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Class Four: Those Who Survive by Duncan P Bradshaw
The dead rule the world.In the months after a deadly virus has swept across the planet, an eight year old boy and his appointed protector live from day to day. After a chance encounter they head for sanctuary. To get there, they will have to run the gauntlet of the inhabitants of this new world.Ruled over by The Gaffer, a group of survivors holed up in a derelict factory struggle to maintain order and stability. Inside, those affected the most share their stories, hoping to come to terms with what has happened and what they've lost.However, a clandestine operative in their midst lays the groundwork for an assault, the likes of which none of them have ever seen or could hope to prepare for.These are the stories of those who survive.
Unknown Binding
First published July 13, 2015
2 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
Duncan P. Bradshaw
34 books72 followersI live in the simply marvelous county of Wiltshire in England with my wife Debbie and our two cats, Rafa and Pepe.
We wile away the wee hours learning arcane incantations and medieval wind instruments, surviving solely on what our two furry faced fellows bring us. Winter is a bleak time indeed, when the common vole, the staple of our diet slumbers deep within the earth.
After writing a number of books and stories on the undead to begin with, I now write whatever weird and wonderful stories infect my brain. Sitting outside of conventional genres, my books have a mix of comedy, horror and the bizarre, you can never be too sure what the hell is going to happen next.
With my own label, EyeCue Productions, the physical copies of my books are something a little different. And with my own genre of GoreCom invented, a whole new level of EPICness is inbound. Don't worry about a seatbelt, let yourself get thrown through the windscreen of weirdness and see how you get on.
We wile away the wee hours learning arcane incantations and medieval wind instruments, surviving solely on what our two furry faced fellows bring us. Winter is a bleak time indeed, when the common vole, the staple of our diet slumbers deep within the earth.
After writing a number of books and stories on the undead to begin with, I now write whatever weird and wonderful stories infect my brain. Sitting outside of conventional genres, my books have a mix of comedy, horror and the bizarre, you can never be too sure what the hell is going to happen next.
With my own label, EyeCue Productions, the physical copies of my books are something a little different. And with my own genre of GoreCom invented, a whole new level of EPICness is inbound. Don't worry about a seatbelt, let yourself get thrown through the windscreen of weirdness and see how you get on.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 9, 2016
Bradshaw has a voice like no other--and that's a very good thing. He does a lot with this second volume in the Class series (the first in the Class Four trilogy, I understand). Not all of it works, but plenty does. It's much bleaker than it's predecessor, Class Three, but it retains much of the same mirthful glee and several characters return. The cult returns and is fleshed out (so to speak) a little more here. We also get some character stories told in the first person monologues. These were my favorite sections of the book, as the characters' tragic stories here have some real meat on them. I also enjoyed that it was put together like a graphic novel (I have the paperback edition), and there's added touches. My only criticism is that sometimes I found it difficult keeping track of all the characters.
July 14, 2015
It has been a while since I’ve read a book by Duncan P. Bradshaw. I had forgotten what a truly gruesome author he is. Class Three was the story of Jim and Phillip during the first days of the apocalypse. Class Four picks up with one of my favorite characters from Class Three, Francis.
In Class Four we are introduced to a multitude of characters, each with their own little story of the apocalypse. Tying all of this together is Francis and Nathan, as Francis strives to find a place where the young boy can be safe. Duncan P. Bradshaw has created some great over the top characters, all of whom help to pull the reader into the story. At times I found myself wondering what the h-e double hockey sticks is he going to do next, and to my surprise it was bigger and better.
The true genius of Duncan P. Bradshaw is the rollercoaster ride of words and expressions. I have never seen an author go from the depths of dark and gore to laugh out loud all within the same paragraph. I don’t know if this comes naturally to him or if he spends hours torturing himself while devouring tea and biscuits.
On a bit of a side note, I have to admit, I did have to get out my English-British dictionary from time to time (I do love all of the different expressions). Although, if you let your mind just flow with the story it usually isn’t too difficult to understand his intent.
Class Four has left off at a complete point, but there are many new storylines to follow from here. I am eager to bite into whichever one comes next.
4.5 Stars
In Class Four we are introduced to a multitude of characters, each with their own little story of the apocalypse. Tying all of this together is Francis and Nathan, as Francis strives to find a place where the young boy can be safe. Duncan P. Bradshaw has created some great over the top characters, all of whom help to pull the reader into the story. At times I found myself wondering what the h-e double hockey sticks is he going to do next, and to my surprise it was bigger and better.
The true genius of Duncan P. Bradshaw is the rollercoaster ride of words and expressions. I have never seen an author go from the depths of dark and gore to laugh out loud all within the same paragraph. I don’t know if this comes naturally to him or if he spends hours torturing himself while devouring tea and biscuits.
On a bit of a side note, I have to admit, I did have to get out my English-British dictionary from time to time (I do love all of the different expressions). Although, if you let your mind just flow with the story it usually isn’t too difficult to understand his intent.
Class Four has left off at a complete point, but there are many new storylines to follow from here. I am eager to bite into whichever one comes next.
4.5 Stars
August 18, 2015
A copy of Those Who Survive (Class Four #1) was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author Duncan P Bradshaw in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by the Sinister Horror Company.
Until a week or so ago, I had never read Duncan P Bradshaw. I read his debut novel Class Three last week. You can see my review of it here. I absolutely loved it, which is hard for me to do with a zombie novel.
Those Who Survive is sort of a continuation of the story. They work just as well as standalone novels but to be honest I would recommend you read Class Three before Those Who Survive. Some characters carry over and it gives you a bit of continuity. Also it will make you smile when you see some of the characters come back. So, did the new found faith in zombie novels continue with Those Who Survive courtesy of Mr Bradshaw?
It’s been months since the virus spread and the world fell apart. The dead keep on dying, then they keep on coming back to life, in a manner of speaking.
Nathan is eight years old. He has lost his mum and everyone else he knew in the previous life. Francis is a grown man. He is struggling to survive after his own previous life ended horrifically. He has taken on the role of protector for Nathan. He has vowed to keep him safe from the dead.
They bump into Phil who tells them of a safe place to go where they will find people that will provide them shelter, food, friendship and hopefully safety.
It’s going to take them a while to get there. On their travels they will have to battle against the undead and a band of religious freaks hell bent on turning the world over to their new “god”.
In an abandoned biscuit factory, some other survivors scrape by day to day. The place is run by “The Gaffer”. He runs a tight ship but it is needed to stay safe. Within this group is a small number of people who attend a session each week with a shrink to try and relieve their pressures and pains. Their individual stories are harrowing but necessary.
The Gaffer’s methods are needed more than people believe. People need to pay attention if they want to survive.
OK. Second zombie book in a week. Both written by the same man, Duncan P Bradshaw. I thought I might zombie overload. In truth it’s quite the opposite. I am now left gagging for Class Four #2.
So what are our characters like in this little jaunt? Superb. Every single one of them. We have all different shapes and sizes, alive, dead and undead. We have goodies, we have baddies and we have ones in between that have no idea what they are. It would take forever to go through them all so here is a snapshot.
Nathan is a scared little boy who has had to grow up very very quickly. He still likes reading his comics but he knows exactly what to do as each situation arises. Francis is an ex-security guard that had to go through what no man should when the disaster struck. He now has the mission to protect Nathan and he will do whatever it takes to do this. He would give his life for the boy. They meet up with a few others on their travels that band together with them. Zena and Russ become their closest allies in times of need. Again normal people who just do what is needed to be done.
In the biscuit factory The Gaffer is ruthless. He needs to be to protect everyone. Not everyone believes he is right but he knows what he is doing. Our characters in the “self-help” group are the leader Steve and a few others Matt, Sylvia, Dee and Anton. They each give their own stories in the process of recovery and rediscovery. They are all totally different people with totally different stories and problems.
In the religious “freak” group. The characters are a bit shadier. You don’t know as much about them but you do form your own opinions of them from early on in the story. They are nuts. They are very dangerous.
In Class Three, we were given the opening scenes in the story, the beginning of the end of the world. That book concentrated on the first twenty four hours after the disaster hit. It was a book that, to me, showed the human aspect of a zombie apocalypse. It was full of horror and it was full of laughs. It was a completely different approach on the whole zombie thing that had me glued to it from cover to cover. Read my review and you will get the full picture.
Those Who Survive is a continuation of the story but not totally in the same vain. This is much darker. A lot of the humour has gone. This is a story of struggles for survival. Again the thing that really stands out for me is the way Mr Bradshaw writes in the human element. Too many storied of this nature feature on the zombies and the evil they do. They go for the sensationalist angle and the “blockbuster” theme. Those Who Survive gives you a perspective that you will find yourself nodding sagely to. You will appreciate the way it is written because you will appreciate the fact that you would probably act and react in the same way as the characters are. I really cannot emphasise just how much this is a perfect example of storytelling. Not just another zombie book.
