David Moody's Blog, page 22

Don’t Look Up

It’s the number one film on NETFLIX at the moment, so I’m sure you’ve either already seen this movie or have heard plenty about it. That said, for posterity I’m adding it to the ongoing list of films I recommend here on this site, and I’ll explain why after the trailer.

Two low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.

Reaction to DON’T LOOK UP has been polarising, to say the least. Glancing at IMDB just now, the Metascore is 50. On Rotten Tomatoes it currently stands at 55%. I don’t think the stats are at all surprising – if anything they’re quite appropriate – because the polarisation of society is at the core of the film. As an apocalyptic story, it’s by-the-numbers. As a comedy, it’s intermittently very funny. I can understand why people expecting either a laugh-fest or a GREENLAND or ARMAGEDDON style action adventure would be disappointed. Much has been made of the fact that the destruction of the planet by a comet is an allegory for climate change, but you can substitute any number of current social issues. I think the film’s scope is far broader than any one scenario. It holds up a mirror (albeit a deliberately distorted and exaggerated one) to some of our worst traits as individuals and as a society.

Throughout the story, the characters are fixated on things that don’t matter at the expense of things that do: the President of the United States wants to sit on news of the impending apocalypse so as not to tarnish her approval ratings, a tech guru concocts a plan to mine the planet-killing comet to tap into the trillions of dollars worth of minerals it contains… even the scientists become distracted with the irrelevances of fame. There are many levels to this film, but what hit me hardest was the demonisation of critical thinking and the absolute intolerance of other perspectives. In some respects, it felt like a comedy version of HATER.

It saddens me that in the sixteen years since I wrote HATER, it feels like it’s become more and more relevant with each passing week. I never explain the reason for the Hate in the books, but I’d always had it in mind that it was some kind of biological quirk that separated them from us, a genetic or other physical difference. Turns out it was worse than that. Turns out we’re capable of killing each other on the basis of our ideologies, beliefs, opinions, and personal desires. That’s always been the case, of course, and I’m being deliberately simplistic here, but it truly does feel like we’ve reached the point in our evolution (devolution?) where many of us appear incapable of even listening to, let alone considering or accepting, another person’s point of view when it doesn’t fit with our own world view or if it will be detrimental to ourselves in any way, shape, or form. There is no maybe anymore, there’s just right and wrong, and if one person’s right is another person’s wrong (which it inevitably will be), then we hit an impasse.

It’s fucking terrifying when you think about it, and pretty depressing, but that’s why I’m recommending DON’T LOOK UP. The characters are caricatures and it doesn’t offer any solutions or profound explanations, but it does a great job of showing how heartbreakingly stupid and blinkered us human beings can be. I’d like to think we’ll smarten up before the planet is destroyed (either by a comet, climate change, a rogue AI, aliens, or – most likely – ourselves), but like the scientists in the story, I’m not holding out a lot of hope.

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The Battle of Wapping

It’s less than three weeks now until AUTUMN: INFERNO is released. I thought you might like to read an excerpt. The book opens with an army of survivors setting out to reclaim the streets of London from the dead – the battle of Wapping. Click the link below to read it.

You can read the entire novel today if you pre-order a signed copy from Infected Books. Otherwise, there’s not long to wait now. You can pre-order the eBook, and print pre-order links will be appearing shortly. Aubrey Parsons is busy at work recording the audio version, and the German translation is in Jasmin Kraft’s capable hands.

Can’t wait for you to read this one. And while you’re doing that, I’ll be hard at work on AUTUMN: EXODUS. The last book in the series will be nothing like you’ve read before.

They may have looked like an army as they marched along Tower Hill together, but most of them felt woefully underprepared. David Shires was near the back, cursing himself for volunteering but knowing he’d had no alternative. It just wasn’t in his nature to sit back and let others take the risks on his behalf. Also, he’d wanted to see for himself how bad things were out there. But now his nerves were clanging, and he wished he could trade places with someone who’d stayed behind. He was a reluctant combatant at the best of times, and today was far from the best of times. They came to a halt a short distance from the junction of East Smithfield and The Highway. David was sandwiched between Gary Welch on one side and Sanjay on the other, bracing himself against the crisp, icy-cold wind of the dry, mid-November morning. He didn’t think he’d ever felt more out of place in his life.

‘You’re shivering,’ Gary said. ‘Nerves or cold?’

‘Both. You?’

‘Shitting bricks. I don’t know about you, Dave, but when I come up against those dead fuckers and I’m not expecting it, I can cope. It’s the anticipation that gets to me, all this waiting around. Puts the fear of god into me, it really does.’

‘I’m the same,’ Sanjay said. ‘It amplifies the nerves, makes everything feel a thousand times worse. Reacting is one thing, thinking about how you’re going to have to react is something else altogether.’

‘Still, we’ll let that lot take the brunt of it, eh? They’re the pros, apparently.’ Gary gestured towards the large pack of fighters ahead of them, closer to the frontline. Some of them appeared disturbingly keen, chomping at the bit to release weeks of pent-up tension by battering the dead. There was nothing professional about them; many of them just looked the part because they’d taken the initiative and helped themselves to armour and weapons from the relics on display in the Tower of London.

‘They’ve definitely got the kit for it,’ David said, looking down at his own gear. His makeshift protection had been fashioned from reclaimed scrap metal, fastened in position with wire and rope. Gary was wearing a breastplate cut from the bonnet of a green Toyota, held in place by gaffer tape wrapped around the arms of his jacket. Most people wore PPE; everyone was ordered to wear at least one item of fluorescent clothing to distinguish themselves from the decrepit masses they were about to wade into. Some people had hardhats taken from the corpses they’d found near construction sites, but most were going into battle wearing only goggles or safety glasses and facemasks to protect them from the inevitable noxious splashbacks. They were armed with crude but effective weapons. David had a metal railing from a fence, sharpened to a point; Sanjay carried a claw hammer in one hand and a dustbin lid shield in the other. 

‘You wouldn’t think it, looking at me now,’ Gary said, ‘but I used to do a lot of running, back in the day. Three London Marathons, I did.’

David was impressed. ‘I watched it on TV, and that was tiring enough. So, what are you saying? You going to make a run for it?’

He laughed. ‘Not at all. I was just gonna say that I feel like I used to on the start line, waiting for the off. Frigging horrible, it was. No matter how much training you’d done, you never felt ready. You knew you had hours of pain ahead of you.’

‘And that’s what you think we’ve got coming?’

‘No, mate, not hours. We’ve got days of pain ahead. Weeks. Months, even. The races I used to do had a finish line, but I can’t see where this one ends.’

Sanjay butted in. ‘And in marathons you didn’t have thousands of people coming the other way, all trying to kill you.’

‘Correct. Anyway, all I’m saying is that once that barrier’s opened, this is gonna hurt.’

‘Great. You’re a real inspiration, Gary,’ David grumbled.

‘I aim to please.’

Marie Hannish, who worked in PR before the world had fallen apart, was standing on the other side of Gary, wearing tin-can armour and wielding a hockey stick. She just looked at him. ‘Have you ever thought about becoming a motivational speaker?’ she asked, deadpan.

‘No.’

‘Good. Don’t.’

In front of David, Holly Wilkins appeared to laugh nervously. She’d been billeted on the same floor of the hotel as he had, and they’d left the building together this morning. When she looked around, he saw that she was crying. ‘It’ll be alright, Hol,’ he told her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

‘You think?’

‘Oh, sure,’ he said, and he pulled her close and squeezed. ‘We’ll look out for each other, okay?’

She just nodded, far from convinced.

Paul Duggan, one of Piotr’s chiefs, climbed onto the roof of one of the two trucks they’d parked back-to-back across the street, blocking the full width of The Highway. The nervous chatter in the ranks was silenced because everyone knew the time had finally come. The floodgates were about to open. 

Paul kept his back to the others and looked out over the dead hordes. Directly below, a couple of them lifted their ravaged faces and glared up at him with rheumy eyes. Most remained slumped forward against those in front, an immobile plug of diseased flesh, just waiting. The brightness of the morning allowed him to see everything in detail. He thought a little autumn fog might have made the view a bit more palatable. As it was, the queue of death stretched so far into the distance that he couldn’t see the end. The most disconcerting thing was the movement. Whereas they frequently wandered the desolate streets, today they were all moving in this direction, filling in the gaps.

The sound of approaching engines.

The crowd of fighters on the street parted to allow the well-used backhoe loader through. It had proved equally adept at moving rot as rubble. It rumbled into position, flanked by a tractor and a pick-up truck, both of which had seen better days.

David kept hold of Holly, but he found himself on the opposite side of the road to Gary and Sanjay now. He watched them across the gap and wondered if they felt as absolutely fucking terrified as he did. It was the uncertainty, as well as the apprehension, he decided. What were they about to face? How aggressive would the dead be after all this time? This was going to be their first direct confrontation since… well, since forever. He realised this was the first time he’d gone out into the wilds with the sole aim of wiping out as many of those diseased fuckers as possible. Individually, he knew they were nothing, but collectively… well, that was a different matter altogether. He started doing a few pointless back-of-a-fag-packet calculations in his head as a distraction. If we can get rid of an average of fifty each, and if the backhoe loader can wipe out several hundred, then maybe we have half a chance. It was only ever going to be half a chance because he knew that even if they hacked down around a thousand of them today, the same number would be lining up to take them on tomorrow. He tried every tactic he could think of to remain positive. Don’t think about them in individual numbers. Think about it in terms of ground gained. Reclaim a few metres every day, that’s all it’s going to take. Step by step by small, incremental step.

The moment had arrived.

Alfonso Morterero was an HGV driver from Bilbao who’d found himself stuck in central London on the day the world ended. His English was limited (but rapidly improving), but Alf, as he’d inevitably become known, didn’t shy away from taking responsibility. Any opportunity to drive and he was there, volunteering before most people had even heard the call. He climbed up into the cab of one of the blocking trucks then hung out of the open door, looking up at Paul and waiting for the signal.

Thumbs up.

Alfonso had kept the truck well maintained; he’d always known it would need to be moved at some point. The engine started first time, and he glanced across and saw the corpses immediately reacting to the noise. A wave of excited movement rippled through the mindless swarm. Alfonso turned the wheel sharp and drove along Dock Street, opening up The Highway.

For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, nothing happened. The first few rows of dead creatures, for so long pressed up against the side of the truck and compacted in place by the ceaseless weight of thousands more behind, initially remained rigid. They were stuck in place, brittle bones interlocked, glued together with dried out decay. From his position, David noticed signs of movement along the fleshy dam. A few slight wobbles and vibrations, then parts of it began to rock back and forth, the pressure increasing. A couple of seconds longer and it gave way, sending a lumpy tide of once human slurry gushing across the street. The fighters who were furthest forward scrambled back. Still on top of the other truck, Paul Duggan yelled at them to hold their positions.

After the initial flood had subsided, the dead began to advance.

The first of them appeared barely human, deformed by the pressures being exerted on the front of the pack. Everything was wrong about the horrific, dripping monsters that lurched forward. One was a barrel shaped torso on spindly legs, both arms torn off, long gone. The next appeared to have its head on sideways; its neck was broken, but decapitation had been averted by the few stubborn sinews that had refused to tear. Another one had originally been two. With a pair of ribcages intertwined like latticework, the combined monstrosity walked crablike with two heads, four arms, four legs, and a single intent.

A guy standing behind David ripped off his facemask and vomited over his boots. The acidic smell was barely perceptible over the stench of everything else.

Paul signalled for the backhoe loader to move up. Kevin Greatrex was the only one who ever drove the machine. He’d got hold of the keys when they’d first found it and had refused to let them go. Now he carried them with him everywhere, even slept with them in his hand because the digger was his protection, his suit of armour. It enabled him to exact long overdue revenge on the dead without too much personal risk. He usually found the destruction therapeutic, but right now he’d have happily given up his seat to anyone who asked. 

Here goes everything.

Kevin accelerated and dropped the digger scoop. It scraped along the road, filling the air with ugly noise, making him the focus of everything. He levelled off his speed slightly, aiming for the sweet spot between control and carnage, then ploughed into the hordes head-on.

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Autumn: Inferno (book two of the London trilogy)

Just a couple of very quick AUTUMN: INFERNO updates.

First, the eBook version of the book is now available to pre-order from all the usual outlets – Amazon, Apple (due imminently), Kobo, Google, and B&N. The general paperback pre-order links should start popping up in the next couple of weeks.

Second, if you’ve already pre-ordered AUTUMN: INFERNO direct from Infected Books, either the limited edition hardcover or signed paperback, you should have received an email from me yesterday with details of how to download your complementary eBook copy RIGHT NOW! Please get in touch if you didn’t receive the instructions, and I’ll get the details to you asap.

There’s still time to pre-order signed copies from Infected Books, and now that the eBook is available, you’ll be able to download a copy straight away.

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It’s very nearly Christmas… Happy Holidays!

It’s my last afternoon in the office before I pause for Christmas and the New Year, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to wish everyone the very best for the upcoming holidays. We’ve all had a difficult couple of years, and whilst I don’t think for a second that we’ll be completely out of the woods in 2022, I’m cautiously optimistic that – if we can hold ourselves together and resist the urge to dive down media-fuelled, conspiracy theory laden rabbit holes – things will start to improve.

Before I disappear I’d like to share an offer, a reminder, and a recommendation.

The offer – in anticipation of the release of AUTUMN: INFERNO in January, the eBook version of AUTUMN: DAWN is available for 99c/99p from all your usual eBook outlets. If you haven’t started reading THE LONDON TRILOGY, this is a great way to start.

The reminder – limited edition signed hardcovers and signed paperbacks of AUTUMN: INFERNO are available for pre-order from Infected Books. They’ll be shipping from mid-January, and anyone who pre-orders will receive a complementary ebook version of the new novel in advance of its official release on 25 Jan. If everything goes to plan at this end, you could be reading the book before the end of 2021 (ie next week).

The recommendation – have you seen ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE? It’s the best Scottish Christmas zombie musical I’ve ever seen. Cheesy as hell, but a lot of gory fun and it’s well worth a watch. The trailer is below and if you’re in the UK, you can stream the movie now on Amazon Prime.

There’s lots of good stuff coming up from me, so I hope to see you soon in 2022. In the meantime, Happy Holidays!

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The Bleed: Armageddon – paperback now available

Just a quick post to advise that THE BLEED: ARMAGEDDON is finally available in print as well as ebook and Audible exclusive audiobook. Apologies for the delay!

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Autumn: Inferno pre-order

So, AUTUMN: INFERNO is with my editor and I’m busy outlining the final book in the series – AUTUMN: EXODUS while the events of book two are still in my mind. I’m pleased to advise that you can now pre-order limited edition hardcovers and signed paperbacks of AUTUMN: INFERNO direct from www.infectedbooks.co.uk. Click here for more information.

eBook, audio, and general print pre-order details will be announced shortly. In the meantime, don’t forget that if you order a signed copy of INFERNO from www.infectedbooks.co.uk, you’ll receive a complementary eBook version before the book’s official release on 25 January 2022.

Not yet read AUTUMN: DAWN? The eBook is currently available at 99p/99c from all the usual retailers.

 

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A flood of (not quite) biblical proportions – signed book sale

I’m thinking about writing a novel in which a family work their fingers to the bone to own their dream home, only for a demonic entity from the depths of hell to wreak chaos and confusion and destroy everything. Oh, wait, that’s not a story idea – that’s my life. Just two days after putting the finishing touches to the downstairs of our house, we were flooded. Oh, and it wasn’t a demonic entity, it was a fist-sized block of concrete in the drain that had been there since the place was built.

My office, next to the downstairs bathroom where the blockage made its presence known, bore the brunt of the flood waters. No books were harmed, but I’ve had to empty the entire room. I was not impressed. Neither was Jasper, one of our cats, who can be seen here surveying the carnage.

It occurred to me that I’ve accumulated a lot of books on my shelves that folks might like, so, rather than just put them back on new shelves when they’re installed in a couple of weeks’ time, I’ve decided to sell them off. Listed below is the first batch that’s on offer. I’ve also got a lot of ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) that I want to pass on but which I’m uncomfortable selling. So, while stocks last, I’ll include a RANDOM ARC FREE with every order placed via the Infected Books website.

Complete set of UK Autumn hardcovers (books 1-5)Complete set of US Hater trilogy hardcovers (books 1-3)Dog Blood audiobook on MP3 CDInfected Books original editions of Autumn: PurificationVarious foreign language editions of HaterGerman editions of Hater and Dog BloodSpanish editions of Autumn and Autumn: The CityAll Roads End Here and Chokehold bundles

And I’ve also slashed the price of some other books:

Chaos Theories bundleAutumn: The Human Condition limited editionAutumn: Aftermath limited editionThe Last Big Thing hardcover

It goes without saying, all books will be signed. Postage is free in the UK.

Perfect Christmas/Thanksgiving/New Year presents for the grim dystopian fans in your life! Get in quick because there are some offers here that will be snapped up quickly. If there are any particular books you’re after that aren’t listed, get in touch and I’ll let you know if I have any.

Unfortunately, because of recent changes to EU VAT rules, I’m not currently able to sell to folks in the EU via the Infected Books store. If you’re in the EU and you’re interested in any of these books, let me know and we’ll make alternative arrangements.

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Autumn: Inferno cover reveal

So, one final read through then the next AUTUMN book – INFERNO – will be sent to my editor, and pre-orders for the limited edition hardcover will open. What better time to reveal the cover. The marvellous CRAIG PATON has knocked it out of the park again.

Very excited for you to read this one. More details will be revealed asap. If you bought the limited edition hardcover of AUTUMN: DAWN, check your inbox in the next couple of weeks for your link to pre-order book two.

Not yet read the first part of THE LONDON TRILOGY? Here’s all the information you need to put that right…

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AUTUMN: INFERNO

I finished the bulk of the writing of the next book in the AUTUMN series earlier this week. I have a couple of weeks work left before I send AUTUMN: INFERNO to my editor, but I wanted to break cover and give you an update. Here’s a very brief blurb to set the scene:

There are now more than three hundred people grouped together on the banks of the Thames in the shadows of the Tower of London. On one side, the river. In all other directions, nothing but the dead.

If they can make it through winter, they’ll have a shot at long-term survival, but with so many mouths to feed, food is at a premium. They have no choice but to scavenge through the ruins of London to survive, but with every street they clear, every building they strip, they risk enraging the vast hordes of the undead that have them surrounded.

It’s a delicate balancing act: stave off starvation while doing everything possible to avoid an all out war.

But there may be another option…

As I announced in my most recent newsletter, there will again be a limited edition hardcover. First refusal will go to folks who ordered the AUTUMN: DAWN hardcover (you’ll even get the same number if you order book two!), and I plan to open pre-orders in November. I don’t know if I’ve ever explained – these limited editions aren’t a cash cow. I guess they’re my alternative to Kickstarter and other crowdfunding solutions. The proceeds from the limited editions fund the production of the book – the editing, the cover, the interior design etc. I think it’s a win-win approach. I can fund the production of each new release, and supporters get something unique. With THE LONDON TRILOGY, that means bonus content you can’t read anywhere else, and early access to an ebook version of the novel ahead of publication.

One final update, and that’s about the book’s release date. Non-work related factors have knocked me off course recently (work on the house that lasted 4 weeks instead of 1, immediately followed by a flooded office), so I’m reluctantly pushing publication back a month to make sure the release is exactly how I want it and avoid it getting lost in the chaos of the holiday season. Current ETA is now TUESDAY 25 JANUARY 2022.

 

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Straight to You – 25 years old

A significant book birthday to mark… my first novel, STRAIGHT TO YOU, was published 25 years ago yesterday. That’s literally half my life ago! It’s crazy to look back at how pretty much everything has changed since that first release. Back then, in the analogue world of 1996, the book’s publication came after months of queries, submissions, and rejections, followed by many more months of long-winded edits and approvals, all done by post. All that work could be carried out in a fraction of the time now, without moving from my desk.

And I’m equally unrecognisable from the inexperienced dweeb who wrote that first book. I’ve written before about how I changed, and how that eventually resulted in me completely re-writing the novel in 2014. And I can’t stress this enough – if you’re going to read STRAIGHT TO YOU, please stick to the newer version!

But the one thing that has remained constant throughout – and forgive me here for being a little corny and pretentious – is the absolute buzz of writing. A quarter of a century further down the line, and it remains an incredibly rewarding job/hobby/thrill/passion. Thank you for reading my grim nonsense all these years!

If you’ve not read STRAIGHT TO YOU, it’s available as an ebook and paperback from all the usual retailers. An audiobook version is available here. And if you’ve the stomach for reading the original, a handful of hardback copies remain available from the original print run.

 

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