I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Zombicide book Last Resort by Josh Reynolds, published by Aconyte Books, so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book.

So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first. I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions. Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher.

I am also friend with Josh on Facebook, however I am sure for him that’s more about connecting with fans rather than being one of my best buds, that said he is actually a really nice guy.

I am going to try my best to not let that cloud my judgement in this review, but I accept that subconsciously it might.

So let’s crack on with a review then!

What is Zombicide

Zombicide is a co-op adventure game set in a post zombie apocalyptic world, created by Guillotine Games and published by CMON.

Its someone of a Kickstarter success story and is now in its 2nd edition. Each player controls a survivors, as they look to complete a narrative objective before being overrun by zombies, who come in various different forms, such as walkers, crawlers, brutes etc.

Its also been spun off into both a Fantasy and Sci-Fi theme.

I personally own most of whats been published for the 1st edition with all of the major expansions and a good deal of minor ones too, but I am still struggling to find Dave the Geek to complete my “not The Big Bang Theory” survivours.

The Story

The story begins in the very opening stages of the apocalypse as the main protagonist Westlake escapes from a mob assassination, and then it picks up some months later with his being on the hunt for a mountain mob hideaway known only as “The Villa”.

Running into a former FBI agent who he previously escaped from, Westlake puts together a crew of her, a masked Mexican Wrestler, a college student who has been studying the zombies, a wannabe cowboy, and a conspiracy theorist to head up into the mountains and claim The Villa for a community of survivors to move in and make secure.

However treachery from within the survivor’s camp causes the expedition to go awry and forces Westlake’s “crew” to head off ahead of time and make some challenging decisions.

Conclusion

I warn you that this book is not for the squeamish, its very bloody, very gory and filled with plenty of gross moments.

That’s a good thing, its a zombie novel that doesn’t pull any punches and just lives up to the idea of what it is.

Westlakes crew is extraordinarily well developed and despite not having huge amount’s of page time, they actually get it right and show off their background and character traits in a way that means when they face danger, you feel stress because you have become close to them.

For me everything else is a bonus, Josh has created a book that really explores the characters so well that its absolutely riveting, it started off strong with an amazing opening chapter and never let up in its intensity nor quality.

my only criticism is that the secondary antagonist’s seemed a little cliché and cookie cutter, but that’s a stretch as their character wasn’t that important to the story.

Its a great book filled with grossness, natural and very well written flowing dialogue and leaves you craving more.

Absolutly 5 out of 5 stars.

Last Resort is out now as an eBook and the paperback will be out on November 25th.