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Zombie Crisis #1
Dead Again
The Black Hawk chopper banked a hard turn, rotors thumping, providing a bird’s eye view of the burning landscape. Commander Peterson couldn’t help wondering what people around the world thought of this apocalypse. Maybe they accepted it as a biological infection. Maybe some believed a curse had descended upon the world, that this was the end of days. Maybe some already realized the inevitable, horrible truth: only the strongest would survive.
Within forty eight hours, it had become a global pandemic. There was no explanation. The dead were rising, returning to life, and devouring the living. Commander Peterson, leader of the most elite fighting unit in the U.S. armed forces, was assigned one, last final mission.
In his worst nightmares he never could have imagined this unholy war, or that he and his team were to become the one last hope that still remained….
Within forty eight hours, it had become a global pandemic. There was no explanation. The dead were rising, returning to life, and devouring the living. Commander Peterson, leader of the most elite fighting unit in the U.S. armed forces, was assigned one, last final mission.
In his worst nightmares he never could have imagined this unholy war, or that he and his team were to become the one last hope that still remained….
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2011
348 people are currently reading
1016 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
March 31, 2013
Pure Garbage. How do you mess up writing a Zombie tail? As a military man I find this book inaccurate, ignorant and out right racist. "Sgt. Jackson was big, loud and proud to be black." Seriously? Privates in a super spec op team? C'mon man. It's like this book was written by an white, middle-aged wannabe military stay home dad who just happens to like Zombies. I am glad I never finished this book.
September 26, 2016
I'm not even sure how to review this story...
With everyone writing zombie books these days, you really have to put the effort in to make your story stand out. I'm sad to say that this story didn't even try.
The plot:
So like I said, every body and their mother is writing zombie stories and this could have been cooy\pasted from any number of books out there in the same genre... I kept thinking that I had already read this three or four times now. There was nothing new, nothing exciting, and nothing to keep me hooked. it was so incredibly blase that it was almost laughable
The characters:
Again, nothing new here, except the highly overdone machismo that the characters portrayed. The amount of overly described interaction between the characters was, at the same time pathetic, laughable, and unrealistic. And to have ALL of the "main" characters act like this was shallow and short sited. The characters development was stagnated by this. So full of I'll placed testosterone that there was no room to grow.
Development:
There was none. The soldiers started off as cliche as could possibly be imagined, and while the commanders character was trying to develop, it fell flatter than a pancake driven over by a steam roller. The back and forth in his "development" was just annoying, and contradictive. The other characters in this little drama took a back seat to the wishy washy progress of the lead, which was left me feeling wholly unsatisfied.
I had to forcemyself to come back and finish the book, and that is not something you really ever want. I've said it before and I'll say it again: thank god for these free books. If I had spent money on this, I would feel cheated.
With everyone writing zombie books these days, you really have to put the effort in to make your story stand out. I'm sad to say that this story didn't even try.
The plot:
So like I said, every body and their mother is writing zombie stories and this could have been cooy\pasted from any number of books out there in the same genre... I kept thinking that I had already read this three or four times now. There was nothing new, nothing exciting, and nothing to keep me hooked. it was so incredibly blase that it was almost laughable
The characters:
Again, nothing new here, except the highly overdone machismo that the characters portrayed. The amount of overly described interaction between the characters was, at the same time pathetic, laughable, and unrealistic. And to have ALL of the "main" characters act like this was shallow and short sited. The characters development was stagnated by this. So full of I'll placed testosterone that there was no room to grow.
Development:
There was none. The soldiers started off as cliche as could possibly be imagined, and while the commanders character was trying to develop, it fell flatter than a pancake driven over by a steam roller. The back and forth in his "development" was just annoying, and contradictive. The other characters in this little drama took a back seat to the wishy washy progress of the lead, which was left me feeling wholly unsatisfied.
I had to forcemyself to come back and finish the book, and that is not something you really ever want. I've said it before and I'll say it again: thank god for these free books. If I had spent money on this, I would feel cheated.
January 4, 2016
I'm s huge fan of the zombie books & this was disappointing. The characters were so annoying I was at times hoping they would Succumb to a zombie bite.
March 16, 2012
Author George Magnum approaches the Zombie infestation not from the point of view of the dead, nor of the victimized, but rather through the eyes of Commander Peterson, heading an elite military force scrambled to the cause in the interests of national security (while there is still a nation-or any society-remaining to protect, which begins quickly to seem very doubtful). Peterson is rather an unusual character for his role, in that he is much more three (or four) dimensional than we usually expect, either in this type of story premise or with a military or Special Forces individual, who is usually coloured as silent, strong, and deadly-but not emotional or fanciful. Peterson is both-although he usually overcomes it from interfering with his assigned purpose.
