A review of “The Scattered and The Dead Book 3” by Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus

Full disclosure – I was provided an advanced reader’s copy of this book by the authors but have voluntarily provided a review.

The End Is Not The End

The Scattered and The Dead Book 3 marks the end of the post-apocalyptic series by authors Tim McBain and LT Vargus. This final chapter sees some storylines resolved while others remain open with the hint of a revisit at some point down the line. As with all other books in this series, the story follows several characters at different points in the timeline spanning from days to several years after the apocalypse event. Erin, Lizzie, Marcus, and Marissa are the main focus of this final installment with Baghead and Delfino also playing a role. Interspersed with the main characters we catch up with Lorraine and Louis on what can only be called a road trip from hell which results in the birth of more than one character in the later timeline. Of course, the story would not be complete without a final visit with Father and his encampment of survivors. All is not well; Father’s grip is slipping and his health is failing. Will he be able to keep control of his followers, or is it time to turn over the reins? With everything leading up to these final events,  it was intriguing to watch all the storylines come together and weave into the overall narrative.

It is really hard for me to believe that this entire bizarre journey into The Scattered and The Dead began a little over three years ago. At that time, I was reading primarily ZA and so I snapped up the opportunity to get my hands on this new series. What McBain and Vargus birthed and brought to life within the span of the 8 books in this series is nothing short of amazing. Some people would closely compare this series to The Walking Dead, and while I can see that I can say that this is so much more and feels like a more comprehensive story than TWD could ever be. From the origins of the virus and the events leading up to the mess extinction event, through the chronicles of all the main characters throughout all stages of their evolution, all the “side stories” that are so much more than they appear on the surface up to the final reveal, everything worked together to craft a world that was still full of humanity in its best and worst forms among the shambling dead. If you are a fan of apocalyptic fiction that is more than just gore, now that this series is complete, I would highly recommend you set aside a few weeks to binge read all of the books You will not be disappointed and in the end you may, like me, be hoping for a return to this world to catch up on some old favorite characters.