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Dreadland Chronicles #1
All Roads Lead to Terror
The horrors of the past meet the brutality of the present.
Four boys strengthen the bonds of their friendship, while taking their first hesitant steps into adulthood, as they face the brutality of an old, new world. They will be tested at every step in their journey, as they travel through a blasted land where the only hope is for a swift death followed by an endless sleep.
The world has become a wild place filled with wild things, and into this new reality each of them had been born. Coming of age at the end of days, where savagery was the norm, and man's inhumanity to man was on daily display. Where the only law was the firepower one carried and the only hope was for a swift death followed by an endless sleep.
Meat was born at the height of the Zombie apocalypse, upon his birth his mother took one look at him and pronounced him meat. He grew up in a reality where they were all nothing more than walking bags of meat, so in his mind the name fit perfectly.
Window, his best friend, is very quiet, and ever watchful with a quick hand. To him friendship was the most important thing in the world. His family had perished in the ruthless times after the awakening and his temperament had been forged in the fire that took them from him. His friends were all he had left so he watched over them with a jealously protective nature strengthened by that sense of invulnerability all boys his age embraced. Further backed up by a quick hand with the .44 he'd used to kill the men who had raped his mother.
The remaining members of this quartet are Einstein who had been born within the compound at Bremo Bluff after the apocalypse. Having spent his life behind the fence he had no first hand knowledge of how brutal the world has become. As his name implies he's the smartest in the group, as well the most innocent. While that innocence helps to soften the ruthlessness of the other three, it will serve to drive a wedge into their friendship. On this trip he will discover just how terrifying the world beyond the fence has become.
The final member is Billie-Bob, one half of a set of twins who appeared outside the fence several years earlier. Your typical class clown whose mouth runs a mile a minute, if he isn't sharing overused jokes about Zombies, he's whispering the passages from a book his mother used to read to him when he was younger, a chant that provides him with a degree of comfort. Billie-Bob is unique in that at the tender age of eleven he has proven himself to be a natural born sniper with a willingness to use his special talent to protect his friends.
The trail they follow leads them East, into the Dreadlands, from which those who had dared venture in the past never returned. There are places where the fabric of reality is at its thinnest. Where nightmare creatures roam the shadowy corners of a well lit world. Existing at the edge of man consciousness, an indistinct blur briefly glimpsed in our peripheral vision. Their presence felt on a primitive level that reached our consciousness as a faint whisper in the night. Their touch the soft caress of chilled fingers dancing along the spine like the half remembered terrors lurking within the childhood memories of every person who had ever feared the night.
In Richmond they will be confronted by a savage cult of children who worship a creature of the night. A nightmare being that feasted upon the fear of its victims, delving into their innermost secrets, revealing half forgotten terrors that lay like a rotting carcass at the heart of their souls. For these creatures, that were once considered nightmare imaginings, are now awake in a world where the population that once served as their food source has been reduced.
Awake and very, very, hungry.
Four boys strengthen the bonds of their friendship, while taking their first hesitant steps into adulthood, as they face the brutality of an old, new world. They will be tested at every step in their journey, as they travel through a blasted land where the only hope is for a swift death followed by an endless sleep.
The world has become a wild place filled with wild things, and into this new reality each of them had been born. Coming of age at the end of days, where savagery was the norm, and man's inhumanity to man was on daily display. Where the only law was the firepower one carried and the only hope was for a swift death followed by an endless sleep.
Meat was born at the height of the Zombie apocalypse, upon his birth his mother took one look at him and pronounced him meat. He grew up in a reality where they were all nothing more than walking bags of meat, so in his mind the name fit perfectly.
Window, his best friend, is very quiet, and ever watchful with a quick hand. To him friendship was the most important thing in the world. His family had perished in the ruthless times after the awakening and his temperament had been forged in the fire that took them from him. His friends were all he had left so he watched over them with a jealously protective nature strengthened by that sense of invulnerability all boys his age embraced. Further backed up by a quick hand with the .44 he'd used to kill the men who had raped his mother.
The remaining members of this quartet are Einstein who had been born within the compound at Bremo Bluff after the apocalypse. Having spent his life behind the fence he had no first hand knowledge of how brutal the world has become. As his name implies he's the smartest in the group, as well the most innocent. While that innocence helps to soften the ruthlessness of the other three, it will serve to drive a wedge into their friendship. On this trip he will discover just how terrifying the world beyond the fence has become.
The final member is Billie-Bob, one half of a set of twins who appeared outside the fence several years earlier. Your typical class clown whose mouth runs a mile a minute, if he isn't sharing overused jokes about Zombies, he's whispering the passages from a book his mother used to read to him when he was younger, a chant that provides him with a degree of comfort. Billie-Bob is unique in that at the tender age of eleven he has proven himself to be a natural born sniper with a willingness to use his special talent to protect his friends.
The trail they follow leads them East, into the Dreadlands, from which those who had dared venture in the past never returned. There are places where the fabric of reality is at its thinnest. Where nightmare creatures roam the shadowy corners of a well lit world. Existing at the edge of man consciousness, an indistinct blur briefly glimpsed in our peripheral vision. Their presence felt on a primitive level that reached our consciousness as a faint whisper in the night. Their touch the soft caress of chilled fingers dancing along the spine like the half remembered terrors lurking within the childhood memories of every person who had ever feared the night.
In Richmond they will be confronted by a savage cult of children who worship a creature of the night. A nightmare being that feasted upon the fear of its victims, delving into their innermost secrets, revealing half forgotten terrors that lay like a rotting carcass at the heart of their souls. For these creatures, that were once considered nightmare imaginings, are now awake in a world where the population that once served as their food source has been reduced.
Awake and very, very, hungry.
ebook
Published December 12, 2015
12 people are currently reading
371 people want to read
About the author
Richard Schiver
32 books81 followersRichard Schiver is an author of supernatural thrillers and science fiction, blending cosmic horror, psychological suspense, and family drama. With a passion for exploring the boundaries between reality and the unknown, Richard crafts stories that challenge, thrill, and inspire.
Written in Blood is Richard's personal blog where he shares his thoughts on writing, and whatever else might strike his fancy. http://www.richardschiver.com
He can be contacted directly at rschiver@gmail.com and would be delighted to hear from you.
Written in Blood is Richard's personal blog where he shares his thoughts on writing, and whatever else might strike his fancy. http://www.richardschiver.com
He can be contacted directly at rschiver@gmail.com and would be delighted to hear from you.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 28, 2017
All Roads Lead to Terror is an entertaining read that is on the surface one story and a much better story underneath. At first glance, Richard Schiver has written a great zombie novel and that would be good enough. However, underneath he deftly flips the script and actually writes a very intense coming of age story. About what makes family and keeping promises. There is a bit of sardonic humor and that keeps the story just light enough; how else do you name your hero "Meat"? All Roads Lead to Terror treads familiar grounds, yet he manages to keep the idea fresh and that is a trick in a crowded field.
Richard Schiver left me wanting more and I hope it is coming. That is the best a reader can ask. Great read.
Richard Schiver left me wanting more and I hope it is coming. That is the best a reader can ask. Great read.
January 11, 2016
This story started off really solid, a world gone savage after a plague decimates humanity. I was with the characters in their single minded focus to find kidnapped children until the story veered off into this weird tangent of pedophiles and religion. It took me out of the rescue mission story and felt really out of place, almost as if the Author didn't really know what type of resolution to create for his characters. I am a Horror fan so gore doesn't bother me but I don't think the scenes in the end really served a purpose except to be gory and show brutality somehow justifying the characters earlier agreement to leave no survivors. Without giving any spoilers the events unfolding as they did felt a bit too convenient and that's all I'll say about that. As I said in one of my updates, this story felt more like a sequel to a much larger plot rather than a standalone first in the series. In the end did I enjoy the story? Yes, however, I can't say that I'm particularly satisfied by the way this book turned out. It just felt rushed and I think too much was left unresolved.
With that being said I'll be giving All Roads Lead to Terror by Richard Schiver ★★★.
With that being said I'll be giving All Roads Lead to Terror by Richard Schiver ★★★.
June 28, 2016
Wow!
Though this usually isn't my normal genre, I took a chance. This is the first book I've read outside of my "comfort zone" and I must say I wasn't able to put it down! The world becomes a savage place after a Zombie apocalypse tears it all apart. But these boys work together, forming camaraderie, friendship, and giving each other hope. Truly amazing book! I cannot wait for more in this series!
Though this usually isn't my normal genre, I took a chance. This is the first book I've read outside of my "comfort zone" and I must say I wasn't able to put it down! The world becomes a savage place after a Zombie apocalypse tears it all apart. But these boys work together, forming camaraderie, friendship, and giving each other hope. Truly amazing book! I cannot wait for more in this series!
March 10, 2017
3.5 stars
They roared their terrible roar, and gnashed their terrible teeth, and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.
Overall an entertaining, interesting and enjoyable story and a good start to a series. It took a while for the story to really grab my attention. Once it did I listened straight through until the end.
Their trip is a coming of age story for Meat, Window, Billy Bob and Einstein set 14 years after of the collapse of society. Their discoveries and people they meet in the outside world along the way, bonding through the situations during their quest and the personal growth each of them go through.
They have spent most of their time since the collapse of society relatively shielded from the some of the harsher atrocities in their secluded and well guarded fortress of Bremo Bluff. While on a rescue mission to retrieve the children that were taken from the Bluff they learn just how bad things are out in the world. They also come to realize some truth's about the place they call home.
* Warning*- Billy Bob does remember abuse he and his brother suffered at the hands of his pedophile uncle. It doesn't go into any of the actual physical detail. Just memories of certain events surrounding the abuse coming to the surface while rescuing the children who are in a similar situation. There is also the rape of a girl not graphically depicted but the aftermath of her ordeal is no easier to listen to. This may be a trigger for people who have been subjected to this horrendous type of abuse and they may want to avoid this story.
Johnny Mack did a good job with the narration. Nice voice. Clearly spoken with a smooth even pace of narration. Some really good character voices. His male voices are good of coarse but a little more distinction between each one would have been nice. For the boys Meat, Window etc. the only way you knew who was speaking was when you were told you who was speaking. He was able to bring the story to life and make you feel what the characters were going through. Overall really enjoyable. I would listen to him narrate other books in the future.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.
They roared their terrible roar, and gnashed their terrible teeth, and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.
Overall an entertaining, interesting and enjoyable story and a good start to a series. It took a while for the story to really grab my attention. Once it did I listened straight through until the end.
Their trip is a coming of age story for Meat, Window, Billy Bob and Einstein set 14 years after of the collapse of society. Their discoveries and people they meet in the outside world along the way, bonding through the situations during their quest and the personal growth each of them go through.
They have spent most of their time since the collapse of society relatively shielded from the some of the harsher atrocities in their secluded and well guarded fortress of Bremo Bluff. While on a rescue mission to retrieve the children that were taken from the Bluff they learn just how bad things are out in the world. They also come to realize some truth's about the place they call home.
* Warning*- Billy Bob does remember abuse he and his brother suffered at the hands of his pedophile uncle. It doesn't go into any of the actual physical detail. Just memories of certain events surrounding the abuse coming to the surface while rescuing the children who are in a similar situation. There is also the rape of a girl not graphically depicted but the aftermath of her ordeal is no easier to listen to. This may be a trigger for people who have been subjected to this horrendous type of abuse and they may want to avoid this story.
Johnny Mack did a good job with the narration. Nice voice. Clearly spoken with a smooth even pace of narration. Some really good character voices. His male voices are good of coarse but a little more distinction between each one would have been nice. For the boys Meat, Window etc. the only way you knew who was speaking was when you were told you who was speaking. He was able to bring the story to life and make you feel what the characters were going through. Overall really enjoyable. I would listen to him narrate other books in the future.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.
June 19, 2017
I was not into this book.I tried, it seemed disjointed to me.An apocalyptic story about a child looking for other children in the wreckage.Johnny Mack gives a nice narrative with feeling.I was provided this book by the author, narrator or publisher.
November 2, 2016
At first, this story appears to fit right into the post-apocalyptic zombie universe. But it broadens out into a more interesting coming of age story. Meat, Window, Einstien, and Billie-Bob, are trekking out into the uncharted land East of their settlement, the Dreadlands, to rescue the children who’d just been kidnapped. They are seasoned trackers with some impeccable marksmanship skills. And they are all between the ages of 12 and 15.
The age of these characters entirely changes the dynamic of this book from a more familiar world of survival and human in-fighting to one where the narative of the young plays a more important role. Children of this world are preyed upon openly, but in this society? They fight back. If this book was written any differently, I don’t think I could have read what happened to these kids. Brutal, horrible things happened to them as they struggled to survive in the predatory world around them. However- it was written in a way that kept my rapt attention. Why?
These characters were people
The core group of boys were each individual, deep characters, with pain and pasts you would normally only seen in adults who’ve lived a hard life. I was quickly invested in them and it was seeing their personal struggles and growth that made this story sing. Well, that and the Big Bad Antagonists.
Now, you have your zombies, but they aren’t the real danger in this world. As in most cases of “zombie apocalypse” literature, it’s the people fighting over resources and struggling to adapt that you have to fear. What I loved about how Richard approached that concept, was that his didn’t to focus in on the adults of the world. Instead he kept his focus on the kids. If the depraved adults did horrible things, we experienced it from the children’s point of view. The kids, even the ones threatening our protagonists lives, were more human than the adults in this world. They were also, far more savage.
There was a flavor of “Lord of the Flies” expressed through the savage tribe of kids who kidnapped the children in the first place. They were viscous, brutal creatures grown from the cycle of abuse this book explores. And the religious practices they had cultivated in the absence of love and protection is truly horrifying. It’s the kind of horror that at once makes your stomach churn and your hand itch to draw it. (Or maybe that’s just my response to these kind of stories…)
The climatic battle I won’t even touch on, because to talk about it is to spoil the most delightful revelation that this book has hidden in it. But what I will say is, read all the way to the end. It’s so totally worth it, and it’s because of the ending that I want to read the next book in the series. I love it when a book pulls the rug out from under me. It keeps me from getting jaded or from succumbing to Horror Fatigue.
I reserve a star because there are some grammatical issues that another round of editing would fix up, but 4 solid stars because this book is absolutely worth reading. It is brutal with a purpose. It’s post-apocalyptic and set in the zombie genre without being clichéd. And that ending. That ending is spectacular.
The age of these characters entirely changes the dynamic of this book from a more familiar world of survival and human in-fighting to one where the narative of the young plays a more important role. Children of this world are preyed upon openly, but in this society? They fight back. If this book was written any differently, I don’t think I could have read what happened to these kids. Brutal, horrible things happened to them as they struggled to survive in the predatory world around them. However- it was written in a way that kept my rapt attention. Why?
These characters were people
The core group of boys were each individual, deep characters, with pain and pasts you would normally only seen in adults who’ve lived a hard life. I was quickly invested in them and it was seeing their personal struggles and growth that made this story sing. Well, that and the Big Bad Antagonists.
Now, you have your zombies, but they aren’t the real danger in this world. As in most cases of “zombie apocalypse” literature, it’s the people fighting over resources and struggling to adapt that you have to fear. What I loved about how Richard approached that concept, was that his didn’t to focus in on the adults of the world. Instead he kept his focus on the kids. If the depraved adults did horrible things, we experienced it from the children’s point of view. The kids, even the ones threatening our protagonists lives, were more human than the adults in this world. They were also, far more savage.
There was a flavor of “Lord of the Flies” expressed through the savage tribe of kids who kidnapped the children in the first place. They were viscous, brutal creatures grown from the cycle of abuse this book explores. And the religious practices they had cultivated in the absence of love and protection is truly horrifying. It’s the kind of horror that at once makes your stomach churn and your hand itch to draw it. (Or maybe that’s just my response to these kind of stories…)
The climatic battle I won’t even touch on, because to talk about it is to spoil the most delightful revelation that this book has hidden in it. But what I will say is, read all the way to the end. It’s so totally worth it, and it’s because of the ending that I want to read the next book in the series. I love it when a book pulls the rug out from under me. It keeps me from getting jaded or from succumbing to Horror Fatigue.
I reserve a star because there are some grammatical issues that another round of editing would fix up, but 4 solid stars because this book is absolutely worth reading. It is brutal with a purpose. It’s post-apocalyptic and set in the zombie genre without being clichéd. And that ending. That ending is spectacular.
February 1, 2016
Richard Schiver is not an author I had read before. But I will again. All Roads is frankly Stephen King's Stand By Me, with zombies. But not too many. To call this a zombie novel would be a misnomer. First and foremost this is a coming-of-age drama, written by a man with a deft hand for characterization, set within a dystopian backdrop.
And it's good. Like, really good.
I don't generally read books that have little gore, scares, and general horror (but I am expanding my horizons) however, I couldn't put the book down.
The way Schiver emotes the characters, the fact that they are all well defined, different, people, even though still young, was refreshing. I believed in them. I wanted them to live. I wanted them to fight. And when it came down to it, I rooted for them. Their motives. I wanted the group to resolve their internal conflicts.
And when the big bads did turn up? It was scary. Because they weren't around every corner. Hell, the other people are scary in this.
When I'm using terms like deft, well defined, internal conflict, and motive, you know it's a good book. When I liken it to King. Damn it's good.
The only reason I knock a star off is for the poor editing in places.
And it's good. Like, really good.
I don't generally read books that have little gore, scares, and general horror (but I am expanding my horizons) however, I couldn't put the book down.
The way Schiver emotes the characters, the fact that they are all well defined, different, people, even though still young, was refreshing. I believed in them. I wanted them to live. I wanted them to fight. And when it came down to it, I rooted for them. Their motives. I wanted the group to resolve their internal conflicts.
And when the big bads did turn up? It was scary. Because they weren't around every corner. Hell, the other people are scary in this.
When I'm using terms like deft, well defined, internal conflict, and motive, you know it's a good book. When I liken it to King. Damn it's good.
The only reason I knock a star off is for the poor editing in places.
August 2, 2016
In a world where the newly dead are brought back to life and civilization has collapsed, a group of young, teenage boys set out on a quest to recover children who have been taken from their encampment.
With mesmerizing descriptions, prose so rich it curls your toes and a well- crafted plot chocked full of surprises, Richard Schiver pulls you into a shadowy dystopia that tests the mettle of each of his characters and makes you think about life. The boys fight to survive physically and emotionally and their shared experience strengthens their ties.
My favorite lines were: "There were places where the fabric between realities was at its thinnest, where the past, present, and the future all occupied the same space. These silent places were inhabited by beings that bled across the lines of reality that had been blurred by the bending of the past and the future."
All Roads Lead to Terror is a fast, entertaining read. I recommend it for readers who enjoy well-written, dystopian adventures. Schiver's writing reminds me of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
With mesmerizing descriptions, prose so rich it curls your toes and a well- crafted plot chocked full of surprises, Richard Schiver pulls you into a shadowy dystopia that tests the mettle of each of his characters and makes you think about life. The boys fight to survive physically and emotionally and their shared experience strengthens their ties.
My favorite lines were: "There were places where the fabric between realities was at its thinnest, where the past, present, and the future all occupied the same space. These silent places were inhabited by beings that bled across the lines of reality that had been blurred by the bending of the past and the future."
All Roads Lead to Terror is a fast, entertaining read. I recommend it for readers who enjoy well-written, dystopian adventures. Schiver's writing reminds me of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 30, 2015
I received a free ARC ebook directly from the author
"All Roads..." is a quick, well written and entertaining read. It follows an adventure of four boys in the near future leaving their protected fort into a world of terror and savagery in search of children kidnapped from their community.
The writing is fast pace, very descriptive and well imagined. There's a small element of fantasy involved along with some zombie encounters. I would not call this a 'zombie' book though. It's really about the boys on the journey.
Overall, it's listed as "Book 1" so I think it's a great start to a series. The characters are interesting, the world created is interesting and the story is great. It would be recommended to fans of apocalyptic fiction that focuses more on the current interpersonal relationships between those left behind.
"All Roads..." is a quick, well written and entertaining read. It follows an adventure of four boys in the near future leaving their protected fort into a world of terror and savagery in search of children kidnapped from their community.
The writing is fast pace, very descriptive and well imagined. There's a small element of fantasy involved along with some zombie encounters. I would not call this a 'zombie' book though. It's really about the boys on the journey.
Overall, it's listed as "Book 1" so I think it's a great start to a series. The characters are interesting, the world created is interesting and the story is great. It would be recommended to fans of apocalyptic fiction that focuses more on the current interpersonal relationships between those left behind.
October 17, 2016
This was a pretty good book. The plot moved along and I liked that it actually had an ending not just a cliffhanger. I struggled a little with the age of the characters-they seemed too young to have been sent out on a mission filled with such danger. Overall I would recommend reading it and I would read the next book in the series to see how the children grow and evolve.
March 23, 2016
Schiver Rocks!
This is a horrific and well thought out story ... not a zombie gore fest ... just well-developed characters and monsters ... some of which are human. Pick up a copy ... you won't put it down until the turn of the last page.
This is a horrific and well thought out story ... not a zombie gore fest ... just well-developed characters and monsters ... some of which are human. Pick up a copy ... you won't put it down until the turn of the last page.
December 30, 2016
Well i thought the book was interesting. It was well written the subject matter was a little eerie .and the baby in the crib kind of creaped me out. but it kept my attention just waiting to see what kind of situation they were getting into.
November 15, 2016
Loved it could not put the book down.
A must read
A must read
December 19, 2016
I thought this was an interesting story. It was pretty different from other stories I have read, and I really liked that. That is one of the things that I look for in a good story. I noticed a couple of mistakes, but this is an advanced review copy so I am sure it will be corrected.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews