Time for Revenge It’s time for revenge. Zed’s animosity toward Mark has been simmering through the deaths of too many of his friends. Zed realizes he can no longer pretend he’s able to take the high road and rise above his hate. He sets out to track the horde of naked Whites in order to find Mark and kill him. Of course, none of Zed’s schemes work out as planned. See what kind of trouble he and Murphy get into in Slow Grind.
Just trying to imagine presenting the highlights of ME sets off alarm bells in my head. Why would anybody want to know anything about me? What about me is remarkable enough to tell?
When I think about these questions, I recall lying on my bed back in high school, headphones muffed over my ears, heavy metal blasting through my head. As with most teens, music’s power seduced me, and as I listened, I found myself admiring the albums' cover art (yeah, I’m old enough that I used to by LP’s) and I found myself reading about the singers and guitar players and drummers in the liner notes. Why? Because those musicians had created something that was deeply personal, passionate, and wonderfully emotional, and they’d shared it with the world. They’d shared it with me.
It made me want to know them through more than just their music. So, I read.
Through the years, I found myself reading about writers I’d enjoyed, historical figures I’d admired, politicians who weren’t dipshits, and business leaders who’d built great companies. Again, why? Who the hell knows? We’re all just people. I think we find each other interesting. We like to feel connected.
And that was my answer, at least as to the WHY.
On the WHAT I can say about me, for those who feel moved by my work: I’ll give it a quick go.
I was born an Air Force brat and lived in a dozen states before I graduated high school. I’ve worked my way through a wide variety of jobs, left most on a whim, owned businesses, lived through times when I had more money than I knew what to do with, and worried my way through times when I wondered how I’d pay the rent.
Life has been boring at times, and it’s been plenty exciting, too. So far.
I’ve traveled to India, stood atop the tallest mountains around, swam with sharks, smarted-off to cops, and been arrested. I’ve tried beer and weed, but never made a thing of either one. I’ve been brushed too close by death a few times. Thankfully, doctors, EMT’s, and nurses were kind enough to put all the pieces together again. I've ridden my bike so deep into the mountains it felt like I was alone on the edge of heaven, and I've watched the red sun sinking on an evening so clear it looked like it was falling off the edge of the world.
I’ve always had a hard time being where I am, wherever that is. My daydreams forever call from just over the horizon.
I’ve been asked by a dozen bosses where I see myself in five years, and I've lied every time, always telling them what they wanted to hear. Because the only thing I knew for sure, was that I wanted to be anywhere but there.
Another great read. Adair has done a wonderful job with character creation and the whole "infected" thing. To me, Zed and Murphy are among some of the most entertaining characters that I've come across. Never really a dull moment, and its nice, but also sad that Zed has finally accomplished his long awaited goal, sad because we know it's all coming to an end, one more book and Zed and Murphy are retired.
As with the previous few books in the series, a decently fun little read that's tainted by a combo of conservative shittery like constant "fucktard" usage, and gun fetishism. Awkward periods of attempted literary passages that feel forced and awkward. The meat of the book itself is entertaining, fast-paced, and relatively well handled, and I did enjoy reading through the series.
I had quit reading for an extended time, but I had read the previous 7 books of the slow Burn series. I decided it was time to check on Zed and Murphy, man am I glad I did! Bobby Adair came through again! Great book!
I absolutely love the Slow Burn series. This book, Slow Burn: Grind,had the same level of excitement as the others. I love these characters and how they look after each other and maintain their sarcastic sense of humor. The only complaint I have is I wish the book was longer! LOL I never like getting to the end of a book and having to wait for the next one (:
...there's still story lines to finish, if that's possible. Eight books in and I want more! Thank You Body Adair. You know it's a happy sadness when you arrive at the last book in the series and have to wait for the next adventure. Yeah, I have the patience of Zed. Garrett Fisher
This is book eight of the omnibus edition I am reading so just wanted to say - plenty of action, it's emotionally and psychologically intense, and it's great!
I have a feeling how it may end but who knows for sure?
I love the thrill of post apocalyptic books and thinking about life without all the modern luxuries. This series has been fun to listen to. The narrator does an excellent job. I think, though, that I might have listened to too many of these in a row and am having a hard time finding any redeeming characteristics in Zed. Ugh. He gets so annoying. Not only do we see how he talks and treats others, but even hear all the things he wants to say but holds back. He’s like a sniveling, pouty, arrogant 13 year old. I get it that the infection has altered his mind, but the infection has altered others around him who aren’t so repugnant. Thank goodness for Murphy!! He’s a great guy even with the infection. I have no idea why he cares so much for Zed!?! Then throw in Steph….that romance made absolutely no sense. Steph’s one tough cookie - smart, competent, quick thinking, caring, etc, etc. Almost any other woman would’ve made more sense.
One of the aspects that I thoroughly enjoy in the series is that there are different degrees to how much people were affected by the infection. I can’t recall reading another series that incorporates this aspect in a similar way. Mark Tufo has written a series I love with zombies who have different levels of intelligence and there are probably other series, but what sets this apart is that Zed (main character) has the infection and is still able to function almost normally. The infection appears to alter reasoning and impulse control. This brings a whole new set of fascinating problems. One of these being that if you’re immune, it’d be scary having a “normal” infected living in your community because you’d worry that the infection would go rampant one night and you’d wake up to Zed gnawing on your arm in morning. My favorite aspect about Zed having the infection is that he can go incognito commando in the naked horde to commit nefarious deeds. I love seeing how he uses the hordes’ own tactics/patterns to outsmart them.
I’ve just started listening to the next book which is the last one in the series I purchased from audible. They have a great package where you buy the first 9 books in this series for the price of one. Made it too hard to pass, especially when you throw in a zombie-type post-apocalypse. Book #10 is sold by itself and I think I might have had enough of the series by the end of #9.
I'm a shameless fan of the "zombie apocalypse" genre. It really has nothing to do with horror, but I enjoy reading stories about people overcoming adversity and surviving in a world that has been radically affected by a massive catastrophe.
I've read a LOT of books in the genre, and I consider myself a bit of an aficionado. Therefore, when I say that this is one of the best series I've read in the genre, I'm not kidding.
This book is one of a series of books, and I'm leaving the same review for ALL of the books, because I read them all in a back-to-back binge on my Kindle. In my mind, it's all one lengthy well-told story, and I don't see any point in trying to isolate each book for a review. The series is awesome. By them all, read them in order, and you will enjoy them!
So WHY is this series so good? Well, for one thing, Bobby Adair is a very good writer, and the books are well-written with interesting characters and lots of action.
In this series, the "zombies" are people infected with a virus that essentially fries their brain with fever, leaving them more or less mindless and violent. The interesting twist is that not all "zombies" are equally infected. Some zombies retain some of their intellect, and some remain essentially ALL of their intellect, although they cosmetically appear just as infected as the others. I'd never read a zombie story told from the perspective of someone infected, yet not fully mindless, and what it's like to experience persecution from all sides. The other zombies want to eat you, and the "normal" immune survivors don't trust you since you have the pale skin of the infected.
I also REALLY like the fact that the story is set in Austin, Texas. I'm a native Texan myself, and for a while I in Austin, so it was very interesting to me to read a story that's set in a familiar setting. Bobby Adair knows what he's talking about when he writes about what it would be like to experience the collapse of civilization in central Texas in the blazing summer heat of August.
I also really like the fact that the main characters are interesting. For instance, the character "Zed" isn't a bad ass who was a Green Beret, and he wasn't a prepper before the apocalypse. He's a bit of a loser, who graduated from UT with a philosophy degree yet works at Starbucks, and probably drinks too much and smokes too much weed, and is drifting through life thanks to a lack of motivation from his shitty childhood. He's not an angel, and he makes mistakes, and that makes him very easy to relate to.
I might also add that the book is laugh-out-loud funny in many places. The banter back and forth between Zed and Murphy is hilarious and very believable, and really made the characters come alive in my mind.
As I ruminated, I understood with more and more clarity that I needed to do something significant to break the cycle of habit I was in: imagine something stupid, do something stupid, run, kill, repeat.
The post-apocalyptic world was closing in, with the Whites of the Naked Hoard growing in numbers far superior to what Zed Zane, commonly known as the Valiant Null Spot could handle. Yet he stood defiant in the odds and continued to push the limits for himself in his attempts to avenge all the wrongs he seemed pitted against. Losing so many he loved and cherish, one friend stood beside him through thick and think, Murphy Smalls. As they traveled upon survivors, few could ever fill the emptiness they carried. Seekers of adrenaline, both took to reckless, merely insane stunts.
A shadow with a rifle at his shoulder stood up from behind a mound of refuse. In a familiar voice, it said, "Null Spot the Farmer, Dumb as a Pumpkin, Annoyer of Zombies." "Hello Murphy."
As he found sillier antics to shred through the layers that made of the Hoard of Naked Whites, a spark of curiosity enveloped Zed as he found a Corn Harvester and began chasing the Hoard, gobbling them up as they fell into his wake, much to a bemused Murphy. As the duo come to understand the disease that pumped through their veins, staining their flesh a stark and sickeningly whiteness will they realize the monsters were hiding within even them.
"No," I said. "Not that. Do you wonder if the virus will change you more than it already has?"
An incredible read, lots of action with plenty of zombies that greatly out number the survivors. The characters are well developed, the story has a realistic plot and is set in the great state of Texas.
There is plenty of gallows humour as well as pathos as not all characters survive, but the feelings of loss, grief, victory and having survived yet another battle are quite realistic. Not just " "another" Zombie story but one which is memorable both in its action but in its emotional cost to the main characters.
You will be enthralled with the thrills, the chills, and the realism of the action. The author has gone well and beyond any expectation to get the region as it really is with its geography, towns and cities. Places you in a realistic dimension should you have travelled or lived in Texas.
I wholeheartedly recommend this series of books 1 thru 9. You won't be disappointed.
I really didn’t like the way the book start and I was scared of the direction this book was heading in. I felt like Zed was loosing it and I was missing the Zed I was used to. It was incredibly frustrating to see him so blinded by rage and making so many stupid decisions. But the book did turn it around. It is still very realistic and the action was at an all time high in this book. I was left feeling so much worry, my heart hammering along in the most tense scenes. While Zed was frustrating in the beginning, his new high of recklessness was highly entertaining. And his time with the naked horde was very cool. I especially liked the dynamic of the naked horde. Zed’s and Murphy’s friendship felt incredibly healing in this book and I am still in awe at how beautiful this friendship has been throughout the whole of this series. The ending was highly satisfying and it was definitely worth reading.
Wow, don't get Zed mad at you; he doesn't forget easily. Remember Mark, well Zed surely did. Hundreds of thousands of hordes of whites are moving towards the military base. Those of which are well aware of what was coming. If the hordes get into the base it will be all done for the military soldiers there. It's been tough for the guys on this path, lots of action, travel, meeting new people and heading north. I have the last book to read to finish the series. After this I will head back and finish the series of Left Behind. Another great series. After I finish those and return the books, I may come back to this author and read another series.
Zed still held the death of the young girl in the University dorm against Mark. He believed he was a member of "The Smart Ones", those that were the directors of the "Naked Hoard". This was so influencing Zed's behavior he had to act upon it. With the help of his ever faithful friend Murphy, they set out to rid the earth of these evildoers, as well as the other group of people that had the idea of servitude of the white masses, as a way to gain control of the world. Hopefully, with a lot of creative thinking these two groups may eradicate each other, thus giving those survivors that had peace and human survival as their goals, a fair chance to live.
