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Zombies! #1
A Small World
From the Author of "The Zournal" series comes a horrifying new collection that'll grab you by the throat and take you on a crazy thrill ride through the Apocalypse. In this first book stand with our heroes as the Zombies overrun the planet. Watch as normal people have to deal with extraordinary circumstances. How far will they go to protect their loved ones? The Apocalypse will cause some to stand a little taller and reach deep within themselves to be their best self. Others will collapse under the weight of it. Still others will seize on it to prey on their fellow man.
Fast paced and written with an eye for detail. You'll really be able to see yourself with the characters in this story. Fighting the fight along with them. Experience Zombies!
Fast paced and written with an eye for detail. You'll really be able to see yourself with the characters in this story. Fighting the fight along with them. Experience Zombies!
334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
658 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
R.S. Merritt
37 books466 followersLiving in a lighthouse as a child led me early to a love of reading. Despite what you may have been told the life of a lighthouse keeper's son is not all Glamour and Parties. There's a lot of time when there really isn't much to do besides wonder if the fog horn has finally made you deaf or watch your dad pull fishing lures out of different parts of people's bodies. (You'd be amazed!)
Two of my favorite houses growing up!
I read. I read a lot. We had a 'reading caterpillar' around the room at my school where every time you read a book you put your name on your color paper and hung it up. The teacher had to give me two colors because it was looking more like a worm than a caterpillar. I devoured CS Lewis before moving on to Tolkien. Reading has continued to be a big part of my life. I've moved into Alternative Realities by guys like Stirling and my guilty pleasure is Zombie novels. I can't seem to get enough of them!
I like reading about the extremes people will go to to survive. The ones who can rise above the rest and keep their sense of right and wrong. When humanity crumbles around them these flawed heroes stand tall and try to make their way. They go from struggling to pay the phone bill to struggling to keep themselves and others alive. I like to see how this either hardens or breaks them. I think these stories speak at a very primal level. I enjoy the journey greatly as I get to tag along seeing how the survivors manage and how the experience forges them into something more than they were.
I look forward to sharing the journey with you all!
Sincerely,
R S Merritt
Two of my favorite houses growing up!
I read. I read a lot. We had a 'reading caterpillar' around the room at my school where every time you read a book you put your name on your color paper and hung it up. The teacher had to give me two colors because it was looking more like a worm than a caterpillar. I devoured CS Lewis before moving on to Tolkien. Reading has continued to be a big part of my life. I've moved into Alternative Realities by guys like Stirling and my guilty pleasure is Zombie novels. I can't seem to get enough of them!
I like reading about the extremes people will go to to survive. The ones who can rise above the rest and keep their sense of right and wrong. When humanity crumbles around them these flawed heroes stand tall and try to make their way. They go from struggling to pay the phone bill to struggling to keep themselves and others alive. I like to see how this either hardens or breaks them. I think these stories speak at a very primal level. I enjoy the journey greatly as I get to tag along seeing how the survivors manage and how the experience forges them into something more than they were.
I look forward to sharing the journey with you all!
Sincerely,
R S Merritt
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
June 15, 2020
Starting a new series is always exciting. It's like inviting new people over to your house for a dinner party. You know you're going to be stuck with these people for awhile so you really hope they're interesting. The characters in this first book of the Zombies! series turned out to be anything but boring. Tragic and realistic backstories flesh them out and show the reasons they have to survive. The reasons they have to press on and beat their way through to the other side. Sometimes that includes not coming out the other side to protect someone who needs protecting.
As always, I live the story as I write it. I experience these things right along with the characters and other readers. I'm as surprised as a anyone at some of the things that happen. It makes the story play out more realistically and gives it more twists and turns. Real life is always more horrible and fascinating than fiction so I try and let real life bleed into the fiction. It may all be in my head but that's where I'm forced to live anyway so I hope you enjoy sharing that weird place with me for the length of the book!
Enjoy Zombies!
The Kindle version is releasing on January 1st on Amazon with the soft cover version following soon after.
As always, I live the story as I write it. I experience these things right along with the characters and other readers. I'm as surprised as a anyone at some of the things that happen. It makes the story play out more realistically and gives it more twists and turns. Real life is always more horrible and fascinating than fiction so I try and let real life bleed into the fiction. It may all be in my head but that's where I'm forced to live anyway so I hope you enjoy sharing that weird place with me for the length of the book!
Enjoy Zombies!
The Kindle version is releasing on January 1st on Amazon with the soft cover version following soon after.
December 31, 2019
Thrilling read
There are some very scary, anxiety driven parts in this book that many people are searching for when reading zombie lore. I was on the edge of my seat many times throughout this read, and I definitely enjoyed it. Merritt does a fantastic job of painting a picture and creating a setting of his/her version of the apocalypse. I cant wait to read the rest of the books in the series, and other books written to boot. I would suggest reading this book to any fan of zombie lore that likes to be on the edge of your seat!
There are some very scary, anxiety driven parts in this book that many people are searching for when reading zombie lore. I was on the edge of my seat many times throughout this read, and I definitely enjoyed it. Merritt does a fantastic job of painting a picture and creating a setting of his/her version of the apocalypse. I cant wait to read the rest of the books in the series, and other books written to boot. I would suggest reading this book to any fan of zombie lore that likes to be on the edge of your seat!
January 26, 2021
I'm so glad the next book is available 'cause I ain't a fan of cliffhangers. I need to know that everyone's okay!!!!
August 14, 2019
Excellent! Looking forward to the rest of this series becoming available on audible. I have found listening to this genre much more satisfying than reading. Some books I prefer to read. Yet, I find the zombie apocalypse (and apocalypse books in general) are electric when well written and narrated. .A Small World (Zombies!, #1) is one such example. R.S. Merritt is fabulous!
January 2, 2020
I really enjoyed the fast pased action. Beware that there will be a second book so all is not resolved during this novel. The characters are believable. The characters have faults. Go ahead and get this novel. I would go into details but don't want to spoil your experience.
February 11, 2019
Good read
Great characters and plot. Enough characters to have action in each chapter but not too many to get confused. Nice ride in the apocalypse to see to the end. Ended a bit abruptly for me hence the 4 stars
Great characters and plot. Enough characters to have action in each chapter but not too many to get confused. Nice ride in the apocalypse to see to the end. Ended a bit abruptly for me hence the 4 stars
reference
August 7, 2020For members of Apocalypse Whenever: book giveaway open August 2020
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
April 30, 2020
You'll love it!
It was action packed with loveable characters. Then there were the characters who made u wish for things morally and ethically wrong on all counts. This is a zombie novel. I'm very picky about my reads. It has to have that SOMETHING that most zombie books lack. This had it though. Go ahead and read it. You'll be buying book two as soon as your done with book 1.
It was action packed with loveable characters. Then there were the characters who made u wish for things morally and ethically wrong on all counts. This is a zombie novel. I'm very picky about my reads. It has to have that SOMETHING that most zombie books lack. This had it though. Go ahead and read it. You'll be buying book two as soon as your done with book 1.
May 14, 2019
I love zombies and now on book 2. Get your copy today.
June 20, 2020
Entertaining. There were a couple of things that were irritating, the number of times the word Zombie was used was ridiculous. I get that he's owning the fact that it's a cheesy zombie story but using other descriptors is ok. Character's names and ages were mixed up, amongst other things. Honestly, with a good editor the book would have been in my top 10.
I just downloaded the second in the series, fingers crossed those wrinkles have been ironed out.
I just downloaded the second in the series, fingers crossed those wrinkles have been ironed out.
January 7, 2020
I know, I know, I've read in several places that people think we've had enough Zombies to last a lifetime and I do get that. But, you know, if there was a zombie apocalypse and most of the world's population turned into crazed zombies they'd still be outnumbered by the number of fictional Scottish detectives traipsing round the Highlands hunting down deviant killers and me, I love my Scottish Detectives and call me fickle but my affections are equally given to a good zombie or two. So when the author of this one kindly offered me a free copy to review I bit his arm off . . . I have a few things to say about this one if you want the detail but suffice it to say that despite some misgivings I immediately bought the second one for myself. But that's me, as feckless with my credits as my affections.
To be fair Scott intrigued me as an author firstly because of his views that the characters made a zombie story more than the zombies and most importantly that his Goodreads picture has him wearing a Viking helmet drinking beer. This first book in the series, not surprisingly then is a get down to business quick, zombie apocalypse. It's structured around three separate small groups of survivors trying to come to grips with the inconvenience of hordes of flesh eating zombies.
Temporally I felt that sometimes the characters did make adjustments and assumptions about their situation a little fast at times but it's in the nature of these high-action fast moving books. The characters did continue to develop and flesh themselves out as their stories developed, some you'll like and at last one of them you will want to kick around your lounge whenever you hear him. That's healthy, characters that produce a reaction like that mean the author has pressed some of my buttons successfully. Just don't get too attached to any of them though, Scott's one mean badass meaning the mortality rate keeps it real enough throughout.
The narration by Mike Thomas, I think it's fair to describe it more as a decent reading than a performance. He's clear and articulate which is obviously most important but doesn't give the characters any big range of voices. I cannot pass this by though without mentioning what has to be one of the most memorable attempts at an Australian accent I have ever heard. It seemed to start in that well known Aussie city of Dublin and eventually stumbled to somewhere near Mumbai, obviously Australia is bigger than I had ever imagined!
So, this is decent addition to the genre and as I said I enjoyed this first one enough that I have bought the second one for myself. Zombie fans that enjoy a bit of wry humour and plenty of gory action should be happy with this but it's worth noting it really is in for a penny in for a pound. This first book stops abruptly leaving our characters in various states of danger and disarray. It really is a series you're buying into and as a brave self-published author I really do hope Scott has success with it.
To be fair Scott intrigued me as an author firstly because of his views that the characters made a zombie story more than the zombies and most importantly that his Goodreads picture has him wearing a Viking helmet drinking beer. This first book in the series, not surprisingly then is a get down to business quick, zombie apocalypse. It's structured around three separate small groups of survivors trying to come to grips with the inconvenience of hordes of flesh eating zombies.
Temporally I felt that sometimes the characters did make adjustments and assumptions about their situation a little fast at times but it's in the nature of these high-action fast moving books. The characters did continue to develop and flesh themselves out as their stories developed, some you'll like and at last one of them you will want to kick around your lounge whenever you hear him. That's healthy, characters that produce a reaction like that mean the author has pressed some of my buttons successfully. Just don't get too attached to any of them though, Scott's one mean badass meaning the mortality rate keeps it real enough throughout.
The narration by Mike Thomas, I think it's fair to describe it more as a decent reading than a performance. He's clear and articulate which is obviously most important but doesn't give the characters any big range of voices. I cannot pass this by though without mentioning what has to be one of the most memorable attempts at an Australian accent I have ever heard. It seemed to start in that well known Aussie city of Dublin and eventually stumbled to somewhere near Mumbai, obviously Australia is bigger than I had ever imagined!
So, this is decent addition to the genre and as I said I enjoyed this first one enough that I have bought the second one for myself. Zombie fans that enjoy a bit of wry humour and plenty of gory action should be happy with this but it's worth noting it really is in for a penny in for a pound. This first book stops abruptly leaving our characters in various states of danger and disarray. It really is a series you're buying into and as a brave self-published author I really do hope Scott has success with it.
August 23, 2021
This series has everything you'd want in a zombie apocalypse - lots of action, zombies, heroes and great villains'. It was full of unique experiences and centered around a family trying to reunite in an impossible environment. It offered different perspectives which is sometimes too much but I feel like it was done exactly right in this series as the story progresses.
I was able to zip through this series fairly fast and feel like the majority of negative reviews (on Amazon at least) revolve around misplaced words and editing issues - which are an issue but with some quick fixes and an updated release that could be resolved easily and this series would rise to the top of the charts. It didn't take me away from wanting to know what was going to happen next - you can tell the author is authentic and just as much invested in the story and characters as the reader.
I was able to zip through this series fairly fast and feel like the majority of negative reviews (on Amazon at least) revolve around misplaced words and editing issues - which are an issue but with some quick fixes and an updated release that could be resolved easily and this series would rise to the top of the charts. It didn't take me away from wanting to know what was going to happen next - you can tell the author is authentic and just as much invested in the story and characters as the reader.
January 12, 2020
A Small World is the first book in the Zombies! series. The book sets the stage for what could be a very exciting series. R. S. Merritt develops interesting and complex characters while building a new world of zombies and action. I look forward to the next books in the series.
February 11, 2021
Good series!
Hello. If this series looks good to you then please check it out. I read all seven books and it was pretty good. Definitely going to look at more books from mr. merrit.
Hello. If this series looks good to you then please check it out. I read all seven books and it was pretty good. Definitely going to look at more books from mr. merrit.
December 4, 2021
So far, this has been my least favorite of the different zombie series by this author. By the end, though, I was again enraptured by the exciting plot twists and great character development. Thanks again to the author for keeping me so thoroughly entertained!
December 24, 2019
Good
It is a fast paced novel with interesting characters. It contains plenty of action to keep it entertaining. The storyline is intriguing.
It is a fast paced novel with interesting characters. It contains plenty of action to keep it entertaining. The storyline is intriguing.
Read
May 13, 2020Great story
July 11, 2020
I am enjoying the plot, I will enjoy the series based on where this is going.
September 25, 2020
I really liked the Zournal series so hoping I fall in love with these characters also. It’s a lot of action and I’m hoping in book 2 I see more cohesion of the story line. Still very good writing.
January 22, 2021
I really liked this book and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
February 2, 2021
Awesome series
If you like zombie apocalypse then you need to read this series. This is my second time to read this series!
If you like zombie apocalypse then you need to read this series. This is my second time to read this series!
February 12, 2021
Good read!
Lots of action and a wide range in ages of characters. I’m invested. Looking forward to reading the next installment.
Lots of action and a wide range in ages of characters. I’m invested. Looking forward to reading the next installment.
May 22, 2021
One of the best
I enjoyed reading this book. Characters are believable and normal people trying to survive any way they can. Off to read book two now.
I enjoyed reading this book. Characters are believable and normal people trying to survive any way they can. Off to read book two now.
November 25, 2021
Great book, really enjoyed it, recommend it all day long.
June 19, 2022
great
A scout group canoeing on the river is stranded and as they search zombies appear. Read how various group struggle to survive
A scout group canoeing on the river is stranded and as they search zombies appear. Read how various group struggle to survive
February 28, 2023
3.5 stars and a big step up so far from the Zournal series in terms of wording issues. Not a single moodily thing.
November 25, 2019
So many zombies so little time. I stayed up half the night because I was so invested in the lives of the protagonists.
Normally I am not a fan of multiple protagonists but the author has done it so smoothly that you don't lose the tangent of one character when you are reading from another pvo.
A sharply written series of constant struggle and survival. Great character arcs and edge of the seat action. A fight to stay alive against all odds, be it a fiesty grandmother intent on keeping her grandbabies safe at any cost or a orphaned teenage boy who has lost everything but his compassion and intellect.
There is characters you will love and others that you will loathe but everyone of them has a story thats exciting, terrifying and unmissable.
I can't wait for more sleepless nights as I work my way through this series.
Normally I am not a fan of multiple protagonists but the author has done it so smoothly that you don't lose the tangent of one character when you are reading from another pvo.
A sharply written series of constant struggle and survival. Great character arcs and edge of the seat action. A fight to stay alive against all odds, be it a fiesty grandmother intent on keeping her grandbabies safe at any cost or a orphaned teenage boy who has lost everything but his compassion and intellect.
There is characters you will love and others that you will loathe but everyone of them has a story thats exciting, terrifying and unmissable.
I can't wait for more sleepless nights as I work my way through this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2019
Shreaking, fast running zombie. Yikes! At least they aren't all skinny and slow. They have differences like the people they were before the virus. That's my biggest complaint of The Walking Dead. If 70% of Americans are overweight, how would all the zombies become skinny? I'll take that diet! LOL!
It isn't the zombies that pull me into books about zombies. It is the survivors. You probably don't get a choice who you spend the apocalypse with. Our ways of defining each other, style, size, shape, gender, age, etc., are wiped away. Good and bad show up. The good guy isn't really when you put him against the zombies, the bad guy comes up with ways to save everyone. Moment by moment the apocalypse tests people. As I read/watch these kinds of stories I jump in and wonder how would I react, how would other people handle it all? Since the author gave us characters and their traits we are surprised and yet not at the reactions of trying to survive. I think there is a wisdom to how people can't be enclosed in a box of what you think might happen. It is often the people that are scary, maybe more than the monsters.
In the above character arch, I find this book interesting. Mr. Merritt seemed to try and change things up to what you might expect in these kinds of situations. And he wrote the story in such a way that the reader doesn't want to put the book away for the night.
BUT narratives that say Him and take me right out of the story. There were a few places an editor needed to be stronger. AND I'm not an editor! I usually don't see oopsies. I get caught up in the story and rarely notice the problems. So if I see it, I am hesitant to recommend the book to my more astute friends.
My biggest problem is not finishing the book. Yep! Cliffhangers! HATE THEM!!! If I didn't already have the next book from Kindle Unlimited (how I got this one) so I could move on I wouldn't have moved on. If I had bought this, I would not buy the next!
By the way, are you being paid by Disney? It seems there are a lot of references along the way. I felt those rather out of the blue and weird. I suppose if the person is from Orlando, FL or Anaheim, CA, that would be a big part of your life, but most aren't lucky enough to be near those, even in the apocalypse!
It isn't the zombies that pull me into books about zombies. It is the survivors. You probably don't get a choice who you spend the apocalypse with. Our ways of defining each other, style, size, shape, gender, age, etc., are wiped away. Good and bad show up. The good guy isn't really when you put him against the zombies, the bad guy comes up with ways to save everyone. Moment by moment the apocalypse tests people. As I read/watch these kinds of stories I jump in and wonder how would I react, how would other people handle it all? Since the author gave us characters and their traits we are surprised and yet not at the reactions of trying to survive. I think there is a wisdom to how people can't be enclosed in a box of what you think might happen. It is often the people that are scary, maybe more than the monsters.
In the above character arch, I find this book interesting. Mr. Merritt seemed to try and change things up to what you might expect in these kinds of situations. And he wrote the story in such a way that the reader doesn't want to put the book away for the night.
BUT narratives that say Him and take me right out of the story. There were a few places an editor needed to be stronger. AND I'm not an editor! I usually don't see oopsies. I get caught up in the story and rarely notice the problems. So if I see it, I am hesitant to recommend the book to my more astute friends.
My biggest problem is not finishing the book. Yep! Cliffhangers! HATE THEM!!! If I didn't already have the next book from Kindle Unlimited (how I got this one) so I could move on I wouldn't have moved on. If I had bought this, I would not buy the next!
By the way, are you being paid by Disney? It seems there are a lot of references along the way. I felt those rather out of the blue and weird. I suppose if the person is from Orlando, FL or Anaheim, CA, that would be a big part of your life, but most aren't lucky enough to be near those, even in the apocalypse!
March 18, 2020
This series just hooked me in and I can not wait to see what happens next in the next book! This book hits the ground running. The characters are not overwhelming so you really grow attached to them. I really enjoyed the diversity of characters in the book and that they all had their own problems and where not perfect rambos. Though at this point in time with the coronavirus going out, i freaked myself out a bit LOL! Great book and plot that really keeps it fast paced and intriguing.
June 14, 2021
A Little Slow Going at First
Good character development with how people will behave when society falls. Expect there to be hero's like Brenda, and villains like the preacher. Kyler and Mike is where the slow reading comes to view. Those two guys probably have not made it 50 miles from their original location. Throw an alcoholic in a zombie apocalypse, someone is going to become one of the undead.
Good character development with how people will behave when society falls. Expect there to be hero's like Brenda, and villains like the preacher. Kyler and Mike is where the slow reading comes to view. Those two guys probably have not made it 50 miles from their original location. Throw an alcoholic in a zombie apocalypse, someone is going to become one of the undead.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews