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After Dark
A bewildered PhD student teams up with a skeleton crew staff at the zoo to combat a comon enemy.
The zoo is never a quiet place. Laughter, screams, and the trumpets of elephants echo through the gates.
Eleanor "Lens" Rigby studies prey animals, and she spends most of her time behind the desk or staring at zebras. When her boyfriend, Ben, comes into the office and tells her one of the lions is acting a little off, she expected a budding romance or a spat over a turkey leg ... not this.
The investigation didn't take long. Something was wrong with the zoo; something dangerous. Just as Lens and the company make the impromptu decision to close the zoo gates, they realize that they aren't alone. A tour group of young children there to learn about the animals floods the zoo, leaving Lens and friends wielding cookie sheets and fire axes to try and keep them safe.
Will they stay alive long enough to get the kids the hell out of Dodge...err, zoo...or, or will the massacre begin with no end in sight?
The zoo is never a quiet place. Laughter, screams, and the trumpets of elephants echo through the gates.
Eleanor "Lens" Rigby studies prey animals, and she spends most of her time behind the desk or staring at zebras. When her boyfriend, Ben, comes into the office and tells her one of the lions is acting a little off, she expected a budding romance or a spat over a turkey leg ... not this.
The investigation didn't take long. Something was wrong with the zoo; something dangerous. Just as Lens and the company make the impromptu decision to close the zoo gates, they realize that they aren't alone. A tour group of young children there to learn about the animals floods the zoo, leaving Lens and friends wielding cookie sheets and fire axes to try and keep them safe.
Will they stay alive long enough to get the kids the hell out of Dodge...err, zoo...or, or will the massacre begin with no end in sight?
212 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published October 8, 2021
About the author
Kristi Buckel
9 books12 followersKristi Buckel writes dark, character-driven fiction where silence isn’t empty—it’s watching.
Her stories explore memory, identity, and the fragile line between human and something else entirely. Blending psychological horror with emotional depth, she’s drawn to characters who are pushed to their limits—and what they become when they refuse to break.
Kristi’s work lives in the spaces between fear and feeling, where monsters remember who they used to be, and survival comes at a cost.
Her stories explore memory, identity, and the fragile line between human and something else entirely. Blending psychological horror with emotional depth, she’s drawn to characters who are pushed to their limits—and what they become when they refuse to break.
Kristi’s work lives in the spaces between fear and feeling, where monsters remember who they used to be, and survival comes at a cost.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 18, 2024
What if the zombie apocalypse started while you were working at the zoo? And what if some of the animals could also catch the virus? These are the questions After Dark asks and it makes for a fast-paced and brutal little tale.
The characters were great, the settings were well utilized as was the animal aspect.
Points for Bob Ross references.
The characters were great, the settings were well utilized as was the animal aspect.
Points for Bob Ross references.
February 21, 2022
Off the chart suspense levels
Not only is the suspense level of this well-written, imaginative novel off the charts, but the main character is smart, bold, and best of all, kind. Her astonishing resilience and self-deprecating, sardonic humor make Eleanor Rigby an appealingly reluctant hero. I'd love to meet this brilliant young genetic researcher. Actually, I'd like to meet all of Buckel's well-developed characters who work at a zoo and dedicate themselves to living (and extinct!) animals.
Although I don't usually read suspense and wanted to close my eyes during the scariest and goriest scenes, I enjoyed After Dark much more than I expected to and am glad Christie's mom, a nurse in my rheumatologist's office, told me about it.
May this impressive debut be followed by other gripping novels.
Not only is the suspense level of this well-written, imaginative novel off the charts, but the main character is smart, bold, and best of all, kind. Her astonishing resilience and self-deprecating, sardonic humor make Eleanor Rigby an appealingly reluctant hero. I'd love to meet this brilliant young genetic researcher. Actually, I'd like to meet all of Buckel's well-developed characters who work at a zoo and dedicate themselves to living (and extinct!) animals.
Although I don't usually read suspense and wanted to close my eyes during the scariest and goriest scenes, I enjoyed After Dark much more than I expected to and am glad Christie's mom, a nurse in my rheumatologist's office, told me about it.
May this impressive debut be followed by other gripping novels.
August 16, 2026
After Dark by Kristi Buckel is a tense and unrelenting post-apocalyptic thriller that masterfully builds upon the survival stakes established in the series.
Picking up where the initial collapse left off, the narrative follows its core survivors as nightfall brings heightened danger, dwindling resources, and evolving threats from both the infected and fellow humans pushed to the brink. Buckel excels at pacing, using the claustrophobia of darkness and shifting group dynamics to explore how trauma and desperation test moral boundaries.
Gritty, atmospheric, and emotionally grounded, After Dark is an engrossing continuation that delivers both high-stakes action and compelling psychological depth for fans of character-driven horror.
Picking up where the initial collapse left off, the narrative follows its core survivors as nightfall brings heightened danger, dwindling resources, and evolving threats from both the infected and fellow humans pushed to the brink. Buckel excels at pacing, using the claustrophobia of darkness and shifting group dynamics to explore how trauma and desperation test moral boundaries.
Gritty, atmospheric, and emotionally grounded, After Dark is an engrossing continuation that delivers both high-stakes action and compelling psychological depth for fans of character-driven horror.
August 16, 2026
Kristi Buckel’s After Dark delivers a gripping, atmospheric exploration of tension, secrets, and the fragile veneer of normalcy. Imbued with a lingering sense of dread and quiet claustrophobia, the narrative thrives in the uneasy spaces where ordinary routines give way to raw human vulnerability and hidden desperation.
Buckel demonstrates a sharp command of mood and pacing, favoring tactile realism and psychological depth over superficial twists. The characters are compellingly drawn, navigating complicated dynamics and high-stakes choices against a brooding, evocative backdrop. It is a taut, evocative work that immerses the reader in the shadows of the heartland and keeps its emotional resonance long after the final line.
Buckel demonstrates a sharp command of mood and pacing, favoring tactile realism and psychological depth over superficial twists. The characters are compellingly drawn, navigating complicated dynamics and high-stakes choices against a brooding, evocative backdrop. It is a taut, evocative work that immerses the reader in the shadows of the heartland and keeps its emotional resonance long after the final line.
August 16, 2026
After Dark by Kristi Buckel is an evocative, high-tension thriller that masterfully builds upon the gritty suspense and psychological depth that fans of her work have come to expect. Set against an increasingly bleak and unpredictable landscape, the story thrives on claustrophobic atmosphere, unrelenting dread, and rich, emotionally grounded character dynamics. Buckel excels at exploring the fragile boundaries of trust, survival, and moral compromise when the safety of daylight disappears, keeping the stakes intimate and the pacing taut. Dark, visceral, and emotionally resonant, After Dark is a gripping and satisfying read for fans of character-driven survival horror and atmospheric suspense.
August 16, 2026
After Dark by Kristi Buckel delivers a gripping, atmospheric deep dive into survival horror that thrives on relentless tension and character-driven stakes. Continuing Buckel’s knack for grounding apocalyptic chaos in raw psychological reality, the novel explores the harrowing vulnerability of facing the unknown once night falls.
Buckel balances heart-pounding suspense and visceral danger with emotional resonance, capturing both the dread of isolation and the fragile bonds forged in extreme circumstances. For readers who appreciate survival thrillers that blend relentless pacing with dark, moody depth, After Dark is a fast, haunting, and thoroughly engaging read.
Buckel balances heart-pounding suspense and visceral danger with emotional resonance, capturing both the dread of isolation and the fragile bonds forged in extreme circumstances. For readers who appreciate survival thrillers that blend relentless pacing with dark, moody depth, After Dark is a fast, haunting, and thoroughly engaging read.
August 16, 2026
After Dark by Kristi Buckel is a relentless, visceral descent into survival horror that hits the ground running and never lets up. Centered on the chaotic collapse of a zoo and the nightmare that spills into the surrounding city, Buckel expertly blends creature-feature dread with raw, character-driven tension. With sharp pacing, high stakes, and an atmosphere thick with feral unease, it’s a gripping, pulse-pounding thriller that explores the brutal cost of staying alive when the lights go out.
August 16, 2026
A dark, compelling, and emotionally resonant sequel that successfully heightens the stakes for fans of character-driven post-apocalyptic fiction.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews