Plague Z: Outbreak - A Zombie Apocalypse Novel

by Max Danzig, L. Miralles

A series of meteor showers occur over several regions around the earth releasing an alien virus. Millions die in the affected areas. Few are immune, and it’s only the beginning.

Rachel, Peter, and Steve are strangers, sheltering with others in an old community center in the small town of Derry, New Hampshire. They struggle to come to grips with what happened and cope with the loss of loved ones.

To their horror, the dead rise and walk the earth, becoming more aware and growing increasingly aggressive. A few survivors look for sanctuary in the countryside thinking they'll be safer. The mutations continue and the zombies begin to feed on and infect the living. The attacks increase and their numbers grow.

The survivors in a rural landscape are unaware of the changes and the horrors headed their way. They find themselves in a fight to survive a nightmare from hell, and what they learn changes everything. An all-out war begins for the last survivors of humanity.


- End of the world books
- Zombie Apocalypse
- Post-apocalyptic
- survival horror
- suspense

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 24, 2017

Reviews

[Audrey Coots · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the meteor shower being the thing that started the whole apocalypse. The way Rachael missed, and ruminated on the normalcy of, people walking around in the background of movies was atmospheric and added realism to the story. That being said, the story was a little thin. It reads like a book that needs to be fleshed out- I know the characters are cold because the book said they were cold, but it would’ve been more engrossing to read about how they fretted the chill in the air, combed the attic for blankets, wondered if they should venture out for wood for a fireplace (which wouldn’t need a generator to operate and would likely exist in an old farm house) and maybe encountered a zombie with a story while hacking away at the branches they’d use for the fire… for example, the zombie tied a note around its chest begging whoever found it to go back and help her family, or the zombie had a remarkable resemblance to the photographs of the farmers wife, something that humanized the zombies and made the story more emotionally tangled. I wanted more adventure and one on one battles between humans and zombies. Would have been neat to have more interactions between living people and those they used to know who had contracted the virus, more prolonged experiences with them. The appeal of a zombie story is the idea that death isn’t the end, though human characteristics may make us wish it were. These zombies were no more of a threat than zoo animals on the loose overpowering a human population, which is interesting but lacks the mystical pull of this particular brand of antagonist. I liked listening to the audio version of this, even though the AI reading was more monotoned than a human would’ve been and at times was a bit off on the inflections. Still, the ability to hear the novel was nice and I appreciated the chance to get my hands on a zombie book I haven’t read yet.

[Loly Mireles-Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plague Z is not your typical Zombie book. Yes, it’s about people who die mysteriously, reanimate and progressively become aggressive. But it’s also about three main characters who all of sudden find themselves thrown together and somehow have to learn to survive the unknown. It’s a story about humanity learning to cope with a new life. Everything and everyone they ever knew is now gone.

The setting is a New England town, and truth be told, it’s why I decided to read it. It takes place in Derry, NH… I teach there, of course I was intrigued! It made me think, what would happen if something similar happened here? What would I do? Reading about Steve, Rachel and Peter, and their inner turmoil, made me tense. I wanted to know what happened next, where would they go, and what would they do? Moreover, as Danzig described the New England setting, I could picture it, I was there, in the no longer idyllic place I love, and yet highly thankful that my reality is still safe.

One thing I especially appreciated about the story was that I wasn’t fed the typical zombie gore. Yes, the creatures become aggressive, and there was some carnage, but it wasn’t in my face. This was Danzig’s first book, and I can honestly say I am looking forward to the next one.

I highly recommend this book because it’s an easy read, nicely written, and no doubt you’ll be able to picture yourself as one of the three characters.

[sarah gabarra-shaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down

I thought this was a good zombie book. I usually don't write reviews for books but I had to give thus book a review. It only got 1 star from previous reader, but I took a chance and really enjoyed the book. The characters were interesting and I felt for them. I am glad I read thus book!

[Jennifer Staley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not good

If I was a drinker I could get drunk reading this book...take a shot every time someone said what should we do or had an argument.had to wait until the end to get any zombie action. Hope there is not a second book .

[Caitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked up the audiobook and found out the narration was AI slop. Dumped it there and then.