A fervent hero headlines this engrossing end-of-days zombie tale.
A young woman braves a post-apocalyptic world teeming with undead hordes and hostile survivors in this horror sequel.
Following the events of An End (2022), Vallerie Sabell is a 19-year-old survivor in a zombie-littered United States. She has luckily run across some affable sorts, namely Grahm and his small group, who allow her to join their peaceful commune up in the mountains. Grahm calls the settlement “quaint”: “Tiny houses, all wood and brick; like the olden days.” Vallerie is an enemy of the Bastion, a militant band who have taken it upon themselves to police this “New America.” The book follows Bastion leader Esther Mathews as he searches for Vallerie in order to mete out the group’s typical punishment—execution. Grahm is determined to keep her safe, though the commune can’t avoid the Bastion, which willingly trades food for such goods as clothing. But when Esther realizes that Vallerie is closer than he previously believed, he’ll do whatever he can to capture her, even if it entails threatening children. Vallerie, who over time has become skilled in weapons and fisticuffs, may decide to fight the Bastion and settle their differences once and for all. Pawlicki’s second installment, like the preceding book, is a quietly enthralling tale. For example, the story centers on the living characters, from Grahm finding another band of survivors to a Bastion soldier questioning Esther’s obsession with Vallerie. Zombies, meanwhile, fade into the background, though a few people use them to their deadly advantage. There’s nevertheless undeniable evolution, with Vallerie becoming more than capable of taking down foes, undead or otherwise. Readers see various sides of her; she’s a doting dog parent to Bullet, but she won’t hesitate to kill to protect herself and her friends. Her intermittent bursts of violence produce the novel’s most indelible scenes, including the final pages, which offer some resolution—though a third volume seems likely.
A fervent hero headlines this engrossing end-of-days zombie tale.Pub Date: April 23, 2022
ISBN: 9798986050614
Page Count: 382
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A grim yet gleefully gratifying tale of lost innocence and found family.
A woman fears she made a fatal mistake by taking in a blood-soaked tween during a storm.
High winds and torrential rain are forecast for “The Middle of Nowhere, New Hampshire,” making Casey question the structural integrity of her ramshackle rental cabin. Still, she’s loath to seek shelter with her lecherous landlord or her paternalistic neighbor, so instead she just crosses her fingers, gathers some candles, and hopes for the best. Casey is cooking dinner when she notices a light in her shed. She grabs her gun and investigates, only to find a rail-thin girl hiding in the corner under a blanket. She’s clutching a knife with “Eleanor” written on the handle in black marker, and though her clothes are bloody, she appears uninjured. The weather is rapidly worsening, so before she can second-guess herself, former Boston-area teacher Casey invites the girl—whom she judges to be 12 or 13—inside to eat and get warm. A wary but starving Eleanor accepts in exchange for Casey promising not to call the police—a deal Casey comes to regret after the phones go down, the power goes out, and her hostile, sullen guest drops something that’s a big surprise. Meanwhile, in interspersed chapters labeled “Before,” middle-schooler Ella befriends fellow outcast Anton, who helps her endure life in Medford, Massachusetts, with her abusive, neglectful hoarder of a mother. As per her usual, McFadden lulls readers using a seemingly straightforward thriller setup before launching headlong into a series of progressively seismic (and increasingly bonkers) plot twists. The visceral first-person, present-tense narrative alternates perspectives, fostering tension and immediacy while establishing character and engendering empathy. Ella and Anton’s relationship particularly shines, its heartrending authenticity counterbalancing some of the story’s soapier turns.
A grim yet gleefully gratifying tale of lost innocence and found family.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781464260919
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Fast-moving and disturbingly plausible.
Robots may be the future of warfare in this final father-son DeMille collaboration.
In Camp Hayden, Army Maj. Roger Ames is found dead, his skull crushed. Chief Warrant Officers Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, special agents of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division, are sent to the Mojave Desert, “a.k.a. in the middle of nowhere,” to investigate. In this fictional military installation, Army Rangers conduct field training exercises with lethal autonomous weapons. These “dangerous new toys,” nicknamed “tin men,” may become the future of warfare if they can be programmed to distinguish between friend and foe. Anyway, the Rangers’ job is to train the tin men, not the other way around. They are AI-driven robotic prototypes called D-17s, but even prototypes can kill. Did a bot kill the major? And was there criminal liability or intent, or was it a tragic accident? Brodie and Taylor discover that not everyone loves these beasts, and they must find out if humans are programming them for mischief or even trying to set up the program for failure. Meanwhile, the bots have nicknames. Bot number 20 is Bucky, seen on a video as a “seven-foot-tall titanium machine with hands covered in blood and brain matter” that has “a face but no eyes, with hands but no skin, with a body but no soul.” As scary as these beasties are, Brodie and Taylor must also look at the humans at Camp Hayden, because they learn that the “machines don’t have motives….They have inputs and outputs,” which naturally come from human programmers. They have neither brains nor courage nor honor; they do have brute force, speed, and agility. Obviously, plenty goes haywire in this enjoyable yarn. It feels a bit too believable for comfort, and that’s to the DeMilles’ credit as storytellers. Nelson DeMille had begun this project with his son Alex, who had to finish it alone after his father’s death.
Fast-moving and disturbingly plausible.Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781501101878
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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