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Cadaver #1

Cadáver 1: Un Thriller de Zombis

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Two teenagers find a frozen corpse in the middle of the woods and decide to bring it back to town. They have no idea they just sparked the zombie apocalypse.

In the morgue below the hospital, the dead begin waking up and attacking the living. The infection spreads rapidly, turning the place into a slaughterhouse as those inside fight to survive against the undead.

As the situation escalates, authorities are forced to seal off the building in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus. But it may already be too late ...

316 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2023

1215 people are currently reading
965 people want to read

About the author

Nick Clausen

76 books373 followers
I write stories about the apocalypse so that I don't need to work a real job. I grew up reading Stephen King and still haven't fully recovered. I'm currently ending the world in my new series Under the Breaking Sky.

Join my reader club to be kept in the loop -> nick-clausen.com

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5 stars
660 (42%)
4 stars
561 (35%)
3 stars
266 (16%)
2 stars
50 (3%)
1 star
28 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
Profile Image for Deb.
462 reviews126 followers
July 22, 2024
Great Zombie book!

This book is action packed from the beginning, it never slows down. I has to put my day on hold since this is so thrilling and fast paced.
A real twist to Zombies. I expected it to be hum drum but I guarantee its not.

No spoilers. I can honestly say readers who like horror books really need to read this series. I'm so excited I bought the next one and I rarely purchase my kindle books.
Profile Image for Stitching Ghost.
1,487 reviews388 followers
April 19, 2023
The book I almost didn't read because of an ad, the Kindle version contains an ad for a free book that once clicked opened 6 browser windows, on my phone it took many tries to find a spot on the page where I could tap to turn the page without clicking the ad (on my Kindle it wasn't a problem just had to not touch the picture), tedious to say the least. Ok, rant over.

Cadaver is a tale of "the road to hell is paved with good intentions", filled with mostly characters who mean well or do all the right things and still get a raw deal with zombies to speed things along.

Clausen doesn't pull punches so there isn't any overly obvious red shirting in this one which is always a good thing in a zombie story. Some of the usual tropes are there ().
Profile Image for Jocelyn.
970 reviews
May 28, 2023
I don’t want to be unfair and leave a shitty review - I couldn’t get in to the book. I started it and stopped multiple times. Don’t know if I was in the right frame of mind or if it was the book - idk.

It seemed fast paced then something just didn’t connect with me.
I’m leaving three stars because I didn’t hate it, it just wasn’t for me.
Profile Image for Cam.
1,217 reviews2 followers
April 6, 2023
Fast paced action read: a couple of kids find the body of a man hanging in a cabin in the woods. The kids decide to take the body back to town and give it to the hospital. But as they drive the body starts to defrost and the body they thought was dead comes back to life.
Profile Image for Peridot.
231 reviews50 followers
January 22, 2023
I'm not sure this deserves the stars I'm giving it.
It was a book full of stupid people doing stupid people things, which.. granted might be realistic but it had me almost screaming at the book to NOT DO THAT!

But, I was in a zombie mood, and I was in the right mindset to get terrified and this did the job. But I don't know if that's because of the book or because I've had two nightmares in a row involving zombies.

My biggest complaint is the ending really, where
Profile Image for Dave C.
79 reviews21 followers
January 2, 2025
Solid start to the series with plenty of action and suspense.
Profile Image for Patrick McNulty.
Author 14 books28 followers
March 27, 2023
Amazing new zombie series!

Just when you thought zombies novels/books/tv shows were beaten to death I stumbled upon the CADAVER series by Author Nick Clausen. First off the cover is ridiculously awesome. Secondly the guy can write! The story moves fast and never lets up as we follow characters that are fun, exciting and relatable. This is easily one of the best series starters I’ve read and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

If you love zombies you’ll fall in love with this new exciting series!
Profile Image for Baiba Loves Books.
791 reviews8 followers
March 28, 2024
Suspenseful and scary, but i also laughed a lot. I am book 6 deep in the series, and absolutely loving the whole thing!
Profile Image for Di .
371 reviews10 followers
October 4, 2023
I started out with this author by reading Dead Meat series, and while I enjoyed that one a great deal. This one is my favorite book by Nick Clausen so far. Can't wait to continue the series.
Profile Image for Seraphia Bunny.
2,107 reviews34 followers
February 6, 2023
Looking for something new in the horror genre? Then look no further than Nick Clausen’s Cadaver! This zombie apocalypse novel with it’s dark beginning will keep you page-turning to the very end. When a teen boy’s desire to impress his older brother override his good sense, he brings death and destruction by his choices.
Brace yourself for drama, horror, shock, and tons of danger. With a twisted secret hidden in it’s past, this story promises to keep you digging to find out the truth of this new horrific outbreak of death. The question will arise – will Jakob and his brother be able to survive? Who will be able to come together to stop the spread? Or will all be lost once the zombie outbreak is unleashed on an unsuspecting community?
Don’t think that this apocalypse thriller is the same as all other zombie novels. There is plenty to keep you on your toes and page-turning. This new series is an absolute must read! You’ll definitely be eager for book two by the end!
This book earns 5 out of 5 stars.
Profile Image for Erlin.
516 reviews10 followers
October 7, 2025
8/10 Història de zombis que atrapa des de la primera pàgina amb un ritme frenètic i un suspens constant. L'autor domina la tensió amb màestra, combinant escenes d'acció trepidants amb moments durs i extremadament gore que no donen temps a respirar.

L'origen de la catàstrofe és tan original com aterridor, allunyant-se dels tòpics del gènere. L'escenografia, per la seva banda, és claustrofòbica i atmosfèrica, immergint el lector en un món tancat i opressiu on l'amenaça és constant. Una lectura intensa i sagnant.
Profile Image for Zombie Reader.
132 reviews17 followers
May 3, 2024
Cadaver was another book that ended up being much better than I expected. Despite being translated from Danish to English, the transition is seamless. The story is solid and interesting and the characters are three dimensional. The story evolves around a ancient cave discovered in the backyard of a village home where an evil creature attacks and turns people into zombie like monsters. The creatures spread to the surrounding area, eventually to a hospital where the main characters fight to escape with their lives.

My only constructive criticism for the author are that there are times when something is happening to one person, or group, and everyone else seems to be standing there doing nothing until the author comes back to them. If a zombie is attacking a person right in front of you, I don't think you are going to stand there and watch until the zombie is done and decides to come at you. In spite of this small drawback, it was a good book. I'll definitely be listening to Cadaver 2.

Spencer Dillehay does a good job with the English Audible version.

Profile Image for Cynthia.
18 reviews
June 29, 2023
DNF at 80 percent. Yet another horror fiction where the plot hinges on all the characters making stupid decisions. If you need your characters to be complete morons in order to move plot forward maybe scrap it for another version where the cumulative IQ of the cast is higher than my freezer.

Another gripe is also the fact that zombies is a known quantity in this world, yet there are characters (who I assume can’t be older than 50) asking what a zombie is. Zombies aren’t just a gen z thing, you know. If zombies is a known thing in your plot, stick with it. Don’t be wishy washy and use some characters not knowing as a plot vehicle for stupid choices.
Profile Image for Naei .
179 reviews3 followers
July 22, 2025
shit.

Estoy literalmente que no sé qué opinar. Esta es mi segunda saga de apocalipsis zombie de Nick y después de este libro quiero que siga escribiendo más.

Empezando por el comienzo ¿a quién miércoles se le ocurre bajar y cargar un cadáver congelado solo para impresionar a su hermano y la gente alrededor? Si dejó esa nota de suicidio de esa manera fue por una razón, estúpido adolescente.

El Viggo no merecía ser convertido en zombie porque él no quería hacer eso y se lo dijo claro y raspado a jakob. Dios es que, que imbécil de verdad.

Otra cosa, yo entiendo que es un poco difícil creer estas cosas pero la cosa se desarrolla en un hospital y en la morgue que es lo peor, cómo tú siendo doctor después de declarar a una persona muerta y que estaba en mal estado, vas a querer salvarla porque la ves que está caminando? hermano eres doctor sabes que los muertos no reviven así porque si horas después. Se pasan de idiotas, me molesta mucho que el sentido común brilla por su ausencia en estas historias pero sigo siendo fan.

Pobre Aksel con ese final.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for ☽ Mél.
61 reviews1 follower
June 7, 2025
Lu en anglais.

J’ai vu ce livre via une publicité sur les réseaux sociaux. Le résumé m’a intrigué, mais je partais avec quelques préjugés malgré tout.

Cependant, ce tome 1 était facile à lire et intéressant. Quand on a pas envie de se concentrer et qu’on veut juste quelque chose de simple et efficace, il fait entièrement l’affaire.

Les POV multiples ne m’ont pas dérangé, mais j’avoue que le haut taux de décès des personnages présentés dans le livre me motive moins à lire la suite car je ne me suis pas vraiment attaché à eux. Mais il y a quand même un potentiel dans l’univers commencé. Je pense lire la suite plus sporadiquement. À voir !

C’était une lecture agréable et étrangement reposante...
Profile Image for Billie.
5,783 reviews72 followers
January 18, 2023
This is a thrilling read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Profile Image for Heather Pixley.
21 reviews
January 22, 2023
Holy God!

I fell in love with Nick with his Dead Meat series, and now this one... Absolutely edge of your seat fantastic! You spend the whole book wondering who will die, who will turn, and who will live. I learned with Dead Meat not to fall in love with just one character, because you never know what to expect. Cadaver is amazing, and to see a callback to Cadaver 0 and how the whole thing began is wonderful. Fantastic plot, wonderful characters, and a great experience for anyone who loves zombies and the apocalypse they bring with them!
19 reviews1 follower
January 23, 2023
Intense from the start!

HOLY WOW Nick Clausen!! You sure do have a knack for capturing the reader's attention on page one!! The action is immediate and I was hooked instantly!! I am excited to see where this goes in book two and was shocked at the ending in this book. Way to leave me hanging!! I am already invested in the characters and am interested in finding out more about the hole in the hill...
Profile Image for Kristi Kienast Hernandez.
430 reviews
October 17, 2025
I’m impressed! I have read a lot of horror and zombie apocalypse novels. This idea has been done many times and it’s hard to find anything new to do in this genre. Nick Clausen has done an excellent job in this first book. Each chapter is short, but there’s action all the time. The chapters leave you with a cliffhanger, but you’re not left hanging for a long time like some authors do. It’s hard to creep me out or scare me, but this book has a very creepy feeling. I love it. Be warned that this is translated from another language. There are some odd word choices, mistakes, and just some missing words that you would expect from a non-native English speaker. Knowing that going in, makes the book easier to accept with its flaws. If the author is reading this review, call me. I will gladly edit your books for you.
Profile Image for Reads_Must .
960 reviews13 followers
February 26, 2023
Cadaver: Book 1
Horror, Thriller
Nick Clausen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is fast paced and thrilling. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I couldn't put it down.

I liked Nick Clausen's take on zombies and the way they transformed. The hint about the runes in the tunnel/hill and the creature living inside it made me curious. I wish more was explained about it.

I liked the characters and they were interesting. I did find that there were too many POVs though. Some were only featured once before the plot moved on to another POV.

I think if this book was longer and had some more world building, it would've been better. I wasn't keen on the ending, it seemed very sudden and it didn't really make sense to me as a character did something that was the opposite to his actions throughout the whole book.
Profile Image for moodyblake.
25 reviews
December 22, 2024
First off. I hated how this book ended. That was unnecessary. Secondly I can get behind a book that switches POVs but the fact that it was every chapter was too much for me. I hope this isn’t how the rest of the series is gonna go
Profile Image for Hannah.
3 reviews
February 24, 2025
Listened to the audiobook during work and it was very entertaining. A solid 3.75. I’m excited to listen to the rest of the series. Definitely one of the best ways to start a zombie apocalypse book series.
Profile Image for Riselquis.
42 reviews4 followers
December 1, 2025
La traducción es literal del inglés (no está adaptada) y muchas cosas chirrian un montón. Además que el narrador en formato audio no es malo pero es un poco monótono escucharle, y también el audiolibro tenía problemas con frases superpuestas.
11 reviews5 followers
February 3, 2023
I downloaded a new book and had to finish this one before I could start. But then I got super into it and then a had to read book two to find out what happens. Good writing, great plot, and an easy read. Really keeps your attention.
Profile Image for Colin.
Author 5 books141 followers
February 6, 2023
The Zombie Apocalypse begins . . . in Norway!

A frozen cadaver from Norway thaws . . . and begins to move. The zombie apocalypse has begun! This is surprisingly well-written and very suspenseful and fun . . .
44 reviews6 followers
February 9, 2023
It took me by surprise

I can't believe i really liked this book, it had solid characters with a lot of action. I recommend it to anyone
Profile Image for Kathy D Dodge.
287 reviews1 follower
March 28, 2023
Awesome

Different then your run of the mill zombie apocalypse! Don't become attached to a character becomes anyone can die! You can almost feel the evil!
Profile Image for Scott Hudson.
2 reviews
January 9, 2024
Was a good read. Did not take long to get into what was going on. Very impressed.
Profile Image for Letty.
33 reviews
January 4, 2025
Entretenido, típica historia de zombies, trama sencilla, sin embargo engancha fácilmente por lo rápido que fluye la historia.
Desde las primeras páginas comienza la acción.
Profile Image for Jon Theisen.
129 reviews1 follower
February 11, 2023
a gripping read

I totally enjoyed reading this story, great characters and a good story line with death around every corner waiting for our protagonist with little hope of escape.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews

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