Rich in detail and complex characters, this is not your usual dystopian picture of our future world. As survivors gather together, there are many differing viewpoints and needs to create a new sanctuary. Challenges both from inside the new colony and outside all make this book readable and engrossing. Recommended.

Deon Meyer is a master story-teller. This is a dystopian novel, not my favourite genre and not Meyer’s usual one. I was already a huge Deon Meyer fan – but the subject matter put me off. I wouldn’t have been tempted to try this had I not listened to the author read from the first chapter at the Kingsmead Book Fair last year. I was hooked. Fever is really a crime thriller – with a great, unexpected ending and packed with unforgettable characters. It’s set in South Africa following a virus that has wiped out the vast majority of the population worldwide. Willem Storm and his son, Nico, survive – and start to build a new community. The story is told from Nico’s perspective years later. The community they create, Amanzi, faces a multitude of threats as it grows – both internal and external. It’s the packs of feral dogs roaming the land that scared me most, but there were also marauding gangs and increasing politics as well as jealousies within the community. I found the book a little long in places, but really enjoyed the story-telling (the father-son relationship was complex, yet special) and the development of the characters. And that ending reminded me of just what a great novelist Deon Meyer really is.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free digital ARC of this book.

After a terrible virus wiped out most of the world's population, Nico Storm and his dad are looking to rebuild their world in a new community called Amanzi. The story is about their survival and their friendships with new acquaintances who are also looking to become part of this Amanzi.

Apocalyptic books always fascinate me. It is so hard to conceive in my mind what it would be like to live in a world where most of the population has been destroyed. I believe the author did a very good job of creating a realistic tale of what the world might be like in such conditions. The story is told from the eyes of Nico, who is fairly young at the time.

Unfortunately, I had a hard time finishing this book. It seemed like the plot was a little slow.

Deon Meyer is one of my favorite thriller writers worldwide for novels like "Heart of the Hunter", "Thirteen Hours" and "Cobra", all set in South Africa. Now he brings us something very different in "Fever", a brilliant dystopian coming-of-age story.

It starts with a 13-year-old Nico Storm and his father Willem driving a truck through a South Africa, where society has collapsed after most people died in a pandemic. They scavenge as they go, seeking fuel, food, tools - and other survivors.

They meet with violence and danger at every turn, but eventually Willem leads in building a community of well-intentioned folk who work together to rebuild some measure of civilization. The community survives attacks of outlaw gangs who prey on the weak.

But then comes an extraordinary twist of an ending, that makes the reader (at least this one) want to start the story all over again and re-examine every word. The BookLoons review will be posted very soon - "Fever" is highly recommended!

Awesome. Deon Meyer's crime thrillers are part of my regular reading list whether it's the Benny Griessel novels or other crime novels. Fever is something new - a post apocalyptic novel where most of the earth's population has been wiped out after a deadly fever spreads across the planet. It's a heady mixture of post apocalyptic realism, coming of age and an astute commentary on humanity's best and worst. This book will definitely keep you on the page, so even if this type of novel isn't your usual "thing", it's definitely worth a try.

wow. Yes, this is another post-apacolyptic thriller but it's also a darn good read which will make you think about family, community, and what's important in ways some other books in the genre have not. It's long but it never lagged for me because of the careful plotting. The Storms, Willem and Nico, are a father and son who have survived a deadly virus and other disasters and are struggling to survive and create a future. This is the story of their journey. There are ups and downs, characters you will like, others you will hate. South Africa itself is in many ways a character- loved the descriptions. This seems to me to be a seamless translation as there were no oddities in wording. I'd read Meyer's crime fiction and didn't realize when I picked this from Netgalley (thanks for the ARC) that it would be so different but I am darn glad I read it. You will like this if you enjoy the genre but also if you'd like a different voice doing the storytelling.

First, let me shout out a big thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for the ARC of this book. It was a pleasure to read - 4.5 stars!

Fever is a coming of age book written in the first person by the middle-aged main character, Nico Storm. He takes you through the time of the Fever, its aftermath, the establishment of the Amanzi community, and the many events that come during and after it, up to a pivotal moment in his life.

The book has a linear, chronological base, with some shifts between the past and present. It’s got a host of characters, and each one’s story is shared, in their own words, through notes maintained by Nico Storm’s father. This adds many interesting and different points of view.

Normally, you’d expect such a book to get quite confusing. But Fever manages to avoid that during most of its length and ends up as a fascinating read for a variety of reasons.

The first reason is the absolute honesty with which the book is written. The base of the entire book is the relationship that Nico shares with his father. And this is shown beautifully and with strong, real emotion. What really works for it is that Nico tells the story from the perspective of a middle aged man who can now see with maturity the same events that he perceived differently as a young child or a teenager. And that brings out the emotion of Nico as an adult and as a boy of whatever age he is during the event itself. It contains all the regret one would feel as an adult of one’s own actions as a youngster, and becomes extremely relatable.

The second thing that really works for Fever is that it doesn’t try too hard to be a post-apocalyptic book. Although that is its genre, it doesn’t have the typical hierarchy of survival groups or the typical roles that people normally assume in this genre of fiction. What it does have are extremely real people who have real emotions and real behavior. It is their natural personalities that come through and that are furthered by the calamity they have witnessed. They don’t change who they are – they only become more of who they were.

The characters themselves are very interesting and depict the diversity of our world in many ways, good and bad. Each one develops in his/her own way. But the show is stolen, without a doubt, by the relationship between Nico and his father, its dynamics, its moments, its words spoken and unspoken, and even its strains. There is an unmistakable, raw, honesty in Nico’s delivery, that you feel deep within you as you read, and that has the power to physically affect you.

The story itself is much more than just the settling down of a community. It is the picture of an entire life of so many people, affected by what they’ve been through, their desires, their past, and their expectations for the future. And it moves along at a great pace. There are no slow points.

To be honest, I had expected the book to be very linear, filled with teenage angst, and stereotypical in many ways. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead, it was an emotion-packed, non-sappy, strong, raw, and honest book. And I really, really enjoyed every page of it. Needless to say, I will be adding Deon Meyer to my list of authors (translated works) for sure!

I would highly recommend Fever to:
- fans of post-apocalyptic novels
- anyone interested in trying a different type of book (because this is really different)
- anyone interested in coming of age books (even though this is much more than that)

Fever released on 5th September 2017. Get your copy as soon as you can – you won’t regret it.

Fever is among the best of the dystopian fiction available today. This is a hard to put down, compulsive read!

The Storms have been left adrift after most of the world dies from the Fever. As they travel through South Africa Willem cultivates a vision for a new community, one where his son Nico can live like a human being and not a savage. As survivors flood into Amanzi they must survive challenges from marauders but also from within...

When I saw how many pages this was I wondered if I was crazy!? At 544 pages it tops out as pretty hefty, BUT THIS WAS SO GOOD! (If you look at my ratings the only downer was the cover and the title. I didn't hate the title but it is totally humble in the face of how GREAT this book is... Also the cover isn't bad at all but again it doesn't really say much except that it is a dystopian book. PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN IF YOU READ THIS... note read my warning at the end of my review...)

THE POV!! Nico made the best, most perfect POV character for this story! I don't think it would have worked nearly as well if there were multiple POVs or if it was from an adult's perspective. One of the few kinds of adult books that I enjoy are ones with young adult protagonists. The world is dark and conflicted but we still get to see things through a more upbeat and hopeful tone. Nico really provided this POV. At it's heart this was a coming of age story to rival coming of age stories! I really enjoyed it and if you are a post apocalyptic fan like I am then you'll enjoy this book too even if you normally only read YA fiction!

NICO'S RELATIONSHIPS!! There is this extremely developed relationship with his father that I SO identified with... Willem is a polymath. He knows a little about everything and seeks out learning and knowledge from "experts." He is a total pacifist in a time when pacifism will get you killed literally. Then there is Domingo... the man with a tattoo on his hand and SOOOO much swagger in his step. He believes in a benevolent dictatorship but is willing to stay out of it if he's allowed to AGGRESSIVELY protect the community. These two father figures create this tension and conflict in Nico as he maneuvers from a 13 year old boy to a 17 year old young man. Do we fight or do we hide? What do we do when there are too many people to protect? How much is TOO much fight in such a lawless time?

THE CHARACTERS!! Then there is Betyl and Sofia, no two woman could be the more opposite of each other but they play a HUGE role in Nico's world... And OMG Okkie!! Can I have him for my LITTLE BROTHER! These were the major ones but there are so many more!! Hennie, Pastor Nkosi, Nero and Birdy... The thing that blew me away about the characters was that they felt like people who LIVED for themselves and not the main character!! We got a glimpse into their lives like one does with the people we live with but there was MORE than just what we needed to know for Nico's POV to be fleshed out!!

THE WORLD!! The world building is the best type of world building... it arises naturally from the things that Nico interacts with... developed with the right balance of SHOWING and TELLING... I LOVED it and because of the developed plot we got a FULL sense of the world after the Fever. In a YA book you get this sense that book worlds aren't how the REAL world are... this book is the exact opposite... you get this sense that THIS IS HOW IT WOULD BE if a fever swept through the world. Yet it's not so dark and grim that I want to kill myself reading it... I liked that by the end we understand the odd happenings with the west coast survivors. We understand the pastor and his motivations. Willem and his choices as a parent are enlightened to us. And all shown in the most NATURAL way!! The setting of South Africa was used in a SMART way that doesn't surprise me with how well developed and written this book is. I felt like it wasn't a gimmick but it was where they lived, where the fever happened to them but it also played a part in the plot. WOW!

The DEVELOPMENT!! The Amanzi History Project was one of the smartest developments by the author... We get these rich stories from the POV of individual characters that DO NOT interrupt Nico's POV but which enrich the world and give us tidbits we need for the overall story. The WRITING really shone through here. ANY of these characters could have been the POV character and it would have been a rich and individual story! I felt like EACH ONE OF THEM were real people sharing their experiences. The ability to use detail to make each character stand on their own really blew my mind... It was incredible, particularly later when you are starved for what is happening out side Amanzi.

Another incredible WRITING and STORYTELLING technique was how he used a memoir format to the story. The development of various parts of the story kept it moving but wasn't a gimmick. He moved forward and back through time in a way where you weren't told too much but became incredibly earnest to know more. To understand how Nico KNOWS so well why he regrets... why he feels! There were a couple of slow moments in the beginning as you wanted to get on with forming Amanzi and seeing where that took Nico... Otherwise in this HUGE tome of a book I wasn't bored AT ALL! The second half of the book is particularly raring to go a mile a minute! With tension and problems arising. At one point on the book we go back and forth between two POVs (through the history project) and it is SPOT ON for that moment!! WOW!

One warning I'll give you is that this is a slice of life story rather than an action and adventure tale. The plot is well developed and when an experience is shared IT IS COMPELLING!! I can list every single event in the book off the top of my head... YES THEY WERE THAT GOOD! But there were many pages devoted to the passage of time... to the development of the community... to the influx of different groups of survivors. To the coming of age changes and development in Nico. It felt like a memoir and it read like a life.

For a standalone dystopia to be so well written... I HIGHLY suggest EVERYONE read this book. It has all the makings of a CLASSIC!!

BOTTOM LINE: A dystopian standalone that should go down as a classic.

Excellent post-apocalyptic books are far and few between these days. So watch out for stand-out Fever by Deon Meyer. This one is told through the eyes of a thirteen year old boy as he and his father travel through desolate South Africa after a devastating virus has wiped out over 90 percent of the world. They struggle to establish a community for them and other survivors to, well, survive. Meyer's writing is so outstanding with his descriptive, dystopian setting. Part coming-of-age, part post-apocalyptic thriller, Fever has a little something for both audiences.

Epic tale set in South Africa in the aftermath of a global pandemic which has killed the majority of the world's population. Willem Storm attempts to create a safe haven for survivors, and conflicts arise between different visions of what form the new society should take. I particularly liked the arc of the relationship between Willem and his teenage son, the narrator, Nico. Satisfying blend of adventure, coming-of-age story, post-apocalyptic thriller and warnings about the harm the human race is causing to our planet. Great twist at the end.

Fever by Deon Meyer is a very highly recommended post-apocalyptic thriller, survival tale, and coming-of-age story, set in South Africa.

Fever opens with Nico Martin at age forty-seven writing his memoir, beginning with "I want to tell you about my father's murder." Then the story jumps back in time to when Nico was fourteen. He and his father, Willem, are driving a truck filled with supplies, looking for a safe place to live after the population was decimated by the fever, a devastating coronavirus that wiped out 95% of the Earth’s population in just a few months. Willem and Nico make their way to the town of Vanderkloof, a town Willem knew before the epidemic, and one that he feels will be a good location to start a new society.

It is in Vanderkloof that the town of Amanzi is founded and survivors make their way to the town. Meyer introduces a wide variety of people as the town grows. There are struggles and challenges to be faced between factions within the town and from threatening biker gangs from the outside. As he discovers what he views as his father's weaknesses, Nico discovers his strengths and comes to the realization that he is going to be his father's protector. It is in this changed post-apocalyptic world that Nico recalls the beginning of his rite of passage to become the man he is destined to be, while he remembers his father, the man he loved who was murdered.

Integrated into the plot are parts of transcripts from the recorded personal stories of survivors. This historical record not only tells the detailed stories of others, it also adds to the richness of the narrative, expanding the background information of what the reader knows. These personal views from other survivors also tell about events from different perspectives.

This is an extraordinary novel with wonderfully executed characters and a compelling, intelligent plot. The characters are all well developed, fully realized with a complexity and depth that is to be admired. Meyers sets his characters into a detailed, intricate plot full of tension and formidable obstacles and opponents making this sweeping epic novel a page-turner that will keep you up way-too-late finishing. The ending was a surprise, but perfect. I didn't have a clue until it was almost over.

Additionally, Meyers did research into several areas of his novel ( a list of further reading is included) making the narrative a great combination of facts and fictional storytelling. Along with other readers, I do enjoy a well-researched novel, fiction or nonfiction. It always adds an astute depth and intricacy to the plot.

An absolutely perfect stuck-overnight-at-the-airport book or, more accurately, a stuck-glued-to-the-pages-where-ever-you-start-reading-it book.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Grove Atlantic.
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I usually love this type of book, dystopian end of the world books fascinate me, and I liked the sound of this one and thought being set in South Africa it would be different to the usual settings I have read, and it was and that was good.What wasn't good for me was the pace of the book, I am afraid I just found it very slow, and I am an impatient page turner kind of reader and there was not enough going on for me at times.The book was very long I honestly think if it had been tightened up and was shorter it would improve the book, it would for me anyway.Sorry to give it only 3 stars and more patient readers may enjoy the pace I hope they do.Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

"...my mantra is: the other guy wants to kill me. If I hesitate, I die. That’s the law of the jungle, that’s how it works with animals."

First of all, I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Reading Copy of this book from Grove Atlantic through Net Galley.

I say this right up front because I think the first thing people will notice about this book is the price. As of today's date - August 28, 2017 - you can pre-order the book in Kindle format for $18.75. That is more than I've ever seen a single book sold for on Amazon.

But...after reading this book, which is 544 pages long, and enjoying it as much as I did, I would pay the price. So now I just have to convince you review readers that it's worth it.

The author, Deon Meyer, was born in South Africa and wrote the book in Afrikaans. So, to me, part of the price being charged is for the English translation of this very long book into English by Laura Seegers (and she did a brilliant job).

The story takes place in South Africa after a mutated virus strikes all of mankind and kills 95% of them. Another 2-3% are killed off by the after effects: other diseases, starvation, violence and more. So Earth's remaining population is thinly spread out.

The story is narrated mainly by Willem Storm and his son, Nico, as they adapt and try to find a location that will sustain life.

This is a post-apocalyptic tale but if you go into it expecting zombies or monsters or paranormal activity, you will be disappointed. The only monsters are human in form.

This is an in-depth descriptive narration of what actually could happen in the future. Author Meyer brings world building to a whole other level in this book, describing actual locations in South Africa as they might be after a catastrophe of this caliber. On his website he shows photos of some of the places named in the book so his readers can imagine and follow along.

I rate this as one of the best books of its kind out there, right up alongside THE STAND.

Major character development, world class world building, and I love that it's a standalone novel. I love that I was able to immerse myself in this dark tale and reach a satisfying finale.

Also going back to the price, I am buying a hardcopy of this book to keep for my library, something I actually do very rarely based on the sheer number of books I read.

If you like post-apocalyptic fiction, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

I really loved this book, and right up until the final 50 pages I was absolutely positive that this would be a book that I would read again and again. Mr. Meyer is so descriptive in his storytelling that I fell in love with these people. But, he really brought South Africa alive for me visually. The book didn't have the supernatural components that I enjoy so much about these apocalyptic type books, but it didn't need that since everything else was so damn good. But, and this is huge...what kept it from being as good as The Stand, Swan Song, or The Passage, was that terrible, no good, where the hell did this come from? ending. It made no sense with what had gone before. Plus, so many unanswered questions. Honestly, I'm hoping for a sequel to answer all those questions that were raised, but I've a feeling there's not going to be one. Still, just for the mostly excellent writing, I'd have to recommend this story. Thanks to Atlantic Monthly Press and Netgalley for the gratis e-book.

This epic novel uses a device already used in other Science Fiction apocalyptic tales as well as on TV series I have already encountered.

A new and deadly virus wipes out most of humanity. Civilization as we know it is left in ruins. Survivors have to build on and over these ruins and start anew. The story then looks at how these fragile new communities cope where all the infrastructures have broken down.

Fever is no cosy catastrophe. The teenage hero's father is a polymath with the Utopian vision of creating a simmer and better world. However, the new world he creates has to contend not just with packs of feral killer dogs but also with organised gangs of bikers who would rather pillage and plunder what others have painstakingly build instead , whst brutalising the women.

The teenage son is unable to perceive his father as a strong man. This is what creates the tension of the novel as he comes to grip with his understanding of life throughout the telling of the tale. His community must learn to thrive as well as defend itself as he grows in warrior prowess. However he Inevitably comes to recognise that the villains are not always who they first seemed to be...

Fever then is not just a story of a community of survivors and what underlies the politics between the main charactersbas well as in new community elsewhere but a coming-of-age tale too - all set in a still-ruggéd South Africa.

I was somewhat disappointed by how Fever ends. I did not appreciate the way a new character with their revealed agenda is introduced with so little hints bringing us up to this pivotal point - this seemed to be a little too contrived. The writer perhaps should have stuck with the stories of the characters already set out throughout the tale, to bring it to its conclusion.

Overall this was an engrossing read and characters as well as ambience are brought hauntingly to life.

I enjoyed this book but at times I felt like I was reading through a script of the Walking dead. Similar storylines. At over 500 pages long at times it felt a bit drawn out. It kept my interest enough to keep me reading.

Apocalyptic fiction is probably my favorite genre, so when I read the synopsis of Fever, I knew I had to read it. I was extremely delighted to discover how much I enjoyed this book.

In this story, 90% of the world's population catches the Fever and dies. Nico and his father, Willem, survive and about a year or so later, Willem starts a settlement in South Africa. We have the usual mix of shell shocked survivors who rebuild and bring us along for the ride. And yes, you have the dregs of society in this story as well. But for the most part, this story is about hope and community, and love, which is really the type of apocalyptic story I want to read.

I really connected with Nico and the love and respect he has for his father, his adopted brother, and for Domingo. We see that each person has their flaws but, yet, I have great admiration for them all. I loved seeing how their community started with just a location and no people but ends up growing quickly to become one of the larger established towns that ends up flourishing. In most apocalyptic tales, you only see the very dark sides of the apocalypse. If an apocalyptic event ever really happens and somehow I manage to end up surviving, I hope I find a community similar to this one!

The location and people of South Africa in this story was a surprising bonus. Although not as epic as The Stand, or Swan Song, and with no supernatural elements, Fever is one of my favorite reads of 2017. If you liked either of the books mentioned above, I urge you to pick up Fever.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Hodder & Stoughton for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't expect the ending, but I found it interesting throughout. The only thing I didn't always like was the interspersed viewpoints. I felt that it made the book just a tad too long. However, it is a good story with a good ending. There are some questions still left to be answered, so it will be interesting to see if there's a sequel.

A monumental work written by Deon Meyer unlike anything that he has done previously. Mr Meyer is a South African and the book was written in Afrikaans and translated into English. I don't know Afrikaans but the English version is hard hitting, fascinating and surely delivering the meat and bones of the author's intent. It is a novel telling the story of a world decimated by a deadly virus that only reaches a stopping point when most of the entire world's population in dead.
The survivors of this 21st century Black Death are faced with the almost impossible task of adjustment to a life that was never in their minds. Not at all a surprise the locale of the events is in South Africa Mr Meyer' s home Nico and Willem Storm son and father are driving a truck laden with supplies through a land devastated by the plague and find a secure spot to set up a living area. But Willem is a wise and compassionate man and envisions a place for him and his son that will allow them, with other survivors, to build a community that will allow civilization to flourish again.
The place is found and in growing attracts people interested in the same thing. Mr Meyer utilizes a literary style that has principal characters individually describing events occurring during the growth of the community which has been named Amanzi. They deliver a perspective that helps make "Fever the great work that it is. Among the people entering the area is a young girl named Sofia Bergman who immediately attracts Nico and causes him to make the decision that when the two are old enough he will marry her.
Meyer uses the vehicle of the book to deliver his opinion about our world; that it is spoiled, selfish, and is not paying the proper attention to things of importance like climate change. Due to the author's opinions we have a surprise ending which I found more than a little unsettling and does end the book on a note that may allow another to be written. Certainly it will be a major draw for readers of Fever as well as the many fans Meyer has garnered over the years writing about his beloved South Africa.