Shelter by Dave Hutchinson
In ‘Shelter’, written after completion and publication of the ‘Fractured Europe‘ novels and with the strapline ‘Book One of the Aftermath’, Hutchinson returns to the setting of a post-apocalyptic world. However in this one there is no time distortion, there are no parallel worlds; it is firmly anchored in a familiar location in southern England a century after a shower of meteorites from a breaking-up comet has devasted the planet leaving only pockets of survivors to cope with the total breakdown of society.
As always, Hutchinson weaves his story with a cast of well-drawn and intriguing characters; you never know which ones are going to become main players, and even those who don’t might crop up in the next story. Because yes, there’s Book Two and Book Three definitely following and Book Four expected*.
Hutchinson has a great ability to imagine the future after such a cataclysm and the plot is consistent and credible. The story moves along at a good pace with plenty of action, sometimes violent, with twists that I certainly didn’t foresee. Definitely a good read.
* An interesting concept here. Hutchinson’s follow-up is Book Three, ‘Sanctuary’, which will be published later in 2023. Book Two is ‘Haven’ by Adam Roberts, which was published in 2018 and which at the time of writing I have ordered but not yet read. Roberts will then provide Book Four (title as yet unknown). I look forward to seeing how this collaboration works out.
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