My Time As A Shadow: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Thriller

by Esa Ortega

The zed epidemic was swift, brutal and devastating – and it came out of nowhere. Three years on, a broken world now holds its breath, desperate for a cure. In the ruins of our society, survivors cling on for dear life. Celeste pieces together the past lives of patients, haunted by her own ghosts; reluctant soldier Micah still visits his infected partner; while survivalist loner Rob scavenges luxuries for the Delivery-Zee franchise among the ruins. When the antidote does arrive, the side-effects are serious – and these three ordinary people are suddenly drawn together to face an extraordinary dilemma. As undead Britain finally collapses, who will live to tell the tale? “Exhilarating, cerebral, touching, nostalgic, unsettling, funny, prescient and extraordinarily absorbing. The best book I've read in 2021 so far” Amazon reviewer “A refreshingly unique and captivating survival journey” Amazon reviewer “Believable characters, gore in copious amounts, and a plot which is so well written that you can't help but read it through gritted teeth” Amazon reviewer “As a woman, I really enjoyed reading from the perspective of the female survivor… Celeste’s presence is written so effortlessly. I genuinely cannot praise this book enough” beyondthewrittenblurred My Time As A Shadow is a psychological post-apocalyptic survival thriller for fans of I Am Legend, Zone One, The Girl With All The Gifts, World War Z and thinking fans’ zombie tales.

Genres: Zombies

249 pages, Paperback

Published May 12, 2021

About the author

Esa Ortega is a UK-based writer of science fiction. He was brought up in the 80s surrounded by dog-eared paperbacks, games that may or may not load and pirated Betamax copies of sci-fi classics. During this time, his mind was exposed to such powerful phenomena as Elite, Blade Runner, Alien, Hitch-Hiker's Guide... and Battlestar Galactica. He has stayed immersed in the sci-fi realm ever since, only reluctantly re-materialising in this dimension to walk among you and undertake a variety of menial tasks.

The Kassini Division is his debut novel. It offers military sci-fi with character, space opera with a dose of realism and futuristic espionage with a heart, and is a non-stop thrill ride that lovingly references the best retro science fiction.

Its sequel, Rise Of The Exiles, was released in January 2023.

Conversations With Droids is a collection of 12 short stories set in the same universe: sign up to the mailing list at www.esaortega.com for a free eBook copy.

My Time As A Shadow is a post-apocalyptic zombie survival thriller set in the UK.

Dead Formats is a near-future tech-noir sci-fi detective mystery.

Fleet Rats is the first in the Dropzone mil-SF series, also set in the same universe as the Kassini books.

All books are available at Amazon.

Sign up to the mailing list at www.esaortega.com.

Reviews

[Lynn Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly deserving of 10 out of 5 stars

The writer blew me away with this zombie apocalypse offering. So much more than just a novel. The writing is superb and, unlike so many others it was well edited, intelligent and thought provoking. Totally devoid of unnecessary repetition I've found in other Amazon offerings. I'll certainly be reading more from this author. Highly recommend that you do the same.

[Danielle Vandehaar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story started out really good. But then it just devolved. And not in the fun way that zombies devolve. It’s like it tripped and took a sharp right turn off a cliff into nonsense. The ending was bizarre and unsupported by the character’s earlier choices. Additionally, though the title suggests otherwise, we never actually meet anyone who was a part of the Shadows, we just observe a few of their deaths from other characters.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great book, with well-drawn characters and believable dialogue. Loved the imagined scenes of desolate Britain and the fallout after an outbreak. The book follows three characters whose worlds collide, and it keeps you guessing right until the end.

Great to immerse to yourself in a world that’s worse off than we’re experiencing now!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stick with it!

I'll be honest, with the way the chapters were set-up, I didn't expect to enjoy this book. However, I gave it a chance, and it got better; a flow was created from the initial confusion. And the end?! BAM! Completely unexpected!