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The Pandemic Sequence #1
The Tilian Virus
The virus spread quicker than anyone could have imagined. Within days, over half the world's population became infected. Now a small band of survivors, led by high school teacher Mike Allard, must learn to live in a world ravaged by the deadly victims of the Tilian Virus.
Weaving together two separate time frames, The Tilian Virus is a tale of humankind's most dire hour. Faced with imminent elimination, humanity's last glimmers struggle to break through the darkness of a pandemic the world has never before experienced.
Weaving together two separate time frames, The Tilian Virus is a tale of humankind's most dire hour. Faced with imminent elimination, humanity's last glimmers struggle to break through the darkness of a pandemic the world has never before experienced.
Nook
First published September 27, 2011
59 people are currently reading
800 people want to read
About the author
Tom Calen
17 books29 followersTom Calen is the author of the bestselling horror series The Pandemic Sequence, the novel Sarah of the Romani, as well as the dystopian future series The Scars of Tomorrow. His books, The Tilian Virus and The Tilian Effect, reached #1 on Amazon’s bestselling science-fiction series list, and was the #1 Hot New Release in both horror and science-fiction.
From Castle Rock to Arakis, Middle Earth to Westeros, Tom eagerly devours as many horror/thriller and scifi/fantasy novels as time allows. He credits George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, and Stephen King as the major influences on his style.
A New York City native, Tom holds a degree in English and worked in the business world before abandoning all reason and deciding to write full-time. Tom is an Active member of both International Thriller Writers and the Horror Writers Association. He currently lives in Nicaragua, where he is working on his next book.
For more, visit www.TomCalen.com
You can contact him at:
Email: tom@tomcalen.com
FB: www.facebook.com/tomcalen
From Castle Rock to Arakis, Middle Earth to Westeros, Tom eagerly devours as many horror/thriller and scifi/fantasy novels as time allows. He credits George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, and Stephen King as the major influences on his style.
A New York City native, Tom holds a degree in English and worked in the business world before abandoning all reason and deciding to write full-time. Tom is an Active member of both International Thriller Writers and the Horror Writers Association. He currently lives in Nicaragua, where he is working on his next book.
For more, visit www.TomCalen.com
You can contact him at:
Email: tom@tomcalen.com
FB: www.facebook.com/tomcalen
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
April 3, 2014
As you begin reading The Tilian Virus you assume that you’re following the main character, Mike Allard, as he goes through the motions of daily life right before the outbreak that brings society to its knees. Immediately you’ll find yourself corrected as Chapter 2 thrusts you into the post outbreak world and you find Allard at the head of a band of survivors who have sought refuge in the Appalachian Mountains. The stark contrast between the first few chapters of the book are somewhat jarring as you don’t really expect to have side by side storytelling in this way, but eventually the story in itself will suck you in and you’ll race to the end of each chapter in order to satisfy your desire to know what happens next.
Mike Allard, our lovable main character, is a high school History teacher who has not only a love for education, but for his students and their thirst for knowledge. When a mysterious flu-like virus begins spreading through Mike’s small town (and eventually the whole world) he is suddenly in the middle of a deadly outbreak that turns the frail and sick into strong and deadly cannibals. Holed up in the high school’s faculty room at the start of this doomsday virus, Mike is challenged with keeping his students out of harm’s way and finding them a place of safety. On the flipside of this story, we are 6 years into the future and are experiencing not only an entirely different world, but an entirely different Mike Allard. Allard, now a hardened survivor, is the leader of a camp of refugees in a post outbreak world. In the past, he was tasked with keeping a handful of teenagers safe while now he has close to 100 people in his care.
I knew immediately that I was going to love this novel. The author, Tom Calen, does an excellent job of gradually introducing the reader to his apocalypse scenario and then, with a cautious style of writing, takes the reader on an adventure into the future of “the end.” With the switching back and forth between past and future, it can be a little confusing for the reader at first, but I found that after pressing on and discovering the fantastic storytelling, I barely noticed the changes. I personally enjoy seeing stories through different perspectives, whether that be character, location, or in this case, time. The comparison and contrast between character emotions and skillsets of the early days and post-outbreak days is remarkable.
While the “deadly outbreak” scenario is not original in itself, the type of virus, called “Inclusion Body Disease” is something new for zombie lovers and horror readers. Inclusion Body Disease attacks the central nervous system of boa constrictors and in the novel, has somehow developed into a strain that now infects human beings. The “Tils” as the infected are named in the book, have a tell-tale sign of infection in which their heads dramatically cock to the side, which is a real side effect of the virus in snakes. The plus side of this airborne virus? Unless you’re bitten by an infected, you’re safe if your blood type is anything other than Type O Positive or Negative. (I would be screwed!) I thought the small things like the “dramatically cocked head” being a real life side effect was very interesting and I really appreciated how Calen wove this into his story.
The only improvement The Tilian Virus needed is that I felt the majority of the secondary characters were “redshirts.” Allard’s students were very hard to tell apart, even with different names. Often times I had to read back and figure out which ones were which and it was hard to discern who was speaking to whom. There was a lack of emotional attachment to any of the other characters aside from Allard. The strong protagonist makes up for this, but the story could have been much deeper with a stronger supporting cast. Another round of edits wouldn’t have hurt the book but I wasn’t distracted by the errors enough to be taken out of the story.
The end of The Tilian Virus is a twisting conclusion that left me excited for the second book. I had to stop myself from beginning Calen’s follow up to The Tilian Virus before I wrote this first review. The Tilian Virus and Tom Calen both deserve the 5 Star Rating I have given this book and it is a welcome addition to my horror novel collection.
Mike Allard, our lovable main character, is a high school History teacher who has not only a love for education, but for his students and their thirst for knowledge. When a mysterious flu-like virus begins spreading through Mike’s small town (and eventually the whole world) he is suddenly in the middle of a deadly outbreak that turns the frail and sick into strong and deadly cannibals. Holed up in the high school’s faculty room at the start of this doomsday virus, Mike is challenged with keeping his students out of harm’s way and finding them a place of safety. On the flipside of this story, we are 6 years into the future and are experiencing not only an entirely different world, but an entirely different Mike Allard. Allard, now a hardened survivor, is the leader of a camp of refugees in a post outbreak world. In the past, he was tasked with keeping a handful of teenagers safe while now he has close to 100 people in his care.
I knew immediately that I was going to love this novel. The author, Tom Calen, does an excellent job of gradually introducing the reader to his apocalypse scenario and then, with a cautious style of writing, takes the reader on an adventure into the future of “the end.” With the switching back and forth between past and future, it can be a little confusing for the reader at first, but I found that after pressing on and discovering the fantastic storytelling, I barely noticed the changes. I personally enjoy seeing stories through different perspectives, whether that be character, location, or in this case, time. The comparison and contrast between character emotions and skillsets of the early days and post-outbreak days is remarkable.
While the “deadly outbreak” scenario is not original in itself, the type of virus, called “Inclusion Body Disease” is something new for zombie lovers and horror readers. Inclusion Body Disease attacks the central nervous system of boa constrictors and in the novel, has somehow developed into a strain that now infects human beings. The “Tils” as the infected are named in the book, have a tell-tale sign of infection in which their heads dramatically cock to the side, which is a real side effect of the virus in snakes. The plus side of this airborne virus? Unless you’re bitten by an infected, you’re safe if your blood type is anything other than Type O Positive or Negative. (I would be screwed!) I thought the small things like the “dramatically cocked head” being a real life side effect was very interesting and I really appreciated how Calen wove this into his story.
The only improvement The Tilian Virus needed is that I felt the majority of the secondary characters were “redshirts.” Allard’s students were very hard to tell apart, even with different names. Often times I had to read back and figure out which ones were which and it was hard to discern who was speaking to whom. There was a lack of emotional attachment to any of the other characters aside from Allard. The strong protagonist makes up for this, but the story could have been much deeper with a stronger supporting cast. Another round of edits wouldn’t have hurt the book but I wasn’t distracted by the errors enough to be taken out of the story.
The end of The Tilian Virus is a twisting conclusion that left me excited for the second book. I had to stop myself from beginning Calen’s follow up to The Tilian Virus before I wrote this first review. The Tilian Virus and Tom Calen both deserve the 5 Star Rating I have given this book and it is a welcome addition to my horror novel collection.
August 9, 2014
This book was a fail for me. I do have an interest in zombie fiction so I thought this might be a worthwhile series to look into while psyching myself up to delve more into the genre (and watching The Walking Dead) but unfortunately this was a dud.
The first a and biggest issue I had with this was the fact that it kept switching timelines. This isn't a horrible thing to do, and I'm sure there are lots of authors who've done this trick successfully but it did not work here. It just make the plot and the characters too far removed. There was too much space in between the two timelines, too much left out. There was too many questions left out and it was impossible to connect with the characters...so by the end all I felt was meh and a sense of relief that I could move on to something new to read. Not a great way to feel after finishing a book...especially one that you started with the expectation of being excited.
I will definitely be skipping the rest of the books in this series and skip any other books by this author.
The first a and biggest issue I had with this was the fact that it kept switching timelines. This isn't a horrible thing to do, and I'm sure there are lots of authors who've done this trick successfully but it did not work here. It just make the plot and the characters too far removed. There was too much space in between the two timelines, too much left out. There was too many questions left out and it was impossible to connect with the characters...so by the end all I felt was meh and a sense of relief that I could move on to something new to read. Not a great way to feel after finishing a book...especially one that you started with the expectation of being excited.
I will definitely be skipping the rest of the books in this series and skip any other books by this author.
February 23, 2014
I am a Walking Dead fan and this book is as good or better than the series. This book is also part of a Triology. This book is told from the perspective of a high school teacher looking out for his students. I loved the way the author told the story in flashback episodes.
February 17, 2014
Good but...
I'm only on the sixth chapter but I already know how and why I'm rating this book. The positives first I liked the story from a high school perspective. I have read many zombie books and I have not read a book from this angle yet. The reason why this book it gets a three star rating though is because it switches between the past and the present. This can be confusing and annoying. Personally I believe that if you wanted to include the present then he could've put that at the end of the book to fix this problem. The beginning could've been the past and then the middle to the end could've been the present. He also could have done what some other reviewers were talking about which was to split the book into two books which also could have helped the confusion. This was the main issue with this book. I really think that if the author revised the book and picked one of the choices that I mentioned I believe that this book would have better ratings.
I'm only on the sixth chapter but I already know how and why I'm rating this book. The positives first I liked the story from a high school perspective. I have read many zombie books and I have not read a book from this angle yet. The reason why this book it gets a three star rating though is because it switches between the past and the present. This can be confusing and annoying. Personally I believe that if you wanted to include the present then he could've put that at the end of the book to fix this problem. The beginning could've been the past and then the middle to the end could've been the present. He also could have done what some other reviewers were talking about which was to split the book into two books which also could have helped the confusion. This was the main issue with this book. I really think that if the author revised the book and picked one of the choices that I mentioned I believe that this book would have better ratings.
May 3, 2016
I just could not get into it. I restarted it a couple of times. I had it on regular speed, then I speed it up, because sometimes that works. No. The story seems interesting to me, so I don't know what the problem was. My mind kept wondering.
May 6, 2015
The Tilian Virus is an up and coming book. It is of course is all about zombies, blood, and gore. A history teacher by the name of Mike Allard has been thrust into a leadership role he neither asked for nor wanted. He is far from his home now located in Tennessee in a fairly small town. Not much his know about where he comes from except, that he is from up North. The book switches from past to present every other chapter. While I find this a refreshing change it can also be confusing to the reader, as it is a bit like reading two books in one.
This is a trilogy so it does have a small cliff hanger at he end, but nothing too serious. You will find a lot of moral dilemma’s, things have changed in this world and not for the better I am afraid. Not only are you having to fight what everyone has declared Tils, but you are also having to face humans who are evil as well. This group of stragglers left behind have survived though many have been lost on the way. So, what else can you do but press forward is Mike Allard’s thinking.
You will find several side characters though I found no real attachment to any as of yet, since there is no background story for any of them so far The character on Michelle is a bit intriguing, we learn a tiny bit about this one in the past chapters. I really do wish he had separated this book into two stories. I feel like if he had done so there would have been much more character development. Also, I find a lot of similarities between this book and The Walking Dead series. For instance, both are led by male characters with the same traits. Both tend to not want to be the leader, but seem to step up and do it anyway. Also there are scenes in the book that are very similar.
I feel like this author got his inspiration from this series, but with so many character flaws it falls short of being great and borders on mediocre. I don’t expect every character to be fully developed, but I believe the main ones should at least give us a semblance of who they are. As a fan of zombies, I find this one sorely lacking. This would be the perfect script for a B-movie though. Especially since you have no idea who this characters really are. I find the writing to be a bit drab with very little actually said. For it being a first book by author Tom Calen it is not that bad it just lacks a lot in the character development. Maybe in the next book we will learn more about these characters until then I have to give this one a three out of five stars. Really though you should be on the look out for this author because I see great things in the future for this one.
This is a trilogy so it does have a small cliff hanger at he end, but nothing too serious. You will find a lot of moral dilemma’s, things have changed in this world and not for the better I am afraid. Not only are you having to fight what everyone has declared Tils, but you are also having to face humans who are evil as well. This group of stragglers left behind have survived though many have been lost on the way. So, what else can you do but press forward is Mike Allard’s thinking.
You will find several side characters though I found no real attachment to any as of yet, since there is no background story for any of them so far The character on Michelle is a bit intriguing, we learn a tiny bit about this one in the past chapters. I really do wish he had separated this book into two stories. I feel like if he had done so there would have been much more character development. Also, I find a lot of similarities between this book and The Walking Dead series. For instance, both are led by male characters with the same traits. Both tend to not want to be the leader, but seem to step up and do it anyway. Also there are scenes in the book that are very similar.
I feel like this author got his inspiration from this series, but with so many character flaws it falls short of being great and borders on mediocre. I don’t expect every character to be fully developed, but I believe the main ones should at least give us a semblance of who they are. As a fan of zombies, I find this one sorely lacking. This would be the perfect script for a B-movie though. Especially since you have no idea who this characters really are. I find the writing to be a bit drab with very little actually said. For it being a first book by author Tom Calen it is not that bad it just lacks a lot in the character development. Maybe in the next book we will learn more about these characters until then I have to give this one a three out of five stars. Really though you should be on the look out for this author because I see great things in the future for this one.
December 21, 2014
Oh, wow, so... this was REALLY disappointing. The plot itself, which not exactly original, is interesting enough. The flashbacks were a cool idea, but used in the wrong way. But the writing... it was bad. it felt like the author wanted to make a book filled with action, but it ended up being boring. Everybody, including the main character, was one-dimensional, as if they were nothing more than props to all the "action". It could've been MUCH better.
April 22, 2023
The first sign of infection was the typical elevated fever, followed by nausea. More advanced cases were displaying hemorrhaging from the ears and nose, hives over the body, and ruptured blood vessels in the eyes.
Mike Allard was a history teacher, who at only 23 years old was quickly hurdling up in status at the small school he was teaching in. At only his second year, faculty enjoyed him and the students responded well to his teaching techniques and his down to earth attitudes. However, everything he ever knew was soon to be ripped from his hands in the cruelest of twists. Teaching in Tennessee, he left his entire family back behind up North, where he awoke to the news they were all deathly ill with a flu the world never seen before. Spreading quickly through anyone with Type O blood, the numbers soon consumed almost the entire worlds population before all communications and radio signals went on dead air. Isolated in a lockdown with a handful of his students at John Moore High School, he saw the destruction the monsters could unleash as the students ran to the safety of the teachers lounge. Once safely locked away, he would bond a close team including Michelle Lafkin (one of the first warned her family was killed by the virus), Derek Chancer, Jenni Celente, and the other remaining students. As they push through survival in the early days, readers get shocked forward six years to Mike, now 29 leading his impromptu refugees in a mountain built camp. With the Tils (name for the zombies, those infected by the Virus), closing in from all around, they must battle not only the undead but the living as well. As the narrative flashes back and forth between the begining and the years past, many would be killed and fallen as the group struggled to survive and maintain a life worth living. However, they would be constantly agued with death, misery and pain. As the group moved from rural Tennessee and the hundreds of miles to Florida, they faced countless deaths as they came to the ultimate fight. Trying to board a ship heading to Cuba where it was promised safety awaited, Mike would be shot in the stomach and left for dead. It was then as he ran out of blood a Tol would appear and would appear disgusted by him, refusing to attack or consume him. Oddly so, Derek would be the savior of his life, even after the break fight the two had. Six months prior, Derek and his high school girlfriend Jenni would face the ultimate break, when she was bitten by a Til, and was allowed back to camp to remain caged ina tent so Derek could remain the fantasy she would someday be cured. Yet the Tils are getting smarter, as they traveled in larger packs and had the ability to retreat. Healing their frontal lobes from the damages of the high fevers from the infection, the dead were leaning, something terrifying for those left still alive. As Mike fights for consciousness, he's happy to be reunited with hai small terrier Gizzelle, who fought alongside him the past six years as he finds himself on the boat as well.
We will not become then, he thought silently. We will live.
Mike Allard was a history teacher, who at only 23 years old was quickly hurdling up in status at the small school he was teaching in. At only his second year, faculty enjoyed him and the students responded well to his teaching techniques and his down to earth attitudes. However, everything he ever knew was soon to be ripped from his hands in the cruelest of twists. Teaching in Tennessee, he left his entire family back behind up North, where he awoke to the news they were all deathly ill with a flu the world never seen before. Spreading quickly through anyone with Type O blood, the numbers soon consumed almost the entire worlds population before all communications and radio signals went on dead air. Isolated in a lockdown with a handful of his students at John Moore High School, he saw the destruction the monsters could unleash as the students ran to the safety of the teachers lounge. Once safely locked away, he would bond a close team including Michelle Lafkin (one of the first warned her family was killed by the virus), Derek Chancer, Jenni Celente, and the other remaining students. As they push through survival in the early days, readers get shocked forward six years to Mike, now 29 leading his impromptu refugees in a mountain built camp. With the Tils (name for the zombies, those infected by the Virus), closing in from all around, they must battle not only the undead but the living as well. As the narrative flashes back and forth between the begining and the years past, many would be killed and fallen as the group struggled to survive and maintain a life worth living. However, they would be constantly agued with death, misery and pain. As the group moved from rural Tennessee and the hundreds of miles to Florida, they faced countless deaths as they came to the ultimate fight. Trying to board a ship heading to Cuba where it was promised safety awaited, Mike would be shot in the stomach and left for dead. It was then as he ran out of blood a Tol would appear and would appear disgusted by him, refusing to attack or consume him. Oddly so, Derek would be the savior of his life, even after the break fight the two had. Six months prior, Derek and his high school girlfriend Jenni would face the ultimate break, when she was bitten by a Til, and was allowed back to camp to remain caged ina tent so Derek could remain the fantasy she would someday be cured. Yet the Tils are getting smarter, as they traveled in larger packs and had the ability to retreat. Healing their frontal lobes from the damages of the high fevers from the infection, the dead were leaning, something terrifying for those left still alive. As Mike fights for consciousness, he's happy to be reunited with hai small terrier Gizzelle, who fought alongside him the past six years as he finds himself on the boat as well.
We will not become then, he thought silently. We will live.
August 22, 2020
I enjoyed this fairly classic take on a zombie outbreak.
The writing style certainly kept me turnimg pages, as every other chapter jumped back and forth through time. I found some of the story a bit difficilt to follow because of this- a font difference or even a heading of "7 years ago" for the chapters would have helped me follow a little more.
There are so many characters throughout the book that most are not fleshed out completely. With so many names, the time jumping makes it even more difficult to keep track of who's who.
The story itself certainly has potential. The idea of the Tils possibly healing is intriguing enough to keep me guessing.
I will be looking for the next book!
The writing style certainly kept me turnimg pages, as every other chapter jumped back and forth through time. I found some of the story a bit difficilt to follow because of this- a font difference or even a heading of "7 years ago" for the chapters would have helped me follow a little more.
There are so many characters throughout the book that most are not fleshed out completely. With so many names, the time jumping makes it even more difficult to keep track of who's who.
The story itself certainly has potential. The idea of the Tils possibly healing is intriguing enough to keep me guessing.
I will be looking for the next book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2020
Run-of-the-mill zombie horror / survival story following history teacher Mike Allard and a small group of his students in parallel timelines at the beginning of the pandemic and six years later. Decent entertainment if you're into that sort of thing, but nothing groundbreaking about it and the characters remain fairly flat.
September 15, 2017
Wow!!! Loved the realism!!
I was a little worried I wouldn't like this book because the (spoiler alert)
'Zombies' weren't actually zombies. As I got into the book, it didn't matter. Great characters telling a believable story!!
I was a little worried I wouldn't like this book because the (spoiler alert)
'Zombies' weren't actually zombies. As I got into the book, it didn't matter. Great characters telling a believable story!!
May 14, 2018
This would have been a five star read from me had there been more cohesion from the chapters. They went back and forth from past to present. Had the book been written from past to present, it would have been so much better and less confusing at first.
February 20, 2018
If you like zombie fiction and survival stories, you should enjoy this scary read!
January 8, 2022
Not as well written as I like, but I still read it. I guess the subject matter and the pandemic are what drew me in.
January 6, 2024
Pretty good book. The author does an interesting narrative to advance the story by bouncing back and forth between current action and seven years in the past.
October 27, 2016
The Tilian Virus, is basically like the walking dead. It starts with a teacher, his name is Mike Allard, gets up from bed and starts his day. It starts off in the middle of the week, and the book said that in the past there has been a disease going on around and infecting people, so far as the world know, if you get it, you die. Anyways, Mike goes to school and get his stuff ready for class and school starts and his first class comes in. They do their work and then the news comes on with breaking new, saying that the school is being in lockdown. As the news report said, that there are some people who escape prison and standing in front of the school with a gun. Police come and get the guy and take him away, right after that the news comes on again. They’re saying that people with the killing disease is now called the tilian virus, and that there is people outside with the virus. The school locks all doors and everyone has to stay in the classroom that they’re in, and the teachers has to check the hallway for students. Once everyone is safe in the classroom, they lock the door and wait for what’s going to happen next. The news reports come on again and said that everyone in the town has to inside and lock up, and to have a weapon with them. Mike and his class is lock in his room, the students are scare, and Mike is worry that something is going to happen. A few minutes past, and all they heard is gun shots, and the news come on, saying to get to the safest place you have in your location, if you outside, get to a safe place, I repeat, get to a safe place! Mike thought to himself and then he moves his class to the teachers’ lounge from upstairs. Mikes reacts fast and went as quickly as he could, lucky for him, some other teacher and another class is there, teacher holding the door for him and his class, from this moment on, I suggest you read the other part of the book, all I can say is, it’s just like the walking dead.
February 20, 2014
Making "zombie" books has been such a part of culture it's hard to make them seem fresh and new. Tom Calen brought more of a reality to the "zombie" apocalypse. Extremely well written and smart, I was not reading the watered down typical everyday "zombie" tale. I put zombie in quotations because the war here is on Tils, people infected with the tilian virus hunger for live flesh, the same as zombies but the mutation to the virus and the fact that only certain blood types are infected made this feel different. I felt every loss the group of survivors went through. I felt Mike's anger and despair over loss and tough decisions that had to be made. Had me so entranced that I finished the last 80% of this book in one sitting. I felt so much for the characters and the twists added at the end made me have to see what was happening next with the main characters, the virus and it's victims, and the new threat facing our brave group of survivors. I bought part 2 and I have only went on to read a handful of series after finishing the first book in a series and then it was because the price was set low at the time. I paid full price for part 2 and plan to pay it for part 3. When I finish this series I will be looking for other books by this author because even though I was reading a "zombie" book, it was so well written and composed I felt I was reading a classic.
March 5, 2015
I enjoyed reading this book. It is a basic apocalyptic novel without getting into too much detail on survival methods. This makes it an easy read and one you can enjoy without the dramatic horror others can create. It depends on what you enjoy and for me, at times, the mood I am in when I am reading a book. Once you get the hang of the time flips you know what to expect from the rest of the book. Comparing authors in this genre just doesn't work for me - after all everyone has their own version of how the world might end and yet no one knows what will happen or how it will play out. So take the book and read it for the tale it presents. As I said I enjoyed reading the book, the relationships that quickly developed and were often torn apart. The losses that occurred and how they dealt with them. And the sad recognition of how quickly our country falls apart. It covered a relatively short span of time with a resolution to their survival within a few years. I have not read the rest of the books yet but look forward to doing so. Read the book and decide for yourself if it was worth your time. I thought it was.
October 3, 2014
I read through all three of these books before I could even come up for air long enough to post a review here. This is a great story, not truly a generic zombie tale because although they crave human flesh, the victims of the virus, known as "Tils" are not the walking dead. They are crazed, hyper-aggressive and feel no pain. Sort of reminded me of the monsters in the latest movie version of "I Am Legend" with Will Smith.....although nothing like the book, it scared the pants off me. Book one is told from the perspective of Mike, a high school history teacher in a small rural school. When the virus hits town, he does his best to save as many students as he can and heads for the relative safety of the mountains. They encounter many obstacles along the way, other humans occasionally being even worse than an encounter with the Tils. The author really makes you care about these people and their realistic trials. Pick up book two as soon as you finish because it just keeps getting better.
February 7, 2017
Story held promise but the constant jump back and forth in time in the opening chapters threw me off. A personal style choice that just doesn't work for me, especially as there was no marking at the beginning of the chapter to make it clear this was happening and at first it made me wonder if I had a badly formatted book.
September 26, 2014
Pretty Good
The theme of the book is not new, but I enjoy reading these stories, and seeing how the different Authors handle it. So far, no two stories have been exactly the same, which is nice.
In this story, a young Teacher finds himself leading his students to safety shortly after his school is attached by "the infected." And proceeds with their adventures in seeking safety and attempting to try and find a place of safety where they can assume a somewhat normal life. Of course it doesn't last forever, and once again they are on the move, and being pursued by the blood-thirsty hoards. Their journey was nothing spectacular, but it was a pleasant read just the same.
The theme of the book is not new, but I enjoy reading these stories, and seeing how the different Authors handle it. So far, no two stories have been exactly the same, which is nice.
In this story, a young Teacher finds himself leading his students to safety shortly after his school is attached by "the infected." And proceeds with their adventures in seeking safety and attempting to try and find a place of safety where they can assume a somewhat normal life. Of course it doesn't last forever, and once again they are on the move, and being pursued by the blood-thirsty hoards. Their journey was nothing spectacular, but it was a pleasant read just the same.
January 26, 2015
I'm not usually a big fan of zombie novels, but I took a chance on this one and it was worth it. Though there isn't anything unique about the plot (disease sweeps planet, turns people into mindless eating machines, survivors must run for their lives), the focus was on the survivors and not the zombie battles, which was nice. It was a good light weekend read. And the suggestion at the end of the book was a great way to get me to read the next one in the series.
March 22, 2014
Slow, somewhat confusing start. I had to restart a couple times to get back on track and restore my concentration. Perhaps I was multi-tasking a bit too much as I was busy working on a desktop computer and distracted more than usual. The story began to pick-up at the last few chapters so I'm thinking there is still hope. The series is a trilogy, at least for now, so I'm hoping this is a good sign and books two and three will improve to make me a happy camper. Fingers crossed!
March 20, 2014
I had difficulty with it switching from past to present and telling about people being dead before having them die. I was thinking I'd missed something, then the next chapter explained.
There was a lot of action and I liked the perspective of a teacher just starting out in life before the virus. The ending was gripping. I would give it a four but I had to keep reminding myself what time period it was.
There was a lot of action and I liked the perspective of a teacher just starting out in life before the virus. The ending was gripping. I would give it a four but I had to keep reminding myself what time period it was.
March 23, 2013
The author used a flashback to bring the characters to pre ZA and post ZA...it just didn't do it for me. I felt like I was disjointed reading it. I laughed a couple of times when I was reading about his classroom experiences and conversations and wish he had more details and we had met the students before thrusting them in the apocolypse.
March 13, 2014
This was a fairly enjoyable read. Interesting premise. Guy become leader of a group of survivors, goes towards freedom. It was well written. I had a bit of trouble getting into the voice of it. That could be because the perspective is so different from my own. Not the best zombie novel I've ever read, but not the worst.
February 20, 2014
Would have been 4 stars but for the switching chapter by chapter from present to past. It made the story too disjointed. If this had been a paperback I would have flicked through to read in sequence but not practical with a Kindle. A good story though, and I will give the second a try. I liked the characters and the general writing despite the 'flashback' style.
March 8, 2014
Loved it! Nice zombie book that doesn't try too hard. The story line flips back and forth between present day and flashbacks. I think the idea of the flip is perfect for the story and gives you a sense of time coming closer together as the two stories merge. Bought the sequel to this book and I can't wait to read it.
March 7, 2014
I wasn't sure about the start, but it got better and then it got good. Then I wasn't sure about the ending - which felt rushed and like a lot more things were left unanswered than should've been for this book. There are other books after this, though, so I get what the author was doing. All in all, though, it was an enjoyable read.
March 18, 2014
I just loved this book. I love all the ups and downs. So much suspends I found myself holding my breathe. I can't wait the read the next book. This guy can write. The only reason why I didn't give it 5- stars, because I am starting to dislike the breaking up of stories into different books. Tell the whole story in one novel. I know it's all about the $$$$, but dang!!!
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