This may have been my favorite of this series so far. I get tired of the Zed/Murphy banter, even though I can see where some would find it amusing. I find it just gets repetitive. Having said that, it's kept to a minimum here and Zed goes flying on a revenge mission all on his own. Those are the moments in this serious that shine, in my opinion. He's craftier and it's just overall more exciting when he's flying solo. Real good entry with some (finally) neat developments. After 8 books, I still want more, so that's a good sign!
It's been at least a year since I read City of Stin, so maybe I do that remember the series very well. I thought I remembered interesting characters and typical zombie survival (plus whites and some Zed craziness), but this book turned out to be a 1.5 man perpetual chase across Texas countryside. Not one for chase movies, I wasn't impressed with this episode. I think this will be my last Slow Burn read.
I am writing this review to cover books 6-8. While I enjoyed every book, I can for the life of me figure out why he separated this into eight separate books. And while he was preparing eight different books why didn’t he do a better job at ending each of the books properly. Each of the books really just dumps you off on the side of the road. Not even calling this a serial series works because with serials you look for a cliffhanger Book for all of the books I give an average of three stars..
Let me tell you, I am a HUGE zombie fan, and these books are NOT zombie books., and I love them. I love all the twists and turns, the unexpected deaths and unpredictability. I'm so use to being able to predict what's going to happen, it's not even funny. But this kept me on my toes. I've been binge reading for 3 days now and I'm fixing to start the 9th book in the series. I can't wait.
I'm not a book reviewer... I just don't have the time. That said, I liked the book. It was face paced, made as much sense as such a novel/series can make sense and was a fun read. The ending was interesting and the characters were reasonably well drawn. It was a good read and kept my attention throughout the entire series.
Thankfully this was a return to form for Bobby Adair and the Slow Burn series, it was the climax we'd all been waiting for and although Zed goes on a massive White killing spree I found the finale to be a bit disappointing as it was over so quickly. I still loved it though and am looking forward to the next book and what happens next on Zed and Murphy's journey after the apocalypse.
I had gotten quite bored of the repetitiveness in the previous 2 books, not really seeing any progress but this one was a bit better. We see Zed on his own with his anger, unsure if this is his real self or because of the virus. We see more of the organised smart whites in a different setting and see the wider spread of the virus. The action really picks up in this one as well which was good.
Can I just say I really don't want this series to end? It is so good with all the action and adventure against the zombies. Zeb and his friends fighting for survival in a zombie ridden world will keep you mesmerized for hours!
I love this series, but this book started a bit slow and there were some gross spots in it. It definitely had no new interesting characters. It was mostly about Zed, and a bit of Murphy. I am hoping the next book brings more people in.
Having grown up in Killeen,a true native not army related , I know the area and enjoyed the references. I can see Zed and the white hoard doing what they do all over 190. Loved it.
The first few pages of Slow Burn 8 Grind is so raw, I got pulled in again after reading the first page. This whole series is awesome and I can’t wait to start the next/last book. I know Bobby Adair won’t let me down..
This is book eight of the omnibus edition I am reading so just wanted to say - plenty of action, it's emotionally and psychologically intense, and it's great!
I have a feeling how it may end but who knows for sure?
Honestly, I don't know where Bobby Adair gets this stuff.. It's awesome, edge-of-your-seat-can't-put-down, legendary, scary, funny stuff. My favourite part in the book is Zed's comment on how the Whites aren't dependable. Literally couldn't stop laughing.
I LOVE this series, I have literally been voraciously reading these books! I truly love the way each book picks up immediately where the last one leaves off, instead of the boring repetition from previous books! Well Done! Almost at the end and my heart is in my throat!
The series is clearly coming to an end and the author is doing a good job of tying up loose ends from previous plot lines. Everything is coming together nicely. The main characters are continuing to evolve. I am curious to see how the author wraps everything up.