The Loki Variation

by Sabrina James Riley

Sasha is awoken in the middle of the night by the screams of a little girl she doesn't know, and suddenly finds herself trying to protect the child against the end of the world. Derek's vacation hadn't even started when his dog saves him from something he could have never imagined. Using what little resources he has, he struggles to stay alive in an unfamiliar town teeming with unspeakable horrors. Sanjeev unknowingly helps to create the epidemic that threatens to annihilate the population, but his options have run out and he is forced to choose between his humanity or his scientific endeavors. Strangers meet under apocalyptic circumstances, and have to rely on each other for survival. What begins as an unsteady, uncomfortable partnership to stay alive turns into a make-shift family who will do anything to save each other from the threat of the Loki Variation.

Genres: Zombies, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Dystopia, Apocalyptic

338 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2011

About the author

I've been writing stories for as long as I can remember; I still have a few stories I wrote in crayon on construction paper that I had stapled together to make a book that my mother saved for me.

Luckily, I've come a long way from crayons and construction paper, and have been able to type up stories almost as fast as my mind can create them.

I'm also an insanely avid reader, and along with all the award winning literature and classics on my shelf, I also have a penchant for the stories of other Indie authors...some of my all-time favorite books were self-published, and I believe that the ability to self-publish is one of the best things to happen to the world.

Can you imagine all the great stories we'd probably not have access to?

I live in Florida with my family, which includes but is not limited to: a pre-teen girl, a feisty just-on-the-brink-of-walking baby, and a 14 year old cattle dog who still thinks she is a puppy.

I'm always excited to hear from readers or other authors, so please find me on facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sabrina...

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch out George Romero The Loki Variation is a top notch book that I could see becoming the ultimate zombie movie! The action started immediately and kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page! Sabrina James Riley's descriptions were so vivid that I could visualize every scene with such clarity. This book needs to be put on the big screen!!!
Sasha finds herself protecting a young girl from creatures she could only have imagined in nightmares. I loved the parental bond she felt towards Nora and the way she cared for her above her own wants and needs. Searching for safety and answers to what has happened, they meet Derek and his loyal dog Ripley. Attraction between them is evident from the start, but nothing is simple in this new world they find themselves emerged into. I have to say that I have a HUGE crush on Derek!!
Derek, Sasha and Nora pick up more survivors and become a family of sorts. This band of characters stick together and fight to keep each other alive. I really loved the characters, I could relate with them and I kept my fingers and toes crossed, hoping that they would win against these almost supernatural forces. I did not want the book to end and found myself freaking out at the cliffhanger of an ending. I don't want to give anything away, but I will tell you that I cannot wait to read what happens in the next book. GREAT BOOK!!

[M. Mariz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the beginning The Loki Variation drew me in, as I saw the world through Sasha’s eyes and tried to piece together what was happening.
Well developed characters kept me engrossed in Sasha and Nora’s quest for survival. The suspense keeps you on edge, and the love triangles were a plus that kept the story moving forward as the characters true natures were revealed.
Fans of The Walking Dead will enjoy this carefully constructed, terrifying page-turner. I have to confess that I had a hard time falling asleep a few nights since I started reading!

[Rachel (aka Ms4Tune) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why but this one took me a few months before I finally finished it. The story was good, the characters were at time interesting and there was a decent amount of nail biting angst, but I just didn't connect to the story. I found myself getting distracted and sometimes skim reading passages.

The Loki Variation is about a virus that transforms the infected humans into ravenous, hyper active, carnivorous monster. It spreads quickly across America. Sasha wakes up one night to find a young girl, Nora, desperately trying to climb over the fence surrounding her apartment building. Nora is being chased by a very fast and strange look women, who tries to attack them. Sasha and Nora run for their lives and this is the beginning of the end of life as we know it.

Slowly we start to meet other characters as they all try to escape the hoards of monsters that seem to appear from the dark. They all bond together and try to figure out what is happening and what to do next. There are casualties and there are many scenes that will make your blood run cold.

See, I just can't figure out what happened? Why did I not get this book? I will have to read it again.

[Mj Perfectionist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me on the edge of my seat. A definite page turner. Had it downloaded to my phone and read it everywhere I went, even at stop lights. Great book!

[melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like this story

This book drew me in but left me feeling frustrated as it didn't feel finished. An epilogue would have been a nice way to end this book with Sasha, Derek and Nora on the beach in California or such.

[Nancy (The Avid Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.

A young woman, Sasha is woken in the middle of the night to the sound of someone yelling. When she looks out the window she sees a little girl trying to climb the fence to get away from a woman that is trying to hurt her. Sasha being the person she is doesn't give any thought to herself she just runs right out there to save the little girl. Sasha is very brave and bold person that doesn't think about what could happen to her when she sees someone in trouble and needs her help. She doesn't think she just reacts.

After Sasha saves the little girl, Nora from the crazy woman she has no idea what is going on. But she soon finds out that there is no one left alive that everyone the she runs into have turned into monsters and they are no longer human or alive they are dead. They find out that the people that are left think that she and Nora are food. For someone who has never had any children of their own Sasha is very good with Nora and knows how to calm her down so she won't be so afraid of what is going on in the world.

Sasha takes Nora and leaves the town she lives in to try and find help. They need to find a safe place away from all of the disease ridden people. On their journey they run into Derek and his dog Riley. A few minutes after Sasha meets Derek together they meet another guy whom they call Hud. They all team up together to try and stay safe from the zombies. You know as they say there is safety in numbers. You need someone to watch your back.

I wasn't too fund of Hud in the beginning for some reason I didn't really trust him. He acted like Sasha, Derek and Nora was more in his way. I got the feeling that he didn't actually want them around. He thought he would be better off by himself that he didn't need any help from anybody. I felt as if Hud was out for number one and if one of the zombies got to close for comfort that he would have shoved either one of them including the little girl Nora between him and a zombie.

Now Derek was the kind of person who would have put himself between a zombie and Sasha or Nora or anyone else if push came to push as they say. I think Derek and Sasha sort of liked each other right from the beginning. They felt that magical little spark when they looked into each other's eyes but they didn't think that it was a good time to be courting so therefore they didn't let the other one know or see how they felt. They kept it locked up inside of them not knowing how the other felt.

I loved the twist that Sabrina James Riley put on the zombies. I loved that they were way different than any other zombies that I have read about. The characters are all great too and the world that she has created is fantastic as well. I can't wait to read the next book in The Loki Variation series or at least I really hope that there will be another book. I ravished The Loki Variation once I picked it up I didn't won't to put it down. Zombies are one of my most favorite genres to read or watch ever. I don't think I will ever get tired of zombies.

[Amphitrite · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I liked: The Loki Variation started off differently than the other recent zombie books that I’ve read. It made it a bit more interesting, plus the zombies were different than most any other zombies I’ve read about. It amde them interesting. The characters that we know about besides Sanjeev all show an ability to survive themselves. Hud makes for an interesting anti-hero, he doesn’t show much concern or care with an ego to boost in the beginning. Sasha is fiery and strong-willed, determined to protect Nora after saving her at seemingly all cost. Derek shows to be a character who can bounce between emotions. One moment he’s a bit grumpy and the next he’s smiling. Or at least he’s friendlier towards Sasha, Hud and Derek clash quite a bit but things seem to even out eventually between them. The twist that happens close to the middle of the book also had me reeling and questioning and going “What?!”, plus the virus’s symptoms are actually more interesting than I had ever expected!

What I didn’t like: The virus seemed to spread far too quickly for me in the beginning, I didn’t understand it. Plus I never felt that rush of anticipation an anxiety when they were attacked by the zombies. The fact that the fear for the characters lacked so much for me meant that I never really thought they were in danger. It took away from the experience for me.

Overall Review: This book is intriguing, especially with how the zombies look and act and how they are. The characters are all interesting and some of the tension and misunderstandings introduced into the book seen between the two characters who we follow made me frustrated with them and tell them to stop and talk to each other so they would come to an understanding between themselves. It was engrossing and I never wanted to put it down, and I loathed every time I had to put it down and would go right back to it as soon as I could. It’s an amazing tale of post-apocalyptic times and I want more!

Recommend?: This book is for those who are looking for a zombie book that is engaging and entertaining to read with compelling characters.Those who love reading all the zombie books they can are encouraged to read this book themselves!

[Jagged · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an awesome book. I couldn't put it down.
Very creepy. I liked how it was set up, it was very well thought out. And the execution was almost flawless. Almost. It took your typical elements from zombies and vampires and turned into something much better, darker, and much more conceivable.
There were some interesting editing flaws. Wrong character names, wrong tenses, "me" instead of "her", "his self" instead of "himself", among others. There was a whole sentence that was practically gibberish because there were either missing words, or more than a few wrong words as well as missing words. Toward the end of the book seemed to be where the most of them occurred.
During the first part of the book, I was wondering where all these bodies were. They showed up appropriately later, but I felt a good number of them were missing in the beginning.
I loved the made up stories Sasha would tell Nora to keep her calm and distracted.
I would have appreciated a bit more effort to have been made in the romance. Nothing all consuming, but at least enough to establish a connection and chemistry. Because it wasn't there. There was only an understanding of attraction because you were told about it. I didn't feel it.
Another thing that bothered me was that all of the side characters were killed off almost in the same breath. I think it would have been better had they been spaced out or that some of the others had survived too. It was just a little too convenient to me that only the main characters came out of this alive.
I was very fond of the epilogue. I was happy to see out of Nora's eyes and I think it ended this book beautifully. I honestly would have been happy with this book being a stand alone. I don't know that it needs a sequel. I will read it, but I honestly can't see it adding to this story over all. I could be wrong. I hope I am. I will read it.

[Angus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sasha is a young woman newly on her own with her own apartment barely unpacked. Nora is a young girl of maybe eight or nine who has seen her mother turn into a cannibalistic monster. Sabrina rescues her in the parking lot of her apartment at the beginning of her world unraveling. Derek is a young call center worker visiting his Aunt Cheryl in Florida. His parents are on a cruise and he is just trying to remember how to sleep. His dog riley picks up on the strange vibes as a senior citizen runs Derek back into Aunt Cheryl’s house trying for a snack on Derek. Considering this to be strange he then watches in shock as his dog defends him from his Aunt Cheryl.

This is pretty much how this book goes as straggling survivors unite across the Southeast and find out what really happened. The storyline is pretty good and flowed well. Romantic angst was minimized and realistic adult interactions in an insane environment are somehow created here. Good job.

The editing is where this work falls down somewhat. I suggest going back through the script searching for “and” and (haha) “that”. Run-on sentences in short. There were also several instances of pronoun confusion. Summation for me, very good plot but the work needs polish. Three out of five Science Fiction nerd-gasm points hereby awarded.


http://www.amazon.com/Loki-Variation-...

[Roxanne Kade · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like I've been reading a lot of zombie novels lately, and I find them all to be very generic but with the author's added flare, so I was excited to see what was between the pages of this book.

It started off very much the same, with sudden disaster and disarray and people trying to come to terms with the fact that their world was falling apart around them, all the while wondering what the heck could have caused all the chaos.

I really enjoyed the science behind the zombie parasite and Sanjeev's blog entries were a great way of giving the reader more insight into the workings of the Loki Variation, how it came to be and how it manged to spread.

I think the pivotal part of the story, for me, was when Nora, Sasha, Derek, Hud... and let's not forget the ever faithful Riley, decided it would be best to head to the cabin in North Carolina. The moments before their departure added a great twist to the story. Then, when Lily came on the scene, a real sense of hope blossomed in me. There had to be a way through this nightmare.

I think what I really enjoyed about this story was that it was completely filled with blood and gore - rest assured, though, zombie fans, there is a fair share that in this book - but the story was really more about the dynamic between a group of strangers and how they managed under fire; about humanity and our will to survive. It was a great read.

[Allana Kephart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted on Big Girls Heart Books

The Loki Variation by Sabrina James Riley is the story of a small group of survivors after an experiment, an experiment Sanjeev helped create, is leaked from the labs and spreads quickly across America. Our main characters are Sasha, Nora, Derek and Sanjeev, and while there are some other background characters, these four are where the story's at.

I am a huge zombie fan, and I feel there are not nearly enough out there to read. So when I saw the sign-ups go up for this, I was VERY excited to dive right in. The story was good and went at a good pace, and the action was very intense and well-written. I would have liked a little more gore (it is a horror/zombie "genre"..) and a little less romance (it seemed stiff to me, like it was there just for the sake of having romance thrown in), but that's just my personal taste.

This is a very good book and I would recommend it to those who enjoy zombie novels.

[Adri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book sucked me me in and kept me turning the pages. It reminded me a little of the movie I Am Legend with Will Smith. I liked the fact that the book had romance in it as well, not only panicked running from parasite infected human zombie types. I'm a firm belieVer that all books should contain a smattering of romance. I liked the little bit of science thrown into the backstory, since I like reading scientific articles about developments in genetics, nanotech and so forth. The fact that the infected turned completely bonkers, and that symptoms came on the victims so fast and so fully disappointed my scientific sensibilities...it would have been Nice to see more creepy and unpredictable incubation periods with psychotic outbursts without the completely predicable zombieism thing:(hmmmm.....must....eat....friend....hmmm.....must....eat.....) All in all, however, this book was still very entertaining.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of zombie/end of the world fiction and I totally enjoyed reading this book. The characters are from all types of situations and find themselves fighting to survive family and friends turned monsters. Sasha is a young woman who I find to be sensible and caring....she wants to save as many survivors as possible while keeping herself and Nora, the little girl she saved. Derek and his dog, Ripley, narrowly escaped the monsters and are now on their way to a military installation hoping to find help. As these strangers meet and more survivors are found, they all must work together to find a safe haven. This was a well written and very enjoyable tale filled with action, horror and thrills that drew me in from the first page and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

[Kyra Dune · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Loki Variation is your standard zombie novel. A lab created virus accidentally leaks out, turning humans into bloodthirsty, mindless, monsters. A band of hardy humans soon join forces to face the danger together. The military man, the woman taking care of a kid she found, the nice guy, and a few random teenagers. Together, they travel in search of more survivors in the hopes of finding someplace unaffected by the virus.

If you like zombie novels, this one isn't a bad choice. The characters are likeable enough and the pacing is generally quick. There's a nice twist which adds a touch of something a little different to the story. There's plenty of action and some romance along the way.

[Thomas Hayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another made for TV book. At first it was a fun Halloween season read, then about a third of the way in it gets interesting but that never really goes anywhere. The writing is good but rushed and lower quality toward the end. The epilogue and advertisement for book two killed it for me. If you like a neatly wrapped up ending with a hint of an obvious follow up story then you will be fine with this one too.

[Heather Langston · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had an interesting twist to zombies. I liked the background on the Loki variation and how it came to be. My main problem with this book is the romantic aspect. It was kind of annoying and had me rolling my eyes and skimming through those parts. The action was pretty good though. Wasn't overly gory. I doubt I'd read again but it's all right for a one time read.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story line with well done character development. I was particularly impressed with the small journal entries of the scientist intern scattered amongst the story line. Each time I came across one it made my brain work that much harder trying to figure out how it all happened in the beginning. Great read.