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The Fence Mender

By Anghus Houvouras

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Paperback, 216 pages

(2 Ratings)

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The Fence Mender tales the story of an apocalyptic future where the last remnants of humanity hide in fenced cities protecting them from a horrific plague that exists outside. A young man spends most of his time walking the line and mending holes from constant attacks. His only connection lies with a young woman who lives in another city, his only contact with her over a radio. Though he has never met her, she is the only thing in his life that truly makes him feel alive. After her city is breached by the parasitic husks, he must decide whether to risk his life and cross insurmountable odds to try and save her, or wither in his lonely caged city.

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Nov. 15, 2009 By Devon Kappa

The Fence Mender is an enjoyable if not revolutionary addition to the zombie genre. Decades ago, mankind faced an apocalyptic infestation of parasites that transformed people into murderous, cannibalistic automatons (i.e., zombies). Now, a small number of urban enclaves are the last bastions of civilization, each protected by a metal-mesh protective fence that keeps the zombies out. (Why no one ever built a concrete wall is never explored.)

Our lonely, misunderstood hero is responsible for keeping the fence in good repair. However important his job may be, his heart yearns for something more, something beyond his narrowly circumscribed world. Specifically, he yearns for a life with with a... More > woman in a neighboring fence-city with whom he has maintained a wistful radio relationship. When the woman's town is overrun by zombies, the fence mender decides to abandon his post and make the seemingly impossible journey to try to rescue her.

It is no surprise that first time novelist Anghus Houvouras is a film critic and filmmaker, as The Fence Mender has a decidedly cinematic flavor. And notwithstanding the novel's pastoral cover, sedate start and melancholy official blurb, that flavor ultimately is action extravaganza. Our initially nebbishy, contemplative hero slides easily into improbable action man mode for the final third of the story as he literally pulls out the heavy artillery and faces down hordes of zombies while participating in several mighty big explosions. And even as Houvouras entertains us with large-scale violence and chaos, he also focuses the attention down on our leading players, inviting us (as action movies often do) to care more about the fate of two people than about the dozens of other minor characters who flesh out the action (or the countless multitudes who have already died pitiably in the background).

But even if The Fence Member is a novelized screenplay at heart, it is fun and effective. The action sequences excite, and the novel does succeed, in a broad-brush way, in creating empathy for our hero, as well as tension about who will ultimately survive. These accomplishments are genuine and significant.

However, the novel needs a thorough proofread, as typos and continuity slips abound. Moreover, although the novel is already a relatively short 200 or so pages, more could easily be cut. The first 10% of the book is completely extraneous, including an entire pre-credit sequence -- excuse me, prologue -- the provides some needless background on the origins of the fence-city system. Indeed, our hero is not introduced until chapter three. Everything before that is expendable, as are the occasional subsequent passages where the POV shifts away from our main characters to some military and political folks who deliver some clunky exposition. The Fence Mender is a good read, but it could be even better in a revised, re-edited, refocused edition. < Less

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Product Details

Copyright	6 Lower Press (Standard Copyright License)
Edition	First Edition
Publisher	6 Lower Press
Published	January 24, 2009
Language	English
Pages	216

Binding	Perfect-bound Paperback
Interior Ink	Black & white
Dimensions (inches)	5.5 wide × 8.5 tall