What do you think?
Rate this book
Dead Highways #1
Dead Highways: Origins
His name is Jimmy. He's twenty-two, skinny, and still a virgin. He has no friends. He lives with his grandma. He works at her used bookstore. He is in every sense of the word ... a loser.
This is your hero.
By his side, a diverse group of survivors, including a cop, a prostitute, a drug dealer, and even a newborn baby. They're crossing the country on a crazy and comical post-apocalyptic adventure, following the infected as they migrate west. That's right, these infected don't just stand around waiting to be stimulated, they're on a mission, and what is guiding them awaits Jimmy and his fellow survivors at the end of these dead highways.
But along the way Jimmy may discover something even greater.
His place in the world. Finally. Even if everyone else is gone.
This is your hero.
By his side, a diverse group of survivors, including a cop, a prostitute, a drug dealer, and even a newborn baby. They're crossing the country on a crazy and comical post-apocalyptic adventure, following the infected as they migrate west. That's right, these infected don't just stand around waiting to be stimulated, they're on a mission, and what is guiding them awaits Jimmy and his fellow survivors at the end of these dead highways.
But along the way Jimmy may discover something even greater.
His place in the world. Finally. Even if everyone else is gone.
257 pages, ebook
First published November 30, 2012
75 people are currently reading
1005 people want to read
About the author
Richard Brown
12 books62 followersNew YA book, I'LL BRING YOU BACK, coming Dec 17, 2019.
Richard Brown is the author of five novels, including the post-apocalyptic series, Dead Highways. He has also published a collection of poetry and a short graphic novel. When he’s not writing, Richard enjoys spending time with his family, studying history and economics, and playing board games.
Richard Brown is the author of five novels, including the post-apocalyptic series, Dead Highways. He has also published a collection of poetry and a short graphic novel. When he’s not writing, Richard enjoys spending time with his family, studying history and economics, and playing board games.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
June 11, 2013
For the record, the author provided me with a free copy of Volume 1 in exchange for an honest review. I am, by no means, a zombie book expert, but have read my share of them. "Dead Highways" is different from many other books in this genre. It starts out slow, following the exploits of the naive main character, Jimmy, as he struggles through his mundane existence. He lives with his grandmother in an apartment above her used bookstore, earning his keep by helping her with the store. The author uses much of the first installment in the series to introduce the other characters and the virus epidemic. In this case, much of the population succumbs, bodies lie everywhere, they are still alive, but in a deep coma. Groups of scrounging survivors band together and plan to wait out the epidemic.
Suddenly, the comatose victims awake, all appearing normal, except for their eyes and an insatiable hunger for uninfected human food. Once bitten or killed by these zombies, victims are usually devoured without the opportunity to reanimate...once dead, remain dead. Zombies can't speak, but somehow, are able to communicate with one another; unlike other zombie books, these are fast, strong, able to learn, reason and plan coordinated attacks on the living. The group soon finds their safe haven breached and must go on the run, picking up other survivors as they go.
I had laughed out loud several times when reading as the author is extremely witty, catching me unprepared for the off-the-wall banter. "Dead Highways" is an easy and fast read, each installment ending with a cliff hanger. I am glad that I was able to read the entire first three installments together and not have to wait a period of time to see what happens next. However, I was not prepared to find another "cliff hanger" at the end, thus prompting the reader to purchase installment 4. In my opinion, none of the installments can stand alone as a short story because of their dependency upon one another. I prefer to read a complete story and not segments as they become available. With the abundance of "free" Kindle books, the author is at risk of either losing a reader because they aren't watching for the release of the next installment...or has simply lost interest. This is the only reason I didn't rate this book five stars. I do recommend "Dead Highways" to those who want to read a zombie story with a different twist! Great job, Mr. Brown!
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
Suddenly, the comatose victims awake, all appearing normal, except for their eyes and an insatiable hunger for uninfected human food. Once bitten or killed by these zombies, victims are usually devoured without the opportunity to reanimate...once dead, remain dead. Zombies can't speak, but somehow, are able to communicate with one another; unlike other zombie books, these are fast, strong, able to learn, reason and plan coordinated attacks on the living. The group soon finds their safe haven breached and must go on the run, picking up other survivors as they go.
I had laughed out loud several times when reading as the author is extremely witty, catching me unprepared for the off-the-wall banter. "Dead Highways" is an easy and fast read, each installment ending with a cliff hanger. I am glad that I was able to read the entire first three installments together and not have to wait a period of time to see what happens next. However, I was not prepared to find another "cliff hanger" at the end, thus prompting the reader to purchase installment 4. In my opinion, none of the installments can stand alone as a short story because of their dependency upon one another. I prefer to read a complete story and not segments as they become available. With the abundance of "free" Kindle books, the author is at risk of either losing a reader because they aren't watching for the release of the next installment...or has simply lost interest. This is the only reason I didn't rate this book five stars. I do recommend "Dead Highways" to those who want to read a zombie story with a different twist! Great job, Mr. Brown!
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
August 3, 2016
-Otro apocalipsis más.-
Género. Relato.
Lo que nos cuenta. Un día antes de San Valentín, nuestro protagonista y narrador, Jimmy, trata de comprar un arma sin saber mucho de ellas pero por necesidad, hecho muy obvio que despierta la compasión del responsable de la tienda, que le lleva a la línea de tiro adyacente a la tienda y le explica todo, empezando por cómo se carga. Y es que Jimmy siente que necesitará un arma porque, al volver a la librería en cuyo piso superior vive, ve cómo un hombre agrede a una mujer, por la que se interesa por su estado. La muchacha, conocida como Peaches, resulta ser una prostituta cuyo proxeneta, el agresor llamado Bad Moses, quiere cobrar por unos servicios que Peaches no ha llevado a cabo. Ah, que casi se me olvida, que lo sepan, al fondo hay noticias sobre algún tipo de plaga que moviliza a las fuerzas del orden. Libro también conocido como “Dead Highways: Origins”, primer libro de la serie Dead Highways.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Relato.
Lo que nos cuenta. Un día antes de San Valentín, nuestro protagonista y narrador, Jimmy, trata de comprar un arma sin saber mucho de ellas pero por necesidad, hecho muy obvio que despierta la compasión del responsable de la tienda, que le lleva a la línea de tiro adyacente a la tienda y le explica todo, empezando por cómo se carga. Y es que Jimmy siente que necesitará un arma porque, al volver a la librería en cuyo piso superior vive, ve cómo un hombre agrede a una mujer, por la que se interesa por su estado. La muchacha, conocida como Peaches, resulta ser una prostituta cuyo proxeneta, el agresor llamado Bad Moses, quiere cobrar por unos servicios que Peaches no ha llevado a cabo. Ah, que casi se me olvida, que lo sepan, al fondo hay noticias sobre algún tipo de plaga que moviliza a las fuerzas del orden. Libro también conocido como “Dead Highways: Origins”, primer libro de la serie Dead Highways.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
August 11, 2016
-Otro apocalipsis más.-
Género. Relato.
Lo que nos cuenta. Un día antes de San Valentín, nuestro protagonista y narrador, Jimmy, trata de comprar un arma sin saber mucho de ellas pero por necesidad, hecho muy obvio que despierta la compasión del responsable de la tienda, que le lleva a la línea de tiro adyacente a la tienda y le explica todo, empezando por cómo se carga. Y es que Jimmy siente que necesitará un arma porque, al volver a la librería en cuyo piso superior vive, ve cómo un hombre agrede a una mujer, por la que se interesa por su estado. La muchacha, conocida como Peaches, resulta ser una prostituta cuyo proxeneta, el agresor llamado Bad Moses, quiere cobrar por unos servicios que Peaches no ha llevado a cabo. Ah, que casi se me olvida, que lo sepan, al fondo hay noticias sobre algún tipo de plaga que moviliza a las fuerzas del orden. Libro también conocido como “Dead Highways: Origins”, primer libro de la serie Dead Highways.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Relato.
Lo que nos cuenta. Un día antes de San Valentín, nuestro protagonista y narrador, Jimmy, trata de comprar un arma sin saber mucho de ellas pero por necesidad, hecho muy obvio que despierta la compasión del responsable de la tienda, que le lleva a la línea de tiro adyacente a la tienda y le explica todo, empezando por cómo se carga. Y es que Jimmy siente que necesitará un arma porque, al volver a la librería en cuyo piso superior vive, ve cómo un hombre agrede a una mujer, por la que se interesa por su estado. La muchacha, conocida como Peaches, resulta ser una prostituta cuyo proxeneta, el agresor llamado Bad Moses, quiere cobrar por unos servicios que Peaches no ha llevado a cabo. Ah, que casi se me olvida, que lo sepan, al fondo hay noticias sobre algún tipo de plaga que moviliza a las fuerzas del orden. Libro también conocido como “Dead Highways: Origins”, primer libro de la serie Dead Highways.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
September 10, 2016
-Otro apocalipsis más.-
Género. Relato.
Lo que nos cuenta. Un día antes de San Valentín, nuestro protagonista y narrador, Jimmy, trata de comprar un arma sin saber mucho de ellas pero por necesidad, hecho muy obvio que despierta la compasión del responsable de la tienda, que le lleva a la línea de tiro adyacente a la tienda y le explica todo, empezando por cómo se carga. Y es que Jimmy siente que necesitará un arma porque, al volver a la librería en cuyo piso superior vive, ve cómo un hombre agrede a una mujer, por la que se interesa por su estado. La muchacha, conocida como Peaches, resulta ser una prostituta cuyo proxeneta, el agresor llamado Bad Moses, quiere cobrar por unos servicios que Peaches no ha llevado a cabo. Ah, que casi se me olvida, que lo sepan, al fondo hay noticias sobre algún tipo de plaga que moviliza a las fuerzas del orden. Libro también conocido como “Dead Highways: Origins”, primer libro de la serie Dead Highways.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Relato.
Lo que nos cuenta. Un día antes de San Valentín, nuestro protagonista y narrador, Jimmy, trata de comprar un arma sin saber mucho de ellas pero por necesidad, hecho muy obvio que despierta la compasión del responsable de la tienda, que le lleva a la línea de tiro adyacente a la tienda y le explica todo, empezando por cómo se carga. Y es que Jimmy siente que necesitará un arma porque, al volver a la librería en cuyo piso superior vive, ve cómo un hombre agrede a una mujer, por la que se interesa por su estado. La muchacha, conocida como Peaches, resulta ser una prostituta cuyo proxeneta, el agresor llamado Bad Moses, quiere cobrar por unos servicios que Peaches no ha llevado a cabo. Ah, que casi se me olvida, que lo sepan, al fondo hay noticias sobre algún tipo de plaga que moviliza a las fuerzas del orden. Libro también conocido como “Dead Highways: Origins”, primer libro de la serie Dead Highways.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
November 1, 2013
I absolutely LOVED this book! I could not put it down. It held a very creepy feel but was also funny. The characters are very very lovable even though they are an interesting melting pot. But when forced together in a zombie epidemic, the nerd, prostitute, cop, druggie etc make quite a great team! I'm ordering book two now!
January 11, 2014
Gripping story
This book had me on the edge of my seat. The characters are very likeable and real. The descriptions throughout the book allowed my imagination action go wild. I could smell the books in the bookstore,I could hear the gunshots. I even enjoyed the humor sprinkled here and there, laughing while feeling the terror of the situation. Great job Richard Brown!
This book had me on the edge of my seat. The characters are very likeable and real. The descriptions throughout the book allowed my imagination action go wild. I could smell the books in the bookstore,I could hear the gunshots. I even enjoyed the humor sprinkled here and there, laughing while feeling the terror of the situation. Great job Richard Brown!
August 30, 2017
Jimmy is the thickest numbskull to ever walk the planet. Even losers point at him and sneer. Or if they don't they should because he is one of the worst MCs I've ever seen in a zombie book. He goes to buy a gun but has no clue where the bullets go, what a gun range is, why you need to wear ear protection when firing a gun there and so on. He is the only one on the planet not to work out that Peaches is a prostitute. He says NO TO DRUGS then gets high with the first complete stranger who comes along. By the time Jimmy had pissed off Peaches pimp, I decided stuff the zombies, I didn't care enough to read another stupid page of this rubbish. If I could give a minus star I would do it.
March 3, 2014
Very, very good. This was a really fresh take on Zombies. In the survivor's favor and to their advantage, you don't have to make head shots in this one as they go down just like normal people. Unfortunately, to their extreme disadvantage, the Zombies in this story are the fast runners (think 28 Days Later) and not only that but they learn, work together, and develop at least basic strategy. Think Zombies that send one Zombie in the front to get everyone's attention before a half dozen smash through the back door. Or Zombies that see a dozen or so of their kind gunned down in the street and then stop charging you, hanging back around corners and in windows instead, following you on side streets and at a distance.
This particular book is a freebie but I think the rest of the series is like $0.99 or something like it. Not bad and something that I might actually pay for once I clear out a bunch of the free stuff I have downloaded right now. Highly recommend for the Zombie fans out there.
This particular book is a freebie but I think the rest of the series is like $0.99 or something like it. Not bad and something that I might actually pay for once I clear out a bunch of the free stuff I have downloaded right now. Highly recommend for the Zombie fans out there.
August 16, 2014
Wow, Jimmy made this book. His dry sense of humor. His pop culture references all set into the persona of a nerdish and love able bookworm whom never turns into a mad max zombie killing machine this is a book I really enjoyed.
The plot is fast. Not so fast that it does not explore the start of something between our hero and Peaches. Fast enough that when faced with a moral dilemma our normally smart and knowledgable hero makes a massive mistake. Now add to that a street thug. A baby, a cop and amongst others a survivalist and Jack and you have a fun group of people going West.... Now why are they heading West?
Read the book.
WaAr
The plot is fast. Not so fast that it does not explore the start of something between our hero and Peaches. Fast enough that when faced with a moral dilemma our normally smart and knowledgable hero makes a massive mistake. Now add to that a street thug. A baby, a cop and amongst others a survivalist and Jack and you have a fun group of people going West.... Now why are they heading West?
Read the book.
WaAr
August 10, 2015
What I liked: the dialogue and interior monologues of the main character were at times hilarious. Brown writes with a dark humor, interweaving pop-culture into his tale in a way that makes it instantly accessible.
What I felt could have been improved: after a quarter of a way through, the book seemed to trip over cliches. The pop-culture references, which were funny and interesting, started to get stale and I had a tough time finishing this one. No original take on a tired trope here, just another zombie story.
Brown definitely has a great writing ability and I wouldn't be opposed to checking out more of his work, as long as it's outside Z territory.
Two and a half stars.
What I felt could have been improved: after a quarter of a way through, the book seemed to trip over cliches. The pop-culture references, which were funny and interesting, started to get stale and I had a tough time finishing this one. No original take on a tired trope here, just another zombie story.
Brown definitely has a great writing ability and I wouldn't be opposed to checking out more of his work, as long as it's outside Z territory.
Two and a half stars.
January 1, 2014
This was a pretty fun read. Not real deep but with an interesting take on the Zombie virus. The characters were like able but not terribly complex. There were a lot of writing mistakes but it didn't detract too much from the story. The author references his other work within the book which I found a bit cheap and tacky. Had I not gotten this for free, it might have bothered me more. All in all, worth the read.
September 5, 2014
For my very first zombie book, it was pretty good…though I have nothing to compare it to. It was heavy in over used phrases and pop culture references, which isn’t bad but it is a gamble on people knowing or not knowing them. That aside, the story was fast paced and full of suspense. Nothing really did grip me until the zombies finally appeared and am left wanting more because they don’t seem like normal zombies.
October 21, 2013
Somewhat between "okay" and "liked it", I'd have gone for 2.5 stars if that was an option. I'm a character driven reader and I found the characters less developed than I'd have liked. Also seemed as if there was no real plot, obviously to continue in additional books. I doubt if I continue with the series.
August 16, 2014
This was young adult reading. It was funny and at times stupid but I enjoyed it. It was quite entertaining. The characters were quite unusual but they were the ones that made the book fun.It wasn't really a zombie book because even after the coma they had some kind of sense.I kind of look foward to the next book to see what really is up with them.
August 3, 2014
Good
Good
This was pretty good, I'm going to have to keep reading to see what happens next. The characters are likeable and the dialogue is believable, I like how the main character is just some nerdy guy who gets thrust into the end of the world, and he just has this random stuff that pops into his head...I'd recommend it for sure.
Good
This was pretty good, I'm going to have to keep reading to see what happens next. The characters are likeable and the dialogue is believable, I like how the main character is just some nerdy guy who gets thrust into the end of the world, and he just has this random stuff that pops into his head...I'd recommend it for sure.
March 4, 2013
A good story, as far as it goes. The plague doesn't show up until about the 60% mark of this book, so it's mostly setup and introduction of the main character. I doubt I'll read each episode, but I may look at a collection of episodes when it's complete (just like a real book).
May 6, 2013
Fun pop culture references are good for a laugh or two in this short little story. Walking Dead fans should appreciate the irony. Wouldn't mind reading the collective works after they are published.
October 23, 2013
This was a funny zombie story. I loved every minute of it. I especially like the way the author integrated tv shows into it.The author had a way of drawing you in. I will definitely read more of his work.
October 27, 2013
An interesting take on the zombie sub-genre, one I really enjoyed! I can't wait to read more. Jimmy was hilarious as our "hero" and not at all what one would expect in a leader. I enjoyed the cliffhanger ending and am definitely going to purchase the next one soon!
August 14, 2014
I felt it was a bit slow at first, but I realized the story was developing so I kept on. It didn't disappoint! I like the zombie idea, thinking zombies. I'll be reading the next book to find out why they are heading west.
October 26, 2013
Very good concept of the zombies. It was a fast paced with multi changes in the plot. Kept my interest and was perfect to read around Halloween time.
November 14, 2013
Interesting take on the whole end of the world thing.
Want to read
March 10, 2022Very well written. I liked pretty much everything about it. It was seriously really short..and if i had known that i probably would have waited until it was all released in one shot.
January 21, 2014
Quick read with interesting characters. Definitely looking forward to picking up other books in the series.
August 30, 2014
Can wait to start next one
September 30, 2014
A little slow, but when it finally picks up it leaves you hanging for the next book. Ugh! Can't there ever be just one Good book where things get resolved!
December 11, 2019
Barely 2 stars, one each for the hours it took me to finish this uncomplicated, amateurish offer.
I came across Richard Brown's name via his recent co-authored book, "I'll Bring You Back" that was penned along with Joe Hart, one of my favorite authors over the past couple of years. I had high hopes then for 'Dead Highways' as 'IBYB' was absolutely exquisitely written - seriously, even if you don't like YA love stories, the prose is genius - and in addition I read A LOT of zombie books. Seemingly a match made in heaven, right?
But this book was disappointing in almost every regard and one of the weakest in this genre I've ever made it through. Not the worst, no, I'll grant you that but far far down my overall list. I read these books looking for something NEW in the Z-verse and especially something original in the way that any survivors deal with same. But alas, this short tale was absolutely absent of any originality - or humor (attempts were made) or any interesting character development. It's always a bad sign when you hope the main characters get killed off as quickly as possible ... but sadly Jimmy manages to somehow survive despite being the last dweeb around ... oh and he's also still stuck to his GRANDMA's teet, so he's got that goin' for him, too...
Most telling - even beyond the milquetoast loser that is Jimmy - that all the 'survivors' have the intelligence of week-old muesli as - just for example - they completely ignore a military grade Humvee left abandoned in front of several of the main characters' apartment and store. You know, sue me if this isn't logical but just thinking after they came back again and again that it would have dawned on one of them that it would be useful, especially since by this point driving had become a dystopian-worthy killing contact sport. Siphon some gas, ride around protected in the big trucky wucky and stop farting around in cars that can't take a simple fender bender or that get stuck on dry dirt roads! Say it with me friends: um, hello???
The writing is, again, very unsophisticated and there is no need to refer to your thesaurus along the way... so its no wonder that I barely had time tonight to let my wife have her own unfettered private time with the TV downstairs to watch her 2 or 3 shows. So here I am with time to kill but desperately don't want to watch another damn Hallmark Christmas movie! Oh well, I'll find something to entertain myself with for the rest of the night... I can assure you it won't be with the rest of this series.
I came across Richard Brown's name via his recent co-authored book, "I'll Bring You Back" that was penned along with Joe Hart, one of my favorite authors over the past couple of years. I had high hopes then for 'Dead Highways' as 'IBYB' was absolutely exquisitely written - seriously, even if you don't like YA love stories, the prose is genius - and in addition I read A LOT of zombie books. Seemingly a match made in heaven, right?
But this book was disappointing in almost every regard and one of the weakest in this genre I've ever made it through. Not the worst, no, I'll grant you that but far far down my overall list. I read these books looking for something NEW in the Z-verse and especially something original in the way that any survivors deal with same. But alas, this short tale was absolutely absent of any originality - or humor (attempts were made) or any interesting character development. It's always a bad sign when you hope the main characters get killed off as quickly as possible ... but sadly Jimmy manages to somehow survive despite being the last dweeb around ... oh and he's also still stuck to his GRANDMA's teet, so he's got that goin' for him, too...
Most telling - even beyond the milquetoast loser that is Jimmy - that all the 'survivors' have the intelligence of week-old muesli as - just for example - they completely ignore a military grade Humvee left abandoned in front of several of the main characters' apartment and store. You know, sue me if this isn't logical but just thinking after they came back again and again that it would have dawned on one of them that it would be useful, especially since by this point driving had become a dystopian-worthy killing contact sport. Siphon some gas, ride around protected in the big trucky wucky and stop farting around in cars that can't take a simple fender bender or that get stuck on dry dirt roads! Say it with me friends: um, hello???
The writing is, again, very unsophisticated and there is no need to refer to your thesaurus along the way... so its no wonder that I barely had time tonight to let my wife have her own unfettered private time with the TV downstairs to watch her 2 or 3 shows. So here I am with time to kill but desperately don't want to watch another damn Hallmark Christmas movie! Oh well, I'll find something to entertain myself with for the rest of the night... I can assure you it won't be with the rest of this series.
October 22, 2021
Actually pretty good!
It was funny and relatable, good enough I’d like to read the second book for sure. I thought the writing was a little simplistic but maybe purple prose isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be and in world where a lot of writers are amateur thank you god for no spelling or major wordage mistakes. I hate when sentences run on and make no sense or when spell check changes a word that sounds the same but means something else. I would recommend this book, it’s not quite zombies, but unique enough to d]stand out among mysterious plagues!
It was funny and relatable, good enough I’d like to read the second book for sure. I thought the writing was a little simplistic but maybe purple prose isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be and in world where a lot of writers are amateur thank you god for no spelling or major wordage mistakes. I hate when sentences run on and make no sense or when spell check changes a word that sounds the same but means something else. I would recommend this book, it’s not quite zombies, but unique enough to d]stand out among mysterious plagues!
October 16, 2017
One of those books that sounds good cause it's free but didn't expect to ever read it. Lol. I didn't really find any of the characters amazing but the story was more interesting than I expected it to be. I liked the new take on "zombies." Something happens and millions (billions?) of people all over the world just fall asleep. For weeks apparently. Then, all of a sudden, they just wake up. But they are not the same. They are very creepy, crazy.
While I would like to know why all the zombies are heading west, and maybe understanding why this all happened in the first place, I'm not interested in getting the rest of the series.
While I would like to know why all the zombies are heading west, and maybe understanding why this all happened in the first place, I'm not interested in getting the rest of the series.
June 17, 2019
I enjoyed TWD references and thought it was a pretty good story. Very basic. Good youth read with ease
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews