The Aussie Zombie

What would happen if a virus decimated most of the worlds population, leaving the remnants of humanity to fight it out over territory, food and women? After the Virus takes a popular idea and gives it a unique twist by taking two formerly famous people and throwing them together in a world torn apart by greed and desperation, with some freaky Infected thrown in for good measure.

Opening with a tense escape scene, as Rhiannon flees her captors who are using women as baby-machines, we are introduced to a strong, haunted character who underneath a sarcastic shell, is really just looking to survive quietly and away from the violence that seems to follow her wherever she goes. I really liked Rhiannon - getting inside her head, and the way that she fought for the people she cared about, all the while dropping snark bombs like they were going out of fashion. There is also a thing that she does early in the book that immediately endeared her to me.

The romance between Will and Rhiannon felt natural and realistic, and they complimented each other perfectly, with Rhiannon's self-projected hardness, and Will's calm, dedicated nature.
Whilst not exactly zombies, The Infected, and the way that their 'handlers' sustain them, is truly terrifying, particularly how far some of them go to keep them 'alive'. Although some scenes in After the Virus are shocking in the depravity of humankind, it is a plausible scenario - do we really know people would react to the disintegration of law and order?

After the Virus sucked me in and didn't let me go - the writing was great, the characterisation excellent and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat.

Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie