Where were you when the world changed? One minute everything was fine and the next... they arrived. Those that saw them died instantly. The unlucky ones survived. Now unimaginable things straight out of nightmares roam the streets of our towns and cities. Nothing is impossible. Nowhere is safe. And no one can escape The Change...
Howard doesn't know where he is or how he got there. He's not even sure his name is Howard. But he knows his in trouble.
Alone on a stretch of motorway jammed with broken down cars full of corpses and strange creatures, Howard falls in with a motorbike gang living in a nearby service station.
But even The Kingdom of the Welcome Break can't keep him safe. Something is moving between the rows of cars, something that used to be human but now clanks with metal, hisses with hydraulics, and is always on the lookout for new parts...
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[HE WOKE to the smell of petrol and smoke]***
Solaris Books, 13 July 2017, copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed)
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I really enjoyed this first novella in the change series.
I loved the concept behind this series, creates that change the world into something dark and dangerous; butterflies with teeth, cannibal birds and machines that are hungry. I thought this concept was very original. Some parts reminded me of the novella The Mist by Stephen King.
London Orbital is well-written, engaging and disturbing as hell.
There is a fantastic scene towards the start where Howard is attacked by birds. This is brilliantly written and reminded me of The Birds by Daphne DuMaurier. I loved this scene.
I liked the fact some chapters are told from the point of view of a creature that used to be human but has been changed into part metal. This was an unusual perspective to use and is quite chilling if a little clunky in its execution.
I look forward to reading other books in the series.
