A review by CJ Dee
A City Called Smoke begins where A Town Called Dust (review here) left off, it’s the second book in The Territory series. Our heroes Lynn and Squid embark on their mission to find a weapon against the incoming zombie horde. With the Territory’s defence force annihilated, they are the only hope for humanity’s survival.
Along the way they join forces with Nim, a nomad who is on the same mission in order to avenge the death of his twin.
On their journey Squid, Lynn and Nim face pirates, corruption, and betrayal. Can they find the weapon in the prophesy or will their plan go up in smoke?
I enjoyed the character development of Lynn in A City Called Smoke. As the story progresses she becomes stronger and more likeable. There were far fewer instances where her petulant streak emerged although her temper is still there and ready to flare.
However, I didn’t enjoy Squid quite so much. While he somewhat improves very late in the game, Squid spends most of A City Called Smoke being a sullen, jealous boy who is not likeable in the least. It’s not often that you find yourself hoping that the protagonist of a story gets torn apart by zombies but it was how Squid made me feel for most of the novel.
[And you NEVER had that in The Walking Dead, right? — Editor]
Overall, the plot of A City Called Smoke was an exciting addition to The Territory series. It delves further into the lives of citizens, religious leaders and political leaders hundreds of years after the zombie apocalypse wiped out most of humanity.
If you enjoyed A Town Called Dust, I would highly recommend picking up a copy of its continuation. I can’t imagine A City Called Smoke is a book that can stand alone without raising too many questions but it is definitely worth the time it takes to catch up.
Rating: 4/5
ISBN: 9781760082475
Format: eBook
Publisher: Momentum
