Survivor Song: A Novel

A propulsive and chillingly prescient novel of suspense and terror from the Bram Stoker award–winning author of The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts.

“Absolutely riveting.” — Stephen King

In a matter of weeks, Massachusetts has been overrun by an insidious rabies-like virus that is spread by saliva. But unlike rabies, the disease has a terrifyingly short incubation period of an hour or less. Those infected quickly lose their minds and are driven to bite and infect as many others as they can before they inevitably succumb. Hospitals are inundated with the sick and dying, and hysteria has taken hold. To try to limit its spread, the commonwealth is under quarantine and curfew. But society is breaking down and the government's emergency protocols are faltering.

Dr. Ramola "Rams" Sherman, a soft-spoken pediatrician in her mid-thirties, receives a frantic phone call from Natalie, a friend who is eight months pregnant. Natalie's husband has been killed—viciously attacked by an infected neighbor—and in a failed attempt to save him, Natalie, too, was bitten. Natalie's only chance of survival is to get to a hospital as quickly as possible to receive a rabies vaccine. The clock is ticking for her and for her unborn child.

Natalie’s fight for life becomes a desperate odyssey as she and Rams make their way through a hostile landscape filled with dangers beyond their worst nightmares—terrifying, strange, and sometimes deadly challenges that push them to the brink. 

Paul Tremblay once again demonstrates his mastery in this chilling and all-too-plausible novel that will leave readers racing through the pages . . . and shake them to their core.


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Published Jul 7, 2020

336 pages

Average rating: 7.74

19 RATINGS

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READ by DAWN

READ by DAWN is a horror fiction book club for 18+...from the horror-lover to the spooky-curious! We meet (V) on the final Monday of each month.

Community Reviews

raeallic
Oct 09, 2025
10/10 stars
Paul Tremblay's writing is propelling, it's a heightened ride from beginning to end. For me, it's a challenge to continually read his books as they plunder into my deepest fears, in this case, a viral infection spreading from animal to human. They are all too real, and the small community in which this story takes place could be the one you or I live in, this could happen to you (or me). Do not look at the length of time it took me to read this and determine it could not have been good, look at the time it took me to read this and know that every third chapter or so, I HAD to put it down because my anxiety was so heightened by the events therein that I was constantly on the verge of panic. It's that good, Tremblay is that good.

If you've never read him and this book hasn't released yet (July 7, 2020) add it to your TBR and pick up his book Cabin at the End of the World. Another amazing apocalyptic read about a home invasion. Terrifying.

ARC provided by William Morrow. This is an honest review.
oh_let3
May 16, 2023
8/10 stars
taut plague tale, was good to see tremblay-verse character return.

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