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Degeneration #1
Degeneration
The accidental release of a terrifying biological weapon creates a zombie epidemic and Richard, a mentally-ill man, is caught in the midst of the outbreak. To save his brother, Richard must make his way through the post-apocalyptic landscape of Raleigh, North Carolina to the maximum-security federal penitentiary where he is incarcerated.
Battling his deteriorating mental condition, he must withstand the actions of a desperate government hell-bent on covering up the truth no matter what the cost. He also has to survive the massive onslaught of the ravenous infected as the infrastructure—and society itself—crumbles all around him.
With the odds stacked against him and his psychiatric medication depleted, can he maintain his fragile sanity long enough to save himself and the brother he loves?
Battling his deteriorating mental condition, he must withstand the actions of a desperate government hell-bent on covering up the truth no matter what the cost. He also has to survive the massive onslaught of the ravenous infected as the infrastructure—and society itself—crumbles all around him.
With the odds stacked against him and his psychiatric medication depleted, can he maintain his fragile sanity long enough to save himself and the brother he loves?
361 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 6, 2013
5 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Mark D. Campbell
13 books27 followersMark Campbell, author of the best-selling H7N9 Chronicles series, specializes in post-apocalyptic and sci-fi thrillers. Drawing on his background in law enforcement and cybersecurity, Mark brings a unique perspective to his stories, blending technology, suspense, and thought-provoking themes.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 20, 2016
First paragraphs: A man stood inside a white biological protection suit. The suits were bulky and were often given the moniker "white-suit'. An oxygen hose ran from a valve in the back of the suit into the ceiling, but the suits were capable of utilizing small detachable oxygen canisters.
The man carried a tray of sealed glass test-tubes labeled PT-12 out of the refrigerator. He didn't feel like pulling a double-shift, but the urgent message came from Atlanta at the last minute.
3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4 stars, because that's how rounding works.
"Degeneration" is zombie novelist Campbell's first foray into the world of the undead, and he does a fine job in creating a realistic look at our government's response to a viral outbreak in a modern American city. The author is clearly well versed in the world of government agencies and law enforcement, and the book is peppered with acronyms and government jargon that kept it very authentic to me.
More fun, however, were the characters that dominated his story, and these were the elements that I truly enjoyed. The seemingly innocent things we do, the choices we make, that can have disastrous consequences without our knowing it. The phone call. The helicopter ride. The antidote.
The story twists around the character of Richard, a mentally ill young man who's on his way to the penitentiary in Bunter to visit his convicted brother Andy. On the way there, however, his train derails at ground zero - Raleigh, North Carolina - where the government is having a hard time containing the PT-12 outbreak. Richard goes through hell, literally, to get to his brother, and the action sequences and the twists and turns at the end made this book hard to put down.
I enjoyed the ending a lot. No spoilers here. A good read.
The man carried a tray of sealed glass test-tubes labeled PT-12 out of the refrigerator. He didn't feel like pulling a double-shift, but the urgent message came from Atlanta at the last minute.
3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4 stars, because that's how rounding works.
"Degeneration" is zombie novelist Campbell's first foray into the world of the undead, and he does a fine job in creating a realistic look at our government's response to a viral outbreak in a modern American city. The author is clearly well versed in the world of government agencies and law enforcement, and the book is peppered with acronyms and government jargon that kept it very authentic to me.
More fun, however, were the characters that dominated his story, and these were the elements that I truly enjoyed. The seemingly innocent things we do, the choices we make, that can have disastrous consequences without our knowing it. The phone call. The helicopter ride. The antidote.
The story twists around the character of Richard, a mentally ill young man who's on his way to the penitentiary in Bunter to visit his convicted brother Andy. On the way there, however, his train derails at ground zero - Raleigh, North Carolina - where the government is having a hard time containing the PT-12 outbreak. Richard goes through hell, literally, to get to his brother, and the action sequences and the twists and turns at the end made this book hard to put down.
I enjoyed the ending a lot. No spoilers here. A good read.
January 23, 2013
It was difficult for me to choose between 3.5 stars and 4, simply because I wasn't a fan of the ending.
In the end, I went with the four stars due to the action packed combat, the plot that kept twisting, the characters that grow on you, and sheer intensity of the read.
There were a few typos in this but nothing that takes from the story.
The author does a great job with foreshadowing. I liked that our main character is flawed in such a manor that an easy plot resolution was not possible.
The pace of this story stars off with a bang and keeps pushing all the way through.
I recommend this story to lovers of the Post-Apocalyptic (zombie) genre.
I will likely look for more books by this author.
In the end, I went with the four stars due to the action packed combat, the plot that kept twisting, the characters that grow on you, and sheer intensity of the read.
There were a few typos in this but nothing that takes from the story.
The author does a great job with foreshadowing. I liked that our main character is flawed in such a manor that an easy plot resolution was not possible.
The pace of this story stars off with a bang and keeps pushing all the way through.
I recommend this story to lovers of the Post-Apocalyptic (zombie) genre.
I will likely look for more books by this author.
June 13, 2017
Good book set in Raleigh ( !!:D) with lots of detail. Great twist at the end and lots of zombie killing gore.
October 18, 2013
normally i don't really enjoy zombie books, but this one i couldn't put down! its almost 4am and i have to get up in a couple of hours but i couldn't resist finishing this!
February 18, 2024
There should be an award for least like the jacket blurb. I would definitely nominate this one.
February 13, 2017
Nachdem ich vor einem Jahr bei einem Fünftel pausiert habe und nun kurz wieder angefangen habe, muss ich das Handtuch endgültig werfen. Zwar war die Prämisse mit dem mental instabilen Protagonisten anfangs interessant, jedoch wird die Handlung von zu vielen Zufällen dominiert. Für das Genre ist der Schreibstil zudem viel zu gestelzt, inklusive Wortwiederholungen und Rechtschreibfehlern. Von mir gibt es keine Kaufempfehlung.
April 17, 2014
For a while I was contemplating giving this two stars since I rather liked the premise of a story told by a mentally ill person. I liked it almost enough to overlook the diabolical lack of editing, the tiresome repetition of whatever word of the day the author got his claws into, and the writing style that would be the culinary equivalent of Gulag-style cabbage soup at the end of winter before the next supply train arrived.
Silly me.
The "twist" with regards to revelations over the main character are, at best, worthy of an eyeroll or possible face-palm. I'm pretty certain a middle school student could have done better.
In summary? Do not bother unless you have some kind of app that allows you to scribble all over the digital version in a teacher's red pen.
Silly me.
The "twist" with regards to revelations over the main character are, at best, worthy of an eyeroll or possible face-palm. I'm pretty certain a middle school student could have done better.
In summary? Do not bother unless you have some kind of app that allows you to scribble all over the digital version in a teacher's red pen.
January 21, 2014
End of the world, zombie apocalypse story. The story was good, and I did not see the twist coming. It was original and unexpected :-) If you like your zombie stories with plenty of grossness, gore, and lots of battles, you'll like this. I received a free copy for review. My copy was before editing, which was a drag, but I understand the finished product is in great shape. I did not mark down for editing errors in my copy.
December 30, 2013
Fine story but the writing isn't so hot. Apparently there are no synonyms for the word "horde" or "feral".
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February 7, 2016same book as before just fresh cover and edits.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews