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The Remaining #4
Fractured
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Horror (2013)This is the destiny of those who stand for others.
Their honor will be bought in blood and pain.
The Camp Ryder Hub is broken. Lee is nowhere to be found, and his allies are scattered across the state, each of them learning that their missions will not be as easy as they thought. Inside the walls of Camp Ryder, a silent war is brewing, between those few that still support Lee's vision of rebuilding, and the majority that support Jerry's desire for isolation. But this war will not remain silent for long. And in this savage world, everyone will have to make a choice.
To keep their morals. Or keep their lives.
This is the fourth novel in D.J. Molles's bestselling series:
Book 1: "The Remaining"Book 2: "The Remaining: Aftermath"Book 3: "The Remaining: Refugees"Book 4: "The Remaining: Fractured"
Novella 1: "The Remaining: Trust"Novella 2: "The Remaining: Faith"
Their honor will be bought in blood and pain.
The Camp Ryder Hub is broken. Lee is nowhere to be found, and his allies are scattered across the state, each of them learning that their missions will not be as easy as they thought. Inside the walls of Camp Ryder, a silent war is brewing, between those few that still support Lee's vision of rebuilding, and the majority that support Jerry's desire for isolation. But this war will not remain silent for long. And in this savage world, everyone will have to make a choice.
To keep their morals. Or keep their lives.
This is the fourth novel in D.J. Molles's bestselling series:
Book 1: "The Remaining"Book 2: "The Remaining: Aftermath"Book 3: "The Remaining: Refugees"Book 4: "The Remaining: Fractured"
Novella 1: "The Remaining: Trust"Novella 2: "The Remaining: Faith"
524 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2013
259 people are currently reading
2082 people want to read
About the author
D.J. Molles
45 books1,431 followersD.J. Molles became a New York Times and USA today bestselling author while working full time as a police officer. He's since traded his badge for a keyboard to produce over 20 titles. When he's not writing, he's taking steps to make his North Carolina property self-sustainable, and training to be at least half as hard to kill as Lee Harden (his most popular protagonist).
Molles also enjoys playing his guitar and drums, drawing, cooking, and “shredding that green pow” on his Onewheel.
Most nights you can find him sitting on the couch surrounded by his dogs and family, trying to stream an hour of Netflix with his really sketchy satellite internet connection.
Are you interested in becoming a writer? I've started a video series called "Lessons in Writing" which you can find on all my socials.
Follow on IG & FB @djmolles
TikTok @djmollesauthor
Molles also enjoys playing his guitar and drums, drawing, cooking, and “shredding that green pow” on his Onewheel.
Most nights you can find him sitting on the couch surrounded by his dogs and family, trying to stream an hour of Netflix with his really sketchy satellite internet connection.
Are you interested in becoming a writer? I've started a video series called "Lessons in Writing" which you can find on all my socials.
Follow on IG & FB @djmolles
TikTok @djmollesauthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
March 6, 2023
'Fractured' is the perfect title.... this one word both defines and summarizes the entire plot. - Amazing. Gotta catch my breath.... as I start book #5.
June 25, 2013
(Spoiler alert! You have been warned!)
The saga of Captain Lee Harden and Camp Ryder continues to build in The Remaining: Fractured by D. J. Molles
Having survived an assassination attempt, Capt. Lee Harden, US Army, must continue with his mission to restore civilization in the aftermath of the FURY plague outbreak. Meanwhile, Jerry, the sleazy politico, has staged a coup in Camp Ryder leaving him in control of the last outpost of human civilization in North Carolina. Another group, under the command of Sargent LaRouche, is working its way north to blow the bridges across the river and block the horde of infected from sweeping south. At the same time, the scientist Jacob is working in an abandoned hospital with some of the camp Ryder turncoats to try and find out if the infected have evolved to the stage of self reproduction. In the background, The Followers, religious fanatics who loot and rape, are always ready to strike.
There's not a lot of new surprises in this episode. We mostly follow around the groups of survivors. Tension is established early on when several of the inhabitants loyal to Captain Harden plot to retake Camp Ryder from Jerry the Psychopath. As always, things have a way of spiraling out of control. Author Molles isn't afraid to resurrect some of the villains from the earlier books when they're needed.
Like the other novels in the series, The Remaining: Fragmented, is plot driven. The author has lessened his dependence on firearm specifics, but the reader does get a detailed account of battlefield wounds. If you accustomed to minor characters making a come back from an injury be prepared for a disappointment. Ditto if you are accustomed to major characters working out their problems for the mutual success of the The Mission.
As always, Molles can be introspective:
"Almost every problem a human being encounters through their life has a remedy. Perhaps that remedy is unpleasant, or perhaps it is difficult. Maybe that problem is not remedied simply because that person sees the remedy as worse than the problem. But there is always the hope. Always the possibility. Always a chance, however slight, to make things right."
This episode doesn't end with the cliff-hanger as the previous one. But there are still many unanswered questions. Many factions which are headed toward a collision. I expect will be seeing Remaining chapters in years to come.
The saga of Captain Lee Harden and Camp Ryder continues to build in The Remaining: Fractured by D. J. Molles
Having survived an assassination attempt, Capt. Lee Harden, US Army, must continue with his mission to restore civilization in the aftermath of the FURY plague outbreak. Meanwhile, Jerry, the sleazy politico, has staged a coup in Camp Ryder leaving him in control of the last outpost of human civilization in North Carolina. Another group, under the command of Sargent LaRouche, is working its way north to blow the bridges across the river and block the horde of infected from sweeping south. At the same time, the scientist Jacob is working in an abandoned hospital with some of the camp Ryder turncoats to try and find out if the infected have evolved to the stage of self reproduction. In the background, The Followers, religious fanatics who loot and rape, are always ready to strike.
There's not a lot of new surprises in this episode. We mostly follow around the groups of survivors. Tension is established early on when several of the inhabitants loyal to Captain Harden plot to retake Camp Ryder from Jerry the Psychopath. As always, things have a way of spiraling out of control. Author Molles isn't afraid to resurrect some of the villains from the earlier books when they're needed.
Like the other novels in the series, The Remaining: Fragmented, is plot driven. The author has lessened his dependence on firearm specifics, but the reader does get a detailed account of battlefield wounds. If you accustomed to minor characters making a come back from an injury be prepared for a disappointment. Ditto if you are accustomed to major characters working out their problems for the mutual success of the The Mission.
As always, Molles can be introspective:
"Almost every problem a human being encounters through their life has a remedy. Perhaps that remedy is unpleasant, or perhaps it is difficult. Maybe that problem is not remedied simply because that person sees the remedy as worse than the problem. But there is always the hope. Always the possibility. Always a chance, however slight, to make things right."
This episode doesn't end with the cliff-hanger as the previous one. But there are still many unanswered questions. Many factions which are headed toward a collision. I expect will be seeing Remaining chapters in years to come.
June 25, 2013
My brother asked me what I've been reading and I told him it was this book. He asked what it was like and I had to pause. Finally I managed a close, but still not accurate description, "It is like The Walking Dead, but led by Joe Ledger. He was hooked.
Book four is a roller coaster. Molles did a great job defining characters I felt were a little one sided in the previous entries to the series. Angela's growth was a wonderful surprise.
I had to walk away from the book a few times during the day. I felt myself worked up over the potential death of a character or group of them that I love. I'm a sucker for dogs and every time Deuce was in imminent danger I wad on the edge of my seat. I hate and love Molles for his ability to make me worry about nonexistent people like that.
If you want a literary masterpiece, these aren't the books for you but you will miss out on great people in a world that feels terrifying and exhilarating.
Book four is a roller coaster. Molles did a great job defining characters I felt were a little one sided in the previous entries to the series. Angela's growth was a wonderful surprise.
I had to walk away from the book a few times during the day. I felt myself worked up over the potential death of a character or group of them that I love. I'm a sucker for dogs and every time Deuce was in imminent danger I wad on the edge of my seat. I hate and love Molles for his ability to make me worry about nonexistent people like that.
If you want a literary masterpiece, these aren't the books for you but you will miss out on great people in a world that feels terrifying and exhilarating.
October 3, 2018
For as much as I've enjoyed the past 3 novels, there was something LONG and DRAWN out about this one.
Sure, the fractured camp, the splitting up of all these forces... Lee's capture, all the betrayals, the rapes, the torture, the idiotic spiral of isolationism, the rise of despots...
Well. These things do happen in a zombie wasteland, do they not? I mean, it's kinda expected at this point.
EVERYONE BETRAYS EVERYONE.
Well, except for the main character. He will even go back for his dog. So there's that. But most of the novel isn't with his PoV!
I want to like this more. Parts were pretty popcorn, but I burned out on Walking Dead, too.
Sure, the fractured camp, the splitting up of all these forces... Lee's capture, all the betrayals, the rapes, the torture, the idiotic spiral of isolationism, the rise of despots...
Well. These things do happen in a zombie wasteland, do they not? I mean, it's kinda expected at this point.
EVERYONE BETRAYS EVERYONE.
Well, except for the main character. He will even go back for his dog. So there's that. But most of the novel isn't with his PoV!
I want to like this more. Parts were pretty popcorn, but I burned out on Walking Dead, too.
October 3, 2018
Whoa. Just. Whoa. The largest book in the series so far and definitely the one I had the worst feelings while reading it. Everything was just so broken and dark in the beginning and it did seem to only get worse even if there were some hopeful chapters.
Unfortunately, the author also wrote at the end of the book that the last chapters of The Remaining series are in progress, which probably means that there will only be one more book ... still don't know how I feel about THAT ... but hope dies last, right?!
For now I'm pretty content with the ending although there were some developments I didn't like too much. But since all my "favourites" got out relatively fine, I won't complain. ;p
Character development, storyline and suspense were very good again so I can only recommend this book as much as the other three (= wholeheartedly)!
Unfortunately, the author also wrote at the end of the book that the last chapters of The Remaining series are in progress, which probably means that there will only be one more book ... still don't know how I feel about THAT ... but hope dies last, right?!
For now I'm pretty content with the ending although there were some developments I didn't like too much. But since all my "favourites" got out relatively fine, I won't complain. ;p
Character development, storyline and suspense were very good again so I can only recommend this book as much as the other three (= wholeheartedly)!
June 26, 2013
Great job, Molles! Thank you for making my summer reading more interesting. Now if only the next book were coming out this summer as well... sigh.
Like the previous "The Remaining" books, this one was hard to put down as well. A large part of this is because of the fast-paced action and the incessant developments that keep the reader at the edge of his/her seat, but credit definitely goes to the fact that the breakneck pace did not preclude character development or introspective monologues. So, applause for that from this reader!
*maybe a spoiler*
It was interesting to see how characters other than Lee managed themselves. Angela, in particular, made a strong impression. LaRouche surprised (shocked!) the heck out of me, but that's okay --- people changed in very sharp ways in this book. I was a bit sad about Julia not being in the spotlight much, but I missed her only after the fact because there was so much going on. Lives of important (minor) characters were lost --- sometimes I expected Molles to do a miracle and bring them back, but the world they lived and died in was too harsh.
Lee also underwent some changes --- he was battered, he recovered to an extent, he fought, he got helpless, he cared too much, he got numb, he got uncaring (in no particular order). An apocalyptic situation is a great equalizer, and it affects the highly trained and the untrained alike, eventually. Lee didn't emerge as a superhero, but as a man who'd go to great lengths to do what he can with what he has. More admirable than a superhero any day, IMO...
*end of spoiler*
The ending was not really a cliff-hanger, but it definitely made me yearn for more, like a good summer book should. So, Molles, hurry up, will ya? :)
Like the previous "The Remaining" books, this one was hard to put down as well. A large part of this is because of the fast-paced action and the incessant developments that keep the reader at the edge of his/her seat, but credit definitely goes to the fact that the breakneck pace did not preclude character development or introspective monologues. So, applause for that from this reader!
*maybe a spoiler*
It was interesting to see how characters other than Lee managed themselves. Angela, in particular, made a strong impression. LaRouche surprised (shocked!) the heck out of me, but that's okay --- people changed in very sharp ways in this book. I was a bit sad about Julia not being in the spotlight much, but I missed her only after the fact because there was so much going on. Lives of important (minor) characters were lost --- sometimes I expected Molles to do a miracle and bring them back, but the world they lived and died in was too harsh.
Lee also underwent some changes --- he was battered, he recovered to an extent, he fought, he got helpless, he cared too much, he got numb, he got uncaring (in no particular order). An apocalyptic situation is a great equalizer, and it affects the highly trained and the untrained alike, eventually. Lee didn't emerge as a superhero, but as a man who'd go to great lengths to do what he can with what he has. More admirable than a superhero any day, IMO...
*end of spoiler*
The ending was not really a cliff-hanger, but it definitely made me yearn for more, like a good summer book should. So, Molles, hurry up, will ya? :)
May 16, 2014
I believe this series is by far the best post-apocalyptic series, dealing with humans infected with FURY. FURY turns humans into a violent blood-mongering being. In contrast to zombies, these monsters aren't dead, and they retain their primitive, animal behavior.
Infected humans slowly evolve and become an isotope of humanity, only stronger, faster, cunning, and apparently, more adept to survive than uninfected humans. This posses a threat to survivors. Some of the infected have evolved to become hunters, a much more aggressive version of human ancestors, cavemen if you will.
Up till now another fact sets this series apart from other post-apocalyptic stories involving infected humans--the infected actually reproduce. They aren't the concoction of the devil, or some evil awoken by dark priests; no, these are infected mammals that gained superiority to survive the perils of the world. As animals, these infected humans actually reproduce. This impedes survivors to merely "live out the disease" as the dead dry out. No, these infected humans are making of humanity a different superior species.
In the fourth book, Captain Lee Harden manages to regain contact with several of the survivors from Camp Rider. Sadly, the camp is taken by Jerry and his minions, destroying what little ground the group had gained with Lee. Much bigger fish are being fried by the recon groups of LaRouche and Harper, who soon learn that Professor Jacob was right about his suspicions. The infected are in fact migrating.
In the end, we are introduced to new characters who have become important to the storyline. Captain Abe and another one of Lee's comrades decide to prevent the catastrophic linking of Lee's GPS to the grid created by the now President of the remaining pieces of the USA. This leaves us agape and expecting what will be a fantastic fifth (final?) book.
As always, Molles delivers an impressive story, with vivid, real characters. Chris Rummel's narration helps listeners to connect both emotionally and empathetically with each of the characters as they evolve, change, and become a harder, ruthless version of their former self.
Infected humans slowly evolve and become an isotope of humanity, only stronger, faster, cunning, and apparently, more adept to survive than uninfected humans. This posses a threat to survivors. Some of the infected have evolved to become hunters, a much more aggressive version of human ancestors, cavemen if you will.
Up till now another fact sets this series apart from other post-apocalyptic stories involving infected humans--the infected actually reproduce. They aren't the concoction of the devil, or some evil awoken by dark priests; no, these are infected mammals that gained superiority to survive the perils of the world. As animals, these infected humans actually reproduce. This impedes survivors to merely "live out the disease" as the dead dry out. No, these infected humans are making of humanity a different superior species.
In the fourth book, Captain Lee Harden manages to regain contact with several of the survivors from Camp Rider. Sadly, the camp is taken by Jerry and his minions, destroying what little ground the group had gained with Lee. Much bigger fish are being fried by the recon groups of LaRouche and Harper, who soon learn that Professor Jacob was right about his suspicions. The infected are in fact migrating.
In the end, we are introduced to new characters who have become important to the storyline. Captain Abe and another one of Lee's comrades decide to prevent the catastrophic linking of Lee's GPS to the grid created by the now President of the remaining pieces of the USA. This leaves us agape and expecting what will be a fantastic fifth (final?) book.
As always, Molles delivers an impressive story, with vivid, real characters. Chris Rummel's narration helps listeners to connect both emotionally and empathetically with each of the characters as they evolve, change, and become a harder, ruthless version of their former self.
September 12, 2021
Okay, I am hooked on D.J. Molles' apocalypse series (Audible editions). I downloaded this, the fourth book in the series a few days ago and saw that it was 18+ hours of narration. I thought, What is wrong with you, Lisa?!? But I look forward to spending time in the story every day or two, like binge watching a series.
Mr. Molles has done an outstanding job of pulling events from the first books forward into book 4 to move the story along. He developed his characters in the same way, pulling characters who've been hanging around on the sidelines into the middle of play to create new interest for the reader and new plot developments. Well done!
Mr. Molles has done an outstanding job of pulling events from the first books forward into book 4 to move the story along. He developed his characters in the same way, pulling characters who've been hanging around on the sidelines into the middle of play to create new interest for the reader and new plot developments. Well done!
April 10, 2014
This one had a long, slow moving middle section that was boring enough that I set it aside a couple times but it redeems itself in the final chapters and I'm still looking forward to the next in the series. I think book 4 would have benefited from a reduction of 100 pages or so.
July 15, 2023
This is a poorly written synopsis, not a review.
Spoilers ahead.
Book opens with a flashback of how Angela and her daughter came to be on the roof. (from the first book).
Angela awakes in the metal storage container where she is deikf held prisioner. Jerry comes in and tells her that she can coke out of the container to see her kids if she keeps her mouth. shut about Jerry killing Bus.
Joseph and Doc Hamilton are back at Smithfield hospital studying the captured female.
At Camp rydee Professor White was getting on Jerry's nerves. Jerry sends White on a scouting trip with some other guys to OP Lillington. Greg broke both of White's knees and left him for dead.
Angela confides in Keith that she saw Jerry kill Bus. She thinks Bud's fianl words "take it" were reffering to take back the camp.
LaRouche and Jim's group are headed to blow a bridge. They have been unable to contact Camp Ryder via radio. (since Ryder took their Radios off line during the take over) . There is some disagreememt about heading back or moving ahead. LaRouche decideds they will move ahead. One guy, Nick, decides to head back on foot. He sneaked out in the middle of the night.
Lee is scavenging around in some houses trying to piece together what happened to him. He has his dog with him. Lee gets captured by some other scavengers. The infected come out and everyone runs to a waiting van. In the van is former deputy Shumate. (from the hospital shootouts in book 2?)
LaRouche, Jim, and company are making their way to their destination. They come across a group of The Followers nailing some people to crosses. LaRouche's co. initiates a firefight killing all but one. One of LaRoiche's guys,Lucky, gets shot and dies. LaRouche takes the survivor that killed Lucky to a warehouse and tortures him to get Intel about The Followers. Layer Jim gets in his butt about killing the guy.
Back at the hospital a group of survivors shows up but Doc Hamilton wont let them in. They say that LaRouche told them to come here. Doc tells them they are on their own. Jacob has enough, goes back to his room, gets his gun and kills Hamilton and the two guards. Jacob tells the survivors that he will help them if they help him.
The other group with Harper and Julia run across a group of about 20 survivors. The two groups exchange some info. However, a situation happens where one of the guys tries to steal a gun, and gets shot by one of Harper's guys (Mike). The other group just leaves.
Lee gets taken out on a scavenger run. While Shumate and a couple others are out scavenging, Lee jumps ??? and kills him, along with the girl. Shumate and the others come back just as Lee is finishing. Lee runs away from the van, into a nearby store. He and the dog make it onto the roof.
Back at Camp Ryder, Sam witnesses a couple of Greg's guys kill Keith the old guy. Sam runs off, but the two goons see him. They tell Greg and Jerry. Jerry has Greg go tell Sam to keep his mouth shut, or they will kill Angela. Meanwhile, Jerry tells Angela that they can't find Keith, kind of implicating that she is involved. This is to cover that they killed him.
LaRouche and crew take the girl the found on the road while fighting The Followers. They take her to where she said she lives. They arrive and no one is around. They see a guy, who winds up being the girls father. Some Z's show up and set upon LaRouche. He makes it back into the HMV, but when someone kills the Z, LaRouche gets some Z gore in his mouth. Now he's concerned he is infected.
Harper's group hears a large group of Z's coming down the highway. They jump in the vehicles and take off. There are thousands of Z's. Tori realizes that Mike, her husband, got left behind. Harper has Julia turn the hmv around and go get Mike. The get Mike but get the horde catches up with them. Gray is up in the turret and gets killed. Harper yells at Mike for going off to la la land, after he killed the guy from the other group that tried to take the gun.
Lee wakes up on the roof. The Z's are gone but Shumates crew is still hanging around. He's in bad shape. severely dehydrated and serious infection in his head from the gun shot wound. He manages to sneak up and kill the kid, the shoot Shumate and Aaron as they are coming out of a building. Lee take the meds Off Shumate and gets some water and a candy bar out of the van. He sleeps in a sporting goods store.
Angela confides in Marie about the situation with Jerry killing Bus and Greg killing Keith. Marie decides to head up on the roof and try to use Morse code to see if any if the other groups are watching Camp Ryder. Capt Tomlin replies back via Mose code that he is still out there. (seems like a strecg to me.)
Mike, with Harpers group, goes nuts and kills his wife and then himself.
Lee wakes up, goes to the roof where he left his dog Deuce, and then leaves town in the van. After driving for a bit he comes across some signs and realizes that he is close to Op Lillington. He is past exhausted and has a hard time staying awake, but wants to make it to Lillington. He ends up crashing into a car on the road. Jacob, Tomlin, and some others find him and bring him back to Op Lillington. Then bring him back up to speed on what is going on.
Angela is trying to, covertly, gather people that are also against Jerry.
LaRouche and Jim get in a fight after LaRouche walks off in the middle of the night. LaRouche is drunk and Jim gets the upper hand in the fight giving LaRouvhe a little ground and pound. LaRouche gets on top but can feel Jim going for what he thinks is a rock. LaRouche thinks Jim is going to kill him so he takes out his pistol and shoots Jim in the head,killing Jim. LaRouche runs off(away).
Lee and Tomlin. deliver another note to camp. Lee is able to whisper to Marie through the fence that he is alive. Marie and Angela prepare to work with Lee and crew the next night at midnight.
Jenny is sleeping with Greg. She is worried that Greg is going to get killed in the ensuing takeover. she tells him what is going on. Greg tells Jerry. Greg and crew come take Angela away from her shantie. Sam and Abby are being watched while they pretend to sleep. When Greg comes back for the kids Sam grabs his .22 and shoots the guard 6 times. Sam and Abby run off but get captured at the fence.
Marie is able to get away from camp after she jams a knife up Arnie's crotch.
LaRouche comes across a guy in the woods and is taken prisoner...by The Lord's Army.
Jerry is beating Angela pretty good trying to get her to divulge. who is going to storm the camp. She's not giving in. Jerry has Abby brought up so he can hurt her or make her watch her mom get hurt.
Lee, Tomlin, and crew storm Camp Ryder. As they are breaching the fence, a group of Hunters (Z's) also join the mix. Jacob gets killed by the Hunters. Lee and Greg have a death match. Lee takes a GSW to his side, and ends it with a shot to Greg's eye.
Jerry got stabbed in the neck by Angela. He went and hid in a room during the raid by Lee. Lee finds him nearly dead, and plucks the tire gauge in his neck. Jerry bleeds out.
LaRouche decides he will join the Lord's Army.
Spoilers ahead.
Book opens with a flashback of how Angela and her daughter came to be on the roof. (from the first book).
Angela awakes in the metal storage container where she is deikf held prisioner. Jerry comes in and tells her that she can coke out of the container to see her kids if she keeps her mouth. shut about Jerry killing Bus.
Joseph and Doc Hamilton are back at Smithfield hospital studying the captured female.
At Camp rydee Professor White was getting on Jerry's nerves. Jerry sends White on a scouting trip with some other guys to OP Lillington. Greg broke both of White's knees and left him for dead.
Angela confides in Keith that she saw Jerry kill Bus. She thinks Bud's fianl words "take it" were reffering to take back the camp.
LaRouche and Jim's group are headed to blow a bridge. They have been unable to contact Camp Ryder via radio. (since Ryder took their Radios off line during the take over) . There is some disagreememt about heading back or moving ahead. LaRouche decideds they will move ahead. One guy, Nick, decides to head back on foot. He sneaked out in the middle of the night.
Lee is scavenging around in some houses trying to piece together what happened to him. He has his dog with him. Lee gets captured by some other scavengers. The infected come out and everyone runs to a waiting van. In the van is former deputy Shumate. (from the hospital shootouts in book 2?)
LaRouche, Jim, and company are making their way to their destination. They come across a group of The Followers nailing some people to crosses. LaRouche's co. initiates a firefight killing all but one. One of LaRoiche's guys,Lucky, gets shot and dies. LaRouche takes the survivor that killed Lucky to a warehouse and tortures him to get Intel about The Followers. Layer Jim gets in his butt about killing the guy.
Back at the hospital a group of survivors shows up but Doc Hamilton wont let them in. They say that LaRouche told them to come here. Doc tells them they are on their own. Jacob has enough, goes back to his room, gets his gun and kills Hamilton and the two guards. Jacob tells the survivors that he will help them if they help him.
The other group with Harper and Julia run across a group of about 20 survivors. The two groups exchange some info. However, a situation happens where one of the guys tries to steal a gun, and gets shot by one of Harper's guys (Mike). The other group just leaves.
Lee gets taken out on a scavenger run. While Shumate and a couple others are out scavenging, Lee jumps ??? and kills him, along with the girl. Shumate and the others come back just as Lee is finishing. Lee runs away from the van, into a nearby store. He and the dog make it onto the roof.
Back at Camp Ryder, Sam witnesses a couple of Greg's guys kill Keith the old guy. Sam runs off, but the two goons see him. They tell Greg and Jerry. Jerry has Greg go tell Sam to keep his mouth shut, or they will kill Angela. Meanwhile, Jerry tells Angela that they can't find Keith, kind of implicating that she is involved. This is to cover that they killed him.
LaRouche and crew take the girl the found on the road while fighting The Followers. They take her to where she said she lives. They arrive and no one is around. They see a guy, who winds up being the girls father. Some Z's show up and set upon LaRouche. He makes it back into the HMV, but when someone kills the Z, LaRouche gets some Z gore in his mouth. Now he's concerned he is infected.
Harper's group hears a large group of Z's coming down the highway. They jump in the vehicles and take off. There are thousands of Z's. Tori realizes that Mike, her husband, got left behind. Harper has Julia turn the hmv around and go get Mike. The get Mike but get the horde catches up with them. Gray is up in the turret and gets killed. Harper yells at Mike for going off to la la land, after he killed the guy from the other group that tried to take the gun.
Lee wakes up on the roof. The Z's are gone but Shumates crew is still hanging around. He's in bad shape. severely dehydrated and serious infection in his head from the gun shot wound. He manages to sneak up and kill the kid, the shoot Shumate and Aaron as they are coming out of a building. Lee take the meds Off Shumate and gets some water and a candy bar out of the van. He sleeps in a sporting goods store.
Angela confides in Marie about the situation with Jerry killing Bus and Greg killing Keith. Marie decides to head up on the roof and try to use Morse code to see if any if the other groups are watching Camp Ryder. Capt Tomlin replies back via Mose code that he is still out there. (seems like a strecg to me.)
Mike, with Harpers group, goes nuts and kills his wife and then himself.
Lee wakes up, goes to the roof where he left his dog Deuce, and then leaves town in the van. After driving for a bit he comes across some signs and realizes that he is close to Op Lillington. He is past exhausted and has a hard time staying awake, but wants to make it to Lillington. He ends up crashing into a car on the road. Jacob, Tomlin, and some others find him and bring him back to Op Lillington. Then bring him back up to speed on what is going on.
Angela is trying to, covertly, gather people that are also against Jerry.
LaRouche and Jim get in a fight after LaRouche walks off in the middle of the night. LaRouche is drunk and Jim gets the upper hand in the fight giving LaRouvhe a little ground and pound. LaRouche gets on top but can feel Jim going for what he thinks is a rock. LaRouche thinks Jim is going to kill him so he takes out his pistol and shoots Jim in the head,killing Jim. LaRouche runs off(away).
Lee and Tomlin. deliver another note to camp. Lee is able to whisper to Marie through the fence that he is alive. Marie and Angela prepare to work with Lee and crew the next night at midnight.
Jenny is sleeping with Greg. She is worried that Greg is going to get killed in the ensuing takeover. she tells him what is going on. Greg tells Jerry. Greg and crew come take Angela away from her shantie. Sam and Abby are being watched while they pretend to sleep. When Greg comes back for the kids Sam grabs his .22 and shoots the guard 6 times. Sam and Abby run off but get captured at the fence.
Marie is able to get away from camp after she jams a knife up Arnie's crotch.
LaRouche comes across a guy in the woods and is taken prisoner...by The Lord's Army.
Jerry is beating Angela pretty good trying to get her to divulge. who is going to storm the camp. She's not giving in. Jerry has Abby brought up so he can hurt her or make her watch her mom get hurt.
Lee, Tomlin, and crew storm Camp Ryder. As they are breaching the fence, a group of Hunters (Z's) also join the mix. Jacob gets killed by the Hunters. Lee and Greg have a death match. Lee takes a GSW to his side, and ends it with a shot to Greg's eye.
Jerry got stabbed in the neck by Angela. He went and hid in a room during the raid by Lee. Lee finds him nearly dead, and plucks the tire gauge in his neck. Jerry bleeds out.
LaRouche decides he will join the Lord's Army.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2014
THANK you THANK you THANK you
That’s about all I can say to DJ Molles. I haven’t been this enthralled, this transported by a series of books since…EVER. I dare anyone, especially anyone who ever served in uniform, to read these books and not be affected by them.
Sure, it’s a zombie story. But it’s only about ten percent zombie. The rest is about humanity and survival and all of the things that make humans some of the best and some of the worst life forms to populate the earth. Sure, there’s a bit of blood and gore, but no more than you would expect in a story about flesh-eating undead.
In my opinion this book has the trilogy of what makes a great story.
First, the pacing is breakneck, whiplash, holly crap, kind of stuff. If you’re one of those people who says…let me just finish this chapter before…you’ll find yourself pushing that envelope over and over. You just can’t put it down.
Second, you KNOW these people. You know this Captain and his determination against every obstacle imaginable, his fortitude to remain dedicated to finishing his mission. You know the people around him, the ones who will help him, the ones who will stand by and do nothing and the ones who will do everything in their power to stop him. Molles makes them all so real, so vivid that you’d swear they were people you’d met before.
And third, there are so many moments of greatness. Molles takes the time somehow between the abject fear, the shock of one event to the next, the struggle to survive that seems to grow more difficult over time; to give us prose and insights into life and survival against the worst odds. He’ll hit you with a few words or an observation that will literally floor you with its crystal clear rightness. Some of the stuff this guy writes makes you think he must have faced death before, he must know what it’s like to lose people close to him to write so poignantly about it. It’s not just that this is a fantastic premise, a great character and a fascinating story. All of that makes a book good. What makes these books great is that Molles can write his ass off.
The first book in this series was published in June of 2012. Molles is working on book five in the series now. I’m not sure why I haven’t head of the series before. It has gobs of five star reviews on Amazon but it should be number one or at least in the top ten of the SciFy category. It must be that people just haven’t found them yet.
You need to find them. I have selfish reasons for writing this review. I want everyone to know how fantastic this series is so Molles will write more and more and more of it.
That’s about all I can say to DJ Molles. I haven’t been this enthralled, this transported by a series of books since…EVER. I dare anyone, especially anyone who ever served in uniform, to read these books and not be affected by them.
Sure, it’s a zombie story. But it’s only about ten percent zombie. The rest is about humanity and survival and all of the things that make humans some of the best and some of the worst life forms to populate the earth. Sure, there’s a bit of blood and gore, but no more than you would expect in a story about flesh-eating undead.
In my opinion this book has the trilogy of what makes a great story.
First, the pacing is breakneck, whiplash, holly crap, kind of stuff. If you’re one of those people who says…let me just finish this chapter before…you’ll find yourself pushing that envelope over and over. You just can’t put it down.
Second, you KNOW these people. You know this Captain and his determination against every obstacle imaginable, his fortitude to remain dedicated to finishing his mission. You know the people around him, the ones who will help him, the ones who will stand by and do nothing and the ones who will do everything in their power to stop him. Molles makes them all so real, so vivid that you’d swear they were people you’d met before.
And third, there are so many moments of greatness. Molles takes the time somehow between the abject fear, the shock of one event to the next, the struggle to survive that seems to grow more difficult over time; to give us prose and insights into life and survival against the worst odds. He’ll hit you with a few words or an observation that will literally floor you with its crystal clear rightness. Some of the stuff this guy writes makes you think he must have faced death before, he must know what it’s like to lose people close to him to write so poignantly about it. It’s not just that this is a fantastic premise, a great character and a fascinating story. All of that makes a book good. What makes these books great is that Molles can write his ass off.
The first book in this series was published in June of 2012. Molles is working on book five in the series now. I’m not sure why I haven’t head of the series before. It has gobs of five star reviews on Amazon but it should be number one or at least in the top ten of the SciFy category. It must be that people just haven’t found them yet.
You need to find them. I have selfish reasons for writing this review. I want everyone to know how fantastic this series is so Molles will write more and more and more of it.
August 21, 2013
Loved this book!! So many twists and surprises had me shocked a few times. Loved reading more about the peripheral characters and how they relate to Lee and Camp Ryder. Can't wait for the next one!
July 16, 2013
Big fan of this author and this series, and this book did not disappoint!
July 16, 2013
I LOVED the last three but couldn't ever get into #4
May 24, 2017
This is getting nerve racking!
So much happened in this book! I am overwhelmed, and spent from the action..fighting..people either giving up or not giving up..if you've read it you will know what I mean! In the darkest hour just when I think that Project Hometown is dead...everything is now Fracked Up and destroyed..there is a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel! I have to say DJ Molles has perfected his use of suspense! Each book gets better and better..and if I still had teeth..I'd have bitten all my nails down enough to bleed! Love ❤️ Love ❤️ Love ❤️ This series! Awesome job on military terms, and explaining what happens in war to an outsider!
So much happened in this book! I am overwhelmed, and spent from the action..fighting..people either giving up or not giving up..if you've read it you will know what I mean! In the darkest hour just when I think that Project Hometown is dead...everything is now Fracked Up and destroyed..there is a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel! I have to say DJ Molles has perfected his use of suspense! Each book gets better and better..and if I still had teeth..I'd have bitten all my nails down enough to bleed! Love ❤️ Love ❤️ Love ❤️ This series! Awesome job on military terms, and explaining what happens in war to an outsider!
January 15, 2025
Please anyone who was obsessed with the concept of World War Z but wanted more? Please do yourself a favor and READ THIS SERIES. This series is PERFECTION AND I DONT WANT IT TO END.
February 7, 2022
3/5
This is fine. Quite repetitive and newer characters just not as interesting as the setting they are in. Came away a little too far from that for my tastes and lent a little bit too far towards a Lee Child style of book. Just not my thing.
Probably done with the series now.
This is fine. Quite repetitive and newer characters just not as interesting as the setting they are in. Came away a little too far from that for my tastes and lent a little bit too far towards a Lee Child style of book. Just not my thing.
Probably done with the series now.
September 1, 2013
Fractured by D.J. Molles is the fourth installment to his ever so popular 'The Remaining' series. I'm not a hardcore zombie fanatic like others and so this book series is pretty much the only thing I got going whereas flesh eating zombies are concerned. I've have thoroughly enjoyed this series so far and Fractured seems to have taken a much more mature turn. What I mean is that it seems the author has taken more time to craft his storytelling skills. The results of this is churning out the biggest book yet in the series at over 500+ pages. However, there were things that I didn't really like about Fractured and I'm a little surprised at the near perfect score this book currently is getting on Amazon.
The story continues with Captain Lee Harden being almost left for dead after the events of the last book. Various groups from Camp Ryder are out on a mission and with Fractured, the author decides to shift the main focus away from Lee and instead branch out with the different focal points of the various characters instead. Basically, where you had followed Lee nonstop during the other books, here we almost take turns reading about the events that unfolds for the other characters as it happens. This does make sense since these characters are spread apart from each other in the world.
One of the biggest disappointment in my opinion is where the story is headed. I got into this series because it was suppose to be about zombies and the undead. With Fractured, it seems as if the focus was anything but on zombies. And we are talking about a pretty big book here folks. While the author decided to focus more on character development, he forgot about what attracted readers like me in the first place. With the first couple of books, I was gripped by the amount of action and events that unfolded. There were many memorable pieces and following Lee around while he tries to find survivors was a blast to read through. With Fractured, things headed more towards an 'internal strife' kind of thing between the different characters instead. Throughout this entire book, there is only one memorable set piece that stood out to me that had to deal with the zombies themselves. Again, not good considering this was suppose to be a series on zombies. No doubt I love to see the author branching out and making the story line more dynamic but I am positive that there will be readers such as myself that feels something is not quite right with Fractured. Of course, we are the few minority going by what others are saying on Amazon.
Action wise, this is your standard affair of things and if you've read the previous books, then you'll be right at home. I would have appreciated if the author spent some time giving a brief heads up on who the characters are though because between this book and the last, I failed to have remembered many of the main players in the story save for a couple. Fractured is without a doubt one of the darker books in the series and I love that part. Just nitty and gritty. Nothing beautiful here to look at folks! While Fractured is still considered survival horror, I feel that it's beginning to slip away from that genre.
While I'm not a big zombie fan, there was just something special that drew me into The Remaining series from the very start. The story felt mature and well put together. While Fractured is still considered a good book for the series, I just can't help but wonder how the next book will go. Will the zombies be in the forefront again or will they be just a nuisance in the overall scheme of things? I actually have a feeling of what's going to happen in the next book (final one?). It's not going to be good if that proves to be true if my opinion is anything to go by but I'll just have to wait and see.
The story continues with Captain Lee Harden being almost left for dead after the events of the last book. Various groups from Camp Ryder are out on a mission and with Fractured, the author decides to shift the main focus away from Lee and instead branch out with the different focal points of the various characters instead. Basically, where you had followed Lee nonstop during the other books, here we almost take turns reading about the events that unfolds for the other characters as it happens. This does make sense since these characters are spread apart from each other in the world.
One of the biggest disappointment in my opinion is where the story is headed. I got into this series because it was suppose to be about zombies and the undead. With Fractured, it seems as if the focus was anything but on zombies. And we are talking about a pretty big book here folks. While the author decided to focus more on character development, he forgot about what attracted readers like me in the first place. With the first couple of books, I was gripped by the amount of action and events that unfolded. There were many memorable pieces and following Lee around while he tries to find survivors was a blast to read through. With Fractured, things headed more towards an 'internal strife' kind of thing between the different characters instead. Throughout this entire book, there is only one memorable set piece that stood out to me that had to deal with the zombies themselves. Again, not good considering this was suppose to be a series on zombies. No doubt I love to see the author branching out and making the story line more dynamic but I am positive that there will be readers such as myself that feels something is not quite right with Fractured. Of course, we are the few minority going by what others are saying on Amazon.
Action wise, this is your standard affair of things and if you've read the previous books, then you'll be right at home. I would have appreciated if the author spent some time giving a brief heads up on who the characters are though because between this book and the last, I failed to have remembered many of the main players in the story save for a couple. Fractured is without a doubt one of the darker books in the series and I love that part. Just nitty and gritty. Nothing beautiful here to look at folks! While Fractured is still considered survival horror, I feel that it's beginning to slip away from that genre.
While I'm not a big zombie fan, there was just something special that drew me into The Remaining series from the very start. The story felt mature and well put together. While Fractured is still considered a good book for the series, I just can't help but wonder how the next book will go. Will the zombies be in the forefront again or will they be just a nuisance in the overall scheme of things? I actually have a feeling of what's going to happen in the next book (final one?). It's not going to be good if that proves to be true if my opinion is anything to go by but I'll just have to wait and see.
February 28, 2019
I'm goiing to rate the first three books with four stars but this one is not worth three or four stars. I understand these books are packed with action, and I enjoyed the first three, even if the first one got off to a really slow start. There is too much going on in this fourth book. The author has too many disasters occurring over multiple groups of characters and Lee is, of course, in the middle of yet another "oh no how will he ever make it' situation. The entire situation irritates me because I saw it coming miles away and the information is presented through the characters. how did they miss such obvious signs that something was wrong? They had more than enough information and the author set up the plot 'twist' in such an obvious manner that it just seems ridiculous. There are disasters everywhere, including Camp Ryder. The situation at Camp Ryder was also obvious and seen a mile away but our hero Lee just can't seem to see what is in front of his face. There were multiple plot points that just disappeared into thin air, especially those concerning Professor White, and I noticed numerous incidents where the author was mixing up the various storylines he had going. This book was very tiresome. The action wasn't exciting and I will admit tha I skimmed most of Lee's chapters. I was just so tired of the repetitious "lee is in danger, he'll never make it' then the crisis is solved by completely unbelievable actions on Lee's part. He can't see an obvious crisis developing under his nose but he is superman in other instances. It was just ridiculous and I didn't really want to finish the book. I hope the next one is better and the author stops with the unending catastrophes occurring in all corners. It is exhausting and I'm at the point where I don't care what happens to anyone.
December 22, 2020
Love love love this whole series. I'm putting the same review on all of them because I listened to the audio versions back to back so the books are all one long story to me and each one is better than the last. These books are very well written, great attention to detail, heavy on the military/survivalist run and rebuild side, lots of characters you really grow to care about, and wonderful character growth. Not traditional zombies, more the "infected" type, but I like both so fine by me. No mushy viewpoint of feeling sorry for the infected or romanticizing them, just thrilling roller coaster action and great characters. You will enjoy this whether you are military or not - but if you ARE military or gun savvy this series with not hack you off. Molles did some research - thank goodness - and for once nothing irritated me. Also, the female characters were well written. (one of my pet peeves) They were a variety of women, as we actually are, from sarcastic bad asses to whinier helpless types and everything in between. They were very individual and seemed well thought out - allowed to grow and change and be full characters. Often in this genre the women characters irritate the crap out of me. They are usually written as mommy/wives or whores and barely even exist in the story except to be rescued, slept with, scream "somebody save my chillllldren", or munched on. That was not the case in this series. I loved them all!
April 23, 2015
Still with u but time to stop with
Still good writing but a bit too much violence & could really do with less foul language. It gets old. In my opinion, the only people who use it regularly are those with stunted vocabularies who know no other descriptive words to convey an emotion or feeling. Also, needs more humanity to it. Seems only story line is violence & mayhem constantly. Need more than that to be a great book. Like how Greg got with Jenny. Why she felt he was still a good guy. That whole story line was lost to us.
This writer is capable of more.
Give it a rest on the constant foul language. Let the guy recover between episodes of fighting. No man could take all Lee has & still b able to do what he is n this book. It's just not realistic. And why is every single character losing all humanity?Grow your characters & write more about the relationships going on & other feelings & emotions people might feel going through something like this.
Violence on every page just gets old & boring. So does foul language on a constant basis.
Expand & grow your characters. Let Lee live & live a little.
Other than that I would say, good book
Still good writing but a bit too much violence & could really do with less foul language. It gets old. In my opinion, the only people who use it regularly are those with stunted vocabularies who know no other descriptive words to convey an emotion or feeling. Also, needs more humanity to it. Seems only story line is violence & mayhem constantly. Need more than that to be a great book. Like how Greg got with Jenny. Why she felt he was still a good guy. That whole story line was lost to us.
This writer is capable of more.
Give it a rest on the constant foul language. Let the guy recover between episodes of fighting. No man could take all Lee has & still b able to do what he is n this book. It's just not realistic. And why is every single character losing all humanity?Grow your characters & write more about the relationships going on & other feelings & emotions people might feel going through something like this.
Violence on every page just gets old & boring. So does foul language on a constant basis.
Expand & grow your characters. Let Lee live & live a little.
Other than that I would say, good book
July 8, 2014
Needs more decent characters. Yes, nobody is entirely good or bad and most people are somewhere in between. And yes, everyone is mortal and in a terrible world like The Remaining the life is very cheap and expandable. However it would have been nice if there were some great characters besides captain Harden that would have been developed more before they get killed. I found this kind of grim writing very predictable and similar to much of the other apocalypse genre. It seems the author only develops secondary characters in order to have more of a shocking effect when he kills them. But at the end D.J. Molles jumps the gun and gets rid of characters before readers can develop any interest in them.
August 24, 2013
Easily one of the better values in the e-book market. I approached this series with a bit of trepidation but was pleasantly surprised with the quality of writing and seemingly accurate depiction of "what could happen" as society takes its long, spiraling trip into darkness and chaos. The premise and viability of the story is plausible, and the brutality is undeniable. This book in the series shoots out of the gates like a thoroughbred and doesn't let up on the gas until the final sentences. Don't even think you'll be able to read this in a leisurely way...your heart will be racing the whole time.
July 26, 2013
I struggle with the rating on this one. The first half was really slow, as Molles focused on peripheral characters that aren't very compelling. As the second half got going, though, I started to see that everything came together nicely. The end was phenomenal - easily a 5-star ending, with a great build-up to the fifth and final installment in the series.
July 21, 2013
Not the best in the series, but still good.
June 1, 2014
I hope there is a #5 in this series!
September 14, 2015
Solid series!!! Loving it so far.
December 24, 2015
What a series this is I am hooked. A cross between the walking dead & 28 days later. What's not to love ?
July 19, 2013
Despite the guy needed a decent proofreader, the story's good.
March 20, 2024
Fractured by D.J. Molles - 4th book in the series
Challenging, dark, emotional, reflective, sad,
and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5 Stars
Thoughts AFTER the first reread:
Wow. This book had me at the edge of my seat, cringing at all the gory parts...hoping for our main characters to succeed, and worrying about the looming threats of The Followers and the massive amount of infected that were on their way South. Ugh.
This book is split into FOUR storylines. Each of them are important and crucial for the success of what Captain Lee Harden needs to do to stop the Southern facing infected.
1) Lee Hardin's storyline
2) Camp Ryder's storyline
3) Harper's storyline
4) LaRouche's storyline
There are SO many things that happen. The author does NOT pull ANY punches. He has thrown EVERYTHING at his characters.
The damage that the virus, FURY has had on the populace is still expanding, growing and adapting (which is scary as hell).
I hate part of this book (in the very best way), and also see the genius of how it was crafted and revealed. Ugh.
There are parts of this story that remind me of Game of Thrones (when it was good). The morally ambiguous characters. They are not evil, and they are not good, but somewhere in between...at every decision (which could go toward evil, toward good, or the in between).
The complexity of the characters are amazing. Obviously, I love the character of Captain Lee Harden, and his growth and struggles in this book were amazing and sad to experience.
Another character that I felt for, was Sergeant LaRouche. Wow, what an arc he was taken on...and I fear that he will become everything that he hated...but I also HOPE that he will survive the new struggles ahead.
There were LOTS of losses in this story, and in a life in this Post-FURY world, there would be.
Thoughts after first reading:
This was a VERY well written book. Great story and awesome characters.
Challenging, dark, emotional, reflective, sad,
and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5 Stars
Thoughts AFTER the first reread:
Wow. This book had me at the edge of my seat, cringing at all the gory parts...hoping for our main characters to succeed, and worrying about the looming threats of The Followers and the massive amount of infected that were on their way South. Ugh.
This book is split into FOUR storylines. Each of them are important and crucial for the success of what Captain Lee Harden needs to do to stop the Southern facing infected.
1) Lee Hardin's storyline
2) Camp Ryder's storyline
3) Harper's storyline
4) LaRouche's storyline
There are SO many things that happen. The author does NOT pull ANY punches. He has thrown EVERYTHING at his characters.
The damage that the virus, FURY has had on the populace is still expanding, growing and adapting (which is scary as hell).
I hate part of this book (in the very best way), and also see the genius of how it was crafted and revealed. Ugh.
There are parts of this story that remind me of Game of Thrones (when it was good). The morally ambiguous characters. They are not evil, and they are not good, but somewhere in between...at every decision (which could go toward evil, toward good, or the in between).
The complexity of the characters are amazing. Obviously, I love the character of Captain Lee Harden, and his growth and struggles in this book were amazing and sad to experience.
Another character that I felt for, was Sergeant LaRouche. Wow, what an arc he was taken on...and I fear that he will become everything that he hated...but I also HOPE that he will survive the new struggles ahead.
There were LOTS of losses in this story, and in a life in this Post-FURY world, there would be.
Thoughts after first reading:
This was a VERY well written book. Great story and awesome characters.
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