I need to tell you about a couple of specific parts in this book without giving too much away. The scenes where the “self-help” group meet are absolutely fantastic. What you have is a room full of people sitting around, telling their individual stories to help themselves and the others around them. These stories are all totally different and come from totally different people. The thing you will notice when you read them is just how real they seem. They are written so beautifully that you become totally absorbed in their stories living every harrowing second as if you were right there with them. From the point of view of how the actual book is put together, this section is also so very unique. I’m not going to tell you what it is but I will say the formatting for this part is pure genius in how it’s done.
The second part I need to tell you about is where Nathan and Francis come across what seems to be a circus on their travels. What happens in this sequence is a surreal battle to stay alive in a freak show of enormous proportions. These scenes are so totally unexpected you would think they were in the wrong book but again they are perfectly written. When you finish this section you will wonder what the hell you have just read but you will feel wonderfully fulfilled that you did. I had a vision of Rob Zombie sitting reading this section clapping his hands with glee but wishing he had written it at the same time. Think House of 1000 Corpses on speed. By the way if you have never seen that film you are just weird. It’s a classic.
I really need to stop writing about this now because I could keep going for hours and hours. This book is so damned bloody good for so many damned bloody good reasons!
To summarise: a world after the end of the world. Full of zombies. Full of people doing what people always seem to do and trying to take advantage of the situation at hand. Full of the normal religious nut jobs that surface to try and put things right. More importantly full of real people with real stories to tell that make this book an absolute pleasure to read.
I don’t have a lot of money to bet with but if I did I would be putting a hell of a lot of it on a bet that Duncan P Bradshaw is going to become a very big name in this world of writing. His style is so easy to read. It’s fantastically realistic. It totally draws you into the story making you feel, see and smell everything.
When you see the end of the book coming. You want to drag it out further and further. I for one am sorry I have finished this book. I am jealous that if you pick it up, you have the wonders of it still to discover.
Most of all, I am excited for Class Four #2.
General rating:
★★★★★ Truly wonderful.
Horror rating:
★★★★★ In so many ways!
Until a week or so ago, I had never read Duncan P Bradshaw. I read his debut novel Class Three last week. You can see my review of it here. I absolutely loved it, which is hard for me to do with a zombie novel.
Those Who Survive is sort of a continuation of the story. They work just as well as standalone novels but to be honest I would recommend you read Class Three before Those Who Survive. Some characters carry over and it gives you a bit of continuity. Also it will make you smile when you see some of the characters come back. So, did the new found faith in zombie novels continue with Those Who Survive courtesy of Mr Bradshaw?
It’s been months since the virus spread and the world fell apart. The dead keep on dying, then they keep on coming back to life, in a manner of speaking.
Nathan is eight years old. He has lost his mum and everyone else he knew in the previous life. Francis is a grown man. He is struggling to survive after his own previous life ended horrifically. He has taken on the role of protector for Nathan. He has vowed to keep him safe from the dead.
They bump into Phil who tells them of a safe place to go where they will find people that will provide them shelter, food, friendship and hopefully safety.
It’s going to take them a while to get there. On their travels they will have to battle against the undead and a band of religious freaks hell bent on turning the world over to their new “god”.
In an abandoned biscuit factory, some other survivors scrape by day to day. The place is run by “The Gaffer”. He runs a tight ship but it is needed to stay safe. Within this group is a small number of people who attend a session each week with a shrink to try and relieve their pressures and pains. Their individual stories are harrowing but necessary.
The Gaffer’s methods are needed more than people believe. People need to pay attention if they want to survive.
OK. Second zombie book in a week. Both written by the same man, Duncan P Bradshaw. I thought I might zombie overload. In truth it’s quite the opposite. I am now left gagging for Class Four #2.
So what are our characters like in this little jaunt? Superb. Every single one of them. We have all different shapes and sizes, alive, dead and undead. We have goodies, we have baddies and we have ones in between that have no idea what they are. It would take forever to go through them all so here is a snapshot.
Nathan is a scared little boy who has had to grow up very very quickly. He still likes reading his comics but he knows exactly what to do as each situation arises. Francis is an ex-security guard that had to go through what no man should when the disaster struck. He now has the mission to protect Nathan and he will do whatever it takes to do this. He would give his life for the boy. They meet up with a few others on their travels that band together with them. Zena and Russ become their closest allies in times of need. Again normal people who just do what is needed to be done.
In the biscuit factory The Gaffer is ruthless. He needs to be to protect everyone. Not everyone believes he is right but he knows what he is doing. Our characters in the “self-help” group are the leader Steve and a few others Matt, Sylvia, Dee and Anton. They each give their own stories in the process of recovery and rediscovery. They are all totally different people with totally different stories and problems.
In the religious “freak” group. The characters are a bit shadier. You don’t know as much about them but you do form your own opinions of them from early on in the story. They are nuts. They are very dangerous.
In Class Three, we were given the opening scenes in the story, the beginning of the end of the world. That book concentrated on the first twenty four hours after the disaster hit. It was a book that, to me, showed the human aspect of a zombie apocalypse. It was full of horror and it was full of laughs. It was a completely different approach on the whole zombie thing that had me glued to it from cover to cover. Read my review and you will get the full picture.
Those Who Survive is a continuation of the story but not totally in the same vain. This is much darker. A lot of the humour has gone. This is a story of struggles for survival. Again the thing that really stands out for me is the way Mr Bradshaw writes in the human element. Too many storied of this nature feature on the zombies and the evil they do. They go for the sensationalist angle and the “blockbuster” theme. Those Who Survive gives you a perspective that you will find yourself nodding sagely to. You will appreciate the way it is written because you will appreciate the fact that you would probably act and react in the same way as the characters are. I really cannot emphasise just how much this is a perfect example of storytelling. Not just another zombie book.
I need to tell you about a couple of specific parts in this book without giving too much away. The scenes where the “self-help” group meet are absolutely fantastic. What you have is a room full of people sitting around, telling their individual stories to help themselves and the others around them. These stories are all totally different and come from totally different people. The thing you will notice when you read them is just how real they seem. They are written so beautifully that you become totally absorbed in their stories living every harrowing second as if you were right there with them. From the point of view of how the actual book is put together, this section is also so very unique. I’m not going to tell you what it is but I will say the formatting for this part is pure genius in how it’s done.
The second part I need to tell you about is where Nathan and Francis come across what seems to be a circus on their travels. What happens in this sequence is a surreal battle to stay alive in a freak show of enormous proportions. These scenes are so totally unexpected you would think they were in the wrong book but again they are perfectly written. When you finish this section you will wonder what the hell you have just read but you will feel wonderfully fulfilled that you did. I had a vision of Rob Zombie sitting reading this section clapping his hands with glee but wishing he had written it at the same time. Think House of 1000 Corpses on speed. By the way if you have never seen that film you are just weird. It’s a classic.
I really need to stop writing about this now because I could keep going for hours and hours. This book is so damned bloody good for so many damned bloody good reasons!
To summarise: a world after the end of the world. Full of zombies. Full of people doing what people always seem to do and trying to take advantage of the situation at hand. Full of the normal religious nut jobs that surface to try and put things right. More importantly full of real people with real stories to tell that make this book an absolute pleasure to read.
I don’t have a lot of money to bet with but if I did I would be putting a hell of a lot of it on a bet that Duncan P Bradshaw is going to become a very big name in this world of writing. His style is so easy to read. It’s fantastically realistic. It totally draws you into the story making you feel, see and smell everything.
When you see the end of the book coming. You want to drag it out further and further. I for one am sorry I have finished this book. I am jealous that if you pick it up, you have the wonders of it still to discover.
Most of all, I am excited for Class Four #2.
General rating:
★★★★★ Truly wonderful.
Horror rating:
★★★★★ In so many ways!
April 13, 2017
Well, what a journey! Duncan P Bradshaw's follow up to Class Three was as gory as you would expect, and just as witty. I'm really looking forward to the next instalment of this series!
And I absolutely agree; who on earth eats crumble without custard?!
And I absolutely agree; who on earth eats crumble without custard?!
November 26, 2015
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
I'm always leery of the great mass of zombie fiction that's out there but I have to admit that this one surprised and delighted me. A different slant that I found most refreshing. An exciting and riveting read that I'd recommend to anyone.
I'm always leery of the great mass of zombie fiction that's out there but I have to admit that this one surprised and delighted me. A different slant that I found most refreshing. An exciting and riveting read that I'd recommend to anyone.
October 4, 2015
Follows Class Three with post apocalyptic societal breakdown. Lots of zombie action and additional non-zombie threats to slice things up. Neatly spirals towards the final chapter.
January 7, 2017
Oh it's been too damn long since I've gotten lost in the dark, dank, gritty, witty, and downright side-splittingly fun head of Duncan P. Bradshaw, what the hell is wrong with me!?
I fell in love with the first book, Class Three. So damn different and interesting, and hilarious, and well written, and gross, and shocking, and-and-and...so many ands. Aaand if you are reading this, I'm pretty you have read the first book, if not ~ go back, you took a wrong turn.
Happens to me alllll the time..
HOWEVER, there are no actual spoilers for the first book in this review, just a bit of background so you don't have to go back if you don't want to. :D
We learned from the first book that a bite doesn't turn you, you could absolutely bounce back if you still have all your vitals in one piece.
You have to actually die ~ even from natural causes ~ in order to go full zombie.
It wasn't some sort of monkey virus outbreak or genome clone chrome splicing gone wrong, it was from one of our own probes, coming back to Earth, all contaminated with meteor gunk and stuff.
The first sign was the red skies.
The second tell tell clue were the blood curdling screams of happy meals being chased down by hungry street hordes.
So...just as long as you don't get massacred all the way dead, you should be ok.
I like that little twist of the genre. It's refreshing when writers just reinvent the folklore and make up their own rules to die by.
I really enjoy apocalyptic zombie horror but I DO have to be careful cause if I read too many close together, they all tend to bleed together.
Not the case with Bradshaw's Class books though. They are stand out!
Plus we get these adorable little gory and graphic sketches sprinkled throughout.
Oh I just love pictures. :D
Ok, so, this book takes place on two different timelines within that first year after the dead get a pep in their step.
A lot of main players, much character development, and storylines galore within these 260 or so pages but oddly enough, I never got confused, lost, or felt outta the loop.
THAT'S all due to Bradshaw's EXCELLENT writing skills and not so much my attention span.
The first book mostly centered around brothers Jim and Phillip, battling and bantering during the first critical and disorienting 24 hours, and of course the deranged ones; Devin, Malky, and the rest of their loyal zealot fiends.
Yea, they are back, stronger and crazier than before.
Balls.
WE GOT Francis and Nathan returning from their small parts in the original, Nathan is a young boy who lost his mom in the initial onset shit storm and Francis is the stand up guy who vowed to look after him (you really feel their bond and it gives you warm fuzzies), as they travel aimlessly from here to there, staying where ever is the least combative and offers the highest chances of leaving the next day. Briefly running into Phillip ~ my sarcastic soulmate ~ one day, he tells them of a safe haven camp where his brother Jim and a bunch of other survivors are staying. Off they go, it's a long trek though with side tracks/off tracks aplenty.
Francis has a pretty devastating origin story too, that is told in little snippets throughout the book. Oh, it'll make you mad and sad and added a lot of depth to that fantastic character.
WE GOT the religious fanatics Devin and Malky, plus their asinine apostles and deluded devotees all hell bent on turning the world into a One Republic Aberzombie and Snitch Nation. They truly believe it's their higher calling from some deity dame named Ishtar and through their traveling RV headquarters, worm their confederate moles into budding and thriving survivor camps to bring down the morale and up the undead head count.
They call it 'ascending' and they are sadistically dedicated to their movement.
Their cult kool-aid is obviously spiked with LSD aaand the wilted deflowered zombie fly trap leaf extract of the genus plant species Deluseae grandiosea. (hm..that was funnier in my head, sorry...)
WE GOT survivors in a biscuit factory, a few groups of survivors have managed to come together in community camps far and wide. One such camp is in an old biscuit factory (I believe that's cookies to us Americans, not garlicky dinner rolls) where the people have really started to flourish and work together under the somewhat tyrannical, yet effective, leadership of a formidable man known as The Gaffer. Everyone has their jobs and every job is important, harsh punishments to slackers. Which is understandable, fall asleep during lookout, there goes half your population. We meet a lot of great characters here and can feel the growing sense of unity and teamwork.
Of course, not all get along. Course not..
WE GOT group therapy sessions in that cookie clubhouse, The Gaffer has force ordered a handful of deemed 'troubled souls' into group counseling/share your feelings sessions with their resident ~ used to be ~ shrink, Steve. Little vignettes told therapy style tales are peppered throughout the book and I absolutely LOVED these engrossing first person 'where I was on doomsday' origin stories.
Truly genius writing adding these little 'sidebars' into the broad scope of it all. Probably my favorite sections of the book, such page turners rife with emotion, action, and comedy!
Oh you will flat out adore sweet little simpleminded Matt and his woesome therapy tale about his parents and much beloved dog, Patches. Just wanted to give him a big ole bear hug!!
Also you will feel for meek Sylvia, one of those poor women who's self esteem has been trampled on by a verbally abusive husband, always apologizing for herself...makes me sick. She finds her voice though, oh yes...she flat out roars like a tigress.
WE GOT a Big Top out in the middle of nowhere, Francis and Nathan come across a big ole circus tent called The Penny Gaffe, a freak show of sorts, out in the middle of nowhere, it's seen better days but WHAT and WHO hasn't this day in age. The proprietor entices and beckons them in for an entertaining little show and promise of a hot meal afterward. It's the meal that lures the passers-by and the scouted-outs to this spectacle though, but it might also be nice to just sit back, relax, and enjoy a bit of a sideshow delight ....of sorts.
The 'Ringleader' boosts that he's just trying to keep up morale in this savagely ripped and torn destitute new world we found ourselves in. Such a good Samaritan....
WE GOT cannibalistic shit pit stops, as if all of the above wasn't enough to keep our haggard and rattled survivalists on their toes and out of the throes, there are also dimwitted ~ yet spry ~ cannibals who have adopted the zombie diet. Protein, 5 a day. With names like Url and Vints (it's how they pronounce them anyway) they will entrap you while prancing about in their ceremonial and empowering skeletal headdresses and body armor, then fatten you up for a family feast with all the trimmings.
SOO..zombies, religious fucknuts, shortbus cannibals, circus freak rejects, no wifi or Netflix....
"The world had gone to hell in a heartbeat..."
BALLS.
You cared about these characters, not always favorably... but you still cared. I teared up more than a couple times and flat out balled once (DAMN YOU Bradshaw *shakes fist).
HOLY, this was such a BLAST to read!! I truly hated for it to end. It's also so much more than JUST a zombie tale. It's about the inter dynamics and outer destruction of humanity as a whole. Body, mind, and soul. Some are leaders, some are followers, some are wankers, and some are just off in left field repeatedly pushing up daisies.
This sequel IS missing some of that humor that fuel fire catapulted the first book, which is fitting if you think about it. It's been a while and people have grown tired and/or complacent, some almost like zombie versions of themselves....just going through the motions, trying to find food, maintain alliances, keeping their seeked shelter...until someone comes along and eats them.
Not a lot of wisecracking zingers to be had between people in that dark way of life...
The characters may be in dire straights with near flaccid funny bones but fear not, the comedic stylings of Bradshaw still put on quite a show.
He has a hilarious way of describing things, his analogies and deadpan observations are priceless.
One scene in particular really stood out for me where a character has a genius idea for perseverance, he saw it on that famous zombie tv show so it must work!! He painstakingly puts his plan in motion, making sure everything is perfect (I could hear The Eye of the Tiger theme playing in the background) and then....and theeen, he lasts 2...maaaybe 3 seconds before being gutted and digested.
OH, I had to put my kindle down, I was so shocked, yet giggling....needed to compose myself. LOL!!
So, YES, there IS still humor but it's spread out more and not so in your face, shit got real to these guys now and they have realized this isn't some long lost Three Stooges episode, ya know, the one where Curly gets peckish.
Bradshaw has a real natural savvy talent of infusing the most random or sarcastic or goofy humor where humor wouldn't normally fit. And it works. Brilliantly. Hilariously.
I noticed in my other two reviews for him, I used the word mesmerizing to describe his writing.
Yep, sticking with that, it fits, like a glooove.
I was gonna bark and growl for another sequel in this sequel review when I saw that TWO more are (or were..) planned.
Well, it's been well over a year now so umm...yea, where are they Mr. Duncan??? hm..
Chop Chop!!
And PLEASE (* growls), pleeease have more Phillip in the sequels. He really is my sarcastic soulmate and I know he feels the same about me.
When we left him at the end of Class Three, he was heading off to find his father. Francis and Nathan run into him all too briefly in this and he is still headed towards that paternal reunion goal as well as a new quest.
Just a suggestion; instead of calling the next one 'Those Who Survive (Class Four #2)'....might I suggest, 'The Phillip and Mandy Quest Chronicles (The Second Coming)'??
It's gotta nice ring to it, EH?? :D
So far, I've read his waaay out there bizarro book called Celebrity Culture about germy people....or peopley germs and now these two highly entertaining ~ a notch above ~ zombie books.
Whilst I wait for the promised sequels (at least TWO (2!!), I have it in writing) I think I will check out his science fiction book Prime Directive. Hanging with Duncan on Mars, I'M IN.
Ooor maybe I'll venture back to the Ancient Inca's ritual days in Hexagram.
WOW, so versatile this writer is! He's all over the genre spectrum.
God, some people are just born with it. For me, it ain't even Maybelline....
So Not Fair.
ACES!! Keep em coming P. Bradshaw! :D
I fell in love with the first book, Class Three. So damn different and interesting, and hilarious, and well written, and gross, and shocking, and-and-and...so many ands. Aaand if you are reading this, I'm pretty you have read the first book, if not ~ go back, you took a wrong turn.
Happens to me alllll the time..
HOWEVER, there are no actual spoilers for the first book in this review, just a bit of background so you don't have to go back if you don't want to. :D
We learned from the first book that a bite doesn't turn you, you could absolutely bounce back if you still have all your vitals in one piece.
You have to actually die ~ even from natural causes ~ in order to go full zombie.
It wasn't some sort of monkey virus outbreak or genome clone chrome splicing gone wrong, it was from one of our own probes, coming back to Earth, all contaminated with meteor gunk and stuff.
The first sign was the red skies.
The second tell tell clue were the blood curdling screams of happy meals being chased down by hungry street hordes.
So...just as long as you don't get massacred all the way dead, you should be ok.
I like that little twist of the genre. It's refreshing when writers just reinvent the folklore and make up their own rules to die by.
I really enjoy apocalyptic zombie horror but I DO have to be careful cause if I read too many close together, they all tend to bleed together.
Not the case with Bradshaw's Class books though. They are stand out!
Plus we get these adorable little gory and graphic sketches sprinkled throughout.
Oh I just love pictures. :D
Ok, so, this book takes place on two different timelines within that first year after the dead get a pep in their step.
A lot of main players, much character development, and storylines galore within these 260 or so pages but oddly enough, I never got confused, lost, or felt outta the loop.
THAT'S all due to Bradshaw's EXCELLENT writing skills and not so much my attention span.
The first book mostly centered around brothers Jim and Phillip, battling and bantering during the first critical and disorienting 24 hours, and of course the deranged ones; Devin, Malky, and the rest of their loyal zealot fiends.
Yea, they are back, stronger and crazier than before.
Balls.
WE GOT Francis and Nathan returning from their small parts in the original, Nathan is a young boy who lost his mom in the initial onset shit storm and Francis is the stand up guy who vowed to look after him (you really feel their bond and it gives you warm fuzzies), as they travel aimlessly from here to there, staying where ever is the least combative and offers the highest chances of leaving the next day. Briefly running into Phillip ~ my sarcastic soulmate ~ one day, he tells them of a safe haven camp where his brother Jim and a bunch of other survivors are staying. Off they go, it's a long trek though with side tracks/off tracks aplenty.
Francis has a pretty devastating origin story too, that is told in little snippets throughout the book. Oh, it'll make you mad and sad and added a lot of depth to that fantastic character.
WE GOT the religious fanatics Devin and Malky, plus their asinine apostles and deluded devotees all hell bent on turning the world into a One Republic Aberzombie and Snitch Nation. They truly believe it's their higher calling from some deity dame named Ishtar and through their traveling RV headquarters, worm their confederate moles into budding and thriving survivor camps to bring down the morale and up the undead head count.
They call it 'ascending' and they are sadistically dedicated to their movement.
Their cult kool-aid is obviously spiked with LSD aaand the wilted deflowered zombie fly trap leaf extract of the genus plant species Deluseae grandiosea. (hm..that was funnier in my head, sorry...)
WE GOT survivors in a biscuit factory, a few groups of survivors have managed to come together in community camps far and wide. One such camp is in an old biscuit factory (I believe that's cookies to us Americans, not garlicky dinner rolls) where the people have really started to flourish and work together under the somewhat tyrannical, yet effective, leadership of a formidable man known as The Gaffer. Everyone has their jobs and every job is important, harsh punishments to slackers. Which is understandable, fall asleep during lookout, there goes half your population. We meet a lot of great characters here and can feel the growing sense of unity and teamwork.
Of course, not all get along. Course not..
WE GOT group therapy sessions in that cookie clubhouse, The Gaffer has force ordered a handful of deemed 'troubled souls' into group counseling/share your feelings sessions with their resident ~ used to be ~ shrink, Steve. Little vignettes told therapy style tales are peppered throughout the book and I absolutely LOVED these engrossing first person 'where I was on doomsday' origin stories.
Truly genius writing adding these little 'sidebars' into the broad scope of it all. Probably my favorite sections of the book, such page turners rife with emotion, action, and comedy!
Oh you will flat out adore sweet little simpleminded Matt and his woesome therapy tale about his parents and much beloved dog, Patches. Just wanted to give him a big ole bear hug!!
Also you will feel for meek Sylvia, one of those poor women who's self esteem has been trampled on by a verbally abusive husband, always apologizing for herself...makes me sick. She finds her voice though, oh yes...she flat out roars like a tigress.
WE GOT a Big Top out in the middle of nowhere, Francis and Nathan come across a big ole circus tent called The Penny Gaffe, a freak show of sorts, out in the middle of nowhere, it's seen better days but WHAT and WHO hasn't this day in age. The proprietor entices and beckons them in for an entertaining little show and promise of a hot meal afterward. It's the meal that lures the passers-by and the scouted-outs to this spectacle though, but it might also be nice to just sit back, relax, and enjoy a bit of a sideshow delight ....of sorts.
The 'Ringleader' boosts that he's just trying to keep up morale in this savagely ripped and torn destitute new world we found ourselves in. Such a good Samaritan....
WE GOT cannibalistic shit pit stops, as if all of the above wasn't enough to keep our haggard and rattled survivalists on their toes and out of the throes, there are also dimwitted ~ yet spry ~ cannibals who have adopted the zombie diet. Protein, 5 a day. With names like Url and Vints (it's how they pronounce them anyway) they will entrap you while prancing about in their ceremonial and empowering skeletal headdresses and body armor, then fatten you up for a family feast with all the trimmings.
SOO..zombies, religious fucknuts, shortbus cannibals, circus freak rejects, no wifi or Netflix....
"The world had gone to hell in a heartbeat..."
BALLS.
You cared about these characters, not always favorably... but you still cared. I teared up more than a couple times and flat out balled once (DAMN YOU Bradshaw *shakes fist).
HOLY, this was such a BLAST to read!! I truly hated for it to end. It's also so much more than JUST a zombie tale. It's about the inter dynamics and outer destruction of humanity as a whole. Body, mind, and soul. Some are leaders, some are followers, some are wankers, and some are just off in left field repeatedly pushing up daisies.
This sequel IS missing some of that humor that fuel fire catapulted the first book, which is fitting if you think about it. It's been a while and people have grown tired and/or complacent, some almost like zombie versions of themselves....just going through the motions, trying to find food, maintain alliances, keeping their seeked shelter...until someone comes along and eats them.
Not a lot of wisecracking zingers to be had between people in that dark way of life...
The characters may be in dire straights with near flaccid funny bones but fear not, the comedic stylings of Bradshaw still put on quite a show.
He has a hilarious way of describing things, his analogies and deadpan observations are priceless.
One scene in particular really stood out for me where a character has a genius idea for perseverance, he saw it on that famous zombie tv show so it must work!! He painstakingly puts his plan in motion, making sure everything is perfect (I could hear The Eye of the Tiger theme playing in the background) and then....and theeen, he lasts 2...maaaybe 3 seconds before being gutted and digested.
OH, I had to put my kindle down, I was so shocked, yet giggling....needed to compose myself. LOL!!
So, YES, there IS still humor but it's spread out more and not so in your face, shit got real to these guys now and they have realized this isn't some long lost Three Stooges episode, ya know, the one where Curly gets peckish.
Bradshaw has a real natural savvy talent of infusing the most random or sarcastic or goofy humor where humor wouldn't normally fit. And it works. Brilliantly. Hilariously.
I noticed in my other two reviews for him, I used the word mesmerizing to describe his writing.
Yep, sticking with that, it fits, like a glooove.
I was gonna bark and growl for another sequel in this sequel review when I saw that TWO more are (or were..) planned.
Well, it's been well over a year now so umm...yea, where are they Mr. Duncan??? hm..
Chop Chop!!
And PLEASE (* growls), pleeease have more Phillip in the sequels. He really is my sarcastic soulmate and I know he feels the same about me.
When we left him at the end of Class Three, he was heading off to find his father. Francis and Nathan run into him all too briefly in this and he is still headed towards that paternal reunion goal as well as a new quest.
Just a suggestion; instead of calling the next one 'Those Who Survive (Class Four #2)'....might I suggest, 'The Phillip and Mandy Quest Chronicles (The Second Coming)'??
It's gotta nice ring to it, EH?? :D
So far, I've read his waaay out there bizarro book called Celebrity Culture about germy people....or peopley germs and now these two highly entertaining ~ a notch above ~ zombie books.
Whilst I wait for the promised sequels (at least TWO (2!!), I have it in writing) I think I will check out his science fiction book Prime Directive. Hanging with Duncan on Mars, I'M IN.
Ooor maybe I'll venture back to the Ancient Inca's ritual days in Hexagram.
WOW, so versatile this writer is! He's all over the genre spectrum.
God, some people are just born with it. For me, it ain't even Maybelline....
So Not Fair.
ACES!! Keep em coming P. Bradshaw! :D
May 12, 2024
The sequel to class 3 and just gets better. As you can read from the title this is about the survivors and how life is going. As always with zombies the real baddies are the remaining humans taking and hurting others.
Duncan has a way with words from witty and humorous to down right depressing pulling no punches in this glorious mess of a apocalypse.
Duncan has a way with words from witty and humorous to down right depressing pulling no punches in this glorious mess of a apocalypse.
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