Tag: Zombie Apocalypse

Posted in Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: London (Surviving the Evacuation #1) by Frank Tayell

Posted on by elishasbookreview

*Minor Spoilers*

Trigger Warnings: Violence, Gore, and Blood.

The outbreak started in New York. Within days the infection had spread to every corner of the world. Nowhere is safe from the undead…

Bill watched from his window as London was evacuated. His leg broken, he is unable to join the exodus. Turning to his friends in the government, he waits and hopes for rescue. As the days turn into weeks, realising inaction will lead only to starvation and death, his thoughts turn to escape.

Forced to leave the safety of his home he ventures out into the undead wasteland that once was England, where he will discover a horrific secret.

This is the first volume of his journal.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I have had my eye on this series for a couple of years now. The fact that you get to see what a zombie apocalypse would look like to someone who wasn’t in the military was interesting. However, you soon realize why most zombie apocalypse survivors are ex-military, or currently enlisted.

He missed most of the beginnings of the end of the world because on the day news got to London about the outbreak, he fell down the stairs and broke his leg. So he was in a coma during all the action and deterioration of London and the United Kingdom as a whole. Nukes got launched, Missiles flew, and yet it seems like all the governments has collapsed.

It’s an oddly disquieting experience being surrounded by coffins inside while the undead are outside.

Frank Tayell; London (Surviving the Evacuation #1)

The only other person Bill, aka our protagonist, has ever known in his life it seems is his best friend Jen. He talks about her a lot. I understand that she is involved in the government and is the one who tried to send him care packages to hold him over until she was able to send someone to help him evacuate, but it seemed like she was the only thing in Bill’s entire universe.

The amount of pure dumb luck this character has, is ridiculous. He is trying to creep around London with a full cast and crutches. By the way, he loses one of them during his adventures along with a bunch of other stuff that the author forgot about. I think it would’ve helped everyone involved if Bill had kept an inventory, and not just how much food and water he has. I don’t know, this just frustrated me.

Overall, this novel was okay. I was disappointed with the ridiculousness this story had. Not the best zombie apocalypse books I’ve ever, read, but it scratched the itch for now. I would recommend this novel for those looking for a more fun zombie story.

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Posted in Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Invasion (THEM #0.5) by M.D. Massey

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Spoilers*

Aidan “Scratch” Sullivan is a former Army Ranger and Afghanistan War vet trying to achieve some semblance of normalcy while he deals with the psychological after-effects of two combat tours in the ‘Stan.

But when the bombs fall and the dead walk, Scratch is forced to risk life and limb to rescue his aging parents before zombies overrun their quiet community. And to do it, he’ll need to traverse half the state of Texas while dealing with out-of-control military units, violent redneck looters, and all manner of evil things that go bump in the night…

I enjoy a good military-minded protagonist to guide the reader through the zombie apocalypse. To see someone who is trained to think and respond rationally, faced with the walking dead makes the tension even greater.

It was odd to me, as Aiden was able to travel around the zombie-ravaged wasteland of Texas and how his truck didn’t bring a constant mob of zombies wherever he went. The most common way a zombie can detect the living is by sounds. Since Aidan’s truck wasn’t affected by the EMPs then that would make the engine a very loud broadcaster to the zombies.

One thing I enjoyed about Invasion was the fact that the author wasn’t taking everything seriously. You could tell in the dialog that they were somewhat aware of how ridiculous their world has become. This was executed in a way where even though the author was having fun with the story, I was able to enjoy both the humor and the overall story.

I would highly recommend this novel for lovers of post-apocalyptic fiction, zombies, horror, and novels that don’t take themselves too seriously. The Invasion was thrilling, action-pact, and humorous in a subtle way.

Read Other Zombie Books I’ve Reviewed

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Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Posted on by elishasbookreview

9781471144882

*No Major Spoilers*

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn’t want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

It has been a bit since I last reviewed a zombie apocalypse novel. I was starting to get burnt out on the genre, but now that’s in the past. I had always been interested in this series, but the Young Adult genre deters me sometimes.

I decided to try it, and I started reading a physical copy but found an audiobook. So I am considering this a hybrid of the two mediums.

This novel really drove home what the differences were between the survivors, monsters (being zombies), and the real monsters (those who prey on the weak and defenseless). Being secluded like Ben had been, I could understand why he believed the only real monsters were the zombies right outside their gated safe haven.

“Often it was the most unlikely people who found within themselves a spark of something greater. It was probably always there, but most people are never tested, and they go through their whole lives without ever knowing that when things are at their worst, they are at their best.” – Jonathan Maberry, Rot & Ruin

Watching Ben grow and learn about the world after “The First Night” was endearing and heartbreaking. I can understand how you believe one thing about how the world works, and when you actually get out in it, things that you thought you knew might be completely different.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It had a great cast of characters that grew and changed throughout the novel. And I won’t spoil the ending, but you’ll be reaching for the tissues. I would recommend this for lovers of Young Adult Fiction, Post Apocalyptic novels, and for those who can’t get enough of zombies. I would also recommend this novel who are looking for a good and fulfilling story.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Rise Again (Rise Again #1) by Ben Tripp

Posted on by elishasbookreview

9781452676050

*No Spoilers*

Forest Peak, California. Fourth of July. Sheriff Danielle Adelman, a troubled war veteran, thinks she has all the problems she can handle in this all-American town after her kid sister runs away from home. But when a disease-stricken horde of panicked refugees fleeing the fall of Los Angeles swarms her small mountain community, Danny realizes her problems have only just begun – starting with what might very well be the end of the world.

Danny thought she had seen humanity at its worst in war-torn Iraq, but nothing could prepare her for the remorseless struggle to survive in a dying world being overrun by the reanimated dead and men turned monster. Obsessed with finding her missing sister against all odds, Danny’s epic and dangerous journey across the California desert will challenge her spirit . . . and bring her to the precipice of sanity itself. . . .

I thought I’d make a return to the zombie subgenre after a hiatus. This novel definitely satisfied my craving for a good zombie apocalypse. There’s action, suspense, violence, and plenty of blood and gore.

My major complaint with this novel was I felt like there were too many survivors that the author focused on. I found it difficult keeping track of who’s who and what motivates them.

I did like how the author made the protagonist a female veteran. Even with what she’s seen during her service and the injuries she’s suffered from, she was still able to feel fear and confusion throughout the novel. I felt this made her more likable and relatable.

My favorite character was Amy, the local veterinarian. Even though she worked on animals before the apocalypse, she was still able to help fellow survivors and give first aid when needed. She slowly gained the ability to lead the others after Danny goes alone to look for her sister.

When Danny goes rogue from her group to go look for her sister, the finality of the apocalypse sets in really strong during this time. Towns abandoned, littered with corpses and abandoned cars. It also foreshadows the coming conflicts between various groups of survivors. You can feel the tension as Danny is on her selfish mission.

I enjoyed this novel, and I am highly interested in reading the next one in the series. I would also recommend this for lovers of female protagonists, zombie apocalypse, and science fiction.

 

Posted in Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: The Remaining (The Remaining #1) by D.J. Molles

Posted on by elishasbookreview

9780316404150_85f15

*No Major Spoilers*

Captain Lee Harden is tasked with a mission if the government ever was to collapse. To survive, rebuild, and conquer.

Lee is hiding in his high-powered, well-stocked, government bunker. Meanwhile, an illness has erupted worldwide. The bacterium destroying the victims’ brain, all except for animalistic instinct. The need to hunt and to kill.

When Lee leaves the safety of his bunker, fast-paced chaos ensues. This novel will leave you breathless by the end.

In the vein of post-apocalyptic/zombie novel, this one sticks out to me. Not only is Lee a Captain in the Army, he was trained for this kind of apocalyptic future.

The pacing of this novel is really well-done. It starts off slow, and as soon as Lee realizes this epidemic is real, it picks up quick.

One of my favorite non-spoiler parts of this novel is how you realize how society might become if it was ever to collapse. The psychos and the “doomsday preppers” end up surviving whereas others do not.

One of my favorite mini-spoilers is when Lee first leaves the bunker to go on a recon mission to gather intel about the world around him, he comes across one of the “Infected” (The name of the type of zombie in this story) and she attacks him and stabs him in the leg with a small knife. She was hiding under his porch during the early morning hours.

Those were a couple of the more interesting parts about this book overall. Overall my conclusion would be this is an interesting story and really geared towards and recommended for anyone who is a zombie apocalypse lover. The unique twist I also found interesting was the zombies having weapons of their own instead of just using their teeth and hands to bite and claw at the living humans.

Other Zombie Apocalypse Book Reviews Here:

REVIEW: Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne

REVIEW: Resident Evil #1, The Umbrella Conspiracy by S.D. Perry