Autumn: The City: The City

At first it's a little slow. Then it picks up and I couldn't put it down! I'm buying the 3rd book today.

I was actually surprised when reading some reviews that said this book was slow... though I can now see where they're coming from, I didn't find any of the Autumn books slow at all. While David Moody is rightfully considered among the most important writers in this genre, I think he deserves even more credit than he's given. His books are more character driven and shies from the outward gore found in other good books. I think his books are more realistic in a sense. Much of post apocalyptic fiction is about how ordinary people would react to the horrors of a collapsing world. While, we all love the heroes and the bad guys and the action that goes with it in other books, I think Moody's take is closer to home. Most of us won't go up against the enemy swinging a sword or blazing an automatic weapon. We will have our heroic moments and, with luck, we'll fight to survive; but there'd be a lot more personal break down, long quiet moments or days of fear and uncertainty while hiding as Moody depicts in his books. Moody does give us a lot of action but I think some of the complaints are about the quieter scenes while exploring characters and atmosphere. His books are not about the gore and visceral scenes... but the way he describes murderous violence and exploring its origins is, to me, actually better. His zombies are not even flesh eaters but they will tear their victims apart just the same. They are just as menacing (... I never say scary or terrifying because no book has made me feel that...) and deadly. Moody also deftly explains why without doing the "writing from the zombie's perspective" which rarely works well. This is what I actually like most about Moody. If I want an all out gore fest, I know which books to read or can find new ones by the reviews. But if I want a guarantee of thoughtful writing about my favorite genre, then I know Moody will deliver. The most striking thing for me about the Autumn series is the sense of hopelessness and the absolute need to remain quiet and undetected. The cities have fallen and when the sun goes down, its pitch black. Even the most faint sliver of light filtering from a small crack in your barricade will attract the undead. All it takes is one to notice, because others will follow the investigating ghoul and others will proceed from the sounds of each alerted ghoul in a domino effect and before you know it you're overwhelmed. You can't drive a vehicle in search of supplies because the dead stillness of a fallen city will amplify the motor's sound for miles around. Even simple footsteps or a raised whisper will attract attention. Some finally go mad after running out of food and water and unable to venture out for more... in the end, they run out from their hiding place in frustration and desperation; doing the very things they had agonizingly tried to avoid in attracting the undead all along. The irony being that doom could have been avoided if that person had planned and acted so

David Moody's take on the old zombie stereotype comes from a very different direction than typical American, Romero style zombie fiction. His story focuses on developing the plot line, and pulling the reader into the characters, not on mindless gore. If you are fan of the genre, or looking for a good horror read - pick this one up. The first story in the series "Autumn" is always offered as a free e-book on his website. That's all it will take to get you hooked.

After reading the original Autumn, I couldn't wait for the sequel. You just have to know what happens to the characters. You HAVE to know. It eats away at you until you do! David Moody is a very talented writer, and I recommend anything he has written.

Not the most technically sound writing in publication but very far from the worst. For zombie fans, there really is no such thing as a bad zombie story, but David Moody's work really is something special. Its not your run of the mill flesh eating frenzy type of story and that's refreshing. The Autumn novel's power resides not in their ability to disgust or in the description of violence, but in the psychological despair and utter hopelessness that would be felt by the survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Very emotional, very disturbing, utterly wonderful.