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DEAD
Dead Cells
As a prisoner in one of the most brutal facilities imaginable, Shane Bridge thought that he'd seen it all. Surrounded by murderers, rapists, gangstersand paedophiles, Shane had managed to survive his three years in one piece. With parole just around the corner, and his wife and daughter at home awaitinghis return, Shane has high-hopes for the future.When a new inmate is brought in, carrying with him a deadly virus, Shane soon realises that his plans, his release, and his very survival are in jeopardy.With the virus spreading, turning guards and inmates into flesh-eating zombies, it's up to a few survivors to figure out how to escape the facility, how to get along......and how to stay alive.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2011
10 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Adam Millard
131 books179 followersAdam Millard is the author of twenty novels, twelve novellas, and more than two hundred short stories, which can be found in various collections and anthologies. Probably best known for his post-apocalyptic fiction, Adam also writes fantasy/horror for children and Bizarro fiction for several publishers. His work has recently been translated for the German market.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 19, 2015
Shane is an average man. He's never been in trouble before but now finds himself in prison. One stupid action has caused him to spend time in jail with murderers, rapists, gangsters
and paedophiles. He is up for parole soon and looking forward to getting back to his life with his wife and daughter. But when a new inmate arrives, bringing with him a deadly virus, it's up to Shane and a handful of survivours, to get out alive!
I have to admit that the concept of an outbreak in a prison really enticed me. Despite reading a lot of Zombie books, I never gave any thought to what would happen in a place where you are locked up! This is a new aspect of the genre for me, and I totally loved it! Imagine having a Zombie outbreak happen but you are locked up in a prison, with no hope of escape!! That is exactly what happens to Shane. He has to navigate the locked rooms and find an escape before it's too late.
I really liked Shanes character. He made one stupid decision but is paying the price. Despite his stint in jail, he wants nothing more than to put the past behind him and look after his wife and daughter. When the outbreak happens, his one thought is always of his family. That's what sees him through, and I admired his strength and tenacity.
The plot was fast paced, though I would of liked a little more back story on the origins of the virus. It just kind of happens and we get no idea from where or how? I also wanted a little more of an in depth look at the characters. There are quite a few but we don't get a sense of who they are. Also the time it took people to turn to zombies changed all the time, some changed quickly, while others it took days. Now I know that maybe the virus progressed but it should of been explained more. Other than that, I loved the idea of the outbreak in the prison. Even with the things I wanted, the story kept my attention throughout, and I was rooting for Shane all the time.
In all this is a action packed and addictive read. The setting was perfect and added extra tension. There were plenty of edge of your seat moments! I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to book 2!
This is my first listen by Luke Smith, and thought he did a great job. Easy to listen to and follow, he held my attention throughout.
*I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
and paedophiles. He is up for parole soon and looking forward to getting back to his life with his wife and daughter. But when a new inmate arrives, bringing with him a deadly virus, it's up to Shane and a handful of survivours, to get out alive!
I have to admit that the concept of an outbreak in a prison really enticed me. Despite reading a lot of Zombie books, I never gave any thought to what would happen in a place where you are locked up! This is a new aspect of the genre for me, and I totally loved it! Imagine having a Zombie outbreak happen but you are locked up in a prison, with no hope of escape!! That is exactly what happens to Shane. He has to navigate the locked rooms and find an escape before it's too late.
I really liked Shanes character. He made one stupid decision but is paying the price. Despite his stint in jail, he wants nothing more than to put the past behind him and look after his wife and daughter. When the outbreak happens, his one thought is always of his family. That's what sees him through, and I admired his strength and tenacity.
The plot was fast paced, though I would of liked a little more back story on the origins of the virus. It just kind of happens and we get no idea from where or how? I also wanted a little more of an in depth look at the characters. There are quite a few but we don't get a sense of who they are. Also the time it took people to turn to zombies changed all the time, some changed quickly, while others it took days. Now I know that maybe the virus progressed but it should of been explained more. Other than that, I loved the idea of the outbreak in the prison. Even with the things I wanted, the story kept my attention throughout, and I was rooting for Shane all the time.
In all this is a action packed and addictive read. The setting was perfect and added extra tension. There were plenty of edge of your seat moments! I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to book 2!
This is my first listen by Luke Smith, and thought he did a great job. Easy to listen to and follow, he held my attention throughout.
*I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
July 20, 2014
On paper, this looked like a great read from an author who had several books to his name. In practice, it was a little disappointing. The ingredients are all there: the prison setting, the sudden outbreak of a virus that turns its victims into zombies that hunger for the flesh of the living, and an ever dwindling group of characters that are trying to survive. The execution, however, lacked. Most of the characters are barely sketched in so their deaths elicit only minor reactions. Some also felt inconsistent, saying one thing one moment, and then five minutes later suddenly acting at odds with their previous proclamation.
The biggest sin though is that Millard seems to change the rules about his zombies to suit the needs of the story. Some of the infected turn only after a day or so, but by late in the novel, the characters are seemingly turning within hours and then mere minutes. This would be fine if there was some kind of explanation offered or even hinted at, but there was none. Another example is that the zombies are portrayed as little more than animals through most scenes, but then a zombie POV is offered and - among numerous other examples of higher-order processing - he experiences gratefulness when his stomach literally slips out of him as it will mean more room for the flesh he craves. Simply put, if a zombie can feel something as sophisticated as gratefulness, how come his fellow zombies can't even operate a door knob? It just doesn't gel.
In terms of his prose, Millard knows his stuff. His writing flows well and is easily palatable. And Dead Cells is certainly fast paced. I'm assuming this is a self-published work though, as there are the usual number of typos and missing capitals and incorrectly referred to character names for an independent work.
All in all, this is one for serious zombie buffs only. It is part of a series, however, so perhaps some of these kinks are worked out in the latter books?
2 Gore-Soaked Opened Mouths for Dead Cells.
The biggest sin though is that Millard seems to change the rules about his zombies to suit the needs of the story. Some of the infected turn only after a day or so, but by late in the novel, the characters are seemingly turning within hours and then mere minutes. This would be fine if there was some kind of explanation offered or even hinted at, but there was none. Another example is that the zombies are portrayed as little more than animals through most scenes, but then a zombie POV is offered and - among numerous other examples of higher-order processing - he experiences gratefulness when his stomach literally slips out of him as it will mean more room for the flesh he craves. Simply put, if a zombie can feel something as sophisticated as gratefulness, how come his fellow zombies can't even operate a door knob? It just doesn't gel.
In terms of his prose, Millard knows his stuff. His writing flows well and is easily palatable. And Dead Cells is certainly fast paced. I'm assuming this is a self-published work though, as there are the usual number of typos and missing capitals and incorrectly referred to character names for an independent work.
All in all, this is one for serious zombie buffs only. It is part of a series, however, so perhaps some of these kinks are worked out in the latter books?
2 Gore-Soaked Opened Mouths for Dead Cells.
August 22, 2015
DEAD CELLS
Author: Adam Millard
Type of Book: Audiobook - Unabridged
Narrator: Luke Smith
Length: 5 hours and 52 minutes
Genre: Zombie Fiction
Release Date: March 13, 2015
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
* I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review through Audiobook Blast.
THE STORY:
The premise of this novel is a zombie outbreak in a high security prison. Not a bad idea, but limited in scope. Despite that, I decided to give this audiobook a chance.
The main character is a regular guy named Shane. Shane has a wife and young daughter, both of whom he adores. In fact, it is his devotion to his family that eventually lands him in jail.
With the threat of being evicted and despite his diligent job-searching, Shane has been unable to provide financially for his family. In desperation and a misguided attempt to avoid receiving charity, Shane's pride overrides his common-sense and he does something supremely stupid and very illegal.
Shane receives a three year prison sentence for his actions and the book begins when he only has three months left on his sentence.
Shane is incarcerated in one of the nation's most notorious prisons and is constantly surrounded by murderers, rapists, gangsters
and pedophiles.
When a new inmate is brought in, carrying with him a deadly virus, Shane realises that his plans, his release, and even his life are at risk.
The sick prisoner is carrying a horrible virus which quickly spreads throughout the prison, infecting both the prisoners and the guards.
"With the virus spreading, turning guards and inmates into flesh-eating zombies, it's up to a few survivors to figure out how to escape the facility, how to get along."
I expected more from this audiobook than I received. The author has taken some very large liberties with the story's logistics. For example: The warden's office does not have a lock. I find this simply ridiculous. Of course his office door would have a lock. I highly doubt that a high security facility would be lacking in such basic security measures. Not even a simple lock on the warden's office, and yet other areas require fingerprint scanning to enter. This makes no sense.
I did enjoy listening to the narrator's voice, however there were some editing errors that distracted me from being able to be fully drawn into the story.
There are at least three instances where the narrator repeats himself. This is both irritating and unpredictable.
Another thing that bothered me about this audiobook was the inconsistency of the time it took for people to turn into zombies. Some inmates took hours or even overnight to change and yet others seemed to change instantly. If the author had offered some explanation for these variations it might have been more believable.
Due to the issues listed above, I rate this audiobook as 3 out of 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐
Author: Adam Millard
Type of Book: Audiobook - Unabridged
Narrator: Luke Smith
Length: 5 hours and 52 minutes
Genre: Zombie Fiction
Release Date: March 13, 2015
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
* I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review through Audiobook Blast.
THE STORY:
The premise of this novel is a zombie outbreak in a high security prison. Not a bad idea, but limited in scope. Despite that, I decided to give this audiobook a chance.
The main character is a regular guy named Shane. Shane has a wife and young daughter, both of whom he adores. In fact, it is his devotion to his family that eventually lands him in jail.
With the threat of being evicted and despite his diligent job-searching, Shane has been unable to provide financially for his family. In desperation and a misguided attempt to avoid receiving charity, Shane's pride overrides his common-sense and he does something supremely stupid and very illegal.
Shane receives a three year prison sentence for his actions and the book begins when he only has three months left on his sentence.
Shane is incarcerated in one of the nation's most notorious prisons and is constantly surrounded by murderers, rapists, gangsters
and pedophiles.
When a new inmate is brought in, carrying with him a deadly virus, Shane realises that his plans, his release, and even his life are at risk.
The sick prisoner is carrying a horrible virus which quickly spreads throughout the prison, infecting both the prisoners and the guards.
"With the virus spreading, turning guards and inmates into flesh-eating zombies, it's up to a few survivors to figure out how to escape the facility, how to get along."
I expected more from this audiobook than I received. The author has taken some very large liberties with the story's logistics. For example: The warden's office does not have a lock. I find this simply ridiculous. Of course his office door would have a lock. I highly doubt that a high security facility would be lacking in such basic security measures. Not even a simple lock on the warden's office, and yet other areas require fingerprint scanning to enter. This makes no sense.
I did enjoy listening to the narrator's voice, however there were some editing errors that distracted me from being able to be fully drawn into the story.
There are at least three instances where the narrator repeats himself. This is both irritating and unpredictable.
Another thing that bothered me about this audiobook was the inconsistency of the time it took for people to turn into zombies. Some inmates took hours or even overnight to change and yet others seemed to change instantly. If the author had offered some explanation for these variations it might have been more believable.
Due to the issues listed above, I rate this audiobook as 3 out of 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐
August 25, 2017
Shane is thinking about the end of his armed robbery sentence where he will be released and get home to his family. His hopes soon end when a seriously ill new prisoner starts to infect other prisoners and spreads a deadly virus.
This will be a short review as I felt that nothing about this book really worked for me. It is very disjointed, moving aimlessly between different characters that have little or no development along with flashbacks to previous events for Shane. There is no flow or cohesion to the plot. As for the characters, they were all criminals as the book is set in a prison where a virus starts to infect everyone. It was a parade of thugs and utter lowlives and the MC was a violent armed robber. Am I expected to care about these asshats and want them to survive? If that was the idea, I didn't feel anything but contempt for the lot of them. There was no decent character amongst them and I didn't care about them all dying so I lost interest quickly.
The idea of a virus in a confined environment was good but I didn't like the prison setting. If it is being set in a prison, the characters must bring out empathy in the reader. Having the MCs as thugs and idiots did not greatly appeal to me. It would've worked better if the book had followed the prison officers trying to restore order instead of having them as the bullies picking on the poor criminals. It didn't work for me and I didn't finish it.
This will be a short review as I felt that nothing about this book really worked for me. It is very disjointed, moving aimlessly between different characters that have little or no development along with flashbacks to previous events for Shane. There is no flow or cohesion to the plot. As for the characters, they were all criminals as the book is set in a prison where a virus starts to infect everyone. It was a parade of thugs and utter lowlives and the MC was a violent armed robber. Am I expected to care about these asshats and want them to survive? If that was the idea, I didn't feel anything but contempt for the lot of them. There was no decent character amongst them and I didn't care about them all dying so I lost interest quickly.
The idea of a virus in a confined environment was good but I didn't like the prison setting. If it is being set in a prison, the characters must bring out empathy in the reader. Having the MCs as thugs and idiots did not greatly appeal to me. It would've worked better if the book had followed the prison officers trying to restore order instead of having them as the bullies picking on the poor criminals. It didn't work for me and I didn't finish it.
July 25, 2012
I had this downloaded to my Kindle for a little over a pound: Bargain! From the start I was hooked. The characters are interesting, some are likeable, others I enjoyed hating. The main character, Shane, is developed so that you genuinely care about his safety and are with him every step of the way as he makes his way through the gory scenes within the prison. The ending was left on a cliff-hanger, which I hope means there might be a follow up novel!
Product Description
As a prisoner in one of the most brutal facilities imaginable, Shane Bridge thought that he'd seen it all. Surrounded by murderers, rapists, gangsters
and paedophiles, Shane had managed to survive his three years in one piece. With parole just around the corner, and his wife and daughter at home awaiting
his return, Shane has high-hopes for the future.
When a new inmate is brought in, carrying with him a deadly virus, Shane soon realises that his plans, his release, and his very survival are in jeopardy.
With the virus spreading, turning guards and inmates into flesh-eating zombies, it's up to a few survivors to figure out how to escape the facility, how to get along...
...and how to stay alive.
Product Description
As a prisoner in one of the most brutal facilities imaginable, Shane Bridge thought that he'd seen it all. Surrounded by murderers, rapists, gangsters
and paedophiles, Shane had managed to survive his three years in one piece. With parole just around the corner, and his wife and daughter at home awaiting
his return, Shane has high-hopes for the future.
When a new inmate is brought in, carrying with him a deadly virus, Shane soon realises that his plans, his release, and his very survival are in jeopardy.
With the virus spreading, turning guards and inmates into flesh-eating zombies, it's up to a few survivors to figure out how to escape the facility, how to get along...
...and how to stay alive.
February 6, 2012
I feel a bit generous in giving this 3 stars. It wasn't terrible, and it was a fast enough read, but it wasn't great. The device of having a zombie attack/plague in a prison is certainly nothing new (Robert Kirkman did it in The Walking Dead years ago, just to name one off the top of my head), but it was an interesting take on things. The writing needs improvement, and they need to fire the editor (if they even had one) and find someone who will catch spelling errors. Also, the formatting needs to be improved - simply using an asterisk to delineate breaks in the narrative only works if it's placed correctly. When it blends into the rest of the type and I have to go back and look to see if I missed something telling me that a new part/perspective in the story is beginning, it's a problem. Overall the story held a good idea (if a bit trite, but how much can you do to make new and exciting zombie fiction, especially as a jumping-off point for a series?), so I'll err on the side of generosity.
February 7, 2017
Ich habe selten ein derart schlecht übersetztes Buch gelesen. Hoffe ich zumindest. Nicht, weil ich diesen Satz schon immer mal schreiben wollte, sondern vielmehr weil dadurch zumindest jenem Teil der Menschheit, der dieses Buch in einer anderen Sprache liest, einiges erspart geblieben ist.
Die Story selbst ist dabei gar nicht mal so übel. Ich würde sie nicht als fundamental neu bezeichnen - aber sie steht vielen anderen Zombieepedemie-Geschichten nicht viel nach.
Ich werde den zweiten Teil zwar nicht lesen, werde dem Verlag (der sich an und für sich auf eine spannende Nische konzentriert: Literatur, bei der man sich fragt, wer zur Hölle so etwas überhaupt schreiben kann) allerdings auch nicht fern bleiben. Die Übersetzung der anderen Bücher sollte aber definitiv besser sein...
Die Story selbst ist dabei gar nicht mal so übel. Ich würde sie nicht als fundamental neu bezeichnen - aber sie steht vielen anderen Zombieepedemie-Geschichten nicht viel nach.
Ich werde den zweiten Teil zwar nicht lesen, werde dem Verlag (der sich an und für sich auf eine spannende Nische konzentriert: Literatur, bei der man sich fragt, wer zur Hölle so etwas überhaupt schreiben kann) allerdings auch nicht fern bleiben. Die Übersetzung der anderen Bücher sollte aber definitiv besser sein...
January 28, 2020
Dead End
I really enjoyed the book. It felt like I was reading a "pilot" for a series, getting to know the key players & laying the groundwork for the story to continue in Book Two! Great! Except THERE IS NO BOOK TWO! I read this book the first time several years ago & just ran across it while setting up the new Kindle. Foiled me TWICE! Write Book Two, please.
I really enjoyed the book. It felt like I was reading a "pilot" for a series, getting to know the key players & laying the groundwork for the story to continue in Book Two! Great! Except THERE IS NO BOOK TWO! I read this book the first time several years ago & just ran across it while setting up the new Kindle. Foiled me TWICE! Write Book Two, please.
June 30, 2021
Pretty decent read from a different perspective.
October 3, 2015
** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **
I like this book...it is creepy and disturbing...and I cant wait to listen to book 2!
This story is mostly about Shane...he tried to rob a liquor store to help his family, and got caught...he is now in one of the worst prisons in his state...and avoiding sex offenders and murderers...he is lucky he has a big celly that watches his back...so when the infection breaks out and everything starts to hit the fan he has someone who can help him navigate this hell and possibly survive... really great story...I recommend for that zombie/horror fan....don't hesitate..well worth your time and a credit!!
Thank You Audiobookblast(dot)com
I like this book...it is creepy and disturbing...and I cant wait to listen to book 2!
This story is mostly about Shane...he tried to rob a liquor store to help his family, and got caught...he is now in one of the worst prisons in his state...and avoiding sex offenders and murderers...he is lucky he has a big celly that watches his back...so when the infection breaks out and everything starts to hit the fan he has someone who can help him navigate this hell and possibly survive... really great story...I recommend for that zombie/horror fan....don't hesitate..well worth your time and a credit!!
Thank You Audiobookblast(dot)com
February 11, 2013
It was only OK. The characters simply aren't fleshed out enough to really care about them or even remember them. It's pretty fast paced with the typical amount of gruesome detail. Worst part about it was the constant use of British slang and obviously not American references in a story that takes place IN the USA with supposed all American characters. If the author is British, he should stick to what he knows or take the time to do proper research. This was insanely annoying.
December 27, 2015
Adam Millard managed to make this zombie story interesting by having a zombie breakout start in a prison. Without that, it would have been just another zombie story. The prison aspect forces guards and inmates to work together when two hours previously they would have jumped at the chance to beat the others down.
I received a free copy of this audio book from the author, narrator or publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
I received a free copy of this audio book from the author, narrator or publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
April 6, 2012
I actually really enjoyed this take on the zombie apocalypse. I also thought this was pretty origional. I don't really know of any other story that shows a zombie outbreak from the perspective of prisoners (yet). Yes The Walking Dead uses a prison as a refuge, but that's after the prison has already been overrun. It doesn't show us how the prison fell or what the prisoners went through.
November 12, 2015
If good ZA books were semtex, Adam Millard's Dead Cells would have blown me to minuscule spots of gore. It's always a treat to stumble across ZA, that doesn't try to be too clever, or too different, and offers up a welcome, traditional, home cooked splatterfest. With great characters, and buckets full of humour, Dead Cells shows what an immense talent Adam Millard is.
August 1, 2012
The vocabulary was bollocks. I want to kick this book to the kerb. The colloquialisms were distracting. The story was not bad. Eh!
February 19, 2013
Not bad - well paced and didn't wander off from the plot. No explanation for the zombie apocalypse, but that's his call.
August 23, 2013
Fairly standard zombie gore-fest. Nothing particularly interesting or original compared with other novels in the genre.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews