Unusual and Appealing Zombie Approach
350530
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dead-Again-Book-1-in-the-Zombie-Diaries/dp/B005JPSY22/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dead Again (Book #1 in the Zombie Diaries)</a>

Author George Magnum approaches the Zombie infestation not from the point of view of the dead, nor of the victimized, but rather through the eyes of Commander Peterson, heading an elite military force scrambled to the cause in the interests of national security (while there is still a nation-or any society-remaining to protect, which begins quickly to seem very doubtful). Peterson is rather an unusual character for his role, in that he is much more three (or four) dimensional than we usually expect, either in this type of story premise or with a military or Special Forces individual, who is usually coloured as silent, strong, and deadly-but not emotional or fanciful. Peterson is both-although he usually overcomes it from interfering with his assigned purpose.

Generally I prefer my reader's hook on the very first page, if possible in the first paragraph or the first sentence. Here I had to wait a few pages, although the hook was subtly telegraphed early on. Once the action starts, however, the story hits the ground running at gazelle speed, spewing out character, adventure, blood and gore, grief, tragedy, terror, and adventure. The novel is very fast-paced from here on in, and surprisingly, the gore is not overdone (surprisingly because this is after all, a zombie story, a kill-or-be-eaten venue). The settings are well done, and I especially appreciate the author's deft hand at characterisations. As Zombie novels go (and these days there is an enormous number available), this is one of the better and more appealing ones.
175264
The characters in the book have to deal with the zombie outbreak, but they are not the gung ho hero types so common in other works of this genre. They have their own unique way of dealing with the end of the world. The book is quite funny in places and is an enjoyable read.
1332342
I felt that this was an original concept for a zombie novel.  The book grabs you and keeps your interest as you attempt to figure out if our hero is going to get out of the fix that he is in.  The solution is not obvious and, until the end, you keep speculating as to what is going to happen to the character.  I read a lot of this genre and would recommend this book.
4200366
***Review has been gifted in exchange for my honest opinion and on behalf of Kats Book Promotions/ Katsindiebookblog.*** This is not my typical read with it involving zombies, but I gave it a shot anyways.  Im so use to the same typical portrayal of zombies on TV so I was impressed when this wasn't your usual. It brought upon a new unique outlook on the world. In the beginning you are sucked into major action going on, which keeps you with a relatively fast paced book the rest of the way. Holt and Ambrose are stuck in the fight to find Holts love, which was kidnapped by the Reverend, the newest threat to the world. You can definitely tell the love that Holt carries for his girl Nancy. There is a good mix between zombies, hybrids, and humans. Which side will you lean towards? The author had added some twist and turns with many plot twists. There does seem to be some repetitive scenes, but all in all it was a decent book to read. You have unsuspected heroes, best friends of different races, and a war trying to keep everyone safe. If you want out of the typical norm of zombies, come grab this book. Its worth the change.
2213138
Not since 'I Zombie' have I read a book that didn't involve the classic, adrenaline fueled point of view of the survivors. It is refreshing to see a different approach and Taylor maintains a strong tongue-in-cheek reference to the classic approach of most authors attempting to cash in on the zombie craze. That this book is great value is a double bonus. Loses a star for failing to really make me believe in some of the characters but it's well worth the read for an alternative, relatively punchy 'history'.
1203491
I like apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic novels (and movies and video games...).  There's something compelling about what life would be like after the end, something frightening and fascinating all at the same time.  Aftertime is a fine entry into the genre, blending zombie horror seamlessly with a very human, emotional story.

Aftertime is a methodical novel.  The pace is slow through the first half of the story, as Cass slowly regains her memory and tries to relearn how to fit into society--what's left of it, after the population was devastated by bioterrorism and disease.  This new society is the most frightening thing about Aftertime's world.  The people that are left live in small enclaves in public buildings, for the most part, places they can seal against the Beaters, diseased zombies that crave uninfected human flesh.  Before collapsing completely, the American government seeded the land with kaysev, a plant specifically engineered to fulfill a person's nutritional needs.  People waver between wanting to help each other and wanting to close ranks and protect their own.

Cass should be an object of suspicion for everyone.  She was taken by the Beaters and woke up in the countryside, her skin mangled, but otherwise free of the disease that twists the Beaters into flesh-eating zombies.  But when she meets Smoke, she suddenly finds that she trusts him and even stranger, he seems to trust her.  They set off to find Cass's young daughter, Ruthie, who has been sent away for her own safety.

Despite needing to constantly dodge zombies and people with a rather fascist bend, Cass's story isn't so much action and shooting as it is survival and recovery.  There are some exciting sequences where they're desperately trying to escape certain death, but that's not the point of Aftertime.  The point is, for me anyway, that even when it seems like you can't go on, you can always find strength to overcome those obstacles.

Cass is a very damaged character, having dealt with sexual abuse, alcoholism, and her own self-destructiveness all her life.  Smoke himself has skeletons in his closet that have driven him to heroism; he needs to help others, and this leads him to Cass.  Their love story is a subtle one.  There's no love at first sight, and I really like that Littlefield takes her time in bringing the two together emotionally.  It feels natural that they would first need to grow to trust each other before they can fall in love, especially in the dangerous world of Aftertime.

My only complaint (and it's not even completely a complaint) is that the book's ending is extremely abrupt.  On one hand, I hit the end and thought, 'Huh?  But... I need more!'  On the other hand, I admire Littlefield for choosing such a non-standard ending.  I won't post any spoilers, but it's definitely a sudden ending.  I do wonder, though, if there's a sequel planned, because the story is definitely open for it.

Aftertime was a book that alternately creeped me the heck out and broke my heart repeatedly.  It's extremely well-written, and I really do hope that Littlefield writes more about Cass, Smoke, and little Ruthie.

(Review originally published at The Discriminating Fangirl.)
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.
3182050
Walking Shadows is the story of what happens after the zombie apocolypse.  While not a pure zombie story, the basic premise of the book is about the survivors of a zombie outbreak.  Think of The Stand meets Dawn of the Dead.

What I really liked about this book is that the characters all have their own demons to deal with (figuratively speaking).  The author did a great job with how the characters interact with each other as well as their new enviornment.  I also appreciated that the main protagonists weren't always the best looking, or most heroic people.  (That's the easy way out - and a way that too many authors take)

*SPOILER ALERT*

While there are zombies in this book, they die off rather quickly once there's no one left to infect.  Like many other viruses, it dies off without a viable host.  For the majority of the book it's more about picking up the pieces and moving on than it is about zombies running rampant.  This deals more with adjusting to a world without people while trying to procure food, water, and shelter while looking for other survivors
475536
This book would get four stars for Maleev's art alone. His take on zombies is elegantly gruesome. He really brings the NYC settings alive too. It's just a nice book to look at.

This is very much a Romero story. It picks up one of the key threads that has been permeating his films since he introduced Bub in Day of the Dead: the intelligent zombie. This is such a weird concept, with plenty of room for exploration. The dead are us. But now they are literally becoming more and more like us. Will there be any more room for us? It gives us reason to fear them in a much different way than just getting our brains eaten.

But now there are vampires. This is only the first entry in the series, so it's not entirely clear what the value of the vamp storyline is in relation to the zombie storyline, but I'm willing to stick around to find out.
657381
First of all, I have to say that, although a horror fan, I am not a fan of zombie books.  I watch the Walking Dead mostly because my girlfriend loves it and I've gotten attached to the characters.  But this is a zombie book like no other.  It takes place after the zombie apocalypse has already taken place and two key figures are going on trial, while a new threat suddenly emerges. one that could wipe out the planet.  It is an unusual and welcome change of pace for this genre.  I enjoyed it, surprisingly.  The characters were well-developed and the action was well thought out and suspenseful.  I subtracted a star because I found some dead spots in the action.  The protracted portion where they were leaving the city in search of the lab was very boring, in my opinion and dragged on.  It could have used a lot of editing.  Likewise the love scenes.  I didn't read this for the romance and I think that if you're going to write a suspenseful horror story, you should minimize the sex scenes.  We could have gotten the fact that they loved each other without so many intimate details.  This is not a romance book, and I skimmed through most of that.  Otherwise, this book was a lot of fun.  Just to comment on one other reviewer's criticism about aspirin, I have a perfectly normal friend who gets sleepy from aspirin and these people have had hardly any medication available to them.  I don't think it's far-fetched.  Though the ending indicated more to come, and I see there are others in this series, I will probably stop with this book, as I mostly read free books (mostly Kindle Firsts and Lender's Library) unless given a gift of Amazon dollars.  You can certainly go on to the other books in the series, but I think this works okay as a stand-alone (as long as you understand that more goes on in this story).
3213423
Zombies and Apocalyptic fiction are my guilty pleasure and I am easily pleased.
However, this is not a typical Zombie story. "The Girl With All the Gifts" is fresh approach on one of my favorite subjects. Even more original than Peter Stenson's "Fiend". The author has developed a highly readable and well thought-out Apocalyptic / Zombie story from a completely new angle. The writing is a cut above most of what is available within this subject matter; not quite Colson Whitehead's "Zone One" but certainly better than most of what is available in this genre. Well established character development, a fast-paced plot that successfully serves to keep the story moving ever forward in an unpredictable direction.
I will certainly look to read more by this author.
1669796
Really creative take on the zombie tale. Look forward to the other books.
742881
Thunder and Ashes follows three groups of Morningstar Virus survivors. When infected the virus causes you to become the living dead. The first set is lead by a couple of military men who are trying to get to Omaha. Over the course of their travels they find themselves helping a survivors village deal with some ruthless bandits. The second group contains the doctor who is considered an expert on The Morningstar Virus. She is attempting to get to Omaha so she can work on a vaccine. Survivor groups one and two hope to meet up at the research facility in Omaha. The final set are sailors from the USS Ramage. They've abandoned ship, and while exploring an abandoned town they find themselves in possession of a seriously hot commodity.

Ok, I did it again. I read a series out of order. I didn't realize this was a sequel to another book. I saw zombies and thought Heck Yeah! Thankfully, reading this without reading the first turned out not to be a big deal. Background info was provided, and I pieced together what had occurred in book one, Plague of the Dead.

The husband and I are both a little zombie obsessed. We have a group of friends who we've planned our survival strategy with. Yes, we roll nerdy. So when I discover a new book starring the undead I have to read it. Thunder and Ashes portrayed the reanimated in a different light than I've seen so far. You have two types, shamblers and sprinters. The names are pretty self-explanatory. Shamblers move slowly so you can usually get away. The sprinters are the scary ones. They can catch you. Once they've let out their roar to alert other undead in the area you better make yourself scarce. They hunt like a pack. Zombies are scary, but the thought that they would be coordinated enough to actually hunt together and sprint after you is seriously unsettling.

Kudos to the author for pointing out the virus is in the blood, and having character decontaminate themselves after a bloody battle with the undead. I hate when folks are out bludgeoning zombies in books or movies with little concern for blood splatter. Hello! Get some protective gear. Last thing you want is zombie blood or brain matter in your eye. Nice group of characters featured in this one. They could have been a little more developed. The pacing could have also been better. An extra 30 pages would have provided a meatier story, and maybe not such a rushed ending. Even with the minor flaws I was enthralled. This would make a fantastic movie. Seriously scary stuff, and if you're looking for something to make you sleep with the lights on this is it.

I plan to backtrack and read the first book in this series. While I was researching the series further, I was sad to learn the author had passed away. A ghostwriter is working on finishing the third book in this series which is titled Survivors
1585288
I had just watched a show on one of the nature channels about the fungus that turns ants into zombies and found this book a natural extension of that show if somehow that fungus was able to do the same to humans.  However, don't assume this is your standard zombie book.  While it follows the same premise as so much of the zombie genre, humans running from mindless flesh eaters, it has enough differences to give the reader surprises.  I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil the book for you.  But you will want to read this book.
2420777
This is one of the smarter and more unusual zombie novels you will ever read. Max Brooks has created a zombie mythology for an apocalyptic future where a plague of walking dead decimate the earth. There are historic figures, famous battles, customized weapons, and unique language. This world is wide open for further embellishment should Mr. Brooks or others decide to explore it.

There is no main character for you to identify with or become attached to. Each section has a different narrator, speaking about his or her specific experience in the zombie war. I was skeptical at first, but this device actually works. Of course, some narratives are better than others, and there were several that I wish had been expanded further. I particularly enjoyed the accounts of the female pilot who has to parachute in the middle of zombie territory, the young Japanese man who is trapped in an infested highrise, and the wandering submarine crew.

Some sections got bogged down with extraneous detail--elaborate descriptions of goverment agencies and histories of various regions. While I understand this was an attempt to add background and context, it often slowed the momentum of the story.

Surprisingly, there were long stretches without zombies. However, when they did appear it was worth the wait. Rather than pummeling us with zombie carnage, Mr. Brooks parceled it out in effectively creepy amounts. That's the hallmark of good suspense; leave 'em breathlessly wanting more.

All in all, this was an interesting new spin on the zombie novel and I applaud Mr. Brooks' effort. Without a main character, however, it beats me how they will make this into a movie.
3532882
The premise is unusual enough (Zombie Apocalypse through the lens of Rural Tibet and Buddhist Monks) to be either endearing or off-putting, I would expect with little or no middle ground for most readers.

While it is fair to say that "Path of the Dead" is a story that will either suit your tastes or not, there is no doubting the author's display of craft.  Timothy Baker can tell a story.

The author makes good use tension and character doubt through the narrative without belaboring either.  The remote and unusual setting lends itself well to the mystery of the Zombie Apocalypse -- an aspect of such a story that is rarely mysterious.  It makes for a Zombie Apocalypse tale you don't have blatantly figured out from the first chapter.

The author's use of regional / religious mythology lends the impression that this particular tale of Zombie woe could be going to and coming from almost anywhere the reader can imagine.

While the average Western/American reader may have concerns about identifying with the setting and characters (the setting is present-day rural Tibet, the protags of the tale are Buddhist Monks, a Tibetan child, and a Chinese soldier) the characters themselves are highly relatable and quickly endearing.

The action sequences are intense, well-paced, and punchy while the overall narrative is very deliberate.  The common tropes of a Zombie gore-fest come across as genuinely disturbing rather than as campy narrative special effects.  A very surprising treat in this story.  The creep is good creep.

The characters in this story are frightened.  You don't have to be told they're frightened.  You can feel their fear oozing off the pages.  Their relatable humanity lives on every page --- something I was not expecting in a tale with such an unusual and exotic cast.

Overall, my impression of "Path of the Dead" is simple --- Timothy Baker has the skills to pay the bills.  I look forward to his next offering.
36118
This was a captivating read, offering some new twists for the zombie/virus/post-apocalyptic genre.  Characters are not as predictable as you might think from the onset, and the author deftly creates rising tension in many core scenes.  Lots of horror tropes are avoided and there are touching moments between characters that give the story an emotional heft rare in the genre.