If it was the zombie apocalypse, my first act ...
932683
If it was the zombie apocalypse, my first act of survival would be to secure an extremely large store of Bob's Red Mill Muesli. There's real zombie fighting power in this stuff, folks.
2718951
Even though all the apocalyse craze has been subdued since we survived 12/21/12, I still have my crave of reading zombie books. Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End undertakes you to the perspective of a regular Spanish lawyer, in blog/journal format, dealing with the harsh nightmare of civilization coming to the end. Traveling with the last reminder of his old life - Lucullus, the Persian cat - the lawyer strives to survive making allies and enemies on the way.

The lawyer represent us, those who do not have any skills in survival, weaponry, and preparedness when it come to the unexpected, which I'm grateful for. Even though there are few errors due to the translation, I appreciate how the author capture the character's emotion and growth.
Recommend for beginners to the zombie genres.
488073
In an age when zombie novels have jumped the shark, flown to the moon, transitioned to alien planets, and become so absurd they're all but unrecognizable as tales of the undead, it was nice to get back to basics with Bryan Killian's debut book. Set in the city of Redding, California (Kilian's home town), Welcome to Necropolis follows a handful of residents as they scramble not just to survive the sudden apocalypse of their city, but to make sense of what is happening to reality. Like the best zombie tales, Killian takes time to introduce his characters and let us know what makes them tick. They're real. They have never fought like this before--even the cops. And their sink-or-swim fears shine through. While their motivations differ drastically at times, they are all worth following, routing for (or against), and discovering their end game. Sure there are familiar moments in here (being trapped in buildings with zombies outside, bad dudes going after women, the military presence) but it's okay, because it works.

As others have pointed out there are some editing flaws, but I don't blame Mr. Killian for that. Looks to me more like Deadite Press dropped the ball, because the story is good and the dialogue sizzles. So it'd be nice if they gave it another edit, but don't let that stop you from picking up a good ol traditional zombie apocalypse novel that has heart and great action. I look forward to more from Mr. Killian.

Overall, if you like heaps of gore, nick-of-time escapes, hordes of zombies, and well-drawn characters, you will like this book.
2658983
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Shaun-of-the-Dead/dp/B00067TVHU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Shaun of the Dead</a>&nbsp;surely gave writers license to start writing darkly comic zombie yarns. S.G. Browne's BREATHERS: A ZOMBIE'S LAMENT is one such. So catch a glimpse of Andy Warner. He's in his parents' basement, stenching up the place. Once upon a time, Andy was a breather, an alive person, a middle-aged loser. Then he and his wife died in a car wreck. And in a world in which a portion of the dead are inexplicably reanimating, Andy proves to be one more revenant (his wife, not so much). The accident had mangled him something awful, severely damaging his vocal cords and snapping his ankle. Andy today is literally this moaning, shuffling creature, requiring a white board around his neck to communicate. He's even more of a loser.

In this world, zombies are reviled and disenfranchised and prey to pranks by sadistic frat boys. It's a trying adjustment for Andy. His friends have abandoned him. His dad despises him. His mom bakes him cinnamon rolls but, really, she's scared sh--less of him. Andy is a thinking, feeling walking dead, and so he sees a shrink to work out his angst. Andy's depressing afterlife takes an upswing when he joins an undead support group and meets a kindred spirit in Rita, a recent suicide. Can Andy shed his loser image by taking up a cause, by rallying against zombie persecution?

BREATHERS: A ZOMBIE'S LAMENT is a crap title, but I took a chance and I'm glad I did. For the gorehounds anticipating messy, splattery zombie thrills, be aware that it takes time for the real gore to manifest. S.G. Browne's initial priority is to inject plenty of social satire and black humor into his narrative. But then he undercuts that with passages that are surprisingly moving and genuinely tragic. There's even a tender romance, although it's fairly unobstrusive.

Narrating the story from a zombie's perspective isn't much a novelty nowadays. Me, I'd recently read other such stories: David Moody's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dog-Blood/dp/B004NSVFP4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dog Blood</a>, Robin Becker's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Brains-A-Zombie-Memoir/dp/B005B1K0Y4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Brains: A Zombie Memoir</a>, Stefan Petrucha's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dead-Mann-Running-A-Hessius-Mann-Novel/dp/0451464745/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dead Mann Running: A Hessius Mann Novel</a>, to name several. And, cinematically,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Warm-Bodies/dp/B008220BLG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Warm Bodies</a>&nbsp;is terrific. Still, Andy's voice is engaging enough and sarcastic and hilarious. I also enjoyed reading about the interesting mishmash of characters in his zombie support group. At first the pace goes a bit leisurely, which is a more diplomatic way of saying it moves slow. This doesn't bother me as I feel the writer has put enough thoughtful and observational content to make it work. If you keep on reading, the horror aspect does get seriously amped up, revolving around an inevitable plot progression. It's up to you to roll with or resent the ending. Overall, I liked this book. In a market currently glutted with zombie literature, BREATHERS: A ZOMBIE'S LAMENT refreshingly veers off-course and, dare I say it, breathes new life into a going stale genre.

For those who did enjoy the book, there's a sequel:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/I-Saw-Zombies-Eating-Santa-Claus-A-Breathers-Christmas-Carol/dp/147670872X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus: A Breathers Christmas Carol</a>. But it's not as tasty.
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.
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I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tom grew up in the Districts, a community walled-in and safe from the Plagued States of America. When the outbreak first started, before the walls went up, there was absolute chaos, and in that mess Tom's sister was bitten and turned. Ever since, Tom has been blamed by his father and his brother Gary for what happened. Twice a year, Tom and Gary travel to Biter's Hill, a trading outpost where zombies are brought to be logged and sold as mindless slaves. There, they pour over dozens of log books, searching for their sister's face. Their father would give anything to have his baby girl back, still clinging to the hope of finding a cure. It's during this trip that Tom discovers Penelope, a strange half-human, half-zombie. It's also during this trip that the zombies break lose and overrun the outpost. Suddenly, Tom finds himself stranded in Midamerica with Penelope and a band of other survivors. Tom hopes that with Penelope's help he can find his sister and maybe assemble a rescue mission before the zombies close in and tear them limb from limb.

"Plagued: The Midamerica Zombie Half-Breed Experiment" is an interesting take on the whole zombie apocalypse craze. We typically think of zombies as shells of the person they once were. In "Plagued", however, there are half-breeds, zombies that have been experimented on and administered a possible cure. Although they are not brought back from the dead, they are clearly more human than the full-on zombies, kind of like R in "Warm Bodies".

The writing was sometimes a little hard to follow, but the plot was interesting and fast-paced. I thought the characters needed to be a little more developed; I liked Tom and Penelope, sometimes Hank and Peske, but I didn't really care about anyone else. Like, when a member of the survivors died, I just kind of shrugged and said 'eh', and kept reading. It didn't really hit me too hard like the death of a character normally does.

Oh, and I really liked the cover - very simple with a gorgeous model (even though she is half-dead) and helped me picture Penelope in the story.

The book was quite short and made for a quick read. Although it didn't end with a cliffhanger, I'm still curious to see where book 2 will pick up and where the story will go from there. Not bad!

Find this review and others on my book blog: theultimatebookgeek.wordpress.com
4806830
First, I would like to send a huge thank you to Frank Tayell for gifting me a copy of his book.  Secondly, wow  The writing was practically flawless, quick and easy to read.  No hiccups.  I truly did enjoy reading this one.  I won't go into the overview, because lets face it, you can read the overview with the book.  What I do want to point out is that this is the first zombie book Ive read with such an extreme personal point of view, I cant help but think of Bills character as being me and the thoughts I would have during the end of time.  Should I leave my safe haven?  How long can I stay and survive here?  The constant struggle back and forth on whether to walk down those stairs, open that door, and face whats out there was nerve racking enough but then you must also scavenge the buildings around (which I will admit some of those ventures were quite comical).  What Ive realized most zombie books appear to have a group mentality, several people fighting together and telling their personal stories half-heartedly as they chop away bodies.  Not this one (ok, so there is some chopping).  Here is one person, one journal keeping the man sane, one hope that she will come save him, and one realization that it may never happen.  So what is he to do?  Survive or die?  And with a broken legOye.  Even the Doomsday Preppers didn't have a chance in this book.  This will go on my zombie favorites list for sure!  Bravo Mr. Frank Tayell! Looking forward to Book 2!
2241385
Such a great game, I just started playing it and I am hooked, zombies for life!
3960477
Dead Drunk gives us something the zombie genre severely lacks: Fun.

Whereas the characters in The Walking Dead get all sullen and existential when they run low on food, the degenerates in Richard Johnsons novel just pound beers and eat cat food.

Sadly, for me and my friends, this is a very real possibility with or without the apocalypse.

Charlie is their de facto leader. Hes substitute teacher who sets the tone at the beginning of the novel when, like the petty drunk he is, he purposely fails a first grader while sipping on a rum and coke.

My kind of guy.

The rest of the cast consists of a racist cop, a pervert, a foreigner, everybodys hated trashy conservative uncle, a closeted homosexual who endures slurs from his buddies (until they find out he really is gay and accept him without hesitation), a survivalist hippie and many more.

They shouldnt be surviving the zombie apocalypse, yet they endure. Theyre mostly content with doing shots, smoking pot and swimming in a kiddy pool, all while running their mouths to each other within the confines of the survivalist hippies fortified apartment.

The fun between zombie attacks is the best part. I found myself more interested in their juvenile insults than I did their battles with the undead, although the action is funny as well because these guys are awful at it.

The cop is a bad shot. The former MMA fighter has a beer gut and almost gets eaten alive while passed out in the back yard.

These fellas are not heroes.

When they see a child stuck in a tree, besieged by the undead, it takes them three days to save him, and even then just barely. Theyre unapologetic when they do the things we hope we wouldnt during the apocalypse.

Theres the obligatory band of criminal marauders (who are, naturally, out looking for medicine for the bosss girlfriends puppy), but I won't spoil their appearance, Ill just say its fitting. By the time the Chinese military shows up, everything has been going bonkers for so long that youll just nod and say, Yup, now the communists are here for some reason, without skipping a beat.

Some readers will be offended by the banter and some uncomfortable racial stereotypes. At first I was put off, then I realized this book is full of stereotypes, including the racist cop and conservative uncle.

Dont let it bother you. This book doesnt have time for nuance. Its too busy having fun.
3964593
Fair disclosure: I was offered a copy for a review. After reading the description I thought "yep, that sounds like something I'd like" and it turned out to be so.

Apocalypse starting, check. Terrorists attacking, check. Unlikely heroes, check. Spineless weasels, check LOL

The action pretty much took off right from the start & never let up. A terrorist attack starts things off and in the middle of that attack, infected people attack the terrorists. Zombies? Maybe, maybe not?

I have to keep this review short, as I have a cast on one arm and typing is a problem. I really enjoyed it, it moved fast. Lot's of details yet lots of mystery about what's going on. Action, intrigue, technology, inept government, it has lots going for it. I raced through it and am already halfway through the 2nd book. If you like apocalyptic action, this one's for you.
2975826
Imagine if a single Homer Simpson was living during. The zombie apocalypse. Our "hero" Eric is a bumbling idiot who seems to continually fall up while everyone around him struggles to survive. He's surrounded by opportunists who are willing to rape and kill anyone in their way. This fast paced novella was full of action, a bit of comical relief, a whole lot of misogyny, and Eric searching for his next meal. This would actually make a perfect B movie for the SyFy channel. I enjoyed every bit of it.
502897
The story is engaging, the writing excellent, and the zombies particularly ripe.  I genuinely like the characters.  If there were a zombie apocalypse these are the kind of people I would want to survive.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
283884
This was the first zombie book I've ever read. I was pleasantly surprised at how the story developed around what really could happen if zombies were real. The book kept me intrigued and asking for more and I wasn't ready to see the last page turn. I loved reading about their survival tactics! Looking forward to reading the next one to see what happens!
1902971
Fun read. Great start on a new character(s) for an action/thriller series. Hardcore zombie fans may be disappointed in this if they are expecting the typical zombie apocalypse and meltdown of civilization. This is an action/thriller, "good guys saving the world" that happens to have a zombie like creature threat but the focus of the tale is preventing the outbreak. Joe Ledger has all the things an action/thriller character needs. Superb fighting skills, loyal friends, high IQ, part of a team with lots of money, etc. When I read this genre I want entertainment and excitement and it is all here.
1392512
As my first Kindle e-book, this was a great read. It uses a blog / diary style to write the story from the perspective of the main character as he attempts to survive a zombie outbreak (he writes through a blog, until the power goes out). Started off a bit slow, but once kicked in, I found myself fully immersed as if I was there watching him go through his story.

Overall, while waiting for the next season of Walking Dead, this is a great way to get your next zombie fix.
1554573
Think watching zombie movies will save you in a real attack?Think again! Hollywood's exaggerations and creative license have created common misconceptions about a zombie's physical abilities and behavioral patterns. They also have displayed techniques that would never keep you alive in a real outbreak, maybe a class 1 outbreak if you were lucky. The bottom line is when a real zombie apocalypse occurs, this book will be your bible for survival.

  Now if you reach for this book once a zombie apocalypse has begun, you are as good as dead because as this book will tell you there are many supplies which should be purchased ahead, your weapons must be second nature, you should already have a group organized, and have a route to your isolated new temporary home. But if this is the case I wish you the best of luck, because as nessecary as the information within this book is it can at some points seem a bit dry, and make it easy to think that skimming through will give you enough knowledge to survive.

  On the other hand if you are planning ahead for the unavoidable, which quite honestly everyone should, the section on recorded attacks will not only possibly help you but also entertain you. This section actually tells of recorded attacks throughout the world in various times that even involve people one wouldn't guess had been involved in zombie history, such as Hanno of Carthage,Marco Polo, and Francis Drake.

  Surprisingly this book is classified as humor, now don't get me wrong I do enjoy humor, what I however have yet to understand is how a book so seriously written on zombie survival is funny to some people.
4366565
That certain zombie scene in the city made the book for me - no spoilers tho! An awkward and slow start almost took the wind of the sails but a friend encouraged me to persevere with it. Glad I did. Wasn't sure how the gaming aspects would work in book form but theyy turn out reallly well. Definitely will be reading more of this genre!