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★★★★★ "The best zombie book since World War Z" Award-winning series • 50,000+ readers • Newly revised edition
“I didn't see Rebecca die the second time.”
When 1,500 people die in Fall Creek's zombie outbreak—including his fiancée—bookseller David Blake becomes the sole survivor. His escape catches the attention of AEGIS, an elite military unit that's been secretly fighting the undead since 1873.
The truth is terrifying: walkers have been here for over a century. The government has been lying. And now the infection is evolving—turning victims in minutes instead of hours.
Recruited as a civilian consultant, David joins Major Kimberly Barnes and her squad of hardened soldiers. But as outbreaks multiply and humanity teeters on the edge, he discovers the walking dead might be the least of their problems.
“I didn't see Rebecca die the second time.”
When 1,500 people die in Fall Creek's zombie outbreak—including his fiancée—bookseller David Blake becomes the sole survivor. His escape catches the attention of AEGIS, an elite military unit that's been secretly fighting the undead since 1873.
The truth is terrifying: walkers have been here for over a century. The government has been lying. And now the infection is evolving—turning victims in minutes instead of hours.
Recruited as a civilian consultant, David joins Major Kimberly Barnes and her squad of hardened soldiers. But as outbreaks multiply and humanity teeters on the edge, he discovers the walking dead might be the least of their problems.
407 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2011
107 people are currently reading
1085 people want to read
About the author
Jason Kristopher
17 books42 followersJason Kristopher is the award-winning author terrifying readers with zombies in
The Dying of the Light
, thrilling them with 1940s noir in
Loco Moco
, and harrowing them with boy-meets-gryphon-meets-robot adventure in
When Iron Wakes
. With the love of his life and the dog that rescued him by his side, he plots his next traumatizing stories from Florida beaches.
Read more about Jason on his website and get exclusive early access to snippets, behind-the-scenes cool stuff on Patreon.
Read more about Jason on his website and get exclusive early access to snippets, behind-the-scenes cool stuff on Patreon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
April 17, 2017
For hundreds of years the US government has been covering up small zombie outbreaks but now larger outbreaks are happening and special zombie killing military squads are being set up and put on call for when they are needed. David was the sole survivor from his town Fall Creek and he joins as a civilian consultant, able to share his experiences to help in training. But as the situation deteriorates, the teams face more danger and the possibility that they might not win this war.
Isn't that just a great book cover? As soon as I saw it I knew it was about zombies and that I wanted to read it. The book follows David as he struggles to survive a zombie outbreak in his town, losing his fiancee' Rebecca. It is only the intervention of an armed military unit that saves his life, prompting the setting up of elite zombie fighting units. With nothing left in his town, David agrees to be a consultant on the first team, helping them to adapt their fighting skills based on what he saw and experienced.
We follow the progress of the team as they get to know each other and train, which is good for character development as we soon learn to care about these people. It makes things very tense when they start being sent out on small missions that often turn out to be more complicated and deadly than first thought. Zombies of course are not predictable in real life circumstances and the group soon witness this for themselves. They also have to face in fighting on the base when a prejudiced man on one team starts to cause problems when he discovers that another man is gay. I didn't enjoy seeing Reynolds, my favourite character, being verbally abused by this scumbag but this kind of prejudice is sadly too common in society as a whole.
The romance part of the plot is probably going to divide opinion. Those of you who follow my reviews know that I don't really like seeing romance in my zombie apocalypse when we could instead be focusing more on the zombies. Personally I didn't mind the romances in this book as I liked all of the characters. I think it was to be expected that this team who train together every day on base and then fight together, are going to have very strong emotional bonds to each other that sometimes flow over into physical relationships. I get that and I accepted it in the plot only because I liked the characters. It is very much a story about people, who happen to be doing a pretty extraordinary job.
There is an element of Day of the Dead about this, with a captive zombie being kept to assist in the training and research, something that very much divides opinion. We can see a bit of mad science going on and not everyone on the base is putting the welfare of the soldiers first. Would you like to be secured in a base where an actual zombie was being held? You know that these things never end well! The reader can also tell quite quickly that certain people involved in the military program are not to be trusted and that there is more going on with this plot than meets the eye. What exactly is going on and who is involved?
The teams become aware that each mission is getting more dangerous and the commanders indicate that they are going to lose control of the overall situation. All the teams can do is try to kill as many zombies as they can while the government prepares military bunkers for the chosen few to hole up in until it is deemed safe to come back out and deal with the aftermath. And as the ordinary people realise what is happening, they are getting ready to rebel. The element of a sort of countdown clock to oblivion adds a whole new element to the plot.
This book was a bit more complex than the usual gory zombie plot and I liked that it had a bit of depth, and that we really find the time to get to know the squad before they are sent out to tackle the zombies. That said, the zombie scenes are of the standard you would expect with a nice mix of tension and horror. There was plenty to like about this book and I look forward to the rest of the series.
Isn't that just a great book cover? As soon as I saw it I knew it was about zombies and that I wanted to read it. The book follows David as he struggles to survive a zombie outbreak in his town, losing his fiancee' Rebecca. It is only the intervention of an armed military unit that saves his life, prompting the setting up of elite zombie fighting units. With nothing left in his town, David agrees to be a consultant on the first team, helping them to adapt their fighting skills based on what he saw and experienced.
We follow the progress of the team as they get to know each other and train, which is good for character development as we soon learn to care about these people. It makes things very tense when they start being sent out on small missions that often turn out to be more complicated and deadly than first thought. Zombies of course are not predictable in real life circumstances and the group soon witness this for themselves. They also have to face in fighting on the base when a prejudiced man on one team starts to cause problems when he discovers that another man is gay. I didn't enjoy seeing Reynolds, my favourite character, being verbally abused by this scumbag but this kind of prejudice is sadly too common in society as a whole.
The romance part of the plot is probably going to divide opinion. Those of you who follow my reviews know that I don't really like seeing romance in my zombie apocalypse when we could instead be focusing more on the zombies. Personally I didn't mind the romances in this book as I liked all of the characters. I think it was to be expected that this team who train together every day on base and then fight together, are going to have very strong emotional bonds to each other that sometimes flow over into physical relationships. I get that and I accepted it in the plot only because I liked the characters. It is very much a story about people, who happen to be doing a pretty extraordinary job.
There is an element of Day of the Dead about this, with a captive zombie being kept to assist in the training and research, something that very much divides opinion. We can see a bit of mad science going on and not everyone on the base is putting the welfare of the soldiers first. Would you like to be secured in a base where an actual zombie was being held? You know that these things never end well! The reader can also tell quite quickly that certain people involved in the military program are not to be trusted and that there is more going on with this plot than meets the eye. What exactly is going on and who is involved?
The teams become aware that each mission is getting more dangerous and the commanders indicate that they are going to lose control of the overall situation. All the teams can do is try to kill as many zombies as they can while the government prepares military bunkers for the chosen few to hole up in until it is deemed safe to come back out and deal with the aftermath. And as the ordinary people realise what is happening, they are getting ready to rebel. The element of a sort of countdown clock to oblivion adds a whole new element to the plot.
This book was a bit more complex than the usual gory zombie plot and I liked that it had a bit of depth, and that we really find the time to get to know the squad before they are sent out to tackle the zombies. That said, the zombie scenes are of the standard you would expect with a nice mix of tension and horror. There was plenty to like about this book and I look forward to the rest of the series.
December 30, 2011
Full review on my blog: http://theaussiezombie.blogspot.com/
The Dying of the Light: End starts with a prologue about David, who I would consider to be the main character of the book and a run-down of some recent US zombie outbreaks and how they were contained by the military. Fast forward a year, and David is recruited into the secret military group that is responsible for containing and covering-up zombie outbreaks.
There is not a lot of zombie action in this book – the story is centered on the secret military group charged with keeping the outbreaks under wraps and the forming of their relationships, both positive and negative. Although the book is heavily militaristic in setting, it’s not an overkill of talking about tactics, guns and other weapons – these are all, naturally, mentioned and explained, but for the reader who (like me) doesn’t particularly enjoy this kind of stuff, there’s no skimming required as the information is kept to the necessary minimum. There’s also some information about the virus itself, which is interesting but not excessive.
The Dying of the Light: End, does read a little like a movie script – it reminded me of Starship Troopers to be honest, but with far less battle scenes. The dialogue is a little cheesy in some places, but not overly so, and the characters that should be likeable are, and the ones that shouldn’t be are not (no cheering on the baddies here). The POV does shift from David in the first person to other characters in the third person, which can be a little confusing.
There are some emotional scenes, one had me particularly misty-eyed, but the overall feeling of this book is that it is a set-up of characters and relationships for the next book. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re looking for a whole lot of zombie-killing brain-munching heart-skipping action, you may find this book slightly disappointing. I did like this one, quite a lot, and will be looking forward to the next book.
The Dying of the Light: End starts with a prologue about David, who I would consider to be the main character of the book and a run-down of some recent US zombie outbreaks and how they were contained by the military. Fast forward a year, and David is recruited into the secret military group that is responsible for containing and covering-up zombie outbreaks.
There is not a lot of zombie action in this book – the story is centered on the secret military group charged with keeping the outbreaks under wraps and the forming of their relationships, both positive and negative. Although the book is heavily militaristic in setting, it’s not an overkill of talking about tactics, guns and other weapons – these are all, naturally, mentioned and explained, but for the reader who (like me) doesn’t particularly enjoy this kind of stuff, there’s no skimming required as the information is kept to the necessary minimum. There’s also some information about the virus itself, which is interesting but not excessive.
The Dying of the Light: End, does read a little like a movie script – it reminded me of Starship Troopers to be honest, but with far less battle scenes. The dialogue is a little cheesy in some places, but not overly so, and the characters that should be likeable are, and the ones that shouldn’t be are not (no cheering on the baddies here). The POV does shift from David in the first person to other characters in the third person, which can be a little confusing.
There are some emotional scenes, one had me particularly misty-eyed, but the overall feeling of this book is that it is a set-up of characters and relationships for the next book. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re looking for a whole lot of zombie-killing brain-munching heart-skipping action, you may find this book slightly disappointing. I did like this one, quite a lot, and will be looking forward to the next book.
October 5, 2025
Jason Kristopher’s The Dying of the Light: End is a sharp, character-driven novel that masterfully weaves realism, emotion, and tension. Kristopher crafts his characters with such care that readers can’t help but become deeply invested in their fate.
At the center of the story is David Blake, whose life collapses when a sudden zombie outbreak wipes out 1,500 people—including his fiancée—in the quiet town of Fall Creek. His unlikely survival draws the attention of AEGIS, a covert ops unit that has been combating the undead since the 19th century. Members of AEGIS came from various units and services. AEGIS and its members are the front-line defense against the most fearsome enemy that their world has ever known. Tasked with dealing with walkers, the team plunges into a relentless battle where military precision meets pure survival instinct.
The novel truly shines in its believability. Kristopher anchors his apocalypse in logical realism and painstaking detail, making the horror feel chillingly possible. His prose is crisp and deliberate, and the emotional moments resonate—particularly as David’s grief and reluctant bravery echo universal fears of loss and endurance. Major Kimberly Barnes and her squad bring grit, complexity, and heart, while the camaraderie among characters provides an emotional anchor amid the chaos.
This is a story that lingers. Long after turning the final page, the characters, the tension, and the haunting world Kristopher has built stay vividly in your mind.
At the center of the story is David Blake, whose life collapses when a sudden zombie outbreak wipes out 1,500 people—including his fiancée—in the quiet town of Fall Creek. His unlikely survival draws the attention of AEGIS, a covert ops unit that has been combating the undead since the 19th century. Members of AEGIS came from various units and services. AEGIS and its members are the front-line defense against the most fearsome enemy that their world has ever known. Tasked with dealing with walkers, the team plunges into a relentless battle where military precision meets pure survival instinct.
The novel truly shines in its believability. Kristopher anchors his apocalypse in logical realism and painstaking detail, making the horror feel chillingly possible. His prose is crisp and deliberate, and the emotional moments resonate—particularly as David’s grief and reluctant bravery echo universal fears of loss and endurance. Major Kimberly Barnes and her squad bring grit, complexity, and heart, while the camaraderie among characters provides an emotional anchor amid the chaos.
This is a story that lingers. Long after turning the final page, the characters, the tension, and the haunting world Kristopher has built stay vividly in your mind.
December 25, 2025
Jason Kristopher delivers a dark, intelligent story that explores not just the end of civilization but the moral weight of surviving it.
The novel opens with raw emotional force, immediately pulling the reader into a world where the undead are not a sudden phenomenon, but the result of a long-buried scientific and governmental secret. What makes END stand out is its sweeping timeline: the narrative stretches from the 1800s through World War II and into modern-day America, revealing how outbreaks were repeatedly contained, covered up, and weaponized. This layered historical approach adds depth and realism.
David Blake is a deeply human protagonist whose personal loss grounds the larger catastrophe in genuine emotion. His grief, guilt, and determination make him relatable, even as the world around him collapses. Alongside him, the formation of AEGIS and the elite military teams introduces a strong tactical element. The military detail is sharp, clearly written by someone who understands strategy, hierarchy, and combat psychology.
END is a powerful opening to The Dying of the Light series—dark, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down.
The novel opens with raw emotional force, immediately pulling the reader into a world where the undead are not a sudden phenomenon, but the result of a long-buried scientific and governmental secret. What makes END stand out is its sweeping timeline: the narrative stretches from the 1800s through World War II and into modern-day America, revealing how outbreaks were repeatedly contained, covered up, and weaponized. This layered historical approach adds depth and realism.
David Blake is a deeply human protagonist whose personal loss grounds the larger catastrophe in genuine emotion. His grief, guilt, and determination make him relatable, even as the world around him collapses. Alongside him, the formation of AEGIS and the elite military teams introduces a strong tactical element. The military detail is sharp, clearly written by someone who understands strategy, hierarchy, and combat psychology.
END is a powerful opening to The Dying of the Light series—dark, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down.
September 16, 2014
This book is excellent, you immediately get sucked into the story and the characters, there are twists and turns and it manages to be based around military procedures without getting hung up on them or having to detail every last thing about the weapons and ammo as other books have done.
Trust me there is only so many times you want to read the same in-depth explanation of such and such gun/ammo - some books have ended up reading more like a firearms manual than fiction!
Upon finishing this book I have immediately purchased book 2 - I can't wait to see what happens next to the characters, with that said though I think I will read something else in-between, purely because I get so caught up in this book and what's happening that I end up reading until the very early hours of the morning (oh hello sunrise again
Trust me there is only so many times you want to read the same in-depth explanation of such and such gun/ammo - some books have ended up reading more like a firearms manual than fiction!
Upon finishing this book I have immediately purchased book 2 - I can't wait to see what happens next to the characters, with that said though I think I will read something else in-between, purely because I get so caught up in this book and what's happening that I end up reading until the very early hours of the morning (oh hello sunrise again
January 27, 2015
I'm glad I gave another freebie a go. It was an ok read I guess, I would probably even read the sequel. I didn't particularly like the writing style, maybe the reason is that this is the first book by this author, I don't know...I certainly hope it will improve. Some scenes were also a bit unbelievable, but who am I to judge. I obviously endured till the end. It was interesting for a change to read a book where you follow the downfall of the humanity, being overwhelmed by zombies. Usually you get into the story where the zombies are already there (or I was just lucky enough to bump into these books). All in all, it was an ok read and if I get a chance to read the sequel, I will...especially as it seems that this 2nd book was Top 5 Finalist in Kindle Book Review's “Best Indie Books of 2013” competition.
February 17, 2015
It was okay
I am sure it is not the book at fault for a 3 star rating. And I almost didn't rate it at all. This book was well written, had a good story. But I just did not care for all the military talk. The weapons didn't matter to me, either.
I hated Gardner the moment he entered the book, and that says something about the author. He manages to make his readers get emotionally involved.
I teared up at the end. I had to take a small break at each important death and I loved the main character and all the hell he went through. It was written very well.
I hated the jumping around in point of view in the same chapter. Sometimes i didn't know which character POV I was reading. After a few lines I could figure it out, then a few paragraphs later it changed again. If those were separated somehow, it would be a much better book.
I am sure it is not the book at fault for a 3 star rating. And I almost didn't rate it at all. This book was well written, had a good story. But I just did not care for all the military talk. The weapons didn't matter to me, either.
I hated Gardner the moment he entered the book, and that says something about the author. He manages to make his readers get emotionally involved.
I teared up at the end. I had to take a small break at each important death and I loved the main character and all the hell he went through. It was written very well.
I hated the jumping around in point of view in the same chapter. Sometimes i didn't know which character POV I was reading. After a few lines I could figure it out, then a few paragraphs later it changed again. If those were separated somehow, it would be a much better book.
August 23, 2025
The Review
I am a big fan of zombie apocalypse, dystopian-level horror novels, and this book was such a unique and compelling new direction to take the genre. Immediately, I was drawn into the massive world-building that the narrative takes, sharing a creative direction of taking the outbreak of zombies back hundreds of years, and showing the sudden evolution of the virus that brings about the apocalypse. How government agencies have tried to hide this outbreak for years added a fun conspiracy element to this horror thriller that will stay with readers.
The depth of character development really was the driving force behind this story. The chemistry between the two protagonists, David and Kim, and their individual losses and traumas from their experiences made this such an emotionally driven narrative, and it helps balance out the novel with the heavy action sequences and horror elements. The detail the author poured into this story, too, from the different outbreak classifications and military systems, to the differing types of zombies and how the virus reacts in other people, made this feel like a cinematic quality experience in novel form.
The Verdict
Intense, character-driven, and entertaining, author Jason Kristopher’s “END” is a must-read zombie horror meets conspiracy thriller novel and a grand first entry in the Dying of the Light series. The twists and turns the story takes, the heartfelt and emotional balance to the action, and the unique ending that is both bleak and yet hopeful in many ways, make this a compelling zombie horror novel to get lost in.
I am a big fan of zombie apocalypse, dystopian-level horror novels, and this book was such a unique and compelling new direction to take the genre. Immediately, I was drawn into the massive world-building that the narrative takes, sharing a creative direction of taking the outbreak of zombies back hundreds of years, and showing the sudden evolution of the virus that brings about the apocalypse. How government agencies have tried to hide this outbreak for years added a fun conspiracy element to this horror thriller that will stay with readers.
The depth of character development really was the driving force behind this story. The chemistry between the two protagonists, David and Kim, and their individual losses and traumas from their experiences made this such an emotionally driven narrative, and it helps balance out the novel with the heavy action sequences and horror elements. The detail the author poured into this story, too, from the different outbreak classifications and military systems, to the differing types of zombies and how the virus reacts in other people, made this feel like a cinematic quality experience in novel form.
The Verdict
Intense, character-driven, and entertaining, author Jason Kristopher’s “END” is a must-read zombie horror meets conspiracy thriller novel and a grand first entry in the Dying of the Light series. The twists and turns the story takes, the heartfelt and emotional balance to the action, and the unique ending that is both bleak and yet hopeful in many ways, make this a compelling zombie horror novel to get lost in.
August 25, 2022
Zombies have been done to death, even in 2011 when this book was released, so I was curious as to what angle this book was going to take. How to stand out in such a saturated market?
Well, it might not be a market I'm intimately familiar with, but Kristopher came up with an angle that was new to me: a zombie apocalypse that doesn't catch humanity with its pants down. In a world full of zombie tales that either detail the out-of-nowhere end of civilization or begin after civilization collapses altogether, starting the story before all of that—and presenting a civilization at least ostensibly ready to fight the zombie hordes—was an interesting angle. One might say it provided new life to a seemingly dead genre. (Okay, I'll stop with the zombie puns.)
It was a fun ride, and I'll definitely be reading the next installment.
Well, it might not be a market I'm intimately familiar with, but Kristopher came up with an angle that was new to me: a zombie apocalypse that doesn't catch humanity with its pants down. In a world full of zombie tales that either detail the out-of-nowhere end of civilization or begin after civilization collapses altogether, starting the story before all of that—and presenting a civilization at least ostensibly ready to fight the zombie hordes—was an interesting angle. One might say it provided new life to a seemingly dead genre. (Okay, I'll stop with the zombie puns.)
It was a fun ride, and I'll definitely be reading the next installment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2024
This was a very good book, indeed. There's a lot less zombie action than I was expecting, but still enough action here to please most people.
I particularly liked the start of the book, a little history lesson on the virus through the ages. For a while, I thought the whole book was going to be a zombie western, and how cool would that be? (I need to find that book. It's probably out there somewhere) Then we skip forward to "today", where we meet David, who's having a very bad day. He meets up with, and joins an army group. Training and missions follow, and we get to know the characters very well.
All in all, it's a great read. My only gripes are with an astronomically unlikely coincidence that occurs quite late in the book, which I think was totally unnecessary, although it could be explained and/or set up something in the sequels.
I particularly liked the start of the book, a little history lesson on the virus through the ages. For a while, I thought the whole book was going to be a zombie western, and how cool would that be? (I need to find that book. It's probably out there somewhere) Then we skip forward to "today", where we meet David, who's having a very bad day. He meets up with, and joins an army group. Training and missions follow, and we get to know the characters very well.
All in all, it's a great read. My only gripes are with an astronomically unlikely coincidence that occurs quite late in the book, which I think was totally unnecessary, although it could be explained and/or set up something in the sequels.
June 8, 2019
Hmmm...well, not great. The writing was off somehow, easy enough to follow, but annoying. The story had promise. I liked the idea of the plague being something the government tried to suppress for generations, I hated all the romance between “hardcore” military types. Like, what? And the dialogue between the couples was so cliche.
Eh, it was okay. If you want a better zombie story read Dead of Night by John Maberry. I’ve read the first book but haven’t started the second because it was rough for me in the end.
Eh, it was okay. If you want a better zombie story read Dead of Night by John Maberry. I’ve read the first book but haven’t started the second because it was rough for me in the end.
November 27, 2018
An great first book for this author, and a good introduction to the series. Some interesting ideas for the genre. I can't say that I like zombie stories, but this one has captured my full attention, having some basis in solid science facts woven into the fantasy. Well worth the read despite some of the cringeworthy editing issues.
September 5, 2019
More than just zombie fiction.
If I could, I would give this book seven stars out of five. It is one of the best written if not THE best written zombie fiction books that I have ever read. And I read them all. Mr. Kristopher is a true wordsmith. I felt I knew the charities personally when I was finished. Very well done Sir.
If I could, I would give this book seven stars out of five. It is one of the best written if not THE best written zombie fiction books that I have ever read. And I read them all. Mr. Kristopher is a true wordsmith. I felt I knew the charities personally when I was finished. Very well done Sir.
October 6, 2023
Excellent premise, Zombies have been here over 100 yrs. with the government covering up sitings. My problem was one, the cheesy writing. OMG!! And 2 the main character David seemed to be some sort of super Sensai. He had the best solution for every problem and issue. You would have hoped that someone thought more deeply about the issues before sending personnel out.
May 15, 2022
Not very well-written. Too many inconsistencies, characters making odd or contradictory decisions, and events that get mentioned and just get disposed off later without any real development along the way.
April 9, 2024
Very good read
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading the others in the series and have already started on book 2. I hope that it's as compelling as this one. I'll let you know
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading the others in the series and have already started on book 2. I hope that it's as compelling as this one. I'll let you know
June 4, 2017
Not a bad read if you dig the zombie genre. And currently free for Kindle readers as well, so you can't go wrong with giving it a shot.
January 25, 2019
A simple novel but a good one. An enjoyable read.
August 25, 2019
Definitely not the worst free book I've read.
February 18, 2020
HORRIFYING.GRIPPING. PHYCOLOGICAL-MINDJACK
February 8, 2024
I knew Jason many years ago. I was so excited to get his books. Each one of them did not disappoint. Military facts plus science fiction at its finest.
March 26, 2014
Where will you be when the world ends?
David Blake's world ends on a average day while sitting in the back room of his bookshop. The life he has built with his fiance Rachel and stepson Eric becomes nothing more than memories in a few hours. It through this tragedy he becomes acquainted with the US Army, and signs on to fight the newest threat to humanity: zombies. Blake is thrust into the world of tactics and weapons, finding that perhaps on the front lines is just where he belongs, not in a small town selling literature.
Kristopher created an interesting universe with his first novel The Dying of the Light: End. Zombies are a real threat, the governments are working together to save man kind using elite fighting platoons and prions (you know, those proteins that are responsible for mad cow disease) are the cause for zombies. Essentially, Kristopher gives zombie literature a new way to categorize zombies: something in the realm of virology, which I can definitely get on board with. The author also includes links to prion research, and various zombie literature for the curious reader (suggested reading!).
Although I was fascinated with the biological basis of zombie-infection, I found that the fresh point of view that Kristopher uses is also very relevant to the rebooting of zombie literature foundations. Blake is a man who is part of a ubber secret group of men and women who covertly attempt to stem off infection. Who are the people who are willing to risk their lives without anyone knowing? How do those on the front lines of the epidemic feel, react and manage such a monumental task? Instead of focusing on the Average Joe, Kristopher blazes ahead where most zombie fiction only treads lightly. Fantastic!
This being said, why not a full 5 stars? Kristopher holds out the proverbial carrot for far too long. The introduction of the villain, the villain's plans and the catalyst to tie Blake to him all revealed far to too late into the story. The emergence of the villain alone took far too long to capture interest. I honestly felt the book started far too slow, and the ending took far too long. This being said, this also contributed to the world building which was important for the story to continue.
The twist also happened fairly late, being almost tacked on mid-climax and was mentioned again only briefly in the end. It would have been a great idea to weave this revelation into the story post climax to keep the reader enticed by what the second book has to offer. Obviously, these are mistakes that Kristopher made while writing his first book, and cannot be reflected in his later work.
Side note: this book can get cheesy. "Damn you. Damn you straight hell" and "We will not go quietly into the night" do appear and it certainly took away from the believability of the story. Of course, I just hate cheesy lines like that in non-satirical literature!
In the end, if you're into the zombie literature craze, or like a good military-apocalyptic novel, you should check out this book - it takes a new spin and focuses on the lesser known elements in apocalyptic literature and zombie catastrophes.
Ill definitely be reading book two, and cannot stress enough how fantastic it would be if Kristopher wrote a book concerning the rapid fall of civilization once the existence of zombies were made public.
David Blake's world ends on a average day while sitting in the back room of his bookshop. The life he has built with his fiance Rachel and stepson Eric becomes nothing more than memories in a few hours. It through this tragedy he becomes acquainted with the US Army, and signs on to fight the newest threat to humanity: zombies. Blake is thrust into the world of tactics and weapons, finding that perhaps on the front lines is just where he belongs, not in a small town selling literature.
Kristopher created an interesting universe with his first novel The Dying of the Light: End. Zombies are a real threat, the governments are working together to save man kind using elite fighting platoons and prions (you know, those proteins that are responsible for mad cow disease) are the cause for zombies. Essentially, Kristopher gives zombie literature a new way to categorize zombies: something in the realm of virology, which I can definitely get on board with. The author also includes links to prion research, and various zombie literature for the curious reader (suggested reading!).
Although I was fascinated with the biological basis of zombie-infection, I found that the fresh point of view that Kristopher uses is also very relevant to the rebooting of zombie literature foundations. Blake is a man who is part of a ubber secret group of men and women who covertly attempt to stem off infection. Who are the people who are willing to risk their lives without anyone knowing? How do those on the front lines of the epidemic feel, react and manage such a monumental task? Instead of focusing on the Average Joe, Kristopher blazes ahead where most zombie fiction only treads lightly. Fantastic!
This being said, why not a full 5 stars? Kristopher holds out the proverbial carrot for far too long. The introduction of the villain, the villain's plans and the catalyst to tie Blake to him all revealed far to too late into the story. The emergence of the villain alone took far too long to capture interest. I honestly felt the book started far too slow, and the ending took far too long. This being said, this also contributed to the world building which was important for the story to continue.
The twist also happened fairly late, being almost tacked on mid-climax and was mentioned again only briefly in the end. It would have been a great idea to weave this revelation into the story post climax to keep the reader enticed by what the second book has to offer. Obviously, these are mistakes that Kristopher made while writing his first book, and cannot be reflected in his later work.
Side note: this book can get cheesy. "Damn you. Damn you straight hell" and "We will not go quietly into the night" do appear and it certainly took away from the believability of the story. Of course, I just hate cheesy lines like that in non-satirical literature!
In the end, if you're into the zombie literature craze, or like a good military-apocalyptic novel, you should check out this book - it takes a new spin and focuses on the lesser known elements in apocalyptic literature and zombie catastrophes.
Ill definitely be reading book two, and cannot stress enough how fantastic it would be if Kristopher wrote a book concerning the rapid fall of civilization once the existence of zombies were made public.
January 24, 2012
I'll admit right up front: I was really skeptical going into this book. I've grown largely tired of the Zombie genre lately as we constantly have more and more just plain bad media thrown at us. Until this point, the only saving grace for me was the We're Alive radio drama.
Now there's two. This book is an absolute delight. It's been a while since I've read a book where I instantly clicked with the characters, where I felt that I -knew- them, where I felt their joys... and their tragedies sharply. I'm man enough to admit that it's been a while since I cried while reading a book. That's what you're in for with Jason Kristofer's The Dying of the Light: End. It starts off at a dead sprint and only picks up speed until it's a runaway locomotive by the end.
The novel follows David Blake, a civilian book store owner from the fictional town of Falls Creek Colorado, as his entire world is turned upside down, inside out, and eviscerated as an outbreak of a threat that is straight out of a monster movie claims the lives of everyone he knows and loves. Rescued by a combination of his own skills as well as his timely arrival at a military camp, he picks up the broken pieces of his life as he is asked to join a secret task force that will be humanity's last line of defense against the threat of "the walkers." Though even the gathered strength of the walking dead isn't as bad as the evil that humans are capable of working...
Jason Kristofer masterfully blends military fiction with that of the zombie apocalypse, yielding a genre that I was unfamiliar with, but unknowingly had been waiting for for a long time. He utilizes a lot of time and location jumps to keep the action moving, which was jarring at first, but I quickly grew accustomed to, and towards the end I couldn't put the book down. I needed to know what was going to happen in the next chapter, and the one after that... and the one after that, witnessing humanity's spiraling descent towards their own destruction.
Absolutely worth picking up. I can't wait for the next installment.
Now there's two. This book is an absolute delight. It's been a while since I've read a book where I instantly clicked with the characters, where I felt that I -knew- them, where I felt their joys... and their tragedies sharply. I'm man enough to admit that it's been a while since I cried while reading a book. That's what you're in for with Jason Kristofer's The Dying of the Light: End. It starts off at a dead sprint and only picks up speed until it's a runaway locomotive by the end.
The novel follows David Blake, a civilian book store owner from the fictional town of Falls Creek Colorado, as his entire world is turned upside down, inside out, and eviscerated as an outbreak of a threat that is straight out of a monster movie claims the lives of everyone he knows and loves. Rescued by a combination of his own skills as well as his timely arrival at a military camp, he picks up the broken pieces of his life as he is asked to join a secret task force that will be humanity's last line of defense against the threat of "the walkers." Though even the gathered strength of the walking dead isn't as bad as the evil that humans are capable of working...
Jason Kristofer masterfully blends military fiction with that of the zombie apocalypse, yielding a genre that I was unfamiliar with, but unknowingly had been waiting for for a long time. He utilizes a lot of time and location jumps to keep the action moving, which was jarring at first, but I quickly grew accustomed to, and towards the end I couldn't put the book down. I needed to know what was going to happen in the next chapter, and the one after that... and the one after that, witnessing humanity's spiraling descent towards their own destruction.
Absolutely worth picking up. I can't wait for the next installment.
May 25, 2014
I don't generally read or watch a lot of zombie material. When everyone was on that craze, I was not. But I do love a good zombie story. Usually when in the mood I go on a Resident Evil binge. One of my all time favorite movies (top twenty anyway) is 28 Days Later, the first time I saw it I was impressed by the cinematography and the choice in music made me cry it was so lovely.
I chuckled and snickered all the way through reading Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and just recently I was introduced to the movie Warm Bodies and absolutely loved it.
So even though the zombie craze isn't entirely my thing - I'm not ignorant of the genre and I do enjoy it. I existed in the house when my husband was watching The Walking Dead, he watched too many episodes without me to follow the whole show, but now reading The Dying of the Light I feel like I got the better end of the stick.
Kristopher's work is both an easy breezy read as well as an involved and intricate apocalypse novel. Current events are tied into the possibilities - which is always the best way to build a dystopian or apocalyptic world, in my opinion. The characters are real, the main one appropriately both strong and sappy. (Without a little bit of nostalgia and romance, what in God's name would anyone want to save?)
Of course, that's always the best part of an end of the world story - it's why millions have fallen in love with Doctor Who. Any fight to the death for a whole world must involve a story of humanity and what it means to be human. Jason Kristopher pulls this off well, without overwhelming the casual reader with too much intensity.
After reading several books lately that involve a lot of plodding and lengthy prologues (from biographies to novels), Jason Kristopher's opening sentence "I didn't see Rebecca die the second time" was just the clincher I needed to jump into a refreshingly fast paced story.
I'm looking forward to Interval, the next book in the series.
Read my full review/discussion here: http://anakalianwhims.wordpress.com/2...
I chuckled and snickered all the way through reading Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and just recently I was introduced to the movie Warm Bodies and absolutely loved it.
So even though the zombie craze isn't entirely my thing - I'm not ignorant of the genre and I do enjoy it. I existed in the house when my husband was watching The Walking Dead, he watched too many episodes without me to follow the whole show, but now reading The Dying of the Light I feel like I got the better end of the stick.
Kristopher's work is both an easy breezy read as well as an involved and intricate apocalypse novel. Current events are tied into the possibilities - which is always the best way to build a dystopian or apocalyptic world, in my opinion. The characters are real, the main one appropriately both strong and sappy. (Without a little bit of nostalgia and romance, what in God's name would anyone want to save?)
Of course, that's always the best part of an end of the world story - it's why millions have fallen in love with Doctor Who. Any fight to the death for a whole world must involve a story of humanity and what it means to be human. Jason Kristopher pulls this off well, without overwhelming the casual reader with too much intensity.
After reading several books lately that involve a lot of plodding and lengthy prologues (from biographies to novels), Jason Kristopher's opening sentence "I didn't see Rebecca die the second time" was just the clincher I needed to jump into a refreshingly fast paced story.
I'm looking forward to Interval, the next book in the series.
Read my full review/discussion here: http://anakalianwhims.wordpress.com/2...
February 9, 2012
I enjoyed the overall story here. New take on the cause and history of zombies and most of the tale was about the human interactions and relationships, using the zombies as a driving force behind the story but not so much on screen action. Which is a good thing to me, as a huge fan of Romero's work.
The author uses an interesting mix of first person (with the main character) and third (when the action focuses on anyone else). The story keeps a good pace, only lagging as things begin to wrap up towards the end. There is a good core group of main characters, fairly well developed and easy to care about.
On the negative side, the military organization is horrible. The scale of fraternization amongst the members would never be tolerated in the actual US Armed Forces, yet in this book it is actually *encouraged*!!? The support characters feel incredibly flat and stereotyped. The 'homophobic' Ames is offensive, not so much because of his prejudice, but because he is such a cliched redneck. To the point of being ready to kill a man because he is gay... then he has a COMPLETE reversal and 5 minutes after having this man in his sights (literally) he is saying 'Oh, sorry I was such a jerk before. You're totally cool and I was wrong all the years that I hated you'.
Editorially, there are some glaring issues with the kindle version that, as far as I can tell, don't exist in my hardcopy of the book. These are repeated words or lines where punctuation was changed or persons/units being talked about were swapped out, however the new text ended up being inserted with the old instead of replacing it. This is a fairly minor annoyance in most places where it is an isolated occurrence, but there are places where entire passages are riddled with these repeated words and it gets to be a bit distracting.
I'd love to give this book 4 stars, as I really did enjoy the read. Minor issues add up though, and three it gets (possibly a weak 3.5).
The author uses an interesting mix of first person (with the main character) and third (when the action focuses on anyone else). The story keeps a good pace, only lagging as things begin to wrap up towards the end. There is a good core group of main characters, fairly well developed and easy to care about.
On the negative side, the military organization is horrible. The scale of fraternization amongst the members would never be tolerated in the actual US Armed Forces, yet in this book it is actually *encouraged*!!? The support characters feel incredibly flat and stereotyped. The 'homophobic' Ames is offensive, not so much because of his prejudice, but because he is such a cliched redneck. To the point of being ready to kill a man because he is gay... then he has a COMPLETE reversal and 5 minutes after having this man in his sights (literally) he is saying 'Oh, sorry I was such a jerk before. You're totally cool and I was wrong all the years that I hated you'.
Editorially, there are some glaring issues with the kindle version that, as far as I can tell, don't exist in my hardcopy of the book. These are repeated words or lines where punctuation was changed or persons/units being talked about were swapped out, however the new text ended up being inserted with the old instead of replacing it. This is a fairly minor annoyance in most places where it is an isolated occurrence, but there are places where entire passages are riddled with these repeated words and it gets to be a bit distracting.
I'd love to give this book 4 stars, as I really did enjoy the read. Minor issues add up though, and three it gets (possibly a weak 3.5).
February 8, 2012
I took a bit of a chance on this book because it I thought it might be a little too outlandish for my taste, and boy am I glad that I gave it a shot. This book was great. I even sacrificed sleep on quite a few nights to read just one more chapter.
I read the hardcover version of this book, and I was impressed before I even opened it. The cover art is gorgeous. Oliver Wetter, did a fantastic job and I have a feeling that many people will be attracted to this story by the cover alone. My intrigue didn't end there. Just a few pages past the cover, Jason Kristopher provides two very useful lists. The first is a list of notable characters, and it is followed immediately by a list of acronyms used throughout the book. I often have trouble remembering all the characters whenever there are more than about 5 major ones. This list of characters really helped refresh my memory when a character would reappear. Being a military story, there were also quite a few uncommon acronyms used throughout the book. Having the list at the beginning of the book allowed me to easily flip back instead of having to find the page in which each acronym was first introduced.
See the in-depth review at Sift: http://www.siftreviews.com/2012/02/dy...
Review by: Kevin of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
I read the hardcover version of this book, and I was impressed before I even opened it. The cover art is gorgeous. Oliver Wetter, did a fantastic job and I have a feeling that many people will be attracted to this story by the cover alone. My intrigue didn't end there. Just a few pages past the cover, Jason Kristopher provides two very useful lists. The first is a list of notable characters, and it is followed immediately by a list of acronyms used throughout the book. I often have trouble remembering all the characters whenever there are more than about 5 major ones. This list of characters really helped refresh my memory when a character would reappear. Being a military story, there were also quite a few uncommon acronyms used throughout the book. Having the list at the beginning of the book allowed me to easily flip back instead of having to find the page in which each acronym was first introduced.
See the in-depth review at Sift: http://www.siftreviews.com/2012/02/dy...
Review by: Kevin of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
August 19, 2011
This is a wonderful zombie/military novel! Kristopher’s invigorating prose and storytelling abilities blew me away as I read. He’s taken a mythical concept and created an extremely scary novel intertwining real world current events with the zombie apocalypse. As scary as it might be, his explanations actually make a lot of sense, especially in light of the many political cover-ups and the like that take place all over the world. I was fascinated as I read, the wheels of my mind and imagination working constantly to process the wonderful images, explanations, and concepts presented throughout this fictional piece.
Although there are many characters introduced throughout the novel, I found that I was able to connect with all of them on some level. Truth be told, I struggled to keep some of them straight in the beginning as they are introduced rapidly at one point, but Kristopher does a phenomenal job making them well rounded characters and delving into their private lives, even though the story is told through the eyes of the main character...
To read my full review (9/19):
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
Although there are many characters introduced throughout the novel, I found that I was able to connect with all of them on some level. Truth be told, I struggled to keep some of them straight in the beginning as they are introduced rapidly at one point, but Kristopher does a phenomenal job making them well rounded characters and delving into their private lives, even though the story is told through the eyes of the main character...
To read my full review (9/19):
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
November 21, 2015
Battling zombies...
This is one of the better zombie novels I've read. It's mostly from the point of view of the sole survivor of a zombie attack in his hometown. He ends up joining the armies new special ops team as a civilian advisor, also training and fighting with them. At first the zombie threat is kept a closely guarded secret, the team goes in, clears the zombies, and a cover story is given through the media. However, the outbreaks are getting bigger and more frequent. Underground bunkers have been built to protect some survivors and perpetuate the human race. The special ops team must battle zombies, greedy (and dangerous) politicians and finally fanatics who believe the virus is a punishment from God.
I really enjoyed this book and I thought it was definitely one of the better ones out there. And there are a lot of bad zombie novels out there. There characters were well drawn, if a little cliche at times, but I found myself liking them regardless. I am pretty sure there's a sequel to this and I'm going to be reading that next. It's not that the book ends on a cliffhanger or anything. It's more that it feel like the end of part 1, and I am very interested in what the future holds for the survivors.
This is one of the better zombie novels I've read. It's mostly from the point of view of the sole survivor of a zombie attack in his hometown. He ends up joining the armies new special ops team as a civilian advisor, also training and fighting with them. At first the zombie threat is kept a closely guarded secret, the team goes in, clears the zombies, and a cover story is given through the media. However, the outbreaks are getting bigger and more frequent. Underground bunkers have been built to protect some survivors and perpetuate the human race. The special ops team must battle zombies, greedy (and dangerous) politicians and finally fanatics who believe the virus is a punishment from God.
I really enjoyed this book and I thought it was definitely one of the better ones out there. And there are a lot of bad zombie novels out there. There characters were well drawn, if a little cliche at times, but I found myself liking them regardless. I am pretty sure there's a sequel to this and I'm going to be reading that next. It's not that the book ends on a cliffhanger or anything. It's more that it feel like the end of part 1, and I am very interested in what the future holds for the survivors.
October 4, 2011
This is the story of the ultimate zombie apocalypse. A man survives a zombie outbreak in his home town. The whole town is destroyed, including his fiancee and stepson. He is the only survivor. He is asked to join an Army Special Task Force assigned to seek out and destroy the zombie threat. The secrets he learns there are far more horrifying than the job he is charged with undertaking.
This is the authors first novel I believe and it is an absolute cracker. The characters were very vivid and their emotions came through exceptionally well. Especially the baddest of bad guys, I really loved him! The nice thing about this book was the story was more focused on the fight and the relationships (good and bad) between the characters and not so much on the zombie gore. The story flowed at a good pace and I was kept interested throughout the whole book.
This was an excellent first novel from the author and I understand a sequel is in the works as an excerpt was included at the end of the book. If it is as good as this one then I shall most certainly be reading it!
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review.
This is the authors first novel I believe and it is an absolute cracker. The characters were very vivid and their emotions came through exceptionally well. Especially the baddest of bad guys, I really loved him! The nice thing about this book was the story was more focused on the fight and the relationships (good and bad) between the characters and not so much on the zombie gore. The story flowed at a good pace and I was kept interested throughout the whole book.
This was an excellent first novel from the author and I understand a sequel is in the works as an excerpt was included at the end of the book. If it is as good as this one then I shall most certainly be reading it!
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review.
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