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The Zombie Uprising #1
The Awakening
They wanted to thaw history’s buried secrets. But now an undead army is awake… and hungry for flesh.Jen Reed longs to reconnect with her estranged father. Given the opportunity to work together on an archeological dig, the young scientist excitedly packs her bags for the isolated Alaskan tundra. But she starts to wonder if the village elder’s ominous warnings hold truth when a local turns up with yellow eyes and a strange bite mark…
As the old man’s ancient tale rings in her head, Jen explores a historic burial site and is shocked to discover the dead have risen craving human flesh. With a violent storm bearing down, Jen must find the courage to warn the others before the terrifying zombie horde unleashes unspeakable carnage.
Can Jen stop the feasting corpses before the hunger spreads across the globe?
The Awakening is the first book in the Zombie Uprising post-apocalyptic series. If you like fast-paced action, terrifying frozen landscapes, and undead slasher battles, then you’ll love M.A. Robbins pulse-pounding tale.
Buy The Awakening for a bloodcurdling battle for survival today!
As the old man’s ancient tale rings in her head, Jen explores a historic burial site and is shocked to discover the dead have risen craving human flesh. With a violent storm bearing down, Jen must find the courage to warn the others before the terrifying zombie horde unleashes unspeakable carnage.
Can Jen stop the feasting corpses before the hunger spreads across the globe?
The Awakening is the first book in the Zombie Uprising post-apocalyptic series. If you like fast-paced action, terrifying frozen landscapes, and undead slasher battles, then you’ll love M.A. Robbins pulse-pounding tale.
Buy The Awakening for a bloodcurdling battle for survival today!
168 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2018
552 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
M.A. Robbins
60 books46 followersM.A. Robbins is the author of The Zombie Uprising series and The Tilt post-apocalyptic action series. A long time Alaskan, he lives in Anchorage with his wife, Debbie, and their ninety pound Chocolate Lab, TBone. He has a taste for unique characters, twisting plots, and homemade clam chowder.
You can find more at www.marobbins.com.
If you'd like announcements of FREE offers, new releases, and exclusive content, please sign up at http://tbone.marobbins.com. You can also find him on twitter at @marobbinsauthor.
You can find more at www.marobbins.com.
If you'd like announcements of FREE offers, new releases, and exclusive content, please sign up at http://tbone.marobbins.com. You can also find him on twitter at @marobbinsauthor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
November 12, 2019
I really wanted to enjoy this book. I normally love zombies, but it is really hard to follow when there are so many characters in the book. I couldn't focus, it was way too chaotic. Didn't know what people to give attention and who don't. A shame because the basic story was good. That is why it only got 3 points, it could have been more.
February 3, 2019
This is a pretty good zombie book that I found on kindle unlimited !!!!Full of action! This takes place in Alaska. An archeologist goes to this village to dig up old graves to relocate them due to the environment. The site is a legend that was actually true. Due permafrost defrosting old zombies are defrosting and coming back to life to reek havoc on an entire village. I look forward to the second book.
August 17, 2020
There is no reason for this book to exist.
September 4, 2020
Three stars because I give zombie fiction plenty of latitude because it's unrealistic at its core and is a guilty pleasure. And yet, everything seems to be disappointing. The plot moves quickly enough, mostly because there's not a lot of book, so it better move fast. The characters are mostly flat tropes, and keep getting introduced and killed off. The female lead is too much of a mash-up of past trauma and past "perfect for this moment without being a fringe lunatic" experiences. Also, someone with only a BS degree and only 3 years experience is not likely to be freelancing and living well (financially free) on a research salary that is intermittent at best.
The zombie origin is a little easy "frozen zombies thaw", but at least there isn't any pretense at science. This is especially true based on the fact that victims turn in 5 minutes (5 cycles of the circulatory system). On top of a lack of science, a lack of details dragged the book down as well. The protagonist is given two boxes of bullets, and proceeds to dump them into her pockets. Boxes are either 20 for hollow points, or more likely, 50 for range ammo. Her pockets would be bulging. She fires maybe two magazines (maximum capacity is probably about 13) and then she's out of ammo. The heroine shoots 26 bullets out of 100+13 (it's loaded when she was handed it, or maybe 87+13) and is out of ammo. Maybe dumping the bullets into her pockets was a bad idea and she lost them all, or the author studied English much more than math.
Things that should stop in zombie books:
-Everyone being surprised that other people call zombies "zombies"
-Lone survivor tropes
-Semi-automatics clicking empty (the last round ejects and the slide locks open)
-Shooting zombies in the forehead (the thickest part of the skull)
-The phrase "That's not your (insert loved one's title here) anymore"
-The above phrase being ignored at the next encounter with aforementioned loved one
The zombie origin is a little easy "frozen zombies thaw", but at least there isn't any pretense at science. This is especially true based on the fact that victims turn in 5 minutes (5 cycles of the circulatory system). On top of a lack of science, a lack of details dragged the book down as well. The protagonist is given two boxes of bullets, and proceeds to dump them into her pockets. Boxes are either 20 for hollow points, or more likely, 50 for range ammo. Her pockets would be bulging. She fires maybe two magazines (maximum capacity is probably about 13) and then she's out of ammo. The heroine shoots 26 bullets out of 100+13 (it's loaded when she was handed it, or maybe 87+13) and is out of ammo. Maybe dumping the bullets into her pockets was a bad idea and she lost them all, or the author studied English much more than math.
Things that should stop in zombie books:
-Everyone being surprised that other people call zombies "zombies"
-Lone survivor tropes
-Semi-automatics clicking empty (the last round ejects and the slide locks open)
-Shooting zombies in the forehead (the thickest part of the skull)
-The phrase "That's not your (insert loved one's title here) anymore"
-The above phrase being ignored at the next encounter with aforementioned loved one
November 12, 2024
Fast paced trope only book
August 18, 2019
Fun! Campy, gory, bloody good fun. If you're a reader who likes their fiction authors to research technical details you'll have to set that aside, but honestly the zombie chewing action begins fast enough that the plot setup doesn't matter much. It was a perfect listen for my day of yard work and painting. I'll definitely listen to the next one.
June 23, 2024
I enjoyed the premise of the zombie "awakening" - frozen zombies from long ago thawing in Alaska. The action was ok as well. The characters weren't particularly memorable, but it definitely doesn't deserve some of the low ratings.
May 9, 2018
Loved it! So much great action and twists I did not expect. I can't wait to read more.
October 3, 2019
A nice little tale of mayhem and horror as the zombie virus erupts and slowly is kept at bay by the many battles to destroy the zombies I liked it.
June 21, 2018
Bang! And You're Off, Running Out Of Time!
Ok, I may give out a lot of five star ratings, but part of that is I'm a picky reader. I've been on a zombie kick for awhile now, and i love finding stories that have plausibility to the origin of their zombies. This was, in my opinion, a rather unique first entry to a series. Let me put it this way, from the very beginning it starts out creepy, intense, and full of action. No time for potty breaks, folks, lives are on the line!!! The stage is remote, everything is ratcheted to warp 10 speed, and... I couldn't stop reading! Well done, and now that I've taken my small break I'm on to book two! If you are not into constant gore, intense creepiness, and no where safe to go - read this anyways. Just leave the lights on. Enjoy!!!
Ok, I may give out a lot of five star ratings, but part of that is I'm a picky reader. I've been on a zombie kick for awhile now, and i love finding stories that have plausibility to the origin of their zombies. This was, in my opinion, a rather unique first entry to a series. Let me put it this way, from the very beginning it starts out creepy, intense, and full of action. No time for potty breaks, folks, lives are on the line!!! The stage is remote, everything is ratcheted to warp 10 speed, and... I couldn't stop reading! Well done, and now that I've taken my small break I'm on to book two! If you are not into constant gore, intense creepiness, and no where safe to go - read this anyways. Just leave the lights on. Enjoy!!!
September 13, 2018
Interesting
I wasn't feeling the "archaeological find" take of the apocalypse but I got into it because it got good fast. At least we know up front what happened. I liked the characters even though they didn't stick around too long. I was rooting for Jen and her dad. They almost made it. Also, when Chris got caught, I was devastated. I was hoping someone from his family survived. This book was so busy, with zombies everywhere, the list of characters didn't grow for too long. I can't ant wait to see what happens next.
I wasn't feeling the "archaeological find" take of the apocalypse but I got into it because it got good fast. At least we know up front what happened. I liked the characters even though they didn't stick around too long. I was rooting for Jen and her dad. They almost made it. Also, when Chris got caught, I was devastated. I was hoping someone from his family survived. This book was so busy, with zombies everywhere, the list of characters didn't grow for too long. I can't ant wait to see what happens next.
February 2, 2019
Stumbled upon this zombie series after finishing The Tide. This is a very action filled story with great characters that you can easily care for. It is amazing with what they go through. The only thing that I didn't expect was for what happened to some of the folks in Alaska. Broke my heart. Really looking foward to the next book in this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2019
Ancient zombies
This was a solid book one the characters are great,good character development and the zombies are fast and super brutal and violent and there's plenty of blood guts and Gore,everything a solid Zombie series should have, great start to what seems like is going to be a great Zombie series
This was a solid book one the characters are great,good character development and the zombies are fast and super brutal and violent and there's plenty of blood guts and Gore,everything a solid Zombie series should have, great start to what seems like is going to be a great Zombie series
May 22, 2018
Book 1 is a resounding success!
The action is non-stop,with horrific real-life terror. How can something like this happen in a remote town in Alaska?
#2 is out now, so finished just in time to bury myself in more zombies!
I would definately recommend this one.
The action is non-stop,with horrific real-life terror. How can something like this happen in a remote town in Alaska?
#2 is out now, so finished just in time to bury myself in more zombies!
I would definately recommend this one.
November 18, 2018
Excellent writing, gripping tale
So much better than run-of-the-mill apocalyptic fiction. Well-written, engaging, curiousity completely roused to read more. Breath of fresh air to read the beginning of this well-written novel.
So much better than run-of-the-mill apocalyptic fiction. Well-written, engaging, curiousity completely roused to read more. Breath of fresh air to read the beginning of this well-written novel.
January 15, 2019
I was exhausted when I finished this book, the action was non stop and grabbed you almost immediately. Interesting variation on the cause of the virus, etc. Enough scientific detail thrown in to elevate this from pure horror.
April 13, 2019
One of the good ones!
This book was written well and the action is constant and page turning. Robbins knows the Alaskan wilderness, and his characters are real and compelling. Be prepared to be hooked into this series. I sure am!
This book was written well and the action is constant and page turning. Robbins knows the Alaskan wilderness, and his characters are real and compelling. Be prepared to be hooked into this series. I sure am!
May 22, 2018
An exceptionally good zombie read.
July 22, 2018
Jen and Devin's story of both being reunited and struggling to free themselves from Alaska's cold, undead grip was very entertaining. And the ending will keep you wanting more. On to book 2.
October 6, 2018
Good Zombie Read
A good take on the zombie apocalypse! Colorful dialogue and written with fast paced action. It flows super well. Was not expecting the ending at all.
A good take on the zombie apocalypse! Colorful dialogue and written with fast paced action. It flows super well. Was not expecting the ending at all.
January 19, 2019
Good, fast paced zombie book!
January 22, 2019
Zombie story done right
This story is well written and the intensity sure does build up as slow zombies and fast zombies come for you from the pages of this book.
This story is well written and the intensity sure does build up as slow zombies and fast zombies come for you from the pages of this book.
February 10, 2019
Wonderfully surprised
This book was fast paced and kept me on the edge the who!e read. Well written a d caressing to read the next volume.
This book was fast paced and kept me on the edge the who!e read. Well written a d caressing to read the next volume.
March 30, 2019
Zombies
I started reading and just had to keep reading. It's full of action and suspense. I look forward to reading the next book.
I started reading and just had to keep reading. It's full of action and suspense. I look forward to reading the next book.
June 22, 2023
To begin, I want to say that I love zombie stories. I give them a lot of leeway and am quick to forgive them for things that I would be much more critical of in other books. The great ones are pretty great and even the mediocre ones are usually a good time. That being said, I legitimately did not like this novella.
I’ll start with the pros, though this section will be rather brief. The story is very kinetic, events move quickly and relatively smoothly from one to the next. Most of the time I can tell what is happening and to whom it is happening and I know where the action is taking place relative to everything else. The setting, while not exactly the most original, is an effective one. Being stuck in an Alaskan village with fairly limited shelter and zombies pouring in from the dark tundra could have been effective and actually scary (I promise I’m trying to stay positive). There was no human antagonist (“humans are the real monsters!” is such a played out trope in zombie fiction). Lastly, the novella was mercifully short.
The cons, oh boy, probably easier if I do a bulleted list.
Let’s start with the lead character, Jen. I’m not sure the last time I wanted a lead character to die more than I did Jen. She quips like a marvel superhero, kills a young woman who is screaming and crying on the ground because she’s been bitten but then Jen is fine like five seconds later (if the story wasn’t from her point of view this definitely would have made her seem like the villain of the story), and she is the only one capable of making decisions (which are all terrible ideas that only work because the author deems it so).
The rest of the characters really aren’t any better. They range from hilariously ineffectual, bafflingly stupid, and just plain unlikable. It is truly upsetting how many authors confuse cynical for mature and snarky for clever. There are precisely two somewhat affable characters in the book, and they are both killed within pages of meeting them; leaving us with just the main crew of personalityless puppets that follow Jen around so she has someone to quip at. There is the native Alaskan, who kills a few zombies with an ax and gets to watch all his loved ones die before being offed at the very end because having anyone other than the final girl survive would be ridiculous, I guess. The smuggler, who is seemingly portrayed as duplicitous even though personally I would trust him over trigger happy Jen any day of the week. And the dad, who I would sometimes forget was in the book for how little he offered. You’ll notice I didn’t put their names, because I don’t remember them and I literally just finished the book earlier today.
The zombies. I read several reviews that stated that this book had an interesting new take on zombies which had me excited. I love zombies and I love it even more when authors are clever with zombies. Sadly, these were some of the least interesting zombies I have ever read about. Some are fast, due to being recently turned. Some are slow, due to being frozen in the ice. The zombies learn little things like crawling to get to people and will call to one another. But none of these things lead to anything. The zombies didn’t learn to do anything clever. The zombies calling to each other just made more zombies come which mostly caused them to trip over one another. I’m pretty sure if these were the zombies, we people would be fine.
The end of the book. This book is clearly written to be the first book in a series and I absolutely mean that in the worst way possible. Just because it’s a series doesn’t mean that your book shouldn’t have an ending. It reads like an old Goosebumps book or a Hollywood smash to credits moment. “Is Jen’s dad a full zombie? Are these military men her saviors or her new enemy? And will she survive this hell-o-copter ride? Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of Zombie Uprising!”
TL;DR: This book is awful even if you like zombie books. Stupid characters making bad decisions that only work because they have plot armour. The zombies are bog standard zombies. The lead character cycles between sociopathic and sophomoric. Would have given it one star but at least there was no overarching human antagonist and it was adequately clear. Maybe the sequels are better, I will likely never know because this one is a hard pass for me.
I’ll start with the pros, though this section will be rather brief. The story is very kinetic, events move quickly and relatively smoothly from one to the next. Most of the time I can tell what is happening and to whom it is happening and I know where the action is taking place relative to everything else. The setting, while not exactly the most original, is an effective one. Being stuck in an Alaskan village with fairly limited shelter and zombies pouring in from the dark tundra could have been effective and actually scary (I promise I’m trying to stay positive). There was no human antagonist (“humans are the real monsters!” is such a played out trope in zombie fiction). Lastly, the novella was mercifully short.
The cons, oh boy, probably easier if I do a bulleted list.
Let’s start with the lead character, Jen. I’m not sure the last time I wanted a lead character to die more than I did Jen. She quips like a marvel superhero, kills a young woman who is screaming and crying on the ground because she’s been bitten but then Jen is fine like five seconds later (if the story wasn’t from her point of view this definitely would have made her seem like the villain of the story), and she is the only one capable of making decisions (which are all terrible ideas that only work because the author deems it so).
The rest of the characters really aren’t any better. They range from hilariously ineffectual, bafflingly stupid, and just plain unlikable. It is truly upsetting how many authors confuse cynical for mature and snarky for clever. There are precisely two somewhat affable characters in the book, and they are both killed within pages of meeting them; leaving us with just the main crew of personalityless puppets that follow Jen around so she has someone to quip at. There is the native Alaskan, who kills a few zombies with an ax and gets to watch all his loved ones die before being offed at the very end because having anyone other than the final girl survive would be ridiculous, I guess. The smuggler, who is seemingly portrayed as duplicitous even though personally I would trust him over trigger happy Jen any day of the week. And the dad, who I would sometimes forget was in the book for how little he offered. You’ll notice I didn’t put their names, because I don’t remember them and I literally just finished the book earlier today.
The zombies. I read several reviews that stated that this book had an interesting new take on zombies which had me excited. I love zombies and I love it even more when authors are clever with zombies. Sadly, these were some of the least interesting zombies I have ever read about. Some are fast, due to being recently turned. Some are slow, due to being frozen in the ice. The zombies learn little things like crawling to get to people and will call to one another. But none of these things lead to anything. The zombies didn’t learn to do anything clever. The zombies calling to each other just made more zombies come which mostly caused them to trip over one another. I’m pretty sure if these were the zombies, we people would be fine.
The end of the book. This book is clearly written to be the first book in a series and I absolutely mean that in the worst way possible. Just because it’s a series doesn’t mean that your book shouldn’t have an ending. It reads like an old Goosebumps book or a Hollywood smash to credits moment. “Is Jen’s dad a full zombie? Are these military men her saviors or her new enemy? And will she survive this hell-o-copter ride? Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of Zombie Uprising!”
TL;DR: This book is awful even if you like zombie books. Stupid characters making bad decisions that only work because they have plot armour. The zombies are bog standard zombies. The lead character cycles between sociopathic and sophomoric. Would have given it one star but at least there was no overarching human antagonist and it was adequately clear. Maybe the sequels are better, I will likely never know because this one is a hard pass for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2019
People love zombies - zombie movies, zombie tv shows, zombie books, zombie games, costumes, commercials, ad infinitum. I like zombies just fine, but the genre is pretty glutted by now. The Awakening is a zombie uprising book, possibly the 50-zillionth one so far. It's main problem is lack of originality.
Aside from the setting in remote Alaska, where the uprising begins, well, just how many ways can a writer describe zombies chasing people, zombies' dead eyes, gross appearance and smell, their eerie screeches and moans, the various human body parts they rip into with their clacking teeth? And there's a limit to the number of ways one can depict humans using various weapons (knives, axes, guns, baseball bats, improvised clubs, fire) to fight off and kill the zombies as well as the descriptions of the flying flesh, eyeballs, caved in heads, spraying blood and other injuries the humans inflict.
Unless the writer can draw the reader in with truly engaging characters and/or some new twist on the genre, it just gets mind-numbing pretty quick. And that's the second problem I felt with this novel: so much rushing to the action, too little character development. Anyone peripheral to the two main protagonists - an estranged father and daughter - dies so quickly that you hardly get a chance to care. Even the tension between the father (brilliant, famous, too engrossed in his work to pay enough attention to his family) and daughter (equally brilliant, tough and still pissed off at her dad) comes across as stale, a subplot delivered in much finer and more nuanced style by other writers than in this book.
The Awakening isn't really bad. It's just not really good, either. This first novel of the series was relatively short and ended rather abruptly with a hint of a governmental mystery. I don't know what the following books of this series have in store, but I'll leave that discovery to other readers who may actually enjoy this book.
Aside from the setting in remote Alaska, where the uprising begins, well, just how many ways can a writer describe zombies chasing people, zombies' dead eyes, gross appearance and smell, their eerie screeches and moans, the various human body parts they rip into with their clacking teeth? And there's a limit to the number of ways one can depict humans using various weapons (knives, axes, guns, baseball bats, improvised clubs, fire) to fight off and kill the zombies as well as the descriptions of the flying flesh, eyeballs, caved in heads, spraying blood and other injuries the humans inflict.
Unless the writer can draw the reader in with truly engaging characters and/or some new twist on the genre, it just gets mind-numbing pretty quick. And that's the second problem I felt with this novel: so much rushing to the action, too little character development. Anyone peripheral to the two main protagonists - an estranged father and daughter - dies so quickly that you hardly get a chance to care. Even the tension between the father (brilliant, famous, too engrossed in his work to pay enough attention to his family) and daughter (equally brilliant, tough and still pissed off at her dad) comes across as stale, a subplot delivered in much finer and more nuanced style by other writers than in this book.
The Awakening isn't really bad. It's just not really good, either. This first novel of the series was relatively short and ended rather abruptly with a hint of a governmental mystery. I don't know what the following books of this series have in store, but I'll leave that discovery to other readers who may actually enjoy this book.
July 14, 2019
This novella is engagingly written and makes for an easy, quick read. It’s not particularly gory and is mostly a repetition of chase sequences around a small Alaskan town, first in one direction and then in another.
The pace is rather frantic, mainly because the narrative is very summary. This story could have been much more fleshed out, and would have benefitted from having more build up of atmosphere and tension. No need for more backstory though. The theme of father / daughter reconciliation is largely wasted as it has no impact on events. This aspect feels unnecessary, redundant.
The idea of zombies frozen in the permafrost being freed by global warming is a nice touch. However, the choice of eighteenth century whalers as the source of the zombie virus, as opposed to any other population, made me think of a Scooby Doo episode, especially with all the madcap running back and forth.
The characters are a bit caricatural and the smart ass one liners tend to diminish the tension rather than rack it up. The fact that the principal protagonists are scientists makes their decision to rush into the thawing zombie pits and collect a specimen quite plausible, but the scientific mindset is lost when the running starts. However, the protagonists and leading secondary characters are smart and decisive, which is better than most zombie fodder.
Other than the father / daughter thing, there is very little emotion, very little shock at the events. The author recognises that this is important in a zombie story, but quickly moves on to maintain the action, missing the opportunity to delve further. These characters are either very resilient or very emotionally limited.
A bit of a misfire, but an okay effort overall. There’s the usual irritating cliffhanger to set up a series, but that’s par for the course. However, I might not bother to look for the rest.
The pace is rather frantic, mainly because the narrative is very summary. This story could have been much more fleshed out, and would have benefitted from having more build up of atmosphere and tension. No need for more backstory though. The theme of father / daughter reconciliation is largely wasted as it has no impact on events. This aspect feels unnecessary, redundant.
The idea of zombies frozen in the permafrost being freed by global warming is a nice touch. However, the choice of eighteenth century whalers as the source of the zombie virus, as opposed to any other population, made me think of a Scooby Doo episode, especially with all the madcap running back and forth.
The characters are a bit caricatural and the smart ass one liners tend to diminish the tension rather than rack it up. The fact that the principal protagonists are scientists makes their decision to rush into the thawing zombie pits and collect a specimen quite plausible, but the scientific mindset is lost when the running starts. However, the protagonists and leading secondary characters are smart and decisive, which is better than most zombie fodder.
Other than the father / daughter thing, there is very little emotion, very little shock at the events. The author recognises that this is important in a zombie story, but quickly moves on to maintain the action, missing the opportunity to delve further. These characters are either very resilient or very emotionally limited.
A bit of a misfire, but an okay effort overall. There’s the usual irritating cliffhanger to set up a series, but that’s par for the course. However, I might not bother to look for the rest.
March 20, 2019
Zombie Sailors Awaken in Alaska
Zombie Sailors from the 1800s are accidently reawakened after global warming melts the permafrost in Alaska. 3 trusted elders of the Tribe know the history and are charged with protecting their people. Unfortunately a tribal member is accidently infected and everyone is put at risk. Outside scientific researchers had been brought in to study the loss of permafrost, but are unknowingly pulled into the escalating catastrophe. The story captures the difficulty uninfected individuals have when dealing with family or friends who have succumbed to the infection. The isolation of geography and weather conditions create the perfect setting for almost complete infestation and loss of life. The attempt to rescue uninfected individuals exposes others to infection and reduces the numbers of those capable of defending those previously brought to a safe place. The storyline is interesting and offers a different beginning to a viral pandemic. It looks at global warming as a different danger to the human race. The struggles of the indigenous people to avoid infection is much more difficult because of the secrecy about the prior problem, their closeness as a society and the initial disbelief about the illness. The isolation of the people and the limits on their communication with the outside world greatly reduced any hope of rescue. The military rescue at the end suggested that an outside agency was aware of the potential problem. The characters had fair development given the circumstances of their quick demises. An interesting book and an entertaining read.
Zombie Sailors from the 1800s are accidently reawakened after global warming melts the permafrost in Alaska. 3 trusted elders of the Tribe know the history and are charged with protecting their people. Unfortunately a tribal member is accidently infected and everyone is put at risk. Outside scientific researchers had been brought in to study the loss of permafrost, but are unknowingly pulled into the escalating catastrophe. The story captures the difficulty uninfected individuals have when dealing with family or friends who have succumbed to the infection. The isolation of geography and weather conditions create the perfect setting for almost complete infestation and loss of life. The attempt to rescue uninfected individuals exposes others to infection and reduces the numbers of those capable of defending those previously brought to a safe place. The storyline is interesting and offers a different beginning to a viral pandemic. It looks at global warming as a different danger to the human race. The struggles of the indigenous people to avoid infection is much more difficult because of the secrecy about the prior problem, their closeness as a society and the initial disbelief about the illness. The isolation of the people and the limits on their communication with the outside world greatly reduced any hope of rescue. The military rescue at the end suggested that an outside agency was aware of the potential problem. The characters had fair development given the circumstances of their quick demises. An interesting book and an entertaining read.
January 5, 2023
I'm not sure how to feel about this book. I mean, I finished it. It was fairly short, so it was quick. The audio narration was good.
I like the glimpses into native Alaskan culture (though they could've been explored more thoroughly), and I really like that the zombies came from sailors from the 1800s surfacing as the permafrost thawed instead of the normal bio weapon gone awry origin.
But it often felt clunky, and the tropes were a bit heavy handed.
The arc between the MC and her father felt underdeveloped, rushed, and at times, cheesy. I like that the author wanted to put the psychology aspect into it, but it just wasn't handled well.
And then, there's the dialogue. I had two problems with that.
One. These characters do a LOT of planning in the moment. Like... zombies coming at them (and these are not all slow zombies), door splintered, backed into a corner, and they have a full conversation about what to do. Multiple times, this happens, and each time is as unbelievable as the last.
Two. Nearly everything the MC said was a one liner meant to make her seem edgy or funny (or like she spoke before considering what she should say), but every single one fell flat for me.
The kind-of cliffhanger ending (though somewhat predictable to anyone with a tendency toward cynicism) made me kinda want to continue the series, but the dialogue alone makes me question that impulse.
I like the glimpses into native Alaskan culture (though they could've been explored more thoroughly), and I really like that the zombies came from sailors from the 1800s surfacing as the permafrost thawed instead of the normal bio weapon gone awry origin.
But it often felt clunky, and the tropes were a bit heavy handed.
The arc between the MC and her father felt underdeveloped, rushed, and at times, cheesy. I like that the author wanted to put the psychology aspect into it, but it just wasn't handled well.
And then, there's the dialogue. I had two problems with that.
One. These characters do a LOT of planning in the moment. Like... zombies coming at them (and these are not all slow zombies), door splintered, backed into a corner, and they have a full conversation about what to do. Multiple times, this happens, and each time is as unbelievable as the last.
Two. Nearly everything the MC said was a one liner meant to make her seem edgy or funny (or like she spoke before considering what she should say), but every single one fell flat for me.
The kind-of cliffhanger ending (though somewhat predictable to anyone with a tendency toward cynicism) made me kinda want to continue the series, but the dialogue alone makes me question that impulse.
May 12, 2024
Originally posted on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
After the last zombie dud of a book, I was dying to sink my teeth into something a little more my type of undead!! I wanted, NEEDED, classic zombie fun time! That’s when I stumbled on to The Awakening. 😀
Now THIS is what I wanted!! Yes!! Thank you M. A. Robbins! I have never read anything by this author before but I already love you. 😀
Classic zombie apocalypse, interesting location and backstory. Badass characters. I was so curious about the whaling crew! And that poor village. D: Damn. So much action! Pretty much non-stop after the briefest of set ups.
My only “complaint” is that the story was over way too quick! I wanted more and I was bummed it was over so soon. Good thing it’s a series! Yay! 😀 I downloaded book 2 so fast, I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
If you are looking for entertaining, fast paced, fun zombie story, you will not be disappointed with The Awakening. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. So fun. 😀
After the last zombie dud of a book, I was dying to sink my teeth into something a little more my type of undead!! I wanted, NEEDED, classic zombie fun time! That’s when I stumbled on to The Awakening. 😀
Now THIS is what I wanted!! Yes!! Thank you M. A. Robbins! I have never read anything by this author before but I already love you. 😀
Classic zombie apocalypse, interesting location and backstory. Badass characters. I was so curious about the whaling crew! And that poor village. D: Damn. So much action! Pretty much non-stop after the briefest of set ups.
My only “complaint” is that the story was over way too quick! I wanted more and I was bummed it was over so soon. Good thing it’s a series! Yay! 😀 I downloaded book 2 so fast, I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
If you are looking for entertaining, fast paced, fun zombie story, you will not be disappointed with The Awakening. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. So fun. 😀
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