The Rising Horde: Volume One

The Gathering Dead #2

by Stephen Knight

The Sequel to The Gathering Dead! As the zombie apocalypse sweeps through the United States, Special Forces operators Cord McDaniels and David Gartrell are once again thrown together--like it or not. Their mission is to protect a Texas laboratory struggling to develop an anti-necromorph vaccine before the entire country goes under! McDaniels has the vast might of the U.S. military at his disposal, but as millions of stenches march on the fortified laboratory, he begins to doubt whether it's enough! The race is on! For the dead have risen... and the living scream!

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Adventure, Apocalyptic, Science Fiction

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2012

Reviews

[Paul G]

OUTSTANDING book...well worth the wait. Unless, of course, if you're like me and been waiting for MONTHS! The pressure really got to me ;P

If you are new to the world of Gartrell and McDaniels.....PLEASE READ THE FIRST 2 BOOKS! The Gathering Dead & Left With The Dead..All of the books tie-in together.

This series is a must-have for any one who is a fan of the (well written) zombie/military genre.

In total honesty...I've already read both Vol 1 & 2 3 times each...Just devoured them too fast the first time around.

[Traci Chapman]

Good characters and interesting story

I'm enjoying this series - I like the characters and the zombies' unique abilities are a great twist. However, there are two particular things that bother me. Primarily, what I believe the author considers his strong point, military knowledge, is overwhelming to me as I go through this - and, it's increasingly taking away from the story's momentum (an example of this is a fight with zombies where the author strays into a protracted narrative about troops’ weapons); in fact, I’ve found myself skipping pages because it’s so unnecessarily (in my opinion) overly detailed in discussing military protocols, etc. Secondly, and I know this is nitpicking, this particular entry in the series needs a comprehensive edit - there are quite a few typos, much more than in previous books. That being said, I’m enjoying reading this series and feel invested in the characters. Good job.

[April Parrish]

If I had started with this book I would never have finished. Way too much military jargon (do not need to know the name of every weapon, plane, tank, etc and detailed instructions of how they work) also not enough action. Never should have split up volumes one and two, it should have been one book because volume one doesn't have an ending and served more as a set up. The previous books in the series at least had a satisfying conclusion. Despite having a good amount of military jargon, the first book in the series had a lot of action which is the reason I stuck with this book. I knew how great it could be. Hoping Volume Two is much better.

[William Siracuse]

The dead shall march

Second book in the series and picks up right where book one left off. Definitely a building block if you will for the series....setting up for future books. What action was there was good . Looking forward to more...March on horde of the dead

[Rafael]

DNF. I read 60%. Nothing really happened. Also too much military mumbo jumbo speech and description and not enough zombie. Too bad, I liked the previous novella.

[Shamon Harper]

Great follow up!

[Penforhire]

I liked getting back to the larger story, what the nation might do to handle or fail to handle the rising dead. Lots of military detail, again great for authenticity. I imagine some people would be less interested in weapon details but I enjoy that stuff. Less opportunity in this story for the interpersonal stuff I liked in Left with the Dead.

I have to wonder if his description of military rifle shooter accuracy was overstated. Perhaps not for special forces soldiers but most of the shooters in the story were very effective with ammunition. I liked the discussion in either this one or the next book (which I read before writing this) of not having enough actual ammunition to kill every zombie even if every shot was perfect. It did make me wonder if there would not be a larger role for .22 LR ammunition in those circumstances.

I continued to be surprised how ineffective he assumes high explosive bombs would be, compared to incendiaries. But hey, they're his breed of zombie so who am I to complain.

I especially liked how the story continued to pop up ethical quandaries. The various things that Cord thought to prepare or was faced without preparation.

Loved the little bits of POV from dead Jeffries. It makes you wonder more about how the 'hive mind' or whatever works, how did they know to ALL go to Texas. I know, it doesn't really matter.

In the back of my mind I was a little disappointed the scientists were not working on a biological agent solution to the zombies, some sort of poison that only affected them.

[Rachael Ashak-Benson]

Fabulous read! Zombie Apocalypse with Phenomenal Military Writing

There are plenty of choices out there within this genre, that's for sure. But only a select few stand head and shoulders above the rest. This is one of those books. This book is for anyone who loves a well crafted zombie apocalypse story--- it's especially for those who love and appreciate good military writing.
Good character development. Fast paced story line. A fun read!
Unique spin on zombies. Not sure if I like it or not yet. I'm starting the next book right away, so we'll see if it grows on me.
Can't wait to start the next one!!

[Chance]

I tried to get into these but the author is extremely wordy about pretty insignificant details and is more descriptive than actually getting to the story. It's like he needs to show off his military and weapon knowledge first and getting the story going takes a back seat on a ride that feels like it's stuck in traffic.

[Wade Newman]

Excellent book. Good strong characters and an excellent military scenario. One of the most authentic books relating to military ops and proper techniques I have read. Must read for any military person.

[Troy]

Damn good stuff. Knight is, hands down, one of the best writers of the zombie genre. His knowledge of the military, his talent for creating believable characters, all of it shines through, making this a page turner, just like his other novels.

[Jessica Kong]

Fighting the dead is a challenge in itself. Add intelligence into the mix and you have a zombie that refuses to play by the rules. If you want to read a zombie novel with a refreshing twist, then check out this series.

[Jason Nelson]

Great military/undead genre mix that you can't put down. Highly accurate and not over the top like Keane's books.

[Edward]

great book

[Luk.gib]

I like

[Elisa]

Sometimes I have a hard time with military zombie fiction but I devoured this book. Looking forward to the next one!

[Yvonne]

I may be done with this series. I need to have a little hope with my death and destruction.

[Denis]

Good book. Need to read volume 2 to find out what happens

[Ann]

Started this morning...nail biting will commence. Ahhhhh!

[Mike]

Hot Damn that was good. Such a great series.

[Donna]

Loved it!