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SOMETIMES BEING ALONE IS BETTER…
The world has crumbled and the dead walk the earth, but all is not lost, yet. A group of survivors seek salvation at an abandoned pier where the dead can’t get them.

But the dead are not the only threat.

The people on the pier are not the only group of survivors. There are others out there: bigger, nastier groups. And one just turned up right on the doorstep…

The world may have changed, but people haven’t.

376 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 19, 2014

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About the author

Iain Rob Wright

90 books1,552 followers
One of Horror's most respected authors, Iain Rob Wright is the writer of more than forty books, many of them bestsellers. A previous Kindle All-Star and a mainstay in the horror charts, he is a prolific producer of unique and original stories. From his apocalyptic saga The Gates to his claustrophobic revenge thriller ASBO, Iain writes across a broad spectrum of sub genres, creating both beloved series and standalone titles.

With work available in several languages and in audio, Iain Rob Wright is one of the fastest rising stars in horror, but when not writing he is a dedicated family man. Father to Jack and Molly, and husband to Sally, he is often seen sharing his family memories with his fans on Facebook.

To get 6 of his books for free (no strings), just visit: www.iainrobwright.com

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5 stars
404 (43%)
4 stars
303 (32%)
3 stars
164 (17%)
2 stars
31 (3%)
1 star
19 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
Profile Image for Mr. Matt.
288 reviews90 followers
October 29, 2015
Savage picks up somewhat on the heels of the author's earlier book, Ravage. It's the near future and, of course, the remnants of humanity struggle to survive a never ending tide of zombie hordes. The outbreak happened about a year ago, and the survivors are picking up the pieces and just trying to survive.

Anna, a veterinarian from the last book, has gathered a new band of about a dozen souls around her. They've found a new home on a gated pier that juts out into the ocean near a remote town. The zombies are few and far between, and those zombies that they find are mostly slow and clumsy shamblers - easily out fought and out maneuvered.

The band has a rough hierarchy. Garfield leads the foraging parties. Anna leads those at the pier. It is, of course, when the band splits that the action begins. They make contact with an armada of ships loaded with survivors. The ships are lead by the megalomania who released the virus in the first place. Conflict inevitably ensues and before you know it things are blowing up left and right - of course attracting hordes of zombies.

I have a love hate relationship with zombie books. I love the idea of stories chronicling the inevitable zombie apocalypse, but almost without fail, they disappoint. Savage is no exception. Why is that? No originality. As with innumerable other books, the worst enemies are the other survivors. Yawn. I want a spark of something different, something else. This book did not deliver.

That's not entirely true. There was Poppy; Poppy delivered. Poppy is a nine year old little blonde girl who really tugged at my heart. She kept me interested far longer than I otherwise would've been.

Two stars out of five. It was OK. Not bad, not great. A solid ZA type of book, but not something to write home to mom about unless she is really, really into zombies. (If you want to read a good Zombie book try The Girl with All the Gifts or Rot & Ruin. Both excellent.)
Profile Image for Jessica.
200 reviews7 followers
April 7, 2022
Usually I enjoy reading series and finding out what happens to the characters, but this series ending disappointed me. I felt like I did not get closure about some of the characters deaths from the previous book and did not have a strong attachment to the new characters because I just met them. I would have liked to have found out what happened to Mike and Eve, but we are never told.

This author has no problems killing beloved characters and I actually really respect him for that!
I wish there was more zombie action in this book instead of just people fighting people like all stereotypical zombie stuff becomes.

My favorite part of this book was the ending with the chronicles at the end! I really enjoyed hearing stories about different people in the world and how the apocalypse affected them.
Profile Image for Paula.
172 reviews7 followers
March 23, 2014
"Sometimes our last minute counts more than all the other minutes that came before combined."

If you are already a fan then you know that Iain has a way of intertwining his story lines. All of his books are stand alones, yet they subtly reference the going ons of stories past.

In Savage we find a group of apocalyptic survivors living on a secured pier. During the latest foraging outing they find a man wounded by gunshot and decide to bring him home with them. Unbeknownst to them this man is being hunted by Samuel Raymeady, a wealthy mad man with a twisted agenda.

With supplies dwindling part of the pier group decides to venture out further to see what they can find. While they are gone a caravan of ships, yachts, small boats appear in the sea. While the pier group is at its most venerable, three men come ashore looking for the wounded man. This is the point when the story digs its talons in and won't let go until you are finished reading it.

We have Garfield and his group fighting off zombies and other men while looking for supplies. We have the group left behind dealing with Roman, a henchman of Samuel Raymeady and we have Samuel himself ready to destroy anything that stands in his way to New World Domination!

There are so many twists and turns that kept me guessing and then leaving me totally surprised by the outcome. I really enjoy this author and have to say I have read all of his books!
Profile Image for J.D..
518 reviews18 followers
December 1, 2021
With the zombie apocalypse finally winding down, a group of survivors living on a pier finally start to feel safe.

That all changes when a bigger group with an unstable leader shows up. It's not always just the dead that survivors have to fear.

This was a great final to the 3 book Ravaged World trilogy. Iain's writing style is always easy to binge read and make you feel like part of the story.

Along with being action packed I really liked that this book really focused on the characters instead of only the constant zombie threat and killing. I felt connected enough to most of the characters to actually feel sad if they died.

The story did raise a good overall point that rotten people will always be around, even after a zombie apocalypse.
Profile Image for Kyle Scott.
Author 15 books83 followers
June 5, 2014
I've been reading the work of Iain Rob Wright for over two years now, and have found his work and his growth as a writer to be hugely influential on my own work. With each successive release he has honed his skill and his particular style in leaps and bounds, and with SAVAGE, it truly feels like he has come of age as a writer.

Any horror fan will find plenty to love in all Wrights work...he understands the genre better than most and as his craft has evolved to match his passion, his tales have continued to soar, and whats more, it appears that much of his work is canon.

I won't give away any of the many brilliant twists and turns in SAVAGE, but I will say that readers of his previous works will be rewarded with some brilliant reveals, but for the freshman, this is a brilliant introduction to his work, too. Effortlessly lovable characters, a sense of scale that is nothing short of apocalyptic, and a level of immersion that leaves the reader breathless, and he does it all with minimal description and absolutely zero fat.

SAVAGE is something of a roller coaster ride. Its a horror novel, an end-of-the-world action adventure and , when all is said and done, a thoughtful, mournful requiem for a world immersed in horrors - both human and otherwise. In fact, its the human element that really terrifies in this book. The living dead take a back seat, and thats exactly as it should be...Wright has given a fresh spin to a jaded sub genre, and in the process of eschewing the obvious threat for a new approach, he had created one of the most hateful, despicable villains in recent memory.

SAVAGE is a brilliant read. It showcases Wright at the top of his game and is one hellish journey into mans dark heart that shouldn't be missed.

Oh, and setting a post apocalyptic novel on a pier...? Genius!
Profile Image for Nev Murray.
448 reviews32 followers
November 15, 2014
I was lucky enough to be able to read this book on a beta read before it was published so na na na naaaaa naaa.

I hadn't read the previous 2 books in this story but you don't need to. It works totally well as a stand alone novel. Proof of that is how easy you get into the story and the characters. It's a horror/thriller/post apocalyptic story centered around a group of survivors and their battle to stick together and stay alive. The characters in the survivor group are fantastic. From the moody leader to the even grumpier old man. From the innocent child to the ageing vet/group doctor.

They spend their time trying to stay alive and stay away from the "dead" living on a pier complete with fair ground then have to battle further to stay alive when confronted by the man who started it all after he arrives on a frigate with a flotilla of boats surrounding him.

It's not your typical zombies run amok eating everything in sight type book. It focuses beautifully on the characters and you can't help but love some of them and then equally despise others.

It gripped me. It scared me. It even brought tears to my eyes......twice! Don't let this book go by without reading it.
Profile Image for Jennifer Tooker.
390 reviews10 followers
November 14, 2015
This book picks up about a year after "Ravage" leaves off.

In the grand scheme of the IRW world this book is about 6th or 7th in a series of books that involve two pivotal characters. The book is written is such a way that it can be read as a stand alone novel or as part of a series. I read it after reading all of the previous books in leading up to it and had a few "OMG" moments.

When I figured out that Roman was Damien, I was so excited! Finally our bad boy turned good will get his revenge against the man who was behind him losing his hand and bringing the zombie infection into the world.

I was seriously hoping for an epic battle to end all battles between Damien/Roman and Sam but that was not to be. The ending was bittersweet with losing Poppy however there was still hope with Hugo and his girls and Cat's pregnancy.


Also, I refuse to believe Damien and Sam are dead. There is a possibility that they survived the sinking of the Kirkland and that epic smackdown that I was looking forward to may still see the light of day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Trollslayer1.
562 reviews9 followers
December 17, 2019
First things first: I didn't realise until I was well into the book that this was the 3rd book in one series and the 7th in another. I much prefer to read a series in order and may well have skipped this if I'd known sooner. That being said, this can easily be read as a standalone novel and is a complete story in itself.

The story is well written with plenty of detail, loads of action and well developed characters. There is plenty going on and the pace is good. The trouble with zombie stories though that they will invariably be compared to The Walking Dead TV show and this is no exception, in that, as per usual the main conflict soon evolves into being not between humans and zombies but between different bands of humans. I'm sure I'm not alone in drawing comparisons between the book characters and those on the TV show. Personally I stopped watching The Walking Dead once Negan was introduced as I hate the psychotic, bullying megalomaniac types. Samuel in this book fits that mould and is a similar character to Negan, in my opinion.

Still an entertaining read though not really my preferred subject choice.

The Narrator, Nigel Peever, does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life, each having a unique voice and with plenty of emotional depth in the dialogue and general narration.

The real downside for me was the sound effects. I listen to audiobooks while driving a refrigerated van for work and as such I have the volume quite high. The "jingles" between chapters as well as some of the incidental music is absolutely ear-piercing in places and even some of the background sounds detract and distract from the story. While they were quite well done I feel the audiobook would have been better without the added sound effects.

I received a free copy of this audiobook either from the author or a promotion or giveaway and am voluntarily writing an honest and unbiased review.
Profile Image for Hazel.
600 reviews10 followers
October 6, 2019
Reading Stuff 'n' Things

This is the third book in the trilogy with Sea Sick and Ravage being the first two; although a trilogy, you don't need to read them all as they work equally well as standalone stories.

Savage is more than your typical zombie apocalypse story, it doesn't focus on the zombies and the usual eating-fest that accompanies such stories, it is more about the survivors and their quest to remain human both literally and figuratively.

I have to say that I enjoyed this trilogy and found Savage neatly finishes the series with satisfaction although not without some losses on the way! There aren't many books that make my eyes leak and I certainly didn't expect a horror/zombie book to do this but Savage did! I think it's because the author creates characters so well you get attached to them and when one of them is killed, it affects you ... well it did me anyway when one particular character met their end.

Well written, excellent characters, perfect setting, great pace and plenty of tension makes this a great read.
Profile Image for Mark Woods.
Author 15 books22 followers
January 10, 2020
The end of an era...

Savage is the final book in the seven part Damienverse saga that began with Sam.
Samuel has grown up to become the destroyer of worlds. Responsible for the zombie apocalypse, he now poses as humanity’s last best hope, commanding a fleet of ships that are mankind’s only refuge from the zombies.
When his nemesis, Tim, flees for the shore after trying to kill him, Sam sends his best man, Damien - now known as Roman - after him, but a Damien fails to complete the job and Tim ends up at the pier. The refuge for the last of the survivors of the previous novel, Ravage.
As all the events of the previous six books come to a climatic end, so the fate and future of all mankind hangs in the balance.
This book was good, and I really enjoyed it, but there was less emphasis on the supernatural than demonstrated in Sam, and considering the big bad was supposed to be the Antichrist originally, here he just comes over as an unstable maniac.
But that said, Wright does an ample job of bringing all the previous threads together and this book ends up being a worthy successor to Sea Sick and Ravage.
Definitely worth picking up, this was a really good read.
March 21, 2018
Different type of Zombie tail

I really enjoyed the fact that this book focused more on the story line. The zombies took a step back and the focus was on characters. As I stated to read the stores I started feeling a little bored but I thought I should read on. I am so glad I continued reading it got more exciting as I read on. The story line was very good. There are books that I don't I have to go back and review what I just read to understand the point they were trying to make. If it happen
Be too often I get frustrated. This was not the case with this book it was concise and we'll written. I enjoyed how when a story ended in was not a cliffhanger. It made it easy to take a break from my reading. The stories line continues but each story is independent from each other t other one continued on with the previous stories line.
402 reviews1 follower
June 10, 2023
WOW Savage, (Ravaged World Trilogy Book 3) by Iain Rob Wright, an apocalyptic zombie story. This book includes The Salvation Chronicles which was very interesting.

My heart wept for the group of survivors who try to survive at a pier by the sea. Anna has joined up with Garfield and several others and they live as a family unit trying to get through day by day.

Garfield is the group's leader and Anna, who had previously been a vet at a zoo leisure park along with Renee, one of the prisonors who fought beside Anna had to flee because the walking dead had reached them.


The youngest member is Poppy a nine year old girl and Bob the oldest. Unbeknown to the group,the Kirkland 's Captain Samuel Raymeady is about to unleash his terror on Garfield's group and bring them to their knees.

How fantastic if this trilogy was made into a series or a movie.
Profile Image for Gareth.
260 reviews4 followers
October 16, 2023
The third, and final book in the trilogy, I found this one more difficult than Seasick and Ravage. There are little, to none, interactions with zombies and it takes a different route to a despot living out at sea in a Royal Navy frigate trying to get hold of someone who tried to blow his boat up. It still involves the same characters from the second book (not the first one, they're all dead!) and kind of builds on the story. However, I would have preferred something similar to Ravage, with a lot more zombie action.
That being said, it was still a good read once it got going. I enjoyed the trilogy and will be reading more of his stuff, so I can't complain too much. It's still very well written and is a good story on its own.
Profile Image for Adam Lyons.
132 reviews
December 4, 2021
Damienverse book 5

Awesome end to the Ravaged trilogy with many surprises cameos from other books of the damienverse series.
I really enjoyed this book especially compared to the last book. I felt and backed the characters as I believed in them which is more than I can say about the previous book although this is probably due to most the characters being from previous books so I felt I knew them better.
Good apocalyptic story with some changes to the usual scenarios.
I especially enjoyed the latter chapters of the book with a really good ending.
Well Done IRW you pulled me back with this one.
1,088 reviews9 followers
August 23, 2023
I can't help wondering why the author wrote the books in the Damien series. Damien differs so completely from one book to the next that he could just as well have been writing different characters. In this book he is initially extremely stupid and brutal, and then improves it by bit until he is very likeable towards the end. The other characters are either awful or a realistic combination of good with flaws. Here, the zombies take a backseat to human evil, and the relationships and emotional lives of the characters are more profound than in the previous books. I recommend this highly.
Profile Image for Sheridan Miles.
121 reviews2 followers
August 28, 2019
Not a bad story, although as I don't personally follow any religion it took a bit of determination for me to get through it..
That being said, by the time I had finished, I was hungry for book 2, Ravage!

Like Iain Rob Wright's other books, it was immersive and involving.

I enjoyed the fact that I would just begin getting involved in certain characters only to have them killed off and the story would kind of veer off in another direction, that kept me on my toes!
Profile Image for Marie.
58 reviews1 follower
January 15, 2020
Great conclusion!

I read the first book in just a day or two, it was a real page turner, but when I started this book I had lost interest. Nothing really kept me invested so I stopped reading it after the first chapter. I only decided to come back because I didn't want to have an unread book in my goodreads. I am so glad I did! This book was fantastic! I loved how it brought in characters I knew and it had me hooked! Great conclusion!
54 reviews8 followers
October 27, 2020
In this third, and last, instalment of The Ravaged World Trilogy, Iain Rob Wright ties up any questions the reader might have about people and circumstances addressed in the previous two books, and does it in a way that kept me interested all the way through the book. Without giving anything away, the ending was not what I had imagined as I read the book. This trilogy has been an excellent read, but I wouldn't expect anything less from Iain Rob Wright.
Profile Image for Jude Samson.
Author 2 books
Read
January 12, 2022
Had to dnf this. The narrator was not good and so overly dramatic but even then it would have been tolerable. What utterly ruined this was the attempt to make it a graphic novel with distracting to the point of making it unable to get through more than just a few minutes worth. Perhaps I’ll give it a try in a text version but he isn’t a good enough writer with a honed skill if the craft to likely warrant the effort to revisit the series.
294 reviews4 followers
January 18, 2024
I’d give this a pass…

Not the best when it comes to a World Ending event and zombies. Both Ravage and Savage come off as being rushed. The characters come off as flat; without much depth. Of course many of the characters weren’t around very long. The plot wasn’t much to speak of, and the scene settings come off as sparse. If you’re looking for a good zombie read, this isn’t it. The author is usually much better than this.
28 reviews
September 3, 2018
Excellent series!

But i believe you can read each book on its own.If your like me when a story has too many characters in it i start losing track,but this author has succeeded where others have not,each one is easy to identify,to me that rated 5stars in itself ,besides the excellent story itself,,you will be very happy you invested in one or all 3,,Good job !!!!!!
Profile Image for Kay.
1,672 reviews17 followers
April 20, 2019
A more than satisfactory end to a cracking trilogy. Ties up loose ends whilst introducing new characters and constant tension. Living beside the seaside might sound like a dream but not in a world where the undead outnumber the living by millions. Never a dull moment in the world of Iain Rob Wright.

Ray Smillie
August 10, 2019
Let's just say I was glad to read the end

Of this story, it started out ok, but then got worse and worse , in the end I was reading out of morbid curiosity, and skimmed so many pages just to get to the end shame really as I thought Iain Rob Wright might have been good, oh well moving on
792 reviews2 followers
June 15, 2020
Great end this series

What an ending! What characters!! Mr. Wright certainly kept my attention throughout this entire book. I was sorry to see some people I liked fall by the wayside. And others that I couldn’t wait to see how they died.
I so recommend you read this series. You’re going to love it!
5 reviews
August 4, 2020
Love this series!

This series is SO GOOD! The characters are interesting and I enjoyed how they crossed over and would appear in the other books in the series. Would be great if NetFlix would pick up and create a movie or season film. Love a good zombie story!
Keep up the excellent work -I’m looking forward to the next book!
60 reviews3 followers
November 15, 2020
Very good series

I really enjoyed this series. With all the craziness in the world today, it was a good escape. I loved getting to know the characters and seeing heroes emerge and bullies taken down. I don't want to say too much, but the read is well worth your time to escape for awhile.
263 reviews3 followers
January 26, 2024
Well, I Finally Did It !!!

I finished this series, after having had bought the first book, ‘Sea Sick’, over 10 years ago and never having read it !!!! It’s a fantastic series !!! I must admit, though, that some of third book was a bit boing but I stuck it out and quite enjoyed it !!! I highly recommend reading this series !!!!!!!
335 reviews9 followers
April 6, 2019
A good zombie book, but not like walking dead all over. A group of survivors meet up with another group of survivors that have formed a fleet of ships. Who survives?
Savage by Iain Rob Wright, a great read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews

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