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The Fall #2
After the Fall: Book 2 of The Fall Series - A Zombie Apocalyse Thriller
It has been three months since the zombie apocalypse. The cities of England are now empty husks and the green and pleasant countryside a dangerous hunting ground for the undead.
Humans are prey, and their fate - if there is to be one - lies in the hands of the survivors, and their will to fight.
Those you once loved are now rotting corpses, their only desire to feast on the living. The familiar safety of a home is now a prison, fear keeping those left trapped inside. The memories of your past life now a torture of what will never be. How does one survive in a world that wants to rip your heart out? How do you get up each morning to face the barren world?
After the Fall follows the experiences of eight different groups of people as they scramble for existence. A father who must find his courage if he is to save his daughter from the horde; an old couple and a young mother who come to learn that zombies aren't the only danger; a beleaguered soldier tries to keep a group of civilians alive in an abandoned office block; a man, woman and young boy try to find safety in an old farmhouse, not knowing their new refuge belongs to others; a group of survivors trapped in an old sports stadium try to keep from killing each other; a small time drug dealer, shunned by his companions, struggles to keep alive in the wilds of Wales; a pilot and his crew try to escape to the sea, only to find the undead don't stop at the shore; two ex-virologists find sanctuary in a burgeoning community of faith in an old Church - but at what price...?
The blood spills thick in the world After the Fall - what would you do to survive?
Humans are prey, and their fate - if there is to be one - lies in the hands of the survivors, and their will to fight.
Those you once loved are now rotting corpses, their only desire to feast on the living. The familiar safety of a home is now a prison, fear keeping those left trapped inside. The memories of your past life now a torture of what will never be. How does one survive in a world that wants to rip your heart out? How do you get up each morning to face the barren world?
After the Fall follows the experiences of eight different groups of people as they scramble for existence. A father who must find his courage if he is to save his daughter from the horde; an old couple and a young mother who come to learn that zombies aren't the only danger; a beleaguered soldier tries to keep a group of civilians alive in an abandoned office block; a man, woman and young boy try to find safety in an old farmhouse, not knowing their new refuge belongs to others; a group of survivors trapped in an old sports stadium try to keep from killing each other; a small time drug dealer, shunned by his companions, struggles to keep alive in the wilds of Wales; a pilot and his crew try to escape to the sea, only to find the undead don't stop at the shore; two ex-virologists find sanctuary in a burgeoning community of faith in an old Church - but at what price...?
The blood spills thick in the world After the Fall - what would you do to survive?
- GenresZombiesApocalypticHorror
459 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 24, 2017
88 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Cross
32 books15 followersStephen Cross lives in the North of England with his family.
In the event of the apocalypse he is in close proximity to the Peak District, and has his bug-out bag primed and ready.
A very sparse blog can be found here : https://stephencrossauthor.wordpress.com
And twitter, of course: https://twitter.com/SCrossAuthor
In the event of the apocalypse he is in close proximity to the Peak District, and has his bug-out bag primed and ready.
A very sparse blog can be found here : https://stephencrossauthor.wordpress.com
And twitter, of course: https://twitter.com/SCrossAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 3, 2017
Once I started this collection of eight stories this weekend, I couldn't put the book down. An easy, engaging writing style that revolves around one of my favorite tropes - the end of the world as we know it. Here, the stories are set in England three months after the Fall, the collapse of society to a viral outbreak that turns most of humanity into shambling flesh-eating zombies. Thankfully, these are the classic Romeros - slow, stupid, attracted to noise and light, and really dangerous only in large numbers, or if they surprise you.
Although set in the same world, all of the stories are independent of each other, as they deal with eight different groups of survivors, and can be read in any order. Interestingly, some of these characters were introduced in Stephen Cross' earlier work, "Surviving the Fall," which I haven't read yet, but definitely will now. Of all of the stories, I enjoyed most the ones I connected with on an emotional level, particularly "The Demon Writers" and "Outside." In both of these stories the author develops a sense of unease and dread that permeates the story and lends itself to really good horror fiction. I'm very glad I found this author, and look forward to reading more works by him. Kudos!
Although set in the same world, all of the stories are independent of each other, as they deal with eight different groups of survivors, and can be read in any order. Interestingly, some of these characters were introduced in Stephen Cross' earlier work, "Surviving the Fall," which I haven't read yet, but definitely will now. Of all of the stories, I enjoyed most the ones I connected with on an emotional level, particularly "The Demon Writers" and "Outside." In both of these stories the author develops a sense of unease and dread that permeates the story and lends itself to really good horror fiction. I'm very glad I found this author, and look forward to reading more works by him. Kudos!
September 12, 2018
It’s been three months since the world went tits up, and eight groups of survivors are still alive…for now.
We begin with Jack, the widowed father who has been at a holiday park, fighting to keep his daughter Annie alive since England fell into the hands of the dead. Pub owner Mac and his wife Angie are still holed up in their building, scraping by with raids into the village, where the zombies are growing restless. Adam, Harriet, and Arthur are still on the run, always working to stay out of danger. Five more pockets of people are still clinging to the small pieces of safety that they’ve managed to savage.
Not always intersecting, each story highlights a different aspect of survival. There are intact families and single parents. Alongside soldiers, civilians try to adopt military standards to keep order. Some find safety within gates and walls, while others try to rest in tents and fields while constantly moving. While some people steal to eat, others just try not to get eaten. All of them, however, have one thing in common–the will to survive.
Because all the characters are varied and diverse, almost all readers will find someone to connect to. For me, that’s Jack. While I’m not a widowed father, a man, or British, I can relate to his protectiveness toward his daughter and the lengths he goes to keep her from harm. Maybe you’re strong-willed like Mac. Maybe your first move would be to find a secluded island or hole up at home with canned food. Maybe you’d kill for those cans, or maybe you wouldn’t live long enough to consider it.
Again, I was impressed with Cross’s work and the way he humanized the zombie apocalypse. I liked how, while there were a few military men around, most people didn’t know anything about surviving without grocery stores and electricity. I’m tired of everyone in apocalypse books knowing how to set snares and modify cars like a Mad Max ripoff. It’s just not realistic and I like realism with my zombies, as silly as that may sound.
I want the human struggle to find clean water, the hopelessness or having another safe place overrun, the fumbling of trying to work a gun when you’ve never shot one. To me, that’s what people would truly be like. Keep your super spy ninjas with their gated, solar house and doctorate in emergency medicine out of this. I want you to show me how the average Joe would stay alive, something Cross delivered.
If you love horror, zombies, stories that feel real, or just want to get pumped for Halloween, pick up After the Fall on Amazon now.
We begin with Jack, the widowed father who has been at a holiday park, fighting to keep his daughter Annie alive since England fell into the hands of the dead. Pub owner Mac and his wife Angie are still holed up in their building, scraping by with raids into the village, where the zombies are growing restless. Adam, Harriet, and Arthur are still on the run, always working to stay out of danger. Five more pockets of people are still clinging to the small pieces of safety that they’ve managed to savage.
Not always intersecting, each story highlights a different aspect of survival. There are intact families and single parents. Alongside soldiers, civilians try to adopt military standards to keep order. Some find safety within gates and walls, while others try to rest in tents and fields while constantly moving. While some people steal to eat, others just try not to get eaten. All of them, however, have one thing in common–the will to survive.
Because all the characters are varied and diverse, almost all readers will find someone to connect to. For me, that’s Jack. While I’m not a widowed father, a man, or British, I can relate to his protectiveness toward his daughter and the lengths he goes to keep her from harm. Maybe you’re strong-willed like Mac. Maybe your first move would be to find a secluded island or hole up at home with canned food. Maybe you’d kill for those cans, or maybe you wouldn’t live long enough to consider it.
Again, I was impressed with Cross’s work and the way he humanized the zombie apocalypse. I liked how, while there were a few military men around, most people didn’t know anything about surviving without grocery stores and electricity. I’m tired of everyone in apocalypse books knowing how to set snares and modify cars like a Mad Max ripoff. It’s just not realistic and I like realism with my zombies, as silly as that may sound.
I want the human struggle to find clean water, the hopelessness or having another safe place overrun, the fumbling of trying to work a gun when you’ve never shot one. To me, that’s what people would truly be like. Keep your super spy ninjas with their gated, solar house and doctorate in emergency medicine out of this. I want you to show me how the average Joe would stay alive, something Cross delivered.
If you love horror, zombies, stories that feel real, or just want to get pumped for Halloween, pick up After the Fall on Amazon now.
July 20, 2019
While interesting, I am not much of a fan of books that have several storylines going on at once. This series does just that, and it takes me a bit to recapture each individual story correctly.
The other thing is that I wish there was something more about the background story that tells the reader about how the virus got started to begin with.
So far this series is fair. A decent beach read at best.
The other thing is that I wish there was something more about the background story that tells the reader about how the virus got started to begin with.
So far this series is fair. A decent beach read at best.
August 28, 2022
Stephen Cross is quickly becoming one of my favorite Kindle books author. The Fall Series is not a typical zombie book and concentrates more on the people faced with the aftermath of the deadly walking critters. The personal relationships and how they connect to each other are unique and often tragic (as it is with this genre). Cross isn't afraid to kill off favorite characters, but he does it with style and gruesome grace. I recommend this series to all our post apocalyptic fans.
August 15, 2023
Another top notch book
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, just as good as the first, can't wait to read the third, well written with likeable characters
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, just as good as the first, can't wait to read the third, well written with likeable characters
July 15, 2024
Good read
I enjoyed the first book better but this one was good just had some chapters that I really didn’t care much about
I enjoyed the first book better but this one was good just had some chapters that I really didn’t care much about
December 26, 2018
The ending was bad. And seriously, what's wrong with this Said-Asked situation? ._.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews