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When the Dead
Have you ever wondered what might happen if a group of survivors decided to stay put? To never leave the safety of home to search for salvation? When the Dead . . . provides one scenario to answer the question. In a world where neighbors are strangers and we live behind locked doors, the living dead can really bring issues to a head.
There is no way out for the residents of Willow Brook Apartments. Outside a plague is spreading while behind the walls, neighbors are forced to become friends . . . or enemies. When the Dead . . . will introduce you to a doomed family, a dying child, an egomaniac, a murderer, and other undesirables (including the undead!!) in three floors of secured-access chaos.
This book is available now at http://www.amazon.com/When-Dead-Miche... or in e-book through Amazon's Kindle Store here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095MYSQG or http://www.whenthedead.com/purchase
There is no way out for the residents of Willow Brook Apartments. Outside a plague is spreading while behind the walls, neighbors are forced to become friends . . . or enemies. When the Dead . . . will introduce you to a doomed family, a dying child, an egomaniac, a murderer, and other undesirables (including the undead!!) in three floors of secured-access chaos.
This book is available now at http://www.amazon.com/When-Dead-Miche... or in e-book through Amazon's Kindle Store here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095MYSQG or http://www.whenthedead.com/purchase
- GenresZombiesHorrorApocalyptic
386 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2012
11 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Kilmer
23 books99 followersMichelle Kilmer (now writing as Michelle von Eschen) is an American author of quiet, literary horror.
Her work includes the novel When the Dead and the novella Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse, four short story collections: Last Night While You Were Sleeping, When You Find Out What You’re Made Of, Once Upon a Time, When Things Turned Out Okay, and Old Farmhouses of the North. She is a co-author of The Spread which she wrote with her twin sister, and a co-editor of GIVE: An Anthology of Anatomical Entries. Michelle has also written The Murk of Us, a nonfiction prose and poetry collection documenting the horrors of the toxic empath/narcissist relationship.
Her short stories are featured in several anthologies including Roms, Bombs, and Zoms from Evil Girlfriend Media, A Very Zombie Christmas from ATZ Publications, and Jolly Horror's Don't Cry to Mama and Accursed.
Michelle is a lover of the macabre who prefers Earl Grey tea, October, people who say goodbye on the phone, and her dreams are so real she can’t figure out what has really happened to her. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys weightlifting, dark beer, web design, singing and playing guitar, and watching horror movies. She lives in England with her husband, horror author Jonathan Butcher.
Her work includes the novel When the Dead and the novella Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse, four short story collections: Last Night While You Were Sleeping, When You Find Out What You’re Made Of, Once Upon a Time, When Things Turned Out Okay, and Old Farmhouses of the North. She is a co-author of The Spread which she wrote with her twin sister, and a co-editor of GIVE: An Anthology of Anatomical Entries. Michelle has also written The Murk of Us, a nonfiction prose and poetry collection documenting the horrors of the toxic empath/narcissist relationship.
Her short stories are featured in several anthologies including Roms, Bombs, and Zoms from Evil Girlfriend Media, A Very Zombie Christmas from ATZ Publications, and Jolly Horror's Don't Cry to Mama and Accursed.
Michelle is a lover of the macabre who prefers Earl Grey tea, October, people who say goodbye on the phone, and her dreams are so real she can’t figure out what has really happened to her. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys weightlifting, dark beer, web design, singing and playing guitar, and watching horror movies. She lives in England with her husband, horror author Jonathan Butcher.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 6, 2022
This was an interesting zombie apocalypse read. The characters all had very unique issues that they brought with them into this infested and locked down apartment building. I would definitely recommend this title to fans of the zombie genre.
April 25, 2013
I started “When the Dead…” at a time where, honestly, I was pretty much burned out of zombie apocalypse novels, I’ve read so many. There are still a few I intend to read which I’ve been waiting for, but I’m totally saturated with them at the moment. So, I was pretty sure it would be the typical fare (you know … breakout happens, everything falls apart, and people go from one place to another as they fall prey to the biters.) But “When the Dead…” was VERY refreshing. It starts off with the usual breakout of course, but then focuses on the residents of Willow Brook Apartments. They seal themselves in, and the only way they can get out, if need be, is by fire escape. The real horror here isn’t the zombies, it’s the people. I’ve lived in several apartments over the course of my life, and I’ve thought (as I waved “hi” to the neighbors I didn’t really know) how sad it was that we all lived in close proximity but didn’t really socialize or get to know one another. But after reading this, should I ever live in an apartment complex again, I’m locking my door and keeping to myself. I don’t think there is a single soul living in that complex without major social or mental issues. Perhaps that’s a microcosm of real life, I don’t know. The book is broken into many short chapters, which always scores a hit with me because it’s easy to stop at a chapter and pick back up. I knew I was going to finish today and for the first time in a while, I got up looking forward to the long commute so I could find out what happens. It doesn’t disappoint. An extremely well-done first novel. It has my highest recommendation.
January 15, 2013
I won this book "When The Dead" and I want to thank the author Michelle Kilmer and GoodReads! In a world full of Zombies what would you do,would you fight to survive or would you do nothing? This is all I could think about when I was reading this book. The more I read, the scarier it was to think about! I loved it! If you are a major fan of the "Walking Dead",you will love this book. I knew right from the beginning I was going to like it. It started with suspense and terror and never let up. The author showed how differently people act when their lives are in danger and if they could cope knowing they could die or become a Zombie at anytime. Michelle Kilmer made me feel that I was one of the survivors trying to live trapped in a building while Zombies were everywhere outside,should I stay and live as long as I can or should I venture outside to see if I can find a better place? I was just glad when I read the last page and closed the book that I was able to leave my house and go to my favorite coffee place!
July 31, 2014
Loved this one! An eclectic cast of characters. There are mystery, suspense, gore, and surprises, on every page. One of my favorite zombie novels. If you like Rhiannon Frater, give Michelle Kilmer a try! I love that the novel focuses on each character and their own issues and problems. The cast includes a violent recluse, a teen, a pregnant woman, an older couple, a gay man, and a woman with an eating disorder. Kilmer makes you care about her characters. You will cringe when some die, and celebrate when others do. The apartment is the perfect setting and is almost a character of its own. Well done Michelle Kilmer! You have earned a new fan!
October 14, 2013
With a well thought out premise and humor that is dark, sly and matter of fact Michelle Kilmer delivers the goods in this zombie novel. Everything from the story to the graphics and packaging were unique and well crafted. She is a talented writer and deserving of recognition. Check out When the Dead and enjoy.
June 4, 2018
In May, 2018, I met Michelle Kilmer at Crypticon in Seattle, while listening to her talk about writing her 1st book, how she writes, the publishing and advertising process. So, I knew I had to get her book, to get a better look into her process of writing. I was not disappointed at all! I loved the short "chapters" of the book. The build-up of the characters was interesting and surprising. So many emotions developed while reading When the Dead. Michelle should write an episode for the Walking Dead...a thought I had about 1/2 way through the book. Michelle signed my book, adding, "Which would you choose?" Makes you stop and think. I do believe I would choose to live, but you never know until you are in that position. Cheers Michelle!
July 18, 2013
Let me tell you I know Zombies. Am I expert? Most likely. Am I a snob when it comes to the subject? Heck yes. I love those shambling rotten little monsters. Be they natural, supernatural, heck I even like the resident evil ones. I have even found ways to give merit to fast zombies. But no matter what if the HUMAN characters of the story are boring I lose interest. I had a discussion with someone one day about the Walking Dead Zombies. It ended up like talking to a brick wall. For them zombie stories are good when it is nothing more then. AAGGHHHHHH STAB STAB RUN RUN SHOOT AGGGHH insert really gross descriptions. Don't get me wrong I love me stories like that to. But they are fleeting and don't hold my interest long after I set the book down. The Walking Dead works for me because the zombies are more then just a reason to have action. They are a force of nature, they are like a deadly storm. No matter what you do you, you can't control or contain it. And for me the best stories combine this force of nature with characters who at times I root for or characters who I wish would just get bit. No matter what they are characters that keep me turning the pages.
When the Dead brought together some of the best story lines when it comes to Zombies. A group of unlikely survivors banding together to survive the end of the world. It is odd but the best way I can put it, it was refreshing. Yea sounds a little creepy when I say it that way. But here we have a group of regular everyday people, not special forces or survivalists, beating the odds. There in itself is the genius behind the book. People trained to survive stuff understand what must be done and for the most part work together. Normal everyday people have so many different views and concepts of what has to be done, it is lucky if they survive a BBQ. I have watched my own tenants when they get together for BBQs. Everything seems jovial and just fine. But I can see after a few hours, they can't wait to get away. Apartment dwelling is complicated, don't laugh think about how many TV shows and Sitcoms involve apartment complexes.
The infection comes quick, was it man made or mother nature. We never really find out for sure. But for Tenants in a small apartment complex in Seattle, it is the end. Who is in charge, who is going to protect us, from the zombies some may ask. A few will ask, who will protect us from ourselves. What is survival if we lose our humanity. When the Dead explores this subject several times. Do we turn the other cheek when someone does something that in the world before, was a crime, and more than that unforgivable. Do we loose our morality just for the sake of survival. Through out the book our characters in our little band of survivors change. Some for the better, some switch sides so much that I forget if I liked them or not. The whole time this is happening a storm is ragging outside. This is where Michelle really shined. I have only been to Seattle once but I know the weather there is. Well I live in the desert. So it is different. When our survivors, hesitant to call them heroes. When they do venture outside the weather and the zombies take center stage. The weather and the zombies melded together and the concept that Zombies are a force of nature really comes through.
Overall there was nothing really new presented in this book. But Michelle takes a genre and makes it her own. By the end I had no clue who was going to live or die. Come on this is a zombie book people get munched on. But will the people you rooted for at the beginning of the book. Be the ones at the end that you wont open your door for.
When the Dead brought together some of the best story lines when it comes to Zombies. A group of unlikely survivors banding together to survive the end of the world. It is odd but the best way I can put it, it was refreshing. Yea sounds a little creepy when I say it that way. But here we have a group of regular everyday people, not special forces or survivalists, beating the odds. There in itself is the genius behind the book. People trained to survive stuff understand what must be done and for the most part work together. Normal everyday people have so many different views and concepts of what has to be done, it is lucky if they survive a BBQ. I have watched my own tenants when they get together for BBQs. Everything seems jovial and just fine. But I can see after a few hours, they can't wait to get away. Apartment dwelling is complicated, don't laugh think about how many TV shows and Sitcoms involve apartment complexes.
The infection comes quick, was it man made or mother nature. We never really find out for sure. But for Tenants in a small apartment complex in Seattle, it is the end. Who is in charge, who is going to protect us, from the zombies some may ask. A few will ask, who will protect us from ourselves. What is survival if we lose our humanity. When the Dead explores this subject several times. Do we turn the other cheek when someone does something that in the world before, was a crime, and more than that unforgivable. Do we loose our morality just for the sake of survival. Through out the book our characters in our little band of survivors change. Some for the better, some switch sides so much that I forget if I liked them or not. The whole time this is happening a storm is ragging outside. This is where Michelle really shined. I have only been to Seattle once but I know the weather there is. Well I live in the desert. So it is different. When our survivors, hesitant to call them heroes. When they do venture outside the weather and the zombies take center stage. The weather and the zombies melded together and the concept that Zombies are a force of nature really comes through.
Overall there was nothing really new presented in this book. But Michelle takes a genre and makes it her own. By the end I had no clue who was going to live or die. Come on this is a zombie book people get munched on. But will the people you rooted for at the beginning of the book. Be the ones at the end that you wont open your door for.
August 21, 2015
An ambitious zombie tale about several residents in an apartment building who barely know each other, find themselves trapped in their building when the zombie apocalypse hits. Rather than take their chances leaving, they decide to see if they can create their own little community within the building itself.
You have folks in many stages of their lives with a multitude of personalities within. I, personally had trouble getting past the fact that these were people I never got to care about deep enough to care if they died, turned or died again. Sadly I think The Walking Dead has just ruined me with regards to the survivors aspect of this particular genre.
It is a good effort for a budding author, but I think she will need more practice in unspooling a story as I found this one to be bouncy and inconsistent in many parts. The characters were not terribly developed. We stayed in current situation never knowing these people before made it hard to see where they really began and how they diminished. Also, some people make choices based on who they are, which is something we never really get know either.
Example, Tom Vaughn. A horrible human being to begin with. Someone who can kill efficiently, hates women and only uses them for one thing, is cruel, seems to have had a family at one time however thats all you get. What made this man this way? Was he always like that? Why was he sometimes helpful and other times just horrid? A complex character that went no where. This is just one example
Overall, it was a fast, entertaining read. But I'm sure there are better zombie books.
You have folks in many stages of their lives with a multitude of personalities within. I, personally had trouble getting past the fact that these were people I never got to care about deep enough to care if they died, turned or died again. Sadly I think The Walking Dead has just ruined me with regards to the survivors aspect of this particular genre.
It is a good effort for a budding author, but I think she will need more practice in unspooling a story as I found this one to be bouncy and inconsistent in many parts. The characters were not terribly developed. We stayed in current situation never knowing these people before made it hard to see where they really began and how they diminished. Also, some people make choices based on who they are, which is something we never really get know either.
Example, Tom Vaughn. A horrible human being to begin with. Someone who can kill efficiently, hates women and only uses them for one thing, is cruel, seems to have had a family at one time however thats all you get. What made this man this way? Was he always like that? Why was he sometimes helpful and other times just horrid? A complex character that went no where. This is just one example
Overall, it was a fast, entertaining read. But I'm sure there are better zombie books.
January 31, 2013
The zombie apocalypse has come to Seattle and wrecks havoc on the city and those still living who are trying to wait it out. But who are the real monsters – the zombies of the survivors.
I don’t read a lot of zombie novels, sticking to short stories mostly, but I have to say I am highly impressed with this offering by Seattle writer Michelle Kilmer. After trying to read Rise of Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga (I stopped because I can't stand the writing), it was refreshing to read a story that flowed and with a host of characters that you started to like and thought could be redeemed but then they would do something reprehensible and you would hate them (Vaughn).
The story starts out with the beginning of the zombie plague, people not sure yet what is happening but getting ready for a short period of disorder, which quickly turns chaos and anarchy and a city overrun by the living dead. The focus of novel is on an apartment block and the handful of residents who have barricaded it and are trying to avoid infection but battling lack of food and each other. There were moments that were surprising and unnerving in their brutality and it made me wonder how I would react in that situation. The dichotomy between feeling attached to the characters and wanting them to succumb to the plague or the survival instinct to live at any cost, made this book engaging and hard to put down (I finished in less than 2 weeks, that’s quick for me).
I don’t really have any criticisms about this book except that I wanted to know the full conclusion to all of the characters. But that’s just me wanting a tidy end to a zombie apocalypse.
I don’t read a lot of zombie novels, sticking to short stories mostly, but I have to say I am highly impressed with this offering by Seattle writer Michelle Kilmer. After trying to read Rise of Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga (I stopped because I can't stand the writing), it was refreshing to read a story that flowed and with a host of characters that you started to like and thought could be redeemed but then they would do something reprehensible and you would hate them (Vaughn).
The story starts out with the beginning of the zombie plague, people not sure yet what is happening but getting ready for a short period of disorder, which quickly turns chaos and anarchy and a city overrun by the living dead. The focus of novel is on an apartment block and the handful of residents who have barricaded it and are trying to avoid infection but battling lack of food and each other. There were moments that were surprising and unnerving in their brutality and it made me wonder how I would react in that situation. The dichotomy between feeling attached to the characters and wanting them to succumb to the plague or the survival instinct to live at any cost, made this book engaging and hard to put down (I finished in less than 2 weeks, that’s quick for me).
I don’t really have any criticisms about this book except that I wanted to know the full conclusion to all of the characters. But that’s just me wanting a tidy end to a zombie apocalypse.
July 14, 2015
Originally posted on Books are Delicious!
To see more of my reviews, visit my blog Books are Delicious!
Kilmer is honest and unflinching in her exploration of ordinary people forced to rely on one another to survive.
The tenants of Willow Brook are not Brad Pitt with the flowing hair and the perfect family. They are desperate and at times ugly but then who wouldn’t be in this situation? For some, the struggle to retain one’s humanity is greater than the struggle to survive.
Tom Vaughn, for one, is a misogynistic drunk, but there were many points in the novel where I rooted for him, laughed at his dark humor, or found his sporadic and unexpected compassion endearing.
When the Dead delivers chilling horror and leaves readers asking themselves if they have what it takes to survive the apocalypse, and if so, at what cost?
One of the more realistic and gritty zombie survival stories I have read. A must-read for horror fans.
To see more of my reviews, visit my blog Books are Delicious!
May 10, 2013
I just couldn't put it down from page 1. Set in Washington after the apocalypse in an apartment building. It takes the most unlikely group of people and throw them together to survive. What is considered moral and lawful will be greatly strained by the new way of life. You will be touched, horrified, angered, and relieved with every page you turn. Like the Walking Dead? You will love When the Dead. Michelle gives a refreshing female prospective to the zombie phenom. I can not wait to read more from this author. Even if you find you are not normally interested in the whole zombie genre..this is a great novel about the interactions between humans and how people must adaptive to live peacefully with one another.
September 13, 2013
Michelle Kilmer is up and coming author I love her work! This book is about a zombie apocalypse and a bunch of poeple in an apartment building survived and came together except one guy though he was invinsible and he kept to himself. The book described life out of the building and in and the friendships that came about because they were thrown together. As life goes on almost like nothing happened people started to crack slowly but surely and things started a snowball effect but to know the ending you need to READ it for yourself. Its an awesome book Michelle does it again she wowed me!
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July 19, 2014Wow
best zombie book ever ! couldn't put down its a different view and I really enjoyed this book wonder if there will be a 2?
best zombie book ever ! couldn't put down its a different view and I really enjoyed this book wonder if there will be a 2?
September 10, 2023
As is the case with Michelle Kilmer's other WTD books, I had a difficult time putting this one down. There may be a handful of zombie tropes here, but it succeeds in providing a sheltered look at the dynamic between relative strangers in close proximity to one another. This is a group of survivors who live in the same apartment complex & have a range of familiarity with one another, each with their own external view of the group even prior to the outbreak. How do strangers with different moral/spiritual/identities deal with one another when trapped in the complex? Well, I suppose you'll need to read to find out.
June 30, 2023
Not bad but not great. read more like a TV series, think like The walking Dead.... Seriously would have made great television like on HBO or something like that three or four seasons it would have been great to watch. But to read it was okay.was it worth the picking up???? Yes! 100% very smooth reading.
June 28, 2018
I really loved this story. Yes, it is another zombie book BUT it was more about the survivors inside an apartment building. I liked their stories, the interactions between characters and what they had to do to "make it". I couldn't put this book down and read it in one day. LOVED IT!
July 20, 2016
Earlier this year I met Michelle Kilmer at Crypticon Seattle and decided to give her novel a try. I'm sometimes a little leery of what I'm going to get at a convention but found myself really entertained by the story. While reading When The Dead, I asked myself, "Why couldn't Fear the Walking Dead be like this?" This book also completely fed my need for the new upcoming season of The Walking Dead. There are some fun twists and turns that the characters go through. The layers really added to the suspense and it was impossible not to ask yourself what you would do in those situations. For a first novel, I really have to tip my hat to Michelle in pulling this off and not giving up during the several years it took her to write this. If you like a more realistic type of story that deals with neighbors and zombies, check this one out!
March 31, 2015
I'm a big fan of Zombie novels in general, I wasn't super impressed with this one however. The story is reminiscent of Dawn of the Dead, where it focuses on a group of survivors barricading themselves off from the undead roaming the streets.
I usually like story lines like that, but all the characters in this were so irritating. I guess it is a scenario that would likely ring true in most apartment complexes, but I just couldn't get through how selfish a lot of the characters are. Other people seem to enjoy this book, but I just couldn't get in to it.
I usually like story lines like that, but all the characters in this were so irritating. I guess it is a scenario that would likely ring true in most apartment complexes, but I just couldn't get through how selfish a lot of the characters are. Other people seem to enjoy this book, but I just couldn't get in to it.
December 22, 2014
This is hard to rate. The characters were definitely dynamic and not one sided. It was hard to know who to like or not like. They were like real people. I could see the cabin fever setting in and causing problems. I didn't like the end though. It's not super action packed, but I thought it was interesting.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews