Book Review#20. - The Scavenger

Now here's something thing that caught my eye that I must share, Sean McLachlan's novelette, 'The Scavenger'.  Sean, a former archaeologist who worked for many years on excavations in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, is a writer who specialises in history and travel and runs the 'Civil War Horror' blog that I just happen to follow.  The following extract is directly lifted from his weblog, 

My next Toxic World story is out!  I've just released The Scavenger on Amazon. This 10,000-word story is set in the same Toxic World as Radio Hope and explores some more of the personalities and dangers of that world. I've priced it at 99 cents as a teaser for the series. Enjoy!

Well, I have to confess that my curiosity was piqued and within a couple of clicks, I found myself on the on Amazon reading the following, 

In a world shattered by war, pollution, and disease, a lone scavenger discovers a priceless relic from the Old Times. The problem is, it's stuck in the middle of the worst wasteland he knows--a contaminated city inhabited by insane chem addicts and vengeful villagers. Only his wits, his gun, and an unlikely ally can get him out alive.  Set in the Toxic World series introduced in the novel Radio Hope, this 10,000-word story explores more of the dangers and personalities that make up a post-apocalyptic world that's all too possible.

I have been struggling with my reading habits of late and was in desperate need of some inspiration to get me picking up a book again and so I'm delighted to report that within minutes of downloading this, I was hooked! 'The Scavenger' is a fast paced snapshot of the Toxic World created by Sean and certainly left me hungry for more. For those of us that enjoyed the 'Mad Max' movies of the eighties or find ourselves contemplating the plausibility of the 'what if' scenarios following a third world war, then 'The Scavenger' will seem reassuringly familiar. That is not to say that it is unoriginal, more a 're-imagining' of an established genre. Already, I am left wanting to know more about this mysterious lone figure and what adventures will befall him next and have downloaded the first Toxic World story, 'Radio Hope' in the search for answers.

It is important to reiterate that this is only a 10,000 word novelette and not a full blown narrative, but as I was reading it, I couldn't help but imagine it as a scenario for a game.  In fact the parallels between this story and the new 'Across the Dead Earth' rule set, currently funding on Kickstarter are uncanny.  What's worse, certainly for my bank account, is that having read Sean's work, I'm feeling the urge to dive into a bit of Post Apocalyptic gaming - when will this madness ever end?  For ninety nine cents read seventy seven pence, and at 77p you really can't go wrong.  An intriguing four crowns for sheer fun and value for money.