Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse

by Michelle Kilmer, T.J. Tranchell (Introduction)

In an undead world, death is only one mistake away.

How does one survive the zombie apocalypse? 17-year-old Ian Ward couldn’t tell you because he is dying in one. From a closet in a second floor bedroom of an abandoned house, he recounts his tale of “survival” in a backwards journey through the choices that put him there.

When the world ends, Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse is the anti-survival guide that just might keep you alive.

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopia, Fiction

149 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 13, 2015

About the author

Michelle Kilmer (now writing as Michelle von Eschen) is an American author of quiet, literary horror.

Her work includes the novel When the Dead and the novella Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse, four short story collections: Last Night While You Were Sleeping, When You Find Out What You’re Made Of, Once Upon a Time, When Things Turned Out Okay, and Old Farmhouses of the North. She is a co-author of The Spread which she wrote with her twin sister, and a co-editor of GIVE: An Anthology of Anatomical Entries. Michelle has also written The Murk of Us, a nonfiction prose and poetry collection documenting the horrors of the toxic empath/narcissist relationship.

Her short stories are featured in several anthologies including Roms, Bombs, and Zoms from Evil Girlfriend Media, A Very Zombie Christmas from ATZ Publications, and Jolly Horror's Don't Cry to Mama and Accursed.

Michelle is a lover of the macabre who prefers Earl Grey tea, October, people who say goodbye on the phone, and her dreams are so real she can’t figure out what has really happened to her. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys weightlifting, dark beer, web design, singing and playing guitar, and watching horror movies. She lives in England with her husband, horror author Jonathan Butcher.

Reviews

[Nancy Sundquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished my second book by Michelle Butcher under the name Michelle Kilmer, Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse and now I must share it with all the book fiends, particularly those who like a well told zombie story. This one is told with a more relatable human edge than some other zombie stories I've read in the past, though it doesn't take itself so serious that it takes the fun away from the zombie story. You still get all that and more but with an empathetic oomph.

It's a story of a kid named Ian who has made one too many mistakes, and he is currently sitting in a closet trying to avoid all of it. We learn each mistake he made little by little through his retelling through his journal. It's sad, and you really feel for the kid, but the book is written in such a unique way that you just have to keep reading regardless of getting the sads for Ian. You won't want to put it down. Trust me.

Every mistake he made, I could see myself making. I'd like to say that's not the case, but this story made me realize just how completely fucked I would be in the event of a zombie takeover. This book made me feel things and think about my own mistakes and grief in a way I did not expect. It'll likely have you wondering what mistakes you would make, and what your downfall would be.

Michelle Butcher is easily in my top 5 favorites now. Excuse me while I go get my hands on everything she has out!

Let me leave you with some quotes:

"And what does survival mean anyway? "It really only means that your heart is still beating," Ian answers himself. He presses a pillow on his face and, for a second, considers leaving it there until his heart is no longer beating. But then you'd be a zombie stuck in a closet. That's even worse. "It would be a fitting punishment," he says because he believes he is a waste of air. "

"'This is the only way I know how," Ian says, his voice quivering. To tell your story as though you are someone else? "Maybe it will become my own again. When the pain lessons.'"

[Shannon Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This is the only way I know how”, Ian says, his voice quivering.
“To tell your story as someone else?
“Maybe it will become my own again. When the pain lessens.”
- Michelle Kilmer, Mistakes I Made in the Zombie Apocalypse
world.

I honestly thought, another zombie story? The only zombie books I’ve ever enjoyed are World War Z and the graphic novels of The Walking Dead…
This author expertly took an overused mass market storyboard and flipped it on its ass, making it new again. From the Protagonist/Narrator’s voice , to the clever reversal of the timeline, to the altered viewpoint listing of failures - this defied my expectations on zombie books.

I haven’t enjoyed a narrators voice this much since Doomsday Dogs by Jesse D’Angelo (which I’ve raved about in a previous review). His blatant humanity drew me in from the first chapter, then kept pulling me down deeper into his plans for survival and the differing paths that can take...

“And what does survival mean anyway? It really only means that your heart is still beating,” - Michelle Kilmer, Mistakes I Made in the Zombie Apocalypse

If you are like me and bored by the overpopulation of zombie novels, give this one a try! It really renewed my enthusiasm for the subject; I just wish there was a sequel, because I want to know what happens next (hint, hint).

[James Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was difficult to put down. The structure has a great hook in that the last thought in each chapter introduces the title to the next. I was constantly in "Just one more chapter." mode until I reached the end. Finished it over the course of two evenings, but it's an easy read that can be completed in one sitting. If you enjoy a good zombie novel, give this one a shot, and then move on to the rest of Michelle's zombie books.

[Alexander H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book just because of the cover and title but who cares this book is amazing, but honestly,AMAZING This is the fastest I have ever read a book in forever. This book didn't let me put it down. All the twists, sacrifices, and harsh parts really make this book come together.

[Kirsty Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting little snippets of an average lad attempting to navigate a zombie apocalypse. So cool for him and his best mate, or is it? Each Chapter comes with a story of a mistake made during the apocalypse. Interesting characters, although Keller is a bit of a wild card, with a different perspective on the genre.

[MyzanM · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m still debating with myself wether this was brilliant or just ok....

It is a different take on zombies and the end of the world.... but was it well done? Or just different?
I haven’t decided yet.

[Tamara Storie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh take on the zombie story. I loved the story's reverse chronology.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's just say it was a perfectly ordinary day. Not much going on. Then the zombie apocalypse happened. Would you be ready? There can't be much to it, right? Shoot up a bunch of undead monsters, no big deal. It could even be kind of fun!

Ian and his buddy Grant thought they would be ready. Young men, they had spent numerous hours playing shoot-‘em-up video games, perfecting their aim. They had taste-tested a wide selection of survival food. They had watched every zombie movie they could get their hands on. They had spent countless hours discussing weapons, tactics, and survival strategies. Then the zombie apocalypse happened. They weren't nearly as prepared as they thought.

Mistakes I Made During The Zombie Apocalypse tells Ian’s tale. Not what he did right, but what he did wrong. And there is a lot more that can go wrong than you might think. Like everything. Be it shelter, food, weapons, people you thought were friends, strangers you meet, tactics, if something can go wrong it almost certainly will. Once the apocalypse hits nothing will be as it seems, and it definitely isn't real life anymore!

There were two things about this book I really enjoyed. The first may sound a little strange, considering this is a zombie book, but the zombies aren't really the centerpiece here. Oh sure, they are around. But this isn't the typical zombie tale, with wall-to-wall zombies munching on people, with rivers of blood flowing heavy with disjointed body parts, and people killing zombies in the most creative and gory ways imaginable. No, the focus of Mistakes is more what is happening psychologically with our characters as they face, and struggle through, the challenges they encounter.

The other thing I really liked is the author uses a dual narrator. This is a risk for any writer, because sustaining it for very long is hard, but Kilmer pulls it off flawlessly. Ian is our protagonist, and I grew to like him, despite his flaws. He is a little naive, and a little shy, and is reluctant to talk about what he's experienced. But his inner voice, or conscience, prods him along and together they manage to tell the story. It's an interesting twist on the typical linear point of view, but in this case it works very well.

The story is richly detailed, and the author has obviously put a lot of thought into the 'little things' that will come along with the zombie apocalypse. I guess I would say as far as the zombies are concerned there are no real surprises here. They are, well, just zombies. The tone is just right; not too light and not too dark and brooding.

I would heartily recommend Mistakes for any fan of the zombie genre, especially those who might be looking for something a little different. The story is smooth and nicely paced, and is easy to read. So go ahead and pick this one up, before the zombies appear at your doorstep!

[David Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Zombie Apocalypse in Review

A young man sits alone in a closet and thinks back to all of the mistakes he made during the zombie apocalypse.

The story is told in reverse. It starts with the current time and travels back through each step that lead up to this point until it reaches the start of the downfall of the world. This was a new approach to telling the story and what first attracted me to it. I am pretty much burned out on zombies unless it has some new hook.

While most zombie stories are bleak, they still have a bit of hope running through them. Not this story. By focusing only on his mistakes, the main character removes that hope. Not to be an optimist or anything, especially about a world overrun by zombies, but a story needs something for the reader to connect. If the character sees no point, why should the reader see a point to read the story? It also makes it hard to connect with the characters despite the fact that some of them are probably closer to what real people would do in their situation. Or maybe not, several of the characters just weren't believable as survivors in this mess.

