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The Remaining #1
The Remaining
In a steel-and-lead-encased bunker 20 feet below the basement level of his house, a soldier waits for his final orders. On the surface, a plague ravages the planet, infecting over 90% of the populace. The bacterium burrows through the brain, destroying all signs of humanity and leaving behind little more than base, prehistoric instincts. The infected turn into hyper-aggressive predators, with an insatiable desire to kill and feed. Someday soon, the soldier will have to open the hatch to his bunker, and step out into this new wasteland, to complete his mission: Subvenire refectus. To rescue and rebuild.
The Remaining is the first book in the best-selling series, which tells a gritty tale of survival, perseverance and fighting to get back what has been lost.
The Remaining is the first book in the best-selling series, which tells a gritty tale of survival, perseverance and fighting to get back what has been lost.
Audiobook
First published January 1, 2012
704 people are currently reading
7609 people want to read
About the author
D.J. Molles
45 books1,426 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 883 reviews
July 2, 2012
Most of my thoughts about this book can be simplified into one word: NO. The plot wasn't good. The writing was worse. The characters were not endearing. The protagonist is dumb and impossible for me to root for.
I feel that the author didn't really think everything through. The United States Army built a fortified bunker for Captain Lee Harden, but built it such that the only entrance was from inside the basement of Harden's home. And this bunker did not include any surveillance, which left Harden virtually blind any time he wanted to leave.
Here's another example: Harden felt that satellite phones would be useless because "it was likely that the satellites they used would fall out of orbit without human intervention." At the same time, however, his GPS device was "his bread and butter, the life blood of his mission."
I can't see Harden as a hero. I can deal with his naivety and his true believerism, but I cannot deal with his never ending stupidity. Digging graves was careless enough, but attempting to hole up for a night with a group of survivors in a house whose patio door had been destroyed was too ridiculous to take seriously. But then it got worse because Harden then led the survivors to spend a night sleeping in the cab of a pickup truck with a guy who had been bitten! Of this arrangement, the author wrote, "Their dreams were dark and hazy and filled with fear and hope. They slept unaware that fate would not allow all of them to reach Timber Creek alive." Of course not…one of them was already known to be infected! Come on, man. This book was too much.
Also, the author could have used a better editor. I understand that not everyone can afford a top-notch editor, but any author can have at least one friend who knows how to construct a sentence so that it actually conveys the author's intended idea or can let the author know that he failed to actually introduce two of his characters.
The premise was good, but the execution left a lot to be desired. Just not good.
I feel that the author didn't really think everything through. The United States Army built a fortified bunker for Captain Lee Harden, but built it such that the only entrance was from inside the basement of Harden's home. And this bunker did not include any surveillance, which left Harden virtually blind any time he wanted to leave.
Here's another example: Harden felt that satellite phones would be useless because "it was likely that the satellites they used would fall out of orbit without human intervention." At the same time, however, his GPS device was "his bread and butter, the life blood of his mission."
I can't see Harden as a hero. I can deal with his naivety and his true believerism, but I cannot deal with his never ending stupidity. Digging graves was careless enough, but attempting to hole up for a night with a group of survivors in a house whose patio door had been destroyed was too ridiculous to take seriously. But then it got worse because Harden then led the survivors to spend a night sleeping in the cab of a pickup truck with a guy who had been bitten! Of this arrangement, the author wrote, "Their dreams were dark and hazy and filled with fear and hope. They slept unaware that fate would not allow all of them to reach Timber Creek alive." Of course not…one of them was already known to be infected! Come on, man. This book was too much.
Also, the author could have used a better editor. I understand that not everyone can afford a top-notch editor, but any author can have at least one friend who knows how to construct a sentence so that it actually conveys the author's intended idea or can let the author know that he failed to actually introduce two of his characters.
The premise was good, but the execution left a lot to be desired. Just not good.
December 4, 2023
The Remaining is a fantastic first book in author D.J. Molles' 'Remaining' series. Lots of action and surprises abound.
Narrator Christian Rummel is the perfect choice as the voice for this character-driven, high-intensity zombie thriller - He does not miss a beat.
Narrator Christian Rummel is the perfect choice as the voice for this character-driven, high-intensity zombie thriller - He does not miss a beat.
July 8, 2014
I'm sorry, I really am, but I'm going to have to call it quitsies on this book.
I don't like DNFing books, I've only done it a handful of times in my life, but I really can't go on.
For the last twelve days I have struggled to make myself read more of this book, averaging out at about 5 pages per day.
60 pages in total for those of you playing at home.
I've read 400 to 500 page novels in the space of a couple of days(which, in all honesty, would probably equal one day, had I not been at work for 8+ hours of each of those days, and had to sleep because of said work).
But nothing about this novel grabbed me at all. Except, of course, for the blurb when I requested it from NetGalley.
Now, I love zombies. I love them just as much as the next girl. No, it’s actually a lot more than the average girl; I’m kinda obsessed with zombies. You slap the zombie label on something (oh, damn, now I want a zombie label), and I am THERE.
But this was so… not happening.
There are 48 one person + pet bunkers (because pets are suggested to stop people from going crazy while locked underground for what could be months). This program is not known about outside a super top secret department, and they had to have 48 bunkers to minimise the chances of other departments noticing that there was some money scraped off the top for undisclosed operations.
Because 48 x 1 human 1 pet bunkers is so much more cost effective than 24 x 2 human 1 pet bunkers, or 12 x 4 person 1 pet bunkers…
Each of these bunkers has access to the internet/satellites, but it goes against protocol for the people in the bunkers to talk to each other. They could be punished for doing so without permission.
To an extent I can understand this, insomuch as one person in a bunker freaking out might email other people and start them panicking too. But on the other side of things, wouldn’t letting them communicate with each other help stop the whole cabin fever issue, and also help them to coordinate their mission, should the zombie shit hit the proverbial fan?
I especially found it hard to believe that once Lee KNEW that there was likely no government around, having come face to face with a zombie and seen the deserted world outside before retreating to his bunker, he STILL didn't think "Hey, I should contact the other people and give them a heads up."
The mission of these people is to gather survivors and rebuild, I guess? But, by the sounds of it, there are no WOMEN in any of those 48 bunkers.
Let’s say your Worst Case Scenario isn’t ACTUALLY the WCS, and everyone except those people in bunkers becomes a zombie. How the hell are they supposed to rebuild society to any major extent if they don’t have the option to reproduce, YOU MORONS?
Aaaaaaaaaaanywho.
Then Lee is looking at the supplies he is going to take with him when he embarks on his mission properly, and he puts the satellite phones in his bag, even though he doubts they’ll continue to work forever, as the satellites will likely fall out of orbit due to there being no one to keep an eye on them. But then he talks about how important his GPS is.
You DO know how a GPS works, don’t you, Lee?
There were certain things about the first 60 pages of this book that really annoyed me, but mostly I was overwhelmed with boredom, and by the time the zombies started showing up, I was completely out of fucks to give.
It’s likely I will go back and try and read this book one day, if only to know how it all turns out, but I can’t drag this out for the further six weeks it would take me at the current rate, and I don’t see myself recommending it to anyone.
This proof copy was provided for free by NetGalley and Little, Brown, in exchange for an honest review. Any issues stated in this review may or may not be present in the final copy.
I don't like DNFing books, I've only done it a handful of times in my life, but I really can't go on.
For the last twelve days I have struggled to make myself read more of this book, averaging out at about 5 pages per day.
60 pages in total for those of you playing at home.
I've read 400 to 500 page novels in the space of a couple of days(which, in all honesty, would probably equal one day, had I not been at work for 8+ hours of each of those days, and had to sleep because of said work).
But nothing about this novel grabbed me at all. Except, of course, for the blurb when I requested it from NetGalley.
Now, I love zombies. I love them just as much as the next girl. No, it’s actually a lot more than the average girl; I’m kinda obsessed with zombies. You slap the zombie label on something (oh, damn, now I want a zombie label), and I am THERE.
But this was so… not happening.
The Remaining differs from other zombie books in that the main character actually knows about the virus, knows the cause of the zombie infection, and is told what to expect from the infected long before he ever finds himself in a situation where he might come face to face with any.
He’s had army training, and he’s skilled at surviving, but sometimes he doesn’t think things through, and some other aspects of the story just didn’t make sense.
There are 48 one person + pet bunkers (because pets are suggested to stop people from going crazy while locked underground for what could be months). This program is not known about outside a super top secret department, and they had to have 48 bunkers to minimise the chances of other departments noticing that there was some money scraped off the top for undisclosed operations.
Because 48 x 1 human 1 pet bunkers is so much more cost effective than 24 x 2 human 1 pet bunkers, or 12 x 4 person 1 pet bunkers…
Each of these bunkers has access to the internet/satellites, but it goes against protocol for the people in the bunkers to talk to each other. They could be punished for doing so without permission.
To an extent I can understand this, insomuch as one person in a bunker freaking out might email other people and start them panicking too. But on the other side of things, wouldn’t letting them communicate with each other help stop the whole cabin fever issue, and also help them to coordinate their mission, should the zombie shit hit the proverbial fan?
I especially found it hard to believe that once Lee KNEW that there was likely no government around, having come face to face with a zombie and seen the deserted world outside before retreating to his bunker, he STILL didn't think "Hey, I should contact the other people and give them a heads up."
The mission of these people is to gather survivors and rebuild, I guess? But, by the sounds of it, there are no WOMEN in any of those 48 bunkers.
Let’s say your Worst Case Scenario isn’t ACTUALLY the WCS, and everyone except those people in bunkers becomes a zombie. How the hell are they supposed to rebuild society to any major extent if they don’t have the option to reproduce, YOU MORONS?
Aaaaaaaaaaanywho.
Then Lee is looking at the supplies he is going to take with him when he embarks on his mission properly, and he puts the satellite phones in his bag, even though he doubts they’ll continue to work forever, as the satellites will likely fall out of orbit due to there being no one to keep an eye on them. But then he talks about how important his GPS is.
You DO know how a GPS works, don’t you, Lee?
There were certain things about the first 60 pages of this book that really annoyed me, but mostly I was overwhelmed with boredom, and by the time the zombies started showing up, I was completely out of fucks to give.
It’s likely I will go back and try and read this book one day, if only to know how it all turns out, but I can’t drag this out for the further six weeks it would take me at the current rate, and I don’t see myself recommending it to anyone.
This proof copy was provided for free by NetGalley and Little, Brown, in exchange for an honest review. Any issues stated in this review may or may not be present in the final copy.
January 5, 2016
Standard Zombie Apocalypse fare, but deftly handled. If you’ve ever wondered what The Walking Dead would be like if Rick had been better prepared for the apocalypse, this will be right up your alley.
Hands caked in dried blood reached for him.
Speaking of prepared. This may also be the main Achilles heel of the story, if you were inclined to find fault. The protagonist survives the “end-of-the-world” event by being sequestered in a bunker by the U.S. government as part of a contingency plan for continuing governance...
Was his mission even feasible?
In that moment it felt ridiculous, outlandish, and impossible.
...which seems sillier the more you think about it. It comes across as more of an arrangement of convenience for the author to draw on as the story progresses. All being what it is, however, I'm inclined to give this book the benefit of the doubt because it is a rather atmospheric zombie romp.
Bile rose in the back of his throat, and only after the bitter taste hit his tongue did he notice the overpowering stench. Like rot and body odor and feces.
Some of the real Horror to be found here is generated by the fact that these “zombies” aren’t actually dead. Sometimes they even experience moments of clarity and conscience, which lends an eerie edge to proceedings. Imagine coming to your senses only to realize you have just killed your loved ones and... well, we all know how these zombie stories go. The stuff nightmares are made of.
There was a dark shape behind the dead man, moving up fast.
One of the book’s biggest strengths is the technical aspects of the protagonist’s actions. It would appear the author has some knowledge of military protocol and tactics. Or, he has at least read the handbook. All said, the action sequences make for visceral, realistic (given the circumstances) and exciting reading.
By the way, the standard tropes apply:
1. Be (potentially) more afraid of your fellow humans than of flesh-eating freaks!
2. Headshots, headshots, headshots!
3. Be quiet – it’s the noise that attracts them!
4. The zombie horde!
5. No good deed goes unpunished!
[He] felt like he was running faster than he’d ever run. He felt like the ground was moving underneath him faster than his feet could keep up, like the whole world was a giant treadmill turned up as high as it could go.
In the end, I found this book to be very exciting rather than outright scary. Is there a genre like Action Horror? Expect sweaty palms.
The Remaining isn’t a world changing literary achievement, but I would lie if I said I didn’t enjoy it. In closing I'll just mention that the author holds the reader hostage with a doozy of a cliffhanger (unasked for, if you ask me), so you may want the next book close by when you read this.
Both of them looked out into the darkness.
In the sterling moonlight, the shapes were hard to make out among all the trees, but [he] could see the movement, distinctly human, and distinctly predatory.
Hands caked in dried blood reached for him.
Speaking of prepared. This may also be the main Achilles heel of the story, if you were inclined to find fault. The protagonist survives the “end-of-the-world” event by being sequestered in a bunker by the U.S. government as part of a contingency plan for continuing governance...
Was his mission even feasible?
In that moment it felt ridiculous, outlandish, and impossible.
...which seems sillier the more you think about it. It comes across as more of an arrangement of convenience for the author to draw on as the story progresses. All being what it is, however, I'm inclined to give this book the benefit of the doubt because it is a rather atmospheric zombie romp.
Bile rose in the back of his throat, and only after the bitter taste hit his tongue did he notice the overpowering stench. Like rot and body odor and feces.
Some of the real Horror to be found here is generated by the fact that these “zombies” aren’t actually dead. Sometimes they even experience moments of clarity and conscience, which lends an eerie edge to proceedings. Imagine coming to your senses only to realize you have just killed your loved ones and... well, we all know how these zombie stories go. The stuff nightmares are made of.
There was a dark shape behind the dead man, moving up fast.
One of the book’s biggest strengths is the technical aspects of the protagonist’s actions. It would appear the author has some knowledge of military protocol and tactics. Or, he has at least read the handbook. All said, the action sequences make for visceral, realistic (given the circumstances) and exciting reading.
By the way, the standard tropes apply:
1. Be (potentially) more afraid of your fellow humans than of flesh-eating freaks!
2. Headshots, headshots, headshots!
3. Be quiet – it’s the noise that attracts them!
4. The zombie horde!
5. No good deed goes unpunished!
[He] felt like he was running faster than he’d ever run. He felt like the ground was moving underneath him faster than his feet could keep up, like the whole world was a giant treadmill turned up as high as it could go.
In the end, I found this book to be very exciting rather than outright scary. Is there a genre like Action Horror? Expect sweaty palms.
The Remaining isn’t a world changing literary achievement, but I would lie if I said I didn’t enjoy it. In closing I'll just mention that the author holds the reader hostage with a doozy of a cliffhanger (unasked for, if you ask me), so you may want the next book close by when you read this.
Both of them looked out into the darkness.
In the sterling moonlight, the shapes were hard to make out among all the trees, but [he] could see the movement, distinctly human, and distinctly predatory.
August 4, 2015
I couldn't find anything really outstanding about this series. It was all things that had been done before.
It reminded me a bit of Walking Dead, so fans of the series may enjoy this. Unfortunately I am not one (don't hurt me!).
It reminded me a bit of Walking Dead, so fans of the series may enjoy this. Unfortunately I am not one (don't hurt me!).
March 31, 2013
The Remaining by D. J. Molles is a digital publishing sensation. It has more than 900 reviews on Amazon and is being filmed as a movie. People who say the Internet hasn’t done much for new authors need to watch this star rise. Author D. J. Molles, has made great use of the Internet to get his book talked-about. You can check out his blog here or Facebook page here. The Remaining is also the best example of TEOTWAWKI (The End OF The World As We Know It) fiction on the market.
Appropriately, the novel begins in an underground bunker. Capt. Lee Harden, United States Army, belongs to a secretive project known as Project Hometown. The government has constructed secure bunkers below ordinary looking buildings in each of the lower 48 states. In the event of a national emergency, an operative will be sequestered in the bunker with secret orders only to be opened if there is no communication with their superior after 48 hours. Each operative, known as a “coordinator”, is to remain in the bunker for 30 days after the last communication from their superior. The bunker has everything needed to keep the operative safe and secure for the duration of the emergency.
Harden is in the bunker this time with his trained dog, Tango. He’s been sent down into it because a new plague has broken out. This is not the first time he’s been sent down in the bunker and Harden expects the whole emergency will end shortly, as it usually does. Shortly after his descent, most of the news feeds begin to go out. All he can do is stare at a plaque which reads “The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday”. After waiting the required length of time, he opens the box where his orders are stored, finds a thumb-drive in it, and loads the drive on his computer.
What he discovers is the nature of the plague. Known as Febrile Urocanic Reactive Yersinia (FURY), a new bacterial disease is raging across the United States. Incubation is within 24 to 48 hours. There is no known cure. Victims begin to loose their ability to reason and turn into predatory animals, attacking anything in sight. In essence, the Zombie Apocalypse has begun (although in all fairness, the world “zombie” is never used in the book).
His mission has begun: link-up with groups of survivors and restore order.
The novel spends a lot of time discussing the various weapons and supplies Harden takes with him to the surface. The author has done his homework extensively in this area. For instance, did you know a polymer magazine is prefered for an M4 assault rifle because it can carry 30 rounds and won’t jam? I didn’t. Finally, before the 30-day mark, he suits up in his chemical warfare gear and leaves the bunker.
He’s nearly killed by a screaming infected with a knife, but manages to take her down. Mofett is good at foreshadowing the action, such as noting the area around the house was trampled, which should have warned Harden. He does learn a valuable lesson: the infected have incredible strength and won’t respond to pain. The best way to take them down is a shot to the head.
The remainder of the book has Harden on the move constantly, helping people when he can. Not only are the infected a threat, but the world is running rampant with warlords and savages. He barely manages to save the life of a young boy whose father is gunned down by crazed rednecks. Again, the detail in Harden’s techniques on taking out an opposing force are incredibly detailed.
The novel never lets up. Just as soon as you think Harden and the survivors he’s helping are in for a moment of peace, something else attacks. It can be mobs of the infected or warlords with captured weapons. This book is relentless. I read it in one day. It never fails to hold your attention.
The author has some insight into combat as well:
"…A gunfight was a game of chess
that happened in the span of a few short seconds. You didn’t have time to
think, so you made your moves and hoped your training and instincts were better
than the other guy’s. At that brief second in time, Lee knew the initiative and
the advantage had gone to his attacker and that if he waited too long, he
wouldn’t be able to get it back."
There are two more books in the series. Molles is writing the fourth one currently. He’s also announced he may end the series at book five. The Remaining is an excellent first book from a new author. Highly recommended.
Appropriately, the novel begins in an underground bunker. Capt. Lee Harden, United States Army, belongs to a secretive project known as Project Hometown. The government has constructed secure bunkers below ordinary looking buildings in each of the lower 48 states. In the event of a national emergency, an operative will be sequestered in the bunker with secret orders only to be opened if there is no communication with their superior after 48 hours. Each operative, known as a “coordinator”, is to remain in the bunker for 30 days after the last communication from their superior. The bunker has everything needed to keep the operative safe and secure for the duration of the emergency.
Harden is in the bunker this time with his trained dog, Tango. He’s been sent down into it because a new plague has broken out. This is not the first time he’s been sent down in the bunker and Harden expects the whole emergency will end shortly, as it usually does. Shortly after his descent, most of the news feeds begin to go out. All he can do is stare at a plaque which reads “The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday”. After waiting the required length of time, he opens the box where his orders are stored, finds a thumb-drive in it, and loads the drive on his computer.
What he discovers is the nature of the plague. Known as Febrile Urocanic Reactive Yersinia (FURY), a new bacterial disease is raging across the United States. Incubation is within 24 to 48 hours. There is no known cure. Victims begin to loose their ability to reason and turn into predatory animals, attacking anything in sight. In essence, the Zombie Apocalypse has begun (although in all fairness, the world “zombie” is never used in the book).
His mission has begun: link-up with groups of survivors and restore order.
The novel spends a lot of time discussing the various weapons and supplies Harden takes with him to the surface. The author has done his homework extensively in this area. For instance, did you know a polymer magazine is prefered for an M4 assault rifle because it can carry 30 rounds and won’t jam? I didn’t. Finally, before the 30-day mark, he suits up in his chemical warfare gear and leaves the bunker.
He’s nearly killed by a screaming infected with a knife, but manages to take her down. Mofett is good at foreshadowing the action, such as noting the area around the house was trampled, which should have warned Harden. He does learn a valuable lesson: the infected have incredible strength and won’t respond to pain. The best way to take them down is a shot to the head.
The remainder of the book has Harden on the move constantly, helping people when he can. Not only are the infected a threat, but the world is running rampant with warlords and savages. He barely manages to save the life of a young boy whose father is gunned down by crazed rednecks. Again, the detail in Harden’s techniques on taking out an opposing force are incredibly detailed.
The novel never lets up. Just as soon as you think Harden and the survivors he’s helping are in for a moment of peace, something else attacks. It can be mobs of the infected or warlords with captured weapons. This book is relentless. I read it in one day. It never fails to hold your attention.
The author has some insight into combat as well:
"…A gunfight was a game of chess
that happened in the span of a few short seconds. You didn’t have time to
think, so you made your moves and hoped your training and instincts were better
than the other guy’s. At that brief second in time, Lee knew the initiative and
the advantage had gone to his attacker and that if he waited too long, he
wouldn’t be able to get it back."
There are two more books in the series. Molles is writing the fourth one currently. He’s also announced he may end the series at book five. The Remaining is an excellent first book from a new author. Highly recommended.
May 21, 2014
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...
The Remaining is a great zombie book. Originally self-published in 2012, it quickly became an internet bestseller before being picked up by Orbit, and there’s a damn good reason for that. By now you’ve probably seen a lot of the positive reviews it has garnered, though I’m willing to bet few of them have praised this story for being terribly original. But does that make this a bad book? Heck no. In fact, I would argue that its devotion to the classic zombie survival-horror tradition is a massive part of the appeal.
The Walking Dead fans, this one would be right up your alley. No joke. The “zombies” in this book might not be the traditional mindless shambling hordes we’re used to seeing – the victims of the FURY plague are still capable of talking and strategizing up to a point before the virus degrades their brains (which makes them even more terrifying) – but the overall spirit and style of the narrative is still the same. It’s not out to knock you off your feet with any new or unusual or experimental ideas, but if its goal is to provide a fast-moving, action-packed and entertaining zombie story then I must say it has succeeded rather swimmingly.
Here’s what you basically need to know: the main character of The Remaining is a US Army captain named Lee Harden, who as part of a secret government program is sequestered in his bunker after the sudden outbreak of a new deadly and infectious virus. It’s not the first time this has happened. Lee and about four dozen other soldiers like him (one for every state) are placed in their bunkers every time the country experiences an emergency of national crisis. If the government falls, their job is to come out after the bunker, take stock of the situation and try to gather survivors in order to rebuild. But things in the past have never gone so far or gotten this bad before. When the lockdown period passes without an all-clear or any further instructions from his superiors, Lee emerges from the bunker and prepares to start his mission.
As a character, Lee took a while to grow on me – but he did. Strangely, the moment came when I was finally able to appreciate his faults. To understand, you must realize the few chapters really tried my patience. The entire lockdown period featured Lee being in denial, going back and forth between his decisions and second guessing his instructions. And then there were those long and wearying paragraphs about his guns. The deadline came and went. I kept tapping my foot waiting for him to stop describing the contents of his impressive arsenal, get his waffling butt out there and actually put all that stuff to good use on some hapless Infected.
Then I realized, I was being too harsh. Dude is stuck in a bunker. Not knowing what’s going on because he’s cut off from all communication. No human interaction at all because it’s just him and his dog. If the world outside has indeed gone to hell in a hand basket, he’s probably also scared to death of the responsibility waiting for him on the other side of that tunnel.
So maybe I was being a tad unfair to poor Lee. And really, what a shame it would have been if he was just another archetypal action hero, full of empty bravado rushing out headfirst to save the world? Lee is more realistic this way, even if he did end up doing some questionable things. But then, who wouldn’t make a mistake in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Contrary to what all the zombie survival guides want you to believe, there's no instruction manual for stuff like this. Wrong decisions or no, Lee has to make some pretty tough calls as well. The guy has a good heart, but he's sure as hell also capable of showing no mercy to those who don’t deserve it. I love that in his character.
Bottom line, if you’re a fan of type of zombie apocalypse survival movies that Hollywood does so well, this is that in book form. After a relatively sedate start, the novel picks up and will not slow down, with always some kind of disaster or new setback waiting around the corner for the characters to overcome. No other bells and whistles or fancy-schmancy embellishments, just pure zombie fiction fun.
The Remaining is a great zombie book. Originally self-published in 2012, it quickly became an internet bestseller before being picked up by Orbit, and there’s a damn good reason for that. By now you’ve probably seen a lot of the positive reviews it has garnered, though I’m willing to bet few of them have praised this story for being terribly original. But does that make this a bad book? Heck no. In fact, I would argue that its devotion to the classic zombie survival-horror tradition is a massive part of the appeal.
The Walking Dead fans, this one would be right up your alley. No joke. The “zombies” in this book might not be the traditional mindless shambling hordes we’re used to seeing – the victims of the FURY plague are still capable of talking and strategizing up to a point before the virus degrades their brains (which makes them even more terrifying) – but the overall spirit and style of the narrative is still the same. It’s not out to knock you off your feet with any new or unusual or experimental ideas, but if its goal is to provide a fast-moving, action-packed and entertaining zombie story then I must say it has succeeded rather swimmingly.
Here’s what you basically need to know: the main character of The Remaining is a US Army captain named Lee Harden, who as part of a secret government program is sequestered in his bunker after the sudden outbreak of a new deadly and infectious virus. It’s not the first time this has happened. Lee and about four dozen other soldiers like him (one for every state) are placed in their bunkers every time the country experiences an emergency of national crisis. If the government falls, their job is to come out after the bunker, take stock of the situation and try to gather survivors in order to rebuild. But things in the past have never gone so far or gotten this bad before. When the lockdown period passes without an all-clear or any further instructions from his superiors, Lee emerges from the bunker and prepares to start his mission.
As a character, Lee took a while to grow on me – but he did. Strangely, the moment came when I was finally able to appreciate his faults. To understand, you must realize the few chapters really tried my patience. The entire lockdown period featured Lee being in denial, going back and forth between his decisions and second guessing his instructions. And then there were those long and wearying paragraphs about his guns. The deadline came and went. I kept tapping my foot waiting for him to stop describing the contents of his impressive arsenal, get his waffling butt out there and actually put all that stuff to good use on some hapless Infected.
Then I realized, I was being too harsh. Dude is stuck in a bunker. Not knowing what’s going on because he’s cut off from all communication. No human interaction at all because it’s just him and his dog. If the world outside has indeed gone to hell in a hand basket, he’s probably also scared to death of the responsibility waiting for him on the other side of that tunnel.
So maybe I was being a tad unfair to poor Lee. And really, what a shame it would have been if he was just another archetypal action hero, full of empty bravado rushing out headfirst to save the world? Lee is more realistic this way, even if he did end up doing some questionable things. But then, who wouldn’t make a mistake in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Contrary to what all the zombie survival guides want you to believe, there's no instruction manual for stuff like this. Wrong decisions or no, Lee has to make some pretty tough calls as well. The guy has a good heart, but he's sure as hell also capable of showing no mercy to those who don’t deserve it. I love that in his character.
Bottom line, if you’re a fan of type of zombie apocalypse survival movies that Hollywood does so well, this is that in book form. After a relatively sedate start, the novel picks up and will not slow down, with always some kind of disaster or new setback waiting around the corner for the characters to overcome. No other bells and whistles or fancy-schmancy embellishments, just pure zombie fiction fun.
October 1, 2018
Not much to say about this except it's pretty much everything you might expect in a short zombie apocalypse survival novel.
It may as well be Fallout-lite. No hibernation to wake from your Vault 200 years later, but we've got a personal-bunker action, a friendly neighborhood spiderman/boogeyman military type going to ground to re-emerge from the horrors of the zombie outbreak, and the usual picking up of stragglers kind of Walking Dead-type action. :)
Nothing new under the sun?
Nope.
But the joy is in how fast and unencumbered the text is. Stick with the fun stuff, move fast, fast, fast, and SURVIVE.
In other words, this is just right for October. :)
It may as well be Fallout-lite. No hibernation to wake from your Vault 200 years later, but we've got a personal-bunker action, a friendly neighborhood spiderman/boogeyman military type going to ground to re-emerge from the horrors of the zombie outbreak, and the usual picking up of stragglers kind of Walking Dead-type action. :)
Nothing new under the sun?
Nope.
But the joy is in how fast and unencumbered the text is. Stick with the fun stuff, move fast, fast, fast, and SURVIVE.
In other words, this is just right for October. :)
March 13, 2013
*Contains very minor spoilers*
Unfortunately, the technical errors in this book were so rampant that they ruined the story for me.
There are vocabulary and grammatical errors ("anyways" should be "anyway;" he vs. him, etc.), as well as punctuation issues (what was written as "Peterson's" should have actually been Petersons or Petersons' most of the time, as well as other inappropriate apostrophes and commas in other places). There are also problems with spelling consistency (The girl's name is spelled both "Abby" and "Abbey"; Jack's last name is first "Burnside" and then Burnsides). And probably one of the worst errors: a chapter name is spelled incorrectly! Some of these are very elementary errors that should have been found by any decent proofreader. I firmly believe that someone who is going to self-publish must have a better grasp on grammar and punctuation, or must put forth the effort to have their work reviewed by someone who does.
Professional editors exist for a reason. I really think that if this book had been professionally edited, it would have been MUCH better. Unfortunately, if the author self-publishes the next book(s) in this saga, I will not be reading them.
There were also plot and character issues. Lee is supposed to be highly trained but makes some really stupid decisions and seems to act based on emotion rather than training. Some of the things he says in his internal monologue make him seem rather mentally unprepared for his mission. His dog also did not act like a highly trained military dog. You don't have to give those dogs the same command multiple times or physically force them to do something (i.e. pull them off a target). Not to mention there is a massive plot flaw: why didn't the infecteds just use the ladder to get on the roof???
I really can't believe this book has such a high rating. This was, unfortunately, one of the most poorly executed books I've ever read.
Unfortunately, the technical errors in this book were so rampant that they ruined the story for me.
There are vocabulary and grammatical errors ("anyways" should be "anyway;" he vs. him, etc.), as well as punctuation issues (what was written as "Peterson's" should have actually been Petersons or Petersons' most of the time, as well as other inappropriate apostrophes and commas in other places). There are also problems with spelling consistency (The girl's name is spelled both "Abby" and "Abbey"; Jack's last name is first "Burnside" and then Burnsides). And probably one of the worst errors: a chapter name is spelled incorrectly! Some of these are very elementary errors that should have been found by any decent proofreader. I firmly believe that someone who is going to self-publish must have a better grasp on grammar and punctuation, or must put forth the effort to have their work reviewed by someone who does.
Professional editors exist for a reason. I really think that if this book had been professionally edited, it would have been MUCH better. Unfortunately, if the author self-publishes the next book(s) in this saga, I will not be reading them.
There were also plot and character issues. Lee is supposed to be highly trained but makes some really stupid decisions and seems to act based on emotion rather than training. Some of the things he says in his internal monologue make him seem rather mentally unprepared for his mission. His dog also did not act like a highly trained military dog. You don't have to give those dogs the same command multiple times or physically force them to do something (i.e. pull them off a target). Not to mention there is a massive plot flaw: why didn't the infecteds just use the ladder to get on the roof???
I really can't believe this book has such a high rating. This was, unfortunately, one of the most poorly executed books I've ever read.
January 26, 2013
This book was a short, quick read. Unfortunately, it really felt like it was basically just one cliche after another, and the characters were all 1-dimensional tropes. I think these types of characters work better in things like games and action movies.
One thing that really annoyed me about this book was the way the author would suddenly shift perspectives for no good reason at all. Sometimes, he would shift out to an omniscient 3rd person view, just to say something like, "Little did he know it would be a terrible mistake." Something like that. I can't quote it verbatim off the top of my head, but you get the idea. It was jarring and unnecessary.
The book is based on a fairly typical end of the world, zombie-plague scenario, such as you might find in The Walking Dead, or any number of movies/games, but it doesn't feel like it's been thought out as well as it could have been.
Am I honestly supposed to believe that this guy is in this amazing, state-of-the-art bunker, but that he has no cameras to monitor the outside? He's humanity's last hope in an apocalypse-proof bunker. That sounds pretty fancy to me. Honestly, I wouldn't think it too far-fetched if they'd set him up with a sweet drone that he could operate from the safety of his own bunker, but apparently it's too much to ask for a simple camera. Hell, this guy doesn't even have a short-wave radio.
He doesn't know how the disease is transmitted, but he doesn't hesitate to take his mask off at the earliest opportunity. He gets zombie blood all over his face, and it never crosses his mind that he might be infected. Also, for a soldier with such super elite training, he sure makes some baffling mistakes. I won't go into it too much, but it really feels contrived at times.
There are a lot of holes. There were even a few really glaring grammatical errors that didn't seem to be mere typos. At times, it felt like I was reading a novelization of someone's favorite zombie shooter game.
Having said that, I'm starting to feel a little guilty for having such harsh criticisms, so I've edited this review a bit because I really was being kind of a butt about the whole thing. Honestly, this would work a lot better as a comic book or video game. The action sequences, in particular, I thought would have worked better with visuals. I don't need a play-by-play description of a zombie shootout. It'd even work better as a movie, or maybe a cable TV series or something. It's just not fleshed out enough to be a successful novel to me.
The author seems to have a good sense of how to construct a story. The big picture fit together well enough, and the premise was interesting. I think maybe it would have benefited from having more really honest alpha readers who are willing to read with a critical eye in order to point out flaws and things that didn't make much sense from a reader's perspective.
One thing that really annoyed me about this book was the way the author would suddenly shift perspectives for no good reason at all. Sometimes, he would shift out to an omniscient 3rd person view, just to say something like, "Little did he know it would be a terrible mistake." Something like that. I can't quote it verbatim off the top of my head, but you get the idea. It was jarring and unnecessary.
The book is based on a fairly typical end of the world, zombie-plague scenario, such as you might find in The Walking Dead, or any number of movies/games, but it doesn't feel like it's been thought out as well as it could have been.
Am I honestly supposed to believe that this guy is in this amazing, state-of-the-art bunker, but that he has no cameras to monitor the outside? He's humanity's last hope in an apocalypse-proof bunker. That sounds pretty fancy to me. Honestly, I wouldn't think it too far-fetched if they'd set him up with a sweet drone that he could operate from the safety of his own bunker, but apparently it's too much to ask for a simple camera. Hell, this guy doesn't even have a short-wave radio.
He doesn't know how the disease is transmitted, but he doesn't hesitate to take his mask off at the earliest opportunity. He gets zombie blood all over his face, and it never crosses his mind that he might be infected. Also, for a soldier with such super elite training, he sure makes some baffling mistakes. I won't go into it too much, but it really feels contrived at times.
There are a lot of holes. There were even a few really glaring grammatical errors that didn't seem to be mere typos. At times, it felt like I was reading a novelization of someone's favorite zombie shooter game.
Having said that, I'm starting to feel a little guilty for having such harsh criticisms, so I've edited this review a bit because I really was being kind of a butt about the whole thing. Honestly, this would work a lot better as a comic book or video game. The action sequences, in particular, I thought would have worked better with visuals. I don't need a play-by-play description of a zombie shootout. It'd even work better as a movie, or maybe a cable TV series or something. It's just not fleshed out enough to be a successful novel to me.
The author seems to have a good sense of how to construct a story. The big picture fit together well enough, and the premise was interesting. I think maybe it would have benefited from having more really honest alpha readers who are willing to read with a critical eye in order to point out flaws and things that didn't make much sense from a reader's perspective.
September 10, 2016
Not a horrible book, in the end, but there are some simply shocking plot inconsistencies that truly end up breaking the narrative's spell at a number of points. Did the author have no one read this over? Did the AUTHOR bother to read this over, start to finish?
IN FACT, the inconsistencies are so bad that there is one in the first sentence of the GoodReads description-- stating that the bunker is 40ft under his house, when the book only says 20ft.
Not at all convinced I want to bother with the rest of the series.
*Spoilers below*
The worst inconsistency for me was the very clear warning in the mission run down at the beginning that, even before showing any symptoms, "the infected are highly contagious" and the multiple pleas for extreme precautions around anyone even possibly infected. Later in the book the Lee apparently had completely forgotten about this, because "he knew he could not catch the plague simply from sitting next to Jack." I'm sorry, what? In addition to that, Lee had a major revelation that his neighbor had been bitten and then turned within hours (and was thankful to him for this important information) and yet after Jack is bitten Lee invites him to spend the night in the cab of a truck with he and three helpless civilians-- forget the fact that he would be highly contagious, but he's trusting that Jack won't "turn" and rip them all to shreds in their sleep?
A number of decisions make simply no practical or tactical sense, and I'm sure there would be countless other ways to up the tension without such glaring mistakes.
IN FACT, the inconsistencies are so bad that there is one in the first sentence of the GoodReads description-- stating that the bunker is 40ft under his house, when the book only says 20ft.
Not at all convinced I want to bother with the rest of the series.
*Spoilers below*
The worst inconsistency for me was the very clear warning in the mission run down at the beginning that, even before showing any symptoms, "the infected are highly contagious" and the multiple pleas for extreme precautions around anyone even possibly infected. Later in the book the Lee apparently had completely forgotten about this, because "he knew he could not catch the plague simply from sitting next to Jack." I'm sorry, what? In addition to that, Lee had a major revelation that his neighbor had been bitten and then turned within hours (and was thankful to him for this important information) and yet after Jack is bitten Lee invites him to spend the night in the cab of a truck with he and three helpless civilians-- forget the fact that he would be highly contagious, but he's trusting that Jack won't "turn" and rip them all to shreds in their sleep?
A number of decisions make simply no practical or tactical sense, and I'm sure there would be countless other ways to up the tension without such glaring mistakes.
September 25, 2012
I quickly got sucked into this book. The premise is the US government has prepared certain highly trained and well-supplied individuals to prep for a catastrophic event that could bring down the government. Our main protagonist, US Army Captain Lee Harden, is just such a person and he, naturally, never expects such an event to ever happen - but, of course, things do develop and the entire country is overtaken by murderous creatures who have been infected by a mysterious bacterium. This is classic zombie fiction - which enjoys huge popularity these days and DJ Molles knows exactly how to develop characters, tell a deliciously page-turning story and keep us hopping from crisis to crisis wondering how our survivors can possibly escape what seems like certain doom. Death would be a blessing - infection, a nightmare. Zombies aren't the only worry: Other people, under the direction of a maleficent character named Milo, throw a wrench into Captain Harden's tireless efforts. The story reaches a compelling climax - right at the end of the book. Few readers will be able to resist buying the second volume: "The Remaining - Aftermath." But, for $2.99, each of these books is a bargain. At this writing, the book is only available on Kindle.
July 22, 2013
I highly recommend this book.
D.J. Molles is an unknown author (To me anyway). I took a chance and downloaded this novel based on Amazon reader reviews. If you like the "Walking Dead", you'll love "The Remaining". It’s set in present day and in the south. The world has gone to hell because of a contagious bacterium that has spread like wild fire throughout the world. "Captain Lee" is in his government built house / survival bunker. He and 49 other Captains are stationed in each of the fifty states and have one mission; rebuild the United States of America in the event that the U.S. government collapses because of an apocalyptic event.
The "walking" dead in this book don't walk, they run. They are; calculating, vicious, diseased,extremely strong, use weapons and starving for flesh and hunt in packs. In this novel, the "Dead" are not dead. They are not zombies. They are sick. They are our families, neighbors, colleagues and friends and want to eat your fucking heart out of your chest.
Lots of twists and turns.
The author has great knowledge and breathe of scope of U.S. government and military operations.
October 30, 2015
I was going to give this book two stars until I got to the "ending". There was an utter lack of conclusion--the book just stopped. I know it's part of a series but even when series authors write a cliffhanger ending, they bring the story to a good pausing point--ideally there would be SOME sense of resolution and also a compelling reason for the reader to want to continue reading the series. That didn't happen for me with THE REMAINING. The "ending" pissed me off and reinforced that I did not like the book. There just wasn't enough story there to sustain me. I found the few action scenes to be bland. The whole book felt mainly like mediocre filler with shallow characters and lengthy equipment descriptions.
Several other reviewers mentioned the protagonist's stupidity, or issues with plot consistency, and I agree, there were many things that did not make sense.
The Audible version I listened to had a "bonus" at the end--the first part of the second book in the series was included. It didn't change anything for me--I won't be reading the remaining books.
Several other reviewers mentioned the protagonist's stupidity, or issues with plot consistency, and I agree, there were many things that did not make sense.
The Audible version I listened to had a "bonus" at the end--the first part of the second book in the series was included. It didn't change anything for me--I won't be reading the remaining books.
October 22, 2017
I had high hopes for this book in the beginning. A man is one of a few that are kept in bunkers when bad events take place in the US. This last time bad things really did happen. He's been expertly trained for years. So, when he does really stupid things, I'm saying to myself What the Fudge! I wouldn't have done that and I've had zero training.
Here's some of his most stupid actions: 1) Rescues a boy then leaves the boy with his dog saying he'll be back in a couple of hours - not telling the boy it may be longer, that here's where my dog does his business. He just says stay put which of course the kid doesn't do; 2) Doesn't bolt his front door so one of the undead gets in - if this were my guy I'd slap him; 3) Goes to rescue some people stuck on a roof and parks his car in the road thinking it's out in the open and everybody can see it but oh well. He was warned that civilization would deteriorate quickly but he think he's exempt for some reason; 4) Goes to a farm and when the group that stole his truck (yes, the one he left out for everybody to see) shoots the poop out of the house, does he shoot them back? Yes, but he doesn't kill the most experienced (read ex-military) because it doesn't seem right; 5) So, these ex-military guys THAT HE DIDN'T SHOOT just happen to have his REGISTRATION from his truck so they know where to go for vengeance and burn down his wonderful, fully packed with guns, solar panels and food house.
He's the historical romance version of the Too Stupid To Live (TSTL) female character that are so prevelant in those books. If he didn't have this expert training, he would have lasted a minute.
Here's some of his most stupid actions: 1) Rescues a boy then leaves the boy with his dog saying he'll be back in a couple of hours - not telling the boy it may be longer, that here's where my dog does his business. He just says stay put which of course the kid doesn't do; 2) Doesn't bolt his front door so one of the undead gets in - if this were my guy I'd slap him; 3) Goes to rescue some people stuck on a roof and parks his car in the road thinking it's out in the open and everybody can see it but oh well. He was warned that civilization would deteriorate quickly but he think he's exempt for some reason; 4) Goes to a farm and when the group that stole his truck (yes, the one he left out for everybody to see) shoots the poop out of the house, does he shoot them back? Yes, but he doesn't kill the most experienced (read ex-military) because it doesn't seem right; 5) So, these ex-military guys THAT HE DIDN'T SHOOT just happen to have his REGISTRATION from his truck so they know where to go for vengeance and burn down his wonderful, fully packed with guns, solar panels and food house.
He's the historical romance version of the Too Stupid To Live (TSTL) female character that are so prevelant in those books. If he didn't have this expert training, he would have lasted a minute.
October 4, 2015
This was an okay book, but reminds me why I don't read zombie books often. They are dark, depressing, disturbing, and generally don't end well. The world in them usually doesn't improve and only gets worse. This one was also really graphic at times and kind of made me ill with some descriptions of what bullets do to people. I can be trusted to know what they'll do without this. The satellites falling out of the sky issue stuck out for me when Lee mentioned the GPS being so important to him. They use satellites to pinpoint locations away from the person using them. It would be a glorified paperweight for him. A lot of Lee's decisions were questionable for me and made me wonder how he made captain. Also, why would the government put him in a bunker with no way to see the outside world, other than by email? If Lee has been in this bunker so many times, I think he would have requested something like this. He can't do his job real well if he goes outside and gets immediately killed by something the camera could have warned him about. I'm curious enough to continue with the series, but the gloom of this book doesn't give me a lot of hope for this world and the books.
COYER - Read a book with a male protagonist - 2 points (Lee Harden, male protagonist)
COYER - Read a book with a male protagonist - 2 points (Lee Harden, male protagonist)
November 9, 2012
Rating: 2.5* out of 5.
Captain Lee sits in a bunker with his dog Tango and suspects the world as he knew has ended. He has orders. After 30 days he is to emerge to try establish law and order, together with one more such coordinator per state. I would have the the United States of America could have afforded to bunker more than one soldier per state - how one person could restore a semblance of order when anarchy has established itself seems highly unrealistic. But I side-track. Anyway, when he emerges Lee tries to do precisely this. A large part of the population has succumbed to a bacteria which has selectively eaten away parts of the brain - removing that which makes us human, but leaving the bits which keeps us alive - breathing, eating, hunting, feeding. It quickly turns out that the worst challenges Lee will face are not the infected, but the rogues.
I love the premise of this book, but the story is quite predictable as such. The infected aren't particularly interesting, I like proper zombies better. It's not a bad book as such. The plot holds well together, it just didn't manage to keep my interest throughout.
Captain Lee sits in a bunker with his dog Tango and suspects the world as he knew has ended. He has orders. After 30 days he is to emerge to try establish law and order, together with one more such coordinator per state. I would have the the United States of America could have afforded to bunker more than one soldier per state - how one person could restore a semblance of order when anarchy has established itself seems highly unrealistic. But I side-track. Anyway, when he emerges Lee tries to do precisely this. A large part of the population has succumbed to a bacteria which has selectively eaten away parts of the brain - removing that which makes us human, but leaving the bits which keeps us alive - breathing, eating, hunting, feeding. It quickly turns out that the worst challenges Lee will face are not the infected, but the rogues.
I love the premise of this book, but the story is quite predictable as such. The infected aren't particularly interesting, I like proper zombies better. It's not a bad book as such. The plot holds well together, it just didn't manage to keep my interest throughout.
July 30, 2013
The storyline is BS, how can 1 soldier do much, where's the special forces? where's the army, if 1 soldier can do all that, then the army with 100000x more people, more firepower, more guns, could have stopped it, if a group of 50 untrained people in a camp can last that long, what about 1000's of soldiers with better equipment, better facilities, yeah, that's why 2 stars, the story line just doesn't make sense, not logical, Author might as well gave Lee special super human powers, would have been more believable
July 6, 2019
5 sexy as fuck talented stars audio.
3 stars story for first few boring chapters at the beginning. Author gives too many unnecessary details. Gonna give book 2 a try because this book ended on a riveting part.
3 stars story for first few boring chapters at the beginning. Author gives too many unnecessary details. Gonna give book 2 a try because this book ended on a riveting part.
December 21, 2013
Mild spoilers but I couldn't finish.
I don't understand the high rating. There were continuity issues. Lee is not believable as a military officer, nor is the premise itself believable.
We meet Lee in his underground bunker waiting to hear from a government official. He doesn't, and 48hrs after not hearing he has to open a secret file that describes the situation that got him sent underground until further notice. It's a virus that has spread. If he's reading this then the government is gone/infected and he's supposed to emerge from his bunker in 30 days and restore order and help survivors.
LEE IS STUPID: First of all. Lee is all scared and anxious about not hearing from his contact. Then after he reads the file, he thinks it can't be that bad. He doesn't obey the order to wait 30 days to exit his bunker and goes out to explore only to get stabbed in the leg right on his front door step by a crazed infected teen aged girl. Stupidity alert!!! The first of many. Why would a highly trained officer get so antsy and not obey orders and then bumble immediately into danger.
INCONSISTENCY IN STORY: The next day he decides to check on his neighbors. Through a window he sees their teen age daughter laying on the couch. He takes of his mask to knock on the window to get her attention. Then the father appears, crazed and infected, and he has to shoot him several times and then he mentioned breathing harshly through his mask. HELLO! He took it off! Which was soooo stupid in the first place. He knows the virus is highly contagious.
I didn't buy that this one dude was supposed to come out of his bunker and restore order to the chaos. I didn't buy that his underground bunker wouldn't include cameras to monitor the house and the perimeter. There are evidently other guys like him in bunkers because he emails a guy to ask "is this real" before he leaves the bunker, but there'e no other coordination or anything. If him or other guys like him were our last hope at restoring order, then I assume they are screwed. oh, yeh, his bunker and house got burned down too. Sigh. lol. I'm glad I only paid 1.99 for this.
I don't understand the high rating. There were continuity issues. Lee is not believable as a military officer, nor is the premise itself believable.
We meet Lee in his underground bunker waiting to hear from a government official. He doesn't, and 48hrs after not hearing he has to open a secret file that describes the situation that got him sent underground until further notice. It's a virus that has spread. If he's reading this then the government is gone/infected and he's supposed to emerge from his bunker in 30 days and restore order and help survivors.
LEE IS STUPID: First of all. Lee is all scared and anxious about not hearing from his contact. Then after he reads the file, he thinks it can't be that bad. He doesn't obey the order to wait 30 days to exit his bunker and goes out to explore only to get stabbed in the leg right on his front door step by a crazed infected teen aged girl. Stupidity alert!!! The first of many. Why would a highly trained officer get so antsy and not obey orders and then bumble immediately into danger.
INCONSISTENCY IN STORY: The next day he decides to check on his neighbors. Through a window he sees their teen age daughter laying on the couch. He takes of his mask to knock on the window to get her attention. Then the father appears, crazed and infected, and he has to shoot him several times and then he mentioned breathing harshly through his mask. HELLO! He took it off! Which was soooo stupid in the first place. He knows the virus is highly contagious.
I didn't buy that this one dude was supposed to come out of his bunker and restore order to the chaos. I didn't buy that his underground bunker wouldn't include cameras to monitor the house and the perimeter. There are evidently other guys like him in bunkers because he emails a guy to ask "is this real" before he leaves the bunker, but there'e no other coordination or anything. If him or other guys like him were our last hope at restoring order, then I assume they are screwed. oh, yeh, his bunker and house got burned down too. Sigh. lol. I'm glad I only paid 1.99 for this.
January 16, 2015
Okay... I have many things that I want to rant and rave about here... and the most important thing to understand is that none of it pertains to this story or the author...
I am so tired of these "people" writing reviews on books that they've either received for free or paid pennies on. They rip these authors apart as if they are writing reviews for some established literary magazine...when in fact, they're just miserable that they can't find the time to start writing in between their busy schedule of making lattes at starbucks or attending the latest fund raiser for "save the tadpole in the rain puddle because he/she have the same rights...
This is a great story. It reminds you all that there is more to life than just accepting what it is you feel it means to be free. All I can say is read the book and decide if you think its worth pushing forward. If you read the reviews and that sways your decision... make sure you realize that there is nobody in this world that can tell you what a good story is other than yourself...
I am so tired of these "people" writing reviews on books that they've either received for free or paid pennies on. They rip these authors apart as if they are writing reviews for some established literary magazine...when in fact, they're just miserable that they can't find the time to start writing in between their busy schedule of making lattes at starbucks or attending the latest fund raiser for "save the tadpole in the rain puddle because he/she have the same rights...
This is a great story. It reminds you all that there is more to life than just accepting what it is you feel it means to be free. All I can say is read the book and decide if you think its worth pushing forward. If you read the reviews and that sways your decision... make sure you realize that there is nobody in this world that can tell you what a good story is other than yourself...
March 5, 2015
Beginnings of zombie books are important because they are where the story often sets itself apart. This book has a few ways, one of which being that I guess it isn't technically a zombie book. The furys are dead people driven by a highly contagious bacteria to kill in as violent and raging a way as possible. Not all are like that, but they are all beyond saving. I liked that little twist, and was often afraid of what they would do. Molles has a solid skill set for creating tension and the narrator does a great job of creating the intended fast-paced tone. This is kind of like the movie version of I am Legend, both in the main character's initial isolation and in the kind of monsters. Kind of.
The story starts out with Lee, a Captain in the US Army, getting the call to head to the bunker built below his house and to await further instructions. His mission's activation means the government has collapsed. Once he is ordered to go to the surface, his mission will be to save what is left of humanity. That may not be the most unique, but I can't think of another zombie story that starts out this way, and it did a great job of evoking the fantasy of what it would feel like to be in his position.
Some have compared this to Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne, one of my favorite zombie novels. One difference is that DbDA is written in journal form. Another, is that DbDA hooked me more than The Remaining. Looking at the elements of each story, they are pretty similar in terms of both having a bunker to wait out the initial hopelessness of the outbreak (though DbDA did have him gathering supplies more and witnessing society crumbling, whereas The Remaining mostly fast forwards through that to him waiting in a bunker, working out and playing video games and wondering what's going on). It could also be that DbDA was one of the first zombie books I read. The Remaining is more serviceable than remarkable. Molles can write a good story, but there isn't a whole lot of new ground broken in this first book. Regardless, I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book. I care about his cast of characters and the mixture of enemies between furies and rouge soldiers has created enough tension for me to want to see what he does next. As I said above, very good job by the narrator. His main gift was in enhancing the tension, something that audiobooks do best and this one is up there with the top of what I've listened to.
The story starts out with Lee, a Captain in the US Army, getting the call to head to the bunker built below his house and to await further instructions. His mission's activation means the government has collapsed. Once he is ordered to go to the surface, his mission will be to save what is left of humanity. That may not be the most unique, but I can't think of another zombie story that starts out this way, and it did a great job of evoking the fantasy of what it would feel like to be in his position.
Some have compared this to Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne, one of my favorite zombie novels. One difference is that DbDA is written in journal form. Another, is that DbDA hooked me more than The Remaining. Looking at the elements of each story, they are pretty similar in terms of both having a bunker to wait out the initial hopelessness of the outbreak (though DbDA did have him gathering supplies more and witnessing society crumbling, whereas The Remaining mostly fast forwards through that to him waiting in a bunker, working out and playing video games and wondering what's going on). It could also be that DbDA was one of the first zombie books I read. The Remaining is more serviceable than remarkable. Molles can write a good story, but there isn't a whole lot of new ground broken in this first book. Regardless, I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book. I care about his cast of characters and the mixture of enemies between furies and rouge soldiers has created enough tension for me to want to see what he does next. As I said above, very good job by the narrator. His main gift was in enhancing the tension, something that audiobooks do best and this one is up there with the top of what I've listened to.
July 25, 2013
Why would I read this book? I read it because it is indeed a fast paced story, no dearth of action, and has the minimum of required plot twists I didn't see coming to keep me turning pages. This story has holes in both character development and story line, but that was okay with me because I didn't want a deep story line with a ton of development. With that caveat in mind, this book could have been top shelf sic-fi had those elements been dealt with. I'll be largely stereotypical here and say that this story would be the male equivalent of a Harlequin romance novel; in place of sex and pseudo romance, there are guns and blood. For whatever reason I was able to put aside the obvious flaws to enjoy a read that seems well worth the price point.
It was maddening at times because of over-used words like 'infected' and 'go-to-hell pack.' You'll see what I mean, and I suspect appreciate that it is too much. I wanted to believe that the main character was indeed special forces, but I just couldn't; like Maxwell Smart used to say, he "Missed it by that much." Again, it was okay once I accepted that because it felt pretty close to my vision of such a warrior, and from my very limited knowledge, if the position did indeed exist, special forces would be the group assigned the task.
This book is a paradox for me, despite the holes myself and others have mentioned, it really was enjoyable to read. I'm into the sequel right now, and the story is unfolding with more characters and of course more bad guys plus infected. If taken for what it is, this book is a fine read, and great for burning a few hours during the summer.
It was maddening at times because of over-used words like 'infected' and 'go-to-hell pack.' You'll see what I mean, and I suspect appreciate that it is too much. I wanted to believe that the main character was indeed special forces, but I just couldn't; like Maxwell Smart used to say, he "Missed it by that much." Again, it was okay once I accepted that because it felt pretty close to my vision of such a warrior, and from my very limited knowledge, if the position did indeed exist, special forces would be the group assigned the task.
This book is a paradox for me, despite the holes myself and others have mentioned, it really was enjoyable to read. I'm into the sequel right now, and the story is unfolding with more characters and of course more bad guys plus infected. If taken for what it is, this book is a fine read, and great for burning a few hours during the summer.
January 18, 2013
3.5
Maybe slight Spoilers as not worked out how to use the spoiler hide feature.
Captain Lee has a mission to emerge and establish law and order to an anarchic state after 30 days in isolation with just his 'specially trained' canine companion. Bit of a tall order for one person even if he is one of the military's special elite. Also Tango is left at every opportunity as its an easier operation without him.
It felt like characters were spliced from other novels/films etc to make it more interesting but without real use or relevance to the story ie, Tango just feels as if he were there for the ahh factor and baby sitter.
There were also a few plot holes which without would have scored a definite 4 with me:
Why with such effort made for a state of the art bunker were there no surveillance camera's strategically placed to see incoming unfriendlies.
I kept asking myself why did he not re-establish contact with his cooperatives in the other states to gather intelligence at the start of his active order before the unfortunate event. Did I miss something.
Why did the undead not use, with their basic intelligence displayed at various other times, the ladder in a particular scene?
Oh yes, there was the shift writing perspective into the 3rd person which irritated me as it pulled me out of the scene. Fortunately this was not a regular feature.
All in all, I do feel mean as I really did enjoy this quick, fast paced read which kept me interested to the end, and up to the early hours reading. I may even read the sequel if I can forgive the aforementioned plot holes.
Maybe slight Spoilers as not worked out how to use the spoiler hide feature.
Captain Lee has a mission to emerge and establish law and order to an anarchic state after 30 days in isolation with just his 'specially trained' canine companion. Bit of a tall order for one person even if he is one of the military's special elite. Also Tango is left at every opportunity as its an easier operation without him.
It felt like characters were spliced from other novels/films etc to make it more interesting but without real use or relevance to the story ie, Tango just feels as if he were there for the ahh factor and baby sitter.
There were also a few plot holes which without would have scored a definite 4 with me:
Why with such effort made for a state of the art bunker were there no surveillance camera's strategically placed to see incoming unfriendlies.
I kept asking myself why did he not re-establish contact with his cooperatives in the other states to gather intelligence at the start of his active order before the unfortunate event. Did I miss something.
Why did the undead not use, with their basic intelligence displayed at various other times, the ladder in a particular scene?
Oh yes, there was the shift writing perspective into the 3rd person which irritated me as it pulled me out of the scene. Fortunately this was not a regular feature.
All in all, I do feel mean as I really did enjoy this quick, fast paced read which kept me interested to the end, and up to the early hours reading. I may even read the sequel if I can forgive the aforementioned plot holes.
January 10, 2013
I'm a big fan of the post apocalyptic genre. I'm also a big fan of zombies. Not all zombie books are post apocalyptic, but this series seems to be what I would consider the best of both worlds.
I really like the characters, and the pace of the books is excellent. Truly masterfully told.
Dialogue is something that I tend to notice as being weak, or unnecessary filler in a lot of books. Certainly not this series. It seems very well done.
The plot kept me interested the whole time. Always wondering what the next chapter had in store.
And I dare say, as far as zombies go, this series does it better than anything I've seen so far. Zombies don't live on endlessly, crawling around with half a body. They're people. They lose enough blood, they die. It's so much more realistic than most of what you see out there.
I love how the zombies (never actually referred to as zombies, which I like) function. I love how terrifying they are compared to anything else I've read. They truly are the most horrifying zombies I've ever seen, and I love it.
I consider The Remaining series among my top 3 favorite reads of all time, right up there with WOOL and Ready Player One.
I hope this series never ends. I'm very impressed by D.J. Molles incredible ability to create and tell a truly unique, captivating, and gripping story.
I really like the characters, and the pace of the books is excellent. Truly masterfully told.
Dialogue is something that I tend to notice as being weak, or unnecessary filler in a lot of books. Certainly not this series. It seems very well done.
The plot kept me interested the whole time. Always wondering what the next chapter had in store.
And I dare say, as far as zombies go, this series does it better than anything I've seen so far. Zombies don't live on endlessly, crawling around with half a body. They're people. They lose enough blood, they die. It's so much more realistic than most of what you see out there.
I love how the zombies (never actually referred to as zombies, which I like) function. I love how terrifying they are compared to anything else I've read. They truly are the most horrifying zombies I've ever seen, and I love it.
I consider The Remaining series among my top 3 favorite reads of all time, right up there with WOOL and Ready Player One.
I hope this series never ends. I'm very impressed by D.J. Molles incredible ability to create and tell a truly unique, captivating, and gripping story.
December 23, 2013
I powered through this in one sitting on the plane.
Here are my gripes:
I wish it were longer. It felt a tiny bit rushed, and I felt ended abruptly without nearly enough story. This felt more like a single episode, rather than a season, if that makes sense.
I didn't care for the ending. Without spoiling it, it's a cliffhanger, and clearly intended for you to read more books to find the resolution. (Having said that, in my movels, I do the same damn thing...)
The main character at one point clearly says he's "not a leader' and yet... He's a Captain. An officer and leader of men literally by trade. It struck me as odd that he'd say that.
Here are the kudos.
I liked it! It was reasonably well written, flowed well, and the action was clear and clean, and wasn't muddled.
I really liked his simple explanation of how the 'zombies' worked. It made enough science sense to feel believable, and was also scary enough to amp up the tension.
The characters were pretty well rounded out, though I think the females could get some serious love in the second book.
All in all, I'd recommend it. I would also seriously consider just buying the first two books at once, because you're going to be pissed when the first book ends.
Here are my gripes:
I wish it were longer. It felt a tiny bit rushed, and I felt ended abruptly without nearly enough story. This felt more like a single episode, rather than a season, if that makes sense.
I didn't care for the ending. Without spoiling it, it's a cliffhanger, and clearly intended for you to read more books to find the resolution. (Having said that, in my movels, I do the same damn thing...)
The main character at one point clearly says he's "not a leader' and yet... He's a Captain. An officer and leader of men literally by trade. It struck me as odd that he'd say that.
Here are the kudos.
I liked it! It was reasonably well written, flowed well, and the action was clear and clean, and wasn't muddled.
I really liked his simple explanation of how the 'zombies' worked. It made enough science sense to feel believable, and was also scary enough to amp up the tension.
The characters were pretty well rounded out, though I think the females could get some serious love in the second book.
All in all, I'd recommend it. I would also seriously consider just buying the first two books at once, because you're going to be pissed when the first book ends.
April 9, 2015
I so much wanted to like this book. The premise and overall idea was so appealing to me. Yet, I has issues with the main character. I was in the Army. I know about following orders. Even questioning certain orders. Yet when it comes down to it, you were given a task. A task that you were chosen for due to physical ability and most importantly psychologically. Having to live in a bunker, even for a few weeks, one has to psychologically pass a battery of tests. I don't care if you're a Navy Seal or Army Ranger. That alone does not mean you can handle that type of environment. Then to have a bunker made by the government that does not have external cameras littered throughout the house while the soldier was enclosed in the bunker.... Sorry doesn't fly with me. That he took as long as he did to finally leave the bunker bothered me. He had a job to do and he was not doing it. Then there's the dog. I have a service dog. A well trained service dog. Maybe later his dog was utilized better or more, but I was having issues with that aspect of the story as well. I did like the way he handled the murderers of the boy's father. I could not bring myself to finish the book. I was just not enjoying it to continue. On to something better that will keep my interest and entertain me.
January 20, 2015
Divergent for the middle-aged man or Hunger Games for the zombie lover. The book reads like it is a Hollywood thriller. The basic premise is that a plague has infected most of the population and, before collapsing, the US Government activated their contingency to combat this situation. The main character is one of the individuals representing the government and trying to build alliances and restore order. Neither of which he does effectively.
There are some narrative shifts that are unnecessary and I felt the use of military acronyms was superfluous because he never used the acronym again.
Entertainment value of this book was a 4. Educational value was a 1 (because I thought it was smart that he had a vitamin D lamp in his bunker). Literary value was a 0.
If you are looking for a mindless Zombie read, this is the book for you! If you are looking for a new spin, good writing, plot twists or character development; keep looking. But then again, would you really expect those things from a Zombie thriller?
There are some narrative shifts that are unnecessary and I felt the use of military acronyms was superfluous because he never used the acronym again.
Entertainment value of this book was a 4. Educational value was a 1 (because I thought it was smart that he had a vitamin D lamp in his bunker). Literary value was a 0.
If you are looking for a mindless Zombie read, this is the book for you! If you are looking for a new spin, good writing, plot twists or character development; keep looking. But then again, would you really expect those things from a Zombie thriller?
March 18, 2013
I really liked this more grim version of a post-apocalyptic world. Of course, as in any other book of this sort, there are a lot of assumptions but all in all the story and the characters are kept realistis. Which means that people die, the so-called hero has doubts, dark moments, gets hurt and needs to be rescued just as much as any other human being.
Now - spoilers! - about the stuff I did not like or understand: 1. Why did they abandon Lee's bunker?! The house was just burnt down! With the villains gone they could have dug through the debris to the bunkers entrance and at least cleared it out! 2. Tango's dead! Somehow I was expecting it but on the other hand I had hope since cross-species transmission of such a plague is very unlikely. I didn't want him to die! T_T
All in all a very good read and I will definitely read the second book as well.
Now - spoilers! - about the stuff I did not like or understand: 1. Why did they abandon Lee's bunker?! The house was just burnt down! With the villains gone they could have dug through the debris to the bunkers entrance and at least cleared it out! 2. Tango's dead! Somehow I was expecting it but on the other hand I had hope since cross-species transmission of such a plague is very unlikely. I didn't want him to die! T_T
All in all a very good read and I will definitely read the second book as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2016
Endless spoilers by the author. Almost every chapter ends with "and he didn't realise what a terrible mistake he had made", "it wouldn't last long", "only fate wouldn't let them make it there alive". Then the next chapter plays out exactly to the spoiler. Did the author find his own book so boring he had to have temptation/spoilers in almost every chapter?
And in less than 30 days almost every single human not yet infected has turned into a monster planning to use and abuse everyone else.
And of course it ended with a cliffhanger.
I won't be wasting my time with any other in this series. I'm bored after book 1.
And in less than 30 days almost every single human not yet infected has turned into a monster planning to use and abuse everyone else.
And of course it ended with a cliffhanger.
I won't be wasting my time with any other in this series. I'm bored after book 1.
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