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King Blood
Rick Kennedy feels good. Tonight there's going to be the party of the decade, the brother he hasn't seen for years has just flown in, and Rick is all set to do something about Kate Robinson, the beautiful girl he just can't get out of his mind. In the pleasant village of Fairburn the evening air is warm ...But this is also the night that Rick encounters the stranger in the wood. And soon he's waking up to find 30,000 refugees choking in the streets. People are running for their lives. Only there's nowhere to run. Inexorably the ground heats up. Cities erupt into flames. Lakes boil. Survivors search desperately for refuge in a landscape burning forever hotter beneath their feet. But they have yet to confront the Grey Men -- and the demons inside themselves. Because their blood itself is beginning to boil ...with savagery, hunger and lust ...
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
56 people are currently reading
528 people want to read
About the author
Simon Clark
212 books299 followersBorn, 20th April, 1958, Simon Clark is the author of such highly regarded horror novels as Nailed By The Heart, Blood Crazy, Darker, Vampyrrhic and The Fall, while his short stories have been collected in Blood & Grit and Salt Snake & Other Bloody Cuts. He has also written prose material for the internationally famous rock band U2.
Raised in a family of storytellers – family legend told of a stolen human skull buried beneath the Clark garage – he sold his first ghost story to a radio station in his teens. Before becoming a full-time writer he held a variety of day jobs, that have involved strawberry picking, supermarket shelf stacking, office work, and scripting video promos.
He lives with his wife and two children in mystical territory that lies on the border of Robin Hood country in England.
Raised in a family of storytellers – family legend told of a stolen human skull buried beneath the Clark garage – he sold his first ghost story to a radio station in his teens. Before becoming a full-time writer he held a variety of day jobs, that have involved strawberry picking, supermarket shelf stacking, office work, and scripting video promos.
He lives with his wife and two children in mystical territory that lies on the border of Robin Hood country in England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
December 19, 2013
Now this is the Simon Clark I remember so fondly. With his recent lackluster vampyrrhic series or the paranormal novellas, it's easy to not think much of Clark's work, but once upon the time he was one of the horror's best. When I was first discovering horror fiction and his leisure published books were easily available, they were really something special. This book, King Blood, leisure never published, it wasn't published stateside in an affordable format at all, so it took till now to read it and what a great read it was. Genuine vintage Clark in this apocalyptic epic (seriously, 534 pages on tiny print). Despite its size, the pages kept flying by, the writing was so good, descriptive, engaging, wildly entertaining. Great characters the reader can really care about. Tons of action as the nature attempts to bury the world and the humans try to survive the extreme circumstances and the nuttiest weather ever. This is a tale of global warming unlike any other, certain to make you beware any unusual seismic activity. If only Simon Clark would return to form and write like this again. Really excellent read, a must for any fan of horror or apocalyptic fiction. Highly recommended.
October 20, 2021
I have read several novels by Clark and this is one of his earlier works; I found it somewhat engaging, but YMMV. King Blood narrates the end of the world as we know it via Rick, a 19 year old wanna be rock star in England. For what ever reason, the Earth suddenly undergoes a rapid change-- essentially, it is 'heating up' in the core and inducing massive volcanic activity, releasing underground methane, exploding underground gases and oil, etc. These changes in turn release massive tidal waves and so forth that massively disrupt the entire planet
King Blood starts off with a party near Leeds, England, where Rick greats his brother, Stephen, when he returns from the States. Stephen is a VJ in Seattle and five years older than Rick; they have not seen each other in five years. The day after the party, they wake up in Rick's house outside of Leeds to find thousands of people in the fields outside of their house! Turns out some toxic gas emerged in Leeds and the people that could flee did to higher ground (e.g., where Rick lives). What the hell is going on? Is this a localized event or something more?
Clark narrates the events through Rick; he and his brother soon discover that no, it is not a localized event, and in fact, London is flooded and England in chaos. Further, upon meeting some soldiers, they find out that the USA is 'fucked' as well. Slowly we learn the extent of the disaster, but Simon keeps the events localized, with the outside world at hand's breath. I loved the depictions of how the 'heating' impacted the environment and as you can guess, society soon turns into chaos, leading to armed gangs, cannibalism and worse. This is a well worn trope, but Clark gives it a good spin. Rick and a group of roughly 60 flee to the moors hoping to find a safe place to 'ride it out'...
Laymon has blurb on the cover and that is fitting, as King Blood reminded me of Laymon, especially his horny protagonists. We are treated if you will by Rick, despite the world basically ending, engaging in a variety of sexual exploits (quite explicit btw) and lusting after others in the party. This really did not float my boat much. The graphic depictions of environmental destruction were for me the highlight of the novel; the characters basically the low point. Clark has an easy going prose style that flows nicely, but parts of this were really a slog, especially the long and detailed sex scenes. These reminded me of Herbert's work, where graphic sex scenes always seemed to find there way into his work. That, however, may be due to his writing in the 70s, where editors seemed to think horror and sex were a good mix. This book was written the late 90s, however.
Finally, while the plot moved nicely, there were not real twists and turns and the ending oozed cheese. So, biggest strengths concerned the end of the world imagery, the weaknesses being the characters and a tired plot. 2.5 stars, rounding up.
King Blood starts off with a party near Leeds, England, where Rick greats his brother, Stephen, when he returns from the States. Stephen is a VJ in Seattle and five years older than Rick; they have not seen each other in five years. The day after the party, they wake up in Rick's house outside of Leeds to find thousands of people in the fields outside of their house! Turns out some toxic gas emerged in Leeds and the people that could flee did to higher ground (e.g., where Rick lives). What the hell is going on? Is this a localized event or something more?
Clark narrates the events through Rick; he and his brother soon discover that no, it is not a localized event, and in fact, London is flooded and England in chaos. Further, upon meeting some soldiers, they find out that the USA is 'fucked' as well. Slowly we learn the extent of the disaster, but Simon keeps the events localized, with the outside world at hand's breath. I loved the depictions of how the 'heating' impacted the environment and as you can guess, society soon turns into chaos, leading to armed gangs, cannibalism and worse. This is a well worn trope, but Clark gives it a good spin. Rick and a group of roughly 60 flee to the moors hoping to find a safe place to 'ride it out'...
Laymon has blurb on the cover and that is fitting, as King Blood reminded me of Laymon, especially his horny protagonists. We are treated if you will by Rick, despite the world basically ending, engaging in a variety of sexual exploits (quite explicit btw) and lusting after others in the party. This really did not float my boat much. The graphic depictions of environmental destruction were for me the highlight of the novel; the characters basically the low point. Clark has an easy going prose style that flows nicely, but parts of this were really a slog, especially the long and detailed sex scenes. These reminded me of Herbert's work, where graphic sex scenes always seemed to find there way into his work. That, however, may be due to his writing in the 70s, where editors seemed to think horror and sex were a good mix. This book was written the late 90s, however.
Finally, while the plot moved nicely, there were not real twists and turns and the ending oozed cheese. So, biggest strengths concerned the end of the world imagery, the weaknesses being the characters and a tired plot. 2.5 stars, rounding up.
January 29, 2016
Read January 2014.
This got off to a slow start. I actually gave up on reading it and started another book. I started again when I was waiting for another book to release. I am so glad I did. It was such an interesting story. It was a concept I have not yet seen in other books. There was romance, death, murder, conspiracy, violence and everything else you could want. It's a story of survival. Overall, a very good read.
This got off to a slow start. I actually gave up on reading it and started another book. I started again when I was waiting for another book to release. I am so glad I did. It was such an interesting story. It was a concept I have not yet seen in other books. There was romance, death, murder, conspiracy, violence and everything else you could want. It's a story of survival. Overall, a very good read.
May 18, 2022
A good book that had some really excellent parts and some not so excellent parts. It was way too long and because if that there was lots of repetition. The story was unique and without getting spoiler-y I liked the explanations for some of the things that were happening.
September 17, 2016
DNF. I didn't enjoy this one at all.
March 22, 2018
Excellent.
Sheer excitement and great writing all the way through. One of the best of its genre. Really enjoyed it. Fantastic.
Sheer excitement and great writing all the way through. One of the best of its genre. Really enjoyed it. Fantastic.
October 2, 2014
At first this review was going to include a lot of ranting and raving about what I didn't like and a few paragraphs about what I did like. Not because I disliked more than I liked, but because I REALLY disliked what I disliked. But, since I read this book with a group and have already done enough ranting, I'll just give you an overview of how I feel.
The plot and world building in this novel were very original for me. I've read post apocalyptic novels before, but I usually stick to young or new adult. They always have enough tension, drama, and realism for me. This may actually be my first real adult post apocalyptic read, and that might explain why I was uncomfortable with certain things. But the overall story and the world the author built was very interesting.
One day our main character Rick and his brother Stephen wake up and find that the world they know has ended overnight, but not thanks to a bomb or something like that. The world is ending because it's heating up! I really liked that the cause of the overheating of the Earth wasn't due to global warming. Not because global warming isn't real, I'm not a nut, but because the real cause was more imaginative.
Something I loved about both this book and Blood Crazy, another book by the same author, is the way that he takes one giant problem (eg. the world heating up) and then hundreds of other problems pop up because of the major issue. You would think that the world heating up is bad enough, but there are toxic gas leaks, giant black hail storms, crimson floods, and huge grey (British book so British spelling of the word "grey") monsters that roam the earth all because the planet is heating up.
When I first started reading, I thought this was going to be a book were everything that could go wrong kept going wrong back to back, but even though it started out that way, it leveled off after a while. That was also a smart choice on the part of the author because the action packed and violent beginning kept me on edge after things slowed down a little. I was still always afraid of what he would do next.
There is violence in this book, a lot of it, but some times it is just imagined, and others it is just eluded to. The moments when it is described in detail weren't just thrown in, they were well thought out and had a purpose.
Like I said before, I liked a lot about this book, but the few things I didn't like, I really didn't like. I'll try to be brief about them though.
The main character, Rick, Has two romantic relationships during the course of the book. The first is with Caroline, a 37-year-old housewife and the second is with Kate, a 19-year-old college student. Rick is also 19 and has had a crush on Kate for quite a while, at least he did before the world fell apart.
Rick's relationship with Caroline was one of the things I really didn't like.
This book made it a point to shine a light on the darkest parts of the human soul, and I know that the relationship with Caroline was just another example of that, but it still made me uncomfortable because Rick was the hero and in my mind the hero should at least know the difference between love and lust, even when he is 19.
There is one more thing I didn't like and it evolves Rick and his other girlfriend Kate. (No, he doesn't date them at the same time.)
There was one female character I like a lot, and that was the mysterious Victoria. I liked her because she did what she felt was logical even if it was the wrong thing. She wasn't good or bad, she was almost mechanical in her thinking and action, and I wish more time had been spent on her.
The relationship between the two brothers, Rick and Stephen, was the best part of this book for me. They loved one another fiercely, but they also had a brotherly rivalry going on throughout the book that was very well done and interesting.
I was also very satisfied with the ending.
This book is not for younger audiences at all or anyone who is easily offended with gore and sex, but if you can take it then I would recommend it for fans of the post apocalyptic genre. I don't regret reading it, and I had a lot of fun discussing it with my Goodreads friends.
I would recommend this book for ages 18 and up because of graphic violence, detailed sexual situation, and overall content.
The plot and world building in this novel were very original for me. I've read post apocalyptic novels before, but I usually stick to young or new adult. They always have enough tension, drama, and realism for me. This may actually be my first real adult post apocalyptic read, and that might explain why I was uncomfortable with certain things. But the overall story and the world the author built was very interesting.
One day our main character Rick and his brother Stephen wake up and find that the world they know has ended overnight, but not thanks to a bomb or something like that. The world is ending because it's heating up! I really liked that the cause of the overheating of the Earth wasn't due to global warming. Not because global warming isn't real, I'm not a nut, but because the real cause was more imaginative.
Something I loved about both this book and Blood Crazy, another book by the same author, is the way that he takes one giant problem (eg. the world heating up) and then hundreds of other problems pop up because of the major issue. You would think that the world heating up is bad enough, but there are toxic gas leaks, giant black hail storms, crimson floods, and huge grey (British book so British spelling of the word "grey") monsters that roam the earth all because the planet is heating up.
When I first started reading, I thought this was going to be a book were everything that could go wrong kept going wrong back to back, but even though it started out that way, it leveled off after a while. That was also a smart choice on the part of the author because the action packed and violent beginning kept me on edge after things slowed down a little. I was still always afraid of what he would do next.
There is violence in this book, a lot of it, but some times it is just imagined, and others it is just eluded to. The moments when it is described in detail weren't just thrown in, they were well thought out and had a purpose.
Like I said before, I liked a lot about this book, but the few things I didn't like, I really didn't like. I'll try to be brief about them though.
The main character, Rick, Has two romantic relationships during the course of the book. The first is with Caroline, a 37-year-old housewife and the second is with Kate, a 19-year-old college student. Rick is also 19 and has had a crush on Kate for quite a while, at least he did before the world fell apart.
Rick's relationship with Caroline was one of the things I really didn't like.
This book made it a point to shine a light on the darkest parts of the human soul, and I know that the relationship with Caroline was just another example of that, but it still made me uncomfortable because Rick was the hero and in my mind the hero should at least know the difference between love and lust, even when he is 19.
There is one more thing I didn't like and it evolves Rick and his other girlfriend Kate. (No, he doesn't date them at the same time.)
There was one female character I like a lot, and that was the mysterious Victoria. I liked her because she did what she felt was logical even if it was the wrong thing. She wasn't good or bad, she was almost mechanical in her thinking and action, and I wish more time had been spent on her.
The relationship between the two brothers, Rick and Stephen, was the best part of this book for me. They loved one another fiercely, but they also had a brotherly rivalry going on throughout the book that was very well done and interesting.
I was also very satisfied with the ending.
This book is not for younger audiences at all or anyone who is easily offended with gore and sex, but if you can take it then I would recommend it for fans of the post apocalyptic genre. I don't regret reading it, and I had a lot of fun discussing it with my Goodreads friends.
I would recommend this book for ages 18 and up because of graphic violence, detailed sexual situation, and overall content.
September 13, 2014
Simon Clark's King Blood is a mixed bag of enjoyment and eye rolling disbelief. I enjoyed it as much as I sighed at it's several short comings. It was a book that I'm glad I read, but I probably will never pick back up again. As many of the other reviewers have said for this book, the main reason I decided to read King Blood was because of Simon Clark's other post apocalyptic masterpiece Blood Crazy. Both books tell the story of a young adult's journey toward becoming a leader in a world where your average everyday citizen has turned into a blood thirsty psychopath. Both books have very similar themes, strange explanations for the cause of the apocalypse, very well crafted villains and massive amounts of horrifying violence. It is very hard not to compare the two books.
The strength of both of these books for me is the weird and surreal encounters that sometimes add up to just a small occurrence. Yet these small details in the way Clark describes this new nightmarish world adds so much to the imagine and landscape the character is exploring. One example is in Blood Crazy the main protagonist passes by a young cashier who has just witnessed a blood bath in the fast food restaurant she works in. This character is never spoken of again and the protagonist is in too much in shock to offer any assistance to her. I found myself wondering what happened to her and hoping the girl would find safety on her own. These types of scenarios are sprinkled very cleverly throughout both apocalyptic tales.
It's these types of moments that are offered up a lot in Simon Clark's post apocalyptic books. Where I would not hesitate to recommend Blood Crazy to a fan of Post Apocalyptic fiction, I would definitely hesitate before suggesting King Blood.
Some parts that did bother me about this book is located in the spoiler tags below. Warning these spoilers are major plot twists toward the end of the book.
Spoiler involving Caroline and Rape:
Spoiler regarding the supporting cast:
Spoiler involving The Grey Men: (Warning, it's a bit of a metaphysical rant. )
I happily give this book 3.5 stars. I despite the problems I have with this novel, I did find myself enjoying it most of the time. The only other aspects that keep it from reaching a full four star rating is the over abundance of sex scenes and repetitive methods at describing scenes within the book.
The link to the group read I was a part of for this book is located here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I would like to thank all of the members who read this book with me. I honestly don't think I ever read through a four hundred page book so fast before. Though I wish that some parts of the book were changed a bit, I still had a lot of fun reading this book with a lot of friends. I don't recommend this book to everybody. I do recommend this book to those who have a really strong love for Post Apocalyptic tales and don't mind a large amount of descriptive sex scenes to be presented in their post apocalyptic book.
A series that I encourage other post apocalyptic fans to read instead is the five volume series called Autumn. While not a amazing as Blood Crazy, I still enjoyed Autumn a lot and it definitely has everything I love about Post Apocalyptic fiction.
The strength of both of these books for me is the weird and surreal encounters that sometimes add up to just a small occurrence. Yet these small details in the way Clark describes this new nightmarish world adds so much to the imagine and landscape the character is exploring. One example is in Blood Crazy the main protagonist passes by a young cashier who has just witnessed a blood bath in the fast food restaurant she works in. This character is never spoken of again and the protagonist is in too much in shock to offer any assistance to her. I found myself wondering what happened to her and hoping the girl would find safety on her own. These types of scenarios are sprinkled very cleverly throughout both apocalyptic tales.
It's these types of moments that are offered up a lot in Simon Clark's post apocalyptic books. Where I would not hesitate to recommend Blood Crazy to a fan of Post Apocalyptic fiction, I would definitely hesitate before suggesting King Blood.
Some parts that did bother me about this book is located in the spoiler tags below. Warning these spoilers are major plot twists toward the end of the book.
Spoiler involving Caroline and Rape:
Spoiler regarding the supporting cast:
Spoiler involving The Grey Men: (Warning, it's a bit of a metaphysical rant. )
I happily give this book 3.5 stars. I despite the problems I have with this novel, I did find myself enjoying it most of the time. The only other aspects that keep it from reaching a full four star rating is the over abundance of sex scenes and repetitive methods at describing scenes within the book.
The link to the group read I was a part of for this book is located here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I would like to thank all of the members who read this book with me. I honestly don't think I ever read through a four hundred page book so fast before. Though I wish that some parts of the book were changed a bit, I still had a lot of fun reading this book with a lot of friends. I don't recommend this book to everybody. I do recommend this book to those who have a really strong love for Post Apocalyptic tales and don't mind a large amount of descriptive sex scenes to be presented in their post apocalyptic book.
A series that I encourage other post apocalyptic fans to read instead is the five volume series called Autumn. While not a amazing as Blood Crazy, I still enjoyed Autumn a lot and it definitely has everything I love about Post Apocalyptic fiction.
September 22, 2014
Many years ago I read a horror novel called Blood Crazy that absolutely blew me away. Fast forward a few years later and I bought Vampyrrhic and absolutely loathed it. Yet both were by the same author, Simon Clark.
To this day, I've wondered about how a writer could produce such contrasting effects in me as a reader. On Deadly Ground somehow combines the best and worst parts of Simon Clark in one (quite long) novel. Originally published as KING BLOOD back in 1993, On Deadly Ground - which is a much better title - tells the story of a group of young adults in country town England and how they react to and attempt to survive the ground suddenly warming and the Earth tipping over into a new "hot age". Primarily narrated by Rick Kennedy, a 19 year old with dreams of being a musician, the novel starts extremely oddly with a prologue that seems to consist of random tidbits of the later novel thrown together haphazardly and without any context. It's disconcerting and a rude introduction to what eventually settles down into an apocalyptic survival story - mostly populated by young adults for reasons that I will not spoil here. Volcanic eruptions, hot ash clouds, geysers of scalding water, floods and mysterious grey figures that seem to have something to do with the apocalypse all have to be contended with as Rick and his friends go in search of a safe place to live their lives.
Interestingly, none of those issues are the greatest threat Rick and co have to face - at least in the early stages of the book. Instead that honour goes to their fellow survivors. On Deadly Ground is at its best when Clark is describing the lengths a human will go to survive in the face of increasingly-certain doom. Thieves become the least of the group's problems as rapists, murderers and then cannibals have to be contended with.
All of this is good, enjoyable stuff. Unfortunately Clark cannot help but over-indulge in intricately described sex scenes whenever he seems to get bored. The first couple of times it's reasonable enough, but by the fifth such scene, I found myself skipping through the latest exchange of passionate thrusting, animal grunting and pleasure-filled moaning. Then there's Clark's unnecessary decision to switch POVs to another character at various stages of the book and when doing so starting each section with "My name is Rick Kennedy" to delineate who is whom. Given the writings are meant to be from the character's journals, this was exceptionally odd and kept throwing me right out of the book. Also annoying was Clark's habit of his characters telling the reader to "Picture this" before describing a scene. It must happen twenty-five times in the book and got old after the third. Then there was the character who referred to herself in the third person as "Auntie" when she was initiating or having sex *shudders* ...
But all of that pales in comparison to the major plot twist which torpedoed the narrative, robbed the final 100 or so pages of a great deal of tension and was mind-bogglingly disappointing.
So on the one hand, On Deadly Ground is an interesting apocalyptic idea with some decent thrills and a cast of mostly reasonably well-developed characters. On the other, it's frustratingly disappointing and marred by some odd writing decisions. Together, this made for just an average read that I would hesitate before recommending.
2.5 Aunties That Will Take Care of You for On Deadly Ground.
To this day, I've wondered about how a writer could produce such contrasting effects in me as a reader. On Deadly Ground somehow combines the best and worst parts of Simon Clark in one (quite long) novel. Originally published as KING BLOOD back in 1993, On Deadly Ground - which is a much better title - tells the story of a group of young adults in country town England and how they react to and attempt to survive the ground suddenly warming and the Earth tipping over into a new "hot age". Primarily narrated by Rick Kennedy, a 19 year old with dreams of being a musician, the novel starts extremely oddly with a prologue that seems to consist of random tidbits of the later novel thrown together haphazardly and without any context. It's disconcerting and a rude introduction to what eventually settles down into an apocalyptic survival story - mostly populated by young adults for reasons that I will not spoil here. Volcanic eruptions, hot ash clouds, geysers of scalding water, floods and mysterious grey figures that seem to have something to do with the apocalypse all have to be contended with as Rick and his friends go in search of a safe place to live their lives.
Interestingly, none of those issues are the greatest threat Rick and co have to face - at least in the early stages of the book. Instead that honour goes to their fellow survivors. On Deadly Ground is at its best when Clark is describing the lengths a human will go to survive in the face of increasingly-certain doom. Thieves become the least of the group's problems as rapists, murderers and then cannibals have to be contended with.
All of this is good, enjoyable stuff. Unfortunately Clark cannot help but over-indulge in intricately described sex scenes whenever he seems to get bored. The first couple of times it's reasonable enough, but by the fifth such scene, I found myself skipping through the latest exchange of passionate thrusting, animal grunting and pleasure-filled moaning. Then there's Clark's unnecessary decision to switch POVs to another character at various stages of the book and when doing so starting each section with "My name is Rick Kennedy" to delineate who is whom. Given the writings are meant to be from the character's journals, this was exceptionally odd and kept throwing me right out of the book. Also annoying was Clark's habit of his characters telling the reader to "Picture this" before describing a scene. It must happen twenty-five times in the book and got old after the third. Then there was the character who referred to herself in the third person as "Auntie" when she was initiating or having sex *shudders* ...
But all of that pales in comparison to the major plot twist which torpedoed the narrative, robbed the final 100 or so pages of a great deal of tension and was mind-bogglingly disappointing.
So on the one hand, On Deadly Ground is an interesting apocalyptic idea with some decent thrills and a cast of mostly reasonably well-developed characters. On the other, it's frustratingly disappointing and marred by some odd writing decisions. Together, this made for just an average read that I would hesitate before recommending.
2.5 Aunties That Will Take Care of You for On Deadly Ground.
January 25, 2021
This signed deluxe edition of King Blood by Simon Clark looks awesome, and I'm happy to have snagged a copy.
And, as usual, Clark's brilliant storytelling blew me away. He's become one of my very favorites.
And, as usual, Clark's brilliant storytelling blew me away. He's become one of my very favorites.
March 22, 2018
I will admit there are authors that I know of, have heard of, and yet have done nothing about, to my shame Simon Clark is one of them even though his book Night of the Triffids has spent so many years on my To Be Read pile I think its now got itself a freehold.
Anyway I saw this title on an offer and thought why not - a good end of the world disaster book is always a fun interlude (or is that me). Anyway this book came with a lot praise from people I do not know or follow so it was a bit of a journey in to the dark.
Well I must admit the book started with a lot of promise - here it will get interesting with my no spoilers but the whole decent in chaos and terror was handled in a way I have not see in other doomsday books and as such each page and chapter was something new. Thankfully cliches and predictable events were kept to a minimum (although there were still a few).
The book did take a strange sideways step towards the end but to be honest a book like this aways has to put it money where its mouth is sooner or later and this for me is the real test. There is only so much of the world you can tear up before the reading says okay enough now.
Well for me this book skirted those limited admirably and I really enjoyed it - the writing was fast paced and accessible and the ideas new and refreshing, I will admit that I think I need to get that Triffid book off the bottom of the stack.
Anyway I saw this title on an offer and thought why not - a good end of the world disaster book is always a fun interlude (or is that me). Anyway this book came with a lot praise from people I do not know or follow so it was a bit of a journey in to the dark.
Well I must admit the book started with a lot of promise - here it will get interesting with my no spoilers but the whole decent in chaos and terror was handled in a way I have not see in other doomsday books and as such each page and chapter was something new. Thankfully cliches and predictable events were kept to a minimum (although there were still a few).
The book did take a strange sideways step towards the end but to be honest a book like this aways has to put it money where its mouth is sooner or later and this for me is the real test. There is only so much of the world you can tear up before the reading says okay enough now.
Well for me this book skirted those limited admirably and I really enjoyed it - the writing was fast paced and accessible and the ideas new and refreshing, I will admit that I think I need to get that Triffid book off the bottom of the stack.
August 6, 2016
This book. It can be really terrifying, really grotesque and yet, somehow, one of the most entertaining and strange books I have read in the past few years.
I'm usually not one for post-apocalyptic drama, I tend to avoid those books on purpose, but there is something very captivating about this author's writing style and the way he approaches his plots. I like that you really don't know until well into the book if people are just imagining things or if they are really happening. Simon Clark didn't take long to get into the meat of the story and bring some excitement along, and that kept me going into a longer book than I tend to choose.
This book highlights the desperation people would feel if something changed the world so suddenly, and shows both the darker and lighter sides of the human situation. The dialogue was believable and easy to digest and I was really impressed with the author's ability to create three-dimensional characters that I either loved or hated with a passion. There are plenty of heart-pounding moments in this novel, and I wasn't ever sure how things would turn out. The relationships are fiery and intense and the disaster elements were very well described.
What I didn't love in this book, was all the pointless sex scenes. Not that I'm a prude, but they felt forced, and there were so many of them that it all began to feel a bit monotonous. I think the book would have been better if there were fewer of them, or if they had been more varied.
Overall, this is a great book with a lot to recommend it. I enjoyed my journey through this book, and happily recommend it to others..but you might need a strong stomach and a nightlight. Hell, you might want to read from the highest ground you can find even.
Great book.
This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I'm usually not one for post-apocalyptic drama, I tend to avoid those books on purpose, but there is something very captivating about this author's writing style and the way he approaches his plots. I like that you really don't know until well into the book if people are just imagining things or if they are really happening. Simon Clark didn't take long to get into the meat of the story and bring some excitement along, and that kept me going into a longer book than I tend to choose.
This book highlights the desperation people would feel if something changed the world so suddenly, and shows both the darker and lighter sides of the human situation. The dialogue was believable and easy to digest and I was really impressed with the author's ability to create three-dimensional characters that I either loved or hated with a passion. There are plenty of heart-pounding moments in this novel, and I wasn't ever sure how things would turn out. The relationships are fiery and intense and the disaster elements were very well described.
What I didn't love in this book, was all the pointless sex scenes. Not that I'm a prude, but they felt forced, and there were so many of them that it all began to feel a bit monotonous. I think the book would have been better if there were fewer of them, or if they had been more varied.
Overall, this is a great book with a lot to recommend it. I enjoyed my journey through this book, and happily recommend it to others..but you might need a strong stomach and a nightlight. Hell, you might want to read from the highest ground you can find even.
Great book.
This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
August 21, 2016
Many thanks to Endeavour Press and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Previously published as King Blood, On Deadly Ground is a post-apocalyptic-horror-survival story with a hint of eroticism and other themes such as revenge and love.
I love the post-apocalyptic book genre most of all, so I did enjoy this one to a certain extent. I love a thick book, and this was a whopping 675 pages. Those were the only things I really liked about this book. It isn't an awful read, but it could have been better.
Many times it felt like the horror/gore scenes were a bit too overly done and therefore it failed in its attempts to be terrifying.
The lengthy dialogues between characters were extremely formal and thus unreal.
Some characters were very naive but I noticed major developments by the end of the book.
One in particular was extremely, sexually creepy, so I was elated whenever her scene ended.
Now the plot: pretty anticlimactic. There was such a huge build-up that I thought I would be blown away when the big reveal came, instead I was disappointed to the point of not wanting to continue reading.
Overall, it was an OK read. I wouldn't recommend it to the two main people I recommend books to, but others could have a go at it. If you're into post-apocalyptic/survival stories and don't typically pay attention to writing style then try it out.
Posted to my blog : http://emmcorv.blogspot.com/2016/08/o...
Previously published as King Blood, On Deadly Ground is a post-apocalyptic-horror-survival story with a hint of eroticism and other themes such as revenge and love.
I love the post-apocalyptic book genre most of all, so I did enjoy this one to a certain extent. I love a thick book, and this was a whopping 675 pages. Those were the only things I really liked about this book. It isn't an awful read, but it could have been better.
Many times it felt like the horror/gore scenes were a bit too overly done and therefore it failed in its attempts to be terrifying.
The lengthy dialogues between characters were extremely formal and thus unreal.
Some characters were very naive but I noticed major developments by the end of the book.
One in particular was extremely, sexually creepy, so I was elated whenever her scene ended.
Now the plot: pretty anticlimactic. There was such a huge build-up that I thought I would be blown away when the big reveal came, instead I was disappointed to the point of not wanting to continue reading.
Overall, it was an OK read. I wouldn't recommend it to the two main people I recommend books to, but others could have a go at it. If you're into post-apocalyptic/survival stories and don't typically pay attention to writing style then try it out.
Posted to my blog : http://emmcorv.blogspot.com/2016/08/o...
October 29, 2017
I wish I could give this review all the stars in the galaxy! This story had so much depth, and many layers into humanity, science, and psychology I got wrapped up in the shear intensity of its surrealism. The characters were such young people, but not too young(The main characters). Ben was right to set them out ahead of time to forge a way of their own. I don't think those sixty people know how blessed they are to have survived that long because of Ben Cavellors decision to send them away, or putting Stephen in charge. Wow, how does the Grey Men play the biggest role in the story? I'll tell you they are what started, drives, motivated, and destroyed most of the human race mentally. That's were scientific evidence comes in and knocks the paranormal off the radar so to speak. There was so much horror and savagery in such a short time. Like it only took weeks for people to become cannibals, and to stop speaking. Although there were billions of deaths around the world, the lives that were saved in the story were just as significant. I'm glad this was an Armageddon present and post apocalyptic story without the Zombies lol. I love the undead, but the living were proof of how death isn't the worst fate.
April 21, 2014
Torn between 3 and 4 stars but due to the work put into the novel 4 it will be. This is a good apocalyptic novel - different from the hoards of apocalyptic zombie novels available these days in that there are no zombies here. The horror revolves mainly around the evil that people do to other people when faced with a breakdown of society as we understand it. In parts the book is very good and in other parts it isn't so good but having said that it does keep the reader wanting to go forward throughout to find out what happens to the various characters. Characterization is very strong and the reader cares about what happens to whom. The whole "imaginary" enemy thing didn't grab me overly much and hence my initial hesitance in awarding an outright clear 4 or perhaps even 5 stars. Good and in parts very good but this is no "Swan Song" by Robert R McCammon (which is the benchmark that I use with this type of novel).
Important to note that this is a renaming of the authors original "King Blood" novel.
Important to note that this is a renaming of the authors original "King Blood" novel.
September 22, 2014
Ever since I found this book on my parents bookshelf I have been looking forward to read this novel. My first Simon Clark novel, alas while a fun novel was not my most greatest read of the year. It starts of brilliantly, gives you characters to care about, but also turns you off with a almost adolescent mentality towards male and female relations.
The apocalyptic vision of the destruction of the UK was almost artistic, the savagery people descended to was comic book like with snippets of thoughtfulness.
The biggest criticism I have was the author handling of a gang rape female character, it was just so unrealistic.
So to sum up my opinion, enjoyable but not something I would read again. I would recommend to people who like Richard Laymon, Shaun hutson or have similar taste to me. I will like to try reading more Simon Clark.
The apocalyptic vision of the destruction of the UK was almost artistic, the savagery people descended to was comic book like with snippets of thoughtfulness.
The biggest criticism I have was the author handling of a gang rape female character, it was just so unrealistic.
So to sum up my opinion, enjoyable but not something I would read again. I would recommend to people who like Richard Laymon, Shaun hutson or have similar taste to me. I will like to try reading more Simon Clark.
February 9, 2011
I really want to give it 3 1/2 stars, because I liked it more in the back half than the front half. Was pretty brutal and contained quite a bit of sex (not my normal reading choice), but the story was good and it kept me interested enough to finish all 534 pages in under 5 days. Was a good read, but be prepared for some tough to read parts.
January 29, 2020
Compelling
This is the best version of the apocalypse I have read in ages. Not a zombie in sight. I'm sick of zombies. Terrifying, thought provoking, an amazing story of humanity, in all its glory . Including the good, the bad ,and the ugly,. We all consider ourselves to be civilized, Mr Clark calls that into question.
Noah would be proud.
This is the best version of the apocalypse I have read in ages. Not a zombie in sight. I'm sick of zombies. Terrifying, thought provoking, an amazing story of humanity, in all its glory . Including the good, the bad ,and the ugly,. We all consider ourselves to be civilized, Mr Clark calls that into question.
Noah would be proud.
May 14, 2016
I am a big fan of Simon Clark and waited a long time to read this book. Enjoyed it very much.
February 11, 2019
A very interesting read of a post apocalyptic thriller. This is the second book by Simon Clark I’ve read (Blood Crazy being the first) and I don’t think I’ll be reading anymore. Not because these both weren’t good, I enjoyed both books thoroughly (BC a little more than this one), but because Clark has a distinct writing style and certain tropes he likes to play out, which have gotten old.
I like Clark’s focus on teen or young adult communities dealing with post-apocalypse world building. It adds a certain level of irrationality to the new societies that leads to exciting twists. Clark also does a good job of sprinkling in unexpected obstacles, not to the point where the reader is frustrated that “nothing can go right,” but just enough to keep your blood pressure elevated.
There are two aspects of Clark’s writing that I dislike, and they both have to do with rape. In this book, he depicts brutal rape scenes more than once. Not more than a few days after society’s collapse he writes about a woman being “carried away by a dozen or so men to be raped.” But we never get the view of this trauma from the female perspective. We only get to experience this story from the consciousness of Clark’s boy-hero Rick Kennedy. (“I just watched her get carried away, I wish I would’ve done something.”) If Clark is going to continue to use rape as a way to signify the society has fallen apart I would like a deeper exploration of it from more than just a straight male’s perspective. Ironically, this brings me to my second aspect: male rape. In both Clark novels he depicts scenes of males being raped (either in their sleep or just without their consent), and both story lines end up with the men just “liking it” and going along with it. After all, men always want sex, right?? As I said with the female rape scenes, if Clark wants to use these heinous actions to convey that society is falling apart, I would like to see a deeper dive.
Overall, I still like Clark’s writing, but after reading two books back-to-back I’ll be taking a break for a while.
I like Clark’s focus on teen or young adult communities dealing with post-apocalypse world building. It adds a certain level of irrationality to the new societies that leads to exciting twists. Clark also does a good job of sprinkling in unexpected obstacles, not to the point where the reader is frustrated that “nothing can go right,” but just enough to keep your blood pressure elevated.
There are two aspects of Clark’s writing that I dislike, and they both have to do with rape. In this book, he depicts brutal rape scenes more than once. Not more than a few days after society’s collapse he writes about a woman being “carried away by a dozen or so men to be raped.” But we never get the view of this trauma from the female perspective. We only get to experience this story from the consciousness of Clark’s boy-hero Rick Kennedy. (“I just watched her get carried away, I wish I would’ve done something.”) If Clark is going to continue to use rape as a way to signify the society has fallen apart I would like a deeper exploration of it from more than just a straight male’s perspective. Ironically, this brings me to my second aspect: male rape. In both Clark novels he depicts scenes of males being raped (either in their sleep or just without their consent), and both story lines end up with the men just “liking it” and going along with it. After all, men always want sex, right?? As I said with the female rape scenes, if Clark wants to use these heinous actions to convey that society is falling apart, I would like to see a deeper dive.
Overall, I still like Clark’s writing, but after reading two books back-to-back I’ll be taking a break for a while.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2019
Apocalyptic Hell Clark Style...WOW
Absolutely loved this book and really struggled to put it down. Simon paints a nightmare of earth on fire and it terrified me. Not much terrifies me. He captures how quickly civilised society crumbles, what unifies us and what drives us apart. One thing I love about Clark's writing, other than his profound turn of phrase, are the layers and depth to his stories. You peel them back one by one as you go on this journey that reverberate long after the book has been put down. Absolutely Outstanding.
Absolutely loved this book and really struggled to put it down. Simon paints a nightmare of earth on fire and it terrified me. Not much terrifies me. He captures how quickly civilised society crumbles, what unifies us and what drives us apart. One thing I love about Clark's writing, other than his profound turn of phrase, are the layers and depth to his stories. You peel them back one by one as you go on this journey that reverberate long after the book has been put down. Absolutely Outstanding.
July 19, 2023
Nicely done apocalypse story.
The characters are relatable and was well written.
Enjoyed it, especially the last couple of chapters.
It has a slow burn, until the very end where it picks up the pace.
The characters are relatable and was well written.
Enjoyed it, especially the last couple of chapters.
It has a slow burn, until the very end where it picks up the pace.
August 25, 2018
Most impressive horror i have ever read. Clark has an excellent language and style.
November 26, 2019
Wonderful
I could hardly put this book down and loved the characters in the story. So glad i found this author
I could hardly put this book down and loved the characters in the story. So glad i found this author
March 7, 2016
I read the Kindle version entitled "On Deadly Ground" rather than the book version entitled "King Blood". Having now read the book, I can understand why the name was changed. I still have no idea why the book was originally called "King Blood".
Overall, I liked it, but I don't think it is good enough to recommend to others.
Things I liked:
Things I didn't like:
Overall, I liked it, but I don't think it is good enough to recommend to others.
Things I liked:
Things I didn't like:
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2016
I read the Kindle version entitled "On Deadly Ground" rather than the book version entitled "King Blood". Having now read the book, I can understand why the name was changed. I still have no idea why the book was originally called "King Blood".
Overall, I liked it, but I don't think it is good enough to recommend to others.
Things I liked:
Things I didn't like:
Overall, I liked it, but I don't think it is good enough to recommend to others.
Things I liked:
Things I didn't like:
February 14, 2021
Horror at its best!
My second time reading of this title, and it still grips me just as tightly as it did the first. Read the events of how two brothers and their friends survive the gruesome end of the world. As the earth dies taking loved along with it what would you do to ensure those in your group survive! This is a global warming apocalypse with a twist!
My second time reading of this title, and it still grips me just as tightly as it did the first. Read the events of how two brothers and their friends survive the gruesome end of the world. As the earth dies taking loved along with it what would you do to ensure those in your group survive! This is a global warming apocalypse with a twist!
July 13, 2015
Un libro dell'orrore, nel senso che fa orrore leggerlo. Una sequela di imprecazioni laconiche (Dio, Dio onnipotente, Cristo, Gesù Cristo, Santo cielo, ecc) disseminate come la gramigna, ed altrettanto irritanti, inserite in dialoghi già di per sé imbarazzanti.
I personaggi sono tagliati con l'accetta, lontano un miglio si capisce cosa faranno, dove andranno, cosa penseranno: lo spessore psicologico di una figurina Panini. La creazione della suspense è da tema delle vacanze (situazione lasciata in sospeso a fine capitolo con l'espressione "ma non sapevamo cosa ci avrebbe aspettato", o similare; può andar bene una volta, dopo dieci ti è venuta decisamente a noia).
Impregnato di un giovanilismo insensato: tutti i personaggi in pericolo hanno "circa vent'anni", non lasciando dubbi sul target di età a cui il libro è diretto. Milf a parte, ovviamente, quella serviva così.
Situazioni ripetitive fino alla nausea, soprattutto le scene di sesso descritte con una perizia nel fine erotismo talmente elevata che le gonadi di chiunque legga risulteranno a rischio secchezza, e metafore deprimenti ("i nostri corpi erano scivolosi come sperma"... che raffinatezza). È un fiorire di dettagli inutili in situazioni inappropriate.
Alcune scene truculente vogliono semplicemente accendere il gusto per il morboso nel lettore che altrimenti (altrimenti?) starebbe lì ad annoiarsi, aspettando il momento in cui questo romanzo possa trasformarsi in qualcosa di vagamente interessante.
Ovviamente le spiegazioni sociologiche e naturalistiche dei fenomeni che scatenano la situazione apocalittica non convincono nemmeno lontanamente.
Una banalità stile blockbuster di serie Z. Ew.
I personaggi sono tagliati con l'accetta, lontano un miglio si capisce cosa faranno, dove andranno, cosa penseranno: lo spessore psicologico di una figurina Panini. La creazione della suspense è da tema delle vacanze (situazione lasciata in sospeso a fine capitolo con l'espressione "ma non sapevamo cosa ci avrebbe aspettato", o similare; può andar bene una volta, dopo dieci ti è venuta decisamente a noia).
Impregnato di un giovanilismo insensato: tutti i personaggi in pericolo hanno "circa vent'anni", non lasciando dubbi sul target di età a cui il libro è diretto. Milf a parte, ovviamente, quella serviva così.
Situazioni ripetitive fino alla nausea, soprattutto le scene di sesso descritte con una perizia nel fine erotismo talmente elevata che le gonadi di chiunque legga risulteranno a rischio secchezza, e metafore deprimenti ("i nostri corpi erano scivolosi come sperma"... che raffinatezza). È un fiorire di dettagli inutili in situazioni inappropriate.
Alcune scene truculente vogliono semplicemente accendere il gusto per il morboso nel lettore che altrimenti (altrimenti?) starebbe lì ad annoiarsi, aspettando il momento in cui questo romanzo possa trasformarsi in qualcosa di vagamente interessante.
Ovviamente le spiegazioni sociologiche e naturalistiche dei fenomeni che scatenano la situazione apocalittica non convincono nemmeno lontanamente.
Una banalità stile blockbuster di serie Z. Ew.
April 21, 2014
Torn between 3 and 4 stars but due to the work put into the novel 4 it will be. This is a good apocalyptic novel - different from the hoards of apocalyptic zombie novels available these days in that there are no zombies here. The horror revolves mainly around the evil that people do to other people when faced with a breakdown of society as we understand it. In parts the book is very good and in other parts it isn't so good but having said that it does keep the reader wanting to go forward throughout to find out what happens to the various characters. Characterization is very strong and the reader cares about what happens to whom. The whole "imaginary" enemy thing didn't grab me overly much and hence my initial hesitance in awarding an outright clear 4 or perhaps even 5 stars. Good and in parts very good but this is no "Swan Song" by Robert R McCammon (which is the benchmark that I use with this type of novel).
November 4, 2014
I am not sure where I got that book from. I have a kindle edition and started it a while ago.
Now I stopped without even finishing and I do not intend to do so... And I will tell you why.
Though the author has a good writing and the story got my attention I do not waste my time with reading something that the author himself doesn't care about.
There is a re-occurring error in the book that just tells me that the author did not care about his story at all. The error? Plain and simple. One of the main figures (Caroline) is described as a person with BROWN eyes. At least in the first 36 chapters... all of a sudden she has green ones (Chapter 37) and back to brown on the next page and green ones again a few chapter later. Sorry, I am reading not something the author wrote without paying attention to his own stories, description or people.
Now I stopped without even finishing and I do not intend to do so... And I will tell you why.
Though the author has a good writing and the story got my attention I do not waste my time with reading something that the author himself doesn't care about.
There is a re-occurring error in the book that just tells me that the author did not care about his story at all. The error? Plain and simple. One of the main figures (Caroline) is described as a person with BROWN eyes. At least in the first 36 chapters... all of a sudden she has green ones (Chapter 37) and back to brown on the next page and green ones again a few chapter later. Sorry, I am reading not something the author wrote without paying attention to his own stories, description or people.
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