Welcome to my stop on The Pestilence blog tour which I’m absolutely delighted to be taking part in. The Pestilence is written by Faisal Ansari and I’m pretty sure that, had it not been for this blog tour, I wouldn’t have come across this book which would’ve been a shame because in all honesty it was really very good. It completely surpassed all my expectations and I very much enjoyed it.
When the book first opens, with the war over and peace finally reigning in the Holy Land, we first meet Samuel Srour as he sets to work on his family’s farm looking after the animals. However, all does not remain well for long as a rocket attack is launched which completely destroys the Srour’s family farm from which a subsequent electrical storm that spreads worldwide originates. This catastrophic event changes the lives of many, particularly Samuel Srour who in theory should not have survived the attack on the farm but who instead lives on with a new power to heal the sick and injured.
Once I’d got used to the structure of the novel which did jump around a fair bit, I became quickly immersed in the story and found myself flying through the novel to the point where I ended up reading far more than I intended to in one sitting. This is undoubtedly due to Faisal’s talent as an author and his ability to write a fast-paced, action-packed tale. What also made this book so compelling for me was the fact that its main premise is a countdown to The Pestilence - I knew something big was going to happen and I wanted to know exactly what it was.
Having never read a book before that was set where the bulk of the action took place where The Pestilence did, this novel opened my eyes to a whole new world. Indeed I discovered a great deal about a country and culture which I previously knew very little about and really enjoyed this particular learning experience.
My only real complaint about The Pestilence is that it seemed to end on a bit of a cliffhanger but I guess this is to be expected given that it is the first in a series of books. Given how much I enjoyed it I’ll almost definitely be back to read the next installment and just hope that there won’t be too long to wait for it.
If you’re looking for a thought-provoking novel that is not short on action then The Pestilence is most certainly the book for you and I’d highly recommend it. All in all it was a well-polished and well thought through novel that for a debut was mightily impressive and I wish Faisal every success with not only this but his future books.
