Horror: Sanctuary Compromised — a Zombie Apocalypse Tale

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

What happens when the walls you had built to shut out the world are the only things keeping you safe from a zombie apocalypse? Meet Ethan Parker, a stay-at-home freelancer who thought he had life figured out. Working from home, avoiding the outside world, and living in a self-created sanctuary, Ethan's lifestyle was perfectly designed for isolation. But when the undead began to roam and society unraveled, he found himself unprepared for the chaos closing in.

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Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: Darkodia

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 31
Views: 16,766

What readers say about Horror: Sanctuary Compromised — a Zombie Apocalypse Tale

“Lovers of zombie stories, this is one you need to check out! Grammar: Hardly any typos. I appreciate the obvious care the author took in making sure this was a clean manuscript, and the effort paid off since it really helped the reading experience to not be…”
BattleSteelTrueRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“This story takes your generic zombie apocalypse tropes and rewrites it in a way that's engaging. It has a style that just hits right with me. It's easy to follow and read while giving the inner monologues of the MC, something I always appreciate when the wr…”
DimensionalWriter27Royal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

BattleSteelTrueRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Lovers of zombie stories, this is one you need to check out!
Grammar: Hardly any typos. I appreciate the obvious care the author took in making sure this was a clean manuscript, and the effort paid off since it really helped the reading experience to not be distracted by errors in grammar.
Style: The author has their own voice, which was clear in the style. It was such that it drew me in to read more without being overly fancy or distracting. It was a great combination of pleasing to read and not detracting from the story.
Story: The setting of the story is given with engaging description that really paints a picture for where everything is going down without going overboard. The story itself gets right into things, giving the reader an immediate problem in the world to engage with and a reason to keep reading. The action scenes were well executed and ultimately believable, which I find is rarely a given in any story.
Characters: All the characters felt well fleshed-out and like they were their own person. The MC is someone who I could easily imagine as a real person. The secondary characters were also great, both in terms of their personality as well as clearly being well thought out and adding depth to the story.
I’d recommend giving this story a shot!
DimensionalWriter27Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story takes your generic zombie apocalypse tropes and rewrites it in a way that's engaging.
It has a style that just hits right with me. It's easy to follow and read while giving the inner monologues of the MC, something I always appreciate when the writer delves into it. Letting us see into the thoughts of our hero while disclosing his character thus incurring struggles and development.
The plot begins very fast and the story pulls you into the mystery of what's even going on with the main character's loved ones and the rest of the world. Well thought out so far and while there isn't much action at this point, the stakes still feel real.
Grammer was ok. English is my second language so I'm not the best to judge that aspect, but if I had to say it, it was good enough.
Characters. Ethan is simply...relatable. Just saying the monologues added so much to the relatability as we saw him make decisions and what brought him to those. We got to see quite early on what his goal is and what he cares about and is a genuinely good person though at the same time flawed. The other characters weren't as flushed out but the story has just started, and I can see it getting better.
Overall I would recommend to this story to anyone who likes post-apocalyptic zombie stories but is tired of the many tired tropes associated with it.
DingleBobAttunementRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style(5/5):
The prose was vivid, poetic, and well-articulated. Dialogue tags and punctuation were appropriately utilized, sentence structure was varied, and paragraph length never overstayed its welcome.
My one suggestion for the author is to vary their lexicon and further branch from overused phrases. Even the most profound vocabulary can become stale through repetition. Similarly, some descriptors came off as too "safe"—in that, their inspirations from famed texts and highly recognizable diction were a tad over-evident.
Story(5/5):
I'm a complete novice when it comes to the Horror genre, so I can't speak to the relative quality differential. That said, all of the overarching elements for a gripping narrative were present: smooth shifts in pacing, immersive action sequences, and a pleasant balance between setting and character. Nicely done.
Grammar(5/5):
There were some errors, but they were minute to the point of inexistence. This is a very, very polished piece of literature.
Character(5/5):
Forewarning: I'm not one to nitpick on character construction; please defer to other reviews for a more nuanced glimpse of this story aspect.
For serial fiction, the characters were more than adequately weaved into the plot and served their desired purpose. Introspection and interaction were balanced such that the protagonist's development was neither stifled nor profuse. Emotions, existence beyond the interactions shown, and internal consistency were all handled with grace.
In acknowledgment of my untrained eye, I'll summarize my findings as: throughout my read, I was never distracted by character-related faults, which exceeds my expectations.
Overall(5/5):
Good work all around. The chapters were unerringly high-quality as individuals and flowed together into a coherent whole. Not once did I struggle to continue, as every passage ferried me along with utmost fluidity. Keep it up, author; your foundations are as vast as they are solid.
HealthyDonutRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ethan’s thought processes are very easy to follow in this zombie apocalypse story—a style I greatly appreciate. Although I haven’t read many zombie stories, I’ve seen plenty of movies and shows and played games on the topic, and the biggest barrier to appreciation is always the characters doing stupid things or things that make no sense. As of Chapter 10, the rare things I’ve found that made me scratch my head can be chalked up to the fact that the outbreak is just starting and people haven’t mentally caught up to the events yet (and they don’t already know this is a zombie apocalypse story like I do, although they’re learning quickly!). Kind of like how you shouldn't take the elevator during a fire, but if you don't know there's a fire, you might step on the elevator. My only complaint is that a child was carrying an actual photograph… when does this story take place!? In all seriousness, if that’s my biggest complaint, the author’s off to a great start, especially considering how easily a zombie story can go off the rails.
Style: I love it. Everything is easy to follow, and the story doesn’t get bogged down at all. The use of colorful language enhances rather than distracts from the events. I took a few notes for how to incorporate some of these writing techniques into my own fictions.
Story: Partly addressed above, but so far I’m digging it. I can only think of one place where I felt like a piece of information was withheld for too long: What type of environment does the main character live in? Is he in a major city? A suburb of a major city? A place that’s kinda different from that? We know it’s not rural based on the events of the first ten chapters, but just a sentence or two when first describing the apartment can clear this up. It didn't feel necessary to wait and see how he tries to get to destination A to find out his regional location.
Grammar: Flawless, as far as I could tell. I’m fairly strict about grammar, too. Nothing else to say
Ink & TomeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Disclaimer: this review is based off of only what I have read so far, up through the end of Chapter 10. Do with that information as you will.
Okay, wow. I was hoping I would enjoy this - a zombie fic was a breath of fresh air after reading SO much Fantasy and LitRPG recently. But this? I couldn't stop reading from the very beginning all the way through to where I paused solely so I could come here and write this review.
I'll get into the details in just a moment, but to Darkodia - phenomenal work!
Style: To summarize the author's writing style on this work, the only way I could probably describe it was that it read as though I were reading one of those Telltale Games video games. Constant tension and great chapter length to capitalize on said tension gave me that 'one-more-chapter' feeling, and the author's prose was also wonderful. I did not get tired of reading, at all.
Story: A fast-paced zombie apocalypse drama taking place right at the start of an outbreak, Sanctuary Compromised knows what kind of story it is and enjoys itself in the telling. From the get-go, I can not only emphasize with our introverted main character as the virus forces him to go beyond the safe world he's built for himself over the years in a desperate bid to find and possibly save his sister. The bottom line is, this story has me hooked, and I would expect nothing else for any other zombie fan who picks this up!
Grammar: I won't spend much time here, mostly because I literally cannot recall a single technical error as I was reading. Maybe it was because of the tension lead-on and my urge to constantly see what was going to happen next, but if so then it did a really amazing job of camouflaging the problems. Full marks.
Character: Character is literally the only place I felt like I could rightfully detract anything at all from the score, but it's not because of any issues with things like believable characters or realistic interactions and reactions. Trust me, everyone feels like living, bre
John MickRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ok, so our hero might be agoraphobic. Or just a normal dude. Same thing these days. His preps for social distancing were a good start, but when the balloon goes up, it's never enough. So what does he do? Reaches out to an estranged relative. It does not go well. Except for the shadenfreudey part. That part works. Pro Tip for our hero? When you're feeling anxious, don't check the news. Well, maybe just for a second. Get the headlines, but don't dwell. And Jane? Maybe some compassion. Or at least a zip-up leather jacket and some cardio. Too soon? Will read next installment. Good luck Ethan!
L.K. WinturRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall:
The story follows an introverted MC with a look at a newly zombified world through his eyes. The writing flows perfectly and I could barely fault it. I'm a sucker for a zombie story which means I've seen a lot of how badly they can be done. This story is nothing of the sort. I will continue to read as chapters are posted and can't wait to see how it unfolds! One of the best done zombie stories I've read on RR so far.
Style: 5
Nothing to fault, the narrative style fits well. The chapter pacing is great and there's an appropriate level of action in each chapter.
Story: 5
A wonderful take on an overdone trope, the story is simple, but not boring. It's a realistic read with enough excitement to keep you engaged.
Grammar: 5
Perfect. Couldn't fault it.
Character: 4.5
I love the characters. MC Ethan is not immediately OP, but rather a normal guy who (like most of us these days) tends to spend his days shut up in his room. His reactions to the situation he finds himself in are realistic and make sense for his personality. I love that we get a touch of his family background, which I'm sure will develop further if we meet Jane. Lily is adorable and the perfect contract to a tainted ugly world. Her sweetness softens the chapters and gives Milana and Ethan a purpose, and keeps them grounded. The only reason I've given 4.5 rather than 5 is that there are some small sections of dialogue which don't flow as nicely as the rest. I'd recommend to rehash some of the conversations and try to meld the already known character information into them.
Makoto NagaiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story takes your generic zombie apocalypse story and rewrites it in a way that so damn enjoyable.
The style is a selling point for me. It's easy to read and follow while giving the inner monologues of the MC, something I always appreciate in novels. It lets us see into the thoughts of our hero while disclosing his character thus incurring development.
The plot begins very quickly and the story pulls you into the mystery of what's happening to the MC friends family and the world outside. Well crafted so far and while there isn't much action at this point, you are still very away of the stakes at hand.
Grammer was fine. I'm no expert and Grammer is probably my weakest point but I couldn't find any issues.
Characters. The MC was simply relatable. Just saying the monologues added so much to the relatability as we saw him make decisions and what brought him to those. We got to see quite early on what his goal is and what he cares about and is a genuinely good person though at the same time flawed. The other characters weren't as flushed out but honestly they didn't need to be.
Overall you should definitely pick this up. It's a zombie story! A good zombie story. Give this a shot.
SkarabraeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style: The author's way of writing is fairly unique. There also aren't many run-on sentences, which is good. The feeling is one of desperation, horror, and frantic searching, which works perfectly with the story's plot.
Story: The story is simple, and that's not a bad thing. It's about a guy in a zombie apocalypse trying to get to his sister. He encounters various situations that you can be expected to meet in a zombie apocalypse. The story is interesting and very effective, so its simplicity ends up being an upside rather than a downside. The plot develops as it should, and the pacing is almost perfect. There are some weirdly paced parts, but there aren't enough for me to drop the story's rating from five stars to 4.5 stars.
Grammar: There are almost no grammatical errors and the errors that exist are not enough to distract from the story.
Character: The main character is likeable, and the other characters fulfill the role they need to in the story. This would be enough for me to give character a five star, but I need to go by royal road's criteria. There is some depth to the characters, but it isn't much so far. Side characters especially are one-note. They are all realistic, but not very three-dimensional.
The Wild WitchRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It goes right into the middle of things, unfolding much like a good computer game including the items the MC has to find, with the actions of the MC making you think about what you would do next. It is also a remarkable plot to have the MC start out semi-well prepared for isolation, but when it all starts going to undead country, it is not enough and he has to venture out - and now also starts to realize he's been too isolated. He does not want to be a hero and just does what feels right any given time. Just like RL if there were zombies.