What do you think?
Rate this book
The Buzzard Zone
When the buzzards took flight, Levi Hobbs knew his family's only hope of survival was to escape. They were coming, the Biters, the dead, risen as zombies, infested by parasites and transformed into shambling, ravenous monsters. As the family flees their home in the Smoky Mountains, they head eastward to the Carolinas in search of refuge. As the buzzards on their trail grow thicker, the Zone widens, and the Biters become hungrier and more hostile. The Hobbs family realizes there is only one place left to go, one place to make a final stand... and time is running out.
272 pages, Paperback
Published November 26, 2018
9 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Ronald Kelly
98 books405 followersRonald Kelly was born and raised in the hills and hollows of Middle Tennessee. He became interested in horror as a child, watching the local "Creature Feature" on Saturday nights and "The Big Show"---a Nashville-based TV show that presented every old monster movie ever made ---in the afternoons after school. In high school, his interest turned to horror literature and he read such writers as Poe, Lovecraft, Matheson, and King. He originally had dreams of becoming a comic book artist and created many of his own superheroes. But during his junior year, the writing bug bit him and he focused his attention on penning short stories and full-length novels. To date, he has had thirteen novels and twelve short fiction collections published. In 2021, his extreme horror collection, THE ESSENTIAL SICK STUFF, won a Splatterpunk Award for Best Collection.
He currently lives in Brush Creek, Tennessee with his wife, young'uns, and an ultra-hyper Jack Russel named Toby.
He currently lives in Brush Creek, Tennessee with his wife, young'uns, and an ultra-hyper Jack Russel named Toby.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 4, 2024
Kelly took a break from writing for a spell, and then returned in 2018 with The Buzzard Zone, a zombie novel along the lines of George Romero and Brian Keene (in fact, he dedicated the novel to them both). Most 'traditional' zombie novels follow the same format, e.g., a plucky group of survivors must somehow deal with the zombies and humans gone power mad in a lawless environment, and Kelly indeed goes this route. While I really enjoyed the cast of characters, and Kelly's prose, overall, the story did not really impress me, or bring much new to the subgenre.
The titular Buzzard Zone concerns the flocks of buzzards that fly around packs of 'Biters' or zombies, looking for scraps; the bigger the flock, the more Biters. I got this from the internets: "The term or name for a group of vultures varies depending on where they are, although the generic term is a flock. When they are flying in formation, they are referred to as a kettle. When they are resting in a tree or on the ground, vultures are called a committee, and whilst feeding, they are known as a wake."
The story starts off in Eastern Tennessee at the Hobbs homestead. Levi and Nell, the parents, and their three kids, twin teenage boys and their recently divorced daughter Kate. The Hobbs live pretty much alone up in the Smokies, isolated like, and when the world as they new ended, they stocked up and waited. Well, they went to the nearest town one day to 'loot' and found an older guy and gal trapped in a VW surrounded by Biters. Turns out he is a scientist working on the zombie plague; he and his wife become the first two to join the Hobbs, and their trials and tribulations just begin...
If you are looking for a 'traditional' zombie novel, The Buzzard Zone fits the bill. We follow the Hobbs and company into the Carolinas and lots of blood and gore follow their travels. They meet some good people and some bad ones, and this basically follows the script established long ago. While Kelly's prose and heartfelt characters set this apart a bit from the back, I am not sure at this point the world needs yet another zombie novel. YMMV! 3 buzzards.
The titular Buzzard Zone concerns the flocks of buzzards that fly around packs of 'Biters' or zombies, looking for scraps; the bigger the flock, the more Biters. I got this from the internets: "The term or name for a group of vultures varies depending on where they are, although the generic term is a flock. When they are flying in formation, they are referred to as a kettle. When they are resting in a tree or on the ground, vultures are called a committee, and whilst feeding, they are known as a wake."
The story starts off in Eastern Tennessee at the Hobbs homestead. Levi and Nell, the parents, and their three kids, twin teenage boys and their recently divorced daughter Kate. The Hobbs live pretty much alone up in the Smokies, isolated like, and when the world as they new ended, they stocked up and waited. Well, they went to the nearest town one day to 'loot' and found an older guy and gal trapped in a VW surrounded by Biters. Turns out he is a scientist working on the zombie plague; he and his wife become the first two to join the Hobbs, and their trials and tribulations just begin...
If you are looking for a 'traditional' zombie novel, The Buzzard Zone fits the bill. We follow the Hobbs and company into the Carolinas and lots of blood and gore follow their travels. They meet some good people and some bad ones, and this basically follows the script established long ago. While Kelly's prose and heartfelt characters set this apart a bit from the back, I am not sure at this point the world needs yet another zombie novel. YMMV! 3 buzzards.
January 19, 2019
An unknown parasite brings the human race to it's knees....transforming the living into ravenous Biters, ambulatory undead vehicles of infestation and certain death.
The only warning that they are coming....monstrous flocks of buzzards that follow the swarming Biters....feeding on the carnage they leave in their wake.
And people aren't the only living things susceptible to the plague.
Levi Hobbs and his family have managed to survive in his childhood home in the Smoky Mountains. But when their luck finally runs out and the Biters find them, they are forced to flee east, seeking a new safe haven.
But safe places are few and far between. And the Biters aren't the only threat on the road to sanctuary.
Along the way, they will find survivors, decent people fighting for their lives.....and predators who prey on them.
Will they find a place to make a life in a world gone mad......or a place to make a last stand against the inevitable?
Ronald Kelly has written a tense, superior zombie thriller, peopled with characters that are perfectly imperfect. Each bearing the traumas of their own pasts, traumas that surface as the trauma of their battle for survival takes it's toll. Add in a welcome dose of true humanity, and country common sense, you can't help but feel for them....and in doing so, feel the horror of their plight that much more.
And let's not forget appearances by folks that fans of the horror community will recognize immediately.
Ronald Kelly is back....and better than ever.
Highly recommended.
The only warning that they are coming....monstrous flocks of buzzards that follow the swarming Biters....feeding on the carnage they leave in their wake.
And people aren't the only living things susceptible to the plague.
Levi Hobbs and his family have managed to survive in his childhood home in the Smoky Mountains. But when their luck finally runs out and the Biters find them, they are forced to flee east, seeking a new safe haven.
But safe places are few and far between. And the Biters aren't the only threat on the road to sanctuary.
Along the way, they will find survivors, decent people fighting for their lives.....and predators who prey on them.
Will they find a place to make a life in a world gone mad......or a place to make a last stand against the inevitable?
Ronald Kelly has written a tense, superior zombie thriller, peopled with characters that are perfectly imperfect. Each bearing the traumas of their own pasts, traumas that surface as the trauma of their battle for survival takes it's toll. Add in a welcome dose of true humanity, and country common sense, you can't help but feel for them....and in doing so, feel the horror of their plight that much more.
And let's not forget appearances by folks that fans of the horror community will recognize immediately.
Ronald Kelly is back....and better than ever.
Highly recommended.
April 18, 2019
Even during the zombie apocalypse, Tennesseans will offer to feed you. "are you ok? Let's get you something to eat."
i just finished this and my review couldn't wait. this is my 2nd read from Ronald Kelly. Let me just tell you about Mr. Kelly. He is damn good at getting you attached to characters then ripping your heart out and killing them off. : ( You broke my heart Ronald! It was a lot of fun reading this story because i have been to most location in it. Pigeon Forge, Oak Ridge(The Secret City), The Biltmore, Cherokee, N.C., Asheville. I like his take on the zombie outbreak and i like the fact he doesn't explain fully what happened or where it came from. The settings were familiar and the characters were great. It took me a minute to warm up to them but i did. The story is well written and i read it pretty fast (for me). Ronald Kelly has a new fan girl and this most certainly won't be the last thing i read by him.
i just finished this and my review couldn't wait. this is my 2nd read from Ronald Kelly. Let me just tell you about Mr. Kelly. He is damn good at getting you attached to characters then ripping your heart out and killing them off. : ( You broke my heart Ronald! It was a lot of fun reading this story because i have been to most location in it. Pigeon Forge, Oak Ridge(The Secret City), The Biltmore, Cherokee, N.C., Asheville. I like his take on the zombie outbreak and i like the fact he doesn't explain fully what happened or where it came from. The settings were familiar and the characters were great. It took me a minute to warm up to them but i did. The story is well written and i read it pretty fast (for me). Ronald Kelly has a new fan girl and this most certainly won't be the last thing i read by him.
January 16, 2019
A zombie apocalypse is not meant to be an edifying experience. When we, the reader, choose to invest our time in a zombie novel (of which there are many), we’re looking to flick our brain-switch to the off position for a while and hopefully enjoy something with a cinematic presentation and a visceral response. The Buzzard Zone delivers on both counts.
The sole purpose of the walking dead is to seek out and devour living human flesh. The author’s job in these stories is always the same; focus on a ragtag group of survivors and put them in one perilous situation after another as they try to escape the advancing horde. If the author can do this in clever and entertaining ways, they will have fulfilled their promise to their readers. Ronald Kelly fulfills his promise.
The Buzzard Zone focuses on a family of Tennessee hillbillies, the Hobbs’, as they are forced to flee their home in the Smoky Mountains and head east. Their survival endgame is essentially non-existent; they know they can’t stay where they are, so they pack up and leave. Any future strategy will be made up on the fly.
I appreciated The Buzzard Zone focusing on a southern rural setting to tell its tale. It allowed for the clever use of vultures in the sky as a sign for the presence of zombies in the hinterlands of the American Southeast. Zombies are essentially mobile carrion, so vultures would naturally appear around any congregations of them, patiently waiting to partake should they fall. The rural setting also allows for a folksy telling of the zombie apocalypse and Ronald Kelly has a unique talent for this. Whenever I read one of his stories it feels like I am a kid at my grandfather’s farm, sitting in his lap, listening while he spins a new yarn.
If I was forced to take issue with anything about this story, it would be the common gripe that is seemingly inherent with the zombie story, regardless of the author. When the Hobbs’ are unknowingly about to need someone with a very particular set of skills, Liam Neeson appears and saves the day. Okay, I apologize for the dumb joke, but I couldn’t resist. Seriously though, serendipity always seems to rise to the occasion to keep the Hobbs family alive. When one of the Hobbs’ children is bitten by an undead possum, a recent addition to their group just happens to be a scientist familiar with the parasite that has caused the zombie plague and knows what to do to save him. Also, the scientist’s wife is conveniently a former Olympic sharpshooter; very handy for some life-and-death encounters soon to come.
The Buzzard Zone is not just an adventurous whack-a-mole story, as the Hobbs’ and their ragtag group mow down zombies on their search for salvation. Along the way, they face real danger and tragedy amongst their numbers, as of course they would in any sincere telling of this kind of story.
The Buzzard Zone also stays true to the inherent nihilism of the zombie apocalypse. When zombies saturate the world’s landscape, there will be no happy endings. There will be no return to what once was. The Buzzard Zone does not dishonor this simple fact. Nope. At the conclusion of the story, the zombie horde is still present, still hungry, still interminable. In other words, ripe for continuation. I’ll be eagerly waiting.
The sole purpose of the walking dead is to seek out and devour living human flesh. The author’s job in these stories is always the same; focus on a ragtag group of survivors and put them in one perilous situation after another as they try to escape the advancing horde. If the author can do this in clever and entertaining ways, they will have fulfilled their promise to their readers. Ronald Kelly fulfills his promise.
The Buzzard Zone focuses on a family of Tennessee hillbillies, the Hobbs’, as they are forced to flee their home in the Smoky Mountains and head east. Their survival endgame is essentially non-existent; they know they can’t stay where they are, so they pack up and leave. Any future strategy will be made up on the fly.
I appreciated The Buzzard Zone focusing on a southern rural setting to tell its tale. It allowed for the clever use of vultures in the sky as a sign for the presence of zombies in the hinterlands of the American Southeast. Zombies are essentially mobile carrion, so vultures would naturally appear around any congregations of them, patiently waiting to partake should they fall. The rural setting also allows for a folksy telling of the zombie apocalypse and Ronald Kelly has a unique talent for this. Whenever I read one of his stories it feels like I am a kid at my grandfather’s farm, sitting in his lap, listening while he spins a new yarn.
If I was forced to take issue with anything about this story, it would be the common gripe that is seemingly inherent with the zombie story, regardless of the author. When the Hobbs’ are unknowingly about to need someone with a very particular set of skills, Liam Neeson appears and saves the day. Okay, I apologize for the dumb joke, but I couldn’t resist. Seriously though, serendipity always seems to rise to the occasion to keep the Hobbs family alive. When one of the Hobbs’ children is bitten by an undead possum, a recent addition to their group just happens to be a scientist familiar with the parasite that has caused the zombie plague and knows what to do to save him. Also, the scientist’s wife is conveniently a former Olympic sharpshooter; very handy for some life-and-death encounters soon to come.
The Buzzard Zone is not just an adventurous whack-a-mole story, as the Hobbs’ and their ragtag group mow down zombies on their search for salvation. Along the way, they face real danger and tragedy amongst their numbers, as of course they would in any sincere telling of this kind of story.
The Buzzard Zone also stays true to the inherent nihilism of the zombie apocalypse. When zombies saturate the world’s landscape, there will be no happy endings. There will be no return to what once was. The Buzzard Zone does not dishonor this simple fact. Nope. At the conclusion of the story, the zombie horde is still present, still hungry, still interminable. In other words, ripe for continuation. I’ll be eagerly waiting.
March 9, 2019
This was a great nostalgic ride by my good friend Ronald Kelly. "Buzzard Zone" is his first novel in five years was well worth the wait. I was a big fan of the late George Romero's "Dead Trilogy" movies. And, TBZ reminded me a lot of those three movies. If you loved George Romero's "Dead Trilogy" -- you'll love "TBZ" by Ronald Kelly. It was a wild, fun enjoyable ride.
The story line is top notch. And, the character development is also great. There is the Hobbs clan consisting of middle-50ish Levi, his wife Nell, young adult daughter Kate and 16-year old twin sons Avery and Jem. They live in the Smoky Mountains of Hobbs' Ridge near Gatlinburg, TN.
As the story begins -- the zombie apocalypse has already begun. And, the big tell that zombies -- called Biters -- are around are the number of buzzards in the air.
Before the Hobbs are forced to leave their home -- they rescue an elderly couple -- Abe and Agnes Mendlebaum from their car. Abe was a scientific researcher at Oak Ridge. He said parasites the size of chigger bugs are the cause of the Biters. Agnes turns out to be a former Olympic athlete. They are on their way to Henderson, NC to check on Agnes home-bound twin sister. The Hobbs join them.
Soon they meet up with a Native American family -- The Tauchees -- father Billy, pregnant wife Enolia and their young daughter Jessie. We find out later Billy was part of elite special forces group in the army.
And, just like George Romero's movies -- this group we come to care about a lot -- are put to the test fighting off Biters and assorted unsavory humans -- ie. Frank Gentry -- for one. And, just like Romero's movies -- there is emotional intensity because of the twists and turns -- bad things happen to people we care about.
And, as an added twist -- Ronald Kelly included a few real-life horror authors -- who are friends of his in TBZ -- James Newman. Along, with the Sisters of Slaughter Michelle and Melissa Webb. It's one wild ride.
The story line is top notch. And, the character development is also great. There is the Hobbs clan consisting of middle-50ish Levi, his wife Nell, young adult daughter Kate and 16-year old twin sons Avery and Jem. They live in the Smoky Mountains of Hobbs' Ridge near Gatlinburg, TN.
As the story begins -- the zombie apocalypse has already begun. And, the big tell that zombies -- called Biters -- are around are the number of buzzards in the air.
Before the Hobbs are forced to leave their home -- they rescue an elderly couple -- Abe and Agnes Mendlebaum from their car. Abe was a scientific researcher at Oak Ridge. He said parasites the size of chigger bugs are the cause of the Biters. Agnes turns out to be a former Olympic athlete. They are on their way to Henderson, NC to check on Agnes home-bound twin sister. The Hobbs join them.
Soon they meet up with a Native American family -- The Tauchees -- father Billy, pregnant wife Enolia and their young daughter Jessie. We find out later Billy was part of elite special forces group in the army.
And, just like George Romero's movies -- this group we come to care about a lot -- are put to the test fighting off Biters and assorted unsavory humans -- ie. Frank Gentry -- for one. And, just like Romero's movies -- there is emotional intensity because of the twists and turns -- bad things happen to people we care about.
And, as an added twist -- Ronald Kelly included a few real-life horror authors -- who are friends of his in TBZ -- James Newman. Along, with the Sisters of Slaughter Michelle and Melissa Webb. It's one wild ride.
August 11, 2023
The Buzzard Zone, Ronald Kelly's take on the zombie genre, pulls up to the table with fan-favorite tropes mixed with fresh ideas. Visible parasites as the root cause, an apocalypse already well under way, a large cast of characters, each well-developed and expertly juggled, and an ominous cloud that follows death around like, well, like a buzzard. Kelly injects this story with trademark elements of hope among the blood and guts, always taking a moment to fight off hate in the midst of horror without allowing it to come off sappy or insincere. The Buzzard Zone is a can't-miss for Kelly fans or any horror reader who just can't get enough of shuffling biters.
September 14, 2022
If you have seen the movie Train To Busan, then you know what I mean when I say this book is so full of emotion. For my very first Ronald Kelly book, I went with The Buzzard Zone. This is definitely a book meant for my bookshelf.
This is a story about Levi Hobbs and his family surviving the zombie apocalypse. His family lives in Tennessee up in the mountains. At first they were pretty safe from the Biters. But soon, that luck changes and they are forced to leave their home.
I know it seems the zombie genre is overplayed and is everywhere. Ronald published this book 4 years ago, so at that time, it was getting really popular. His story of the apocalypse is so well written, I wish I had read this as one of my first stories about zombies. This kind of writing is why I keep going back to a good zombie apocalypse book.
I highly, highly, recommend this book for all zombie enthusiasts. For everyone else, if you can ignore the fact that this is about zombies, you will read a magnificent story.
This is a story about Levi Hobbs and his family surviving the zombie apocalypse. His family lives in Tennessee up in the mountains. At first they were pretty safe from the Biters. But soon, that luck changes and they are forced to leave their home.
I know it seems the zombie genre is overplayed and is everywhere. Ronald published this book 4 years ago, so at that time, it was getting really popular. His story of the apocalypse is so well written, I wish I had read this as one of my first stories about zombies. This kind of writing is why I keep going back to a good zombie apocalypse book.
I highly, highly, recommend this book for all zombie enthusiasts. For everyone else, if you can ignore the fact that this is about zombies, you will read a magnificent story.
August 15, 2022
It took me a minute to get in to this one but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it!! I loved all the new takes on what a zombie apocalypse would be like!! I would love to find out where this cast of characters end up.
April 8, 2023
Fantastic book, got me out of a little bit of a reading slump with fun characters and the like. I really liked Levi and Nell and their twin boys. Kind of just ends though, which sucks. Still a great book.
March 13, 2020
Excellent zombie thriller. Great characters would lend itself to a great movie or TV series. Highly recommended.
July 1, 2020
Wonderful scripting. Nail biting read! I usually prefer vampires and werewolves but this zombie read was just wonderful! I hated for it to end.
May 25, 2021
Incredible novel. Lots of characters to love, and one you’ll love to hate. Ronald Kelly at his best!
September 20, 2025
I am not big on zombies. I find the trope a little played out and overdone. But I truly enjoyed Ronald Kelly's Buzzard Zone.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews