The northernmost outpost of the eastern flank has gone dark. Captain Steele and the commanders of Operation Homefront shift forces north to find out what happened to the Marines stationed there.
But, all is not right at Camp Forge.
An outbreak of debilitating illness ravages through the base, forcing Gwen on a journey through Iowa to find medicine to treat the sick, including her niece. Meanwhile, the tension is building between the various factions holding the line against the dead.
The dead are gathering across the Mississippi River, waiting for their chance to overrun the thin, divided front and finish off the battered remains of America.
Can Steele and Gwen survive the coming storm? Or is their fate falling with the winter snow?
Enter the fifth installment of the multiple award-winning series filled with action, horror, honor, and adventure. The collapse of the United States before the onslaught of the undead and the people that rise from the ashes all merge into one epic narrative.
Daniel is the award-winning author of The End Time Saga and the historical fiction Northern Wolf Series. Whether it’s a saber charge in the American Civil War or a gun battle between two rival bands surviving a hellish landscape, he is known for his ability to embed every page with fast-paced action, thrilling suspense, and gritty realism.
He is an avid traveler and physical fitness enthusiast with a deep passion for history. The works of George R.R. Martin, Steven Pressfield, Bernard Cornwell, Robert Jordan, and George Romero, have inspired his work. Although he is a Midwesterner for life, he's lived in Virginia long enough to consider it home.
He is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association, the Historical Novel Society, and the Military Writers Society of America.
I have enjoyed the End Time Saga since the very 1st book I was fortunate enough to happen upon.
Every episode has been electric - filled with dynamic, intense, very relatable human characters. This episode ('The Holding', book #5) upped the ante big time. Some very hard losses and some I cheered when they met their maker, thinking: "It's about time that one was nixed - Woot!"
Phenomenal ending with a lot of transitions (physically, and emotionally). Eagerly anticipating Book #6, and this time I won't wait so long between books.
Daniel Greene is an exceptional author with an impressive gift for creativity.
Not surprisingly, Keith Szarabajka continues to carry the series as sole narrator without a hitch - undoubtedly the perfect voice for the job.
oh that fooking Pastor! Evil wrapped in shroud of religious righteousness. How true is this character in the real world? This has to be my favorite of the End Time Saga because of its realness. I have now caught up to the Author and need to be patient for the 6th and final book to be released! Come on Daniel.....write faster!!!!!
The fifth book in the series and it is still very strong in my opinion. The were zombies, of coarse, but the true horrors in this series are the people. It is certainly a study of the collapse of humanity. I appreciate the style of the writing as it does not pull any punches or try to be overly flowery in its prose. Excellent series!
And BOOOOOOM goes the dynamite, Greene really blew the roof off this one and has delivered yet again! The Holding, the 5th entry into The End Time Saga dropped this past December and as I’ve said with every entry thus far they just get better and better! This entry finds Steele and his seasoned veteran band of warriors tucked away in Iowa. Everybody is nestled in for winter enjoying their Christmas vacation and much deserved time off from the religious fervor of zealots, human BBQ’s, and the questionable loyalty of ruthless biker gangs. Oh and not to mention the undead hordes of the reanimated, yeah, they came too. Everyone just puts their differences and Tomahawks aside, comes together, and celebrates the arrival of Ole St Nick, the birth of baby Jesus, the spinning of Dreidel’s and enjoys the most wonderful time of the year. Oops wrong book. At the end of the final chapter I swear, I could hear, faintly playing in the background, The Sword, playing (The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire… “Looking out across the void We beheld a fearsome sight Two armadas arrayed before us Preparing to unleash their might” I don’t give any spoilers but if you are a fan of series you won’t be able to put this down, but don’t lose your head quite yet, we’ve got one more to go!! It took me awhile to get this review in as I HAD to finish his second entry into his Civil War book series Northern Hunt, soo gooood!! Greene really nailed this one and I can’t wait for the final entry in this legendary series.
This remains one of the best zombie series that I have read. I did find myself yelling at Steele who is, at heart, a really good man, but not dealing well with the bad guys around him. His reaction to finally having to do so was a little over the top, but I can't blame him. As with most zombie novels, while the zombies are frightening and deadly, the real danger is still other people. There were a few editing errors, mostly verb tense etc but nothing distracting. I look forward to the next book in the series.
After finishing the last one, I COULDN’T wait for The Holding. Greene didn’t disappoint either. I loved this one and am thoroughly enjoying the entire series. I didn’t think things could get crazier in this series, but the explosive action and suspense the author brings blew me away. A must read for lovers of action/adventure/suspense.
This was a great read. Bursting with nail-biting action, suspense, tragedy and punctuated by the occasional human victory. I have really been enjoying the ride. If you are a fan of the zombie genre, the stories in this series will definitely keep you engaged.
This is well worth my 5 stars ! Lots of action the whole way through. Well worth the wait for this 5th book in the series. Can't wait for the next one.
Really enjoyed this book. The characters are very intriguing and the storyline is scary and brave. Didnt like northern wolves Daniel but love this series.
The heart of this story is enough that I kept coming back through all 5 books. The character development was good and the plot really moves along nicely. The narrator does a very good job of giving each character a different voice, although most of the ethnic characters sound like stereotypes.
Unfortunately, there were a couple of things that this author did that drove me crazy. The first is the continual naming of each and every firearm. It was never just “his gun”, but “his M4 carbine” or “his Smith & Wesson 686”. It was as if Greene had sponsorship deals with gun companies that paid him for each time he named a firearm.
That leads me to my second critique: the heavy-handed usage of similes and metaphors. Barely a single paragraph went by without something being ridiculously compared to something else. “She caught the child like the most fragile punt return”, “his steps were slow, as if he was a boot-clad dancer”, “his mind played it on repeat like a scratched CD”.
While these things were distracting and, sometimes, downright laughable, I did continue to listen and finished the series to date. I assume there will be more books to come as the 5th book ended with no resolution; I will more than likely read/listen to that one as well since I want to know how these characters fare.
The best way to describe d tgis attempt of a book is a MESS
There's no main character. The "supporting" characters are a joke. There's No storyline. You're paying for some resemblance of a book beginning 84%.
The "author" and I used the term lightly, is terrible. The supposedly main character "Steele" is more a cartoon, awful. There's characters jumping in&out the pages that doesn't have any interest.
This series instead of going better are really a "GET AWAY FROM THIS SERIES AND SAVE YOUR MONEY"
If Amazon had a minus 100 stars, I would ask for minus 500. That BAD is this book. I'm done with this. I want my money back!
Steele is still smart but doesn't seem to learn from his past mistakes. The actions he took toward the end just didn't seem to fit. Also the physical aspects required were very unrealistic, lazy writing from an excellent author. The other storylines were satisfying and true to the characters and their own personal growth. I've truly enjoyed this series of books and can't wait till the next release. So many books in this genre are poorly written. Mr. Greene is an excellent author, especially in comparison!