"Perhaps, like the scars left on the world we live in, the scars left on our species will take decades to heal - centuries even. May I - we - be forgiven for what we have done." Zoe Carter: Survivor You've heard from the heroes. Now get ready for the villains... In the latest instalment of his award-winning Apocalypse Survivors series, Aussie author Matt J Pike returns to where it all began with a new origin story - this one told from the perspective of the bad guys. But when life on earth has been all but wiped out by an comet, simple ideas of good and evil aren't as simple as they appear. As the comet unleashes an ash cloud over the planet, stealing the sun and bringing on permanent winter, a brutal new era dawns for humanity. In a small corner of the world, in a broken city called Adelaide, a group of survivors gather on The Parade, a resource-rich shopping strip that offers shelter, warmth, water and food. What unites them is the simple desire to survive, what divides them is how far they're prepared to go to make that happen. In the power play for control of this frightening new world, one thing is clear. No one is getting through unscathed! There is no good and bad. Only survival. "An accessibly written, often gritty, apocalyptic adventure. A FINALIST and highly recommended!" The Wishing Shelf Book Awards FROM THE JUDGES... "A wonderful book if you enjoy end-of-world thrillers. Gory, yes, exciting, yes. Plenty of dilemmas, oh yes!" Judge, Female, aged 34 "Cool dystopian novel with good character development. This is a story of survival, and what different characters will do to stay alive. Fab cover too!" Judge, Male, aged 54 "I enjoyed this novel a lot - which is surprising as I don't normally do dystopian. But I recently read THG and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd try this book for the awards. I liked the protagonist, Zoe - fun to root for. The 'parade' setting is excellent, and the multi-themed story is a blast - betrayal, battling for survival, what's right and wrong in a world with no laws. I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy dystopian with plenty of grit!" Judge, Female, aged 19 "Dark, a bit gritty, mega-accessible in terms of writing style. Possibly it'd work better for a YA readership, but it was a fun, easy read for an old codger like me. You can't beat a good apocalypse adventure!" Judge, Male, aged 67 Welcome, reader, to The Parade: Apocalypse Survivors ! It was both a daunting challenge and an exciting new adventure jumping into the Apocalypse Survivors universe again. Jack's series ( Apocalypse: Diary of a Survivor 1-4 ) had been so pivotal for me as an author, and I know many a reader who have devoured the series multiple times, which definitely added a layer of pressure (OK several layers). For those not in the know, the subjects of this series - the Norwood hub - are completely entwined with the original series. There is a lot of bloodshed between the competing groups, and plenty of existing cannon to both guide (and constrain) the storytelling. I also wrote from a different storytelling perspective and took on a multiple character journeys in the storytelling. So, degree of difficulty up several fold, but it's only writing by numbers if you're creating new challenges.  I'm so pleased with the result. I hope you find plenty worthwhile in the story of Zoe and the Norwood hub, as someone either new to the universe, or as a fan of the original series.  Oh, and Jack fans, don't worry, there are plenty of easter eggs. And just wait to see where the series is going!   *** For those who have reviewed it, that has more value to me than you could imagine. ***