Review of The Forgotten by L.C. Mortimer

[Barbara Ann RS]

Many of the post-apocalyptic zombie novels I’ve read have focused on a protagonist’s dealing with the immediate effects of a zombie outbreak, so the fact that The Forgotten is set eight years after a zombie invasion caught my attention and was one motivating factor in my decision to read this book.

Nicole Blue has grown up learning to live in a new world where survival is always at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Nicole’s young life has been filled with tragedy since the zombies came to her hometown bringing destruction and death. With her father as mayor, the town has gradually been rebuilt and fortified with walls to keep the zombies out so citizens can try to have some of the normalcy from their former lives.

When the story begins, Nicole is now 24, her father has passed away, and she has very little to keep her in Altus except for her girlfriend, Megan.  No longer content with her life, Nicole yearns for something more. When she moves to the much larger city of Breakside to start a new life, Nicole doesn’t realize how much she will come to question her decision to leave behind the few loved ones she has left in her life.

Breakside offers more opportunities for Nicole, and she experiences much more freedom than she had in Altus. It was intriguing to read about the logistics of living in a post-apocalyptic world where zombies and the risk of infection still pose a serious threat to society. The author paints a detailed verbal picture of what life is like now through Nicole’s journey, and, just when Nicole begins to get lulled into the false sense of security Breakside offers, the walls come tumbling down, literally, when the zombies arrive in full force for another invasion.

From this point the action and the danger escalate as Nicole and her new love, Colin escape from Breakside and struggle to make their way in an uncivilized world where their survival depends on their skills, resourcefulness, and determination. There are several gripping scenes where the outcome looks grim. 

As I followed Nicole’s physical journey, I also gained insight into her tumultuous emotional state of mind as she traverses the dangers of this desolate, bleak world realizing that the only one she can rely upon is herself, and the decision to trust others is one not to be taken lightly.  At the heart of this story is Nicole’s gradual acceptance of the past, the ones she’s loved and lost, her willingness to live in the here and now, and finally, to learn how to embrace the tenuous future that awaits her.

 I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review. 

Link to Review & Giveaway

http://sunmountainreviews.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/blog-tour-for-th...