Puppeteer of the Dead

by Troy McCombs

The end began at 30,000 feet over the Atlantic, in a military aircraft filled with air trays containing the bodies of deceased American soldiers—that's the first reported instance of the dead returning to life. Soon, it spreads to neighboring regions like a wildfire. Nobody has a name for it, no answer, and no solution on how to properly dispose of the undead. The fate of mankind rests in a handful of people from the East Coast. Maynard Dunn, a family man and ex-marine, leads them, not only to safety, but to also rage against the malign force in control of the rising dead.

Genres: Horror, Zombies

191 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2016

Reviews

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zombies and a little magic, this book was very interesting and what a typically zombie book is all about. The Zombies didn't die as easy as you would think. This book was a quick fun read for me but the ending was a little disappointing for me. * I received this book from the author and this is my honest review*

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say that this never did really grab me and pull me in but I did slowly start to warm up to the story and the characters as things progressed. The characters seem a little bland to begin with and kind of standard since we first meet our main family after the initial lead in and they are typical for you would expect, ex military dad who you know will be the hero. The mother who loves him but feels he should be more loyal to the family, and sweet kids with that sour teenager thrown in for flavor. They are all present and accounted for, but there is a surprise that made me more interested. Once you get past them we are introduced to more characters in their own segment who you already know are going to be significant to later story lines.

I won't say that it is totally predictable because it does have a few elements that I have not seen in some other novels in the same genre. But the story so far has been pretty straight forward with some interesting twists that I want to find out more about. There is however the matter of the word 'yens', what the heck does it mean. It is used over and over and I got the context, sort of, but still have no idea if this is a real world or a massive typo.

The end of humanity started at 30,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean in a military aircraft carrying the bodies of deceased soldiers home for burial. As the plane flies over the Bermuda Triangle they run into a mysterious cloud bank that seems to cause problems with the plane and finally with their cargo. With the crashing of the plane the epidemic spreads like wildfire from the East Coast across the country and beyond.

Mankind seems doomed but Maynard Dunn, ex marine, husband and father seems pegged to lead human kind out of the darkness. He will lead a small group who will fight back and try to save what they can of humanity from the dark force that is trying to wipe them out.

There is some action and blood and gore. The language can be a little vulgar at times but nothing you couldn't hear just walking down the streets. I would say if you like zombies then you should give this a try. I do want to read book two to see where things go from this ending which was expected.

[Bob Platypire · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book to be honestly reviewed*

My true rating for this falls somewhere between 2 and 3, but I rounded up to 3 because of the unique details.

Now, this book had a great story line. Zombies with a brand new take, and losses that most stories avoid. And it's a terrifying concept! Not only can you not kill them by "traditional" means, but there's an entirely new evil entity behind the scenes! The characters are pretty cool (Peter is my favorite so far, and Tony... watch out for that kid, Dunn & Co!), and I feel like we'll see a lot more character development in them in the future.

I wasn't able to get connected or attached to any of them, though. For example, there were 2 certain deaths that normally should have had me in a mass of tears, but I barely got misty eyed. Why? Glad you asked, potential reader! There were a lot of uncommon words used. A LOT. And I don't mean words that just don't come up naturally in conversation when you're sitting around BSing, I mean words that you might truly only hear once or twice EVER. That in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but it felt like they were thrown in to make it sound smarter. However, they were far too often used incorrectly. Example: There is a passage where Area 51 is discussed, and it was called a divergent. I think the author meant to use diversion, as the former doesn't actually quite fit the sentence. I could be wrong, but either way it felt wrong. Things like this and the changing portal to the helicopter made it feel a bit clunky, and really pulled me out of the story. I feel like a decent editor could polish this baby up and make it so much better.

These issues aside, I am looking forward to reading the next installment. I think it can only get better, and I am interested to see what happens next. I think this bad guy could end up being terrifyingly evil!

Bob says: 3 Platypires

[Luna · Rating 1 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*

Okay, first of all I was so excited to get this book, because I LOVE zombie stories! And I'm super upset because I wanted to love this book, I really did...but I just didn't. So I'll just jump right into it.

I knew from the first chapter that this wasn't going to end well, because at least twice I had to stop reading to look up a word on my kindle dictionary. And don't get me wrong, I know some big words, but this was ridiculous. Next, EVERY chapter is from a different character's POV. So I had to pause in my reading and try to remember who the character was at the beginning of every chapter. Some sentences felt cumbersome, clunky, difficult to flow when reading. It took me a week just to force myself to finish. It does say on the very first page in plain English that it's "PART ONE", but in my zeal to begin this book, I didn't pay attention. Then at about 92% I started to panic. Because I knew there wouldn't be enough book left for it to complete the storyline. The book didn't even get to the part where it introduced the villain, who I assume would be this "Puppeteer" character, though at this point I have no proof.

It had a good premise, and I actually did find myself caring about one of the main characters, Maynard (I kind of feel like he was the one who was fleshed out the best).

Needless say, it wasn't one of my favorites, and I don't really recommend (Except for BOB...hurry up and finish so I don't accidentally send spoilers!).

Final rating: 1 platypire

[Amethyst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read it must be hundreds of zombie apocalyptic books being a complete zombie addict. So I was excited to have the opportunity to read this unusual read from the author.

To be honest the cover attracted me too as it has a scary dark haunting feel...right up my alley.
So to the book.

Right from pg 1 I couldn't put it down and enjoyed the introduction of the characters.
Really feel Maynard and whose left of his family feel realistic and I love how Anna his wife stepped up to fight as i was sure she was going down the screamy female route phew..
YAY girl power.

Clever planning on bringing the group together and introducing us to them. It has a very sinister feel to the book something only a good writer can make you feel.

Jason is a character to watch as I felt on edge waiting for him to snap and kill someone one.
Every character has something to bring to this unique storyline; I wanted to know more.
A psychic, a Dr, the girl centred around a normal family who we can all relate too.

Troy has totally succeeded in making you feel on edge; an inescapable darkness and fear follows closely throughout this read. I actually felt nervous lol! He has added some really interesting additions making these zombies quite different are they being controlled by someone or somethign else...cant wait to see more.

My only niggle was how rushed the ending was as it was getting immersive; despite it being a good ending it was just a quick summary which we could have enjoyed more in an extra chapter. However its a fab introduction to book 2.

Very chilling can't wait for book 2 Troy.

[Brooklyn Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was a great first installment to what seems to be a promising zombie apocalypse series. The way the zombies came to be was intriguing, giving just enough information to pique the curiosity while not revealing all.

I loved the alternating points of view from different characters, some likeable, some not, and I also loved how they came together at the end. Some characters showed great growth, others I hope to see more dimension from in later books.

This book keeps the reader on the edge of one's seat because no one is safe. Characters I thought would make it didn't and ones who I figured would die found luck or inner strength, or both.

I cannot wait until the next book in the series.

[Mark Bondurant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earth is overrun by zombies controlled by an otherworldly evil. Zombies and unnatural magical storms with red lightening. A wide cast of characters must run if they are to have any hope of safety as they cross a landscape of death and collapsing civilization, all the while being efficiently hunted by a fast expanding zombie army.

This is the first book of the series and accomplishes little more than to introduce the story’s main characters. It’s well written, carefully paced, with well-set stages. If I were to have a complaint, it would be with the efficiency of the zombies. True, they are intelligently controlled, but they are still just shambling around. The protagonists couldn’t stop to sneeze without a zombie jumping out of nowhere at them, no matter how remote to location. That is unless the evil entity was teleporting them, which I suppose is possible. It seems pretty powerful/magical/evil. And as well, it makes for literally non-stop action.

Buy it. I think you’ll enjoy this, especially if you’re in to zombie action. This is professional level work

[Celeste Crotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best zombie books I've read in a very long time. Interesting characters, and a new way of looking at the way the zombies or undead come to be in existence, also interesting about the way they interact with animals. I cannot wait for the next book to see what happens next. This is a new author for me, and I found the writing style easy and comfortable to read. Highly recommended for anyone who love zombie books.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action Packed

This book has an evil source bringing back the dead and tells the stories of how the main characters fought, lost loved ones, and survived the first day. Maynard, his wife, and one remaining son meet up with the other survivors during their journey. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to next one!

[tiffany griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and perfectly gory!

What a great book! Action and adventure from beginning to end! The characters were perfectly wonderful or perfectly horrendous in just the right proportions! Zombies beware!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Definitely a different spin on a zombie apocalypse, I enjoyed the way the author made it more of a adventure through out verses just a few people slashing and killing zombies had a good plot and you meet some interesting people. Can’t wait to read part 2

[Terri Talley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Troy McCombs’s, Puppeteer of the Dead, we meet Maynard Dunn and his family when they first encounter the undead. In several parallel plots, we also meet many others including Andrew, Jackson, Ben, Tony, Johnny, Mason, Faith and her parents. All are struggling to battle the undead on their own until their paths cross and they face the ultimate challenge of their lives—to survive!

I loved reading Puppeteer of the Dead. Troy’s vivid writing made me feel like I was right there watching AMC’s The Walking Dead only with different characters and settings. I enjoyed his unexpected plot twists. I highly recommend this fast-paced, page turning thriller and can’t wait to read more of Troy’s stories.

Terri Talley Venters,
Author of Elements Of Mystery Books

[Stephen Kozeniewski · Rating 3 out of 5]

PUPPETEER OF THE DEAD was not a bad book. It had some good, solid, chilling moments. It was certainly not your average zombie apocalypse scenario. McCombs introduced monsters more similar to Russo's "Return of the Living Dead" series than Romero's Holy Trilogy. The zombies don't die just because you shoot them in the head, and in an interesting twist, have strange black growths like marionette strings that control them. There were definitely some intriguing ideas here.

There were some drawbacks, too, unfortunately. I'm not normally one to complain about alternating points of view, a la A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE or Turtledove's WORLDWAR series. Normally I like getting a look at the breadth of a world-spanning story. But rather than have characters dealing with the zompoc from very different situations, most of the ones in POTD were in the same vicinity and not dealing with exceptionally different circumstances. This is one novel where a tighter focus might have made for a more gripping read.

That being said, I was particularly enamored of the young sociopath who was introduced, though we subsequently then spent very little time in his head. A few more characters like this outside of the zompoc norm of "a desperate ordinary man" will hopefully help to liven up the sequels. I'm also intrigued by the idea of the actual puppeteer, another rarely seen element in these sorts of stories. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on these novel concepts, McCombs mostly treated us to a retread of your standard "guy trying to save his family" and "guy trying to escape a military facility" scenarios. The baseball diamond scene in particular seemed to be practically lifted whole-cloth from the 2010 remake of "The Crazies," though as I liked that movie it wasn't the worst thing to see rehashed.

Overall, POTD had a great deal of potential, but sagged a bit in the execution. I've got high hopes for the sequels, and look forward to checking them out. A little shifted focus could move this series from merely good to great.

[Ey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and frightening. Fits well into all of the "zombie ate my world," stories but it is even scarier when the concept of it never ending, the dead never dying - their thirst for flesh being guided by some unforseen satanic force, is threaded throughout the tale.
A good fast paced read.