Wasteland - Surviving the Evacuation by Frank Tayell

Wasteland by Frank Tayell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 203

Blurb from Goodreads

Billions were infected. Nations fell. The evacuation failed.

Bill Wright's journey has only one destination, the research facility that created the virus. As he meets other survivors in his struggle across the wasteland to reach it, he discovers that it is not just the undead who need to be feared.

This is the second volume of his journal.


My Review

This picks up pretty much where the first left off. Bill is hell bent on getting to the facility where it all started off, either to find answers or destroy what is left of the virus. Along the way he meets other survivors and Bill starts to realise people can be just as deadly as the zombies.

Bills journey in the first book was fairly solitary, this time he meets other survivors, some who recognise and blame him for "his part" in the death of so many. Along with survival this book looks more to the formation/breakdown of relationships, trust and Bill having to reassess his goals.

There is plenty of zombie action despite there being a heavy focus on the human interaction side of the story. Bill also finds some answers he wasn't aware he was looking for. A good second part of this story although I would recommend starting with the first book that this one. 3/5 for me this time, I will be buying the third installment of this tale to see how Bill fares.

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Signed copy of Talk of The Toun by Helen MacKinven

Q & A is here just in case you missed it.





To go along with the blog post, sorry this is late I was working, I have 1 signed copy to giveaway. It is the ARC I got prior to the launch which is now signed and a wee themed bookmark too.





This competition will run for just over 1 week, as always please use the rafflecopter below, the more entries you complete the more chances you have of winning. Good luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Talk of The Toun by Helen MacKinven Blog Tour

Having to post this a wee bit early due to the fact I am working tomorrow, my slot for the blog, and won't be home til after 8pm. So here goes, also, I have my ARC copy, now signed, to give away as part of the tour, I will list this once I get home from work. That will be the 6th of November after 8pm UK time so make sure you stop by to enter.





Tell me a bit about you?

I’m 47 years old and so I was 17 in 1985, just like the main characters Angela and Lorraine. My childhood was spent in Bonnybridge, famous for UFO sightings and I went to high school in Falkirk so the setting for Talk of the Toun was easy to recreate from my own personal experiences. After watching one too many episodes of Escape to the Country, three years ago I moved to a three hundred year old cottage in a small rural village in North Lanarkshire to live with my husband. I have two grown-up sons but I have filled my empty nest with eleven chickens, two dogs and two pygmy goats.



For the last ten years I’ve enjoyed writing flash fiction, short stories and I’ve completed three novels. My debut novel, Talk of the Toun, is the first of my novels to be published. In 2011, I took a career break to go to Stirling University to do an MLitt in Creative Writing but I’m now back on the road with my day job which involves travelling all over Scotland to deliver maths training for teachers so I have to fit my writing into days off and school holidays. Why did you choose Scotland and that time period for your book?

I wanted to write the type of book I love to read and my favourite writers, such as Janice Galloway, Anne Donovan and Jackie Kay, have set their books in Scotland and given a ‘voice’ to working class characters and this inspired my own writing. The advice often given is, “write what you know” so being a teenager in the 80s in central Scotland meant I could write a credible story.



There are a fair few characters, how did Senga come about, is she based on anyone you know?

The story is entirely fictional – nothing that dramatic happened to me growing up! But I did have a very close relationship with my gran and spent a lot of time with her in the same way Angela gravitates to her gran for support and guidance. My own gran died nine years ago and I still miss her dearly, she was funny without realising it, kind-hearted, a bit vain like Senga and had a white poodle too. But she wasn’t a pet psychic or an extrovert like Senga although she did give me plenty of inspiration and ideas for humorous scenarios. The book’s dedication is, “In memory of my gran, Ella, who taught me the meaning of unconditional love” and I know she’d be proud of me achieving my dream of being a published novelist.

Does it surprise you that Senga seems to be the favourite character? Who is your favourite character in the book and why?

Not really as she’s mine too! As my own relationship with my gran was full of love and laughs it meant I could create a character very loosely based on fact so I think that’s why the character connects with readers. I hoped folk would warm to her and I’m chuffed she’s your favourite too. I would love to see a book about Senga and I am sure I am not alone, is it something you would consider? I had never thought of doing another book with any of the characters but who knows, maybe if I get more interest in Senga I’ll consider writing more adventures for her and Bimbo.



You have captured the mid-80s amazingly, I found myself transported back to many memories I had long forgot. Was this something you meant to do?

Yes, I wanted the setting and time period to feel real so I needed to incorporate cultural references such as fashion, TV programmes, pop songs, food, household décor and gadgets from the era that would trigger the sense of the 80s. I’m blessed (or sometimes it feels more like a curse!)with a really good memory so lots of the details came back to me but the internet was invaluable to check my facts as there’s nothing worse than reading a book and seeing errors littering the page.



What research did you do to capture such an accurate portrayal of the people and times you write about?

There are a lot of websites with themes such as, ‘I love the 80s’ so I spent time reminding myself of things like clothes and makeup that were popular. I also signed up to the Pinterest website which is a great source of inspiration with thousands of boards full of images from the 80s. I set up my own boards for the book, one with images specific to Talk of the Toun and one for general 80s images if readers are interested to see the visuals related to the story. https://uk.pinterest.com/helenmackinven/



What is next for Helen MacKinven?

I’ve been busy with the pre-publication build-up for Talk of the Toun and my day job so I haven’t managed to do much writing on my next project. But I’ve made notes after a bit of research and written a few thousand words on a new novel. This book (if I finish it!) is set in Airdrie after the referendum result but with a local historical event related to the Leningrad Siege weaved into the narrative. Where can readers find you, ie twitter, facebook, website? I blog regularly at helenmackinven.co.uk and can be found on Facebook and on Twitter @HelenMacKinven



You can find my review for Talk Of The Toun here http://www.alwaysreading.net/2015/10/talk-of-toun-by-helen-mackinven_12.html Talk of the toun is now available to buy, kindle £4.99 or a paperback copy at £9.99







I also managed to get to the book launch for this last night, in case you missed it you can see the post and pictures here

Possession by Peter James

Possession by Peter James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 290

Publisher - Orion

Blurb from Goodreads

Fabian's mother doesn't believe the police when they inform her that he died in a car crash. She keeps seeing him. Desperately she consults a medium who freezes into petrified silence because it's not her imagination. Fabian really wants to return.


My review

The tale opens with Fabian and his friends packing up the car and a fairly descriptive capture of the lead up to and the actual crash. Then the story's main character is Alex, Fabians mother who is sure the police have it wrong, her son isn't dead, she saw him that morning. But as the days go on, Alex knows that Fabian has died but he is still here. In the house, around Alex, making his presence known, Alex needs to find out how to make it stop or help her son.

This is a spooky wee book, Alex's friend is bizarre to say the least and adds to the spooky feel of the book. The mediums in the book only add to the spooky feel & the more Alexs pursues the more she realises she didn't really know her son at all.

A dark tale of one mothers loss, a haunting, possession and the occult. It is spooky and draws you in, you want to know is Fabian really haunting his mother and just how much did mum actually know her son. There are a lot of questions left hanging I thought and it ended fairly suddenly, I have read this author before and will read him again 3/5 for me.

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The Girl With All The Gifts by M R Carey

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Publisher - Orbit

Pages - 460

Blurb from Goodreads

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr. Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children's cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she'll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn't know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.



My Review

We open with Melanie, what her name means and what "life" is like for her and her routine. Her cell is where she lives when she isn't in the classroom, when she goes to the classroom she is confined to a chair. The soldiers, the children she spends her class time with and the teachers. Melanie is different, she is smart and notices things, that some of her classmates go missing and never come back. Soon Melanie will find out first hand what is happening to her friends, why her favourite teacher is looking so sad & what she really is.

For the first we while I wasn't too sure where the story was going and was a bit confused. However, eventually you find out, along with Melanie why she is strapped down, why her classmates disappear and what the lessons where all about. For me the story is a cross between invasions of the body snatchers with a bit of post apocalyptic theme with cannibalism, cruelty, murder and gore.

It isn't just about Melanie's self discovery, she is ten years old by the way but very intelligent and advanced for her age. It is also about relationships, survival and acceptance. It is different from a lot of what I normally read but reminded me a lot of the old movies I loved as a kid, 3/5 for me. This is my first time reading this author and I would read more by them.

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I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Publisher - Sphere

Pages - 364

Blurb from Goodreads

A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it. Could she?

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world is shattered. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape her past, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of the cruel November night that changed her life for ever.

DI Ray Stevens is tasked with seeking justice for a mother who is living every parent's worst nightmare. Determined to get to the bottom of the case, it begins to consume him as he puts both his professional and personal life on the line.

As Ray and his team seek to uncover the truth, Jenna, slowly, begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating.



My Review

A child is killed, as quick as a blink of the eye. Her only hope is to leave everything behind to try and start over. The police are seeking the hit and run driver. The chapters are split between Jennifer, DI Ray Stevens with the investigation and later Ian. The police are seeking justice for the death of a child, Jennifer is seeking some way to start over and Ian well Ian you will find out about as you get deeper into the story.

The first half of this book is a bit confusing, you feel like your missing something and the tale moves between the characters, mainly Jennifer and the police investigating the little boys death. It centers just after the accident and follows Jennifer as she cuts all ties and runs. The second half of the book is very dark, abuse, violence, secrets, relationships and lies are just some of the topics that are covered. We get a closer look at Jennifer and the events leading up to the accident. You start to make sense of what has happened, revelations are made and I personally didn't see the twist coming. Quite a few people have said they weren't too sure about the book when they start it but definitely keep going, it all falls into place.

A story that shows you can never outrun your past, actions or lack of have consequences and sometimes the past can destroy your future. This is the first time I have read this author and I would certainly read her again. 4/5 for me, a story that lulls you into thinking one thing then throws a curve ball and packs a punch!

The book is quite gripping, particularly I felt the second half when things start to fall into place. The chapters are quite short which I always like in a book

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Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan

Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 2.5 days

Blurb From Goodreads

'Apocalypse Cow made me snort with laughter' - Terry Pratchett.

Forget the cud. They want blood. An outrageous an anarchic comic take on the zombie apocalypse - and joint winner of the first Terry Pratchett ‘Anywhere But Here, Anywhen But Now’ prize.

It began with a cow that just wouldn’t die. It would become an epidemic that transformed Britain’s livestock into sneezing, slavering, flesh-craving four-legged zombies.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, the fate of the nation seems to rest on the shoulders of three unlikely heroes: an abattoir worker whose love life is non-existent thanks to the stench of death that clings to him, a teenage vegan with eczema and a weird crush on his maths teacher, and an inept journalist who wouldn’t recognise a scoop if she tripped over one.

As the nation descends into chaos, can they pool their resources, unlock a cure, and save the world?

Three losers. Overwhelming odds. One outcome . . .

Yup, we’re screwed.

My Review

I love zombies books (as you may have noticed), so when I heard about this one I thought I just had to give it a read. Geldof is a 15 year old Vegan boy, embarrassed by his hippy parents. If they aren't screaming at the neighbors for their murder and consumption of flesh(animals of course), forcing him to be a Vegan and wearing God awful natural fiber clothes his mum is bartering for food in the shop with vegetables. What follows is an unlikely team against the zombie animals. Something goes wrong at the abattoir, a weird plague amongst the cows gets out and spreads among domestic animals and soon everyone in Glasgow (and Britain) is at risk of being humped, mauled and or eaten.

This book is hilarious, disgusting and so UN PC - it has everything rolled into one story. The nerdy boy with the crush on the teacher, the hippy parents, the teenage bullies that need to be addressed or obeyed and of course the threat of being killed by rabid flesh eating animals from cows to rats.

Some of the brutality to the animals is a bit uncomfortable reading (in any kind of context) but taking the book as it is with silliness you can get through it, after all it the small matter of survival. This is my first encounter with this author and I would read him again, I also secretly (not so secret now) hope there is a follow up to this book. Will Geldof survive? Does he get the woman of his dreams and be the hero at the end? Well you have to read it and find out for yourselves folks. Thanks to Transworld publishers for giving me the chance to review this and introducing me to a new author, 4/5 for me this time. Just to add, I reviewed this in 2012 however the review was missing from this blog. I just received a copy of the next book in this series so reposting this!

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