THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING:
A FUTURISTIC ZOMBIE NOVEL
Author: Rhiannon Frater
Publication Date: 06/12/2012
Published By: Indie Inked
Audience: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror, Zombie
The Bastion was humanity's last hope against the fearsome undead creatures known as the Inferi Scourge. A fortified city with a high wall, surrounded by lush land rich with all the resources needed to survive, protected by high mountain summits, and a massive gate to secure the only pass into the valley, the Bastion became the last stronghold of the living on earth. But one fateful day, the gate failed and the Inferi Scourge destroyed the human settlements outside the walls and trapped the survivors inside the city. Now decades later, the last remaining humans are struggling to survive in a dying city as resources and hope dwindle.
Vanguard Maria Martinez has lived her whole life within the towering walls of steel. She yearns for a life away from the overcrowded streets, rolling blackouts, and food shortages, but there is no hope for anyone as long as the Inferi Scourge howl outside the high walls. Her only refuge from the daily grind is in the arms of her lover, Dwayne Reichardt, an officer in the Bastion Constabulary. Both are highly-decorated veterans of the last disastrous push against the Inferi Scourge. Their secret affair is her only happiness.
Then one day Maria is summoned to meet with a mysterious representative from the Science Warfare Division and is offered the opportunity to finally destroy the Inferi Scourge in the valley and close the gate. The rewards of success are great, but she will have to sacrifice everything, possibly even her life, to accomplish the ultimate goal of securing the future of humanity and saving it from extinction.
(Picture and Summary from Goodreads)
**I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley from Indie Inked in exchange for an honest review. In no way does that effect the thoughts and opinions voiced here. I did not get paid in any way to write this review.**
REVIEW
I had forgotten how much I love stand alone books! It's so nice to end a book and have everything tied up nicely with all my questions answered. I was reminded of this with The Last Bastion of The Living. Unless Rhiannon Frater changes her mind it is very much a stand alone novel and I LOVED it!
The world that the story takes place in is one where a zobie-esque virus has wiped out much of the population. The humans remaining have one last hope (even if they don't know it's happening) that lies with a special ops team lead by our MC, Maria. I loved Maria, she's fierce and independent, and she totally knows how to handle herself. When she volunteers for the top secret mission she thinks she knows what she's getting herself into. That's her first mistake and from that moment on the plot twists and turns throwing one surprise after another until you're dying to know what's going to happen!
The author does a great job of world building and her characters are anything but shallow. She paints a vivid picture of everything that is going on around Maria while she is out in the field. Frater has created monsters that are frightening yet still hold a touch of humanity. In the end the creatures Frater has created turn terrifying.
The ONLY thing I had a problem with was the fact that Maria's love interest was named DWAYNE (I mean seriously?! That name is not what I think of when I think hot, interesting love interest!) and the fact that he was 25 years her senior, EW. But that comes with it being more of an adult novel rather than a YA novel. It also didn't bug me past first finding out about it.
The ending was simply beautiful. I seriously wish all books could end as nicely as the one created by Frater. Like I said things are wrapped up nicely but still left room for the reader to have a little imagination with where the characters go from there.
Overall The Last Bastion Of The Living was an exciting thrill ride. One that I will definitely read again.
THE AUTHOR
Rhiannon Frater was born and raised a Texan. Though she has lived in various towns all over the state, she finally settled in Austin, Texas where she met her husband and worked as a governmental consultant.
During her travels for her job, she was inspired to write the story of two women fleeing into the Texas Hill Country in an attempt to survive the zombie apocalypse. Originally published as a serial online under the title AS THE WORLD DIES, she later self-published the series in three novels to satisfy the many fans of the story. The first novel in the series, THE FIRST DAYS, won the 2008 Dead Letter Award for Best Book (Fiction). The second book, FIGHTING TO SURVIVE won the 2009 Dead Letter Award in the same category.
The AS THE WORLD DIES books were purchased by Tor in 2010.The first book, THE FIRST DAYS, was released in July 2011 and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The second, FIGHTING TO SURVIVE, was released on November 8, 2011. The third book, SIEGE, will be released in April 2012.
She is also the author of THE LIVING DEAD BOY AND THE ZOMBIE HUNTERS, PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES: A Vampire Novel and two novels in the Vampire Bride Series (THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE and THE VENGEANCE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE). All her works have been optioned for either TV or film.
Rhiannon continues to live in Austin, Texas with her husband and is now a full-time writer.
She is represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry Literary + Media agency.
(Picture and Bio from Goodreads Profile)
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