The Zom-B Chronicles

Zom-B #1-3

by Darren Shan

From Master of Horror Darren Shan, an infectiously gory bind-up to sink your teeth into...

B Smith doesn't fully buy into Dad's racism, but figures it's easier to go along with it than risk the fights and abuse that will surely follow sticking up for Muslims, black, or immigrants. That is, until zombies attack. This bind-up of the first three novellas in Darren Shan's Zom-B series leads B on a mad dash through the corridors of high school, a secret underground military complex, and the dangerous streets of a very changed London, making allegiances with anyone who has enough gall to fight off the deadly--and undead--attackers.

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Fiction, Young Adult

560 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2014

About the author

Librarian's note: Also writes books for adults under the name Darren Dash. And in the past he has released books for adults under the names D.B. Shan and Darren O'Shaughnessy.

Darren Shan (born July 2, 1972 in London, England) is the pen name of the Irish author Darren O'Shaughnessy, as well as the name of the protagonist of his book series The Saga of Darren Shan, also known as The Cirque Du Freak Series in the United States. He is the author of the series The Demonata, The Saga of Larten Crepsley, and Zom-B. He has also released the stand-alone novel, The Thin Executioner, and the stand-alone short novels, Koyasan, and Hagurosan. Plus, for adults, he released The City Trilogy (originally under the name of D.B. Shan), and Lady of the Shades..

Reviews

[Stephen]

The Undead are here, but they are not what we expected. For those of us that are zombie fans we have a bit of a notion of what zombies are like. Zom-B changes our ideas so much, and in a good way. Darren Shan has found a new way to make zombies more interesting again. I have read much of their work over the years but had not gotten to these yet. I found these with 3 books bound into one and got both volumes. Having vision problems it took me longer than expected to get through this 1st set but it was worth the time. It all starts off like so many other stories and slowly builds into a completely different world. You meet some interesting characters early on and some you like while others contribute well to the story. As you progress through the 3 books characters come and go and many die (no surprise), but there is always someone new and interesting to come along. All 3 books had good storylines that leave you wanting to know more. I have only just begun the next set and I look forward to getting through it. For anyone who enjoys a good zombie story or is a fan of the author these are a must read.

[Stephen Heverin]

Not your typical Zombie series. The beginning of this series and the focus on the a troubled young teenager kept me interested. And the number of twists and turns presented when they appeared were actually surprising to me, something I did not anticipate but really enjoyed. I found the entire series of books completely engrossing and cannot wait to read more. If you have tired of the Zombie genre and do not believe there is anything different, you should read this series.

[Sean Franco-Norris]

A different take on zombies, which I enjoyed very much. Darren is one of my favorite authors and so far he hasn't disappointed me! :-)

[Kaitriana Elle]

Usually I don't get very into zombie books, but this book was a MAJOR exception.
At first B annoyed me, but she slowly grew on me.. Like the green mold!
That was corny.. And bad. I'm sorry.
Could anyone tell me if all the books are out yet??

[Candra Hodge]

Another inventive horror series by Darren Shan. I know everyone reading this is thinking "oh great, another zombie series" right now. But let me tell you- these zombies are like nothing you have ever seen before. Must read for all horror or zombie lovers.

[Abbi Hutchings]

This book had a very poor start in my opinion - I didn't connect with the main character and it took a while for zombies to make an appearance, but I am pleasantly surprised by how good it turned out to be, will definitely be purchasing the next book in the series.

[David Stout]

The ZOM - B Chronicles by Darren Shan were a fascinating three books. Within this set of chronicles there is ZOM - B, UNDERGROUND and CITY. I liked these books and thought they were a very good read for people who enjoy gory, seat gripping books. I think that Darren Shan's objective was to give readers an escape from reality. I think it was to also show teens a different perspective on life and the values of what it means to be human. The author did a great job bringing to life the characters and making every moment of the book seem real. I think Darren Shan did a great job describing the internal struggle in B (the main character). At the beginning of the second part, or second book, we see that they are now in a bunker of some sorts. Darren Shan did a great job of describing the place, and showing us the struggle that some zombies had to go through against humans. He also paints a great picture when she is escaping the underground complex. I haven't sought out any other zombie books, though I like how these books are displayed, I may find other zombie books to compare it to. Overall I think the book was a great book, and enjoyed reading every second of it. I am glad I learned more about what to do incase of a zombie apocalypse. Although I am still confused about Mr. Dowling, but I assume they explain more in future books.

[Ariel Jensen]

Overall, a fine read and a new take on zombies, which I always love.

My biggest complaint is the flow of the novellas. This first set is the first 3, written as individual books but incomplete as individuals. Across the 3 there is repetition of information completely unnecessary in such a short span of pages but would make sense if they were longer, individual books. Each novella ends like an end of a chapter, not the end of a book. I almost wish the novellas were reworked to be 3 complete books rather than 9 (?) novellas.

With that said, I did enjoy the new take on zombies coupled with the typical YA lead character - an angsty female teenager who is the key to saving it all.

I do look forward to reading the next set and would recommend the books to anyone who enjoys YA + post-apocalyptic reads.

[Bonna Hicks]

This book (collection really) COMPLETELY took me by surprise. I decided to start it because I was iffy on what I wanted to read...but I got sucked it.
I found this at Dollar Tree!! I am amazed.

