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The Darkness is a fast paced story of survival that brings the apocalypse to Main Street USA

While the world falls apart Jacob Anderson barricades his family behind locked doors. News report's tell of civil unrest in the streets, murders, disappearances, citizens are warned to remain behind locked doors. When Jacob becomes witness to horrible events and the alarming actions of his neighbors, he and his family realize everything is far worse than being reported. Every father's nightmare comes true as Jacob's normal life, and a promise to protect his family is torn apart.

From the Best Selling Author of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot comes a new telling of Armageddon.

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

528 people are currently reading
472 people want to read

About the author

W.J. Lundy

37 books272 followers
W. J. Lundy is a still serving Veteran of the U.S. Military with service in Afghanistan. He has over 12 years of combined service with the Army and Navy in Europe, the Balkans and Southwest Asia. W.J. is an avid athlete, writer, backpacker and shooting enthusiast. He currently resides with his wife and daughter in Central Michigan.

I developed the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot series from notes and ideas I had put together while deployed to Afghanistan. I had been jokingly asked how we would defend against a zombie attack.

I wanted to tell a story that portrays the military that I know, that displays our actual capabilities. These are my thoughts, I hope you enjoy them, and thank you for reading.


facebook.com/WARONPRIMALS

wjlundy.wtf@gmail.com

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5 stars
351 (34%)
4 stars
338 (33%)
3 stars
205 (20%)
2 stars
89 (8%)
1 star
24 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
Profile Image for S. K. Pentecost.
297 reviews11 followers
May 24, 2015
Imagine a guy at the office is telling you all about this new first person shooter game he got. You've never heard of the game. In fact, you don't even have an Xbox. So while it is obvious your office mate had fun playing, you can't follow what the hell he's saying for fuck all.

That is what reading the Darkness was like for me. The author missed the boat repeatedly when it came time to describe a scene. Much of the time I didn't even know who was in a scene until they spoke up, or that it was raining until Lundy mentions it stopping.

Characterization was flat and lifeless, with at least 3 interchangeable tough as nails sergeant types over the course of the story, and a main character who wasn't given an opportunity either to grow, or to grow on you.

A nice thing I can say about this story is that the gun porn, while excessive, wasn't gratuitous, considering the story falls so neatly into the guns and zombies genre.
Profile Image for Lupe Dominguez.
742 reviews63 followers
April 7, 2017
Well that was underwhelming. The zombies (or whatever the heck they are, I still didn't understand that) basically continue to -what?- and now we don't even know how it all ends?! Is there a sequel?! Ok no spoilers. I'm just really frustrated because we get this whole first half of the book almost of a whiney wife and silent daughter, and then the rest is just this man who literally, through the whole rest of the book, even after everything that keeps happening, STILL hesitates to listen to these other men who are clearly more knowledgeable than he in tactical and staying alive. I ml ran really?! He's not going to finally figure out to stop hesitating?! Just. Ugh. And the whole finding out what the Others are or the Darkness? It was too rushed. Just nope.
Profile Image for Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews.
551 reviews61 followers
November 7, 2015
A zombie by any other name smells just as awful.

What would you do? Where would you go? The authorities have told Jacob to stay at home, avoid people, help will come. When help finally arrives, things go terribly wrong; Jacob is separated from his wife, Laura, and their sick daughter. He must fight to survive and fight to reunite with his family.

There are a lot of great things that W.J. Lundy did with The Darkness. He has written what would be considered a post-apocalyptic/zombie book, but these are not zombies, they are something far more sinister and dangerous. What are they, you ask? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Jacob is not your traditional apocalyptic hero. He has no training, no stash of supplies; he, like ninety nine percent of the population is completely unprepared. He is a hero that everyone can relate to. If Jacob can survive, maybe I can too.

The Darkness is a fast paced, exciting book. Going outside of the box makes the story all that more interesting. I can see a possibility of having more adventures with Jacob in the future.

*4 Stars
72 reviews1 follower
April 18, 2015
At 99 cents, I took a chance on this one. Can't recommend it.
Profile Image for Christina.
289 reviews71 followers
June 4, 2015

FULL DISCLOSURE: I stopped reading at about 100 pages.

I hate giving bad reviews, especially if I don’t finish the book, but I do think it’s important to explain why I gave up.

The biggest sin for me is to bore the reader. Unfortunately, I was bored. In all fairness, maybe something spectacular happens in the last half but I couldn’t muster enough interest to get there. There is so much hiding out, sneaking around, sitting around… Maybe that’s what would happen in real life, but it hardly makes for a good story. I wasn’t even curious enough about who the bad guys were to push through to the end; someone in the book group was kind enough to fill me in.

Although I have heard good things about his Whiskey Tango Foxtrot series, I am not likely to read them anytime soon- one of the unfortunate consequences of disliking the first book a reader tries by an author. So if you are interested in giving Lundy’s books a try, I recommend you do not begin with The Darkness.
Profile Image for Grady.
Author 51 books1,820 followers
December 26, 2020
‘Something is changing, I’m not sure what…I’m afraid they’re coming’ A powerful Thriller

Michigan author WJ Lundy has extensive experience in the military, serving as Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy in Europe, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and as a Veteran continuing his service in Afghanistan. For those who were introduced to him in the fine ORIGINS OF HONOR anthology with other fine writers, his own novels allow further and deeper appreciation of his talent. His books to date - the TOMMY DONOVAN series, the WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT, and THE INVASION series of which THE DARKNESS is Book 1. His other works include THE SOLDIER series, THE HUNT, THE CREED, BLACKBIRD and FIVE ROADS TO TEXAS among others.

THE DARKNESS supports the impact and power of his other novels. Even the opening lines demonstrate Lundy’s prowess in creating atmosphere as well as his skill in opening a terrorism thriller: ‘The city was on lock down. Jacob’s co-workers jokingly called it a FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] holiday, like a snow day in the summertime. Office buildings closed, the government declaring a national shutdown with only essential employees required to report. It was rumored that police officer and even medical professionals were starting to walk off the job, refusing to report to duty…’ Sound a bit familiar with current times? That is yet another reason why reading this book now is enlightening.

Being the initial episode in a series, Lundy introduces his concept as defined in the terse synopsis: ‘While the world falls apart, Jacob Anderson barricades his family behind locked doors. News reports tell of civil unrest in the streets, murders, and disappearances; citizens are warned to remain behind locked doors. When Jacob becomes witness to horrible events and the alarming actions of his neighbors, he and his family realize everything is far worse than being reported. Every father's nightmare comes true as Jacob's normal life--and a promise to protect his family--is torn apart.’

Quality writing, vivid attention to detail, and fast paced, this is an excellent introduction to the art of WJ Lundy and is bound to attract an even a larger audience to his work. Recommended.
Profile Image for Elisa .
1,509 reviews27 followers
January 9, 2019
This was interesting. A little military action and a lot of being thrown into the deep end during an apocalyptic world. Tension and firefights...Will look for the rest of the trilogy.
Profile Image for Mike.
134 reviews9 followers
July 26, 2015
The Darkness is the story of a Chicago man being thrust into a perilous set of circumstances after the outbreak of an unusual virus that turns a certain segment of the population into killers. After being separated from his family during an evacuation, he must make his easy to a safe zone to be reunited with them.

This is my first foray into reading anything by W.J. Lundy, and my first impression is positive. He writes in an accessible, generally clear way, and his word choice, pushing, and dialogue are all decent. He builds a convincing apocalypse (though being thrown into the middle of it was not my favorite choice), and Chicago feels suitably wasted by the onslaught that it faces. One sticking point here though is the over description of surroundings at times, to the point that it made things confusing for me. The characters are likable if a bit vaguely drawn and beyond the main character we dint get much of an idea of who they are.

This is a fun book and a brisk read. It has some real good points in the sense of the author's clear command of military equipment and mindset. The enemy is a breath of fresh air when the author could have taken the lazy way out and done zombies instead. This leads to some interesting ideas and plot developments.

My main issues are that the central character, while being constantly shoved on to the next safe haven seems far more constant than you would expect of someone without much experience shooting or surviving in a hostile environment. He gets thrown into some pretty bad situations and while he does get injured (a point to Lundy for realism here), he must feels a bit too competent, especially by the end. Nonetheless someone other than a story prepper or similar type of character and someone who actually makes mistakes made the book all the more readable.

The biggest concern is the plot line though. While there are some refreshing ideas and a "believable enough for fiction" set of events, it's still a slog through a ruined city to reunite a man with his family and find a safe haven. In that sense this book is a retread of so many of its predecessors and it made the book feel slightly stale as a result.

In sum though, it's worth a few dollars and an afternoon of your time if you're in the mood for something like this.
Profile Image for Grady.
Author 51 books1,820 followers
December 26, 2020
‘Something is changing, I’m not sure what…I’m afraid they’re coming’ A powerful Thriller

Michigan author WJ Lundy has extensive experience in the military, serving as Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy in Europe, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and as a Veteran continuing his service in Afghanistan. For those who were introduced to him in the fine ORIGINS OF HONOR anthology with other fine writers, his own novels allow further and deeper appreciation of his talent. His books to date - the TOMMY DONOVAN series, the WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT, and THE INVASION series of which THE DARKNESS is Book 1. His other works include THE SOLDIER series, THE HUNT, THE CREED, BLACKBIRD and FIVE ROADS TO TEXAS among others.

THE DARKNESS supports the impact and power of his other novels. Even the opening lines demonstrate Lundy’s prowess in creating atmosphere as well as his skill in opening a terrorism thriller: ‘The city was on lock down. Jacob’s co-workers jokingly called it a FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] holiday, like a snow day in the summertime. Office buildings closed, the government declaring a national shutdown with only essential employees required to report. It was rumored that police officer and even medical professionals were starting to walk off the job, refusing to report to duty…’ Sound a bit familiar with current times? That is yet another reason why reading this book now is enlightening.

Being the initial episode in a series, Lundy introduces his concept as defined in the terse synopsis: ‘While the world falls apart, Jacob Anderson barricades his family behind locked doors. News reports tell of civil unrest in the streets, murders, and disappearances; citizens are warned to remain behind locked doors. When Jacob becomes witness to horrible events and the alarming actions of his neighbors, he and his family realize everything is far worse than being reported. Every father's nightmare comes true as Jacob's normal life--and a promise to protect his family--is torn apart.’

Quality writing, vivid attention to detail, and fast paced, this is an excellent introduction to the art of WJ Lundy and is bound to attract an even a larger audience to his work. Recommended.
Profile Image for Gertie.
371 reviews293 followers
partial
September 21, 2015
I guess I'd better start reading this! It's the June selection for the Apocalypse Whenever group.
66 reviews3 followers
October 24, 2018
Another series that has pulled me in

I like the WTF zombie series but I was unsure of this one but now I am hooked. It was fast paced and believable, and for this genre that is a big deal for me. Make me believe.
Profile Image for Amanda Felix.
99 reviews7 followers
March 6, 2015
WOW! W.J.Lundy has given us another series to sink our teeth into!! (pun intended) And not a Zombie sight. This is non-stop action as we find Jacob Anderson, an average family man who has stayed home as all the news media and government agencies are asking people to do since there is an epidemic of riots sweeping across the Chicago where he lives. Of course he lives in the outer suburban areas. And while he works from home, sits and watch the news feed he is only slightly worried. Until it becomes obvious that neither the police or the military can get a handle on what is going on. And to make matters worse, people are disappearing and then returning to join the rioters. After his wife urges them to leave, he finds it is just a little too late as the rioters have now entered his neighborhood. Hiding in the false safety of his house for several days, Jacob is desperate to somehow find a way out but his food and water are quickly disappearing. Just when it seems they have no choice but to leave, a horde of rioters attack and he is separated from his family. Two National Guardsmen, Murphy and Stephenson, also separated from their unit lead him out of the area. Darkness falls as they fight their way through the back yards and alleys of the nearby business district with little reprieve. They are joined by Tyree who is looking to find help for his grandparents having been left behind due to his grandfather's illness. It is the guardsmen who keep them together, fighting, pushing and motivating them to continue on. The four men have one hell of a night, evading, fighting, running, jumping ect... The fight through the city is action packed, relentless and leaves you exhausted but you just can't put it down! I was a bit annoyed with Jacob as he became more of a nuisance and kept repeating how he wanted to find his family but then he is not a soldier and being thrust into the midst of a battle and expected to act like one is just as unrealistic. If you are a fan of Mr. Lundy's WTF then you will love this new series but don't worry, this is completely separate from that one and the beginning of a great new apocalyptic series with a twist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Brian's Book Blog.
805 reviews62 followers
October 12, 2015
A dark tale of a father who will do near anything to save his family

4 out of 5 stars

Jacob Anderson and family are fighting a battle they don't quite understand. They heard news stories of riots and issues in the city, but they weren't sure what was happening. They decided to leave their quiet neighborhood for somewhere safer when they were plowed into by another car. The people in the car were not... there anymore, they were replaced, or something else. The book starts off quick and just gets quicker as you follow Jacob on his attempt to figure out what is happening to these people, and tries to keep his family safe.

The narration of this is very well done. Professional and emotional. I like hearing what I feel like the author is trying to write out in a narrators voice. Kevin T Collins does a great job. His pacing and emotion made my heart race numerous times during this book. The pacing of the novel helps but Collins' narration made it even better.

This is one of those books where it feels like everything is working against the main characters. Seriously, there were moments that I felt like the book was just going to end at any minute where everything comes crashing down. Without giving anything away, this book really had numerous times where I thought that the main characters were done and gone.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced but steady -- like a marathon runner. This book kept my attention very well, because I really didn't know what was going to happen next.

I received a free copy of this from Audiobook Reviewer in exchange for my honest review.
20 reviews1 follower
March 31, 2015
Another A+ tactical drama

I love these 'apocalypse-in-progress' books by Lundy. The stories are exciting and the characters are just normal people that rise to the occasion, not some uber soldier saving the day. And perhaps what makes the writing so gripping is Lundy's obvious tactical knowledge. It gives real authenticity to the stories. To summarise what I hope is the beginning of another series (without any spoilers) : Rioting and bizarre violence begin to brake out across the world. Small occurrences rapidly become widespread chaos. Jacob, a nice normal factory employee watches his world crumble. Survival becomes impossible in the cities. As he tries to flee, he's separated from his wife and child. Luckily he is taken under wing by a couple of soldiers trying to evacuate citizens. They get cut off from the convoy....and Jacobs life becomes a nightmare.
Profile Image for Denis (deez_bookish_adventures).
41 reviews60 followers
August 2, 2015
A nice take on the apocolype

I read a lot of the other reviews before I read this, so I went in with some doubts. But I gotta say this was a pretty enjoyable read. Not only was it a quick read, but I found it compelling enough that I didn't want to put it down. True it started out a bit slow but that's to be expected of any book. I don't understand why all the hate in the review? I am not familiar with other books from this author so perhaps that has something to do with it. From what I understand the other Lundy books are more military style while this story is told through the eyes of a normal Joe that must learn to survive pretty quick. I got this book for $1.99 and I would recommend it all day long.
Profile Image for Tansy Foor.
139 reviews3 followers
April 24, 2015
World War Z meets V (The television show)... As far as zombie books (or in this case, weird alien/lizard take-over thing) goes, this was a pretty decent book. There were a few chapters that I was reading late last night and I could feel my heart pounding and thought there was something in the darkness of the room with me.

Although I didn't have the "Oh my god, I need more!!" reaction to The Darkness, it definitely took a place among my top ten Zombie books list.

Definite recommend for those who enjoy zombies, alien take-overs or genuine survival situation books.
Profile Image for Katrina.
20 reviews1 follower
May 15, 2017
I might have given it 2 stars but it got me through 10 hours of driving and that's worth a star.

Nothing earth shattering in this book, post-apocalyptic excitement, a bit of a new take, some good writing barring a few cliches...none of which is an unforgivable sin in my eyes. My problem with the book was the main character. You'd be hard pressed to find a whinier, more annoying & worthless "hero."

Edit: now that I've read the author's bio, it makes sense to me that the soldiers in the story were so much better/likable than the civilian.
Profile Image for Tom.
509 reviews17 followers
June 12, 2017
Liked the gritty soldier story aspects of this of alien(?) zombie(?) invasion, but no idea why the battle-worn Murphy decided to take the wimpy/annoying/single-minded Jacob under his wing. It seriously would have been easier for Murphy to just leave this pain-in-the-ass behind.

And not really any kind of ending here, just Jacob having to make a choice.

That said, I did like the new twist on the zombies/aliens/body-snatcher themes... and, as I mentioned, some believable military action throughout.
Profile Image for Misun.
23 reviews4 followers
March 22, 2019
Soldiers actually came around the neighborhood to evacuate people who were still holed up in their homes? That's not what I normally see in these type of books! So it was refreshing to read. Usually everyone is busy only caring about themselves.
Interesting... At first I thought it was a zombie book, later on realized that it is not. Super easy and fast read.
But I've been reading so many post apocalypse books lately... I'm going to need some light and happy reading next.
Profile Image for Randi.
90 reviews6 followers
January 11, 2017
I got this one free from Amazon Prime so no loss here. I got half way through and had to wrap it up. The story is about a different type of zombie and it could have been interesting. however it is all action with no real story. It also contained copious descriptions of things that didn't matter at all to the story. This just wasn't my type of book.
28 reviews1 follower
March 23, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. To me it's really different then the other series /Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Not really a zombie book, more sci fi then horror. I enjoyed that it was in Chicago and recognized some of the places. If you enjoy Lundy's other books you will enjoy this.
562 reviews26 followers
April 22, 2015
War with aliens?

Not much with military books but from my point of view , this one was outstanding...it was not over detailed...just enough to keep me reading...hope there is to be a sequel...
75 reviews
February 26, 2016
The writing and story improved dramatically as it progressed. Originally I was turned off by typos and some choppy writing, but when the author fell into a groove it bwcame hard to put the book down.
Profile Image for Susan.
1,135 reviews21 followers
February 1, 2018
This is a scary post apocalyptic tale. It is the first of a trilogy so everything is not wrapped up but the urgent matters of the plot wrap up well enough. I really look forward to the rest of the story!
48 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2015
Excellent

Great book. I read this in one sitting. Nice plot twist instead of those pesky zombies. Main character military and struggling to adjust.



Profile Image for krystina santos.
12 reviews
May 1, 2015
Good

Not a bad book while in bed
And bored certainly interesting and I want to read the next one after :)
4,416 reviews28 followers
July 13, 2015
The Darkness review

The Darkness is a post apocalyptic book written by author W.J. Lundy. The ending leads one to believe that there will more stories to follow.
Profile Image for Debbie.
190 reviews25 followers
November 14, 2015
Quick read; interesting story (aliens folks, not zombies) Good action and description too.
Profile Image for R L.
131 reviews2 followers
December 2, 2015
Good read!

Enjoyed the first book in this series. Good reading! Great story and fantastic characters. Didn't want to put it down until I'd finished. Page turner!
Profile Image for Cherye Elliott.
3,397 reviews24 followers
December 28, 2020
Wow! Now that is a story.

I hate reading books that are so far out there you think WTHeck was this author thinking? One would think these creatures that just popped out of this author's mind was on the line of extremism. But no. While reading this book I could envision everything happening. It felt real. Real like Jacob. Those of us who have not had the honor to serve in the military or experienced battle could relate to Jacob. We are Jacob. We have a little knowledge and think we know what we are doing. Wrong. We are village idiots.
I have to share a paragraph. Because it is something us 'Jacobs' would feel. "......He pressed the magazine release button the way Murphy had shown him then fumbled with his vest for a new one. He gripped the top and slapped it home, pressing the bolt release. Jacob heard the clunk of the rifle and, feeling satisfaction that he’d done it right under fire, he brought up the rifle and squeezed the trigger......" It's like look what I did. I did it! All the while the professionals are laughing at us. But all the while waiting for our participation award.

Did I enjoy the book? Yes
Would I recommend it? Most definitely.
Am I going to read Book 2? You bet I am. As soon as I finish this review.

This book is different. It is different because - there is something about a book that is well written, well edited, the storyline just flows taking you on a adventure that is out of this world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews

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