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THE FIRST DAYS: AS THE WORLD DIES introduced Jenni and Katie and their harrowing journey to the makeshift fort in the Texas Hill Country. But theirs is not the only tale to be told. In the first volume of the AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD TALES experience three terrifying tales of those who are forced to face the unrelenting and hungry walking dead.
Deep in the Texas Hill Country, a man and his little dog takes refuge in a bed and breakfast located in the hills above a doomed town where an infested rescue center might unleash the hungry undead…
On a deserted highway slicing through the desolation of West Texas, a woman struggles to survive as she faces the horrifying aftermath of the rise of the zombies…
And finally, discover what happens on the first day to Katie’s beloved wife, Lydia, as the world dies…

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My Review

For those of you who haven’t read the As The World Dies Trilogy or even volume one, The First Days, never fear. These three tales only tell us a small part of what is occurring  in The First Days and mainly focuses on a few characters, spotlighting them and giving them their due.

The Broken Heart (Lydia’s Story)

Lydia, Katie’s wife, is already dead in the beginning of the series, but even in death she steals the hearts of fans. This is her story.

It’s a perfect dawn and Lydia is enjoying her morning tea, letting Katie sleep in. Screams from across the lake interrupt the quiet, giving her the willies. But as they don’t continue she puts it from her mind. She doesn’t know it yet, but this will be the last normal morning they share.

This is in the beginning, before the world dies and zombies are everywhere.

The companionship and closeness of these two really made me smile. I knew the outcome wasn’t going to be rosy, but I enjoyed getting to know Katie and Lydia and was so wrapped up in their story I forgot for a while that this was going to end badly. Such is the excellent writing of Rhiannon Frater. My first taste of it and craving more.

Dangerous Highways (Monica’s Story)

This short story takes place between The First Days and Fighting To Survive.

Monica is alone now. She manages to escape El Paso thanks to her dead boyfriends pistol and trusty monster truck. She keeps an eye on the undead kids in the station wagon as she siphons gas to put in her tank.

She’s leaving the memory of his death behind her, like a dust plume behind the truck. Heading to her home town of Ashley Oaks, Texas and her cousin Juan.

She doesn’t know if the town is overrun or even still standing but that’s her plan. She knows how to kill the zombies thanks to all of the movies she’s watched. But that doesn’t make it any easier. It’s a whole other ball game when you come face to face with the unbelievable in real life.

And zombies aren’t the only thing she has to fear. As a woman traveling alone, Monica knows full well the dangers of encountering strangers.

I really like Monica. She’s rough and tough, takes care of business, and makes hard decisions with no hesitation. I could only hope to be half as tough as her.

The Vacation of the Undead (Eric’s Story)

This a quite a bit longer than the first two tales.

Eric is staying at a bed and breakfast with his supermodel girlfriend, Brandy, and his best friend, Pepe, a Jack Russell Terrier.

Eric is wondering if he’s really in love with Brandy, or in love with the idea of her. She’s excellent eye candy on his arm, but she’s not really a nice person. Her true colors come out when the apocalypse begins.

Eric may come across as a bit of a nerd, but he’s smart and has a big heart. He’s also a dog lover and Pepe will steal your heart. Whenever a pet is introduced into a story, it becomes more real to me. It’s strange that we become so upset if harm comes to an animal, and take it in stride sometimes when it’s a human. I guess it’s their innocence and trust that does it.

I would like stories with animals in them to start with a disclaimer: No animals were harmed in the writing of this story. I’m not spoiling it when I say Pepe’s tail is still wagging, as he appears in The First Days and Fighting To Survive.

Rhiannon’s characters are brought to life and fleshed out in these three untold tales and reading these in no way spoiled it for me as I haven’t read the series YET.

I got to know them, like or dislike them, fear for them and cheer for them. Now that I’ve experienced the author’s writing, been sucked into her world, I have to know more. Have to know everything.

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5 STARS