Christopher Cole’s Outbreak (The Dark Days Series Book one) is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller with an endearing cast of characters, and enough action to keep you hanging off the edge of your seat.

The plot follows child-protagonist ‘Sonny’ and his two best friends, Carrie and Ashley. After being separated from their families, the three kids are soon plunged into catastrophe. Ill-prepared and barely 11 years old, the children must learn to look after themselves in a world where roaming hordes of ‘infected’ zombies are the new normal. The plot centers around young Sonny’s early passage into adulthood; how he must ‘grow up fast’ to protect those he loves the most, and the effect this has on his psyche.

Christopher Cole creates meaningful bonds between Sonny, Carrie, Ashley, and every other character the three children encounter along their journey. What’s more impressive is that Cole manages to do so in a short story that runs thick-and-fast with tense moments and brutal action. Sonny treasures his relationships and it’s these friendships that provide some of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the book, whilst also giving weight to the tough life-and-death decisions that Sonny must make. Cole also manages to create tension and action cinematically throughout this novel. Take Sonny’s face-to-face encounter with a zombie, his simple imagery, coupled with Sonny’s narrative commentary, provide a matter-of-fact description that leaves tension building up to the reader’s imagination.

Outbreak delivers value on its themes of martyrdom, personal growth, and loyalty. The consequence of Sonny’s decisions is something that is alluded to, but not built upon as much as I would have hoped. Overall, though, this is a really good, easy-to-read, post-apocalyptic thriller with great action, endearing characters and a strong plot.

Pages: 212 | ASIN: B08GBMF3LG