Overrun

Turncoats #1

by Brian Clopper

For high-schooler Nathan Bristol, finding out his sister's best friend, Trina Bivens, has come back as a zombie is the least of his problems. While she may not have a hankering for his flesh, her visions predict the world will soon be overrun by zombies who do. Further, she reveals Nathan will play a huge part in saving the world. The boy can't even make it through third period Chemistry without making a mess of things, much less stop a zombie apocalypse. What follows is a harrowing race to rescue his mother, deliver his family from teeth-chomping danger and maybe, just maybe, save the world.

BOOK ONE: OVERRUN deals with Trina and Nathan's tenuous relationship with each other and the rest of the world. Branded as turncoats by zombies and humans alike, the two must forge a bond in order to rescue Nathan's family and put them on the road together to save the world from the evil entity that has released the undead.

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Young Adult

367 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2012

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't get how 76% of the people who have rated this book (to date) have given it 4 or 5 star ratings. This book has a 3.94 average rating right now, and it baffles me, because I just finished this book, and... no. No. It's not a 4 or 5 star book.

This book has a lot of issues. It's an interesting premise - girl returns from the dead to help prevent the zombie apocalypse. But the execution was just ridiculously bad. If this book was edited, the editor should be slapped and then fired. But never fear, editors, I'm sure your jobs are safe because I doubt that this manuscript ever even came close to landing on one of your desks.

Throughout the book, the two main female characters, Jessie and Trina, were continually mixed up and called each other's names. Jessie would say something to Trina, and Jessie would reply to Jessie, and then Jessie would reply to Trina, who was apparently no longer Jessie. For the time being. But then Trina would say something to Jessie and Trina would answer.

Some examples:

Clair noticeably ignored Nathan and trailed behind the other girls. She said, "You need to hear it from us, Trina. You need to hear it from friends who know how to lend support. We don't want you to be exposed to it through the school grapevine. Talk about tacky."

Nathan snorted, which drew a condemning look from Clair. He split off from them, making his way toward the main entrance. Clair, despite what his sister thought, never did anything out of the goodness of her heart. If she wanted to tell Trina such gonzo gossip, which Nathan was certain it most certainly was, she did it because she wanted to be present to see his sister's reaction.

Note that Nathan's sister is Jessie, and the subject of their conversation is Trina, but they seem to have gotten confused... Even Nathan doesn't pick up on the fact that his sister's friends have just called her a dead girl's name. Talk about tacky, for real. But he is certain that the gossip would certainly have been gonzo. Because that's something a 15 year old would say.

There were other instances of characters forgetting who they are or what they are or whether they should be dead or not.

"How long since the attack?" The reporter was more concerned with casing the street. She kept sending furtive glances over her shoulder.
"I don't know, three or four minutes." He was groping around Mike's wrist, his fingers dancing madly about as his voice reached a new level of panic. "I'm not getting a pulse. Oh, God, Mike, what's going on?"
"Did the attacker come from the park?" The reporter looked off in the distance, distracted by something.
Mike cringed. "I don't know, I guess." He yelled to no one in particular, "Somebody get an ambulance! I don't know CPR."
Eerily enough, sirens became noticeable in the background.

The writing in this book is also ridiculous. There are so many superfluous words that I'm convinced that for every straightforward sentence written, three others were mangled by thesaurus-reliance. And in addition to that, a huge amount of this book is written in passive voice. You'll notice, in both of the examples above, there are passive voice sections that just flop around like dying fish. They stink. Clair didn't shoot a look at Nathan, his snort drew one from her. Mike's friend wasn't panicking, his voice was of its own accord, I guess. And Nathan didn't notice the sirens... they just "eerily" become noticeable.

It's just a weird sentence structure. It's like he doesn't want to say anything outright and just wants to dance around the point. So irritating. Clair shot Nathan a nasty look. Mike's friend grew increasingly panicky. Nathan noticed the damn sirens. Just say it already... This isn't a push up bra, it's a book. No padding required.

Then there's just a weird forgetfulness to this book. Like the author forgot what he'd written just chapters before. In chapter 40, Nathan cuts through the "Dorsett's" (OMG DORSETTS') back yard, in their neighborhood, but then, in chapter 57, when he encounters Ted Dorsett and his teenage son Jeremy, he doesn't know them and they are continually referred to as "the stranger" or "the stranger's son". It isn't until chapter 64 that they learn he's Ted Dorsett - but there's still never any recognition that they are neighbors.

Next let's talk about plausibility. I'm not referring to the whole zombie thing - we have suspended our disbelief of that already. I'm talking about the rest of the book being ridiculously implausible. Nathan goes to save his mom from a zombie horde and meanwhile stops to explain everything to her. After telling her to be quiet so they don't hear them. Because, you know, gotta move the story forward... Except when they see their father at the zombie ground zero and their plan to save him involves watching the fucking news. Oh, sure, just to see how widespread the zombies are already... Because, of course, in emergency situations with zombie hordes running all amok, the news is going to be super reliable and dedicated to documenting the spread, even into the suburbs so that they can accurately report whether individual streets are infested yet or not. Hmm... Yep. Seems totally legit to me. I can totally understand not just assuming that they are everywhere already. The news will report on safe zones!

And by the way, these teens watch more news than my 78 year old grandmother. Holy shit, they did nothing else for the whole first half of the book! And don't even get me started on how not ONE of the teenagers in this book sounds anything like a teenager. Or human. They all sound like robots saying just the right thing or the most appropriate thing for the situation - unless the situation calls for them to be unreasonably hysterical every other chapter.

Then there's the whole "good vs evil" thing... which, honestly, makes no damn sense to me. OK, it's G vs E, whatever. But reading about it was aggravating in the worst way because NOBODY would call it that. The force of light, the dark one, the darkness, the light, the light force, the dark entity.. blah blah blah. Stop fucking tapdancing around it and just say THE DEVIL WANTS TO TAKE THE FUCK OVER AND GOD IS REPLYING WITH A BIG OL' NOPE.

Just say it. We've already accepted some pretty damn implausible stuff by this point, so why the hemming and hawing over the forces behind it? Oh, so it can be INTERPRETED to one's own light/good/whatever being or dark/evil/whatever being... not just the CHRISTIAN one. Inclusivity means never having to specify anything, I guess.

I don't actually know that that is the reason for the bush beating. Perhaps I'm attributing an intent to what was really just not very good writing. I dunno. I don't really care, though, either.

Just a few more things.
1) Nathan's mind reading ability. Apparently he can haz one. Seriously, I think this was (again) just lack of skill at writing perspectives. This is supposed to, as far as I can tell, be 3rd person limited narratives, with our main perspectives being from Nathan and Trina. But the narration lapsed so often into other styles that I never knew who was narrating a particular section, or even if it was one of the two. Omniscient narration was common, as well as Nathan's limited perspective shifting to apparent omniscience whenever it was convenient for him to relay some bit of info about something to the reader. He consistently "knew" what people were thinking throughout the book. Even people he'd only just met, suddenly he knows what they are thinking and why they are behaving the way they do and how they communicate in their marriage and what their intentions are.

Seriously? No really... SERIOUSLY??

And then there's the army bit. Not sure if the author's ever actually encountered anyone in the military... but they certainly don't act how he wrote them. Stupid, unsure, wishy-washy, and awkward little tyrants who read more like accountants handed guns and new authority than trained soldiers who know what they are up against and will shoot to fucking kill if you look at them funny. It's a life or death situation, and he's got fucking trained military personnel waving his gun around and having a snitfit like a toddler who wants one more cookie.

Yeah. Nuh uh. There's no waving a gun around in that situation. There would be a lot of "He was coming at me and wouldn't stop when ordered so I shot him." though. I just... couldn't. Fucking WAVING the gun around in a hostile situation like a freaking teenager playing gangsta thug. It hurts my brain.

The final straw for me with this book is the fact that it ends and there's no resolution. Nothing at all. Not even a cliff-hanger. I get that it's book 1 in a series, but I don't think it should be. There's so much padding in this book that you could practically use it as body armor, and if all of that was cut out and the book edited and put through a couple re-writes to clean it up, the full series would likely be novel length. (Of course I'm assuming that the remaining books I have no intention of reading are written the same way this one was, and I have no reason to believe otherwise. So there ya go.)

On the plus side, there was no instalove, there was no love triangle, and there were actually a couple funny moments in this book. And by a couple, I mean literally two. And only one of them was intentional.

Here's #1:

In life, she had always looked fresh and cheery, her complexion blemish free, with just enough make-up on to not look overdone. Unlike his sister, who thought her lips needed to be noticed by any eagle-eyed passengers of any passing commercial airliners.

Here's #2:

"Welcome to Relocation Camp Echo Romeo Seven. We hope your stay will be brief and we'll have you moving onto a larger, more secure camp in no time." The soldier bestowed upon them a weary smile. "Follow me to Medical. Just a few pricks and we'll get you bedded down for the night."

This sentence. Really?

[Keith Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can you love (or even like) someone who is walking around dead? How does that living-dead person, who in this case retains full use of her mind, cope with being a corpse? This is what Nathan and Trina face. Nathan is alive and well, just your average kid -- until his older sister's best friend, Trina, comes back from the grave weeks after her untimely accidental death. Unfortunately for Nathan, Trina has seen visions indicating that he's mankind's best hope during the forthcoming zombie apocalypse, and she's there to guide him. Trina isn't too happy about the vision either. Nathan, of all people? Really?

There's plenty of tension, action, and young-adult horror. And as unlikely as Nathan and Trina would be together under normal circumstances, there's the hint of a would-be romance on the horizon -- which can't really happen because, you know, she's DEAD and everything. So it'll be interesting to see how THAT turns out in the next couple of books. Book One deals with Trina's rising and helping Nathan to survive the break-out of the zombie apocalypse. This is a three-book ride, and Book Two promises some very interesting revelations about Trina's visions, where they come from, and who (or what) is sending them. Somehow or another, she and Nathan will save mankind...

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is Overrun, the first book in the Turncoats Series just another YA zombie apocalypse book? That would be a HUGE NO!!! Are there drooling zombies chomping away on the living? Well, yes. Are there survivors on the run, facing danger at every turn? Yes, again. Has the world gone a little crazy? Definitely. So, you ask, what is so different about Overrun by author Brian Clopper? There is non-stop action, there are unlikely heroes, but the big difference is in the presentation and writing style of the author, who kept the yucky stuff just shy of nightmare level, but managed to create a larger than life sci-fi/horror adventure that is suitable for younger teens on up!
Nathan is a normal teen, in a normal family, living a normal life until his sister’s late best friend comes to him and tells him he is going to be the key to saving the world from horrors that are yet to unfold. Did I say late best friend? Yes, Trina died in an accident a few weeks before and she has become the walking dead, with a fully functioning brain, she just doesn’t breathe, eat or sleep, and she’s a little cold to the touch, that’s all. Trina has had visions of good and evil and she has returned to play her part in Nathan’s “mission.” So begins their journey, along with Nathan’s mom, his sister and the neighborhood old lady, who, by the way is one zombie-kicking granny!
Mr. Clopper sets the stage for the apocalypse quickly with a unique twist on HOW people became zombies, from there, the action runs non-stop! With the proper amount of blood and guts, emotional outbursts, some lighter moments and several unanswered mysteries, the race for survival is on and Nathan and Trina are running blind as to what they need to do, but I could feel their resolve strengthen with each page as Nathan, in particular, faced down zombies to save the ones he loved!
I loved the plot, loved the characters, and how I was left with just enough mystery to care about what happens in the next book!

Publication Date: June 8, 2012
Publisher: Behemoth Books
Series: Turncoats, Book 1
Number of Pages: 299
Genre: YA Sci-fi/fantasy
Recommended Ages: 12 & up
My Rating: 5 stars
Available at: Amazon

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[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overrun is a pretty solid story from start to finish by Brian Clopper. This story is geared toward YA/Horror audience and won't leave them disappointed.

I really liked the characters Clopper created. Nathan and Trina are a great zombie-fighting duo. Lots of action and lots of zombies! However, you won't find an ending to the zombie break-out in this book. You will have to wait for the second book, which I don't believe is out yet.

I did run into a few typos in the Kindle edition, but it wasn't enough to detract from the story.

Overall, this is a fun read and highly recommended!

[Janie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine your were told by your sister's friend that you were going to have to save the world. And if that is not enough, imagine your sister's friend is dead. What would you be thinking, or what would you do being told that and realizing your world was being overrun by Zombies?

A friend of mine on GR had posted this as a freebie on Amazon, and since I was wanting to read a more intense zombie book I jumped at this free offer. I did have reservations about it since it was free, but those were laid to rest (pun intended) once I embarked on this journey. This Author is a first for me and I gotta say Brian Clopper is very gifted. And he had me sucked into this story from the start.

I don't really have a lot to compare this book too, since I have not read many zombie books, so to be asked if it is cliche I can't really answer that. All I can say is that it was very entertaining, full of energy, excitement, and adventure. I mean what can be said about a Zombie Apocalypse? All I can say is that it kept my attention from start to finish, and that was good for me.

The characters were simply put, AWESOME and very, very memorable! One of things I liked the best about this is the way the characters were introduced to the story. In a lot of books BAM, you got your cast right at the start and the story moves on, and that is alright for the most part. But with this story characters were added gradually and it shook the story up a little bit. It was more like ok great, a new character, good guy or bad guy? One of my most favorites is Trina. She is not the only main character in the story, the other is Nathan. Both are great and almost equal in strength. But I think Trina is the stronger of the two.

The book moved at a great pace, and I liked that as well. It did not have those 'ok lets wait around for a bit' moments. It seemed to be constantly moving. It also really tested the bonds of friendship and a true test of trust and faith in others. I look forward to the next installment which brings me to the one thing I did not like, the cliffhanger. So if you are not fond of them, then it may irritate those who decide to read it, because in this story there is no closure, it is an actual continuance. I have no idea what the next book is called or if it has been released or not. But I can tell you this, I will be looking for it.

[Morgan B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nathan gets a surprise visit from his sister's friend, Trina. However, Trina had died in a car crash. She was brought back from the dead to warn Nathan about the upcoming disasters. Within the next few days, black towers were to rise from the ground and everyone who touches them were going to turn to zombies.

I have never read a zombie book because it's something I'm not really into. But this book has changed my view on stuff like that. I thought this book was fast paced and flowed well. The book got me hooked within the first 100 pages because the action started quickly. A lot of books don't have the main issue occur until the middle/endish. The zombies formed quickly and they had to start running away from them really early in the book.

My favorite part of the book was when Nathan went to save his mom. This took up a good chunk of the book. Nathan's mom was stuck at the grocery store with a zombie trying to eat her. I really liked Clayton. He was just another person trying to save himself from the zombies and he decided to risk his life to help Nathan save his mom.

After they had gotten his mom, Clayton was driving them back to their house. Nathan and his mom were in the bed of the truck with a bunch of watermelons. I found it funny how they used them as weapons to kill the zombies following behind the truck.

I wish we could find more about what happened to Nathan's dad. We all assume he is dead because he went to the towers when the first wave of zombies formed, but I wish I could have it confirmed of what really happened.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Brian Clopper is an amazing author and I tell all of my friends to read his books. I highly suggest reading this book even if you don't like zombies because this book isn't your typical zombie book.

[Sharon Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this for honest review. 'Overrun' is the first book in a YA Zombie series starring teenager Nathan who has been informed by his sister's dead best friend Trina that he has an important part to play in saving the world.

This is an action-packed horror adventure aimed at teens ages 13 and up. There is a bit of a different twist to the zombie apocalypse story here, and this is mainly what kept me intrigued and turning pages! The characters are likeable and I felt particularly sympathetic towards Trina.

Being the first in a series there are still a lot of questions to be answered by the end, which is basically where a new part of the adventure is about to begin, and this should be more than enough to hook readers for the next book.

All in all this was a fast-paced, action-filled book and a great start to what promises to be an interesting series. I would recommend to fans of action-packed YA adventure stories!

[Ruth Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting. I found the characters easy to get involved with - still not happy that some of my favourites met a nasty end but I was definitely left excited to see what happens to them all next.

A geeky male lead and dead female lead make for an unusual but involving combination

[John Scumaci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different take on the zombie apocalypse. Was a good read.