There are certain flaws inherent to any zombie story. The usual one is that zombies are supposed to be eating people (or brains in older stories). Well, if a person is eaten, they won't come back as a zombie or at least not much of one. This was addressed in this story somewhat. The zombies would stop eating as soon as the person died. Since they really don't need food, I guess this makes a certain sort of sense. Another problem is decay. Zombies are dead and decaying. There should be a point where their bodies simply fall apart. The zombies in this story are attracted to even the smallest sound and are said they will even bash through walls to get to people. Yet they never seemed to break into the glass fronts of the store mentioned. Finally, too many doors were left unlocked. Zombies may not be able to open a door, but looters can.

An interesting story format. Characters that may or may not be like real people in a zombie apocalypse, but at least they weren't all super zombie fighters or rapists like in most zombie stories. But main characters are too cynical and unlikable makes it hard for reader to care. For these reasons, I am giving the story three stars.

[Pheebz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic tale.
What a great story told in the most peculiar way.We find out the story of two teen boys who weather the Zombie Apocalypse together.Grant who has a rough home life a mother who is mostly intoxicated when she is around and a father who is in jail for murder.Ian who has a loving caring mother who is an RN and works at the local Hospital, his father is a Psychiatrist, who was always trying to psychoanalyze Ian. The POV is by Ian and his inner voice.Long before the Zpoc ever happened they use to play games that would help them hone their skills for when the Apocalypse did happen in only the way kids can.They just knew they would be sitting pretty at the end of the world.They watched all the movies and played shooting games to perfect their aim, they even went as far as to look through sporting good magazines to keep up on what was new.When the boys found a new dry food they wanted to try Ian would buy a few different kinds with his allowance and bring it home for him and Grant to try.Let's just say things didn't work out they way they thought it would.
Michelle Kilmer has a brilliant mind. She has a natural talent for telling a story.She thinks outside the box and stretches well beyond the norm.I urge you to pick up this as well as the other books she has out.You will be delightfully surprised with the way her mind works.

[Melanie Leiren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a really well crafted and unusually told story. It's best read slowly, so that one can fully appreciate the detail and nuances.

I'm not really a fan of zombie or horror, so I was really surprised to like this book at much as I did. Too much unnecessary gore and violence, as found in many horror and zombie stories, puts me off a story. It was refreshing to find violence and gore that added something to the plot. This isn't to say that the violence and gore wasn't unsettling. It was. But it also felt very necessary.

One of my favorite parts of this book was it dealt with the mental strain that a zombie apocalypse would have on the survivors. This was one of the most engaging parts of the book. It really made me consider what I would do if I was confronted with the hard questions Ian faced.

[Tom Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

In all the zombie literature out there, there's an unspoken assumption that the protagonist (and the reader) will be capable and strong and brave in the face of adversity. Nobody seems too keen on thinking too long about their actual odds of survival in a post-apocalyptic world full of the living dead. It's supposed to be entertainment, and it's surely more entertaining to inhabit the body of an ass-kicking undead slayer or a wise-beyond-your-years sage who can philosophize on the real value of life now that they're surrounded by the mindless dead.

This book turns the whole genre on its ear with its remorseful and cowardly narrator, its inverted plotline (told in reverse as we learn how he came to be stuck in a closet as one mistake followed another), and its emphasis on atmosphere over action.

This book made me feel sad. It's a tragedy. With zombies.

3 stars out of 5.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a rather unusual tale. It's told backwards to the beginning. And it focuses on the mistakes made. Which was really what convinced me to buy it.

While it had a unique way of telling the story I wasn't super into the characters. I didn't really like them, but as I paid for it I intended to finish it. Overall, I wasn't too sympathetic to these guys plight (not to say that in a zombie book you have to like all the characters, but it does help if you like someone).

So, 2 stars for the style and 1 additional star for the ending which I thought was pretty realistic and had a strong message for a total of 3 stars.

Read if the premise intrigues you. Otherwise, there are plenty of other zombie books out there.

[Kaycee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting take on what I consider to be a pretty tired genre. Not usually my sort of story, but was very cleverly written. I would recommend this to people who like post apocalyptic or zombie stories.

[Jessica Austin Gudmundson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and thoroughly unsettling. I couldn't put it down. Would definitely recommend.

[Laurie Jameson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique. Not something I'd read more than once, but it was quick and entertaining. Well done Michelle Kilmer.

[Earl C · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark and interesting take on the "reality" of surviving in the zombie apocalypse.