What do you think?
Rate this book
Zombie Attack #2
Curse of the Living
Xander MacNamara’s adventure continues when he joins the surviving military force and is placed in charge of a civilian colony outside Barstow, California. He and his young wife, Felicity Jane, face the daily grind of reconstruction under the constant menace of zombies and an equally terrifying nemesis – hungry cannibal biker tribes known as Alphas who constantly threaten to topple everything they’ve built before selling them into slavery – or worse! Things heat up fast when Xander is taken captive by his enemies and Sonya, a mysterious stranger sent by a secretive benefactor, helps him escape. When new troops arrive at the colony shortly after and take him into custody Xander discovers that his abduction was no accident! A secret plot is being hatched to discredit him and his family. Once again Xander and Felicity find themselves fleeing for their lives as a never-ending series of horrifying enemies old and new hunt them down. Will they make it to Hueneme to warn Xander’s brother Moto in time? Or will they succumb to the curse of the living? ‘Zombie Attack! Curse of the Living’ is filled with pulse-pounding undead action from the very first chapter until the bitter sweet end. From nightmarish zombie clowns to savage cannibal bikers to deadly ninjas and blood thirsty warlords – this book has it all and more! The story takes off like a bullet and doesn't slow down until the last sentence. You won't be able to put it down! "Sagliani makes the conception of a compelling tale appear effortless. His sense of comedic relief interwoven with rising tension, relatable characters and plot development is the stuff of a veteran story teller that resonates among his audience long after the final chapter." -- DAVE GAMMON, Horror News "A meaty story, worthy of a read." --HORROR AFTER DARK "A plot that will keep you on your toes at all times! I definitely recommend this series to all zombie fanatics everywhere!" --TONI, My Book Addiction
- GenresZombies
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 11, 2015
14 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Devan Sagliani
20 books95 followersDevan Sagliani was born and raised in Southern California and graduated from UCLA. He is the author of the Zombie Attack! series, The Rising Dead, A Thirst For Fire, and the UNDEAD L.A. series. Devan also wrote the original screenplay for the movie HVZ: Humans Versus Zombies. He writes a bimonthly horror column for Escapist Magazine called Dark Dreams.
Devan's fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Million Writers Award. In 2012 his debut novel Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde won Best Zombie/Horror E-book on Goodreads. He is also an active member of the Horror Writer's Association.
He currently lives in Venice Beach, California with his wife.
Devan's fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Million Writers Award. In 2012 his debut novel Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde won Best Zombie/Horror E-book on Goodreads. He is also an active member of the Horror Writer's Association.
He currently lives in Venice Beach, California with his wife.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 18, 2016
I liked the light-hearted but still serious Young Adult novel Zombie Attack!: Rise of the Horde (reviewed here). I'm a great believer that those years from thirteen to eighteen are when kids develop a desire for more mature content and it's the obligation of writers to provide them with that. Having enjoyed the original novel, I was pleased to hear that not only had Devan Sagliani written a sequel but having finished it, he decided it was worth splitting into two novels and expanding into as series.
So what is the premise?
Xander MacNamarra has survived the zombie apocalypse, managing to join up with the United States military's remnant on the California coast. This has its ups and downs as while it's given him the stability to marry his girlfriend, Felicity, it has also resulted in his recruitment. Because of his relationship with his high-ranking brother, Xander is promoted to a leadership position over men twice his age and put in charge of defending one of the civilian camps despite not being ready for it.
Command doesn't agree with Xander and he quickly alienates the people he's supposed to be protecting. Paranoia, mistrust, and a series of unfortunate events result in him on the run with his bride across the zombie and outlaw-filled wastelands once more. Add in a new friend who might be a foe, bounty hunter Sonya, and you have an excellent basis for a story.
The start of the book is the weakest portion, forcing a believable but boring jealousy plotline to emerge between Xander and his wife. Xander becomes insanely jealous of Felicity's friendship with a male coworker for the first half of the book and the second half reverses to her being jealous of Xander's relationship with Sonya.
This isn't unrealistic as seventeen-year-olds are stupid, I know, I was one once, but it's annoying. I'm also not fond of the resolution given I'm not a big fan of, "You can't be jealous of X, because he's gay!" As if it's less wrong that he's jealous of a heterosexual male friend. As for the second bit of jealousy? Well, that would be spoiling a major subplot so I'll just say it was obvious to me what was really going on.
Despite this, there's a lot to like about both the novel and its characterization. The original novel felt like a stand-alone but the author expands on both the world as well as its central couple. The addition of Sonya is welcome given the decided lack of estrogen in the original novel. Besides, who doesn't like a blonde Samus Aran-esque bounty hunter in the post-apocalypse world? Sonya is a great character who reminds the audience that, yes, adults can be awesome too.
The heart of the novels, though, is the main character and his internal monologues. Xander MacNamarra is a capable swordsman, intelligent, and tough but he makes mistakes. He's also overwhelmed by people who are stronger than him or multiple opponents. With so many youthful protagonists being unbelievable badasses despite their age, it's nice to have someone who is authentic feeling.
I'm also a huge fan of Felicity, who despite being a child star, also comes off as someone I could see existing in real-life. She's intelligent, brave, and quite a good deal smarter than Xander. Felicity isn't an action girl like Sonya but manages to impress with her strength of character and compassion. She's never weak or a load on the characters, too, so I'm quite willing to think of her as Xander's equal despite her needing a weapon of some kind. Maybe she can take pistol training in the upcoming books or something.
I will give props to the author for the fact he managed to turn around a scenario I thought was a mistake. When the pair married at the end of the first book, I thought it was a trifle unrealistic given their ages. Of course, seventeen-year-olds make mistakes like this all the time. Perhaps not quite as bad but the pair's parents aren't there to haul them back either. I applaud the author for being honest that marriage wouldn't be all sunshine and roses even if I didn't quite like the way he went about it.
The setting is also great and the author gets a chance to expand on it much more than the first book allowed. It's a weird combination of science-fiction apocalypses with zombies being a lesser problem than the roving gangs you'd find in, say, Mad Max. This would make a pretty decent video game setting as the environment provides very different sorts of challenges for our heroes.
The world is still mostly-civilized but it's broken up into dozens of smaller nations with countless outlaws living on the fringes of society. Zombies are a common problem but not an insurmountable one, just one which is preventing rebuilding. I like that many of the warlords and leaders of the post-apocalypse world have plans for rebuilding society--it's just they have very different ideas about what said society is going to look like.
In conclusion, Curse of the Living is a very good entry into the genre. It's not perfect but I think it's very good. It also does its job of making me think there's a full-fledged series worth of material here. As for myself, I'm interested in reading the Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. MacNamarra for many books to come.
9/10
So what is the premise?
Xander MacNamarra has survived the zombie apocalypse, managing to join up with the United States military's remnant on the California coast. This has its ups and downs as while it's given him the stability to marry his girlfriend, Felicity, it has also resulted in his recruitment. Because of his relationship with his high-ranking brother, Xander is promoted to a leadership position over men twice his age and put in charge of defending one of the civilian camps despite not being ready for it.
Command doesn't agree with Xander and he quickly alienates the people he's supposed to be protecting. Paranoia, mistrust, and a series of unfortunate events result in him on the run with his bride across the zombie and outlaw-filled wastelands once more. Add in a new friend who might be a foe, bounty hunter Sonya, and you have an excellent basis for a story.
The start of the book is the weakest portion, forcing a believable but boring jealousy plotline to emerge between Xander and his wife. Xander becomes insanely jealous of Felicity's friendship with a male coworker for the first half of the book and the second half reverses to her being jealous of Xander's relationship with Sonya.
This isn't unrealistic as seventeen-year-olds are stupid, I know, I was one once, but it's annoying. I'm also not fond of the resolution given I'm not a big fan of, "You can't be jealous of X, because he's gay!" As if it's less wrong that he's jealous of a heterosexual male friend. As for the second bit of jealousy? Well, that would be spoiling a major subplot so I'll just say it was obvious to me what was really going on.
Despite this, there's a lot to like about both the novel and its characterization. The original novel felt like a stand-alone but the author expands on both the world as well as its central couple. The addition of Sonya is welcome given the decided lack of estrogen in the original novel. Besides, who doesn't like a blonde Samus Aran-esque bounty hunter in the post-apocalypse world? Sonya is a great character who reminds the audience that, yes, adults can be awesome too.
The heart of the novels, though, is the main character and his internal monologues. Xander MacNamarra is a capable swordsman, intelligent, and tough but he makes mistakes. He's also overwhelmed by people who are stronger than him or multiple opponents. With so many youthful protagonists being unbelievable badasses despite their age, it's nice to have someone who is authentic feeling.
I'm also a huge fan of Felicity, who despite being a child star, also comes off as someone I could see existing in real-life. She's intelligent, brave, and quite a good deal smarter than Xander. Felicity isn't an action girl like Sonya but manages to impress with her strength of character and compassion. She's never weak or a load on the characters, too, so I'm quite willing to think of her as Xander's equal despite her needing a weapon of some kind. Maybe she can take pistol training in the upcoming books or something.
I will give props to the author for the fact he managed to turn around a scenario I thought was a mistake. When the pair married at the end of the first book, I thought it was a trifle unrealistic given their ages. Of course, seventeen-year-olds make mistakes like this all the time. Perhaps not quite as bad but the pair's parents aren't there to haul them back either. I applaud the author for being honest that marriage wouldn't be all sunshine and roses even if I didn't quite like the way he went about it.
The setting is also great and the author gets a chance to expand on it much more than the first book allowed. It's a weird combination of science-fiction apocalypses with zombies being a lesser problem than the roving gangs you'd find in, say, Mad Max. This would make a pretty decent video game setting as the environment provides very different sorts of challenges for our heroes.
The world is still mostly-civilized but it's broken up into dozens of smaller nations with countless outlaws living on the fringes of society. Zombies are a common problem but not an insurmountable one, just one which is preventing rebuilding. I like that many of the warlords and leaders of the post-apocalypse world have plans for rebuilding society--it's just they have very different ideas about what said society is going to look like.
In conclusion, Curse of the Living is a very good entry into the genre. It's not perfect but I think it's very good. It also does its job of making me think there's a full-fledged series worth of material here. As for myself, I'm interested in reading the Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. MacNamarra for many books to come.
9/10
March 29, 2020
going down
it's starting to get tired. The main character is normally being rescued but still thinks he is a tiff guy. It just reminds me of the typical teen thinking they know it all
it's starting to get tired. The main character is normally being rescued but still thinks he is a tiff guy. It just reminds me of the typical teen thinking they know it all
September 28, 2017
Actual Rating 4.5 Stars
July 3, 2019
Wow
Enjoyed every moment on your feet adventure can't wait till the next book in this series if you love zombies and the walking dead your in store for a get read
Enjoyed every moment on your feet adventure can't wait till the next book in this series if you love zombies and the walking dead your in store for a get read
October 26, 2021
Did not finish. Ok if you are Twelve maybe
July 8, 2016
Better than I expected
OKay, I have to admit that I was not too thrilled with the beginning of this second installment. (Possible spoilers) First, I find it hard to believe that no matter how good a person is, no matter whose name he or she has, that person a teenager, (16 ) is going to have the experience or maturity to be in command of an outpost filled with soldiers and civilians. A sixteen year old simply does not have the experience, maturity or knowledge for such an undertaking. He has obvious problems with adults who don't care for military authority much less being told what to do by a kid. He also has trouble with civilian kids who resent him and any authority. He does try but it is overwhelming and his inexperience is proven over and over with his jealousy and the immature way he handles what he considers a threat to his marriage to his child bride, Felicity Jane. There is also the confrontation with the teens that are determined to cause trouble. The inevitable takeover is obvious as is the brawl with the teenagers. An experienced soldier and or adult would have seen this coming but he is caught by surprise when charges are leveled against him. Hard for me to get past it all but.....That was the beginning of the book and I had trouble with and I do admit I lost interest. But I had promised to read and review so I continued. When the compound is attacked he and some teenagers barely manage to escape but are kidnapped by a group ruthless cannibals and biker gang, the Alphas. When he is taken to their camp he learns there is a bounty on his head but before he can be handed over he is rescued. I must say Mr. Sagliani has a sense of humor when he introduces Sonya, a sword wielding red haired beauty(some people will understand) that saves him and returns him back to the compound where he is promptly arrested for several charges. He, Felicity and Sonya are transported by train to the main military base where they will all face charges. They escape with the help of Cowboys and soon find themselves on the run across the the countryside, followed not only by the Z's but the Alphas because of the huge bounty on his head. Get past the first dozen pages and it will grab and hold your attention and keeps it as Xander tries to keep Felicity safe and find a way to trust Sonya who appears to have ulterior motives, stay ahead of the Alphas and the Zombies while trying to figure out who placed a bounty on his head, return back to base and find his brother and clear his name. Very impressive honey-do-list for a kid. He still acts very much like an inexperienced kid but at least he is trying. I'm looking forward to the next instalment.
OKay, I have to admit that I was not too thrilled with the beginning of this second installment. (Possible spoilers) First, I find it hard to believe that no matter how good a person is, no matter whose name he or she has, that person a teenager, (16 ) is going to have the experience or maturity to be in command of an outpost filled with soldiers and civilians. A sixteen year old simply does not have the experience, maturity or knowledge for such an undertaking. He has obvious problems with adults who don't care for military authority much less being told what to do by a kid. He also has trouble with civilian kids who resent him and any authority. He does try but it is overwhelming and his inexperience is proven over and over with his jealousy and the immature way he handles what he considers a threat to his marriage to his child bride, Felicity Jane. There is also the confrontation with the teens that are determined to cause trouble. The inevitable takeover is obvious as is the brawl with the teenagers. An experienced soldier and or adult would have seen this coming but he is caught by surprise when charges are leveled against him. Hard for me to get past it all but.....That was the beginning of the book and I had trouble with and I do admit I lost interest. But I had promised to read and review so I continued. When the compound is attacked he and some teenagers barely manage to escape but are kidnapped by a group ruthless cannibals and biker gang, the Alphas. When he is taken to their camp he learns there is a bounty on his head but before he can be handed over he is rescued. I must say Mr. Sagliani has a sense of humor when he introduces Sonya, a sword wielding red haired beauty(some people will understand) that saves him and returns him back to the compound where he is promptly arrested for several charges. He, Felicity and Sonya are transported by train to the main military base where they will all face charges. They escape with the help of Cowboys and soon find themselves on the run across the the countryside, followed not only by the Z's but the Alphas because of the huge bounty on his head. Get past the first dozen pages and it will grab and hold your attention and keeps it as Xander tries to keep Felicity safe and find a way to trust Sonya who appears to have ulterior motives, stay ahead of the Alphas and the Zombies while trying to figure out who placed a bounty on his head, return back to base and find his brother and clear his name. Very impressive honey-do-list for a kid. He still acts very much like an inexperienced kid but at least he is trying. I'm looking forward to the next instalment.
May 14, 2016
In this second book of the series, we pick up where the first one left off and I absolutely love when an author does that! I hate to miss a time period in a story so this made me very happy as I continued along in the long journey of this story with Xander as he tries to survive and keep those he loves alive too. As with the first book(if you haven’t read it yet, I recommend reading it before this one to get caught up with all the characters who will play a part later on in the story), the action NEVER stops! Xander is a strong warrior who keeps going despite everything that he has faced so far in his young life and he has faced so much horror that a stronger man would have given up after. Devan Sagliani knows how to get to the heart of his readers with this story where I was yelling at times, cursing and also tearing up. The emotions brought out by this author with his writing are unbelievable strong! This is a series that I am happy to recommend to everyone because it is well written, entertaining and also addicting! I am now off to the next book in the story to continue this fight with Xander and his friends against the not only the walking dead who are right now unstoppable in their quest of human flesh but also against the other humans(using that term loosely) who will stop at nothing to further their own greed! Grab a copy of this awesome story, kick back and lose yourself in this emotionally charged book by one talented author!
May 7, 2016
Zombie Attack 2
I love this continuing zombie story by Devan Sagliani with all the twists and turns, every time I think I know what is going on, it changes into another harrowing problem for Zander and Felicity. I don't like the current path that they are on, I have many questions, like who is Sonya? Why did she lead them there? I guess book number 3 is in my very near future. Thanks Devan for such a good read.
I love this continuing zombie story by Devan Sagliani with all the twists and turns, every time I think I know what is going on, it changes into another harrowing problem for Zander and Felicity. I don't like the current path that they are on, I have many questions, like who is Sonya? Why did she lead them there? I guess book number 3 is in my very near future. Thanks Devan for such a good read.
March 8, 2016
Keeps me turning the pages and staying up way too late, just can't stop reading...
Improbable though some situations might be, it is a zombie apocalypse after all, Sagliani manages to make it work. Gotta go, have to start the next one...
Improbable though some situations might be, it is a zombie apocalypse after all, Sagliani manages to make it work. Gotta go, have to start the next one...
March 17, 2016
Good book
This one was better than the first one I think more action. He seems to be doing well for only having 2 females as companions.
This one was better than the first one I think more action. He seems to be doing well for only having 2 females as companions.
May 2, 2016
Great book
I liked the action and all the excitement the book had to offer. Reading book three now and is great so far.
I liked the action and all the excitement the book had to offer. Reading book three now and is great so far.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews