Chokehold

August 12, 2019
In Moody’s blood-soaked third Final War novel, Matthew Dunne and a handful of fellow survivors emerge from an underground bunker into a nuclear-blasted Britain still overrun with vicious, rage-fueled Haters, transformed humans whose overriding need is to kill Unchanged people like Matt. Beaten down and exhausted, Matt only wants to be left alone, but he’s drawn back into the fight when he and his group are taken to a fortified compound run by an old acquaintance, Estelle Bisseker, commanding officer of the Civil Defense Force. Estelle is eager to take the Haters down once and for all, but she’s not prepared for a massive cell of Haters that’s primed to wipe out the last of the Unchanged. When Matt spots a Hater in their midst, no one believes him, and he’s drugged, only to awaken to carnage. Matt sets out to find the rest of the group and warn them of the impending bloodbath. Moody toggles between the perspectives of the Haters and the Unchanged, eschewing nuance and peppering Matt’s harrowing journey with brutal fights that pave the way for all-out final battles. Fans of exceedingly bleak survival horror will be satisfied. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group.

October 15, 2019
The Final War series continues the story of fan-favorite characters (after All Roads End Here, 2019) but adds a layer of complication by pulling in other groups involved in the struggle for Britain. The postapocalyptic world is always bigger than it seems, with isolated pockets of people, most of whom have a leader simultaneously working to save them and secure power. Matt, the ultimate loner, and his few companions are picked up by a group with a connection to the old government led by a figure from Matt's past, Estelle, who has plans for taking more territory. Matt is wary of factions and skeptical of promises. In spite of himself, he does care about a few people, so he is forced to stay and help Estelle. But power in a group of warriors and survivors is not easy to maintain. Watching humanity recover and survive after a cataclysmic event is always an engaging story. This series is more so as Matt is a unique and compelling character to follow through the process.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)