The Final Winter by Iain Rob Wright
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Final Winter by Iain Rob Wright is a fascinating take on the apocalypse. Concentrating on a small area in Britain and the local pub, The Trumpet, a small group of townspeople are trapped by a freak snow storm. As the evening progresses they learn that the entire world is being buried in snow with rapidly dropping temperatures. Even parts of the world where it never snows or snows very little are affected. Seemingly unaware of the seriousness of the event they continue with their evening as though everything is normal except for some bad weather. However as the evening goes on and more characters are introduced from near-by businesses it becomes apparent this is more than a weather anomaly.
The premise of the story is exciting and overall it is a good read. There are some editing errors and the characters could be developed more fully. It is almost impossible to develop rapport with them. At points the story bogs down as characters have conversations or thoughts that do little toward moving the story forward. Portions that could have made a great impact by virtue of their horror or the unexpected detail are almost shoved under the carpet.
The protagonist is not as well portrayed as possible. I will say there are some nifty surprises which make it worth struggling through the slow parts. Again the message is what counts in the end. While some of the actions of the characters border on preposterous it’s difficult to say what any person might do in the unique situations that take place. If you like apocalyptic tales this is up your alley.
Between the Beats 