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The Gathering Dead #1.5
Left with the Dead
A "Gathering Dead" Novella
New York City has fallen to the zombie horde. The greatest city on Earth, once home to millions of Americans, is now firmly in the grasp of the dead.
First Sergeant David Gartrell is cut off and alone in the city, miles away from the nearest military units which might be able to assist. With his ammunition almost depleted, the only thing that stands between him and the stenches are his Special Forces skills, his experience, and his uncompromising desire to avoid being eaten alive!
Together with a frightened woman and her young son, Gartrell sets out to accomplish his final objective: find a way to leave the city of the gathering dead, or perish at the hands--and teeth!--of the ravenous horde.
LEFT WITH THE DEAD is a 33,000 word novella, about 85 pages of high-octane military thriller.
New York City has fallen to the zombie horde. The greatest city on Earth, once home to millions of Americans, is now firmly in the grasp of the dead.
First Sergeant David Gartrell is cut off and alone in the city, miles away from the nearest military units which might be able to assist. With his ammunition almost depleted, the only thing that stands between him and the stenches are his Special Forces skills, his experience, and his uncompromising desire to avoid being eaten alive!
Together with a frightened woman and her young son, Gartrell sets out to accomplish his final objective: find a way to leave the city of the gathering dead, or perish at the hands--and teeth!--of the ravenous horde.
LEFT WITH THE DEAD is a 33,000 word novella, about 85 pages of high-octane military thriller.
102 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2011
35 people are currently reading
364 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Knight
130 books95 followersLibrarian note:
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This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
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Stephen Knight - Thrillers
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
For other authors of this name, see:
Stephen Knight - Thrillers
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 12, 2011
Best $1.99 I've spent in awhile. This novella is a continuation of The Gathering Dead. It follows one man who is now alone and scarcely armed in the zombie infested New York City.
I felt this book (novella) was even better than the Gathering Dead. It had non-stop action, and quite the twist at the end. I was rooting for the character the entire way through, staying up late to finish it.
Mr. Knight has once again entertained me and I highly suggest his work to anyone who likes zombies.
-Vincent
I felt this book (novella) was even better than the Gathering Dead. It had non-stop action, and quite the twist at the end. I was rooting for the character the entire way through, staying up late to finish it.
Mr. Knight has once again entertained me and I highly suggest his work to anyone who likes zombies.
-Vincent
June 20, 2011
I loved it...since I wrote it!
May 12, 2012
I’ve noticed that reading zombie tales is a lot like reading fan fiction. Sometimes you find some really good gems, and sometimes you find work that gives you the urge to bang your head against a brick wall until all of your senses are numb. Now, I’m not a snob and often times I’ll give a novel a chance before making up my mind. If the story is compelling I can even over look bad editing. I’ve overlooked typos, spelling errors and grammatical mistakes if the story plot is compelling. This novel Left with the Dead, by Stephen Knight is not one that I can even get through.
It’s marked as a novella, so don’t be surprised by how thin the actual book is. The first clue that this was going to be a horrible zombie story was the overuse of the word zeds. This overuse of the word manifests itself in the descriptions of the zombies, which is not much of a description. While I don’t expect a full dossier of each zombie, part of the intrigue of post-apocalyptic zombie stories is the realization that any survivor could become part of the walking dead. By completing glossing over descriptions and lumping all zombies into the single word “zeds” makes for a very boring read.
The second clue this is not a story to bother with was the lack of likeability for the protagonist. Although a military service member, the protagonist Gartrell, is the male equivalent of a “Mary Sue” character. He is a seasoned solider, yet even though he chastises a survivor about not calling attention to their location, he is ready to use his weapon thereby calling attention to themselves. There are so many inconsistencies and this is only in the first few pages.
To add to the woes of this tale, the editing was horrible and even the “Afterward” had blatant errors. It was filled with misspellings, typos, etc. As previously mentioned, if the story is compelling I can overlook editing problems. If the stories are filled with compelling characters, humanity is portrayed in a believable manner, both in death and survival; I can not only get into the story, but became an ardent fan of the author. Sadly, this is not one of those authors and this novella is akin to bad fan fiction.
August 18, 2011
After drinking a Starbucks triple shot vanilla soy latte I picked up on my way home from work, I, interestingly enough, wasn't too sleepy when bedtime came around. This little Novella was just the right length for a quick hour read.
I guess it was worth getting, just to find out what happened to one of the main characters in the Gathering Dead. Pretty much in the exact same line as that book too.
Found out that a true sequel to the Gathering Dead is in the works, and Stephen Knight is planning on releasing it Fall 2011 (that's like, very soon!). The main character, McDaniels, will be reprising the starring role again, I believe. Will be looking for that one!
On to the next book. Think I'll go for sci-fi. I have both books already on my Kindle, so I'll start with Book 1 of The Fourth World by Laurence Moroney. Reviews have said it's a bit like a sci-fi version of Harry Potter. Loved HP, of course, so we'll see.
I guess it was worth getting, just to find out what happened to one of the main characters in the Gathering Dead. Pretty much in the exact same line as that book too.
Found out that a true sequel to the Gathering Dead is in the works, and Stephen Knight is planning on releasing it Fall 2011 (that's like, very soon!). The main character, McDaniels, will be reprising the starring role again, I believe. Will be looking for that one!
On to the next book. Think I'll go for sci-fi. I have both books already on my Kindle, so I'll start with Book 1 of The Fourth World by Laurence Moroney. Reviews have said it's a bit like a sci-fi version of Harry Potter. Loved HP, of course, so we'll see.
December 11, 2012
This novella begins where The Gathering Dead left off. Absolutely amazing writing. Action packed adventure. I purchased the next two books. in my opinion, Stephen Knight is the best action/zombie writer out there at the moment. Five stars without a doubt. Read the Gathering Dead and you'll be hooked, then read Left With the Dead.
Jairus Reddy
http://www.hobbesendpublishing.com
Jairus Reddy
http://www.hobbesendpublishing.com
August 5, 2011
I assume those who read this novella have read The Gathering Dead. If not, please do and then read the novella again. Action packed and more exciting than any movie I can remember.
September 19, 2011
This follow-up novella is even better. My full review is on Amazon.com, but I'll just add that Mr. Knight is now my go-to guy for quality, high octane zombie action.
February 27, 2018
I liked this novella and am glad the author didn't try to put this in the first book because it would have felt off. It was nice to see Gartrell show some humanity and finally understand why McDaniels made a certain decision years earlier. Will be interesting to see how they interact in the next book. As always those pesky grammar errors annoy me as I see more and more ebooks without proper editing.
February 12, 2025
Another great story in this series.
August 25, 2017
This novella is a direct follow up to The Gathering Dead so if you haven't read it, this review might spoil things for you so read on with caution!
After drawing the zombies away from the river to give McDaniels time to get the cure details to the rescue boat, Gartrell is on his own with limited supplies and no prospect of rescue. He links up with Jolie and her autistic son Jaden, hiding out in her apartment and trying to make contact with the soldiers in the city or get air support to get them to safety. The situation becomes more urgent when the zombie that was once her husband arrives at the apartment block with keys in his pocket...
I'm so pleased that we got Gartrell's story, after the way that the last book ended. In this book, we see the more human side to him as he realises why McDaniels cannot easily turn his back on the civilians even at risk of mission failure. Gartrell becomes determined to get Jolie and Jaden to safety, whatever it takes. It is only his training that is keeping them alive in the face of zombie hordes. I liked the addition of the autistic boy, as this gives Gartrell extra problems. How do you keep Jaden calm and quiet with all the noise and terror going on around him when they need to move silently? It puts them in extra danger but Gartrell refuses to consider leaving the boy behind. It had a very human story within the zombie drama, which I liked.
It would be easy to say that Jolie could be annoying at times-screaming or freezing at the wrong moments, but to be fair, she is a frightened women who has been on her own with her son through the apocalypse. Jaden has no concept of the situation or the danger so keeping him calm is a full time job. I understand why she was reacting to things the way she was. Keeping Jaden away from the windows should have been more of a priority though, especially when you are trying to hide!
The book had the same level of drama, tension and zombie action as the first book and it was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster to say the least! It was another very well written book and I look forward to continuing with the series.
After drawing the zombies away from the river to give McDaniels time to get the cure details to the rescue boat, Gartrell is on his own with limited supplies and no prospect of rescue. He links up with Jolie and her autistic son Jaden, hiding out in her apartment and trying to make contact with the soldiers in the city or get air support to get them to safety. The situation becomes more urgent when the zombie that was once her husband arrives at the apartment block with keys in his pocket...
I'm so pleased that we got Gartrell's story, after the way that the last book ended. In this book, we see the more human side to him as he realises why McDaniels cannot easily turn his back on the civilians even at risk of mission failure. Gartrell becomes determined to get Jolie and Jaden to safety, whatever it takes. It is only his training that is keeping them alive in the face of zombie hordes. I liked the addition of the autistic boy, as this gives Gartrell extra problems. How do you keep Jaden calm and quiet with all the noise and terror going on around him when they need to move silently? It puts them in extra danger but Gartrell refuses to consider leaving the boy behind. It had a very human story within the zombie drama, which I liked.
It would be easy to say that Jolie could be annoying at times-screaming or freezing at the wrong moments, but to be fair, she is a frightened women who has been on her own with her son through the apocalypse. Jaden has no concept of the situation or the danger so keeping him calm is a full time job. I understand why she was reacting to things the way she was. Keeping Jaden away from the windows should have been more of a priority though, especially when you are trying to hide!
The book had the same level of drama, tension and zombie action as the first book and it was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster to say the least! It was another very well written book and I look forward to continuing with the series.
December 10, 2014
This book is probably for military enthusiasts who are willing to overlook the verbosity of almost info-dumping dialogues and its sprinkling of informal speech in third person narrative for a fast paced Zombie killing story. The protagonist is a well prepped weapon savvy soldier with legit access to all things that goes rat-a-tat-tat and kaboom - no pew pew though because this isn't sci-fi, but that's open to debate - and I believe this character and his background is the role of choice for most dude fancying himself in a zombie apocalypse event. Who doesn't want to be military in a Zombie doomsday story? But, I digress. When the protagonist starts emoting and finger jabbing in the narrative, I know there is a lot to be desired in character building and subtleties. A fantasy eager to project itself in an obnoxious know-it-all character would be all right with me if the character experiences more vulnerability without the weapons and military backup it has. This novel does well pleasing military personnel and zombie fans. Not me, alas. At least, the action and length of this novella kept me reading to the end.
December 16, 2014
I liked this story even more than The Gathering Dead. Mr. Knight shows he has some chops when he takes a little more time on interpersonal relationships. The story felt tightly told. I liked getting inside Gartrell's head. I was surprised from the get-go that he would join up with an autistic child. That just seems like an upfront death sentence.
My only complaint is, perhaps, the cliche ending. This was the tragedy that was almost not necessary. I know everything has been done before but this one ran a little close to the archetype. I did like how it put the shoe on the other foot, with regard to what happened in Afghanistan.
Plot-wise I was a little unclear on why he did't think they could sneak to the roof and hide there for a helo pick-up. But that's a judgement call so not an absolute disagreement.
My only complaint is, perhaps, the cliche ending. This was the tragedy that was almost not necessary. I know everything has been done before but this one ran a little close to the archetype. I did like how it put the shoe on the other foot, with regard to what happened in Afghanistan.
Plot-wise I was a little unclear on why he did't think they could sneak to the roof and hide there for a helo pick-up. But that's a judgement call so not an absolute disagreement.
July 18, 2013
I keep going back and forth between three and four stars. My main feeling is that I really did enjoy the exploration of the character Gartrell. I did not enjoy how the author keeps switching his slang for "zombie". I feel one or two alternates would be good but there were at least 5. I guess what bothered me the most is referring to them as ghouls. I mean ghouls are entirely different creatures in my mind. In the end I think that isn't enough to diminish how well written the story was. The pacing was excellent as well. Overall a worthwhile read.
February 11, 2014
I love my zombies but I'm not so much into hearing it from the military's perspective. I prefer to read about how regular old civilians put away their fear and rise up to fight and protect mankind. Plus, being a mother,I am not really into anything that involves children dying (especially when the author uses unneeded description of the carnage). Without all the military jargon and the aforementioned matter, the book would've been great, at least to me.
March 28, 2014
This story was great! It takes zombies to a complete different level of scary. When a zombie remembers where he lives and opens the front door with his keys, then you know you are in serious deep doodoo. These zombies are not only hungry, but smart. Way out of my comfort zone. I’m off to read the next!
October 18, 2014
Ouch
I really enjoyed this novella. It was very moving with the mother and child involved which really added the human touch. I don't like spoilers so I won't say anything about the story line, but this novella was particularly good. Highly recommended to anyone out there who is hungry for zombies!
I really enjoyed this novella. It was very moving with the mother and child involved which really added the human touch. I don't like spoilers so I won't say anything about the story line, but this novella was particularly good. Highly recommended to anyone out there who is hungry for zombies!
September 2, 2011
Quick easy read that one could finish in a afternoon. His books read like a Zombie movie but you do ask yourself two questions after your finished.
1. How would you survive
2. Would you want to live in a world were the dead wall?
I enjoyed the book.
1. How would you survive
2. Would you want to live in a world were the dead wall?
I enjoyed the book.
November 22, 2011
Quick easy read that one could finish in a afternoon. His books read like a Zombie movie but you do ask yourself two questions after your finished.
1. How would you survive
2. Would you want to live in a world were the dead wall?
I enjoyed the book.
1. How would you survive
2. Would you want to live in a world were the dead wall?
I enjoyed the book.
Read
February 10, 2014Not what you would expect
excellently written wish it would have been longer this is my first Steven Knight book and can not wait to read a full book to see if his writing can keep me interested.
excellently written wish it would have been longer this is my first Steven Knight book and can not wait to read a full book to see if his writing can keep me interested.
December 7, 2012
An amazing sequel (novella) to Stephen Knight's The Gathering Dead. This writer was suggested by a dear friend, and I'm totally in love with Mr. Knight's work thus far. Will continue reading.
July 5, 2012
Never expected a zombie book to be quite so good. A short, quick read which kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through!
September 5, 2012
Great quick read.
June 30, 2013
The novella was a great read, very tight, very action packed and was super focused. This book series would make for a great movie.
June 15, 2013
This was awesome!
November 7, 2013
Nice to see a loose end cleaned up, but I didn't like the ending. Loses 2 stars for that.
August 14, 2015
Wow
Well thats great. Made me cry. I read these all the time but rarely does one get me to tears. Another awesome job.
Well thats great. Made me cry. I read these all the time but rarely does one get me to tears. Another awesome job.
August 21, 2016
I love this series.
April 21, 2019
The novella was a great read, very tight, very action packed and was super focused. This book series would make for a great movie.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews