Survivial After the Zombapocalypse
934190
Dead Living begins with a normal workday for Joe, a forklift driver.  However, his normal day quickly becomes very abnormal as one of the employees is bitten.

Receiving a call to inform him his wife is in labour, he speeds towards the hospital, desperate to be there for the birth; however upon arriving at the hospital he finds himself in the middle of the zombapocalypse with staff and patients alike being bitten and hunted through the hospital corridors.

Escaping the hospital with his wife's best friend, newborn baby son and two strangers he meets in the hospital, they retreat to the woods to try and survive.

Flash-forward 13 years later and Joe and his son Aaron and friends are living a comfortable life in a secluded cabin, forging new relationships and venturing reluctantly out into the world to scavenge.  After a supply run turns deadly, Joe's son Aaron finds himself alone in a world over-run by the undead.

Another flash-forward and Aaron is a young man, living alone in the middle of a city populated by walking corpses and by chance meets Samantha, an angry and isolated woman who trusts no one and takes her back to his haven among the dead.  However, Aaron has a secret that he is desperate to hide.

The first chapter of this book, focusing on the first day of the zombapocalypse is fast-paced, a little too much so.  Although the action drags you in, I didn't find the writing style to my liking and, to be honest, had a sinking feeling that I wouldn't enjoy this book.  Even after the first flash-forward I was a little bored, and although not tempted to give up, I still wasn't convinced this book would improve.

However, once I had reached lead-up to Samantha and Aaron meeting each other, things improved out of sight.  Suddenly I had to keep reading, and found myself lost in the story...

Aaron is definitely my favourite part of this book and as a character is extremely likable.  Sam was also well-drawn and her transformation from an abrasive tough young woman to a valuable member of the survivor community was interesting to see.

Now, I'm not a fan of romance in zombie books - it's a hard thing to pull off when the world is populated by walking corpses - it tends to distract me from the story itself and often results in eye-rolling of epic proportions and skim reading.  This one however is not too bad - sure there are some cheesy lines along the lines of `dying for you' and `follow you forever' - but it also brings some interesting ideas on how people born into an undead world learn about love and relationships.

As Zombie books go, this one has far less blood and gore than most I have read, but don't let this put you off - the focus is far more on the characters, storyline and survival.  The zombie / post-apocalyptic sub-genre was once the domain of a select few writers and readers, but over the past few years there has been a glut of new writers and new books, which makes it difficult to write a stand-out book.  However, with Dead Living, Glenn Bullion has given it a damn good try and for me it is a success.
1467652
I Am glad to see more survivors join the group.  Time seems to be passing very slowly. I  have not figured out where. out where it is taking place.
1370539
What happens when the lights go out, the police stop enforcing the law, and people begin to starve?  Read this book and you'll see one possiblity.  Should the real thing ever happen, get yourself out of the cities and away from masses of people long before the looting starts.  You may not survive otherwise.  This book keeps your interest to the very last page.
1235744
The breakdown of society is only one disaster away and the Hayden Hunt author team takes us into the lives of after-EMP events with the personal lives of a much  maligned group of prepers.  Their town has been taken over and their way of life is threatened.  How will they rise to overcome the approaching evil.  A good read that may well prompt you to start buying MREs.
1355091
Disappointed in wrap up. Too much to prepare for sequel.  But alarmingly more aware of conditions in the south then.  And still now. Would recommend but be aware it's a massive tome!
3200061
I devoured (pun intended) this book in record time.  The zombie apocalypse continues and a shakeout in the survivors is taking place.  Leaders are being formed, mostly against their will, and that is the kind of people that usually make great leaders.  Some endearing characters are sadly eliminated, due to bad luck or bad decision making.  Some isolated few give up hope and take themselves out of the picture. Some characters of low morality are also gratefully eliminated. One fact is true, those who do not toughen up and adapt are quickly killed, and usually in a horrible fashion. In one particular case the author also allows the reader to follow the journey of a particular female zombie, who actually makes a journey by boat before making landfall (literally) and continuing on. Survivors begin to discover new things about zombie behavior and the infection rate of those bitten by a zombie.  The zombies themselves seem to be developing some primitive tactics, which makes a survivor's job of staying alive even more difficult. And, the battle between good and evil amongst the living also heats up. I'm committed now and must pick up the next volume in the series to see how things progress.
3796883
Finally, someone has written a realistic survival guide for economic hard times. Unlike most survival guides (at least the ones I've seen) that give lots of wilderness survival tips & bushcraft ideas, and indulge in off-the-grid mountain retreat fantasies, this one gives practical, realistic advice for surviving an economic crisis while living in civilization, not hiding from it.

Based on his experiences having lived through the collapse of Argentina's economy and the socialist dictatorship that has since emerged, Fernando Aguirre doesn't rely on theories of what might happen, but gives lots of concrete examples of what actually happened during and after an economic collapse.

Because of the high crimes rates during and post-collapse, Aguirre gives over a good portion of his book to home security, situational awareness, and self-defense. There is even a section on defensive (and offensive) driving to avoid car jackings, roadblocks, and other dangers of the road.

He also talks about finacial problems such as Argentina's experinces with a shut-down of the banks and electronic financial transactions (think no ATMs or credit card/debit transactions), and the government imposed "corralito" in which the government froze and took over the people's bank accounts for about a year, only allowing very limited withdrawals. He also talks about the reality and dangers of bartering (smashing to pieces many survivalist theories of a new barter economy emerging and replacing fiat money), explains why cash is king even during an economic collapse, teaches the art of haggling, and raises interesting points on the importance of gold and silver (and how to use them).

He discusses many other issues, too - from EDC gear, bug-out bags and food & water storage, to dogs, real estate & jobs.

One key theme that runs throughout the book is the need to have the right mental attitude and toughness to survive.

What I like most about the book is that Aguirre backs up everything he says with examples from his own experiences and the experiences of others in Argentina that have lived through an economic collapse. This makes to book firmly entrenched in reality rather than theory, and makes it stand out as the best survival/prepping book I've ever read.
3680487
It isn't easy to be optimistic when you have thousands of of unknown miles ahead of you and an army of zombies at your heels. Especially when the road youve been traveling for hours is barren of all life-except the undead, of course. If I hadnt promised to believe everything will be all right, I might consider jerking the steering wheel out of Peters hands and sending us all into a tree. It may be unlikely well get to Alaska but I won't be the one to say it.
***

The Golden Rule of the zom apoc is no one is safe. At least it should be that. We learned this in the second book, AND AFTER, all too well. We learn it again in this one.

With what remains of their family, they head off in search of a sanctuary with what meager belongings they have. They set off to travel over 4000 miles to Alaska in hopes of a better life. But they will have to wrestle their grief of losing loved ones, Lexers by the hundreds, and some not so nice humans.

This was an insane journey. One I am absolutely certain I would not have survived. Very obvious if you know me. I likes my food. But seriously. They endured so much and it nearly broke them. Nearly. But they are stronger than the obstacles they faced.

When I started this series I had asked for recommendations of a zombie read with romance. And I have to tell you I am not disappointed with this one. Not one bit. Although the romance is not all encompassing at every turn, it was there and it was perfectly done. Never would I have thought who Cassie ended up with. But like I said...it was perfect. Every. Single. Word. 5 Stars!
4799476
When the SHTF this is one of the likely ways it will happen.  Understanding the consequences of our "just in time" supply line world is going to be important.  Since my pancreas died I find myself in both of the second tier groups who can not survive and die a lingering death.  However, since my heart was damaged I'm also in the first tier group who will die very soon after, in a fairly quick death.  My sons will be able to take advantage of my preps.
1614127
Life as we knew it has crumbled out of existence  the wealthy took over the world, driving the prices and controlling oil and fuel to the point that there was none left.  The rebels fought the machine and ended the reign of the wealthy after making sure the grid flickered out permanently in 2020.

In 2037, the grid has been off 17 years and their survival has been hard.  People had to learn how to farm, build, hunt and create ways to harvest food and water safely.  As with any world that has fallen apart, there are bandits of evil people roaming around hoping to steal and kill for what they want.

Gavin, a survivor who lives on the family farm has decided to leave and go on a personal mission that many feel is frivolous and deadly.  Although he was almost killed he did find his true loves  and life became nearly perfect.  Others are itching to leave as well, to discover life outside and meet their own personal needs  few do it however.  Surviving is not enough anymore  human nature of exploring, learning and discovery is taking hold again.

It becomes evident that Gavins family and their nearby neighbors need to pull together and provide aid to one another to keep the bandits at bay.  Lots of action and thought provoking ideas are introduced such as The God Spark.

The plot was well developed as was the characters.  I wanted to hear more about The God Spark and the journey taken by Mike.  The bad guys that were met and conquered were sufficiently portrayed as evil and died appropriately and adequately.

I enjoyed this book  no zombies, monsters or threatening disease bringing the world to its knees; just human nature and greed.  That is truly horrifying because it could happen!

The narrator, Gabriel Zacchai did a good job of reading the book  there were no voices, just reading.  He injected the right amount of energy and excitement when appropriate, there were a couple of times where he tripped over the words  they were coming out faster than he could talk but that added to the excitement of the story  it made it clear that something was going on.

I had no issues with the production, everything was clearly well done.

Audiobook provided for review by the publisher.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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3849659
What a nightmare scenario this series used.  Even most Preppers would have had their stocks destroyed, but this story showed that the will to survive along with knowledge may allow you to make it.  No sun, not much wood, and below freezing temps in addition to almost all livestock, wildlife and plants gone, geez that is a challenge!  Good book series for Preppers and Survivalist to read.
2442933
What if a major catastrophe, such as an economic crash, EMP, or other natural and/or manmade disaster comes your way, and you are completely dependent onyou? How would you fare out? This book is geared towards those in the cities and suburbs, who for whatever reasons choose to stay there during chaotic times (i.e. bugging in). It will help to guide you in ways to prepare for the worst, BEFORE the worst comes your way.

The author focuses on the areas of communication, water, power and light, sanitation and hygiene, food (including production, foraging, storage and preparation), security, alternative economic systems (including bartering goods and skills), transportation, shelter, first aid, and something few think about but that is utterly important in times of distress  entertainment to keep up morale.

The author provides many method and product suggestions, based on his research and personal experiences, with numerous links to save you the time of searching them out. Being a prepper before the term came to be, Whites recommendations ring true to my personal experiences.

With over 300 pages, Bugging In is so thorough it could easily replace the dozens of prepper/survivalist type books on my shelf. This book should be more than read  it should be applied. And while the sky may not be falling quite yet, there is no better time than now to start the implementation outlined in this book. Believe me, your family will thank you for it.
934215
This is the first book I have ready by Rawles, though I am a recent fan of his website Survivalblog.com.

The story line was very good following several individuals / families / groups as they navigate the collapsing world they find themselves in. The information on preparations and possible outcomes (gang raids, local gov't expansion, bartering) I found to be useful and quite plausible in a post-social collapse environment.

The writing style overall was good, but not great. There were several 'just in time' rescues or fortunate events to keep the plot moving. Nothing annoying, and similar to what you would see in a movie, but not as well put together as the highest level of fiction writing.

I will read his previous book, Patriots, and look forward to the 3rd book in this series. Overall, I recommend this book for anyone with a curiosity about what the world could look like after a social collapse and things you can do to be prepared for it.
3857368
I read One Second After, One Year After & The Final Day by William Forstchen.  I couldn't get enough.  As a wannabe Survivalist & Prepper myself there are many morsels of wisdom in his books and story line.  I will read more of Mr. Forstchens' work when it becomes available.  I truly hope America never has to endure the products of his story line but it is possible and could happen.  Thanks.  CC46
899605
Category 3 hurricane hits major city built below sea level with levees known to be marginally equal to the task of defending that city and a limited disaster plan or coordination between city, state or federal authorities. Perfect recipe for disaster right? In this nonfiction book, Dr. Sheri Frank tackles one small corner of the post Hurricane Katrina impact as the patients, staff, family members and local community shelter at Memorial (formerly Southern Baptist) hospital in downtown New Orleans over Labor Day , 2005,

The history of the hospital, the last major flood of the Mississippi in 1927 and its impact, and the lives of some of the principals of the hospital, both patients and staff, are detailed. The first pages give a glossary that has the names, a brief explanation of their role and ages to help keep the players straight. The events as they played out, including the haphazard evacuation by helicopter and boat, are listed and the relative comfort of the hospital administrators with their small electric generators, microwaves and communication assets related while the power to the sickest Life Care patients to power their  oxygen supply and ventilators had been lost The intense heat, backed up toilets, gunshots echoing in the neighborhood, lack of security and inability to reliably communicate with the outside world leads to a feeling of abandonment by the medical staff.

The second half of the book lays out the prosecution and grand jury efforts to indite the doctors and nurses who played a role in deciding who would be evacuated and who would not, who got "comfort" relief and who did not. Their acts of valor and dedication or decisions to end patients suffering in the light of limited resources will have you thinking for days and weeks afterward. Do we trust our doctors and nurses to make the best decisions? Will you get speedy help in the event of your own natural disaster? Are we doing even the simplest things to effectively plan for a regional fire, flash food, tornado or earthquake? It's a lesson the people in Boulder, Colorado and of last years Superstorm Sandy have learned fist hand.

This was a hard book to get through for me as the malfeasance and neglect of city employees and Tenet corporation employees  disgusted me. As for the doctors and nurses of Memorial, what they did or did not do is between them and their consciences. It's a book all should read as a case study for crisis management and will make you think hard about your own end of life directives.

Get the facts and decide for yourself. This book by a medical doctor and former relief worker in war and disaster work gives you all the facts and a sympathetic treatment of people in a very bad situation.
2631655
The effects of Hurricane Katrina will be felt for several more years, but as the bad has subsided the good is becoming much more apparent. Hilry's book carries this theme and is written from a God-fearing person's perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the long-term changes brought about by disaster.
1512312
Nice follow-on to the Caver series and i appreciate the detail of research needed to describe clothing, weapons, tools and the thought process the clans go through in dealing with the unknown. Survival in a world full of danger! Nicely done and looking for more