Don't drink the water ...

The Scourge by A.G. Henley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started this book mid-evening and struggled a bit with the first chapter or so - almost giving up and drifting off to sleep. Next minute it is 0130 am and I need to get to sleep or I'm never going to get up for work in the morning! This is just one of those stories that creeps up on you, knocks you on the head and ties you up so you never want to leave

The Scourge is a very character-driven tale. Certainly, there's plenty of action but the real depth comes from some well-crafted characterisation. I was also happy with the wordsmithing (is that a word?). I was impressed by The way AG Henley was able to describe a technicolour world through the blinded eyes of a sightless central protagonist (Fenn). The attention to detail was lovely - including the use of auditory and olfactory clues, as well as visual to describe the world around Fenn. You get a full detail of every little thing Fenn encounters, not only through her sharp senses but also through the eyes of those around her.

Oh, there are also zombies. Not always a selling point for me- I have a very low horror threshold, as a rule. However, the zombie hordes pretty much worked for me in this one!

What is also impressive is the professionalism of the galley. For a self-published novel, a debut at that, this book is not only beautifully written but also very well edited. I didn't find a single error to distract me from my reading experience.

I have a few issues with the pacing of the book, and I am dubious about the ending - I won't spoil it, but am unsure how to reconcile a few things there (the water, the water!!). I felt there were a couple of thin spots in the plot where it could have maybe benefitted from some patchwork, but, all in all, it is a solid novel and I will look for the sequel.

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