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What Zombies Fear #4
Fracture
A post-apocalyptic train, rogue military units, family tension, dissention in the ranks, a world full of zombies and a four year old boy.
Victor Tookes already has his hands full as he heals from the injuries of Atlanta. Now, with no ammunition and half the country to cross, He’s faced with a choice. Stop for ammunition, or continue on, hoping they don’t run into any more trouble. It’s an obvious choice for Vic. The heroes need to find a large ammunition storage facility.
This fourth installment picks up exactly where The Gathering left off. John’s wife and children are flying in from Australia aboard a hijacked military aircraft. Victor and his post-apocalyptic crew continue their trek across the zombie-filled country to meet John’s family.
It takes all the heroes can muster to overcome the depths of human depravity and make it in time to clear the runway for the plane. Do the heroes have what it takes? Will they break under the strain?
Victor Tookes already has his hands full as he heals from the injuries of Atlanta. Now, with no ammunition and half the country to cross, He’s faced with a choice. Stop for ammunition, or continue on, hoping they don’t run into any more trouble. It’s an obvious choice for Vic. The heroes need to find a large ammunition storage facility.
This fourth installment picks up exactly where The Gathering left off. John’s wife and children are flying in from Australia aboard a hijacked military aircraft. Victor and his post-apocalyptic crew continue their trek across the zombie-filled country to meet John’s family.
It takes all the heroes can muster to overcome the depths of human depravity and make it in time to clear the runway for the plane. Do the heroes have what it takes? Will they break under the strain?
203 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2012
4 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Kirk Allmond
13 books55 followersKirk Allmond: Author, Zombie Expert, Survivalist, Teacher.
Kirk Allmond takes on all aspects of zombies. This isn’t just a vocation, it’s a passion. In 2006, The Zombie Preparedness Initiative was formed as a global project to prepare the world for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Or, whatever disaster may occur. The Zombie Preparedness Initiative, or ZPI, is unique in that it connects zombie literature, survivalism, and a dash of humor. The site provides a useful service with wit and wisdom.
On the site, there's an article about creating a zombie plan. The article is a thoughtful and thorough discussion of what an ordinary person should learn about being prepared for any emergency or disaster, not just a plan for when the dead walk the earth. Alongside this article are postings about gardening and food preservation, including the all-important topic “How to Make Bacon Post Apocalypse”, weaponry and supplies.
Kirk didn't write all the articles, and gives the majority of the credit to his Advisory Board, a group of writers, survivalists, and zombie enthusiasts who oversee the content of the site. Many ideas are contributed by members of the large community of readers, who also participate in the discussion forums.
Allmond’s novels, the “What Zombies Fear” series are co-authored with Laura Bretz. What Zombies Fear: A Father’s Quest has reached the number one spot on Amazon’s Horror, Paranormal, and Superhero best seller lists.
The series follows Victor Tookes in his quest to keep his son safe. It’s different than most zombie novels in that these zombies are caused by a parasitic alien, which hitchhiked to earth aboard a meteor. These aliens invade the brain of the host, taking control of the body. In the case of a weaker infection, the corpse becomes the traditional Romero style zombie. But in cases of severe infection, the parasites can control more areas of the brain, allowing for zombies that can pass as human. In rare cases of the strongest infection, those zombies are able to access areas of the brain that normal humans did not, giving them heightened abilities.
Their latest novel, Declaration of War was published April, 2013, and reached the number 1 spot on Amazon’s Best Seller list in the Horror category.
There are currently five novels published in the series, and a new novel in progress.
Kirk Allmond takes on all aspects of zombies. This isn’t just a vocation, it’s a passion. In 2006, The Zombie Preparedness Initiative was formed as a global project to prepare the world for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Or, whatever disaster may occur. The Zombie Preparedness Initiative, or ZPI, is unique in that it connects zombie literature, survivalism, and a dash of humor. The site provides a useful service with wit and wisdom.
On the site, there's an article about creating a zombie plan. The article is a thoughtful and thorough discussion of what an ordinary person should learn about being prepared for any emergency or disaster, not just a plan for when the dead walk the earth. Alongside this article are postings about gardening and food preservation, including the all-important topic “How to Make Bacon Post Apocalypse”, weaponry and supplies.
Kirk didn't write all the articles, and gives the majority of the credit to his Advisory Board, a group of writers, survivalists, and zombie enthusiasts who oversee the content of the site. Many ideas are contributed by members of the large community of readers, who also participate in the discussion forums.
Allmond’s novels, the “What Zombies Fear” series are co-authored with Laura Bretz. What Zombies Fear: A Father’s Quest has reached the number one spot on Amazon’s Horror, Paranormal, and Superhero best seller lists.
The series follows Victor Tookes in his quest to keep his son safe. It’s different than most zombie novels in that these zombies are caused by a parasitic alien, which hitchhiked to earth aboard a meteor. These aliens invade the brain of the host, taking control of the body. In the case of a weaker infection, the corpse becomes the traditional Romero style zombie. But in cases of severe infection, the parasites can control more areas of the brain, allowing for zombies that can pass as human. In rare cases of the strongest infection, those zombies are able to access areas of the brain that normal humans did not, giving them heightened abilities.
Their latest novel, Declaration of War was published April, 2013, and reached the number 1 spot on Amazon’s Best Seller list in the Horror category.
There are currently five novels published in the series, and a new novel in progress.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 18, 2014
Awesome book but what's more awesome is that one of the zombie characters goes to my hometown Madrid, Iowa to feed! Sweet!
August 20, 2021
I actually forgot how much I love the characters in this series. I read book 3 a while back. I’m buying book 5 and 6. I will be on them soon. Kirk does such a great job making these books so different. Characters are real, dangers are scary, the Supers certainly help when needed, and it all meshes well.
May 10, 2019
Slowed down a bit
This book slow down a little bit from the previous books but it's still everything that I like in a series of zombie novels I said everything in all my other reviews nothing's changed the series is one of the best I've ever read
This book slow down a little bit from the previous books but it's still everything that I like in a series of zombie novels I said everything in all my other reviews nothing's changed the series is one of the best I've ever read
January 18, 2016
It is to the credit of authors Kirk Allmond and Laura Bretz they've managed to do what very few authors have done: make a continuing zombie series which remains interesting after the initial premise. Zombies are a great source of drama but rarely are the tales something which goes beyond the discovery, initial outbreak, and survival at a location. It takes imagination to move beyond these concepts.
And these two have imagination.
The premise of What Zombies Fear is Victor Tookes is the father of young son, Max, and possessed of an immunity to zombie bites. Furthermore, his immunity comes with mild-superpowers. Gathering a group of similar individuals empowered by their bites, they attempt to rid the world of zombies. Opposing them is Laura, who is the head of the "intelligent" zombies which psychically control the billions of undead creatures swarming the planet.
Fracture is where everything goes to hell.
Critics of What Zombies Fear have indicated they found Victor Tookes a little too perfect, his leadership too unquestioned, and things going too swimmingly for our protagonists. I found these elements to be charming and was willing to overlook how well things were going for Victor in the name of watching the zombies get there's. Really, aside from the Resident Evil movies, the zombies never lose these things.
The breakup between Leo and Victor Tookes is painfully realistic. Brought about by Victor refusing to give her more than the superficial relationship they had, I was affected. I'd wanted these two to be able to work it out but, unlike other series where such would only be a roadblock to romance, I was left with the impression this was going to stick. The fact the other members of the group were starting to turn against Victor too felt sudden but, remembering the previous volume, had been been in the works for some time.
The drama is big in this book with some genuinely moving moments, unexpected deaths, and surprising twists. The character of Krista, who I was quite fond of in the previous volume, reveals herself to be bisexual and becomes involved with another female character. I liked this twist as it provides much-needed diversity in a genre which used to be one of the most in fiction but has kind of become more heterosexual male-dominated white-bread over the years. The fact it's not a major deal to any of the characters is also a point in the authors' favor.
Sadly, I can't give this book a solid 10 out of 10 for a couple of reasons. The first is one of the book's main subplots deal with a military base having degenerated into misogynist slavers. I didn't much care for the plotline in 28 Days Later and it feels exploitative here, a way of making the human enemies irredeemable from the start. This is a personal pet peeve of mine and I was hoping to never see this sort of subplot again. I've seen much-much worse, believe me.
In conclusion, Fracture is a very different book from the previous ones. It's far darker and the next book (which I've already read) gets darker still. For some, this will be a welcome change but it left me feeling uncomfortable in places. I can't hold strong dramatic weight against it but almost feel like it would have been better to stay a series about Victor killing zombies forever.
8/10
And these two have imagination.
The premise of What Zombies Fear is Victor Tookes is the father of young son, Max, and possessed of an immunity to zombie bites. Furthermore, his immunity comes with mild-superpowers. Gathering a group of similar individuals empowered by their bites, they attempt to rid the world of zombies. Opposing them is Laura, who is the head of the "intelligent" zombies which psychically control the billions of undead creatures swarming the planet.
Fracture is where everything goes to hell.
Critics of What Zombies Fear have indicated they found Victor Tookes a little too perfect, his leadership too unquestioned, and things going too swimmingly for our protagonists. I found these elements to be charming and was willing to overlook how well things were going for Victor in the name of watching the zombies get there's. Really, aside from the Resident Evil movies, the zombies never lose these things.
The breakup between Leo and Victor Tookes is painfully realistic. Brought about by Victor refusing to give her more than the superficial relationship they had, I was affected. I'd wanted these two to be able to work it out but, unlike other series where such would only be a roadblock to romance, I was left with the impression this was going to stick. The fact the other members of the group were starting to turn against Victor too felt sudden but, remembering the previous volume, had been been in the works for some time.
The drama is big in this book with some genuinely moving moments, unexpected deaths, and surprising twists. The character of Krista, who I was quite fond of in the previous volume, reveals herself to be bisexual and becomes involved with another female character. I liked this twist as it provides much-needed diversity in a genre which used to be one of the most in fiction but has kind of become more heterosexual male-dominated white-bread over the years. The fact it's not a major deal to any of the characters is also a point in the authors' favor.
Sadly, I can't give this book a solid 10 out of 10 for a couple of reasons. The first is one of the book's main subplots deal with a military base having degenerated into misogynist slavers. I didn't much care for the plotline in 28 Days Later and it feels exploitative here, a way of making the human enemies irredeemable from the start. This is a personal pet peeve of mine and I was hoping to never see this sort of subplot again. I've seen much-much worse, believe me.
In conclusion, Fracture is a very different book from the previous ones. It's far darker and the next book (which I've already read) gets darker still. For some, this will be a welcome change but it left me feeling uncomfortable in places. I can't hold strong dramatic weight against it but almost feel like it would have been better to stay a series about Victor killing zombies forever.
8/10
November 7, 2013
Another great Victor Tookes adventure from Allmond and Bretz!! I'm flying through this series. I actually finished it this morning but jumped right into the 5th book and didn't get to the review of book 4 until now. One big improvement I noticed from book 3 to book 4 is how the writers are getting better (more imagination, clever, grammar, etc...) and I can see them "grow" right before my eyes! I'm so ecstatic because these are really terrific stories and I'd hate to see them get poor reviews because of the lack of editing or immaturity early on. Right from book 1 I could see the potential that this story had and now I'm on book five and its only getting better.
Congrats to Kirk Allmond and Laura Bretz for continuing with their ideas and writing so well together!! I can honestly say, I will be very sad when I'm finished with the, What Zombies Fear, series!!
Congrats to Kirk Allmond and Laura Bretz for continuing with their ideas and writing so well together!! I can honestly say, I will be very sad when I'm finished with the, What Zombies Fear, series!!
August 20, 2014
The "super hero" team has shrunk slightly. One must expect this in war, but it's a shame to see characters go that you've become familiar with. Lots of action and lots of fighting; not so much the zombies in this book, but the humans who fight for their own well being. Our hero trudges on and at the end of this book John's family from Australia is finally reunited.
September 12, 2013
Okay this is my least favorite of the series so far, not because it's poorly done quite the opposite it's really well written and really draws you in. This is my least favorite because it's just so sad and gut wrenching. That's all I can say... I don't really like Kirk right now.... ;)
November 12, 2015
Great Series! I read the whole series one book after another. It is a zombie series but with a slightly different take, and I definitely liked it!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
May 16, 2013
Love this different take on the Zombie apocalypse
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews