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Kill Town, USA
When accountant Jack Heart loses his job at Major Meat, Inc., he decides to pursue a lifelong hiking the Appalachian Trail. The experienced, calculating Jack is puzzled to realize his time in the woods has isolated him, and that something uncontrollable is taking over the world. Eating tainted meat from the ubiquitous Major Meat, Americans are turning into flesh-hungry corpses. Despite his enigmatic independence and difficult circumstances, Jack finds himself drawn to a local woman, Audrey. Unable to resist Audrey’s quiet beauty and level-headedness, Jack brings her with him as he tries to navigate out of a quarantined mountain town—but she’s already infected. For all his stoicism and outdoor knowledge, Heart is a man tormented by a sad, parentless past and a seemingly sad and lonely future. When the couple embarks on a daring, suicidal mission to save innocent locals from vigilantes, Jack Heart descends into a dark, violent place in order to lead Audrey to safety. Tense, fast-paced, and bloody, Kill Town, USA is a tale that will chill you, possess you, and leave you wanting more.
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 16, 2018
i updated the zombie list over on riffle, if anyone needs any weird-ass zombie books!
https://www.rifflebooks.com/list/218593
The strong do what they can. The weak suffer what they must.
a zombie book that takes place on the appalachian trail with survivalist elements?? ummmm - YES!! but even though i didn't win this through the firstreads program (grrrr) and it seemed to be unavailable anywhere for the longest time, i finally got my hands on a copy. talk about survivalist skills! i survived long enough to read it, and i am so glad, because it is all the things i love.
1) appalachia:
The Appalachians is a part of the world no one really understands. It's a hard place to live. It is cold, isolated, and requires effort. You really have to love the place to live there. But you can't go there hoping to find something inside you. It's a place you go when you know that something is already there.
it is one of my favorite book-locations, full of tough, enduring people, who utter stoic expressions such as
"What you want ain't what you're gonna get. Now you have to want something else."
2) badass protagonist who is hiking the appalachian trail after he loses his job working for the major meat inc and says things like:
-But the Appalachian Trail is an inspiring thing. Two thousand miles of the hardest terrain, isolated from single conveniences…I was happy to see the winter. Happy to wake to snow and frost, to shit in the woods, to go without. To carry a knife and rations and sleep on hard ground.
-I slept naked, but not without my hunting knife.
-When your body burns and wants to stop, you tell it to shut up and you press on.
3) zommmmmbies!
so - three great reasons to read this book. our badass, jack, has been hiking the trail for about a month when he runs into something unexpected. and even the terminally badass can be afraid of a ZOMBIE BEAR!!
and he manages to do what needs to be done, naturally, but the experience leaves an impression on him.
I'll tell you again. There wasn't much I was afraid of. I was thirty, seasoned and all-knowing. After that night, I was just thirty.
after the bear episode, jack meets up with some people and learns that while he has been sleeping naked in the snow and killing vicious bears, there has been a zombie epidemic, resulting from tainted meat from the very same company from which he was fired.
and from then on, it is all zombie action and bloodshed. jack will be forced to kill people and animals, run from vigilantes, escape compounds of the infected, and while readers will learn about what not to do when it comes to bear traps, jack himself might learn a little… about loooove. but tough love. because, rarrrr.
it's very good. a fast-paced and very practical zombie story with a few surprises along the way. also, a tree saw.
good, bloody, tough stuff.
who needs you, anyway, firstreads?
come to my blog!
https://www.rifflebooks.com/list/218593
The strong do what they can. The weak suffer what they must.
a zombie book that takes place on the appalachian trail with survivalist elements?? ummmm - YES!! but even though i didn't win this through the firstreads program (grrrr) and it seemed to be unavailable anywhere for the longest time, i finally got my hands on a copy. talk about survivalist skills! i survived long enough to read it, and i am so glad, because it is all the things i love.
1) appalachia:
The Appalachians is a part of the world no one really understands. It's a hard place to live. It is cold, isolated, and requires effort. You really have to love the place to live there. But you can't go there hoping to find something inside you. It's a place you go when you know that something is already there.
it is one of my favorite book-locations, full of tough, enduring people, who utter stoic expressions such as
"What you want ain't what you're gonna get. Now you have to want something else."
2) badass protagonist who is hiking the appalachian trail after he loses his job working for the major meat inc and says things like:
-But the Appalachian Trail is an inspiring thing. Two thousand miles of the hardest terrain, isolated from single conveniences…I was happy to see the winter. Happy to wake to snow and frost, to shit in the woods, to go without. To carry a knife and rations and sleep on hard ground.
-I slept naked, but not without my hunting knife.
-When your body burns and wants to stop, you tell it to shut up and you press on.
3) zommmmmbies!
so - three great reasons to read this book. our badass, jack, has been hiking the trail for about a month when he runs into something unexpected. and even the terminally badass can be afraid of a ZOMBIE BEAR!!
and he manages to do what needs to be done, naturally, but the experience leaves an impression on him.
I'll tell you again. There wasn't much I was afraid of. I was thirty, seasoned and all-knowing. After that night, I was just thirty.
after the bear episode, jack meets up with some people and learns that while he has been sleeping naked in the snow and killing vicious bears, there has been a zombie epidemic, resulting from tainted meat from the very same company from which he was fired.
and from then on, it is all zombie action and bloodshed. jack will be forced to kill people and animals, run from vigilantes, escape compounds of the infected, and while readers will learn about what not to do when it comes to bear traps, jack himself might learn a little… about loooove. but tough love. because, rarrrr.
it's very good. a fast-paced and very practical zombie story with a few surprises along the way. also, a tree saw.
good, bloody, tough stuff.
who needs you, anyway, firstreads?
come to my blog!
January 13, 2014
This was a highly enjoyable zombie survival novella. The main character, who has the awesome handle of Jack Heart, is very fleshed out. This might be the perfect way to digest zombie fiction: enough to fill you up, but not so much that your stomach explodes.
April 4, 2012
*I received this as an advance first reads copy*
(I would like to thank the Author, Joseph Love for autographing and sending this book to me! Thank you!)
"The strong do what they can, the weak do what they must."
Kill Town USA is a surprisingly engrossing short novel about human survival following an outbreak of the undead. Really the only negative aspect I could find relating to the story is that it was so short, I certainly wanted more of the story when I had finished.
The story pulls you right in from the beginning and the characters, while being introduced quickly, become more in depth then you might think. The book was a lot darker and grittier then I imagined it would be before I started, but this just made me enjoy it even more. It was a no nonsense, exhilarating, quick punch of zombie action.
(I would like to thank the Author, Joseph Love for autographing and sending this book to me! Thank you!)
"The strong do what they can, the weak do what they must."
Kill Town USA is a surprisingly engrossing short novel about human survival following an outbreak of the undead. Really the only negative aspect I could find relating to the story is that it was so short, I certainly wanted more of the story when I had finished.
The story pulls you right in from the beginning and the characters, while being introduced quickly, become more in depth then you might think. The book was a lot darker and grittier then I imagined it would be before I started, but this just made me enjoy it even more. It was a no nonsense, exhilarating, quick punch of zombie action.
March 10, 2012
I enjoyed the book a lot. It was very detail oriented and filled my imagination through each plot of the story. I've always enjoyed the outdoors as well as undead books, movies, and games. I was able to easily visualize every part of the characters scenarios throughout the story. Joseph Love did an amazing job on this book!
March 23, 2012
Witty, endearing, and hilariously dangerous!
May 4, 2022
One of the worst books I have ever read. Listened to, actually, and that could be the problem. The audiobook narrator had an irritating, nasal, sort of shouting voice, and constantly mispronounced common words.
Where was the director? “Sorry, but the word pinged, as in ‘the bullet pinged’ is pronounced with a hard g, not soft. (Pinjed?) Let’s start again.” That’s the way it’s done.
Where was the director? “Sorry, but the word pinged, as in ‘the bullet pinged’ is pronounced with a hard g, not soft. (Pinjed?) Let’s start again.” That’s the way it’s done.
January 29, 2015
This novel/novella surprised me. I was expecting a fast, junk-food-for-my-brain, crazy zombie story, but what I got was more of a quiet, sad little grit-lit story that had some rotting zombies and an exploding head or two along the way, but mostly just terrible humans. As you do.
The lead character is Jack, a loner, morally grey, 30-something guy hiking the Appalachian Trail after getting laid off from work. He kills bears & sleeps naked in winter in his tent & after the zombie outbreak doesn't have much of a problem shooting people in the head if it's what "needs to be done". But he also kind of broke my heart.
At one point he describes an incident as a teenager when he and his dad's roof caved in from snow and how his dad was just ready to move, but Jack decided to repair the roof himself even though he'd never done it before.
I thought I could do Dad that way. Think like him and be sad like him so I could understand how to keep his sadness away. But it doesn't work like that. I wasn't a depressed person. The way Dad was, his sadness built up until he couldn't handle it. I realized Dad was gone shortly after the episode with the roof. There was just too much sadness and Dad collapsed under it.
There were plenty of great little passages like that sprinkled throughout the book. I will say though, some of the action scenes were difficult to follow because the writing was so minimalistic. Had to re-read certain passages over again. But maybe I'm just not familiar enough with the "grit lit" style of writing.
Overall, a great zombie novella. I was tense for the last half of it, things get crazy, but it was a well-written & thoroughly entertaining read. I look forward to reading more of this author's work!
The lead character is Jack, a loner, morally grey, 30-something guy hiking the Appalachian Trail after getting laid off from work. He kills bears & sleeps naked in winter in his tent & after the zombie outbreak doesn't have much of a problem shooting people in the head if it's what "needs to be done". But he also kind of broke my heart.
At one point he describes an incident as a teenager when he and his dad's roof caved in from snow and how his dad was just ready to move, but Jack decided to repair the roof himself even though he'd never done it before.
I thought I could do Dad that way. Think like him and be sad like him so I could understand how to keep his sadness away. But it doesn't work like that. I wasn't a depressed person. The way Dad was, his sadness built up until he couldn't handle it. I realized Dad was gone shortly after the episode with the roof. There was just too much sadness and Dad collapsed under it.
There were plenty of great little passages like that sprinkled throughout the book. I will say though, some of the action scenes were difficult to follow because the writing was so minimalistic. Had to re-read certain passages over again. But maybe I'm just not familiar enough with the "grit lit" style of writing.
Overall, a great zombie novella. I was tense for the last half of it, things get crazy, but it was a well-written & thoroughly entertaining read. I look forward to reading more of this author's work!
July 8, 2012
There is nothing better on a lazy Sunday than a good book! I’m so glad I started reading Kill Town, USA on a Sunday because I just didn’t want to put it down. It had a fantastic pace and that pulled me through a wonderfully spun story. Zombies are my favorite topic and they are so under represented in literature. It always thrills me to see a good zombie story and this is a great story. The focus is often more on the two main characters, Jack and Audrey, who were easy to identify with and very likable, which makes their danger that much more intense. I love how the outbreak began, creative and something I could see happening- well played. At just under a hundred pages it was a crisp, clean and tightly woven tale that certainly left me wanting more and I hope Joseph Love has more in store.
April 1, 2012
** I received this advanced reader copy as a First reads giveaway. Thanks **
This is the first zombie book I read and now my curiosity is piqued.
I liked the story quite a lot, even though it sometimes felt like a canvas for a longer book. There are a dozen well developed "situations", but the link between them doesn't flow as well.
If this short story ever evolves into a novel, I'll be very interested to read it.
This is the first zombie book I read and now my curiosity is piqued.
I liked the story quite a lot, even though it sometimes felt like a canvas for a longer book. There are a dozen well developed "situations", but the link between them doesn't flow as well.
If this short story ever evolves into a novel, I'll be very interested to read it.
March 19, 2012
This book truly took me on an adventure. The narration carefully expressed the complexities of a man's drive for survival. This is not just a zombie book; it's a commentary on the corrupted meat industry, an ill-fated love story, and insight into the path of a man who has nothing but life to lose. READ IT!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2012
A quick fun read about surviving the zombie apocalypse. Complex, beyond what could be expected for the short novel with the (special) comic book cover. Would definitely recommend to a wide variety of readers.
**Received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.**
**Received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.**
March 15, 2012
A fast book a bit over 100 pages; finished reading it in one day. The story was easy to follow but got quite predictable; it did keep you interested most of the time. The ending was unexpected but quite fine. The characters were amusing and emotional at times. A fine book.
Vincent
Vincent
March 3, 2012
Kill Town, USA was a quick read. The characters were well developed, and the plot was direct. I found myself wanting more and am looking forward to Love's next book.
October 11, 2012
This book was a damn good quick read. The main character was a hell of allot more complex than he first seemed when I started reading. The ending came way too fast and it broke my heart.
January 2, 2013
This was an ok read for me!!! I love the zombie books, this one was a great little pick me up!!!:-)
February 14, 2013
Decent little story. It's a new take on the zombie apocalypse. Overall, a good read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews