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Morningstar Strain #3
Sopravvissuti
L’attesissimo finale della trilogia di Z.A. Recht, un “tripudio zombie carico di azione” (Ryan C. Thomas) iniziato con gli acclamati romanzi Epidemia Zombie e Tuono e Cenere…
IL VIRUS MORNINGSTAR HA SEGNATO LA FINE DEL MONDO.
Immerse in una devastante apocalisse zombie, due bande di sopravvissuti attraversano un’America ormai in ginocchio, ciascuna con il disperato obiettivo di trovare una cura contro la virulenta infezione che minaccia l’esistenza stessa del genere umano… o di quel che ne resta. Questi superstiti, depositari del futuro dell’intero pianeta, dovranno affrontare un incubo a occhi aperti. A loro spetta il compito di sopravvivere. Con ogni mezzo.
PER I SOPRAVVISSUTI, TUTTAVIA, QUESTO È SOLTANTO L’INIZIO.
Un gruppo include un brillante virologo. Per l’altro, un soldato immune al virus si dimostrerà straordinariamente prezioso. Costrette ad affrontare gli infetti e i saccheggiatori nascosti in ogni dove, le squadre sveleranno ben presto i subdoli piani di Sawyer, un agente al servizio del Presidente degli Stati Riuniti d’America, convinto che la dottoressa Anna Demilio abbia già in mano la cura e pronto a tutto pur di trovarla. In gioco c’è la salvezza del mondo e delle loro stesse anime. Fino a dove sapranno spingersi i sopravvissuti per emergere vittoriosi?
IL VIRUS MORNINGSTAR HA SEGNATO LA FINE DEL MONDO.
Immerse in una devastante apocalisse zombie, due bande di sopravvissuti attraversano un’America ormai in ginocchio, ciascuna con il disperato obiettivo di trovare una cura contro la virulenta infezione che minaccia l’esistenza stessa del genere umano… o di quel che ne resta. Questi superstiti, depositari del futuro dell’intero pianeta, dovranno affrontare un incubo a occhi aperti. A loro spetta il compito di sopravvivere. Con ogni mezzo.
PER I SOPRAVVISSUTI, TUTTAVIA, QUESTO È SOLTANTO L’INIZIO.
Un gruppo include un brillante virologo. Per l’altro, un soldato immune al virus si dimostrerà straordinariamente prezioso. Costrette ad affrontare gli infetti e i saccheggiatori nascosti in ogni dove, le squadre sveleranno ben presto i subdoli piani di Sawyer, un agente al servizio del Presidente degli Stati Riuniti d’America, convinto che la dottoressa Anna Demilio abbia già in mano la cura e pronto a tutto pur di trovarla. In gioco c’è la salvezza del mondo e delle loro stesse anime. Fino a dove sapranno spingersi i sopravvissuti per emergere vittoriosi?
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
August 7, 2013
The author of the first two in this tremendous series, Z.A. Recht, unfortunately passed away before this was released - but not without a good chunk already penned. You can definitely tell when it's him writing and when it was haphazardly filled in by Thom Brannan. Sadly, Thom's writing falls short and just about ruins the final book. The most telling is he tends to make relationships and conversations seem very artificial, killing off characters without a thought - while simultaneously making their deaths hollow and emotionless. There are many people and crew put in the story only to be expendable, almost as an afterthought. When characters die who we had a good connection with in the previous books, there is no involvement by main characters to try to save them or fight for them. It comes across as feeling forced.
As the book goes on, it alternates between what Z.A. Recht has wrote and what the newcomer has done. It's odd sometimes, that it goes from Recht's well done, believable characterization and strategically-minded enemy confrontations, to choppily-written artificial hostility and misplaced violence. You can almost always tell it's Thom's writing when there are a LOT of breaks in paragraphs, jumping from scene to scene in rapid succession. Having 3 or 4 jumps during 2 pages is not a rarity to see as he attempts to write his action scenes.
I'm giving this 3 stars as it was a valiant attempt by an outsider to help finalize the series. The first two were extremely well-written pandemic outbreak novels, and you would be hard-pressed to find an author who could come close to matching what Z.A. Recht had started. The ending was certainly rushed, but at the very least it was competent. Still, I wonder what Recht had in mind for it. He will be sorely missed - he was only 26 and had such a promising career ahead of him.
Rest in Peace.
As the book goes on, it alternates between what Z.A. Recht has wrote and what the newcomer has done. It's odd sometimes, that it goes from Recht's well done, believable characterization and strategically-minded enemy confrontations, to choppily-written artificial hostility and misplaced violence. You can almost always tell it's Thom's writing when there are a LOT of breaks in paragraphs, jumping from scene to scene in rapid succession. Having 3 or 4 jumps during 2 pages is not a rarity to see as he attempts to write his action scenes.
I'm giving this 3 stars as it was a valiant attempt by an outsider to help finalize the series. The first two were extremely well-written pandemic outbreak novels, and you would be hard-pressed to find an author who could come close to matching what Z.A. Recht had started. The ending was certainly rushed, but at the very least it was competent. Still, I wonder what Recht had in mind for it. He will be sorely missed - he was only 26 and had such a promising career ahead of him.
Rest in Peace.
January 24, 2013
I really enjoyed the series, at least up until this book. While the book was not bad, it was definitely lacking. I suppose that is because this book was not finished be the original author, as he had passed away.
So, as for the book itself, we have many of the survivors (I will not give names so as not to spoil earlier books) in the Omaha Fac, trying to establish a more normal lifestyle and looking for a cure. We have the sailors from the Rammage desperately trying to follow the trek across the US to reach them, even stopping as familiar towns, with the one person known to be immune from Morningstar. And then we have Agent Sawyer, still on his power trip, determined to thwart everything to prove himself.
While the books was enjoyable, it just wasn't near as good as the first two. There were parts of the book the writing style was very different and character personality seemed off. However, I still think Thom Brannan did a fair job with what he had to work with as far as I could tell, but there were a few gaps. Although I was saddened that after all the travels and loss, some of my favorite characters died after all they had been through. Oh well, welcome to survivalist horror, right? Anyways, go enjoy the book.
So, as for the book itself, we have many of the survivors (I will not give names so as not to spoil earlier books) in the Omaha Fac, trying to establish a more normal lifestyle and looking for a cure. We have the sailors from the Rammage desperately trying to follow the trek across the US to reach them, even stopping as familiar towns, with the one person known to be immune from Morningstar. And then we have Agent Sawyer, still on his power trip, determined to thwart everything to prove himself.
While the books was enjoyable, it just wasn't near as good as the first two. There were parts of the book the writing style was very different and character personality seemed off. However, I still think Thom Brannan did a fair job with what he had to work with as far as I could tell, but there were a few gaps. Although I was saddened that after all the travels and loss, some of my favorite characters died after all they had been through. Oh well, welcome to survivalist horror, right? Anyways, go enjoy the book.
October 29, 2013
I want to throw the book againts the wall.....what the hell? And whats with the two that turned without being bitten or exposed???? Oh....and the end? It was like the author went...."Screw it....kill this person, that person and these guys....and end the book." No more story about Keaton....just BOOM he's here now....in fact from chapter 11 to the end the author should be ashamed of himself. So disjointed...had to go back and re-read parts several times to try to figure out what was going on. It's like he got tired of writting and just threw the end togeather in a rush. Blargh!!!
November 9, 2012
I finished the book and was left confused and saying "Is that it?". Ok at least the trilogy was finished even though the original author passed away BUT it was finished haphazardly.
First off the new author tried to keep it true to Recht's formula but after reading the first two one can clearly see that this book is quite different. Sometimes the writing is off Recht was detailed in his previous books, he was meticulous at the description, meticulous at the character development and meticulous on the plot. Previous books were spot on and spiffy. This however is not.
- There are a bunch of weird plot holes. Rogue agents take a practice demolition run on Abraham because why? Lutz wanted to get revenge? Sawyer thought Keaton had an answer? This was really unclear and for all I know the author just wanted it to serve as a reason that Keaton could finally leave and help the survivors. The chapters regarding these were wasted in my opinion. Also some chapters felt like they were misplaced and belonged to different parts of the book that the author just slapped on and added a few of his own to serve the plot
- Characters never built up completely or getting screwed. Patton, Lutz, Keaton? Even Stone was more of an afterthought like "survivors lost few good men they need to find another supersoldier to help them in their quest" how and why did he turn against his raider team? What happened to Keaton after Abraham's burning and his Gandalf like appearance in the Facility?
- There are several characters that were killed unceremoniously after all the hype and build up that happened to them. You could see that people were expendable story wise but some were just killed to add to the "reality" of the situation but the thing is I think Recht although writing a bleak zombie infested future, wanted to end on a high note and to show some hope. He saved several characters for a purpose, not just cannon fodder. Somehow like if Denton dies at least someone discovers his roll of pictures that chronicled the zombie apocalypse not the way in the book he just got mowed down and was just namedropped in the end.
- Blatantly forced character relationships. Brewster and Juni? Stiles and Rebecca? Previously established relationships were left on the backburner as well and not much development happened which is unrealistic and not the way Recht writes. With very few people to focus on, the dynamics could have been better but it felt tacked on. It felt very shallow, very foreign and unnatural.
- I could rant more but I decided to stop and just tell the worst part: the ending. It was plain stupid and senseless. The new author wanted it to be edgy, poetic and realistic but it came out confusing, empty and frustrating. Read it and get ready to be confused.
Though I can understand that given a halfway done book and finishing it is tough because you really can't be the original author and as a different author you have your own style going on but at least make the story as cohesive as you can. This was just merely passable. I was disappointed by the book because it had so much potential or perhaps Recht never wanted it to be just a trilogy because so much was left out. Though now we will never know and all the readers now have is the thought of what could have been.
First off the new author tried to keep it true to Recht's formula but after reading the first two one can clearly see that this book is quite different. Sometimes the writing is off Recht was detailed in his previous books, he was meticulous at the description, meticulous at the character development and meticulous on the plot. Previous books were spot on and spiffy. This however is not.
- There are a bunch of weird plot holes. Rogue agents take a practice demolition run on Abraham because why? Lutz wanted to get revenge? Sawyer thought Keaton had an answer? This was really unclear and for all I know the author just wanted it to serve as a reason that Keaton could finally leave and help the survivors. The chapters regarding these were wasted in my opinion. Also some chapters felt like they were misplaced and belonged to different parts of the book that the author just slapped on and added a few of his own to serve the plot
- Characters never built up completely or getting screwed. Patton, Lutz, Keaton? Even Stone was more of an afterthought like "survivors lost few good men they need to find another supersoldier to help them in their quest" how and why did he turn against his raider team? What happened to Keaton after Abraham's burning and his Gandalf like appearance in the Facility?
- There are several characters that were killed unceremoniously after all the hype and build up that happened to them. You could see that people were expendable story wise but some were just killed to add to the "reality" of the situation but the thing is I think Recht although writing a bleak zombie infested future, wanted to end on a high note and to show some hope. He saved several characters for a purpose, not just cannon fodder. Somehow like if Denton dies at least someone discovers his roll of pictures that chronicled the zombie apocalypse not the way in the book he just got mowed down and was just namedropped in the end.
- Blatantly forced character relationships. Brewster and Juni? Stiles and Rebecca? Previously established relationships were left on the backburner as well and not much development happened which is unrealistic and not the way Recht writes. With very few people to focus on, the dynamics could have been better but it felt tacked on. It felt very shallow, very foreign and unnatural.
- I could rant more but I decided to stop and just tell the worst part: the ending. It was plain stupid and senseless. The new author wanted it to be edgy, poetic and realistic but it came out confusing, empty and frustrating. Read it and get ready to be confused.
Though I can understand that given a halfway done book and finishing it is tough because you really can't be the original author and as a different author you have your own style going on but at least make the story as cohesive as you can. This was just merely passable. I was disappointed by the book because it had so much potential or perhaps Recht never wanted it to be just a trilogy because so much was left out. Though now we will never know and all the readers now have is the thought of what could have been.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2013
A few spoilers here and there, but you'll still have to read the books to actually get the story. I wrote about the entire saga as I felt it was easier to review them all in one.
First of all, I have a ton of respect for author Zachary Recht whom I consider a versatile person. I enjoyed all three of his books, even though the last one was finished by Thom Brannan due to the death of Recht in 2009.
The Morningstar Saga follows the zombie apocalypse from a military point of view. The first book, Plague of the Dead - written also with the help of Bowie V. Ibarra, really focuses on how every effort of containing the virus fails and how this pandemic goes global. So basically a bunch of people get infected with this virus and they turn into what the characters will call sprinters, these people are still alive, if death occurs they get up and turn into the living dead or shamblers.
We meet Lt. Colonel Anna Demilio of the USAMRIID, who knows the most about the Morningstar Strain and warns the government of the danger that this virus represents. Of course, her warnings are ignored and the virus - stuck in Africa at first - spreads across the entire world. The public is not sufficiently informed either, so when Morningstar hits land the common people are clueless and unprepared.
Colonel Anna Demilio gets into a lot of trouble telling the truth about the virus to an anchorwoman, they both get locked up inside an NSA facility where they will meet an NSA agent who'll help them escape. These three will constitute one of the two groups who plan on meeting each other in the middle.
We get a lot of military stuff and fights but it doesn't get to be too much. After finishing Plague of the dead I felt like I had not connected with any of the characters, I even had a hard time remembering all their names. I didn't actually mind that because for the first time I felt I needed to know more about the story and less about the characters.
The second book of this saga, Thunder and Ashes follows Francis Sherman and Anna Demilio as they are looking to find a way to Omaha - where there is a research institute.
Who is Francis Sherman? Well he is a General, who also fought in Africa and who now leads a band of soldiers, some survivors and a doctor in the hope that they'll make it out alive. He is friends with Anna Demilio from USAMRIID, whom he communicates with during his stay in Africa. These are the two groups who plan on meeting each other.
Of course, the remaining survivors of this plague have started to form groups, so we meet bandits too. Some choose to wreak havoc, some are just trying to survive. General Sherman and his crew end up assisting a town of survivors they come across for quite a while in the book.
There is a plot twist, there is an immune soldier - we really have it all. I did not particularly liked the second book so much, it was predictable here and there but overall it was O.K.. A good, fast read.
The saga ends with Survivors, the third book in this series where we're introduced to a corrupt government which rose from the ashes of what was once the United States of America. Their goal is to find and control the cure.
Some of the protagonists continue on trying to develop a cure for the virus, others struggle to stay alive. They are still looking to meet up. The survivors continue to fight for their future in a world where the Infected still reign.
I liked this one a lot, but I didn't quite fall in love with it. The characters were still shallow and the story reminded me a bit of The Walking Dead.
The Morningstar saga doesn't bring anything new to the table, it's still zombies, pandemic going global, panic, terror. So I guess what I'm trying to say is - if you're into zombies you'll definitely like this saga, but if you want a good infection novel, Morningstar is not going to do it for you.
Recommended with some reservations.
First of all, I have a ton of respect for author Zachary Recht whom I consider a versatile person. I enjoyed all three of his books, even though the last one was finished by Thom Brannan due to the death of Recht in 2009.
The Morningstar Saga follows the zombie apocalypse from a military point of view. The first book, Plague of the Dead - written also with the help of Bowie V. Ibarra, really focuses on how every effort of containing the virus fails and how this pandemic goes global. So basically a bunch of people get infected with this virus and they turn into what the characters will call sprinters, these people are still alive, if death occurs they get up and turn into the living dead or shamblers.
We meet Lt. Colonel Anna Demilio of the USAMRIID, who knows the most about the Morningstar Strain and warns the government of the danger that this virus represents. Of course, her warnings are ignored and the virus - stuck in Africa at first - spreads across the entire world. The public is not sufficiently informed either, so when Morningstar hits land the common people are clueless and unprepared.
Colonel Anna Demilio gets into a lot of trouble telling the truth about the virus to an anchorwoman, they both get locked up inside an NSA facility where they will meet an NSA agent who'll help them escape. These three will constitute one of the two groups who plan on meeting each other in the middle.
We get a lot of military stuff and fights but it doesn't get to be too much. After finishing Plague of the dead I felt like I had not connected with any of the characters, I even had a hard time remembering all their names. I didn't actually mind that because for the first time I felt I needed to know more about the story and less about the characters.
The second book of this saga, Thunder and Ashes follows Francis Sherman and Anna Demilio as they are looking to find a way to Omaha - where there is a research institute.
Who is Francis Sherman? Well he is a General, who also fought in Africa and who now leads a band of soldiers, some survivors and a doctor in the hope that they'll make it out alive. He is friends with Anna Demilio from USAMRIID, whom he communicates with during his stay in Africa. These are the two groups who plan on meeting each other.
Of course, the remaining survivors of this plague have started to form groups, so we meet bandits too. Some choose to wreak havoc, some are just trying to survive. General Sherman and his crew end up assisting a town of survivors they come across for quite a while in the book.
There is a plot twist, there is an immune soldier - we really have it all. I did not particularly liked the second book so much, it was predictable here and there but overall it was O.K.. A good, fast read.
The saga ends with Survivors, the third book in this series where we're introduced to a corrupt government which rose from the ashes of what was once the United States of America. Their goal is to find and control the cure.
Some of the protagonists continue on trying to develop a cure for the virus, others struggle to stay alive. They are still looking to meet up. The survivors continue to fight for their future in a world where the Infected still reign.
I liked this one a lot, but I didn't quite fall in love with it. The characters were still shallow and the story reminded me a bit of The Walking Dead.
The Morningstar saga doesn't bring anything new to the table, it's still zombies, pandemic going global, panic, terror. So I guess what I'm trying to say is - if you're into zombies you'll definitely like this saga, but if you want a good infection novel, Morningstar is not going to do it for you.
Recommended with some reservations.
September 7, 2012
This is the third novel in Recht's Morningstar series. It is unfortunate that the author passed away after the second in this series and fortunate that the third was able to be published. I had to self-refresh a bit while reading because it has been some time since I finished the first two novels in the series. I get this at times. I suppose not all authors realize that readers do not necessarily retain all details of their previous works and that a little background detail is nice. It also helps those who jumped into a series after the first book know what they have missed.
Onto the story itself. Recht painted a nightmare apocalypse in which staggering zombies and sprinting infected (much like 28 Days Later without all the blood spitting) both threaten the survival of the human race. Infection sets in, turning victims into lethal and cannabalistic killing machines. It doesn't stop at their death. Once killed, the infected continue to live as slow moving corpses intent on killing and consuming humans.
A corrupt government has been set up amidst the chaos. Their goal is to find and control a cure. This means that they want all those who might be able to help with a cure to be under their control. This leads them to find another group of survivors; the same group they have been tracking since the outbreak started.
Meanwhile, the protagonists continue to work on developing a cure while fortifying their position and gathering supplies. Other survivors are heading toward this key group, attempting to link up with them. With the traveling survivors, is the only human known to have been bitten but to have not given in to the infaction.
This is a pretty decent novel. I thought a few more lose ends could have been tied together. With that aspect, it's unclear to me how much of this was actually completed by the author and therefore unfair to put on him. Regardless, this is a decent end to a good series.
Onto the story itself. Recht painted a nightmare apocalypse in which staggering zombies and sprinting infected (much like 28 Days Later without all the blood spitting) both threaten the survival of the human race. Infection sets in, turning victims into lethal and cannabalistic killing machines. It doesn't stop at their death. Once killed, the infected continue to live as slow moving corpses intent on killing and consuming humans.
A corrupt government has been set up amidst the chaos. Their goal is to find and control a cure. This means that they want all those who might be able to help with a cure to be under their control. This leads them to find another group of survivors; the same group they have been tracking since the outbreak started.
Meanwhile, the protagonists continue to work on developing a cure while fortifying their position and gathering supplies. Other survivors are heading toward this key group, attempting to link up with them. With the traveling survivors, is the only human known to have been bitten but to have not given in to the infaction.
This is a pretty decent novel. I thought a few more lose ends could have been tied together. With that aspect, it's unclear to me how much of this was actually completed by the author and therefore unfair to put on him. Regardless, this is a decent end to a good series.
January 19, 2013
I really am torn on this. The writing was just so far bellow the previous two, and I'm not sure if I feel that way simply because Thom Brannan's style was different or if it really was bad. Really not knowing how much of the book he is specifically responsible for I don't know what and how much to blame him for. Regardless, I just didn't enjoy it very much and had a VERY hard time finishing it. I listened to it on audio book and found my self listening to ten or twenty minutes and just stopping and not coming back for a few days. Towards the end it got marginally better and felt much more like the first two books, but then the very end was just... disappointing. Too many people died to pointlessly (something through out the whole book) yet everything seemed to neatly wrapped up at the same time. But am I happen it was finished and published? Yes I am. I am of the opinion I that I would rather have something finished/revealed even if it is disappointing.
So... did I like the book? Not really. But am I glad it was it was finished and published so I could read it? Yes, yes I am.
So... did I like the book? Not really. But am I glad it was it was finished and published so I could read it? Yes, yes I am.
March 21, 2013
"An ending that did not disappoint"
Although it couldn't be finished by Recht himself, as the author sadly passed away before the third novel was finished. I'm also hoping that someone gets in touch with Amazon to re-word the now quite tasteless product description. But hey-ho, back to the novel...
The ghost writer that assisted with finishing the novel Survivors and the final installment of the Morningstar Strain did not disappoint.
I do not like to litter my reviews with spoilers, so you will just need to read the book to find out exactly what happens. But Survivors is, like Recht's other novels, crammed with action and runs at a pace that is not too quick to be rushed, but still keeps you wanting to turn the pages. I read this one sitting, I just *had* to know how things turned out for Sherman and "his" crew (and how many more times Becky would ask for gauze).
I was surprised by the somewhat sweeping ending, but I was also moved almost to tears in places. Well worth the read, and a deserving close and tribute to a writer the world will miss.
Although it couldn't be finished by Recht himself, as the author sadly passed away before the third novel was finished. I'm also hoping that someone gets in touch with Amazon to re-word the now quite tasteless product description. But hey-ho, back to the novel...
The ghost writer that assisted with finishing the novel Survivors and the final installment of the Morningstar Strain did not disappoint.
I do not like to litter my reviews with spoilers, so you will just need to read the book to find out exactly what happens. But Survivors is, like Recht's other novels, crammed with action and runs at a pace that is not too quick to be rushed, but still keeps you wanting to turn the pages. I read this one sitting, I just *had* to know how things turned out for Sherman and "his" crew (and how many more times Becky would ask for gauze).
I was surprised by the somewhat sweeping ending, but I was also moved almost to tears in places. Well worth the read, and a deserving close and tribute to a writer the world will miss.
July 11, 2012
After having had to wait seemingly FOREVER for the final book of this trilogy to be released, I wish the wait had been longer.
The story itself was good but NOT in the same vein as Z's previous works.
The trilogy was wrapped up well. But the ending felt forced and rushed....."kill 60% of the characters that we've been with through the previous books with no fanfair at ALL....and just send the rest on their way..."
I'm not sure how much of the story was fleshed out from Z.A.'s notes, but with the different writing styles of Z and Thom, I know if I tried, I'd be able to figure it out.
4 stars for the finish of the trilogy...but this was a disappointment overall.
I miss Z.A. Recht. We lost a major talent WAY to early in his career.
The story itself was good but NOT in the same vein as Z's previous works.
The trilogy was wrapped up well. But the ending felt forced and rushed....."kill 60% of the characters that we've been with through the previous books with no fanfair at ALL....and just send the rest on their way..."
I'm not sure how much of the story was fleshed out from Z.A.'s notes, but with the different writing styles of Z and Thom, I know if I tried, I'd be able to figure it out.
4 stars for the finish of the trilogy...but this was a disappointment overall.
I miss Z.A. Recht. We lost a major talent WAY to early in his career.
June 26, 2012
I'm glad that a ghost writer was found, but I am just not feeling this wrap up. So many unanswered questions, so many out of character actions. I'm glad that I read it, and I'm glad to have closure. I just wish that Z. A. Recht had been here to finish the story as it should have ended.
October 17, 2022
4 Stars
Good ending to the series; but nothing happy-go-lucky. I mean, this is the zombie apocalypse, people.
Good ending to the series; but nothing happy-go-lucky. I mean, this is the zombie apocalypse, people.
September 26, 2013
R.I.P to one of the greatest authors of the genre...
You are sorely missed :/
You are sorely missed :/
June 15, 2019
Utter garbage. Huge prolapsed plotholes. Drop it and save your time.
July 29, 2012
*note, there are a few big and small spoilers below which i cant hide individually from the app where I'm writing this, so read with care until I can get on my laptop to complete this review.*
This was really not a bad series at all - 3.5 stars for all the books, knocked up to 4 for the first 2 books and down to 3 for the last one. This review is for the series as a whole rather than just for Survivors. They were full of both action and real human emotions, and moved along at a nice pace with very few boring parts.
I thought that for the most part, the characterisation was really well done, with some truly likeable main characters... although the bad guys were all a bit insane and well ... kind of stupid, to be honest. But then I guess it's not unrealistic to think that a zombie plague would send some people a bit doolally, making them so desperate that they'd believe any false hope foisted on them - as well as bringing out either the best or worst in people.
I was impressed that the author wasn't afraid to kill off some of the good guys and main characters throughout the series. There were a few deaths that were written a bit blandly though, often with a touch of convenience, such as Ron & Katie's. That scene, for example, just didn't evoke the emotion it should have, either in the reader or the characters. It also didn't quite ring true. Surely if you were a group of military men, you would literally fight to the death to try to stop the deaths of a young couple who you were travelling with??!!?? It seemed so obvious what was about to happen, yet none of them did anything till it was too late - and then afterwards there wasn't the amount of grief, guilt, frustration, fear, and anger amongst the sailors that I would think would be natural given what they had just seen. It made it a frustrating scene to read because really, if the sailors didn't really care, then why should I?
I mostly liked the way things were wrapped up at the end, except that I didn't understand why they would use Brewster (sorry if this is spelt wrong, i read the audiobook and don't have the energy to look it up) as the guinea pig for the vaccine, then have him go off alone where they can't study him. Not very scientific!
I found what happened to Abraham to be kind of strange, too. (and sadly, it again was just not quite emotive enough) I didn't really understand why the rouge government would want the town gone. What could it possibly benefit them?!? You'd think it more likely that, if anything, they would remove the towns leaders' and replace them with their own men, then use the town for resources or manpower. To be fair, we're not talking about rational or good men here... but to have so many probably previously relatively good people be willing to follow orders to wipe out an entire town of innocent citizens, in an already destroyed and human-light world takes a special brand of insane evil, doesn't it! Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this kind of thing could never happen, or even that it could never happen in America - I mean, I'm very aware that this kind of horrific military abuse happens even now in many countries across the world, and i actually do believe that it could potentially happen in my country, England, (or in America, or anywhere else in the world) given the right set of circumstances - but I honestly believe that it takes time to convince a group of people that it's ok to take that kind of action, even if you have completely mad, twisted people in charge. Think about Hitlers Germany, and just how much blatant brainwashing was going on both in society in general and particularly within the military, for years before things became so evilly, overtly bad. I guess that process would be sped up in an apocalyptic scenario but still... I just didn't *quite* buy it!
It's been a good ride though and I'm really glad that I 'picked up' these books. :)
o---------o
Later addition
I have just realised, on reading another Goodreads member's review, that the author, Z A Recht, died before he could finish this final book - which goes a long way to explain some of the issues with Survivors!! It's a real shame that he didn't get to complete his series the way he would have wanted to, but I'm grateful to Thom Brannan for completing it!
This was really not a bad series at all - 3.5 stars for all the books, knocked up to 4 for the first 2 books and down to 3 for the last one. This review is for the series as a whole rather than just for Survivors. They were full of both action and real human emotions, and moved along at a nice pace with very few boring parts.
I thought that for the most part, the characterisation was really well done, with some truly likeable main characters... although the bad guys were all a bit insane and well ... kind of stupid, to be honest. But then I guess it's not unrealistic to think that a zombie plague would send some people a bit doolally, making them so desperate that they'd believe any false hope foisted on them - as well as bringing out either the best or worst in people.
I was impressed that the author wasn't afraid to kill off some of the good guys and main characters throughout the series. There were a few deaths that were written a bit blandly though, often with a touch of convenience, such as Ron & Katie's. That scene, for example, just didn't evoke the emotion it should have, either in the reader or the characters. It also didn't quite ring true. Surely if you were a group of military men, you would literally fight to the death to try to stop the deaths of a young couple who you were travelling with??!!?? It seemed so obvious what was about to happen, yet none of them did anything till it was too late - and then afterwards there wasn't the amount of grief, guilt, frustration, fear, and anger amongst the sailors that I would think would be natural given what they had just seen. It made it a frustrating scene to read because really, if the sailors didn't really care, then why should I?
I mostly liked the way things were wrapped up at the end, except that I didn't understand why they would use Brewster (sorry if this is spelt wrong, i read the audiobook and don't have the energy to look it up) as the guinea pig for the vaccine, then have him go off alone where they can't study him. Not very scientific!
I found what happened to Abraham to be kind of strange, too. (and sadly, it again was just not quite emotive enough) I didn't really understand why the rouge government would want the town gone. What could it possibly benefit them?!? You'd think it more likely that, if anything, they would remove the towns leaders' and replace them with their own men, then use the town for resources or manpower. To be fair, we're not talking about rational or good men here... but to have so many probably previously relatively good people be willing to follow orders to wipe out an entire town of innocent citizens, in an already destroyed and human-light world takes a special brand of insane evil, doesn't it! Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this kind of thing could never happen, or even that it could never happen in America - I mean, I'm very aware that this kind of horrific military abuse happens even now in many countries across the world, and i actually do believe that it could potentially happen in my country, England, (or in America, or anywhere else in the world) given the right set of circumstances - but I honestly believe that it takes time to convince a group of people that it's ok to take that kind of action, even if you have completely mad, twisted people in charge. Think about Hitlers Germany, and just how much blatant brainwashing was going on both in society in general and particularly within the military, for years before things became so evilly, overtly bad. I guess that process would be sped up in an apocalyptic scenario but still... I just didn't *quite* buy it!
It's been a good ride though and I'm really glad that I 'picked up' these books. :)
o---------o
Later addition
I have just realised, on reading another Goodreads member's review, that the author, Z A Recht, died before he could finish this final book - which goes a long way to explain some of the issues with Survivors!! It's a real shame that he didn't get to complete his series the way he would have wanted to, but I'm grateful to Thom Brannan for completing it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2017
I really loved this book. I listened to it on Audible.
December 4, 2012
Sad to say that I was disappointing by this book and I sort of went into reading it with the expectation I would be knowing that someone had to complete Z.A. Recht's work. It has been a while between reading the second and the third book and had I known the author had passed before picking them up to read I may not have chosen to.
I loved the first two books in the series. I couldn't put them down. Generally I don't like zombie books, but somehow Recht managed to rope me in and keep me nose deep in the pages.
I liked this book in the beginning, and maybe that was where most of the content from Recht came into play. But many of the beginning pages was wasted in regurgitated the other books, playing "catch up" with the story. Which I suppose I liked as it helped pull me back in, but the writing style was not the same, it didn't flow like the other two books.
And the end...I'll just leave it at that. Not the climactic finish I was expecting given how the other books ended. All in all, a conclusion to Z.A. Recht's trilogy, but still a disappointment.
I loved the first two books in the series. I couldn't put them down. Generally I don't like zombie books, but somehow Recht managed to rope me in and keep me nose deep in the pages.
I liked this book in the beginning, and maybe that was where most of the content from Recht came into play. But many of the beginning pages was wasted in regurgitated the other books, playing "catch up" with the story. Which I suppose I liked as it helped pull me back in, but the writing style was not the same, it didn't flow like the other two books.
And the end...I'll just leave it at that. Not the climactic finish I was expecting given how the other books ended. All in all, a conclusion to Z.A. Recht's trilogy, but still a disappointment.
December 7, 2014
This book was very poor compared to the other two. This is most likely due to the author passing away before it was finished and someone else completing his work. Poorly.
You can definitely tell many of the sections where the new author took over. They're written in a more clinical manner, with less emphasis placed on the characters and more emphasis placed on the actions.
My biggest beef with this book is the crappy ending. It's rushed and very poorly written. The author uses what I call "magic pixie dust" to complete the book. The right group (brand new to the plot line), showing up at the right time, purely by chance to save the day.
Furthermore, there are plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. The whole series describes in great detail the transmission and infection vectors for the disease. Yet there's at least two people that get the disease in this final book that do not appear to be infected in any of these ways, one of whom is critical to the climax of the book. (more magic pixie dust)
You can definitely tell many of the sections where the new author took over. They're written in a more clinical manner, with less emphasis placed on the characters and more emphasis placed on the actions.
My biggest beef with this book is the crappy ending. It's rushed and very poorly written. The author uses what I call "magic pixie dust" to complete the book. The right group (brand new to the plot line), showing up at the right time, purely by chance to save the day.
Furthermore, there are plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. The whole series describes in great detail the transmission and infection vectors for the disease. Yet there's at least two people that get the disease in this final book that do not appear to be infected in any of these ways, one of whom is critical to the climax of the book. (more magic pixie dust)
June 24, 2012
And with Survivors ends the Morningstar Strain Trilogy. This series has so far been one of the better zombie series I have read. While some people might not be happy with the ending, I am happy as we are at least given closure. To think that a couple of years ago with the Z.A. Recht death we would be left with so many questions unanswered, in the end we the anticipating fans got our wish.
I feel old fans of the series will be quite happy with the book, the epilogue gives a bit to be desired, and I feel that while Mason's part of the story is no where as good was the first two books, as always he proves vital at the end.
New readers, do yourself a favor and do not start with this book, start with Plague of the Dead:Morningstar Strain, then follow up with Thunder and Ashes(best book of the series in my opinion), and then this one. You will be doing yourself a huge favor.
I feel old fans of the series will be quite happy with the book, the epilogue gives a bit to be desired, and I feel that while Mason's part of the story is no where as good was the first two books, as always he proves vital at the end.
New readers, do yourself a favor and do not start with this book, start with Plague of the Dead:Morningstar Strain, then follow up with Thunder and Ashes(best book of the series in my opinion), and then this one. You will be doing yourself a huge favor.
March 4, 2013
The best I can say is that it was good to finish the trilogy. I realize that ZA Recht died prior to finishing the book... but unfortunately the ghost author did not do him justice in finishing the writing. This book's recap of what had happened before was too detailed. It was actually insulting to the intelligence. In more than one instance the recap was of things that had been explained only a chapter earlier. Also, towards the end, it seemed like events were out of order. The end came too quickly and/or easily. The last interaction with Abraham and sheriff Keaton didn't make sense and was poorly explained. The recurring reference to the raiders in the last half of the book was also not necessary and took away from what could have been developed around the RSA forces. All in all this book was a disappointment after the first two.
July 15, 2012
Quite enjoyed it - I wasn't expecting that the trilogy would be finished when the news came out that Z. A. Recht had died, so it was something of a shock and a surprise to find that it had, indeed, been finished. Whoever ghosted this book...thank you. From the fans, thank you.
September 8, 2013
It lost me when one of the characters went back out and faced off against the zombies so he could fetch his hat. The climax had too many chess pieces on the board for the reader to keep track of and it suffered for it. Bit of a whimper all things considered.
October 27, 2014
Not sure how much of a fan I was of the ending. It left it kind of open for a next book, though there won't be one. I also didn't like how they just conveniently killed off huge numbers of characters towards the end. I guess that's a zombie book for you.
February 15, 2015
It tied up the series well. More zombie goodness and the end of a saga.
February 13, 2021
Auch wenn Z.A. Recht auf dem Titel genannt wird. Diesen Roman hat ein anderer beendet oder gar ganz geschrieben. Der noch junge Autor ist vor der Fertigstellung leider verstorben.
Zum Roman. Im Zentrum steht eine Gruppe, die sich von der USS Ramage aufgemacht hat, den anderen durch die USA zu folgen. Bei ihnen ist der Marine Stiles, der obwohl von Zombies gebissen und mit dem Morgenstern-Virus infiziert, immer noch lebt, und dessen Leben so auf einmal sehr wertvoll geworden ist. Doch der Weg ist lang und die Gruppe schrumpft zusammen. Erschöpft gelangt sich auch zur Enklave Abraham. Dort hilft man ihnen weiter, doch an einer Brücke voller Zombies müssen sie wieder um ihr Leben kämpfen. Und zu schlechter Letzt geraten auch sie an einer Bande, die ihnen alles andere als wohlgesinnt sind. Doch sie können fliehen und schaffen es dezimiert bis an den Rand von Omaha.
Aber auch Agent Sawyer, der böse Gegenspieler ist nicht müßig gewesen. Er erzwingt die Unterstützung durch die abtrünnigen Wiedervereinigten Staaten von Amerika, die auf ihren Stützpunkten noch jede Menge militärische Mittel zur Verfügung haben. Als erstes fällt er über Abraham her, dann macht er sich auf, um das Heilmittel und Demillo in seine Hand zu bringen. Die Abraham-Handlung erscheint wie ein Schlenker, eine Verzögerung, die Motivation für den Angriff wirkt schwach. Sie läuft auch ins Leere.
Den dritten Handlungsstrang bilden die Ereignisse in Omaha selbst. Die Gruppe um den Ex-General Sherman hat sich gut eingerichtet. Omaha bietet immer noch Lebensmittel genug, wenngleich die die Plünderungen wegen der vielen Untoten natürlich nicht ungefährlich sind. Anna Demillo kommt nicht voran. Doch die Ankunft der Gruppe um Stiles ändert das. Aber dann schlägt Sawyer zu.
Eins muss man sagen, der Autor versteht sein Handwerk, und er hat viele Hollywood-Filme gesehen und verinnerlicht. Das Ende ist lupenreine Blockbuster-Dramatik. Für Spannung ist also gesorgt, und der Stil ist flott. Die Gespräche und Frotzeleien in der Gruppe wirken manchmal etwas bemüht, die Absicht Humor in die triste Handlung einzubringen scheint da doch durch. Es menschelt sehr in den Gruppen, die meisten sind Durchschnittstypen, einige sind auch traumatisiert. Die Figuren sind auch die Stärke des Romans.
Ein einigermaßen gelungener Abschluss der Trilogie, wobei der Roman am Ende trotz ansteigender Spannung doch schwächer wird, weil die Schlüssigkeit verloren geht.
Zum Roman. Im Zentrum steht eine Gruppe, die sich von der USS Ramage aufgemacht hat, den anderen durch die USA zu folgen. Bei ihnen ist der Marine Stiles, der obwohl von Zombies gebissen und mit dem Morgenstern-Virus infiziert, immer noch lebt, und dessen Leben so auf einmal sehr wertvoll geworden ist. Doch der Weg ist lang und die Gruppe schrumpft zusammen. Erschöpft gelangt sich auch zur Enklave Abraham. Dort hilft man ihnen weiter, doch an einer Brücke voller Zombies müssen sie wieder um ihr Leben kämpfen. Und zu schlechter Letzt geraten auch sie an einer Bande, die ihnen alles andere als wohlgesinnt sind. Doch sie können fliehen und schaffen es dezimiert bis an den Rand von Omaha.
Aber auch Agent Sawyer, der böse Gegenspieler ist nicht müßig gewesen. Er erzwingt die Unterstützung durch die abtrünnigen Wiedervereinigten Staaten von Amerika, die auf ihren Stützpunkten noch jede Menge militärische Mittel zur Verfügung haben. Als erstes fällt er über Abraham her, dann macht er sich auf, um das Heilmittel und Demillo in seine Hand zu bringen. Die Abraham-Handlung erscheint wie ein Schlenker, eine Verzögerung, die Motivation für den Angriff wirkt schwach. Sie läuft auch ins Leere.
Den dritten Handlungsstrang bilden die Ereignisse in Omaha selbst. Die Gruppe um den Ex-General Sherman hat sich gut eingerichtet. Omaha bietet immer noch Lebensmittel genug, wenngleich die die Plünderungen wegen der vielen Untoten natürlich nicht ungefährlich sind. Anna Demillo kommt nicht voran. Doch die Ankunft der Gruppe um Stiles ändert das. Aber dann schlägt Sawyer zu.
Eins muss man sagen, der Autor versteht sein Handwerk, und er hat viele Hollywood-Filme gesehen und verinnerlicht. Das Ende ist lupenreine Blockbuster-Dramatik. Für Spannung ist also gesorgt, und der Stil ist flott. Die Gespräche und Frotzeleien in der Gruppe wirken manchmal etwas bemüht, die Absicht Humor in die triste Handlung einzubringen scheint da doch durch. Es menschelt sehr in den Gruppen, die meisten sind Durchschnittstypen, einige sind auch traumatisiert. Die Figuren sind auch die Stärke des Romans.
Ein einigermaßen gelungener Abschluss der Trilogie, wobei der Roman am Ende trotz ansteigender Spannung doch schwächer wird, weil die Schlüssigkeit verloren geht.
February 18, 2021
I would divide the book into two parts:- Till Chapter 12 - ***, after this amazing ****
Well this review contains few spoilers but one wouldn't know if haven't read full series.
##################################################
Reviewing the entire series here and not just this book, some points are specific to the book though. It's totally random .
1. For first 11 chapters it was all planning and little execution, got boring a bit but after this it just skyrocketed, everything happening at once, so many threads working together to achieve a fast paced action packed sequence. Felt like a movie, some people might not like it, killing characters here and there and compare it to Game of thrones last season, but it was satisfying end to the series.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Rebecca somewhat lost her screen time after first novel when she killed Decker on Ramage, and just became a helping hand to Demilio.
7. Really like Krueger, he was Survivors Vassili.
8.
9. Stone should have gotten more screen time, found him interesting.
All in all, a good **** series
Well this review contains few spoilers but one wouldn't know if haven't read full series.
##################################################
Reviewing the entire series here and not just this book, some points are specific to the book though. It's totally random .
1. For first 11 chapters it was all planning and little execution, got boring a bit but after this it just skyrocketed, everything happening at once, so many threads working together to achieve a fast paced action packed sequence. Felt like a movie, some people might not like it, killing characters here and there and compare it to Game of thrones last season, but it was satisfying end to the series.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Rebecca somewhat lost her screen time after first novel when she killed Decker on Ramage, and just became a helping hand to Demilio.
7. Really like Krueger, he was Survivors Vassili.
8.
9. Stone should have gotten more screen time, found him interesting.
All in all, a good **** series
February 18, 2020
Okay so I read the first two books years ago and they were among the best zombie fiction I have ever read. The only books that were better than them would be the works of Max Brooks. But this, this was just a big build up that just fell apart at the end.
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS***
Okay so our heroes make it to Omaha and they start working on the cure while maintaining their stronghold, getting supplies and taking out zombies that threaten their safety. No problem, this was perfectly done. Only issue here was they kept calling their place the "Fac," short for facility. Why couldn't they just call it their base? Or HQ? Oh well, no biggie
Then we have another group of people coming from the Ramage, a warship they started on, and they're trying to catch up with their buddies in Omaha and take the one guy "Stiles" who is immune to the virus to the doctor there so his blood can be used to make a vaccine.
And we have Agent Sawyer who feels his manhood is really small so he has to prove to everyone else he's a big tough guy by insulting, beating up, demoting and killing anyone who disagrees with him so that he can find the one doctor who can cure the disease and bring her back. And how does he get his superior (a government big wig) to give him the manpower, weapons and transportation to do this? Why he pulls a gun on him and makes demands. Okay I get it, when someone has a gun on you, you agree to anything they want so they don't shoot you. So explain this to me, how come when Sawyer left the room and left his gun there too, why didn't his superior just get on his phone, (He's in the middle of a freakin' military base!) get on the phone to the MP's and say, "This guy just tried to assassinate me, therefore he's guilty of treason, kill him on sight." I guess that makes too much sense.
On top of that, why go to Abraham to take the place out? There's NOTHING there Sawyer could want. Just a place where some locals he gave guns to and they screwed up and got their assess kicked by the locals. The soldiers give some exposition that it's "practice for Omaha." Really? These career military men with like 5+ years of military service under their belts each need "practice" to go into battle for a stealth operation? All this story arc did was get the Sheriff to Omaha so at the end he could shoot down a helicopter.
So when our group that is trying to get to Omaha to join up with the general and his men get some military vehicles, they decide to park in the woods, kill a deer, cook it, all as far away from their vehicles as possible. Okay, there are zombies out and about. Why the hell would you leave the safety of the vehicles you are in? One is an APC, (Armored Personnel Carrier), another is just a military truck that is also armored. They could have just stayed inside them and slept there, gotten their rest, eaten canned food and avoided the zombies. But no, these career military men decide to go as far away from their vehicles as possible, start a fire, talk loudly and shoot off guns and then they're shocked. SHOCKED when all this draws the zombies to them and all but two of them are killed. Yeah, imagine that! Doing all that, being as loud as possible, lighting a fire, shooting guns and being out in the open during a zombie apocalypse just happens to be dangerous! Man, I know I'd sleep better knowing these guys were protecting America! Come on! These characters don't even have common freaking sense!
So then it stated that they have "precious little ammunition left." But wait, a few chapters ago when they raided that military museum/stockpile or whatever it was, they stated they had more bullets than they could ever shoot. You do the math.
Then the two survivors of this attack run across Rico, someone who also survived and they ask him, "Were you bitten?" He replies, "No, just cut my leg when I fell." Yeah, okay. Who here seriously didn't see it coming that he was lying through his teeth and was infected!?! The author just failed miserably to make me believe this guy was okay and wasn't going to turn into a zombie and attack our two surviving characters.
Also there are little grammatical errors sprinkled throughout the book that are just annoying. Like for example, the author doesn't know the difference between "laying" and "lying" when he describes Krueger, the sniper who is up in his perch. Also "Radio Shack" isn't capitalized in a few places. It's a proper name so it should be capitalized.
The end of the book is just like 30 pages that are written like a video game where characters we read about the entire book are just blown away and killed as the guns that shot them are described. It's almost like the author thought, "Okay I have who I want to survive to the end, I just gotta kill off these other guys." Then chose a few guns he liked and then wrote that they were shot.
One last gripe and I'll wrap this up. Sawyer is about to get away with the doctor and her cure, no one can stop him! But then zombie Mason jumps out and eats Sawyer. Ummm... exactly when did he get bitten? Seriously! Go back through this book and show me where he was bitten! Tell me what page this was on! I know in the end there are zombies wandering around the compound cuz the doors are open, but we never actually see Mason be bitten, we're just supposed to assume that he was bitten. But what also doesn't make sense was that he was already FREAKING DEAD!!! Seriously! When Sawyer is gloating and insulting Mason, one of the soldiers actually says, "Sir, he's dead." These aren't Walking Dead zombies where all you have to do is die to become a zombie, these are the kind of zombies where you have to be bitten to become one. Just another inconsistency.
The only good parts of this novel are the zombies themselves, the tension built during the scavenging runs and the memories it stirred in me of the first two books which were awesome.
***END SPOILERS*** ***END SPOILERS*** ***END SPOILERS***
I know this book was ghost written by Thomas Brannan as Z.A. Recht has passed away, but he did a horrible job trying to capture the late author's writing style. The first two books were incredible but this, this was just awful. This book will sit on my shelf as a book that was only purchased to complete a trilogy and has zero chance of being re-read.
Pass this one by unless you're a book freak like me who has to finish a series once they start it.
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS***
Okay so our heroes make it to Omaha and they start working on the cure while maintaining their stronghold, getting supplies and taking out zombies that threaten their safety. No problem, this was perfectly done. Only issue here was they kept calling their place the "Fac," short for facility. Why couldn't they just call it their base? Or HQ? Oh well, no biggie
Then we have another group of people coming from the Ramage, a warship they started on, and they're trying to catch up with their buddies in Omaha and take the one guy "Stiles" who is immune to the virus to the doctor there so his blood can be used to make a vaccine.
And we have Agent Sawyer who feels his manhood is really small so he has to prove to everyone else he's a big tough guy by insulting, beating up, demoting and killing anyone who disagrees with him so that he can find the one doctor who can cure the disease and bring her back. And how does he get his superior (a government big wig) to give him the manpower, weapons and transportation to do this? Why he pulls a gun on him and makes demands. Okay I get it, when someone has a gun on you, you agree to anything they want so they don't shoot you. So explain this to me, how come when Sawyer left the room and left his gun there too, why didn't his superior just get on his phone, (He's in the middle of a freakin' military base!) get on the phone to the MP's and say, "This guy just tried to assassinate me, therefore he's guilty of treason, kill him on sight." I guess that makes too much sense.
On top of that, why go to Abraham to take the place out? There's NOTHING there Sawyer could want. Just a place where some locals he gave guns to and they screwed up and got their assess kicked by the locals. The soldiers give some exposition that it's "practice for Omaha." Really? These career military men with like 5+ years of military service under their belts each need "practice" to go into battle for a stealth operation? All this story arc did was get the Sheriff to Omaha so at the end he could shoot down a helicopter.
So when our group that is trying to get to Omaha to join up with the general and his men get some military vehicles, they decide to park in the woods, kill a deer, cook it, all as far away from their vehicles as possible. Okay, there are zombies out and about. Why the hell would you leave the safety of the vehicles you are in? One is an APC, (Armored Personnel Carrier), another is just a military truck that is also armored. They could have just stayed inside them and slept there, gotten their rest, eaten canned food and avoided the zombies. But no, these career military men decide to go as far away from their vehicles as possible, start a fire, talk loudly and shoot off guns and then they're shocked. SHOCKED when all this draws the zombies to them and all but two of them are killed. Yeah, imagine that! Doing all that, being as loud as possible, lighting a fire, shooting guns and being out in the open during a zombie apocalypse just happens to be dangerous! Man, I know I'd sleep better knowing these guys were protecting America! Come on! These characters don't even have common freaking sense!
So then it stated that they have "precious little ammunition left." But wait, a few chapters ago when they raided that military museum/stockpile or whatever it was, they stated they had more bullets than they could ever shoot. You do the math.
Then the two survivors of this attack run across Rico, someone who also survived and they ask him, "Were you bitten?" He replies, "No, just cut my leg when I fell." Yeah, okay. Who here seriously didn't see it coming that he was lying through his teeth and was infected!?! The author just failed miserably to make me believe this guy was okay and wasn't going to turn into a zombie and attack our two surviving characters.
Also there are little grammatical errors sprinkled throughout the book that are just annoying. Like for example, the author doesn't know the difference between "laying" and "lying" when he describes Krueger, the sniper who is up in his perch. Also "Radio Shack" isn't capitalized in a few places. It's a proper name so it should be capitalized.
The end of the book is just like 30 pages that are written like a video game where characters we read about the entire book are just blown away and killed as the guns that shot them are described. It's almost like the author thought, "Okay I have who I want to survive to the end, I just gotta kill off these other guys." Then chose a few guns he liked and then wrote that they were shot.
One last gripe and I'll wrap this up. Sawyer is about to get away with the doctor and her cure, no one can stop him! But then zombie Mason jumps out and eats Sawyer. Ummm... exactly when did he get bitten? Seriously! Go back through this book and show me where he was bitten! Tell me what page this was on! I know in the end there are zombies wandering around the compound cuz the doors are open, but we never actually see Mason be bitten, we're just supposed to assume that he was bitten. But what also doesn't make sense was that he was already FREAKING DEAD!!! Seriously! When Sawyer is gloating and insulting Mason, one of the soldiers actually says, "Sir, he's dead." These aren't Walking Dead zombies where all you have to do is die to become a zombie, these are the kind of zombies where you have to be bitten to become one. Just another inconsistency.
The only good parts of this novel are the zombies themselves, the tension built during the scavenging runs and the memories it stirred in me of the first two books which were awesome.
***END SPOILERS*** ***END SPOILERS*** ***END SPOILERS***
I know this book was ghost written by Thomas Brannan as Z.A. Recht has passed away, but he did a horrible job trying to capture the late author's writing style. The first two books were incredible but this, this was just awful. This book will sit on my shelf as a book that was only purchased to complete a trilogy and has zero chance of being re-read.
Pass this one by unless you're a book freak like me who has to finish a series once they start it.
July 31, 2018
This book is such an unfair shame; its author Z.A. Recht died mid-writing, at age 26, some HACK, Thom Brannan, was hired to finish it. Recht was on his way, thanks to the success of the first two Morningstar books he'd just signed with a major publisher, his writing was only getting stronger, he didn't deserve to have the end of his first trilogy slaughtered. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. It's painfully obvious where Recht's voice fades out and Brannan's stumbles in. A character who NEVER swears suddenly starts swearing, established plot-points get changed without any explanation, the book is riddled with inconsistencies, the end is a clearly rushed DISASTER. Recht spent two and a half-ish books building a solid world with compelling characters, and Brannan wrecks everything.
I'm ONLY giving Survivors 5 stars in memory of Z.A. Recht.
I'm ONLY giving Survivors 5 stars in memory of Z.A. Recht.
November 13, 2017
Thank the Gods that is over.
What a fantastic idea. Exactly how zombies should work. What a terrible set of characters and an awful story line. The stupidity of every character in this series of books is mind boggling. Recht needed a couple of friends and a good editor to read this book to deal with all the story holes and idiotic decisions. I'd give it 1 star but the strength of the zombie mechanics was so, that it got me through the whole trilogy. This book will stay with me for a long time, unfortunately.
This is one of those books where the film would outshine the book.
What a fantastic idea. Exactly how zombies should work. What a terrible set of characters and an awful story line. The stupidity of every character in this series of books is mind boggling. Recht needed a couple of friends and a good editor to read this book to deal with all the story holes and idiotic decisions. I'd give it 1 star but the strength of the zombie mechanics was so, that it got me through the whole trilogy. This book will stay with me for a long time, unfortunately.
This is one of those books where the film would outshine the book.
October 19, 2019
Ottima conclusione di questa trilogia survival-horror sul virus Morning Star, che tanti seguiti ha ispirato negli anni successivi. La storia, nella sua semplicità narrativa, ha sempre il ritmo giusto per tener eil lettore sulla pagina e presenta in modo compiuto la conclusione di tutti gli intrecci narrativi aperti nei primi due volumi. Un vero peccato la perdita dell'autore, scomparso appnea dopo la pubblicazione del terzo volume. Un libro ottimo per chi cerca divertimento, azione ed perchè no anche un po' di horror, senz aperò mai scadere nel gore.
November 14, 2024
Well, I'm an idiot. Read the first book in the series, it was good, so grabbed the next. At the beginning there were a couple things that didn't make sense, or I missed something. There were some characters I couldn't remember. Once this one got going it was a really good book though- and when I finished it I realized I had skipped book 2 and read book 3! I read on Kindle so don't see the cover or anything.
Never done that before! I'm sure book 2 was good! A worthwhile series if you like Zombie stuff.
Never done that before! I'm sure book 2 was good! A worthwhile series if you like Zombie stuff.
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