Hi, all:
I bring you a stand-alone book by Terry Tyler that takes place in the SFV-1 universe, 10 years after the original story began.
Safe Zone. A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller by Terry Tyler
Ten years after the SFV-1 rage virus devastated the world, the population of the UK is confined to one corner of the South East. The newly recognised state of the UK Safe Zone is protected by a vast wall around the entire landmass, and by patrol boats around the coast.
Within, the creation of a new, functioning society is a work in progress, hindered by the fact that not everyone has arrived of their own free will, and some have been irrevocably damaged by the trials of the past decade.
Then there’s the dark cloud on the horizon – news of a greater threat in Europe, that’s heading their way…
About the author:
Terry Tyler is the author of twenty-eight books available from Amazon, the latest being the post-apocalyptic thriller, Safe Zone.
Other recent publications include the SFV-1 rage virus trilogy: Infected, Darkness and Reset, also ‘Where There’s Doubt’, the story of a romance scammer and his prey, and ‘Megacity’, the final book in the dystopian Operation Galton trilogy. Happy to be independently published, Terry is an avid reader and book reviewer, and a member of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team.
Terry is a Walking Dead addict, and has a great interest in history (particularly Saxon, Plantagenet, and Tudor), along with books and documentaries on sociological/cultural/anthropological subject matter. She loves South Park, the sea, and going for long walks in quiet places where there are lots of trees. She lives in the northeast of England with her husband.
Terry can be found on X @TerryTyler4
My review:
I thank the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book, which I freely chose to review.
I have read a few of Terry Tyler’s novels before, most of them in the dystopian genre (not all, and she does write in other genres as well), and I know that if you start reading one of her series, you’re likely to read it all and be left wanting more.
This particular novel is meant as a stand-alone book, but it takes place in the SFV-1 universe (a world where a virus spread from animals to humans, a pretty special virus that turned people into creatures akin to zombies, but without killing them first), and some of the characters of the original series play important roles in this one as well. As I have read the previous series before, I cannot comment on how well this one would work on its own. There is a brief introduction that sets the scenario for those who haven’t read the previous trilogy of short novels so that they won’t be totally lost, but they will indeed find themselves thrown in at the deep end, in the middle of a world whose rules are quite different to those we are accustomed to (or, perhaps not so different. It depends on one’s point of view and cynicism), and guided by a few characters they haven’t met before. I think the story would work nonetheless: there are plenty of adventures, incidents, action, discoveries, and secrets…, and it is impossible not to put yourself in the characters’ shoes and wonder if you would be able to cope and survive in such circumstances.
Personally, I was thrilled to meet again some of the characters I’ve got to know and love from the previous trilogy (and some I didn’t like that much as well) and learn what had happened to them. I was pleased the author had decided to follow them for a bit longer, as I had grown very attached to some of them, especially the trio whose stories we follow in more detail: Norah, Brian, and Xander. Initially, all the main characters, Norah, Brian, and Xander, tell their stories in the third person, while later, when we move towards the end, Norah and Xander tell theirs in the first person, but we see them always from their point of view, regardless of the person. (I must clarify that I had thought Norah was the only one who told her story in the first person, but the author clarified that for me, and it goes to prove that the story really grabs you and even if you think you notice all the details of the telling, you actually don’t). Their stories alternate, and there are some jumps backward and forward in time, which means one needs to remain attentive to the narrative, but it offers readers the bonus of getting quite a detailed understanding of what has gone on and how things got to the point they are in —that is aided by some chapters told from other character’s perspectives—, something that none of the main characters have.
One of the things that impressed me the most about this novel was the depth of the psychological portrayal of the main characters, particularly Xander. We get to see (and feel) their losses, their doubts, their fears, their insecurities, and their disintegration, especially evident in the case of Xander, the youngest of the protagonists we follow who has suffered so many losses that he has become a husk of his old self, with terrible consequences for everybody. They are all transformed by their experiences, at a mental and physical level, and although the book is not too heavy on descriptions, one doesn’t need too vivid an imagination to be shocked by what these characters have undergone and how it has changed them.
The author also excels at creating an atmosphere of claustrophobia and permanent threat. The characters might be inside of a precinct (the “Safe Zone” of the title), building, or outside, but they are severely restricted and limited to what they can do, where they can go, what they can eat or drink, and they are never too far from danger, be it a zombie or government agents trying to keep tracks on them. Which is the most dangerous of the two, you can decide after reading the book.
From the genre and the comments so far, it should be evident that this is a story where there is violence, destruction, gore, and everything one would expect, so readers should be warned. Do not think that the book is all doom and gloom, though. There are funny moments, the characters have a sense of humour (they wouldn’t be able to survive otherwise), and one can appreciate their wit, and the camaraderie, teamwork, friendship, and love they display.
I enjoyed the ending. It is open enough, and although we lose many characters along the way, some are left to carry on with their adventures, and one wonders if the author will go there in the future. In her note at the end of the book, she mentions some ideas for her next stories, but all readers know some characters refuse to disappear. So, we shall see.
Recommended to anybody who has read the SFV-1 series, and to those who haven’t and enjoy dystopian stories, although my recommendation would be to read the trilogy first. Well, and the rest of the author’s books. I look forward to what she’ll publish next, in whichever genre she chooses.
Thanks to the author, for this book, thanks to all of you for reading, and remember to like, share, comment, click, and keep smiling. ♥
Just Olga 