What do you think?
Rate this book
Quiver
In Gravesend, the dead walk, and the living huddle behind high walls. For Tamsyn, the end of the world couldn't come sooner. She's hungry and scared. Her homework is due. Even worse, her dad is the teacher.
With only her keen archery skills to keep the zombies at bay, Tamsyn searches the ruins of England for an answer. There's a cure in America, but it might just doom them all…
With only her keen archery skills to keep the zombies at bay, Tamsyn searches the ruins of England for an answer. There's a cure in America, but it might just doom them all…
496 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 2012
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Jason Fischer
56 books45 followersJason Fischer is a writer who lives near Adelaide, South Australia. He has received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, won an Aurealis Award and the Writers of the Future Contest, and received the Colin Thiele Literature Scholarship. Jason is also a workshop faciliator, enthusiastic mentor, and a lover of anything to do with the written or spoken word.
Jason is also the co-founder and CEO of Spectrum Writing, a creative service for autistic/neurodiverse people. He is powered by Earl Grey tea, Dungeons & Dragons, godawful puns, karaoke, and the Oxford Comma.
Jason is also the co-founder and CEO of Spectrum Writing, a creative service for autistic/neurodiverse people. He is powered by Earl Grey tea, Dungeons & Dragons, godawful puns, karaoke, and the Oxford Comma.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 11, 2013
This review originally appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
QUIVER is a fix-up novel comprising four zombie themed novellas which detail a young woman’s fight for survival in a world long turned dead. Spanning multiple continents and exploring some unique concepts, this globetrotting tour of death places the bow and arrow wielding heroine, Tamsyn Webb, in some dire and utterly enthralling predicaments – some of which more macabre than others, yet all deadly and confronting.
Starting with GRAVESEND and finishing with BETTER RED THAN UNDEAD, QUIVER encapsulates many of the tried and true formulas common to survival horror; the building of fortifications, scavenging, zombie (or coffin-dodger) hoards and their migration, the fall of Government and the rise of independent parties, but the most important component of this zombie post apocalyptic concoction is the humans themselves who are commonly more inhumane than the walking dead. Fischer goes to great lengths to portray a dead world whose living soles are rotten and more menacing than those who threaten to end mans existence.
I enjoyed QUIVER for the most part. At times more Michael Bay than Romero, however the omnipresent sense of dread and heart pounding overriding fear experienced by the survivors remained consistent throughout. As a YA novel, QUIVER was less gritty and raw than the zombie books I’m accustomed to - that said, Fischer wrote this story well given the confines.
A highlight for me was the place setting of each instalment. Firstly a fortified compound in Gravesend, followed by an ill-fated voyage aboard a dying ship, and subsequent visitations to a Texas gone mad and a Cuba rife with war - this helped to keep the story of decay fresh and provided a unique perspective of how the world coped with the zombie outbreak.
Overall, QUIVER is an entertaining read that starts off with a bang, morphs into more of an action book, before really hitting its straps with the fourth novella, BETTER RED THAN UNDEAD. Personally, I would’ve given this a 5 star rating had all four novellas resembled the story in the last instalment. 3.5 stars.
QUIVER is a fix-up novel comprising four zombie themed novellas which detail a young woman’s fight for survival in a world long turned dead. Spanning multiple continents and exploring some unique concepts, this globetrotting tour of death places the bow and arrow wielding heroine, Tamsyn Webb, in some dire and utterly enthralling predicaments – some of which more macabre than others, yet all deadly and confronting.
Starting with GRAVESEND and finishing with BETTER RED THAN UNDEAD, QUIVER encapsulates many of the tried and true formulas common to survival horror; the building of fortifications, scavenging, zombie (or coffin-dodger) hoards and their migration, the fall of Government and the rise of independent parties, but the most important component of this zombie post apocalyptic concoction is the humans themselves who are commonly more inhumane than the walking dead. Fischer goes to great lengths to portray a dead world whose living soles are rotten and more menacing than those who threaten to end mans existence.
I enjoyed QUIVER for the most part. At times more Michael Bay than Romero, however the omnipresent sense of dread and heart pounding overriding fear experienced by the survivors remained consistent throughout. As a YA novel, QUIVER was less gritty and raw than the zombie books I’m accustomed to - that said, Fischer wrote this story well given the confines.
A highlight for me was the place setting of each instalment. Firstly a fortified compound in Gravesend, followed by an ill-fated voyage aboard a dying ship, and subsequent visitations to a Texas gone mad and a Cuba rife with war - this helped to keep the story of decay fresh and provided a unique perspective of how the world coped with the zombie outbreak.
Overall, QUIVER is an entertaining read that starts off with a bang, morphs into more of an action book, before really hitting its straps with the fourth novella, BETTER RED THAN UNDEAD. Personally, I would’ve given this a 5 star rating had all four novellas resembled the story in the last instalment. 3.5 stars.
July 22, 2022
** I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is scheduled to be published on September 6, 2022 in the US. **
Possible Triggers:
Death | Mutilation | Torture | Gore
Characters:
The story follows Tamsyn Webb as she navigates her way to surviving a zombie apocalypse.
Negatives:
- The main character was immensely disagreeable. It was difficult to follow along in not only her reasonings for doing things, but her intense anger and hatred towards others when she had done her fair share of crap anyone would feel guilt-ridden by. This is the last character I would follow in ANY kind of drastic situation as they are perfectly happy to destroy any and all plans, including ones they made themselves, at the slightest provocation. There is a character in the book that Tamsyn has a very painful history with, this history I can completely sympathize with. However, she has such varying emotions depending on the time of day and how much they are currently making her life easier? Often Tamsyn puts aside her role in making crap hit the fan. While she does briefly acknowledge this a few times, it doesn't stop her from making the same stupid decisions over and over again.
- There were a lot of things about the story itself that made no logical sense. While I don't need every detail to be correct in order to enjoy a story, I do think it's important to have very large things, that are pretty common knowledge, to be correct in order for immersion not to grind to a halt. As a broad example, just because your job has something to do with modes of transportation, does not mean that you have the innate knowledge to work on any mechanical aspects or, depending on the vehicle, can actually pilot the thing. Other important nods go to: radiation, how electricity actually works, how bodies decompose and why that might cause many problems immediately in regards to a certain aspect to the story, and most importantly FUEL. Storage, how fast you go through it, the fact that there are many types, really all aspects of fuel because travel was such a large theme in the book.
Final Thoughts:
I went into this story very tickled. The author is not located in the USA and, delight of all delights, my home state makes an appearance; it's ALWAYS fun to read about what other states/countries perceive your home to be like. While I am not a zombie fan, I was interested to see exactly how a teenaged bow-wielder was gonna fare and the premise sounded so bleak. I was half expecting her to croak or something in the first chapter.
This book was not my cup of tea. I struggled to continue reading the story. While the action was intense and constant, a lot of the content of the book was basically at the whims of a teenager that did NOT learn their lessons over and over again, often given power (why?) and causing a ridiculous amount of casualties. Aside from not enjoying the point of view the story was told in, there were a few extremely unbelievable aspects of the story that just suspended belief too much. Not being able to cheer on the main character AND not believe 90% of the scenarios, makes for a difficult read.
This book reads like a serial publication, where the beginnings of new chapters have throwback information to remind you of the main character (accomplishments, names, and oftentimes the things they are known for). The reason for this is BECAUSE it was a serial publication at one point (it's in the acknowledgements, i believe it said magazine). This isn't a problem per sei, it just stands out a lot while reading; I was actually a little surprised it wasn't edited out when the collection was republished in book format.
If you are a zombie fan and enjoy the graphic gore, cut-throat survival, irrational choices made by terrified people, and how different cultures might react to a zombie apocalypse. This book is probably in your wheelhouse.
Possible Triggers:
Death | Mutilation | Torture | Gore
Characters:
The story follows Tamsyn Webb as she navigates her way to surviving a zombie apocalypse.
Negatives:
- The main character was immensely disagreeable. It was difficult to follow along in not only her reasonings for doing things, but her intense anger and hatred towards others when she had done her fair share of crap anyone would feel guilt-ridden by. This is the last character I would follow in ANY kind of drastic situation as they are perfectly happy to destroy any and all plans, including ones they made themselves, at the slightest provocation. There is a character in the book that Tamsyn has a very painful history with, this history I can completely sympathize with. However, she has such varying emotions depending on the time of day and how much they are currently making her life easier? Often Tamsyn puts aside her role in making crap hit the fan. While she does briefly acknowledge this a few times, it doesn't stop her from making the same stupid decisions over and over again.
- There were a lot of things about the story itself that made no logical sense. While I don't need every detail to be correct in order to enjoy a story, I do think it's important to have very large things, that are pretty common knowledge, to be correct in order for immersion not to grind to a halt. As a broad example, just because your job has something to do with modes of transportation, does not mean that you have the innate knowledge to work on any mechanical aspects or, depending on the vehicle, can actually pilot the thing. Other important nods go to: radiation, how electricity actually works, how bodies decompose and why that might cause many problems immediately in regards to a certain aspect to the story, and most importantly FUEL. Storage, how fast you go through it, the fact that there are many types, really all aspects of fuel because travel was such a large theme in the book.
Final Thoughts:
I went into this story very tickled. The author is not located in the USA and, delight of all delights, my home state makes an appearance; it's ALWAYS fun to read about what other states/countries perceive your home to be like. While I am not a zombie fan, I was interested to see exactly how a teenaged bow-wielder was gonna fare and the premise sounded so bleak. I was half expecting her to croak or something in the first chapter.
This book was not my cup of tea. I struggled to continue reading the story. While the action was intense and constant, a lot of the content of the book was basically at the whims of a teenager that did NOT learn their lessons over and over again, often given power (why?) and causing a ridiculous amount of casualties. Aside from not enjoying the point of view the story was told in, there were a few extremely unbelievable aspects of the story that just suspended belief too much. Not being able to cheer on the main character AND not believe 90% of the scenarios, makes for a difficult read.
This book reads like a serial publication, where the beginnings of new chapters have throwback information to remind you of the main character (accomplishments, names, and oftentimes the things they are known for). The reason for this is BECAUSE it was a serial publication at one point (it's in the acknowledgements, i believe it said magazine). This isn't a problem per sei, it just stands out a lot while reading; I was actually a little surprised it wasn't edited out when the collection was republished in book format.
If you are a zombie fan and enjoy the graphic gore, cut-throat survival, irrational choices made by terrified people, and how different cultures might react to a zombie apocalypse. This book is probably in your wheelhouse.
August 20, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for a honest review.
While the description of the book made me hopeful (British zombie apocalypse? Count me in!), the book left me in a major reading slump. The characters lacked depth and development, the story itself got boring and the main character just annoyed me. During the first part of the book I had hope that situation would get better, it just got worse. It seems that the author had grand plans for an epic heroine that could take out zombies with a bow while at the same time surviving everything, but it ended up being a story about a teen that doesn't know anything, but sonehow always get put in leadership postions where she only makes everything worse.
1 star
While the description of the book made me hopeful (British zombie apocalypse? Count me in!), the book left me in a major reading slump. The characters lacked depth and development, the story itself got boring and the main character just annoyed me. During the first part of the book I had hope that situation would get better, it just got worse. It seems that the author had grand plans for an epic heroine that could take out zombies with a bow while at the same time surviving everything, but it ended up being a story about a teen that doesn't know anything, but sonehow always get put in leadership postions where she only makes everything worse.
1 star
August 11, 2019
I’m a bit of a sucker for a good zombie story and this one is great! Fast paced and full of action, it takes the old tropes, twists them and breathes new life into them. The characters are believable, the various settings and locals authentic, and the story gripping. Newly rereleased by Argonautica Press, it’s now available again and I highly recommend it.
January 14, 2013
Quiver by Jason Fischer (subtitled
The Tamsyn Webb Chronicles
) is a young adult zombie apocalypse story. Now I've said it in tweet and I'll say it again - from my perspective it seems genetically unlikely that any Webb could be heroic. But it was an intriguing enough concept that I felt compelled to read. Also, I've read and enjoyed some of Fischer's other works (mainly in short stories, although I did recently read and review his novella Anomaly in the Viral Novella series).
The world is almost overrun by zombies, and the hero of the story (Tamsyn Webb) is holed up with a village of survivors in the walled town of Gravesend in the south of England. Tamsyn is a crack shot with the bow (great for bringing down zombies silently) and at the age of 17 is already part of the guards that keep the town safe. The main thread of the story follows Tamsyn's attempts to find somewhere to live that doesn't have the constant threat of imminent zombie destruction hanging over it.
The book is broken into four parts, based on four novellas originally produced for the After the World magazine (Gravesend, Corpus Christi, Army Corpse and Better Red Than Undead). I hadn't come across any of the novellas, so I was a bit confused when at the start of the second "chapter" (Corpus Christi) there was a little summary of everything that had happened in Gravesend. I thought "yes, I know all this - I just read it!". It made a lot more sense when I worked out they were originally independent publications.
I would say the novel is targeted at young adult, but there is enough violence and "adult themes" to mean it is probably best read by late teenagers and above. Unless you're looking to prepare your young teen for the gruesome reality that will be the zombie apocalypse. The writing is excellent (as I've come to expect from Fischer), and the story finds a good balance with showing the world spanning nature of the crisis (mainly through the wide variety of locations visited), while keeping the main narrative more intimate (through focusing on Tamsyn's story). Fischer creates a very horrific environment, both in terms of the description of the zombies themselves, but also the reaction of the human race.
The character of Tamsyn is interestingly portrayed, very self involved to the point where I actively had to keep reminding myself that she was only in her late teens to prevent myself getting too annoyed. This led me to find Tamsyn on the edge of being unsympathetic, but that could be the standard reaction of the middle aged towards the young. Fischer treads a good line between showing a young woman buffeted by overwhelming circumstances and giving Tamsyn enough agency to keep the story engaging.
Fischer draws on the natural elements to contribute to the general mayhem, and the variety of locations used (from the cold of England in winter to the tropical delights of the Caribbean) means that this doesn't feel repetitive. Indeed, it could be argued that the unthinking undead are another form of natural disaster.
The later two chapters (Army Corpse and Better Red Than Undead) are a bit more fast paced and with more references to military hardware. It did make me wonder whether Fischer was influenced by his work on the Viral Novella series to bring a bit of the techo-thriller genre into his zombie apocalypse. The tension certainly does get escalated as a result, and it is a very effective way of showing the increasingly military nature of the remnants of humanity when faced with a threat of this kind.
Overall a very enjoyable read.
I also reviewed this book on my website.
The world is almost overrun by zombies, and the hero of the story (Tamsyn Webb) is holed up with a village of survivors in the walled town of Gravesend in the south of England. Tamsyn is a crack shot with the bow (great for bringing down zombies silently) and at the age of 17 is already part of the guards that keep the town safe. The main thread of the story follows Tamsyn's attempts to find somewhere to live that doesn't have the constant threat of imminent zombie destruction hanging over it.
The book is broken into four parts, based on four novellas originally produced for the After the World magazine (Gravesend, Corpus Christi, Army Corpse and Better Red Than Undead). I hadn't come across any of the novellas, so I was a bit confused when at the start of the second "chapter" (Corpus Christi) there was a little summary of everything that had happened in Gravesend. I thought "yes, I know all this - I just read it!". It made a lot more sense when I worked out they were originally independent publications.
I would say the novel is targeted at young adult, but there is enough violence and "adult themes" to mean it is probably best read by late teenagers and above. Unless you're looking to prepare your young teen for the gruesome reality that will be the zombie apocalypse. The writing is excellent (as I've come to expect from Fischer), and the story finds a good balance with showing the world spanning nature of the crisis (mainly through the wide variety of locations visited), while keeping the main narrative more intimate (through focusing on Tamsyn's story). Fischer creates a very horrific environment, both in terms of the description of the zombies themselves, but also the reaction of the human race.
The character of Tamsyn is interestingly portrayed, very self involved to the point where I actively had to keep reminding myself that she was only in her late teens to prevent myself getting too annoyed. This led me to find Tamsyn on the edge of being unsympathetic, but that could be the standard reaction of the middle aged towards the young. Fischer treads a good line between showing a young woman buffeted by overwhelming circumstances and giving Tamsyn enough agency to keep the story engaging.
Fischer draws on the natural elements to contribute to the general mayhem, and the variety of locations used (from the cold of England in winter to the tropical delights of the Caribbean) means that this doesn't feel repetitive. Indeed, it could be argued that the unthinking undead are another form of natural disaster.
The later two chapters (Army Corpse and Better Red Than Undead) are a bit more fast paced and with more references to military hardware. It did make me wonder whether Fischer was influenced by his work on the Viral Novella series to bring a bit of the techo-thriller genre into his zombie apocalypse. The tension certainly does get escalated as a result, and it is a very effective way of showing the increasingly military nature of the remnants of humanity when faced with a threat of this kind.
Overall a very enjoyable read.
I also reviewed this book on my website.
January 30, 2020
Put me in mind of Wyndhams 'Kraken' and 'Triffid'. Surviving the end of the world told through the point of view of a nobody. We're able to easily empathise with the main character as we are all essentially nobodies. It's our story of the zombie apocalypse. He salts the story with an interesting twist to zombie lore.
February 14, 2013
Jason Fischer's QUIVER, originally serialized as four novellas, starts out as a familiar zombie survival epic, but very quickly grows into something more akin to a globe-spanning adventure. With each chapter Fischer sends his characters off into unexpected, but completely logical paths without ever losing sight of the core premise.
The reason that the story is able to take so many convincing turns is that the characters drive it there. Fischer's characters are well-realized and fallible. Tamsyn Webb, the hero, is convincing as both a kick-ass heroine and as a teenage girl.
Fast-paced, violent and clever, QUIVER goes well beyond the tired tropes of the zombie apocalypse genre without ever stooping to parody. You should read it.
The reason that the story is able to take so many convincing turns is that the characters drive it there. Fischer's characters are well-realized and fallible. Tamsyn Webb, the hero, is convincing as both a kick-ass heroine and as a teenage girl.
Fast-paced, violent and clever, QUIVER goes well beyond the tired tropes of the zombie apocalypse genre without ever stooping to parody. You should read it.
September 8, 2022
I loved the concept of this book! The zombie plague from a British perspective? A heroine that combats the undead with bow & arrow?! Amazing!
Unfortunately the concept was better than reality. Tamsyn continually makes mistake after mistake that ends up killing her friends and loved ones. She’s haunted by them in her dreams…. But still puts herself in positions to f*ck up again. Who keeps giving this girl her bow back??!!
Overall the book was good up until they made her in charge of the Texas Republic, then I felt it started to get a little off pace, kind of slow.
The end was bizarre, and felt very rushed. As if this random 19 year old girl would be Prince H’s right hand. It just left me a little unsatisfied.
Unfortunately the concept was better than reality. Tamsyn continually makes mistake after mistake that ends up killing her friends and loved ones. She’s haunted by them in her dreams…. But still puts herself in positions to f*ck up again. Who keeps giving this girl her bow back??!!
Overall the book was good up until they made her in charge of the Texas Republic, then I felt it started to get a little off pace, kind of slow.
The end was bizarre, and felt very rushed. As if this random 19 year old girl would be Prince H’s right hand. It just left me a little unsatisfied.
September 25, 2019
Jason's unique blend of humour and gore, tinged with the slightest bit of sadness, made Quiver one of my favourite zombie stories. With its surprising twists and a kick ass heroine, I'll be impatiently awaiting the sequel.
September 27, 2018
Rather bloodthirsty, very exiting, not for the weak-stomached. But if you love the zombie apocalypse, it's one hell of a read.
September 22, 2022
Quiver by Jason Fischer follows a teen girl named Tamsyn Webb as she journeys with her bow and arrow to find a cure to combat the zombie outbreak.
First off, I was really excited for this one because I was drawn in by the gorgeous art nouveau cover and I adore the post-apocalyptic zombie sub-genre. I love it because I find it interesting to explore the group psychology of people stuck in desperate survival situations.
However, the decision-making in this story is baffling. For instance, Tasmyn makes impulsive decisions that get people killed and endanger everyone around her throughout the story again and again, and yet she’s continuously given leadership and command positions simply because she’s the protagonist. It did not make any logical sense to me.
Overall, the characters didn’t feel believable enough for me to find the story compelling.
Thank you, NetGalley and Outland Entertainment, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First off, I was really excited for this one because I was drawn in by the gorgeous art nouveau cover and I adore the post-apocalyptic zombie sub-genre. I love it because I find it interesting to explore the group psychology of people stuck in desperate survival situations.
However, the decision-making in this story is baffling. For instance, Tasmyn makes impulsive decisions that get people killed and endanger everyone around her throughout the story again and again, and yet she’s continuously given leadership and command positions simply because she’s the protagonist. It did not make any logical sense to me.
Overall, the characters didn’t feel believable enough for me to find the story compelling.
Thank you, NetGalley and Outland Entertainment, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 30, 2019
A mesmerising tale of the zombie apocalypse with a few nice twists
June 7, 2022
The best and most unique take on zombies I have ever read! Highly recommend
Read
March 30, 2015Aurealis Awards entry. Review to be added after the awards.
Read
September 17, 2013My full review is posted at Thirteen O'Clock here: http://www.thirteenoclock.com.au/quiv...
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews