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Last Mayor / Zombie Ocean #7
The Lash
7 billion zombies. 1 war.
Thirteen years after the zombie apocalypse butchered the world, Amo's dream lies in ruins, obliterated by the great white eye. New LA is forever gone, and with it any hope of peace.
All that remains is the lash.
Every drop of blood drawn shall be repaid tenfold. Every atrocity meted out shall be answered in kind. The vengeance will be epic, and brutal, and good.
What kind of world will survive?
'Breaking Bad' collided into the zombie apocalypse, spilling out raw, bloody fury.
The Lash is the 7th post-apocalyptic thriller novel in the Zombie Ocean series.
- How far would you go to keep your people alive?
- When is the cost of survival too high?
- What kind of world will be left behind?
Thirteen years after the zombie apocalypse butchered the world, Amo's dream lies in ruins, obliterated by the great white eye. New LA is forever gone, and with it any hope of peace.
All that remains is the lash.
Every drop of blood drawn shall be repaid tenfold. Every atrocity meted out shall be answered in kind. The vengeance will be epic, and brutal, and good.
What kind of world will survive?
'Breaking Bad' collided into the zombie apocalypse, spilling out raw, bloody fury.
The Lash is the 7th post-apocalyptic thriller novel in the Zombie Ocean series.
- How far would you go to keep your people alive?
- When is the cost of survival too high?
- What kind of world will be left behind?
157 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2017
12 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Michael John Grist
57 books109 followersMichael John Grist is a British/American author and ruins photographer who lives in London, UK. He writes dark and weird science fiction and fantasy books, such as the fantasy novel Ignifer’s Rise and the SF series The Ruins Sonata.
For 11 years he lived in Tokyo exploring Japan’s modern ruins, such as abandoned theme parks, military bases, and ghost towns, gaining millions of hits on this website with his photographs and stories.
The best of these adventures are now collected in his unique travel book Into the Ruins, which thriller bestseller Barry Eisler calls, “gorgeous, haunting, stunning.”
Now Michael enjoys working out in the gym, watching TV and movies, and of course writing stories and novels. He lives in London with his wife, and works as an academic English lecturer at university.
For 11 years he lived in Tokyo exploring Japan’s modern ruins, such as abandoned theme parks, military bases, and ghost towns, gaining millions of hits on this website with his photographs and stories.
The best of these adventures are now collected in his unique travel book Into the Ruins, which thriller bestseller Barry Eisler calls, “gorgeous, haunting, stunning.”
Now Michael enjoys working out in the gym, watching TV and movies, and of course writing stories and novels. He lives in London with his wife, and works as an academic English lecturer at university.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 24, 2017
A dark and crazy installment... Where will Grist go from here?
Amo is mad. Angry? Yes, that too, but he's completely flipped his lid. He's drunk on vengeance and is either possessed by Drake or schizophrenic. I enjoyed this installment although this story arc has decimated any sense of hope that previously existed. Much beloved characters are either completely defeated by circumstances or winning hollow victories at the expense of their souls. It's violent, sometimes disturbingly violent, and I wonder whether redemption is even possible for Amo at this point. I guess we'll have to wait for #8 to see...
Speaking of the next novel... I find myself really hoping that Grist can tie everything together eventually. Parts of the series have read like a fever dream, and I like that sometimes. As a trained scientist, one of my great guilty pleasures is watching someone patch together pseudo-sciency ideas until it seems reasonable for completely ridiculous things to happen. It's great fun (for me anyway) following the bread crumbs and trying to figure out where the author is going with it. At this point though, Grist has a lot of explaining to do. He's racked up a lot of questions in this series, and it will be very disappointing if he doesn't at least make an effort to tie things together.
For example, what is this hydrogen line? What is it about the T4/infection that not only links the whole world so that one person affects the rest but also rewrites biology instantaneously depending on the line? And, the other psychic effects?!? How is it that the dispossessed personalities of the dead seem to persist to haunt the living long after their bodies perish? Does the T4-laden brain need to persist to act as an antenna, or does the present state of the line somehow contain resonances of the information that formed its predecessors? Is there a puppet-master-like entity somewhere constantly recording and rebroadcasting as it deems fit? So many possibilities, but the effect has always been there. Cerulean's appearances to look after Amo, Lara's visions, the long-distance communication, the shared dreams... This series has been full of strange psychic phenomena.
From the end of the book, it appears that we might get some of the origin story. That's much appreciated, and there's lots to play with there. Again, though, Grist's story evolution continues to expand rather than contract the possibilities. Is the correspondence between the ocean and Amo's art coincidence? Could the world have been afflicted with an entirely different, less apocalyptic situation, if Amo had been fascinated with utopias or unicorn rainbows? Will Amo's redemption save the world, or has he been the problem all along?
Sign me up for book #8 because I really need to know.
Amo is mad. Angry? Yes, that too, but he's completely flipped his lid. He's drunk on vengeance and is either possessed by Drake or schizophrenic. I enjoyed this installment although this story arc has decimated any sense of hope that previously existed. Much beloved characters are either completely defeated by circumstances or winning hollow victories at the expense of their souls. It's violent, sometimes disturbingly violent, and I wonder whether redemption is even possible for Amo at this point. I guess we'll have to wait for #8 to see...
Speaking of the next novel... I find myself really hoping that Grist can tie everything together eventually. Parts of the series have read like a fever dream, and I like that sometimes. As a trained scientist, one of my great guilty pleasures is watching someone patch together pseudo-sciency ideas until it seems reasonable for completely ridiculous things to happen. It's great fun (for me anyway) following the bread crumbs and trying to figure out where the author is going with it. At this point though, Grist has a lot of explaining to do. He's racked up a lot of questions in this series, and it will be very disappointing if he doesn't at least make an effort to tie things together.
For example, what is this hydrogen line? What is it about the T4/infection that not only links the whole world so that one person affects the rest but also rewrites biology instantaneously depending on the line? And, the other psychic effects?!? How is it that the dispossessed personalities of the dead seem to persist to haunt the living long after their bodies perish? Does the T4-laden brain need to persist to act as an antenna, or does the present state of the line somehow contain resonances of the information that formed its predecessors? Is there a puppet-master-like entity somewhere constantly recording and rebroadcasting as it deems fit? So many possibilities, but the effect has always been there. Cerulean's appearances to look after Amo, Lara's visions, the long-distance communication, the shared dreams... This series has been full of strange psychic phenomena.
From the end of the book, it appears that we might get some of the origin story. That's much appreciated, and there's lots to play with there. Again, though, Grist's story evolution continues to expand rather than contract the possibilities. Is the correspondence between the ocean and Amo's art coincidence? Could the world have been afflicted with an entirely different, less apocalyptic situation, if Amo had been fascinated with utopias or unicorn rainbows? Will Amo's redemption save the world, or has he been the problem all along?
Sign me up for book #8 because I really need to know.
July 29, 2017
Much more violence than prior parts of the story. Getting to know the new Amo, and having a hard time swallowing his actions. Anna, poor Anna, that girl must have slapped a kitten in a former life, because this life has been full of multiple forms of pain and heartache. Crow and Lara should of formulated a better plan!
September 30, 2017
The Lash
New L.A. is no more. Destroyed by a nuclear blast. Everyone has left with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
Witzgenstein has taken her people and declared war on Lara and the survivors of New L.A. and the ragged group of Drake's family who are racing across the U.S. in search of a single cache of supplies. All is lost. Starving, losing hope, Lara is now the leader and she has hard decisions to make. In the end, after much soul-searching, having all these people .... and children .... to provide for .... what is her heart-breaking choice, her ONLY choice?
Amo has gone overseas with his 'crew' to destroy the remaining bunkers. He's changed. Become something .... darker. Very much darker. Drake .... Cerulean ..... are they REALLY alive and guiding him or some kind of sick hallucination? What's happened to Amo???
This is the darkest of days for these characters we've come to know and love. Amo and the 'shark-eyed man' are leaving a path of unfathomable death and destruction across Europe. Hundreds, thousands are lost. Why? Anger? Retribution? Survival of the fittest? Why does the shark-eyed man want to kill everyone from New L.A.? EVERYONE!
7 books into the series and Michael John Grist STILL has the power to draw us into the lives of Amo, Lara, Anna and others. We are STILL right ....... there. It's a given when this author releases a book we need to get our snacks, our drinks and settle down for the long-haul because you STILL cannot put this book down.
7 billion zombies. As never before .... WHO will SURVIVE?
New L.A. is no more. Destroyed by a nuclear blast. Everyone has left with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
Witzgenstein has taken her people and declared war on Lara and the survivors of New L.A. and the ragged group of Drake's family who are racing across the U.S. in search of a single cache of supplies. All is lost. Starving, losing hope, Lara is now the leader and she has hard decisions to make. In the end, after much soul-searching, having all these people .... and children .... to provide for .... what is her heart-breaking choice, her ONLY choice?
Amo has gone overseas with his 'crew' to destroy the remaining bunkers. He's changed. Become something .... darker. Very much darker. Drake .... Cerulean ..... are they REALLY alive and guiding him or some kind of sick hallucination? What's happened to Amo???
This is the darkest of days for these characters we've come to know and love. Amo and the 'shark-eyed man' are leaving a path of unfathomable death and destruction across Europe. Hundreds, thousands are lost. Why? Anger? Retribution? Survival of the fittest? Why does the shark-eyed man want to kill everyone from New L.A.? EVERYONE!
7 books into the series and Michael John Grist STILL has the power to draw us into the lives of Amo, Lara, Anna and others. We are STILL right ....... there. It's a given when this author releases a book we need to get our snacks, our drinks and settle down for the long-haul because you STILL cannot put this book down.
7 billion zombies. As never before .... WHO will SURVIVE?
June 29, 2020
The Lash by Michael John Grist.
Zombie Ocean (Last Mayor) book 7
🧟♀️🧟♂️🧟♀️🧟♂️🧟♀️
Oh my goodness, I can't!!! 😭😭😭
I can't believe the way this book differs from the others in the series.
I can't stop rooting for Amo.
I can't understand the bunkers.
I can't stand that piece of crap Witzgenstein! (pardon the spelling of i got that wrong.)
I cant stop reading...and don't intend to.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book took a dark and painful turn. I still have faith in Amo. I still have hope for Lara. I still absolutely adore Anna. Her growth is amazing!
Zombie Ocean (Last Mayor) book 7
🧟♀️🧟♂️🧟♀️🧟♂️🧟♀️
Oh my goodness, I can't!!! 😭😭😭
I can't believe the way this book differs from the others in the series.
I can't stop rooting for Amo.
I can't understand the bunkers.
I can't stand that piece of crap Witzgenstein! (pardon the spelling of i got that wrong.)
I cant stop reading...and don't intend to.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book took a dark and painful turn. I still have faith in Amo. I still have hope for Lara. I still absolutely adore Anna. Her growth is amazing!
May 18, 2017
Brilliant
I have loved reading these series of books, the author puts in twists and turns and just keeps you wanting to turn the pages to find out what happens next. I've read lots of zombie series and this one is one of the better ones. Now .... Where is the next one?!
I have loved reading these series of books, the author puts in twists and turns and just keeps you wanting to turn the pages to find out what happens next. I've read lots of zombie series and this one is one of the better ones. Now .... Where is the next one?!
May 23, 2017
Just how far will Amo go?
Filled with self-loathing, death, destruction, anger, and hope our merry and not so merry survivors continue to fight for lives. Amo ... he takes the cake where characters are concerned. I'm pulling for him to finally see!!
Filled with self-loathing, death, destruction, anger, and hope our merry and not so merry survivors continue to fight for lives. Amo ... he takes the cake where characters are concerned. I'm pulling for him to finally see!!
May 23, 2017
I need #8
The lash was intense. Everyone has come so far from where they started and I need to know what comes next.
The lash was intense. Everyone has come so far from where they started and I need to know what comes next.
July 28, 2018
Another great book in the series
April 20, 2017
All that remains is the lash.
"Every drop of blood drawn shall be repaid tenfold. Every atrocity meted out shall be answered in kind. The vengeance will be epic, and brutal, and good."
Every man has his breaking point, even the best of them, and Amo has reached his. The atrocities committed by the bunkers and the Laws mean it is time for war.
I think brutal is a perfect word for this book, it pulls no punches and after all he has done for others it nearly broke my heart to read about Amo's descent into darkness. Lara and Anna don't fair too well either as they face their own struggles. With only two books to go things seems to be heading towards an explosive ending.
Brilliant, perfect, addictive. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.
100% recommended read.
"Every drop of blood drawn shall be repaid tenfold. Every atrocity meted out shall be answered in kind. The vengeance will be epic, and brutal, and good."
Every man has his breaking point, even the best of them, and Amo has reached his. The atrocities committed by the bunkers and the Laws mean it is time for war.
I think brutal is a perfect word for this book, it pulls no punches and after all he has done for others it nearly broke my heart to read about Amo's descent into darkness. Lara and Anna don't fair too well either as they face their own struggles. With only two books to go things seems to be heading towards an explosive ending.
Brilliant, perfect, addictive. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.
100% recommended read.
April 20, 2017
The author paints a very vivid picture of the events happening in the book. It's easy to imagine some of the scenes happening in an action movie. We get to follow the characters from earlier books in the series and see where their lives lead, plus the author introduces some new ones. I did really enjoy this book and look forward to reading the next one.
April 20, 2017
Disturbing read
The Lash was really hard for me to read. I was very disturbed by so much violence. Especially by Amo. In the other books Amo was always reacting to the circumstances around him and not with deliberate and wanton cruelty. Lara seems to have been beat down and has little hope. I know she will pull it together for her kids but the graphic descriptions make it hard for a mother to not cry at times. I really hope the author has a master plan to redeem Amo. I have rooted for his character for so long I don't know how the series would be like without him. I would recommend this book to anyone with a particularly big interest in angry, gory writing. This is a good addition to the series,but not the direction I would have chosen.
The Lash was really hard for me to read. I was very disturbed by so much violence. Especially by Amo. In the other books Amo was always reacting to the circumstances around him and not with deliberate and wanton cruelty. Lara seems to have been beat down and has little hope. I know she will pull it together for her kids but the graphic descriptions make it hard for a mother to not cry at times. I really hope the author has a master plan to redeem Amo. I have rooted for his character for so long I don't know how the series would be like without him. I would recommend this book to anyone with a particularly big interest in angry, gory writing. This is a good addition to the series,but not the direction I would have chosen.
Currently reading
April 20, 2017im half way through and so far enjoying this book more than the last characters are developing nicely and also find out a bit more about the t4 virus
April 20, 2017
Things just keep getting worse
When I think back to The Last, it seems downright pleasant. Sure, there was death, mayhem, and other unpleasant stuff, but the series has gotten darker and darker since then. Just when things seem like they can't get worse, they do. But it all makes sense. Characters get dark because things happen to make them that way. The mystery is slowly revealed. And that progression is certainly compelling. Enjoy.
When I think back to The Last, it seems downright pleasant. Sure, there was death, mayhem, and other unpleasant stuff, but the series has gotten darker and darker since then. Just when things seem like they can't get worse, they do. But it all makes sense. Characters get dark because things happen to make them that way. The mystery is slowly revealed. And that progression is certainly compelling. Enjoy.
April 21, 2017
This book really delves into the psychology of madness and desperation. How far will someone go to save themselves? Their family? Their world as they know it? This is how far Amo will go. Book 7 of the Zombie Ocean leads us further down the rabbit hole. More details of the plague are revealed but there are still plenty of questions left. Awaiting the final installment of this series with great anticipation.
April 22, 2017
I've been reading this series from the beginning, I never thought this was the direction it would go..... That being said, it was an awesome book!! I truly hope Amo gets some redemption and Lara finds her way back to him. I hope Anna has what she's been told she has and that the few people left survive, maybe a surprise group somewhere that no one knows about? This chapter in the story was very dark, extremely violent and filled with rage and gore and hopelessness, very different than what I was expecting from the previous six books. I would definitely recommend this book, this series, to any fan of horror novels, not just zompoc lovers!
April 24, 2017
Having followed this series from the beginning, I was eagerly awaiting The Lash. I devoured this latest book in the series, and I was left reeling. You think you know the characters, what they are capable of? You think you have an idea of where this story is going? You have no idea… I can’t imagine how they’re going to come back from the darkness they’re in, but I can’t wait to find out.
Read
May 21, 2017This book was so much more gritty than the others...almost to the point of painful, not that it was bad, just you feel so much for the characters you read, and it hurts to hear their pain, how different actions effect them.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews