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Life of the Dead #1
Hell on Earth
When civilization ends - When hundreds of millions of the dead return to eat the living - How will the remaining humans survive?
One week ago there were over 300 million people living in America. Today there are less than 5000. After a man-made plague destroys the population cities burn, and the government crumbles when the dead come back to life as flesh-hungry zombies. Wim, a 30-year-old farmer, purposely kept himself cut off from other people, but when the undead arrive at his farm, intent on eating him, he’s forced to venture out into the land around him and fight to save a world on which he long ago turned his back. Survivors from all walks of life - criminals and fry cooks, teenagers and soldiers - battle to survive zombies and each other as mankind races toward extinction.
Book 1 in the epic "Life of Dead" zombie apocalypse series, "Hell on Earth"
One week ago there were over 300 million people living in America. Today there are less than 5000. After a man-made plague destroys the population cities burn, and the government crumbles when the dead come back to life as flesh-hungry zombies. Wim, a 30-year-old farmer, purposely kept himself cut off from other people, but when the undead arrive at his farm, intent on eating him, he’s forced to venture out into the land around him and fight to save a world on which he long ago turned his back. Survivors from all walks of life - criminals and fry cooks, teenagers and soldiers - battle to survive zombies and each other as mankind races toward extinction.
Book 1 in the epic "Life of Dead" zombie apocalypse series, "Hell on Earth"
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2016
2375 people are currently reading
1687 people want to read
About the author
Tony Urban
66 books203 followersA professional photographer, writer and fan of general weirdness (both real and imagined), Tony has traveled tens of thousands of miles seeking out everything from haunted locations, UFO crash sites and monsters like Bigfoot and the Mothman. In a previous life, he worked in the independent movie industry but he finds his current career much more exciting.
Tony's first writing memory involves penning a short story about taking a road trip with his best friend and his dog (two different creatures) to watch KoKo B Ware in a professional wrestling event in Pittsburgh. He wrote that epic saga while in the 3rd grade and it was all downhill from there. His first books were a series of o)eat travelogues but recently his zombie apocalypse series, "Life of the Dead" has been a bestseller online and grossed out readers all over the world. His ultimate goal in life is to be killed by a monster thought by most to be imaginary. Sasquatch, werewolves, chupacabras, he’s not picky. If that fails, he’d enjoy making a living as a full time writer. Which of those two scenarios is more likely is up to the readers to decide.
Please sign up for my mailing list at:
http://eepurl.com/P8lc9
Tony's first writing memory involves penning a short story about taking a road trip with his best friend and his dog (two different creatures) to watch KoKo B Ware in a professional wrestling event in Pittsburgh. He wrote that epic saga while in the 3rd grade and it was all downhill from there. His first books were a series of o)eat travelogues but recently his zombie apocalypse series, "Life of the Dead" has been a bestseller online and grossed out readers all over the world. His ultimate goal in life is to be killed by a monster thought by most to be imaginary. Sasquatch, werewolves, chupacabras, he’s not picky. If that fails, he’d enjoy making a living as a full time writer. Which of those two scenarios is more likely is up to the readers to decide.
Please sign up for my mailing list at:
http://eepurl.com/P8lc9
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 227 reviews
March 12, 2025
Was it entertaining? Absolutely. Will I remember who's who? Probably not, I'm bad with names and there's A LOT of them in there, there's also a lot of funny little lines. I'll most likely read the next installment.
December 14, 2017
This is a tough book to rate. The writing style flows nicely and the writer has an impressive ability to make me care about the characters in an incredibly short time. And even the characters who are not so likeable still intrigue you when you read.
So, why is it only 3 stars...
When I came into the book I was expecting a lot of characters. I like a lot of characters so even the comments saying there were 'really' a lot of characters, did not put me off. What I didn't expect was 16 chapters of individual characters before we circle back to our first. I think it was around chapter 12 or 13 where I reached my limit on new people. I cared about them, I wanted to find out what would happen next...I felt exhausted after emotionally committing to so many people I either liked or were curious about in a morbid sort of way.
That said the book did pick up once we did circle back. By then I was just juggling too many characters in my head.
The book has a great rating so clearly a lot of folks are happy the diverse character set and new introductions. It just didn't work for me. Amazing characters...I just wish there were a few less.
So, why is it only 3 stars...
When I came into the book I was expecting a lot of characters. I like a lot of characters so even the comments saying there were 'really' a lot of characters, did not put me off. What I didn't expect was 16 chapters of individual characters before we circle back to our first. I think it was around chapter 12 or 13 where I reached my limit on new people. I cared about them, I wanted to find out what would happen next...I felt exhausted after emotionally committing to so many people I either liked or were curious about in a morbid sort of way.
That said the book did pick up once we did circle back. By then I was just juggling too many characters in my head.
The book has a great rating so clearly a lot of folks are happy the diverse character set and new introductions. It just didn't work for me. Amazing characters...I just wish there were a few less.
August 12, 2019
Good Solid Zombie Novel and nice start to the series.
February 8, 2021
There's A LOT happening as there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but I imagine it's to explain the eventual group and/or bad guys as we read the next book. I for one am looking forward to reading more.
January 1, 2019
A good writer with too many characters to juggle in one book. It is hard to get involved with an engaging character like Wim when each of the next 8 chapters deals with a different character. By the time you get back to any one character you've lost all emotional connection to them and may have even forgotten where they left off or who they are. Good concept, but could have been accomplished with a fraction of the number of characters. The number of typos and grammatical errors also distract from the story.
December 25, 2020
I cared about the farmer, Wim. (For some reason, I kept picturing farmer Bill Green from the cartoon series Big City Greens as Wim.)
I wished that Wim's story was told in consecutive chapters instead of being introduced to new characters for each of the first dozen, or so, chapters.
If that had been done, and a proofreader/editor had corrected the distracting errors (recollect/reflect, Wendy/Cindy, etc.) Hell On Earth would have earned five stars as a zombie apocalypse tale with characters a reader could actually care about.
I wished that Wim's story was told in consecutive chapters instead of being introduced to new characters for each of the first dozen, or so, chapters.
If that had been done, and a proofreader/editor had corrected the distracting errors (recollect/reflect, Wendy/Cindy, etc.) Hell On Earth would have earned five stars as a zombie apocalypse tale with characters a reader could actually care about.
September 17, 2023
Not my usual genre but I really enjoyed reading this!
Fast paced & well written page turner, I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Fast paced & well written page turner, I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
April 1, 2019
There are no true blue heroes in this book, and yet, there are. What I liked about this book is the characters were realistic, in different situations with different backgrounds – but all with the same goal – staying alive. What I liked about the book is also what I didn’t like about the book. 12 main characters to keep track of, and each chapter is dedicated to a character and then it would be several chapters longer before you got back to that character. So just as the tension was ramping up, I’d be tossed out of the storyline into a different character. Also, this book is not for the faint of heart. The author holds no punches on the gorey details.
All-in-all, this is a good zombie start to a series and well earns its place in the genre. If you can keep up with all the characters, you’re in for good story telling. Reviewed by Cyrene
All-in-all, this is a good zombie start to a series and well earns its place in the genre. If you can keep up with all the characters, you’re in for good story telling. Reviewed by Cyrene
April 13, 2017
A tad confusing trying to keep all the characters straight. The plotline was great but too many protagonists ruined it, should have just stuck to Wim and Ramey and maybe told the other stories as the series progressed. It's just way to confusing trying to keep each protag in their particular storyline.
August 4, 2017
Not bad but it seemed to take a long time to get any where. I found the jumping around from character to character annoying. There were so many characters that by the time the story would get back to a character, I had to really think what I had read about them from before.
Overall the story shows promise and I will read the next in the series hoping the story moves along at a better pace.
Overall the story shows promise and I will read the next in the series hoping the story moves along at a better pace.
September 28, 2020
Its been While since a book with zombies actually freaked me out. This one definitely did that. I'm looking forward to the next one. One of the best I've read in quite some time.
June 7, 2018
The world doesn’t end with a bang or with a whimper. It ends with the flick of the wrist. The world ends on a hot summer day. People are getting sick with a cold or the flu, nothing worse than a summer cold. First they get the flu then they die or do they? The dead won’t stay dead they are turning into zombies.
Hell on Earth starts out with a bang when farmer Wim decides to take a trip into town for some supplies. While he is shopping Wim starts to crave chocolate ice cream and decides to check out the big freezer. Well he finds his ice cream alright but he soon forgets all about his ice cream when he runs into the store owner’s dead family locked in the freezer.
Another one of the characters was a young girl, Ramey, an eighteen-year-old trying to finish high school online. Ramey lives with her drug addicted mother. As the world ends Ramey decides to go look for her father as she has nothing else to do now but maybe kill a few zombies.
In Hell on Earth we meet a whole bunch of other characters like Mitch the son of a senator, Grady a man with a ten-year autistic son, Josiah, Bundy a prisoner on his way to the hospital when the world ended, Aben a traveling man, Juli a mother of twins plus a few more that we get to meet in this introduction to the Life of the Dead world. We get to see the world through quite a few characters. I liked getting to see how the world ended through more than one character and wondering how or if their lives were going to intertwine.
Hell on Earth is a great introduction to the Life of the Dead world. I loved getting to know all the characters and trying to figure out how they were all going to meet and where they would meet or if they would meet.
I loved all the blood and gore. I loved seeing so many zombies and people getting their throat ripped out. While I loved Hell on Earth I did have one little problem with it like I would have loved to see more zombies but I also liked getting the back stories on all the characters as well and learning who each character was before the world ended.
I love me some zombies and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the next book in the Life of the Dead world Road of the Damned. Road of the Damned is next on my list so check back later for my review of Road of the Damned.
My favorite show on TV is The Walking Dead and I love Stephen King’s The Stand so once I read the summary for Hell on Earth and saw that it had been described as The Walking Dead meets The Stand I knew I had to read it.
I you like zombies and the TV show The Walking Dead then you are going to love Hell on Earth. Pick up your copy to day to begin your journey into the Life of the Dead world.
Hell on Earth starts out with a bang when farmer Wim decides to take a trip into town for some supplies. While he is shopping Wim starts to crave chocolate ice cream and decides to check out the big freezer. Well he finds his ice cream alright but he soon forgets all about his ice cream when he runs into the store owner’s dead family locked in the freezer.
Another one of the characters was a young girl, Ramey, an eighteen-year-old trying to finish high school online. Ramey lives with her drug addicted mother. As the world ends Ramey decides to go look for her father as she has nothing else to do now but maybe kill a few zombies.
In Hell on Earth we meet a whole bunch of other characters like Mitch the son of a senator, Grady a man with a ten-year autistic son, Josiah, Bundy a prisoner on his way to the hospital when the world ended, Aben a traveling man, Juli a mother of twins plus a few more that we get to meet in this introduction to the Life of the Dead world. We get to see the world through quite a few characters. I liked getting to see how the world ended through more than one character and wondering how or if their lives were going to intertwine.
Hell on Earth is a great introduction to the Life of the Dead world. I loved getting to know all the characters and trying to figure out how they were all going to meet and where they would meet or if they would meet.
I loved all the blood and gore. I loved seeing so many zombies and people getting their throat ripped out. While I loved Hell on Earth I did have one little problem with it like I would have loved to see more zombies but I also liked getting the back stories on all the characters as well and learning who each character was before the world ended.
I love me some zombies and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the next book in the Life of the Dead world Road of the Damned. Road of the Damned is next on my list so check back later for my review of Road of the Damned.
My favorite show on TV is The Walking Dead and I love Stephen King’s The Stand so once I read the summary for Hell on Earth and saw that it had been described as The Walking Dead meets The Stand I knew I had to read it.
I you like zombies and the TV show The Walking Dead then you are going to love Hell on Earth. Pick up your copy to day to begin your journey into the Life of the Dead world.
January 22, 2021
This author is very talented. His descriptions and atmosphere was dead on (no pun intended). He made the characters interesting and I wanted to know more about them. Definitely an action packed zombie novel that’s makes you feel like you’re there too!
BUT....too many characters. It was hard to keep track of them all and I had trouble remembering who they were once they popped up again. At the end of the book, I couldn’t even tell you everyone’s name or provide much of a knowledge of their back stories. This book would have been a lot more enjoyable with more simplicity
BUT....too many characters. It was hard to keep track of them all and I had trouble remembering who they were once they popped up again. At the end of the book, I couldn’t even tell you everyone’s name or provide much of a knowledge of their back stories. This book would have been a lot more enjoyable with more simplicity
December 29, 2021
i feel like the rest of the series would be better because it felt this this entire book was just setting up for the others
July 17, 2025
Great character development. Its going to be challenging remember them all. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.
April 2, 2017
Awesome story
I enjoyed this book so much I finished the book in just over a day. There is a huge cast of characters which helped keep thing interesting. If you like zombies I think you'll enjoy this book. On to book 2!
I enjoyed this book so much I finished the book in just over a day. There is a huge cast of characters which helped keep thing interesting. If you like zombies I think you'll enjoy this book. On to book 2!
March 12, 2021
I downloaded the free version of this book from amazon prime on a whim, I was fully skeptical and completely prepared to be disappointed. Like the beginning of most new series it took me a while to get my bearings within the book (writing style, characters, settings, plot etc). However, by the time I was about maybe 50 pages in I realized I was already HOOKED.
Tony Urban has a unique writing style where each chapter is a peek into the lives and struggles of the MANY characters he uses to narrate the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Constructing the book in this manner made the plot fast paced and the book a really quick read. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only complaint is that I wish his books were longer because I finished this book In less than a week :/ .
Tony Urban has a unique writing style where each chapter is a peek into the lives and struggles of the MANY characters he uses to narrate the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Constructing the book in this manner made the plot fast paced and the book a really quick read. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only complaint is that I wish his books were longer because I finished this book In less than a week :/ .
November 17, 2020
Excellent book!!
This was a surprisingly good book. I’m very picky with the novels I recommend. I have read MANY MANY zombie novels through the years, some were amazing and some not so much and some were downright awful. This gem of a book is in the amazing category and has all the fun markers that make zombie novels a worthy read. It has the right ratio of gore but also a really well thought out plot line. The characters are very well written and it was so easy to get wrapped up in their lives. His writing style has a nice flow that allows the reader to get lost in the book. Overall I give this a MUST READ rating and can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
This was a surprisingly good book. I’m very picky with the novels I recommend. I have read MANY MANY zombie novels through the years, some were amazing and some not so much and some were downright awful. This gem of a book is in the amazing category and has all the fun markers that make zombie novels a worthy read. It has the right ratio of gore but also a really well thought out plot line. The characters are very well written and it was so easy to get wrapped up in their lives. His writing style has a nice flow that allows the reader to get lost in the book. Overall I give this a MUST READ rating and can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
November 4, 2021
4.5 rounded up. The half star deduction is for the inclusion of some fast zombies. Nope. Nope. Nope. Other than that, it is a solid addition to the genre - faced paced with interesting characters and the gore is definitely there but not overdone. There appear to be real stories developing. The book is also well written and well edited, which is not always the case with zombie novels. Finally, I respect that not everyone likes the use of multiple points of view but Urban handles it well. The characters are quite distinct which makes it easy to keep them straight and the shifting settings and situations kept me reading. I intend to keep reading the series.
January 9, 2021
My opinion is, loved it!
I have always loved horror, and zombies have always been q favorite. This book kept me reading til the end. It was very Good Hard to get used to all the characters but I want to get a few chapters in you do the story was griffin I didn't wanna stop until I read the whole thing and I am a gracious reader I love to read and I can read while I'm cooking cleaning anything so I read this book through to the very end. Now I'm about to start the second book in the series can't wait
I have always loved horror, and zombies have always been q favorite. This book kept me reading til the end. It was very Good Hard to get used to all the characters but I want to get a few chapters in you do the story was griffin I didn't wanna stop until I read the whole thing and I am a gracious reader I love to read and I can read while I'm cooking cleaning anything so I read this book through to the very end. Now I'm about to start the second book in the series can't wait
September 5, 2018
I didn't dislike the book but there were so many groups of characters I kept losing track of who nwas who.
December 25, 2018
Unremarkable characters and has a tendency to jump from character to character over short chapters.
July 22, 2017
A Promising and Enjoyable Start
Hell on Earth, book one of newcomer Tony Urban's Life of the Dead series, is a short, fast-paced read and a hella good book for a first-time author.
Hell on Earth follows an enormous cast of characters from the first day of a zompoc outbreak to about a week after the first regeneration. Urban drops the reader right in the action instead of giving them a stilted scene in a lab or alongside a group of terrorists in an unnamed Muslim country with a bad explanation of the pseudo-science that begat the virus- which is my preferred method of starting a tale in this particular genre.
His physical descriptions of the zombies is top-notch and he does a nice job of relaying little details that tell the reader what the dead were in life. There are little old lady zombies in house coats, cop zombies, soldier zombies, parent zombies, child zombies, teacher zombies, an entire family of farmer zombies and a host of others. His dead regenerate with horrific injuries that sometimes make the reader wince.
Speaking of horrific injuries- Hell on Earth gets the gore just right. It's there- there are plenty of exploding heads, gallons of running blood, and scores of throats getting ripped open (maybe too many ripped open throats, really; after awhile the reader gets the feeling that the dead in Hell on Earth are programmed to instinctively go for the throat). In one riveting passage a man cuts off his own hand and then cauterizes the wound. But you never get the feeling that you're reading a novel written for the sake of the gore. It's a result, not a feature.
Hell on Earth's prose crackles and pops, and rarely gets bogged down. The two main characters are nicely rounded, especially poor Win. Your heart breaks for him as he goes about putting down his only friends, the animals on his farm.
Two strikes keep Hell on Earth from being a five-star book. The first is when Urban makes the classic first-time-author-with-a-novel-that-never-saw-a-competent-editor mistake and gives us too many characters to keep track of. WAY too many. Much time is spent going back and re- reading previous passages to figure out who a particular player is. He would have been better served to eliminate some of the extraneous characters and their storylines, and focused more on Win and Ramey.
The second complaint is about the plot- there isn't one. The narrative in Hell on Earth reads more like a news account than a novel- this happened to that lady and that happened to this man, and so on, until you're at the end of the book. At one point Ramey decides to find the father who walked out on her younger self, and at the end of the book Win makes a monumental decision that affects his story line. Other than that, though, none of the characters have arcs beyond surviving the week and not getting bit is the only thing they are striving for.
But those are quibbles. Overall, Hell on Earth is a fun, raucous ride through the zombie apocalypse and book two of The Life of the Dead series is near the top of my queue.
Hell on Earth, book one of newcomer Tony Urban's Life of the Dead series, is a short, fast-paced read and a hella good book for a first-time author.
Hell on Earth follows an enormous cast of characters from the first day of a zompoc outbreak to about a week after the first regeneration. Urban drops the reader right in the action instead of giving them a stilted scene in a lab or alongside a group of terrorists in an unnamed Muslim country with a bad explanation of the pseudo-science that begat the virus- which is my preferred method of starting a tale in this particular genre.
His physical descriptions of the zombies is top-notch and he does a nice job of relaying little details that tell the reader what the dead were in life. There are little old lady zombies in house coats, cop zombies, soldier zombies, parent zombies, child zombies, teacher zombies, an entire family of farmer zombies and a host of others. His dead regenerate with horrific injuries that sometimes make the reader wince.
Speaking of horrific injuries- Hell on Earth gets the gore just right. It's there- there are plenty of exploding heads, gallons of running blood, and scores of throats getting ripped open (maybe too many ripped open throats, really; after awhile the reader gets the feeling that the dead in Hell on Earth are programmed to instinctively go for the throat). In one riveting passage a man cuts off his own hand and then cauterizes the wound. But you never get the feeling that you're reading a novel written for the sake of the gore. It's a result, not a feature.
Hell on Earth's prose crackles and pops, and rarely gets bogged down. The two main characters are nicely rounded, especially poor Win. Your heart breaks for him as he goes about putting down his only friends, the animals on his farm.
Two strikes keep Hell on Earth from being a five-star book. The first is when Urban makes the classic first-time-author-with-a-novel-that-never-saw-a-competent-editor mistake and gives us too many characters to keep track of. WAY too many. Much time is spent going back and re- reading previous passages to figure out who a particular player is. He would have been better served to eliminate some of the extraneous characters and their storylines, and focused more on Win and Ramey.
The second complaint is about the plot- there isn't one. The narrative in Hell on Earth reads more like a news account than a novel- this happened to that lady and that happened to this man, and so on, until you're at the end of the book. At one point Ramey decides to find the father who walked out on her younger self, and at the end of the book Win makes a monumental decision that affects his story line. Other than that, though, none of the characters have arcs beyond surviving the week and not getting bit is the only thing they are striving for.
But those are quibbles. Overall, Hell on Earth is a fun, raucous ride through the zombie apocalypse and book two of The Life of the Dead series is near the top of my queue.
February 27, 2019
Less than meh. Book of short stories.
I really dislike leaving negative reviews. But I also gotta be honest.
In the case of book 1 of the “Life of the Dead” series, I approached it with my usual expectations. That I had chosen my next winning series to read after some annoying and exhausting research within my limited primary genre.
Anyway, here I was definitely let down. I got to 89% and suddenly asked myself why was I still reading this book? I was getting nothing from it. It was like — I was constantly waiting for it to start.
Having a large cast of characters in a story never bothers me. In fact 12+ characters is quite normal in many fiction novels; between primary and secondary characters, the ones who are there for just a few scenes, and more. Why it works however, is the characters are all connected somehow, to each other, or the plot/storyline, in a way that makes sense. In a way that draws you into the story. Immerses you. But here, there is absolutely zero connection between the characters. Or the individual stories. No central plot - other than “there are zombies running amok!”
It is truly and honestly, and completely mislabeled due to it, a compilation of short stories. And oddly structured to boot. Some stories/characters are given just two or three chapters to tell their tale in it’s entirety. Then there’s one character who is given eight chapters?? Are we to ascertain that this is the main character? Or most important short story?
There are also inconsistencies with the zombies. Some are slow. Some are fast. At first all humans who perished naturally would be slow. Later on some of the same would be fast. Etc. Also a caustic agent is thrown in a zombie’s face at one point - and it felt excruciating pain? All other zombies in this story are being shot, stabbed, whacked with huge wrenches in the head, all sorts of crazy painful things, and none are in pain.
Thus, major zombie inconsistencies.
The ending to some of the short stories - now that I know they are indeed short stories and end after just two chapters - would have left me so upset upon finishing the book. They are definitely true endings, but the kind of ending where the character’s future could be ANYTHING you want to imagine. I hate those endings. Who knows? Maybe those character’s stories will pick back up in book 2?
Lastly, the book needs a strong editor. Commas missing. Especially in one sentence where I had to read over multiple times to decipher. Zero periods at the ends of sentences. Incorrect words. More.
My favorite character for sure is Solomon. His twisted sense of humor. His dialect. Just everything about him. Also Juli. Her love for Donald. Haha So great!
But —- overall, this is definitely a book composed of a great many individual short stories, and not one cohesive novel.
I really dislike leaving negative reviews. But I also gotta be honest.
In the case of book 1 of the “Life of the Dead” series, I approached it with my usual expectations. That I had chosen my next winning series to read after some annoying and exhausting research within my limited primary genre.
Anyway, here I was definitely let down. I got to 89% and suddenly asked myself why was I still reading this book? I was getting nothing from it. It was like — I was constantly waiting for it to start.
Having a large cast of characters in a story never bothers me. In fact 12+ characters is quite normal in many fiction novels; between primary and secondary characters, the ones who are there for just a few scenes, and more. Why it works however, is the characters are all connected somehow, to each other, or the plot/storyline, in a way that makes sense. In a way that draws you into the story. Immerses you. But here, there is absolutely zero connection between the characters. Or the individual stories. No central plot - other than “there are zombies running amok!”
It is truly and honestly, and completely mislabeled due to it, a compilation of short stories. And oddly structured to boot. Some stories/characters are given just two or three chapters to tell their tale in it’s entirety. Then there’s one character who is given eight chapters?? Are we to ascertain that this is the main character? Or most important short story?
There are also inconsistencies with the zombies. Some are slow. Some are fast. At first all humans who perished naturally would be slow. Later on some of the same would be fast. Etc. Also a caustic agent is thrown in a zombie’s face at one point - and it felt excruciating pain? All other zombies in this story are being shot, stabbed, whacked with huge wrenches in the head, all sorts of crazy painful things, and none are in pain.
Thus, major zombie inconsistencies.
The ending to some of the short stories - now that I know they are indeed short stories and end after just two chapters - would have left me so upset upon finishing the book. They are definitely true endings, but the kind of ending where the character’s future could be ANYTHING you want to imagine. I hate those endings. Who knows? Maybe those character’s stories will pick back up in book 2?
Lastly, the book needs a strong editor. Commas missing. Especially in one sentence where I had to read over multiple times to decipher. Zero periods at the ends of sentences. Incorrect words. More.
My favorite character for sure is Solomon. His twisted sense of humor. His dialect. Just everything about him. Also Juli. Her love for Donald. Haha So great!
But —- overall, this is definitely a book composed of a great many individual short stories, and not one cohesive novel.
September 19, 2017
I was looking forward to this book and was not disappointed at all. I really enjoyed it. The combination of the story and the narrator pulled me in immediately and held my attention until the last sentence.
While this is not an original story or concept it's an entertaining, engaging, very enjoyable and good solid start to a series. The story is told through several different character POV's that eventually merge. Even though it switch's between the different characters and story-lines setting up the overall story I had no problem following each one. It was done at the right time and I didn't feel lost when it switched back and forth. That being said, I don't think all the characters were necessary and would have liked to have had more of the story revolve around Wim and what he was dealing with. You create this interesting good guy character that is immediately likable and everyone is rooting for but leave everyone hanging waiting to get back to his story. Now that Wim and Reamy (?) have connected the story will hopefully settle a bit and follow them for the most part. Not all of the characters introduced survive this first book but they each add something to the story.
You may never look at someone with a common cold the same way again. Who would think a case of the sniffles would herald the beginning of the end for the world.
As soon as I was done with this one I looked to see if the next installment was available. Unfortunately it wasn't. Really looking forward to the next installment.
This is the first time I have listened to a book narrated by Eric Bryan Moore or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when I started this book, I don't care what name you go by that voice is unmistakable! I knew immediately who this narrator was. It was a pleasant surprise. I have listened to and enjoyed many other books that he has narrated. Great voice. Easy to listen to for long periods of time and perfect for this story. Clearly spoken with a nice even pace. Great character voices. He was able to bring the characters and story to life through his narration. Very enjoyable.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.
While this is not an original story or concept it's an entertaining, engaging, very enjoyable and good solid start to a series. The story is told through several different character POV's that eventually merge. Even though it switch's between the different characters and story-lines setting up the overall story I had no problem following each one. It was done at the right time and I didn't feel lost when it switched back and forth. That being said, I don't think all the characters were necessary and would have liked to have had more of the story revolve around Wim and what he was dealing with. You create this interesting good guy character that is immediately likable and everyone is rooting for but leave everyone hanging waiting to get back to his story. Now that Wim and Reamy (?) have connected the story will hopefully settle a bit and follow them for the most part. Not all of the characters introduced survive this first book but they each add something to the story.
You may never look at someone with a common cold the same way again. Who would think a case of the sniffles would herald the beginning of the end for the world.
As soon as I was done with this one I looked to see if the next installment was available. Unfortunately it wasn't. Really looking forward to the next installment.
This is the first time I have listened to a book narrated by Eric Bryan Moore or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when I started this book, I don't care what name you go by that voice is unmistakable! I knew immediately who this narrator was. It was a pleasant surprise. I have listened to and enjoyed many other books that he has narrated. Great voice. Easy to listen to for long periods of time and perfect for this story. Clearly spoken with a nice even pace. Great character voices. He was able to bring the characters and story to life through his narration. Very enjoyable.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.
September 24, 2017
In the first book of this zombie outbreak series, the world ends not with a bang, but with a flutter of hands. With one wave, a doctor releases a man made virus into the air and dooms the entire world. The book begins with a solitary farmer named Wim, trapped in a freezer with a half dozen zombies surrounding him. Then it flashes back to the week prior, before the zombie outbreak. Slowly we meet eleven other survivors and learn their backstories as the people they love, or hate, all begin to die around them. Each survivor deals with their new reality in a different way, and we join them as the world descends into madness.
While Wim gets more chapters than the other survivors, the story doesn't focus on him but flashes between them all. Don't get too attached to anyone, with such a large cast of characters, we're bound to lose a few. The first 2 hours are spent introducing new characters with detailed backstories, and the only sign of zombies is that everyone has the sniffles. A few hours in, the introductions are over and we dive right into the gory action. Each separate encounter begins to reveal more glimpses of what is happening around the US.
This book was intense. With two different types of zombies we get both the ominous slow approach of the reanimated undead and the frantic rush of the bitten. Between the vivid imagery and the gory details, I had to take a break during the second half just to get my lunch down. It was awesome!
The narrator was the perfect choice for this book. Moore's low tone and accents were so well done, they fit in perfectly with the story. His pace made the action even more suspenseful. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy by the narrator, and I'd definitely check out other audiobooks he's narrated.
This is the kind of book that makes you examine what you're capable of. Hours after I finished it I sat thinking about what my own reaction would be. Would I be the selfish boy shoving other people into zombie hands to save my own skin? The soldier crying as he watches the world burn? The moral man hunting neighbors down one by one to end their eternal torment? I eyed my boyfriend, wondering what I'd do if he started to sniffle. The poor guy doesn't know what he's in for.
While Wim gets more chapters than the other survivors, the story doesn't focus on him but flashes between them all. Don't get too attached to anyone, with such a large cast of characters, we're bound to lose a few. The first 2 hours are spent introducing new characters with detailed backstories, and the only sign of zombies is that everyone has the sniffles. A few hours in, the introductions are over and we dive right into the gory action. Each separate encounter begins to reveal more glimpses of what is happening around the US.
This book was intense. With two different types of zombies we get both the ominous slow approach of the reanimated undead and the frantic rush of the bitten. Between the vivid imagery and the gory details, I had to take a break during the second half just to get my lunch down. It was awesome!
The narrator was the perfect choice for this book. Moore's low tone and accents were so well done, they fit in perfectly with the story. His pace made the action even more suspenseful. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy by the narrator, and I'd definitely check out other audiobooks he's narrated.
This is the kind of book that makes you examine what you're capable of. Hours after I finished it I sat thinking about what my own reaction would be. Would I be the selfish boy shoving other people into zombie hands to save my own skin? The soldier crying as he watches the world burn? The moral man hunting neighbors down one by one to end their eternal torment? I eyed my boyfriend, wondering what I'd do if he started to sniffle. The poor guy doesn't know what he's in for.
June 5, 2018
Old Man Bender (store owner) had been killed.
Wim was ransacking the store.
Solomon “Saw” Baldwin had figured out the wife was cheating on him.
Jorge Bolivar watched in horror as PPL & animals were dying at an alarming rate.
The infected/diseased that survived were zombies praying on others.
Master Sergeant Don Rando, Corporal Gwen Peduto, & 1st Sergeant Clint Sawyer, were surrounded with them.
Operation Liberty Bell was about to happen.
Wim asked Hoyt Mabrey (mail carrier) what happened to his mail truck.
Oliver “Ollie” Benedict (Benedict Electronics CEO) was raking Grady O’Baker (husband/father, salesman) over the coals.
Grady told Tara Charles (Tender Tots owner) the bad news.
Ruth O’Baker (wife/mother) was told also but not Josiah O’Baker (10, son, autism).
20 zombies, were feasting on 6 dead soldiers.
Emory Prescott (78, gay) went with Christopher (18, lawn service) to see about his Aunt.
Most survivors could not help but to notice/watch the decomposing process of the maggot infested bodies that stunk to high-heaven.
Who will perish & who will survive the zombie apocalypse?
Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written zombie apocalypse book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great zombie apocalypse movie, animated cartoon. Pretty cheesy so I will only rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Packanack Publishing; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Wim was ransacking the store.
Solomon “Saw” Baldwin had figured out the wife was cheating on him.
Jorge Bolivar watched in horror as PPL & animals were dying at an alarming rate.
The infected/diseased that survived were zombies praying on others.
Master Sergeant Don Rando, Corporal Gwen Peduto, & 1st Sergeant Clint Sawyer, were surrounded with them.
Operation Liberty Bell was about to happen.
Wim asked Hoyt Mabrey (mail carrier) what happened to his mail truck.
Oliver “Ollie” Benedict (Benedict Electronics CEO) was raking Grady O’Baker (husband/father, salesman) over the coals.
Grady told Tara Charles (Tender Tots owner) the bad news.
Ruth O’Baker (wife/mother) was told also but not Josiah O’Baker (10, son, autism).
20 zombies, were feasting on 6 dead soldiers.
Emory Prescott (78, gay) went with Christopher (18, lawn service) to see about his Aunt.
Most survivors could not help but to notice/watch the decomposing process of the maggot infested bodies that stunk to high-heaven.
Who will perish & who will survive the zombie apocalypse?
Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written zombie apocalypse book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great zombie apocalypse movie, animated cartoon. Pretty cheesy so I will only rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Packanack Publishing; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
September 20, 2022
Predictable but good read
I’ve lost count of how many zombie book series/novels I’ve read, but this book is tricky to review so I’ll do it in two parts; pros/cons.
Pros: I like the variety of characters and that each individual is just that. Unique and interestingly individualized and well developed and thought out. Even though each character has their own chapters, it’s a light read and easy to pick up where that character left off in their own story. Even though the story is similar to the show The Walking Dead, and even though it’s predictable, I still found it enjoyable to read. It’s been a while since an author wrote gore in detail that got to me as much as Urban did, but whew! That’s some awesome descriptive writing and I’m hoping for more in the second book.
Cons: Despite liking the characters, there are a lot. I didn’t keep count but it felt like 20. Each chapter focused on each character and then, like a rotary, you find yourself flipped back to the first character. It’s a juggle. The story is predictable and if you’ve watched The Walking Dead, you can pretty much guess what’s happening next. Even though I did enjoy the gore, I really shouldn’t have kept reading while eating lol keeping that in mind for book 2.
Overall, pros and cons aside, I couldn’t quite give it a five star because it really did feel like I was reading a drawn out version of The Walking Dead. The predictability was off putting and the ending that I think was supported to be a cliff hanger wasn’t. It felt like, pun intended, the author chopped the book off there to start book two. I did give it a four star because really, the descriptive writing, especially the gore, actually got to me. I read books, but I see the story in my head as a movie. I’m sure there are others out there who are the same, but I digress. My point, it felt like I was there at some moments and only six, well now seven, authors can really get me that intensely immersed in their books.
You’ll either love this book or hate it. Despite my rating I loved it. On to book two!
I’ve lost count of how many zombie book series/novels I’ve read, but this book is tricky to review so I’ll do it in two parts; pros/cons.
Pros: I like the variety of characters and that each individual is just that. Unique and interestingly individualized and well developed and thought out. Even though each character has their own chapters, it’s a light read and easy to pick up where that character left off in their own story. Even though the story is similar to the show The Walking Dead, and even though it’s predictable, I still found it enjoyable to read. It’s been a while since an author wrote gore in detail that got to me as much as Urban did, but whew! That’s some awesome descriptive writing and I’m hoping for more in the second book.
Cons: Despite liking the characters, there are a lot. I didn’t keep count but it felt like 20. Each chapter focused on each character and then, like a rotary, you find yourself flipped back to the first character. It’s a juggle. The story is predictable and if you’ve watched The Walking Dead, you can pretty much guess what’s happening next. Even though I did enjoy the gore, I really shouldn’t have kept reading while eating lol keeping that in mind for book 2.
Overall, pros and cons aside, I couldn’t quite give it a five star because it really did feel like I was reading a drawn out version of The Walking Dead. The predictability was off putting and the ending that I think was supported to be a cliff hanger wasn’t. It felt like, pun intended, the author chopped the book off there to start book two. I did give it a four star because really, the descriptive writing, especially the gore, actually got to me. I read books, but I see the story in my head as a movie. I’m sure there are others out there who are the same, but I digress. My point, it felt like I was there at some moments and only six, well now seven, authors can really get me that intensely immersed in their books.
You’ll either love this book or hate it. Despite my rating I loved it. On to book two!
August 6, 2025
This book is not for the faint of heart. Urban creates a world of graphic and intense violence, and he doesn't shy away from describing it in gruesome detail. I was often shocked by the vivid imagery, such as a child's "left eye hung from its socket and dangled back and forth like a yoyo," or the stomach-churning scene of a "life and death game of tug of war" involving a character's intestines. This level of gore is a central part of the experience, and you need a strong stomach to fully engage with it.
The pacing is relentless, a non-stop barrage of action that makes the book a true page-turner. There’s little time to catch your breath, which is a major part of its appeal. The writing style, while simple and not what I would call "mind-blowing," is perfectly suited to this fast-paced narrative, keeping the story moving forward at a breakneck speed. But I have to warn you, the writing is unfortunately marred by a noticeable number of spelling errors. This is a recurring issue that, while not a deal-breaker, can be frustrating and pulls you out of the story. The book also contains a lot of sexualised language against women, which does not add to the story, so it is something readers should be prepared for.
Another point to be aware of, is the sheer number of main characters. With 13 main characters, it was a bit overwhelming at the start. It felt like a challenge to keep track of everyone and truly form an emotional connection with them. However, as the story progressed, each character's unique traits and voice became clear, and I eventually grew to appreciate them all. They were just difficult to get a handle on initially.
Despite its flaws, "Hell on Earth" is an incredibly fun and engaging read. The combination of non-stop action and a great sense of humor is what makes it so enjoyable. While the writing isn't masterful and the spelling errors are a nuisance, the story's energy and overall entertainment factor shine through. Ultimately, I enjoyed the thrilling plot and the dark humor, even if the book didn't leave a lasting impression as a piece of great literature. It’s an excellent choice if you're looking for a quick, entertaining zombie story and can handle the intense gore and misogynistic language.
The pacing is relentless, a non-stop barrage of action that makes the book a true page-turner. There’s little time to catch your breath, which is a major part of its appeal. The writing style, while simple and not what I would call "mind-blowing," is perfectly suited to this fast-paced narrative, keeping the story moving forward at a breakneck speed. But I have to warn you, the writing is unfortunately marred by a noticeable number of spelling errors. This is a recurring issue that, while not a deal-breaker, can be frustrating and pulls you out of the story. The book also contains a lot of sexualised language against women, which does not add to the story, so it is something readers should be prepared for.
Another point to be aware of, is the sheer number of main characters. With 13 main characters, it was a bit overwhelming at the start. It felt like a challenge to keep track of everyone and truly form an emotional connection with them. However, as the story progressed, each character's unique traits and voice became clear, and I eventually grew to appreciate them all. They were just difficult to get a handle on initially.
Despite its flaws, "Hell on Earth" is an incredibly fun and engaging read. The combination of non-stop action and a great sense of humor is what makes it so enjoyable. While the writing isn't masterful and the spelling errors are a nuisance, the story's energy and overall entertainment factor shine through. Ultimately, I enjoyed the thrilling plot and the dark humor, even if the book didn't leave a lasting impression as a piece of great literature. It’s an excellent choice if you're looking for a quick, entertaining zombie story and can handle the intense gore and misogynistic language.
February 8, 2022
Hell on Earth, Life of the Dead novel book 1 is definitely an interesting zombie apocalypse read. Tony Urban creates a ton of characters as the apocalypse happens. Each one fighting a different battle both before and after the zombie's take over. His take on dystopian fiction is unlike any I've read thus far.
I have to say I was a fan of Wim and the convict. Their stories were the most unexpected to me. Both had a very interesting point of view. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, these two were characters that I could see myself rooting for throughout the series.
Here are some of the things I liked: New and interesting perspective on zombie fiction, face paced and intense read- almost like you are watching it play out on video rather than reading.
I found a few things rather distracting or hard to keep up with. The incredible amount of characters. Urban didn't have five people fighting zombies, he had a new set in about every other chapter. Although they interconnected in places, it was really hard to keep their zombie fighting histories the straight. There was just too much going on to keep me reading the entire series. While it was good, it was complicated. I like to read dystopian fiction to get away and find myself in another life. This book however just had too many lives for me to keep up with!
Lastly, I will say this is a different stance on gruesome. :) If you are faint of heart you may not want to read some of Urban's more than descriptive kills throughout this novel. For me, it was interesting. I didn't mind it, however, depending on your squimish stomach you might find it a little too much in places. To me it was a difference in a male and female writing perspective having read both author types within the genre.
I believe this is Urban's first novel, so I highly applaud his storytelling. I think this would make an epic movie or TV show as it has a lot of development throughout.
I have to say I was a fan of Wim and the convict. Their stories were the most unexpected to me. Both had a very interesting point of view. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, these two were characters that I could see myself rooting for throughout the series.
Here are some of the things I liked: New and interesting perspective on zombie fiction, face paced and intense read- almost like you are watching it play out on video rather than reading.
I found a few things rather distracting or hard to keep up with. The incredible amount of characters. Urban didn't have five people fighting zombies, he had a new set in about every other chapter. Although they interconnected in places, it was really hard to keep their zombie fighting histories the straight. There was just too much going on to keep me reading the entire series. While it was good, it was complicated. I like to read dystopian fiction to get away and find myself in another life. This book however just had too many lives for me to keep up with!
Lastly, I will say this is a different stance on gruesome. :) If you are faint of heart you may not want to read some of Urban's more than descriptive kills throughout this novel. For me, it was interesting. I didn't mind it, however, depending on your squimish stomach you might find it a little too much in places. To me it was a difference in a male and female writing perspective having read both author types within the genre.
I believe this is Urban's first novel, so I highly applaud his storytelling. I think this would make an epic movie or TV show as it has a lot of development throughout.
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