The First Days: As the World Dies (As the World Dies, #1)

by Rhiannon Frater

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. 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.

• ISBN10: 0765331268
• ISBN13: 9780765331267
• Publish Date: 5 July 2011
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 30 November 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tor Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Original published in 2008, The First Days is perfect for fans of the Walking Dead TV series and the trilogy would make a great gift for any zombie fan. In this first tale we follow Jenni and Katie, two strangers who survive the first day in Texas. The two escape the city and we follow them as they meet others, build strong friendship and end up in a fortified rural town that besieged by zombies.

Frater can weave a tale and pull the reader in, from her easy descriptive writing style to the fast pace story, and developed characters. I am always fascinated by our reactions to sudden change and danger. It is interesting to see how humanity reacts from violence to emerging leaders.

Jenni loses everyone at the onset of this outbreak.  The imagery in the opening scenes are unthinkable. It all felt bloody real and in that moment I became immersed in the tale. Katie's story speaks of heroism, but also leaves her with survivor's guilt. It was powerful. We witness selfish acts and selfless acts throughout the story. It makes you realize those people that cut in line, cut you off and feel they are entitled to more.... will be horrible freaks if things go crazy and the world dies.

Frater brought everything to life and made it all feel surreal. She showed the good, the bad and the downright ugly side of humanity while introducing us to a group of characters you'll want to root for. It was an intense ride, but it was also grounded in reality from the logistics of keeping zombies out, to the subtle romances. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[mbtc]

I liked how this book focused on what they went through to survive from these creatures. I didn't like the touchy feelyness throughout this book. It didn't seem realistic to me.

[Kelsenator]

Originally posted on my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I started this book, but I ended up loving the story and the characters. I mean who doesn’t love two girls who can kick Zombie butt?

The two main characters, Jenni and Katie find each other the morning that the infection spreads. At first everyone says it’s a riot that’s spreading, but then people start eating other and coming back to life. The government and the CDC keep switching between saying it’s a virus or the reanimated dead.

Not knowing what is going on, and having lost most of their loved ones, Katie rescues Jenni and they band together to try and survive and find somewhere safe. On the way they rescue Jenni’s step-son, Jason, and find their new dog Jack. They truck it through the wilderness of Texas, and end up in a man-made fort. The Zombies keep coming to the walls, and they must figure out ways to get rid of them, and keep the people inside safe. Of course there will always be casualties.

The girls also have to deal with the emotional journey of mourning for their lost families, most of who became the undead, while trying to move on and be strong. Katie especially seems to be suffering at the loss of her wife Lydia, and Jenni at the loss of her two youngest kids. They bond together, and depend on each other for support and strength. Juan and Travis were also pretty awesome characters, but I really loved Nerit and Ralph.

I have slowly been getting into Zombie books, reading lighter reads of this genre. This one put the action right out there, with new things developing along the way. It was full of zombie goodness, but it wasn’t over the top or too much. The zombies were just perfect.

I highly recommend this series for Zombie fans!

[Amanda]

Original review: http://onabookbender.com/2011/11/30/review-the-first-days-by-rhiannon-frater/

Despite not being a zombie fan, I am most definitely a Rhiannon Frater fan. From the opening lines, Rhiannon Frater draws you in with chilling descriptions and a sense of foreboding that refuses to dissipate. Reading The First Days left me feeling on edge, waiting for the next catastrophic event to happen. I found the characters to be interesting — flawed, but honest and real, even if the characters occasionally got on my nerves.

In many ways, Jenni and Katie are complete opposites. And yet, the two of them have been thrown together — by chance and luck, no less — and form a strong bond. The adage that opposites attract works well for the relationship between Jenni and Katie. They both fulfill an important role in the other’s world. Eventually we meet more people who will become central to our characters: Jason, Travis, Juan, Ralph and Nerit, all of whom are vital to the story in some way.

I found myself putting the book down a lot, though I suspect the reason for this is has to do more with me than anything related to the book. The post-apocalyptic genre doesn’t quite appeal to me. If you do like this genre, or you like zombie horror stories, The First Days will a book you do not want to miss.