Book review: South by Frank Owen

South by Frank Owen (first published in 2016 by Atlantic Books)

As a lover of dystopian fiction, I had enormous expectations for South, and I’m happy to say that it not only met my expectations but exceeded them by a mile. 

For me, it was the combination of a fast moving plot, intriguing characters and the tight, sometimes complex, knitting of words used to tell the story that won me over.

The story goes something like this...

The world as we know it has come to an end. America is now a unified state after a devastating civil war, but solidly divided: North vs South. 
Survival is a daily battle and the wind is the invisible assassin. 

The North secured its victory with a lethal biological weapon: an airborne virus which has the capability to spread even faster than it kills. But there’s hope: a small disease free colony down South exists, where food and provisions are a plenty. And then there are the exceptions, like Vida, who are inexplicably immune to the virus.

Brothers Garrett and Allerdyce are on the run from the Callahans and are placing their last bet of survival on finding elusive colony at The Mouth. Their trek takes a dramatic turn when they stumble upon Vida who is on a mission of her own. If The Mouth exists, will they find it? And ultimately, at what price?

Should you give it a go? If you loved books like The Passage and Wool, you are sure to be sucked into this one in no time. 

And here’s a fun fact: South is the creative collaboration of Diane Awerbuck (Gardening at Night, 2003) and Alex Latimer (The Space Race, 2013) under the pen name Frank Owen. Both are highly acclaimed South African authors.

This review, along with others can be found on my blog.

Purchase a copy of South from Takealot.com