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Up From the Depths #3
Collateral Damage
An alternate cover edition exists here.
Welcome to the Apocalypse.
With the world in turmoil from the effects of the viral infection, chaos reigns supreme. Those that remain uninfected attempt to eke out a means of long-term survival while combating the hordes of infected.
ODA-141, The Outlaws, and what remains of 1st Group have established Firebase Cascade, a fortified safe haven.
The SEALs of Shark Platoon, on a mission to rescue survivors, are forced into a pitched battle against the infected. Contact is made with an unlikely ally but at a cost.
The Safeguard group ventures out to the City of Clovis with unexpected results. Caught up in a planned outbreak within the walled city, the group must fight their way to safety.
Is there anywhere safe when 99% of the world’s population has been turned into ravenous, flesh-craving psychotics?
Welcome to the Apocalypse.
With the world in turmoil from the effects of the viral infection, chaos reigns supreme. Those that remain uninfected attempt to eke out a means of long-term survival while combating the hordes of infected.
ODA-141, The Outlaws, and what remains of 1st Group have established Firebase Cascade, a fortified safe haven.
The SEALs of Shark Platoon, on a mission to rescue survivors, are forced into a pitched battle against the infected. Contact is made with an unlikely ally but at a cost.
The Safeguard group ventures out to the City of Clovis with unexpected results. Caught up in a planned outbreak within the walled city, the group must fight their way to safety.
Is there anywhere safe when 99% of the world’s population has been turned into ravenous, flesh-craving psychotics?
355 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 4, 2016
105 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
J.R. Jackson
12 books30 followersJ.R. Jackson is a former U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer. During his career, he has been deployed all over the world working with branches of the U.S. military and military units from foreign countries.
He is currently a Military Technical Advisor for several authors and an outdoor survival and disaster mitigation educator.
The Up From the Depths series is his first venture into fictional writing.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 5, 2016
Book is getting easier to read now that most of the characters are introduced. It still jumps around so much that I tend to forget the characters until I read for a few minutes.
March 17, 2025
Sometimes intriguing, often exhausting and amateur
Jackson’s series had been kind of a hidden gem - considering the absolute monstrosity of cover art that I can only imagine was made in Microsoft Paint. Nevertheless, as a combat vet, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of knowledge and detail. He knows his stuff.
But instead of just explaining enough to be realistic, he literally conforms the story to be able to show just how much he knows. To the point that it’s like a technical manual for operations. I mean there’s times when a character is making an observation of other characters properly executing maneuvers and it doesn’t benefit the story, it just shows that he knows what they’re supposed to be doing?
Unfortunately, there’s also at least one character that the writer inserted himself as from what I can imagine. I notice it with veterans who write. They have a veteran character who outperforms active duty military in the book and shows everyone up. Everyone is so impressed. Of course the surrogate also trained his wife to be a dead shot. He was Navy intel… seems a little familiar considering the author’s background. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing but in this case, as it often is, it just makes your eyes roll into the back of your head.
Another thing is the sheer amount of stories that don’t even seem to have anything to do with one another. I’m sure it will eventually taper together but I am starting to think it’s an afterthought and the author is just combining different zombie stories he wanted to write.
Like the UK one. Holy crap, I literally skipped through it after they went back to the hotel. It is soooo long and detailed that it was absolutely exhausting. Writing about every step they took. Who the f*** cares??? They’re on a different continent than the other 50 protagonists. I literally skipped through those sections until the end and skimmed just to find there was no major changes in the story and it would’ve been a waste of time to read.
Honestly, people bleed together. You forget who is who. Because everyone is a hardened veteran or a strong sureshot. You start to see that the writer is just detailing what the ideal outcomes would be and how to properly set up a zombie outpost. There’s no character or intrigue.
Also, the way chapters end is wild. Like he will end them with a fact. It won’t be a cliff hanger or a zippy line. It’ll be like “All of the cars were filled up for the mission. They also checked the tires.” End of chapter. The f***? Just weird.
Dialogue is so wildly corny. Sometimes the troops have funny exchanges but a lot of times it’s like watching a Lifetime movie starring soldiers. The writer’s bio is intentionally ambiguous but clearly he’s insinuating he wasn’t a POG so I would assume he had better understanding of actual grunt exchanges but it’s legit like reading a civilian inventing soldier dialogue.
Sometimes he’ll introduce a situation and you’ll think oh crap I know where this is going. But it doesn’t. It goes nowhere. You could cut 3/4 of the book and still retain the plot.
I know I’m dragging him a lot but it’s just annoying. He set up a lot of interesting situations and then just fumbled.
It’s hard to say if I would recommend this because I’ll probably continue reading just to see how some things turn out but at this point it’s legitimately 2 or 3 out of 12 consecutive plots I’m trying to see conclude.
SPOILERS AHEAD*********
Also what the F was up with the Clovis town? He sets up the town as a picture of perfect defense. He goes out of his way to detail strenuous amounts of guards and fortifications, roving patrols, overwatch, etc. Yet for some reason they forgot abotu comms? No radios? No field phones? Because somehow these religious fanatics just silently take half of them out to begin with in the middle of crowds. Then a few semi trailers overtake a town of thousands of ARMED SURVIVORS. PLUS NOBODY BUT SMITH SAW THE ZOMBIES AT FIRST? WHY DIDNT HE FIRE IN THE AIR OR AT THE GROUND TO DRAW ATTENTION?
Our survivors make it to town hall and they have to try to convince city hall/HQ that they’re under attack??? Did nobody radio anything in? Did nobody outside city hall hear the explosions or gunshots and come inside? The resident military CO decides to SEE IT FOR HIMSELF. OF COURSE HE DOES.
How are there no interior fortifications? Because approximately five minutes later, the city hall is overrun.
WHAT???
Then they go to the AFB and for some reason meet the new CO who is apparently batshit insane but is still holding rank because?? Even pre-zombies he would’ve been benched. They even say the late CO was aware of his second in command’s mental state.
It literally just makes no sense and it is written to fail. Ok, so the town falling was necessary for your plot. Why the hell would you write in so much manpower, defensive posturing, troop movements, security details, etc, just to have it all thwarted by religious fanatics who live in circus tents?
Seriously who designed the covers
Jackson’s series had been kind of a hidden gem - considering the absolute monstrosity of cover art that I can only imagine was made in Microsoft Paint. Nevertheless, as a combat vet, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of knowledge and detail. He knows his stuff.
But instead of just explaining enough to be realistic, he literally conforms the story to be able to show just how much he knows. To the point that it’s like a technical manual for operations. I mean there’s times when a character is making an observation of other characters properly executing maneuvers and it doesn’t benefit the story, it just shows that he knows what they’re supposed to be doing?
Unfortunately, there’s also at least one character that the writer inserted himself as from what I can imagine. I notice it with veterans who write. They have a veteran character who outperforms active duty military in the book and shows everyone up. Everyone is so impressed. Of course the surrogate also trained his wife to be a dead shot. He was Navy intel… seems a little familiar considering the author’s background. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing but in this case, as it often is, it just makes your eyes roll into the back of your head.
Another thing is the sheer amount of stories that don’t even seem to have anything to do with one another. I’m sure it will eventually taper together but I am starting to think it’s an afterthought and the author is just combining different zombie stories he wanted to write.
Like the UK one. Holy crap, I literally skipped through it after they went back to the hotel. It is soooo long and detailed that it was absolutely exhausting. Writing about every step they took. Who the f*** cares??? They’re on a different continent than the other 50 protagonists. I literally skipped through those sections until the end and skimmed just to find there was no major changes in the story and it would’ve been a waste of time to read.
Honestly, people bleed together. You forget who is who. Because everyone is a hardened veteran or a strong sureshot. You start to see that the writer is just detailing what the ideal outcomes would be and how to properly set up a zombie outpost. There’s no character or intrigue.
Also, the way chapters end is wild. Like he will end them with a fact. It won’t be a cliff hanger or a zippy line. It’ll be like “All of the cars were filled up for the mission. They also checked the tires.” End of chapter. The f***? Just weird.
Dialogue is so wildly corny. Sometimes the troops have funny exchanges but a lot of times it’s like watching a Lifetime movie starring soldiers. The writer’s bio is intentionally ambiguous but clearly he’s insinuating he wasn’t a POG so I would assume he had better understanding of actual grunt exchanges but it’s legit like reading a civilian inventing soldier dialogue.
Sometimes he’ll introduce a situation and you’ll think oh crap I know where this is going. But it doesn’t. It goes nowhere. You could cut 3/4 of the book and still retain the plot.
I know I’m dragging him a lot but it’s just annoying. He set up a lot of interesting situations and then just fumbled.
It’s hard to say if I would recommend this because I’ll probably continue reading just to see how some things turn out but at this point it’s legitimately 2 or 3 out of 12 consecutive plots I’m trying to see conclude.
SPOILERS AHEAD*********
Also what the F was up with the Clovis town? He sets up the town as a picture of perfect defense. He goes out of his way to detail strenuous amounts of guards and fortifications, roving patrols, overwatch, etc. Yet for some reason they forgot abotu comms? No radios? No field phones? Because somehow these religious fanatics just silently take half of them out to begin with in the middle of crowds. Then a few semi trailers overtake a town of thousands of ARMED SURVIVORS. PLUS NOBODY BUT SMITH SAW THE ZOMBIES AT FIRST? WHY DIDNT HE FIRE IN THE AIR OR AT THE GROUND TO DRAW ATTENTION?
Our survivors make it to town hall and they have to try to convince city hall/HQ that they’re under attack??? Did nobody radio anything in? Did nobody outside city hall hear the explosions or gunshots and come inside? The resident military CO decides to SEE IT FOR HIMSELF. OF COURSE HE DOES.
How are there no interior fortifications? Because approximately five minutes later, the city hall is overrun.
WHAT???
Then they go to the AFB and for some reason meet the new CO who is apparently batshit insane but is still holding rank because?? Even pre-zombies he would’ve been benched. They even say the late CO was aware of his second in command’s mental state.
It literally just makes no sense and it is written to fail. Ok, so the town falling was necessary for your plot. Why the hell would you write in so much manpower, defensive posturing, troop movements, security details, etc, just to have it all thwarted by religious fanatics who live in circus tents?
Seriously who designed the covers
April 24, 2025
Ok for the genre
Listening on Aud. Virtual Voice still sucks, but it seems less disruptive than earlier books. I don’t know if that’s because it’s evolving ot I’m simply getting used to it
Ex: LIVE only pronounced like LIV , READ Only pronounced like REED (never RED) no matter how it’s used in sentence, etc. When I first started listening these little grammatical blips pulled me out of the story each time.
Listening on Aud. Virtual Voice still sucks, but it seems less disruptive than earlier books. I don’t know if that’s because it’s evolving ot I’m simply getting used to it
Ex: LIVE only pronounced like LIV , READ Only pronounced like REED (never RED) no matter how it’s used in sentence, etc. When I first started listening these little grammatical blips pulled me out of the story each time.
July 30, 2019
Still going strong
... And upped the ante! I detected it a little in bk 2 but stronger even in bk 3, a little Simon Pegg and Nick Frost across the pond. Because of course classic and deserving of a nod in this genre. Cannot wait for more!
... And upped the ante! I detected it a little in bk 2 but stronger even in bk 3, a little Simon Pegg and Nick Frost across the pond. Because of course classic and deserving of a nod in this genre. Cannot wait for more!
November 23, 2022
Exhilarating
High speed, low drag is the best way I can describe this series. Each new book just gets better and with more surprises. This book does not disappoint and left me on edge at the ending. Cannot wait to start reading the next book in the series!!
High speed, low drag is the best way I can describe this series. Each new book just gets better and with more surprises. This book does not disappoint and left me on edge at the ending. Cannot wait to start reading the next book in the series!!
November 25, 2017
This series was interesting until now, but it really hits its marks with this instalment. The market scene was a favourite.
November 4, 2018
Good book
Books are good,characters well developed but,author switches between so many story lines,its hard to keep track .
Different time lines are a bit confusing also.
Books are good,characters well developed but,author switches between so many story lines,its hard to keep track .
Different time lines are a bit confusing also.
June 8, 2019
The book is great! Love how the author makes you feel you are on the journey with them. I’m into the fourth book and hate to put it down.
June 9, 2019
Collateral Damage review
Collateral Damage is the third fast paced post apocalyptic survival book in the Up From the Depths series written by author J. R. Jackson.
Collateral Damage is the third fast paced post apocalyptic survival book in the Up From the Depths series written by author J. R. Jackson.
July 29, 2019
Great 👍read. The only thing is author gets into telling to much Wikipedia info about the weapons. Some people may like it but sometimes it's a little to much info.
December 5, 2020
Another fun, exititng page turner. So many characters to keep track of, root for, and hate. Very enjoyable read.
January 19, 2018
ANOTHER BOOK THAT WILL LEAVE YOU WANTING MORE.
RE-READ - as I didn't leave a review the first time I read this book. Another great book by J.R. Jackson in a series that always leaves you wanting more. With pretty much everyone doing all they can to stay alive and help others do the same, it might not be enough. There are others that are doing what they can to take out high ranking military and senior members of the United States, as these people pose a threat, to the ones who want to be the ones to rule over what's left. But the ones who set this virus in motion may not be in control like they think they are. Only time will tell. One great book and also one I'm more than happy to recommend to all.
RE-READ - as I didn't leave a review the first time I read this book. Another great book by J.R. Jackson in a series that always leaves you wanting more. With pretty much everyone doing all they can to stay alive and help others do the same, it might not be enough. There are others that are doing what they can to take out high ranking military and senior members of the United States, as these people pose a threat, to the ones who want to be the ones to rule over what's left. But the ones who set this virus in motion may not be in control like they think they are. Only time will tell. One great book and also one I'm more than happy to recommend to all.
February 26, 2016
THE ZOMBIES ARE CHANGING, THEY ARE...
Hello, another great addition to the story. The action is pretty much all of the time. These people at least think a little. Why does there always have to be an asshole crook or politician at the bottom of every apocalypse? I guess, really, they are one and the same. Thanks.
Hello, another great addition to the story. The action is pretty much all of the time. These people at least think a little. Why does there always have to be an asshole crook or politician at the bottom of every apocalypse? I guess, really, they are one and the same. Thanks.
July 11, 2016
Best of Series so Far!!
Go hit the buy it now button, now! But wait, you need to go buy the first two books in the series and read them too. Shoot you might as well buy them all because you'll be right back here for this book and the next after reading the first two.
Book three really took off. I would say book three is 5x better than the first two.
Go hit the buy it now button, now! But wait, you need to go buy the first two books in the series and read them too. Shoot you might as well buy them all because you'll be right back here for this book and the next after reading the first two.
Book three really took off. I would say book three is 5x better than the first two.
January 29, 2023
Collateral Damage: Up From the Depths Book 3
J.R. Jackson's UFTD series is so real world and understands that it makes zombies seem possible. Like, seriously, nightmare inducing based solely on the way he leaves you in the midst of possibilities!
J.R. Jackson's UFTD series is so real world and understands that it makes zombies seem possible. Like, seriously, nightmare inducing based solely on the way he leaves you in the midst of possibilities!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews