Sudden Independents is a solid piece of young adult PA literature. With not a single zombie in sight, Ted Hill manages to craft a story full of intrigue and tension.

Whilst some of the character building is flat – we range across a series of stereotypes – I am inclined to say this book is aimed at younger readers, and would certainly appeal to older teens.

The story felt much like an accessible YA adaptation of the Stand. A plague wipes out most of the population (in this case, all over 18s) and two power centres grow around good (Independents and God) and evil (Denver and the Devil). If this was the author’s intention then he’s done a fine job, and I’m well invested in continuing this series.

Whilst the set of characters was cliche, Ted Hill gives them enough life to let the reader invest themselves – Scout was the standout character for me, followed by the intolerable Molly. I wanted to throttle the girl – so the author clearly did the business in making the reader hate her!

A good, solid, accessible read.

You can buy Sudden Independents from Amazon here