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Zombie Apocalypse! #2
Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback
THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF...AND ZOMBIES!
Following the outbreak of Human Reanimation Virus -more commonly known as "The Death"- from a hidden crypt beneath a south London Church, the centuries-old plague quickly spreads throughout the world, turning its victims into flesh-eating zombies.
As we lean more about the mysterious Thomas Moreby -"patient Zero"- the surviving members of the human race begin their fightback against the legions of the walking dead, and the Infected themselves began mutating into something...different.
Told through interconnected eyewitness reports -emails, text messages, reports, diaries, found video footage, and graphic adaptations- the remnants of humanity battle to survive in a world gone mad.
Following the outbreak of Human Reanimation Virus -more commonly known as "The Death"- from a hidden crypt beneath a south London Church, the centuries-old plague quickly spreads throughout the world, turning its victims into flesh-eating zombies.
As we lean more about the mysterious Thomas Moreby -"patient Zero"- the surviving members of the human race begin their fightback against the legions of the walking dead, and the Infected themselves began mutating into something...different.
Told through interconnected eyewitness reports -emails, text messages, reports, diaries, found video footage, and graphic adaptations- the remnants of humanity battle to survive in a world gone mad.
540 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
Stephen Jones
280 books349 followersStephen Jones is an eighteen-time winner of the British Fantasy Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
September 19, 2012
Go into a bookstore and throw a rock. If you don't strike an employee--or a James Patterson novel--chances are pretty good you'll hit a book with zombies in it (triple score if you hit an employee holding James Patterson's new zombie novel). All right, put down the rock. I'm just saying there are a lot of books about zombies, but I highly doubt you'll find one quite like Stephen Jones' Zombie Apocalypse! Fight Back. Well, I think this is a sequel of sorts, actually--but that's it.
Presented as a compendium of written accounts from various sources, Fight Back depicts a zombie outbreak that ravages Great Britain and eventually the world. Personally, I'm not a fan of journal-entry style storytelling. Granted, I love Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but that's a rare exception. Most often I find those kinds of stories wearisome. Fight Back goes well beyond a collection of scribblings by people who inexplicably have time to write while trying to avoid having their brain eaten. This pseudo-anthology using a myriad of characters and conveyances to tell a captivating and cohesive narrative.
Entries span from the 1700s and move in chronological order, for the most part, highlighting the previous outbreak, its inception, and its renewal. There are letters written in the early 19th century by a young woman betrothed to a Thomas Moreby, whom she reviles and eventually discovers his cult-like followers, a secret lair, and evidence he may be much older than humanly possible. When it comes to concocting a half-reasonable explanation for zombies, this backstory concerning Moreby is not only unique, but a tad genius in its execution.
The mosaic presented is where the real genius lies, however, as the outbreak and resistance come through in a patchwork pattern of shared e-mails between scientists, tabloid clippings, plus a harrowing transcript of law enforcement units encountering what is ostensibly ground zero for the outbreak. There are even quirky or off-beat pieces like a comic book illustrator's downfall recorded one panel at a time, plus a series of e-mails from a fashion reporter in Paris overwhelmed by the outbreak.
There is so much layered throughout this book that a person could get lost in the minutiae that gives it its verisimilitude. While I found some passages a bit of a chore to read through, particularly the Twitter account of a graffiti artist, which just exemplified the banality of that medium to an excruciating degree, the book as a whole is a stunningly ambitious piece of work. It's definitely something every zombie fan should check out. Plus, the book itself is so visually rich in its presentation, I doubt very much a standard e-book could match the robustness displayed in the physical book.
April 19, 2015
I was going to do a review of each individual section - each one being written by a different author - but it honestly strikes me as a waste of time. There's no real reason to read this book if you like each individual author. You should read this book if the premise interests you.
And I just don't think the premise interests me very much. This book documents a zombie apocalypse from a wide variety of 'primary sources' - letters, diary entries, transcripts of videos, a Twitter feed, newspapers, official memos, and the like. This sounds like it could be interesting, but it's really not. Part of the problem is that there's only one recurring character, and he's an evil, un-complex villain. There's nobody to connect to here. Another part of the problem is that a lot of the storytelling was just boring, or even downright confusing. A lot of the sections switched rapidly between different formats - for instance, one section consisted going through an iPad flash drive, rotating through text files, audio files, and video files. It gets difficult to follow, and it's rarely worth it. So what if I miss one particular section? It won't matter in a few pages, because a new one will have started. It's also extremely dry at times. The authors usually try to give their characters distinct voices and personalities, but they start blending together after a while. And everything is just so humorless and lifeless. They do try to insert some comic relief every once in a while, but it usually fails. All you're left with is the literary equivalent of stale bread - it's difficult to get through, and you don't gain much from it.
Maybe if you like both history and zombie apocalypse stories, this kind of thing might interest you, but otherwise, I don't see any reason you'd be entertained by this. There's not much of an actual plot - really, the individual sections usually have little to do with each other. This lack of structure is a constant problem, right towards the end of the book. There's no conclusion whatsoever, the book just kind of ends after they run out of things to show you. There are a few interesting sections - I very much enjoyed the bit where the journalist described the Fright Club, and the section with the Twitter feed was a bit unrealistic at times, but still entertaining. But overall, there's little of value here.
And I just don't think the premise interests me very much. This book documents a zombie apocalypse from a wide variety of 'primary sources' - letters, diary entries, transcripts of videos, a Twitter feed, newspapers, official memos, and the like. This sounds like it could be interesting, but it's really not. Part of the problem is that there's only one recurring character, and he's an evil, un-complex villain. There's nobody to connect to here. Another part of the problem is that a lot of the storytelling was just boring, or even downright confusing. A lot of the sections switched rapidly between different formats - for instance, one section consisted going through an iPad flash drive, rotating through text files, audio files, and video files. It gets difficult to follow, and it's rarely worth it. So what if I miss one particular section? It won't matter in a few pages, because a new one will have started. It's also extremely dry at times. The authors usually try to give their characters distinct voices and personalities, but they start blending together after a while. And everything is just so humorless and lifeless. They do try to insert some comic relief every once in a while, but it usually fails. All you're left with is the literary equivalent of stale bread - it's difficult to get through, and you don't gain much from it.
Maybe if you like both history and zombie apocalypse stories, this kind of thing might interest you, but otherwise, I don't see any reason you'd be entertained by this. There's not much of an actual plot - really, the individual sections usually have little to do with each other. This lack of structure is a constant problem, right towards the end of the book. There's no conclusion whatsoever, the book just kind of ends after they run out of things to show you. There are a few interesting sections - I very much enjoyed the bit where the journalist described the Fright Club, and the section with the Twitter feed was a bit unrealistic at times, but still entertaining. But overall, there's little of value here.
November 8, 2012
Zombie Apocalypse is in my top 5 books. I absolutely fell in love with the storytelling in the first book, so much so that I could forgive the silly "smart zombies" at the end. The sequel is certainly good, but there is "something" missing, that completely charmed me with the first.
I definitely liked the juxtaposition in the endings (cause I'll find any excuse to use words like "juxtaposition"), and I loved the more detailed backstory on Moreby.
What I just don't like are intelligent zombies. That's just me though. I was a little saddened by their predominance in this book. I think what I loved about the first book is that it was about the people, the survivors, their inner thoughts, etc. Fightback just doesn't deal with all the things I love about the zombie genre in the same way.
I would absolutely recommend this book if you've read the first. It's a good book, I'm just picky.
I definitely liked the juxtaposition in the endings (cause I'll find any excuse to use words like "juxtaposition"), and I loved the more detailed backstory on Moreby.
What I just don't like are intelligent zombies. That's just me though. I was a little saddened by their predominance in this book. I think what I loved about the first book is that it was about the people, the survivors, their inner thoughts, etc. Fightback just doesn't deal with all the things I love about the zombie genre in the same way.
I would absolutely recommend this book if you've read the first. It's a good book, I'm just picky.
January 11, 2015
As horrified as I was reading the first book in the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! series by Stephen Jones, I have to say I felt the same way after reading this book. Not horrified by what happened; horrified at how much potential it had lost.
This book, ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! Fightback is the second book in the series that I mentioned earlier. It is also likely the last book I want to read in this series. Nearly every aspect of this book is very similar to the first book, simply titled ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!. Rather than one narrator, this book is told by the tale of many, whose fates have ended quite dismally, as this is a horror book.
But the one thing that is different from the first book is this book’s focus. ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! focused on zombies taking over most of Greater Europe, Greater Asia, and even most of the Americas. This book’s setting coincides with the first book’s setting; zombies prowling through the streets as many people just add and add via different methods of communications how doomed they are. However, the survivors are starting to notice vastly different patterns that the undead fiends exhibit; the thought process their alive counterparts share. This is evidently proven as a secret research facility starts to conduct experiments on zombies, but one displayed indications of intelligent thought via spoken communication. In other words, it talked.
At this point in the story, many will instantly think that the book had turned 100% more captivating. Now humans know what zombies think about, right? Won’t the humans be close to discovering how zombies think? Well, that’s what I thought too. It only served as a big pedestal for this book’s stairway to hell. Literally. The humor is prevalent, especially at how absurd the story becomes. This includes written accounts… FROM ZOMBIES. Their grammatical skill is actually greater than that of the humans’ tales, though.
The story is finished. Yes, like the book before it, this is very different from other stories. It is no longer a “what if” book. It’s now more like “what if this happened, which immediately leads to this? What if this happens?” It directly contrasts with most action books. There is no hero, just a congregated mass of good. For the zombies, however… now that’s something different. When you are bored and have nothing else to do, I recommend this book for entertainment purposes.
This book, ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! Fightback is the second book in the series that I mentioned earlier. It is also likely the last book I want to read in this series. Nearly every aspect of this book is very similar to the first book, simply titled ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!. Rather than one narrator, this book is told by the tale of many, whose fates have ended quite dismally, as this is a horror book.
But the one thing that is different from the first book is this book’s focus. ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! focused on zombies taking over most of Greater Europe, Greater Asia, and even most of the Americas. This book’s setting coincides with the first book’s setting; zombies prowling through the streets as many people just add and add via different methods of communications how doomed they are. However, the survivors are starting to notice vastly different patterns that the undead fiends exhibit; the thought process their alive counterparts share. This is evidently proven as a secret research facility starts to conduct experiments on zombies, but one displayed indications of intelligent thought via spoken communication. In other words, it talked.
At this point in the story, many will instantly think that the book had turned 100% more captivating. Now humans know what zombies think about, right? Won’t the humans be close to discovering how zombies think? Well, that’s what I thought too. It only served as a big pedestal for this book’s stairway to hell. Literally. The humor is prevalent, especially at how absurd the story becomes. This includes written accounts… FROM ZOMBIES. Their grammatical skill is actually greater than that of the humans’ tales, though.
The story is finished. Yes, like the book before it, this is very different from other stories. It is no longer a “what if” book. It’s now more like “what if this happened, which immediately leads to this? What if this happens?” It directly contrasts with most action books. There is no hero, just a congregated mass of good. For the zombies, however… now that’s something different. When you are bored and have nothing else to do, I recommend this book for entertainment purposes.
November 20, 2012
This is the second book in the Zombie Apocalypse series. Fightback is not really a sequel but more a standalone book in the same style as the first book. It is a "mosaic" novel, an interesting collection of eye witness reports, emails, twitter, diary entries, newspaper reports and the list goes on.... It really sucks you into the action and seems to hold your attention like nothing else. To be honest, I think you could quite easily read this one without reading the first book as the first part refreshes the original birth of the HRV contamination originating from All-Hallows church in Blackheath, London and from then on spreading the zombie plague around the world. There are some stand out pieces in this book, particularly "Paris when it sizzles" a story of beautiful Paris being overrun by an army of zombies and the really scary piece called "#z0mBEY" a excerpt from twitter describing a horrific zombie attack at Niagra Falls on the US/ Canadian border. What I like most about this book is that it is truly global and you get a feeling of what it would be like to see a zombie apocalypse across the globe and not just in one country. The only reason I give it four instead of five stars is I felt the first 40 odd pages describing he early history of Thomas Moreby a little on the boring side and too much in depth. The Zombie fight club sequence and the zombie menu were bordering on bad taste (excuse the pun) even for a zombie book. That aside it's a great read and unique for a zombie book.
November 19, 2016
So I was pleasantly surprised, with the corny title and the cover of the last one (and still terrible name and considering how creative the book is, so-so cover of this one), and ordered this sequel. Now I have discovered that there are FIVE MORE of these, and yes, all are currently on their way to my grasping hands. I feel like these Mammoth Collections have rarely let me down. Still the same format--found files, plays, art work, diaries, letters, texts, transcripts, police reports, emails, and notes presumably after the events (ah, but who ultimately wins the war?)--but instead of playing it safe perhaps, takes it a step further. Some of the people we saw in the first collection--the doctor treating an infected Prince Charles, girlfriend of the soldier who is racing the nuclear bomb detonation over NYC, more backstory with the historian and what leads up to the rise of the zombies to begin with, and the American scientist who just might be able to find the cure, if not so distracted with the death of his wife. So we see (sort of, there are YES! FIVE MORE OF THESE!) how things wound up a bit narrative wise from the first.
Not that it matters. The twitter feed of the Banksy like artist who finds himself lost in the Niagara Falls wax museum, the lost letters of the extremely unlucky wife of the evil architect of this disaster Sir Thomas Moreby, who has regenerated himself with Satanic fleas, and plans to take over the world. Creepy crypts, giant globes filled with swimming heads, monsters, demons, ghosts, but somehow this felt more grounded in reality than any other zombie book I've read. Maybe because of the "found format" bit--and how thoroughly it covers the origin of how this came to be (which I would say 99% of other zombie books skip entirely). Moreby features in many of these stories, though not seen really in the last one, here we get straight to the heart of it--how zombies start to get smarter, by eating brains of humans, absorbing their skills and memories (sort of seen in the last one, with Elizabethan zombies able to pick up car keys and drive for short distances). Heck, even Shakespeare makes his undead reappearance. Now there are zombie armies, leaders, presidents, eager zombie theatrics led by an undead Oscar Wilde & Andrew Lloyd Webber among others, and of course the people trying to survive.
And due to how the infection also spreads via fleas, well it does add a wrinkle to things. You cannot get bit by a zombie, but a billion fleas outside harder to dodge. Whole new thing to be afraid of. The only story I was a little unenthused by was the Fright Club section. The Parisian fashion writer detailing for her editor the fall of Paris perhaps my favorite. It's still mainly UK-centric, but America, France, and especially Russia get their chance to shine too. Since, ALL dead rise from cemeteries in this book, Lenin reawakening from his waxy embalmed splendor was good in the embassy dispatches. And while it hits the horror and pathos buttons, it also has a streak of humor running throughout.
With these, I think no middle ground--you'll either love or hate this book. It might depend on how well you can decipher cursive, since a good portion of this book (last book too, but mostly those letters were in print) is in cursive, and made me reflect again on the slipping standards of penmanship. Whoever was in charge with the formatting and artwork of this book deserves a raise--the attention to detail and just the wit of the layout was impressive. Guess you can't judge a book by its cover!
Not that it matters. The twitter feed of the Banksy like artist who finds himself lost in the Niagara Falls wax museum, the lost letters of the extremely unlucky wife of the evil architect of this disaster Sir Thomas Moreby, who has regenerated himself with Satanic fleas, and plans to take over the world. Creepy crypts, giant globes filled with swimming heads, monsters, demons, ghosts, but somehow this felt more grounded in reality than any other zombie book I've read. Maybe because of the "found format" bit--and how thoroughly it covers the origin of how this came to be (which I would say 99% of other zombie books skip entirely). Moreby features in many of these stories, though not seen really in the last one, here we get straight to the heart of it--how zombies start to get smarter, by eating brains of humans, absorbing their skills and memories (sort of seen in the last one, with Elizabethan zombies able to pick up car keys and drive for short distances). Heck, even Shakespeare makes his undead reappearance. Now there are zombie armies, leaders, presidents, eager zombie theatrics led by an undead Oscar Wilde & Andrew Lloyd Webber among others, and of course the people trying to survive.
And due to how the infection also spreads via fleas, well it does add a wrinkle to things. You cannot get bit by a zombie, but a billion fleas outside harder to dodge. Whole new thing to be afraid of. The only story I was a little unenthused by was the Fright Club section. The Parisian fashion writer detailing for her editor the fall of Paris perhaps my favorite. It's still mainly UK-centric, but America, France, and especially Russia get their chance to shine too. Since, ALL dead rise from cemeteries in this book, Lenin reawakening from his waxy embalmed splendor was good in the embassy dispatches. And while it hits the horror and pathos buttons, it also has a streak of humor running throughout.
With these, I think no middle ground--you'll either love or hate this book. It might depend on how well you can decipher cursive, since a good portion of this book (last book too, but mostly those letters were in print) is in cursive, and made me reflect again on the slipping standards of penmanship. Whoever was in charge with the formatting and artwork of this book deserves a raise--the attention to detail and just the wit of the layout was impressive. Guess you can't judge a book by its cover!
November 8, 2012
Let me start by making it clear that I have not read the first book (Zombie Apocalypse!). Let me also state that this did not impact on my enjoyment of this highly unusual novel.
The inventive use of emails, letters, articles, reports and transcripts, rather than a traditional narrative, taps into the modern multi-media age to superb effect. The reader is presented with a fate accompli in the form of eye-witness accounts during an outbreak on an apocalyptic scale the likes of which the world has never before experienced, and one is plunged right into the heart of things as events unfold. This makes for an incredibly eerie read and you find yourself peeking through the curtains at an unusual noise outside, and checking all the doors are locked… just in case!
It’s a totally immersive experience and fans of the zombie genre will lap this up. It is also sure to attract new fans as word spreads (hopefully with the same speed at which the zombie plague does!) because this truly is a fantastic read. Exciting, scary and poignant by turn, we get to see things from multiple points of view, which often changes out own opinion of events and those involved in them.
I can highly recommend picking this up. Just don’t pick up HRV (Human Reanimation Virus) when you do!
I will certainly be going back to pick up the first book as soon as possible!
The inventive use of emails, letters, articles, reports and transcripts, rather than a traditional narrative, taps into the modern multi-media age to superb effect. The reader is presented with a fate accompli in the form of eye-witness accounts during an outbreak on an apocalyptic scale the likes of which the world has never before experienced, and one is plunged right into the heart of things as events unfold. This makes for an incredibly eerie read and you find yourself peeking through the curtains at an unusual noise outside, and checking all the doors are locked… just in case!
It’s a totally immersive experience and fans of the zombie genre will lap this up. It is also sure to attract new fans as word spreads (hopefully with the same speed at which the zombie plague does!) because this truly is a fantastic read. Exciting, scary and poignant by turn, we get to see things from multiple points of view, which often changes out own opinion of events and those involved in them.
I can highly recommend picking this up. Just don’t pick up HRV (Human Reanimation Virus) when you do!
I will certainly be going back to pick up the first book as soon as possible!
June 11, 2014
The last chunk of this book really saved it for me. It wasn't nearly as good as the first book. I'm being generous though and giving it four instead of three or three and a half stars because of its originality.
I love that Neil Gaiman contributed to this volume, although his was perhaps the shortest entry in the book. The rest were all very long... which was unfortunate at some points, because so many of them were boring to read. I like how many of them referred to people from the first volume. However, I was confused about the Willson family; they were in book one, and the way the author wrote his first installment, it sounded like Leaf, the neighbor, died, and Dr. Willson failed to resurrect her. Why did I think that? Because the 14 year old boy's fictional story at the end, and the final quote, made it sound like he wrote how he WISHED things had gone at Leaf's house. And yet she was alive again in book two...? There were also many stories with medical and military/police jargon, which made for dull reading.
But I did like the last few entires. The playwright one was interesting, and the letters addressed to Laura. I also liked finding out about Thomas Moreby some more, although he was detestable, and not in a good way.
I'm interested to see what happens in the final installment!
I love that Neil Gaiman contributed to this volume, although his was perhaps the shortest entry in the book. The rest were all very long... which was unfortunate at some points, because so many of them were boring to read. I like how many of them referred to people from the first volume. However, I was confused about the Willson family; they were in book one, and the way the author wrote his first installment, it sounded like Leaf, the neighbor, died, and Dr. Willson failed to resurrect her. Why did I think that? Because the 14 year old boy's fictional story at the end, and the final quote, made it sound like he wrote how he WISHED things had gone at Leaf's house. And yet she was alive again in book two...? There were also many stories with medical and military/police jargon, which made for dull reading.
But I did like the last few entires. The playwright one was interesting, and the letters addressed to Laura. I also liked finding out about Thomas Moreby some more, although he was detestable, and not in a good way.
I'm interested to see what happens in the final installment!
August 9, 2013
first off, i have NOT read the first book yet.
now that's out of the way, i want to begin with saying how much i LOVE the style it was written; it has twitter-esque narration, emails, call transcript to name a few.
now, the best part for me about this book is: it has a different take on zombies (compared to the original zombies that Romero did, anyway). i won't go into much details so as to avoid spoilers, but it is a breath of air so to speak.
the downside? it did bore me at the beginning, the pacing was a bit slow to start, which for me is a downer, but once it got past the slow part, it's all smooth sailing from there.
all in all, i recommend this book to everyone who loves zombies AND love a new idea of how z's can act.
cheers.
now that's out of the way, i want to begin with saying how much i LOVE the style it was written; it has twitter-esque narration, emails, call transcript to name a few.
now, the best part for me about this book is: it has a different take on zombies (compared to the original zombies that Romero did, anyway). i won't go into much details so as to avoid spoilers, but it is a breath of air so to speak.
the downside? it did bore me at the beginning, the pacing was a bit slow to start, which for me is a downer, but once it got past the slow part, it's all smooth sailing from there.
all in all, i recommend this book to everyone who loves zombies AND love a new idea of how z's can act.
cheers.
January 12, 2020
This was a very interesting book. I'm giving it three stars for what's actually in it, but four for the presentation. I love the format. The emails, texts, phone calls and such. A very cool way to present an anthology!
Most of the content was pretty fun, and I liked the way the outbreak started, how it's known where and how. I find it hard to put into words really, how this book makes me feel. I liked it. But it also left me a little meh. That seems to be the way with anthologies.
In the end, I recommend this to zombie fans who want to see a little something different. While it didn't blow me away, I did like it enough to order the other 2 books in this anthology "trilogy".
Most of the content was pretty fun, and I liked the way the outbreak started, how it's known where and how. I find it hard to put into words really, how this book makes me feel. I liked it. But it also left me a little meh. That seems to be the way with anthologies.
In the end, I recommend this to zombie fans who want to see a little something different. While it didn't blow me away, I did like it enough to order the other 2 books in this anthology "trilogy".
September 10, 2018
I definitely enjoyed the first book better. There were only about three segments that I really enjoyed. I am having a hard time reading stories where zombies have intelligence. This book took it to a whole new level. I will begin the third soon. Hopefully, the stories will be better and not as silly as zombies wanting to see a play. Sorry to be critical, but this book was hard to read, which worries me since there are still several books to go before I finish the series.
July 9, 2015
Loved it. Even better than the first. It continues a few of the story lines from the original, and it leaves a great opening for a third book. Much like the first, it's a great idea for a zombie novel... Not a straight narrative, but a bunch of news clippings, texts, tweets, diary entries, etc. that tell the story of how the zombies change and how humanity fights back. Freaking awesome!
September 15, 2013
I liked this so much. It was a nice change of pace.
June 12, 2026
1. I read the first book, and I absolutely LOVE the 'found footage' genre when it's applied to end of the world situations. It's kind of similar to World War Z, so if you've read that, read these books. I was pleased to find a second book as the first one was left open.
2. There's a good variety of ways the story is told, from a Twitter feed, to emails, to newspaper reports, to jokes by an undead comedian. Each one carries the story along just like in the first book.
3. I found the expansion of Thomas Moreby's story both thrilling, confusing and disturbing. This book isn't afraid to take it's own zombie world and move it forwards. It definitely takes a step away from zombie science fiction towards zombie paranormal, what with the zombies becoming sentient, people resurrecting from underground crypts, and zombies hatching mad plans to rule the world. I still am not sure if I like this or not, but it was definitely addictive to read.
4. A few of the 'chapters' (each 'type' of found footage was organised into loose chapters, for example one set of email exchanges was more or less one chapter in the story) went on for a really long time, and my attention started to wane.
5. A lot of threads were left untucked, and whilst sometimes this is necessary in a story, I would really have liked to have known what happened with the nuclear strikes, and what happened in other parts of the world. For example, Australia, what happened there and if in other far flung parts of the world. Were they over run? Did they escape unharmed?
6. The gore was definitely there, so don't read if faint hearted. If you got through the first book, you'll definitely be ok with this one.
7. I didn't realise until I looked in the back cover that this was a collaborative work, with lots of people chipping in. I love this, it almost makes it like an anthology of short stories.
8. I liked how there wasn't a neat, happy ending. A lot of apocalypse genre books fall into the trap of wanting to give the reader a happy ending. It was refreshing to realise that the world was pretty much screwed in this book, although this means I wouldn't reccomend reading this book whilst a bit down in the dumps.
9. I was thinking there could be room for another book, but I don't know if it's reached it's natural good conclusion now.
10. I would have liked to have a few point of view accounts of leaders of the countries involved, for example an account from the president who apparently goes to his bunker.
2. There's a good variety of ways the story is told, from a Twitter feed, to emails, to newspaper reports, to jokes by an undead comedian. Each one carries the story along just like in the first book.
3. I found the expansion of Thomas Moreby's story both thrilling, confusing and disturbing. This book isn't afraid to take it's own zombie world and move it forwards. It definitely takes a step away from zombie science fiction towards zombie paranormal, what with the zombies becoming sentient, people resurrecting from underground crypts, and zombies hatching mad plans to rule the world. I still am not sure if I like this or not, but it was definitely addictive to read.
4. A few of the 'chapters' (each 'type' of found footage was organised into loose chapters, for example one set of email exchanges was more or less one chapter in the story) went on for a really long time, and my attention started to wane.
5. A lot of threads were left untucked, and whilst sometimes this is necessary in a story, I would really have liked to have known what happened with the nuclear strikes, and what happened in other parts of the world. For example, Australia, what happened there and if in other far flung parts of the world. Were they over run? Did they escape unharmed?
6. The gore was definitely there, so don't read if faint hearted. If you got through the first book, you'll definitely be ok with this one.
7. I didn't realise until I looked in the back cover that this was a collaborative work, with lots of people chipping in. I love this, it almost makes it like an anthology of short stories.
8. I liked how there wasn't a neat, happy ending. A lot of apocalypse genre books fall into the trap of wanting to give the reader a happy ending. It was refreshing to realise that the world was pretty much screwed in this book, although this means I wouldn't reccomend reading this book whilst a bit down in the dumps.
9. I was thinking there could be room for another book, but I don't know if it's reached it's natural good conclusion now.
10. I would have liked to have a few point of view accounts of leaders of the countries involved, for example an account from the president who apparently goes to his bunker.
October 30, 2023
Another solid entry into this great series. If anything I think I enjoyed this one even more than the first one. The timeline of both book is similar so this one really just adds a number of new voices to the first. The conceit of having the zombie apocalypse narrated through numerous records works really well, leaving the reader wondering who exactly has assembled this archive? and to what end? Gaps and discrepancies both between and within the various records require the reader's active engagement to complete the narrative, and serve to further mystify the nature and motives of the apocalypse's architect, Thomas Moreby. Many of the accounts are full of pathos, some are more action-orientated, and others - like the Zombie Fight Club - depressingly plausible considerations of how people might act in the event of a real zombie apocalypse. There is also humour, although this tends towards the blunt rather than the black. My one complaint about this book is sloppy proofreading, which is not really acceptable in such a slickly designed product. There are glaring typos in several of the stories where either a word has obviously missed or characters are misnamed. In the worst case a character is initially referred to as Kaz, subsequently as Zak, and then as Zac. Given the informality and haphazard nature of the collected 'records' its possible to read this as an extension of the unreliability of the narrators, but I'm not wholly convinced they're not just uncorrected errors.
April 8, 2019
FIGHTBACK is the sequel to the first ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! anthology, edited by the great Stephen Jones and with another big team of collaborators making up a sprawling narrative. Sadly, I found this much the inferior of the first, so much so that I doubt I'll be bothering with any more in this series.
FIGHTBACK once again goes back to the beginning, with pastiches of historical diaries and the like to introduce mega-villain Thomas Moresby. Then, once again, we meet the police as they struggle to contain a zombie outbreak in scenes very similar to those in the first book (although as they're written by Christopher Fowler, they're the most atmospheric of the book and thus the best).
Around the halfway mark, the scope expands globally and towards the USA in particular, and I found at this point it fell apart. The reports and random jokes aren't written in a very interesting way, the lack of characters hurts it, and some twists regarding the zombies just feel silly. In a bid to do something 'new' with the genre, I'm afraid Jones et al ended up sacrificing any kind of believability whatsoever.
FIGHTBACK once again goes back to the beginning, with pastiches of historical diaries and the like to introduce mega-villain Thomas Moresby. Then, once again, we meet the police as they struggle to contain a zombie outbreak in scenes very similar to those in the first book (although as they're written by Christopher Fowler, they're the most atmospheric of the book and thus the best).
Around the halfway mark, the scope expands globally and towards the USA in particular, and I found at this point it fell apart. The reports and random jokes aren't written in a very interesting way, the lack of characters hurts it, and some twists regarding the zombies just feel silly. In a bid to do something 'new' with the genre, I'm afraid Jones et al ended up sacrificing any kind of believability whatsoever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2020
I enjoyed the first Mammoth Book of the Zombie Apocalypse. I ordered the second volume (which deals with the zombie invasion as it spreads to the United States) expecting more of the same. Boy, was I surprised! There is still plenty of zombie action, but the virus that created them begins to change them. Once their hunger is satiated, zombies begin to think of other things. They begin to talk, to strategize, to consider what their legacy will be. One of the more amusing segments has the undead contacting a living playwright in order to commemorate "their victory". The book ends on this I Am Legend note. None of the segments were ever boring. I found each one fascinating in its own way.
July 10, 2023
It was overall a good book that offered many different points of views in regards to a zombie apocalypse. I liked the detail and back story of how it all originated. However, I will say it was extremely difficult for me to get into because it was so dense. It does pick up though! It was only hard because the historical pieces that were put in. I loved the perspective of this book and is unlike any zombie book I’ve read. Some of the stories went on for a little too long but other stories you could see a spin-off book being written one day. Overall, I say this book is worth the read because it is SO different!
December 31, 2018
The idea of this book is really cool, but there is a lot of writing similar to the 1800's style that the editor loves (and that I really don't enjoy). Also, the print size is so small that it makes it difficult to read - yes, I'm getting older, but I do not have that trouble with any other books I've read. So yeah, didn't make it past a dozen pages or so.
October 23, 2019
This is the second in the series of "Zombie Apocalypse" and it goes back to try to fill in some of the details that are briefly mentioned in the first book. However, because of this, it isn't as engaging and fluid as the first book. There are also some texts written in VERY difficult to read cursive that I very nearly just gave up on.
April 19, 2021
I really liked the first one - devoured it (pun intended) in a couple of days. Quite an interesting take on a genre that’s pretty flooded now. This book lacked the pace of the first and was very fragmented. The various entries in the first book were cohesive, despite their different styles and presentations. At points in this book I wasn’t too sure what was going on. Shame.
October 20, 2022
I have tried to finish this book twice and I just can't do it! It starts off ok, and just goes down hill.
I know the idea of zombies is out there and far fetched but the way the story goes in this book just takes it too far, and it sapped all the enjoyment of it out for me.
Not for me at all
I know the idea of zombies is out there and far fetched but the way the story goes in this book just takes it too far, and it sapped all the enjoyment of it out for me.
Not for me at all
December 16, 2020
Begins strong, gets progressively stupider.
April 9, 2022
Hard at times to get through some of the stories. Nonetheless I would recommend .
November 20, 2023
First book was definitely better, the Thomas Morbey coming back bit kinda put me off, and seemed less organised, making some of the stories harder to follow.
May 12, 2025
lost steam around the second half
April 6, 2013
Here is book two of the now planned "Zombie Apocalypse!" trilogy. If you've read the first one, you'll know what to expect from the tone and format of the first. If you haven't read it, you'll need to because firstly the format will come as a surprise to you and much of this book will not make sense anyway. Like the first, the story does not progress in a conventional narrative format but through collections of documents, emails, official reports, letters, tweets etc.
Only this time, the earlier part of the book focuses almost entirely on the man who was responsible for the zombie outbreak, the "Zombie King" Thomas Moreby who in the 18th century built the church and the crypt beneath that housed the fleas that carry the disease. Who was he? What was he like? How was he responsible for the zombie apocalypse hundreds of years after his life? More importantly, who is this man in the modern day now claiming to be him? Did he really come back from the dead?
We also have a scene setting exercise where more history of All Hallow's Church at Hobbs Lane where the outbreak occurred is revealed. Medievel chroniclers discuss horned creatures, 1950s fighter pilots reveal images of demons in clouds and modern archaeologists explain that bones of bizarre ape-like creatures were dug up on the site with the expansion of the tube. Locals over the course of the 20th century report a "dwarf man" in the vicinity of Hobbs Lane scuttling away when spotted. All very bizarre and intriguing so far. Tales of missing children and even a few celebrity commenters are included (H.G. Wells discusses writing a story about the church and its strange occurences).
We also go back to the start of the outbreak for reports and records from different angles. I found this all a bit unncessary, personally. It was achieved rather perfectly in the first book and to include it in the second book feels like overkill. The new developments about the archaeology and the older reports are intriguing though and we do take it in a new direction to Paris and Moscow and see how those countries are dealing with the outbreak. Early on, it does feel like more of the same though, even though we are moving toward the titular fightback before we get halfway through but by this point, we see no hope of humanity winning.
The blurb promises a mutation - a sea change in the reanimated. I won't reveal what that is though to avoid spoiling the plot for anyone who is intrigued enough to read the series. What I will say is that it is hinted at toward the end of the first book and left it on what for many seemed to have been a bizarre and unexplained cliffhanger. I'll say no more except read it, and if you haven't already then read the first one!
My only complaint is the fuzzy line between science and supernatural which dithers and doesn't quite work for me. The collection of writers who set down a clear and careful science to the zombie virus (because that is how it is spread) use what for me was a terrible supernatural mcguffin. It would have been better to have gone one way or another. Still, this has become intriguing for its quirky and unusual approach. I will say that I didn't think it was quite as good as the first, partly because of we've now lost the impact of the surprising style of writing and partly because of how we know the zombie infestation develops makes them slightly less scary.
See more book reviews at my blog
Only this time, the earlier part of the book focuses almost entirely on the man who was responsible for the zombie outbreak, the "Zombie King" Thomas Moreby who in the 18th century built the church and the crypt beneath that housed the fleas that carry the disease. Who was he? What was he like? How was he responsible for the zombie apocalypse hundreds of years after his life? More importantly, who is this man in the modern day now claiming to be him? Did he really come back from the dead?
We also have a scene setting exercise where more history of All Hallow's Church at Hobbs Lane where the outbreak occurred is revealed. Medievel chroniclers discuss horned creatures, 1950s fighter pilots reveal images of demons in clouds and modern archaeologists explain that bones of bizarre ape-like creatures were dug up on the site with the expansion of the tube. Locals over the course of the 20th century report a "dwarf man" in the vicinity of Hobbs Lane scuttling away when spotted. All very bizarre and intriguing so far. Tales of missing children and even a few celebrity commenters are included (H.G. Wells discusses writing a story about the church and its strange occurences).
We also go back to the start of the outbreak for reports and records from different angles. I found this all a bit unncessary, personally. It was achieved rather perfectly in the first book and to include it in the second book feels like overkill. The new developments about the archaeology and the older reports are intriguing though and we do take it in a new direction to Paris and Moscow and see how those countries are dealing with the outbreak. Early on, it does feel like more of the same though, even though we are moving toward the titular fightback before we get halfway through but by this point, we see no hope of humanity winning.
The blurb promises a mutation - a sea change in the reanimated. I won't reveal what that is though to avoid spoiling the plot for anyone who is intrigued enough to read the series. What I will say is that it is hinted at toward the end of the first book and left it on what for many seemed to have been a bizarre and unexplained cliffhanger. I'll say no more except read it, and if you haven't already then read the first one!
My only complaint is the fuzzy line between science and supernatural which dithers and doesn't quite work for me. The collection of writers who set down a clear and careful science to the zombie virus (because that is how it is spread) use what for me was a terrible supernatural mcguffin. It would have been better to have gone one way or another. Still, this has become intriguing for its quirky and unusual approach. I will say that I didn't think it was quite as good as the first, partly because of we've now lost the impact of the surprising style of writing and partly because of how we know the zombie infestation develops makes them slightly less scary.
See more book reviews at my blog
December 23, 2015
From AntonySimpson.com:
Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback is the sequel to Zombie Apocalypse! I was disappointed with Zombie Apocalypse!, but I still picked up Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback and was pleasantly surprised.
First let me explain the premise of Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback. Following the breakout of the Human Reanimation Virus (HRV) at All Hallows Church in south London; the book tells the story of Thomas Moreby (patient zero & leader of the zombies) and that of the human struggle for survival across the world.
The book uses a range of mediums to tell the story: emails, eye witness accounts, news paper articles, reports, diaries, photos, stills of video, twitter feeds and there’s even a poem. I love this idea and although Jones et al isn’t the first write in this way, they probably are the first to use the idea in a zombie story.
The plot was acceptably fascinating and well interwoven, especially considering the number of different writers. The pacing was good and kept the story moving along at a suitable pace. But the editing could have been better. It wasn’t that there were typos; but that there was a fair amount of padding that made the story feel like it could have been told in less words. There was a lot of telling and more could have been shown to the reader.
The characters changed too often and lacked depth. The closest the book came to depth was the two brothers at the camp/caravan site, which ended far too prematurely. I would like to have read much more of their story.
The ‘Twitter pages’ were the worst as they went on for far too long (I actually skipped a number of these pages) and felt completely unbelievable. The characters description of events in tweets didn’t feel right. The whole concept that he would be on twitter, when he was being hunted in a dark museum by monsters failed to be remotely believable.
Overall Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback was a gigantic improvement on Zombie Apocalypse!, but still needs more work. Anybody that likes a zombie read will enjoy it, but it will not be a reader’s favourite in the zombie story genre.
Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback is the sequel to Zombie Apocalypse! I was disappointed with Zombie Apocalypse!, but I still picked up Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback and was pleasantly surprised.
First let me explain the premise of Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback. Following the breakout of the Human Reanimation Virus (HRV) at All Hallows Church in south London; the book tells the story of Thomas Moreby (patient zero & leader of the zombies) and that of the human struggle for survival across the world.
The book uses a range of mediums to tell the story: emails, eye witness accounts, news paper articles, reports, diaries, photos, stills of video, twitter feeds and there’s even a poem. I love this idea and although Jones et al isn’t the first write in this way, they probably are the first to use the idea in a zombie story.
The plot was acceptably fascinating and well interwoven, especially considering the number of different writers. The pacing was good and kept the story moving along at a suitable pace. But the editing could have been better. It wasn’t that there were typos; but that there was a fair amount of padding that made the story feel like it could have been told in less words. There was a lot of telling and more could have been shown to the reader.
The characters changed too often and lacked depth. The closest the book came to depth was the two brothers at the camp/caravan site, which ended far too prematurely. I would like to have read much more of their story.
The ‘Twitter pages’ were the worst as they went on for far too long (I actually skipped a number of these pages) and felt completely unbelievable. The characters description of events in tweets didn’t feel right. The whole concept that he would be on twitter, when he was being hunted in a dark museum by monsters failed to be remotely believable.
Overall Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback was a gigantic improvement on Zombie Apocalypse!, but still needs more work. Anybody that likes a zombie read will enjoy it, but it will not be a reader’s favourite in the zombie story genre.
March 16, 2015
I was kind of disappointed in this book. I LOVE zombie stories and will read any and all I come across, but this one did not keep me interested. I had hoped that after all the setup and such in the first one that I didn't like, that this book would be more firmly entrenched in the action. But it wasn't. It basically was another version of the first book. I really don't understand why it started before the outbreak again, and it took so long to get back to the outbreak being in full swing. I get that it was giving more information about Moreby and the virus, but it did it in such a way that it felt incredibly repetitive having read the first book. And since that was the part that I felt was the least interesting in the first book because it was slow moving and went on too long, it was a real shame to see it happen all over again in the second book.
I did really enjoy some of the stories in the book, but so many others were just variations of stories from the last book that they felt old and uninteresting. I felt like the title was also misleading -- it gave the impression that there would be more "fighting back" and action in the book, but it took a long time to get to it and then it was written in the more boring of the formats (government documents and such), which took the action out of the action. If that makes sense.
Overall, just a really disappointing read for me and for once, I don't think I'm going to be reading the next one. Maybe if I find it used someplace and after taking a break from the series, but right now I have no urge to buy it. Normally I never give up on a series, but this one just took all the fun out of reading a zombie story because it took FOREVER to get to the action, and then most (not all) of the stories were told in such a way that they felt inactive. Add in the repetitive nature of the story, and it just got boring at times. I understand that the format is a hard one to maintain and keep interesting, but it is possible and several of the authors in the book managed to do it well. But overall, the book just didn't keep me interested and I kept having to force myself to get back to it because it moved so slowly.
I did really enjoy some of the stories in the book, but so many others were just variations of stories from the last book that they felt old and uninteresting. I felt like the title was also misleading -- it gave the impression that there would be more "fighting back" and action in the book, but it took a long time to get to it and then it was written in the more boring of the formats (government documents and such), which took the action out of the action. If that makes sense.
Overall, just a really disappointing read for me and for once, I don't think I'm going to be reading the next one. Maybe if I find it used someplace and after taking a break from the series, but right now I have no urge to buy it. Normally I never give up on a series, but this one just took all the fun out of reading a zombie story because it took FOREVER to get to the action, and then most (not all) of the stories were told in such a way that they felt inactive. Add in the repetitive nature of the story, and it just got boring at times. I understand that the format is a hard one to maintain and keep interesting, but it is possible and several of the authors in the book managed to do it well. But overall, the book just didn't keep me interested and I kept having to force myself to get back to it because it moved so slowly.
September 19, 2014
*This review may contain spoilers*
What's it about?
"Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback" is the long-awaited sequel to the bestselling "Zombie Apocalypse!" Another 'mosaic' novel which weaves together contributions from big-name horror writers in the form of essays, reports, letters, official documents and transcripts to create a compelling narrative. In the first book, old-school, flesh-eating zombies spread "The Death" around the world. Now, the fightback begins.
Who's the author?
Stephen Jones is the creative mind behind the "Zombie Apocalypse!" series, which has been written by some of the biggest and best-known names in horror and science-fiction.
Stephen Jones is an English editor of horror anthologies, and the author of several book-length studies of horror and fantasy films as well as an account of Lovecraft's early British publications. Stephen Jones shared the Bram Stoker award, with co-editor Kim Newman, for "Horror: Another 100 Best Books" in 2005.
"Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback" is followed in the series by "Zombie Apocalypse! Endgame," available soon.
Was it any good?
Sadly, this is not as good as the first book in the series. I found it slow, dull and hard-going. There were pages and pages of medical reports that were overwhelming, complex and difficult to read. Although the first book included these reports, they were broken up by Twitter posts or blog entries; breaking the monotony, somewhat. However, one thing the sequel did well was expand upon the shocking, open ending of the last book. It gives more of an explanation about how the Human Reanimation Virus spread, who Thomas Moreby was and his importance in the reanimated's fight for dominance. Unfortunately, I still found this novel tedious and boring; a poor installment in the series.
Would I recommend it?
If you've read "Zombie Apocalypse!" I'd recommend reading this sequel. As I said, it explains a lot and gives the first book context. If you've not read the first book, and don't intend to, though, I'd give this one a miss.
What's it about?
"Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback" is the long-awaited sequel to the bestselling "Zombie Apocalypse!" Another 'mosaic' novel which weaves together contributions from big-name horror writers in the form of essays, reports, letters, official documents and transcripts to create a compelling narrative. In the first book, old-school, flesh-eating zombies spread "The Death" around the world. Now, the fightback begins.
Who's the author?
Stephen Jones is the creative mind behind the "Zombie Apocalypse!" series, which has been written by some of the biggest and best-known names in horror and science-fiction.
Stephen Jones is an English editor of horror anthologies, and the author of several book-length studies of horror and fantasy films as well as an account of Lovecraft's early British publications. Stephen Jones shared the Bram Stoker award, with co-editor Kim Newman, for "Horror: Another 100 Best Books" in 2005.
"Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback" is followed in the series by "Zombie Apocalypse! Endgame," available soon.
Was it any good?
Sadly, this is not as good as the first book in the series. I found it slow, dull and hard-going. There were pages and pages of medical reports that were overwhelming, complex and difficult to read. Although the first book included these reports, they were broken up by Twitter posts or blog entries; breaking the monotony, somewhat. However, one thing the sequel did well was expand upon the shocking, open ending of the last book. It gives more of an explanation about how the Human Reanimation Virus spread, who Thomas Moreby was and his importance in the reanimated's fight for dominance. Unfortunately, I still found this novel tedious and boring; a poor installment in the series.
Would I recommend it?
If you've read "Zombie Apocalypse!" I'd recommend reading this sequel. As I said, it explains a lot and gives the first book context. If you've not read the first book, and don't intend to, though, I'd give this one a miss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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