What do you think?
Rate this book
Soulless
Newly reissued, the rollicking, action-packed zombie story from one of the genre’s hottest writers!
Times Square, New York City: The first ever mass séance is broadcasting live on the Sunrise morning show. If it works, all the spirits of the departed on the other side will have a brief window -- just a few minutes -- to send a final message to their grieving loved ones.
Clasping hands in an impenetrable grip, three mediums call to their spirit guides as the audience looks on in breathless anticipation. Then the mediums slump over, slack-jawed -- catatonic. And in cemeteries surrounding Manhattan, fragments of old corpses dig themselves out of the ground . . .
The spirits have returned. The dead are walking. They will seek out those who loved them in life, those they left behind . . . but they are savage and they are hungry. They are no longer your mother or father, your brother or sister, your best friend or lover.
They are soulless.
The horror spreads quickly, droves of the ravenous dead seeking out those they left behind -- shredding flesh from bone, feeding. But a disparate group of unlikely heroes -- two headstrong college rivals, a troubled gang member, a pop star and her bodyguard -- is making its way to the center of the nightmare, fighting to protect their loved ones, fighting for their lives, and fighting to end the madness.
Times Square, New York City: The first ever mass séance is broadcasting live on the Sunrise morning show. If it works, all the spirits of the departed on the other side will have a brief window -- just a few minutes -- to send a final message to their grieving loved ones.
Clasping hands in an impenetrable grip, three mediums call to their spirit guides as the audience looks on in breathless anticipation. Then the mediums slump over, slack-jawed -- catatonic. And in cemeteries surrounding Manhattan, fragments of old corpses dig themselves out of the ground . . .
The spirits have returned. The dead are walking. They will seek out those who loved them in life, those they left behind . . . but they are savage and they are hungry. They are no longer your mother or father, your brother or sister, your best friend or lover.
They are soulless.
The horror spreads quickly, droves of the ravenous dead seeking out those they left behind -- shredding flesh from bone, feeding. But a disparate group of unlikely heroes -- two headstrong college rivals, a troubled gang member, a pop star and her bodyguard -- is making its way to the center of the nightmare, fighting to protect their loved ones, fighting for their lives, and fighting to end the madness.
310 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2008
37 people are currently reading
1672 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Golden
798 books2,970 followersCHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
October 29, 2016
Interesting take on zombies. Because the dead are being reanimated by the dark side of the returned souls of the dead, they're vocal, move like humans, and are smart enough to lay traps. I'm not sure I 100% bought into the whole picture, but I did appreciate the original touches.
Unfortunately, most of the narrative is far too fractured. There are four different story threads that come together far too slowly, when two would have been more than enough. The characters don't get developed as much as they could have been, and stay largely flat throughout.
Which may be why the ending rubbed me the wrong way. There's one obvious way to end the zombie uprising, and it's obvious from very, very early on in the book. But the narrative, oddly enough, portrays the characters who will consider that solution before their own lives are directly threatened as being somehow awful. I guess that saving their friends, families, loved ones, and countless others isn't a good enough motivation? I get hesitation and even argument about the ethics of the thing, but this was myopic to the point of self-absorption.
Unfortunately, most of the narrative is far too fractured. There are four different story threads that come together far too slowly, when two would have been more than enough. The characters don't get developed as much as they could have been, and stay largely flat throughout.
Which may be why the ending rubbed me the wrong way. There's one obvious way to end the zombie uprising, and it's obvious from very, very early on in the book. But the narrative, oddly enough, portrays the characters who will consider that solution before their own lives are directly threatened as being somehow awful. I guess that saving their friends, families, loved ones, and countless others isn't a good enough motivation? I get hesitation and even argument about the ethics of the thing, but this was myopic to the point of self-absorption.
November 11, 2012
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
I have a thing for zombies. Don't worry, it's not as horrible as it sounds. Okay, yes, it probably is kind of gruesome. But anyway, back to the task at hand, which is Christopher Golden's SOULLESS. I can basically sum up this review in four words: This. Book. Is. Awesome.
However, readers have come to expect more from our reviews, so I'll do my best to oblige.
The best thing about SOULLESS, besides it's amazing characters, great dialogue, and superb writing, is the actual premise. I can honestly say that I have NEVER run across this plot line in any other book that I've ever read. That point right there makes picking up a copy of the book imperative. So now you're wanting to know what the premise is, right? We've all read myriads of stories about séances. We've also read tons of books about zombies. But have you ever read a book about a mass séance that produces zombies? I didn't think so.
This is the dilemma that New York City finds itself in after three leading mediums, Professor Joe Cormier, Annelise Hirsch, and Eric Honen, get the brilliant idea to hold a mass séance on live television. I have to admit, it IS a brilliant idea. While mediums, on their own, can contact someone who has recently died, a group of mediums, "pooling" their power and resources, should be able to contact numerous dead, so that they can communicate with the loved ones they left behind. Appearing on the morning show Sunrise, hosted by Amy Tjan and Steve Bell, the three hope to open the lines of communication with all of the recently departed within a few miles of the studio for a few short minutes.
Their plan works. Too well. Well enough that hundreds, maybe even thousands, of dead rise from their graves, hungrily searching for the ones they left behind - not to communicate with them, but to eat them. (Yes, I got a little thrill just from typing that. Again, it's that gruesomeness I spoke of earlier.)
And so begins SOULLESS, a book that will take you on a wild ride through New York with an unforgettable cast of characters. From the gang member who decides to go searching for his family, to the two college guys who have to put their political differences aside to make it home, to the young actress/singer who just had her heart broken by her girlfriend, to Joe Cormier's daughter sitting in the audience of Sunrise, this is one story that you won't soon forget.
Needless to say, I loved SOULLESS. Even if you're not a typical zombie lover, you won't be able to resist this story. Although there's a finite ending to SOULLESS, I really, really hope that Mr. Golden will write more, if not about these same characters, then at least about zombies running rampant, hungering for human flesh. (The thrill, again!)
Pick up a copy when it goes on sale on October 21st. You won't regret it - although you might stay up a bit late with the lights on.
I have a thing for zombies. Don't worry, it's not as horrible as it sounds. Okay, yes, it probably is kind of gruesome. But anyway, back to the task at hand, which is Christopher Golden's SOULLESS. I can basically sum up this review in four words: This. Book. Is. Awesome.
However, readers have come to expect more from our reviews, so I'll do my best to oblige.
The best thing about SOULLESS, besides it's amazing characters, great dialogue, and superb writing, is the actual premise. I can honestly say that I have NEVER run across this plot line in any other book that I've ever read. That point right there makes picking up a copy of the book imperative. So now you're wanting to know what the premise is, right? We've all read myriads of stories about séances. We've also read tons of books about zombies. But have you ever read a book about a mass séance that produces zombies? I didn't think so.
This is the dilemma that New York City finds itself in after three leading mediums, Professor Joe Cormier, Annelise Hirsch, and Eric Honen, get the brilliant idea to hold a mass séance on live television. I have to admit, it IS a brilliant idea. While mediums, on their own, can contact someone who has recently died, a group of mediums, "pooling" their power and resources, should be able to contact numerous dead, so that they can communicate with the loved ones they left behind. Appearing on the morning show Sunrise, hosted by Amy Tjan and Steve Bell, the three hope to open the lines of communication with all of the recently departed within a few miles of the studio for a few short minutes.
Their plan works. Too well. Well enough that hundreds, maybe even thousands, of dead rise from their graves, hungrily searching for the ones they left behind - not to communicate with them, but to eat them. (Yes, I got a little thrill just from typing that. Again, it's that gruesomeness I spoke of earlier.)
And so begins SOULLESS, a book that will take you on a wild ride through New York with an unforgettable cast of characters. From the gang member who decides to go searching for his family, to the two college guys who have to put their political differences aside to make it home, to the young actress/singer who just had her heart broken by her girlfriend, to Joe Cormier's daughter sitting in the audience of Sunrise, this is one story that you won't soon forget.
Needless to say, I loved SOULLESS. Even if you're not a typical zombie lover, you won't be able to resist this story. Although there's a finite ending to SOULLESS, I really, really hope that Mr. Golden will write more, if not about these same characters, then at least about zombies running rampant, hungering for human flesh. (The thrill, again!)
Pick up a copy when it goes on sale on October 21st. You won't regret it - although you might stay up a bit late with the lights on.
December 7, 2025
What a surprise of a book! This has been sitting on my bookshelf for over a decade. I finally picked it up (thank you, TBR wheel) and really, really enjoyed it. It was such a unique take on the zombie horror story. Although there was one character that needed to wake up to the reality of the world around her. I understood why she acted the way she did, but it was kind of selfish.
This really surprised me and entertained me. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this so much, but I definitely recommend it for anyone who loves zombies and books with road trips thrown into the story.
Happy reading!
This really surprised me and entertained me. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this so much, but I definitely recommend it for anyone who loves zombies and books with road trips thrown into the story.
Happy reading!
November 13, 2012
I've only read a few of Christopher Golden's books, but I can think of one word that applies thus far: engrossing.
Golden is excellent at setting a chilling scene of devastation and survival. His zombie apocalypse focuses on the hungry dead. But this isn't just some contagion turning the living into mindless, ravenous corpses. Instead, Golden brings the supernatural into play and grants his zombies memories, purpose, the ability to reason...these bastards are wily. Having dear departed dad hurl venomous words at you as he tries to bash down the door to chomp your brains is far more terrifying and psychologically damaging than the typical rabid-animal sort of creatures. Time and again, Golden lets us know how connected these revenants are to the living world, how cunning they can be, how ruthless. It's effective.
Golden also draws us in by highlighting a variety of characters, hopping around the greater New York area so we can see how the situation spreads and examine how people of disparate backgrounds cope. There's the two college kids, diametrically opposed in their political viewpoints yet thrown together in their need to get to loved ones. There's the Bronx gangbanger (stereotype, but at least his being Korean is unique) on the run who can't quite convince himself not to care about others. There's the teeny bopper singer/actress whose fame should be rendered meaningless in this torn-apart world. And there's the people at the origin point of the phenomenon, flailing in their ignorance of how to put the world to rights. They're all very different - which is what makes their commonalities so striking: the drive to survive; the desire to find those they love; the fierce need to not die alone should it come to that. Hell, even the dead want to be close to their loved ones. (Too bad their version of close means Get In My Belly.)
The setting is an added perk for me. Stretching from Manhattan to the Bronx to Westchester, Soulless covers familiar ground. The scenes from the Bronx are 5 minutes from my old neighbourhood - even closer to where I went to high school and college. The Westchester and Manhattan chapters feature stretches of road I've driven a million times, towns and streets where I've spent my weekends.
I've never been so keenly aware of how many cemeteries I grew up around...
Golden includes fantastic details, both in terms of character and scene development. He slightly changes the POV for each chapter so we can grasp each character's motivation - giving the reader enough to empathise with them without ever pulling us too far from the chaos. He tells and shows what these people are made of. Of the horror surrounding them, there's plenty of gore. But none of it strikes me as gratuitous. The core cast try to maintain a certain remnant of civility in their interactions, their more gruesome acts justified when all things are considered. As for peripheral details, my favourite occurs towards the end as one faction enters Times Square. They witness a huge snow plow barreling down the street, clipping whatever dead it can find. Gory, but so immanently practical.
I wonder if they had the salt sprayer going at the back of the truck. (After all, salt is usually good protection when it comes to the supernatural.)
It must be said: Let people scoff, but the dedication of the NYC Department of Sanitation in the face of the zombie apocalypse has been duly noted. (How much would I love to hear that driver's story?! And how much time-and-a-half and hazard pay do we think he deserves...)
There's a strong message to Soulless and we are beat about the head with it a bit as we come nearer to the close: the human race has become detrimentally detached from reality. We separate ourselves from human connection. We pat ourselves on the back for taming nature to suit our needs. We cause devastation, clean up as best we can, and plod on to wreak havoc another day - lessons un-learned.
The characters in Soulless vow to appreciate second chances. But they're just a handful of people. As the risen dead of this tale demonstrate, humans are doomed to revert to what they know, no matter how destructive, how horrific the results.
P.S. Lessons un-learned: In light of everything that happened...
Golden is excellent at setting a chilling scene of devastation and survival. His zombie apocalypse focuses on the hungry dead. But this isn't just some contagion turning the living into mindless, ravenous corpses. Instead, Golden brings the supernatural into play and grants his zombies memories, purpose, the ability to reason...these bastards are wily. Having dear departed dad hurl venomous words at you as he tries to bash down the door to chomp your brains is far more terrifying and psychologically damaging than the typical rabid-animal sort of creatures. Time and again, Golden lets us know how connected these revenants are to the living world, how cunning they can be, how ruthless. It's effective.
Golden also draws us in by highlighting a variety of characters, hopping around the greater New York area so we can see how the situation spreads and examine how people of disparate backgrounds cope. There's the two college kids, diametrically opposed in their political viewpoints yet thrown together in their need to get to loved ones. There's the Bronx gangbanger (stereotype, but at least his being Korean is unique) on the run who can't quite convince himself not to care about others. There's the teeny bopper singer/actress whose fame should be rendered meaningless in this torn-apart world. And there's the people at the origin point of the phenomenon, flailing in their ignorance of how to put the world to rights. They're all very different - which is what makes their commonalities so striking: the drive to survive; the desire to find those they love; the fierce need to not die alone should it come to that. Hell, even the dead want to be close to their loved ones. (Too bad their version of close means Get In My Belly.)
The setting is an added perk for me. Stretching from Manhattan to the Bronx to Westchester, Soulless covers familiar ground. The scenes from the Bronx are 5 minutes from my old neighbourhood - even closer to where I went to high school and college. The Westchester and Manhattan chapters feature stretches of road I've driven a million times, towns and streets where I've spent my weekends.
I've never been so keenly aware of how many cemeteries I grew up around...
Golden includes fantastic details, both in terms of character and scene development. He slightly changes the POV for each chapter so we can grasp each character's motivation - giving the reader enough to empathise with them without ever pulling us too far from the chaos. He tells and shows what these people are made of. Of the horror surrounding them, there's plenty of gore. But none of it strikes me as gratuitous. The core cast try to maintain a certain remnant of civility in their interactions, their more gruesome acts justified when all things are considered. As for peripheral details, my favourite occurs towards the end as one faction enters Times Square. They witness a huge snow plow barreling down the street, clipping whatever dead it can find. Gory, but so immanently practical.
I wonder if they had the salt sprayer going at the back of the truck. (After all, salt is usually good protection when it comes to the supernatural.)
It must be said: Let people scoff, but the dedication of the NYC Department of Sanitation in the face of the zombie apocalypse has been duly noted. (How much would I love to hear that driver's story?! And how much time-and-a-half and hazard pay do we think he deserves...)
There's a strong message to Soulless and we are beat about the head with it a bit as we come nearer to the close: the human race has become detrimentally detached from reality. We separate ourselves from human connection. We pat ourselves on the back for taming nature to suit our needs. We cause devastation, clean up as best we can, and plod on to wreak havoc another day - lessons un-learned.
The characters in Soulless vow to appreciate second chances. But they're just a handful of people. As the risen dead of this tale demonstrate, humans are doomed to revert to what they know, no matter how destructive, how horrific the results.
P.S. Lessons un-learned: In light of everything that happened...
November 16, 2008
So, I read a zombie book and am terrified of zombies. I think it's because there's no reasoning with zombies. They just want to eat your brains (or in this case, all of you). And are for the most part unstoppable. Yikes!
Anyway, this was definitely a scary book. I had to go read something else to counteract the scared of zombie vibe I was in the midst of. Also it was really enjoyable. There are a good variety of characters all with their own stuff going on and I found favorites among them. Overall, an engaging and entertaining read.
Yes, I read this in a day due to having to finish so I could be less scared.
Anyway, this was definitely a scary book. I had to go read something else to counteract the scared of zombie vibe I was in the midst of. Also it was really enjoyable. There are a good variety of characters all with their own stuff going on and I found favorites among them. Overall, an engaging and entertaining read.
Yes, I read this in a day due to having to finish so I could be less scared.
May 11, 2025
so this book is actually not very good. writing is mid, plot is mid, characters also mid. but it has lore for me :’-) it was in the YA section of my childhood library. I remember picking it up, skimming it and being drop-dead terrified at the concept of talking zombies. had nightmares for a few days, promptly forgot the books title entirely, and only found it when my icon of a sister used her gen z internet sleuthing skills to find it for me (the entire prompt: “it had kind of a square shape, orange ish cover, was about zombies, and was in paperback when I was like 12?”) anyways, nostalgic for me and isn’t horrible but wouldn’t recommend!
December 6, 2008
Christopher Golden is one of my favorite horror authors, and while I didn't like Soulless as much as some of his other novels (such as Wildwood Road), I still thought it was enjoyable and mostly well-written.
Soulless is a zombie novel with a twist - the zombies are inhabited by the negative side of the dead summoned by mediums on a morning talk show (the positive side having already moved on to the afterlife). These zombies are drawn back to their loved ones in order to taunt and eat them. And then the newly eaten dead people rise up and go find someone else to eat, providing a potentially-never-ending cycle of death.
The mediums didn't mean for this to happen, but now they're unconscious and mystically glued together. This being a YA novel, it's up to one of the medium's kids and a bunch of other teens to save the day.
Despite being a YA novel, it's pretty grim. The teens have to examine their personal morals as they try to survive the day and find a way to put the dead back in the ground where they belong. Golden has always been very good at making horrific situations seem hopeless and at resolving them without resorting to Hollywood-like flowers and sunshine endings.
The only thing that bugged me was that there didn't seem to be an authentic reason why the main characters were the only ones who took action to save the day. From the beginning of the story, it seemed like everyone trapped with the mediums knew what needed to be done to stop the zombies, but they delayed and debated long enough to let the action happen and the teens arrive on the scene. I would have preferred a little more reasoning behind why these kids and why then and not earlier.
Soulless is a zombie novel with a twist - the zombies are inhabited by the negative side of the dead summoned by mediums on a morning talk show (the positive side having already moved on to the afterlife). These zombies are drawn back to their loved ones in order to taunt and eat them. And then the newly eaten dead people rise up and go find someone else to eat, providing a potentially-never-ending cycle of death.
The mediums didn't mean for this to happen, but now they're unconscious and mystically glued together. This being a YA novel, it's up to one of the medium's kids and a bunch of other teens to save the day.
Despite being a YA novel, it's pretty grim. The teens have to examine their personal morals as they try to survive the day and find a way to put the dead back in the ground where they belong. Golden has always been very good at making horrific situations seem hopeless and at resolving them without resorting to Hollywood-like flowers and sunshine endings.
The only thing that bugged me was that there didn't seem to be an authentic reason why the main characters were the only ones who took action to save the day. From the beginning of the story, it seemed like everyone trapped with the mediums knew what needed to be done to stop the zombies, but they delayed and debated long enough to let the action happen and the teens arrive on the scene. I would have preferred a little more reasoning behind why these kids and why then and not earlier.
August 30, 2008
For the first time ever, three powerful mediums are going to join hands on a live morning TV show in order to conduct the largest ever seance. The minute they join hands, people in the live studio audience begin to hear voices and feel the bone chilling cold that is so often associated with the spirit world. Panic breaks out and rightly so….the spirits have been given the opportunity to come through an open door into the world of the living and they aren’t wasting any time.
Spirits are returning to their dead and decomposing bodies and raising up from their graves. Zombies begin to brutally attack anyone unfortunate enough to get in their path. A group of strangers are thrown together and forced to find a way to survive - even if what they have to do is very unpleasant.
Christopher Golden has delivered a genuine horror novel. Blood and gore flow free throughout the chapters. However, as weird as this may sound, the violence portrayed in SOULLESS is done tastefully and not disgusting at all. SOULLESS is a thrill ride - a thrill ride with flesh eating zombies every step of the way.
Spirits are returning to their dead and decomposing bodies and raising up from their graves. Zombies begin to brutally attack anyone unfortunate enough to get in their path. A group of strangers are thrown together and forced to find a way to survive - even if what they have to do is very unpleasant.
Christopher Golden has delivered a genuine horror novel. Blood and gore flow free throughout the chapters. However, as weird as this may sound, the violence portrayed in SOULLESS is done tastefully and not disgusting at all. SOULLESS is a thrill ride - a thrill ride with flesh eating zombies every step of the way.
August 3, 2011
When the dead raise up and co-mingle with the living, all hell breaks loose. However, I couldn't get past the very boring and drawn out introduction of a daughter's dysfunctional relationship with her "medium" dad who kind of started this whole mess.
February 2, 2018
I didn't buy into the premise, and I didn't really feel a connection to any of the characters.
September 17, 2018
This is a nice y.a. zombie/survival/quest novel with some interesting twists and innovative premises. The all-y.a. cast of main characters are faced with some tough decisions and choices and compromises, and though it tends to be a touch heavy-handed at times it does do a very good job of building convincing characters. Golden gives good angst. And remember, as a great philosopher once said, fast zombies suck.
September 24, 2008
Zombies! In New York City!
For the first time ever, three powerful mediums join hands on the set of a live broadcast morning show in Times Square. If the seance goes according to plan, there will be a short window where people around the world will have a chance to say goodbye to the spirits of their departed loved ones.
But things don't go according to plan. Instead, the mediums slump over, comatose. And as they do, the dead start to rise. They are seeking out their loved ones, but they are also hungry.
The great thing about Christopher Golden, and this book, is that he really, really knows New York. When his characters live in New York, it's the real New York, the one I live in and understand, not the glamorized fictional New York you so often see in books like this. This is a New York where people drive on the Merrit and get donuts in Riverdale and realize that there are cemetaries in Washington Heights. It's a New York were people have family in Scarsdale.
For nothing other than that, I love this book.
Also, I started reading Soulless this morning on the train, and suddenly, in the middle of it, I put it down, and went, "Crap. There's a cemetary right near my house. If a zombie infestation happens, what's the best possible plan to get me and my family together and safe? Do we have anything useful to barricade the windows with? Maybe we should invest in some more heavy furniture."
This book is pure zombie fun/horror. If you like zombies and/or New York, this is the book you want to read. Christopher Golden is spot-on with the terror of surviving a zombie infestation.
For the first time ever, three powerful mediums join hands on the set of a live broadcast morning show in Times Square. If the seance goes according to plan, there will be a short window where people around the world will have a chance to say goodbye to the spirits of their departed loved ones.
But things don't go according to plan. Instead, the mediums slump over, comatose. And as they do, the dead start to rise. They are seeking out their loved ones, but they are also hungry.
The great thing about Christopher Golden, and this book, is that he really, really knows New York. When his characters live in New York, it's the real New York, the one I live in and understand, not the glamorized fictional New York you so often see in books like this. This is a New York where people drive on the Merrit and get donuts in Riverdale and realize that there are cemetaries in Washington Heights. It's a New York were people have family in Scarsdale.
For nothing other than that, I love this book.
Also, I started reading Soulless this morning on the train, and suddenly, in the middle of it, I put it down, and went, "Crap. There's a cemetary right near my house. If a zombie infestation happens, what's the best possible plan to get me and my family together and safe? Do we have anything useful to barricade the windows with? Maybe we should invest in some more heavy furniture."
This book is pure zombie fun/horror. If you like zombies and/or New York, this is the book you want to read. Christopher Golden is spot-on with the terror of surviving a zombie infestation.
July 11, 2016
This book was an interesting blend of supernatural horror and good ole’ zombie apocalypse. This was well written and hard to put down, I read it in two sittings. The story really explores the question of what people will do to survive. It also looks at the value of saving one person’s life who you know against saving thousands that you don’t know.
The book jumps between a lot of different POVs and it was a little hard to keep track of everyone at first. However, this ended up working well for the book. All the different POVs ended up coming together nicely into one cohesive story.
Overall this was a well done and engaging read. I would recommend to those who enjoy post-apocalyptic/survival types of stories.
The book jumps between a lot of different POVs and it was a little hard to keep track of everyone at first. However, this ended up working well for the book. All the different POVs ended up coming together nicely into one cohesive story.
Overall this was a well done and engaging read. I would recommend to those who enjoy post-apocalyptic/survival types of stories.
May 22, 2011
That was intense. I wonder how I would have pictured this book before I watched The Walking Dead. A lot of the horrific imagery the book described could be linked directly to a scene in The Walking Dead for me. The ending was a little anticlimatic but I guess the easiest solution is usually the best? It doesn't take away from the book at least.
Read
March 30, 2016This book didn't excite me like I thought it would. I made it through about half of it, and I just lost interest and moved onto something else. So many fantastic reviews on here, and I honestly was at least somewhat enjoying it, but I'm just not interested in finishing it. I'd rather read something I'm really excited about. DNF
July 24, 2015
One of the more outlandish origins of Zombies I have ever read. They come after a mass seance goes horribly wrong.
February 19, 2018
Pure leftist propaganda...
May 1, 2020
It didn't leave a lasting impression but it was an easy read with a relatively engaging storyline for fans of horror!
May 6, 2018
I haven't read a ton of zombie books; on the basic front of action & survivalism, the book fared well. I appreciate, as always, Golden's approach and creativity.
There were a few too many viewpoints in this book, for no real reason I could tell. I appreciated that he wanted ? to make it diverse but everyone asian was described as "exotic." Even the Korean gang member was described as "he must have had something other than Korean in his background because he had that exotic mixed race look" (paraphrase) like... there is more than one way to look Korean??? Just not necessary.
Phoenix...is that her name? I forgot already. Her internal struggle seemed kind of odd and not super understandable. She's boo-hooing at the end over a single dead guy when ... if we follow the arc of this story right... she essentially stood in the way of that happening HOURS earlier ?
I also thought it was a little strange that no one tried to wake them up... that seemed almost like the more logical plan. I guess maybe they tried, though.
A fun read...
There were a few too many viewpoints in this book, for no real reason I could tell. I appreciated that he wanted ? to make it diverse but everyone asian was described as "exotic." Even the Korean gang member was described as "he must have had something other than Korean in his background because he had that exotic mixed race look" (paraphrase) like... there is more than one way to look Korean??? Just not necessary.
Phoenix...is that her name? I forgot already. Her internal struggle seemed kind of odd and not super understandable. She's boo-hooing at the end over a single dead guy when ... if we follow the arc of this story right... she essentially stood in the way of that happening HOURS earlier ?
I also thought it was a little strange that no one tried to wake them up... that seemed almost like the more logical plan. I guess maybe they tried, though.
A fun read...
July 25, 2021
So, this book was published about 13 years ago and it’s been in my bookshelf almost as long as that. I’ve always started it but never could get past a few pages. It’s not badly written nor is it boring, if anything I was just not in the mood. Which is interesting, as I’m a massive zombie fan movie/ small screen/ comics wise. Anyways, I’ve finally finished it!! *pat on the back*.
————
The book took you on this roller coaster ride of what it would be like, to be stuck in a zombie apocalypse in contemporary New York brought upon a seance broadcasted by the morning news- Sunrise. Told from different POVs. MC’s were the daughter of one of the Seance professors (Phoenix), Uni students with opposing POVs of society and general (Noah and Matt), ex gangbanger (Jack) and singer/celeb (Tania).
I liked the book, I truly did. It showed us what it’s like to be desperate, what’s it’s like to be afraid and what it’s like just be HUMAN, full of flaws and tethering on the edge of ones morality. The ending is realistic, but hopeful.
————
The book took you on this roller coaster ride of what it would be like, to be stuck in a zombie apocalypse in contemporary New York brought upon a seance broadcasted by the morning news- Sunrise. Told from different POVs. MC’s were the daughter of one of the Seance professors (Phoenix), Uni students with opposing POVs of society and general (Noah and Matt), ex gangbanger (Jack) and singer/celeb (Tania).
I liked the book, I truly did. It showed us what it’s like to be desperate, what’s it’s like to be afraid and what it’s like just be HUMAN, full of flaws and tethering on the edge of ones morality. The ending is realistic, but hopeful.
September 23, 2024
Christopher Golden is one of my favorite authors, his Peter Octavian books are some of the best vampire books I've read. He's very good at coming up with new ideas like the origin of vampires, and in this book zombies. This book is an easy and quick read, but I really didn't like most of the characters. Noah, and Jack, not bad characters. Tania was ok. Everyone else was horrible. Matt was just ridiculously annoying. By far the worst Golden book I've read, but that said, still not too bad. It's just surprising after the other books, where I generally liked a lot of the characters. And the first book of his that I know I'll never reread. Still, 2 stars mostly for the new ideas for the zombie genre.
December 3, 2024
It's not the destination but the journey, right?
Well that would be good, considering the destination is so incredibly predictable (frustratingly so when all the characters seem to be completely oblivious), but the journey, other than a handful of interesting elements, is blase.
The story would have been better served if the frustratingly obvious answer was addressed within the first fifty pages and turned out to be incorrect.
However, that wouldn't have fixed the other major problem with the novel: none of the characters are particularly compelling or sympathetic. Their motivations/ethics/determination click over like a metronome, and the resolution "twist" is cruel rather than decisive and undermines the main character's novel-length struggle.
Well that would be good, considering the destination is so incredibly predictable (frustratingly so when all the characters seem to be completely oblivious), but the journey, other than a handful of interesting elements, is blase.
The story would have been better served if the frustratingly obvious answer was addressed within the first fifty pages and turned out to be incorrect.
However, that wouldn't have fixed the other major problem with the novel: none of the characters are particularly compelling or sympathetic. Their motivations/ethics/determination click over like a metronome, and the resolution "twist" is cruel rather than decisive and undermines the main character's novel-length struggle.
August 7, 2025
I didn’t love this. The premise is very good and done well, but the characters aren’t very interesting or likeable most of the time, and they make huge decisions to do huge things very quickly, like deciding to drive hundreds of miles to rescue their family just minutes after seeing zombies for the first time, or deciding they need to be the ones to end the uprising themselves by driving to the news studios. The ending solution was a little too easy and I saw it coming, and felt very abrupt. I liked Phoenix a little bit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2017
The fact that the zombies had parts of themselves left, that they had memories of who they were before they died, made them a lot scarier than they already were. And let's not forget the fact that they became smarter by the hour and they could even lay traps for the living.
This scared the crap out of me. No idea how I'm sleeping tonight lol.
This scared the crap out of me. No idea how I'm sleeping tonight lol.
April 2, 2020
I loved this take on a zombie apocalypse. No virus or mystery...no just a mass sceance gone wrong. The shifting point of view wasn't really bothersomemin fact it gave the story more depth because of the different POV's and things going on.
July 4, 2017
I'm a real fan of The Walking Dead show so this was an interesting take on zombies for me. I even laughed ad some of the things the zombies said. It was a fast paced spreading of zombies.
Read
June 25, 2019Good book to read. Not your average zombie story. The story had an interesting build up. Love it !
December 27, 2019
4.1 stars
Different take on Zombies. Well written. Intense and scary. Excellent edition to any Zombie collection.
Different take on Zombies. Well written. Intense and scary. Excellent edition to any Zombie collection.
August 31, 2021
3.5 stars. I enjoyed it. The idea of combining zombie with ghost was a good one. Original and a page turner.
June 1, 2025
some kind of interesting zombie stuff mixed in with some kind of subpar characters. it got very repetitive toward the end and I'm not sure how to feel about the way it ended... bit anticlimactic.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews