The First Days

As the World Dies, Book 1

By: Rhiannon Frater

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Rhiannon Frater's As the World Dies trilogy is an Internet sensation. The first two books, The First Days and Fighting to Survive, have won the Dead Letter Award for Best Novel from Mail Order Zombie. The First Days was named one of the Best Zombie Books of the Decade by the Harrisburg Book Examiner. And AmericanHorrorBlog calls Rhiannon Frater "a writer to watch".

The morning that the world ends, Katie is getting ready for court and housewife Jenni is taking care of her family. Less than two hours later, they are fleeing for their lives from a zombie horde. Thrown together by circumstance, Jenni and Katie become a powerful zombie-killing partnership, mowing down zombies as they rescue Jenni's stepson, Jason, from an infected campground. They find sanctuary in a tiny, roughly fortified Texas town. There Jenni and Katie find they are both attracted to Travis, leader of the survivors; and the refugees must slaughter people they know, who have returned in zombie form.

Fast-paced and exciting, filled with characters who grab your heart, The First Days: As the World Dies is the beginning of a frightening trilogy.

©2008, 2011 Rhiannon Frater (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the few zombie novels fueled by the power of feminine protagonists in an apocalyptic world gone wrong." ( Harrisburg Book Examiner)

great story

Real and believable characters as well as a well written and performed story...what more can you ask for.

Enjoyable

An engaging story and characters and an unusual and welcome story of female friendship.

Great Story!

I'm excited to get to the 2nd book. This is a must read for adults.

love it

I've read this once & listened to it twice Its my second fav Zombie movie!!

Kind of a different approach

If you could sum up The First Days in three words, what would they be?

Tough human emotions

Would you recommend The First Days to your friends? Why or why not?

yeah, it's a good look at a different side of human nature.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I believe that it did

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The intensity of the children's demise and how it affected the mother in the first portion of the book.

Any additional comments?

I think that this book is a tough read (or listen) for a guy because it does focus a lot on the emotional state of the two women. With that said, it's tough to capture the human focus and this book seems to do it well. It's certainly not what I expect when I read a zombie novel, but I can't fault the author for writing from her imagination's point of view.
I believe that most guys will want to see more zombie fighting, survival skills and action, however, it's also a good idea to see what simmers below the surface if you are forced to survive together without running all over the country.

Interesting story, but not my cup of tea.

Good and interesting story, but a bit too much touchy feely for my tastes. if I didn't have so many other series that I find more to my liking, I may listen to book 2.

Finally decent complex women characters

This one was start to finish good. I cringed a bit facing some of the thoughts in jenny’s head but otherwise a good story. I like the main character Katie she’s complex and suffering . But. I sooo appreciated that her character is fleshed out and strong Definitely a good story.

Mills & Boon meets Romero?

Where to start! Who are these people? Two women modeled on Thelma and Louise...badly. One behaves like a jealous adolescent despite having just seen her children slaughtered and turned into zombies...The other is likable, but what the author was going for with the Lesbian-not-a-Lesbian, I can't imagine. I'm hoping the author is a smart cynical writer who decided to capitalize on two audiences: Mills & Boon meets Romero = Zomance!

Just a fun read!

I enjoyed this book. I looked forward to my 30 minute commute with this book. You have to be into the zombie genre though. It's always fun to have smart tough girls at the front of the story. If it helps you to decide, I immediately downloaded the second book in the series when I was done with book one.
I hope you enjoy

Starts great, but by the end I was almost a Zombie

This book started so good, but fell flat pretty quick for me. The baby fingers under the door was better starter then most zombie books I have read, but then I lost interest really quick. I think its because I could not emotionally relate to the characters. I found it hard to relate to them at all. The Lesbian who had found her soul mate and toughed out the controversy to be with the woman she loves, only to go after a man as soon as her soul mate turns zombie. The abused woman who took the abuse so her children didn't have to, only to find herself happy and free to be a bad ass in the new Zombie crazed world. Ummm.. Nope I cant relate to either of those, and those are the two main characters of the book. Its just dry, and though it was not the worst book I have in my library, It was lacking... Take my advice and keep looking. If you are looking for a zombie book, trust me, there are better out there.