United States of Z - Book 1: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

by Olin Lester

Hiding in plain sight, Protocol 9 agents live among us.

Protocol 9 was designed as the ultimate safeguard—a top-secret government program to counteract viral outbreaks or chemical weapon attacks. But no one expected to use until something turned the population cannibal.
For Special Operations soldiers finishing their tours of duty, signing on as Protocol Agents seemed like easy money—a cushy contract with no real danger. But when civilization collapses and the streets run red, they realize they’ve been recruited as humanity’s last line of defense against a nightmare they never saw coming.

Protocol 9: When Survival Becomes the Mission.

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2025

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost]

I'm not going to rate this one because I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be a fan to begin with. It's a tale of a military extraction of a doctor at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse absolutely not my jam (except for the zombie part).

I did like the zombies in this one and the way the infection operated, and I also liked how snappy things were. There were a couple of scenes that were really impressive too.

I didn't really connect with the characters and by now (a day after I finished reading the book) I only remember one of their names, Salazar and that's only because the author Jo Salazar wrote some of the best zombie novels I've ever read, there just wasn't enough about them for me to get invested. What we got was; they saw a lot of stuff in previous deployments, they're alone (no close relationships) but somehow not inhumane or plain bad people, and at least one of them is good at terrible inspirational stories, it felt very "yes and?" as far as character building goes. If you're down with beat by beat military style action your mileage will probably vary though.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The soldiers on the Potacal 9 team are going to need a miracle. The outbreak is worse than anyone imagined. Fast-paced military thriller.

[John Podlaski · Rating 4 out of 5]

United States of Z by Olin Lester is well worth reading. It kept me engaged from beginning to end.

The government created a secret group called Protocol 9. Comprised of former special operators who, during retirement, were specially trained and are on standby in the event of a biological attack on the country. It's easy money, as none of them ever expected such an attack. When it did occur, the teams reacted quickly.

Their first mission was to rescue a doctor who may have the cure against a biological weapon that has turned soldiers and citizens into zombies. Upon their arrival, the teams found the military base on the west coast overrun, and the zombie ranks increasing by the minute.

During the rescue, they are not only battling zombies, but it was discovered that Russian snipers are picking off Protocol 9 members during the chaos.

United States of Z is a fast-paced book and an excellent start to a new zombie apocalypse series. The characters are well defined and likeable, but how many of them will survive the mission? Highly recommended.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC and I’m so glad I did!! This author is new to me. I read the prequel, then read this right after. The counteract the possibility of viral attack is a top secret government program to keep us safe. It doesn’t work as well as they had planned as the citizens become cannibalistic. The characters are so well developed. Humor,loyalty, stress and tears as losing some characters is heartbreaking. The plot is the doctor they need to help control the outbreak leads to the plot. I say grab this and enjoy!!

[Robert]

So, this book suffers from the usual typos and things you see with self-publishing. I personally didn’t love some of the language used, like describing gunfire as “the sound of freedom” and such. Also, there’s a fair amount of referring to the future that really undercuts the stakes. For instance, while deployed in this zombie hot zone, the writer says of a character, “it wasn’t his first rodeo, and it wouldn’t be his last.” Ok, well I guess we know this guy survives. All told, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good enough to me to continue the series.

[Julia Tuzzolino · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!

BEST zombie apocalypse book I’ve read yet… and I’ve read several after running out of zombie flicks to watch. Can’t wait to continue into Book 2 and the rest of the books in the series. HIGHLY recommend! Fast paced and very well written as to both the characters and all the action… I’m not military, but I understood everything author discussed with respect to the weapons, vehicles/choppers, etc., gear … even their lingo which he explained without detracting from the plot.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun adventure dystopian thriller that leans into military action. There is a fare amount of military jargon but there is a helpful glossary at the end of the book. This was a solid introduction to the series. I plan on reading the next installment.

[DeWayne Dorsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. it was a great military adventure, with zombies. win win! can't wait for the next one to be released, and each one after that

[Hanna Wisz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it

Quick read but action packed and I really enjoyed it. I think the author did a great job with the characters.

[Kirk J Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good look on a Zombie Apocalypse

This book is different from what I normally read
Has great depth of character and the story has a good build
Will be reading book 2 definitely 👍

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, good story, but....

I find it hard to believe the author would use the word "medivac" instead of the proper word "medevac (medical evacuation)."