Outpost

Feb 06, 2013 karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-end

do you like this??

then you will probably like this book.

it has very many awesome things in it, like arctic isolation and metal-spiked zombies and flamethrowers and the scariest cruise ship ever and only a couple of things that are crappy. and not even crappy-crappy, but just those little annoying impossibilities you can't help but note when you are watching movies/reading books like these and you are like, "hold up, that doesn't make sense." or "but surely the timer would have run out by now,"...more

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Mar 21, 2013 mark monday rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to mark by: karen

Shelves: horrortime

it is a remote refinery in the arctic. there is a disparate crew. there is freezing cold and isolation and all of those sorts of things. these are the sorts of things i often like to read about. there is a mysterious worldwide disaster. there are zombies, a new kind of zombie, metallic zombies. there is a space-born plague, maybe? the plague is from nanobots, maybe? one can only guess. there is an abandoned luxury liner. it is full of zombies. there is an ambiguous ending, which is perfect.

the b...more it is a remote refinery in the arctic. there is a disparate crew. there is freezing cold and isolation and all of those sorts of things. these are the sorts of things i often like to read about. there is a mysterious worldwide disaster. there are zombies, a new kind of zombie, metallic zombies. there is a space-born plague, maybe? the plague is from nanobots, maybe? one can only guess. there is an abandoned luxury liner. it is full of zombies. there is an ambiguous ending, which is perfect.

the book has a certain kind of writing style. there are a lot of short, declarative sentences. it is like so. it actually drove me crazy in the beginning. it was so monotonous. everyone sounded the same. but then it began to work. it sorta began to work. Baker's monotonous style never changed, never became invisible, but it began to feel like the exact style needed for his tale. but i don't want to underplay the frustrating monotony of the style. it got under my skin. like a metal-based nanobot? maybe so.

there is a fat chaplain - she is our protagonist. the 'fat' part is important, it becomes the key to understanding her character, her motivation and her isolation and her self-loathing.

there is a ruthless young lady. she may be going mad. she may be our villainess. hard to say, but an absorbing character.

the characterization is not the strongest part but those two characters were quite well-done. there is a third character who is even more compelling. her name is Dr. Elizabeth Rye. she is also well-characterized. her background and her context and her thought processes made sense. the next sentence is a spoiler. she becomes a zombie. we continue to read her thoughts. her thoughts are fascinating and her story is bizarre and frustrating and tragic. she is my favorite part of this novel.

the book is grim, grim, and grim. but it is not all grim. there is some hope in the book. the book is not necessarily scary but it certainly creates a mood. the mood is grim. it is a cold feeling but the book did not leave me cold. i don't like the cold but i like to read about the cold. i liked the book.

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May 02, 2012 Lauren rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fail, toilet-paper-when-world-ends

This has to be one of the worst things I've read. I had no idea what the hell was happening 90% of the time, the writing was terrible and read more like a film script than a book. Jane goes from Pathetic Wimp to Capable Warrior Woman in a blink of an eye (apparently she starts the novel as obese and manages to slim down enough to run marathons around the rig in a couple of weeks). None of the characters were interesting (more cardboard cut outs), the plot felt like a bad sci fi movie and I feel...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Marvin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, kindle

You hate humanity. You take a job at an arctic oil rig with the rest of the rejects in the world. Then the zombie apocalypse happens and you are stuck stranded on the sidelines waiting to starve or freeze to death.

I hate it when that happens.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your viewpoint of zombie novels, the zombies do catch up with our unlucky oil rig residents. But before that happens, Adam Baker, in his debut novel Outpost, sets up a different kind of zombie novel in which the per...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Markus rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, horror, teotwawki

3 and ½ stars. A nice debut novel. A familiar horror sub-genre, 28 Days Later & Day of The Dead mix comes to mind. So what takes this above the an average zombie-book (and there's lot's of them these days)? Setting, fast pace, Elmore Leonard(ish) style of short sentences (or so i have heard, never read Leonard) and a good mood & atmosphere. A remote arctic oil refinery is a great setting for horror story, especially when world seems to end. There is a twist in virus/zombie stuff which is...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Ad Chopper rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An interesting and, at times, irritating read. Baker writes well for the most part and keeps things moving along but I couldn't help notice throughout I was repeatedly pulling back from the story as conversations and events between characters and the story sometimes moved very quickly when it felt like more should/could happen at that moment. The main character annoyed me throughout but I liked the concept, although having read some other comments here, others seemed to like her. Liked the idea...more

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May 19, 2012 Campbell Mcaulay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A small caretaker crew, stranded on an enormous refinery rig in the Arctic Circle, can only watch as the world succumbs to a strange zombie plague. With only a few months of supplies and with the long Arctic winter approaching, who will survive?

I read Adam Baker's prequel (Juggernaut) to this novel and, despite some faults, flaws and foibles really rather enjoyed it, so I thought it would be well worth giving his first novel a go. While much the same could be said for Outpost - flawed but enjoya...more A small caretaker crew, stranded on an enormous refinery rig in the Arctic Circle, can only watch as the world succumbs to a strange zombie plague. With only a few months of supplies and with the long Arctic winter approaching, who will survive?

I read Adam Baker's prequel (Juggernaut) to this novel and, despite some faults, flaws and foibles really rather enjoyed it, so I thought it would be well worth giving his first novel a go. While much the same could be said for Outpost - flawed but enjoyable - I'm afraid that it has to be stressed that its flaws are considerable. The concept is a good one and the location has enormous potential; indeed Baker has tried hard to capitalise on the idea's natural resources, producing something along the lines of a 30 Days of Night, Alien, 28 Days Later mash-up.

Unfortunately his inexperience as an author lets him down in his debut - the plot is long and rambling, mixing in too many story lines, some of which turn out to be dead ends or simply irrelevant. It is very much a novel in need of an editor and the not-so-tender ministrations of a literary axeman would probably improve the whole thing many times over. Some of the concepts that are followed are almost ludicrous in their oversimplicity and in one extended scene the chaplain and the rig's handyman locate a drifting "superliner" which they board with the help of a jury-rigged grappling hook (despite the ship being "10 storeys high"). They manage to start the ship's engines up (with a conveniently discovered ignition key - is it really that simple?) and then accidentally crash it into the rig. The purpose of the scene is not, as advertised, to provide the rig's crew with a means of escape but in fact to introduce the ship's zombified passengers and crew as a new source of jepoardy into the so far zombieless story. That they were running a grave risk of doing precisely this clearly didn't concern the protagonists overmuch.

I think it's been mentioned in another review that the fact no-one in the novel seems particularly upset that Armageddon has been and gone, their friends and family are almost certainly undead and they seem very keen to return to the remnants of civilisation to do battle with the zombie legions.

Hats off to anyone brave enough to open a novel by introducing an obese, suicidal, female chaplain (who is, apparently so fat that she "struggles to wipe after going to the toilet" - thanks for that image Adam). Sadly, after this rather promising start, she looses her quirky appeal and becomes a rather bland, featureless character (and then, magically, a rather bland, featureless survivalist heroine). Imagine the capital that Baker /could/ have made with a character like that! The rest of the cast are either ridiculously stereotyped (one way or another) or are under-visualised ciphers. Characterisation is poor; almost all of the cast are clearly English but all of them - male, female, chaplains, cooks and doctors - talk in a strange, hyper-macho Americanized slang lingo (for instance, referring to other human beings as "f ks" or "f kers"). There is an extract from the diary of one of the protags who has been infected and is charting her descent into zombiedom. This is a great idea but, oddly, she writes her diary in exactly the same macho voice as she, and all the other characters (and the author) speaks.

Those are the bad points. On the positive side, the writing is pretty good - it's hampered somewhat by Baker's addiction to staccato sentences, but perfectly readable nevertheless. Whilst unable to paint vivid character portraits, he does great landscapes; the scenery and atmospher really come to life and I felt the Arctic cold, smelt the oily stink of a mothballed oil rig and could hear the howl of the wind outside.

In the final analysis, this is very much a so-so novel, fairly well written and with interesting (nay intriguing) but poorly executed ideas. Quite readable, but requiring a prodigious suspension of disbelief and I'm afraid that I can only give this a generous three stars. However, and despite my extensive moaning, I must stress that I really did enjoy reading it and never once considered putting it to one side (a fate that has befallen better books than this). I think it's heartening that his second novel (Juggernaut) represents such an improvement over this one and it bodes well for future writings.(less)

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Apr 18, 2012 Brian Steele rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, horror

Baker has taken a unique direction with his post-apocalyptic zombie novel, into the realms of "Incidental Horror." It's a sub-genre that is difficult to navigate, but is pulled off here with superb results. Simply put - the end of the world came, but nobody bothered to inform an Arctic oil rig.

The creatures, who Baker has reinvented for his novel, do eventually show up, but a good deal of this book revolves around other horrors. Our dozen or so skeleton crew die from freezing temperatures, explo...more

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Sep 05, 2011 apple rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, apocalypse

Forget global warming, the world will end in great balls of zombie apocalypse and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! Outpost is a surprisingly heartfelt story about a bunch of losers who happen to have the ultimate misfortune of getting stranded on an arctic oil refinery during a bout of worldwide zombie outbreak. Granted the plot has been done to death but I can’t help caring for these characters, which goes against every zombie rule I stand for (alas, by the end of the book I’ve had my heart...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Jacob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(Repost from http://drying-ink.blogspot.com/2011/0...)

This isn't my first foray into the post-apocalyptic, but it's admittedly rare: 'after-the-end' stories aren't my usual reading material. (For one, I generally prefer a mix of tones!) At any rate, the blurb of Outpost seemed to promise something different: the account of a journey from an isolated oil rig back to the devastated mainland. And hopefully, I thought, some coverage of what happened next - the rebuilding, or how exactly the survivor...more (Repost from http://drying-ink.blogspot.com/2011/0...)

This isn't my first foray into the post-apocalyptic, but it's admittedly rare: 'after-the-end' stories aren't my usual reading material. (For one, I generally prefer a mix of tones!) At any rate, the blurb of Outpost seemed to promise something different: the account of a journey from an isolated oil rig back to the devastated mainland. And hopefully, I thought, some coverage of what happened next - the rebuilding, or how exactly the survivors dealt with their return.

I didn't get that.

But what I did get was a very competently executed take on some older tropes. More 'survival-horror' with a bit of post-apocalyptic atmosphere! Nevertheless, it's very well done, and genuinely creepy - Baker has a talent for concocting an astonishing (and terrifying!) variety of situations in the book's limited setting. But let's take a step back from all the fun zombies and look instead at the plot:

Our protagonists are the residents of an oil rig: brought down to a skeleton crew in the Arctic. Jane, for the most part our viewpoint character, is the chaplain - preaching to a congregation of exactly zero. However, while waiting for the rig's closure, disaster - you guessed it - strikes. This time? Pandemic, but as we find out, there's more to the apocalypse than disease. Think zombies, but with metal growing through them as the infection spreads. Without supplies, the crew are going to have to move: to return to the infected mainland.

You're probably spotting a few cliches and old tropes already: zombie apocalypse, for one! Nevertheless, the contents might have been done before, but Outpost genuinely does them well. The 'zombies' are terrifying, there's little way to fight back, and the crew themselves are scarcely united. All of which contribute to the atmospheric nature of the novel.

Nevertheless, it does suffer in a few areas: however well executed, some horror tropes have simply become discredited over the years, and even zombie plagues have lost some of their awesomeness. Furthermore, with the promise of a return to devastated civilisation, it's a pity we never get to see it: that, to me, is the real interest of this kind of novel! Sadly, we never get to see an attempt at rebuilding, or even Day of the Triffids-esque outposts, so if you're looking for something that goes beyond the confines of the usual post-apoc/horror genre... Outpost probably isn't for you.

However, if you're good with a competent, atmospherically-done traditional novel - with a few unpredictable twists - then Outpost is definitely worth a go.(less)

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Jul 17, 2011 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, science-fiction

It's largely thanks to this novel that I have just had a rather lazy weekend, that is if you count being gripped by a story as lazy. Baker's Outpost quickly grabbed, as the skeleton crew of a mothballed Arctic refinery platform are left abandoned as the world is brought to an end by some unknown plague. At first, as the mysterious carnage unfolds on the TV screens, then as the screens go blank one by one, all they can think of is rescue - of getting home. Then the nightmare comes closer and the...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Colin Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Does the world need yet another post-apocalyptic zombie thriller? Adam Baker thinks so and has delivered one with Outpost, his first novel.

The crew of the Kasker Rampart refinery platform are stuck in the arctic ocean waiting for supplies when they fear that things may not be going well back home. It becomes apparent that there has been an event (a global pandemic) and although all they can hear is “panic and rumour” it’s also clear they are on their own.

The characters set about planning a possi...more Does the world need yet another post-apocalyptic zombie thriller? Adam Baker thinks so and has delivered one with Outpost, his first novel.

The crew of the Kasker Rampart refinery platform are stuck in the arctic ocean waiting for supplies when they fear that things may not be going well back home. It becomes apparent that there has been an event (a global pandemic) and although all they can hear is “panic and rumour” it’s also clear they are on their own.

The characters set about planning a possible escape by exploring the surrounding snowy wastes and contacting other ships and platforms in the area. Soon, however, they meet some survivors and it’s clear they have more to worry about than they initially thought as what started as a fight for survival becomes all out war.

Okay, this isn’t technically a zombie novel but the ‘creatures’ (who have been subject to some kind of infection with sees them sprouting metal), are effectively zombies in every other sense so lets not be pedantic. It is a post apocalyptic novel, but the true nature of the event is never revealed. The oil platform and ensuing sense of confusion was reminiscent of the start of Conrad William’s One.

It’s a pretty good stab at doing something new with a frankly tired sub-genre. While ramping up the tension and confusion, Adam Baker also ramps up the action and despite the limited canvas of the snowy Arctic waste, manages to devise an impressive variety of situations for the characters to be placed in. The characters themselves are perhaps the strongest feature of the book, from Jane the faithless, suicidal vicar, to Punch the laid back and heroic chef there’s a nice range of conflicting personalities.

There are also some interesting themes lurking in the background. Jane’s loss of faith, the contrast between the castle like oil refinery and the sweeping panorama of the Arctic landscape as well as an ever present ecological undercurrent. These are all kept fairly low key allowing the pace to be maintained and it is a pacy book, with plenty of short, snappy action scenes to keep things moving.

So the world probably doesn’t need another post apocalyptic zombie novel but if we are going to get one then at least Outpost manages to satisfy with it’s entertaining mix of well drawn characters and action.

Rating 3.5 out of 5
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May 16, 2011 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, science-fiction

This review originally appeared at

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Sep 21, 2011 Lainy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Blurb from goodreads

They took the job to escape the world.
They didn't expect the world to end.

Kasker Rampart: a derelict refinery platform moored in the Arctic Ocean. A skeleton crew of fifteen fight boredom and despair as they wait for a relief ship to take them home. But the world beyond their frozen wasteland has gone to hell. Cities lie ravaged by a global pandemic. One by one TV channels die, replaced by silent wavebands. The Rampart crew are marooned. They must survive the long Arctic wint...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Chimene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Zombir/Horror fans

Shelves: zombie, horror

Came across the Outpost by accident...

I was unsure to start with; as I enjoy a good zombie movie but wasn't sure if I would enjoy it in book form and I also thought a Zombie book would be to predictable... I am so glad that I gave Outpost a shot. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I loved that the story was set on an oil rig; a very different setting from most zombie stories! The characters were so isolated/cut off from everything and everyone. An ideal setting for backstories to unravel, tensions, suspici...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Jane rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

On the front cover of this book is the question - 'When the end of the world comes...do you want to be the first to go? or the last to survive?'
My answer is that if this is the kind of book you will have to read...then I want to be the first to go.

Outpost promised much (in the blurb) but delivered little. The action limped along (although I did keep reading it just to see if anything would happen) but nothing much did. There were a lots of questions with no answers e.g. how did the girl who sai...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Misty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, team-awesome

5/5

I have to be honest and say at first I had trouble getting into this book, it's written so differently to anything else I've read, there's not a whole lot of description, it's mostly dialogue, here's a little example:

'Eight men in the Zodiac. The boat rode low in the water.Overloaded. The outboard laboured. They weaved between pack ice.'

Had this not been a review book I might have given up on it but I can say I've never been more glad that I never gave up because by the end the book was amazi...more
5/5

I have to be honest and say at first I had trouble getting into this book, it's written so differently to anything else I've read, there's not a whole lot of description, it's mostly dialogue, here's a little example:

'Eight men in the Zodiac. The boat rode low in the water.Overloaded. The outboard laboured. They weaved between pack ice.'

Had this not been a review book I might have given up on it but I can say I've never been more glad that I never gave up because by the end the book was amazing! I was still thinking about it all through the next day and the writing just adds to it's uniqueness.

The book is simply brilliant and the characters are great, we see the biggest transformation in Jane as she loses her faith and a lot of weight, falls for a great man and becomes a leader, I really liked her.

I really enjoyed the more realistic potrayal of people because in real life people don't always run into burning buildings to rescue their friends, I thought it was good that our little survival crew were divided and had their own ideas of how to keep going and how to get home. The book really makes you think and asks the questions 'What would you be willing to do to survive? Would you screw over your friends, or would you lay down your life to save them?' 'Would you be able to keep it together in a post apocalyptic world where everyone you knew back home is probably dead, or would you go crazy or be driven to suicide from despair?' All of these issues are tackled throughout the book making for an exciting read with some shocking twists and turns I genuinly didn't see coming.

It's the scariest book I've read sonce Kings IT, the zombies themselves are really creepy and I'm not ashamed to admit I couldn't turn out the light and go to sleep for about half an hour after staying up until 1:30am to finish it. They do have a difference to other zombies and an explainer as to how they're walking and talking when they're dead which is interesting and totally believeable, I can't wait to find out more about them and what happened in future books as this one is mostly speculation as it mostly about the crew on their fight to survive during the arctic winter.

The book is definitely dark and scary, not one I'd recommend giving to your kids! It's clever and honest and a welcome debut in the book world.
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Aug 24, 2012 Alexis Winning rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: zombies

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Aaahh, those summer reads where you step out of your reading comfort zone with a pleasant surprise. For the record I am a zombie purist. For the most part I believe that supernatural and/or aliens should be left out of the genre. Outpost is the exception to my rule.

When a devastating pandemic overtakes the world, the survivors on an arctic oil rig must struggle to comprehend what is happening while simultaneously take action to survive. The heart of any good zombie book is how the characters re...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, kindle, zombies, post-apocalyptic

Outpost by Adam Baker is an excellent, unique, gripping apocalyptic story. It all takes part on a closed-down oil refinery in the remote Arctic Ocean called Kasker Rampart. The skeleton crew of fifteen people who have been left to look after the station watch news reports of a global plague, looting, mass death, and global quarantines with helplessness -- they are stranded, and the ship with their relief and supplies for the winter never arrives. The group knows that they don't have enough food...more Outpost by Adam Baker is an excellent, unique, gripping apocalyptic story. It all takes part on a closed-down oil refinery in the remote Arctic Ocean called Kasker Rampart. The skeleton crew of fifteen people who have been left to look after the station watch news reports of a global plague, looting, mass death, and global quarantines with helplessness -- they are stranded, and the ship with their relief and supplies for the winter never arrives. The group knows that they don't have enough food to last the winter, and have to face the fact that they won't be able to leave the refinery until the ice freezes over....at which time, the plague and death could also cross the ice to them. The isolated, icy, barren setting is the perfect stage for an end-of-the-world horror scenario.

Most of the book revolves around the motley crew's response to the disaster. Jane, a faithless, depressed priest, rises to the occasion and tries to support the rest of the group. Her metamorphosis is fascinating. Ghost, a skilled handyman, devises ways for the crew to survive. The cook Punch and hairdresser Sian contribute to rescue efforts, while many of the crewmen drown their fears in drugs or alcohol. The group fragments as they become increasingly isolated and afraid. All the characters in the story, even minor ones, are well-drawn, complex, compelling, interesting and full of depth. This is one of the major strengths of the story. I genuinely cared about the characters and wanted them ALL to make it (generally a false hope when reading an apocalyptic tale!).

Another real strength of this story is the plague victims themselves. Much like a typical zombie, they are mostly mindless and driven to kill humans; however, they are so much more than typical! They are genuinely creepy, scary, ever-evolving metallic creatures who become almost robotic. We never learn exactly what caused this, but we learn the origin and Jane speculates that it is a nano-type biological weapon. Regardless, the creatures are truly frightening, and somehow somewhat human, too. The horror they feel as they transform is riveting and adds to the reader's horror.

I found myself unable to put down this book. It is beautifully imagined and written. I would have rated it 5 stars but for a bit of fuzzy logic near the end. Despite that, it is a strong story and highly recommended. This is Adam Baker's first story -- I can't wait to see what he comes up with next! (less)

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Dec 10, 2011 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

A mothballed oil rig in the Barents sea, containing a skeleton crew, most of which are there to escape their world, some in misery, some in shame. However, while there, the world ends courtesy of a zombie like virus that has decimated the worlds population. Stranded, alone, and isolated with only what they have on board, contending with the various egos and machinations of the crew.

This is on the darker end of the apocalypse genre, and felt the harrowing despair of being stranded in a cold deso...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’ve said it before, and I’ll no doubt say it again, I am utterly fascinated by apocalyptic fiction. I grew up in the eighties and I think this has left a rather fatalistic streak in my character. I still remember the first time I was exposed to dramas like When the Wind Blows and The Day After. These left a distinct impression and as I grew up, and learned to appreciate the written word, I have devoured any fiction that touches on this broad subject matter. The nature of the cataclysm itself is...more I’ve said it before, and I’ll no doubt say it again, I am utterly fascinated by apocalyptic fiction. I grew up in the eighties and I think this has left a rather fatalistic streak in my character. I still remember the first time I was exposed to dramas like When the Wind Blows and The Day After. These left a distinct impression and as I grew up, and learned to appreciate the written word, I have devoured any fiction that touches on this broad subject matter. The nature of the cataclysm itself is almost irrelevant. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s a pandemic, nuclear annihilation, alien invasion or zombie apocalypse. I am more interested in learning about the characters and their journeys while trying to survive.

Setting the majority of the story in such a closed environment is extremely effective. Surrounded by an inhospitable landscape, Kaser Rampart is a virtual prison, which adds a nice feeling of claustrophobia. In the first half of the story the characters are trapped in what is essentially a confined space with nowhere to run to, while waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was reminded of the classic John Carpenter’s movie The Thing. There is a palpable feeling of dread and impending doom that permeate every chapter.

When the contagion finally reaches the rig the slow pace accelerates rapidly as for the survivors it becomes a race against time to escape. The thin veneer of civility finally collapses and factions begin to form. There are those who are all about self preservation and are willing to do anything to survive while others are willing to do anything to help the group as a whole. Put it this way, as things get worse and worse the saying that “civilization is only three hot meals away from total anarchy” seems more and more apt.

The real heroine of the novel is Jane Blanc, the refinery vicar. She starts out as a bit of a doormat. Her low self esteem has driven her to take a job far away from the rest of the human race. In an effort to escape her old life, she has ended up in this remote location. As the story develops there is a genuine sense of development in her character as Jane starts to tap into, and use, unexpected reservoirs of inner strength. She rises to the challenge of a continuing existence and her grim determination is inspirational. She steadfastly refuses to quit and give in to the crushing despair that everyone else is drawn towards. Jane gets stronger and more able to cope, as those around her fall apart.

Outpost touches upon some truly dark subjects; suicide, cannibalism and murder to name but a few. I was impressed with how Baker’s writing tackled these areas. The isolation of the rig is well observed and felt very real. As the situation escalates, and things go from bad to worse, Baker ramps up the levels of paranoia and mistrust among the survivors. The psychological impact of the end of the world leaves scars on everyone, and the author spends time delving into the effects of this emotional trauma. I found it difficult to put the book down.

Harrowing and grim at times, but ultimately uplifting, Outpost is the debut novel from author Adam Baker and is available now. I can’t recommend this enough. Baker is definitely a new author to watch.

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May 07, 2011 Verse rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A dozen people on a mothballed refinery platform, hiding from the real-world and themselves. But when the rest of the world succumbs to a pandemic, they find themselves more alone then even they anticipated and their fight for survival is just beginning. Their enemies are numerous; the ferocious Arctic winter, their dwindling supplies, the grotesque plague victims and, ultimately, themselves.

SPOILERS

This is mainly an action driven story. I found the character development minimal, making the mai...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, horror

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/03/...

While reading Outpost, I had the persistent need to seek out a very warm bwankie and swaddle myself in it, or perhaps put on one of those survival suits used in very cold climates. The book begins like this:

“Jane woke, stretched, and decided to kill herself. If she hadn’t found a reason to live by the end of the day she would jump from the rig. It felt good to have a plan.”

I dare you to read that passage and not be immedia...more You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/03/...

While reading Outpost, I had the persistent need to seek out a very warm bwankie and swaddle myself in it, or perhaps put on one of those survival suits used in very cold climates. The book begins like this:

“Jane woke, stretched, and decided to kill herself. If she hadn’t found a reason to live by the end of the day she would jump from the rig. It felt good to have a plan.”

I dare you to read that passage and not be immediately hooked. I was, and it led to a marathon reading session lasting long into the night. Outpost takes place on an oil rig in the Arctic Circle. Are you shivering yet? That right there is pretty much all you need to set the scene for menace. Remote oil rig at the top of the world, cold that’s colder than you can imagine, limited food andsupplies…you get the picture. When the crew discovers that a virus has decimated the rest of the world, via a series of shocking and gruesome footage on BBC, they prepare to batten down the hatches and settle in for a long winter. This is easier said than done, though, and little do they know, the contagion that has destroyed the world is on its way to them, and it doesn’t discriminate.

You’re thinking zombies, right? You’d only be half wrong. The author has created something a little bit different with Outpost. The infected do have the propensity to bite and attack, but it’s for the sole purpose of spreading the parasite that infects them, and it’s a doozy. I don’t want to give away too much about the contagion, because it’s so darn cool, and really, really scary. Seriously, like, little hairs standing up on the back of your neck scary.

The book skips around to various characters, but they’re such an insular group, it’s not at all hard to keep up. The real stars of this drama are Jane and Ghost, however. Jane has been a “fat girl” all of her life. Choosing the career of a pastor, she thought it might help her to have to hear of other people’s problems, so as not to have to deal with her own. Taking the job on the rig was a last resort for her, and let me tell you, Jane blossoms in the face of adversity (I use this term lightly here-this situation is off-the-charts awful .) In fact, I couldn’t help but picture Jane looking just like Ripley from Alien; locked, loaded, and ready to go. She runs circuits around the rig, and “fat” no more, decides she’s gonna face this thing head on, and that she does. Ghost, the systems engineer, becomes her ally and friend, and together, they’re a pretty formidable team, but don’t sell Jane herself short. They say that situations such as these bring out a person’s true character, and the author explores that with each of the crew members. You have those that are out for themselves, those that will do anything to help the ones they love, and those that will turn into stone cold killers. The contagion is terrifying, and is, of course, a huge part of the story, but it’s the characters that will keep you turning the pages. There’s so much awesome in this book, it’s hard to pick what I liked best. Is it the spare, no-nonsense prose that the author uses? Well yes, I love that. Is it the luxury liner overrun with the infected that may be their only hope, or a deathtrap? I loved that too! There’s quite a lot to love, actually, about this book, especially if you’re a fan of superb survival horror, sci-fi, and yes, zombie fans will eat it up as well (pun totally intended). Also, don’t let the spare prose I mention fool you. These are complex characters in a situation I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and the author is expert in weaving the separate storylines together into one of the scariest books I’ve read this year. Absolutely not to be missed!(less)

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Dec 26, 2011 Craig DiLouie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In OUTPOST by Adam Baker, the skeleton crew of an offshore oil rig in the Arctic Ocean watch the world end on their TV screens as a mysterious illness sweeps the world, violently ending civilization. Now they must figure out a way to survive in one of the most inhospitable places on earth, and try to get home. The book is solidly written with many twists and turns and exciting set pieces, but the characterization is a little thin, and I was puzzled at how some of the characters morphed into engi...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Mathew rated it 4 of 5 stars

This had been recommended to me as an interesting debut novel, I saw it in a charity shop and grabbed it. I struggled to get into it and was unsure about the writing style from page 1 (how many times do you need to mention the characters name?). This dissolved and by page 10 I was hooked. I found myself instantly liking or disliking each character, always a good sign I think, although some of their characteristics didn't seem to fit.

Other reviews have mentioned they struggled to understand what...more

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Dec 01, 2012 David Proffitt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An intriguing story told in a unique way. Adam Barker's style is unusual and does remind me a little of a movie script wit it's short sentence and limited descriptive narration, but this does not distract in an way from the story itself. As the human race faces extinction from an incurable plague of unknown origin, the crew of an Arctic installation find themselves very much alone and fighting for survival against infection, the arctic winter, each other and a ship load of zombies!

I found the b...more

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May 11, 2012 Doug Brookes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book takes post-apocalyptic survival horror in a completely different direction. Fifteen people manning a off-shore oil refinery moored next to Franz Josef land which is about as far north as you can get. They see sporadic reports on various satellite news channels. Riots, martial law, cities burning, some kind of disease. One by the one the channels go off air until there is just static. The world has ended and no one has bothered to tell the crew of the Kasker Rampart oil rig.

The manner o...more This book takes post-apocalyptic survival horror in a completely different direction. Fifteen people manning a off-shore oil refinery moored next to Franz Josef land which is about as far north as you can get. They see sporadic reports on various satellite news channels. Riots, martial law, cities burning, some kind of disease. One by the one the channels go off air until there is just static. The world has ended and no one has bothered to tell the crew of the Kasker Rampart oil rig.

The manner of this world’s demise is kind of up for debate. It is somewhere between the zombie apocalypse and an alien parasite infestation. You do eventually meet the creatures but they are such an amalgamation of different ideas they are kind of hard to categorize. Regardless, this book centers on the struggle for survival of the crew left aboard the oil rig. Supplies are running out, 6 months of darkness are settling in, and no one is coming to get them. This is psychological horror at its best. A slow grind as the characters descend into madness and wink out, one by one. For all of the psychological grind, there is a healthy amount of action as well. The story and pacing move quite well for what is essential a mood piece. Plans hatched and failed, stress rising, open conflict, factioning, madness, cannibalism, this book has it all.

I believe this is exactly the kind of book I have been missing. It’s not about the characters, it’s not part of a series, this was simply a well told story. The characters are there with enough information to form an opinion and not much else. This isn’t a character exploration. This is survival horror at its best. The apocalyptic concept is great and the writing is simply brilliant. I was so into the story that I finished it in about 8 total hours and it is by no means a short book. I was just so drawn in and obsessed I had to finish it as quickly as possible. This is due to Baker’s excellent writing and storytelling chops.

There are a lot of books out there about the end of the world but this is by far one of the most unique. The end of the world came and went and it forgot this small crew in the Arctic Ocean. That’s okay though; they are more than capable of ending themselves. This is just an excellent book and I am going to look for more from Baker right now.

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Mar 23, 2013 Matthew Sarookanian rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm so happy I completed this book. Now I can say I've read the worst book ever, and lived to tell about it. I would have given this book zero starts if possible. The story was quite weak and all the characters were very thin in development, for some reason there's a fat preacher onboard who's useless and weak and pathetic in everyway and then as soon as zombies show up she turns into a hero out of Die Hard. And I don't know much about oil refineries up in the arctic circle, but after reading th...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a surprise to read - for several reasons. For one, a new author I had seen adverts for but not really had a chance to explore till now. One which I am glad I did - easy style, compelling characters and a great narrative. then there is the story line. It could so easily have been one of those throw away titles - where an interesting idea could have been exhausted in a paragraph followed by a book of clichés and rehashed second hand stories would follow. But it didn't, what followed...more

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Oct 07, 2011 George Ibarra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having worked in some out of the way places, I can certainly sympathize with the characters of Adam Baker's OUTPOST. I've met all these lonely, disenfranchised outcasts throughout my travels. Sadly, even though my feet have been planted in the same large city for over a decade, I still meet them.

Imagine an oil rig in the Arctic, closed for winter's long nightfall, and a skeleton crew left behind to keep things running. Suddenly there's a viral outbreak that slowly takes out the world. You're run...more

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