{Review} Last Bastion of The Living by Rhiannon Frater

Author: Rhiannon Frater
Expected Publication Date: June 12,2012
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The Bastion was humanity’s last hope against the fearsome undead creatures known as the Inferi Scourge. A fortified city with a high wall, surrounded by lush land rich with all the resources needed to survive, protected by high mountain summits, and a massive gate to secure the only pass into the valley, the Bastion became the last stronghold of the living on earth. But one fateful day, the gate failed and the Inferi Scourge destroyed the human settlements outside the walls and trapped the survivors inside the city. Now decades later, the last remaining humans are struggling to survive in a dying city as resources and hope dwindle.

Vanguard Maria Martinez has lived her whole life within the towering walls of steel. She yearns for a life away from the overcrowded streets, rolling blackouts, and food shortages, but there is no hope for anyone as long as the Inferi Scourge howl outside the high walls. Her only refuge from the daily grind is in the arms of her lover, Dwayne Reichardt, an officer in the Bastion Constabulary. Both are highly-decorated veterans of the last disastrous push against the Inferi Scourge. Their secret affair is her only happiness.

Then one day Maria is summoned to meet with a mysterious representative from the Science Warfare Division and is offered the opportunity to finally destroy the Inferi Scourge in the valley and close the gate. The rewards of success are great, but she will have to sacrifice everything, possibly even her life, to accomplish the ultimate goal of securing the future of humanity and saving it from extinction.

I was given a copy of this book to review from the Author. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way for it. Review: Wow this Book was so, so good. When I was given the opportunity to read this book of course I jumped at that chance.Rhiannon Frater's The Last Bastion of The Living did not disappoint at all(not that I doubted it would). Maria the main protagonist is best described as a cross between Alice from Resident Evil mixed with a dash of Lara Croft ie she's one bad ass chick. One thing I really enjoyed about Maria's character was her kind hearted nature. Even when her life was at stake she still thought about the welfare of others first. She was brave, bold, rebellious, smart and above all I think someone I could envision wanting by my side when and if shit hit the fan. The zombies or Inferi Scourge as they are called were completely creepy. When the Inferi had nobody nearby to kill they went completely still only turning back on when they sensed prey nearby. The Inferi also don't rot, I think this fact makes them scary because they are harder to distinguish until they are literally upon you ready to rip your throat out. The goal of the Inferi is to infect not eat their prey so it stands to reason that the dead would be mostly wound free, though the rot free definitely came as a shock. By the end of The Last Bastion of The Living I wanted more and am personally super bummed this is a stand alone novel. I'm not asking for much just another book or two or three. I feel teased by the Epicness revealed within the pages. This book has so much potential it would be a shame not to expand on the universe. I'll still hold out hope though, no matter how slim it might be. Speaking of the end OMG,holy cow! I did not see that twist coming and I really have to give credit to Rhiannon because it was something I NEVER would of guessed. Sorry, no hints here you will just have to trust me and find out yourself. Overall this was a great book with a well developed world, strong character driven plot and fantastic blending of the classic Zombie elements and those of a futuristic society. If your a fan of the genre and looking for something new and unique, I highly suggest picking this book up. I will be rating The Last Bastion of The Living ★★★★★.