King of the Crows – Russell Day
“Ocean’s Eleven meets 28 Days Later.”
2028, eight years after a pandemic swept across Europe, the virus has been defeated and normal life has resumed.
Memories of The Lockdown have already become clouded by myths, rumour and conspiracy.
Books have been written, movies have been released and the names Robertson, Miller & Maccallan have slipped into legend.
Together they hauled The Crows, a ragged group of virus survivors, across the ruins of London. Kept them alive, kept them safe, kept them moving.
But not all myths are true and not all heroes are heroes.
Questions are starting to be asked about what really happened during those days when society crumbled and the capital city became a killing ground.
Finally the truth will be revealed.
I received a review copy from the publisher.
By the time you read this King of the Crows should be available to buy. Go get it. Right now. Is shall wait for you to come back before I continue. There is a handy purchase link at the foot of this review – got you covered.
Okay – have you bought your copy? Brilliant decision. The King of the Crows is likely to be the most memorable book I shall ever review here on Grab This Book. Well it’s a book about a global pandemic which I read during a global pandemic. If that’s not memorable then I am scared to know what could top it.
So you may be thinking that a book about a pandemic isn’t the story for you at the moment. That’s your choice obviously but if you are happy to accept that this is a work of fiction and isn’t meant to ever happen then sit down, strap in and get ready for an unforgettable ride.
A virus has spread across much of Europe. It started with cats (totally vindicating my abhorrence for the feline species) and it spread to humans. The author spends time showing how the early stages of infection were noticed by some of the key players in the story and it is soon very obvious that this virus is unforgiving and deadly. Those infected will keep functioning while their minds are destroyed – the virus keeps the body moving even when when it is badly deteriorated. The image I had throughout was of the zombies from the Resident Evil videogames.
In London there is a major tipping point in the attempts to combat the spread of infection. Troops open fire on a busy city bridge with the intent of stopping the infected crossing the Thames. Innocent and uninfected civilians die and those cutoff from ‘safety’ are forced to do whatever it takes to survive. With safety in numbers being key the story will track one group at a critical period in their travels around London.
The group in question have gained fame. After the viral outbreak society does return to a form of normal and a blockbuster movie was made (based upon the book written by one of the survivors). His name was Robertson and he became known as King of the Crows. I am not telling you why as that revelation is one of the many great elements of the book.
Robertson is one of the key characters the book will follow. Through London’s streets at the height of the crisis and in the future element of the story when the film has made him a celebrity but he is sitting in a police station being interviewed by two cops. They feel Robertson is a criminal but exactly what he has done is not immediately made clear. The interview scenes help link the action elements when the pandemic was at peak.
In addition to London we spend time in France. They had a worse infection than the UK and this element of the book tracks an American banker who gets stuck in a Parisian guest house as the city enters lockdown. Her flight to safety is very much a solo affair and has a different feel to the team efforts in London.
Also keeping the story flowing are urban dictionary explanations of new pandemic terminology. Chat room extracts where online debates rage about actual events which shaped the movie. These punctuate action sequences and allow us to keep abreast of events as scenes change and time passes.
The book is described as Oceans 11 meets 28 days later. It is not immediately obvious why those two films are singled out – all becomes clear. It’s wonderful to finally understand what has motivated some characters. The endgame blew my mind – did not expect what Russell Day meticulously plotted. So very good.
I remember last year when publishers Fahrenheit Press started to crow (sorry) about a manuscript they had received – Zombies and gangs and banks. They made it sound exciting, daring, like nothing you would get anywhere else but from Fahrenheit. It is all those things. You did buy your copy didn’t you? Good.
King of the Crows is published by Fahrenheit Press. It is available in limited edition hardback, paperback and digital format. As with all of Fahrenheit’s books, buying a physical copy will net you a free digital copy too. Order link here: https://fahrenheit-press.myshopify.com/collections/fahrenheit-press/products/king-of-the-crows-russell-day