HOME begins right where the previous book Vacation left
off. Christie and her two children are fleeing from the
Paterville Camp after her husband, Jack, sacrifices himself
so the family could get away. Christie is despondent over
the loss of her husband yet she tries to hold things
together for the sake of the children. The drive back to
their home is dangerous and after their experience at the
Paterville Camp, Christie is very cautious when dealing with
other people. As they finally make it home, the family
discovers that there were mass attacks from the
zombie/mutant-like creatures called the Can Heads while they
were away and their once gated and secure home is no longer
safe.
The neighbors have all seemingly evacuated the
neighborhood and Christie decides it is best to do the same.
While Christie is inside accumulating some needed supplies
for the family, her children are attacked by a large group
of Can Heads and is saved by the only remaining neighbor
named Helen. Helen is great with a rifle and kind to the
family and tells them of a place in the mountains where she
thinks they will all be safe. They arrive at the compound
in the mountains and try to settle into the routine and
strict rules that are placed upon them, but the family feels
uneasy nonetheless. After an attack on the compound, they
discover that the difference between normal humans and Can
Heads is becoming harder to differentiate.
This book was just as good as the first, but it is
certainly not a light and fun read. The Murphy family is
irrevocably changed by the events that happened in the
previous book and in HOME. Matthew Costello does a great
job evoking the terror and grief that Christie and her
family feel during their ordeal and HOME is fast-paced from
the first page to the last. There were times where I felt
the same despondency and loss that Christie did because you
realize that Jack would know how to handle the situation in
a better, more efficient manner. Although Christie wasn't
prepared to lead her family through a zombie apocalypse, she
is always a mother lion protecting her cubs.
The ending lends to a continuation in the series as
there was no clear wrap-up to the storyline and I do hope so
as I have enjoyed these books a great deal. I hope that
further books will have Matthew Costello describing more about
the origin of the Can Heads and the event that caused the
world to tilt so drastically in chaos. If you love
post-apocalyptic stories, HOME will resonate strongly for
you. The rapid-paced energy and urgency that the short
chapters create make this a book that anyone who loves
thrillers or survivor stories should love. The title itself
describes the voyage of the family, to their home, and when
that is no longer safe; to a place they can call a surrogate
home. But is any place truly safe?
Besieged and attacked, a mother and her children must escape
a post-apocalyptic nightmare world of cannibals and betrayal
Jack Murphy thought he’d found the perfect escape for his
family from a world gone horribly mad. He thought wrong.
Matthew Costello's Home begins mere minutes after the
terrible sacrifice made by Jack to save his family at
Paterville Camp. Barely escaping, Jack’s wife, Christie, and
two children, Kate and Simon, must accept that their lives
and their future have changed forever.
In this intimate and human survivalist horror story, the
three of them will face even greater dangers, as well as
yet-unknown horrors, to simply stay alive as together they
search for a road “home” in this intense and original
postapocalyptic thriller.