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The Infected Dead #1
Alive for Now
Set in South Carolina, an unknown infection has caused people to die and come back to life as reanimated corpses, attacking any living person.
This is the story of the survival of one man who was the benefactor of a shelter that helped him to live through the onslaught of the infected dead. Beginning with the initial days of the apocalypse, Ed Jackson watches the world die from the safety of his shelter, but there are others who are also trying to stay alive as they seek refuge.
He must decide who he will take into his shelter and who he will reject, and those decisions will help him to form the bonds he did not have even before the end of the world. He and his new friends are faced with the dangers of the dead world as they are forced to leave the safest shelter anyone could possibly have in order to do more than simply exist.
This is the story of the survival of one man who was the benefactor of a shelter that helped him to live through the onslaught of the infected dead. Beginning with the initial days of the apocalypse, Ed Jackson watches the world die from the safety of his shelter, but there are others who are also trying to stay alive as they seek refuge.
He must decide who he will take into his shelter and who he will reject, and those decisions will help him to form the bonds he did not have even before the end of the world. He and his new friends are faced with the dangers of the dead world as they are forced to leave the safest shelter anyone could possibly have in order to do more than simply exist.
318 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2016
321 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
About the author
Bob Howard
15 books67 followersMeet the Charleston, South Carolina Author
The author Bob Howard (1951-) was born in New Jersey to parents who met in Germany during WW II. His father was from Ohio and his ancestors were from the UK. His mother was born in Romania. He grew up as an Army dependent, and lived overseas in Germany and Okinawa for most of his childhood.
Bob is a veteran of both the Navy and the Air Force and was stationed in Charleston, South Carolina. He fell in love with the city and made it his home. As a graduate of the College of Charleston (1978) with a degree in Psychology, he has worked in the field of social services. Bob has lived and worked in Charleston, South Carolina for 25 years then moved to Columbia, South Carolina because of a promotion with his job for the last ten years. Bob will retire soon and will live in Charleston, South Carolina to be near his children.
Bob and his wife Dawn (College of Charleston 1979) have been married 31 years and raised a son and a daughter both born in Charleston, SC. Bob has finally reached a time when he can enjoy writing, and the zombie apocalypse is his favorite genre.
Bob Howard's passion has always been writing. Bob's book, Alive for Now (http://www.realbobhoward.com/), is his first installment to the science fiction post apocalyptic genre, and he wants nothing more than to know that his readers enjoy his work.
The author Bob Howard (1951-) was born in New Jersey to parents who met in Germany during WW II. His father was from Ohio and his ancestors were from the UK. His mother was born in Romania. He grew up as an Army dependent, and lived overseas in Germany and Okinawa for most of his childhood.
Bob is a veteran of both the Navy and the Air Force and was stationed in Charleston, South Carolina. He fell in love with the city and made it his home. As a graduate of the College of Charleston (1978) with a degree in Psychology, he has worked in the field of social services. Bob has lived and worked in Charleston, South Carolina for 25 years then moved to Columbia, South Carolina because of a promotion with his job for the last ten years. Bob will retire soon and will live in Charleston, South Carolina to be near his children.
Bob and his wife Dawn (College of Charleston 1979) have been married 31 years and raised a son and a daughter both born in Charleston, SC. Bob has finally reached a time when he can enjoy writing, and the zombie apocalypse is his favorite genre.
Bob Howard's passion has always been writing. Bob's book, Alive for Now (http://www.realbobhoward.com/), is his first installment to the science fiction post apocalyptic genre, and he wants nothing more than to know that his readers enjoy his work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
dnfed
May 23, 2025DNF at 26%, started strong but quickly lost momentum.
January 21, 2018
This book was awful. I had high hopes for it in the beginning, but after the main character Eddy made it to the compound after the first day the book went downhill. Every time they left the compound it was for a stupid reason, and nothing truly awful ever happens to this group of friends that consist of a nurse, cop, first mate, and video game player.
There was absolutely no character development. We know nothing of their pasts, and honestly nothing about their present. They literally sat around the entire book creating drama, acting like spoiled children, and making stupid decisions.
Blow up a Jeep 4WD as a diversion???? Seriously!!!! Lame. Especially, in lieu of a suburban! They took numerous risks without any cause, and risked their lives for nothing without any result. Also, I’m not into romance, but it’s THE END OF THE FREAKING WORLD!!! Couldn’t the author add some heat to Eddy & Jean’s relationship?? It didn’t have to be literary porn, but for Pete’s sake. I felt like the author wrote the books teenagers. Teenagers in the 50s for that mater.
The ONLY reason I finished thus book is because I’m not a quitter. I start something, and I finish it. I’m super glad I only spend $.99 on this book.
There was absolutely no character development. We know nothing of their pasts, and honestly nothing about their present. They literally sat around the entire book creating drama, acting like spoiled children, and making stupid decisions.
Blow up a Jeep 4WD as a diversion???? Seriously!!!! Lame. Especially, in lieu of a suburban! They took numerous risks without any cause, and risked their lives for nothing without any result. Also, I’m not into romance, but it’s THE END OF THE FREAKING WORLD!!! Couldn’t the author add some heat to Eddy & Jean’s relationship?? It didn’t have to be literary porn, but for Pete’s sake. I felt like the author wrote the books teenagers. Teenagers in the 50s for that mater.
The ONLY reason I finished thus book is because I’m not a quitter. I start something, and I finish it. I’m super glad I only spend $.99 on this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2024
Remember that weird uncle who comes to all the family holiday events? This book has taught me that you should be nice to him, especially if he is also a prepper. He probably has a secret hideout on an island and you may need it someday.
It is with no little irony that I can now say I have read two books this year where an odd uncle has left a young man a secret hideout on an island! ( Starter Villain being the second.)
I know this review seems like I did not enjoy the book, but I did. I will even probably read the next book in the series. I just have to work hard on suspending my beliefs on this one.
It is with no little irony that I can now say I have read two books this year where an odd uncle has left a young man a secret hideout on an island! ( Starter Villain being the second.)
I know this review seems like I did not enjoy the book, but I did. I will even probably read the next book in the series. I just have to work hard on suspending my beliefs on this one.
August 15, 2025
Overall I enjoyed it I do have some issues with it but I enjoy our little group and hopefully we go in more detail of their development because it was like almost instant type of thing but I do understand since it’s life or death🧍♀️
Ngl chief is kinda funny LMAO and is probably my favorite out of the group!
I do like Kathy kinda taking charge and being the lead in most of the group adventures
I really do like that they don’t take in everyone they meet it sounds bad but I swear yall every character doesn’t need to be saved 💀 You meet the good, annoying, selfish, stupid people throughout the book.
My problem in the first 25% is the constant mention of video games and “im a gamer” was annoying asf like yall I play games too but I ain’t saying that every paragraph I type 🧍♀️
I did start enjoying it once jean and Kathy were introduced 🤣 loving chief so far but the first 25% of the book made me not like Ed LOOL and I seriously considered DNF but Kathy and Jean truly saved it for me
Also I swear these mfs had a bad NEED to just go out and risk their lives I swear it took them about 80% of the book for them to be like oh! Let’s not go outside anymore! Like yeah fuck the rules ur uncle left for you 🙄
I think the book ending nicely and I’m definitely continuing the series 🙂↕️
Update: I dnfed the 2nd book 😃
Ngl chief is kinda funny LMAO and is probably my favorite out of the group!
I do like Kathy kinda taking charge and being the lead in most of the group adventures
I really do like that they don’t take in everyone they meet it sounds bad but I swear yall every character doesn’t need to be saved 💀 You meet the good, annoying, selfish, stupid people throughout the book.
My problem in the first 25% is the constant mention of video games and “im a gamer” was annoying asf like yall I play games too but I ain’t saying that every paragraph I type 🧍♀️
I did start enjoying it once jean and Kathy were introduced 🤣 loving chief so far but the first 25% of the book made me not like Ed LOOL and I seriously considered DNF but Kathy and Jean truly saved it for me
Also I swear these mfs had a bad NEED to just go out and risk their lives I swear it took them about 80% of the book for them to be like oh! Let’s not go outside anymore! Like yeah fuck the rules ur uncle left for you 🙄
I think the book ending nicely and I’m definitely continuing the series 🙂↕️
Update: I dnfed the 2nd book 😃
February 6, 2017
Right off the top, let me say that Bob Howard's 'Alive for Now' is a well-written book that I enjoyed and would recommend. It also hit a couple of my pet peeves, but overall my reaction is a positive one.
Alive for Now is what I call a 'cozy' zombie apocalypse novel. The protagonists are never really in peril- they devise the perfect plan for every situation, and every plan works to perfection every time. The few times one of them risks getting bit, one of the others always swoops in to save them in the nick of time. Which is all fine, but unusual for the genre.
The main character is Edward Jackson, Eddy for short. He's an average guy living an average life- in his words, he's thirty-two, single, working on a career that was developing too slowly, and being constantly reminded by relatives that they had done better by his age.
He's also a lucky sonuvagun. Just before the zombie apocalypse kicks off, Eddy finds out his rich and crazy Uncle Titus has died and left him an island off the coast of South Carolina- Mud Island, to be exact. Even luckier, it turns out Uncle Titus was a prepper and Mud Island isn't your ordinary island. On it, Uncle Titus has constructed the finest underground shelter money can buy. It has multiple levels, multiple entrances, and room enough to sleep nine comfortably. The shelter is equipped with every modern convenience. It holds a life time's worth of food and a chef's kitchen to prepare it in. The shelter boasts an armory equipped with dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition and a medical center complete with a surgical suite. it even has a modern gym.
Uncle Titus left a houseboat and a seaplane on the island for emergencies and wired it with surveillance cameras that relay a view of the entire island back to the master security system back in the shelter. He stocked the coastal area with alligators and the ocean around the island with sharks to handle intruders.
With all that at his fingertips and a landscape filled with monsters that live only to eat the living, of course Eddy stays inside his shelter, right? Nope.
It's during one of his excursions top side that Eddy meets up with Chief Barnes, Kathy, and Jean. The trio are the only survivors of a cruise ship that held 5,000 people. They barely escape the ship when the infected rampage and are rowing a lifeboat to shore when they hear the gunfire from Eddy's target practice. It only takes about three minutes of conversing with the three of them before Eddy decides it would be safe to invite them into the shelter.
That sets the stage for the rest of the book. Chief Barnes (he was a chief seaman on the cruise ship) is the idea man and the one to turn to in times of trouble. Kathy was a police officer and is in charge of interacting with the other survivors the encounter. Jean was second in command of the ship's medical staff. She's the group's doctor. And Eddy owns all the toys.
Hijinks prevail. Like Eddy, The Chief is unable to stay put in the shelter. He's also a pilot (what cruise ship Chief isn't?) and convinces the team to take the plane out and get the lay of the land. The plane is shot down (by a rifle from the ground) and has to emergency land. They have to make their way back by hook or by crook, encountering all manner of survivors and infected along the way.
This is how good The Chief is. At one point on the way back they are traveling by car and approach a bridge. The Chief pulls over before the bridge, certain there are armed men laying in wait on the other side. There's no sign of the men, nothing to indicate that they are there, but The Chief had a feeling. And by God he was right. Spooky.
They take a second excursion to rescue the plane. Once again they are prepared for every obstacle and sniff out every danger, and everyone makes it back safe and sound.
The trips out are the best parts of the book. They are incredibly detailed; many times a book bogs down in exposition like that. But Howard handles it deftly; the plot flows and the narrative races, and the reading is highly entertaining.
Another of Howard's strengths is his description of the area and that small part of the ocean. If he doesn't live in coastal South Carolina he wore Google Earth out while learning about it. The effects the different tides, currents, and shorelines have on the infected is fascinating. Whether getting stuck in mud flats during low tide, getting pulled into the sea by the currents, or stepping off a bridge and disappearing into the water below, the ocean surroundings were a major scourge on the infected.
Above, I referred to two pet peeves. The first is kind of minor. At one point Eddy and Jean fall in love and begin sleeping together. Howard can't mention their relations without turning the group into a bunch of thirteen-year-olds. Double-entendres, bad puns, eye-rolling, blushing, exaggerated winks; not the way adults act about a sexual relationship, and it was annoying.
The second pet-peeve, and it's a big one, is how Howard writes his dialogue. If he were to write about Bob and Joe meeting in the kitchen in the morning it would go like this:
"Good Morning, Bob."
"Good morning, Joe."
"Bob, how'd you sleep?"
"Just fine, Joe. Thanks for asking. Would you like some coffee?"
"Yes, I would, Bob. Thank you."
"Don't mention it, Joe. Would you pass the sugar?"
"Here you are, Bob."
"Thanks, Joe."
"Bob, you're welcome."
Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but not much. Nearly every time someone speaks, they mention the name of the person they are talking to. People don't talk like that and when you read it, it grates and pulls you from the story. Oftentimes this kind of dialogue is reflective of a beginning author who doesn't have confidence in his reader's ability to stay aware of who's speaking without the writer's help. I can only hope that's the case here, and the constant name-tagging will be reduced in books two and three.
Overall, I judge Alive for Now a success and recommend it. Normally I shy away from this sort of zombie fiction- you can tell early on that nobody important is going to get bitten and everything will always work out perfectly. But Howard's skill with narrative and his careful attention to detail overcame the patness of the plot for me. I think he could have really blown his reader's doors off if he'd written it just as it is, and then out of the blue have The Chief or Jean get bitten three-quarters of the way through. Nobody would have seen that coming.
Alive for Now is what I call a 'cozy' zombie apocalypse novel. The protagonists are never really in peril- they devise the perfect plan for every situation, and every plan works to perfection every time. The few times one of them risks getting bit, one of the others always swoops in to save them in the nick of time. Which is all fine, but unusual for the genre.
The main character is Edward Jackson, Eddy for short. He's an average guy living an average life- in his words, he's thirty-two, single, working on a career that was developing too slowly, and being constantly reminded by relatives that they had done better by his age.
He's also a lucky sonuvagun. Just before the zombie apocalypse kicks off, Eddy finds out his rich and crazy Uncle Titus has died and left him an island off the coast of South Carolina- Mud Island, to be exact. Even luckier, it turns out Uncle Titus was a prepper and Mud Island isn't your ordinary island. On it, Uncle Titus has constructed the finest underground shelter money can buy. It has multiple levels, multiple entrances, and room enough to sleep nine comfortably. The shelter is equipped with every modern convenience. It holds a life time's worth of food and a chef's kitchen to prepare it in. The shelter boasts an armory equipped with dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition and a medical center complete with a surgical suite. it even has a modern gym.
Uncle Titus left a houseboat and a seaplane on the island for emergencies and wired it with surveillance cameras that relay a view of the entire island back to the master security system back in the shelter. He stocked the coastal area with alligators and the ocean around the island with sharks to handle intruders.
With all that at his fingertips and a landscape filled with monsters that live only to eat the living, of course Eddy stays inside his shelter, right? Nope.
It's during one of his excursions top side that Eddy meets up with Chief Barnes, Kathy, and Jean. The trio are the only survivors of a cruise ship that held 5,000 people. They barely escape the ship when the infected rampage and are rowing a lifeboat to shore when they hear the gunfire from Eddy's target practice. It only takes about three minutes of conversing with the three of them before Eddy decides it would be safe to invite them into the shelter.
That sets the stage for the rest of the book. Chief Barnes (he was a chief seaman on the cruise ship) is the idea man and the one to turn to in times of trouble. Kathy was a police officer and is in charge of interacting with the other survivors the encounter. Jean was second in command of the ship's medical staff. She's the group's doctor. And Eddy owns all the toys.
Hijinks prevail. Like Eddy, The Chief is unable to stay put in the shelter. He's also a pilot (what cruise ship Chief isn't?) and convinces the team to take the plane out and get the lay of the land. The plane is shot down (by a rifle from the ground) and has to emergency land. They have to make their way back by hook or by crook, encountering all manner of survivors and infected along the way.
This is how good The Chief is. At one point on the way back they are traveling by car and approach a bridge. The Chief pulls over before the bridge, certain there are armed men laying in wait on the other side. There's no sign of the men, nothing to indicate that they are there, but The Chief had a feeling. And by God he was right. Spooky.
They take a second excursion to rescue the plane. Once again they are prepared for every obstacle and sniff out every danger, and everyone makes it back safe and sound.
The trips out are the best parts of the book. They are incredibly detailed; many times a book bogs down in exposition like that. But Howard handles it deftly; the plot flows and the narrative races, and the reading is highly entertaining.
Another of Howard's strengths is his description of the area and that small part of the ocean. If he doesn't live in coastal South Carolina he wore Google Earth out while learning about it. The effects the different tides, currents, and shorelines have on the infected is fascinating. Whether getting stuck in mud flats during low tide, getting pulled into the sea by the currents, or stepping off a bridge and disappearing into the water below, the ocean surroundings were a major scourge on the infected.
Above, I referred to two pet peeves. The first is kind of minor. At one point Eddy and Jean fall in love and begin sleeping together. Howard can't mention their relations without turning the group into a bunch of thirteen-year-olds. Double-entendres, bad puns, eye-rolling, blushing, exaggerated winks; not the way adults act about a sexual relationship, and it was annoying.
The second pet-peeve, and it's a big one, is how Howard writes his dialogue. If he were to write about Bob and Joe meeting in the kitchen in the morning it would go like this:
"Good Morning, Bob."
"Good morning, Joe."
"Bob, how'd you sleep?"
"Just fine, Joe. Thanks for asking. Would you like some coffee?"
"Yes, I would, Bob. Thank you."
"Don't mention it, Joe. Would you pass the sugar?"
"Here you are, Bob."
"Thanks, Joe."
"Bob, you're welcome."
Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but not much. Nearly every time someone speaks, they mention the name of the person they are talking to. People don't talk like that and when you read it, it grates and pulls you from the story. Oftentimes this kind of dialogue is reflective of a beginning author who doesn't have confidence in his reader's ability to stay aware of who's speaking without the writer's help. I can only hope that's the case here, and the constant name-tagging will be reduced in books two and three.
Overall, I judge Alive for Now a success and recommend it. Normally I shy away from this sort of zombie fiction- you can tell early on that nobody important is going to get bitten and everything will always work out perfectly. But Howard's skill with narrative and his careful attention to detail overcame the patness of the plot for me. I think he could have really blown his reader's doors off if he'd written it just as it is, and then out of the blue have The Chief or Jean get bitten three-quarters of the way through. Nobody would have seen that coming.
March 20, 2020
Information overload but still an entertaining read, and because this is the first book, I'm hoping info dump will only be in this book. Onto the next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2022
Neat idea, but a bad book (SPOILERS)
Ok so lets start off with the bunker. This dude inherits a bunker with seemingly unlimited supplies, fuel, and resources. Not only that but it's on an island and with good natural barriers to threats. I was willing to accept all of this. It almost turned our main character into a Batman of the zombie apocalypse. All in all I thought the bunker was cool.
By the end of the second chapter though I was tired of our main character Eddie. Every paragraph has him wishing he had a video game. He has no other thoughts until he meets a girl. He quickly meets three friends who all have vital skills. They instantly become best friends. The dialogue is not interesting.
Then they go on a pointless mission that seems like just sightseeing. They save no one and learn very little that they didn't assume already. They break into a house and "rescue" a couple, while commenting how the couple are idiots. The couple tries to start the car, which was theirs and with established battery problems, so the group abandons them in a spot where they will certainly die.
I can go on but they decide not to help anyone really. This book could have been cool if they were zipping around moving survivors to new shelters and helping spread Intel. The writing could have been a lot more interesting but I give a little credit for the setup to the story. There's just nothing happening besides boat rides, fights, and people watching.
Ok so lets start off with the bunker. This dude inherits a bunker with seemingly unlimited supplies, fuel, and resources. Not only that but it's on an island and with good natural barriers to threats. I was willing to accept all of this. It almost turned our main character into a Batman of the zombie apocalypse. All in all I thought the bunker was cool.
By the end of the second chapter though I was tired of our main character Eddie. Every paragraph has him wishing he had a video game. He has no other thoughts until he meets a girl. He quickly meets three friends who all have vital skills. They instantly become best friends. The dialogue is not interesting.
Then they go on a pointless mission that seems like just sightseeing. They save no one and learn very little that they didn't assume already. They break into a house and "rescue" a couple, while commenting how the couple are idiots. The couple tries to start the car, which was theirs and with established battery problems, so the group abandons them in a spot where they will certainly die.
I can go on but they decide not to help anyone really. This book could have been cool if they were zipping around moving survivors to new shelters and helping spread Intel. The writing could have been a lot more interesting but I give a little credit for the setup to the story. There's just nothing happening besides boat rides, fights, and people watching.
April 13, 2024
I read the whole series, and as a whole it was alright. My fault with it was the long drawn out word by word tidbits of how each obstacle and mission was executed. I read zombie stories for the action, drama and conflict. There were too many in-depth explanations in between actions that took me out of the story. Maybe this story was more interesting to someone else.
May 28, 2024
This is probably my 5th reread of the series cause I love these characters. Everyone is so funny and Bob Howard knows how to intersperse the fun with the emotional parts. He really puts the apocalypse into perspective from a best case scenario which makes for a lot of room to explore the world and situations without the usual pitfalls of the apocalypse with finding food, safe shelter, etc. The zombies are also still a big obstacle unlike some books or shows (im looking at you walking dead) that let them become a background issue
September 9, 2025
I had to sit back and collect my thoughts on this one. If I could, I would give negative stars. This book was incredibly disappointing and SO boring. It reads like it was written for an incel forum, and you cannot convince me otherwise.
The main character is a complete loser—he’s in his 30s, obsessed with video games, calls himself a “survivalist,” and yet somehow gets gifted an island that’s conveniently stocked with everything anyone could ever need in an apocalypse. Okay, fine, I could let that ridiculous premise slide. But then you expect me to believe this so-called “survivalist” doesn’t even know how to shoot a gun? Make it make sense.
And don’t get me started on the other characters, who are even less enjoyable than the protagonist. To make matters worse, the author goes out of his way to avoid using the word “zombies,” instead insisting on calling them the “infected dead” because of some half-baked, pseudo-scientific reasoning. It feels forced and pretentious, like renaming a wheel and claiming you invented it.
Finally, the romance angle—or whatever you want to call it—is laughable. There is simply no way any woman would be interested in this guy, even if he were the last man on earth. The attempt at making him attractive or desirable comes off as pure wish fulfillment and nothing else.
Overall, this was a slog to get through, and I regret every minute I wasted on it.
The main character is a complete loser—he’s in his 30s, obsessed with video games, calls himself a “survivalist,” and yet somehow gets gifted an island that’s conveniently stocked with everything anyone could ever need in an apocalypse. Okay, fine, I could let that ridiculous premise slide. But then you expect me to believe this so-called “survivalist” doesn’t even know how to shoot a gun? Make it make sense.
And don’t get me started on the other characters, who are even less enjoyable than the protagonist. To make matters worse, the author goes out of his way to avoid using the word “zombies,” instead insisting on calling them the “infected dead” because of some half-baked, pseudo-scientific reasoning. It feels forced and pretentious, like renaming a wheel and claiming you invented it.
Finally, the romance angle—or whatever you want to call it—is laughable. There is simply no way any woman would be interested in this guy, even if he were the last man on earth. The attempt at making him attractive or desirable comes off as pure wish fulfillment and nothing else.
Overall, this was a slog to get through, and I regret every minute I wasted on it.
May 20, 2025
This was free in the plus catalog and I love zombies, so hell yes. With that being said, this hits every fucking campy trope, you want in a zombie book and NOT in a good way.
Alright, here we go. Was the book bad if you generally don't read zombie/horror? No. It was okay. The book was apart of 1 of 3, I could have listened to the other two books in the series, but this one was so terrible, I will NOT read the rest.
Reasons I hated it:
The main character was annoying AS FUCK. The world is ending and he's worried about PLAYING VIDEO GAMES?! LIFE IS FUCKING VIDEO GAME, MY DUDE. This dude deserved to die within the first five minutes with his absolute DUMBASS self.
EVERYTHING, and I mean everything is so dumb. The guy "saves" survivors and guess what? They're allllllll USEFUL. Great, cool.. okay. OHHHH and they're attractive? LMAO. Get the fuck out.
This was terrible. There's better zombie books out there, Jonathan Maberry can write zombies, 20000000000000x times better than this travesty.
Okay. I'm done. Have a good day. 😂
Alright, here we go. Was the book bad if you generally don't read zombie/horror? No. It was okay. The book was apart of 1 of 3, I could have listened to the other two books in the series, but this one was so terrible, I will NOT read the rest.
Reasons I hated it:
The main character was annoying AS FUCK. The world is ending and he's worried about PLAYING VIDEO GAMES?! LIFE IS FUCKING VIDEO GAME, MY DUDE. This dude deserved to die within the first five minutes with his absolute DUMBASS self.
EVERYTHING, and I mean everything is so dumb. The guy "saves" survivors and guess what? They're allllllll USEFUL. Great, cool.. okay. OHHHH and they're attractive? LMAO. Get the fuck out.
This was terrible. There's better zombie books out there, Jonathan Maberry can write zombies, 20000000000000x times better than this travesty.
Okay. I'm done. Have a good day. 😂
March 26, 2017
I love the book. The setting is in my adopted home SC coastal city of Charleston where I found my wife and my 2 children were born here. It is a beautiful place to tour and visit. I feel like I took the readers along the SC coast and with the plane, other parts of the states. Unfortunately you don't get to meet most of people of SC because they are THE WALKING DEAD! Charleston is known as the friendliest people in the US, but you don't get to experience that.
Read and find out what happens to those poor people.
Being an independent author, I depend entirely on you, the reader, to get the word out about my book. If you liked this book, won’t you please leave a review online and recommend it to a friend? The more you spread the word, the more books I can write, and nothing would please me more than to put a new book in your hands every single month!
Book 2 of the Infected Dead coming very soon!
Read and find out what happens to those poor people.
Being an independent author, I depend entirely on you, the reader, to get the word out about my book. If you liked this book, won’t you please leave a review online and recommend it to a friend? The more you spread the word, the more books I can write, and nothing would please me more than to put a new book in your hands every single month!
Book 2 of the Infected Dead coming very soon!
March 5, 2016
Hooked before end of first chapter
I am a avid reader and most times I am able to read some and then put the book down an get some stuff done and or sleep, I couldn't do that with this book. Couldn't put it down it held me in its pages and begged me to find out what happens to the group next. People are saying they wished that the author had fleshed out the characters more but I have to disagree, while reading it didn't make any difference at least to me I was kinda happy that there were no boring back stories that sidetracked me from the here an now of what was happening.
Seriously can't wait to see what happens next.... date of new one??.
I am a avid reader and most times I am able to read some and then put the book down an get some stuff done and or sleep, I couldn't do that with this book. Couldn't put it down it held me in its pages and begged me to find out what happens to the group next. People are saying they wished that the author had fleshed out the characters more but I have to disagree, while reading it didn't make any difference at least to me I was kinda happy that there were no boring back stories that sidetracked me from the here an now of what was happening.
Seriously can't wait to see what happens next.... date of new one??.
January 23, 2016
Pretty good read...
This was a pretty good read but really not much different from any other zombie book. I like my characters more fleshed out so I can imagine what they look like.
These guys were pretty lucky to have a safe place prepared. There doesn't seem to be any worries or any adversity that they have to face. Guess I like to see them struggle more.
Anyway, I appreciate any author who has the imagination & ability to write a book. I will search for the next one...
This was a pretty good read but really not much different from any other zombie book. I like my characters more fleshed out so I can imagine what they look like.
These guys were pretty lucky to have a safe place prepared. There doesn't seem to be any worries or any adversity that they have to face. Guess I like to see them struggle more.
Anyway, I appreciate any author who has the imagination & ability to write a book. I will search for the next one...
January 8, 2016
An excellent zombie book! You know a book is very enjoyable when you're oblivious to everything else that's going on around you. I can't wait for the 2nd book in the series!
June 12, 2022
This is one of the better "zombie apocalypse" books I have read. Sure, the MC is sort of a Gary-Stu, but he's not a gungho military shoot first ask later type. He thinks, he feels and he acts in accordance with the trope type he is - a modern gamer type - which is established within chapter one when he discovers that the apocalypse is on while he is picking out the ONLY thing his uncle did not include in his last will and testament: a gaming console and a stack of video games. How inconsiderate of Uncle Titus!
From there the book moves on into the survivalist part of the apocalypse.
The MC - Ed is a likable guy. He is your basic ordinary straight guy. He makes low-key observations about the female characters he meets. But he is not an objectifying asshole.
[A most refreshing concept in this genre, in which so many, if not all, male characters are written as drooling voyeurs whose only interest in women is whether they are pretty enough to have sex with.]
Ed knows very little about survivalism but is not adverse to picking up pointers from Uncle Titus' notes and letters. Nor is he against the use of firearms - after all he has done plenty of shooting in games.
This is how he finds and rescues three survivors from a cruise ship - while out on the open sea target practicing.
There is a lot of humor and warmth in this book. There are scary bits and there is some very low-key romance and a lot of caring and compassion also in the midst of fighting off hordes of infected dead.
This book won't teach you how to survive the zombie apocalypse, but it will keep you entertained and possibly give you hope that the zombie apocalypse is survivable even though you are not a sharpshooting military specialist.
From there the book moves on into the survivalist part of the apocalypse.
The MC - Ed is a likable guy. He is your basic ordinary straight guy. He makes low-key observations about the female characters he meets. But he is not an objectifying asshole.
[A most refreshing concept in this genre, in which so many, if not all, male characters are written as drooling voyeurs whose only interest in women is whether they are pretty enough to have sex with.]
Ed knows very little about survivalism but is not adverse to picking up pointers from Uncle Titus' notes and letters. Nor is he against the use of firearms - after all he has done plenty of shooting in games.
This is how he finds and rescues three survivors from a cruise ship - while out on the open sea target practicing.
There is a lot of humor and warmth in this book. There are scary bits and there is some very low-key romance and a lot of caring and compassion also in the midst of fighting off hordes of infected dead.
This book won't teach you how to survive the zombie apocalypse, but it will keep you entertained and possibly give you hope that the zombie apocalypse is survivable even though you are not a sharpshooting military specialist.
April 8, 2022
If this book was a cake the author has the right flour to bake a nice sponge of substance with an entertaining story.
The substance sponge is frosted with the buttercream of a smooth flowing storyline across the series. The frosting is polished with intricate piping of vivid descriptions of some pretty cool zombie attacks.
So we have a pretty pleasing looking cake of a series but when you take a bite the sprinkles that are character descriptions are less than palatable and despite finishing the series each bite of cake with sprinkles led me to dread the next.
Somehow every character to survive the initial apocalypse has to be attractive. Every female character introduced begins with an unbearable few sentences describing their Aphrodite looks before it launches into a feminine inner-monologue along the lines of “she liked her work uniform as she had been told by her coworkers it fit like a glove”. Each female character is streamlined into being the love interest of whichever male character is most obvious at the time, and by obvious I’m talking like a literal baby would be able to spot their love interest as soon as the female is introduced.
C’mon man I’m here for the infected starting a new food chain, crop dusting hordes with gasoline, and zombie tidal waves. The physical character descriptions are bad, the feminine inner-monologues are worse, and the painfully forced relationships are largely irrelevant to character development and would be improve the book if left out.
All in all a good story cake and I’m a glutton for zombies so I ate every bite but the bites with sprinkles sure didn’t make it easy.
The substance sponge is frosted with the buttercream of a smooth flowing storyline across the series. The frosting is polished with intricate piping of vivid descriptions of some pretty cool zombie attacks.
So we have a pretty pleasing looking cake of a series but when you take a bite the sprinkles that are character descriptions are less than palatable and despite finishing the series each bite of cake with sprinkles led me to dread the next.
Somehow every character to survive the initial apocalypse has to be attractive. Every female character introduced begins with an unbearable few sentences describing their Aphrodite looks before it launches into a feminine inner-monologue along the lines of “she liked her work uniform as she had been told by her coworkers it fit like a glove”. Each female character is streamlined into being the love interest of whichever male character is most obvious at the time, and by obvious I’m talking like a literal baby would be able to spot their love interest as soon as the female is introduced.
C’mon man I’m here for the infected starting a new food chain, crop dusting hordes with gasoline, and zombie tidal waves. The physical character descriptions are bad, the feminine inner-monologues are worse, and the painfully forced relationships are largely irrelevant to character development and would be improve the book if left out.
All in all a good story cake and I’m a glutton for zombies so I ate every bite but the bites with sprinkles sure didn’t make it easy.
February 25, 2024
Now this is a zombie apocalypse book!!! It is also the first in a series of (I think) 10.
My one problem with apocalypse books and films is that the horribleness of the human race always comes into play. And, though, the good humans predominantly win, I still have to suffer through reading how bad the human race can turn on their fellow humans.
I am happy to say that this book (I don't know about the series in general) doesn't contain any of that! It's just the beginning of the "end of the world" but the author does a good job of integrating the characters and showing that there are still good people in the world. So far, there are no double-crosses or betrayals going on.
As I read, I could literally see the scenes in my head. Very good writing!!! I could almost smell the recently animated dead. The author describes the good and the bad about what could happen during an apocalypse but he doesn't bury the reader in only bad events.
All in all, this is probably the best Zombie Apocalypse book I have EVER read. Now, I'm hoping the rest of the series is just as interesting and worth reading.
My one problem with apocalypse books and films is that the horribleness of the human race always comes into play. And, though, the good humans predominantly win, I still have to suffer through reading how bad the human race can turn on their fellow humans.
I am happy to say that this book (I don't know about the series in general) doesn't contain any of that! It's just the beginning of the "end of the world" but the author does a good job of integrating the characters and showing that there are still good people in the world. So far, there are no double-crosses or betrayals going on.
As I read, I could literally see the scenes in my head. Very good writing!!! I could almost smell the recently animated dead. The author describes the good and the bad about what could happen during an apocalypse but he doesn't bury the reader in only bad events.
All in all, this is probably the best Zombie Apocalypse book I have EVER read. Now, I'm hoping the rest of the series is just as interesting and worth reading.
September 6, 2025
If I never read, see, or hear the phrase infected dead ever again I'll be good. I think every other sentence has the total phrase "infected dead" in it at least twice.
We get some random asinine story about why they can't call them zombies and for the duration infected dead is repeated so much that anyone who made it a drinking game would probably kill their next to Kin with alcohol poisoning.
our main characters leave their safety twice the first time for extremely asinine reasons, the second time is not too bright either even considering how it's positioned.
The characters are mostly likable, and I really wanted to like the book, all in all is not terrible but oh my God....
I don't believe I could have done better for my first book, or ultimately written three books. I'm leaning more towards a 2.5 possibly a 3 for the rating just because I enjoy this genre and so much could have been done a lot better.
We get some random asinine story about why they can't call them zombies and for the duration infected dead is repeated so much that anyone who made it a drinking game would probably kill their next to Kin with alcohol poisoning.
our main characters leave their safety twice the first time for extremely asinine reasons, the second time is not too bright either even considering how it's positioned.
The characters are mostly likable, and I really wanted to like the book, all in all is not terrible but oh my God....
I don't believe I could have done better for my first book, or ultimately written three books. I'm leaning more towards a 2.5 possibly a 3 for the rating just because I enjoy this genre and so much could have been done a lot better.
December 16, 2019
My wife has grown tired of me joking about how we will create a compound for our family and select friends. I guess I have seen too many television specials and series about Doomsday Preppers, building bunkers and about survivalist. Granted I am living vicariously through those that are actually taking steps to prepare for the horrors to come whether they be a supervolcano, an asteroid, an EMP, infectious diseases, etc.
Most television series and books speak of those that are continuously on the run trying to stay alive from these types of horrors. Alive for Now talks of someone who has taken the time and money to prepare but has not lived to reap the rewards of their foresightedness. Instead it is a nephew and those he handpicks.
The beginning of a series of those that begin to learn to live with the horrors of the undead.
Most television series and books speak of those that are continuously on the run trying to stay alive from these types of horrors. Alive for Now talks of someone who has taken the time and money to prepare but has not lived to reap the rewards of their foresightedness. Instead it is a nephew and those he handpicks.
The beginning of a series of those that begin to learn to live with the horrors of the undead.
May 7, 2017
ONE BOOK I HIGHLY RECOMMEND & HOPE THE SERIES DOESN'T END TO SOON!
Ed Jackson inherits an Island off the Coast of South Carolina, but it's not just an Island, it's a shelter and an underground one at that. One day while he's out stocking up on the one thing that wasn't included in his shelter, he's still trying to figure out what he would ever need it for, when something happens that Ed would never have believed could happen, not in a million years, he realizes how lucky he is. Bob Howard has done a great job with this book and I for one love it. Something different with the way people try to survive as the world dies around them. This is one book I highly recommend & I'm hoping the series doesn't end to soon!
Ed Jackson inherits an Island off the Coast of South Carolina, but it's not just an Island, it's a shelter and an underground one at that. One day while he's out stocking up on the one thing that wasn't included in his shelter, he's still trying to figure out what he would ever need it for, when something happens that Ed would never have believed could happen, not in a million years, he realizes how lucky he is. Bob Howard has done a great job with this book and I for one love it. Something different with the way people try to survive as the world dies around them. This is one book I highly recommend & I'm hoping the series doesn't end to soon!
January 10, 2020
A well done well crafted zombie book, not as gory as I would have liked.
I really found the characters in the story very interesting, they were well-crafted and fun to read. I enjoyed the dichotomy between the four of them I hope they stay together through the rest of the series. This book was fun fast-paced and a good read. It was excellent except at the end, why would you bring kids into a zombie book I personally don’t appreciate it. I don’t think kids have any place in these books. I know there are seven books so far in the series and I will go on and read the next one. Very enjoyable.
I really found the characters in the story very interesting, they were well-crafted and fun to read. I enjoyed the dichotomy between the four of them I hope they stay together through the rest of the series. This book was fun fast-paced and a good read. It was excellent except at the end, why would you bring kids into a zombie book I personally don’t appreciate it. I don’t think kids have any place in these books. I know there are seven books so far in the series and I will go on and read the next one. Very enjoyable.
August 26, 2025
4 Stars - A post-apocolypic wet dream. Massively unrealistic but still a lot of fun haha. Imagine the world ends and zombies are devouring the human population. Bad right? Wrong. Because your eccentric uncle has just died and set you up with a multi-million dollar survival bunker on a remote island with a fully equipped armoury, medical centre and stocked food shelves. Could it get any better? Yes, yes it could... because it also has a plane, boat and so much more. Still not good enough? Okay, let's have a hot blonde, a hot brunette (one and nurse and one a cop) plus a mountain of a man that just so happens to know how to fly the plane show up... how convenient! Still a fun read though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2025
From the moment this book started it had my %100 attentionbwtween the light hearted banter in this book, as well as the moment's that tried to break my heart i couldn't stop reading. If your looking for the typical macho ex special forces or navy seals solider person that eat bullets and whisky for breakfast this isnt them. The characters feel like real people I had a lot of fun getting to know them, there are some really bad jokes. The book is a little predictable and the plot armor is thick, but its very well written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2025
Ed survives a zombie apocalypse thanks to his uncle, a prepper who left him an awesome survival home.
I love zombie books, but I want them to contain more time spent on the zombies. This story could have been swapped out with pandemic/EMP/most other apocalyptic events and been mostly the same. Ed and the three folks who joined him were interesting but felt pretty high-powered, and I was not a fan of Ed and one of the three having that instant connection/love/lust. Still, an easily read, fun survival story.
I love zombie books, but I want them to contain more time spent on the zombies. This story could have been swapped out with pandemic/EMP/most other apocalyptic events and been mostly the same. Ed and the three folks who joined him were interesting but felt pretty high-powered, and I was not a fan of Ed and one of the three having that instant connection/love/lust. Still, an easily read, fun survival story.
February 26, 2019
Survival Story
This book was really about a three and a half star book not a lot of zombie action or Gore the normal stuff that is in Zombie novels,it was a very good survival story that takes place during the zombie apocalypse basically all the things they do to continue to survive really a lot more life like than most zombie books it was still cool story to read just not action-packed but still worth reading I might read the next one
This book was really about a three and a half star book not a lot of zombie action or Gore the normal stuff that is in Zombie novels,it was a very good survival story that takes place during the zombie apocalypse basically all the things they do to continue to survive really a lot more life like than most zombie books it was still cool story to read just not action-packed but still worth reading I might read the next one
February 27, 2022
great read
I can’t really talk about any of the details because I don’t wanna spoil anything but the characters, the plot ideas and framework I really liked…the whole feel of the book is exactly what I look for in a zombie novel and see I can’t tell you anything about what I just said but I would highly recommend this book to any zombie book enthusiasts, or at least I’ll say… I love the heck out of this book…
I can’t really talk about any of the details because I don’t wanna spoil anything but the characters, the plot ideas and framework I really liked…the whole feel of the book is exactly what I look for in a zombie novel and see I can’t tell you anything about what I just said but I would highly recommend this book to any zombie book enthusiasts, or at least I’ll say… I love the heck out of this book…
April 6, 2025
Waiting for book 13!
I don't reread books. I finished this and all the others in record time and im now on my second pass. I get bored with charecters after about book 6, not this bunch. Love the people and the many stories in the story. I highly recommend this series. After standing on a Navy pier in Charleston SC for a few years, I think I've met "Chief Barnes". Lol! It's like old home week, I lived on the Weapon Station in Goose Creek, yes its a real place. 👌
I don't reread books. I finished this and all the others in record time and im now on my second pass. I get bored with charecters after about book 6, not this bunch. Love the people and the many stories in the story. I highly recommend this series. After standing on a Navy pier in Charleston SC for a few years, I think I've met "Chief Barnes". Lol! It's like old home week, I lived on the Weapon Station in Goose Creek, yes its a real place. 👌
January 11, 2018
This book shows good potential to be a decent Zombie series.
The book has good makings for a decent Zombie series. Is a little odd the writer is over explaining the situations the characters get into period for me that's kind of a turn-off because I like the story to read and flow very smoothly. And these are just my opinions taken for what they're worth
The book has good makings for a decent Zombie series. Is a little odd the writer is over explaining the situations the characters get into period for me that's kind of a turn-off because I like the story to read and flow very smoothly. And these are just my opinions taken for what they're worth
February 21, 2018
I absolutely was very drawn to this book as I love zombie books now. The writing was spectacular and flawless. I recommend this to all who love the apocalyptic stories I can't wait to read book 2 !!!!!! Thank you Bob Howard for a fantastic bookk
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!_ !!!!! _!!!!!!!!-!---!!!!!-!!!##!!!! !!! !! !! !! ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## #!!! Thank you
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!_ !!!!! _!!!!!!!!-!---!!!!!-!!!##!!!! !!! !! !! !! ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## #!!! Thank you
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