Allison Hewitt Is Trapped: A Zombie Novel

One woman's story as she blogs - and fights back - the zombie apocalypse Allison Hewitt and her five colleagues at the Brooks and Peabody Bookstore are trapped together when the zombie outbreak hits. Allison reaches out for help through her blog, writing on her laptop and utilizing the military's emergency wireless network (SNET).  It may also be her only chance to reach her mother. But as the reality of their situation sinks in, Allison’s blog becomes a harrowing account of her edge-of-the-seat adventures (with some witty sarcasm thrown in) as she and her companions fight their way through ravenous zombies and sometimes even more dangerous humans.  “Madeline Roux manages to answer the eternal question all of us must ask ourselves eventually: "When the zombie apocalypse comes (and it will come), how will I handle it?" For my part, I hope I manage it with as much humanity and determination as Allison. But I would like to make a request for bigger weapons.”--Christine Warren, New York Times bestselling author of The Others series

From Publishers Weekly

Plot gaps diminish this otherwise exciting horror adventure debut. When the zombie apocalypse breaks out, bookstore clerk Allison escapes the titular trap and finds a group of survivors at a community center, including handsome astronomy professor Collin. Complications--aside from the usual attacks by ravenous undead--include religious zealots, paramilitary survivalists, and Collin's estranged and intimidating wife. As Allison blogs about her experience on SNet, an emergency military network, commenters provide some sense of the disaster's scope, but there's little explanation for how she created the blog and why no other sites are mentioned. Likewise, a pivotal early attack by a zombified squirrel is ignored later as the heroes traipse through the woods ignoring all nonhumanoid threats. These flaws aren't enough to hide Roux's obvious talent for witty characters and gory action sequences, but they will frustrate attentive readers. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Roux’s debut tells the story of a zombie apocalypse through the eyes of Allison Hewitt, graduate student and bookstore employee. Allison is working in the bookstore when she sees one her regular customers have her head bitten off. It’s clear that something very bad has happened. Alison and the survivors lock themselves into the back rooms, hiding out from the relentless zombies. In an attempt to stave off her loneliness and connect with the outside world, Allison begins a blog (blog entries and comments from readers are included at the end of every chapter). The use of the blog as a storytelling device, drawing in additional characters and points of view, helps enliven what is otherwise an average zombie story, albeit one with plenty of action and a high body count. Suggest it to zombie fans who enjoyed Ben Tripp’s Rise Again (2010) or Charlie Huston’s Sleepless. --Jessica Moyer

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

9-19-09Location: Brooks & Peabody Bookstore   When I sit and watch the monitors there’s an infected creature I recognize. I recognize her for three reasons: 1) Her name is Susan. Because she was – is – a regular. She bought six copies of The Shack. Six. I shit you not.  2) She was in the Christian section when it all started. The floor to ceiling window behind her imploded, sending shards of glass the size of stalactites crashing onto the floor. I watched her try to run toward me, through Biography and Home & Garden. She didn’t get very far. A gnarled, gray thing came in the window and caught up to her. It draped itself over her neck and they fell to the floor. 3) Susan should have been dead. You don’t lose that much blood, that much of your neck and walk it off. But she just sort of shrugged off the decaying person on her back, and got to her feet. It was without a doubt the most unsettling thing I’ve ever seen.   Susan came at me, not fast, but my brain was taking too long to compute what I had just seen. Then there was a little flash of red in the corner of my vision. It was the ax. There was a hard little hammer hanging down next to the glass case – “Break in case of emergency”. Hell, I thought, this certainly ranks.  I swung, hard, a big, overhead swing that came down at her shoulder. Susan sort of grunted as if she had dropped her purse or tripped a little. I didn’t stop.  I kept hold of the ax and sprinted to the front of the store where Phil was ushering Matt, Janette and Hollianted to toward the break room. Phil had a bat.  He swung the bat wildly as he caught sight of me, beckoning me with a bloody hand; I never thought I’d be so happy to see that pudgy bastard waving me over. Now I see Susan on the monitor from time to time. We don’t call her Susan anymore, we call her Lefty. Tomorrow I’ll have to confront Lefty again. We’re running out of food. We'll have to leave the safety of the door: we don't have a choice.

About the Author

MADELEINE ROUX received her BA in Creative Writing and Acting from Beloit College in 2008.  In the spring of 2009, Madeleine completed an Honors Term at Beloit College, proposing, writing and presenting a full-length historical fiction novel.  Shortly after, she began the experimental fiction blog Allison Hewitt Is Trapped.  Allison Hewitt Is Trapped quickly spread throughout the blogosphere, bringing a unique serial fiction experience to readers. Born in Minnesota, she now lives and works in Wisconsin where she enjoys the local beer and preparing for the eventual and inevitable zombie apocalypse.

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