What do you think?
Arisen #10
The Flood
Listening time 9 hours 9 minutes
LONDON UNDER SIEGE
With the tide of dead lapping at the walls of London, Major Jameson must decide whether to roll the dice and lead One Troop on a desperate mission into the fallen Russian Empire, to retrieve a designer pathogen so lethal it even kills the dead...
CHAOS ON SHORE
Miles over his head and on the precipice of failure and extinction, Wesley must lead an overmatched and under-equipped shore team through biblical fire and flood, to salvage any hope of completing the vaccine in time to save humanity...
AFRICA DEVOURS
On their final mission, a unified Alpha team fights for the ultimate fate of the world - and for their very survival, trapped at ground zero of the fall of Man, inundated by a deluge of never-before-imagined threats, and knowing that failure in their mission means extinction for the species...
Desperation. Heroism. Survival.
THE FLOOD
ARISEN
Hope Never Dies
LONDON UNDER SIEGE
With the tide of dead lapping at the walls of London, Major Jameson must decide whether to roll the dice and lead One Troop on a desperate mission into the fallen Russian Empire, to retrieve a designer pathogen so lethal it even kills the dead...
CHAOS ON SHORE
Miles over his head and on the precipice of failure and extinction, Wesley must lead an overmatched and under-equipped shore team through biblical fire and flood, to salvage any hope of completing the vaccine in time to save humanity...
AFRICA DEVOURS
On their final mission, a unified Alpha team fights for the ultimate fate of the world - and for their very survival, trapped at ground zero of the fall of Man, inundated by a deluge of never-before-imagined threats, and knowing that failure in their mission means extinction for the species...
Desperation. Heroism. Survival.
THE FLOOD
ARISEN
Hope Never Dies
Audible Audio
First published October 19, 2015
About the author
Michael Stephen Fuchs
63 books510 followersMICHAEL STEPHEN FUCHS is author of the #1 bestselling epic ARISEN series of special-operations military ZA novels, which have repeatedly been Amazon #1 bestsellers in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction, #1 in Dystopian Science Fiction, #1 in Military Science Fiction, #1 in War Fiction, and #1 in War & Military Action Fiction, as well as Amazon overall Top 100 bestsellers. The series as a whole has sold over 1.5 million copies. The audiobook editions, performed by R.C. Bray, have generated over $5 million in revenue. He is also author of the D-Boys series of high-tech special-operations military adventure novels, which include
D-Boys
,
Counter-Assault
, and Close Quarters Battle (coming in 2026); as well as the existential cyberthrillers
The Manuscript
and
Pandora’s Sisters
, both published worldwide by Macmillan in hardback, paperback and all e-book formats (and in translation). He lives in London and blogs at www.michaelfuchs.org/razorsedge. You can follow him on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, or by e-mail.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
September 14, 2026
5-stars.
Story & Pacing: 5/5
Narration (R.C. Bray): 5/5
Intensity/Stakes: 5/5
Michael Stephen Fuchs's The Flood, the tenth edition in the Arisen series, shifts from a high-octane special ops survival story into pure, unadulterated grimdark desperation. The tension isn't just high; it's suffocating. Alpha team isn't just fighting swarms of the undead anymore—they're fighting the law of entropy.
The unrelenting pacing with zero filter gave me little room to breathe. The multi-front narrative—splitting focus between London's collapsing perimeter, Wesley's desperate shore mission, and Alpha Team's ground zero push—could easily feel fragmented in lesser hands. Instead, Fuchs weaves them together to build a sense of impending, biblical catastrophe. The stakes aren't just high; they feel absolute.
R.C. Bray elevates an already elite story. Reading the text is one thing, but listening to R.C. Bray narrate The Flood is a masterclass in voice performance. He delivers Major Jameson's stoic command presence and Wesley's fraying nerves with distinct, unforgettable nuances. When the action reaches fever pitch in the African operational theatre, Bray's delivery will have your pulse spiking. It's rare for an audiobook narrator to feel as essential to a series' identity as the author, but Bray and Fuchs are the ultimate force multiplier here.
In summary, Fuchs and Bray pushed the emotional and tactical stakes to the absolute breaking points, and I instantly had to dive into Book 11 to see how the team could possibly survive. It is an unforgettable, relentless ride that set a new high-watermark for the entire saga.
Story & Pacing: 5/5
Narration (R.C. Bray): 5/5
Intensity/Stakes: 5/5
Michael Stephen Fuchs's The Flood, the tenth edition in the Arisen series, shifts from a high-octane special ops survival story into pure, unadulterated grimdark desperation. The tension isn't just high; it's suffocating. Alpha team isn't just fighting swarms of the undead anymore—they're fighting the law of entropy.
The unrelenting pacing with zero filter gave me little room to breathe. The multi-front narrative—splitting focus between London's collapsing perimeter, Wesley's desperate shore mission, and Alpha Team's ground zero push—could easily feel fragmented in lesser hands. Instead, Fuchs weaves them together to build a sense of impending, biblical catastrophe. The stakes aren't just high; they feel absolute.
R.C. Bray elevates an already elite story. Reading the text is one thing, but listening to R.C. Bray narrate The Flood is a masterclass in voice performance. He delivers Major Jameson's stoic command presence and Wesley's fraying nerves with distinct, unforgettable nuances. When the action reaches fever pitch in the African operational theatre, Bray's delivery will have your pulse spiking. It's rare for an audiobook narrator to feel as essential to a series' identity as the author, but Bray and Fuchs are the ultimate force multiplier here.
In summary, Fuchs and Bray pushed the emotional and tactical stakes to the absolute breaking points, and I instantly had to dive into Book 11 to see how the team could possibly survive. It is an unforgettable, relentless ride that set a new high-watermark for the entire saga.
August 8, 2016
I still love this series. The last few titles kind of bogged down and seemed to be unnecessarily drawn out, but this one brought the series back up IMHO. Still a little too much whining between two senior NCOs, which throws off the professionalism they had displayed all during this series. I like the idea that the Russian special forces are also involved. As if our heroes needed an additional threat to face. This series still has what I am looking for: zombie action/suspense, special ops soldiers, and tons of blazing action. The #11 book (actually 13th, as their are two prequel type books) just came out, and I will soon check it out.
October 29, 2015
***Goodreads is showing this as book 9, Cataclysm, but this review is for The Flood, book 10, which is the cover shown*** I'm not sure what digital error occurred, but I have it linked from Kindle to Goodreads direct and this is what showed up. That said...
This series is getting stale. I'm so bored! I skip though most of the characters little "conversations with themselves", which is 90% of the damn book. I'm sick of the SUPER detailed repetition of Handon's insecurities to himself (not to mention ditto for Sarah). I gave this one 2 stars instead of 1 because something was actually accomplished this go round. Thanks Wesley! You and your DNA sequencer saved the book from total 1 stardom! Also, we meet new people/survivors who are very interesting, which is a plus, but I that only happened at the VERY end of the book. Im not very happy about the return of certain someone's though... And, what the hell happened to Zorn. He's a dick, but he did return to help & they just left him, which no further explanation. That's f'd up. No wonder he hates the spec ops. I'm just annoyed with this series. It seems like since they hit Africa, it takes an 1-2 ENTIRE books to complete one damn mission. This whole Somalia op has been going on for 2 books now with how many more to come before they finally find this patient zero. My God! That is ridiculous.
This series is getting stale. I'm so bored! I skip though most of the characters little "conversations with themselves", which is 90% of the damn book. I'm sick of the SUPER detailed repetition of Handon's insecurities to himself (not to mention ditto for Sarah). I gave this one 2 stars instead of 1 because something was actually accomplished this go round. Thanks Wesley! You and your DNA sequencer saved the book from total 1 stardom! Also, we meet new people/survivors who are very interesting, which is a plus, but I that only happened at the VERY end of the book. Im not very happy about the return of certain someone's though... And, what the hell happened to Zorn. He's a dick, but he did return to help & they just left him, which no further explanation. That's f'd up. No wonder he hates the spec ops. I'm just annoyed with this series. It seems like since they hit Africa, it takes an 1-2 ENTIRE books to complete one damn mission. This whole Somalia op has been going on for 2 books now with how many more to come before they finally find this patient zero. My God! That is ridiculous.
April 21, 2017
All I can say is - what a ride! This opened up new enemies, new challenges, and a growing confrontation. My whole reading experience with this was - "Yes! No! Argh! What the...? Holy Hannah!" Already started the next book in the series!
September 8, 2020
Amazing on all fronts. From Russia to Somalia to Saudi Arabia, everybody's in over their head and still coming out alive. This series is just one continuous thrill ride. It's not kidding with the whole suspense thing. And every single time that something can go wrong, it does!
RC Bray makes it all worthwhile.
RC Bray makes it all worthwhile.
November 12, 2015
Boomtown and still going strong......
This has been quite a series, ten books strong, starting in stronghold Britain, last bastions of humanity after the zombie apocalypse, and veering to Chicago, Virginia, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Russia. Along the way we've gotten to know British commandos, American Delta force, survivors of two years in the Channel tunnel, multinational zombies, Spaetnatz agents, and the creator of the virus, now intent on saving the world. Fuchs has been immensely creative on putting these people in harm's way and creating insane missions to save the world. Here a team is trying to extract an early zombie from Somalia, another retrieving a gene sequencer from Saudi, and a third readying a rescue mission for the Kazakh creator/savior, crash landed in the middle of Red Square surrounded by Red Army zombies. Yeah, pretty good yarns, I just read 9 and 10 back to back and am looking forward to 11. Let's see if he can top 10 million zombies attacking a grounded aircraft carrier. Did I mention there are good battles? This book includes zombie baboons.......
This has been quite a series, ten books strong, starting in stronghold Britain, last bastions of humanity after the zombie apocalypse, and veering to Chicago, Virginia, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Russia. Along the way we've gotten to know British commandos, American Delta force, survivors of two years in the Channel tunnel, multinational zombies, Spaetnatz agents, and the creator of the virus, now intent on saving the world. Fuchs has been immensely creative on putting these people in harm's way and creating insane missions to save the world. Here a team is trying to extract an early zombie from Somalia, another retrieving a gene sequencer from Saudi, and a third readying a rescue mission for the Kazakh creator/savior, crash landed in the middle of Red Square surrounded by Red Army zombies. Yeah, pretty good yarns, I just read 9 and 10 back to back and am looking forward to 11. Let's see if he can top 10 million zombies attacking a grounded aircraft carrier. Did I mention there are good battles? This book includes zombie baboons.......
November 22, 2016
Each book tells the continuing saga of a world upside down where everything has changed due to an infection that turns 7 billion people into raving, human hungry zombies. This goes well beyond the Walking Dead for action as Fortress Britain, the only country left standing, is trying to reset the world to being zombie free.
The missions are many and the action is hot as American and British military conduct missions across the globe trying to find materials and people in a race to stop the extinction of the human race.
There are many characters in this saga and yet the author develops them with depth and reality. The protagonists and the antagonists seem to be so real, as does the action. Reading this saga pulls you in and places you in the middle of the action.
This HAS to be one of the BEST Zombie saga's going !!! Detail, information and realism pervades throughout the 12 books (books 13 & 14 will arrive) and I can't wait !
The missions are many and the action is hot as American and British military conduct missions across the globe trying to find materials and people in a race to stop the extinction of the human race.
There are many characters in this saga and yet the author develops them with depth and reality. The protagonists and the antagonists seem to be so real, as does the action. Reading this saga pulls you in and places you in the middle of the action.
This HAS to be one of the BEST Zombie saga's going !!! Detail, information and realism pervades throughout the 12 books (books 13 & 14 will arrive) and I can't wait !
October 22, 2015
Excellent
Wow..what a ride. The flood is fantastic. Tense and very dramatic. It had me scared for alpha and everyone else involved in trying to save the last of humanity. From Wesleys heroics to team alpha in a bit of a pickle and fick and his team losing a fellow soldier..it's full of fast paced action and brilliantly written action sequences. Non stop twists and turns and everyone facing their own inner demons as well. I can't wait for the final two instalments of this series.
Wow..what a ride. The flood is fantastic. Tense and very dramatic. It had me scared for alpha and everyone else involved in trying to save the last of humanity. From Wesleys heroics to team alpha in a bit of a pickle and fick and his team losing a fellow soldier..it's full of fast paced action and brilliantly written action sequences. Non stop twists and turns and everyone facing their own inner demons as well. I can't wait for the final two instalments of this series.
June 6, 2016
Another awesome, action packed continuation of the Arisen series. For some reason, I thought this was the final book. But as I got close to the end, I realized that wasn't the case. Looks like there is more to come. And that is certainly a good thing. Looking forward to book 11.
November 8, 2015
Four star series all the way.
Love it.
Love it.
July 18, 2024
There's quite a bit to like about this installment, much of the same as the ones that came before including nail biting ZA action, strong characters and engaging plot points. Unfortunately, as we get towards the end of the book, my least favorite components of earlier books, the battles with the Russian special forces, are back and still a part of the story. This primary element decreased my favorability of this installment. In addition, each of these books are too short and the fact that the story throughout is one large arcing story, almost all of these books should have fit into just one or two books. I find this to be a cash grab by the author and publisher. I get it, I just don't like being on the receiving end of it. Anyhow, I've already pre-purchased the rest of the books released in the series thus far so I'm definitely moving forward with at least four more. I do recommend this series to anybody interested in the genre. It is very good.
December 28, 2018
If I could give Michael Stephen Fuchs one piece of advice, it would be this: if you write one of your protagonists into a situation where it is impossible for the protagonist to survive, it is okay to let that protagonist die.
December 18, 2019
Are these getting worse?
Took a good character down to nothing and irritatingly wrote three chapters to make a five second shot! Too bad he lost his writing partner, I absolutely feel all the "thinking," and extra exposition would have been cut down to make much tighter fiction had he learned anything from collaboration efforts.
Took a good character down to nothing and irritatingly wrote three chapters to make a five second shot! Too bad he lost his writing partner, I absolutely feel all the "thinking," and extra exposition would have been cut down to make much tighter fiction had he learned anything from collaboration efforts.
March 20, 2021
Tops in Genre
It's hard to believe that after ten books, I'm just as engrossed as I was in book one. I attribute that to the multiple interesting subplots underlying the main storyline along with an assortment of well developed characters, and an abundance of action. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
It's hard to believe that after ten books, I'm just as engrossed as I was in book one. I attribute that to the multiple interesting subplots underlying the main storyline along with an assortment of well developed characters, and an abundance of action. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
April 17, 2021
Horror After Horror(HAH)
Starting to slow down with action, but still good with action. What's up with Henno and Handon? Those two should not to put on missions together because their actions will cost the team more if they don't settle their differences.
Starting to slow down with action, but still good with action. What's up with Henno and Handon? Those two should not to put on missions together because their actions will cost the team more if they don't settle their differences.
June 30, 2021
By book 10 you should know I'm enjoying Arisen series!!!
I'm not one to give a
Oilers to the story lines, but this book continues to build on the life of death challenges the special forces face in saving the world--literally!
I'm not one to give a
Oilers to the story lines, but this book continues to build on the life of death challenges the special forces face in saving the world--literally!
July 8, 2022
Wow!
Lots of new characters and non-stop action! Gunny Fick is my absolute favorite character in the whole series so far. Really enjoyed the twists, turns, and epic danger in this one.
Lots of new characters and non-stop action! Gunny Fick is my absolute favorite character in the whole series so far. Really enjoyed the twists, turns, and epic danger in this one.
December 30, 2017
So much action!
So well described you feel like you are fighting with them! I have loved every book so far and expect to feel the same way for the next.
So well described you feel like you are fighting with them! I have loved every book so far and expect to feel the same way for the next.
January 27, 2018
Still waiting for something to elevate the series for me. Right now, it's just more of the same, getting tedious to read at times. But I plan to continue.
September 4, 2018
Glad I got back into this series. This time, I'll read the next 4 books and complete it (without taking 3 years off).
June 4, 2019
I'm losing steam on this series.
October 26, 2019
What? How? What?
Ripping through these and loving it all. Still more than a little worried about who’s going to survive this, but wow what a ride!
Ripping through these and loving it all. Still more than a little worried about who’s going to survive this, but wow what a ride!
![Profile Image for [ J o ].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1673171874i/4639825._UY200_CR4,0,200,200_.jpg)
never-read
January 19, 2020Read the novella Genesis in the "Arisen" series. 1 Star and did not enjoy, therefore will not be continuing with the series.
February 17, 2020
...another chapter of the series.
May 4, 2020
Enjoyed the book and enjoying the series
October 20, 2021
Why the slut shaming of Sarah for FLIRTING? Also Hamdon and Henno, please act professionally.The action kicked in way too late and we still don't care about Great Britain.
May 4, 2022
Very good series
This series has it all. Action to keep you turning the page, characters you become invested in, humor and those "oh shoot" moments!
This series has it all. Action to keep you turning the page, characters you become invested in, humor and those "oh shoot" moments!
September 10, 2023
WOWSERS - There are more - get them all!!
November 2, 2015
A few sharks were jumped in this flood. :(
It is clear from my previous reviews on this series that it has been one of my absolute favourites in the zombie genre. I have truly loved and enjoyed it.
So, it is with some regret that I must say books 9 and 10 (gleefully received in the same month) have started to sour my enjoyment.
Sure, it is a tale about zombies so there is a suspension of disbelief. There have been some absolutely fantastical occurrences thus far but, for me at least, they have been awe-inspiring rather than stretching that disbelief.
How things go for two teams in these latest offerings has most definitely stretched the suspension close to the breaking point (if not past it, I still can't decide). Difficult to describe without spoilers but circumstances surrounding the outings of two teams really become over-the-top crazy difficult and then........ Yup, the end result for both outings finally pulled me out of the story enough to exclaim some disbelief.
Hopefully, this is just a blip, perhaps from the pressure of two books in one month (or the absence of Glynn?) and we shall get back to our regularly scheduled, still believable craziness with 11. Yup, I'll still be reading it to be sure.
It is clear from my previous reviews on this series that it has been one of my absolute favourites in the zombie genre. I have truly loved and enjoyed it.
So, it is with some regret that I must say books 9 and 10 (gleefully received in the same month) have started to sour my enjoyment.
Sure, it is a tale about zombies so there is a suspension of disbelief. There have been some absolutely fantastical occurrences thus far but, for me at least, they have been awe-inspiring rather than stretching that disbelief.
How things go for two teams in these latest offerings has most definitely stretched the suspension close to the breaking point (if not past it, I still can't decide). Difficult to describe without spoilers but circumstances surrounding the outings of two teams really become over-the-top crazy difficult and then........ Yup, the end result for both outings finally pulled me out of the story enough to exclaim some disbelief.
Hopefully, this is just a blip, perhaps from the pressure of two books in one month (or the absence of Glynn?) and we shall get back to our regularly scheduled, still believable craziness with 11. Yup, I'll still be reading it to be sure.
April 19, 2016
At last! Redeemed! After 10 books, this book has finally redeemed my hopes for this series. Everything is coming together. The two spec op teams hit the ground in Somalia to try and find Patient Zero, and after several harrowing encounters with zombies, get rescued by ODA-555 and told of the whereabouts of PZ.. Meanwhile, Wesley leads the NSF to Saudi Arabia to get a piece of equipment and succeeds.
In London, things go from bad to worse.. Zombies are about to enter the "zombie proof" wall around London, and Major Jameson is back with his men, heading for Moscow to rescue Oleg, the bioscientist who started the whole zombie apocalypse.
He, however, has been found by Russian Spec Ops troops, angry at the destruction of the Russian ship a few books ago, and as we find out in the last few pages, the survivors have followed our heroes. (and infiltrated the Carrier, I suspect, due to a few clues not followed up on)
All in all, this and the previous two books (prequel and vol. 9) have made me happier about sticking this out and not giving up on the whole series...
In London, things go from bad to worse.. Zombies are about to enter the "zombie proof" wall around London, and Major Jameson is back with his men, heading for Moscow to rescue Oleg, the bioscientist who started the whole zombie apocalypse.
He, however, has been found by Russian Spec Ops troops, angry at the destruction of the Russian ship a few books ago, and as we find out in the last few pages, the survivors have followed our heroes. (and infiltrated the Carrier, I suspect, due to a few clues not followed up on)
All in all, this and the previous two books (prequel and vol. 9) have made me happier about sticking this out and not giving up on the whole series...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews