What Once We Feared

The Forest of Hands and Teeth #0.5

by Carrie Ryan

When the zombie apocalypse hits and the dead begin to rise, Jonah and his friends are on a class field trip downtown.  Panicked, they make a split-second decision to seek shelter in the Overlook, an apartment complex built like a fortress on the edge of town.  But as they begin to face the realities of what it will take to survive, they realize that while making the decision of where to run was easy, living out the consequences of that decision may be impossible.  From Carrie Ryan, the New York Times bestselling author of the Forest of Hands and Teeth books, What Once We Feared is an original digital short story about facing a world that is forever changed and in which survival means more than merely escaping the undead.

Genres: Zombies, Young Adult, Horror, Short Stories, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction

25 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2013

About the author

Carrie Ryan is the New York Times bestselling author of a lot of books. She use to be a lawyer. Happily, she is not anymore. You can keep it that way by reading her books:

Latest release (out Aug 2, 2022), perfects for fans of thrillers, serial killers, missing girls, mysteries, unputdownable books: Trapper Road

If you like zombies, try the Forest of Hands and Teeth series.

If you like clever, fun adventure fantasy for 8-12 year olds, definitely read the Map To Everywhere series (co-written with her husband, John Parke Davis).

If you like cold calculated revenge involving hidden identities and lots of secrets: Daughter of Deep Silence.

If you or your kids like multi-author, multi-platform series like 39 Clues and Spirit Animals, try Infinity Ring: Divide and Conquer -- it's produced by the same publisher (and has vikings and true history!)

If you like true-crime stuff (both fiction and podcasts), check out her upcoming release, Dead Air, a serialized thriller co-written with Gwenda Bond and Rachel Caine.

If you're pretty sure you won't survive the zombie apocalypse, you're in good company. She won't either.

instagram: @CarrieRyanWrites
twitter: @CarrieRyan
website: www.CarrieRyan.com

Reviews

[Badseedgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

At 25 pages this was less of a short story and more of an "amuse bouche", or more appropriate for a book and "amuse yeux" (I hope that is eyes, the internet is so unpredictable, for all I know I just typed "happy penis" in French!). Then again since we are dealing with zombies, maybe the first was right to begin with! Anyway, I digress. There is a wonderful full length novel tucked into this little gem. Written in the voice of a teenager speaking to the reader after his death, we are able to see how one choice at the start of the zombie uprising, made the difference in how well or long people survived. The demise of each character is discussed so vaguely that I was left wanting more. If Ms. Ryan ever wants to mine a short story for a full length novel she could do a hell of a lot worst than "What Once We Feared".

[Katy]

Yes, there's more! Thanks for the heads up, Scott!

[Carrie (brightbeautifulthings) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flash Book Review: Teenage boy reflects on all the stupid mistakes he and his friends made during the zombie uprising, finds banal meaning in being the last left standing.

[Rhiannon Frater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's be clear...this is a SHORT STORY. It's not a novella. Which really disappointed me. I was hoping for something lengthier, so I was a bit disappointed in that regard.

As a basic zombie story, it works. It could fit into any zombie anthology seamlessly. There is really nothing in the short story to connect it to the actual trilogy like there was in the previous novella, Hare Moon.

Was it worth a read? Definitely. Did it add anything to the actual trilogy? No.

A solid zombie short story, but nothing life-altering.

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark YA piece. A group of teenagers are on a school trip to 'Discovery Place' when the zombie apocalypse hits. They hole up in an apartment building's penthouse, and the real discoveries they make are about who they truly are, and what makes a survivor. Quite bleak.

[Fyre.Katz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short real short but oh k!

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast read and a good prequel to the trilogy.

[Sandra "Jeanz" · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY REVIEW
As I've read all the other books in this great series I decided to buy this novella. I expected to find out about the characters in the series before Bks 0.5 to 3. The cover fits the novella well but I'm not sure I'd say it totally fits the whole series of books.
I admit I believed that this novella would be about the actual people in the rest of the series, but it wasn't. This book had a main character of a boy. Well a group of school children, I'd say teenagers. The group are visiting a local attraction when the apocalypse "hit". Within the group of teens is one whose father has an apartment in a nearby high rise building complex.
It tells their story of how they managed to fight their way to the apartment and what they had to do to survive.
So did I enjoy the novella? Yes, it's definitely worth reading, though I would value it more as a standalone novella or the start of another Apocalyptic Series rather than say its part of The forest Of Hands And Teeth Series. Would I recommend the novella? As a short standalone novella yes. As being a necessary part of The Forest Of Hands And Teeth Series that you need to read, no. Would I read more of this Series? I've read all of the books in this series that are available at this time. Would I read more books by Carrie Ryan? Yes I would as I like her writing style and I like the dystopian, and post apocalyptic genres

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story is set in the world of The Forest of Hands and Teeth and is told from the point of view of Jonah, one of a group of teenagers, as the zombie apocalypse begins, and they are trapped inside of an apartment building.

It's been a while since I read the original trilogy. Hare Moon is another short story that is a prequel, except that Hare Moon involves characters seen later in the trilogy. This short story does not (I thought I remembered a Jonah, but it's been too long...). The story is short, at 13 pages, and talks as if Jonah is remembering those first days without any hope for survival, and that hope decreases with time. I liked that this story gave us some insight into the beginnings of the apocalypse, but it is a more typical story of zombie books, where the trilogy takes place in a not-so-distant future where zombies are a part of life and various points of view have developed around their existence.

Verdict: interesting if you enjoyed the trilogy, typical if you are a fan of zombies.

[Albert Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 2023:I picked this up in hopes of finding my groove in my desire to read again. I had forgotten how much I liked the simplicity of an end-of-the-world tale.these group of kids seem to be resourceful and it might be nice to read their story sometime. To see how they survived the first few nights until there was just one of them left.

Previous rating: 3

----------------

what makes The Forest of Hands and Teeth such a unique and wonderful series makes this short story bland. the original series had such a unique spin on the zombie genre telling the story from an isolated group of people, this short story deviates from that formula and tells another tale of a group of people when the outbreak hits the population.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I need to say that I just loved The Forest of Hands and Teeth series and OMG do I miss it. It has been awhile since I read it and I am going to be honest and say that I still think about it from time to time missing the world. I did hate some of the characters but that is what made it so great and I highly recommend this series to everyone who loves zombies and survival books. I was so excited to find out about this short prequel and had to read it. It is very short but just enough to get me wanting more zombies in my reading. Carrie Ryan did a wonderful job with this series. It will always be one of my favorites because it was so unique and creative. I have my fingers crossed for more books like this series from her.

[Shellie Brewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like it just seemed like a separate story. I was shocked how short it was I was really getting into it. It did seem very rushed at the end I knew why. I think this premise would make an excellent full story and really hope you take it and make a story out of this. I think it would be really incredible.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent novella. Tons of foreshadowing. I just wish it would have been longer and possibly even developed into a book. It was just missing so much.

[Lynn Dubinsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish this was longer. :( I hated how quickly the end came.

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough here to even call this a short story. Lots of potential, but it fell flat because it was so incomplete. This should have been called a teaser, not a short story.

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great prequel.

[☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ ѕℓιм ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

✔️✔️

Good read. Really short. I did wanted to know if they survived or not guess I'll never know will I?

[Kayleigh {K-Books} · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Once We Feared Review on K-Books
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This is going to be a very short and different kind of review as this book includes multiple short stories set in the world of The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I came across this collection just before I was due to start re-reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I am a huge fan of the series, but didn’t know about many of these short stories. I had previously read Hare Moon and you can find my separate review of that one by clicking here.

The majority of these novellas are not specifically related to The Forest of Hands and Teeth, just set in the same world, around the zombie apocalypse. I enjoyed some of them more than others. The first few novellas such as Flotsam & Jetsam, and Scenic Route were really fun to read. I enjoyed seeing people’s reactions just as the apocalypse happened. When you’re reading the main series, it’s been a long time since the zombie apocalypse happened so it was nice to see some short scenes back when it was first happening. Some of the other novellas, such as ‘Bougainvillea‘ and ‘A Game of Firsts‘ were less enjoyable to me. I found these ones just okay and a little boring.

In general, these novellas are more just little extras that have been wrote for anthologies and so I didn’t really find them all that important. If you’re a long time fan of the series like me, you’ll really enjoy this as it’s fun to get some little extra content from a beloved series. However, if you’re new to the series, I would recommend reading the main trilogy first. The only one that is linked to the main series is Hare Moon and even still I think it’s important to read at least The Forest of Hands and Teeth first.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me this was strange, yet beautiful. After the “infection” began, the government told people that they shouldn’t panic. They had everything under control including the infection. They were told to go about their normal lives. That is why a group of high school kids found themselves on a field trip when their world went haywire. They are standing outside of a building when bodies begin to fall. They see the chaos in the streets and decide to head across town to the most fortified apartment building. It is the building where Nicky’s father has an apartment. The story goes on to tell about their hopeless survival as the world turns upside down. It is told from one person’s point of view. It is his perspective on the events and their chances of survival and how the world will end. This was quite an intriguing read.

[leila · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of teens are on a school field trip. The zombie apocalypse has already stated. Government says "It's no biggie, we got this handled, just go on per usual." Turns out that's a lie. 5 teens run into an apartment building and barricade themselves inside, slowly they all give up due to mental fatigue and depression. The end.

I liked the idea that this was a short story and I wanted to learn more. If this is the beginning of another novel, it's a very interesting way to start off. I would recommend it and I think I'll eventually read the 1st novel in the series.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a scary, sad, desolate story. This is when the Return happens and a group of friends has to make their way to one of their parents apartments in a secure building. The way it’s written makes you feel like you’re there and how awful the scenario is, with people jumping off rooftops and seeing the crumbling of the city from the balcony. So great and so awful! I love this frickin series.

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ένα short story που εύκολα θα μπορούσα να το δω, αν όχι ως ένα ολοκληρωμένο μυθιστόρημα, ως μια νουβέλα, η οποία θα μας απασχολούσε με πολύ σοβαρά ζητήματα γύρω από τον άνθρωπο, τη ζωή και τον θάνατο, την μικρή εκείνη επιλογή που καλείται κανείς να πάρεις στο μεταίχμιο των δύο τελευταίων. Πραγματικά, το αγάπησα... Αλλά θα ήθελα κι άλλο!

[melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short story and sadly I read the series too long ago to really remember any of the characters.
Just a small glimpse at when the world went to crap. I had to check publish date because one line made it seem similar to recent events, but this was done way before.

Would recommend either reading before the series or just after so you still remember enough of it for it to matter/make sense.

[Caity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish this were just a little longer and more fleshed out. You're getting a glimpse at what happened to these characters. This works well for capturing the tragedy of their situation but less so for really capturing who these kids were which lessens the blow a little. Still an interesting snapshot from this world.

[Lulu Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the forest of hands and teeth series. This short didn't really cut it for me. It was very rushed it seamed and didn't really grab me like Ryan's other shirts stories. just giving an short explanation without details just made it meh!

[Chloesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has so much potential! I like the premise and how the author gave hints of what's happening in the future in between the lines... The only pity is its length. If only this was longer. I became invested in this short story even though I know it would be ending very soon...

[Tricia Toney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another short story prequel to 'The forest of hands and teeth series'. A group of teenagers is stranded in a fortified apartment complex during the zombie uprising. Soon enough, they discover that survival takes more than material goods.

[Book Dragon Forever · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read. I had already read the other 3 in this series. Great “zombie” books. This novella talks about some of the beginning from the perspective of a small group of teens on a field trip. Would have been even more interesting if it had been longer…

[Nadine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needed more details.. this could have easily been a full novel and should have been!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I might have just found a zombie book that I actually want to read!