Black Death Survival

by Jon Cronshaw

The end of antibiotics. The return of the plague. Liam will do anything to keep his family safe.Reeling from the death of his mother, Liam and his wife Jenna must do all they can to reunite with their four-year-old son, Tommy.Armed with only a cricket bat, the couple must travel across the country to reach their child.Can they evade the authorities and survive life on the road?Who are the plague doctors and what do they want?How far will Liam and Jenna go to get Tommy back?From the best-selling author of The Wasteland series comes a new story of hope and survival set in the shadow of the Black Death.This gritty post-apocalyptic thriller takes place in the UK, featuring real locations across England and Wales.If you enjoy flawed heroes, families battling the odds, and tales of ordinary people in extraordinary times, you’ll love Black Death Survival. This is a standalone novel, available exclusively on Amazon.Get your copy now.

Genres: Green

466 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2021

About the author

Jon Cronshaw is a British science fiction and fantasy author based in the north of England, just south of the wall.
As a freelance features writer, he has had work published in local and national newspapers across the UK, including the Yorkshire Post and the Guardian.
He earned his PhD in history of art from the University of Leeds in 2011, focusing on the life and work of Anglo-American sculptor, Jacob Epstein (1880-1959).
He's a voracious reader, guide dog owner, ex-gamer, and wrestling fan.

Reviews

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic post-apocalyptic read that is so engrossing that when you reach the end you keep trying to turn the page to carry on reading! It’s a gripping read that will hold you on the edge of your seat as we follow Liam & Jenna as they cross the uk on a horrifying journey to reunite with their son! The characters are well developed and are just normal people trying to find their way and protect their families and I found myself gripping the arms of my chair on more then one occasion. Entertaining, devastating and completely terrifying I just could not put this down!

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping read, it is based in the UK, which made a few of the references go over my head, but otherwise, it was easy to follow. One of the things that makes this book a little bit different is that none of the main characters in this story are special forces, ex-military, preppers, etc. They are all just regular people trying to protect their families. They are well developed characters and some of them are so easy to like or not. They find out, as in most post-apocalyptical stories, that the virus is not the worst thing, and they have to fear other people. Jon Cronshaw weaves a very gripping and engrossing tale.
I received a copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Gareth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but it was too much. I don't know if this is a style of writing that I haven't encountered before (I'm not a "hard core" reader by any standard but it just seemed like it was a written account of something he was watching on tv. For example, things like "he stood. She stood. The closed the door. Got in the car" and there was far too much neck rubbing and shrugging!! Everyone shrugs every five minutes! And the bloody nodding!!! Not to mention the couple that follow the exact same script - no trouble, encounter trouble, one does something drastic, other one doesn't like it, they have a2 second talk, they shrug, they nod, speech about being together - and repeat...

I gave it two stars because the idea is great but it's executed so badly.

[David Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Death: Survival provides an excellent example of Jon Cronshaw’s abilities, I’ve read several his other stories/books and this one took me by complete surprise. The characters, action, and dialogue in this story are all an interesting departure from his previous stories, and all three of those items came together to create an excellent story. If you are a fan of Mr. Cronshaw’s work, this is a must-read addition, and f you are new to his work, grab a copy and settle into a well written post-apocalyptic story. I received an advance Reader Copy and chose to provide this review.

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, I read it in one go it was so good. The characters are great, husband and wife Liam and Jenna who we follow on their journey that very few could cope with. We also dip into Michael and Tina's lives who are married but kind of separate, you really need to read it. All four characters meet up in the last few chapters which are explosive. It makes for compelling reading. An excellent read, I highly recommend it.

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 5 out of 5]

The four (or 5) main leads were very well scripted, flawed but had good intentions. I did think I was missing something with one of the leads but worked around it. It felt well researched and developed and made what we have gone through nothing, although it does mention covid.

So glad that I have read this - definitely a one afternoon session it was that gripping.

I was given a copy by the author via book sirens but the review is entirely my own.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

No one does post-apocalyptic novels like Jon Cronshaw! I enjoyed meeting these new characters and seeing how they managed with the world as they knew it ending so suddenly. The story pulled me in quickly and I didn't want to put it down. As good writing should, it left me satisfied but wanting the next installment!

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Death Survival: a post-apocalyptic survival novel, my first read from author Jon Cronshaw, an author I'd wanted to read for some time now yet never got around to. Well written & enjoyable 466 page/10 hour 27-minute read/listen. I was given an Kindle copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Texas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Death London - Not impressed with the writing style, expected more from a journalist. Oops. It is an OK story. 3*

Black Death Survival - Six chapters of this book is included with BDL. I am assuming there is more to BDS but it is not clear. Not interesting set up chapters for a continuation of the story. 3*

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really great! An interesting story, fast paced once it gets underway, I really liked the main characters, both parents seem a little unbalanced which suits this plague devastated England. Some nasty moments & unexpected violence, lifts the levels of tension & energy! A good fun different apocalyptic story!

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent post apoc end of the world story. Great characters and even a few I just hated but that's how stories work. Decent narration but a bit hard to understand in parts due to the heavy British accent but still a very enjoyable book.

[Kevin Mackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black death with a little black humour

Realistic characters. Not super heroes or super villains. A believable scenario of a plague killing millions and social norms disappearing of normal people having to step way out of their comfort zones to do what they needed to survive.

[Patricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf. Shallow story, characters are not likeable. Chapters too short.

[Deborah Svensson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging, but the story did not really explain anything, no real end to the plague.

[Julian White · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the vein of John Wyndham/John Christopher - this novel follows a number of people navigating a pandemic-ridden British countryside following the outbreak of a virulent new form of plague. With no effective treatment (no antibiotics) infection is followed by death... The police, already stretched, are the only authority in evidence - no sign of government or military forces - and our main characters have to avoid roadblocks and the Doctors, a group of masked individuals who are determined to root out the infection by killing any they find and who have a possibly sinister motive for their actions.

Originally written in 2017/8, long before Covid (which gets a mention) this book has been extensively revised for publication following some 'back stage' issues. It doesn't give much in the way of background - where the plague came from, how it's spread or even where the authorities have gone.

A fast-moving and gripping story of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

(There's a parallel narrative set in London - Black Death London - that may shed some light on background events.)

Rereading - after the Surviving the Evacuation series, which deals with a similar pandemic, though for very different reasons, this comes over as more streamlined. There are parallel narratives following the progress of (essentially) two married couples, though one pair is separated very early on for much of the action. The one big criticism is that it ends rather abruptly - one is left with the impression that there has been a return to normality (however that ignores the large numbers of corpses and how the plague is transmitted - or for that matter, contained in the absence of effective antibiotics... ) but that's a minor quibble.

[Sentinelle23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

♥️💙😰 Very engaging to read.

Liam watches over his dying mother in the hospital.
She is in quarantine with a devastating viral illness.
His wife Jenna accompanies him ...
Suddenly an alarm sounds...

Elsewhere, Michael and Tina are having breakfast.
Michael is exasperated by Tina.
Can’t she leave him alone, he thinks...

---------

In this captivating novel, we follow the adventures of three characters : Liam, Tina and Michael.
All three must learn to survive in front of the terrible deadly epidemic sweeping the world.
Will they succeed ?

A fascinating story to read, enjoyable and easy to read despite the topics covered, and which takes the reader on a gripping and frightening adventure of anticipation.

I really liked the characters , believable and moving, as well as the very plausible situation.

To discover absolutely for fans of the genre.

[David Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Death: Survival provides an excellent example of Jon Cronshaw’s abilities, I’ve read several his other stories/books and this one took me by complete surprise. The characters, action, and dialogue in this tory are all an interesting departure from his previous stories, and all three of those items came together to create and excellent story. If you are a fan of Mr. Cronshaw’s work, this is a must-read addition, and f you are new to his work, grab a copy and settle into a well written post-apocalyptic story. I received an advance Reader Copy and chose to provide this review.

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally loved this book I just couldn’t put it down. The characters are great. We follow the husband and wife Liam and Jenna on a journey that very few would be able to cope with. We also dip in and out into the lives of Michael and Tina who are married but are kind of separate. All four meet in the last few chapters which are explosive. This book makes for compelling reading. It's an excellent read and I highly recommend it.

[Laurie Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surviving any sort of pandemic is an achievement.
Having to deal with a crazy sect increases the tensions experienced by the characters.
It starts of with a few twists and turns which continue throughout the books.
Expect the unexpected as emotions overcome common sense on many occasions.
There is still potential remaining to continue as a series.
An excellent dystopian read.

[Jim Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark post apocalyptic story with a well written storyline and very emotional characters. An England location with fast paced action, several twists, and plenty of violence. A dystopian page turner that I would recommend. An enjoyable read with a disturbing event, but really possible.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a superb story. The three main characters have to learn to deal with a pandemic. How will they survive this. This isn’t such a long book, but takes you on their journey in that short time.