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The Risen #2
Margaret
"It’s just a simple shot, right?”
Margaret Erikson will ask this question many times today.
What is supposed to be a basic school wide vaccine will go horribly wrong. It is not a simple shot and the lives that are lost to it will not become simple monsters.
Margaret Erikson will ask this question many times today.
What is supposed to be a basic school wide vaccine will go horribly wrong. It is not a simple shot and the lives that are lost to it will not become simple monsters.
80 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
4 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Marie F. Crow
31 books50 followers Marie F Crow believes that monsters should keep you up at night with the thoughts of “what if” stalking your mind. She began writing horror after feeling the genre of zombie horror was getting too far away from actual horror, forgetting what a zombie is, and what that can mean to your world.
The recent advents of movies and literature have pushed the concept of the flesh eating undead too far into the realm of the mundane and cute. There is a need to once more rehash the genre with the proper respect to the psychological ramifications, and sheer horror, that the monsters deserve.
That sheer horror of possibly having to kill your friends, family, or anyone else for that matter before they become a shambling corpse willing, even driven, to consume the flesh of their own. The psychological destruction to the minds of the living their deaths could cause to those around them.
With the release of The Risen series, she hopes to, once again, breathe fear back into the genre that has always been a favorite of hers. Crafting her stories with honest emotions, and believable circumstances, she creates her world with an added twist to the classic monsters. She believes nothing is sacred in the land of horror inviting the reader to explore the depth of that concept by luring them deeper into her realm with visual images and emotional drama wrapped with a sparkling, gore dripping bow.
With open arms, she welcomes them back into the world of horror hoping they enjoy the ride, but requests they do keep all their limbs inside the ride at all times. The Risen are waiting, and they are hungry.
Sugar and Spice and Everything Dies Twice,
Marie F Crow
The recent advents of movies and literature have pushed the concept of the flesh eating undead too far into the realm of the mundane and cute. There is a need to once more rehash the genre with the proper respect to the psychological ramifications, and sheer horror, that the monsters deserve.
That sheer horror of possibly having to kill your friends, family, or anyone else for that matter before they become a shambling corpse willing, even driven, to consume the flesh of their own. The psychological destruction to the minds of the living their deaths could cause to those around them.
With the release of The Risen series, she hopes to, once again, breathe fear back into the genre that has always been a favorite of hers. Crafting her stories with honest emotions, and believable circumstances, she creates her world with an added twist to the classic monsters. She believes nothing is sacred in the land of horror inviting the reader to explore the depth of that concept by luring them deeper into her realm with visual images and emotional drama wrapped with a sparkling, gore dripping bow.
With open arms, she welcomes them back into the world of horror hoping they enjoy the ride, but requests they do keep all their limbs inside the ride at all times. The Risen are waiting, and they are hungry.
Sugar and Spice and Everything Dies Twice,
Marie F Crow
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 19, 2020
Margaret. Oh Margaret….I was both intrigued and sadden by this story. Intrigued because you got like a behind the scenes look into what was happening. Tying it with some scenes from the first book. Sad because…well if you read this, you’ll know what I’m referring to. I love the author’s descriptive words and her ability to pull many emotions from you but keep you captivated at the same time. I was warned going into this book, but I’m doing good and ready for more. I give this 5 stars.
September 3, 2013
Another outstanding book by the author of The Risen: Dawning. Margaret’s story is a wonderful, and much needed, side story for those of us going through Marie F Crow withdrawal. I am dying, waiting for the next book, and this book was able to save me. This book brought me out of my dark, sad, lonely pit that I threw myself in after The Risen: Dawning ended. I wallowed but then got Margaret, and I’m so incredibly glad I did.
As negative review point out, this book is very detailed. So if you want a easy read, don’t want to actually have an amazing storyline that you’ll be tied up in, or really have to think at all. There’s zombie books for that, ones that don’t challenge to conceptions, don’t make you think. This isn’t that one. Crow challenges the zombie genre, she enflames it, she makes it better and brighter. She is perfect. I just reached the point before reading her first book that I was fed up with zombie stories. Everyone follows the same idea, and it just got to be too much. Crow doesn’t do that; Crow renewed my faith in this genre.
This book is incredibly well written, just like the earlier ones. It’s got such a strong concept; beautifully written and heartbreaking. It’s in the perspective of a 5 year old Kindergarten student. There are comments about the ending, and yes, I will admit, I joined people. The ending is hard, prepare yourself, but Crow writes an amazing story, and doesn’t rely on gimmicks. This story ends how you’d expect it to end. That’s the thing about her writing. She’s not moving us to some world where the rules we’d see in real life has changed, and the cripple in the wheelchair can fend off the zombies easily. This book is how the zombie story would play out. It’s survival of the fittest, the strongest. The people that may survive in the end are those that will be able to stay healthy the longest, fight the zombies off. It’s not for the young, the weak or the old.
As I’ve said in earlier reviews, I love Crow’s writing style. Crow finds a way to make a zombie massacre beautiful. She writes both the good and the bad same way. She makes the beautiful, tragic at times, but beautiful none the less. She gives us zombies to fear, people to love, and a storyline to sink our teeth into, and that could sink it’s teeth into us! Margaret is no exception. This little novella was amazing. It has all the right ups and downs and was a perfect companion novel to The Risen Dawning. Crow does an amazing job pulling us into the book, and taking us on this ride, but it doesn’t guarantee a happy ending, it doesn’t guarantee safety. You come on this ride knowing that you have no guarantees but you have an amazingly written story, amazing characters, and a very very good story.
You won’t regret picking up a single book by Marie F Crow, she’s an amazing writer, with a clear eye for story, and a whole lot of dedication to the genre. She knows how to write a story that will tie us up in. She’s definitely one to watch. Out of all the zombie novels I’ve read, or movies I’ve seen, no one gives us the perspective and detail that Marie F Crow does.
I can not wait to read the next one and see the other things coming from Marie F Crow in the future! :)
As negative review point out, this book is very detailed. So if you want a easy read, don’t want to actually have an amazing storyline that you’ll be tied up in, or really have to think at all. There’s zombie books for that, ones that don’t challenge to conceptions, don’t make you think. This isn’t that one. Crow challenges the zombie genre, she enflames it, she makes it better and brighter. She is perfect. I just reached the point before reading her first book that I was fed up with zombie stories. Everyone follows the same idea, and it just got to be too much. Crow doesn’t do that; Crow renewed my faith in this genre.
This book is incredibly well written, just like the earlier ones. It’s got such a strong concept; beautifully written and heartbreaking. It’s in the perspective of a 5 year old Kindergarten student. There are comments about the ending, and yes, I will admit, I joined people. The ending is hard, prepare yourself, but Crow writes an amazing story, and doesn’t rely on gimmicks. This story ends how you’d expect it to end. That’s the thing about her writing. She’s not moving us to some world where the rules we’d see in real life has changed, and the cripple in the wheelchair can fend off the zombies easily. This book is how the zombie story would play out. It’s survival of the fittest, the strongest. The people that may survive in the end are those that will be able to stay healthy the longest, fight the zombies off. It’s not for the young, the weak or the old.
As I’ve said in earlier reviews, I love Crow’s writing style. Crow finds a way to make a zombie massacre beautiful. She writes both the good and the bad same way. She makes the beautiful, tragic at times, but beautiful none the less. She gives us zombies to fear, people to love, and a storyline to sink our teeth into, and that could sink it’s teeth into us! Margaret is no exception. This little novella was amazing. It has all the right ups and downs and was a perfect companion novel to The Risen Dawning. Crow does an amazing job pulling us into the book, and taking us on this ride, but it doesn’t guarantee a happy ending, it doesn’t guarantee safety. You come on this ride knowing that you have no guarantees but you have an amazingly written story, amazing characters, and a very very good story.
You won’t regret picking up a single book by Marie F Crow, she’s an amazing writer, with a clear eye for story, and a whole lot of dedication to the genre. She knows how to write a story that will tie us up in. She’s definitely one to watch. Out of all the zombie novels I’ve read, or movies I’ve seen, no one gives us the perspective and detail that Marie F Crow does.
I can not wait to read the next one and see the other things coming from Marie F Crow in the future! :)
June 5, 2013
I was originally going to rate this book 4/5 stars, because I was enjoying the read but it wasn't really pulling me in . . . Then I got to the last third of the story. WOW. This is a shorter read, easily digestible in one sitting. I don't want to spoil anything, but her descriptions of the thoughts and motivations of the reanimated are downright chilling. I'll admit that I am somewhat of a sucker for zombie stories, but this is very well done.
August 26, 2020
If you've been around for a while you may remember my raving over Dawning a couple months ago. The other day the author let me know that Margaret, a companion novella to that series, was now available on KU and I immediately downloaded it.
.
.
Margaret is a minor character that we briefly encountered at the beginning of Dawning. She also happens to be a zombie. A kindergarten zombie. In this novella we meet her before, on the morning she and everyone else is scheduled to receive the shot that would be heard around the world.
.
.
I have to be honest and say it didn't really live up to my expectations, it's interesting but the way it was written aggravated me. I pretty much liked and disliked this one equally and for the same reason. Margaret is too cognizant. And while that is a fascinating and terrifying twist on the traditional zombie, I don't know any five year olds who would spend their time waxing poetic about death. I get that it's some sort of ironic writing device in regard to what we know is to come, but for me it felt more like the author had no idea how to write a five year old. It just didn't quite work.
.
.
Here is an example of Margaret's internal dialogue.
"Where do dead things go? They are put in dark wooden coffins to be placed into deep rectangles of removed earth. Slowly that earth is replaced, shovel by shovel, sob by sob, securing the dead forever inside. We then place monuments marking the spot to forever remember what we can no longer see. The needle is the coffin. Our bodies are the earth. The scar is the monument. But we won't remember. Not until it is time to bury the dead again anyway."
.
.
All that being said, I still cannot wait for the next book in the actual series to come out this fall! I'm ready for more biker/zombie greatness. Don't judge a series by its novella y'all.
.
.
Margaret is a minor character that we briefly encountered at the beginning of Dawning. She also happens to be a zombie. A kindergarten zombie. In this novella we meet her before, on the morning she and everyone else is scheduled to receive the shot that would be heard around the world.
.
.
I have to be honest and say it didn't really live up to my expectations, it's interesting but the way it was written aggravated me. I pretty much liked and disliked this one equally and for the same reason. Margaret is too cognizant. And while that is a fascinating and terrifying twist on the traditional zombie, I don't know any five year olds who would spend their time waxing poetic about death. I get that it's some sort of ironic writing device in regard to what we know is to come, but for me it felt more like the author had no idea how to write a five year old. It just didn't quite work.
.
.
Here is an example of Margaret's internal dialogue.
"Where do dead things go? They are put in dark wooden coffins to be placed into deep rectangles of removed earth. Slowly that earth is replaced, shovel by shovel, sob by sob, securing the dead forever inside. We then place monuments marking the spot to forever remember what we can no longer see. The needle is the coffin. Our bodies are the earth. The scar is the monument. But we won't remember. Not until it is time to bury the dead again anyway."
.
.
All that being said, I still cannot wait for the next book in the actual series to come out this fall! I'm ready for more biker/zombie greatness. Don't judge a series by its novella y'all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2022
Experiencing a zombies POV! Wow
Great read! I enjoyed seeing the story unfold from Margarets POV even if she did turn into a zombie. It was interesting to learn how it first started. I liked learning How the kids and everyone ended up in the gym in the beginning of the 1st book, where Helena and her brother Conroy, & her other lil sister First found them all in the school. I hated knowing that they were going to die. Well all except Helena but I'm glad I got to see how it played out. I feel bad for Margaret and the kids who had to got the shot/vaccine. It was so scary when the side effects started happening.
In a way the kids still were there while they were zombies even tho they couldn't do anything about it. Their consciences were still alive inside. But they couldn't remember who they was only that they needed eat ppl so they could live and not be in pain.
Great read! I enjoyed seeing the story unfold from Margarets POV even if she did turn into a zombie. It was interesting to learn how it first started. I liked learning How the kids and everyone ended up in the gym in the beginning of the 1st book, where Helena and her brother Conroy, & her other lil sister First found them all in the school. I hated knowing that they were going to die. Well all except Helena but I'm glad I got to see how it played out. I feel bad for Margaret and the kids who had to got the shot/vaccine. It was so scary when the side effects started happening.
In a way the kids still were there while they were zombies even tho they couldn't do anything about it. Their consciences were still alive inside. But they couldn't remember who they was only that they needed eat ppl so they could live and not be in pain.
October 18, 2020
Still loving it. The writing is such poetry, so enthralling. The first book was a novel, I couldn't put down. This is more of a short story or novella. It takes you back to the beginning of Dawning and allows you to view what happened through the eyes of one of the infected. A child infected by the vaccine, from her fear of the shot, to the change in her mind, to her death. Wow! The twists, the turns, the different take on how a zombie apocalypse will go. So good. Read it just do it!!!
October 15, 2020
This book is my first time reading this author and I’m very pleased that I chose to read it. It’s an intriguing plot filled with mystery and suspense. It’s nice to see a slightly different zombie book, this one is told through the eyes of a young child. A great read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 26, 2015
With enthralling description and emotion that will have you clinging to the pages, Marie Crow brings a different but equally terrifying new point of view to her 'The Risen' zombie series through the eyes of a young girl.
With what starts out as a simple vaccine given at school turning into something much more horrifying, Margaret finds herself in the center of it all and circumstances she has next to no control over. This book is a great addition to the series and a chillingly realistic one that zombie enthusiasts should not miss!
With what starts out as a simple vaccine given at school turning into something much more horrifying, Margaret finds herself in the center of it all and circumstances she has next to no control over. This book is a great addition to the series and a chillingly realistic one that zombie enthusiasts should not miss!
April 5, 2014
I have just spent the past 24-36 hours immersed in the world of Marie F. Crow and I am astonished! I love this series! I can honestly say that it is by far one of my favorite series in the zombie genre, and trust me I have read plenty. As soon as I finished the first book, I went and purchased the other 3, because I HAD to know what was going to happen! Completely hooks you and drags you in!
I would recommend this series to anyone who is about the human side of things and not just the zombies!
I would recommend this series to anyone who is about the human side of things and not just the zombies!
December 13, 2020
Woah
I loved this book. Very emotional. I can’t express in words how awesome this book is. Margaret is a 5 year old little girl going through everything as the vaccine is given. The ending is definitely not what you would want to see, but is flows along with the first risen book it makes perfect sense. It’s a very hard thing to think about especially with vaccines and the worries people already have. Eeek. Definitely worth the read especially if you like zombies. 5 stars!
I loved this book. Very emotional. I can’t express in words how awesome this book is. Margaret is a 5 year old little girl going through everything as the vaccine is given. The ending is definitely not what you would want to see, but is flows along with the first risen book it makes perfect sense. It’s a very hard thing to think about especially with vaccines and the worries people already have. Eeek. Definitely worth the read especially if you like zombies. 5 stars!
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September 24, 2013Never have I ever read a book or watched a movie that gave one the perspective of the zombie and how they think and operate. I was amazed at how this book really hooked me on this writers work. I've read her previous book, "The Risen Dawning" and this is the book that cinched it! I am anxiously awaiting the next book.
October 12, 2013
Well, I must admit "Margaret" scared me a little bit. But isn't that what horror books are supposed to do?? You can actually feel what the children are feeling by the way the author draws you into the story. I read it in one sitting, then read it again a few days later. You won't be disappointed by this book. Marie F. Crow is now my favorite fiction writer. I'm ready for her next book already.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews