Title: Sleeping Among Wolves

Author: Robert Royal Poff

Release date: March 7th, 2023

After reading Robert’s collection ‘Call to the Void: Definitive Edition’ and really enjoying it, I was really excited when he reached out to see if I’d be keen on an e-ARC of his upcoming novella, ‘Sleeping Among Wolves.’ I had no idea what it was about or what to expect so once I dove in, I was immediately engaged and brought into the world that he had created.

What I liked: The story follows Atlas and Moose, six months after an infection has ripped through humanity, leaving some alive and others with an insatiable desire to eat those who live. The two of them escape and decide to make their way over to where a radio broadcast is offering safety.

The reality here, is, that if you’ve read much in the way of zombie/post-apocalyptic survival books, you’ll have come across a lot of what you’ll find within. The strength of this novella though, is Atlas and Moose and their relationship. They will do whatever it takes to make sure they both survive and it’s the most compelling aspect of the story.

We get a lot of emotions laid on the reader throughout and as things take a turn and we get to the ending and discover what will be happening, it hinges on how much the reader has bought in to their relationship.

What I didn’t like: As I said, most of what we experience in here is something you’ll have come across before. I almost groaned when we got a bad guy with a baseball bat wrapped in razor wire. It’s tough to find new ground in this subgenre, but as I did say before, the relationship here definitely pulls you past a lot of the predictable plot twists.

Why you should buy this: Well, if you love this type of fiction, you’ll really want to read this because this will be your bread and butter. If you’ve not read Robert’s work previous, this is a great spot to jump in and see his ease of how he tells a story. And of course, I can’t overstate this enough – this novella features one of the strongest relationships between two primary characters I’ve read in some time.

Good stuff.

4/5