Fearless

Fearless
by Patricia Hamill

Review

Caution: This review comes from a reader who is not particularly into the zombie genre; I usually read more general SF or Fantasy.

Fearless is a cleverly constructed zombie apocalypse novel presented in the form of the journal of one of the few survivors of the disaster.

Patricia Hamill's nameless heroine is very well depicted through the first person journal entries, which record the first couple of years after the disaster. She is, if not quite fearless, certainly courageous and resourceful. The novel has depth, and charts a very plausible course of events, examining human traits and skills which enhance or reduce the chances of survival. It also causes the reader to ask themselves about what choices they might make when it came to issues of group or individual survival.
For me, the story reflected the post-apocalyptic world rather too well; it felt dreary, and the struggle for basic necessities stumbled from one dark crisis to the next - but this may be something that is genre-related rather than a flaw in the book.
The writing was very clean, good and engaging enough that I had no trouble finishing the book within two days. Editing and presentation was flawless.

The impact of the excellent story left me teary-eyed at the end. If you like zombie books, this is a very good one; and if you haven't read one before, this might be a good place to start!