A Savage Generation

by David Tallerman

Sickness is ravaging America, driving the infected to savagery.

Petty criminal Ben Silensky is determined to get his girlfriend Carlita and son Kyle free of the quarantined city they live in, enough so to risk a foolhardy crime and then to team up with Carlita's equally desperate cop cousin Nando. Once they're out, Nando is certain they'll find a place in the open prison where his uncle works, unbeknownst to him already become a survivalist colony named Funland under the management of entrepreneurial convict Plan John.

In Funland itself, guard Doyle Johnson is shocked when his ex-wife abandons his son Austin into his care. Fearing the vulnerable position he's been placed in, he recruits the help of Katherine Aaronovich, the former prison's doctor. But Aaronovich's traumatic past has left her with vulnerabilities of her own, along with radical theories on the nature of the epidemic that will place all their lives in jeopardy.

As the last vestiges of civilisation crumble, Funland may prove to be the safest or the most dangerous of places, depending on who comes out on top - and what can't be held together will inevitably be torn apart.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Genres: Horror

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2019

About the author

David Tallerman is the author of the comic fantasy novel The Black River Chronicles: Level One and its first sequel The Black River Chronicles: The Ursvaal Exchange, the Tales of Easie Damasco series (Giant Thief, Crown Thief and Prince Thief), and the Tor.com novella Patchwerk. His comics work includes the absurdist steampunk graphic novel Endangered Weapon B and the Lovecraftian horror miniseries C21st Gods.

David's short science fiction, fantasy and horror has appeared in over eighty markets, including Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Nightmare and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. A number of his dark fantasy tales have been collected as The Sign in the Moonlight and Other Stories.

He can be found online at davidtallerman.co.uk.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world changed with the coming of a sickness with no cure. Civilization has descended into violence and chaos. Those who are well struggle to survive and avoid the Sickers. At a former prison, now called Funland, survivors hunker down and form a safe zone. Sickers can't get inside the prison walls, but sometimes survivors are even more deadly than the infected.

This story reminded me so much of The Walking Dead. It definitely has the same vibe. Survivors not only have to avoid those who are infected, but other survivors as well. Power struggles. Violence. Scavenging. Human nature.

There is a lot of action in this story. Definitely never a dull moment. It definitely kept my attention from beginning to end. Total binge read. Once I got sucked into the story, I just couldn't stop reading. I kept seeing the action playing out in my head like a movie. I love it when my head gets totally immersed in a story like that. Definitely gave me the same feeling that The Walking Dead used to -- in the seasons where they were in the prison or fighting The Governor. Great action! Exciting and lots of drama and power struggles going on. There are a lot of characters and the point of view changes between them. Usually I don't like POV switching around like that, but for this story it really worked.

Thorougly enjoyed this story! I look forward to reading more by this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Flame Tree Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Athena (OneReadingNurse) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to @flametreepress for the ARC of A Savage Generation, which I won in their Instagram giveaway!

I really hate to liken a book to something popular like 'The Walking Dead', but reading this book felt like watching 4 episodes in the middle of a season! Each chapter is told from a rotating point of view and the action rarely stopped, resulting in a super fast read that I downed in three sittings! The infected are referred to as "Sickers," and while there are no resources to find a cure...one popular theme in the book was how people from different backgrounds find ways to coexist and live and survive. The cast had to work with each other, the Sickers had to stay together... and the next generation of youth, unborn babies, and even Sicker children had to just find a way to live.

There was a pretty interesting psychological element involving the youth; I knew what Tallerman was trying to do at least. How are the youth supposed to react to these surroundings? What do they turn into when plain and pure survival becomes their primary instinct? Actually he did a pretty good job but I wish there was more focus on the youth going forward. The book started and ended pretty abruptly, which led me to believe that the psychological, thriller, and survival aspects were more important than the "zombie" theme. Still though, the ending seemed to leave the characters in a precarious spot.

I recommend for fans of thrillers, survivalist reads, dystopias, zombies that aren't toooo scary, or even a slightly scary seasonal read. More like 3.5 stars!

[Yvonne (the putrid Shelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Anne @ Random Things Blog Tours and the author for my copy of the book and my place on the blog tour.

The book world is rife with Post-Apocalyptic novels of zombies, disease and despair. A Savage Generation cracks that mould and gives us something alarmingly real. A situation we can envision becoming reality in glorious HD. In a world where anything is possible, the idea that new strains of illness and disease can be borne into chaos and rapidly end the existence that we have come to know and rely on. You shouldn’t be scared of monsters under your bed, this is the real horror story. Real life is a horror story.

Reading this book has me liking it to a concoction between The Walking Dead and The Strain. There was elements of the story that made me instantly think of those…no way a bad thing, I love me some Post-Apocalyptic drama. The chapters flit between multiple POV’s, which I enjoyed. It definitely added depth and meaning to each character’s perspective and how they were losing their grip on reality and the utter madness the situation was descending into. Madness is the perfect expression for this story. The world has been overtaken with a sickness infecting its population. If this illness doesn’t kill you, then you turn into a savage killer that can’t reason and doesn’t have the rationale that the sane of mind have. How would you deal with the situation?

ACTION, ACTION ACTION. This book just keeps on throwing it at you. Do you want a nice, mild-mannered book to ingest after a polite dinner with your polo club friends? Then look away this book will eat you and your mannered principles for breakfast. The pace of this book was so good, so good. Once it gripped you it completely sucked you in. I demolished this book in one afternoon. Not until I had finished the book did I feel like I could breathe. What a ride.

One interesting theme was the co-existing of the sick and the healthy. The healthy have taken over the prison, White Cliff. The apparent new and improved prison is now termed Funland and it’s a safe haven. They get to live in harmony amongst the well and they are able to keep the Sickers (those that are infected with the disease) at bay. There is no cure, and nothing being tested on in order to finding a cure. This is what life is going to be like now. It’s an us and them scenario. Can an understanding be found so that both sets of groups live in as much harmony as can be expected given the situation? The sickers are now segregated together and the healthy stay together. Sociology is at play when new generations have to find and adapt new ways just to stay alive.

The youth had the most difficult task ahead of them. How the hell do they deal with a world that descended into the underbelly of savagery, a world devoid of love and humanity. Survival is the eye of the storm – they have nothing if they can’t survive. The psychology and sociology of humans and the planet has changed. Nothing is the same but the basal need to survive is ingrained in us all. Cultures change but the need to survive will always be the same. The author has achieved an addictive and compelling read. The writing had me captivated and I wanted to keep reading, wondering exactly how this could have a positive end…was that even possible? What I was rooting for was the best possible outcome in this situation, was that achieved? Well, you’re going to have to read it to find out. Overall, this one of the best Post-Apocalyptic novels I have had the pleasure of reading.

[Toni | Dark Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Rounded up to 3

As you are all aware I love a Dystopian read so was really excited to get started on this after reading the blurb.

The premise of the story is a classic pandemic end of the world scenario, with the sick and threat of infection driving people together in order to survive. As expected there is a real diverse set of characters who would otherwise never have crossed paths. With the plot and setting of the book I couldn’t help but be reminded of season 3 & 4 of The Walking Dead.

A Savage Generation doesn’t concentrate on the ‘Sickers’ they are out there and will kill and infect but the story is more about the characters, relationships, politics and the effect such an event would have on people. This is where it came unstuck a little bit for me, this is usually the stuff I really enjoy, but I struggled to make a connection with the characters, I’m not sure why, there were clear characters traits and they were well written it just didn’t click for me.

I found the story slow moving and I didn’t get the suspense and excitement I would usually get from this type of book which was a real shame.

Overall I thought the premise, imagery and writing were good, this one just didn’t work for me on an emotional level.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book…ok, so it did have an initial appeal since I do enjoy end of the world stories. And it’s from Flame Tree press, which often produces very credible genre fiction. But there were no reviews and I’ve never heard of the author. So I waited and waited and it seemed no one was reading it, so I decided I would. And now I’ve read it and I’m pretty sure my review of it won’t send other readers rushing out to grab it. Because this isn’t going to be a rave review. Because I didn’t really like the book. I really did try, though. And to be fair (and as objective as something as subjective as an opinion can be) this isn’t entirely the book’s fault. The book does try. This may very well be the case of a complete lack of reader/writer chemistry. Plot wise it’s a prototypical survival story, something outside is turning most of the population into primitive homicidal brutes and a small group of diverse characters bans together to stay alive. They do so in a place ironically named Funland. It’s practically a season of Walking Dead, only somehow it lacks all of the dynamic and all of the suspense and all of the excitement WD provides. I’m not even quite sure why, there is a good variety of characters in this book, diverse ages and genders and intentions providing a steady diet of drama. There was some genuinely decent writing too, almost literary and certainly above the guts and gore slash and dice level. And yet it was difficult to care about any of it, because the book just dragged. Slower than a slow zombie. There were things about the story I appreciated right down to the ending, but the appreciation remained strictly intellectual, because on the emotional level there was just no engagement. The overall reading experience, despite all the positives about the book, was a slog. It definitely read much longer than the page count suggested. Again, though, this isn’t a terrible book by any means, it just really didn’t work for me. User mileage may vary. Thanks Netgalley.

[Lainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 352

Publisher - Flame Tree Press

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Sickness is ravaging America, driving the infected to savagery. Petty criminal Ben Silensky is determined to get his girlfriend Carlita and son Kyle free of the quarantined city they live in, enough so to risk a foolhardy crime and then to team up with Carlita's equally desperate cop cousin Nando. Once they're out, Nando is certain they'll find a place in the open prison where his uncle works, unbeknownst to him already become a survivalist colony named Funland under the management of entrepreneurial convict Plan John. In Funland itself, guard Doyle Johnson is shocked when his ex-wife abandons his son Austin into his care. Fearing the vulnerable position he's been placed in, he recruits the help of Katherine Aaronovich, the former prison's doctor. But Aaronovich's traumatic past has left her with vulnerabilities of her own, along with radical theories on the nature of the epidemic that will place all their lives in jeopardy. As the last vestiges of civilisation crumble, Funland may prove to be the safest or the most dangerous of places, depending on who comes out on top - and what can't be held together will inevitably be torn apart. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.


My Review

A city under quarentine, the "sickies" are people who have became infected, becoming aggressive and little more than animals at certain stages. Ben wants out with his kid and girlfriend and he knows exactly where to go, "Funland" previously a prison. There are still prisoners and guards but there is an understanding and Ben and co figure it has to be safer in there than it is out here.

So it is giving 28 days later meets the walking dead vibes, the infected are still human but they beat/murder/destroy and are highly contagious. The majority is set in the prison so that is what was giving me echoes of the walking dead along with the power struggles. There is a female doctor and one of the guards is a really good guy who is tough and respected, he helps smuggle Carlita in because it is still a male's prison and her being discovered would be devastating.

I liked the idea of this but did love a lot of it. I felt the atmosphere was well portrayed and I absolutely wanted to know where it was going. When I read it I felt maybe this was book one and setting up for the second yet it isn't, it is a standalone which again left me a bit meh. Like so much of what they went through and did almost seemed pointless at times, like really all that for that?

That being said am sure many will love it, it gives you glimpses of some of the pathetic and bad sides to humanity, Ben ugh I had very little respect for him. Like it was as if he didn't really know who he was or who he wanted to be, he was, to me, a weak guy, I just couldn't with him by the end of the book.

I liked the doctor and would have liked to have had more exploration on what she was doing/looking into. I felt like so much of the story had unanswered or only briefly touched on issues/themes so I think it would be good if the author did go back to this and make more, maybe a series?

It is quite dark at times, I found the more we learned about this sickies, as the story went on the more I wanted to know about them. How they progressed, the ones we met in the book, I would have loved more of there stories, before, during and after but also the meat/origins of the outbreak. For all of that 3/5 for me, tense, dark, horrible characters with a very small mix of decent ones, it is worth a read because I do think many will love it, I am just a fussy potatoe!

[Bekah B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of post apocalyptic fiction and I'd say this book is definitely up there with the better ones. Most of these books are set either around the time just as the apocalyptic even is happening or set many years after the event when society is struggling to rebuild itself. So I found A Savage Generation really refreshing as unusually it is set at a sort of midway point on the timeline. The sickness has already made it's appearance and spread, our survivors already know of it and the effects it has, but they are still at a time when they aren't sure exactly what has caused it or how to live in the new world they find themselves in.

When I initially requested a copy of the book and started to read it I thought it was another epidemic/zombie type book that are commonly found in this genre, with the guts and violence to go with it. However, I would say that the sickness and those affected are fairly small part of the plot. A Savage Generation focuses more on the people dynamics, survival, gangs etc. It reminded me a bit of how The Walking Dead was after it changed it's focus after a few seasons. Now, if i had known this before starting to read then I would have either not read it or read it but not expected to like it much. So I was incredibly shocked to find that I was actually really enjoying the book and was eager to get back to the story and characters whenever life got in the way of reading. Initially it was a little difficult to connect with the characters as the book switches POV quite frequently but I would urge any reader to stick with it because as the story progresses we see all these different characters come together in unexpected ways. The multiple POV format was very well done and it was interesting to learn how the characters had different thoughts and ways of seeing things.

This genre is very easy to get carried away with and make the story quite fantastical or even idealistic in that characters will have incredible luck or well developed survival/military skills. But A Savage Generation has a very realistic and plausible storyline and characters. Our survivors are just normal people (aside from their criminal status) who are quite literally at times, fighting to figure it all out and keep some kind of hierarchy and control within the prison. Personally I feel that this makes the book even more chilling as it's easy to imagine that it could happen to our society as it is today.

I highly recommend this book and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next for our survivors.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for sending me a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own and honest.

[Theresa Derwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Savage Generation
Author: David Tallerman
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Page count: 352pp
Release date: 26th Sept 2019
Reviewer: Theresa Derwin

This new novel, from awesome genre publisher Flame Tree Press, opens with a helluva first line;

“Kyle Silensky is watching as the city starts to burn.”

Teenage Kyle, hiding in bed, soon finds out from Carlita that his dad Ben has been arrested trying to get petrol money to escape the quarantined city, in which they live. His uncle Nando, a cop, is there to take him from his home, along with Carlita and Ben to somewhere in the country - somewhere safe.
Somewhere that the arguments will stop.

Austin Johnson is a black teen abandoned by his father Doyle, when he was young.
The hatred he feels towards that man is a living thing: so when he finds himself in a car with his family, heading to a re-purposed prison amidst an apocalypse - a disease which makes people sick, more sick and doesn’t kill them - he’s distraught to find he’s being dropped to his Dad.
Austin isn’t sure how to feel about Doyle.
Though now, it seems it’s his mother who’s abandoning him to the unit formerly known as ‘White Cliff Penitentiary’.
AKA Funland.
Plan John Howard is kind of like a Warden - watching and controlling everything, he is a mysterious leader akin to the likes of Randall Flag or The Governor. He’s a massive figure, literally and figuratively. Rumour has it he’s been planning for the epidemic before it became that, and the prison is fully integrated, making for a natural diversity that most novels strive to achieve but fail at. The survival of the species makes for good bedfellows.
Especially as the Sickers just get angry, violent and insane.
Once Doyle has introduced Austin to Plan John, he takes the boy to Katharine Aaronovich, the doctor, to get checked out and hopefully to be cared for.
It’s pretty clear from the offset, Austin’s mum isn’t coming back. Aaronovich sees something in Austin that convinces her the boy is suffering from some form of PTSD. But from what - she has no clue.

This book starts hard, and keeps on giving.
It’s an ensemble piece; each character a larger piece in a narrative jigsaw.
The chapters flit between the Johnson’s dysfunctional family and the Silenskys.
In between it all, there is chaos, death, blood, The Sickers, cliffhangers and lots of tension.
It’s an excellent novel and there were genuinely tense moments throughout, as well as some great characters.
Another great book from Tallerman.
Flame Tree Press is also consistent in delivering brilliant genre books.

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sickness is spreading around the world, those it doesn’t kill, turn savage with an uncontrollable violence.

White Cliff prison was evacuated but then taken over by Plan John and it’s now called Funland…..its a place of safety as the Sickers can’t get in.

Doyle Johnson has an uneasy relationship with Plan John, which is put into jeopardy when Doyle’s ex wife turns up and leaves his son Kyle with him.

Then Ben, his girlfriend Carlita and her son Austin arrive, but Carlita has to be kept hidden as the only woman in Funland, she wouldn’t be safe.


So, while this does feel like an episode of The Walking Dead, there is so much more to it. Yes the Sickers are out there and if they bite, scratch or spit on you, you will get infected, BUT, this is also about children, and how they are affected, left to pretty much fend for themselves while the adults plot and fight amongst themselves and the Sickers.

Austin, scared and hurt by his stepdad, then abandoned by his mother. Kyle left to his own devices in a tense environment. They have secrets of their own.

There’s the politics of a new society with power struggles and violence, but ultimately with survival at its core. A story of fear, abandonment and tragedy, but also maybe a little hope.

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

[Ileana Renfroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Savage Generation is the first book I have read by this author and I was pleasantly pleased with the overall story and well-crafted characters.

The story was exactly as described - Petty criminal Ben Silensky is determined to get his girlfriend Carlita and son Kyle free of the quarantined city they live in, enough so to risk a foolhardy crime and then to team up with Carlita's equally desperate cop cousin Nando. Once they're out, Nando is certain they'll find a place in the open prison where his uncle works, unbeknownst to him already become a survivalist colony named Funland under the management of entrepreneurial convict Plan John.

Highly recommend!!

[Daniel C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a big, sprawling novel; well-written, it's character's solid and believable. Definitely not a typical end of civilization zombie story. It could make for a good miniseries.
But, personally, the books's scope and multiple characters prevented me from connecting to it in any personal way. I felt it lacked 'heart'.
That's not to say it 's not a good novel. I just prefer things on a smaller palette.

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The “Sickers” have started to take over American in this apocalyptic horror novel. They are showing increased aggression and are attacking. A man named Plan John has set up a sort of sanctuary at a prison and this book follows some of the survivors. There are parts I had trouble getting through because it was kind of slow, but those parts were necessary because they build up to a great ending. While I did only rate it 3 stars, I did still enjoy it. If you like apocalyptic novels and don’t mind a slow burn, this is the book for you!

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sickness is spreading around the world, those it doesn’t kill, turn savage with an uncontrollable violence.

White Cliff prison was evacuated but then taken over by Plan John and it’s now called Funland…..its a place of safety as the Sickers can’t get in.

Doyle Johnson has an uneasy relationship with Plan John, which is put into jeopardy when Doyle’s ex wife turns up and leaves his son Kyle with him.

Then Ben, his girlfriend Carlita and her son Austin arrive, but Carlita has to be kept hidden as the only woman in Funland, she wouldn’t be safe.


So, while this does feel like an episode of The Walking Dead, there is so much more to it. Yes the Sickers are out there and if they bite, scratch or spit on you, you will get infected, BUT, this is also about children, and how they are affected, left to pretty much fend for themselves while the adults plot and fight amongst themselves and the Sickers.

Austin, scared and hurt by his stepdad, then abandoned by his mother. Kyle left to his own devices in a tense environment. They have secrets of their own.

There’s the politics of a new society with power struggles and violence, but ultimately with survival at its core. A story of fear, abandonment and tragedy, but also maybe a little hope.

Thank you to The Author, the publishers and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

[Amy McElroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following a group of survivors when a sickness hits the majority of the population.

I found this book fast paced, and I loved the characters especially Doyle and the Doctor. It's a battle to survive in an old prison where the lead role has been taken by a terrifying individual.
The good guys finally manage to escape but where will they go? I'd like to see a sequel to this and I really want to know if Doyle made it!
This was great entertainment I definitely recommend it!

[Kymber Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of The Walking Dead both when the group meeets the Governor and when they leave Alexandria and live on the hill. The people inside, both good and bad, petty criminals and completely hardened criminals each trying to survive but also trying to prove whose more tough. Then you have the completely innocent, but in a day and age where killing the person next to you meant you got another meal, or your loved one got one more day to live, is anyone REALLY innocent?

[Heather Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Savage Generation reminded me of a season of The Walking Dead. The book was slow,but the writing was good just not anything that we haven't seen or read before.