Paul Antony Jones

In book 2 of the series the protagonist - a female reporter of about 30 years of age who didn't act like a reporter in book 1 so her occupation was pretty irrelevant - finally comes across human survivors in a small valley with its own microclimate. However, due to stereotyped behaviour from horror films where characters insist on wandering off into dark woods when they already know something nasty is around, this situation soon deteriorates. On the plus side, the protagonist finally decides to learn to drive but in a situation of extreme stress where she has to be told how to start the car by a twelve year old and where she drives too fast and I think with her eyes closed, her default response to danger, with obvious results. That isn't the only stupid thing she does.

The plot has holes - if the cold really affects the alien monsters why did their cocoons develop in a whole load of cars near the Alaskan destination and why does a blast of warm air suddenly materialise to put her and her human and canine companions in peril? It's also not credible that they survive what happens immediately afterwards.

On the plus side there are some creepy scenes with the alien menace and a neat twist at the end plus the introduction of the doomed spacestation personnel is a poignant touch so I rate it higher than book 1 and am awarding this 3 stars with the proviso that I am not intending to bother with any more of the series.… (altro)

Found this book one of a series rather pedestrian in execution. The Idea is interesting - a red rain which instantly kills birds and after a delay, people, only to revive and repurpose them with devastating effect. Unlike many similar tales, it's not a standard zombie apocalypse. However the protagonist, a female New York reporter, is a really irritating character who makes so many silly mistakes it becomes impossible to believe she would survive. Even her choices of clothing to take when she finally decides to leave the devastated city aren't sensible. She has the option to take fleeces and other modern walking kit from the camping shop she raids but keeps the woolly jumpers from home, items that, far from wicking away moisture as the narrative states, would become saturated. She takes tinned food and bottled water rather than the dried food and water purification means the shop offers. And despite being armed with a shotgun her reaction when faced with a nasty creature in New York is to shut her eyes and wait for it to kill her.

The style is clunky because every little action tends to be spelled out: for example, we aren't just told that the character removes an object from her backpack, but every little stage of unzipping a particular pocket etc.

The story is also dragged out, taking the whole of the first volume to escape the city. Luckily I didn't have to pay and also obtained volume two or might have found that more annoying. But I can't rate it as more than an "OK" 2 stars.… (altro)