Book Review: Autumn: The City by David Moody

The morning started just like any other for Donna Yorke. She made it to the office for her opening shift, began the task of prepping the office, said hello to the few other workers who shared the shift. Then, her world changed forever as one woman walked through the office doors, suddenly choking, falling to the floor and gasping her last breath. Donna rushes to the window and watches from the 9th floor as the city erupts in chaos, with people dropping to the ground dead in their tracks. Scared and confused, she hid herself in a small corner of the office, waiting.

Then, 48 hours later, some of the dead began to wake up.

Autumn: The City is the second novel in David Moody's Autmun series, but calling in the "next" book would be a misnomer. In Autumn, the story follows three survivors as they leave city, trying to find some place safe, where the possibility of running into the walking dead is very slim. Autumn: The City begins with the same events, but sticks with the story of those who remained in the city. Whereas the first had wide open spaces with the walking dead almost hidden from view until the last moment, in this novel, you can't escape from them because they are all around, cluttering and blocking the streets, forming herds that react to any little movement or sound. The psychological effects of seeing such a huge mass with its sole aim to quench its hunger with anything living weigh differently on each of the characters, adding real human qualities with which the reader can connect.

I also like that Moody mixes the side story of the characters from the first novel, having them cross paths with this new set of characters makes this apocalyptic world even more believable. It will be interesting to read how the two different sets of characters interact in the next book.

Oh, and not once is the word "zombie" used, but the reader still understands exactly what the survivors are up against.

Autumn: The City is a fast-paced, compelling story, another great addition to the zombie genre.

Autumn: The City
by David Moody
Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN: 978-0-312-57000-2
trade paperback, 331 pgs.

received book from publisher

Image from Macmillan.