Plague Town: An Ashley Parker Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Dana Fredsti (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 3, 2012 | Series: Plague

Ashley was just trying to get through a tough day when the world turned upside down. 

A terrifying virus appears, quickly becoming a pandemic that leaves its victims, not dead, but far worse. Attacked by zombies, Ashley discovers that she is a 'Wild-Card' -- immune to the virus -- and she is recruited to fight back and try to control the outbreak. 

It's Buffy meets the Walking Dead in a rapid-fire zombie adventure!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Read it – I zombie dare you. Fun, fast, read." - Affairs Magazine

"More action than season two of The Walking Dead." - Horror Talk

"Chock-full of gore and zombie romance... a fresh spin on an otherwise tired genre." - Daily Grindhouse

"If you want to read an alternative reality version of Buffy where she battles zombies using samurai swords, then this delivers in spades. It’s funny, it’s revoltingly gory in just the right way and I’ll be picking up the sequel when it rolls around." - House of Geekery

"If you like butt-kicking heroines with a fair dose of snark and humor, then you’re going to love Ashley." - Geek Mom

"An instantly gratifying, blazing fast read and that speaks to its cinematic, fast paced approach to storytelling." - Ravenous Monster

"If you’re a female fan of the zombie genre, get this book. If you’re a male, get this book." - We Zombie

"A diverting, entertaining zombie siege novel – complete with all the delicious, bone-crunching, blood-gushing awesomeness a zombie lover could ever want." - Book Smugglers

"If you love zombies, strong, sarcastic heroines with heart, and fight scenes that will knock your socks off, you’ll devour Plague Town!" - My Bookish Ways

"Delightfully gruesome." - Nerds in Babeland

"If you enjoy zombies or are a supernatural-lover but have found yourself tired of the watered down vampire genre, check out Plague Town." - Icon vs Icon

"Plague Town is a fast-paced read which will satiate any zombiephile’s appetite.  It has been described as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets zombies, which is definitely accurate, although does not do nearly enough service to the book’s skillful delivery of action, humor, gore and romance." - Starpulse

"[A] fun, fast-paced read." - Fantasy Matters

"A well written thrill ride that took me by surprise. Highly Recommended." - Reading & Writing Urban Fantasy

"Not only is the prose good, but it’s seasoned with a dash of steamy romance and an excellent sense of originality and pacing... it survives the zombie apocalypse in style." - Misprinted Pages

"Reminiscent of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer..." - Evil Dead News

"You love zombies? You loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Your one true wish and secret desire is that someone would come along and mash the two together in an exquisitely violent yet equally hilarious fashion? Stop searching friends, Dana Fredsti’s Plague Town, the first novel in a planned trilogy, has delivered the goods." - Opinionless

About the Author

Dana Fredsti is the US-based author of Murder for Hire: The Peruvian Pigeon. She has also appeared in various zombie/horror movies projects, and worked on Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness as an armourer's assistant, sword-fighting captain, and sword-fighting Deadite. 

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Titan Books; Original edition (April 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0857686356
• ISBN-13: 978-0857686350
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #410,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Dana Fredsti is ex B-movie actress with a background in theatrical sword-fighting. Through seven plus years of volunteering at EFBC/FCC (Exotic Feline Breeding Facility/Feline Conservation Center), Dana's had a full-grown leopard sit on her feet, kissed by tigers, held baby jaguars and had her thumb sucked by an ocelot with nursing issues. She's addicted to bad movies and any book or film, good or bad, which include zombies. Her other hobbies include surfing (badly), collecting beach glass (obsessively), and wine tasting (happily).

Dana was co-producer/writer/director for a mystery-oriented theatrical troupe based in San Diego. These experiences were the basis for her mystery novel MURDER FOR HIRE: The Peruvian Pigeon (James A. Rock & Company Publishers, Yellowback Mysteries Imprint, Oct. 2007). She recently finished co-writing What Women Really Want in Bed with Cynthia Gentry, their second writing partnership after Secret Seductions, for which Dana used the pseudonym Roxanne Colville.

She's written numerous published articles, essays and shorts, including stories in Cat Fantastic IV, an anthology series edited by Andre Norton (Daw, 1997), Danger City (Contemporary Press, 2005), and Mondo Zombie (Cemetery Dance, 2006). Her essays can be seen in Morbid Curiosity, Issues 2-7. Additionally she's written several produced low-budget screenplays and currently has another script under option. Dana was also co-writer/associate producer on Urban Rescuers, a documentary on feral cats and TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return), which won Best Documentary at the 2003 Valley Film Festival in Los Angeles. Under the nom de plume Inara LaVey, she has a short story, Succubusted, and a novel, Ripping the Bodice, out at Ravenous Romance, a new e-book site focused on erotic romance.

Dana's currently working on the second book in the Murder for Hire series, The Big Snooze and Inara is trying to finish Champagne for r Ravenous.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rise of Ashley Parker... April 4, 2012

By Bill Nelson of WeZombie

Format:Mass Market Paperback

The small college town of Redwood Grove will never be the same, and neither will student Ashley Parker. An outbreak of Walker's flu has been running rampant through the town, creating bedridden and sometimes delirious citizens, many of whom die from the virus. Unfortunately, they don't stay dead for long, and they rise again with one horrendous goal: to seek out and consume fresh flesh. Welcome to Plague Town, a new book by Dana Fredsti.

Parker, our heroine, recovers from the flu and returns to school, hoping to get on with her life. That's not in the cards, it seems, as Parker and her boyfriend, out on a picnic, are attacked in the woods. Waking in the infirmary, she discovers she's been bitten and begins waiting for the inevitable, which never comes. She discovers she is immune to the virus, and is drawn (in more ways than one) to a strange instructor at the college who turns out to be involved in a secretive paramilitary branch of the government whose mission is to track and destroy outbreaks such as the one in Redwood Grove.

Parker finds out she is a "wild card", and there are others like her who have been recruited into the fighting group, trained, and sent out to fight zombies. Parker reluctantly joins the group and thus begins a new phase in her life - soldier. At first I was hoping that someone would put a bullet through her head; she seemed like such an annoying freshman, crushing on the young instructors, looking gorgeous, etc. However, as she began to mature (quickly) she changed and took the role of soldier seriously and with valor. By the end of the book, I liked her and was impressed with her level-headed thinking and her ability to handle the M-4 rifle, sword, and other weapons.... Looks like humanity has a hope, and hope just happens to be beautiful, which is why I'll think of this book as "The Rise of Ashley Parker."

There are many surprises along the way for Parker and her newly-formed group of wild cards, and you'll enjoy yourself as things get real ugly, real fast, which is of course why you read zombie novels. The author, Dana Fredsti, is not a new author, but this is a new branch of her writing, and there are plenty more leaves on her tree. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, partly to see what Ashley will do next. If you're a female fan of the zombie genre, get this book. If you're a male, get this book - you'll also like it. Read more ›

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Ripley for the zombie set -- very enjoyable April 4, 2012

By Midwest Reader

Format:Mass Market Paperback

It almost seems we're drowning in zombies these days (a bit apropos given the subject!) so it takes a special kind of book to rise above the rest and say hey, here's something a little different. PLAGUE TOWN has plenty of grue for hardcore fans but equal parts action and humor to balance things out; it's appeal should reach well beyond zombiephiles to BUFFY fans and urban fantasy readers and anyone else who likes some rousing adventure mixed with their horror. Ashley Parker is a compelling heroine, equally adept with samurai sword or snarky quip, and it will be interesting to see how she develops as the series continues. Already looking forward to the sequal.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars for an awesome book April 9, 2012

By Jennifer Bielman @ Reading & Writing UF & PNR

Format:Mass Market Paperback

The Good
Zombiefied...
Though I love zombie movies, for some reason I don't read a lot of zombie fiction. So I was super excited to get the chance to review this book so I could finally see if the whole zombie craze is something I would like to be a part of. And guess what? I have been zombiefied! I loved this book. It was action packed, had tons of gore, and even had a little lovin' on the side.

Wild Card...
After a vicious attack by zombies, Ashley wakes up to find out she is a wild card, a person immune to the zombie virus. There are only a few of her kind in the town overrun by the dead flesh eaters. But together they have to fight to keep the virus from spreading outside town borders. They may have enhanced strength and senses, but how can only a small group of people go against a town full of zombies? With the training from the sexy and mysterious Gabriel and the backing from a secretive government agency, Ashley and her ragtag group of wild cards may just win the zombie war.

Foreboding...
The best part of Plague Town was the amazing foreboding we experience for most of the book. There were so many hints that were slickly and strategically placed throughout the novel that I knew they might mean something in the end but couldn't imagine the extent of what was revealed later on. I love being surprised like that. It really made this book a roller-coaster of a read.

Humor, the Cure All...
Ashley was an intriguing, likable, and snarky character. She was also very relatable, especially to me since I tend to find humor in everything. Even when it's inappropriate. But that's the fun part, laughing when you want to cry or scream. Ashley is that kind of person who takes things in stride and it made me respect her.... She was also fiercely loyal to her friends, pretty much doing anything for them. I also loved her reluctance towards liking Gabriel because it seemed realistic. Gabriel was that kind of character that was a total jerk, then kind of a bully, then a jerk again, then for some reason he starts to grow on you. He loses some of his cockiness and all of a sudden he's a little adorbale and all out sexy.

A Zombie's Perspective...
Fredsti took a fantastical concept and made it seem plausible. The writing was streamline and the description really helped me visualize and even smell each scene. I really liked the short chapters about the zombies' perspective or how others got infected that were sprinkled throughout the novel. It added something special, something I haven't seen before. The references and quotes from popular movies and TV shows really drove home that this book is set in our current world and time, which made the zombie concept even more creepy. There was a perfect amount of action and suspense. Even the small romance was just enough to help me care about the couple. I can't wait for the next book, which was very nicely set up by this book's end.

The Bad
I truly can't think of anything I disliked about Plague Town. Maybe I could complain that there was some lull moments, so the book didn't hold my attention the whole time but that was pretty rare. The ending also felt a little unfinished but since this is going to be a series, I didn't mind too much.

The Snuggly
This is not a romance novel but we do get some budding love and some sex. Nothing over the top. Ashley and Gabriel were a cute couple, though it took them a long time to figure it out. We get a lot of misunderstandings before they give into their desires.

Overall
Though I haven't read a lot of zombie books, this one is by far the best. The characters were realistic and I ended up caring about them. I was genuinely scared half the time and couldn't believe the kinds of situations Ashley got herself in and actually survived. Plague Town was a well written thrill ride that took me by surprise. Highly Recommended. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Plague Town is a decent read about the pending zombie apocalypse May 20, 2013

By Robin Burks

Format:Mass Market Paperback

When Titan Books contacted me and asked me if I would like a review copy of Plague Nation by Dana Fredsti, I honestly had not heard of the book or the series that it was a part of. So Titan sent me both Plague Town and Plague Nation and I got to reading. I mean, it's a series about zombies, so I thought I would be in for a treat.

The first thing I noticed upon beginning Plague Town is that it's not a deep novel. Having just read a very serious fantasy, this felt much more like a light read - the sort of thing you take to the beach and finish off quickly. And honestly, it was refreshing to switch up my reading pace a bit. The book is written in first person from the perspective of the main character, Ashley Parker. It seems Ashley has landed herself in the midst of a plague that creates... you guessed it... zombies.

The story goes on to let us know that Ashley is no normal human being and as the zombie apocalypse begins to grow, Ashley becomes part of an elite team dedicated to kicking major zombie butt. Obviously, there is a little more to it than that, but you'll see no spoilers from me.

When I began to read Plague Town, I was initially bothered by the character of Ashley. She's supposedly older than the other college students where she attends school, but at times, her perspective sounds like that of a teenager. She's also very Mary Sue in that she has a hot younger boyfriend, she has recovered from a nasty bout of the flu to wind up with super powers, and she is more or less depicted as able to do just about anything. As a character, Ashley doesn't seem to have many faults or weaknesses. This makes her a little difficult to care about. About halfway into the novel, though, we do get a little more character development, but it still didn't feel like enough....

Ashley's zombie-slaying partner, Lil, though, is a much more well-rounded character. In fact, there's a scene where Lil is missing her cats and she and Ashley actually go into a zombie-infested area in order to save them. I can get behind that. Then there's Gabriel, who has a nice little twist of a storyline. But the fact that Ashley is unaffected by his tricky situation really bothers me. In fact, by the end of the book, it's almost as if the author had forgotten all about that.

Something that I liked about Plague Town, though, is that this is the first time that zombie films and books are referenced as part of zombie slaying training. In most stories, those particular universes don't usually acknowledge that humans have ever heard of zombies, much less seen them on TV or read about them in books. Plague Town actually recognizes the existence of zombie entertainment and several books and films are mentioned as the would-be zombie slayers begin to train to kill the undead.

I also liked that this is not the first time that zombies have existed on earth. I like the idea behind things that have happened in the past but have been kept contained and kept away from civilians' eyes. Government cover-ups generally provide good fiction and Plague Town is no exception.

Plague Town is still a pretty decent read and I would recommend it for anyone looking for lighter fare (and anyone who appreciates a lot of pop culture references). But don't be fooled - because there is also plenty of zombie gore and blood and guts to keep fans of horror interested, too. In fact, my favorite scenes in the book are the action ones where Ashley and her pals are slipping around in zombie goo with swords, rifles and flamethrowers. Read more ›