{"id":2120,"date":"2013-06-13T13:01:55","date_gmt":"2013-06-13T17:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.zombiegift.com\/zombie-blog\/?p=2120"},"modified":"2013-06-13T13:01:55","modified_gmt":"2013-06-13T17:01:55","slug":"zombie-book-review-for-those-in-peril-on-the-sea-by-colin-m-drysdale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zombiegift.com\/zombie-blog\/zombie-book-review-for-those-in-peril-on-the-sea-by-colin-m-drysdale\/","title":{"rendered":"Zombie Book Review: For Those In Peril On The Sea by Colin M. Drysdale"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Zombie-Book-Reviews-for-those-in-peril-on-the-sea\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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I grew up around boats and marinas. My father has always had an intense love, no…obsession, for boating. \u00a0My dad doesn’t share my obsession for zombies but he does always joke \u00a0the perfect way out of a zombie apocalypse would be on a boat on open water. That’s why when Colin M. Drysdale approached ZombieGift.com requesting a review<\/a> of his zombie novel, For Those In Peril On The Sea<\/em>, I was more than willing to oblige.<\/p>\n

For Those In Peril On The Sea<\/em> tells the story of a group of four characters hired to deliver a newly built catamaran sailboat. The task seems simple enough; just sail the newly built vessel across the Atlantic from South Africa to Miami.\u00a0 Mother nature has different plans and the boat gets pretty banged up and drenched in a viscous squall. The storm floods the boat nearly sinking it and soaks the electronics, cutting off all communication to the outside world. The crew decides to head to a lighthouse to use the radio there to notify the boat\u2019s new owner of their location and the trouble they encountered.\u00a0 They soon discover worrying about the boat\u2019s new owner being upset is the least of their concerns.<\/p>\n

There is absolutely no lighthouse keeper in sight. There\u2019s a vehicle with broken glass and a bloody mess, but no humans anywhere. There are barricaded doors and evidence of bloody struggles in the houses near the lighthouse but no sign of life anywhere. That is until the survivors on shore decide retreating back to their boat is a good idea. Just as they’re leaving they are pursued by a man with a machete. Is he friend or foe? They don’t stick around long enough to find out which is probably a good thing. \u00a0 As they’re fleeing to safety they witness the machete wielding man mauled by zombies.<\/p>\n

The boat of survivors weighs their options and decides to head on to Florida to report what they’ve seen.\u00a0 After a six week journey at sea the crew is excited to finally reach Florida. When they return to civilization they realize something is terribly wrong.\u00a0 Miami appears to be in flames and the shore is crawling with more infected.<\/p>\n

They make the decision to push father into port and head more inland. \u00a0 They’re greeted with a grim scene and the stark realization that the whatever this crisis or outbreak is, it envelops the world on a much grander scale than they originally imagined.\u00a0 They make the only logical decision and retreat back to the safety of the sea.<\/p>\n

Eventually they discover they aren’t earth’s sole survivors and they meet up with another group of survivors that have formed a floating community of boats just off shore in the relative safety of a harbor. \u00a0The remainder of the book tells the story of how this group survives and what eventually ends up tearing them apart and separating them.<\/p>\n

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What We Liked<\/span><\/h1>\n

Good Range of Characters:<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a wide variety of personality types in this story. There are innocent children, hardened survivalist\/ ex-military types, motherly figures, leaders, and more.<\/p>\n

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Character Development:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Drysdale does an amazing job of getting you invested and involved in his characters.\u00a0 Watching characters adapt, evolve, grow, regress and mature some more brings a great deal of realism to this novel. \u00a0Watching the character CJ evolve from a seemingly weak female into a strong supporter, fighter and nurturer was a pleasure. \u00a0Watching the main protagonist, Rob, grow from a lost wayward man to a successful, albeit reluctant at times, leader was one of the main highlights of this experience.<\/p>\n

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No One is Safe:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Much like the most beloved fictional works of our times, \u00a0it seems no one is safe in Drysdale\u2019s world.\u00a0 Just as you start to really like a character and enjoy reading of their successes they can be taken from you.<\/p>\n

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Unique Take on Zombies:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u201czombies\u201d in this book aren\u2019t typical zombies. They\u2019re more your 28 Days Later<\/i> infected variety of ravenous killer. \u00a0 These former humans have been infected by a mutated rabies virus that spreads much faster than it can be possibly be contained. \u00a0The infected in this book, which we\u2019ll still refer to as \u201czombies\u201d since the line between the two has blurred so much in recent years, are both fast and slow. When no prey is around they simply shamble around in an almost dormant state. As soon as they sense a meal they leap into action and possess almost superhuman speed. \u00a0It’s a creepy combination of slow and fast zombies that works very well.<\/p>\n

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Unique Setting:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Those In Peril On The Sea<\/em> takes a fresh and unique approach to the typical zombie story. The characters aren’t just using the sea to get from one location to another.\u00a0 They\u2019re living on the water to take advantage of the fact that the infected won\u2019t tread into deep water to pursue them.\u00a0 They rely on the sea and become part of a floating community that depends on the resources the sea provides while simultaneously struggling to overcome the \u00a0obstacles it throws their way.<\/p>\n

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The Author Has Truly Impressive\u00a0Knowledge:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The author\u2019s knowledge of boating and the real life locations he thrusts his characters into is very impressive. \u00a0This knowledge makes the story that much more enjoyable to read.<\/p>\n

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Some Very Scary Scenarios:<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are plenty of gory and horrific encounters in this book. There is just the right amount of gore and blood without it being gratuitous. \u00a0One of my favorite aspects \u00a0when reading this book was being drawn in by the mistakes characters make when escaping from the infected. \u00a0Like a good horror movie this novel has a \u00a0few “why on earth would you do that<\/em>!?” moments that leave the characters trapped and facing certain death. Two of my absolute favorite moments are when characters are trapped in a beached shipping container and a lighthouse. These are truly vivid scenarios. You can almost feel, hear and see the infected clawing to get at the characters. \u00a0These moments keep you turning the pages and extending your reading time to “just a few more pages.”<\/p>\n

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The Concept of \u201cDrifters\u201d:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anyone that has spent any time boating, even on small inland lakes, knows there is always some sort of debris floating around. \u00a0This is even more true after a major storm.\u00a0 Growing up boating on the Great Lakes of the U.S. I know it isn’t unusual to encounter coolers, logs, pieces of driftwood,submerged trees and even entire picnic tables bobbing just at the surface. When you\u2019re dealing with something as vast as the Atlantic Ocean it\u2019s only magnified.<\/p>\n

Mr. Drysdale holds true to the classic zombie canon with his assertion that the infected can\u2019t swim. He does however give them enough wherewithal to cling to floating debris should they find themselves in deep water. \u00a0He labels these unlucky infected, \u201cdrifters\u201d and they are one of the biggest hazards for the survivors at sea. Drifters bob around clinging to debris. \u00a0They can be found clinging to objects, floating in life jackets they were wearing when they turned, or even pacing around in the life raft they were sheltered in when they turned. These zombies are dangerous because they can approach an anchored vessel nearly silently and have the ability to crawl on board in search of their next feast of flesh.<\/p>\n

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Meh. (What We Didn’t Like)<\/span><\/h1>\n

There aren’t too many zombie novels that are perfect in our opinion and For Those In Peril On The Sea<\/em> is no exception. \u00a0While there honestly wasn’t much to dislike about this book, it did have a few flaws. \u00a0In the interest of a fair and honest review, let’s discuss some of the aspects of this book we didn’t like so well.<\/p>\n

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The First Half Moves A Little Slowly:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m difficult to please and I’m a reader with a short attention span. \u00a0For this reason a couple points in the first half of the book moved a little slowly for me at times.\u00a0 It\u2019s nothing significant and there is in no way any needless filler in there that shouldn’t be.\u00a0 The necessary first half of the book naturally builds the plot and sets the scene for the action packed second half.\u00a0 There were a few lulls in the story for me but they served to build tension and help keep the reader on their toes because trouble is never far off.<\/p>\n

The second half of this novel moved much more quickly for me and I found it much more difficult to stop reading. If it weren’t for the fact that most of my reading is done late at night when I\u2019m exhausted I would have probably finished the book in a sitting or two.<\/p>\n

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Lack of Human Conflict:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong, there\u2019s plenty of personality conflict in this tale. \u00a0The characters have passionate arguments and heated debates but that\u2019s about it for the first \u00be of the book.\u00a0 Just as I was beginning to wonder if Drysdale\u2019s view of post-apocalyptic humanity is a little too optimistic he redeemed himself.<\/p>\n

Toward the end of the story the reader learns of the evil deeds of one of the characters that was always suspicious. \u00a0As a reader you always suspect he’s capable of evil but he consistently seems to avoid crossing the line. \u00a0In the end you realize just how far the character was willing to go to get his way.\u00a0 Even with this conflict and tragedy I still can\u2019t help but wonder if this is too rosy of a picture for society.<\/p>\n

Whenever there is tragedy, chaos and society with no law there is someone there to take advantage of it. Perhaps it was just too early in the outbreak, but I\u2019m surprised the survivors didn’t encounter any bands of roving pirates or other non-infected willing to take what they want or needed by force.\u00a0 In dire situation like this I’m not sure humanity would work together so well, even with small groups of survivors.<\/p>\n

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Typographical Errors<\/strong><\/p>\n

They were a handful of typos in this book. These were frequent enough to be noticed but they weren’t frequent or severe enough to detract from the story.\u00a0 Most errors were simply omitted words or words that ended up appearing in duplicate. I’ve read many zombie novels and some of them are so poorly edited you can barely read them.\u00a0 In fact there have been a couple books in my own hands that I’ve simply had to stop reading and refuse to review.\u00a0 For Those In Peril On The Sea<\/i> is nowhere near this bad and just could have used another pass from a fresh set of editing eyes.<\/p>\n

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Rating and The Final Verdict<\/span><\/h1>\n

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\u00a0We gave For Those in Peril On The Sea<\/em> a 4.25 out of a best possible 5 star score. \u00a0In all honesty the book is probably close to warranting a 4.5 or slightly higher but due to missed typos and other minor issues we decide a 4.25 was a fair rating. In the end that’s our useless opinion. We \u00a0highly recommend it and encourage you to pick up a copy and judge for yourself!<\/p>\n

The Final Word: \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>For Those in Peril On The Sea<\/em> is a welcome and refreshing take on the zombie genre.\u00a0\u00a0 Drysdale\u2019s novel does a fantastic job of taking the same old zombie story, keeping the right elements and putting just the right spin on the core survival tale elements.\u00a0 The book has a near perfect balance of gore, horror, personal struggle, character development and suspense.\u00a0 It doesn’t bombard you with the typical zombie clich\u00e9s nor does it use the shambling undead as a crutch.\u00a0 You could easily substitute zombies for another threat on land and the story would be just as engaging. \u00a0It\u2019s a great read whether or not you\u2019re a fan of zombies and I highly recommend checking it out.<\/p>\n

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About the Book:\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

Official Website:<\/strong>\u00a0 http:\/\/www.ForThoseInPeril.net<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0(Full of fun facts, interactive maps, zombie fun and more!)<\/p>\n