The Night Sweeper

by J. Steven Butler

Cray is a Night Sweeper. Twenty-five years old, amazingly lethal, and brilliant beyond anyone’s right to be, night after endless night, he has one job: kill Festers, zombie-like freaks born of the United States President’s foolish choice to use chemical warfare against his foes. After years of nighttime exterminating, the Fester population has been significantly diminished, and humanity is beginning to see the light of day. But Cray has a weakness. When it comes to beautiful women, he’s a total dork. When Cedric Archer, his long-time commanding officer, tells him that another virus threatens to repeat the original disaster that created the Festers, Cray knows his only choice is to do what it takes to make sure that never happens. There’s only one problem. Archer just stuck him with a new partner, and she’s gorgeous. Together, the tongue-tied Cray and the exotic Mira Winston embark on a roller-coaster ride mission where nothing is as it seems and treachery lies around every corner. As Cray soon finds out, Mira is full of secrets, and they are both more connected to the conspiracy than they would have dreamed possible. A fast-paced, science fiction action thriller, The Night Sweeper is non-stop adventure and mystery from start to finish. It’s a nail-biting tale of political intrigue and the supernatural that’s sure to please.

Genres: Horror, Zombies

183 pages, ebook

First published February 24, 2013

About the author

J. Steven Butler is the author of Christian Romance fiction. He lives in GA with his wife, son, and furry adoptee. He also writes fantasy.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A zombie story where you are not turned by their bite. I usually prefer the traditional "zombie bite means you're screwed" scenario. However in this case, it didn't bother me. This is not just another zombie book that's the same as the many others. The world has found a way to function together again for the most part, although very differently than before the outbreak. I liked the idea of the night sweepers, and that our main character was a bit geeky. There was a nice adventure, and even a little bit of romance. The best parts of this story hands down, were the twists! I really loved the way the story was laid out, especially the second half of the book. John Pirhalla was the narrator of the audiobook, and did a fantastic job. His voice was a perfect match for this story, I felt like I was really listening to the main character speak. The end of the book was very interesting, and I'm curious to see where this series is headed. I hope the next book is released on audio soon. I feel like even people who aren't crazy about zombies, could enjoy this one as well!
**This book was provided in exchange for an honest review.

[*Suzy (ereaderuser)* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very different zombie novel. More of an thriller set in a zombie world. Very fast paced with tons of action. I found it very enjoyable and a super quick read.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. I was hooked after reading the first line.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

** Review of Audio Format **

Zombies and Mutants

Cray is a night sweeper, a zombie hunter famous in New York for his skill in combating the hordes that would infest New York. He also has some serious baggage thanks to a mom who died during the early days of the epidemic and a father who calls him a freak and doesn't speak to him now. But Cray has made his way. He's got a decent life, good rooms and a man he thinks of as a father. That all changes the day he learns there may be a cure to the disease that created the zombie apocalypse. The day he meets Mira.

I liked Cray. He is definitely a flawed hero who is constantly second guessing himself especially when it comes to Mira Winston. She is more than a match for him and proves it as they fight to secure the cure they are hearing rumors of. Cray finds out more and more about himself as they travel and finally begins to piece together who he is. Can he embrace it without losing his mind?

I enjoyed the narration by John Pirhalla. He is not great with the female voices but good enough to where it wasn't distracting for me. And the rest was well done. I did speed it up to 1.5 and this seemed a nice speed for Pirhalla's pace.

I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this book in my Audible library for months. I finally listened to it and really liked it. Now I’m trying to find book two. Not on Audible, so bummed. I was planning on listening to a three or four book series. I loved the reader and the main characters, I got hooked right away.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Night Sweeper by J. Steven Butler
Format: PDF (183 pages) given by author for review

Blurb: Cray is a Night Sweeper. Twenty-five years old, amazingly lethal, and brilliant beyond anyone's right to be, night after endless night, he has one job- kill Festers, zombie-like freaks born of the United States President's foolish choice to use chemical warfare against his foes. After years of nighttime exterminating, the Fester population has been significantly diminished, and humanity is beginning to see a reprieve from the zombie outbreak. But Cray has a weakness. When it comes to beautiful women, he's a total dork.

When Cedric Archer, his long-time commanding officer, tells him that another virus threatens to repeat the original disaster that caused the zombie apocalypse, Cray knows his only choice is to do what it takes to make sure that never happens. There's only one problem. Archer just stuck him with a new partner, and she's gorgeous.

Together, the tongue-tied Cray and the exotic Mira Winston embark on a roller-coaster ride mission where nothing is as it seems and treachery lies around every corner. As Cray soon finds out, Mira is full of secrets, and they are both more connected to the conspiracy than they would have dreamed possible.

Review:
Think Island of Dr. Monroe, special abilities like the Matrix, the cute nerdy lead in any high school, zombies, and a high octane army-like chick. Cray is a likeable nerd who is slightly off the edge due to his super human abilities to take out the zombie-like folks who roam the earth trying to munch on the rest of humanity that survived. The controlling body of the few populated cities shows up and orders him on a mission with a new hot chick sidekick, Mira, who he is tongue tied around. The action is easy to follow in the book and it has enough romance and plot twists to make a reader raise their eyebrows.

The basic plotlines convey humanity never changes and the bad guy is always the one you didn’t think would betray you. I would suggest this book for more mature readers due to gore and violence. If you like a fast paced sci-fi with political intrigue in a destroyed civilization, I recommend this book.

-Given this book in return for my honest opinion. This in no way affected my review.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has Very Little to Do with Zombies

This review is for the audio version of the book.

I don’t usually listen to zombie books but this one sounded interesting so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m really glad I did because it actually had very little to do with Zombies. Sure there were Zombies and one of the main characters, Cray, is a zombie hunter but the majority of the story was focuses on the “zombie virus” and the scientist who created it.

Cray is partnered with Mira to track down the scientists son to prevent him from releasing another version of the virus just as society is beginning to recover from the extreme loss of population. What Cray and Mira discover along the way is shocking and completely unexpected to them. I usually try to predict what will happen in the plot as more clues are given but I wasn’t able to figure everything out in this one.

The story talks about virus creation and genetic manipulation but it is not overly scientific so I do not think it will confuse or bore anyone.

The narrator, John Pirhalla did a good job with his performance, his female voices weren’t the best I’ve ever heard but they also weren’t the worst. I would listen to another book performed by him.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consider "Sweepers" as zombie hunters and "Festers" as zombies due to a virus run amok for resemblance-sake. Our main character Cray is a Sweeper whose mission is to hunt Festers at night, every night, and has been doing so for the past six years. He is exceptional at his job and excels at most everything, except relating to women. So when Clay's next mission is to kidnap and secure a scientist, who does he get for a partner? A beautiful female agent named Mira of course. Clay's fragile relationship with Mira and who this female agent actually is comprises the main plot of the story. An interesting and complex story it is, complete with political twists, turns and treachery. Nothing is as it seems and no one knows the complete truth. With each step forward Clay and Mira uncover another mystery, another part of the puzzle that was the scientist they were sent to capture and the genetic experiments he was working on. Piece by piece they also uncover who they are.
This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book.

Interesting and entertaining take on zombies, aka Festers.

Scientist created virus, genetic enhancement, possible cure, great characters, betrayal, suspense, mystery and a lot of action all add up to a great story.

Both of the main characters are great. Cray a sweeper is partnered with Mira a highly trained (enhanced) operative on a mission to rescue the son of the scientist who created the fester virus. This does not turn out to be a simple rescue mission. The secrets they discover along with betrayal will have life altering changes for both of them.

This is the first book by J. Steven Butler I have read. I will definitely be the rest of the series.

John Pirhalla did a good job with the narration. Easy voice to listen to. Nice even pace and spoke clearly. Great voices for the different characters.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator or publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review courtesy of Audiobook Boom

[Teressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the same audiobook on Audible, just a different cover.

"Loved This Story and the Characters"

"Zombie Apocalypse Aftermath" was such a great listen and I can't wait until book 2 comes out. This wasn't the typical zombie/apocalyptic story. It was quite different. The ones infected are the festers. The real story is the well-fleshed out characters of Cray and Mira. I loved her character as she is a bad ass. Then enter Alana.
J. Steven Butler did a fantastic job penning this story. I think this is going to be a series not to be missed.

John Pirhalla's voice was amazing. He captured the feel of the story and the tone of the characters very, very well. I thought he did an exceptional job as Archer. All the characters were distinguishable and memorable. This was a perfect match of author/reader.

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom dot com."

[Cyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: In exchange for an unbiased review, the author, publisher, and/or narrator were kind enough to provide an audio version of this book at no charge via AudiobookBlast.

This was a fun listen. The writing was tight, and it was action-packed with just the right amount of "down" time sprinkled throughout. I like that the author broke some of it down into two different viewpoints. The narrator also did a great job at representing the characters and bringing the story to life in audio form. There were also a couple of interesting different takes on zombie lore that I liked.

Recommended for any fan of this genre.

[BJ Haun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book entertaining enough. A good chunk of the book is made up of breezy dialogue between the two main characters, and very few sections of the books seems to take itself seriously. This could turn some people off, but I have recently read a few book that took themselves way too seriously, so this book was a nice palette cleanser. That said, it's a fairly predictable book, and none of the twists have that great of payoff, so I'm not sure that I will hunt down the rest of of the series.

[Tyler Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Since I planned to read it anyways, I didn't read the description before starting this book. It began in a way I expected to be predictable, with Cray as a highly intelligent man with the job of cleaning out the zombie-like creatures of the world. That was until the story took an unexpected turn and became a conspiracy thriller. I truly enjoy books like this, putting a spin on a classic sci fi story and making something unique. Overall, well written. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for The Night Sweeper! I was hooked at the first page. Loved the characters and the crisp new look at a world with "Festers". The story with its many twists and turns moved right along with plenty of intrigue. Glad to have found this new author and will be looking forward to more from The Night Sweeper.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read. A lot of twists & turns to keep you turning the pages!! I liked that it told the story from the two main characters view. I like "festers" instead of zombies.

[Dot Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real apocalyptic sci-fi with twists and turns around every corner. Very articulate author that keeps you turning pages to see what will happen next.

[Mabel Geer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait till the next one!!!

[Andrew O'Donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

This book is a great tale for a post apocalyptic world. Great book to read and amazing story and characters that you will remember