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The Reawakening
A series of terrible things begin to happen when a scientist with a dark past resumes his genetic experiments in a small Maine town. The animals suddenly become aggressive for no apparent reason, attacking anyone within sight, including Rick’s wife. After slaughtering his diseased herd, Rick realizes to his horror that they have come back to life. Soon the farm is under siege by the deranged animals, and a small group of refugees who have assembled in the farmhouse must hunker down and defend themselves against the terrible onslaught of cannibals.
The entire town soon becomes filled with the human flesh-eaters, threatening the farmhouse and the survivors within it. But they all have the same message before they reawaken: they are seeking the chosen ones. The onset of winter provides a temporary defense against the army of the dead, but with supplies running low, the survivors realize they must formulate a plan before the arrival of spring and the dreaded melt-off. And as the world outside them descends into total madness, a surprising leader emerges from the group who will hopefully lead them to safety.
“An instant indie classic.”
--Indie Horror News
“A tense, intelligently engaging story from start to finish... I can't wait for the sequel.”
--Steven Konkoly, author of THE JAKARTA PANDEMIC
“This is one book you won't be able to put down. It caught me in its cold, rotting grip and never let go!”
--Dark River Press
The entire town soon becomes filled with the human flesh-eaters, threatening the farmhouse and the survivors within it. But they all have the same message before they reawaken: they are seeking the chosen ones. The onset of winter provides a temporary defense against the army of the dead, but with supplies running low, the survivors realize they must formulate a plan before the arrival of spring and the dreaded melt-off. And as the world outside them descends into total madness, a surprising leader emerges from the group who will hopefully lead them to safety.
“An instant indie classic.”
--Indie Horror News
“A tense, intelligently engaging story from start to finish... I can't wait for the sequel.”
--Steven Konkoly, author of THE JAKARTA PANDEMIC
“This is one book you won't be able to put down. It caught me in its cold, rotting grip and never let go!”
--Dark River Press
260 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2012
5 people are currently reading
456 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Souza
16 books88 followersJoseph Souza's award-winning short stories have been published in various literary journals throughout the country. Winner of the Andre Dubus Award for short fiction, he also won Honorable Mention for the Al Blanchard Award and the 2013 Maine Literary Award. His mystery, UNPAVED SURFACES, was published by Kindle Press in 2015 and was an Amazon bestseller. NEED TO FIND YOU, his crime thriller set in Portland, was the first novel to go direct-to-publish by Kindle Press. His new domestic thriller, THE NEIGHBOR (Kensington) will be published April 24, 2018. Visit josephsouza.net for more information about his work.
He lives near Portland, Maine with his wife and two children and enjoys running, cooking and playing golf when not writing.
Joseph can be contacted at souzajf@hotmail.com and on Twitter @josephsouza3. You can also visit his website to read more about Joseph. www.josephsouza.net.
He lives near Portland, Maine with his wife and two children and enjoys running, cooking and playing golf when not writing.
Joseph can be contacted at souzajf@hotmail.com and on Twitter @josephsouza3. You can also visit his website to read more about Joseph. www.josephsouza.net.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 16, 2014
The Reawakening feels a lot like the pilot for a promising TV series. You know the creators have poured their heart and soul into the story with the hopes of getting a return audience, agonizing over how to make the story unique and trying to give the characters a voice that grips those tuning in. At the same time, the story may still be going through growing pains – the tone might not be quite gelled or the characters are not quite fleshed out yet. While there are some elements that need to be cleared up, this series shows promise - promise that will hopefully reward the reader for their persistence as the series grows.
The novel begins with the narrator, Thom, and his daughter, Dar, going to visit his brother's farm in northern Maine for the weekend. It quickly becomes clear that something is very wrong with the animal life in the area, which seems to be in the clutches of a vociferous and aggressive disease. Before long, the same disease transfers to humans who are attacked by the animals and leaving them craving the flesh of the living. Failing in their attempt to return to their family in Boston, Thom and his relatives must try to survive the undead.
One thing that The Reawakening has no qualms about is getting things moving. The action begins very quickly and keeps moving at a good clip for most of the novel. While there are moments where the philosophical or scientific argument impedes the pace (more on this in a minute), things progress nicely.
The writing and editing are what you would expect from a Permuted Press title. Both are tight and professional throughout. The prose is mostly informative, crisp, and unmuddied, though not being a science person, I found some of the technical discussions about the cause of the outbreak a bit heavy. Others with more capacity or avocation in this area will likely find it an engaging aspect of the book, however.
As a writer almost has to these days, there is a twist on the zombies biology and form. While a little unorthodox, it is interesting and fresh while remaining familiar enough not to alienate zombie purists. To this end, I think Mr. Souza may have been a little too conservative; I felt that the twist aspect could have been exploited more than it was.
So despite these minor quibbles, this is an entertaining book. Naturally, this begs the question, why didn't I rate it a 4 or 5-star book? My main complaint with this book revolves around the characters. Since they are locked in the isolated farm for nine-tenths of the book and there are stretches where they are not fighting zombies, the characters need to be strong and interesting to the reader. Unfortunately, many of them are not very likable people. Dar, for example, is borderline psychotic, aggressive, and reckless, begging the question of why no one seems particularly concerned by her behavior. The dialogue between them often vacillates between badgering and conciliatory in the space of a few sentences, and some of the arguments are quite childish at times. The characters seem to fall in and out of favor with each other quickly. I'm sure this is likely in a cabin fever scenario, but it felt manufactured for the sake of drama at certain times or simply too abrupt. Given that so many of the characters are somewhat nasty to each other, they do not endear themselves well to the reader, which is key to wanting them to survive the story.
In discussing the dialogue, there is also a lot of science vs. religion discussion between Thom and his brother throughout the book. While I have no issue with this, the tone felt somewhat heavy-handed at times, and covered the same ground several times over. At times, the conversations also seem a bit out-of-place given the circumstances.
I will be the first to admit that some of my concerns may disappear in the second and third books, and to be fair, this is Mr. Souza's first novel. The seesawing character emotions, mean-spirited cast, and somewhat heavy religion/science arguments are counter-balanced by an interesting overarching plot concept, brisk pacing, and good writing. I teetered between 3 and 4 stars for this book, and while I feel the need to give Mr. Souza the benefit of the doubt, I settled on 3 stars. I did not go in this direction to be punitive, but instead to give him room to grow and to display his growth as an author. I hope that I can say some of my concerns from The Reawakening are allayed in Book 2, and look forward to seeing the potential here being fully realized.
The novel begins with the narrator, Thom, and his daughter, Dar, going to visit his brother's farm in northern Maine for the weekend. It quickly becomes clear that something is very wrong with the animal life in the area, which seems to be in the clutches of a vociferous and aggressive disease. Before long, the same disease transfers to humans who are attacked by the animals and leaving them craving the flesh of the living. Failing in their attempt to return to their family in Boston, Thom and his relatives must try to survive the undead.
One thing that The Reawakening has no qualms about is getting things moving. The action begins very quickly and keeps moving at a good clip for most of the novel. While there are moments where the philosophical or scientific argument impedes the pace (more on this in a minute), things progress nicely.
The writing and editing are what you would expect from a Permuted Press title. Both are tight and professional throughout. The prose is mostly informative, crisp, and unmuddied, though not being a science person, I found some of the technical discussions about the cause of the outbreak a bit heavy. Others with more capacity or avocation in this area will likely find it an engaging aspect of the book, however.
As a writer almost has to these days, there is a twist on the zombies biology and form. While a little unorthodox, it is interesting and fresh while remaining familiar enough not to alienate zombie purists. To this end, I think Mr. Souza may have been a little too conservative; I felt that the twist aspect could have been exploited more than it was.
So despite these minor quibbles, this is an entertaining book. Naturally, this begs the question, why didn't I rate it a 4 or 5-star book? My main complaint with this book revolves around the characters. Since they are locked in the isolated farm for nine-tenths of the book and there are stretches where they are not fighting zombies, the characters need to be strong and interesting to the reader. Unfortunately, many of them are not very likable people. Dar, for example, is borderline psychotic, aggressive, and reckless, begging the question of why no one seems particularly concerned by her behavior. The dialogue between them often vacillates between badgering and conciliatory in the space of a few sentences, and some of the arguments are quite childish at times. The characters seem to fall in and out of favor with each other quickly. I'm sure this is likely in a cabin fever scenario, but it felt manufactured for the sake of drama at certain times or simply too abrupt. Given that so many of the characters are somewhat nasty to each other, they do not endear themselves well to the reader, which is key to wanting them to survive the story.
In discussing the dialogue, there is also a lot of science vs. religion discussion between Thom and his brother throughout the book. While I have no issue with this, the tone felt somewhat heavy-handed at times, and covered the same ground several times over. At times, the conversations also seem a bit out-of-place given the circumstances.
I will be the first to admit that some of my concerns may disappear in the second and third books, and to be fair, this is Mr. Souza's first novel. The seesawing character emotions, mean-spirited cast, and somewhat heavy religion/science arguments are counter-balanced by an interesting overarching plot concept, brisk pacing, and good writing. I teetered between 3 and 4 stars for this book, and while I feel the need to give Mr. Souza the benefit of the doubt, I settled on 3 stars. I did not go in this direction to be punitive, but instead to give him room to grow and to display his growth as an author. I hope that I can say some of my concerns from The Reawakening are allayed in Book 2, and look forward to seeing the potential here being fully realized.
May 26, 2012
I always start my zombie novel reviews with a disclaimer. I selectively dabble in the genre, reading stories suggested by my editor, Felicia A. Sullivan, who has read every book in the genre (and has had a hand in editing a vast majority of them). I'll admit from the start that I'm not a major fan of the mindless gore fest, and Felicia passes on recommendations with that consideration in mind. It was with great pleasure that I could return the favor and send something in her direction. I have read Joseph Souza's works in the past and know him from the local Maine writing scene. His detective fiction and crime stories have won awards and earned him New England acclaim. For several years, his work and writing advice has captivated my interest and kept me on the writing path. Several months ago, when he gave me his first draft of The Reawakening...out of nowhere, I was simply blown away. From the very beginning of the story, I sensed that I was in store for something sinisterly different. I hesitate to use the word refreshing for this genre. What an understatement. His story unfolded into the most unique interpretation of undead "literature" that I have ever encountered. The Reawakening carefully preserves many of the traditional elements of the zombie genre, while building a new, deviously intelligent post-apocalyptic platform. Putting Joe and Felicia together on this project was a hardcore win for the genre.
The story starts on a small farm in northern Maine, visited by novelist Thomas Swiftley and his troubled daughter, Dar. Swiftley's brother (Rick) owns the farm, having suddenly traded his fast tracked career as a bio-genetics engineer, for the slower paced, self-sustainable lifestyle provided by the Maine countryside. Thomas couldn't have picked a worse time to visit. The animals on the farm start acting strangely, aggressively attacking each other. Suspecting a widespread illness among his own stock of cows and pigs, Rick euthanizes the animals he raised from birth. After finishing the solemn task, everyone is stunned when they start to come back to life, one by one. Peaceful and loving for a few seconds, they quickly transform into murderous creatures with one goal. To kill and eat. The horror intensifies as they soon discover that the disease has consumed the surrounding town, and that the peaceful moment before the madness is not isolated to animals.
Souza's descriptions are vivid, breathing life (or in many cases death) into each scene, without overdoing it. I always carried a solid picture of the setting and the action in my mind. Character development is strong, especially during the Long Winter, where the action slows and one of their biggest challenges emerges. The farm's survivors emerge from the winter transformed. Some stronger, some weaker, some just different altogether. The reader will experience these transformations in perfectly balanced detail through Souza's writing. I particularly enjoyed the scientist's mental journey and the emergence of the group's leader. As the snow thaws, nail biting, gory action washes over the newly transformed group and forces them to make agonizing decisions that propel the trilogy forward at rocket speed.
What really sets this book apart, is the scientific platform of Souza's story. Rick Swiftely's farm isn't exactly what it seems. I won't take it much further than that. I will say that Thomas's brother has some interesting theories about the undead, which he can prove. Souza takes multiple scientific principles and wraps them neatly in one of the most fascinating explanations of undead physiology that I have come across to this point. What causes The Reawakening and rejuvenation of brain activity? What kind of brain activity? What effect does this brain activity have on the surrounding environment and other undead? Muscle activity? Souza really tackles these questions and breaks new ground in a way that doesn't diminish the raw terror and visceral reaction to the constant threat of being consumed by the undead.
The story starts on a small farm in northern Maine, visited by novelist Thomas Swiftley and his troubled daughter, Dar. Swiftley's brother (Rick) owns the farm, having suddenly traded his fast tracked career as a bio-genetics engineer, for the slower paced, self-sustainable lifestyle provided by the Maine countryside. Thomas couldn't have picked a worse time to visit. The animals on the farm start acting strangely, aggressively attacking each other. Suspecting a widespread illness among his own stock of cows and pigs, Rick euthanizes the animals he raised from birth. After finishing the solemn task, everyone is stunned when they start to come back to life, one by one. Peaceful and loving for a few seconds, they quickly transform into murderous creatures with one goal. To kill and eat. The horror intensifies as they soon discover that the disease has consumed the surrounding town, and that the peaceful moment before the madness is not isolated to animals.
Souza's descriptions are vivid, breathing life (or in many cases death) into each scene, without overdoing it. I always carried a solid picture of the setting and the action in my mind. Character development is strong, especially during the Long Winter, where the action slows and one of their biggest challenges emerges. The farm's survivors emerge from the winter transformed. Some stronger, some weaker, some just different altogether. The reader will experience these transformations in perfectly balanced detail through Souza's writing. I particularly enjoyed the scientist's mental journey and the emergence of the group's leader. As the snow thaws, nail biting, gory action washes over the newly transformed group and forces them to make agonizing decisions that propel the trilogy forward at rocket speed.
What really sets this book apart, is the scientific platform of Souza's story. Rick Swiftely's farm isn't exactly what it seems. I won't take it much further than that. I will say that Thomas's brother has some interesting theories about the undead, which he can prove. Souza takes multiple scientific principles and wraps them neatly in one of the most fascinating explanations of undead physiology that I have come across to this point. What causes The Reawakening and rejuvenation of brain activity? What kind of brain activity? What effect does this brain activity have on the surrounding environment and other undead? Muscle activity? Souza really tackles these questions and breaks new ground in a way that doesn't diminish the raw terror and visceral reaction to the constant threat of being consumed by the undead.
January 25, 2013
Cringeworthy.
I just started so I hope it improves, but I just find myself cringing every few pages. Firstly you should skip the prologue, it's frankly embarrassing. There are teen trolls on Reddit that can write medical jargon better than the fictional letter from a scientist that makes up the prologue. There's just blatant mis-use of biological terms, including mutation, that just makes the letter just a bad start.
As the story begins, it moves at a relatively decent pace, but the characters seem inconsistent and the secondary characters are just cliches.
I'm hoping it gets better (can't stop something once I've started) and if so I'll return to flesh out more of a review.
Update: It's not getting better, but I'm plodding through.
This is probably and OK early, early draft. There's just some huge holes and inconsistencies in the premise(s) and the characters are widely inconsistent and we get no insight into their motivations for their behavior. And the science needs a knowledgeable editor to reign it in.
It flips back and forth from extensive dialogue--without any clarification or even an adverb hinting at the tone of the dialogue--to exposition about what's happening elsewhere (with no explanation). The "science vs. religion" stuff is so cliche and so over-the-top it's embarrassing--and yet the author has it rehashed over and over.
I just started so I hope it improves, but I just find myself cringing every few pages. Firstly you should skip the prologue, it's frankly embarrassing. There are teen trolls on Reddit that can write medical jargon better than the fictional letter from a scientist that makes up the prologue. There's just blatant mis-use of biological terms, including mutation, that just makes the letter just a bad start.
As the story begins, it moves at a relatively decent pace, but the characters seem inconsistent and the secondary characters are just cliches.
I'm hoping it gets better (can't stop something once I've started) and if so I'll return to flesh out more of a review.
Update: It's not getting better, but I'm plodding through.
This is probably and OK early, early draft. There's just some huge holes and inconsistencies in the premise(s) and the characters are widely inconsistent and we get no insight into their motivations for their behavior. And the science needs a knowledgeable editor to reign it in.
It flips back and forth from extensive dialogue--without any clarification or even an adverb hinting at the tone of the dialogue--to exposition about what's happening elsewhere (with no explanation). The "science vs. religion" stuff is so cliche and so over-the-top it's embarrassing--and yet the author has it rehashed over and over.
July 14, 2012
The Reawakening begins with the narrator, Thom Swiftley, a famous novelist, taking his seventeen year old daughter, Dar, up from their Boston home to his brother’s farm in northern Maine. Rick, his brother, was a highly respected geneticist who decided to leave his prestigious career behind to get away from the rat race to grow crops and milk cows, or so it seems. Dar has suffered from numerous mental issues in her life, and has been suicidal throughout much of her teenage years. Thom thinks it would be a good idea for her to see her uncle and favorite aunt before she goes off to college.
Almost immediately things start going wrong on the farm. The cows are acting strange, and so are the birds. Fearing Mad Cow Disease, Rick puts the cows down with his rifle, only to find them back up and trying to kick their way out of their stalls. Rick’s dog has gone mad as well, and so have the pigs. When Rick’s wife gets bitten by one of the cows, she gets a fever, dies, and transforms into some sort of hybrid creature. But before she does that, right after she dies, she speaks of an afterlife and the goal of finding the chosen ones.
More mayhem ensues and when Thom and Dar try to leave the farm, things go even worse for them when she is assaulted at a general store ten minutes from the farm and they have to return. By now, they realize that people are turning into flesh eating monsters (those that are bitten by animals take on some genetic characteristics of the animals that bit them, while those who die in a ‘normal’ fashion become the more traditional slow moving zombies). Rick dives into the mystery of how this happens with scientific zeal as they stay tucked away, safe on the barricaded farm. They are joined by others: one of Rick’s neighbor’s family and a passing biker named Thorn.
The sudden and abrupt changes happening to everything around them transforms Dar dramatically. In particular, the assault she is forced to endure at the general store is the seeming catalyst to a total mutation in personality. It almost seemed as if everyone who has been bitten or dies has reawakened into something different, but even though she hasn’t been bitten, she has been altered as well: into a hate machine. She not only hates the reawakened monsters, but everyone and everything, including her father, who she blames for her life up to this point.
This tale is an intriguing variation on the traditional zombie apocalypse storyline, with the transformed becoming something significantly different than the zombies we have come to know and fear. I am always up for a different approach to the formula, and this one certainly veers in a different direction than you might expect. The mystery here is whether this transformation is genetic, which Rick adheres to or if the transformation is more of a supernatural process, given how the undead initially react before becoming ravenous flesh eaters, as Thom suspects. The brother’s clash on this subject endlessly, as well as on other topics.
Fair warning: this book does not provide the reader with much in the way of characters to identify with or root for. I found it difficult to have much sympathy for anyone but a couple of secondary characters given how everyone seems to transform into loathsome people as things got worse around them. This applies in particular to Dar, whose transformation into a kick-butt undead slayer brought with it a lot of hate, spite, and anger. Essentially, a suicidal teenager unleashes the hatred she had for herself onto the entire world. Not just on those who have been reawakened, but everyone who is still alive. And somehow everyone seems to willingly accept her abuse without question and meekly follow her lead. That her father falls in line with how she acts and Rick, his brother, seems to encourage her ravenous lust for destruction of the undead, are only part of the reasons why I found both of those characters repugnant. Thom is a wimp and Rick has plenty of even more despicable traits.
While this commentary may seem like harsh criticism of the book, it isn’t. Loathsome characters are often some of the most interesting ones in literature. I did feel that Dar’s transformation seemed a bit over the top, thought it becomes more plausible given the environment she resides in throughout the book: with a bunch of people unwilling to say or do anything to stop her-especially her father. Given how much of a spineless cur he was, it made what she became a bit more believable. Still, her transformation seemed extreme, especially given the fact that everyone seemed more than willing to follow this eighteen-year-old’s lead into danger.
Overall, this was an intriguing tale, with a wild new slant on the undead apocalypse. There are some interesting twists and turns and since this is only the first of a planned trilogy, there are naturally quite a few loose ends left unraveled. It will be interesting to see where things go from here for Thom, Dar, and the survivors.
Almost immediately things start going wrong on the farm. The cows are acting strange, and so are the birds. Fearing Mad Cow Disease, Rick puts the cows down with his rifle, only to find them back up and trying to kick their way out of their stalls. Rick’s dog has gone mad as well, and so have the pigs. When Rick’s wife gets bitten by one of the cows, she gets a fever, dies, and transforms into some sort of hybrid creature. But before she does that, right after she dies, she speaks of an afterlife and the goal of finding the chosen ones.
More mayhem ensues and when Thom and Dar try to leave the farm, things go even worse for them when she is assaulted at a general store ten minutes from the farm and they have to return. By now, they realize that people are turning into flesh eating monsters (those that are bitten by animals take on some genetic characteristics of the animals that bit them, while those who die in a ‘normal’ fashion become the more traditional slow moving zombies). Rick dives into the mystery of how this happens with scientific zeal as they stay tucked away, safe on the barricaded farm. They are joined by others: one of Rick’s neighbor’s family and a passing biker named Thorn.
The sudden and abrupt changes happening to everything around them transforms Dar dramatically. In particular, the assault she is forced to endure at the general store is the seeming catalyst to a total mutation in personality. It almost seemed as if everyone who has been bitten or dies has reawakened into something different, but even though she hasn’t been bitten, she has been altered as well: into a hate machine. She not only hates the reawakened monsters, but everyone and everything, including her father, who she blames for her life up to this point.
This tale is an intriguing variation on the traditional zombie apocalypse storyline, with the transformed becoming something significantly different than the zombies we have come to know and fear. I am always up for a different approach to the formula, and this one certainly veers in a different direction than you might expect. The mystery here is whether this transformation is genetic, which Rick adheres to or if the transformation is more of a supernatural process, given how the undead initially react before becoming ravenous flesh eaters, as Thom suspects. The brother’s clash on this subject endlessly, as well as on other topics.
Fair warning: this book does not provide the reader with much in the way of characters to identify with or root for. I found it difficult to have much sympathy for anyone but a couple of secondary characters given how everyone seems to transform into loathsome people as things got worse around them. This applies in particular to Dar, whose transformation into a kick-butt undead slayer brought with it a lot of hate, spite, and anger. Essentially, a suicidal teenager unleashes the hatred she had for herself onto the entire world. Not just on those who have been reawakened, but everyone who is still alive. And somehow everyone seems to willingly accept her abuse without question and meekly follow her lead. That her father falls in line with how she acts and Rick, his brother, seems to encourage her ravenous lust for destruction of the undead, are only part of the reasons why I found both of those characters repugnant. Thom is a wimp and Rick has plenty of even more despicable traits.
While this commentary may seem like harsh criticism of the book, it isn’t. Loathsome characters are often some of the most interesting ones in literature. I did feel that Dar’s transformation seemed a bit over the top, thought it becomes more plausible given the environment she resides in throughout the book: with a bunch of people unwilling to say or do anything to stop her-especially her father. Given how much of a spineless cur he was, it made what she became a bit more believable. Still, her transformation seemed extreme, especially given the fact that everyone seemed more than willing to follow this eighteen-year-old’s lead into danger.
Overall, this was an intriguing tale, with a wild new slant on the undead apocalypse. There are some interesting twists and turns and since this is only the first of a planned trilogy, there are naturally quite a few loose ends left unraveled. It will be interesting to see where things go from here for Thom, Dar, and the survivors.
June 22, 2012
This truly is a fascinating read! Joseph Souza has spun an incredible tale of zombie apocalypse that is both tense and entertaining at the same time. The growth and metamorphosis of his well-developed characters is wonderful. The pace of the story is rapid but not so fast as to cause you to miss important details and I was never forced to turn back to pick up the thread of what was happening. The stage is set early for what we all know is going to happen, but Joseph finds a new and credible way of causing the outbreak. Early dealings with brutal, out of control humans give way to a desperate struggle to survive which is the crux of all apocalypse stories but he keeps it interesting and suitably nerve-wracking so you are never quite sure which way things will turn out. "The Reawakening" is book one of the "Living Dead Trilogy" and if the first installment is any indication of what's to come, hold on to your seat because it'll be a wild ride!
July 21, 2013
This reads as the second draft of a novel written for a creative writing class. The characters are flat and say and do things that make no sense. The dialogue is horrible and so stilted and stunted. The drama is completely unbelievable and strange. This is incredibly poorly written and needed some major overhauling. How did this even get published? Truly one of the worst novels that I have ever read.
October 21, 2012
Imaginative take on the well tread ground of zombie apocalypses. However, it is marred by some awful writing and one note characters with little in the way of redeeming qualities.
August 22, 2018
Wow - this was garbage. Terrible plot, bad character development and just plain stupid and unrealistic scenes.
August 20, 2012
My grandmother always said playing with your food would do nothing but bring you hunger and trouble and, while the circumstances my grandma was referring to and the circumstances in The Reawakeningare quite different, she was right. A scientist's attempt at creating the next super fruit/vegetable has unleashed hell on earth...quite literally. What starts out at a supposed mad cow outbreak quickly turned into an infestation of ravenously vicious animals which attack each other and, of course, humans. This attack on humans bring upon a very unique change and cause even more confusion and chaos.
The characters of The Reawakening are quite honestly, unlikable, but do not take that as necessarily being a bad thing. I don't believe you HAVE to like all the characters in order to enjoy the book. It all depends on how the book is written and what the authors intentions. Now don't get me wrong, there was not total dislike for the characters as nearly each of them have their moments of positivity, but overall there is only one, Dar, who I would want on my zombie team and even then I'd watch my back with her around. Dar goes through some serious changes throughout the book and becomes what she feels is her true self. Her father, Thom, probably irritated me the most. He is a pacifist and went through all the motions of why he doesn't eat meat, own a gun etc and even initially has issues killing the infected animals, but in one scene after a heartfelt diatribe about how it's wrong to kill a human he turns around and kills....well Thom kills a human. He just seemed to be too all over the board when it came to staying true to himself.
Overall, The Reawakening is filled with survival, science, action and deceit, which did keep me on the edge of my seat as I attempted to decide who was good, who was evil and who I wanted to see eaten by the zombies.
The characters of The Reawakening are quite honestly, unlikable, but do not take that as necessarily being a bad thing. I don't believe you HAVE to like all the characters in order to enjoy the book. It all depends on how the book is written and what the authors intentions. Now don't get me wrong, there was not total dislike for the characters as nearly each of them have their moments of positivity, but overall there is only one, Dar, who I would want on my zombie team and even then I'd watch my back with her around. Dar goes through some serious changes throughout the book and becomes what she feels is her true self. Her father, Thom, probably irritated me the most. He is a pacifist and went through all the motions of why he doesn't eat meat, own a gun etc and even initially has issues killing the infected animals, but in one scene after a heartfelt diatribe about how it's wrong to kill a human he turns around and kills....well Thom kills a human. He just seemed to be too all over the board when it came to staying true to himself.
Overall, The Reawakening is filled with survival, science, action and deceit, which did keep me on the edge of my seat as I attempted to decide who was good, who was evil and who I wanted to see eaten by the zombies.
June 26, 2012
The Reawakening (The Living Dead Trilogy, Book 1) by Joseph Souza
I have just finished The REAWAKENING and I am left wanting more. Joseph did a fantastic job with character development and setting the story up for DARPOCALYPSE, Book 2 of The Living Dead Trilogy due out in the fall, 2012. The book is told to you in first person by Thomas Swiftley a famous novelist. Him and his troubled teen daughter Dar go to Maine to visit Thom's brother Rick , who is a genetic scientist. When they get to the farm that's when all hell hits. During this apocalyptic event is where theses characters start to shine and you begin to either her love them or hate them.
I also like how Joseph in THE REAWAKINING sets up the Zombie Apocalypse. At first he had me thinking that it was Alien but then reading further into the story we see that it is a whole different proses. Joseph in the book uses the zombies to set up what I think is a great battle between spirituality and science. While reading the book even the characters themselves have a battle with there beliefs. When later in the book he answerer's the big question of the origin of the plague, it felt to me like a home run.
Having interview Joseph before the book came out. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ep... I have to say that Joseph really delivered on this book and I am excited for DARPOCALYPSE, Book 2 of The Living Dead Trilogy due out in the fall, 2012.
As a zombie fan I say that this is a must buy. I also say look out Robert Kirkman and The Walking Dead because here comes Dar.
I have just finished The REAWAKENING and I am left wanting more. Joseph did a fantastic job with character development and setting the story up for DARPOCALYPSE, Book 2 of The Living Dead Trilogy due out in the fall, 2012. The book is told to you in first person by Thomas Swiftley a famous novelist. Him and his troubled teen daughter Dar go to Maine to visit Thom's brother Rick , who is a genetic scientist. When they get to the farm that's when all hell hits. During this apocalyptic event is where theses characters start to shine and you begin to either her love them or hate them.
I also like how Joseph in THE REAWAKINING sets up the Zombie Apocalypse. At first he had me thinking that it was Alien but then reading further into the story we see that it is a whole different proses. Joseph in the book uses the zombies to set up what I think is a great battle between spirituality and science. While reading the book even the characters themselves have a battle with there beliefs. When later in the book he answerer's the big question of the origin of the plague, it felt to me like a home run.
Having interview Joseph before the book came out. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ep... I have to say that Joseph really delivered on this book and I am excited for DARPOCALYPSE, Book 2 of The Living Dead Trilogy due out in the fall, 2012.
As a zombie fan I say that this is a must buy. I also say look out Robert Kirkman and The Walking Dead because here comes Dar.
August 25, 2017
ANOTHER book where the characters spoil what had the makings of a decent story. I liked the plot and the sequences where they are under attack at the farm in the beginning are good. There was tension, gore and disaster which is always nice.
Rick and Thom are in a permanent pissing contest over which of them is the best or has made a better life than the other. Their behaviour is very immature and annoying for adult men. Grow up the pair of you! We have Delia spouting her religious mania every ten seconds though that doesn't last long thankfully.
Dar is the bitch from hell who seems to think that suffering depression is a good excuse to treat everyone like shit. There is her dad trying to do everything to help and support her, and she snarls at him like a rabid animal, bitches, moans and complains. DEpression is a horrible illness which I know from experience, but it is not an excuse to behave like a spoiled brat when everone is bending over backwards to help you. Of course, a couple of chapters later her dad is dumb enough to leave her alone in the vehicle surrounded by drunk bikers while he tries to get supplies from a shop guarded by men with guns and she gets raped. Of course we need the obligatory rape by psycho humans in our zombie novel.
The rape suddenly transforms Dar from sulky brat into foul mouthed risk taking lunatic moron which doesn't help me to like her in any way. This was the point where I decided that as much as I was intrigued by the story, I had had enough of Dar.
Rick and Thom are in a permanent pissing contest over which of them is the best or has made a better life than the other. Their behaviour is very immature and annoying for adult men. Grow up the pair of you! We have Delia spouting her religious mania every ten seconds though that doesn't last long thankfully.
Dar is the bitch from hell who seems to think that suffering depression is a good excuse to treat everyone like shit. There is her dad trying to do everything to help and support her, and she snarls at him like a rabid animal, bitches, moans and complains. DEpression is a horrible illness which I know from experience, but it is not an excuse to behave like a spoiled brat when everone is bending over backwards to help you. Of course, a couple of chapters later her dad is dumb enough to leave her alone in the vehicle surrounded by drunk bikers while he tries to get supplies from a shop guarded by men with guns and she gets raped. Of course we need the obligatory rape by psycho humans in our zombie novel.
The rape suddenly transforms Dar from sulky brat into foul mouthed risk taking lunatic moron which doesn't help me to like her in any way. This was the point where I decided that as much as I was intrigued by the story, I had had enough of Dar.
August 17, 2012
I do NOT typically read this type of book. I LOVE horror and mystery and suspense, but not zombie, living dead stories. I find them to gory. But for some reason this book, or maybe this author, intrigued me. I picked it up for a great price and took to reading it one night. I got 3/4 of the way through it that night. I did not go to bed until 3am because I kept looking for a good "stopping point". This book keeps you so involved that you forget everything else around you. I had terrible nightmares after I finished it 8 hours after starting it. You will not want to put it down.
This is not your typical story where you will LOVE the characters. In fact I rather hate a few of them. But just like in movies or television you love to hate the villains. I am looking forward to the next installment so that I can follow those wretched beings, living and re-awakened, on their journey through this apocalyptic world. AND I am already dreading the nightmares that Book 2 will bring me. :)
This is not your typical story where you will LOVE the characters. In fact I rather hate a few of them. But just like in movies or television you love to hate the villains. I am looking forward to the next installment so that I can follow those wretched beings, living and re-awakened, on their journey through this apocalyptic world. AND I am already dreading the nightmares that Book 2 will bring me. :)
January 1, 2013
Usually, Permuted Press offers up some of the best in the zombie genre. They have given us J.L Bourne, Kim Paffenroth and one of my favorites, Tony Monchinski. Sadly, this was not a book that I could give the same praise to. The story has some decent ideas, but the characters are simply dreadful. That is the only word that I can come up with. I won't belabor what others have already said, but the ineptness of the scientist, the over-the-top stereotypical 'religious nut' and some inconsistencies that just become too frustrating. Also, you do not "absolve" and amendment, you abolish it. I could nit pick, but that is not my style.
All I can say is that, in my opinion, Permuted has given me some GREAT reads over the years. This just is not one of them.
All I can say is that, in my opinion, Permuted has given me some GREAT reads over the years. This just is not one of them.
March 11, 2015
Free download. I wish they let you give half stars - 3 1/2. Interesting concept - genetically altering food causes animals to behave strangely - biting a person and then causing them to die and raise up again. The characters annoyed me though. Especially with their bickering and whining about past events that have nothing to do with their current situation. I could care less about that. I'm more interested in their survival. Hopefully the second book will have flushed out these characters and make them more likeable - or at least cheer them on.
May 28, 2012
I'm not typically a zombie type girl,but this book is awesome. A lot of author's try to make you like the main character and shy away from having them do anything that could change their hero status. Not so with this book. The characters are "real". They make good and bad choices and have to deal with the effects of both. It's very brutal, but doesn't cross the line into bloodbath gore, though it comes close.
March 21, 2013
Unbelievable! It's been a while since I read a book that I enjoyed this much! I was especially intrigued by the theological struggle between the two brothers. I almost didn't want to finish it, because now I'm left waiting to see what happens as they head West! I cannot wait for book two! And I can EASILY see this being made into a movie! Loved this!! I got this through Goodreads First Reads, but I will definitely be continuing this series!
December 22, 2012
They say you are what you eat, but what if what you eat starts mutating because of scientist wanted to play God? If you’re having trouble imagining the fallout Souza lays it out for you! It has everything you need, science, zombies, guns, and characters trying to come to grips with the world crumbling around them!
February 21, 2014
okay I rarely complete a book that I find to be this bad but I couldn't help it. This had an interesting twist ....zombies that were created by mad scientists who were working on GMO's got in the food supply and shazam the dead not only became alive but some morphed into weird creatures. I think this is a series but one was enough for me...
May 8, 2012
YYYAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! Another editing project is now a published book! Don't miss out on Joseph Souza's The Reawakening, the first book in a trilogy. Zombie-ish mayhem and genetically modified foods gone wrong....WAY wrong.
January 4, 2013
Souza uses a zombie apocalypse to tell a cautionary tale about genetically modified food and the unforeseen consequences of man’s tampering with nature. An enjoyable read with a few new twists on zombies!
May 19, 2013
Just wanted to let you all know that The Reawakening is one of three finalists in the 2013 Maine Literary Award under the Speculative Fiction Category. Congrats to you, Joe Souza!
June 7, 2013
It was okay. It was a great premise, but once I started hating two of the characters, it was a painful read. What dad would cave like that? Haven't decided on the sequel... we will see.
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