A review of “The Scattered and the Dead” (book 0.5) by Tim McBain and LT Vargus

The  apocalypse from the point of view of a shut in

The Scattered and the Dead book 0.5 is the accounting of the many end of the world events that take place during “The Scattered and the Dead (book 1) from the point of view of a young man who chooses to remain secluded in his apartment.  The book focuses mainly on “Decker” our resident agoraphobic as he pines away to a crush that he is too afraid to approach and talk to directly. Beginning approximately three weeks prior to the ultimate extinction event and continuing approximately a month and a half after what starts as an awkward attempt at social interaction turns into a running diary of adjusting to live and death in this aftermath of society.

Along the way, Decker works up the nerve to venture out further and further into the world, but is it too late to make any real impact?

I really liked how this book flowed, and while written technically before The Scattered and the Dead book 1, the timeline of events places this book running parallel to the main story. Because of this, this book can be read either before or after book 1 with no disruption to the overarching story line. In fact, there is at least one point where the storylines converge for a moment however this encounter isn’t a spoiler for either this book or the next.

I am really digging this world of desolation and am looking forward to reading TSATD 1.5 and beyond.