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The New Days: The First Son
A novella chronicling one man's plight to find a safe future for his son in post zombie apocalypse America.Nocturnal zombies sprint and howl for the blood of the few survivors that have lasted the three years since the Old Days ended.In the New Days it's every man for himself. Kill or be killed.
- GenresZombies
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2011
About the author
Robert DeCoteau
12 books44 followersRobert DeCoteau
I was born in 1974 in Bremerton, Washington. I moved to Bellingham, Washington at the age of four and have been here ever since.
I love living in the Pacific Northwest about two months out of the year. The other ten months it rains.
Constant rain gives me plenty of time to read and write. While I'm hooked on writing horror right now, I enjoy many other genres.
My favorite author is Robin Hobb, who also lives in the northwest. She is the award winning Fantasy author of Assassin's Apprentice and several sequels.
I have one son. I named him Chance. He is six going on fifteen. We are both currently enrolled in school, but I am a few grades ahead of him.
I was born in 1974 in Bremerton, Washington. I moved to Bellingham, Washington at the age of four and have been here ever since.
I love living in the Pacific Northwest about two months out of the year. The other ten months it rains.
Constant rain gives me plenty of time to read and write. While I'm hooked on writing horror right now, I enjoy many other genres.
My favorite author is Robin Hobb, who also lives in the northwest. She is the award winning Fantasy author of Assassin's Apprentice and several sequels.
I have one son. I named him Chance. He is six going on fifteen. We are both currently enrolled in school, but I am a few grades ahead of him.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 12, 2011
Let me begin with the ubiquitous disclaimer: I don't usually gravitate to the Zombie fiction genre; I don't particularly look for gory body part doses in the little bit of reading time I can find. That said, I recognize that this genre has a big following and there's no reason it shouldn't; it's an exciting premise for stories. And I also recognize that in the larger sense, a "zombie world" is just another kind of hostile environment through which protagonists must navigate their trials. In that sense it's similar to a wartime or prison drama, or a science fiction story wherein strange creatures prowl the land.
Despite my expectations, to my surprise I found myself wanting to read more of this story the further I got into it. True, in this genre there is the obligatory ooze and skull-splitting, but this novel offers something more--it has heart.
Essentially it's a tale of a father trying to escape the inescapable with, and for the sake of, his son. I have to say that DeCoteau is a natural story-teller; the pace at which facts and observations are provided by the narrator are EXACTLY how they'd be encountered if the reader were living it. Perceptions ring true, and give us a deep window into the mind of the main character. We come to care for him and especially for what he cares for. And we feel the heart-crushing anguish he felt, and still feels, as he remembers things that happened in the backstory. More than facts, there are philosophical musings interwoven that make it come alive as an emotionally charged recollection, which is exactly what it is. The pace is perfect and the main character and some of those he encounters are very vivid.
Descriptions are what they need to be, vivid but not overdone, and occasionally so succinct they are almost poetic--a man drinking scotch and then "seething" through his teeth--a teenage girl standing with one foot on top of the other. There is rich detail regarding the dispatching of zombies too, but I think this genre expects that.
Literarily and grammatically (which is a different aspect than story-telling), the manuscript is just a little imperfect; there are those other reviewers who have commented on this, and although the author seems to have scrubbed that thoroughly, I went ahead and read the original, so-called flawed, version. And guess what? I had no problem with it. It seemed to me the author was writing "in character." The story is told in the first person by the primary character, who speaks and recollects exactly how he would (the character is not a grammarian). I felt the so-called "imperfection" was by design--a measure of genius. And I felt that a reader worthy of making later comment should be capable of lending this interpretation to the writing style.
The physical environment is sufficiently 3D, and consistent. Secondary characters do their jobs, holding up their portions of the plot without taking on more focus than they deserve. Action is...very active, very dangerous...and again I think the genre demands this. The novel does not choose to rely only on action for its primary value, however, and as a result it injects a depth of human experience into zombie lit. It's a gem where I didn't expect to find one.
There are two characters in particular who I suspect are alter-egos of DeCoteau himself. Each has specific qualities, each is likeable and trustworthy (leading us to want to read more of this author's works), and each befriends the other. One is just a bit younger, the other is a father; both are "felt" by this author in a way so visceral they can't be anything but identities of himself. That's my opinion, never having met the author, but there you have it.
All in all, I surprised myself by liking this novel immensely, on its own terms; particularly given the "indie" nature of this author and this being his first work of this length, it rates a solid five stars from me, based on my caring for the very real characters and the overall tense enjoyability. It has heart and soul. My biggest complaint would be ...that I wish the book were twice the length, so that it could go into more of the journey. On the other hand I guess maybe it did, through recollections of the narrator, and maybe it was just the length it should have been. Still thinking about that (and yes the story is still playing in my mind). I'm looking forward to reading more gripping novels from DeCoteau.
Despite my expectations, to my surprise I found myself wanting to read more of this story the further I got into it. True, in this genre there is the obligatory ooze and skull-splitting, but this novel offers something more--it has heart.
Essentially it's a tale of a father trying to escape the inescapable with, and for the sake of, his son. I have to say that DeCoteau is a natural story-teller; the pace at which facts and observations are provided by the narrator are EXACTLY how they'd be encountered if the reader were living it. Perceptions ring true, and give us a deep window into the mind of the main character. We come to care for him and especially for what he cares for. And we feel the heart-crushing anguish he felt, and still feels, as he remembers things that happened in the backstory. More than facts, there are philosophical musings interwoven that make it come alive as an emotionally charged recollection, which is exactly what it is. The pace is perfect and the main character and some of those he encounters are very vivid.
Descriptions are what they need to be, vivid but not overdone, and occasionally so succinct they are almost poetic--a man drinking scotch and then "seething" through his teeth--a teenage girl standing with one foot on top of the other. There is rich detail regarding the dispatching of zombies too, but I think this genre expects that.
Literarily and grammatically (which is a different aspect than story-telling), the manuscript is just a little imperfect; there are those other reviewers who have commented on this, and although the author seems to have scrubbed that thoroughly, I went ahead and read the original, so-called flawed, version. And guess what? I had no problem with it. It seemed to me the author was writing "in character." The story is told in the first person by the primary character, who speaks and recollects exactly how he would (the character is not a grammarian). I felt the so-called "imperfection" was by design--a measure of genius. And I felt that a reader worthy of making later comment should be capable of lending this interpretation to the writing style.
The physical environment is sufficiently 3D, and consistent. Secondary characters do their jobs, holding up their portions of the plot without taking on more focus than they deserve. Action is...very active, very dangerous...and again I think the genre demands this. The novel does not choose to rely only on action for its primary value, however, and as a result it injects a depth of human experience into zombie lit. It's a gem where I didn't expect to find one.
There are two characters in particular who I suspect are alter-egos of DeCoteau himself. Each has specific qualities, each is likeable and trustworthy (leading us to want to read more of this author's works), and each befriends the other. One is just a bit younger, the other is a father; both are "felt" by this author in a way so visceral they can't be anything but identities of himself. That's my opinion, never having met the author, but there you have it.
All in all, I surprised myself by liking this novel immensely, on its own terms; particularly given the "indie" nature of this author and this being his first work of this length, it rates a solid five stars from me, based on my caring for the very real characters and the overall tense enjoyability. It has heart and soul. My biggest complaint would be ...that I wish the book were twice the length, so that it could go into more of the journey. On the other hand I guess maybe it did, through recollections of the narrator, and maybe it was just the length it should have been. Still thinking about that (and yes the story is still playing in my mind). I'm looking forward to reading more gripping novels from DeCoteau.
October 1, 2011
I read this on a friend's recommendation. Actually it's a story of good people. This author has done a fine job of bringing characters with dignity and substance into this genre. It has a straight-out-of-consciousness feel to it, but amazingly is still paced perfectly. I was so impressed I have to give it top honors for that accomplishment. Robert DeCoteau is innately skilled, a born writer.
January 2, 2012
Very well written, engaging story! I found myself saying things out loud while reading this, lol. I loved this book from exciting start to surpise ending. Definitely recommended!!!
June 23, 2012
What a great book!! Nonstop action! Wish there was a sequel!
July 16, 2013
Loved it! Was better than I expected it to be :)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews