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Plague War #1
Outbreak
In an Emergency Department, Doctor Harry fails to resuscitate a young woman suffering from an infected bite wound. While her body awaits transfer to the morgue, Harry is stunned to witness the corpse lurch off the bed and attack his staff. It’s not an isolated incident. Lysan Plague has crossed the species divide from bat to human and mutated with devastating effect. Burning across the country in a tide of bloody violence, it overwhelms an unprepared police force and government. Bite victims re-animate as plague ‘Carriers’, creatures lost to conscious thought, consumed by rage and an urge to feed on the non-infected. No-one is safe in the apocalypse, and only those who are willing to fight will survive. Harry forms an alliance with several other survivors, but will it be enough for them to hold out until the Army regroups to fight back?
209 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 23, 2021
A fascination with the apocalypse has led me to zombies, which has become emblematic of my thoughts on the human race. Hodge's entry into the field caught my attention with the author's experience in emergency nursing, further spurred by the Australian setting. You know what? It's above average, particularly for an unknown book. I saved it for one of those moods--I'll leave you to speculate as to why I read it on an eight-hour ocean-spanning flight--and was entertained. It doesn't offer a lot new into the genre, but is at least refreshing in that there is a core group of people endowed with common sense and ability to learn.
Dennis has a particularly good review about the strengths and shortcomings overall, so I'll
link you to his thoughts.
I'd echo Dennis' thoughts that it was hard to create a bond with the characters, although I did sense the attempt to try with some more emotionally reflective moments. Perhaps it was because most of the main characters were especially practical doer types.
I'd also say that for me, it is not like The Walking Dead in that it avoids lingering on the overt human-on-human depravity. I stopped watching the show when it decided to repeatedly focus on those aspects over survival and rebuilding. Unlike some other books, it also keeps the focus on the 'common person' situation. There's dispatches from the government, which absolutely does not go down immediately, so it feels more like a real-life, evolving scenario.
One could do worse as a blueprint for survival.
Nicely done, and one can certainly do worse. Three and a half stars, rounding up because it's above the pack.
Dennis has a particularly good review about the strengths and shortcomings overall, so I'll
link you to his thoughts.
I'd echo Dennis' thoughts that it was hard to create a bond with the characters, although I did sense the attempt to try with some more emotionally reflective moments. Perhaps it was because most of the main characters were especially practical doer types.
I'd also say that for me, it is not like The Walking Dead in that it avoids lingering on the overt human-on-human depravity. I stopped watching the show when it decided to repeatedly focus on those aspects over survival and rebuilding. Unlike some other books, it also keeps the focus on the 'common person' situation. There's dispatches from the government, which absolutely does not go down immediately, so it feels more like a real-life, evolving scenario.
One could do worse as a blueprint for survival.
Nicely done, and one can certainly do worse. Three and a half stars, rounding up because it's above the pack.
December 21, 2019
I’m not really that interested in zombie books. But I’ve read Hodge’s The Cavern, which was great fun. So when my reading buddy Cathy suggested this book, I was willing to give it a try. It turned out to be a buddy-read in SpecFic (waves at Cheryl and Ian).
Even though I haven‘t read a zombie book before (a couple of comics aside), I’m nevertheless quite accustomed to the genre. I’ve seen a lot of movies, played all the Resident Evil games, until they started to turn into mind- and soulless action crap, and I’ve watched the first six seasons of The Walking Dead, before I gave up on that one too.
This is mainly similar to The Walking Dead. Almost all the main ingridients are there and, a few hiccups aside, are competently put together by Alister Hodge. We’ve got the initial disbelief and denial, which causes people to do stupid things that ultimately costs them their life. There’s the spinning out of control of the disease, that leads to groups of people basically being "run" over by a herd of zombies. We’ve got the government and the army trying, and failing, and trying again to deal with the situation. There’s the gradual breakdown of almost all infrastructure. There’s the search for supplies, which leads people to leave their seemingly safe surroundings and risk getting in dangerous situations with zombies and/or other people. We’ve got people turning into savages and trying to take whatever they want from whomever they want. At the same time others try to adjust to their new surroundings, creating a small community, where people have to toughen up and learn new skills just to survive. The group of main characters sets up a safe home for themselves, which then, of course, gets under attack. People are getting trapped in a seemingly impasse with one or a couple of zombies. There’s lots of gore and sudden deaths of major characters. And so on.
What this book doesn’t have though, are interesting characters. The main protagonists are all fairly one-dimensional. So there’s just no real bond between them and the reader. This makes scenes where they are in grave danger less exciting, and when something seriously bad happens to them it is less impactful than it could have been. The potential was there to have some really emotional and hard-hitting moments. But it didn’t materialize.
The book is also devoid of surprises. Not even for me, with my limited experience with zombie literature, was there something new or unexpected. Like I said earlier, I’ve seen The Walking Dead. There’s nothing here that I haven’t seen there already.
All in all, 3.5 stars. I round up (just), because it was an entertaining read with lots of action and also a bit of suspense. It was basically all I had expected to get out of this, and maybe even a little bit more. Because it provided me with some encouragement that zombies can indeed be interesting in books as well. Nicely done, Mr. Hodge. But for the second book a couple of fresh ideas and better character development would be nice.
Walk on! (waves at Ian again)
Even though I haven‘t read a zombie book before (a couple of comics aside), I’m nevertheless quite accustomed to the genre. I’ve seen a lot of movies, played all the Resident Evil games, until they started to turn into mind- and soulless action crap, and I’ve watched the first six seasons of The Walking Dead, before I gave up on that one too.
This is mainly similar to The Walking Dead. Almost all the main ingridients are there and, a few hiccups aside, are competently put together by Alister Hodge. We’ve got the initial disbelief and denial, which causes people to do stupid things that ultimately costs them their life. There’s the spinning out of control of the disease, that leads to groups of people basically being "run" over by a herd of zombies. We’ve got the government and the army trying, and failing, and trying again to deal with the situation. There’s the gradual breakdown of almost all infrastructure. There’s the search for supplies, which leads people to leave their seemingly safe surroundings and risk getting in dangerous situations with zombies and/or other people. We’ve got people turning into savages and trying to take whatever they want from whomever they want. At the same time others try to adjust to their new surroundings, creating a small community, where people have to toughen up and learn new skills just to survive. The group of main characters sets up a safe home for themselves, which then, of course, gets under attack. People are getting trapped in a seemingly impasse with one or a couple of zombies. There’s lots of gore and sudden deaths of major characters. And so on.
What this book doesn’t have though, are interesting characters. The main protagonists are all fairly one-dimensional. So there’s just no real bond between them and the reader. This makes scenes where they are in grave danger less exciting, and when something seriously bad happens to them it is less impactful than it could have been. The potential was there to have some really emotional and hard-hitting moments. But it didn’t materialize.
The book is also devoid of surprises. Not even for me, with my limited experience with zombie literature, was there something new or unexpected. Like I said earlier, I’ve seen The Walking Dead. There’s nothing here that I haven’t seen there already.
All in all, 3.5 stars. I round up (just), because it was an entertaining read with lots of action and also a bit of suspense. It was basically all I had expected to get out of this, and maybe even a little bit more. Because it provided me with some encouragement that zombies can indeed be interesting in books as well. Nicely done, Mr. Hodge. But for the second book a couple of fresh ideas and better character development would be nice.
Walk on! (waves at Ian again)
December 22, 2019
“There’s a bite mark on her left forearm that appears grossly infected. Before she became confused, a bat was mentioned – not sure if that’s what caused the wound.“
Fasten your seatbelts, because....
Well... this is pretty standard fare for a zombie book, nothing new. But good entertainment and well written. I had some pretty strong Walking Dead moments.
I read an underwater/cave horror book by the author before, The Cavern, and can recommend him for (trashy) horror fun. I would pick him up again.
Fasten your seatbelts, because....
Well... this is pretty standard fare for a zombie book, nothing new. But good entertainment and well written. I had some pretty strong Walking Dead moments.
I read an underwater/cave horror book by the author before, The Cavern, and can recommend him for (trashy) horror fun. I would pick him up again.
December 23, 2019
A solid zombie book with a nice writing style which is relaxed and realistic with enough detail to make it come alive (pun intended)
We follow the story from 4 main viewpoints (Harry, Penny, Steph and Mark). I liked the characters - a little chiched maybe but I liked them anyway.
It’s a bit frustrating that of course everyone is hesitant to believe they are actually faced with zombies but that happens in every book and film. Just accept it for what it is and shoot them in the head guys!
Overall this is a fun read for anyone who likes zombies (which is me). It’s exactly what you would expect from a zombie book - there are no big surprises here but still a good read, this delivers plenty of action, plenty of gore and zombies in abundance.
Well written, and keeps up a decent pace, I got swept up in it all quite nicely. Not quite amazing enough for a 5 but a very strong 4*/5 for me.
We follow the story from 4 main viewpoints (Harry, Penny, Steph and Mark). I liked the characters - a little chiched maybe but I liked them anyway.
It’s a bit frustrating that of course everyone is hesitant to believe they are actually faced with zombies but that happens in every book and film. Just accept it for what it is and shoot them in the head guys!
Overall this is a fun read for anyone who likes zombies (which is me). It’s exactly what you would expect from a zombie book - there are no big surprises here but still a good read, this delivers plenty of action, plenty of gore and zombies in abundance.
Well written, and keeps up a decent pace, I got swept up in it all quite nicely. Not quite amazing enough for a 5 but a very strong 4*/5 for me.
December 20, 2019
Great story, great action, great ideas - despite a few weak points, a very enjoyable read from start to finish. Will definitely be reading the other two books in this Zombie Trilogy of fun. Rating: 4.7/5 stars.
December 26, 2019
3.5 stars actually, because this was a fun book with smart characters who didn't do any of the usual idiotic things characters do in zombie books... until 20 pages to the end when the author had to find a reason for them to leave a compound they had spent the rest of the book fortifying and stocking. To do that, he introduced the most cliche "selfish abusive husband" ever and made him destroy all of their defenses in one foul sweep, resulting in the death of most interesting characters. Interestingly enough, the 3 male characters survived through this whole ordeal no problem. It's the females we had to watch die. Sigh... Nope, that didn't sit well with me.
This had promise, but I will not continue with the series.
This had promise, but I will not continue with the series.
Did Not Finish
November 13, 2023dnf
July 4, 2021
I was mesmerized by this book that is heavily character driven, as are all of Al's publications.
Harry is a doctor working his last shift in the emergency department of a hospital when an incoming patient presents with a bite from an animal. As her vital signs rapidly drop, Harry works to keep her alive until she dies on the table. Everyone is shocked when the body of the unfortunate young woman suddenly reanimates and begins attacking everyone she can find - but this is only the tip of a very large iceberg.
The Lysan Plague, a virus spread by broken skin contact, spreads across Australia at an alarming rate, causing a terrifying zombie apocalypse. It isn't long before the police and military are overwhelmed and the situation becomes a fight for survival between the living and the undead.
Harry and other survivors form an alliance to survive and hopefully escape the fray. The enemy is relentless and difficult to fight. It will be through determination, knowhow, and luck if they are to survive at all.
As always, the strongest point in Al's storytelling is his ability to create and write characters who jump off the page and make one care about them. Outbreak is no exception to the author's skill as a writer.
Harry is an emergency room doctor who is getting ready to move to another posting. He has a good relationship with his co-workers, but looks forward to his new life. He is compassionate, believing in his Hippocratic oath. When faced with the problem of killing the infected people he encounters along the way, he, at first, is reluctant to do so. As time goes on, he is forced to resign himself to doing what is necessary to survive, but he still doesn't like it. After all, he is sworn to save, not take, life.
Steph is Harry's cousin. They don't know each other. They do know they are related. When she is cut off from escaping the city, she contacts Harry for rescue. Harry finds her and takes her home with him where she becomes instrumental in planning and execution. She is a strong female character who provides common sense to the group.
Penny is a police officer who starts out on guard duty for a quarantine facility. At first, she seems a little timid, but as time goes on, she finds purpose because of a traumatizing incident. She turns out to be a strong character, heroic in the execution of her duties.
Mark is a soldier having served in Afghanistan just looking forward to a reunion with his girlfriend before he is redeployed. He is a member of the Australian Army and serves as a "sapper," a combat engineer who can fight as well as perform numerous engineering duties. Mark encounters the infected, just as he is called back for domestic duty to fight them. He cannot report because of the plague and decides he needs to save his girlfriend, who dumped him in a text message. He is a sharp character and knows his stuff and becomes instrumental to the survival of Harry's band of survivors. Mark has a tough time fighting his self doubt, but proves himself a leader as time goes on.
Georgie is Mike's girlfriend, instrumental in the survival of herself, Mark, and Penny as they try to escape the cities and get out of harm's way. Another strong female character who finds her place in the group.
Finally, the group is joined by a pair of teenagers who narrowly escape becoming infected. A brother and sister prove their worth when the eventual zombie assault comes upon Harry's stronghold.
All characters are well developed and become real people as the story unfolds.
The main plot point that stood out to me was how anyone, even the weakest, can find their inner strength and do what is needed when the time comes. While everyone in the story has some self-doubt, when the situation calls for action, no one lets the rest down. All the characters have flaws helping them become real to the reader, but they show their strength by overcoming their weaknesses to become heroic assets to their community. Their heroism is not something that the reader can predict, but how they become heroes is a major part of the story and worth the time to read.
As one might expect, there are disturbing images throughout the story. Scenes of extreme violence and descriptions of eviscerated moving corpses abound. I would warn those with weak stomachs to avoid this story. I read over half of this book in the first sitting and actually had a bad dream that night. Despite that, I have to say I enjoyed this book immensely, surprising myself because this is not my usual kind of reading material.
Along with great characters, the story is told at a blinding pace that will hold your attention through to the end. If you have to set it aside to catch your breath, trust me, you'll want to get back to it as quickly as possible.
If you are someone who can handle the violence and gore expected from this kind of story, I give it my highest recommendations for a good solid tale with characters who find their inner strength. You won't want to set this down until you get to the end, and then you'll be ready for the next two installments in the series, Plague War 2: Pandemic and Plague War 3: Retaliation.
Harry is a doctor working his last shift in the emergency department of a hospital when an incoming patient presents with a bite from an animal. As her vital signs rapidly drop, Harry works to keep her alive until she dies on the table. Everyone is shocked when the body of the unfortunate young woman suddenly reanimates and begins attacking everyone she can find - but this is only the tip of a very large iceberg.
The Lysan Plague, a virus spread by broken skin contact, spreads across Australia at an alarming rate, causing a terrifying zombie apocalypse. It isn't long before the police and military are overwhelmed and the situation becomes a fight for survival between the living and the undead.
Harry and other survivors form an alliance to survive and hopefully escape the fray. The enemy is relentless and difficult to fight. It will be through determination, knowhow, and luck if they are to survive at all.
As always, the strongest point in Al's storytelling is his ability to create and write characters who jump off the page and make one care about them. Outbreak is no exception to the author's skill as a writer.
Harry is an emergency room doctor who is getting ready to move to another posting. He has a good relationship with his co-workers, but looks forward to his new life. He is compassionate, believing in his Hippocratic oath. When faced with the problem of killing the infected people he encounters along the way, he, at first, is reluctant to do so. As time goes on, he is forced to resign himself to doing what is necessary to survive, but he still doesn't like it. After all, he is sworn to save, not take, life.
Steph is Harry's cousin. They don't know each other. They do know they are related. When she is cut off from escaping the city, she contacts Harry for rescue. Harry finds her and takes her home with him where she becomes instrumental in planning and execution. She is a strong female character who provides common sense to the group.
Penny is a police officer who starts out on guard duty for a quarantine facility. At first, she seems a little timid, but as time goes on, she finds purpose because of a traumatizing incident. She turns out to be a strong character, heroic in the execution of her duties.
Mark is a soldier having served in Afghanistan just looking forward to a reunion with his girlfriend before he is redeployed. He is a member of the Australian Army and serves as a "sapper," a combat engineer who can fight as well as perform numerous engineering duties. Mark encounters the infected, just as he is called back for domestic duty to fight them. He cannot report because of the plague and decides he needs to save his girlfriend, who dumped him in a text message. He is a sharp character and knows his stuff and becomes instrumental to the survival of Harry's band of survivors. Mark has a tough time fighting his self doubt, but proves himself a leader as time goes on.
Georgie is Mike's girlfriend, instrumental in the survival of herself, Mark, and Penny as they try to escape the cities and get out of harm's way. Another strong female character who finds her place in the group.
Finally, the group is joined by a pair of teenagers who narrowly escape becoming infected. A brother and sister prove their worth when the eventual zombie assault comes upon Harry's stronghold.
All characters are well developed and become real people as the story unfolds.
The main plot point that stood out to me was how anyone, even the weakest, can find their inner strength and do what is needed when the time comes. While everyone in the story has some self-doubt, when the situation calls for action, no one lets the rest down. All the characters have flaws helping them become real to the reader, but they show their strength by overcoming their weaknesses to become heroic assets to their community. Their heroism is not something that the reader can predict, but how they become heroes is a major part of the story and worth the time to read.
As one might expect, there are disturbing images throughout the story. Scenes of extreme violence and descriptions of eviscerated moving corpses abound. I would warn those with weak stomachs to avoid this story. I read over half of this book in the first sitting and actually had a bad dream that night. Despite that, I have to say I enjoyed this book immensely, surprising myself because this is not my usual kind of reading material.
Along with great characters, the story is told at a blinding pace that will hold your attention through to the end. If you have to set it aside to catch your breath, trust me, you'll want to get back to it as quickly as possible.
If you are someone who can handle the violence and gore expected from this kind of story, I give it my highest recommendations for a good solid tale with characters who find their inner strength. You won't want to set this down until you get to the end, and then you'll be ready for the next two installments in the series, Plague War 2: Pandemic and Plague War 3: Retaliation.
January 21, 2019
Fine start... But.......
Fine start to the series. For sure it will not be found rubbing elbows with the cream of the crop of the genre. Nor will it be listed anywhere near the worst books out there. “Plague War: Outbreak” is an acceptable mid class novel.
The story does have some issues. One of the most prominent being too many primary characters thrown at us one after another. I’ve only ever encountered this problem once before in all my reading years, and it happened to be within the last two weeks! I’ll rephrase what I said in that review as it fits here as well.
I’ve noticed people complain in their reviews about “too many” characters to follow and I’ve always rolled my eyes. I mean, come on. It’s not difficult once you’ve immersed yourself in the story.
Well. Here I’ve found myself again eating my own judgmental thoughts. It’s extremely difficult to follow/ remember who all these characters are, and how they relate to one another. I found myself constantly using the X-ray feature and swiping back and forth.
Not so much fun for pleasure reading.
Perhaps if more time had been spent on (much needed) character development the characters would be truly memorable. But then the book would be significantly longer.
Beyond that, the story sort of drags in places.
Some silly actions or decisions are taken by characters that would be obvious death sentences during a true apocalypse. These moments pull you right out of the story. One is when addresses are publicly posted- like come right here, here, or here for supplies, drugs, safety, and more all you bad guys! Oh, and for a woman too! Ridiculous and guaranteed death sentence or enslavement.
Positives - the place (Australia), assembly of personalities, events, and overall storyline, though common to other books in many ways is just unique enough to make the story feel fresh, interesting and fun. With a slight sense of the thrill, “what’s going to happen next?!?” And, finally, by the last pages of the book you’ve gotten a handle on who’s who. Causing the story to be much more enjoyable to read. And to engender a bit of investment into the characters’ well-being. That emotional attachment. But it took 90-95% of the story to get there. Much too late in my opinion.
As far as tension, sweat equity / learning curves, available materials, etc.... Blaaahhh. The zombies were the plodding type. (Where did they come from anyway?? I don’t remember. Was it even mentioned??) Awesome firepower was readily available. All over the pace; easily replaceable. Naturally the primary characters could make headshots on the run from the start.
A remote, safe, previously set up farm was ready and waiting to take in the primary characters, who seamlessly met. All the heavy machinery and other building materials to fortify the property just happened to be sitting next door. And one of the characters just happened to know how to run such machinery with skill, precision, and speed. Additionally everyone had various and fabulous zombie stopping ideas...all a conglomeration from other zombie books and movies, but these ideas purportedly came directly from the characters’ minds. Melee weapons - they just so happened to have all the materials to create many different types on hand, and furthermore, those using them were instant ninjas with the tools in their possession. In a land with no power, they visit a special home out in the middle of nowhere that has power? With no explanation as to why? Also an opportunity presents to collect sheep, which are trapped in a paddock, and it’s totally ignored, while all long and yearn for fresh meat. So much more......
With all this said, how can I say it’s a fine book to read? A mid class novel? Well, if you can make it through and around the hurdles, ignore the faux pas, there is a good story in there. Worth the read.
For it’s all just ... what it is .... I’m interested to see what book 2 has to offer. To follow the journey of the primary characters (now that I know who they are and have a relationship with them that is).
Fine start to the series. For sure it will not be found rubbing elbows with the cream of the crop of the genre. Nor will it be listed anywhere near the worst books out there. “Plague War: Outbreak” is an acceptable mid class novel.
The story does have some issues. One of the most prominent being too many primary characters thrown at us one after another. I’ve only ever encountered this problem once before in all my reading years, and it happened to be within the last two weeks! I’ll rephrase what I said in that review as it fits here as well.
I’ve noticed people complain in their reviews about “too many” characters to follow and I’ve always rolled my eyes. I mean, come on. It’s not difficult once you’ve immersed yourself in the story.
Well. Here I’ve found myself again eating my own judgmental thoughts. It’s extremely difficult to follow/ remember who all these characters are, and how they relate to one another. I found myself constantly using the X-ray feature and swiping back and forth.
Not so much fun for pleasure reading.
Perhaps if more time had been spent on (much needed) character development the characters would be truly memorable. But then the book would be significantly longer.
Beyond that, the story sort of drags in places.
Some silly actions or decisions are taken by characters that would be obvious death sentences during a true apocalypse. These moments pull you right out of the story. One is when addresses are publicly posted- like come right here, here, or here for supplies, drugs, safety, and more all you bad guys! Oh, and for a woman too! Ridiculous and guaranteed death sentence or enslavement.
Positives - the place (Australia), assembly of personalities, events, and overall storyline, though common to other books in many ways is just unique enough to make the story feel fresh, interesting and fun. With a slight sense of the thrill, “what’s going to happen next?!?” And, finally, by the last pages of the book you’ve gotten a handle on who’s who. Causing the story to be much more enjoyable to read. And to engender a bit of investment into the characters’ well-being. That emotional attachment. But it took 90-95% of the story to get there. Much too late in my opinion.
As far as tension, sweat equity / learning curves, available materials, etc.... Blaaahhh. The zombies were the plodding type. (Where did they come from anyway?? I don’t remember. Was it even mentioned??) Awesome firepower was readily available. All over the pace; easily replaceable. Naturally the primary characters could make headshots on the run from the start.
A remote, safe, previously set up farm was ready and waiting to take in the primary characters, who seamlessly met. All the heavy machinery and other building materials to fortify the property just happened to be sitting next door. And one of the characters just happened to know how to run such machinery with skill, precision, and speed. Additionally everyone had various and fabulous zombie stopping ideas...all a conglomeration from other zombie books and movies, but these ideas purportedly came directly from the characters’ minds. Melee weapons - they just so happened to have all the materials to create many different types on hand, and furthermore, those using them were instant ninjas with the tools in their possession. In a land with no power, they visit a special home out in the middle of nowhere that has power? With no explanation as to why? Also an opportunity presents to collect sheep, which are trapped in a paddock, and it’s totally ignored, while all long and yearn for fresh meat. So much more......
With all this said, how can I say it’s a fine book to read? A mid class novel? Well, if you can make it through and around the hurdles, ignore the faux pas, there is a good story in there. Worth the read.
For it’s all just ... what it is .... I’m interested to see what book 2 has to offer. To follow the journey of the primary characters (now that I know who they are and have a relationship with them that is).
January 16, 2020
This is kind of like the Waling Dead Aussie style. a mutated bat virus kills people causing their corpses to re-animate for the sole purpose of biting and killing the uninfected. thanks to misjudgment by the government and political correctness by the police and military the infected quickly overrun the bulk of Australia. The book focuses on a number of different characters and their battle to survive.
While not a bad book if you like zombie apocalypses novels, it is hampered by too many characters. It is hard to get to know any of them or really care about them. The action scenes are fine and zombies are determined if uncoordinated bunch. The characters lack depth and unexplored avenues are ignored in favor of the tried and true. It is not bad for this genre but it needs a heart and soul. I needed to care about someone in the story but didn't. I also find the mindless, random attacks rather boring and uninteresting after a while. I prefer horror to have at least some sort of karmic twist or a sense of justice. It's the first in a series. Hope the future books pare down the cast and increase the depth.
While not a bad book if you like zombie apocalypses novels, it is hampered by too many characters. It is hard to get to know any of them or really care about them. The action scenes are fine and zombies are determined if uncoordinated bunch. The characters lack depth and unexplored avenues are ignored in favor of the tried and true. It is not bad for this genre but it needs a heart and soul. I needed to care about someone in the story but didn't. I also find the mindless, random attacks rather boring and uninteresting after a while. I prefer horror to have at least some sort of karmic twist or a sense of justice. It's the first in a series. Hope the future books pare down the cast and increase the depth.
Read
October 17, 2024ReRead: October, 2024
Rating: 3.5/ 4 Stars
It's still a good zombie novel, it has ample action but also the , for me, much loved lead up to the outbreak and the initial breakdown and collapse that I find so fascinating to read about.
It's told from multiple points of view, which can quickly become to much but has been done well in this case since the voices are relatively easy to differentiate without getting confused about which character doing and saying what.
The interpersonal relations are a bit dramatic at the end there but I didn't mind mayorly since it's nothing over the top, especially not for a zombie tale.
What I liked:
- Straight up zombies, no magically super special zombies that shoot lasers out of their eyes or something like that.
- No baddie that's dead set on murdering all of our characters because some dumb reason, just survival and potentially stupid people doing stupid things.
What I didn't like:
- nothing really bothered me with this, mainly tiny behaviors from our survivors that irritated me but nothing that made me stop reading because I had to facepalm.
Read: May, 2021
Rating: 4 Stars
Rating: 3.5/ 4 Stars
It's still a good zombie novel, it has ample action but also the , for me, much loved lead up to the outbreak and the initial breakdown and collapse that I find so fascinating to read about.
It's told from multiple points of view, which can quickly become to much but has been done well in this case since the voices are relatively easy to differentiate without getting confused about which character doing and saying what.
The interpersonal relations are a bit dramatic at the end there but I didn't mind mayorly since it's nothing over the top, especially not for a zombie tale.
What I liked:
- Straight up zombies, no magically super special zombies that shoot lasers out of their eyes or something like that.
- No baddie that's dead set on murdering all of our characters because some dumb reason, just survival and potentially stupid people doing stupid things.
What I didn't like:
- nothing really bothered me with this, mainly tiny behaviors from our survivors that irritated me but nothing that made me stop reading because I had to facepalm.
Read: May, 2021
Rating: 4 Stars
February 1, 2023
I'm not sure where to start really. Probably by saying this book was exactly what I needed when I started reading it.
I'm a bit weird in that I'm obsessed with zombie stories. After a death in the family that I still don't really know how to process its been the only book that could hold my full attention and not let my brain drift off into sadness and grief.
That aside I really enjoyed the book. It felt realistic in parts and like a nightmare in others - because zombies are always a nightmare.
I may have found this book in a dark time but it will stay with me for a long time. It was the right amount of idiots and stupid government burying their heads untill the truth beats them. People were realistically brave and lucky.
Mostly I enjoyed it so much I'm going to tell everyone and read more if the series. Not even weird Australian words I had to look up distracted me from enjoying this book which is actually a first.
I'm a bit weird in that I'm obsessed with zombie stories. After a death in the family that I still don't really know how to process its been the only book that could hold my full attention and not let my brain drift off into sadness and grief.
That aside I really enjoyed the book. It felt realistic in parts and like a nightmare in others - because zombies are always a nightmare.
I may have found this book in a dark time but it will stay with me for a long time. It was the right amount of idiots and stupid government burying their heads untill the truth beats them. People were realistically brave and lucky.
Mostly I enjoyed it so much I'm going to tell everyone and read more if the series. Not even weird Australian words I had to look up distracted me from enjoying this book which is actually a first.
June 3, 2018
Zombies in Australia
This was a really good new zombie book! Interesting characters with depth and a action filled plot. It begins in an ER, as we are introduced to our first character, Harry. We meet all the main characters separately as they learn of the outbreak and fight to survive. The main characters end up together trying to stay alive and prepare their home and make it safe. The Zombies do find them and their battle is a well written tale of man against zombies. I don't do spoilers, but there is loss and adjustments to the core group along the way. I read so many books in this genre and I really enjoyed this one. Couldn't put it down! No cliffhangers, and I look forward to the next book in the series! Do not miss out on this book if you enjoy a good zombie read!
This was a really good new zombie book! Interesting characters with depth and a action filled plot. It begins in an ER, as we are introduced to our first character, Harry. We meet all the main characters separately as they learn of the outbreak and fight to survive. The main characters end up together trying to stay alive and prepare their home and make it safe. The Zombies do find them and their battle is a well written tale of man against zombies. I don't do spoilers, but there is loss and adjustments to the core group along the way. I read so many books in this genre and I really enjoyed this one. Couldn't put it down! No cliffhangers, and I look forward to the next book in the series! Do not miss out on this book if you enjoy a good zombie read!
August 3, 2018
Is this the End of Down Under ?
The story starts off a little slow but hang on to your britches because when the story gets rolling so do heads. No one is safe, and no one is excluded from the pain and terror of losing a loved one in the most hideous ways. If you love a great Zombie apocalypse book then buy this book and cringe in horror as you are unable to help these poor souls in it from becoming food for the beast.
The story starts off a little slow but hang on to your britches because when the story gets rolling so do heads. No one is safe, and no one is excluded from the pain and terror of losing a loved one in the most hideous ways. If you love a great Zombie apocalypse book then buy this book and cringe in horror as you are unable to help these poor souls in it from becoming food for the beast.
July 20, 2018
Really enjoyed this novel. A zombie novel set in Australia is always a plus, but this one was very well-written and engaging. Author also has no compunction about killing off his main and likeable characters, which is sad - but also suspenseful.
Can't wait to read the next book - whenever that comes out!
Can't wait to read the next book - whenever that comes out!
July 27, 2018
This is The Walking Dead on steroids. The storyline is solidly packed with full on zombie action. Plenty of suspense, drama and an unlikely band of people made me quickly read and turn page after page hoping that the characters that I had come to admire and grow to love would survive the ongoing onslaught of the undead. All I can say is what a read. Absolutely loved it!!!
January 19, 2025
I used to read a lot of zombie, shtf, apocolyptic books but got away from the genre a few years ago. This book reminded me of why I enjoyed them so much. My only question/concern is that there was no mention of what was happening in other countries. Maybe we'll hear about that in the next book. Highly recommend this one!
July 27, 2018
Brilliant first book.
Have read so many of this genre and this book is up there with the best.Amazing story line and the pace never halts all the way through the book.Great writing Alistair and eagerly await book two.Major carnage and blood letting by the ton.
Have read so many of this genre and this book is up there with the best.Amazing story line and the pace never halts all the way through the book.Great writing Alistair and eagerly await book two.Major carnage and blood letting by the ton.
December 16, 2018
PLAGUE WAR: OUTBREAK
The first book in a series and the plot, characters, and of course the location had me caught up in the first chapter. I'm going to get book 2 and hope all the characters stay alive in this one.
The first book in a series and the plot, characters, and of course the location had me caught up in the first chapter. I'm going to get book 2 and hope all the characters stay alive in this one.
July 15, 2019
Good book to read
This is a great book. I love the beginning so you know where everyone started and how they ended up together. It has plenty of action and makes you feel like you are with the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves zomb to read zombie books
This is a great book. I love the beginning so you know where everyone started and how they ended up together. It has plenty of action and makes you feel like you are with the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves zomb to read zombie books
May 10, 2021
Read :May 10, 2021
Rating : 4 Stars
This was really enjoyable, well written, suspensefull and high action.
The characters were good, there's a bit of cliché going with some but not to an annoying level.
A nice cast of characters and a good mix of male and female.
Rating : 4 Stars
This was really enjoyable, well written, suspensefull and high action.
The characters were good, there's a bit of cliché going with some but not to an annoying level.
A nice cast of characters and a good mix of male and female.
June 21, 2025
Too realistic story
As I was reading this story, I found myself thinking how very realistic it seemed. Hoping that it never comes true. Easy to follow storyline and lose track of time.
As I was reading this story, I found myself thinking how very realistic it seemed. Hoping that it never comes true. Easy to follow storyline and lose track of time.
July 7, 2018
Good Read
It is a good read. There wasn't a lot of stupid mistakes made by the main characters and it stayed interesting from beginning to end. Highly recommend!
It is a good read. There wasn't a lot of stupid mistakes made by the main characters and it stayed interesting from beginning to end. Highly recommend!
November 25, 2018
Australia, zombies, hospital doctor, "Head for the small towns!" It was ok.
November 11, 2020
The Plaque
This was a fantastic book. I could not put it down. Would be great if this was made into a movie. AWESOME book, look forward to reading the next in the series.
This was a fantastic book. I could not put it down. Would be great if this was made into a movie. AWESOME book, look forward to reading the next in the series.
April 12, 2021
A great book
Alister Hodge has started this series off with a bang. Australia is under siege from within, only the strong will survive, or will they.
Alister Hodge has started this series off with a bang. Australia is under siege from within, only the strong will survive, or will they.
July 2, 2018
I really liked this book. The story held my interest and the characters were real. It was actually more realistic as most of us aren't born heroes. I hope book two is in the works!
August 21, 2018
Just finished reading Plague War: Outbreak by Alister Hodge. It’s a book which is very cleverly written, incredibly gripping and difficult to put down. Authored by a nurse (a previous colleague!), the descriptions of infection spread and trauma are highly believable; whilst the detail of the characters and geography of Sydney highlights the Australian lifestyle very well. A great read. Looking forward to the next book!
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