Book Review
Title: London: Orbital (The Change #1)
Author: Guy Adams
Genre: YA/Action/Survival
Rating: *****
Review: So, I didn’t know anything about this series before requesting the first 3 books, however, the synopsis is post-apocalyptic that doesn’t mention a virus or aliens, so it was intriguing, and it also gave me some serious Mad Max vibes, so I was interested to see what kind of world Adams had created.
We are introduced to a man who wakes up in a post-apocalyptic world with no memory of who he is but a notebook in his pocket gives him some information. He learns his name is Howard and he meets a man named Teodor who tells him to stay away from the road at night because things come out at night. The notebook provides more information, telling us that when the “Gods” arrived it killed most people and the remaining few went mad. However, there are people surviving in this world including motorcycle gangs. Hiding in a van at night Howard learns the true danger of this changed world when he finds Teodor’s severed head on top of the van.
I was instantly drawn into this world which is dark and mysterious even more so because Howard has memory loss. This book was giving me a mix of Mad Max and 28 days later vibes which are some of my favourite movies and this book isn’t shy about the details. After the death of Teodor, Howard is left shaken until he comes across a young boy called himself Hubcap. Hubcap tells Howard where he was when the Change happened and that it only happened a mere nine months before. For the world to have changed for drastically in such a short amount of time is astonishing but in similar movies like 28 days later, only one month has passed and the world is in a similar state.
Hubcap decides to take Howard back to Potter’s pub which Tiger’s gang are using as a base camp of sorts and Howard is relieved to have somewhere, he considers safe to stay. Hubcap introduces him to some of the gang and he immediately becomes one of the group despite having no memory, but things take a dark turn when a routine trick at dinner becomes something else and it leaves two members of the gang dead and Howard unconscious. While we haven’t seen any of these creatures up close, we know they are deadly but what they are is the question and how are they related to the Change itself.
More people end up dead before we see more of the monster and it seems to be using a mix of body parts and mechanical parts as puppets in order to lure more food into its grasp. However, after Howard's sparky moment he seems to have developed the ability to see into the future or it was dormant until now. He knows he has to go into London and that Hubcap is supposed to go with him to see someone called Adrian. He also sees the monster and saves Tiger and the others before it attacks and now, the surviving members of the gang must survive the night sharing the compound with this creature who seems intent on killing and eating every single one of them.
In the last section of the novel, we see Howard’s new-found gift come in handy for the gang saving them from the creature by reminding it was it was before. I found this twist to be well done and although it is hinted at it wasn’t predictable. Considering this novel ended with Howard and Hubcap heading to London I can’t wait to jump into the second installment as soon as I can.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
I received this review copy from NetGalley
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