Zed and Murphy have really grown on me and it was fun to watch them interact with a new bunch of characters. Book 9 in my Zombie-a-thon 2022!
3.5 Stars
Zed and Murphy have really grown on me and it was fun to watch them interact with a new bunch of characters. This is definitely like GOT though in that you shouldn't get attached to any characters! On to the next!...more
Whenever I read these post apocalyptic books I get concerned about some writers' bleak outlooks of how certaiBook 8 of my Zombie-a-thon 2022!
3.5 Stars
Whenever I read these post apocalyptic books I get concerned about some writers' bleak outlooks of how certain people in our society may respond when others around them are vulnerable and weak. There is a perfect quote from this very book to summarise some writers' concerns or possibly expectations for humanity:
"The rain started pouring again, pounding the pavement in a comforting rumble, draining off the roofs and running deep between the curbs. I hoped it would wash away the city's stink. All the evidence of evil littering the streets. And I wondered if the evil resided within each of us. Were the facades we constructed to mask our wicked brutality so fragile that they could be crumbled by a tiny virus and a high fever? Were the Whites not monsters but simply our true selves with the unwanted fetters of morality erased?"
Bleak right! Anyhoo, our band of survivors are starting to work out how they are going to deal with the intelligent whites (zombies) who incidentally have decided to free themselves from the constraints of clothing and are now running around naked ...more
Zombie chain gangs! Zed was impossibly dense in this one with a super obvious betrayal meaning he was on his 3.5 Stars
Book 7 of my Zombie-a-thon 2022!
Zombie chain gangs! Zed was impossibly dense in this one with a super obvious betrayal meaning he was on his own again and desperately trying to get back to his friends. It's a dead human eat live human world with lots of live humans out to bring other survivors down, Zed! Wise up!...more
Things got frantic in this one with the odds against...well...everyone. Some hard losses in this one through Book 5 of my Zombie-a-thon 2022!
3.5 Stars
Things got frantic in this one with the odds against...well...everyone. Some hard losses in this one through both zombie attack and more sickeningly depraved humans. I'm starting to quite like our main characters. On to the next!...more
I quite like the concept of slow burns and how they don't turn into zombies but are seemingly immune after suBook 4 of my Zombie-a-thon 2022!
3.5 Stars
I quite like the concept of slow burns and how they don't turn into zombies but are seemingly immune after surviving the initial bite period. A good amount of running, mindless chomping zombies and pants-wetting terror so I am excited to continue on! I am even more excited that the audiobook box set of 9 was only one credit! That's value folks! ...more
Book 10 of my zombie-a-thon! I made it to double figures!
CW: All of them
Well this is a good place to leave this series. I can2.5 stars rounded up to 3
Book 10 of my zombie-a-thon! I made it to double figures!
CW: All of them
Well this is a good place to leave this series. I can't say I got particularly attached to any of the people in the story as it was mostly about the act of surviving in a gore filled world rather than character development. I know some of you are thinking, why would you expect otherwise? Some zombie books are about more than running away from moaning and hungry decaying corpses. Some are a bit more of an exploration of human nature and how nations collapse or rise under the onslaught of society levelling events. Don't get me wrong, I love the simple survival ones too but this particular series lacked characters I was rooting for to survive. Just okay for me. ...more
Well a lot more happened in the 3rd instalment of this series and there were some g2.5 Stars rounded up to 3
CW: All of them
Book 9 of my zombie-a-thon!
Well a lot more happened in the 3rd instalment of this series and there were some great zombie attack scenes. I will read one more in this series to hopefully see what happens to a particularly unlikeable character. ...more
Well I am very concerned about the grim future many authors paint of humanity should it be largely decimat2.5 Stars
CW: Lots
Book 8 of my zombie-a-thon!
Well I am very concerned about the grim future many authors paint of humanity should it be largely decimated by a zombie plague. Apparently the human survivors will not only be fighting the undead, but we will also be struggling to survive in a world overrun by power hungry sick and depraved sexual predators. It also feels like only Americans in the US will survive because these books imply that they all have at least 10 guns in their houses ready for these kinds of society ending events. I have no idea if this is true or not. All I can say is that I have a glue gun. I'm zombie fodder, people. Zombie fodder.
On to book 3 in this series as it has improved a little *whispers* but mostly I'm trying to get to double figures in my zombie-a-thon....more
Well I honestly don't know why I kept reading this and why I have moved on to book 2.
It's not bad. I think iCW: All of them
Book 7 of my zombie-a-thon!
Well I honestly don't know why I kept reading this and why I have moved on to book 2.
It's not bad. I think it feels flat and emotionless. Maybe it's the narration? The previous zombie series I read is filled with all kinds of emotions on every page (even if there were also heaps comments about emotions being a threat to masculinity). The characters in this novel feel a bit wooden and as a result I am not emotionally invested. I have moved on to book 2 because I am trying to hit my Zomvember target. Hopefully it becomes more realistic and less 'and then this happened, and then we did this, then we went here...'...more
Well sadly this is where the Talbots and I part ways, but it was my favourite one yet!
There are quite a few CW: all of them
Book 7 of my zombie-a-thon!
Well sadly this is where the Talbots and I part ways, but it was my favourite one yet!
There are quite a few more books in this series but this feels like a good place to end for me. I honestly would probably keep going but only book 1-6 are included in my audio subscription so I would have to pay for the rest and I need to save my credits for ones that I can actually talk about to high schools students in my job. I will miss these characters and their strong sense of family and doing the right thing in the face of evil.
Well this was another entertaining book with some gripping action scenes! The story has welCW: As you would expect
Book 6 of my zombie-a-thon!
3.5 Stars
Well this was another entertaining book with some gripping action scenes! The story has well and truly moved towards a show down between the forces of good and evil but won't say why as it is a spoiler.
Another pretty action driven and gripping novel but with some existential stuff creeping in there too. Best zombie show down scenes yet! Look, the story is getting more and more bonkers but I have grown to appreciate our merry band of misfits even if they are pretty one dimensional. On to the next fun zombie romp in this series!...more
Well this book definitely ramped up in terms of actual zombie action and as a result was quite entertaining!CW: All of them
Book 4 of my zombie-a-thon!
Well this book definitely ramped up in terms of actual zombie action and as a result was quite entertaining!
There was still the typical Mike Talbot sense of humour throughout but it was less focused on his masculinity than in book 2. Or maybe I just didn't notice it as much because there was so much more going on in this novel. I moved seamlessly into book 4 because they are part of my Audible package. More brain munching action for Zomvember!...more
Well that was filled with sooooo much toxic ma1.5 rounded up to 2 (just okay)
Book 3 of my zombie-a-thon,
CW: About what you'd expect in a zombie horror
Well that was filled with sooooo much toxic masculinity and a side helping of racism paired with some vintage fat-shaming.
It was all passed off as humorous jokes, but I don't know guys, are quips about men covering up their emotions by making jokes about oestrogen levels and needing to use tampax and feeling embarrassed about even having emotions when they lose loved ones still where we are at as a society? I feel like we have moved on from this macho-man type behaviour.
It did end on a cracker cliff-hanger and I am going to give one more book a go because I want to know how they get out of this cluster-fudge ....more
Well this was the one I was waiting for and it truly delivered!
A clever explora4.5 rounded up to 5
CW: A little bit of gore
Book 11 of my zombie-a-thon!
Well this was the one I was waiting for and it truly delivered!
A clever exploration of what it means to be alive when you are dead. There is a little bit of satire in there which was thoroughly entertaining. At one point the Living Dead are at a conference and one delegate proposes they are no longer referred to as LDs or zombies, but instead they should be called 'Differently Living'. There are various factions within the LD that have differing ideas on whether they should merely exist or in fact thrive. I won't say too much more but the characters are rich and engaging and I thoroughly recommend this amazing novel.
Thank you to my fellow Cantabrian, Fiona, for suggesting I read this for Zomvember!
Jonathan really has a talent for writing incredibly engaging characters! This book had quite a full cast and some flashWell that was a cracker sequel!
Jonathan really has a talent for writing incredibly engaging characters! This book had quite a full cast and some flashbacks thrown in so I did say 'wait what?' a couple of times. The zombie virus mutations and new species developments also had me rereading a few bits. However, what an edge of your seat thrilling zombie war book! The action scenes were so vividly written that I could almost see everything unfolding! Thoroughly enjoyable!...more
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