Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A Savage Generation is the first book I have read by this author and I was pleasantly pleased with the overall story and well-crafted characters.

The story was exactly as described - Petty criminal Ben Silensky is determined to get his girlfriend Carlita and son Kyle free of the quarantined city they live in, enough so to risk a foolhardy crime and then to team up with Carlita's equally desperate cop cousin Nando. Once they're out, Nando is certain they'll find a place in the open prison where his uncle works, unbeknownst to him already become a survivalist colony named Funland under the management of entrepreneurial convict Plan John.

Highly recommend!!

I really wanted to love this book but ultimately it was just ok. I had such high hopes, but this one fell flat.

So let's get this out of the way. I've seen some other reviews compare this to "The Walking Dead" and while I can see it, I happen to really enjoy that show so it really didn't bother me. So basically we have an end-of-the-world dystopian where people are struggling to survive against the "zombies." You have your typical morally grey characters and a new civilization trying to regain their balance in an old prison setting. You also have the kids, who are a big focus of the story, and who are trying to make their own way while the adults around them are on the verge of self destruction.

I found "A Savage Generation" to be a very action-packed, speedy read. I was invested in what was happening to most of the characters. I felt an attachment to some while others I not-so-secretly wished would meet then demise. I also really liked the seeing Funland develop and grow. Like I've said of many books and movies of this nature, it's usually not the creatures you have to watch out for because you know what to expect of them, it's the "monsters" that the humans become. My main issue with the novel is that I sometimes found myself lost amid too many characters - especially in the beginning. I did eventually find my ground though.

If you like dystopian and survivalist tales, this is one you might want to check out. I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for what this author comes out with next.

A Savage Generation
Author: David Tallerman
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Page count: 352pp
Release date: 26th Sept 2019
Reviewer: Theresa Derwin

This new novel, from awesome genre publisher Flame Tree Press, opens with a helluva first line;

“Kyle Silensky is watching as the city starts to burn.”

Teenage Kyle, hiding in bed, soon finds out from Carlita that his dad Ben has been arrested trying to get petrol money to escape the quarantined city, in which they live. His uncle Nando, a cop, is there to take him from his home, along with Carlita and Ben to somewhere in the country - somewhere safe.
Somewhere that the arguments will stop.

Austin Johnson is a black teen abandoned by his father Doyle, when he was young.
The hatred he feels towards that man is a living thing: so when he finds himself in a car with his family, heading to a re-purposed prison amidst an apocalypse - a disease which makes people sick, more sick and doesn’t kill them - he’s distraught to find he’s being dropped to his Dad.
Austin isn’t sure how to feel about Doyle.
Though now, it seems it’s his mother who’s abandoning him to the unit formerly known as ‘White Cliff Penitentiary’.
AKA Funland.
Plan John Howard is kind of like a Warden - watching and controlling everything, he is a mysterious leader akin to the likes of Randall Flag or The Governor. He’s a massive figure, literally and figuratively. Rumour has it he’s been planning for the epidemic before it became that, and the prison is fully integrated, making for a natural diversity that most novels strive to achieve but fail at. The survival of the species makes for good bedfellows.
Especially as the Sickers just get angry, violent and insane.
Once Doyle has introduced Austin to Plan John, he takes the boy to Katharine Aaronovich, the doctor, to get checked out and hopefully to be cared for.
It’s pretty clear from the offset, Austin’s mum isn’t coming back. Aaronovich sees something in Austin that convinces her the boy is suffering from some form of PTSD. But from what - she has no clue.

This book starts hard, and keeps on giving.
It’s an ensemble piece; each character a larger piece in a narrative jigsaw.
The chapters flit between the Johnson’s dysfunctional family and the Silenskys.
In between it all, there is chaos, death, blood, The Sickers, cliffhangers and lots of tension.
It’s an excellent novel and there were genuinely tense moments throughout, as well as some great characters.
Another great book from Tallerman.
Flame Tree Press is also consistent in delivering brilliant genre books.

The world changed with the coming of a sickness with no cure. Civilization has descended into violence and chaos. Those who are well struggle to survive and avoid the Sickers. At a former prison, now called Funland, survivors hunker down and form a safe zone. Sickers can't get inside the prison walls, but sometimes survivors are even more deadly than the infected.

This story reminded me so much of The Walking Dead. It definitely has the same vibe. Survivors not only have to avoid those who are infected, but other survivors as well. Power struggles. Violence. Scavenging. Human nature.

There is a lot of action in this story. Definitely never a dull moment. It definitely kept my attention from beginning to end. Total binge read. Once I got sucked into the story, I just couldn't stop reading. I kept seeing the action playing out in my head like a movie. I love it when my head gets totally immersed in a story like that. Definitely gave me the same feeling that The Walking Dead used to -- in the seasons where they were in the prison or fighting The Governor. Great action! Exciting and lots of drama and power struggles going on. There are a lot of characters and the point of view changes between them. Usually I don't like POV switching around like that, but for this story it really worked.

Thorougly enjoyed this story! I look forward to reading more by this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Flame Tree Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Thanks to Anne @ Random Things Blog Tours and the author for my copy of the book and my place on the blog tour.

The book world is rife with Post-Apocalyptic novels of zombies, disease and despair. A Savage Generation cracks that mould and gives us something alarmingly real. A situation we can envision becoming reality in glorious HD. In a world where anything is possible, the idea that new strains of illness and disease can be borne into chaos and rapidly end the existence that we have come to know and rely on. You shouldn’t be scared of monsters under your bed, this is the real horror story. Real life is a horror story.

Reading this book has me liking it to a concoction between The Walking Dead and The Strain. There was elements of the story that made me instantly think of those…no way a bad thing, I love me some Post-Apocalyptic drama. The chapters flit between multiple POV’s, which I enjoyed. It definitely added depth and meaning to each character’s perspective and how they were losing their grip on reality and the utter madness the situation was descending into. Madness is the perfect expression for this story. The world has been overtaken with a sickness infecting its population. If this illness doesn’t kill you, then you turn into a savage killer that can’t reason and doesn’t have the rationale that the sane of mind have. How would you deal with the situation?

ACTION, ACTION ACTION. This book just keeps on throwing it at you. Do you want a nice, mild-mannered book to ingest after a polite dinner with your polo club friends? Then look away this book will eat you and your mannered principles for breakfast. The pace of this book was so good, so good. Once it gripped you it completely sucked you in. I demolished this book in one afternoon. Not until I had finished the book did I feel like I could breathe. What a ride.

One interesting theme was the co-existing of the sick and the healthy. The healthy have taken over the prison, White Cliff. The apparent new and improved prison is now termed Funland and it’s a safe haven. They get to live in harmony amongst the well and they are able to keep the Sickers (those that are infected with the disease) at bay. There is no cure, and nothing being tested on in order to finding a cure. This is what life is going to be like now. It’s an us and them scenario. Can an understanding be found so that both sets of groups live in as much harmony as can be expected given the situation? The sickers are now segregated together and the healthy stay together. Sociology is at play when new generations have to find and adapt new ways just to stay alive.

The youth had the most difficult task ahead of them. How the hell do they deal with a world that descended into the underbelly of savagery, a world devoid of love and humanity. Survival is the eye of the storm – they have nothing if they can’t survive. The psychology and sociology of humans and the planet has changed. Nothing is the same but the basal need to survive is ingrained in us all. Cultures change but the need to survive will always be the same. The author has achieved an addictive and compelling read. The writing had me captivated and I wanted to keep reading, wondering exactly how this could have a positive end…was that even possible? What I was rooting for was the best possible outcome in this situation, was that achieved? Well, you’re going to have to read it to find out. Overall, this one of the best Post-Apocalyptic novels I have had the pleasure of reading.

Review: 4 Stars

I read a lot of post apocalyptic fiction and I'd say this book is definitely up there with the better ones. Most of these books are set either around the time just as the apocalyptic even is happening or set many years after the event when society is struggling to rebuild itself. So I found A Savage Generation really refreshing as unusually it is set at a sort of midway point on the timeline. The sickness has already made it's appearance and spread, our survivors already know of it and the effects it has, but they are still at a time when they aren't sure exactly what has caused it or how to live in the new world they find themselves in.

When I initially requested a copy of the book and started to read it I thought it was another epidemic/zombie type book that are commonly found in this genre, with the guts and violence to go with it. However, I would say that the sickness and those affected are fairly small part of the plot. A Savage Generation focuses more on the people dynamics, survival, gangs etc. It reminded me a bit of how The Walking Dead was after it changed it's focus after a few seasons. Now, if i had known this before starting to read then I would have either not read it or read it but not expected to like it much. So I was incredibly shocked to find that I was actually really enjoying the book and was eager to get back to the story and characters whenever life got in the way of reading. Initially it was a little difficult to connect with the characters as the book switches POV quite frequently but I would urge any reader to stick with it because as the story progresses we see all these different characters come together in unexpected ways. The multiple POV format was very well done and it was interesting to learn how the characters had different thoughts and ways of seeing things.

This genre is very easy to get carried away with and make the story quite fantastical or even idealistic in that characters will have incredible luck or well developed survival/military skills. But A Savage Generation has a very realistic and plausible storyline and characters. Our survivors are just normal people (aside from their criminal status) who are quite literally at times, fighting to figure it all out and keep some kind of hierarchy and control within the prison. Personally I feel that this makes the book even more chilling as it's easy to imagine that it could happen to our society as it is today.

I highly recommend this book and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next for our survivors.

This review also appears on Goodreads and Instagram.

A sickness is spreading around the world, those it doesn’t kill, turn savage with an uncontrollable violence.

White Cliff prison was evacuated but then taken over by Plan John and it’s now called Funland…..its a place of safety as the Sickers can’t get in.

Doyle Johnson has an uneasy relationship with Plan John, which is put into jeopardy when Doyle’s ex wife turns up and leaves his son Kyle with him.

Then Ben, his girlfriend Carlita and her son Austin arrive, but Carlita has to be kept hidden as the only woman in Funland, she wouldn’t be safe.


So, while this does feel like an episode of The Walking Dead, there is so much more to it. Yes the Sickers are out there and if they bite, scratch or spit on you, you will get infected, BUT, this is also about children, and how they are affected, left to pretty much fend for themselves while the adults plot and fight amongst themselves and the Sickers.

Austin, scared and hurt by his stepdad, then abandoned by his mother. Kyle left to his own devices in a tense environment. They have secrets of their own.

There’s the politics of a new society with power struggles and violence, but ultimately with survival at its core. A story of fear, abandonment and tragedy, but also maybe a little hope.

Thank you to The Author, the publishers and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

A Savage Generation by David Tallerman (Flame Tree Press) has a storyline that feels like I've just stepped into an episode of The Walking Dead, where the sanctuary is an old prison and there's a boss man in charge who has the final say over everything and anything. Unfortunately the prison where Nando's cousin works has become a a survivalist colony named Funland, that is not fun or in anyway safe at all, and the characters soon realise they've made a mistake entering such a place, as they may not be able to get out again. Alive.

The initial concept sounded really thrilling but unfortunately I found it so slow that I was skipping bits to see where the story was heading. Does it get more exciting than this? Can there ever be an end to a threat that has already taken over America? I don't know. This was my first 'Did Not Finish' in years, and that's mainly because I only ever pick up a book that I really like the sound of - but A Savage Generation and I were not the perfect fit I had expected. It's strange, and I can't pinpoint why I might be the only one here who does not like this story. It was well-written in that there were no errors and parts that I read seemed quite fluid, yet I didn't seem to care about the characters as much as I know that I should have, had I enjoyed it. And I really wanted to love this book! In some ways I just felt like nothing happened. Nothing took me by surprise, grabbed me unexpectedly and chomped its ugly head through my guts, or even gave me a spine-tingling chill. If the main baddie got eaten by zombies at the end, and the main characters escaped to live another zombie chomping day, I'll never know. I'm just guessing the outcome. What I would like to do is invite you to take a chomp out of this book to see for yourself, you may think completely differently about it than me!

THANKS NET GALLEY

I was skeptical but the setting in "Funland" drew me in but that was it. There was no fun in reading this one for me, sorry

Really good easy read which was fast paced and kept me interested.

I’m hoping this is maybe the start of a series as I’d be interested in what happened next.

A Savage Generation reminded me of a season of The Walking Dead. The book was slow,but the writing was good just not anything that we haven't seen or read before.

Following a group of survivors when a sickness hits the majority of the population.

I found this book fast paced, and I loved the characters especially Doyle and the Doctor. It's a battle to survive in an old prison where the lead role has been taken by a terrifying individual.
The good guys finally manage to escape but where will they go? I'd like to see a sequel to this and I really want to know if Doyle made it!
This was great entertainment I definitely recommend it!

This book…ok, so it did have an initial appeal since I do enjoy end of the world stories. And it’s from Flame Tree press, which often produces very credible genre fiction. But there were no reviews and I’ve never heard of the author. So I waited and waited and it seemed no one was reading it, so I decided I would. And now I’ve read it and I’m pretty sure my review of it won’t send other readers rushing out to grab it. Because this isn’t going to be a rave review. Because I didn’t really like the book. I really did try, though. And to be fair (and as objective as something as subjective as an opinion can be) this isn’t entirely the book’s fault. The book does try. This may very well be the case of a complete lack of reader/writer chemistry. Plot wise it’s a prototypical survival story, something outside is turning most of the population into primitive homicidal brutes and a small group of diverse characters bans together to stay alive. They do so in a place ironically named Funland. It’s practically a season of Walking Dead, only somehow it lacks all of the dynamic and all of the suspense and all of the excitement WD provides. I’m not even quite sure why, there is a good variety of characters in this book, diverse ages and genders and intentions providing a steady diet of drama. There was some genuinely decent writing too, almost literary and certainly above the guts and gore slash and dice level. And yet it was difficult to care about any of it, because the book just dragged. Slower than a slow zombie. There were things about the story I appreciated right down to the ending, but the appreciation remained strictly intellectual, because on the emotional level there was just no engagement. The overall reading experience, despite all the positives about the book, was a slog. It definitely read much longer than the page count suggested. Again, though, this isn’t a terrible book by any means, it just really didn’t work for me. User mileage may vary. Thanks Netgalley.