Lara Frater

Lara Frater tells this story of survival during the zombie apocalypse as seen through the eyes of six different characters in the same group. They, and others, have lived together for months inside a major shopping warehouse; the group size is limited to only 20 people - when replacements are needed, new survivors are screened and chosen by committee - acceptance is based upon the individuals' talent and current needs of the small group. The warehouse is a fortress and filled with enough supplies to last them for years. Everyone has a specialty (plumber, carpenter, sharpshooter, nurse, cook and teacher, farmer, et al), all working long hours to support the small community. The group has established rules to live by and elected a single leader to call the shots and manage their small democratic world.

Each of these six segments are written in the first person POV, keeping the story moving and offering readers an insight into their thoughts and background. They learn that small groups and individuals continue to survive on the outside among the zombies, and most everyone in the warehouse is longing to know the status of loved ones who were separated at the beginning of the flu pandemic - are they alive, dead, or roaming the streets as zombies. Without vehicles or other modes of transportation, travelling by foot is suicide and closure may never come to individuals with the group. Their only view of the outside world will continue to be from the roof of their building.

As luck would have it, one of the new replacements is a young college kid with a background in biotechnology. He successfully converts the semi trucks to run on vegetable oil - something they have tons of in inventory - and makes it possible for a team to finally go out and search for answers and ammunition. This is where the real story begins...

The mission is somewhat successful...they do find loved ones and know the whereabouts of others. However, on their return to the warehouse with the news, the truck quits and leaves them stranded twenty-five miles from home. The team also learns that something evil is coming and threatens to exterminate them all. Is there a way to escape? Where to go? Who will survive?

"End of the Line" kept me interested and anxious to see how it turns out, but I am frustrated with the amount of disrupting errors in this tome. My favorite is the use of "passed" instead of "past" and a ton of others. If the author was to invest in a professional line editor or proofreader, I would have given the work five stars. Please consider this for your next two sequels.

John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel… (altro)