by Elizabeth (link)
Genre crossover, horror
Pairings Avery/Shane, Isaac/Nikki, Jessica/Joe, Jessica/Merle, Taylor/Kate, Taylor/Natalie, Zac/Kate
Length 25 chapters
Status Completed (part of the Panic In The Streets series)
Crossovers, especially those with fictional canons, are not all that popular in hanfic. If you’re going to write one, a massive fandom such as The Walking Dead is a pretty good choice, and just about guarantees a built-in audience for Radioactive.
I began reading this series even though I hadn’t watched TWD, but I knew the basic premise of it and could at least recognize most of the main characters. Elizabeth’s first few chapters are actually set before the beginning of the show and tell the story of how Hanson ended up at the quarry with the rest of the group. For me, having not watched the show, these scenes seemed totally seamless, but I’m not sure how I would have felt about them if I had seen the show first rather than watching it after the story was finished.
Ultimately, Radioactive is about Hanson and their roles in the zombie apocalypse. This meant, sadly, that several Hansons had to be killed off early on in order to get the cast down to a manageable size. Some readers might not be happy with that, but my favorite (and his surprisingly interesting wife) survived, and so I’m pleased.
If you’ve watched the show, it’s probably a little clearer to see where Elizabeth has pasted Hanson on and given some of the show’s plots to them. Sometimes it seems like the apocalypse is happening in the background of their interpersonal drama, with the show’s big scenes happening “off screen” or seen through the eyes of a barely-involved character. I was surprised, then, by all of the gore and horror when I finally did watch TWD. I can’t say how those more familiar with the show would react to this fic, but I enjoyed it enough to eventually begin watching the series.
Review by Bethany (website)