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The Book of Riley #5

The Final Path Home

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After being separated from her pack and left for dead, Riley, a fearless American bulldog, teams up with an unexpected ally on her quest to find the final path home. Together they face the harshness of the wilderness, the rage of the "deaders", and the murderous intent of the "two-leggers". Sometimes, man is far from a dog's best friend.

108 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 29, 2016

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Mark Tufo

111 books2,138 followers

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5 stars
375 (68%)
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121 (22%)
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39 (7%)
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10 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for AudioBookReviewer.
949 reviews167 followers
April 25, 2016
My original The Book of Riley 5 audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Although George greeted Riley into the next world, he sent her bags packing back to the zombie infested world she had just left.  Seems Riley still had some work to complete.

Riley and her protector, Thorn Grip, find their way to a farm with a vet and his wife.  Together the two humans help heal Riley and learn much from Thorn Grip.  Seeking to reunite with her pack, Riley returns to the place of her death and finds Ben-Ben and Patches looking for her.

In typical Mark Tufo fashion, the hilarity and action ensues – an egotistic, preening cat, a young Ben-Ben with the hots for the towering, cereal eating, but not a dog, Thorn Grip; a confused male vet and his loving wife, a chance encounter with Icely’s henchmen and more zombies!

Tufo’s roller coaster of emotions was ever present – you will laugh, you will guffaw loudly and you will cry.  I finished the audiobook on my way to work with tears flowing down my cheeks at the end – some were tears from laughter while the last ones were of sadness and loss.

My favorite character of this book, which is also the most surprising, is Thorn Grip – I love her passion for cereal and Captain Crunch at that!

Tufo has a gift of storytelling.  He has a talent for bonding his readers to his characters making them bond so that when one dies it is heart wrenching.  While the last book left me stunned and angry that Riley had to die, this one left saddened even though Riley lives and there is an opportunity for there to be more Riley books should Tufo wish to write them.

Throughout each book Tufo parts words of wisdom that makes one stop and think; he makes us question our beliefs, actions, fears and what constitutes family.  Well written, Tufo’s Riley 5 is an excellent book.

Sean Runnette did a wonderful narration of the Riley 5.  His tone and voice are the voices of the Tufo characters and world.  His reading is packed with enthusiasm, feeling and warmth.

There were no issues with production.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.
Profile Image for Megan (ReadingRover).
1,980 reviews47 followers
April 25, 2016
I enjoyed this book but not until after I was crushed by the last one. I did get over it and the addition of Thorngrip made up for my sadness. I was happy to have Riley back along with Ben ben and Patches. I was also happy to know that Zach was ok. Unfortunately with the safety of Riley we were given the death of Jess. It seems Mark Tufo can't really make up his mind. I guess it's less painful for the readers if he takes out the girl instead of the dog so he rethought that one. Overall I enjoyed this adventure. Hopefully it won't be the final one.
The narrator did a good job with the book however I think it would have been a better choice to have a female narrator since the series was being told from the point of view of Riley who is a female dog. I read the previous four books so this is the first I've listened to.
Profile Image for Sean.
67 reviews3 followers
July 15, 2019
Final Installment

The fifth and final installment of the Book of Riley ends the series with action and a satisfyingly bittersweet reunion. Surely for zombie fans, the highlight of the book is Riley’s new pack mate: ThornGrip. ThornGrip is a huge bear that can swat her way through zombies with grizzly (pun) effect.

The author also explains a bit of the supernatural elements of the series with a hypothesis about how the world works with fewer humans in it. The bits of “world building” found here and throughout the series definitely make a place I wouldn’t mind returning to if the author ever decided to continue Riley’s adventures in the zombie apocalypse.

Interested readers should definitely start with book one; book five won’t disappoint if the premise of a “Homeward Bound” meets the “Walking Dead” appeals to you.
21 reviews
April 27, 2018
Zombies, a American Bulldog, and a Bear, Oh My!

I finished this series with my cat, Mac in my lap. I felt I could truly talk and hear his responses because of this book. The Book of Riley is a joy to read and a wonderful side companion to the unparalleled Zombie universe that Mark Tufo has created.

I was so surprised to see a fifth installment on what I thought was a 4 novella series. The inclusion of a bear into this story was brilliant.

You will not be disappointed by reading this series. And, you just might look at your pets differently in the end.
Profile Image for Annie.
938 reviews32 followers
August 18, 2017
LOVED IT AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ENTIRE SERIES AND ALL OF MARKS BOOKS!


Loved it!! I hope Mark changes his mind and gives us more form this little gang..especially Thorn Grip!!
Profile Image for Curby.
10 reviews1 follower
July 2, 2018
I have always loved this series- with the comedy and the quips that I feel real animals would say! However, I give it 4 stars because IT WAS NOT ENOUGH!!! I want more, so much more!!!!
Profile Image for Casey.
208 reviews
January 26, 2025
This book is the last instalment of “The Book of Riley”. While I still loved this one, I was a bit disappointed- I still gave it 4 stars because I absolutely adore this series. I do have some thoughts:

I feel like this one was too short. It left a lot unanswered and a bit of a cliffhanger that I’m left wondering if Mark Tufo has some future plans for Riley (cause honestly I’m so down with more Riley!) Here’s why:

🐶 Riley- Riley is basically Lassie if she was a badass smacked in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. She’s incredibly intelligent,that multiple characters point out how special she is. She is able to win over multiple people along with making plenty of human enemies. Even making friends with a bear, Thorngrip. In the beginning of the short, Riley is talking with her former housemate before her journey into the afterlife, George- an English bulldog who died shortly after she was introduced to her human family. He tells her that her role in the world isn’t done yet, and she has more to do. At first I was assuming getting her family to safety, but when she finally gets there ThornGrip warns that there is a dark energy surrounding the home where her family is and that they shouldn’t stay there. Then boom! That’s it! Game over! Is there more to this series or an adjacent series I should read?

🐈 Patches and Death- In a few of the volumes it is mentioned by Patches that she can detect death- a dark aura that settles around a person who is close to death or very ill. Patches tells this to Riley in Volume 2 when she notices it with the character of Winky and later, she says that she can see Death taking people’s lives. There is definitely something deeper happening here than just a zombie apocalypse. Also did anyone else think Patches was going to abandon her family at any point or sell them out to the zombies? She was so sketchy- especially when Riley was separated from them, and her reluctance to find her, which was obviously due to jealousy. And what she did to Icely… she just knew her bite would become infected? The man was in a compound- where Antibiotics were probably easily available. I thought she was a zombie virus carrier for a while (which would’ve been a cool twist), well until she bit Jess but she didn’t get an infection. I don’t know Patches gave me such bad vibes in the last few volumes.

👶🏻 Zack- I believe it is also in volume two or three where Zack is able to communicate with Riley and the others, but cannot with his sister. In the series Zack is only starting to crawl, and his speech isn’t there yet. Eventually, it is revealed that his mom came to him as he was dying and gave him the power to do so. Riley also sees the importance of the baby that he’d eventually become something special, not unlike Riley herself. He also knew that Riley wasn’t dead after Jess was bitten and she was dying. So there is obviously an afterlife working in the background helping out the characters. Again, it is so frustrating that this series just stops dead after they get to safety.

👱🏻‍♀️🧟‍♀️- Jess’s death was a bit out of nowhere- I know there was some reviews that wanted her to die, but to me it felt very sudden. I was disappointed about her death and I was hoping for a happy ending for all of them. I think maybe the author thought that they had a horseshoe up their asses to survive so many horrific events during their travels so it only made sense someone would have to die eventually and he didn’t want it to be Riley.

🧟‍♂️- Also I thought it was interesting that the zombie virus didn’t infect the animals because Ben-Ben, Thorngrip and Riley were scratched,bitten and they had infected zombie viscera in their mouths multiple times, but it seemed to have no ill effects. Though,in this book we meet an older religious couple who think the animals have seemingly become more intelligent while humans have downgraded in intelligence and a lot are obviously dead. They think there’s some type of energy in the earth that Jesus used which was why he was able to conjure miracles and the more people born the more energy was being sucked up. And now that the population has been decimated by the Pandemic it has left more for the animals. Though, Riley does say she has always felt this way and humans are poor listeners (which yeah, we don’t even listen to each other) but for Riley to make friends with a bear. And then Thorngrip being perfectly fine being in the company of humans- that she would never considering attacking… but before would have without a thought… maybe the zombie virus has something to do with it?

🐻 Thorngrip and George- when Riley was taken a stroll through Purgatory(???) with George, before she was resurrected, he told her to say hi to Thorngrip for him. Was that just him being like yeah, this bear is gonna help you now? Or did he actually know her previously? We don’t get an answer for this.

In conclusion, I have enjoyed this series way more than I thought I would. It’s such a fun read and it scratched an itch for me that I haven’t been able to find for such a long time and likely, won’t find again. Like Riley, this series is one of a kind! I recommend this one to anyone who enjoys dogs and zombies!!



This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
63 reviews
January 5, 2025
The Book Of Riley - A Zombie Tale is split between 5 volumes on audible:

The Book Of Riley 1: 2hrs 58mins
The Book Of Riley 2: 2hrs 46mins
The Book Of Riley 3: 2hrs 41mins
The Book Of Riley 4: 3hrs 21mins
The Book Of Riley 5: 2hrs 41mins

The series describes the journey from the start of the zombie apocalypse to the eventual reunification with the Talbot clan in Maine. Jess and her baby brother Zach travel with Riley, Ben Ben and Patches to find Justin Talbot who Jess dated for a couple years as she believes him to still be alive due to his dad's survivalist ideals.

It isn't an easy journey and they run into some truely despicable people and also some very kind ones. I loved the perspective from the animals and tbh, if I didn't already know from the main story Zach survived it would have been much more difficult reading about the baby's multiple close calls.

This is a great side story to the main Zombie Fallout series and a reprieve from the dark current situation.

Author: Mark Tufo
374 pages
17 reviews
August 20, 2020
Thank you, Mark Tufo I think I love you

Short but sweet. Seems the better he writes his books the quicker I zip through them and then am depressed I read it so quickly. It’s so hard waiting for him to finish writing another one. Mark Tufo has now moved into my favorite author category. Who am I kidding?! He probably was after I finished reading my first one. It took me a minute to realize it but once I really thought about it he is my favorite author hands down. Always excited when I get an opportunity to read another one. I don’t know how I missed this one when it came out but it was a nice surprise finding it this morning. Thank you Mark ! You make it easier to quarantine. I don’t know what I’d do without you
Profile Image for Bonnie Baker.
4 reviews
May 7, 2017
MORE, MORE, MORE, .........PLEASE

Love this series, and I am hoping , these stories will keep coming. I am convinced that Mark Tufo, must have lived past , lives, as a dog, a cat, and a very large bear, because how else can He write books, make them so heartfelt, a n d believable (and funny) from an animal's perspective. I am an avid and long time FAN, of this amazing author, and , spend all of my "fun" money on his books. If you like this genre, or ........if you just like entertaining books, ..........buy his books......., you will be glad you did. Thank you Mark for another great book series.
Profile Image for Shandril.
160 reviews
November 17, 2023
After reading the other Riley books a few years ago I was surprised that there's a fifth and final volume to this series. As a zombie lore fan and an animal lover, I was tickled when I i first discovered Riley and her tale of survival. From that first night of zombie neighbors crashing to the living room of Riley's home, to the inevitable end of her journey, Riley and crew bring a new perspective to fighting the zombie hordes and surviving in the new wilderness of the ZA. Maybe if Rick Grimes had read the Riley books before heading to Atlanta, he would have thought twice about taking that poor horse with him. Thank you, Mark Tufo, for a delightfully good read.
Profile Image for Maria.
294 reviews
August 27, 2024
Homeward Bound plus Zombies. I love Mark Tufo's zombie series. He does an excellent job of combining goofy humor with terrifying gore. Throw in some mystical woo-woo of both the evil and good varieties, and you've got yourself a great story. I blew through the Riley books in 5 days and loved everything except for the ending of book 4, but that was redeemed in book 5. The talking animals are so much fun and there's a strong parallel of personalities between them and some of the human characters in the main books. I appreciate apocalyptic storylines that have an overall positive vibe without being corny. There's a lot of death, obviously, but it's not hopeless.
Profile Image for Mark Heath.
375 reviews2 followers
December 20, 2016
What a great end to a series, or will ther be another?
Riley left for dead teams up with a bear and begins another journey
to find Jess and the rest of the gang, with a few chance meetings along the way.
A fantastic series of 5 books, as I always say about Mark Tufo's books worth reading back-to-back.
20/10 for the book and 100/10 for the series.
Profile Image for Nicole Fabry.
20 reviews1 follower
January 24, 2017
This is the final novella in the Riley series and while it has some twists and turns, it ends in a good way. As is typical with all of Mark's book, the writing is enjoyable and the story just flows. Once I started reading, I had a hard time making myself stop. What a wonderful compliment this series is to the Zombie Fallout series.
Profile Image for Charlene.
38 reviews1 follower
March 26, 2017
Riley, Oh Riley, your adventure continues. Wonderful addition to the Riley series that gives you a view of the Zombie apocalypse from the furbabies point of few. Against all odds Riley's adventure takes him further into the world of animal companions on his quest to find his human in this Zombie torn world.
Profile Image for Wanda Tippy.
2 reviews1 follower
June 14, 2017
Closure for Riley

I remember being crushed when I thought Riley had died in book 4. Never thought I'd enjoy books about talking animals during a zombie apocalypse. Boy was I wrong! Mark Tufo has you practically shitting yourself and then laughing two seconds later. Great guy and great writer. So much fun!
Profile Image for Crystal Marcela.
210 reviews1 follower
June 24, 2017
Part one and this part are my favorites! I really love this books and are my personal favorite from the Mike Talbot books. I am an animal lover and this book had me in the first five minutes when Riely says she is self-aware and sees in color. YES! Mark has a way of writing these books as if they were real. I only wish Mark wouldn't have let escape such a potential for a little of a love story.
Profile Image for Mary Mitchell.
998 reviews8 followers
March 14, 2024
truly enjoyed

I truly enjoyed this book and the end of this series. It was a lot of fun. I laughed a lot for a zombie book but also was in suspense and cried. Definitely worth the read. I am however disappointed that I didn’t get more of Jess’s story or of the camp she made it to.
Profile Image for PHYL.
145 reviews5 followers
May 23, 2017
I love this series, written by an incredibly talented author. A great tale that will keep the attention of Zombie dystopian fans, and animal lovers. A story filled with horror, fear, good & bad human....and love. This is one of the few series I have read that I didn't want to end.
4 reviews
January 21, 2018
It will make you scared, laugh, and cry.

It will make you scared, laugh, and cry. Another fabulous book by Mark Tufo. My new favorite author. It's great for both animal lovers, and zombie fans. Bad thing is, this is the last of a great series. Please Mark, MORE!!
Profile Image for Twainy.
1,099 reviews
May 28, 2018
The book starts with a series so far recap. Past foes & friends show up along the way. This is the story of Riley finding her home., her pack. It’s touching. You will laugh, cry and even be annoyed. Great ending to a fun zombie series.
Profile Image for Camille.
1,416 reviews
April 20, 2021
I loved this! Thorngrip added a super fun element to it. I’m sad that they didn’t all end up together with the couple I’m the woods and that it was alluded to that there was something bad near the baby but never said what it was? And that Jess died. But I still loved it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
21 reviews
February 10, 2023
While this little series didn't end how I expected and wanted it to, it was still satisfying. The introduction of a new animal character truly made for a wonderful last adventure, but I wish this wasn't the end!
Profile Image for Todd Oliver.
697 reviews10 followers
January 22, 2024
This is definitely one of my absolute favorite zompoc series. Seeing it from a dog's perspective is what made it great! Thanks for the excellent series Mr Tufo! And thank you Sean Runnette for a great narration as always!
Profile Image for Aya  Blackwood.
461 reviews10 followers
November 23, 2024
I'm giving the whole series 5 stars. I loved it. It was bittersweet and well done. I loved the characters. I want to say my favourite parts, but I don't want to give spoilers and can't think of a way to describe them that wouldn't do so. We don't deserve animals.
Profile Image for Shannon Johnson.
96 reviews5 followers
April 21, 2025
Great series. The first zombie books I've ever read from a pets point of view and I loved it. I would love to see how the story would continue as the baby gets older and his abilities to talk with animals. Will that ability continue to grow? Will he get more abilities?
Profile Image for Dawn Littlefield.
16 reviews4 followers
October 3, 2017
Another excellent book

Thank you for taking time to write again. About time mister. No,really,thank you and it's an awesome story. Looking forward to seeing that bear again...soon.
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