Zurvival Saturday (58 ) Review: Ravage by Iain Rob Wright


For this weeks Zurvival Saturday I'll be reviewing the latest release from Author Iain Rob Wright. The title is called Ravage and picks up after the events in Sea Sick. Although by no means do you need to read that book to read this one. Anywho, let's get to the Review shall we.



FIRST PEOPLE GOT SICK. THEN THEY GOT VERY SICK..
Nick Adams is just a normal guy. He loves his family, appreciates his home, and covets his car. But he absolutely hates his job. Which is what makes it so difficult when not a single customer comes by his store that day. It seems as though there’s a bug going around, something that has come out of nowhere and is keeping people at home. Still, it’s probably nothing to worry about. People get sick all the time.

And besides, things are finally starting to look up. Nick’s first customer of the day has just stumbled through the door…

HIS DAY IS ABOUT TO GET WORSE..
It won’t be long before Nick’s entire life is turned upside down, sending him on a frantic journey through a ravaged world that will ultimately lead him 500 feet upwards to a hilltop amusement park. Is it the last safe place on Earth, or are the monsters at the top of the hill even worse than the ones below?

WELCOME TO RIPLEY HEIGHTS. WHERE THE FUN NEVER STARTS.


Review
Ravage was a book I had been anticipating for quite some time. I knew the Author was working on it and was pleased as punch when he asked me to review it for him. Ravage starts out like most Zombie books. Characters living life, doing the daily grind. However, unlike normal days where the store is packed with people, business was slow, no it was quite literally dead. 

I really liked the build up to the story. In many ways it had a very Sean Of The Dead type feel to it. Yet, everything sort of just fell into place a bit to neatly. It does move the story along quickly but it would've been nice if  Nick had seen more clues that things were souring before heading home. 

As with most Zombie books when the plague hits the survivors are standing around in disbelief. I can forgive this because it must be quite a shock. However, Nick's refusal to accept that people were indeed turning into Zombies made the character quite unlikable. My theory is if someone is trying to eat you whether it be family, friend, someone young or old, you do whatever it takes to survive. You don't sit around on your moral high horse demanding they be treated as equals. Nick's actions cause many deaths and it's quite frustrating to read about. Thankfully he does eventually accept reality. Too bad it comes a bit late to do any good. 

Midway through the books the story splits off and follows a second group of survivors. They do play a part in Nick's group being rescued so it wasn't all that surprising that the story caught you up on who they were. Personally, I found this second group to be much more interesting. Of course this could be because the lead female was so much more enjoyable then Nick. I'm also a sucker for animals in Zombie books and in this case we have a small zoo full of them. One of the saddest scenes in the entire book actually doesn't involve people at all but a family of Orangutans. I nearly cried at the end while Lily was wailing in grief. 

When the two groups converge power struggles ensue. By this point I could see the direction the book was heading and even which characters would be involved in upcoming conflict. I would've been OK with this had I enjoyed the last 2/3 of the story. Instead I was left feeling frustrated with the characters and lack of Zombie preparedness they had taken. Even when major characters died I simply didn't care. I felt they earned their deaths for being so gullible. 

Thankfully, by the end of the book the story did come back together. Nick might have been annoying but he did have some redemption in the end. Since the story is a cliffhanger of sorts I am assuming this isn't the last we've seen of the group. I'm definitely curious where the story is headed after everything that went down in the last few scenes.  Plus I wouldn't mind seeing more from the world outside. It would be interesting to see if the majority of Zombies left in the wild were fresh or had they succumbed to death which turns them into the slow movie Romero kind.

Overall, while Ravage did have its ups and downs I did still find the story mostly enjoyable. Would I recommend it? Yes, the story is written well and I read through it quite quickly despite its length. If you like plague type Zombie stories then I suggest picking up Ravage and giving it a go. That being said, I will be rating Ravage by Iain Rob Wright ★★★.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Party Games by R.L. Stine

Books To Movies Giveaway hop!!

Giveaway: Vamps vs. Zombies Blog Hop!!