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Zero
THE DEAD WALK!!!
We've read the headline a thousand times. An apocalypse in full swing greets us and we witness the fall of society, the end of life as we know it. Yet, so often, the questions remains unanswered:
Where did it all begin?
How did it start?
Who was the first person infected?
ZERO is a septuplet of tales that does not drop you into the middle of the outbreak. This opens the door to the first case of infection and allows a glimpse at how humanity will fall victim to the unstoppable wave of horror that is
The Walking Dead.
We've read the headline a thousand times. An apocalypse in full swing greets us and we witness the fall of society, the end of life as we know it. Yet, so often, the questions remains unanswered:
Where did it all begin?
How did it start?
Who was the first person infected?
ZERO is a septuplet of tales that does not drop you into the middle of the outbreak. This opens the door to the first case of infection and allows a glimpse at how humanity will fall victim to the unstoppable wave of horror that is
The Walking Dead.
ebook
First published January 1, 2011
8 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
T.W. Brown
96 books303 followersTucked away in the Pacific Northwest with my wife Denise, a Border Collie named Aoife, a guitar collection, and an increasing number of aquariums sporting a variety of fish (cichlids are my new favorites), I live for football season when I can cheer on the Oregon Ducks and be disappointed by my Seattle Seahawks once again. I am a fan of Cookie Monster, KISS, and Dr. Who (along with most things British).
As a person who always dreamed of writing as well as one completely enthralled by all things zombie, it is hard to believe that I never once considered writing in the genre. It is true. I wanted to be more “mainstream”. The first novel I actually wrote is titled Dakota (as Todd Brown). It is about a pair of DEA types tossed back in time to just prior to the start of the Civil War. They are in Charleston, South Carolina, and one of them is an African-American.
The zombie thing really started when I wrote a short for a college Creative Writing class. The teacher, Ms. Bose, pulled me up and told me I had an obvious love for the subject and a real talent for the style. I decided to give it a shot.
The first thing I cobbled together was Zomblog. I wrote it as a warm up for the project I had brewing in the back of my mind. It is a journal account of the apocalypse. The funny thing is that it was never intended to be published. A few things happened and it ended up being presented to me as a gift in book format by my wife for a Christmas present. There was something I will never forget about holding the copy of that book in my hand the first time.
Because it gained a readership, and those readers asked for more, I made it a trilogy (Zomblog, Zomblog II, and Zomblog: The Final Entry). It is also because of those fans that I have returned to the Zomblog universe and just released the sixth (and FINAL) book in the series on Halloween of 2013: Zomblog: Snoe's Journey. I freely admit that I will sellout my plans to write what the fans ask for.
I really want my DEAD series to be what I am known for, and in the last year, it has really taken off. However, I will say that with the release of the fourth book in the DEAD series (DEAD: Winter), the numbers started to pick up beyond my wildest dreams.
The DEAD series (DEAD: The Ugly Beginning, DEAD: Revelations, and DEAD: Fortunes & Failures, DEAD: Winter, DEAD: Siege & Survival, DEAD: Confrontation, DEAD: Reborn) is scheduled to be a 12 part epic series.
It is told in three rotating chapters. One is from the first person perspective of Steve Hobart, a man thrust into the role of leader for a group of survivors struggling to keep alive. One chapter follows a group of four self-professed zombie “geeks” who initially believe that the zombie apocalypse would be fun and soon discover that it is nothing like the movies. The third of the rotating chapters is called “Vignettes” and is a series of snapshots from all around the world. Some of the vignettes are single chapter episodes, others are continuing threads that carry on for several chapters. A few are merged into the Steve story or the Geek story line.
Last year,I began my horror/comedy series, "That Ghoul Ava" and have found it to be my new guilty pleasure.
My blog can be found at:
http://twbrown.blogspot.com/
You can contact him at:
twbrown.maydecpub@gmail.com
You can follow him on twitter @maydecpub and on Facebook under Todd Brown, Author TW Brown, and also under May December Publications.
Book Links:
DEAD
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-The-Ugly-B...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Revelation...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Fortunes-F...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Winter-ebo...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Winter-TW-...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Siege-Surv...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Confrontat...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Reborn-TW-...
As a person who always dreamed of writing as well as one completely enthralled by all things zombie, it is hard to believe that I never once considered writing in the genre. It is true. I wanted to be more “mainstream”. The first novel I actually wrote is titled Dakota (as Todd Brown). It is about a pair of DEA types tossed back in time to just prior to the start of the Civil War. They are in Charleston, South Carolina, and one of them is an African-American.
The zombie thing really started when I wrote a short for a college Creative Writing class. The teacher, Ms. Bose, pulled me up and told me I had an obvious love for the subject and a real talent for the style. I decided to give it a shot.
The first thing I cobbled together was Zomblog. I wrote it as a warm up for the project I had brewing in the back of my mind. It is a journal account of the apocalypse. The funny thing is that it was never intended to be published. A few things happened and it ended up being presented to me as a gift in book format by my wife for a Christmas present. There was something I will never forget about holding the copy of that book in my hand the first time.
Because it gained a readership, and those readers asked for more, I made it a trilogy (Zomblog, Zomblog II, and Zomblog: The Final Entry). It is also because of those fans that I have returned to the Zomblog universe and just released the sixth (and FINAL) book in the series on Halloween of 2013: Zomblog: Snoe's Journey. I freely admit that I will sellout my plans to write what the fans ask for.
I really want my DEAD series to be what I am known for, and in the last year, it has really taken off. However, I will say that with the release of the fourth book in the DEAD series (DEAD: Winter), the numbers started to pick up beyond my wildest dreams.
The DEAD series (DEAD: The Ugly Beginning, DEAD: Revelations, and DEAD: Fortunes & Failures, DEAD: Winter, DEAD: Siege & Survival, DEAD: Confrontation, DEAD: Reborn) is scheduled to be a 12 part epic series.
It is told in three rotating chapters. One is from the first person perspective of Steve Hobart, a man thrust into the role of leader for a group of survivors struggling to keep alive. One chapter follows a group of four self-professed zombie “geeks” who initially believe that the zombie apocalypse would be fun and soon discover that it is nothing like the movies. The third of the rotating chapters is called “Vignettes” and is a series of snapshots from all around the world. Some of the vignettes are single chapter episodes, others are continuing threads that carry on for several chapters. A few are merged into the Steve story or the Geek story line.
Last year,I began my horror/comedy series, "That Ghoul Ava" and have found it to be my new guilty pleasure.
My blog can be found at:
http://twbrown.blogspot.com/
You can contact him at:
twbrown.maydecpub@gmail.com
You can follow him on twitter @maydecpub and on Facebook under Todd Brown, Author TW Brown, and also under May December Publications.
Book Links:
DEAD
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-The-Ugly-B...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Revelation...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Fortunes-F...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Winter-ebo...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Winter-TW-...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Siege-Surv...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Confrontat...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Reborn-TW-...
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 16, 2012
Until now, my favourite anthology from May December Publications has been Midnight Movie Creature Feature, but it has been knocked out of top spot by Zero. There were only seven stories in this book, longer short stories and novelettes, so chances were that this anthology was going to be either a hit or a miss. In my opinion, it was a hit. I went in expecting the stories to be fairly similar, typical viral outbreaks leading to the zombie apocalypse but all seven stories were very good, and for the most part, delightfully original. If you prefer the more traditional zombie tale, there were stories included that would appeal to you, but there were also tales with a good dose of humour and a range of causes for the apocalypse – from curses, to technology , to animal attacks. One of the stories even offered up a chilling alternative history.
All I can say is that I was glad that the stories weren’t longer than they were, because once I started one, I found it terribly hard to put down the book until I finished that particular tale, and I’m a very busy lady. They were well written and gripping, presenting wonderful multi-dimensional characters and all in all, they were amazingly clever. I can’t even pick out a particular favourite or two because each offered something appealing and unique. The first two stories, Morning Show Host and The Zombie Curse, both had me laughing, one of my preferred traits in a zombie story. They were a nice light-hearted lead-in for the anthology. The next, Termination Papers, was solid traditional zombie fare, followed by a disturbing tale, The Scientific Method, which strayed into stranger, but equally enjoyable, territory. William added an element of frightful science fiction to the anthology, and the last story, Quietus, was a terrifying grand finale. Thanks to that tale, the starlings in my backyard now make me jumpy.
I actually had to fight off my mother-in-law just to finish the book, because it caught her interest right away when she glanced through it while visiting; she wanted to take it home with her that evening. I made her wait to allow me the opportunity to finish it, but next time she drops by I’ll let her borrow it, because I think this anthology should be shared with as many horror fans as possible. May December seems to have a knack at rooting out great talent. I’ve even managed to convince my husband, who is not a horror fan, that it’s well worth the read. A firm five stars for this one.
All I can say is that I was glad that the stories weren’t longer than they were, because once I started one, I found it terribly hard to put down the book until I finished that particular tale, and I’m a very busy lady. They were well written and gripping, presenting wonderful multi-dimensional characters and all in all, they were amazingly clever. I can’t even pick out a particular favourite or two because each offered something appealing and unique. The first two stories, Morning Show Host and The Zombie Curse, both had me laughing, one of my preferred traits in a zombie story. They were a nice light-hearted lead-in for the anthology. The next, Termination Papers, was solid traditional zombie fare, followed by a disturbing tale, The Scientific Method, which strayed into stranger, but equally enjoyable, territory. William added an element of frightful science fiction to the anthology, and the last story, Quietus, was a terrifying grand finale. Thanks to that tale, the starlings in my backyard now make me jumpy.
I actually had to fight off my mother-in-law just to finish the book, because it caught her interest right away when she glanced through it while visiting; she wanted to take it home with her that evening. I made her wait to allow me the opportunity to finish it, but next time she drops by I’ll let her borrow it, because I think this anthology should be shared with as many horror fans as possible. May December seems to have a knack at rooting out great talent. I’ve even managed to convince my husband, who is not a horror fan, that it’s well worth the read. A firm five stars for this one.
September 10, 2011
Our newest anthology features stories about the FIRST person to be infected...not standard zombie fare...this is the "How did it all begin?" stuff...
January 5, 2013
"Zero" is a collection of short stories by seven different authors, all detailing the origins of unrelated zombie outbreaks. The quality is quite varied, both with the editing and the storytelling.
The first story, "The Morning Show Host" is told via a heart-breaking letter written to survivors of the zombie apocalypse. Minnie Brown documents her sad and unfortunate role in the outbreak. There is a sweetness to her story as she reminisces about her romance with her boyfriend, but it is overwhelmed by her sorrow, regret, and guilt. This was my favorite. I would love to have seen this developed into a full novel, and I'm intrigued to read more from this author.
The second story, "The Zombie Curse" features a philandering husband who gets a major comeuppance. It had a supernatural aspect and was just OK for me. There were some formatting issues that caused words to be dropped.
"Termination Papers" tells the story of government experiments on DNA to create super soldiers. As one might expect, things go horribly awry. There were grammar and punctuation issues throughout that interfered with the story, and it appears there was minimal or no editing.
I was beginning to feel a little discouraged, but things picked up with "The Scientific Method" which features a newspaper reporter who heads to Russia to investigate the recently discovered diary of a Nazi war criminal. The Nazi conducted experiments on human brains of living subjects, and the results were just as one would expect.
When I started reading "William", I wondered what in the world a household robot could have to do with zombies. William, the robot, is very helpful around the house until a freak occurrence gives him the power of thought.
It's a big pet peeve for me when an author confuses "desert" and "dessert", and this happened twice, including in the third paragraph of "Escarg-o". I set the bar low at this point, and while the plot in which a restaurant serves some supernatural snails to a celebrity is unexpectedly wacky, it didn't really seem like a zombie story.
In "Quietus", an infected bird bites a little girl. I think rabies might have been more pleasant than what this poor girl experiences.
I don't know why a table of contents was not included in the Kindle version. I've added locations below for anyone who wants to skip to a particular story, along with individual ratings.
**********
"The Morning Show Host" by Patrick Shand, 37 of 3548, 5 stars
"Zombie Curse" by Bennie Newsome, 485 of 3548, 2.5 stars
"Termination Papers" by Suzanne Robb, 1008 of 3548, 2 stars
"The Scientific Method" by Nathan Phillips, 1561 of 3548, 4 stars
"William" by A.A. Garrison, 1965 of 3548, 3 stars
"Escarg-o" by Chantal Boudreau, 2488 of 3548, 2 stars
"Quietus" by Christopher Beck, 2980 of 3548, 4 stars
The first story, "The Morning Show Host" is told via a heart-breaking letter written to survivors of the zombie apocalypse. Minnie Brown documents her sad and unfortunate role in the outbreak. There is a sweetness to her story as she reminisces about her romance with her boyfriend, but it is overwhelmed by her sorrow, regret, and guilt. This was my favorite. I would love to have seen this developed into a full novel, and I'm intrigued to read more from this author.
The second story, "The Zombie Curse" features a philandering husband who gets a major comeuppance. It had a supernatural aspect and was just OK for me. There were some formatting issues that caused words to be dropped.
"Termination Papers" tells the story of government experiments on DNA to create super soldiers. As one might expect, things go horribly awry. There were grammar and punctuation issues throughout that interfered with the story, and it appears there was minimal or no editing.
I was beginning to feel a little discouraged, but things picked up with "The Scientific Method" which features a newspaper reporter who heads to Russia to investigate the recently discovered diary of a Nazi war criminal. The Nazi conducted experiments on human brains of living subjects, and the results were just as one would expect.
When I started reading "William", I wondered what in the world a household robot could have to do with zombies. William, the robot, is very helpful around the house until a freak occurrence gives him the power of thought.
It's a big pet peeve for me when an author confuses "desert" and "dessert", and this happened twice, including in the third paragraph of "Escarg-o". I set the bar low at this point, and while the plot in which a restaurant serves some supernatural snails to a celebrity is unexpectedly wacky, it didn't really seem like a zombie story.
In "Quietus", an infected bird bites a little girl. I think rabies might have been more pleasant than what this poor girl experiences.
I don't know why a table of contents was not included in the Kindle version. I've added locations below for anyone who wants to skip to a particular story, along with individual ratings.
**********
"The Morning Show Host" by Patrick Shand, 37 of 3548, 5 stars
"Zombie Curse" by Bennie Newsome, 485 of 3548, 2.5 stars
"Termination Papers" by Suzanne Robb, 1008 of 3548, 2 stars
"The Scientific Method" by Nathan Phillips, 1561 of 3548, 4 stars
"William" by A.A. Garrison, 1965 of 3548, 3 stars
"Escarg-o" by Chantal Boudreau, 2488 of 3548, 2 stars
"Quietus" by Christopher Beck, 2980 of 3548, 4 stars
May 16, 2012
This a collection of short stories revolved around a zombie theme. Seven stories total, each one looks at how the zombies "came to be". Not a lot of stories tell you how the outbreak/illness started. Most stories tell of the spread of the illness or the stories of survivors. These stories take on a new perspective, "Where did it come from?" Take a chance and see if these stories could be the beginning of something terrifying in your town.
July 8, 2012
It is difficult to give a rating to a series of short stories compiled. Some of them were excellent, others just OK. "The morning show host" by Patrick Shand is extraordinary, "William" by A.A Garrison actually gave me nightmares, "Escarg-O" by Chantal Boudreau left me wanting more and "Quietus" by Christopher Beck left me deeply disturbed.
A wide range of stories about zombies, each one different and most of them away from the stereotype. Highly recommended
A wide range of stories about zombies, each one different and most of them away from the stereotype. Highly recommended
December 3, 2012
A pretty good set of zombie stories, some fun twists. Worth a look for some quick enjoyment.
January 28, 2016
The description of the book misleads you into thinking this is all about zombies and the start of the apocalypse, the latter is correct.
The best way to umbrella the stories in the book is outbreak anthology.
I took notes of each story and rated them individually, hopefully my quick notes don't spoil the story and entices you to take a chance on this anthology.
The Morning Show Host by Patrick Shand - 5 stars
- Clever word play of the title
- Origin story with an apology letter aspect
Zombie Curse by Bennie L. Newsome - 4 stars
- Has a Maury Povich type ratchet element ( reason why I gave it 4 stars)
- Demon/7 deadly sin component to it which gives an interesting twist
Termination Papers by Suzanne Robb - 3 stars
- Zombie animals was the highlight for me
- Government testing, you can pretty much figure out how it plays out
- Its a forgettable story
The Scientific method by Nathan Phillips - 5 stars
- Nazi doctor journal of zombie outbreak
- A very interesting twist of the Gross-Rosen Concentration Camp in 1944, which leads to mentioning future world events
** Creepy fun fact that made this story a trip to read - While reading, The Johann Breyer story was a hot topic on the news. Johann is the former Nazi guard @ Auschuitz 2 - Birkenau that was arrested in Philadelphia. Auschuitz 2 is 172 miles away from Gross-Roben.
William by A. A. Garrison - 4 stars
- Creepy version of Short Circuit (80's movie reference for the young-ins lol)
*** This is the story that made me go back and read all 11 reviews, thank you Gregory Hadley, because I originally referenced this story with Halloween 3 and how it didn't fit.
Escarg-O by Chantal Boudreau - 3 stars
- Sweet Jesus, how does one describe this. The best I can do is forbidden love meets horny parasite.
Quietus by Christopher Beck - 4 stars
- If you liked the movie Outbreak, you will like this story with the undead twist.
The best way to umbrella the stories in the book is outbreak anthology.
I took notes of each story and rated them individually, hopefully my quick notes don't spoil the story and entices you to take a chance on this anthology.
The Morning Show Host by Patrick Shand - 5 stars
- Clever word play of the title
- Origin story with an apology letter aspect
Zombie Curse by Bennie L. Newsome - 4 stars
- Has a Maury Povich type ratchet element ( reason why I gave it 4 stars)
- Demon/7 deadly sin component to it which gives an interesting twist
Termination Papers by Suzanne Robb - 3 stars
- Zombie animals was the highlight for me
- Government testing, you can pretty much figure out how it plays out
- Its a forgettable story
The Scientific method by Nathan Phillips - 5 stars
- Nazi doctor journal of zombie outbreak
- A very interesting twist of the Gross-Rosen Concentration Camp in 1944, which leads to mentioning future world events
** Creepy fun fact that made this story a trip to read - While reading, The Johann Breyer story was a hot topic on the news. Johann is the former Nazi guard @ Auschuitz 2 - Birkenau that was arrested in Philadelphia. Auschuitz 2 is 172 miles away from Gross-Roben.
William by A. A. Garrison - 4 stars
- Creepy version of Short Circuit (80's movie reference for the young-ins lol)
*** This is the story that made me go back and read all 11 reviews, thank you Gregory Hadley, because I originally referenced this story with Halloween 3 and how it didn't fit.
Escarg-O by Chantal Boudreau - 3 stars
- Sweet Jesus, how does one describe this. The best I can do is forbidden love meets horny parasite.
Quietus by Christopher Beck - 4 stars
- If you liked the movie Outbreak, you will like this story with the undead twist.
November 15, 2013
Fun little collection of zombie outbreak beginnings.
February 18, 2013
An interesting anthology of short stories detailing how a zombie apocalypse starts.
April 5, 2014
the book is a bit uneven. two or three of the stories are engaging, entertaining and enjoyable. The other stories are not as good. It really is a mixed bag.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews