Amazon paperback/Kindle

Beyond the Dark  is the final book of Patrick D’Orazio’s “The Dark” trilogy.

First we had Comes the Dark (original review HERE), which was about Jeff Blaine in the midst of the outbreak. He has lost his family, friends and the only thing he has left to do is kill zombies. He is joined up by Megan, a woman who lived in his neighborhood and they set out together eventually becoming trapped and saved by our two other main characters George and Jason. Comes the Dark  ends with the small group being captured by another group of survivors.

In Into the Dark (original review HERE), we pick back up where we left off with Jeff, Megan, George and Jason being held captive by this other group of survivors led by Michael. There is tension in the ranks of both groups and as this tension increases more and more mistakes happen. A simple supply run goes horribly wrong and we are left with a cliffhanger requiring us to wait until the final book in the trilogy Beyond the Dark. 

Beyond the Dark refreshes our memory a bit with a brief recap of the previous events, although I do suggest reading the 1st two books. Once the recap is complete we are thrown immediately into the action and, I have to say, D’Orazio does not allow a moment’s rest. After the supply run goes bad and the zombies are able to find the groups hideout, the  survivors will be seriously tested as they are forced to face an onslaught of the undead like they have never faced before. Managing to escape, they begin to see their world fall even further apart as tension and hatred work their way through the groups. Jeff knows that they don’t just have to save their physical selves from the undead, they need to find their way beyond the dark to save their souls.

Beyond the Dark grabs you by the ears and does not let go. We’ve heard the phrase save the best for last…well, that is exactly what happened with this trilogy. D’Orazio paints a gruesome and violent picture of the world the survivors must now live in that is fraught with not only the danger of  the undead, but danger within the ranks of the people they band together with to survive.

You can learn more about Patrick D’Orazio and his other work by visiting his site Patrick D’Orazio Tomes of Darkness and following him on Twitter: @Sloggoth

Espresso rating: Triple with a splash of milk