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Dead World #3
Flesh Eaters
Battered by three devastating hurricanes in a row, the Texas coast is flattened. But for the people of Houston--and soon all of America--the most terrifying events are just beginning. . .
They Rise. . .
Out of the flooded streets of Houston, they emerge from plague-ridden waters. Dead. Rotting. Hungry. And as human survivors scramble to their rooftops for safety, the zombie hordes circle like sharks. The ultimate killing machines.
They Feed. . .
Houston is quarantined to halt the spread of the zombie plague. Anyone trying to escape is shot on sight--living and dead. Emergency Ops sergeant Eleanor Norton has her work cut out for her. Salvaging boats and gathering explosives, Eleanor and her team struggle to maintain order. But when civilization finally breaks down, the feeding frenzy begins.
They Multiply. . .
Biting, gnawing, feasting--but always craving more--the flesheaters increase their ranks every hour. With doomsday looming, Eleanor must focus on the people she loves--her husband and daughter--and a band of other survivors adrift in zombie-infested waters. If she can't bring them into the quarantine zone, they're all dead meat.
They Rise. . .
Out of the flooded streets of Houston, they emerge from plague-ridden waters. Dead. Rotting. Hungry. And as human survivors scramble to their rooftops for safety, the zombie hordes circle like sharks. The ultimate killing machines.
They Feed. . .
Houston is quarantined to halt the spread of the zombie plague. Anyone trying to escape is shot on sight--living and dead. Emergency Ops sergeant Eleanor Norton has her work cut out for her. Salvaging boats and gathering explosives, Eleanor and her team struggle to maintain order. But when civilization finally breaks down, the feeding frenzy begins.
They Multiply. . .
Biting, gnawing, feasting--but always craving more--the flesheaters increase their ranks every hour. With doomsday looming, Eleanor must focus on the people she loves--her husband and daughter--and a band of other survivors adrift in zombie-infested waters. If she can't bring them into the quarantine zone, they're all dead meat.
401 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
59 people are currently reading
1642 people want to read
About the author
Joe McKinney
112 books667 followersJoe McKinney has been a patrol officer for the San Antonio Police Department, a homicide detective, a disaster mitigation specialist, a patrol commander, and a successful novelist. His books include the four part Dead World series, Quarantined and Dodging Bullets. His short fiction has been collected in The Red Empire and Other Stories and Dating in Dead World and Other Stories. For more information go to http://joemckinney.wordpress.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
January 15, 2023
Flesh Eaters is a shocker and quite different from what I have experienced up til now in the genre (and I have gone through quite a few.) The ceaseless action and breakneck pace had me holding on to my armrests with anticipation - and dreading its conclusion.
Narrator Tom McLaren continues to amaze!
Narrator Tom McLaren continues to amaze!
December 1, 2025
"Resplendent in his testosterone laden maleness"
This man is so trans it hurts, there's no other reason you would tell me about the testosterone of this perfect hunk of man, he's gloriously trans, that's my head canon and I will stick by it. There were a few such funny turn of phrases.
The writing style is of its time but it wasn't something that really got in the way considering hour non-stop the action was. Some scenes were really quite powerful too.
It read like a fairly plausible zombpoc too so I was absolutely here for it.
It's in the middle of a series but I didn't know that before I came to add it here and it read as a standalone story just fine.
This man is so trans it hurts, there's no other reason you would tell me about the testosterone of this perfect hunk of man, he's gloriously trans, that's my head canon and I will stick by it. There were a few such funny turn of phrases.
The writing style is of its time but it wasn't something that really got in the way considering hour non-stop the action was. Some scenes were really quite powerful too.
It read like a fairly plausible zombpoc too so I was absolutely here for it.
It's in the middle of a series but I didn't know that before I came to add it here and it read as a standalone story just fine.
October 11, 2016
When I picked up this book, labelled as book 3 in Joe McKinney's Dead World series, I had no idea it was actually a prequel to the series. Once I'd got my head around the fact that I'd hopped back in time a couple of years, I started enjoying this one just as much as the first two.
Well, almost as much.
Flesh Eaters has characters that are as engaging as in the second book, is as relentlessly action-packed as the first book and is as stomach-churningly gory as any zombie fan could possibly want.
The reason I couldn't bring myself to give it four stars (as I did the first two books in the series) is because I saw the ending coming a mile away! I honestly predicted how the book would end as early as chapter three.
Still, it remains a fun read and certainly hasn't put me off continuing with this series.
Well, almost as much.
Flesh Eaters has characters that are as engaging as in the second book, is as relentlessly action-packed as the first book and is as stomach-churningly gory as any zombie fan could possibly want.
The reason I couldn't bring myself to give it four stars (as I did the first two books in the series) is because I saw the ending coming a mile away! I honestly predicted how the book would end as early as chapter three.
Still, it remains a fun read and certainly hasn't put me off continuing with this series.
November 1, 2011
I liked the premise that the series of hurricanes leads to the zombie-like plague, and thought it was an interesting spin to use the aftermath of the hurricanes as a backdrop to a zombie story, but the writing was terrible. I hated the voice of the woman protagonist, Eleanor. I think this writer just isn't skilled at capturing the female voice, and the whole angle of her difficulties with her teenage daughter did nothing for me. Also, the morality of all of the characters is all over the place. We are led to believe that her boss may be willing to do certain things to provide for his family, but that behind this he does still have a code. We are led to believe that Eleanor has a very strong sense of integrity. By the end of the story, I was baffled by the behavior of all of the characters. I also got the impression that as the writer got nearer to completing this book, he started to rush through the process and the writing just tanks. That's also when all the characters begin behaving "out of character."
I didn't expect this book to be great lit, but I was hoping for at least a nail biter. McKinney didn't deliver.
I didn't expect this book to be great lit, but I was hoping for at least a nail biter. McKinney didn't deliver.
July 11, 2012
McKinney won the 2011 Bram Stoker Award for this third volume of his Dead Flesh Trilogy. If these three books were conceived as a trilogy they have one of the more interesting chronologies of any trilogy I have run across. Dead City takes place in a single night in San Antonio, Texas. It's the night that the infection that is tearing apart Houston, Texas, first reaches this city slightly further north. Apocalypse of the Dead starts in Houston a couple of years after the initial infection. A band of survivors breaks through the quarantine wall and starts north. Other groups start north from Florida. Mississippi, and the western states. It is more of an adventure store with zombies than the prolonged horror movie of McKinney's first outing.
Flesh Eaters drops back in time to Houston preparing for the hurricanes that will cause the toxic chemical cocktail and environmental chaos that initiates the hemmoraghic virus that produces the zombies. Eleanor Norton, who works for the Houston Police Department's Emergency Operations Command, is with her husband and twelve-year-old daughter preparing for the storm. In one of the best scenes he has yet written, McKinney describes Eleanor's efforts during the storm to cross her street and rescue an elderly neighbor whose home is literally coming apart.
This chaotic scene not only sets up the panic and destruction that will continue for the next 400 pages, it also makes a apt counterpoint to the eerie calm of the flooded neighborhood the following morning. One of Eleanor's co-workers comes to her house in a bass boat to carry her to work.
There is a tedious inevitability to zombie stories. Early sightings, disbelief, rapid infection, gut pulling and leg munching, people trapped in attics, churches, hospitals, you name it. Is there a great zombie novel already out there or waiting to be written? I don't know. But with Flesh Eaters McKinney proves himself to be a practitioner who is hitting his stride, creating believable characters whose moral strengths will be tested by this spectacular worst case scenario. There are both predictable and surprising villains in the story, and a little girl who is not just on hand to be put gratuitously at peril. She becomes an interesting person as the story develops. And the ending has enough moral ambiguity about it to leave you with questions to ask yourself, and not just the old standby. "Won't they just get eaten the next time?"
Flesh Eaters drops back in time to Houston preparing for the hurricanes that will cause the toxic chemical cocktail and environmental chaos that initiates the hemmoraghic virus that produces the zombies. Eleanor Norton, who works for the Houston Police Department's Emergency Operations Command, is with her husband and twelve-year-old daughter preparing for the storm. In one of the best scenes he has yet written, McKinney describes Eleanor's efforts during the storm to cross her street and rescue an elderly neighbor whose home is literally coming apart.
A loud crack to her right snapped her out of the moment and she turned in time to see a large limb from one of Ms. Hester's pecan trees come crashing down onto the corner of her house. It twisted in the wind, sagged, then scraped down the side of the house... But the tree didn't stop moving. Its dense cluster of leaves caught the wind like a sail and pulled down the length of the house, tearing down a section of wall as it tumbled away from the approaching storm...Eleanor climbed over the jagged fragment of kitchen wall...Water was pooling on the living room floor and dripping down the walls...An upside down recliner was against the back wall of the living room...From behind her she heard a loud snap, followed by the sound of walls ripping apart...The house was buckling, the timber inside the walls snapping like bones as the floor shuddered beneath her feet,
This chaotic scene not only sets up the panic and destruction that will continue for the next 400 pages, it also makes a apt counterpoint to the eerie calm of the flooded neighborhood the following morning. One of Eleanor's co-workers comes to her house in a bass boat to carry her to work.
There is a tedious inevitability to zombie stories. Early sightings, disbelief, rapid infection, gut pulling and leg munching, people trapped in attics, churches, hospitals, you name it. Is there a great zombie novel already out there or waiting to be written? I don't know. But with Flesh Eaters McKinney proves himself to be a practitioner who is hitting his stride, creating believable characters whose moral strengths will be tested by this spectacular worst case scenario. There are both predictable and surprising villains in the story, and a little girl who is not just on hand to be put gratuitously at peril. She becomes an interesting person as the story develops. And the ending has enough moral ambiguity about it to leave you with questions to ask yourself, and not just the old standby. "Won't they just get eaten the next time?"
February 26, 2013
2.5 stars.
I know I've read this book before so I'm not sure why there's no goodreads review of it.
Anyway.
The problems I have with the book are mostly character based.
Shaw does everything he can to save those under his care and stresses the importance of family. But then at the end he basically abandons them. I also don't think his reason for wanting to get Eleanor at the end felt right. I would get him going after her for shooting his boy but wanting to get her for knowing about the theft didn't feel like it was explained quite the right way. She is a danger to his family but it's not given sufficient weight.
It also didn't feel right to me that Shaw doesn't feel any remorse at all about attempting to kill someone under his command. That should be a repudation of everything he stood for.
The Eleanor is weak thing at the end didn't make sense to me either. It's true she's (rightfully) afraid of the hurricanes in the beginning of the book. But she's not just cowering in fear. She has a concrete plan of action and emergency preparedness kits for her family. She goes out into the storm to rescue their neighbor. Later on she saves her husband who had confronted a dangerous drug addict by himself (and he resents her superior ability to act in a dangerous situation). Basically she's portrayed as a strong but flawed person. Then suddenly at the end Shaw is constantly thinking of her as weak and decides she's somehow changed. Her husband also thinks she's changed and somehow no longer resents it.
And then there's the part where she takes time in the middle of a zombie outbreak to investigate her boss' son acting suspiciously instead of helping people through the checkpoint even though if they don't make it they'll be zombie chow.
And on top of that, it's obviously bad for the Shaws to steal from the bank but somehow it's cool that she then steals it from them for her family. Apparently her theory of justice is that two wrongs make a right. Or something.
I know I've read this book before so I'm not sure why there's no goodreads review of it.
Anyway.
The problems I have with the book are mostly character based.
Shaw does everything he can to save those under his care and stresses the importance of family. But then at the end he basically abandons them. I also don't think his reason for wanting to get Eleanor at the end felt right. I would get him going after her for shooting his boy but wanting to get her for knowing about the theft didn't feel like it was explained quite the right way. She is a danger to his family but it's not given sufficient weight.
It also didn't feel right to me that Shaw doesn't feel any remorse at all about attempting to kill someone under his command. That should be a repudation of everything he stood for.
The Eleanor is weak thing at the end didn't make sense to me either. It's true she's (rightfully) afraid of the hurricanes in the beginning of the book. But she's not just cowering in fear. She has a concrete plan of action and emergency preparedness kits for her family. She goes out into the storm to rescue their neighbor. Later on she saves her husband who had confronted a dangerous drug addict by himself (and he resents her superior ability to act in a dangerous situation). Basically she's portrayed as a strong but flawed person. Then suddenly at the end Shaw is constantly thinking of her as weak and decides she's somehow changed. Her husband also thinks she's changed and somehow no longer resents it.
And then there's the part where she takes time in the middle of a zombie outbreak to investigate her boss' son acting suspiciously instead of helping people through the checkpoint even though if they don't make it they'll be zombie chow.
And on top of that, it's obviously bad for the Shaws to steal from the bank but somehow it's cool that she then steals it from them for her family. Apparently her theory of justice is that two wrongs make a right. Or something.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2021
I read a few of McKinney's earlier zombie novels and liked them, and then picked up FE in a box of books at a tag sale. FE turns out to be a prequel to his zombie series, describing how the original zombie manifestation kicked off. A fun and fast read; there is nothing too deep here to be sure, buts lots of action and some decent main characters-- this would make a great B movie!
The story centers on Eleanor, a sergeant in Emergency Operations in Houston, and her immediate commanding officer Shaw. A week or so before the story starts, a major hurricane is threatening Houston, but ends up being just a tropical storm by landfall. Millions of people had evacuated and returned home frustrated and pissed. Then, another major is predicted to hit, but this time most people decide to just ride it out. Big mistake! The hurricane hits and the winds and storm surge do a major number on Houston; McKinney does a great job here on the impacts. Unfortunately, four more majors arrive in the next few weeks and totally destroy much of Houston, leaving pockets of survivors stranded amid the toxic floodwaters (chemicals, oil, you name it).
Eleanor's husband and teenage daughter are parked at their house, which thankfully survived, but now exists largely as an island. Shaw, her boss, commandeered the University of Houston's campus for about 80 thousand survivors, but they have no food, medicine, water and are dying in droves. The Feds start to help with evacuations, but quickly realize that some nasty virus plagues some of the survivors, one that turns them into, you guessed it, flesh eating zombies! Among the general chaos, McKinney gives us some intrigue as Shaw formulates his escape plans, and Eleanor just wants to get her family out of danger.
FE is a nice edition to the zombie genre, a genre that is very crowded with mediocrity however. The fast pacing and action really move this along, ultimately producing a fun read, but not one that will tire your brain or leave a lasting impression. 3.5 stars rounding down due the ending.
The story centers on Eleanor, a sergeant in Emergency Operations in Houston, and her immediate commanding officer Shaw. A week or so before the story starts, a major hurricane is threatening Houston, but ends up being just a tropical storm by landfall. Millions of people had evacuated and returned home frustrated and pissed. Then, another major is predicted to hit, but this time most people decide to just ride it out. Big mistake! The hurricane hits and the winds and storm surge do a major number on Houston; McKinney does a great job here on the impacts. Unfortunately, four more majors arrive in the next few weeks and totally destroy much of Houston, leaving pockets of survivors stranded amid the toxic floodwaters (chemicals, oil, you name it).
Eleanor's husband and teenage daughter are parked at their house, which thankfully survived, but now exists largely as an island. Shaw, her boss, commandeered the University of Houston's campus for about 80 thousand survivors, but they have no food, medicine, water and are dying in droves. The Feds start to help with evacuations, but quickly realize that some nasty virus plagues some of the survivors, one that turns them into, you guessed it, flesh eating zombies! Among the general chaos, McKinney gives us some intrigue as Shaw formulates his escape plans, and Eleanor just wants to get her family out of danger.
FE is a nice edition to the zombie genre, a genre that is very crowded with mediocrity however. The fast pacing and action really move this along, ultimately producing a fun read, but not one that will tire your brain or leave a lasting impression. 3.5 stars rounding down due the ending.
October 20, 2024
Book 3 in the Dead World Series is just as action packed and fun as the first two! I took away one star because a couple of things about the characters motives and values seemed to change later in the story.
Captain Shaw was a man bound by his honor and duty as a police officer. This is repeated through the book. Then when Elenor, an officer under his command, finds out about the money him and his sons have stolen, he is more than willing to kill her to hide the fact. Not only that, he wanted to steal the money to begin with.
Eleanor confronts Anthony Shaw when she finds out they have stolen the money and is ready to turn him in and dispose of the money. At the end of the book she has no problem keeping the money for her and her family. So both of the these characters just seem to change for no apparent reason other than to drive the story?
In the end though, this books is just a really good time. The couple of character flaws I mentioned don’t hold the book back. All the additional characters are great and fun to get to know. There is so much fun zombie nastiness and lots of tense moments. I can’t wait to read book 4!
Captain Shaw was a man bound by his honor and duty as a police officer. This is repeated through the book. Then when Elenor, an officer under his command, finds out about the money him and his sons have stolen, he is more than willing to kill her to hide the fact. Not only that, he wanted to steal the money to begin with.
Eleanor confronts Anthony Shaw when she finds out they have stolen the money and is ready to turn him in and dispose of the money. At the end of the book she has no problem keeping the money for her and her family. So both of the these characters just seem to change for no apparent reason other than to drive the story?
In the end though, this books is just a really good time. The couple of character flaws I mentioned don’t hold the book back. All the additional characters are great and fun to get to know. There is so much fun zombie nastiness and lots of tense moments. I can’t wait to read book 4!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2011
Joe Mckinney is an amazing writer! This Dead City series is spectacular! There are not enough exclamation points to say how much I love this book and series.
I like that the first two books started in the middle of things. The hurricanes had already happened, Zombies were already walking around. I liked that none of the first two books was an origin story. That left the way open for this one, which shows how it all started. That what makes this book work so well, it's that we already know how things turn out. There isn't going to be a happy ending. It adds a level of depth that wouldn't have been available if this had been the first in the series. You're rooting for the characters to make it out of Houston, but we know that even if they make it, it's gonna get worse pretty soon. If they make it out, they've only got more struggles ahead of them. It works brilliantly.
The book is as fast paced as the previous ones. At times I almost imagine McKinney typing at a furious pace to keep up with the action. If it were an audio book I'd imagine the reader running out of breath. You can feel the relentless nature of the zombies by his prose. You feel the tension and fear that the characters feel. You ask yourself not, "will they make it out", but "would I make it out?"
Equally amazing is that McKinney, again, manages to weave strong emotional stories among all the thrills and chills. This book is ultimately about, "what would you do for your family?" You have a mother and a father from two separate families fighting, sometimes literally, to get their families to safety. You feel for both characters even as you may not agree with their decisions. Their pain and struggles come through. All the characters again feel really "real".
If you love Zombies, or just good fiction, you should read this book.
I like that the first two books started in the middle of things. The hurricanes had already happened, Zombies were already walking around. I liked that none of the first two books was an origin story. That left the way open for this one, which shows how it all started. That what makes this book work so well, it's that we already know how things turn out. There isn't going to be a happy ending. It adds a level of depth that wouldn't have been available if this had been the first in the series. You're rooting for the characters to make it out of Houston, but we know that even if they make it, it's gonna get worse pretty soon. If they make it out, they've only got more struggles ahead of them. It works brilliantly.
The book is as fast paced as the previous ones. At times I almost imagine McKinney typing at a furious pace to keep up with the action. If it were an audio book I'd imagine the reader running out of breath. You can feel the relentless nature of the zombies by his prose. You feel the tension and fear that the characters feel. You ask yourself not, "will they make it out", but "would I make it out?"
Equally amazing is that McKinney, again, manages to weave strong emotional stories among all the thrills and chills. This book is ultimately about, "what would you do for your family?" You have a mother and a father from two separate families fighting, sometimes literally, to get their families to safety. You feel for both characters even as you may not agree with their decisions. Their pain and struggles come through. All the characters again feel really "real".
If you love Zombies, or just good fiction, you should read this book.
February 20, 2013
A zombie story that knows what zombie stories should be about.
This story is not about zombies. It's not about blood and guts, it's not even about a devastating set of storms that flood southern Texas and reshape the Gulf of Mexico seaboard. It HAS all those things, but it isn't ABOUT them.
What it is about, first and foremost, is people.
Far too many writers of horror in general, and zombie stories in particular, think that the horror comes from the situation, and so they splash gore and foul language and viscera about with abandon, never understanding that horror only succeeds when it is happening TO someone that the readers care about. Joe McKinney never makes that mistake. In this unflinchingly terrifying book, the zombies are merely one more in a set of terrible obstacles that face both families and villains, heroes and scum. Indeed, even without the zombies this book would have been frightful, because the reader is made to understand what makes the characters tick, and then McKinney slowly puts those characters through purposeful paces. Some of the people unravel, some of them rise above tragedy to blossom into beauty. But the reader CARES about all of them.
This book is also horrifying in its scope. Though rooted in the experiences of certain individuals and groups, it is a truly apocalyptic tale. Like King's THE STAND and McCammon's SWAN SONG, the book is one about an entire world entering a serious and permanent change. It is the kind of book that puts you into its situations so fully that you find your heart racing, your breath coming in shallow gasps as you become an eyewitness to a paradigm shift in culture, in geography, in civilization itself. You can't help but wonder if you would be a survivor in such a scenario... or if you'd even WANT to be one.
Though there is gore enough to satisfy any zombie aficionado, though ribs snap and blood flows, though teeth gnash and chomp on innocent and guilty alike, the visceral thrills are handled carefully - even clinically at times - which only serves to intensify the fright as the reader is forced to participate in imagining what it would be like to live in (and hopefully through) a zombie apocalypse.
As a horror writer myself, it's doubly hard for me to just sink in and enjoy a good scary book, because all too often I am admiring (or irritated by) the author's words, the author's style, the author's particular voice. In this case, I simply forgot myself in a great tale, and spent a few long nights cramming in "just one more chapter."
All in all, this is a wonderful book. McKinney won a Bram Stoker award for Best Novel in 2012 for FLESH EATERS. For my money, it was well deserved.
This story is not about zombies. It's not about blood and guts, it's not even about a devastating set of storms that flood southern Texas and reshape the Gulf of Mexico seaboard. It HAS all those things, but it isn't ABOUT them.
What it is about, first and foremost, is people.
Far too many writers of horror in general, and zombie stories in particular, think that the horror comes from the situation, and so they splash gore and foul language and viscera about with abandon, never understanding that horror only succeeds when it is happening TO someone that the readers care about. Joe McKinney never makes that mistake. In this unflinchingly terrifying book, the zombies are merely one more in a set of terrible obstacles that face both families and villains, heroes and scum. Indeed, even without the zombies this book would have been frightful, because the reader is made to understand what makes the characters tick, and then McKinney slowly puts those characters through purposeful paces. Some of the people unravel, some of them rise above tragedy to blossom into beauty. But the reader CARES about all of them.
This book is also horrifying in its scope. Though rooted in the experiences of certain individuals and groups, it is a truly apocalyptic tale. Like King's THE STAND and McCammon's SWAN SONG, the book is one about an entire world entering a serious and permanent change. It is the kind of book that puts you into its situations so fully that you find your heart racing, your breath coming in shallow gasps as you become an eyewitness to a paradigm shift in culture, in geography, in civilization itself. You can't help but wonder if you would be a survivor in such a scenario... or if you'd even WANT to be one.
Though there is gore enough to satisfy any zombie aficionado, though ribs snap and blood flows, though teeth gnash and chomp on innocent and guilty alike, the visceral thrills are handled carefully - even clinically at times - which only serves to intensify the fright as the reader is forced to participate in imagining what it would be like to live in (and hopefully through) a zombie apocalypse.
As a horror writer myself, it's doubly hard for me to just sink in and enjoy a good scary book, because all too often I am admiring (or irritated by) the author's words, the author's style, the author's particular voice. In this case, I simply forgot myself in a great tale, and spent a few long nights cramming in "just one more chapter."
All in all, this is a wonderful book. McKinney won a Bram Stoker award for Best Novel in 2012 for FLESH EATERS. For my money, it was well deserved.
July 4, 2011
A fast paced action novel about survivors of a hurricane in Houston, Texas that not only have to deal with the destruction of their town after the storm hit but also have to escape from man eating zombies that came out of nowhere.
This book was well written. However, the story was very surface level and played out exaclty like the movie would. There was no depth to the characters and they each thought they were better than each other and had better morals only to discover that they were just as selfish and greedy as the next person. They looked down on other people that were trying to escape the area, hoarding money, or looting. They even risked their lives and their family's lives to stick up for what was right. But then at the first chance they can get, they turn around and do the same things that they had just fought against. There was no consistency in the behavior of the characters. So there was noone you were rooting for.
There was no explanation of why people became zombies and there was no resolution to the story. They didn't kill all the zombies and triumph and save their town. They just left and avoided the National Guard so they could get away with stealing millions of dollars. Maybe these people deserved to be eaten by the zombies. In the end, that is what I wanted to happen.
This book was well written. However, the story was very surface level and played out exaclty like the movie would. There was no depth to the characters and they each thought they were better than each other and had better morals only to discover that they were just as selfish and greedy as the next person. They looked down on other people that were trying to escape the area, hoarding money, or looting. They even risked their lives and their family's lives to stick up for what was right. But then at the first chance they can get, they turn around and do the same things that they had just fought against. There was no consistency in the behavior of the characters. So there was noone you were rooting for.
There was no explanation of why people became zombies and there was no resolution to the story. They didn't kill all the zombies and triumph and save their town. They just left and avoided the National Guard so they could get away with stealing millions of dollars. Maybe these people deserved to be eaten by the zombies. In the end, that is what I wanted to happen.
August 3, 2017
This is a prequel to Joe McKinney's first 2 Dead World books, Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead. The story starts in Houston with storms brewing which will end up destroying the city and leading to the rise of the zombies who will then spread across the country, which the first 2 books explored.
The book follows two sets of characters as they struggle to survive in this new world of zombies. Their paths cross and there is a clash between them as their morals are tested in this horrific zombie nightmare. The pace is good, plenty of action and lots of blood and gore. Everything to expect from a zombie book.
I will be reading the last book in the Dead World series, Mutated, next and I am looking forward to finding out how this zombie saga will end.
The book follows two sets of characters as they struggle to survive in this new world of zombies. Their paths cross and there is a clash between them as their morals are tested in this horrific zombie nightmare. The pace is good, plenty of action and lots of blood and gore. Everything to expect from a zombie book.
I will be reading the last book in the Dead World series, Mutated, next and I am looking forward to finding out how this zombie saga will end.
November 3, 2011
Just finished Joe McKinney’s FLESH EATERS and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s Joe’s best work to date. The characters leap out of the page as real flesh and blood people. The apocalyptic setting of a drowned Houston is richly imagined and realistic. The plot’s cadence is perfect, with the pacing never flagging. Highly recommended.
March 26, 2024
Of the Joe McKinney zombie books this is my favorite so far. I'm glad we went back to the initial breakout. That's always the best part of a zombie story.
July 31, 2011
I don't usually bother to write reviews, but this book was such a disapointment that I just had to. After reading the first two books, I could hardy wait to read this one. But alas, here my own horror experience started...In the beginning it was ok, but about two thirds of the way through it became so irritating that I almost did not finish it. The main character was very weak and annoying - above all the way she acted in the end also very unbelievable. This is the first time I wished a main character would just die and go away! Joe McKinney is still a good writer, but with this one he missed the mark totally.
April 18, 2011
What's more fun that a couple of catagory 5 hurricanes, followed by zombie infestation and no help from the government? I was looking for something to hold me over while waiting for the next season of walking dead to start, when I lucked into this fast paced action packed zombie tale. I couldn't put it down.
November 7, 2015
This is probably my least favorite of the series so far. I didn't really care for any of the characters, and I didn't understand some of their actions. Pointless when in the middle of a zombie outbreak. I wish there would've been more zombie interaction and less human interaction.
January 16, 2020
Chronically this book happens before the first book.
I would have preferred to read it as the first I'm the series.
I would have preferred to read it as the first I'm the series.
January 20, 2016
Welcome to the first days of the zombie outbreak in the streets of Houston. Yes! Finally! There is nothing I love more than an outbreak story. The first days are always so chaotic. Nobody knows what’s happening. It’s terrifying. The world is changing. Characters are forced to adapt or die.
Flesh Eaters, book three in the Dead World series, brings the best elements of Dead City. At the same time, it takes one of the worst elements of Apocalypse of the Dead, the multiple point of view plot, and does it right.
The story follows Eleanor Norton, an emergency operations sergeant, as she helps the police department prep for the watery hell that Houston becomes after being slammed by five separate hurricanes.
Eleanor’s character allows a to see the disaster unfold from two separate vantage points. Her family, frightened and isolated, knows nothing but the inside of their home. Starving for the outside world and unknowing that the outside world is starving for their flesh, until the zombies are at their door. And from Eleanor’s place with emergency ops, she witnesses first-hand the devastation wrought upon its city and the survivors as whole. The struggle to get aid and evacuation, even before the city starts eating itself. And once it does weighty responsibility that comes with shepherding groups of survivors to safety.
The other main character is Captain Mark Shaw. His character development is a point of contention. Captain Shaw starts out as a strong leader. Desperate to help the people who have flocked to him for safety. He isn’t perfect but he wants to do what is right. To that end, he covers up the “cannibalism” that is spreading through Houston so that the true survivors will still be rescued. However, towards the end of the book he very suddenly changes. There are a few scenes I can see helping this change along, but I didn’t find them sufficient to cause a complete turnaround in his character.
The struggle of the people of Houston as they fight for their survival a horrific natural disaster and then their struggle as the dead rise from the city’s water logged remains is desperate, terrifying and entirely compelling.
Flesh Eaters, book three in the Dead World series, brings the best elements of Dead City. At the same time, it takes one of the worst elements of Apocalypse of the Dead, the multiple point of view plot, and does it right.
The story follows Eleanor Norton, an emergency operations sergeant, as she helps the police department prep for the watery hell that Houston becomes after being slammed by five separate hurricanes.
Eleanor’s character allows a to see the disaster unfold from two separate vantage points. Her family, frightened and isolated, knows nothing but the inside of their home. Starving for the outside world and unknowing that the outside world is starving for their flesh, until the zombies are at their door. And from Eleanor’s place with emergency ops, she witnesses first-hand the devastation wrought upon its city and the survivors as whole. The struggle to get aid and evacuation, even before the city starts eating itself. And once it does weighty responsibility that comes with shepherding groups of survivors to safety.
The other main character is Captain Mark Shaw. His character development is a point of contention. Captain Shaw starts out as a strong leader. Desperate to help the people who have flocked to him for safety. He isn’t perfect but he wants to do what is right. To that end, he covers up the “cannibalism” that is spreading through Houston so that the true survivors will still be rescued. However, towards the end of the book he very suddenly changes. There are a few scenes I can see helping this change along, but I didn’t find them sufficient to cause a complete turnaround in his character.
The struggle of the people of Houston as they fight for their survival a horrific natural disaster and then their struggle as the dead rise from the city’s water logged remains is desperate, terrifying and entirely compelling.
March 6, 2013
Ok, I am a massive horror fan and although I do try to see all the big budget horror that comes out in theaters, I ALWAYS read any horror I can get my hands on! In particularly stories with my preferred plot (ghost, end of the world, virus, zombies) if you can name it than I've probably read it, when it comes to horror. Clive Barker, Stephen King, Robert McCammom, Simon Clark are my heroes!! Unfortunately I read a bit too often and tend to run out of my faves, so that's when I go searching. Now a zombie novel is by rights gonna be cliche on the whole, it became the "in thing", so usually you read one you have read them all. Mr. McKinney knows how to take cliche and remind you why you don't care, cause his zombie novels give you everything you want and in the best way possible!! if your looking for a book that makes you want to plot the best route of escape, the right stuff to carry, and how best to dispense a zombie, this is it, thanks to the kick arse character development your right there with the survivors the whole way! I stumbled upon Joe McKinney at my local bookstore and since I couldn't find anything else I bought this book, I will always thank my prayers because Mr. McKinney is now in my list of favorite authors ! Mr. McKinney earned me as a fan and went to a list to sit with some epic men, as a fave, because of this book. From page one you go on a great thrill ride of survival and fighting your way through a land full of the dead. The fact that the character development is excellent, the plot is fast paced, and the writing is just straight up good, means if you like zombies and a well written book, then you will love this book!!! Sorry for the long reviews, been a passionate reader for about 32 yrs and only recently with the addition of an iPad and ebook to my life have I found an outlet to review the books and genre I love. Be thankful this stuff wasn't around 20 yrs ago when I found Mr. Barker. Read this book then go out and read the rest of Joe's zombie novels, they are worth every single penny!!!
May 31, 2012
3 AND 1/2 STARS
Joe McKinney is one of the fastest growing stars in the horror fiction scene. His extensive background in law enforcement gives him an edge in realism that is put to good use throughout his stories. His dialogue and action ring true and always feel natural. With Flesh Eaters, McKinney pools his considerable talent into a substantially entertaining horror/thriller novel involving America’s new favorite horror villain… the zombie.
This prequel to McKinney’s Dead City shows the origin and spread of the disease in Texas after a series of powerful hurricanes decimate the Houston area. The atmosphere and buildup to the zombie outbreak is nicely controlled, focusing at first on our cast of main characters. But when events rise above the boiling point, the story takes off at a deadly and furious pace.
The one thing that bugged me was the odd shift in the character of Captain Mark Shaw. His development from a man of dignity, honor, and one who wishes to uphold his family name to what eventually occurs did not feel honest or consistent. He wants to risk his life to save tens of thousands of strangers but doesn’t even blink at wanting to kill his colleague and friend? Did I miss something? That aside, except for a few too many coincidences here and there, and a handful of typos, Flesh Eaters is a fun and entertaining read, practically guaranteed to satisfy horror lovers and zombie fanatics alike. Conceptually, while there is nothing groundbreaking in Flesh Eaters, the story hits all the right elements for an impressive and gripping thrill-ride. Just think of it like a big budget Hollywood horror blockbuster.
Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing McKinney publish a signed, limited edition in the near future. It should sell well, especially with his quickly growing fan-base. Be sure to check out the author’s website to read all his books in chronological order, as the publisher jumped around in releasing them.
Joe McKinney is one of the fastest growing stars in the horror fiction scene. His extensive background in law enforcement gives him an edge in realism that is put to good use throughout his stories. His dialogue and action ring true and always feel natural. With Flesh Eaters, McKinney pools his considerable talent into a substantially entertaining horror/thriller novel involving America’s new favorite horror villain… the zombie.
This prequel to McKinney’s Dead City shows the origin and spread of the disease in Texas after a series of powerful hurricanes decimate the Houston area. The atmosphere and buildup to the zombie outbreak is nicely controlled, focusing at first on our cast of main characters. But when events rise above the boiling point, the story takes off at a deadly and furious pace.
The one thing that bugged me was the odd shift in the character of Captain Mark Shaw. His development from a man of dignity, honor, and one who wishes to uphold his family name to what eventually occurs did not feel honest or consistent. He wants to risk his life to save tens of thousands of strangers but doesn’t even blink at wanting to kill his colleague and friend? Did I miss something? That aside, except for a few too many coincidences here and there, and a handful of typos, Flesh Eaters is a fun and entertaining read, practically guaranteed to satisfy horror lovers and zombie fanatics alike. Conceptually, while there is nothing groundbreaking in Flesh Eaters, the story hits all the right elements for an impressive and gripping thrill-ride. Just think of it like a big budget Hollywood horror blockbuster.
Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing McKinney publish a signed, limited edition in the near future. It should sell well, especially with his quickly growing fan-base. Be sure to check out the author’s website to read all his books in chronological order, as the publisher jumped around in releasing them.
July 28, 2014
Flesh Eaters is the third novel in Joe McKinney’s Bram Stoker award winning series “Dead World.” In my review for his second novel in the series Apocalypse of The Dead I had written that I was afraid I had finally been “zombie out.” I am happy to report that with Flesh Eaters, Mr. McKinney has restored my faith in the zombie genre. This is one of the best “Traditional” zombie novels I have read in a long time. I consider a traditional zombie novel to be one at the onset of the zombie breakout. Unlike The Reapers Are The Angels by Alden Bell and The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan where the zombies are just an established part of life, Traditional Zombie books follow the concept set up by the “High Lord” of zombie lore, George Romero. Flesh Eaters most definitely falls into this category.
The outbreak falls in Houston TX in this installment of the series and follows two families, the Norton’s and the Shaw’s. Both are police families with members who are part of Houston Police Departments Emergency Operations Command. This seems to be the Texas version of FEMA. Eleanor Norton who works as an assistant to the head of the command, Captain Mark Shaw, her husband Jim and her daughter Madison form one family. The other is Captain Mark Shaw, with his adult sons Brent and Anthony Shaw, both police officers also.
For me these characters are what made this novel such a roaring success. It was amazing how deftly Mr. McKinney was able to show how the utter devastation of a person’s life changes them for the best and the worst. To watch these characters step up of collapse was a wonder and made this novel gouged and bludgeoned heads above others of the Traditional type, even Mr. McKinney’s previous novels. If this is examples of what is to come with this series, I want to read more.
The outbreak falls in Houston TX in this installment of the series and follows two families, the Norton’s and the Shaw’s. Both are police families with members who are part of Houston Police Departments Emergency Operations Command. This seems to be the Texas version of FEMA. Eleanor Norton who works as an assistant to the head of the command, Captain Mark Shaw, her husband Jim and her daughter Madison form one family. The other is Captain Mark Shaw, with his adult sons Brent and Anthony Shaw, both police officers also.
For me these characters are what made this novel such a roaring success. It was amazing how deftly Mr. McKinney was able to show how the utter devastation of a person’s life changes them for the best and the worst. To watch these characters step up of collapse was a wonder and made this novel gouged and bludgeoned heads above others of the Traditional type, even Mr. McKinney’s previous novels. If this is examples of what is to come with this series, I want to read more.
May 24, 2011
Stand back everyone! I have found a new reason to continue reading paranormal! Why have I procrastinated in reading books about Zombies? As if that cover is not creepy enough, the story left me with chills along the way as well.
I realize that this is the third book in a series, but I didn't care. I figured authors tend to recap things anyway. So I also figured if I liked how this story evolved, then I could always go back and read the first two as well. I have never heard of this author before, and frankly I was surprised at his writing. He does a wonderful job at his creative world, and the characters were great as well!
In this book you will find suspense in nearly every chapter, zombies that are not that hard to imagine in the future, destruction, and the gritty feel that is ever present in urban fantasy and end of the world imagination. I loved the characters and what each one of them brought to the story. If you are looking for a shocking and explosive read featuring the evil zombies of urban legends, this is the next series you need to read!
I realize that this is the third book in a series, but I didn't care. I figured authors tend to recap things anyway. So I also figured if I liked how this story evolved, then I could always go back and read the first two as well. I have never heard of this author before, and frankly I was surprised at his writing. He does a wonderful job at his creative world, and the characters were great as well!
In this book you will find suspense in nearly every chapter, zombies that are not that hard to imagine in the future, destruction, and the gritty feel that is ever present in urban fantasy and end of the world imagination. I loved the characters and what each one of them brought to the story. If you are looking for a shocking and explosive read featuring the evil zombies of urban legends, this is the next series you need to read!
March 29, 2016
Not as fast paced as the first book. I keep comparing to the first because the first book hit the ground running the first page. These last two, especially this one, the excitement doesn't start happening until later.
This book is the very beginning of the storms that hit Houston right before the infection starts and we get more info about the collapse of the local government and the beginning of the wall.
The writing was okay. He really is getting under my skin trying to sound intelligent by using words or phrases you've never hear of. Then you look it up only to find he has said it twice in the same sentence. Example: copse - a group of trees; he says a copse of trees. Sigh. Annoying. And it happens frequently.
Not a bad book, I still finished in a few days, but not the best.
This book is the very beginning of the storms that hit Houston right before the infection starts and we get more info about the collapse of the local government and the beginning of the wall.
The writing was okay. He really is getting under my skin trying to sound intelligent by using words or phrases you've never hear of. Then you look it up only to find he has said it twice in the same sentence. Example: copse - a group of trees; he says a copse of trees. Sigh. Annoying. And it happens frequently.
Not a bad book, I still finished in a few days, but not the best.
April 3, 2014
For a die hard zombie fan like me this book was tremendous fun. I hadn´t really considered "reading" Zombie fiction and made do with movies and tv series until I tried World War Z on vacation and realized that there might be some tremendous Zombie literature out there. Joe McKinney did not dissappoint. The story is well fleshed out with the main focus on the people and not the zombies just like it should and it absolutely never lets up, I was literally unable to put the book away on several occasions and finished it in short order.
May 12, 2015
This book was very raw and gory which made it difficult to read--in a good way. It was packed full of action and excitement and definitely delivers what zombie genre fans crave.
December 5, 2017
Bad writing! False moments. Could not get into it at all.
July 18, 2023
Joe McKinney's work stands on its own. I'd be lieing if I said any of his titles had achieved excellence, but most of them did hit a level comfortably above high average. As an author McKinney has that mixture of being good enough and unsung enough that I believe he has a review coming in addition to the usual smattering of stars.
This title is the third in a series, or is it? It isn't. It is both a prequel, and a stand alone narrative. Plainly speaking it is the strongest installment of the "Dead World" franchise that it is tangentially attached to. On completing it you will likely be fully satisfied without being baited, hooked or unfairly cajoled into reading further titles.
For this narrative the net is cast far and wide. A collection of hurricanes are doing its level best to turn Houston Texas into Venice. Meanwhile, a coterie of people who would be better served by singing O Sole Milo on a gondola with really tall topsides on it, have become aware of a stash of money abandoned and deemed lost by its owners and they intend to steal it. In this doubling calamity the dead emerge. Disaster, Crime Caper, and the dead. Something here is bound to grab you. These elements synergize very well with each other, none of them have to box each other out for space or have any undue effect on the pacing.
Joe McKinney was a cop in life. As an author so are all of his protagonists. They curmudgeon their way from one contest to another with a level of trepidacious stoicism that would verge on being Mary Sueish, if not for how clinically McKinney treated the subject matter. - This is his saving grace - Having handled many of the tools and weapons that preppers fantasize about, and having lived through the internecine violence endemic to certain life styles that dewy eyed authors often fantasize about, McKinney can write about many things with a perfunctory correctness. Violence, Sketchy situations and stand offs that authors untested by life often drown in or have resolved by "small miracles" are very well handled in a McKinney narrative.
Characters do not teleport, they do not drop their prize winning skittle collection and duck down to retrieve it just in time to dodge a snipers bullet. The water inside the titanic isn't warmer than the water outside of it, the main character is not best friends with ninjacowboyman and a cougar with a pituitary gland disorder ext. There is little to no shenaniganary in this narrative. Thats not to say that it was ever dour for longer than is required, in fact it wholly refused to embrace the idiot proof but cheap nihilism that a combined cop/zombie narrative easily could have had. The author for the benefit of everybody took pains not to strain your credulity any more than is strictly necessary.
I was very satisfied with this book, but it might have been because of how peculiar it was reading this back to back with Joe McKinney's earlier (and unrelated) "Quarantined." These books crib from each other. Almost to the point where this one occasionally feels like a do over, and there might be something to be seen in the evolution of a writer, in reading them back to back.
It is unfortunate that Joe McKinney died, at the ripe old age of fifty two, at what was the beginning of what looked to be a very promising career that should have lasted multiple decades. The penalty for not being an early bloomer is more severe for some people than others, but there is still something here worth reading.
This title is the third in a series, or is it? It isn't. It is both a prequel, and a stand alone narrative. Plainly speaking it is the strongest installment of the "Dead World" franchise that it is tangentially attached to. On completing it you will likely be fully satisfied without being baited, hooked or unfairly cajoled into reading further titles.
For this narrative the net is cast far and wide. A collection of hurricanes are doing its level best to turn Houston Texas into Venice. Meanwhile, a coterie of people who would be better served by singing O Sole Milo on a gondola with really tall topsides on it, have become aware of a stash of money abandoned and deemed lost by its owners and they intend to steal it. In this doubling calamity the dead emerge. Disaster, Crime Caper, and the dead. Something here is bound to grab you. These elements synergize very well with each other, none of them have to box each other out for space or have any undue effect on the pacing.
Joe McKinney was a cop in life. As an author so are all of his protagonists. They curmudgeon their way from one contest to another with a level of trepidacious stoicism that would verge on being Mary Sueish, if not for how clinically McKinney treated the subject matter. - This is his saving grace - Having handled many of the tools and weapons that preppers fantasize about, and having lived through the internecine violence endemic to certain life styles that dewy eyed authors often fantasize about, McKinney can write about many things with a perfunctory correctness. Violence, Sketchy situations and stand offs that authors untested by life often drown in or have resolved by "small miracles" are very well handled in a McKinney narrative.
Characters do not teleport, they do not drop their prize winning skittle collection and duck down to retrieve it just in time to dodge a snipers bullet. The water inside the titanic isn't warmer than the water outside of it, the main character is not best friends with ninjacowboyman and a cougar with a pituitary gland disorder ext. There is little to no shenaniganary in this narrative. Thats not to say that it was ever dour for longer than is required, in fact it wholly refused to embrace the idiot proof but cheap nihilism that a combined cop/zombie narrative easily could have had. The author for the benefit of everybody took pains not to strain your credulity any more than is strictly necessary.
I was very satisfied with this book, but it might have been because of how peculiar it was reading this back to back with Joe McKinney's earlier (and unrelated) "Quarantined." These books crib from each other. Almost to the point where this one occasionally feels like a do over, and there might be something to be seen in the evolution of a writer, in reading them back to back.
It is unfortunate that Joe McKinney died, at the ripe old age of fifty two, at what was the beginning of what looked to be a very promising career that should have lasted multiple decades. The penalty for not being an early bloomer is more severe for some people than others, but there is still something here worth reading.
November 20, 2019
Okay, thus far I have NOT been impressed by Joe McKinney's work. I'm sure he is excellent in law enforcement, of that I have no doubt. However his previous works of "Dead City" and "Apocalypse of the Dead," were both pretty lousy, so my expectations of this book weren't very high. But I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that this book was MUCH better than his previous books.
The author seemed to use the basic type of zombie in his book. The basic type being the re-animated corpse that has only the basic instinct of finding food and eating it, head shots killed them, they couldn't talk and couldn't use tools. I'm glad that he used this type, making your zombies talk or be able to use guns or drive cars is just stupid.
One thing that kinda bugged me is that this is his 3rd book about a law enforcement officer in the city of Houston and the effect that the zombie outbreak has on them and their family. I would think by now the author would want to change up his formula a bit.
Another complaint that I have is that the main character's job seems to constantly be changing. At first she seems to be detective. Then she talks about being a beat-cop, then she talks about working in violent crimes, and then in the sex crimes unit, I know cops can change their departments frequently but that was a little too extreme for my tastes.
Okay so let's get onto the nit-picking:
Page 4: The main character states that her family is "...still miserably broke." Yet both parents work, and one has a cop's salary and they own their own home.
Page 7: Yet they have enough money to put $200.00 each in three separate backpacks that are sitting in the closet in case of an emergency? Doesn't sound like they're hurt too bad for money if they can afford to do that.
Page 8: Okay, I know that a lot of parents like to say how "grown up" and "mature for her/his age" their kids are, but a 12 yr old is NOT a grown up. And she is NOT a "woman." I don't care how mature she acts, or that she's had her first period or that she's had the sex talk with mom and dad or that she's now talking like a valley girl. She's a KID. Kids at that age are moody, brooding, emotional hurricanes that love their parents at one moment and then wish them dead in the next breath. You know it and I know it, so why pretend they aren't? Also somewhere around here we are told that the father has been recently been referring to the 12 yr old as his "little girl." Yet he never does it in the book. So then why did the author bother bringing it up?
Page 10: A law enforcement agent is seriously considering killing someone out of rage? Also I didn't know that there was such a thing as "plywood screens," I always thought screens were wire mesh. If its just plywood then its' not a screen. Also how do they get "pulled down by gravity" when they are being pushed sideways by a human being?
Page 11: Eleanor (our main character) sees her elderly neighbor who is all alone and states that she has to go get her and make her safe because, "She's family." Ummm, no she isn't. She's your neighbor. Is she your mother? Your Mother in law? Your Sister? Your Aunt? Your Grandmother? Your cousin? No? Then she's not family, she a friend who lives across the street. Plus being that she is a secondary character in a zombie novel, I look forward to her eventual death and transformation into one of the living dead.
Page 62: The zombies FINALLY show up.
Page 80: "...her canoe floating in the water." Where did this canoe come from? She was always taking a motor boat before, where did this canoe magically come from? I don't mind if the author wants her to use a canoe instead of a motorboat, but at least establish her acquiring it.
Page 82: Where did this rifle magically come from? Seriouslly, it's just sorta there all of a sudden.
Page 84: Eleanor states that its been 11 days since the hurricanes started? How do you figure? I counted and it seems like it's only been about 3 days if I was reading the passage of night and day correctly. Again, I don't care if this much time has passed, but at least establish it believably in a narrative or something. Just having a character say it's been 11 days seems weird and makes me think that I've missed part of the story.
Page 174: Zombies can die from drowning? Huh, learn something new every day!
Page 182: Eclipse came out 16 years ago? Exactly when is this story taking place?
Page 187: The author drops the names of World War Z and The Walking Dead, kinda lame to be using those names to get other people to say out loud, "oh cool! I've read those books too!" But it still made me smile.
Page 318: The character of Captain Shaw is a little strange. His motivation is all over the place. At first he only cares about his family and making sure they have the money they stole so they will all be on easy street for the rest of their lives and to hell with anyone else or his duty! Then suddenly he drastically changes and he MUST uphold the honor of the name "Shaw" so that his sons will have something to be proud of. And he MUST get these refuges to safety and do his duty! Then later he changes again when Eleanor finds out he and his sons stole millions of dollars from a bank. Then suddenly Eleanor is an "evil bitch who MUST die," because she is standing between him and the money that he feels he and his family are entitled to!
Page 319: One of Shaw's sons kicked Eleanor's butt good and almost killed her and she retreats. She gets her family into a boat and they start to high tail it outta there when they come across the guy again. He is in a boat, blocks away, with his back to her and she thinks, "I can't stop him!" Ummm... so don't try to. Turn your boat around and go the other way. Also you have an M-16 in the boat with you, his back is to you, just pick it up and shoot him. He just tried to kill you a few pages ago, screw honor and just remove the immediate threat to you and your family. Why do you HAVE to go by him? Why do you HAVE to stop him and try to get the money back? Honestly what do you care if he has that money? What's more important, your sense of right and wrong or your family's safety?
Page 326: Shaw and his son see Eleanor and they chase her into a church and she thinks about the clothes she is wearing, "The red shirt would make her a sitting duck!" Ummm, so take it off. It's a life and death situation, your modesty can take a back seat to survival.
Page 327: Shaw and his son are such AWESOME SWAT officers but they can't hear someone vomiting 25 feet away? Also they can't tell the difference between the woman whom they've both known for like 10 years and who they just saw alive 2 minutes ago, and a headless rotting corpse that's been sitting in the water being chewed on by wild animals for 3 weeks? But it MUST be her! The guy who "invented SWAT" identified her "cuz she's got the same shirt on." I honestly hope he's never called on to pick anyone out of a line up with those skills.
Page 340: Captain Shaw is a police officer with the Houston PD, exactly when did HPD start getting their training from the FBI?
Page 344: M-16's are water-proof?
On the very last page our heroes have escaped Houston and it turns out that Eleanor or her daughter switched the bag with all the money in it with one of their survival backpacks and they all laugh about how easy life is going to be from now on. Okay so when someone else steals seven million dollars from a bank, you'll move heaven and Earth to stop them and uphold the law and do your duty, but when YOU steal that money it's okay and you'll have a good laugh about it? How exactly does that make sense?
This book is 389 pages long and frankly the last 70 pages just drag and they feel like they were written as an after-thought to the rest of the book. Honestly the book should have ended with the show-down at the fence. The author could have saved time and money, but I guess he wanted to have more padding for the story.
So even with these minor problems, this book is still a lot better than the author's previous work. If you like zombies or you weren't impressed by this author's previous work, you should check this out, it's much better than his previous attempts to write a zombie book.
The author seemed to use the basic type of zombie in his book. The basic type being the re-animated corpse that has only the basic instinct of finding food and eating it, head shots killed them, they couldn't talk and couldn't use tools. I'm glad that he used this type, making your zombies talk or be able to use guns or drive cars is just stupid.
One thing that kinda bugged me is that this is his 3rd book about a law enforcement officer in the city of Houston and the effect that the zombie outbreak has on them and their family. I would think by now the author would want to change up his formula a bit.
Another complaint that I have is that the main character's job seems to constantly be changing. At first she seems to be detective. Then she talks about being a beat-cop, then she talks about working in violent crimes, and then in the sex crimes unit, I know cops can change their departments frequently but that was a little too extreme for my tastes.
Okay so let's get onto the nit-picking:
Page 4: The main character states that her family is "...still miserably broke." Yet both parents work, and one has a cop's salary and they own their own home.
Page 7: Yet they have enough money to put $200.00 each in three separate backpacks that are sitting in the closet in case of an emergency? Doesn't sound like they're hurt too bad for money if they can afford to do that.
Page 8: Okay, I know that a lot of parents like to say how "grown up" and "mature for her/his age" their kids are, but a 12 yr old is NOT a grown up. And she is NOT a "woman." I don't care how mature she acts, or that she's had her first period or that she's had the sex talk with mom and dad or that she's now talking like a valley girl. She's a KID. Kids at that age are moody, brooding, emotional hurricanes that love their parents at one moment and then wish them dead in the next breath. You know it and I know it, so why pretend they aren't? Also somewhere around here we are told that the father has been recently been referring to the 12 yr old as his "little girl." Yet he never does it in the book. So then why did the author bother bringing it up?
Page 10: A law enforcement agent is seriously considering killing someone out of rage? Also I didn't know that there was such a thing as "plywood screens," I always thought screens were wire mesh. If its just plywood then its' not a screen. Also how do they get "pulled down by gravity" when they are being pushed sideways by a human being?
Page 11: Eleanor (our main character) sees her elderly neighbor who is all alone and states that she has to go get her and make her safe because, "She's family." Ummm, no she isn't. She's your neighbor. Is she your mother? Your Mother in law? Your Sister? Your Aunt? Your Grandmother? Your cousin? No? Then she's not family, she a friend who lives across the street. Plus being that she is a secondary character in a zombie novel, I look forward to her eventual death and transformation into one of the living dead.
Page 62: The zombies FINALLY show up.
Page 80: "...her canoe floating in the water." Where did this canoe come from? She was always taking a motor boat before, where did this canoe magically come from? I don't mind if the author wants her to use a canoe instead of a motorboat, but at least establish her acquiring it.
Page 82: Where did this rifle magically come from? Seriouslly, it's just sorta there all of a sudden.
Page 84: Eleanor states that its been 11 days since the hurricanes started? How do you figure? I counted and it seems like it's only been about 3 days if I was reading the passage of night and day correctly. Again, I don't care if this much time has passed, but at least establish it believably in a narrative or something. Just having a character say it's been 11 days seems weird and makes me think that I've missed part of the story.
Page 174: Zombies can die from drowning? Huh, learn something new every day!
Page 182: Eclipse came out 16 years ago? Exactly when is this story taking place?
Page 187: The author drops the names of World War Z and The Walking Dead, kinda lame to be using those names to get other people to say out loud, "oh cool! I've read those books too!" But it still made me smile.
Page 318: The character of Captain Shaw is a little strange. His motivation is all over the place. At first he only cares about his family and making sure they have the money they stole so they will all be on easy street for the rest of their lives and to hell with anyone else or his duty! Then suddenly he drastically changes and he MUST uphold the honor of the name "Shaw" so that his sons will have something to be proud of. And he MUST get these refuges to safety and do his duty! Then later he changes again when Eleanor finds out he and his sons stole millions of dollars from a bank. Then suddenly Eleanor is an "evil bitch who MUST die," because she is standing between him and the money that he feels he and his family are entitled to!
Page 319: One of Shaw's sons kicked Eleanor's butt good and almost killed her and she retreats. She gets her family into a boat and they start to high tail it outta there when they come across the guy again. He is in a boat, blocks away, with his back to her and she thinks, "I can't stop him!" Ummm... so don't try to. Turn your boat around and go the other way. Also you have an M-16 in the boat with you, his back is to you, just pick it up and shoot him. He just tried to kill you a few pages ago, screw honor and just remove the immediate threat to you and your family. Why do you HAVE to go by him? Why do you HAVE to stop him and try to get the money back? Honestly what do you care if he has that money? What's more important, your sense of right and wrong or your family's safety?
Page 326: Shaw and his son see Eleanor and they chase her into a church and she thinks about the clothes she is wearing, "The red shirt would make her a sitting duck!" Ummm, so take it off. It's a life and death situation, your modesty can take a back seat to survival.
Page 327: Shaw and his son are such AWESOME SWAT officers but they can't hear someone vomiting 25 feet away? Also they can't tell the difference between the woman whom they've both known for like 10 years and who they just saw alive 2 minutes ago, and a headless rotting corpse that's been sitting in the water being chewed on by wild animals for 3 weeks? But it MUST be her! The guy who "invented SWAT" identified her "cuz she's got the same shirt on." I honestly hope he's never called on to pick anyone out of a line up with those skills.
Page 340: Captain Shaw is a police officer with the Houston PD, exactly when did HPD start getting their training from the FBI?
Page 344: M-16's are water-proof?
On the very last page our heroes have escaped Houston and it turns out that Eleanor or her daughter switched the bag with all the money in it with one of their survival backpacks and they all laugh about how easy life is going to be from now on. Okay so when someone else steals seven million dollars from a bank, you'll move heaven and Earth to stop them and uphold the law and do your duty, but when YOU steal that money it's okay and you'll have a good laugh about it? How exactly does that make sense?
This book is 389 pages long and frankly the last 70 pages just drag and they feel like they were written as an after-thought to the rest of the book. Honestly the book should have ended with the show-down at the fence. The author could have saved time and money, but I guess he wanted to have more padding for the story.
So even with these minor problems, this book is still a lot better than the author's previous work. If you like zombies or you weren't impressed by this author's previous work, you should check this out, it's much better than his previous attempts to write a zombie book.
December 1, 2020
The third in the Dead World series is a prequel to the first two. You could read this first, but I think it actually makes sense to read this as the third novel. The main reason for this is that I think the survivors in this novel come to grips with, and understand, what's going on quicker than our main character in the first novel.
Overall, this is a good read. The action is good, although there are times where the flashbacks disrupt the action. I'm not a huge fan of flashbacks being used to describe a character's current behaviour. I think you can use other methods. While there are certainly characters you want to see live, and others you don't care if they die, by the end of the novel I was disappointed by certain characters. As a proposed end of the world scenario, this novel doesn't touch on other brilliant novels, such as The Stand - where the characters are complex.
Also, I think that the ending was predicable, from quite early on, which is disappointing. The novel basically played out like a movie - not altogether a good or bad thing - but I think it didn't do it any favours. I'd have liked a few unexpected twists, but all we have are events that could be foreseen after the first few chapters.
The scale of the story is good, and there a few threads not yet fully fleshed out, which makes me wonder if the fourth book will pick them up.
I think this series is worth a read, but I wouldn't return for a second bite.
Overall, this is a good read. The action is good, although there are times where the flashbacks disrupt the action. I'm not a huge fan of flashbacks being used to describe a character's current behaviour. I think you can use other methods. While there are certainly characters you want to see live, and others you don't care if they die, by the end of the novel I was disappointed by certain characters. As a proposed end of the world scenario, this novel doesn't touch on other brilliant novels, such as The Stand - where the characters are complex.
Also, I think that the ending was predicable, from quite early on, which is disappointing. The novel basically played out like a movie - not altogether a good or bad thing - but I think it didn't do it any favours. I'd have liked a few unexpected twists, but all we have are events that could be foreseen after the first few chapters.
The scale of the story is good, and there a few threads not yet fully fleshed out, which makes me wonder if the fourth book will pick them up.
I think this series is worth a read, but I wouldn't return for a second bite.
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