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The True Story of the Zombie Apocalypse #1

Parasite; The True Story of the Zombie Apocalypse

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Parasite; The True Story of the Zombie Apocalypse is a constant fixture on the Top 100 charts. How does a normal guy face a zombie apocalypse? Or, for that matter, a scientist?You need to read this zombie apocalypse novel because it's not only a really great zombie story, but it also explains the science involved in the dead coming to life.Zombies are rising in the sleepy town of Slippery Rock and it is up to Henry Cooper to figure out why. But first, he needs to save his wife, Melissa. With the help of his neighbor Dean and some superhero clad comic book fanboys, he's off to the rescue. Join them as they race across Northwestern Pennsylvania on a quest which involves everything from undead to fire trucks. Along the way, you will discover the hard science behind how the dead truly rose from the grave.As one reviewer said of Parasite, "Such good storytelling. Zombielicious. I am remembering biology class as they explain why people are turning into zombies and clues to stop the infection. Adventure, politicians, lawyers, and scientist * oh my * Very good book."Other books in this series The second book in The True Story of the Zombie Apocalypse series is called Symbiote, the third is Creator, and the fourth is called Predator. They are also available for purchase. Currently, the author is working hard on another series. Check for updates on his Facebook page.Scroll up and get your copy today

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2012

155 people are currently reading
146 people want to read

About the author

Doug Ward

34 books13 followers
About the Author
Doug Ward currently lives in Western Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Slippery Rock University, where he obtained a BFA in Fine Art. Doug spends much of his time doing oil paintings which incorporate mythology and science, as well as, writing horror, humor, and fantasy novels.

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5 stars
99 (46%)
4 stars
65 (30%)
3 stars
38 (17%)
2 stars
9 (4%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Netanella.
4,748 reviews41 followers
February 20, 2020
So this year my good GR friend hipnoticraQs and I have been on a quest to find a most awesome zombie book. So far, of the four or five zombie books (or three? I was never good at numbers) we've read so far, this one is by far the best so far. It has a nice combination of fun, unusual characters; a vigorous plot line that doesn't get bogged down in prepping and organizing and inventorying weapons and supplies ad nauseum; and gory zombie action that's satisfying enough to meet the needs of the discriminating zombie reader.

Oh, did I mention the author has a sense of humor as well? Anyone who would make their main protagonist a nerdy, absent-minded professor of entomology and turn him into a hero of Spider-Man proportions is okay in my book. Well, better than okay. There were oodles of comic references as well, which also satisfied the Marvel nerd in me.

Oh, yeah, spoiler ahead: the zombies are parasitic. Ha ha!
Profile Image for Lexa Cain.
Author 1 book54 followers
August 27, 2016
Parasite is a very refreshing change from the average zombie apocalypse story. The author, Doug Ward, takes the scientific explanation of the zombies seriously and comes up with some great theories. From the beginning, when a clueless bug professor leaving work after a long night of research steps into a world of peculiarly acting students and mysteriously empty roads, the novel gets more and more thrilling.

Henry Cooper, the geeky bug professor, is the least likely person to fight his way through hordes of zombies—but he has to. His wife is trapped in a downtown office building and barely keeping the zombies at bay. Henry is like most of us—not an ex-military guy who has a stash of weapons, lots of training, and has no trouble blowing up zombies. Nope. Henry’s never fired a gun in his life. He has to learn as he goes, but his intelligence come in handy for problem solving.

The reason I loved this book so much were the characters. Mostly geeks, a few office drones, and average people who have little clue what to do—just like me. If I was trapped in a zombie apocalypse, I’d be as useless as Henry and his compatriots, but I hope I’d be as smart and learn as fast as he does.

If you want a fast-paced, exciting zombie-apocalypse novel with adorable characters you can identify with and really root for, you’ll love Doug Ward’s Parasite! Highly recommended!
Profile Image for hIpnoticraQs.
243 reviews33 followers
February 20, 2020
3.75 stars rounded up to 4. This is the best zombie apocalypse book that I've read in a long while. The cause of the outbreak is interesting and doesn't take up too much story time. Could have had a bit more action, gore and violence but was still a decent read. Not buying the whole zero to hero overnight transformation thing but oh well. Will read book 2 at some point.
17 reviews
June 10, 2020
A bit of a different spin on how people turn into zombies. The characters are not former military or any survivalists they are basically regular people with no real plan of what to do or how to do it, I felt connected to the people in the story, I rooted for them to survive, they also had a sense of humor about them. Not a bunch of details about what kind of guns they have or who knows how to best handle the weapons so that is refreshing not to get bogged down with those details that to me doesn't add anything to the story. Not a lot of gore or a whole lot of action but it was still a fun read. looking forward to the next story.
Profile Image for Johnathan Breeland.
250 reviews4 followers
September 12, 2018
Interesting & Fresh

This is a very cool zombie apocalypse book,lots of gore and action,with some Awesome characters that you root , and that are developed very well,the author also gives a very researched reason behind the outbreak that is very interesting,it's a very fast paced book once you start reading it you won't know where your time went and it's definitely worth the time
Profile Image for Cristine.
169 reviews
January 6, 2021
Average

Average run-of-the-mill zombie story. It tried to have a different angle with the science pet, but the characters all felt really forced. I didn’t even care when characters died. Maybe 3 stars is a generous. I mean, there were parts that were fun. But overall, probably 2.5.
Profile Image for Kit.
1,517 reviews16 followers
October 16, 2022
Read : October 16, 2022
Rating :3,5 Stars

Not too bad, beginning was better than the end in terms of editing.
It felt like from about the middle of the story on the editing fell by the wayside and there were a number of weird transitions.

The story itself was okay enough for zombie fare, might read the sequel.

Profile Image for Catherine Whitaker.
243 reviews3 followers
December 15, 2024
Story OK, writing very questionable. Author regularly swapped between the correct and incorrect spellings/usage of the same words, lots of typos/mistakes, and general bad editing. Cubicle and cubical were some of the worst offenders, followed by peek and peak. They'd be used correctly in one sentence and immediately followed in the next with the incorrect spelling. Utterly ruined the immersion.
1 review
February 4, 2021
A very fast very fun read!

Is it a work of literary genius ... well no ... its a zombie book but consider it comic book fun for grown ups. I read the whole thing in two sittings and am on to the next in the series. Keeps you flipping pages!
1 review1 follower
October 31, 2024
good read

Some parts felt robotic to read but overall I liked the book. The character Hank had a cool premise look forward to seeing this author hone their skills produce more story’s.
Profile Image for Brandy M Lydy.
14 reviews
May 21, 2021
Great starter

Good flow, believable characters, storyline plausible and a good read. I liked the scientific aspects in the story and the logic
56 reviews
July 30, 2021
True story

Found it to be realistic and how I imagined it would be.shame about Mel but I guess that's fiction. Enjoyed it so far.
1 review
April 29, 2023
great

I enjoyed this book ,I know a great book when I can’t leave it down can’t wait to read the next one
Profile Image for Jessica.
53 reviews
April 20, 2024
Pretty stinking realistic, got me sad and mad😭😂 definitely going to buy the second book
Profile Image for Scott Lee.
Author 4 books1 follower
January 27, 2017
Not your typical zombie novel. Doug Ward's true to life aspects of how a parasite could create the zombie apocalypse was both amazing and somewhat scary. His attention to detail was incredible, applying countless hours of research into his zombie apocalypse scenario. Everything he describes in his book is backed up by scientific fact, and THAT is what makes this novel so compelling. You'll never look at the zombie apocalypse the same way again.
Profile Image for Dean Brown.
11 reviews3 followers
January 12, 2013
Great zombie apocalypse story. Good interaction between the people while doing their best to avoid the zombies, and a surprising ending. Looking forward to the next volume.
Profile Image for BookzBookzBookz.
Author 12 books73 followers
December 16, 2018
This book rocked! The origin of the plague was too real!. No one's ever come up with such a start
324 reviews8 followers
December 29, 2016
Great Story!

I really look forward to reading the next book in this series. Plenty of zombie action, and a plausible storyline made this book a very enjoyable read!
Profile Image for Marian Finch.
2 reviews13 followers
December 29, 2016
First zombie book I ever read. I loved it...a good plausible story..good characters that you have sympathy for...exciting and unputdownable.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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