Generally I prefer my reader’s hook on the very first page, if possible in the first paragraph or the first sentence. Here I had to wait a few pages, although the hook was subtly telegraphed early on. Once the action starts, however, the story hits the ground running at gazelle speed, spewing out character, adventure, blood and gore, grief, tragedy, terror, and adventure. The novel is very fast-paced from here on in, and surprisingly, the gore is not overdone (surprisingly because this is after all, a zombie story, a kill-or-be-eaten venue). The settings are well done, and I especially appreciate the author’s deft hand at characterisations. As Zombie novels go (and these days there is an enormous number available), this is one of the better and more appealing ones.
February 3, 2017
A good story that takes place during the opening of a zombie apocalypse. The story follows a special forces unit on a mission to rescue a scientist who might be able to turn the tide of the war against the zombies. Fast paced and easy to read, with lots of action. However, it comes up a bit shy on character development. I remember a lot of names, but not many characters. But overall, I enjoyed it.
January 1, 2020
Non stop action for this fast-paced read
A great post-apocalyptic zombie read that stars and ends this first book with full on action. The characters are realistic and gritty, just as they should be, though the only criticism is that the short length of the book doesn’t give them the depth that they need to fully engage the reader.
All in all a four ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read that doesn’t let up with the action.
A great post-apocalyptic zombie read that stars and ends this first book with full on action. The characters are realistic and gritty, just as they should be, though the only criticism is that the short length of the book doesn’t give them the depth that they need to fully engage the reader.
All in all a four ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read that doesn’t let up with the action.
December 8, 2020
I really enjoy zombie apocalypse tales! Dead Again (aka Twice Dead) is a fast-paced, action-packed, easy-to-read thriller - full of gore and tension.
Note: Definitely needed more depth to the characters, though, including main character Commander Peterson. This book needed a better proofreader/editor, too - it almost lost another star due to the many distracting spelling and grammatical errors.
Note: Definitely needed more depth to the characters, though, including main character Commander Peterson. This book needed a better proofreader/editor, too - it almost lost another star due to the many distracting spelling and grammatical errors.
January 11, 2021
I loved this book! I flew through it!!
August 25, 2017
I'm still not sure if I actually liked this book or not. There were elements of it that I enjoyed but there were other things that really annoyed me and made me want to bite the book.
Lets start with the good. I liked the overall plot of the book. If you want to be picky you can say that there is nothing new in it but it is still entertaining for zombie fans. A military team are to escort a smug scientist on a mission to collect another scientist and his data for a cure from a secured location. You are always going to get zombie action scenes in that kind of plot which is what attracted me to the book to start with, so I was expecting it to be quite fast paced. I would say that it was what I expected it to be so that was fine.
As an MC, Peterson is a no nonsense soldier who is calm under pressure and you would expect that in the leader and for more time to be spent developing his character. However, I can't say that I actually liked him. He had previously been in a relationship with Sharon and was being really vile to their team mate Tag because Tag was interested in Sharon. ooh what a crime, fancying the ex of your team leader. I felt Peterson's attitude was unprofessional and nasty, and that it greatly affected how well the team worked together. He was even blaming Tag for mistakes made by other team members-the actions of a pure bully and not a hero. He NOTICES that a soldier is limping after a zombie encounter yet does not challenge him over it and then blames Tag for the guy turning and attacking others in the helo!
The rest of the team I had mixed feelings about due to their stupid actions more than their actual personalities. They have no discipline and seem to choose which orders they want to follow. When told to stay somewhere to cover a team mate, the other guy wanders off leaving his colleague unprotected. Cash is an arrogant showboater whose dangerous actions keep putting the team in danger and he never obeys the orders given. The pilots didn't check the helo for damage from the first zombie attack before flying off in it. JB questions every order given. If these donkeys are the best military unit available, the world is doomed. Is this how you expect an elite unit to behave? Not in my opinion.
So the original mission cannot be completed thanks to the idiot behaviour of the team and they have to crash land and make a run for it towards a barricaded parking lot where other survivors are. Cash yet again is ignoring orders and acting like he is playing Resident Evil or some similar game and behaving like a total moron. Bite him already! The survivors and Peterson's people now need to get to the hospital which has a secure basement and supplies while where they can regroup. I'm not sure that this was the best plan in the world but the run for the hospital and the action inside was exciting. Between Cash and Peterson, man management skills with the civilians are sorely lacking.
Peterson continues to disappoint as a leader. He allows a small group to go their own way in the hospital on a virtual suicide mission, then from the safety of the basement, and AFTER the zombies have flooded the hospital, he decides for some bizarre reason to go and rescue the idiots. I just lost interest at this point. The fact that he still plans to complete the original mission with no helo or plan while trapped in a zombie filled hospital shows that the plot idea was rapidly going downhill.
The idea for this book was good and the zombie action scenes were well written. It was the characters and the lack of realism in the actions of the military unit that just destroyed my enjoyment of the book. There was seriously good potential in the actual writing and that is what frustrates me with this. I found that I wasn't greatly caring about the characters and who lived or died, and I don't have much interest in reading on with the series.
2.5 stars.
Lets start with the good. I liked the overall plot of the book. If you want to be picky you can say that there is nothing new in it but it is still entertaining for zombie fans. A military team are to escort a smug scientist on a mission to collect another scientist and his data for a cure from a secured location. You are always going to get zombie action scenes in that kind of plot which is what attracted me to the book to start with, so I was expecting it to be quite fast paced. I would say that it was what I expected it to be so that was fine.
As an MC, Peterson is a no nonsense soldier who is calm under pressure and you would expect that in the leader and for more time to be spent developing his character. However, I can't say that I actually liked him. He had previously been in a relationship with Sharon and was being really vile to their team mate Tag because Tag was interested in Sharon. ooh what a crime, fancying the ex of your team leader. I felt Peterson's attitude was unprofessional and nasty, and that it greatly affected how well the team worked together. He was even blaming Tag for mistakes made by other team members-the actions of a pure bully and not a hero. He NOTICES that a soldier is limping after a zombie encounter yet does not challenge him over it and then blames Tag for the guy turning and attacking others in the helo!
The rest of the team I had mixed feelings about due to their stupid actions more than their actual personalities. They have no discipline and seem to choose which orders they want to follow. When told to stay somewhere to cover a team mate, the other guy wanders off leaving his colleague unprotected. Cash is an arrogant showboater whose dangerous actions keep putting the team in danger and he never obeys the orders given. The pilots didn't check the helo for damage from the first zombie attack before flying off in it. JB questions every order given. If these donkeys are the best military unit available, the world is doomed. Is this how you expect an elite unit to behave? Not in my opinion.
So the original mission cannot be completed thanks to the idiot behaviour of the team and they have to crash land and make a run for it towards a barricaded parking lot where other survivors are. Cash yet again is ignoring orders and acting like he is playing Resident Evil or some similar game and behaving like a total moron. Bite him already! The survivors and Peterson's people now need to get to the hospital which has a secure basement and supplies while where they can regroup. I'm not sure that this was the best plan in the world but the run for the hospital and the action inside was exciting. Between Cash and Peterson, man management skills with the civilians are sorely lacking.
Peterson continues to disappoint as a leader. He allows a small group to go their own way in the hospital on a virtual suicide mission, then from the safety of the basement, and AFTER the zombies have flooded the hospital, he decides for some bizarre reason to go and rescue the idiots. I just lost interest at this point. The fact that he still plans to complete the original mission with no helo or plan while trapped in a zombie filled hospital shows that the plot idea was rapidly going downhill.
The idea for this book was good and the zombie action scenes were well written. It was the characters and the lack of realism in the actions of the military unit that just destroyed my enjoyment of the book. There was seriously good potential in the actual writing and that is what frustrates me with this. I found that I wasn't greatly caring about the characters and who lived or died, and I don't have much interest in reading on with the series.
2.5 stars.
March 29, 2012
This book earned itself a 2.5 from me, but I rounded it up to be nice. Maybe because this review is going to be less than complementary...
Dead Again follows Commander Peterson as he and his team take on the mission to find and rescue the one doctor that may be able to stop the zombie-producing 'virus' that is taking over the world. Yes, the world is coming to an end, and EIGHT highly-trained individuals are sent in a helicopter to rescue the lone doctor who can somehow conquer zombiism. So, can you guess what's going to happen??? I did! Yes, the chopper goes down, they are swarmed by zombies, and a whole mess of convoluted, ridiculous events finds them off-mission and saving 50 civilians instead of saving the WORLD. Oy yoi yoi...
I could have forgiven this completely uncreative plot if there were other redeeming qualities to the story. Like amazing character depth, great dialogue for entertainment, believable emotion...and it just wasn't there. Even Peterson, the hero of the story, was deadpan and to be honest not very bright. He's sitting there facing imminent death along with his team, and he's thinking to himself the newswoman has a nice set of tits??? I didn't find myself liking any of the characters, even the lone female team member Sharon who could have been a great bad-ass heroine but instead just fell flat. And there was so much of this story that was the same scene played over and over, with anywhere from dozens to 100s of zombies attacking and this motley crew somehow shooting their way through. I got so bored with it by 75% through I almost stopped reading. I can only hope that in the sequel there is more thought put into the character dimension, some originality in plot twists, and improved dialogue to keep things interesting. I
Dead Again follows Commander Peterson as he and his team take on the mission to find and rescue the one doctor that may be able to stop the zombie-producing 'virus' that is taking over the world. Yes, the world is coming to an end, and EIGHT highly-trained individuals are sent in a helicopter to rescue the lone doctor who can somehow conquer zombiism. So, can you guess what's going to happen??? I did! Yes, the chopper goes down, they are swarmed by zombies, and a whole mess of convoluted, ridiculous events finds them off-mission and saving 50 civilians instead of saving the WORLD. Oy yoi yoi...
I could have forgiven this completely uncreative plot if there were other redeeming qualities to the story. Like amazing character depth, great dialogue for entertainment, believable emotion...and it just wasn't there. Even Peterson, the hero of the story, was deadpan and to be honest not very bright. He's sitting there facing imminent death along with his team, and he's thinking to himself the newswoman has a nice set of tits??? I didn't find myself liking any of the characters, even the lone female team member Sharon who could have been a great bad-ass heroine but instead just fell flat. And there was so much of this story that was the same scene played over and over, with anywhere from dozens to 100s of zombies attacking and this motley crew somehow shooting their way through. I got so bored with it by 75% through I almost stopped reading. I can only hope that in the sequel there is more thought put into the character dimension, some originality in plot twists, and improved dialogue to keep things interesting. I
November 24, 2015
SPOILER ALERT:
"Twice Dead" is a story about a crack group of soldiers who are sent to rescue a certain scientist from a government think tank on the east coast. It's the day after the virus turned people into zombies and it is possible that this scientist has a cure to save mankind. Unfortunately, the team never reaches their destination but do stop en route to rescue a group of civilians trapped in a small town overrun with zombies. When it's all over and done, only half of the team and civilians has survived, but the leader insists on completing the original mission. The book ends with the team getting ready to break out of their safe haven and head toward the coast.
The story, short but okay and free - so there was nothing to lose. The book has many typos and extra words that should have been picked up by a proofreader. I was curious about the next book in the series and found that it was only 110 pages in length and priced as a full-length novel. Book 3 remains unwritten and a tentative publishing date not indicated. As a result, I chose not to purchase the next installment and refuse to do so when authors, such as this one, chop up a single story and try to sell several chapters as installments at outrageous prices and then call their work a series. George, you had me but then lost me just as quick.
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
"Twice Dead" is a story about a crack group of soldiers who are sent to rescue a certain scientist from a government think tank on the east coast. It's the day after the virus turned people into zombies and it is possible that this scientist has a cure to save mankind. Unfortunately, the team never reaches their destination but do stop en route to rescue a group of civilians trapped in a small town overrun with zombies. When it's all over and done, only half of the team and civilians has survived, but the leader insists on completing the original mission. The book ends with the team getting ready to break out of their safe haven and head toward the coast.
The story, short but okay and free - so there was nothing to lose. The book has many typos and extra words that should have been picked up by a proofreader. I was curious about the next book in the series and found that it was only 110 pages in length and priced as a full-length novel. Book 3 remains unwritten and a tentative publishing date not indicated. As a result, I chose not to purchase the next installment and refuse to do so when authors, such as this one, chop up a single story and try to sell several chapters as installments at outrageous prices and then call their work a series. George, you had me but then lost me just as quick.
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
March 31, 2014
This is a story about a general in the Military named Peterson. He is trying to find out the causes of the zombie apocalypse. He and his crew go looking for answers in videos, and diseases in recent dead animals. After their research, they think it is curse by God. Trying to figure out which source is the right one is the challenge. But only destiny will tell. Read book #1 of this wonderful series.
The book was entertaning. I liked some parts, and some I didn't. A section that I like was when they showed a video of a news reporter detailing the events of the apocalypse. As a reader this informations was important because made me feel like I was part of the events. George Magnum, the author of the book, did a wonderful job mentioning all of the details. One of the parts I didn't like was the beginning becuase it only talk about Peterson himself and not about exciting events. Even though it started slow, I would still recommend this book to readers who like little action, but a fun scavenger hunt.
The book was entertaning. I liked some parts, and some I didn't. A section that I like was when they showed a video of a news reporter detailing the events of the apocalypse. As a reader this informations was important because made me feel like I was part of the events. George Magnum, the author of the book, did a wonderful job mentioning all of the details. One of the parts I didn't like was the beginning becuase it only talk about Peterson himself and not about exciting events. Even though it started slow, I would still recommend this book to readers who like little action, but a fun scavenger hunt.
April 5, 2019
Gung-ho soldiers vs. zombies. We’ve all seen the movie a dozen times before.
Supposedly special ops, the best of the best, and lionised as such by the toxic, slavering narrator, the uber macho heroes (and the token female, more manly than the men of course) are in fact all stupid bickering arseholes without a clue.
This short novel is mere drivel, barely the script for a early shoot-em-up arcade game. Utterly forgettable.
As this is the first instalment in a series, it just ends without rhyme or reason. Game over, man!
Supposedly special ops, the best of the best, and lionised as such by the toxic, slavering narrator, the uber macho heroes (and the token female, more manly than the men of course) are in fact all stupid bickering arseholes without a clue.
This short novel is mere drivel, barely the script for a early shoot-em-up arcade game. Utterly forgettable.
As this is the first instalment in a series, it just ends without rhyme or reason. Game over, man!
January 10, 2020
At first I wasn't entirely sure whether I would like this book. The way it started didnt really appeal to me but it's rare I don't finish a book. I am so glad I kept reading. It gets so much better. There are a few twists and at times I though this is the end but somehow it wasn't. I loved this book so much I paid for the next one.
November 25, 2020
This one has ALL the hits:
- protagonist that's a handsome gruff loner, but with a heart of gold? Check.
- Elite special ops kill squad, that never misses a shot and beats unfathomable odds? Check
- One of the elite special ops a knock out attractive woman, whom also had a fling with the grizzled protagonist, also the commander of said elite special ops squad? Check.
- Zombie bites being the main spread of disease (although, not really....we'll touch in this in a second.)? Check
- Someone concealing a zombie bite, turning at just the most inopportune time? Check.
- Side mission involving saving a bunch of civilians and/or clashing with local police? (Both!) Check.
This one is as cookie cutter as it gets. The bad guys come in never ending waves, getting inches away before being put down. The good guys never miss a single headshot on their moving targets, and have unlimited ammo. They never sleep, they don't need to eat or use the bathroom, and they fight through SERIOUS injuries with no ill effect (they are in a helicopter crash, with the team sustaining life threatening injuries, yet they still have the ability to jog MILES, with gear, and THEN fight, flawlessly.)
The book ALSO doesn't follow it's own plot. It's stated early on that "contact with infected blood" causes the victims to turn into zombies, yet the number one method of infection is BITES. Not bloody bites, just regular bites. (In one case, a NINETY-TWO YEAR OLD WOMAN is able to "bite a chunk of flesh" off of someone. HOW?! With her dentures?!) Anyway, in numerous instances, the elite "Shadow Squad" is doing close quarters evisceration of zombies; spraying blood and gore literally INCHES away from themselves and others, yet not a single person is infected by zombie blood, which is said to be the ONLY method that transmits the disease. THEN, in one instance, one of the Shadow Squad, that merely died in the helicopter crash, comes back to life as a zombie. He wasn't even bitten, so........ Maybe this stuff is explained in later books, but it all makes zero sense here and now.
Another weird quirk is that EVERY SINGLE FEMALE CHARACTER is described in terms of her attractiveness, even when it doesn't matter at ALL. There's a scene where the author is like, (paraphasing:) "...the female reporter, who had a huge chest, .....) like, why is that important? The woman in the squad is hot, because he told us. The nurse they meet later is hot, because he told us. The female reporter is hot, because he told us. I'm sure it's all to set up romantic sub plots with the Dreamy Commander, but it's just silly.
All that aside, the book is well written. There were a few typos, but nothing egregious, and the author had a good pace and style to his writing. I definitely wanted to read the second book, but not enough to drop $4 on number 2 of however many; when I already know how the whole cliche affair is going to play out.
Not terrible, but absolutely NOTHING groundbreaking or new here. You can totally read it in one sitting, as it's fairly short as well.
- protagonist that's a handsome gruff loner, but with a heart of gold? Check.
- Elite special ops kill squad, that never misses a shot and beats unfathomable odds? Check
- One of the elite special ops a knock out attractive woman, whom also had a fling with the grizzled protagonist, also the commander of said elite special ops squad? Check.
- Zombie bites being the main spread of disease (although, not really....we'll touch in this in a second.)? Check
- Someone concealing a zombie bite, turning at just the most inopportune time? Check.
- Side mission involving saving a bunch of civilians and/or clashing with local police? (Both!) Check.
This one is as cookie cutter as it gets. The bad guys come in never ending waves, getting inches away before being put down. The good guys never miss a single headshot on their moving targets, and have unlimited ammo. They never sleep, they don't need to eat or use the bathroom, and they fight through SERIOUS injuries with no ill effect (they are in a helicopter crash, with the team sustaining life threatening injuries, yet they still have the ability to jog MILES, with gear, and THEN fight, flawlessly.)
The book ALSO doesn't follow it's own plot. It's stated early on that "contact with infected blood" causes the victims to turn into zombies, yet the number one method of infection is BITES. Not bloody bites, just regular bites. (In one case, a NINETY-TWO YEAR OLD WOMAN is able to "bite a chunk of flesh" off of someone. HOW?! With her dentures?!) Anyway, in numerous instances, the elite "Shadow Squad" is doing close quarters evisceration of zombies; spraying blood and gore literally INCHES away from themselves and others, yet not a single person is infected by zombie blood, which is said to be the ONLY method that transmits the disease. THEN, in one instance, one of the Shadow Squad, that merely died in the helicopter crash, comes back to life as a zombie. He wasn't even bitten, so........ Maybe this stuff is explained in later books, but it all makes zero sense here and now.
Another weird quirk is that EVERY SINGLE FEMALE CHARACTER is described in terms of her attractiveness, even when it doesn't matter at ALL. There's a scene where the author is like, (paraphasing:) "...the female reporter, who had a huge chest, .....) like, why is that important? The woman in the squad is hot, because he told us. The nurse they meet later is hot, because he told us. The female reporter is hot, because he told us. I'm sure it's all to set up romantic sub plots with the Dreamy Commander, but it's just silly.
All that aside, the book is well written. There were a few typos, but nothing egregious, and the author had a good pace and style to his writing. I definitely wanted to read the second book, but not enough to drop $4 on number 2 of however many; when I already know how the whole cliche affair is going to play out.
Not terrible, but absolutely NOTHING groundbreaking or new here. You can totally read it in one sitting, as it's fairly short as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2020
This is obviously a freshman novel that is self-published.
If it's not, I blame the editors. By page 20 the dialogue became unbearable, by page 30 the entire book clearly needed to be re-written.
The author attempts to input a sense of normalcy in chaos, or rather military discipline, and fails dramatically. I glean that the author has not done their research when it comes to military response or they have a drastic bias against military operations and finds them to be a joke. Either one is fine, but be consistent.
If you have read this book and enjoy it - good for you. I have not and will not finish it as it is too painful for myself to do so. There are better zombie novels out there, even ones that are self-published.
If it's not, I blame the editors. By page 20 the dialogue became unbearable, by page 30 the entire book clearly needed to be re-written.
The author attempts to input a sense of normalcy in chaos, or rather military discipline, and fails dramatically. I glean that the author has not done their research when it comes to military response or they have a drastic bias against military operations and finds them to be a joke. Either one is fine, but be consistent.
If you have read this book and enjoy it - good for you. I have not and will not finish it as it is too painful for myself to do so. There are better zombie novels out there, even ones that are self-published.
March 20, 2012
While this is an interesting read it suffers from several issues. First and foremost, grammatical accuracy followed by poor editing and ending with lack of research. The proper use of grammar in any written work is essential as it allows the reader to better understand what the author is attempting to pass on to them. That being said, I’ll move to the other issues within this work.
As the storyline develops, the readers are introduced to Commander Peterson, who is some kind of Special Operations trouble shooter that is called upon when things get their worse. His team, made up of every conceivable cliché and stereotypical tough guy persona from every action film ever made, come across as one dimensional with little to no significant details. Sadly, much like Peterson himself. The only female on his team, Sharon, seems to be the epitome of all tough, female leads that have appeared in film and print for the last 20 years. But, she carries an MP5 ‘Assault’ rifle. While this weapon addition may seem like nothing to most readers, it is an issue as the MP5 is actually a submachine gun made by the German company Heckler & Koch. While there are 168 different variations of their Machine Pistol 5 that encompass 7 different trigger groups, not one of their MP5’s could be referred to as an assault rifle.
As you can already tell, this was not a technically accurate novella.
When Peterson is briefed, a 0100 briefing which translates to 1am in the morning, we find out that his mission is to take his team to Plum Island and retrieve data pertinent to the zombie outbreak. That plot should have been able to carry the story all by itself but it didn’t.
I found most of the story to be distractive with incredibly poor writing and bad subtext. None of the characters had any kind of personal growth with no major details or sufficient background to establish a connection with the reader.
Regrettably, I spent most of my time attempting to compensate for the poor research in regards to equipment and weapons used by the characters or mentioned within the book while overlooking the grammatical issues. Case in point, one character ‘bolts open the breach of his rifle mounted under the barrel grenade launcher’. Yeah, I scratched my head on that one too. References to ‘banana clips’ punctuated with non-existent assault rifles tore the interest away from the main point of the story.
Several passages refer to emergency vehicles and how their sirens flash. I’m sure this was meant to refer to the light bar mounted on top of most of those vehicles as sirens only make noise and don’t physically flash. Other issues revolve around a lack of proper description when referring to real world objects. One particular section that I found amusing was the mention of snapping a clip into a weapon, adding a new round of ammo. That sequence is a bit confusing as modern firearms haven’t used a clip since the old M1 Garand rifle.
The term ‘clip’ refers to the stripper clip that the M1 used and is still used incorrectly to this day by novices who lack the knowledge of proper terminology. A round is a single bullet, so adding one round is not as important as chambering a new round. Another issue in that section references a squadron of soldiers which is usually something an air wing would have, a squadron I mean. Only one known unit in the US Army used at one time the term ‘squadrons’ and even then it most likely a rumor.
When Peterson and his team finally get headed out for their mission, their helicopter, a UH60 Blackhawk has suffered a fuel leak from the errant firing at their secret compound. While this fuel leak precipitated a sub-plot forcing them to land to refuel, it was not a plausible reason for that to happen as the Blackhawk has self-sealing fuel tanks to prevent just this kind of problem.
But, it was part of the plot so off we went.
Once the team is permanently grounded, they encounter survivors and the confusion begins again as they are introduced to a Captain Jones who later becomes Sheriff Jones for the rest of the story. It’s during this section that we are introduced to a state trooper who dons a mustache.
That is something I’d just love to see.
Peterson’s team helps this mix of police and civilians secure a hospital where the remaining action takes place. Inside the hospital, the survivors find out that somehow the cable is still working and are able to view recent news. One such newscast is described as National Guardsmen in gas masks looking wide-eyed and afraid. Hate to break this to you, but with a gas mask on or a MOPP hood and mask, you’d be pretty hard pressed to tell if they were wide-eyed behind all that gear. Within this same description is the lovely mention of assault machine guns. This cracked me up. While the average reader may not have caught all or any of the issues I’ve mentioned up to this point, they should catch this one no problem. Machine guns are suppressive weapons designed to keep the enemy’s head down and their forces pinned in place allowing friendly forces to flank and engage them. They are not considered assault weapons no more than the MP5 is considered an assault rifle.
Dead Again, Book 1 of the Zombie Diaries was an interesting read, the grammatical issues, spelling problems, poor editing and lack of due diligence research didn’t make this an enjoyable read.
Don’t get me wrong, this story has great potential. It just needs a bit more work and polish.
The key to remember, when using real world equipment, aircraft and weapons; research and accuracy is vital to convey the thought and idea you are attempting to pass on to the reader.
As the storyline develops, the readers are introduced to Commander Peterson, who is some kind of Special Operations trouble shooter that is called upon when things get their worse. His team, made up of every conceivable cliché and stereotypical tough guy persona from every action film ever made, come across as one dimensional with little to no significant details. Sadly, much like Peterson himself. The only female on his team, Sharon, seems to be the epitome of all tough, female leads that have appeared in film and print for the last 20 years. But, she carries an MP5 ‘Assault’ rifle. While this weapon addition may seem like nothing to most readers, it is an issue as the MP5 is actually a submachine gun made by the German company Heckler & Koch. While there are 168 different variations of their Machine Pistol 5 that encompass 7 different trigger groups, not one of their MP5’s could be referred to as an assault rifle.
As you can already tell, this was not a technically accurate novella.
When Peterson is briefed, a 0100 briefing which translates to 1am in the morning, we find out that his mission is to take his team to Plum Island and retrieve data pertinent to the zombie outbreak. That plot should have been able to carry the story all by itself but it didn’t.
I found most of the story to be distractive with incredibly poor writing and bad subtext. None of the characters had any kind of personal growth with no major details or sufficient background to establish a connection with the reader.
Regrettably, I spent most of my time attempting to compensate for the poor research in regards to equipment and weapons used by the characters or mentioned within the book while overlooking the grammatical issues. Case in point, one character ‘bolts open the breach of his rifle mounted under the barrel grenade launcher’. Yeah, I scratched my head on that one too. References to ‘banana clips’ punctuated with non-existent assault rifles tore the interest away from the main point of the story.
Several passages refer to emergency vehicles and how their sirens flash. I’m sure this was meant to refer to the light bar mounted on top of most of those vehicles as sirens only make noise and don’t physically flash. Other issues revolve around a lack of proper description when referring to real world objects. One particular section that I found amusing was the mention of snapping a clip into a weapon, adding a new round of ammo. That sequence is a bit confusing as modern firearms haven’t used a clip since the old M1 Garand rifle.
The term ‘clip’ refers to the stripper clip that the M1 used and is still used incorrectly to this day by novices who lack the knowledge of proper terminology. A round is a single bullet, so adding one round is not as important as chambering a new round. Another issue in that section references a squadron of soldiers which is usually something an air wing would have, a squadron I mean. Only one known unit in the US Army used at one time the term ‘squadrons’ and even then it most likely a rumor.
When Peterson and his team finally get headed out for their mission, their helicopter, a UH60 Blackhawk has suffered a fuel leak from the errant firing at their secret compound. While this fuel leak precipitated a sub-plot forcing them to land to refuel, it was not a plausible reason for that to happen as the Blackhawk has self-sealing fuel tanks to prevent just this kind of problem.
But, it was part of the plot so off we went.
Once the team is permanently grounded, they encounter survivors and the confusion begins again as they are introduced to a Captain Jones who later becomes Sheriff Jones for the rest of the story. It’s during this section that we are introduced to a state trooper who dons a mustache.
That is something I’d just love to see.
Peterson’s team helps this mix of police and civilians secure a hospital where the remaining action takes place. Inside the hospital, the survivors find out that somehow the cable is still working and are able to view recent news. One such newscast is described as National Guardsmen in gas masks looking wide-eyed and afraid. Hate to break this to you, but with a gas mask on or a MOPP hood and mask, you’d be pretty hard pressed to tell if they were wide-eyed behind all that gear. Within this same description is the lovely mention of assault machine guns. This cracked me up. While the average reader may not have caught all or any of the issues I’ve mentioned up to this point, they should catch this one no problem. Machine guns are suppressive weapons designed to keep the enemy’s head down and their forces pinned in place allowing friendly forces to flank and engage them. They are not considered assault weapons no more than the MP5 is considered an assault rifle.
Dead Again, Book 1 of the Zombie Diaries was an interesting read, the grammatical issues, spelling problems, poor editing and lack of due diligence research didn’t make this an enjoyable read.
Don’t get me wrong, this story has great potential. It just needs a bit more work and polish.
The key to remember, when using real world equipment, aircraft and weapons; research and accuracy is vital to convey the thought and idea you are attempting to pass on to the reader.
April 3, 2025
For the audiobook:
Punched out at 2:39.
This was where this book was living on borrowed time.
"He loaded the banana clip into his AR-15 and chambered a grenade into the lower barrel..."
If the author can't be bothered to perform the most basic of gun research, or military research - along with basic helicopter functions/pre-checks, why should I care?
The story sucked, the characters were lame and the zombie interactions were boring, this book should have no more than 2 stars at best and everyone who gave it more should be investigated.
Punched out at 2:39.
This was where this book was living on borrowed time.
"He loaded the banana clip into his AR-15 and chambered a grenade into the lower barrel..."
If the author can't be bothered to perform the most basic of gun research, or military research - along with basic helicopter functions/pre-checks, why should I care?
The story sucked, the characters were lame and the zombie interactions were boring, this book should have no more than 2 stars at best and everyone who gave it more should be investigated.
June 20, 2017
Overall A Decent Read
I haven't had time lately to read anything. This book was just sitting in my Kindle and I decided to take some time for myself and enjoy a good book.
This was a decent read. I think what I personally was missing was more substance --- more information into the relationship between the characters. And most importantly more action.
Otherwise, this is a good read and I look forward to reading book number two in the series.
I haven't had time lately to read anything. This book was just sitting in my Kindle and I decided to take some time for myself and enjoy a good book.
This was a decent read. I think what I personally was missing was more substance --- more information into the relationship between the characters. And most importantly more action.
Otherwise, this is a good read and I look forward to reading book number two in the series.
January 24, 2022
Ok read
The story line is pretty consistent with most in this genre, and I read quite a lot of it. There are a few grammatical errors, but the biggest stretch for me is the seeming endless amount of ammunition the team seems to burn through without any restock plan. I may be behind the times but I haven't heard of a .50 cal that burns thru 300 rounds a second. It is a pretty quick read so ill invest in the next book to see how the character development proceeds.
The story line is pretty consistent with most in this genre, and I read quite a lot of it. There are a few grammatical errors, but the biggest stretch for me is the seeming endless amount of ammunition the team seems to burn through without any restock plan. I may be behind the times but I haven't heard of a .50 cal that burns thru 300 rounds a second. It is a pretty quick read so ill invest in the next book to see how the character development proceeds.
February 19, 2020
An armed force team take on a mission in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Things don't turn out as expected.
I was a little bit disappointed with this story, you just start to get into the action when the book ends. The characters are not easy to relate to either, but still worth reading, especially if you are willing to get the next book.
I was a little bit disappointed with this story, you just start to get into the action when the book ends. The characters are not easy to relate to either, but still worth reading, especially if you are willing to get the next book.
March 2, 2020
A special forces group is sent out to get a scientist that may be able to find the cure for an illness that is killing people then bringing them back to life as zombies. Their helicopter goes down and they get caught up in saving a group of townspeople. Finally freeing themselves of them they try to figure a way to finish their mission
October 28, 2016
Not very well written and in desperate need of editing. All of the errors are quite distracting. That said, the characters are interesting and the story keeps you hooked. I might even read the second one.
January 1, 2020
I do love a zombie apocalypse book but gave up quarter of the way through. The US special ops army were so formulaic (think Alien 2, tough female, strong black guy, loose cannon etc) and the unlikeable, above everyone else scientist, I lost interest in the main story.
February 8, 2020
It was ok. It was Walking Dead, but with lots of macho military stuff. Not groundbreaking, no new or different perspectives to offer, but a quick easy read. Have definitely read better zombie books. A few holes in the plot here and there.
August 25, 2020
Not the best Zombie book I have ever read.
There were too many minor characters that you barely got to know and then had trouble remembering who they were every time Peterson interacted with them.
This was lacking excitement and was definitely a male dominated story.
There were too many minor characters that you barely got to know and then had trouble remembering who they were every time Peterson interacted with them.
This was lacking excitement and was definitely a male dominated story.
July 11, 2018
Tapped out at 26%
When every other sentence is a cliche, there's no real reason to continue.
When every other sentence is a cliche, there's no real reason to continue.
March 16, 2020
Some cheesy bits, but overall a good read.
April 24, 2020
The story is not bad in itself. However I find it too short of a book, trying to get you into the rest of the series.
July 21, 2020
Easy read, I really got a sense of the Peterson character while reading. Lots of action. Story was usual zombie story looking for a cure but I really enjoyed it!
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