ZM #3 — Book Review: Plague Town by Dana Fredsti

• Review: Plague Town
• Series: Ashley Parker #1
• Author: Dana Fredsti
• No of Pages: 350
• Release Date: Published April 3rd 2012 by Titan Books
• Rating: 5/5!!!

Synopsis:

Ashley was just trying to get through a tough day when the world turned upside down.  A terrifying virus appears, quickly becoming a pandemic that leaves its victims, not dead, but far worse. Attacked by zombies, Ashley discovers that she is a ‘Wild-Card’ — immune to the virus — and she is recruited to fight back and try to control the outbreak.

It’s Buffy meets the Walking Dead in a rapid-fire zombie adventure!

My thoughts:

As a zombie lover/hater I can not get enough! Dana Fredsti’s book, Plague Town definitely delivered and kept me at the edge of my seat! These kinds of zombie books are why I love to read this sub genre. Plague Town is full of quirkiness, blood, guts and lots of zombies and it still feels so real. As the characters banter back and forth I just have to laugh to myself because some of them say exactly what is going through my head!

Ashley is of course my favorite. I mean that girl can kick some serious ass but she also doesn’t take herself too seriously. She’s surrounded by zombies and a thought goes through her head that makes her laugh. You would think she was a bit crazy but seriously who is NOT like that? At the weirdest of times something will run through your head that just makes you laugh, yes it may be inappropriate but that’s how we deal with stuff! And I love how Ashley deals with everything.

The other characters are just as fun. Seeing the sparks between Ashley and Gabriel during this whole zombpocalypse is awesome! But Lil has to be my favorite. I also know you’re not supposed to go back for the cats but I have three dogs. There is no way I’d leave them at home. NO WAY! So, although I thought Lil wanting to save her cats was crazy, once again I could see myself doing exactly what she does.

The plot is fantastic. It just never lets up. There is always blood and guts everywhere, and I do mean EVERY where. But Dana has this great way of making this totally believable. And although it’s easy to figure out what is causing the people to turn into zombies, Dana wraps it up at the end so if you didn’t catch the few hints here and there, you definitely will understand by the end. And the end isn’t so much of a cliff hanger as a, holy crap it’s time to hang onto your seat because we are now REALLY going for a ride and that was just the kiddie version!!

Totally fun, can not wait for the sequel, Zombie Nation which isn’t due out until April 9th 2013! Ahhhh… the wait is going to be excruciating!

Next week in an interview with Dana Fredsti, I asked her what were some of her favorite quotes. After reading Plague Town, I just had to share a few of my favorites too!!

Honestly, you would not believe the things you can do with wooden kabob skewers if you know where to shove them. And if all you got is a book? Shove it in the attacker’s mouth and reduce the risk of being chomped.

Basically anything can help you survive if you use your brains and don’t panic. That’s what a lot of the training was about–keeping your cool when facing off against a horde of carnivorous corpses. To panic is to die, whether you bolt or you freeze.

HA!!! I love the book thing… I mean it would kill me to lose a book in that manner, but it’s better than my life!! And the kabob skewers oh my god!!!

I’m not saying we suddenly lost all fear. Not even close. I still felt like thrwoing up, but the spinning flashback had stopped. The horror was still there, but it was real, and it was something I could deal with.

I could run, I could fight, and I could kill.

Fuck you, zombie hordes.

And this is exactly why I love Ashley. As I said above, she rocks. She’s a regular person going through some seriously abnormal stuff and she takes it all in stride. LOVE HER!

“Wild cards!” It was Gentry. “Time to dance!” He stood on top of the barricade next to Tony and grinned down at us. “You ready to do this?”

Lil, Kai and I looked at each other and then up at Gentry. We yelled in unison.

“Hell, no!”

“Good! Get your asses into line!” he said.

Just reading some of these excerpts makes me fall in love with these guys all over again!!

My ultimate favorite quote. Yes I”m a complete geek, this one gave me chills!

“We will not go quietly into the night,” Tony said. I actually felt a chill run up my spine as his voice rose in intensity, backed by explosions and gunfire. “We will not vanish without a fight!”

“We’re going to live on,” Kai chimed in.

“We’re going to survive,” Gentry said.

The three of them linked arms and yelled.

“Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!”

Ohhhh Dana… I loved you while we were emailing back and forth but girl! This book is awesome. You totally have a new stalker on your hands. Seriously guys, go read this if you haven’t yet. It’s fabulous!!

Dana is also doing a giveaway of Plague Town so check back to join in on more Zombie Monday fun next Monday, Dec 31st!!

About the author:

Dana Fredsti is ex B-movie actress with a background in theatrical sword-fighting. Through seven plus years of volunteering at EFBC/FCC (Exotic Feline Breeding Facility/Feline Conservation Center), Dana’s had a full-grown leopard sit on her feet, kissed by tigers, held baby jaguars and had her thumb sucked by an ocelot with nursing issues. She’s addicted to bad movies and any book or film, good or bad, which include zombies. Her other hobbies include surfing (badly), collecting beach glass (obsessively), and wine tasting (happily).

Along with her best friend Maureen, Dana was co-producer/writer/director for a mystery-oriented theatrical troupe based in San Diego. While no actual murders occurred during their performances, there were times when the actors and clients made the idea very tempting. Somewhere in the mists of time she lost a grip on what happened in real life and what she made up for her book.

She’s written numerous published articles, essays and shorts, including stories in Cat Fantastic IV, an anthology series edited by Andre Norton (Daw, 1997), Danger City (Contemporary Press, 2005), and Mondo Zombie (Cemetery Dance, 2006). Her essays can be seen in Morbid Curiosity, Issues 2-7. Additionally she’s written several produced low-budget screenplays and currently has another script under option. Dana was also co-writer/associate producer on Urban Rescuers, a documentary on feral cats and TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return), which won Best Documentary at the 2003 Valley Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Dana is currently working on the second book in the Murder for Hire series, The Big Snooze and writing erotic romance under the pen name Inara LaVey for Ravenous Romance.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Email

You may also enjoy:

Book Review: Apocalypse Z by Manuel Loureiro

Book Review: The Scourge by A.G. Henley

Walking Dead Mondays! All dead, all the time!

Tags: Dana Fredsti, Plague Town