Sole Survivor II – Zachary Ashford

3.5/5 stars

Sole Survivor II is everything that you could want in a survival horror sequel: its bloodier, crazier, and just plain insanity! It really leans into the ‘you’d think they’d have learned after the first cluster’ trope that’s so much fun in this sub-genre and provides another smashing example of why one shouldn’t mess with DNA splicing and gene sequencing!

The part of the story between Gus and December feels a little unfinished. I was really surprised by December’s decision in the end; her character bases almost all of her decisions on what Rovin would have done, and leaving Gus to the system didn’t feel like something that Robin would have done. Robin, and December when she applies herself, was smart, and I don’t think she’d have passed up an opportunity to learn as much as she could about what she was up against. The enemy of my enemy is my friend after all, and having someone well-versed in dealing with the drop bears would’ve been a boon to her. Leaving him to the system felt like a side-step in the wrong direction for the trope, as well as for December’s story.

The epilogue was also kind of eh. I get that it was done to leave this open for a third book, something I would definitely read, but I honestly could’ve done without it. It didn’t make much sense for Skinner to have what he apparently had, and I’m just confused by the epilogue overall. It lost me, and I think that the story would’ve been fine developing other things and leaving the epilogue out.

All in all, I could very easily see this being a fun B movie. There were parts that I could absolutely see as cinema, and I was setting the scene in my head as I was reading, complete with appropriate sound effects. I’m a big fan of this sort of ridiculous, ‘you know better’ type of horror, and I think Zachary does it in a way that’s really fun and engaging to read.

There was one joke in the story about Americans and gun violence that I thought was a bit in poor taste, but nonetheless, Sole Survivor II was a thrilling edge of your seat read that will take you on a desperate race for survival through the gore-soaked streets of Brisbane!