THE SWEAT: The Jackson Chronicles Part 1

by R.P. Falconer

What a difference a day makes. When Errol Jackson woke up, he wanted to divorce his wife and life; by that evening, he and one-quarter of Britain were facing the end of the world. With a fast-spreading illness turning friends, neighbours and strangers into irrational, merciless killers - Errol and his wife Naomi quickly realise that to keep their children alive, they need to put their marital issues aside and work as one. With their home no longer a safe place, they are forced to leave and traverse a dystopian London, heading towards the coast in the hope of promised salvation. The infected are a severe problem, but fellow survivors prove worse. With no authority, ordinary people are forced to govern themselves, fight for scraps and are prepared to do the unspeakable for shelter and sustenance. How will Errol and Naomi protect their children in this hellish version of the UK, where the dark brings the infected, and the light exposes the worst sides of humanity imaginable.

TRUST ME, THIS ISN'T A RUN-OF-THE-MILL ZOMBIE STORY!

I wrote THE SWEAT in 2015; however, I didn't write a run of the mill zombie-themed book. I wrote about an overworked, underpaid Errol Jackson, who, after thirty years, is struggling to find the spark in his life and marriage but is reticent. I wrote about his wife Naomi, who's sick of his infidelity, but biding her time till her daughter is of age so she can leave with half. I wrote about their daughter Rubie, navigating school life and adolescence whilst approaching womanhood. I wrote about their son Shaq struggling to find decent work after finishing his degree, questioning his ethnicity's impact on his job prospects. I wrote about your family and my family and the neighbours next door. I then took the Jackson's reality and shattered it. I introduced an illness that affects two-thirds of the UK population. A condition that eats away at the rational and empathetic portion of the human mind turning the infected into lucid, cunning killers, able to think and deceive survivors. I removed all official authority and forced the population to govern themselves. I infected family members and friends and brought the threat into homes and onto their roads. I pushed the Jacksons and other families out into the streets. I pitted the English weather against them, the infected against them and desperate everyday people and added a shortage of food and clean water. I forced vulnerable survivors into joining ruthless warring gangs frantically trying to find and control essential resources, fuel, shelter, vice - and eventually the water and motorways going in and out of the capital. I gave liberty to some of the UK's bizarre subcultures now able to express themselves without persecution. I put the Jacksons up against all of this and ultimately made Errol and Naomi realise how much their union and family unit meant to them all along. I gave them hope of salvation in Brighton, and when they were close to getting out of the city, I split them down the middle and left Rubie in her father's care and a question mark over Naomi and Shaq's survival. THE SWEAT is a series of three books and is an original, thought-provoking, entertaining, essential piece of survival drama set in London.

292 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2022

About the author

I am an author, father, husband and brother to all who carry the fire. I hail from London in the UK and have so far written three full-length novels called 'Lilif' 'THE SWEAT', 'SHADOWS UNDER A DIPPING SUN' and three other books consisting of one short story and two compendiums, all available from Amazon. My love for writing stems from seeing my mother read countless books in childhood. I can recall her screaming with both laughter and fright over the written works of Stephen King, Dean R Koontz, James Herbert and many more. Her books oddly led me to film as opposed to reading and developed in me a persistent imagination and love for creating characters and stories. By age twelve, I had watched the films Rosemary's Baby, Misery, Salem's Lot, and Pet Sematary only to be told - 'If you think the films are good, the books are ten times better'. I discovered how true those words were as I matured, and I've never looked back. I want to make people laugh, cry, care and cherish my writing. There is a book in us; we all have a story to tell. 

Reviews

[E Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met R.P Falconer at the Black Marketplace and purchased this book hoping I would enjoy reading it. I read it in 2 days. A throughly captivating read. Not to far out there if you're an observer of the current environment and world we exist in today. I can't wait to start reading part 2 of The Sweat. A brilliant book, and very well composed.