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Ashley Parker #1
Plague Town
Ashley was just trying to get through a tough day when the world turned upside down. A terrifying virus appears, quickly becoming a pandemic that leaves its victims, not dead, but far worse. Attacked by zombies, Ashley discovers that she is a 'Wild-Card' -- immune to the virus -- and she is recruited to fight back and try to control the outbreak. It's Buffy meets the Walking Dead in a rapid-fire zombie adventure!
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 3, 2012
About the author
Dana Fredsti
30 books285 followersDana Fredsti is ex B-movie actress with a background in theatrical sword-fighting. Through seven plus years of volunteering at EFBC/FCC (Exotic Feline Breeding Facility/Feline Conservation Center), Dana's had a full-grown leopard sit on her feet, kissed by tigers, held baby jaguars and had her thumb sucked by an ocelot with nursing issues. She's addicted to bad movies and any book or film, good or bad, which include zombies. Her other hobbies include surfing (badly), collecting beach glass (obsessively), and wine tasting (happily).
Along with her best friend Maureen, Dana was co-producer/writer/director for a mystery-oriented theatrical troupe based in San Diego. While no actual murders occurred during their performances, there were times when the actors and clients made the idea very tempting. Somewhere in the mists of time she lost a grip on what happened in real life and what she made up for her book.
She's written numerous published articles, essays and shorts, including stories in Cat Fantastic IV, an anthology series edited by Andre Norton (Daw, 1997), Danger City (Contemporary Press, 2005), and Mondo Zombie (Cemetery Dance, 2006). Her essays can be seen in Morbid Curiosity, Issues 2-7. Additionally she's written several produced low-budget screenplays and currently has another script under option. Dana was also co-writer/associate producer on Urban Rescuers, a documentary on feral cats and TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return), which won Best Documentary at the 2003 Valley Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Dana is currently working on the second book in the Murder for Hire series, The Big Snooze and writing erotic romance under the pen name Inara LaVey for Ravenous Romance.
Along with her best friend Maureen, Dana was co-producer/writer/director for a mystery-oriented theatrical troupe based in San Diego. While no actual murders occurred during their performances, there were times when the actors and clients made the idea very tempting. Somewhere in the mists of time she lost a grip on what happened in real life and what she made up for her book.
She's written numerous published articles, essays and shorts, including stories in Cat Fantastic IV, an anthology series edited by Andre Norton (Daw, 1997), Danger City (Contemporary Press, 2005), and Mondo Zombie (Cemetery Dance, 2006). Her essays can be seen in Morbid Curiosity, Issues 2-7. Additionally she's written several produced low-budget screenplays and currently has another script under option. Dana was also co-writer/associate producer on Urban Rescuers, a documentary on feral cats and TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return), which won Best Documentary at the 2003 Valley Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Dana is currently working on the second book in the Murder for Hire series, The Big Snooze and writing erotic romance under the pen name Inara LaVey for Ravenous Romance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
June 8, 2017
EDIT 05/23/12: It has come to my attention that I failed to note this book was well written. I would like to be clear that the author is descriptive and has no trouble putting sentences together. It was only my opinion of the the plot content that I had trouble with as outlined below, and as stated, each person should make their own decision.
~~
Original Review -
I hate giving bad reviews but it happens. My tolerance levels are pretty high for trash fiction. When I begin reading a book, I work hard to ensure instances when I am unable to finish it are as rare as possible. I reserve the right to stop and remove myself from a bad novel, but keep this right minimally acted upon.
This novel is part of the fairly exclusive club called “Books I couldn’t reasonably spend more time on” also referred to as “I can never get those minutes of my life back”.. I made it eighty-three pages and just had to stop. It could get better later but I will never know.
Dana Fredsti’s novel Plague Town is just another book in the over-saturated Z market. It’s a shame, I had high hopes based on the author’s background in cinema and other genre. The fact that this made it to print through an actual publishing house blows me away.
Annoyances experienced in a quarter of the book:
--- A strain of influenza is taking down old and young, healthy and sickly. It is called ‘Walkers’ after the last name of the first person who contracted it. Gimme an effin break. I cant be the only person rolling my eyes because of this.
--- The female lead intended to be strong and independent, a woman who can handle anything. Turns out she is more joke than hero. She is a pre-cougar who’s primary defense is knee jerk sarcasm. I found myself rooting for her demise. I wanted her to be MORE, but ended up with MEH.
--- Apparently we have been fighting zombies for thousands of years. More eye rolling ensues:Pompeii was infested and either luck kicked in and Vesuvius blew, or someone magically caused it to occur… Suspension of disbelief, it gets a pass.
Apparently Atlantis was also destroyed to keep zombies at bay.. *sigh.. Okay, it gets a pass as well, but very grudgingly.
The Black Plague was a mixture of Bubonic and zombie infestations? Ok so why even read this book if peasants with pitchforks and torches in the 1300s can stop the apocalypse… It should be slam dunk for modern characters if even a quarter of a percent of the 75 Million Black Plague deaths could be attributed to Zombies were rekilled by pitchfork and sword… My wife helped me with the math cause I are stupid, but a quarter of a percent would be 187,500 zombies).
--- A key character advises the main character that she is part of the point zero zero one percent who can be bitten by a zombie and not become infected. Also advises that she will gain greater speed agility reaction times healing abilities…. So she is Wolverine or Blade.. Either way she’s passe.
-
It is just too much. I cant get behind this novel. I had high expectation and wish luck to others picking this novel up. I hope you have a better experience.
As Levar Burton says on Reading Rainbow “Don’t take my word for it”. Could be that you might like this book were you to read it..
Chances are that you would be the point zero zero one percent immune to it’s badness and it will make you faster and more agile. Could be that i will wait in stand by mode with a ready made “I told you so” and destroy you like Pompeii.
--
xpost https://toastx2.blogspot.com/
~~
Original Review -
I hate giving bad reviews but it happens. My tolerance levels are pretty high for trash fiction. When I begin reading a book, I work hard to ensure instances when I am unable to finish it are as rare as possible. I reserve the right to stop and remove myself from a bad novel, but keep this right minimally acted upon.
This novel is part of the fairly exclusive club called “Books I couldn’t reasonably spend more time on” also referred to as “I can never get those minutes of my life back”.. I made it eighty-three pages and just had to stop. It could get better later but I will never know.
Dana Fredsti’s novel Plague Town is just another book in the over-saturated Z market. It’s a shame, I had high hopes based on the author’s background in cinema and other genre. The fact that this made it to print through an actual publishing house blows me away.
Annoyances experienced in a quarter of the book:
--- A strain of influenza is taking down old and young, healthy and sickly. It is called ‘Walkers’ after the last name of the first person who contracted it. Gimme an effin break. I cant be the only person rolling my eyes because of this.
--- The female lead intended to be strong and independent, a woman who can handle anything. Turns out she is more joke than hero. She is a pre-cougar who’s primary defense is knee jerk sarcasm. I found myself rooting for her demise. I wanted her to be MORE, but ended up with MEH.
--- Apparently we have been fighting zombies for thousands of years. More eye rolling ensues:Pompeii was infested and either luck kicked in and Vesuvius blew, or someone magically caused it to occur… Suspension of disbelief, it gets a pass.
Apparently Atlantis was also destroyed to keep zombies at bay.. *sigh.. Okay, it gets a pass as well, but very grudgingly.
The Black Plague was a mixture of Bubonic and zombie infestations? Ok so why even read this book if peasants with pitchforks and torches in the 1300s can stop the apocalypse… It should be slam dunk for modern characters if even a quarter of a percent of the 75 Million Black Plague deaths could be attributed to Zombies were rekilled by pitchfork and sword… My wife helped me with the math cause I are stupid, but a quarter of a percent would be 187,500 zombies).
--- A key character advises the main character that she is part of the point zero zero one percent who can be bitten by a zombie and not become infected. Also advises that she will gain greater speed agility reaction times healing abilities…. So she is Wolverine or Blade.. Either way she’s passe.
-
It is just too much. I cant get behind this novel. I had high expectation and wish luck to others picking this novel up. I hope you have a better experience.
As Levar Burton says on Reading Rainbow “Don’t take my word for it”. Could be that you might like this book were you to read it..
Chances are that you would be the point zero zero one percent immune to it’s badness and it will make you faster and more agile. Could be that i will wait in stand by mode with a ready made “I told you so” and destroy you like Pompeii.
--
xpost https://toastx2.blogspot.com/
May 29, 2012
I don’t especially like zombies. I’ve seen a couple of zombie movies, the big ones that everyone’s seen. I’ve read a couple of zombie books. Some of them have even been good. I watched the first season of the zombie series that’s on TV, but I didn't go back for season two. Overall, though, I can take or leave zombies, since the slavering hungry masses often seem an excuse for authors (usually male) or filmmakers (always male) to objectify women in the most graphic way possible and prove just how much we need a big strong man to take care of us.
And then I read Dana Fredsti’s Plague Town.
Dana’s heroine Ashley doesn’t need taking care of. She nurses herself through a hardcore flu epidemic, then fends off the first zombie that attacks her in a hilarious scene that turns all those “coeds who have sex have to die” tropes on their heads and paddles their behinds. Ashley has seen a lot of zombie movies, so while she’s freaked out by what’s going on around her, she also knows what needs to be done. She’s not afraid to step up and get her hands dirty. She never frets about breaking a nail or losing a heel. She’s not butch, but she is tough. She speaks her mind. She cares about people. She’s the most realistic, rounded character I’ve read in a zombie novel yet.
I can’t call myself a zombie fan. But when I finished Plague Town, I groaned, knowing that Dana is still hard at work on the sequel. It’s gonna be hard for me to wait to see what Ashley will get herself into – and out of – next.
And what’s up with the hunky paramilitary former vegan who’s now subsisting on raw steaks? Love – or sexual attraction – can overlook a lot of flaws, but inquiring minds are dying to know
And then I read Dana Fredsti’s Plague Town.
Dana’s heroine Ashley doesn’t need taking care of. She nurses herself through a hardcore flu epidemic, then fends off the first zombie that attacks her in a hilarious scene that turns all those “coeds who have sex have to die” tropes on their heads and paddles their behinds. Ashley has seen a lot of zombie movies, so while she’s freaked out by what’s going on around her, she also knows what needs to be done. She’s not afraid to step up and get her hands dirty. She never frets about breaking a nail or losing a heel. She’s not butch, but she is tough. She speaks her mind. She cares about people. She’s the most realistic, rounded character I’ve read in a zombie novel yet.
I can’t call myself a zombie fan. But when I finished Plague Town, I groaned, knowing that Dana is still hard at work on the sequel. It’s gonna be hard for me to wait to see what Ashley will get herself into – and out of – next.
And what’s up with the hunky paramilitary former vegan who’s now subsisting on raw steaks? Love – or sexual attraction – can overlook a lot of flaws, but inquiring minds are dying to know
March 25, 2012
You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/03/...
Ashley Parker is attending college in the small town of Redwood Grove and dating a pleasant enough guy. Life isn’t too bad, so when she and her boyfriend are attacked by shambling, rotting corpses one night while on a date, and said boyfriend runs away and leaves her for dead, things suddenly take a turn for the worse. That’s an understatement. Ashley is bitten, but instead of turning into one of the zombie horde, she fights off the virus, and comes out of it stronger, faster, and…immune. After being nursed back to health by a super-secret military organization, they ask her to join an elite group of fighters called the Wild Cards, which are made up of civilians that are immune to the virus, just like Ashley. She knows something has to be done to save as many survivors as necessary, so agrees to join the group. Little does she know how terrifying things are about to become…
Author Dana Fredsti has a background that folks like me will totally geek out about. We’re talking stuff like sword-fighting on the set of Army of Darkness, guys, and it shows in Plague Town. The lady knows her weapons (especially those of the bladed variety), and isn’t afraid to take Ashley to new heights of ass-kicking. Plus, she gave her heroine a name that can be shortened to Ash…yeah, you know you like it. Ashley Parker is a pretty normal chick with a smart mouth that just won’t quit. She’s a lot smarter than your average girl, though, and the pop culture references come hard and fast. More geeking out, of the awesome kind. The author does a wonderful job of balancing the serious, the funny, and the downright grotesque, creating a zom novel that will please fans of Jonathan Maberry’s Dead of Night, etc.
Ashley takes on her new role with chutzpah and more than an ounce of bravery and her attraction to her handsome and enigmatic instructor Gabriel isn’t without drama, and adds a nice little dash of romance to the story. Ms. Fredsti also manages to throw in some interesting twists to the zombie virus that will have those little hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. I chuckled, I cringed, and I cheered (quietly, so as not to disturb the rest of the house), as Ashley and her rather ragtag (and somewhat charming) band of zombie warriors fight the hordes and rescued survivors. If you love zombies, strong, sarcastic heroines with heart, and fight scenes that will knock your socks off, you’ll devour Plague Town!
Ashley Parker is attending college in the small town of Redwood Grove and dating a pleasant enough guy. Life isn’t too bad, so when she and her boyfriend are attacked by shambling, rotting corpses one night while on a date, and said boyfriend runs away and leaves her for dead, things suddenly take a turn for the worse. That’s an understatement. Ashley is bitten, but instead of turning into one of the zombie horde, she fights off the virus, and comes out of it stronger, faster, and…immune. After being nursed back to health by a super-secret military organization, they ask her to join an elite group of fighters called the Wild Cards, which are made up of civilians that are immune to the virus, just like Ashley. She knows something has to be done to save as many survivors as necessary, so agrees to join the group. Little does she know how terrifying things are about to become…
Author Dana Fredsti has a background that folks like me will totally geek out about. We’re talking stuff like sword-fighting on the set of Army of Darkness, guys, and it shows in Plague Town. The lady knows her weapons (especially those of the bladed variety), and isn’t afraid to take Ashley to new heights of ass-kicking. Plus, she gave her heroine a name that can be shortened to Ash…yeah, you know you like it. Ashley Parker is a pretty normal chick with a smart mouth that just won’t quit. She’s a lot smarter than your average girl, though, and the pop culture references come hard and fast. More geeking out, of the awesome kind. The author does a wonderful job of balancing the serious, the funny, and the downright grotesque, creating a zom novel that will please fans of Jonathan Maberry’s Dead of Night, etc.
Ashley takes on her new role with chutzpah and more than an ounce of bravery and her attraction to her handsome and enigmatic instructor Gabriel isn’t without drama, and adds a nice little dash of romance to the story. Ms. Fredsti also manages to throw in some interesting twists to the zombie virus that will have those little hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. I chuckled, I cringed, and I cheered (quietly, so as not to disturb the rest of the house), as Ashley and her rather ragtag (and somewhat charming) band of zombie warriors fight the hordes and rescued survivors. If you love zombies, strong, sarcastic heroines with heart, and fight scenes that will knock your socks off, you’ll devour Plague Town!
April 18, 2012
A new must-read series for fans of intense, gory, action-packed novels.
Fredsti has a real talent for creating zombie fiction. The carnage and details of the zombie infestation were spot on and I looked forward to every moment that would bring Ashley back into contact with one of the infected.
The zombies are very descriptive, which I loved. Young female zombies in Juicy velour and bear-sized flannel shirt wearing zombies are detailed individually and not just collectively as a horde. It created action scenes that were more vivid and entertaining.
The original cause of infection remains a mystery to the characters, but not the reader. I enjoyed the anticipation of wondering how and when they would discover the cause. There are also rare individuals, like Ashley, who are immune to the infection along with one other twist that involved a scene that had my jaw dropping in surprise. It was so disturbing and vomit-inducing...and I mean that in an entirely complimentary way.
While the story is told from Ashely's point of view, we are occasionally given glimpses into situations minutes before people become infected and some scenes from the zombie's point of view. These brief glimpses tie back into situations that correspond to Ashley, her team members, and the spread of the infection. I was a little disappointed when these scenes became scarce after passing the halfway point in the story, simply because I wanted more.
Why, might you ask, am I giving this story a four star rating as opposed to a five when I've done nothing but sing its praises? Well, Ashley's character was a little difficult for me to warm up to in the beginning. She's a 29 year-old college student, but her dialogue and behavior came off as a little immature. Fortunately, she became more likable and this became less of an issue as the story progressed.
Also, there were some social interactions between characters that didn't feel believable and occasionally had me scratching my head. But these were minor issues and weren't enough to take away from my enjoyment of this story.
Overall, I highly recommend this to any of my fellow addicts who enjoy a good zombie novel. And as I'm sure you've gathered from the synopsis, this is ideal for those of you who enjoy The Walking Dead.
Visit the link below for a chance to win a copy of Plague Town -http://www.addicted2heroines.com/2012...
Fredsti has a real talent for creating zombie fiction. The carnage and details of the zombie infestation were spot on and I looked forward to every moment that would bring Ashley back into contact with one of the infected.
The zombies are very descriptive, which I loved. Young female zombies in Juicy velour and bear-sized flannel shirt wearing zombies are detailed individually and not just collectively as a horde. It created action scenes that were more vivid and entertaining.
The original cause of infection remains a mystery to the characters, but not the reader. I enjoyed the anticipation of wondering how and when they would discover the cause. There are also rare individuals, like Ashley, who are immune to the infection along with one other twist that involved a scene that had my jaw dropping in surprise. It was so disturbing and vomit-inducing...and I mean that in an entirely complimentary way.
While the story is told from Ashely's point of view, we are occasionally given glimpses into situations minutes before people become infected and some scenes from the zombie's point of view. These brief glimpses tie back into situations that correspond to Ashley, her team members, and the spread of the infection. I was a little disappointed when these scenes became scarce after passing the halfway point in the story, simply because I wanted more.
Why, might you ask, am I giving this story a four star rating as opposed to a five when I've done nothing but sing its praises? Well, Ashley's character was a little difficult for me to warm up to in the beginning. She's a 29 year-old college student, but her dialogue and behavior came off as a little immature. Fortunately, she became more likable and this became less of an issue as the story progressed.
Also, there were some social interactions between characters that didn't feel believable and occasionally had me scratching my head. But these were minor issues and weren't enough to take away from my enjoyment of this story.
Overall, I highly recommend this to any of my fellow addicts who enjoy a good zombie novel. And as I'm sure you've gathered from the synopsis, this is ideal for those of you who enjoy The Walking Dead.
Visit the link below for a chance to win a copy of Plague Town -http://www.addicted2heroines.com/2012...
May 3, 2012
First off I got this book through the goodreads giveaway, and so happy I did!
"It's Buffy meets the Walking Dead in a rapid-fire zombie adventure!"
More like Buffy + Walking Dead + Anita Blake! I LOVED it! Plague Town jumps right into the action and never stops. A real page turner. I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the character of Ashley Parker, she reminded me of Anita Blake. Overall this book was superb. The writing was great, the plot was interesting and entertaining, and the characters rocked. Best zombie book EVER. If you like Buffy, Walking Dead and/or The Anita Blake series you HAVE to read this. I'm ready for the next two already. Anyone know when the next one will be out, because I am so buying it.
"It's Buffy meets the Walking Dead in a rapid-fire zombie adventure!"
More like Buffy + Walking Dead + Anita Blake! I LOVED it! Plague Town jumps right into the action and never stops. A real page turner. I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the character of Ashley Parker, she reminded me of Anita Blake. Overall this book was superb. The writing was great, the plot was interesting and entertaining, and the characters rocked. Best zombie book EVER. If you like Buffy, Walking Dead and/or The Anita Blake series you HAVE to read this. I'm ready for the next two already. Anyone know when the next one will be out, because I am so buying it.
June 18, 2015
Wow. I devoured this book, and that's no pun. Some people say zombie stories are a dime a dozen these days, and maybe they are right. But Plague Town takes the old walking dead and delivers the kind of combination of scary, sexy, and funny (sarcastic, if you want to keep the consonance going) that you don't really see all that often. If you like stories of the undead, then this is a must read. If you don't like zombies, it's a should read, cause you might just find yourself changing your mind. Now I must leave you. The sequel awaits!
June 11, 2012
Read for Bookclub
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.50
First Thought When Finished: What an absolutely fun ride! Perfect addition to my zombie shelf!
What I Loved: The thing I loved most about Plague Town: the banter. I was pretty much living for the moments of dialogue between the characters. There were some pretty witty, fast-paced barbs traded and I loved each and every one! Ash was a great leading lady! She manages to get in and out of so many troubling spots that you can't help but root for her. Plus, you have to love her little screw you's to the system. Nathan was my favorite male character! Once he got in the mix the fun level just sky rocketed!
What I Liked: Pretty much the rest of the characters in the book were dead-on perfect for the story. Each brought something to the table and had moments to shine. I really liked all the action too. Plague Town had a great combo of action/story.
Final Thought: I will be counting down to book 2! It needs to be here already :)
Some great lines: "At least part of me sparkled. Although not in a Twilight kind of way"
"Yeah. Zombies. unless you have a better word for people who look dead, smell dead, and act dead, except for the whole walking-around-and-trying-to-eat-flesh part."
"Guess I've learned we're not always what we eat."
"Oh, Christ on a crutch." Nathan shut his eyes and rubbed a hand on his forehead, as if trying to massage away reality. "Simone Fraser. I should have know you'd be part of this whole clusterfuck."
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.50
First Thought When Finished: What an absolutely fun ride! Perfect addition to my zombie shelf!
What I Loved: The thing I loved most about Plague Town: the banter. I was pretty much living for the moments of dialogue between the characters. There were some pretty witty, fast-paced barbs traded and I loved each and every one! Ash was a great leading lady! She manages to get in and out of so many troubling spots that you can't help but root for her. Plus, you have to love her little screw you's to the system. Nathan was my favorite male character! Once he got in the mix the fun level just sky rocketed!
What I Liked: Pretty much the rest of the characters in the book were dead-on perfect for the story. Each brought something to the table and had moments to shine. I really liked all the action too. Plague Town had a great combo of action/story.
Final Thought: I will be counting down to book 2! It needs to be here already :)
Some great lines: "At least part of me sparkled. Although not in a Twilight kind of way"
"Yeah. Zombies. unless you have a better word for people who look dead, smell dead, and act dead, except for the whole walking-around-and-trying-to-eat-flesh part."
"Guess I've learned we're not always what we eat."
"Oh, Christ on a crutch." Nathan shut his eyes and rubbed a hand on his forehead, as if trying to massage away reality. "Simone Fraser. I should have know you'd be part of this whole clusterfuck."
March 8, 2013
I want to be Ashley Parker when I grow up!
This action-packed zombie adventure features Ashley Parker: a cool, sexy, bad-ass zombie fighting heroine. Her inner and outer strength, quirky sense of humor, and relatable vulnerability make Ashley one of my favorite female leads of all time. Put her in the midst of the motley crew of immune “Wild Cards” that are her supporting cast and the result is a brilliant group of characters.
As they fight to contain a budding zombie outbreak, our characters face gory battles with rotting zombies and struggle to come to terms with the fact that their lives are forever changed. Despite the dramatic horror aspects of the book, Fredsti manages an undertone tinged with humor. All of this, with a touch of romance and an epic climactic battle make this a fantastically addictive first book in the series.
* I was provided a copy of the book by BTS eMag for purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review – all conclusions are my own responsibility.
This action-packed zombie adventure features Ashley Parker: a cool, sexy, bad-ass zombie fighting heroine. Her inner and outer strength, quirky sense of humor, and relatable vulnerability make Ashley one of my favorite female leads of all time. Put her in the midst of the motley crew of immune “Wild Cards” that are her supporting cast and the result is a brilliant group of characters.
As they fight to contain a budding zombie outbreak, our characters face gory battles with rotting zombies and struggle to come to terms with the fact that their lives are forever changed. Despite the dramatic horror aspects of the book, Fredsti manages an undertone tinged with humor. All of this, with a touch of romance and an epic climactic battle make this a fantastically addictive first book in the series.
* I was provided a copy of the book by BTS eMag for purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review – all conclusions are my own responsibility.
January 29, 2013
When I first picked this book up, the concept seemed neat and—for a zombie book—somewhat original. Unfortunately, after 350 pages, I didn’t find anything original in the book.
The prologue had me hooked! I loved seeing the zombie virus starting at such a small, intimate point. Something about that opening was extremely powerful and gripping. However, even with that amazing start, the book went downhill in a hurry. Looking back at it, the quote at the onset should have been a big clue into the rest of the book: “’That’s how it always beings. Very small.’”
One of the things that will really set me off with any novel is a whiny, sanctimonious, arrogant, and cocky heroine. Add to that heroine the fact that she has an entitled attitude and cannot understand why people don’t kowtow to her. For me, that is the perfect description of Ashley Parker. She is an extremely one dimensional character, lacks the maturity of a twenty-nine-year-old, and is downright annoying. I found myself getting excited when she was first bitten by zombies. I was completely baffled as to why a twenty-nine-year-old divorcee would act just like a fresh faced, eighteen-year-old freshman who expects the world to bow to them. After being married to a professor, I would have thought she might be a little more respectful. I guess I was wrong. Honestly, I could understand why her husband went after an eighteen-year-old coed.
The incident with her TA, Gabriel, almost caused me to choke on my water. I couldn’t believe that a TA would behave that way! Granted, he had every right to be pissed that she walked in late. He was also well within his rights to throw her out of the classroom. However, that being said, he was belligerent in his treatment of her diet in the classroom. Add to that, he was way out of line in the student union. There is no way in hell that he would have gotten away with that type of behavior! I also couldn’t understand why no one called the campus police when he assaulted Matt. To say I was appalled at the author’s treatment of this is an extreme understatement! When I read the incidents to my father, a professor, he was equally disgusted. Further, if Professor Fraser excused Ashley’s absence, her TAs would have been made aware of that. That being said, what is Ashley doing walking into class late? If she was too sick to make it class on time, stay home! In addition, if you’re late, don’t make lame excuses for your absence while holding a cappuccino and a muffin. It shows a deep lack of respect.
The whole conspiracy theory behind Pompeii and Atlantis is too farfetched; it made me suspend my disbelief too much. If the author had said that drawings and early writings led them to believe that Pompeii was overrun by zombies, they had reason to believe that this virus was traveling alongside the Bubonic Plague (maybe gaining a foothold due to decreased immune systems), etc., I could have handled that. As it is, I found myself thinking the author should have used Dan Brown as a consultant.
Aside from a terrible heroine and the ludicrous incidents with her TA, the pop culture movie references were way too much. Honestly, as a reader, I felt as though the author was beating me about the head and shoulders with them. It felt as though the author was trying to show off her movie prowess, and the fact that she was in one. Using actors to describe people is also a cheap way of not doing the work (14). As a reader, I felt kind of cheated. Further, for a book to last, it has to stand the test of time. Ten years from now, people will not understand over half of the references the author dishes out. It won't be culturally relevant. “’It’s okay, Rico . . . cough cough,’ Tony grinned at us. ‘I don’t mind dying, because I got to have you.’ Another dramatic cough.” (315) If I hadn’t seen Starship Troopers a few years ago, I wouldn’t have caught this reference. Before that, the last time I saw the movie is when it came out in 1997. To me, the quote only made sense in context of the movie, and, even with that, it was completely out of place. This is a prime example of the movie allusions throughout the book. They only make sense if you’ve seen the movie and sometimes that is a stretch. In addition, it was not lost on me that—after name dropping Evil Dead and the author’s role in the movie—the main character in a zombie book is named Ashley and called Ash. Obvious? Oh, wait, they decided to give her a codename of Ash because of Evil Dead >.< It was as though the author was saying, “Look, here are my credentials! I was in Evil Dead; therefore, I am an authority on zombies!” On top of that, when Tony wanted to listen to the score from Army of Darkness, I almost beat my head on the coffee table. If I thought it couldn’t have gotten any worse, it did . . .
And, just as an aside, the publisher needs to invest in a good editor. Wow, the inconsistencies between sentences in the same paragraph, pages, etc., were just priceless.
On all fronts, this book was a total bust. It was not an enjoyable read, the characters were one dimensional at best, the clichés were over the top, and the movie quotes/references were enough to kill anyone. I’m sorry to say this, but it felt as though the author was trying to cash in on the rising popularity in zombie fiction. This book wasn’t original, it was underdeveloped, and in serious need of major content editing. As it stands, Plague Town is on top of my “used bookstore” stack.
The prologue had me hooked! I loved seeing the zombie virus starting at such a small, intimate point. Something about that opening was extremely powerful and gripping. However, even with that amazing start, the book went downhill in a hurry. Looking back at it, the quote at the onset should have been a big clue into the rest of the book: “’That’s how it always beings. Very small.’”
One of the things that will really set me off with any novel is a whiny, sanctimonious, arrogant, and cocky heroine. Add to that heroine the fact that she has an entitled attitude and cannot understand why people don’t kowtow to her. For me, that is the perfect description of Ashley Parker. She is an extremely one dimensional character, lacks the maturity of a twenty-nine-year-old, and is downright annoying. I found myself getting excited when she was first bitten by zombies. I was completely baffled as to why a twenty-nine-year-old divorcee would act just like a fresh faced, eighteen-year-old freshman who expects the world to bow to them. After being married to a professor, I would have thought she might be a little more respectful. I guess I was wrong. Honestly, I could understand why her husband went after an eighteen-year-old coed.
The incident with her TA, Gabriel, almost caused me to choke on my water. I couldn’t believe that a TA would behave that way! Granted, he had every right to be pissed that she walked in late. He was also well within his rights to throw her out of the classroom. However, that being said, he was belligerent in his treatment of her diet in the classroom. Add to that, he was way out of line in the student union. There is no way in hell that he would have gotten away with that type of behavior! I also couldn’t understand why no one called the campus police when he assaulted Matt. To say I was appalled at the author’s treatment of this is an extreme understatement! When I read the incidents to my father, a professor, he was equally disgusted. Further, if Professor Fraser excused Ashley’s absence, her TAs would have been made aware of that. That being said, what is Ashley doing walking into class late? If she was too sick to make it class on time, stay home! In addition, if you’re late, don’t make lame excuses for your absence while holding a cappuccino and a muffin. It shows a deep lack of respect.
The whole conspiracy theory behind Pompeii and Atlantis is too farfetched; it made me suspend my disbelief too much. If the author had said that drawings and early writings led them to believe that Pompeii was overrun by zombies, they had reason to believe that this virus was traveling alongside the Bubonic Plague (maybe gaining a foothold due to decreased immune systems), etc., I could have handled that. As it is, I found myself thinking the author should have used Dan Brown as a consultant.
Aside from a terrible heroine and the ludicrous incidents with her TA, the pop culture movie references were way too much. Honestly, as a reader, I felt as though the author was beating me about the head and shoulders with them. It felt as though the author was trying to show off her movie prowess, and the fact that she was in one. Using actors to describe people is also a cheap way of not doing the work (14). As a reader, I felt kind of cheated. Further, for a book to last, it has to stand the test of time. Ten years from now, people will not understand over half of the references the author dishes out. It won't be culturally relevant. “’It’s okay, Rico . . . cough cough,’ Tony grinned at us. ‘I don’t mind dying, because I got to have you.’ Another dramatic cough.” (315) If I hadn’t seen Starship Troopers a few years ago, I wouldn’t have caught this reference. Before that, the last time I saw the movie is when it came out in 1997. To me, the quote only made sense in context of the movie, and, even with that, it was completely out of place. This is a prime example of the movie allusions throughout the book. They only make sense if you’ve seen the movie and sometimes that is a stretch. In addition, it was not lost on me that—after name dropping Evil Dead and the author’s role in the movie—the main character in a zombie book is named Ashley and called Ash. Obvious? Oh, wait, they decided to give her a codename of Ash because of Evil Dead >.< It was as though the author was saying, “Look, here are my credentials! I was in Evil Dead; therefore, I am an authority on zombies!” On top of that, when Tony wanted to listen to the score from Army of Darkness, I almost beat my head on the coffee table. If I thought it couldn’t have gotten any worse, it did . . .
And, just as an aside, the publisher needs to invest in a good editor. Wow, the inconsistencies between sentences in the same paragraph, pages, etc., were just priceless.
On all fronts, this book was a total bust. It was not an enjoyable read, the characters were one dimensional at best, the clichés were over the top, and the movie quotes/references were enough to kill anyone. I’m sorry to say this, but it felt as though the author was trying to cash in on the rising popularity in zombie fiction. This book wasn’t original, it was underdeveloped, and in serious need of major content editing. As it stands, Plague Town is on top of my “used bookstore” stack.
April 9, 2012
From my Blog: http://readingandwritingurbanfantasy....
4.5 stars
The Good
Zombiefied...
Though I love zombie movies, for some reason I don't read a lot of zombie fiction. So I was super excited to get the chance to review this book so I could finally see if the whole zombie craze is something I would like to be a part of. And guess what? I have been zombiefied! I loved this book. It was action packed, had tons of gore, and even had a little lovin' on the side.
Wild Card...
After a vicious attack by zombies, Ashley wakes up to find out she is a wild card, a person immune to the zombie virus. There are only a few of her kind in the town overrun by the dead flesh eaters. But together they have to fight to keep the virus from spreading outside town borders. They may have enhanced strength and senses, but how can only a small group of people go against a town full of zombies? With the training from the sexy and mysterious Gabriel and the backing from a secretive government agency, Ashley and her ragtag group of wild cards may just win the zombie war.
Foreboding...
The best part of Plague Town was the amazing foreboding we experience for most of the book. There were so many hints that were slickly and strategically placed throughout the novel that I knew they might mean something in the end but couldn't imagine the extent of what was revealed later on. I love being surprised like that. It really made this book a roller-coaster of a read.
Humor, the Cure All...
Ashley was an intriguing, likable, and snarky character. She was also very relatable, especially to me since I tend to find humor in everything. Even when it's inappropriate. But that's the fun part, laughing when you want to cry or scream. Ashley is that kind of person who takes things in stride and it made me respect her. She was also fiercely loyal to her friends, pretty much doing anything for them. I also loved her reluctance towards liking Gabriel because it seemed realistic. Gabriel was that kind of character that was a total jerk, then kind of a bully, then a jerk again, then for some reason he starts to grow on you. He loses some of his cockiness and all of a sudden he's a little adorbale and all out sexy.
A Zombie's Perspective...
Fredsti took a fantastical concept and made it seem plausible. The writing was streamline and the description really helped me visualize and even smell each scene. I really liked the short chapters about the zombies' perspective or how others got infected that were sprinkled throughout the novel. It added something special, something I haven't seen before. The references and quotes from popular movies and TV shows really drove home that this book is set in our current world and time, which made the zombie concept even more creepy. There was a perfect amount of action and suspense. Even the small romance was just enough to help me care about the couple. I can't wait for the next book, which was very nicely set up by this book's end.
The Bad
I truly can't think of anything I disliked about Plague Town. Maybe I could complain that there was some lull moments, so the book didn't hold my attention the whole time but that was pretty rare. The ending also felt a little unfinished but since this is going to be a series, I didn't mind too much.
The Snuggly
This is not a romance novel but we do get some budding love and some sex. Nothing over the top. Ashley and Gabriel were a cute couple, though it took them a long time to figure it out. We get a lot of misunderstandings before they give into their desires.
Overall
Though I haven't read a lot of zombie books, this one is by far the best. The characters were realistic and I ended up caring about them. I was genuinely scared half the time and couldn't believe the kinds of situations Ashley got herself in and actually survived. Plague Town was a well written thrill ride that took me by surprise. Highly Recommended.
Excerpts
We were both moaning with desire at this point, all panting with eagerness to take things to the next level...when suddenly his hand squeezed my left breast way too hard.
"What the f**ck?" I said. "Get off me!" I shoved Matt and rolled away from the moaning. The hand on my breast stayed there, accompanied by a nasty tearing noise, like the sound of a drumstick being ripped off a whole chicken.
Matt grabbed the lantern and turned it up. I gasped in grossed-out disbelief. The glow revealed a rotted hand clutching my 34-C, ragged nails digging into the flesh. Even worse, said hand was attached to an equally gross arm...
And nothing else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I backed away into the blackberry bushes, hemmed in by zombies on both sides of the path. No retreat, no way forward. Thorns dug into my back, poking through the fabric of my sweater and jeans, and grabbed at my arms. My hair snarled in some branches, trapping me as effectively as a fly in spider web, no matter how hard I tried to pull free.
Death closed in from all sides, reaching for me with implacable hands and ravenous mouths.
I gave one last scream of despair mixed with fury. This was so not how I wanted to die. I mean, zombie chow?
F**k my life.
4.5 stars
The Good
Zombiefied...
Though I love zombie movies, for some reason I don't read a lot of zombie fiction. So I was super excited to get the chance to review this book so I could finally see if the whole zombie craze is something I would like to be a part of. And guess what? I have been zombiefied! I loved this book. It was action packed, had tons of gore, and even had a little lovin' on the side.
Wild Card...
After a vicious attack by zombies, Ashley wakes up to find out she is a wild card, a person immune to the zombie virus. There are only a few of her kind in the town overrun by the dead flesh eaters. But together they have to fight to keep the virus from spreading outside town borders. They may have enhanced strength and senses, but how can only a small group of people go against a town full of zombies? With the training from the sexy and mysterious Gabriel and the backing from a secretive government agency, Ashley and her ragtag group of wild cards may just win the zombie war.
Foreboding...
The best part of Plague Town was the amazing foreboding we experience for most of the book. There were so many hints that were slickly and strategically placed throughout the novel that I knew they might mean something in the end but couldn't imagine the extent of what was revealed later on. I love being surprised like that. It really made this book a roller-coaster of a read.
Humor, the Cure All...
Ashley was an intriguing, likable, and snarky character. She was also very relatable, especially to me since I tend to find humor in everything. Even when it's inappropriate. But that's the fun part, laughing when you want to cry or scream. Ashley is that kind of person who takes things in stride and it made me respect her. She was also fiercely loyal to her friends, pretty much doing anything for them. I also loved her reluctance towards liking Gabriel because it seemed realistic. Gabriel was that kind of character that was a total jerk, then kind of a bully, then a jerk again, then for some reason he starts to grow on you. He loses some of his cockiness and all of a sudden he's a little adorbale and all out sexy.
A Zombie's Perspective...
Fredsti took a fantastical concept and made it seem plausible. The writing was streamline and the description really helped me visualize and even smell each scene. I really liked the short chapters about the zombies' perspective or how others got infected that were sprinkled throughout the novel. It added something special, something I haven't seen before. The references and quotes from popular movies and TV shows really drove home that this book is set in our current world and time, which made the zombie concept even more creepy. There was a perfect amount of action and suspense. Even the small romance was just enough to help me care about the couple. I can't wait for the next book, which was very nicely set up by this book's end.
The Bad
I truly can't think of anything I disliked about Plague Town. Maybe I could complain that there was some lull moments, so the book didn't hold my attention the whole time but that was pretty rare. The ending also felt a little unfinished but since this is going to be a series, I didn't mind too much.
The Snuggly
This is not a romance novel but we do get some budding love and some sex. Nothing over the top. Ashley and Gabriel were a cute couple, though it took them a long time to figure it out. We get a lot of misunderstandings before they give into their desires.
Overall
Though I haven't read a lot of zombie books, this one is by far the best. The characters were realistic and I ended up caring about them. I was genuinely scared half the time and couldn't believe the kinds of situations Ashley got herself in and actually survived. Plague Town was a well written thrill ride that took me by surprise. Highly Recommended.
Excerpts
We were both moaning with desire at this point, all panting with eagerness to take things to the next level...when suddenly his hand squeezed my left breast way too hard.
"What the f**ck?" I said. "Get off me!" I shoved Matt and rolled away from the moaning. The hand on my breast stayed there, accompanied by a nasty tearing noise, like the sound of a drumstick being ripped off a whole chicken.
Matt grabbed the lantern and turned it up. I gasped in grossed-out disbelief. The glow revealed a rotted hand clutching my 34-C, ragged nails digging into the flesh. Even worse, said hand was attached to an equally gross arm...
And nothing else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I backed away into the blackberry bushes, hemmed in by zombies on both sides of the path. No retreat, no way forward. Thorns dug into my back, poking through the fabric of my sweater and jeans, and grabbed at my arms. My hair snarled in some branches, trapping me as effectively as a fly in spider web, no matter how hard I tried to pull free.
Death closed in from all sides, reaching for me with implacable hands and ravenous mouths.
I gave one last scream of despair mixed with fury. This was so not how I wanted to die. I mean, zombie chow?
F**k my life.
May 24, 2012
First of all, my wife received this book through one of Goodreads' giveaways, loved it, and recommended I give it a shot. I have to say, I'm smitten.
This book was just so effing fun! If it wasn't for my numerous responsibilities, I would've devoured it in a day. In my wife's review, she described this story as "Buffy + Walking Dead + Anita Blake! I LOVED it!" I say, while we're making comparisons, toss in a little Stephanie Plum.
Ashley is a lovable ditz, with a fiery 'tude, quirky personality, and some killer moves. The other "Wild Cards" are also lovable in their own unique ways and each seemed to have their own personalities. They're all very relatable, too. I'd really like to see some deeper story arcs for the "Wild Cards" in future books.
The story was predictable, but didn't detract from the fun. Some of the foreshadowing was a little heavy-handed so I never got that "OMG" feeling, but I never really cared because I was enjoying the character interaction too much. As silly as it sounds, I actually wanted to climb in the book and live in this zombie infested world.
There are a LOT of pop-culture references in this book. I mean, A LOT!!!! At first, I was a bit overwhelmed and just wanted to shout, "Yes, I know you watch a lot of TV and movies. Can we please move on now?" Some of the cornier references, like the "Independence Day" speech at the end, earned a well-deserved facepalm, but overall I felt like they actually contributed to the quirky nature of the narrative.
My only real, honest-to-god, complaint was that I felt the story could have been longer and Ashley's emotional state could have been explored more. It felt at times like Ashley didn't have normal emotions, because they were glossed over so fast in order to push the story along. For example (SPOILER ALERT), Ashley finds out her boyfriend's big secret and, instead of being disgusted and having to come to terms with his... appetites,... she takes approximately two pages worth of "How dare you! Let's screw!" and then everything's peachy again. A little unrealistic. The action is top notch, I just wish she would have added 50 to 100 pages worth of content to help us connect a little better to Ashley's mental state.
All that being said, this is still one of the most fun books I've ever read and I can't wait for the next one!! Hopefully, there will be an ARC giveaway I can get my hands on!!
This book was just so effing fun! If it wasn't for my numerous responsibilities, I would've devoured it in a day. In my wife's review, she described this story as "Buffy + Walking Dead + Anita Blake! I LOVED it!" I say, while we're making comparisons, toss in a little Stephanie Plum.
Ashley is a lovable ditz, with a fiery 'tude, quirky personality, and some killer moves. The other "Wild Cards" are also lovable in their own unique ways and each seemed to have their own personalities. They're all very relatable, too. I'd really like to see some deeper story arcs for the "Wild Cards" in future books.
The story was predictable, but didn't detract from the fun. Some of the foreshadowing was a little heavy-handed so I never got that "OMG" feeling, but I never really cared because I was enjoying the character interaction too much. As silly as it sounds, I actually wanted to climb in the book and live in this zombie infested world.
There are a LOT of pop-culture references in this book. I mean, A LOT!!!! At first, I was a bit overwhelmed and just wanted to shout, "Yes, I know you watch a lot of TV and movies. Can we please move on now?" Some of the cornier references, like the "Independence Day" speech at the end, earned a well-deserved facepalm, but overall I felt like they actually contributed to the quirky nature of the narrative.
My only real, honest-to-god, complaint was that I felt the story could have been longer and Ashley's emotional state could have been explored more. It felt at times like Ashley didn't have normal emotions, because they were glossed over so fast in order to push the story along. For example (SPOILER ALERT), Ashley finds out her boyfriend's big secret and, instead of being disgusted and having to come to terms with his... appetites,... she takes approximately two pages worth of "How dare you! Let's screw!" and then everything's peachy again. A little unrealistic. The action is top notch, I just wish she would have added 50 to 100 pages worth of content to help us connect a little better to Ashley's mental state.
All that being said, this is still one of the most fun books I've ever read and I can't wait for the next one!! Hopefully, there will be an ARC giveaway I can get my hands on!!
March 20, 2012
Sure, I'm biased, but what can I say? Dana Fredsti is my favorite zombie author! She's one of the only authors who can do funny, scary, creepy, sexy and action adventure-y all in the same book - except for Inara Lavey - now, that woman can write too (JK; they're the same person)!
This is the first Titan books release that wasn't a spinoff from an existing franchise, and you can see why - it's a terrific read in every sense of the word. I have to tell you I'm in complete agreement with the other online reviewers who think the Ashley Parker trilogy (PLAGUE TOWN/NATION/WORLD)would make a thoroughly awesome TV show and/or movie! Think BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER meets THE WALKING DEAD - yes, it's THAT awesome! Highly recommended!
This is the first Titan books release that wasn't a spinoff from an existing franchise, and you can see why - it's a terrific read in every sense of the word. I have to tell you I'm in complete agreement with the other online reviewers who think the Ashley Parker trilogy (PLAGUE TOWN/NATION/WORLD)would make a thoroughly awesome TV show and/or movie! Think BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER meets THE WALKING DEAD - yes, it's THAT awesome! Highly recommended!
April 17, 2012
Ashley Parker makes a winning heroine: she's a bit older than her fellow students and while she's got the classic California co-ed looks, it's her intelligence and integrity that you'll remember. Fredsti's writing is always full of good humour and arch observations, but it's also chock full of action and really gruesome horror. The alternation in narrative between zombie hunters and zombie sufferers gives a chance to recognise the human price of the plague, something that doesn't come across in a lot of more depersonalised tales. At times the in-jokes come a little heavy, but the story cracks right along with both intense and grisly action, but also complicated interactions between characters you will root for. Looking forward to the sequels!
October 3, 2013
Zombies are really kind of gruesome, and I kept getting grossed out, but the story kept me interested. Even thought the snarky comments were sometimes a little much, I really wanted to learn what would happen next. It was a good series beginning, and I look forward to the next one.
March 22, 2012
Zombies, zombies, zombies!
June 14, 2015
Originally published on www.BookChickCity.com
One night when Ashley Parker and her boyfriend, Matt, are having a late night picnic and are busy making out, Ashley feels something’s on her, and at first she’s angry as she thinks it’s Matt getting a bit carried away, but when she shoves Matt off her and he shines a light to see what the problem is, they find a half eaten woman rolling around on the ground, wanting to chomp down on Ashley. They make a run for it but the last thing Ashley remembers are Matt’s screams.
When she wakes up she finds herself in a makeshift med ward, and soon learns that a virus is causing the dead to walk. She also finds that one of her lecturers from university and her assistant Gabriel, have not only survived but are actually part of the team helping to contain the disease.
After Ashley has healed sufficiently she learns that she’s actually a ‘wild card’, which means she’s immune to the virus. Because of this they ask her to join their team, along with a few other ‘wild card’s’ they’ve come across, to help clear the area and rescue any survivors. Thus ensues lots of action, zombie brain splattering, suspense and fab character interaction with a dash of sexual tension.
PLAGUE TOWN is such a fun read. Full of zombie munching, gory entrails, sassy heroine and a hero you ‘love to hate’, but soon end up just loving. The descriptions of the zombies are great, and worthy of any horror novel. They are gory and detailed, just the way I like ‘em.
The world Fredsti has created is fantastic, very visual and realistic. The dialogue is very smooth and I was completely immersed in the characters and their lives. There were a few scenes that made my hairs stand on end, which is great, exactly what I want when reading a book such as this.
“In here!” Lil joined me and banged on the front door. We watched as zombies peeled off from the steady stream wandering past and staggered to join the ever-increasing crown in front of the store. I glanced at Lil, and could tell from her set expression that she was scanning the crowd for a familiar face.
One I hoped she didn’t see.
“Maybe we should–” I stopped short as the zombie that used to be Annie suddenly let go of the gate and veered off to its left, pushing through the crowd with what almost seemed like a sense of purpose.
“Okay, now that’s just weird.”
“Do you think she remembers the back door?”
A chill ran up my spine.
Ashley, the main character, is a firecracker; feisty, sassy and not afraid to get into the thick of it. She deals with what life throws at her with ease, sometimes a bit too easily, but I did like her for it. Ashley’s love interest and mentor, is Gabriel. When we first meet him, before the virus and zombie outbreak, he was an absolute pig. He acted superior and talked down to Ashley and tried to embarrass her whenever possible, but as the story moves along, he thaws out and becomes a sweet guy, but also doesn’t lose that hard edge. There’s also a twist to his character I saw a mile off, but it is a good one.
I loved the first sexy scene between Ashley and Gabriel. There had been a bit of sexual tension between them but the intensity of Gabriel’s feelings which showed in this scene shocked me as much as it did Ashley. Did he let the side down by acting like a jerk a little later, yep, but the lead up was sexy and hot.
I gasped in shock. Without warning, his hands tightened painfully on my upper arms and he pushed me up against the wall, his body pressed against mine. His eyes darkened so much I thought I must be imagining it.
My breathing quickened as his hand shifted from my arms up to my face, fingers twining though my hair. Anger and desire warred in his gaze. Heat coiled in my stomach even as fear shuddered up my spine.
I tried to shake my head, but his fingers held it in place as he muffled any protests by covering my mouth with his.
Fingers massaging my scalp, he slowly increased the intensity of the kiss, his tongue entering into play as he tilled my head back and slip it in.
I felt like I was following along in a dance, being led by someone who knew the steps much better than I did. I discovered that I was content to follow, matching the pressure of his lips with mine, letting my tongue play with his as he pressed his body into me, emphasising the move with a low, throaty sound.
He was definitely packing heat, and it wasn’t his sidearm.
Ashley and Gabriel do have one other hot scene, unfortunately this isn’t handled as well as the one above, in my opinion, which is a shame as they totally get it on and it’s what I’d been waiting for since their first connection. The reason is, I have a thing. It may just be me but I can’t stand it when people snog first thing in the morning without cleaning their teeth, or, as in this instance, kiss after throwing up. It’s just icky. And it’s all I think about while the scene is unfolding, and I’m unable to enjoy it.After finding out Gabriel’s secret, Ashley is so disgusted she rushes to the bathroom and throws up. She rinses her mouth out but that’s it. In bursts Gabriel and one thing leads to another. The first thing I didn’t like is the above mentioned sicky mouth, but also the fact that it was all too rushed. Why did Ashley and Gabriel have to get it on then and there. With the enormous revelation I would have thought Ashley would have been a little bit more miffed and needed some time to mull everything over.
There’s an AMAZING action scene near the end of the book and I would have much prefered Ashley and Gabriel to have waited until after this scene. I think it would have been much better, but then… I’m not the author.
One of the other ‘wild cards’ I loved is Lily. She’s a really sweet character. At first she seems a bit naive and shy, but put a pickaxe in her hand and she turns into a zombie killing machine. She reminded me a little bit of Jenni from Rhiannon Frater’s As the World Dies trilogy in that she becomes a little nuts with everything that is going on, and to cope she goes out with guns blazing pulverising zombies whenever she can.
One of my favourite scenes was when Ashley and Lil head out on their own to go back into the zombie infested town to rescue Lil’s two cats Doodle and Blinkey. I love animals and I know that I would have to do everything in my power to save them and I loved that this is what the characters in this book decided to do too. It was heart-warming and sweet. The love Lil had for her pet’s was really sweet. She couldn’t concentrate on what she was doing without knowing they were ok. Once they were safely with her and Lil and Ashley were safely back at the UNIT she slept.
I opened the door.
“Lil?” No answer. She wouldn’t have bolted, would she?
Gabriel came in behind me.
“What is it?” he asked. “Is she okay?”
I pointed to the bed where Lily had collapsed, giving in to exhaustion. Blinkey was draped around the top of her head like a furry halo, Doodle curled in the crook of her arm…both cats purred loudly and the contented smile on Lil’s face – even in her sleep – brought tears to my eyes.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “She’s okay.”
There are lots of secondary characters and they all had distinctive personalities. I didn’t become lost in the sea of names as I have done with other novels. They all added their bit to the story and I ended up liking them all, hoping they would all survive.
VERDICT:
Other than one or two aspects, I think PLAGUE TOWN is a great zombie book. I really enjoyed it and Ashley is a fantastic heroine. I can’t wait to see how she grows in subsequent books. Fredsti is now on my auto-buy list and I can’t wait for the next book in the series, Zombie Nation.
One night when Ashley Parker and her boyfriend, Matt, are having a late night picnic and are busy making out, Ashley feels something’s on her, and at first she’s angry as she thinks it’s Matt getting a bit carried away, but when she shoves Matt off her and he shines a light to see what the problem is, they find a half eaten woman rolling around on the ground, wanting to chomp down on Ashley. They make a run for it but the last thing Ashley remembers are Matt’s screams.
When she wakes up she finds herself in a makeshift med ward, and soon learns that a virus is causing the dead to walk. She also finds that one of her lecturers from university and her assistant Gabriel, have not only survived but are actually part of the team helping to contain the disease.
After Ashley has healed sufficiently she learns that she’s actually a ‘wild card’, which means she’s immune to the virus. Because of this they ask her to join their team, along with a few other ‘wild card’s’ they’ve come across, to help clear the area and rescue any survivors. Thus ensues lots of action, zombie brain splattering, suspense and fab character interaction with a dash of sexual tension.
PLAGUE TOWN is such a fun read. Full of zombie munching, gory entrails, sassy heroine and a hero you ‘love to hate’, but soon end up just loving. The descriptions of the zombies are great, and worthy of any horror novel. They are gory and detailed, just the way I like ‘em.
The world Fredsti has created is fantastic, very visual and realistic. The dialogue is very smooth and I was completely immersed in the characters and their lives. There were a few scenes that made my hairs stand on end, which is great, exactly what I want when reading a book such as this.
“In here!” Lil joined me and banged on the front door. We watched as zombies peeled off from the steady stream wandering past and staggered to join the ever-increasing crown in front of the store. I glanced at Lil, and could tell from her set expression that she was scanning the crowd for a familiar face.
One I hoped she didn’t see.
“Maybe we should–” I stopped short as the zombie that used to be Annie suddenly let go of the gate and veered off to its left, pushing through the crowd with what almost seemed like a sense of purpose.
“Okay, now that’s just weird.”
“Do you think she remembers the back door?”
A chill ran up my spine.
Ashley, the main character, is a firecracker; feisty, sassy and not afraid to get into the thick of it. She deals with what life throws at her with ease, sometimes a bit too easily, but I did like her for it. Ashley’s love interest and mentor, is Gabriel. When we first meet him, before the virus and zombie outbreak, he was an absolute pig. He acted superior and talked down to Ashley and tried to embarrass her whenever possible, but as the story moves along, he thaws out and becomes a sweet guy, but also doesn’t lose that hard edge. There’s also a twist to his character I saw a mile off, but it is a good one.
I loved the first sexy scene between Ashley and Gabriel. There had been a bit of sexual tension between them but the intensity of Gabriel’s feelings which showed in this scene shocked me as much as it did Ashley. Did he let the side down by acting like a jerk a little later, yep, but the lead up was sexy and hot.
I gasped in shock. Without warning, his hands tightened painfully on my upper arms and he pushed me up against the wall, his body pressed against mine. His eyes darkened so much I thought I must be imagining it.
My breathing quickened as his hand shifted from my arms up to my face, fingers twining though my hair. Anger and desire warred in his gaze. Heat coiled in my stomach even as fear shuddered up my spine.
I tried to shake my head, but his fingers held it in place as he muffled any protests by covering my mouth with his.
Fingers massaging my scalp, he slowly increased the intensity of the kiss, his tongue entering into play as he tilled my head back and slip it in.
I felt like I was following along in a dance, being led by someone who knew the steps much better than I did. I discovered that I was content to follow, matching the pressure of his lips with mine, letting my tongue play with his as he pressed his body into me, emphasising the move with a low, throaty sound.
He was definitely packing heat, and it wasn’t his sidearm.
Ashley and Gabriel do have one other hot scene, unfortunately this isn’t handled as well as the one above, in my opinion, which is a shame as they totally get it on and it’s what I’d been waiting for since their first connection. The reason is, I have a thing. It may just be me but I can’t stand it when people snog first thing in the morning without cleaning their teeth, or, as in this instance, kiss after throwing up. It’s just icky. And it’s all I think about while the scene is unfolding, and I’m unable to enjoy it.After finding out Gabriel’s secret, Ashley is so disgusted she rushes to the bathroom and throws up. She rinses her mouth out but that’s it. In bursts Gabriel and one thing leads to another. The first thing I didn’t like is the above mentioned sicky mouth, but also the fact that it was all too rushed. Why did Ashley and Gabriel have to get it on then and there. With the enormous revelation I would have thought Ashley would have been a little bit more miffed and needed some time to mull everything over.
There’s an AMAZING action scene near the end of the book and I would have much prefered Ashley and Gabriel to have waited until after this scene. I think it would have been much better, but then… I’m not the author.
One of the other ‘wild cards’ I loved is Lily. She’s a really sweet character. At first she seems a bit naive and shy, but put a pickaxe in her hand and she turns into a zombie killing machine. She reminded me a little bit of Jenni from Rhiannon Frater’s As the World Dies trilogy in that she becomes a little nuts with everything that is going on, and to cope she goes out with guns blazing pulverising zombies whenever she can.
One of my favourite scenes was when Ashley and Lil head out on their own to go back into the zombie infested town to rescue Lil’s two cats Doodle and Blinkey. I love animals and I know that I would have to do everything in my power to save them and I loved that this is what the characters in this book decided to do too. It was heart-warming and sweet. The love Lil had for her pet’s was really sweet. She couldn’t concentrate on what she was doing without knowing they were ok. Once they were safely with her and Lil and Ashley were safely back at the UNIT she slept.
I opened the door.
“Lil?” No answer. She wouldn’t have bolted, would she?
Gabriel came in behind me.
“What is it?” he asked. “Is she okay?”
I pointed to the bed where Lily had collapsed, giving in to exhaustion. Blinkey was draped around the top of her head like a furry halo, Doodle curled in the crook of her arm…both cats purred loudly and the contented smile on Lil’s face – even in her sleep – brought tears to my eyes.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “She’s okay.”
There are lots of secondary characters and they all had distinctive personalities. I didn’t become lost in the sea of names as I have done with other novels. They all added their bit to the story and I ended up liking them all, hoping they would all survive.
VERDICT:
Other than one or two aspects, I think PLAGUE TOWN is a great zombie book. I really enjoyed it and Ashley is a fantastic heroine. I can’t wait to see how she grows in subsequent books. Fredsti is now on my auto-buy list and I can’t wait for the next book in the series, Zombie Nation.
April 7, 2012
3.5
Ashley goes back to college after recovering from the Walker flu. The flu seems is sweeping the campus. When she and her boyfriend go for a night time picnic they are attacked by zombies. After her zombie encounter she learns that she is a ‘wild card.’ Wild cards once bitten go through a transformation that increases their senses and reflexes. Her, and a small percentage of others make up a team to help rid the town of the zombie problem.
I really enjoy zombie stories, so when asked about this one I devoured it, kind of like how zombies devour people. Plus it has an idea behind it I haven’t encountered before. Not that some people are immune, that’s been done, but that it transforms them into better killers of the undead. It may have been done before, but I haven’t read anything that has that. From page one it reads like an urban fantasy. It is told from Ashley’s POV, and like most urban fantasy heroines, she is smart, kick ass and snarky. The story carries itself really well towards the end, and its pacing keeps the plot moving forward until the last quarter of the story. The last quarter of the novel feels rushed. I started to find myself emotionally detached from the characters and the environment.
The story is not that different from most zombie stories, but what is different is the scale of the infected. We learn that throughout our history there have been pockets of infection. A specialized group takes care of the infected, works with governments, and then covers up what happened. In this Ashley is bullied into the group that kills zombies to save their town. There is a side romantic plot line with the guy in charge of her group. He also has a nice little secret of his own. The story is pretty cut and dry and not fully original.
Who doesn’t like to read about a kick butt heroine who slays the undead? At first I was completely sold when it came to Ashley, but as more wild card characters are introduced I found myself at a distance. Ashley shows a great deal of emotion for fellow wild card Lilly, and very mixed emotions about her team leader Gabriel, but that is where things stop. Zombie stories are sometimes less about the zombies, and more about the psychological damage of the protagonists involved. It would be hard to watch people eat others to death, especially children doing it. Ashley adapts well to the horrors around her, maybe a little too well for me. There is also the strange relationship between her and Gabriel. The first tense scene between them creates a want for more, and when the reader does get more it feels unreal, or too rushed to an end.
Zombies here are for the most part your classic example. They don’t run, they shuffle, sway and moan. The characters are all knowledgeable of the classic zombie fiction, and even give movie quotes along the way. These small quotes and references didn’t take away from the story, but made it humorous (not all the time funny, but parts). There is a good bit of rotting corpses in full display, and they do take bites of people, but the true horror of the zombies felt lost. This is mostly because we are in Ashley’s head, and after a while they are just things to kill. There are POV switches at the end of chapters. The story cuts to people becoming zombies or being devoured. These small scenes are horrific goodness!
Plague Town feels like a combination of urban fantasy and zombie horror which is nice. It also sprinkles in a romantic subplot that I started out enjoying, but became rushed. The plot is very simple, but it does have some original flavor when it comes to getting bit. The zombies are gross, and smell funny, but they were not as frightening as I wanted them to be. I also wanted it to bother me more emotionally than it did. I would recommend this to urban fantasy fans, but hardcore zombie lovers might have a few complaints with it.
Ashley goes back to college after recovering from the Walker flu. The flu seems is sweeping the campus. When she and her boyfriend go for a night time picnic they are attacked by zombies. After her zombie encounter she learns that she is a ‘wild card.’ Wild cards once bitten go through a transformation that increases their senses and reflexes. Her, and a small percentage of others make up a team to help rid the town of the zombie problem.
I really enjoy zombie stories, so when asked about this one I devoured it, kind of like how zombies devour people. Plus it has an idea behind it I haven’t encountered before. Not that some people are immune, that’s been done, but that it transforms them into better killers of the undead. It may have been done before, but I haven’t read anything that has that. From page one it reads like an urban fantasy. It is told from Ashley’s POV, and like most urban fantasy heroines, she is smart, kick ass and snarky. The story carries itself really well towards the end, and its pacing keeps the plot moving forward until the last quarter of the story. The last quarter of the novel feels rushed. I started to find myself emotionally detached from the characters and the environment.
The story is not that different from most zombie stories, but what is different is the scale of the infected. We learn that throughout our history there have been pockets of infection. A specialized group takes care of the infected, works with governments, and then covers up what happened. In this Ashley is bullied into the group that kills zombies to save their town. There is a side romantic plot line with the guy in charge of her group. He also has a nice little secret of his own. The story is pretty cut and dry and not fully original.
Who doesn’t like to read about a kick butt heroine who slays the undead? At first I was completely sold when it came to Ashley, but as more wild card characters are introduced I found myself at a distance. Ashley shows a great deal of emotion for fellow wild card Lilly, and very mixed emotions about her team leader Gabriel, but that is where things stop. Zombie stories are sometimes less about the zombies, and more about the psychological damage of the protagonists involved. It would be hard to watch people eat others to death, especially children doing it. Ashley adapts well to the horrors around her, maybe a little too well for me. There is also the strange relationship between her and Gabriel. The first tense scene between them creates a want for more, and when the reader does get more it feels unreal, or too rushed to an end.
Zombies here are for the most part your classic example. They don’t run, they shuffle, sway and moan. The characters are all knowledgeable of the classic zombie fiction, and even give movie quotes along the way. These small quotes and references didn’t take away from the story, but made it humorous (not all the time funny, but parts). There is a good bit of rotting corpses in full display, and they do take bites of people, but the true horror of the zombies felt lost. This is mostly because we are in Ashley’s head, and after a while they are just things to kill. There are POV switches at the end of chapters. The story cuts to people becoming zombies or being devoured. These small scenes are horrific goodness!
Plague Town feels like a combination of urban fantasy and zombie horror which is nice. It also sprinkles in a romantic subplot that I started out enjoying, but became rushed. The plot is very simple, but it does have some original flavor when it comes to getting bit. The zombies are gross, and smell funny, but they were not as frightening as I wanted them to be. I also wanted it to bother me more emotionally than it did. I would recommend this to urban fantasy fans, but hardcore zombie lovers might have a few complaints with it.
September 11, 2012
Ew! This was gross and disgusting but strangly compelling and I couldn't stop reading it.
I am currently walking around work, checking corners, looking behind doors and fully imaging whether I would be able to elude zombies in the workplace. I have been infected by this story! Ashley Parker and her boyfriend are attacked during a romantic evening picnic in the woods near their college. Ashley survives, as she is curiously immune to the infection. She is a wild card.
She is recruited by the military to help contain the infection to their town along with a few other wild cards. This isn’t the first time the dead have walked and the powers that be have always kept a lid on zombies to not incite a panic. (Government conspiracy alert! You had to know that the CDCs guide wasn’t just clever marketing, right?! Am I the only one who is slightly worried about that?!)
Anyway, the wild cards train, fight, kick some zombie butt and slide around in all sorts of fluids. Ewww!! Wild cards are immune to whatever makes a zombie a zombie, but they get super senses, quicker healing and extra strength from the bite.
This book, while gross and disgusting, is also funny and a little sexy in a disturbed way. Ashley is in her late 20s even though back in college. She is a smart alec and deals with the horror of their new situation by finding humor and cracking a few jokes. Her fellow wild cards aren’t all the same, but they are mainly young and hip. There are a lot of movie quotes and references from the Alien movies and Independence Day among others (see a trend?). The book knows it isn’t breaking new ground, but it has fun telling its story. Ashley is a typical heroine these days, she has all the right attributes, good looking, funny, smart, strong, loyal and brave. She cares about her teammates and usually has something clever or funny to say.
But seriously folks, there are fluids and viscera everywhere! Luckily these dead don’t sprint, I don’t think they would survive if they did. Smell is mentioned a lot too, blegh. I don’t recommend you read this during your lunch breaks, at least not while eating. There are two more books planned. So, I am not sure they fully contain the infection…I am going to look them up when they are released. I liked Ashley, her cohorts, the military dudes and her interesting love interest. I think that part was a bit out of control, but whatever. I can’t talk about it because it would spoil things, but, huh. This is my first zombie book besides some zombie side characters in a few urban fantasy series I read. This is definitely the most visual and gross and filled with zombie moans and fluids. Yucky, but so readable, I couldn't put it down! I can definitely handle this better in print than on the silver screen. 4 stars.
I am currently walking around work, checking corners, looking behind doors and fully imaging whether I would be able to elude zombies in the workplace. I have been infected by this story! Ashley Parker and her boyfriend are attacked during a romantic evening picnic in the woods near their college. Ashley survives, as she is curiously immune to the infection. She is a wild card.
She is recruited by the military to help contain the infection to their town along with a few other wild cards. This isn’t the first time the dead have walked and the powers that be have always kept a lid on zombies to not incite a panic. (Government conspiracy alert! You had to know that the CDCs guide wasn’t just clever marketing, right?! Am I the only one who is slightly worried about that?!)
Anyway, the wild cards train, fight, kick some zombie butt and slide around in all sorts of fluids. Ewww!! Wild cards are immune to whatever makes a zombie a zombie, but they get super senses, quicker healing and extra strength from the bite.
This book, while gross and disgusting, is also funny and a little sexy in a disturbed way. Ashley is in her late 20s even though back in college. She is a smart alec and deals with the horror of their new situation by finding humor and cracking a few jokes. Her fellow wild cards aren’t all the same, but they are mainly young and hip. There are a lot of movie quotes and references from the Alien movies and Independence Day among others (see a trend?). The book knows it isn’t breaking new ground, but it has fun telling its story. Ashley is a typical heroine these days, she has all the right attributes, good looking, funny, smart, strong, loyal and brave. She cares about her teammates and usually has something clever or funny to say.
But seriously folks, there are fluids and viscera everywhere! Luckily these dead don’t sprint, I don’t think they would survive if they did. Smell is mentioned a lot too, blegh. I don’t recommend you read this during your lunch breaks, at least not while eating. There are two more books planned. So, I am not sure they fully contain the infection…I am going to look them up when they are released. I liked Ashley, her cohorts, the military dudes and her interesting love interest. I think that part was a bit out of control, but whatever. I can’t talk about it because it would spoil things, but, huh. This is my first zombie book besides some zombie side characters in a few urban fantasy series I read. This is definitely the most visual and gross and filled with zombie moans and fluids. Yucky, but so readable, I couldn't put it down! I can definitely handle this better in print than on the silver screen. 4 stars.
March 26, 2012
Plague Town is the first book in the Ashley Parker series by Dana Fredsti and a Horror Novel from Titan Books.
Book Blurb:
People are dying. Then they are waking up. Hungry.
In the small university town of Redwood Grove, people are succumbing to a lethal strain of flu. They are dying - but not for long.
Ashley Parker and her boyfriend are attacked by these shambling, rotting creatures that crave human flesh. Their lives will never be the same again.
As the town falls to ever-growing numbers of the infected, Ashley and a small band of survivors fight to contain the outbreak - but will they be enough?
My thoughts:
Ashley Parker is trying to put the pieces of her life back together after divorcing her husband. Enrolled in classes at the local university, Ashley has finally found her niche - now if only she could shake off the last energy draining fatigue of the Walkers Flu - her life would be almost perfect.
That is until she and her boyfriend are attacked by zombies. Yes, zombies. Pure instinct drives Ashley to fight the zombie - but more take its’ place. Ashley and her boyfriend are overwhelmed and Ashley is bitten.
When she wakes she finds that the town has been quarantined and she has survived. Now under military supervision, Ashley is given the opportunity to train and fight the zombies.
She accepts.
Ashley and her team work to clear the campus of zombies and rescue any survivors before moving on to the outlying areas. Just when it looks like the tide is turning in their favor - news reaches the team that this is only the beginning...
I absolutely loved Plague Town - this is how I picture the zombie apocalypse.
Ashley is snarky and smart a$$ed and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. But she is also sympathetic and willing to help others. She’s just a regular person who’s survived an extraordinary event.
I can’t wait for more
I give Plague Town 5 out of 5 stars.
Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Titan Books (April 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0857686356
ISBN-13: 978-0857686350
Book Blurb:
People are dying. Then they are waking up. Hungry.
In the small university town of Redwood Grove, people are succumbing to a lethal strain of flu. They are dying - but not for long.
Ashley Parker and her boyfriend are attacked by these shambling, rotting creatures that crave human flesh. Their lives will never be the same again.
As the town falls to ever-growing numbers of the infected, Ashley and a small band of survivors fight to contain the outbreak - but will they be enough?
My thoughts:
Ashley Parker is trying to put the pieces of her life back together after divorcing her husband. Enrolled in classes at the local university, Ashley has finally found her niche - now if only she could shake off the last energy draining fatigue of the Walkers Flu - her life would be almost perfect.
That is until she and her boyfriend are attacked by zombies. Yes, zombies. Pure instinct drives Ashley to fight the zombie - but more take its’ place. Ashley and her boyfriend are overwhelmed and Ashley is bitten.
When she wakes she finds that the town has been quarantined and she has survived. Now under military supervision, Ashley is given the opportunity to train and fight the zombies.
She accepts.
Ashley and her team work to clear the campus of zombies and rescue any survivors before moving on to the outlying areas. Just when it looks like the tide is turning in their favor - news reaches the team that this is only the beginning...
I absolutely loved Plague Town - this is how I picture the zombie apocalypse.
Ashley is snarky and smart a$$ed and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. But she is also sympathetic and willing to help others. She’s just a regular person who’s survived an extraordinary event.
I can’t wait for more
I give Plague Town 5 out of 5 stars.
Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Titan Books (April 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0857686356
ISBN-13: 978-0857686350
March 25, 2012
Review brought to you by OBS staff member Dawn
I’ve never been a big fan of zombie books. They’re usually really gross and too detailed. For the most part, I steer clear of these type of books. That said I couldn’t put it down! It’s that good!
Initially I was wary of the changing points of view, but I found it helped ease me into the story and it broke up the intensity. Fredsti did a great job of being in a zombie’s head space to the point of being seriously creepy.
I like the premise of some people being immune to the virus. Fredsti took it even further – the virus enhances them. The book has a solid plot bringing together science and humanity.
Ashley, one of the main characters, is a bad-ass. She’s tough, she’s a smart-ass. I love her. She can’t be intimidated and she has a mind of her own. Ashley is my ideal leading female. She has all the traits I hope for in a main character.
The best thing about the book is the humor. The humor offsets the ugliness. It brings levity to an otherwise dire situation. At one point, Ashley refers to herself as a “profane munchkin” which cracked me up. She has a serious potty mouth that makes her even more likeable. She’s not a Barbie robot. She’s flawed but in relatable ways.
In spite of the number of characters, Fredsti’s character development is off the charts. I didn’t feel overwhelmed (as I often do) with all the characters. I felt like I knew each one of them intimately.
The sex scene is perfectly placed. There’s enough character development that you’re ready for them to just go at it. And they did go at it. HOT!!!
Bottom line: Fun and humorous. If you’re a zombie fan, it’s a must read.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/da...
I’ve never been a big fan of zombie books. They’re usually really gross and too detailed. For the most part, I steer clear of these type of books. That said I couldn’t put it down! It’s that good!
Initially I was wary of the changing points of view, but I found it helped ease me into the story and it broke up the intensity. Fredsti did a great job of being in a zombie’s head space to the point of being seriously creepy.
I like the premise of some people being immune to the virus. Fredsti took it even further – the virus enhances them. The book has a solid plot bringing together science and humanity.
Ashley, one of the main characters, is a bad-ass. She’s tough, she’s a smart-ass. I love her. She can’t be intimidated and she has a mind of her own. Ashley is my ideal leading female. She has all the traits I hope for in a main character.
The best thing about the book is the humor. The humor offsets the ugliness. It brings levity to an otherwise dire situation. At one point, Ashley refers to herself as a “profane munchkin” which cracked me up. She has a serious potty mouth that makes her even more likeable. She’s not a Barbie robot. She’s flawed but in relatable ways.
In spite of the number of characters, Fredsti’s character development is off the charts. I didn’t feel overwhelmed (as I often do) with all the characters. I felt like I knew each one of them intimately.
The sex scene is perfectly placed. There’s enough character development that you’re ready for them to just go at it. And they did go at it. HOT!!!
Bottom line: Fun and humorous. If you’re a zombie fan, it’s a must read.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/da...
April 12, 2012
Yet Another entry into the "zombie disease" genre has appeared, and it's good. "Plague Town" by Dana Fredsti.
Her writing style is breezy and fun when she is dealing with the main story,and the little vignettes between the chapters following the zombie family are suitably creepy. There are a ton of pop culture references in the text, which makes the book more believable for me. I hate the "sanitized" culture you find in many books where they have no common points of reference with you because the author doesn't want to acknowledge the real world. References to "Outbreak", George Romero, and even Syfy Channel Original Movies made by the main character bring me in to her world ... or rather, convince me that we share one.
Here is an interview with the author at "Strange Kid's Club":
http://www.tinyurl.com/strangekidfredsti
So, if you loved her as the bitch Curette in "Princess Warrior", and didn't know who the hell she was behind the armor of a Deadite Captain in "Army of Darkness", pick up Dana Fredsti's "Plague Town" today.
In the interests of Full Disclosure: Dana and I both attended Ridgemont High (yes, _that_ Ridgemont) together. I might not have found this book if it weren't for that, but I am glad I did.
April 1, 2015
This is by far one of the best zombie books I've ever read. And it is awesome for a number of reasons. First, the characterizations are spot on. Each character that plays a part has a vibrant personality that pops off the page and even if you aren't really sure you like them, you kinda do because they make the whole of the storyline flow perfectly. It wasn't just the characters, even though right from the first page they fly out at you and then drag you back into this story you wish was totally real so you can play in it with them. It was the story. It ebbed and flowed so flawlessly that you were never bored, you cared about the internal dialogue, and you were racing the characters to the end of the story. This was a legit zombie story with fantastically laugh out loud moments, with characters you cried and needed to win, the little drops of fandoms made me scream and throw my fist in the air that I KNEW ALL OF THEM! I'm continuing the next book ASAP! I have to know how this all plays out and I'm so biting my nails. I know in zombie world no one is safe, but I can hope they are. If you are a zombie fan I highly recommend this series!
*I read a copy of this book via the La Verne Library*
*I read a copy of this book via the La Verne Library*
May 27, 2012
This novel is so much fun, I can't begin to list all the things I liked about Dana Fredsti's new Ashley Parker franchise.
It's smart, witty and chock full of kick-ass action rivalling the best of the Zombie movies.
Of course, that's to be expected from an author who is also an actor that appeared in Army of Darkness. Take her protagonist, Ashley Parker or Ash for short. When the disaster hits, she's a wise-cracking college student with a boyfriend and a chip on her shoulder.
But when the Zombie Apocalypse hit her small California college town, Ash becomes a "wild card," part of an elite squad hunting the walking dead.
Ash, I gather, is an homage to Ash from Army of Darkness and she's real pistol.
It's a trip to see her college teachers are actually part of a huge military project tasked with destroying zombies or Zoms as they're called. And I love the movie references peppered throughout the plot.
Ashley riffs on Alien (Ripley never dies going for the cat), another repeats the entire President's speech from Independence Day, and so on.
The combat scenes are top-notch as the team uses everything from M-4 guns to katana swords.
Can't wait for the next one.
It's smart, witty and chock full of kick-ass action rivalling the best of the Zombie movies.
Of course, that's to be expected from an author who is also an actor that appeared in Army of Darkness. Take her protagonist, Ashley Parker or Ash for short. When the disaster hits, she's a wise-cracking college student with a boyfriend and a chip on her shoulder.
But when the Zombie Apocalypse hit her small California college town, Ash becomes a "wild card," part of an elite squad hunting the walking dead.
Ash, I gather, is an homage to Ash from Army of Darkness and she's real pistol.
It's a trip to see her college teachers are actually part of a huge military project tasked with destroying zombies or Zoms as they're called. And I love the movie references peppered throughout the plot.
Ashley riffs on Alien (Ripley never dies going for the cat), another repeats the entire President's speech from Independence Day, and so on.
The combat scenes are top-notch as the team uses everything from M-4 guns to katana swords.
Can't wait for the next one.
May 31, 2012
Needing a book to fill a gap of time while I waited for my wife to finish Mockingjay, I took a trip to Barnes and Noble and Plague Town caught my eye.
What a great book, I was quickly pulled in to the story and characters. I love the way the story builds and flows, I love the humour from the characters, dark humour at times.
I found the book to be believable and the story had my heart pumping quite aa few times.
I cannot wait untill the next two books are relesed, I hope the wait is not too long?
I highly reccomend this book to all my friends on Goodreads, it's one not to be missed.
What a great book, I was quickly pulled in to the story and characters. I love the way the story builds and flows, I love the humour from the characters, dark humour at times.
I found the book to be believable and the story had my heart pumping quite aa few times.
I cannot wait untill the next two books are relesed, I hope the wait is not too long?
I highly reccomend this book to all my friends on Goodreads, it's one not to be missed.
May 25, 2012
4.5 stars. Definitely one of my favorite finds of the year.
I really enjoyed Fredsti's writing style. Ashley's sarcasm and attitude didn't bother me a bit, in fact she made me laugh more than a few times. The pacing moved the story along well and the suspense kept me reading way past my bed time. The occasional glimpses into the zombie POV were just icing on the cake.
This book was well worth the time and money spent and I'm already eagerly anticipating books 2 and 3.
I really enjoyed Fredsti's writing style. Ashley's sarcasm and attitude didn't bother me a bit, in fact she made me laugh more than a few times. The pacing moved the story along well and the suspense kept me reading way past my bed time. The occasional glimpses into the zombie POV were just icing on the cake.
This book was well worth the time and money spent and I'm already eagerly anticipating books 2 and 3.
April 15, 2012
Stunning, amazing, blooming loved this book.... Plenty of gore, zombies, a kick ass heroine, knives, guns, explosions and even conspiracies. Really can't wait for Plague Nation & Plague World. So glad I stumbled across this book on someone's 'to-read' list on the web.... Can highly recommend this book!!!!
May 6, 2012
I really liked the team aspect of this book and that there was only one romantic interest at a time. Also loved the cats and the snowplow. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
May 23, 2012
Very fun book!!
April 4, 2012
Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2012/03/b...
Twenty-nine year old Ashley Parker has her life finally heading in the right direction. She’s busted out of an unhealthy marriage to a control freak of a husband and has decided to return to school to earn her undergraduate degree (so what if she’s older than everyone in her classes?). Ashley’s new lease on life also means that she’s happily taking classes in whatever field she wants (including a class on the history of pandemics), and that she’s enjoying herself, particularly with her new hot but perhaps not so bright boyfriend, Matt. One quiet evening when the couple is enjoying a romantic picnic and make-out session on campus, they are rudely interrupted…by a horde of undead zombies. Things don’t go so well for Matt or Ashley – the last thing Ashley remembers is getting a huge hunk of her arm ripped out by a rotting corpse before passing out from the pain.
When she awakens, she’s in a strange room, with her History of Pandemics Professor, of all people. It turns out that Ashley is one of the 0.001% of the population that is immune to zombie infection – a “Wild Card”, as they like to call themselves. Not only is Ash immune to bites, scratches, or other zombified bodily fluids, but her senses, strength, and agility have been increased as a result of her body’s fighting off the infection. Because of this unique immunity and the subsquent physical perk, Ashley and her fellow Wild Cards are prized, highly-sought out civilian recruits for the US Military. As it turns out, zombie outbreaks have been happening routinely throughout history, and high levels of government know, prepare, and have been fighting against uprisings since ancient times. Given everything that has happened to her, Ashley willfully agrees to work with the military group to stop the onslaught of zombies that is quickly overwhelming the quiet college town of Redwood Grove.
As the zombie horde increases in size, Ashley and her fellow Wild Cards find themselves in way over the heads. And with secrets at every turn – from the nature of certain Wild Card immunity to the truth of the latest zombie outbreak – Ashley and her new friends must think quickly if they are going to survive.
The first book in a new Urban Fantasy series from author Dana Fredsti, Plague Town is a diverting, entertaining zombie siege novel – complete with all the delicious bone-crunching, blood-gushing awesomeness a zombie lover could ever want. I was looking for a substitute to fill the Walking Dead sized hole in my week, and I’m happy to say that for the most part, Plague Town delivers.
On the premise and world-building side, Plague Town is a solid and memorable experience. I love the idea of an Urban Fantasy series that revolves around an honest-to-goodness zombie apocalypse – a conceit that is used far too sparingly in the sea of werewolf/vampire/fey/etc UF series on the market – and I love the introduction to this strange new world in which some humans are immune to the zombie virus. The setting, in a sleepy Northern California college town, is also a brilliant choice, ever so slightly reminiscent of the awesome ’80s b-horror classic Night of the Creeps. Add to this the creation of a civilian-operated military cell with the Wild Cards (a sort of zombie-eradicating league of ragtag ordinary people-cum-badasses), and you’ve got a pretty sweet party.
These strengths said, there are some drawbacks that prevented the book from transcending “fun” to something deeper and more resonant (this novel isn’t on par with Mira Grant’s Newsflesh books, for example). As far as story goes, the actual development of plot takes a backseat to action – not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination, as the action and fight scenes are expertly written and a blast to read. Simply put, there’s a marked lack of any deeper message or gravitas. Additionally, as is the downfall of many an Urban Fantasy heroine, there’s also the overdose of snark injected into the first person narrative. I’m not a huge fan of one-liner overkill, and Ashley’s narrative is chock-full of them, which become increasingly unfunny with each subsequent quip. Additionally, while awesome pop-culture references abound (see “The Ripley Syndrome” and why one should never go back for a cat – and then why that theory is bogus because Ripley survives), these again could be too frequent, feeling more forced than clever.
Finally, an Urban Fantasy novel is only so strong as its leading man or lady, and Plague Town‘s heroine, Ashley Parker has her ups and her downs. Slightly abrasive and with a tendency towards over-snark (as mentioned above), Ashley starts out the book feeling like your familiar everyday chip-on-her-shoulder UF heroine. Thankfully, there are moments where Ashley breaks away from one-note UF badass to an actual layered character that is both smart and strong. While there’s a requisite romance between Ashley and one prickly character that unfolds in a familiar way, there was one interaction between them that made me fall in love with Ashley, despite the abundance of her other typical UF heroine-itis symptoms. Observe this one scene, after an impromptu hookup in the bathroom, when said love interest lost all control and thrusts himself upon our (willing) heroine:
HALLELUJAH. If you’ve read a few paranormal or UF novels from the past few years, the alpha male pulling back because he “can’t lose control” is a familiar phenomenon. How often do you hear a heroine calling out the hero for this crap, though? Not nearly often enough – and I adored Ashley’s response. There are other glimmers of awesomeness that make Ashley a compelling heroine, including her genuine empathy for other Wild Cards and her brutal honesty, and it’s certainly more than enough to make up for any other shortcomings in the book.
Overall, I truly enjoyed Plague Town and I will certainly be back for more. Recommended, especially for fans looking for a different type of Urban Fantasy.
Twenty-nine year old Ashley Parker has her life finally heading in the right direction. She’s busted out of an unhealthy marriage to a control freak of a husband and has decided to return to school to earn her undergraduate degree (so what if she’s older than everyone in her classes?). Ashley’s new lease on life also means that she’s happily taking classes in whatever field she wants (including a class on the history of pandemics), and that she’s enjoying herself, particularly with her new hot but perhaps not so bright boyfriend, Matt. One quiet evening when the couple is enjoying a romantic picnic and make-out session on campus, they are rudely interrupted…by a horde of undead zombies. Things don’t go so well for Matt or Ashley – the last thing Ashley remembers is getting a huge hunk of her arm ripped out by a rotting corpse before passing out from the pain.
When she awakens, she’s in a strange room, with her History of Pandemics Professor, of all people. It turns out that Ashley is one of the 0.001% of the population that is immune to zombie infection – a “Wild Card”, as they like to call themselves. Not only is Ash immune to bites, scratches, or other zombified bodily fluids, but her senses, strength, and agility have been increased as a result of her body’s fighting off the infection. Because of this unique immunity and the subsquent physical perk, Ashley and her fellow Wild Cards are prized, highly-sought out civilian recruits for the US Military. As it turns out, zombie outbreaks have been happening routinely throughout history, and high levels of government know, prepare, and have been fighting against uprisings since ancient times. Given everything that has happened to her, Ashley willfully agrees to work with the military group to stop the onslaught of zombies that is quickly overwhelming the quiet college town of Redwood Grove.
As the zombie horde increases in size, Ashley and her fellow Wild Cards find themselves in way over the heads. And with secrets at every turn – from the nature of certain Wild Card immunity to the truth of the latest zombie outbreak – Ashley and her new friends must think quickly if they are going to survive.
The first book in a new Urban Fantasy series from author Dana Fredsti, Plague Town is a diverting, entertaining zombie siege novel – complete with all the delicious bone-crunching, blood-gushing awesomeness a zombie lover could ever want. I was looking for a substitute to fill the Walking Dead sized hole in my week, and I’m happy to say that for the most part, Plague Town delivers.
On the premise and world-building side, Plague Town is a solid and memorable experience. I love the idea of an Urban Fantasy series that revolves around an honest-to-goodness zombie apocalypse – a conceit that is used far too sparingly in the sea of werewolf/vampire/fey/etc UF series on the market – and I love the introduction to this strange new world in which some humans are immune to the zombie virus. The setting, in a sleepy Northern California college town, is also a brilliant choice, ever so slightly reminiscent of the awesome ’80s b-horror classic Night of the Creeps. Add to this the creation of a civilian-operated military cell with the Wild Cards (a sort of zombie-eradicating league of ragtag ordinary people-cum-badasses), and you’ve got a pretty sweet party.
These strengths said, there are some drawbacks that prevented the book from transcending “fun” to something deeper and more resonant (this novel isn’t on par with Mira Grant’s Newsflesh books, for example). As far as story goes, the actual development of plot takes a backseat to action – not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination, as the action and fight scenes are expertly written and a blast to read. Simply put, there’s a marked lack of any deeper message or gravitas. Additionally, as is the downfall of many an Urban Fantasy heroine, there’s also the overdose of snark injected into the first person narrative. I’m not a huge fan of one-liner overkill, and Ashley’s narrative is chock-full of them, which become increasingly unfunny with each subsequent quip. Additionally, while awesome pop-culture references abound (see “The Ripley Syndrome” and why one should never go back for a cat – and then why that theory is bogus because Ripley survives), these again could be too frequent, feeling more forced than clever.
Finally, an Urban Fantasy novel is only so strong as its leading man or lady, and Plague Town‘s heroine, Ashley Parker has her ups and her downs. Slightly abrasive and with a tendency towards over-snark (as mentioned above), Ashley starts out the book feeling like your familiar everyday chip-on-her-shoulder UF heroine. Thankfully, there are moments where Ashley breaks away from one-note UF badass to an actual layered character that is both smart and strong. While there’s a requisite romance between Ashley and one prickly character that unfolds in a familiar way, there was one interaction between them that made me fall in love with Ashley, despite the abundance of her other typical UF heroine-itis symptoms. Observe this one scene, after an impromptu hookup in the bathroom, when said love interest lost all control and thrusts himself upon our (willing) heroine:
I would have fallen over if I hadn’t been leaning against the wall. My breathing ragged, I stared at him.
His breathing was a little choppy, too, as he spoke.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “That shouldn’t have happened.”
“What the fuck?” Or not, as it seemed. Frustration made me blunt. “What the hell SHOULD have happened?”
“I lost control,” he said. “It’s not…I can’t allow it.”
What, and I CAN? I thought angrily.
“So it’s not okay for Mister ‘I’m better than everyone else,’ but it’s something you’d expect from the slut,” I countered. Hurt wrestled with anger. “Thanks, but no thanks, Gabriel.”
HALLELUJAH. If you’ve read a few paranormal or UF novels from the past few years, the alpha male pulling back because he “can’t lose control” is a familiar phenomenon. How often do you hear a heroine calling out the hero for this crap, though? Not nearly often enough – and I adored Ashley’s response. There are other glimmers of awesomeness that make Ashley a compelling heroine, including her genuine empathy for other Wild Cards and her brutal honesty, and it’s certainly more than enough to make up for any other shortcomings in the book.
Overall, I truly enjoyed Plague Town and I will certainly be back for more. Recommended, especially for fans looking for a different type of Urban Fantasy.
January 6, 2020
This was a different take on the zombie apocalypse. I thought it was kinda cool how our main character, Ashley, gains attributes after being bitten. She's one tough cookie already, but to get better senses, reflexes and additional strength is a bonus that's awesome in a zombie apocalypse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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