there were four people were talking and in my copy they were all Holly.
The world building was good but not enough to redeem the other parts of this book. It had the potential to be a really profound story but came up very short.
I keep going back and forth between 2 and 3, I was going to be generous with 3 stars but I couldn't. I enjoyed the first 50ish pages before it started to decline and then it got better towards the end. I hate to say this but you can tell that it was written by men.
The main character is Allie who sees the world more or less come to an end after a fatal lab accident. For most of the novel she is 19 years old in a society of only women, and is her sister’s only caretaker. Allie is so difficult to like being arrogant, angry, and sometimes sad, but her emotions are very shallow and don’t feel real. She is awful to everyone in the camp including her sister.
My main issues with the book are how casually the rape and unjustified imprisonment are glossed over and just seem to be okay with everyone in the book. The other is the representations of the women are terrible. You can have tough characters or soft characters but they need to be humanized, this book didn’t do that. I hated everyone in the book except Sam. I don’t know if women would just “turn gay” without men around but it was a bit disgusting to read one girl trying to seduce another, who just had a concussion/head injury while her baby sister is sleeping (but she wasn’t) in the next bed. The one character who was initially gay was another generally awful character she was crass but also wanted to “teach her girlfriend a lesson” by giving her the silent treatment when she messed up handling a prisoner. I’m actually pretty disappointed that the authors felt the need to drop not only a love story into this, but a love at first or second sight story. In the end it’s important for the plot but it was hello, bye, I’m totally in love with you. The narration was difficult to follow as well, mostly it was from Allie's point of view, but other characters also had chapters and then there was a separate narrator, when the narrator broke in I couldn't always tell if it was in a character's POV or not, then which character. As mine was an ARC it may not have been the final edition and there were mistakes with who was supposed to be speaking and who was involved in conversations, at one point there were four people were talking and in my copy they were all Holly.
The world building was good but not enough to redeem the other parts of this book. It had the potential to be a really profound story but came up very short.
February 11, 2020
Sometimes I need to remind myself that "Not every book is for every person and that's okay."
I made it about 60 pages into this book when I decided it wasn't for me. The premise caught my attention (I do love a Feral Boy in fiction), but the more I read, the more I realized this was essentially a Zombie Post-Apocalypse story--which is not my genre.
And I know this is possibly my misunderstanding. From the back of the book summary, it listed that men where "inhumanly strong and filled with rage" which did not translate in my mind as also being Mindless. While these "feral" aren't entirely as mindless as your typical zombie (they do have animal-like qualities like forming packs, etc), for all intents and purposes, they are more or less Zombies.
At the very least, the narrative is very typical of a Zombie story & Allie reads like the protagonist of an action video game (to clarify: that is not a negative).
So if that's your genre--you go for it! The writing is well done, the opening that depicts the world slowly falling into the feral's hands is great, and it's told from a variety of POV and perspectives that make for interesting reading.
But for someone like myself who can only list one Zombie Narrative I've enjoyed (The Left 4 Dead series by Valve, if you're curious), I think I'll give this one a pass.
I made it about 60 pages into this book when I decided it wasn't for me. The premise caught my attention (I do love a Feral Boy in fiction), but the more I read, the more I realized this was essentially a Zombie Post-Apocalypse story--which is not my genre.
And I know this is possibly my misunderstanding. From the back of the book summary, it listed that men where "inhumanly strong and filled with rage" which did not translate in my mind as also being Mindless. While these "feral" aren't entirely as mindless as your typical zombie (they do have animal-like qualities like forming packs, etc), for all intents and purposes, they are more or less Zombies.
At the very least, the narrative is very typical of a Zombie story & Allie reads like the protagonist of an action video game (to clarify: that is not a negative).
So if that's your genre--you go for it! The writing is well done, the opening that depicts the world slowly falling into the feral's hands is great, and it's told from a variety of POV and perspectives that make for interesting reading.
But for someone like myself who can only list one Zombie Narrative I've enjoyed (The Left 4 Dead series by Valve, if you're curious), I think I'll give this one a pass.
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