I will say when I found out "B" was a girl...I was stunned.
I also loved that there are different levels to this zombie madness. I'm going to try to find the next in line for this series for sure!!

[Fawn]

I'm not sure how to rate this, the first book I hated how hate filled and racist it was, it turned my stomach to read, but then as I read hoping for the change in B, I became so intrigued with the "person" she became and the changes she underwent. I would keep reading to see what came next. Adventurous, and horrendence at the same time.

[Frank Laughner]

Every Book was a different general setting that builds on each other. This I really did enjoy. Through the book B was a little annoying to me at first but as the story progressed she grew on me kinda like the green moss as she had to deal with her circumstance.

[Jessica Scott]

Honestly not bad. Takes a while to get going but over all really good. I have always been a fan of Darren Shan and I enjoyed this book a lot. The world he has created was wonderful and kinda scary. Spoiler zombie clown.

[Emily]

B infuriated me in the beginning, but the beauty of character development kicked in by the end of the third book. I don’t know if I will continue reading this particular series, although I do like Shan.

[Rod Kevin]

Haha I breezed through this while my country is under "community quarantine" due to Covid19 😁. It was an entertaining read . I've read a few zombie series before but the POV take was a unique one for me.

[Quinn Q]

Really good book, leaves you with a lot of questions. How are the Owl Man, Mr. Dowling and the mutants connected? What did Owl Man mean when he told B she was marked? And WHO the hell greeted her in the room at County Hall that over looks the river.

[Joey Miller]

It was an amazing book. I recommend this book to anybody that enjoys action and adventure.

[Donald Krage]

this was interesting at first but then got boring

[Nathan]

It was good, interesting, funny at times

[Alex Clark]

I enjoyed the 3 in this book the only thing i reason i gave 4 stars bc the 1st 1 i loved and is easily 5 stars but the 2nd and 3rd r great but not as good as the 1st 1

[Whitney Weinberg]

Pretty good zombie book. Took a while for me to get into it but enjoyable.

[Susan]

Learning more and more about being a zombie 🧟‍♂️ and how life is now or how her new way of life is.

[Lyn Killerup]

ehhhehehhhh very mixed feelings tbh. fun read but predictable in some parts and plain weird for another. might continue the series who knows

[ChaosStrolling]

This is a collection of the first 3 books in the Zom-B series so my reviews are on each of the books themselves.

[patz]

uh, the first chapter caught my eye and the gore was enjoyable but then it just got boring and tasteless and yeah.. not for me..

[Chelsie Pierce]

I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS!!!

[Jonathon Fletcher]

This is one of the most difficult reviews I have had to write. It took me a long while to get used to the first person narrative in which Darren Shan’s book, The ZOM-B Chronicles, is written. I found the writing style a little distracting at first. Ignoring the fact that the book is apparently aimed at a young adult audience, the story is very good. I struggled with the first few chapters which were full of teenage angst but once the zombies started to rampage and feast the story became much more interesting.

The book is definitely a book of two halves, having been spliced together from two separate books, “ZOM-B” and “ZOM-B Underground”. As I said, the first half reads like a teenage drama that just happens to have zombies in it. I almost stopped reading it at this point but I persevered and I’m glad that I did.

The second half is like another book entirely. The writing is tighter, the story gripping and full of action and horror. The perspective from a zombie’s point of view is intriguing and the descriptions visceral and unpleasant enough to make you squirm. What saved the book is the clear notion that this is not just another zombie holocaust. There is a sinister power in action behind the scenes, personified in one of the most memorable characters that I can recall from any horror franchise.

Mr Dowling is part clown, part zombie, part insect nest and thoroughly terrifying. Who he is or what he’s up to I assume will be revealed in later books and the desire to know that is enough to encourage me to read more of Darran Shan’s sequels. A book of two halves; persevere to the end and I promise that it will be worth your while.

[Valentine King]

A great series of books and in a combined volume like this, a perfect intro to the Zom-b series. I've forced myself not to read any more in the series until they are all available as I hate waiting ages between each book! Impatient old me! The best thing about the story is it's so unpredictable. You really don't know how the tale will go or how it will end. The twists in book 1 are (no spoilers) exciting and shocking without seeming gratuitous or brought about by a deus ex machina. The characters are realistic and 3 dimensional, the illustrations are amazing and the story is a rollercoaster adrenaline ride from beginning to end. I was genuinely shocked by this book as it really demonstrates just how good writing for children has become. It doesn't talk down to the audience, it entertains and scares in equal measure. The complexity of anti-heroes could be discussed for days but this is a great example of moral grey areas for developing minds to begin to see that the world isn't just black and white (even if B Smith's dad thinks it is!) If only stuff like this was around when I was young, I'd have been in heaven, reading about hell! Do yourself a favour and give it a go if you're a fan of horror or zombies, you won't be disappointed.

[Freexii]

It is really good. I only read the two pictured. The story goes from place to place following the main character across london. From the apocalypse to underground zombie hospital facility to wastelands in the city with spray paint directions to a doctors facility at a hubble telescope arena. Attacks in detail and detail of different types of infected trying to survive and even a religious cult being found wandering out in between. A badass book series so far if you ask me.

[Josie]

Well that was a wild ride. Owl Man and Mr Dowling are incredibly creepy. B grew on me. I didn't like her very much at first, but she's interesting, and she's doing her best. I definitely want to pick up the rest of the books in this series.

[John]

Average- maybe a little below zombie stories