The Melt

At the best of times, I am inexplicably drawn to dystopian and post apocalyptic fiction.  Therefore, given the situation the world finds itself in in 2020, I currently find it even more impossible to pass up on.  Ann Werner is a new to me author, who apparently started this book in 2016 but it was then delayed by personal circumstances.  Then as she came to finish it, Covid-19 reared its ugly head and the parallels between her storyline and our current reality are quite uncanny, to say the least.  I must admit to having a bit of an ironic cringe about how the "president" handles the situation - and his name!

This story starts with a mystery virus apparently emerging from the melting permafrost in Magnolia.  I enjoy post apocalyptic books which show you the start, what happens next and then how the few left cope with the aftermath - and that is exactly what this book does, and does well, so I found it wholly satisfying.

I found the pace just right, enough time taken to introduce and flesh out the characters, but not a moment where I lost interest because there was not enough action.  As I often find in novels - and real life - stories of disaster, it is often the humans themselves that I find scarier than whatever it is that has caused humanity to fall apart.  Never more so than here, where one of the main sub-plots definitely has shades of The Crucible.  The story itself is always believable - scarily so at times - as are the emotions and actions of the characters we meet, both good and bad.

This is a quick, easy, compelling read and I can't wait for the next instalment to find out what happens next to this little band of survivors - who I found myself caring about, which to me is the mark of a successful book.  

Because I don't like reading book reviews that give away too much of a book's storyline, I never want to spoil a book for anyone reading my reviews.  Therefore, they are always spoiler free, and reveal only what is immediately obvious, plus my thoughts on my personal reading experience.  This will sometimes mean my comments are a little vague so if you prefer more specific details on the storyline etc, please refer to the publisher's synopsis.

The title and cover of this book are slightly misleading. They give the impression that the story centers more on global warming or the melting of polar ice. It doesn’t. 
But that’s not a bad thing, because it is still a really good story. It starts with the uncovering of a body buried in snow and ice. (That’s where the title comes in.) After that, a new virus begins making its way around the world. The story doesn’t focus on that, though it really doesn’t need to. Some of the events we read in the story are similar to events that have actually occurred in the COVID world. The story focuses more on the ones who survive the plague. 
I enjoyed the story and I’ll look for the next book when it comes out. That being said, the bad guy is exactly who you suspect of being the bad guy and for exactly the reasons you’d expect. Still, the story is engaging and I liked the characters.

The book is about an end of world virus that reinfects the earth.   I enjoyed the premise that a thousands of years old virus unfrozen, reinfects the planet.  I did not understand how once it is released it burns itself out adter about six months.  The story holds you in your seat until the end.  It's an easy and a fun read.

This is a great book.  It starts with the discovery of a body by some remote reindeer herders.  This leads to a full blown pandemic which, in view of the current Covid situation, makes me wonder how the author knew what was coming.  The description of the post pandemic world is horrifying and shows that catastrophes bring out the worst and the best in humanity.  It is skillfully written and gripping throughout. Highly recommended.

In a world being ravaged by a pandemic at the moment, I wasn't sure whether I'd enjoy this or not, but I actually ended up really enjoying it!! 

The plot is slow going but not in a bad way. It starts with some reindeer herders discovering a dead body. Not long after, nearly all of them succumb to a mysterious virus. From there, it's not long before an epidemic becomes a pandemic and the whole world is transformed. 

Enter Rina and Ethan Hampton, who are buying their first house. When Tina enters the last house she views, she knows it's the one for them. Best of all, it has a small bunker attached. They think it will be a good place for Ethans band to practice so buy the house. Then the pandemic hits and they buy provisions and enter the bunker! They know it's their only chance of survival. They emerge 2 months later and that's what the majority of the story is about. 

Plot wise, it was interesting and entertaining. I enjoyed when they left the bunker and met up with the others in the small community. The plot got even better when a certain someone enters the community and starts causing trouble. He was horrible but there's people like him in real life!! It felt authentic. 

There are quite a few characters, but all were well written and developed. I pretty much liked them all....well except those ones of course (read it and you'll know who I'm on about!!) 

In all, this was a really good read. It definitely echoes the world as it is today but I didn't mind that at all. Great characters and a believable plot...what more could I ask for.