After perusing through the "recently returned" section in my local library, I came across the book I will now review for you, and after reading the brief synopsis thought it might make a welcome change from the vampire and chick lit books that I seem to have in droves waiting to be read!

The book I will now review is - "Flu by Wayne Simmons".

The book starts with a pair of policeman heading towards a job, at first you assume it is a riot of some sort, due to the abuse that is dumped on them, but soon it becomes apparent that there is something much more sinister taking place.

After arriving at a bock of flats, and managing to battle their way through the ever increasing crowds. Upon reaching the room in question it is soon clear that these are not normal circumstances, the policemen (George and Norman) are wearing chemical suits, with breathing equipment and the reason they have travelled to the job is to quarantine a polish woman into the flat she shares with her young daughter, who has developed a deadly strain of the flu.

The flu is reported to be spreading like wild fire across Ireland (where the book is set), and also across Europe and eventually the world.

Thousands are dying, dropping like flies, with the incubation period being hours rather than days, with death being the final outcome......or is it?

Things start to become worrying when the bodies, seemingly dead and decaying away, start to come back and search for the one last thing they remember, the warmth of live flesh.......

For anyone that watched the tv series Survivors, this is actually quite similar in content to that, with there being a flu virus that kills in the thousands.

The obvious difference is the zombie aspect, though this is not done in a scary or horror movie way, but more matter of fact, with the "living" characters having to form new friendships and bonds just to survive on a day to day basis.

There are a good few characters featured within the book, all living separately and surviving in the only ways they know how, but creating a bigger picture of the survivors, but still with the feeling of isolation and at times paranoia not knowing if you can actually trust who is with you, with there being a quite harrowing scene when a new man is taken into a house with Geri, Mcfall and Lark, a misfit group of survivors who will soon regret taking in another.

The characters are well written, all acting and reacting as you would expect humans to do in this type of situation, some crumbling through fear and some turning to their more basic characteristics, resembling animal more than human, all of which were believable and at times disturbing and heart wrenching too.

Price wise this is available from www.amazon.co.uk for the sum of £4.97.

Would I recommend this, yes it was not my normal type of read, but was never the less enjoyed more for the invocation of feelings, it had a real effect on me emotionally which for a book that I would deem as fantasy/fiction was surprising to me.

Thanks for reading x

ISBN 978-1-906727-19-2