Ship of the Dead

Omega Days #2

by John L. Campbell

In the weeks following the Omega Virus outbreak, survivors form desperate clusters, uniting to defend against hordes of the walking dead. But they can only hide for so long…



Father Xavier Church never wanted to be a leader. Nonetheless, he’s grown attached to his fellow survivors, and he won’t let anyone cause them harm—though he may be the one who inadvertently leads them to destruction…



Ex-con Bill Carnes may crave freedom, but he still prefers sticking with the group rather than fleeing to Mexico with his former cellmate TC. Maybe he’s changing. Or maybe the look in TC’s eyes is more dangerous than the undead…



EMT Rosa Escobedo gave up on hope after she watched the man she loved rise from the dead. But when a patient seems to start getting better, she can’t help but hope for a cure, even if it means risking her life…



As the numbers of the dead swell, the living are running out of safe havens—especially when the biggest threats lie within their own ranks.

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Apocalyptic, Survival, Science Fiction

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2014

About the author

John L. Campbell was born in Chicago, lived all over the U.S. and attended university in both North Carolina and New York. His novels include the zombie apocalypse series, The OMEGA DAYS Novels. All have been Amazon bestsellers, and book one, OMEGA DAYS, remained on the horror bestseller list for 17 weeks. Book five, THE FERAL ROAD, released in November 2016. In addition, Mr. Campbell is the author of two collections of horror and suspense, a novella based on actual events, and under his pen name ATTICUS WULF he released yet another novella and the supernatural/historical thriller, A JUDGE FROM SALEM.

In 2013 his short fiction piece COURAGEOUS LITTLE PHILOMENA'S WONDROUS BAIT was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and in 2014 he served as a juror for the Bram Stoker Awards. A member of both the International Thriller Writers and the Horror Writers Association, Mr. Campbell is active on the horror and comic convention circuits, and is represented by the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency in New York.

He resides in New York with his family, where he is continuing his work on the OMEGA DAYS series, as well as other projects.

Reviews

[Michelle Leah Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Chelle:
*Copy gifted in exchange for an honest review

Book #2 of the OMEGA DAYS series picks up where book #1 left off in a ridiculous cliff-hanger that had me both ranting at the author and clamoring for Ship of the Dead.

After all ending up in the same place for the most part, all of our favorites (well MY favorites anyway) return in book #2, this time searching for a way to survive in what is exponentially becoming the end of days. As the unexplained and utterly confusing virus waves through the country decimating city after city, our ragtag group of survivors decide that if they're able to win a Navy warship, they just might make it. Like a small floating city, it has everything they need - provisions, electricity, a hospital, etc. The only problem, like everything else, it's overrun by the dead, and they'll need to make sacrifices and fight like hell in order to survive.

Slightly more zombie action driven than Omega Days (book #1) and more centrally storyline motivated (without constant shifts of POV between the different groups), there is tons of fabulously horrific gore, plenty of edge of your seat breath-holding moments, oodles of tragedy, action, suspense, and my favorite... the probing of the human psyche, which proves - unfortunately - that mankind may just be the worst monsters out there, especially when placed in a situation where morals are questionable, desperation abounds, and minds are easily lost.

I really enjoyed book #1 of the series, but Ship of the Dead drew me in even deeper, establishing even stronger bonds with some of the remaining cast and desperately making me want to know what happens next in Drifters (book #3 coming in January).

I know there have been mixed reviews with this series, but I really enjoy them, and I would totally recommend them for fans of zombie fiction. If you don't shy away from gore, utterly deplorable antagonists, and the darker side of reality, than take a chance with John L. Campbell and the OMEGA DAYS series. While not The Walking Dead, the books have a bit of that feel, and if you like the psychological side of TWD, I really do think you'll enjoy these books. Not everyone will agree with me, but take a chance and see for yourselves... :)

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I…..couldn’t……put…..this…..book……down. An insanely great follow up to the first book. That ending was blockbuster movie worthy. What a great read. The characters are interesting and the villains are not too comic book esque like the walking dead was. Looking forward to the next installment.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good series for zombie lovers. I enjoyed the descriptions of the zombies and their abilities. The characters are fairly well developed. There was a glorious amount of blood, but not nearly as many kills as the first books.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I attended Book-Con 2014 in NYC in May. I met John Campbell at one of the booths and he was giving awaythe fuirst novel in this series, Omega Days. The only problem was that his shipment had not arrived in time so he took peoples names and addresses and said he would send them out when he got the books. I came home and as the weeks went it slipped my mind. The book finally arrived and was even a signed copy. Call me simple, but that really impressed me. A few weeks went by and I finally got around to picking it up and reading it. I loved it and couldn't wait for the next one to come out. Solast week I'm standing at the library in the new book section when this book pops out. I totally fan girled out right in the library. I made enough rackett that people came around the stacks to see what was making all the noise. I looked really dorky, but screw it. Igrabbed it and brought it home and pretty much read it from front to cover all in one shot. Around 3 am is when I finished. It was so worth the lack of sleep. Once again, John L. Campbell produced a spectacular 2nd book in this series. The book is full of zombie goodness. The survivers from the first book find the USS Nimitz (An aircraft carrier) and proceed to rid the ship of the undead and take it for their own. The undead are really not the scariest issues they have to deal with. A few of their own people have designs on other things than just surviving. I don't want to give away any more info, just know that if you love a good zombie series than I recommend picking this up.

The next installment is due out in January 2015. I will be patiently waiting.

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that my perspective on this book is probably heavily influenced by the fact that I was reading The Living Dead by Romero & Kraus at the same time as I was reading this one so I will review accordingly.
Having been subjected to a zombie novel that tried to be a commentary on society and human nature and to use all the buzzwords and elements of the cultural zeitgeist it could think of reading this one which went for more simple, realistic, and intellectually generous ideas on humans and faith. Where The Living Dead tried to hammer the idea that humanity exists in shades of gray by taking any chances it got to say that everyone is terrible, Ship Of The Dead managed to say just that by showing us characters existing in shades of gray. I wouldn't say that Campbell did that with perfection but he certainly achieved that message more successfully and most importantly more pleasantly (the worst thing a zombie novel can do, if you ask me, is be boring). I assume that this skill of his is why Campbell managed to use ideas that are at their core pretty woke without seeming preachy at all, I don't think I've seen a single review decrying the wokeness of this book.
Campbell also offered exciting scenes that were uncluttered (even if heavy on the descriptions), and actually exciting (the scene where Vladimir restarts the helicopter had me on edge) which after reading the cluttered mess of The Living Dead seemed positively excellent.
In my review of the first installment of this series I compared it to The Walking Dead and think the comparison still holds although at this point the vibe is more Fear The Walking Dead season 2/3 if that makes any sense.
I think I have rambled enough. Will I come back to read the next book in the series? Maybe.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So all our heroes & villains from the previous book meet up on the docks of San Francisco with a relentless horde of zombies after them. Time for some nautical zombie action! (See Dead Sea and Black Tide Rising, among others.) As usual in zombie books, people want to gravitate to the usual safe places--sea, the arctic, some godforsaken forest--just once I'd like to see someone take over a Costco and just live there for a decade or two, which seems like the safer option, but anyways...

Some Spoilers I guess...

Across their perilous stronghold in some warehouse next to one of most populated cities in America is a partially destroyed aircraft carrier, so it's time to fight their way through its darkened hull and make that be their safe haven. Naturally, things go wrong with this cunning plan for most of them, and cherry on top is bringing along the lunatic televangelist & meth head for this assault. One thing that gets me is why not send a 2-3 person scouting team to check out the ship first? Points to them for at least trying to lure some of the topside zombies off the carrier, but why not just open the doorway they go through and just make a ton of noise for hours? Lure as many zombies overboard as they can? And then go in?

Why are the folks keeping watch in all zombie books/films so terrible at it? You think your senses would be honed with fear and it's not like the living dead have ninja stealth on their side.

I guess it wouldn't be as suspenseful otherwise and the book is pretty action packed since the setting is a ship packed with thousands of undead, a rapist, and a madman chasing after armageddon. I immediately started the third one.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father Xavier and his group decide to take over an aircraft carrier to try and find a safe place to live.

This was a fun, impressive second novel in a solid zombie series (which is rarer than you might think!). The characters feel real and make decisions which aren't always the best ones but are believable when there are hundreds of dead people trying to eat you. I liked the addition of EMT Rosa though my favorite character is Russian helicopter pilot Vladimir - it sounds like he'll have a bigger part in the third book so I'll definitely read that.

[Vermillion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hated the rape written in this title. I hate that authors air their rape fetishes as though Rape were only ostensibly a crime, depending on how you look at it. Detailing sexual assaults on children is taboo. The same should be true for women. Stop promoting it.

[Glenn Hammer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get tired of the cop-out of the religious guy being crazy.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The big lesson/takeaway for me about this book is not to let so much time pass between reading books that belong to a series as I forgot some of the details from the first book. Okay, I forgot many of the details. Luckily, John L. Campbell does a fairly good job of quickly referencing events from the first book and he sprinkles them throughout the novel, so someone like me who waited about four years before reading this sequel can piece together what happened. It's helpful.

This continuation of the Omega Days saga picks up shortly after the events from the first book. All the disparate groups and people come together near the shipping yards of Oakland. Huddled together as a group, they devise a plan to take over a large Navy carrier that had crashed in the bay. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong!! Campbell creates a situation that is exciting and brutal as the survivors enter the ship with the intent of "cleaning" it of all the zombies. True to human nature, the zombies aren't the only enemy to be worried about. Mixed in among the survivors are a former televangelist who has conversations with God who wants a full armegeddon unleashed on the already ravished world. There is also a former prisoner with violent desires. And, of course, there are the zombie attacks.

What I liked about the novel is that you can predict some of the characters that will make it to the end, but other times, I was truly surprised when a character I liked was killed. If I had a complaint, though, it would be that some of the characters aren't fully fleshed, so to speak, as well I would like. Some of the extra characters are just there for zombie fodder, so we are only provided with some simple, basic details about them right before they get chomped.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this book and liked the claustrophobic setting and the characters who are given more of a small description. This is a fun zombie novel.

[Randy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to like this book, really, I did, but it was so monotonously boring and formulaic that I found myself just dropping it to go watch clouds instead. I think every cliche way to kill the myriad disposable characters was used, twice. I honestly lost any investment in any character and could not possibly care less if they all just die. Definitely won’t be tormenting myself with the rest of the series.

[David Wingert · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Ship of the Dead” by John L. Campbell picks up where “Omega Days” ended. It follows the survivors as they form desperate clusters and unite in defense against the hordes of waling dead. In this installment, the group formulates and executes a plan to take the USS Nimitz as their home base. I found some of the detail stuff about the USS Nimitz to bog things down, but otherwise enjoyed this end of days story.

[tivasyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

гаразд, вислухав дві перші частини серії... де почати? не шедевр літератури, ні — але динамічне, реалістичне (наскільки реалістичним може бути зомбікаліптика, хаха), аж не хочеться випускати з рук (чи знімати навушники в моєму випадку) до останнього рядка. в підсумку — щось середнє між бруксовим « world war z» та стіновим «the stand»... можливо, я просто надто люблю жанр? хто так само «зіпсований» таким чтивом — рекомендую!

[Dasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 estrellas

Voy a hacer como si las historias románticas de esta saga no existieran, ¿vale? Tanta diferencia de edad a veces me da grima. Además de que eran bastante predecibles.

Este libro me ha decepcionado un poco por ser tan predecible. Creo que nada me ha pillado por sorpresa. Aún así, me ha enganchado mucho y no he parado hasta terminarlo. Seguiré con la saga aunque me da un poco de pereza.

[Charmer (+ Vibes Only) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars.
I liked the first book better. This book has a cliffhanger as well. This one didn't pull me in like the first. It was a little hard to get into. I rolled my eyes when Skye ended up with who she ended up with. It seemed to me that the women in this book endured a lot of abuse, manly towards the end. I don't need to finish the rest of the series.

[Kelli W · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I found this sequel to be much better than the first book. I was compelled enough to continue into the 3rd novel in series, "Drifters", which was super intense and best book so far in series. Currently 5 books are published and I believe it is unfinished as of today. Waiting on the 6th as of early 2019.

[Stephen Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omega Days is a solid zombie apocalypse series with great characters and a realistic feel to the story. I enjoyed the first two in the series. Seeing the formation of the apocalypse from a number of different character's perspectives in vastly different circumstances was, at least for me, an interesting way to open the book.

[sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

gone is the sprawling epic of the first novel, and here instead is a coda of sorts, wherein we follow our characters trying for the entire book to get one particular goal, it makes for a much less compelling narrative, but there’s still enough interesting tidbits and character choices here (Vlad is a standout) to make an effective read.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was wondering how a whole book would take place on a ship, given the plot laid out in the first few chapters of the book. It didn't sound the greatest at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

This turned out to be a pretty fun to read book and I'm hoping the rest of the series lives up to it.

[Paulita Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, John L. Campbell did a great job with this book/series. He knows how to connect you to the characters, my heart ached for almost every loss. I love the detail, suspense, comedy & cliffhangers. If you like zombies I would recommend this series.

[Hazel Bright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focusing on fewer individuals and establishing a story with a clear beginning and end, this novel was a big improvement over the first in the series. Characters have little nuance and tend to either be heroes or villains, but are still compelling enough to keep me moving on in the series.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carrier On

The crazy goes up another notch in this zombie fueled adventure. I was missing the little anecdotes of the main characters background as I read. It had been a few years since I read the first story but now I’m back into it for the next book.

[Katrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Sterne

Die ganze Sache im Schiff hat sich für mich leider zu sehr gezogen und Bruder Peter war einfach nur nervig, in seinen Gesprächen mit Gott.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy following the adventures of these survivors. They are compelling and you want them to make it despite the danger. It is well written and fun.

[Galen Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid zombie action with some likeable characters. A few parts drag on a bit longer than necessary but overall it's worth a read.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I thought this book was a rip-off. It repeated parts of the first book. Once past that, it turned into a page turning thrill ride. I look to reading the other books in the series.

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Better than the first book in the series. Better action and more info on people. Good variety of characters. Good ending.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

More realistic than the first.

I liked how the "slow burn", makes you immune to a bite///good touch

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay story. Author seriously needs a thesaurus to avoid future over use of the word galloping.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to believe that the bulk of this book takes place over only a few days. Amazing!