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A review by gnashchick
Asylum by Shana Festa
4.0
I gleefully accepted an advance reading copy of this second book in the Time of Death series in exchange for an honest review. Though the author and I are colleagues, I have no problem being brutally honest.
Time of Death: Asylum picks up where Induction left off. The novel begins on a somber note. The remnants of the Rossi family take shelter on a houseboat, far enough off the shoreline to feel somewhat protected from the threat of the undead. Grief for the friends, hope, and lost community is made harder to bear by the realization that it’s Christmas day. They know they have to move on, survive, and make the best of what they have.
It’s tough to break out of the zombie plot shuffle. The grim routine of moving through a landscape choked with undead means there will be killing, dying and surviving. Readers know that every step outside any fortress-like enclosure is going to bring violence and carnage. Other survivors will be found, and there’s always the knowledge that people are going to die, usually in a horrific manner. The author mitigates this routine by bringing humanity and reality to her characters. Not everyone is on the ball. Not everyone thinks rationally. A split-second of inattention is all it takes to fall victim to the shambling horde.
The survivors enter a gated community that promises better security and better cooperation against the threats just outside the walls. It’s no surprise that the community, called Asylum, sets off big screaming klaxons of alarm. Once inside the compound, the relief of safety exposes a rift in Emma and Jake’s marriage, exacerbated by the growing sense of unease within the walls. Something isn’t right here. There’s a little too much shine on the outside, and Emma is certain it hides corruption within. My biggest problem with the novel is that I’ve seen this plot point before in other popular culture, and unless book 3 throws a curveball, I know how this will end.
Second books in a series can suffer from a type of “second season syndrome” where it just doesn’t live up to the promise of the first novel. Yes, Asylum is a good book, but the plot here lacks the same punch as Induction. My feeling is that the initial rush of the outbreak is over, and now the hard work of survival and recovery starts. This book gives us a chance to empathize with the Rossi family and the other survivors they befriend. It’s going deep into psychological territory, the balance of a need to rely on something you deeply mistrust in order to survive. The pace is a little slower, the action spread out a bit wider.
The humor that carried through the first book is echoed in the second, with a caveat. As Emma’s stress rises, her attitude goes from “snarky” to downright mean. She’s more belligerent, and some of her wisecracks conceal verbal knives. In my opinion, this works perfectly to show her emotional state far better than anything she might say.
Don’t worry. there’s action, and plenty of it. After all, these folks aren’t skipping through a field of daisies, here. However, the majority of the story is focused on the characters, their struggles, joy and pain. This is a great cast of characters, and the group adds a few new people they meet along the way. Their stories will keep you glued to the page.
The foreshadowing of the issues within the walls of this sanctuary feels like a long, slow wind up to a third novel that’s going to hit like a Mack truck.
I can’t wait.
Time of Death: Asylum picks up where Induction left off. The novel begins on a somber note. The remnants of the Rossi family take shelter on a houseboat, far enough off the shoreline to feel somewhat protected from the threat of the undead. Grief for the friends, hope, and lost community is made harder to bear by the realization that it’s Christmas day. They know they have to move on, survive, and make the best of what they have.
It’s tough to break out of the zombie plot shuffle. The grim routine of moving through a landscape choked with undead means there will be killing, dying and surviving. Readers know that every step outside any fortress-like enclosure is going to bring violence and carnage. Other survivors will be found, and there’s always the knowledge that people are going to die, usually in a horrific manner. The author mitigates this routine by bringing humanity and reality to her characters. Not everyone is on the ball. Not everyone thinks rationally. A split-second of inattention is all it takes to fall victim to the shambling horde.
The survivors enter a gated community that promises better security and better cooperation against the threats just outside the walls. It’s no surprise that the community, called Asylum, sets off big screaming klaxons of alarm. Once inside the compound, the relief of safety exposes a rift in Emma and Jake’s marriage, exacerbated by the growing sense of unease within the walls. Something isn’t right here. There’s a little too much shine on the outside, and Emma is certain it hides corruption within. My biggest problem with the novel is that I’ve seen this plot point before in other popular culture, and unless book 3 throws a curveball, I know how this will end.
Second books in a series can suffer from a type of “second season syndrome” where it just doesn’t live up to the promise of the first novel. Yes, Asylum is a good book, but the plot here lacks the same punch as Induction. My feeling is that the initial rush of the outbreak is over, and now the hard work of survival and recovery starts. This book gives us a chance to empathize with the Rossi family and the other survivors they befriend. It’s going deep into psychological territory, the balance of a need to rely on something you deeply mistrust in order to survive. The pace is a little slower, the action spread out a bit wider.
The humor that carried through the first book is echoed in the second, with a caveat. As Emma’s stress rises, her attitude goes from “snarky” to downright mean. She’s more belligerent, and some of her wisecracks conceal verbal knives. In my opinion, this works perfectly to show her emotional state far better than anything she might say.
Don’t worry. there’s action, and plenty of it. After all, these folks aren’t skipping through a field of daisies, here. However, the majority of the story is focused on the characters, their struggles, joy and pain. This is a great cast of characters, and the group adds a few new people they meet along the way. Their stories will keep you glued to the page.
The foreshadowing of the issues within the walls of this sanctuary feels like a long, slow wind up to a third novel that’s going to hit like a Mack truck.
I can’t wait.