Forgotten

Title: Forgotten
Series: AM13
Author: Samie Sands
Genre: Science Fiction, Zombies
Publisher: Triplicity Publishing
Publishing date: March 2nd, 2015
ISBN: 9780990813392
Purchase Link: amazon.co.uk

Synopsis: The Lockdown has failed. The AM13 virus is spreading out of control and there doesn’t seem to be any way of stopping it. The Government announces its new plan—a sanctuary in an area completely untouched by the infected—as long as you can get there unscathed of course…

My Review:

“Forgotten” quickly introduces a UK ravaged by a man-made-virus. Everyone who get infected turn into a zombie bent on infection others, or rather feast on the flesh of the living. In an attempt to contain the pandemic, authorities decided to evacuate the British Islands, but they acted just a little too late.
The book is centered around three characters, Ethan, Alyssa and the scientist Dr. Jones, and their struggle to cope with the end of the world. Each of them have their own personal demons hunting them.
Ethan suffers from germophobia or maybe even OCD, he struggles through his days in the city which is occupied by hordes of zombies. Alyssa had to depart with all her family, even murdering her 8-year-old sister when she turned. She find some solace in an abandoned church which served as home for a group of survivors. And last, the mysterious Dr. Jones and his search for a cure in isolation, unknowing what fate his family has met after the outbreak.

The story of survivors and the struggle against zombies is a familiar one. It has been handed over and over in books, movies and TV-shows. I’m not going to compare Samie Sands work to anything, and I would not say that it is the new “The Walking Dead.” What set Samie Sand’s work apart from other works is how close up and personal you get on the characters. Their struggle is very emotional, it is easy to see how they’re at loss of all hope, and the further the story get, the less likely it is that anything is ever going to get back to normal.
What I missed while reading “Forgotten” was more distinction between the narratives. The narrative was strong and consistent, but I would have liked more distinction between the various POVs. And when I got past the use of mirrors to reveal the characters’ appearance, it was quite an enjoyable read.