The reviews have started coming in for my Survivors novel Crusade! First, here’s Rich Cross, proprietor of the in-depth Survivors fansite A World Away:
What’s made immediately clear is that author Doris V. Sutherland has immersed herself in the timeline, plot points and rhythms of the 1975 series of Survivors. Sutherland’s prose is steeped in the established Survivors TV canon, and numerous series one events (up to and including the mis-trial and execution of Barney) are referenced throughout the Crusade storyline. This attention to continuity is stitched-in in a way that feels like a natural complement to the plot, rather than something shoehorned-in in an attempt to “please fans”. What’s also really gratifying is that so many of The Grange’s ensemble of residents are drawn into the action as the crisis develops and given some genuine, authentic-sounding agency. […] Crusade succeeds as a very different Survivors’ audiobook experience to Nation’s rethought novelisation from 1976 and to 2021’s Ghosts and Demons. This astute, cautionary tale of the threat that distorted religious certainty can pose to the survivors of The Death is the kind of grown-up and probing storytelling for which the series’ setting is so conducive.
Coming from a fan who clearly knows the series inside out, this review means a lot to me. Next is Ian McArdell of IndieMacUser:
Of course, this being Survivors, the story progresses into conflict before its conclusion. Men of seemingly simple faith are tipped into full-on murderous extremism in just a few simple steps. That’s all handled in a compelling manner with a tense game of cat and mouse throughout the house. On narration duties once again, Carolyn Seymour – Abby Grant in the show – does an excellent job of making all the characters distinct; making not just the many and varied residents of The Grange come alive, but the numerous newcomers too. ‘Crusade’ is another excellent, thought-provoking addition to the Survivors range and well worth enjoying across its almost six-hour runtime.
If you’d like to hear the story for yourself, then you can pick up the audiobook-only release (read by Carolyn Seymour) for £9.99!
Doris V. Sutherland 