Title: Journal of a South African Zombie Apocalypse
Author: Lee Herrmann
Genre: YA Horror / Dystopian
Pages: 180 pages
Publication Date: August 2014
ISBN Number: 978-0-620615-92-1
South Africa has been infected. The army and police failed. Government fell. And now the dead roam the streets.
Journal of a South African Zombie Apocalypse is a post-apocalyptic story set in South Africa, 2 years after a mysterious outbreak has ravaged the country. No one seems to know how it started, but the reality is that most of the rainbow nation is mindless, walking zombies and it’s survive or be eaten.
After their supplies run out, 16 year old Kon, his brother and father leave their Pretoria home and embark on a journey for a new home. They Come across Kat and Dirk, two fellow survivors on a mission to reach Robben Island, a reputed safe haven. Together they embark on an epic journey across the country. Along the way they befriend other survivors, and face an unrecognizable new world filled with new, unpredictable dangers.
Oh, and there’s lots and lots of zombies.
Journal of a South African Zombie Apocalypse is a coming of age story in a very different South Africa, and chronicles one family’s fight for survival against the walking dead.
Journal of a South African Zombie Apocalypse tells the story of one family who tries to survive in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. It’s set in South Africa – I’ve never been there, so I enjoyed the setting, background, and the stories about the countries’ history. The main character is sixteen-year-old Kon, who lives with his brother and father. They leave their Pretoria home to travel to a new home, to safety, away from the zombies. They meet several other travellers along the way, among them Kat and Dirk, two fellow survivors also trying to reach Robben Island, a reputed safe haven.
Instead of going totally over the top with gore and blood, the book focuses on a handful of characters, on their emotions, their development, how they chance throughout the book, and grow. It focuses on the human side of the zombie apocalypse instead of trying to be spectacular.
That’s not to stay it’s not quite spectacular in its own right. The book is quite amazing, a solid mix of character development and plot. The writing is solid too, and overall, a very enjoyable experience, recommended to fans of The Walking Dead and other zombie series.
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