“I was right, Max. The numbers and the science don’t lie. The real numbers and the real science that is. I was concerned about it back in 2020. Nobody else was though. I was told it was a statistical impossibility,” He paused for another sip from his glass before continuing. “I ran my concerns as far up the pole as I could, but I was always told the same thing. They said that better and brighter people than me were looking into it, and they weren’t concerned. Again, it was statistically impossible.” “I think I might have missed some important parts of this conversation,” I looked back to the bar and could see Kim handling things on her own. I decided to sit in the seat ponytail had vacated. “You weren’t the only one, Max. All of them missed it. Their superstars, their better and brighter scientists, they all missed it too. They left me to carry the burden of being right.” “Right about what?” “You see them kids out there having a great time? Dancing, mingling, just enjoying life, without a care in the world,” He swept the entirety of the bar and dance floor with his hand before looking at me. “Yeah? What about ‘em?” “What if I told you that in another month, two at the most, and the majority of them will be dead?” “Um…..what?” I stammered. “It’s the perfect storm, Max. It’s still gathering strength, but it’s coming.”
*3.5* A high-paced, action-heavy zombie apocalypse thriller that, despite being the second book in a series, works as a standalone.
The story follows Max, a 26-year-old bartender, who learns of an impending catastrophe from a professor. He gives Max an ominous warning while looking around at the people at the bar...
"What if I told you that in another month, two at the most, and the majority of them will be dead?”
This sets the stage for a relentless survival race. Max’s girlfriend, Chloe, a 27-year-old nursing student, and her best friend, Kim, who works alongside Max at the bar, are also on the run.
These characters are constantly on the move, from cars to boats to islands and encampments, fighting and fleeing in a desperate race for survival. The downside to all this action is that the characters feel underdeveloped, and I really didn’t have much invested in them.
No-romance, survival story Zombie Apocalypse Loads of running and fighting Cliffhanger ending
They encounter new survivors along the way, though not all make it to the end. It was a nice touch to see familiar faces from the first book reappear at the end.
“Doctor Talbot said that the Red Eyes are driven by a hunger for red meat. Any red meat. It’s what keeps them alive.”
Begins on August 4th, 2023.
Max Reynolds, 26, is currently a bartender. He moved out to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a movie star. His family is back home in Mountain Home, Idaho.
Max is dating Chloe Richter, 27, a nursing student.
Startling revelations from Professor Talbot, the virology expert. The vaccine and antibodies links…
It’s not more COVID, the media says. It’s just the flu, the media says.
It takes a bit to sink in, but the events of this book occur contemporaneously with those of the first novel. We get to see how bad it was on the outside, in the cities, while Shane and Rayne were holed up…
“Do you guys know how to drive a boat?”
⬆️ This would totally be me in the apocalypse, ngl. 🤣 🤷♂️
Another lockdown mandate by the CDC.
Max, Chloe, and Chloe’s BFF Kim decide they must hightail it out of the city. They link up with Ben Kwon, the firefighter—and archer.
The sickness. The Red Eyes. Alphas and Betas.
Chloe. The changes.
San Nicolas Island.
So…their paths did cross in book one. Or at least Chloe crosses paths with Shane and Rayne. And Kim’s crazy connection to Shane.
Travel on foot, by boat, by truck. The back roads of rural California.
Gunfire. Hand-to-hand combat.
Picks up the pace (and plot) after leaving San Nicolas Island. Unlike book one, the shorter chapter style really helps the pace and flow. More of a true thriller style of novel.
Army and refugee encampments. Attacks. The Red Eyes traveling in packs.
Race to the Sierra Mountains. Respite with Dwight and Janice. The fatal Bandit attacks.
Seriously, please edit your books better. It’s not just simple typos; it’s misspelled words, incorrect punctuation, etc. It takes away so much from the book when it looks like the writer is a subpar 10th grade English student. BTW it’s ibuprofen, not ibuprohen.
Didn't know where the story was going.... Sure glad I read it.
This book 2 was a surprise. It started as an independent story and suddenly you realized the story's of book 1 and book 2 are tied together like family... If you liked book 1, don't miss book 2 and can look forward to many more in the series...
Fast rage zombies, some can drive/talk. Good balance of enough peril and not too much gratuitous MC deaths. Story moves forwards with road trip mechanism, kept me interested. Right at the end it lost me with how increasingly unlikely the coincidences were getting, so I shall not continue this series. Good book 1 and 2 though, well worth the time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I enjoyed the sequence of the series. Too often writers jump from one group and location to a totally different story liine. Other than a couple of editorial mishaps it was a great read. I recommend this series to everyone. Enjoy!
Love all of Sean’s dystopian series. He makes you feel like you’re right there in the mix with the rest of the characters! Once you start you can’t put it down! Great reads!