Solstice by Donna Burgess

Synopsis:  On the eve of winter Solstice, a massive flash envelopes the Earth and then there is nothing. The sun no longer shines and civilization is plunged into unending darkness. Those exposed to the mysterious flash have changed—they have become bloodthirsty, cunning, and determined to devour anyone who is not infected. They are Ragers.



In Sweden, a group of uneasy travelers hears a broken broadcast. There is hope. Something called Sanctuary waits, but it is thousands of miles away, somewhere on the shores of the British Isles.

Meanwhile, in a London supermarket, a high school English teacher from the States finds himself stranded along with a handful of students on a senior trip. Outside, hoards of hungry Ragers await, ready to tear them limb from limb. Their only hope is to find Sanctuary.


Solstice is a tale of hope, terror, survival, and finding love at the end of the World.

Review:  Most of Solstice is told from the alternating points of views of two families that have survived an apocalypse and are now fighting survive in a world taken over by zombies.  This method of writing makes the story very fast paced.  Most chapters end with a cliffhanger which keeps you reading through chapters to find out the next segment of each family's story.

This zombie story is very different than other zombie stories in that the zombies know that they are dead, are able to speak and think, and able to make the decision to not eat people.  This is an interesting and unique approach to zombies - however, they never explain how it is that zombies can speak - which would have made the story better for me, as most zombies can't think or speak.

I did enjoy the many different characters and hearing about the zombie situation from all of their points of view.  The story is very creepy - and if there is a sequel I will be picking it up.


Author Bio:
Donna Burgess lives with her husband, daughter, son, many cats and one goofy Golden Retriever in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. When she is not writing, she can be found on her longboard, behind a good book or on the soccer field. She is the president of E-Volve Books. She holds a B.A. in English and a B.A. in Journalism and is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in Creative Writing.

Links:
http://twitter.com/#!/horrorgirldonna
http://www.facebook.com/horrorgirldonna
http://donnaburgess.com