Decent zombie fiction
927575
This was ok. If you're into zombie fiction, this has the requisite guts and decay. I'm not sure how the zombies survived 100 years without eating, or how their clothes didn't rot off, but those are minor asides. Lots of action.
4793686
There are some fun breakers throughout the book. The characters are poorly written, there are several inconsistencies as the story progresses and some things are just too obvious to be surprised with (even though the author wants us to be surprised - the old ladie's house, for instance).

However, I did enjoy the overall story and I was eager to see what will happen in the end so I rated it with 3 stars, but I am probably subjective due to the fact that I just love zombie fiction.

Not all books can be a 5 star master pieces, so I don't regret buying and reading this one. If you love zombie fiction, you should give it a try.
2697402
A shop assistant and her customers end up fighting for their lives when a mystery virus causes people to go "kill crazy".

The pace and storyline were good, as were the characters, who were all ordinary people responding to an extraordinary situation. The descriptive sections of the book were clear, allowing a reasonable amount of tension to develop. The gore wasn't excessive. The cliff hanger ending indicates this is likely to be the first of a series.

My overall rating is 3.5 stars as some of the writing / dialogue wasn't tight enough.

If you enjoy series such as The Walking Dead this book may be worth a look.
3229182
This is one of the few zombie series that covers a significant time span of the zombie apocalypse world taking us years beyond the event. Dying to Live is a refreshing take on post-Z Day survival, illustrating the new society emerging from the ashes. The characters are varied and interesting. It departs from canon, as all zombie worlds must if they're going to have much 'life', by taking a more sympathetic attitude to the zombies. The new community learns to treat zombies as honoured ancestors of sorts.

The sequel 'fleshes' the world out a little by showing the emerging lifestyle of the survivors in more depth and even introduces thinking zombies, one of them a bit of a pacifist philosopher at that. We also see clashes with other bands of survivors. Here it repeats a cliche; of the first book by suggesting some of the living are worse than the living dead. It's a little two dimensional but hey, it's a zombie book.

The third book, for me, follows this path even more closely. We encounter a risen consumerist city where the citizens enslave zombies for work and sordid pleasure as well as enslave themselves with meaningless consumption. Almost everyone in the city turns out to be quite evil or stupid or, more commonly, evil and stupid. Yet there is little or no explanation of what supports this extravagant lifestyle. Apparently there are raids on nearby ruins but this doesn't explain the source of fuel for the vehicles or the power for the city or what keeps the myriad infrastructure requirements of a large town ticking over. Many years after the crash of industrial society even bars of soap and bottles of perfume should be a lot more than casual indulgences. (The cost and risk of retrieving such items must increase sharply with time.) There's no insight into how the city was even set up, presumably a terrific, even heroic, struggle against the legion of the undead. An opportunity lost to give us another side of these people.

I became quite disappointed with the book after about one third of the way through. It was predictable and quite uninteresting. Such a disappointment after the heights of the first.

I'd like to see the series continue with a least one more novel but I hope it leaves obvious allegory and laboured didacticism behind and returns to is earlier, more thoughtful, even plausible, ways (inasmuch as this is possible on the genre).
2679291
If you like the zombie apocalypse genre, you can't go wrong with the Zombie Crusade series.  They are well-written, nicely plotted and the move along at a pace that keeps the reader engaged.  I found myself invested in the characters, really hoping that they'd achieve their goals and dreading who might fall prey to the undead antagonists.

The one place where the book stretches its credibility a little is in just how darned prepared the survivors are.  I mean, for a zombie apocalypse, they really have their stuff together.  They're like a zombie-killing A-Team of survivors.  There were nearly no weak links within the survivor group, and the luck they had in finding the weapons, armor and other things they needed was uncanny.  The interesting thing is that the author did a better job of cutting down on this aspect in the sequel then he did in the first book.  Still, I really did enjoy reading Zombie Crusade 2, and I'm looking forward to the third book in the series.
371862
This seems to be one of those forgotten graphic novels that chronicles the questionable evolution of the zombie tale and the way powerhouse writer/artists work together. It isn't overly complicated in what it offers; there are zombies haunting the streets of London and hiding seems to be the only way to stay alive. It is a human drama, basically, reminding me of offerings that have come from everything from the books namesake to newer movies like 28 Days Later. The interesting thing is that it has the writing of Clive Barker and Steve Niles working together, and the art of Kastro going for it.

I personally liked this outing into zombie lore because of the human element involved. The art, all black and white and minimalist in its delivery, combines the world that we know with a world that is on the brink and makes some interesting entries on the human element. I personally liked the way that worked into the Barker/Niles idea of how human interaction would be, and especially so when it comes to people being trapped together in a castle and slowly seeing their world erode. The book itself isn't large, granted, and the people in it are not the heroes oftentimes portrayed in these types of tales. Still, this isn't looking at the end of the rainbow. Its more akin to digging somewhere alongside it, wondering where everything went wrong.

If you've enjoyed previous work by Niles, then you might like this. It is something to look into before acquiring, and is something of an acquired taste. It is also a bit graphic, a little on the thin side, and doesn't turn the world on its side. That said, it is enjoyable and does present a different sort of specimen to look at as they hope to avoid an undead onslaught.
1668083
This was  a good read and a new twist on the standard zombie stories. There are some typos to look  past, but I like these overall storyline and that it's written in the 1st person view.
984662
World War Z has a few nice layers in it: it's horror, it's social satire, it's political commentary, it's science-fiction world-building. A lot of zombie-themed movies, for example, leave the viewers unsatisfied because there's just not that much you can fit into 2-hours until you get to "and then they all die" or "and then the last couple of people get rescued." World War Z decides to evaluate many different economic and social angles that would occur in the well-explored a "zombie apocalypse" scenario. The "oral history" format allows a lot of ground to be covered without having a narrative that seems to disjointed. The creativity of this project for an otherwise over-explored genre is really impressive. I've recommended this book to a lot of friends.

The problem is that for any good piece of science fiction, things need to be consistent and make sense. Once you've accepted that zombies are walking the earth, the rest of the story should keep you from thinking, "the author just pulling something out of his sleeve." This happens twice-- first, Brooks posits zombies that can survive at crushing-depths until the sea. I guess he just wanted to make this scarier for the readers. Really, though, it doesn't make sense because his zombies in the book aren't otherwise any more impervious to physical damage than any humans. According to his own logic, his zombies would be crushed and destroyed deep underwater like anyone else, but he chooses to violate his own "rules."

Next, the part about Israel figuring out what was going on very quickly and taking extreme measures to protect themselves makes sense (basically using the same tactics to protect El-Al from hijacking and allowing in terrorists). The readers can find this plausible. What's _not_ plausible is that suddenly Israel would become hyper-benevolent and allow all its Arab/Palestinian refugees and their descendants free entry into and protection within the country. One of the things that makes zombie fiction so appealing is that it exposes and explores human flaws and self-interests under a crisis in which it's clearly not the best situation for the characters to express them. Maybe he could have made this scenario a bit more believable with a little more explication, but it wasn't ehre. Both these scenarios caused me to come out of the narrative and start critiquing the author, even though overall, it's a great book.
1210784
This is not a short story in form, but at about 51 pages it might qualify as a short novella, except it is really just a cliff hanger, a prelude to a series.  There is nothing wrong with that when it is free.  I love free ebooks and appreciate the fact the author offered it for free, because at the full price list price, I would have felt ripped off.

The Dead Road: Vol. 1 is adequate at a certain level for entertainment.  If I were trapped in a cabin surrounded by zombies with nothing better to occupy my mind, besides the moans and growls of anguished monsters of course, this would do for distractive reading material.  I would probably need something to help me go to sleep.

There are few typos, which is a plus.  The formatting is good. The writing flows okay.  The dialog is not too stilted and there is a certain amount of dramatic tension generated.  If this "book" had appeared earlier in the zombie era, it might have more appeal.  These days most of the escape from swarming zombie scenes are mostly good for yawns. Some writers are still able to grab and hold my interest in the zombie apocalypse, but this series is not going to work for me.
22288
The book follows two women through the beginning of the Zombocalypse.  Jenni is barely escaping from her newly zombified family when she is rescued by Katie, who similarly escaped from her zombie wife.  They escape from the city in sort of a zombie road trip and they are pretty constantly on the run until they meet up with an old couple in a gun store.  From there they set out to rescue Jenni's surviving family - a teenage stepson.  They escape to a safe haven called Ashley Oaks - a small twon where the people have fortified part of the town and holed up there.

It's a fun zombie read - not too goru, but gory enough to be fun.  The writing is fast-paced, and although the Zombocalypse story line has been doen many times, this is not a bad take on it.  The idea of following two women was interesting.  Jenni is an abused wife.  The Z-day frees her from that problem.  Katie (who is gay/bi) is haunted by the memory of her dead wife.  The author makes an issue more of an out of Katie's sexual preference than I think it deserves.  Is she gay?  Is she Bi?  Why is she keeping it a secret?  The supporting characters, the couple in the gun shop and the people in Ashley Oaks are relatively well written and believable.

It gets a four for two reasons:  First, the Jenni character suddenly turns from battered housewife into Jill Valentine (Resident Evil) crack-shot gung-ho zombie-killer commando expert.  Second, Juan, an otherwise strong supporting character, is considered a zombie expert because he read a 'Zombie Survival Guide.'

Aside from a few minor issues, this is a fun read.  I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm looking forward to the next volume.
4715161
This book was suggested to me by a friend who, like me, shared a childhood love of comic books.  I am certainly glad he did as this was an entertaining read, although like most post-apocalyptic zombie stories the tone was dark and violent and assumes humanity is powerless against the hordes of undead.  However having superheroes fighting their fallen companions as zombies was an interesting twist on the usual zombie-fest, and the writing style of bouncing back and forth in time to see how the heroes and the world had reached this dark place was also somewhat unique.  Some of the action scenes did feel like frames out of a comic book as bodies go careening through walls and cars get tossed around.  All of the characters have enough background and individuality to feel real and you do care about what happens to them by the time you reach the climatic battle for survival.  The plot was definitely a stretch and the arch-villain was loosely defined and somewhat silly, but what did you expect when the it's zombies and superheroes?  Overall the book isn't epic literature but certainly doesn't disappoint.
806458
The first time I read the series I enjoyed it as a not terribly well written but quick, enjoyable read. Kind of like a guilty pleasure reality TV show that you don't tell anyone you watch. Second time through -not so much.  Although, again, for the most part a pretty quick read, though I found it easy to put down when the characters would continuously reflect on their current situation, adding nothing to the story. I'm not sure if this is a product of the fact that it was originally written in installments and the author felt it was necessary to remind the readers of the events that brought us to the current situation and bring the reader up to speed? What intrigued me originally was the concept of two women fighting together to survive. Then at the earliest convenience, they pair them off with two men and the characters talk about their adventures from the first book for the rest of the series. I think this series appeals to a lot of people because of the soapy/romance novel elements used to describe the characters and their relationships.  The fantasy elements of the story, the fact that everything works out relatively easily and conveniently for them, i.e. the electricity never goes out for a year or more (explained away in one sentence), that food and sanitation never become much of an issue (getting low on food, send out a team) also makes the setting very comfortable and appealing. It's interesting that the titles imply a struggle, yet there never really is one.

The author makes constant reference to George Romero and his zombie films but what Romero does in his first three films is test the characters resolve and explore the fragility of society in the face of calamity. In these books, the author wants the characters to enjoy the story as much as the reader, therefore everyone, for the most part, gets along pretty well, the marauders they encounter are pretty easily dispatched, and the siege described in the title of the third book really couldn't have gone any better for the survivors. And the ghosts. I actually don't have a problem with an author introducing something along those lines, but when it becomes a tool she wields for such convenience, then it truly detracts from the story. The ghosts literally appear whenever necessary to tell the living characters everything from prophetic warnings about the world, to calming reassurances, to immediate warnings of "Wake up, there are zombies coming" or "So and so is about to get killed, you need to go help them." Then after explaining the ghost rules ad nauseam, the author fails to follow those very rules by having them continue to appear at will.

What this book represents to me is the coming world of online self-publishing and all that that entails -good and bad. The good is that many more authors can get their work read by many more people. The bad is that many of us will end up reading it.
4592834
If you feel that the zombie genre has gotten a bit formulaic, read this book. It has elements of zombie fiction, sci-fi and Japanese horror.  It also has some interesting perspectives on post 9/11 society and the increasing fundamentalism we are seeing around the world.

I kept reading because I wanted to find out more about how the characters found themselves in a setting that was so familiar, yet so mysterious. Their speculation as to the nature of their situation was as interesting as the action that takes place. Sort of a sinister Rendezvous with Rama.
4955182
Overall, it was an okay read. I found it a bit too fangirl for a particular character in Walking Dead, but nonetheless it is likely a good introduction to post-apocalyptic zombie fiction for the casual reader. I could have used more meat in the moral implications of different actions that the main character & the two love interests take- there don't seem to many shades of grey offered. The romance was a bit confusing/disjointed- having a hard time relating to the motivations and emotional jumps that come up. I don't want to get too detailed, as resolving the triangle is one of the major conflicts in the book.

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my independent review.
1775814
"Reign of the Dead: Reloaded" features the slow "Romero" style zombies, and it has a decent story line and pretty decent character development.  The book revolves around a group of survivors trying to find secure shelter from the zombie hordes in the Shenandoah Valley.  There are several sub plots that start off strong (the power hungry Preacher, the power hungry bureaucrat intent on nuking the big cities, the clairvoyant woman and mysterious mute child with visions of the future), but they all fizzled out.  The main story did the same thing.  It just sort of ended and then you were left with a weak epilogue.  It took almost a week to read this rather short book, primarily because I wasn't in a hurry to get back to it...
1590572
I'm not really into the zombie genre though it is very popular the moment (the new vampires!).  This is a quick and straightforward read about a man who finds the dead don't like to eat him.  It's a feel good novel but I have to admit I liked&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/World-War-Z-An-Oral-History-of-the-Zombie-War/dp/0307888681/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War</a>&nbsp;much better though it's probably unfair to compare the two books.  For the money this is still a very good read if you are looking for a new zombie novel.
1136708
Hit or miss. Some good stories, other were ok to pass the time.  Good introduction to an independent book series Kellie's Diary's if you like some solid zombie stories.