It was while I was reading The City that I heard about George Romero’s passing. To be honest, it now feels like there is a massive hole in this genre that I have grown to love so much. Now, you may wonder what Romero has to do with The City or even the Autumn Series. Well, Romero set the standard, established the expectations and, whether consciously or subconsciously, Romero is the bar that all others will be judged by.

I am always on the lookout for post-apocalyptic/zombie (if you can call the Autumn Series a zombie series) book that stands out and goes somewhere different. I crave that book that brings me new emotions and feelings; a book where I. Did. Not. See. That. Coming. David Moody does this. He avoids the word zombie like the plague; although, a zombie by any other name still smells like a putrid, rotting corpse. But like any great book in the genre, it’s never about them, it is about us – the survivors.

Moody is a master of the human condition. Each character is unique, separate and a complete individual human. They are all part of the ensemble cast, sharing the spotlight equally. Unlike many other books where I am left with the impression that the protagonist is a reflection of how the author believes he or she would react to the apocalypse, in The City, there are as many reactions as there are characters. I am left with the image of Moody sitting in his local pub or at a sidewalk café watching people, creating a story for each one. How would she react? What would that guy do? That guy there, he’s going to be the arse. These characters are each given an equal platform in the story. They are my co-workers, neighbors and family. I can easily find myself in there as well.

The City is billed as book two in the Autumn Series, but it runs concurrently with book one; technically you could read book two first. It is a must read for any post-apocalyptic fan.