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Z-Minus #1
Z-Minus: a zombie apocalypse series
The post-apocalyptic series readers are describing as "one of the best post-apocalypse stories I've ever read."
Once infected, the virus shuts down organs, kills nerve impulses and even reprograms the way we think. The virus becomes us.
But the process takes eight hours.
If you only had eight hours left to live, what would you do?
For Chris Smith, that decision has been made for him. He’s infected, and returns home to find the rest of his family undead or missing, save his youngest daughter Maisie. He’s never been much of a father, but can he make up for it now in the final few hours of his life and find somewhere safe for her to survive?
Once infected, the virus shuts down organs, kills nerve impulses and even reprograms the way we think. The virus becomes us.
But the process takes eight hours.
If you only had eight hours left to live, what would you do?
For Chris Smith, that decision has been made for him. He’s infected, and returns home to find the rest of his family undead or missing, save his youngest daughter Maisie. He’s never been much of a father, but can he make up for it now in the final few hours of his life and find somewhere safe for her to survive?
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 10, 2014
505 people are currently reading
960 people want to read
About the author
Perrin Briar
118 books109 followersPerrin Briar is an English author best-known for his Blood Memory series, black comedy Keeping Mum, and revenge tale Square. He was born in Huntingdon, grew up in Norfolk, graduated from Bournemouth, worked in London, and then chucked it all in to live in South Korea.
He has written for BBC radio, and worked in the production and development departments of the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
** Sign up to Perrin's newsletter at www.perrinbriar.com/mailing-list/ and get four free stories, news of forthcoming new novels, competitions, special prices, advanced novel previews and exclusive email-only serial story Skip! **
He has written for BBC radio, and worked in the production and development departments of the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
** Sign up to Perrin's newsletter at www.perrinbriar.com/mailing-list/ and get four free stories, news of forthcoming new novels, competitions, special prices, advanced novel previews and exclusive email-only serial story Skip! **
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 245 reviews
February 19, 2016
Virus that kills people and then transform'em to zombies ? Emm No Thanks ! They made lots of Movies and TV shows about Zombies it became super boring and un-original i'm not trying to be rude and mean but it's the truth ! this book was recommended to me by one of the author's friend i don't remember her name but i will find her and i will kill her !!!!!!!!!!
February 8, 2016
broken finger review #8:
i was first contacted by a very new, minimalist profile* GR member of Perrin Briar's "launch team" three days ago. In a kind mood, I politely pointed out the sentence on my own profile noting I don't do requests, encouraging participation at GR as a way to build contacts, and suggesting the "team" would be more effective by not contacting random people (this means me). Alas, the Launch Team has yet to learn the lesson, because they repeated the message today, this time with a different minimalist profile.
On the up side, at least they didn't mention Mira Grant's Feed this time.
Guess which finger still works?
*likely a sock puppet, but once I had an author have his sister join GR so she could promote his book. Poor woman didn't understand what she was walking into, so I try to give the benefit of the doubt these days.
i was first contacted by a very new, minimalist profile* GR member of Perrin Briar's "launch team" three days ago. In a kind mood, I politely pointed out the sentence on my own profile noting I don't do requests, encouraging participation at GR as a way to build contacts, and suggesting the "team" would be more effective by not contacting random people (this means me). Alas, the Launch Team has yet to learn the lesson, because they repeated the message today, this time with a different minimalist profile.
On the up side, at least they didn't mention Mira Grant's Feed this time.
Guess which finger still works?
*likely a sock puppet, but once I had an author have his sister join GR so she could promote his book. Poor woman didn't understand what she was walking into, so I try to give the benefit of the doubt these days.
August 30, 2017
This book contains one of the worst MCs that I've ever had the misfortune to read about. He is a selfish, nasty scumbag and all I wanted was to see him die slowly from rabid zombie bites.
After a car crash during the zombie apocalypse, the moaning faced loser that goes by the name of Chris has to struggle home on foot. On his journey it becomes clear that he only gives a damn about himself. At his house when he sees the dead body of his teenage daughter Emily with knives in her back, does he feel sad or upset, wondering what happened to her? No, he stands there and tells her to get up and when he realises she appears dead, he gets angry at HER. 'Mostly he felt anger. Anger at her for being so selfish and weak to have let herself die.' This is your CHILD you feckless moron!
Hios wife is dead upstairs in her bed and Chris the humanitarian dumbass chides her for being lazy or drunk and yells at her to get up. What is wrong with this idiot? Then he tells her in disgust to sleep it off! As he goes downstairs, Emily rises as a zombie and dear daddy yells at her that that isn't the way to get her allowance raised. When she tears his shirt he calls her a bitch. I just sat there staring at the book in utter disbelief at the personality of this utter scumball.
Then after he is infected, he finally remembers his younger daughter Maisie who is eight and when she finds him he decides not to take her with him. Not because he is infected and worried about hurting her...no, he won't take her because he doesn't intend to spend the last few hours of his life babysitting and it's everyone for himself and she'll slow him down. He even throws STONES at her to get rid of her!!! I'd had enough of reading about the worst father ever and deleted the book from my ereader.
This was pure drivel with nothing redeeming or entertaining it and I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy. Utter cack.
After a car crash during the zombie apocalypse, the moaning faced loser that goes by the name of Chris has to struggle home on foot. On his journey it becomes clear that he only gives a damn about himself. At his house when he sees the dead body of his teenage daughter Emily with knives in her back, does he feel sad or upset, wondering what happened to her? No, he stands there and tells her to get up and when he realises she appears dead, he gets angry at HER. 'Mostly he felt anger. Anger at her for being so selfish and weak to have let herself die.' This is your CHILD you feckless moron!
Hios wife is dead upstairs in her bed and Chris the humanitarian dumbass chides her for being lazy or drunk and yells at her to get up. What is wrong with this idiot? Then he tells her in disgust to sleep it off! As he goes downstairs, Emily rises as a zombie and dear daddy yells at her that that isn't the way to get her allowance raised. When she tears his shirt he calls her a bitch. I just sat there staring at the book in utter disbelief at the personality of this utter scumball.
Then after he is infected, he finally remembers his younger daughter Maisie who is eight and when she finds him he decides not to take her with him. Not because he is infected and worried about hurting her...no, he won't take her because he doesn't intend to spend the last few hours of his life babysitting and it's everyone for himself and she'll slow him down. He even throws STONES at her to get rid of her!!! I'd had enough of reading about the worst father ever and deleted the book from my ereader.
This was pure drivel with nothing redeeming or entertaining it and I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy. Utter cack.
December 24, 2015
I'll never read a book by Perrin Briar because his so-called 'launch team' constantly spams me. I'm sure it's terrible.
January 24, 2023
I was given this book by a member of Briar's launch team in exchange for an honest review. I was excited to have been invited to read the ARC. I am a HUGE zombie fan (I actually have a dedicated shelf on GR); however, I did not like this book very much. The plot is a typical zombie apocalypse story. That's OK. I don't expect much originality from the subgenre. The problem lies in the protagonist. He is an anti-hero, but worse is the fact that he is not very likable, either. (Anti-heroes are so overdone that you really need to provide something unique and substantive. This did not.) The only likable character is Maisie, who does not speak like an 8-year-old. That's right, a genius kid. The dialogue rings false. Sorry, this was just not that good and in a genre filled with apocalyptic zombies, this does not stand out. Check that. It stands out as bottom-tier. I was offered the rest of the series for free and I said no because I have so many other books to review and I didn't see things improving in the series.
March 30, 2016
**WARNING** This has spoilers!
Where to start, the main character is unlikable and an asshole (if the whole being unlikable thing was missed). He manages to be completely oblivious to the zombie situation because the bar he frequents only plays sports channels. Seriously? I'm sure that if something of this magnitude was happening emergency broadcasts would have jumped in and informed the viewer of what was going on. Hell, I doubt there would have even been sports events happening. Plus, didn't the bartenders have any knowledge of the outside world? Just a crappy premise.
Cut to Chris getting home. He finds his eldest daughter lying on the floor with knives in her back and gets mad at her for dying. Angry that she was weak enough to let herself get killed. What the hell? He also finds his wife dead and yells at her for being lazy. What is wrong with this guy? When his zombie daughter attacks him he yells at her that that is not the way to get more allowance. Seriously? To be that oblivious to the world around you?
After killing his zombie daughter his 8 year old appears from behind the curtain. He tries to leave without her because he wants to have fun for his last 8 hours of life before becoming a zombie (his zombie daughter sneezed on him thus infecting him). He even throws rocks at her to make her go away! Seriously, one of the most selfish and despicable characters.
He somehow manages to "buy" a nice sports car and tries to take his 8 year old to her aunt's. When she's not home they go on their way to grandma's. They stop and he sends his 8 year old off to get supplies so he can have sex with a 15 year old girl he just met. He's a reprehensible pig with terrible morals.
Also, has this author never spoken to an 8 year old? This character does not read as 8 at all. Not even close. Oh did I mention before all this happened that he was abusive? Well, if I didn't now you know, he was an abusive drunk who hit his wife and kids.
One of the frustrating things about this novella is the asinine stops they make, knowing that he only has a limited time before becoming a zombie he stops at all these random places. I don't know if the author was trying to make him seem as though he was growing as a person but to me it read as him being even more selfish and not caring if he turned and attacked his child. Also, most 8 year olds can't see over the steering wheel to drive let alone reach the pedals. Unless she is incredibly tall for her age the whole idea of her driving anywhere is ridiculous.
When they get to grandma's and find her dead, he gets mad at the old woman for dying. Yes, she did it just to spite you, Chris. They find a weak willed couple and he takes off, leaving his daughter alone with them. After realizing he's not becoming a zombie but just going through withdrawals because he hasn't had a drink in hours he goes to rescue his daughter. I know this is meant to be a redeeming thing or character growth but it really doesn't feel that way. It does not redeem him for all the vile things he said/thought/did. This was just a poorly written novella with badly written characters.
Rant complete.
Where to start, the main character is unlikable and an asshole (if the whole being unlikable thing was missed). He manages to be completely oblivious to the zombie situation because the bar he frequents only plays sports channels. Seriously? I'm sure that if something of this magnitude was happening emergency broadcasts would have jumped in and informed the viewer of what was going on. Hell, I doubt there would have even been sports events happening. Plus, didn't the bartenders have any knowledge of the outside world? Just a crappy premise.
Cut to Chris getting home. He finds his eldest daughter lying on the floor with knives in her back and gets mad at her for dying. Angry that she was weak enough to let herself get killed. What the hell? He also finds his wife dead and yells at her for being lazy. What is wrong with this guy? When his zombie daughter attacks him he yells at her that that is not the way to get more allowance. Seriously? To be that oblivious to the world around you?
After killing his zombie daughter his 8 year old appears from behind the curtain. He tries to leave without her because he wants to have fun for his last 8 hours of life before becoming a zombie (his zombie daughter sneezed on him thus infecting him). He even throws rocks at her to make her go away! Seriously, one of the most selfish and despicable characters.
He somehow manages to "buy" a nice sports car and tries to take his 8 year old to her aunt's. When she's not home they go on their way to grandma's. They stop and he sends his 8 year old off to get supplies so he can have sex with a 15 year old girl he just met. He's a reprehensible pig with terrible morals.
Also, has this author never spoken to an 8 year old? This character does not read as 8 at all. Not even close. Oh did I mention before all this happened that he was abusive? Well, if I didn't now you know, he was an abusive drunk who hit his wife and kids.
One of the frustrating things about this novella is the asinine stops they make, knowing that he only has a limited time before becoming a zombie he stops at all these random places. I don't know if the author was trying to make him seem as though he was growing as a person but to me it read as him being even more selfish and not caring if he turned and attacked his child. Also, most 8 year olds can't see over the steering wheel to drive let alone reach the pedals. Unless she is incredibly tall for her age the whole idea of her driving anywhere is ridiculous.
When they get to grandma's and find her dead, he gets mad at the old woman for dying. Yes, she did it just to spite you, Chris. They find a weak willed couple and he takes off, leaving his daughter alone with them. After realizing he's not becoming a zombie but just going through withdrawals because he hasn't had a drink in hours he goes to rescue his daughter. I know this is meant to be a redeeming thing or character growth but it really doesn't feel that way. It does not redeem him for all the vile things he said/thought/did. This was just a poorly written novella with badly written characters.
Rant complete.
February 24, 2016
Dear Perrin Briar and his 'launch team',
Stop insulting my intelligence.
I'm not blind.
I can read.
I'm not interested in this book.
Stop sending me spam messages and saying I should read this book because I've read The 5th Wave.
First of all; if you knew me at all you'd know I hate 'this' meets 'this' and if you like 'this' you'll like 'that 'kind of comparisons. Cause a)either books are too similiar (why would I want to read a book that ripped off another on purpose) or b)what if I hate one of those books or both of them ha? In your face, marketing!!
Second of all; I'm not interested in zombies. I fucking hate zombie books. Besides, the plot seems as old as the hills. Predictable, cliche, can see where it's going to from miles away. Why the fuck I'd be interested in?
Third of all; SRYSLY WTF? The messages are the same, the sender is the same, and it's been just one day. I've been sent the same messages again!!
I give up.
I was just going to ignore this book yesterday but it seems you guys are begging for a rating and review so here it is. Here is your one star.
Good luck finding people to read this book.
Sincerely,
Tamara.
P.S.: Please stop stop sending me messages or I'll make stopping everyone I know from reading this book my life goal.
Stop insulting my intelligence.
I'm not blind.
I can read.
I'm not interested in this book.
Stop sending me spam messages and saying I should read this book because I've read The 5th Wave.
First of all; if you knew me at all you'd know I hate 'this' meets 'this' and if you like 'this' you'll like 'that 'kind of comparisons. Cause a)either books are too similiar (why would I want to read a book that ripped off another on purpose) or b)what if I hate one of those books or both of them ha? In your face, marketing!!
Second of all; I'm not interested in zombies. I fucking hate zombie books. Besides, the plot seems as old as the hills. Predictable, cliche, can see where it's going to from miles away. Why the fuck I'd be interested in?
Third of all; SRYSLY WTF? The messages are the same, the sender is the same, and it's been just one day. I've been sent the same messages again!!
I give up.
I was just going to ignore this book yesterday but it seems you guys are begging for a rating and review so here it is. Here is your one star.
Good luck finding people to read this book.
Sincerely,
Tamara.
P.S.: Please stop stop sending me messages or I'll make stopping everyone I know from reading this book my life goal.
February 17, 2016
I got a message from someone who I'm assuming is part of a launch team for the author saying "Hey, I noticed you read The Passage by Justin Cronin and was wondering if you'd be interested in a novel in a similar genre." Unfortunately for me The Passage is one of my most beloved books. Also unfortunately for me, the only thing the two books have in common is that they both have zombies, but even their zombies are as different as can be. I have to assume that the person who sent the message has never read The Passage, otherwise they wouldn't have sent such a foolish message (which they somehow deleted before I logged on to goodreads, but I had already read it in my email).
I read some reviews, which I normally don't do before reading a book and kicked myself for doing so this time. The book was either god awful or super great, nothing in between.
Unlike what many reviews claim, there is nothing special about this book. There was no new zombie story line introduced that we haven't seen before (as I saw more than one review claim, to which I give a big fat LOL). That's actually the main reason I decided to write a review. Anybody who claims this book is anything close to ground breaking has never read a single zombie book. Or at the very least they weren't paying attention when they did. On the same note I didn't find it god awful either, I finished it and am considering going onto the next installment as I hope for more character development.
The main character was a huge steaming piece of shit. He was an alcoholic abuser who immediately tried to ditch his 8 year old so he could go frolick off for what he thought was going to be the last 8 hours of his life. The transition of his character throughout the novella seemed forced. I realize these books are small so things need to happen quickly but it just didn't work. He was still a big fat pile of shit at the end of the book, regardless of the authors efforts to make you feel otherwise.
I read some reviews, which I normally don't do before reading a book and kicked myself for doing so this time. The book was either god awful or super great, nothing in between.
Unlike what many reviews claim, there is nothing special about this book. There was no new zombie story line introduced that we haven't seen before (as I saw more than one review claim, to which I give a big fat LOL). That's actually the main reason I decided to write a review. Anybody who claims this book is anything close to ground breaking has never read a single zombie book. Or at the very least they weren't paying attention when they did. On the same note I didn't find it god awful either, I finished it and am considering going onto the next installment as I hope for more character development.
The main character was a huge steaming piece of shit. He was an alcoholic abuser who immediately tried to ditch his 8 year old so he could go frolick off for what he thought was going to be the last 8 hours of his life. The transition of his character throughout the novella seemed forced. I realize these books are small so things need to happen quickly but it just didn't work. He was still a big fat pile of shit at the end of the book, regardless of the authors efforts to make you feel otherwise.
October 28, 2015
This book is not good. Not at all.
Limited character development, unbelievable plot, a despicable main character, and the writer seems like he's never heard an 8-year-old speak.
I do not recommend reading this.
Limited character development, unbelievable plot, a despicable main character, and the writer seems like he's never heard an 8-year-old speak.
I do not recommend reading this.
June 3, 2015
Not really what I expected. It was okay, kind of dragged in the middle a little. Maybe I'm just over and done with the "zombie" books.
January 31, 2016
I had just recently read a book by Perrin Briar and it was just ok for me. I was notified by someone about this one being free on Kindle and how they enjoyed it so much. So I decided to go get it and read it. I really enjoyed this one. I found that it flowed really well and was action packed.
Synopsis
Once bitten, the virus spreads throughout the human body. It shuts down organs, kills nerve impulses and even reprograms the way we think. The virus becomes us.
But the process takes eight hours.
If you only had eight hours left to live, what would you do?
For Chris Smith, that decision has already been made. He’s infected, and returns home to find the rest of his family undead or missing, save his youngest daughter Maisie. He’s never been much of a father, but can he make up for it now in the final few hours of his life and find somewhere safe for her to survive?
I enjoyed the plot to this story much better than the last one I read by this author. This story was definitely more believable and it had a much better flow to it. There were a couple of parts I thought were unnecessary but overall it was very entertaining. I liked all the action in this one and how the characters all had a story to tell.
The characters were also more relatable, however I do have to say that Chris got on my nerves a few times with his 'all about himself' routine, never mind that he has an 8 year old daughter to look after. Other than that I liked Chris for the most part. I think it ended on a good note with enough to make readers long for the next book. I recommend this book/series to anyone who enjoyes zombie stories or post apocalyptic stories. I will probably be reading book 2 in this series.
Synopsis
Once bitten, the virus spreads throughout the human body. It shuts down organs, kills nerve impulses and even reprograms the way we think. The virus becomes us.
But the process takes eight hours.
If you only had eight hours left to live, what would you do?
For Chris Smith, that decision has already been made. He’s infected, and returns home to find the rest of his family undead or missing, save his youngest daughter Maisie. He’s never been much of a father, but can he make up for it now in the final few hours of his life and find somewhere safe for her to survive?
I enjoyed the plot to this story much better than the last one I read by this author. This story was definitely more believable and it had a much better flow to it. There were a couple of parts I thought were unnecessary but overall it was very entertaining. I liked all the action in this one and how the characters all had a story to tell.
The characters were also more relatable, however I do have to say that Chris got on my nerves a few times with his 'all about himself' routine, never mind that he has an 8 year old daughter to look after. Other than that I liked Chris for the most part. I think it ended on a good note with enough to make readers long for the next book. I recommend this book/series to anyone who enjoyes zombie stories or post apocalyptic stories. I will probably be reading book 2 in this series.
February 1, 2016
I was asked if I would be interested in reading this novel and write an honest review – to which I said yes.
Although a quick read, I did find that the plot was lagging. I didn't find it all that exciting or original Which was disappointing. There is definitely better out there regardless of whether it's a children's, teen or young adult read.
The characters are unrealistic, unlike-able and lack development. I found that Maisie was unconvincing as an 8 year old. I think the author needs to look at how 8 year old react to different things to make a larger impact and make me love her character.
Her father on the other hand, was even worse. He was an alcoholic who beat his wife and children with an utter lack of remorse. Although there was slight development at the end, I found his character to be too much of a jerk to care.
I think that I might have to stick to things like this, that are much better quality such as, Zom-B by Darren Shan. Although a kids book, it isn't as bad a book.
Although a quick read, I did find that the plot was lagging. I didn't find it all that exciting or original Which was disappointing. There is definitely better out there regardless of whether it's a children's, teen or young adult read.
The characters are unrealistic, unlike-able and lack development. I found that Maisie was unconvincing as an 8 year old. I think the author needs to look at how 8 year old react to different things to make a larger impact and make me love her character.
Her father on the other hand, was even worse. He was an alcoholic who beat his wife and children with an utter lack of remorse. Although there was slight development at the end, I found his character to be too much of a jerk to care.
I think that I might have to stick to things like this, that are much better quality such as, Zom-B by Darren Shan. Although a kids book, it isn't as bad a book.
March 26, 2016
Be wise, don't read. Zero stars.
January 16, 2018
I think I'm being very generous in giving this book a three star rating, especially after the concerns I had.
It's just a typical zombie book I suppose and it didn't break free from the traditional aspect. Full of zombie outbreaks across the country, making sacrifices, reuniting and going on an adventure with loved ones, etc. I'm not one for reading zombie books though, however if they're unique and sound interesting I'm willing to give them a try. My preference is watching zombie films though.
The WHO (World Health Organisation) reports at the very start of the book was very well done. It was interesting to see the impending danger as well as the increase of Ebola victims and deaths take a dramatic rise over a span of a couple of months. It served it's job well as it set the tone and heightened the dread and suspense. And then we're introduced to Chris, the hero (and I use that term quite loosely) and his adventure across England with his remaining youngest daughter, Maisie.
First of all, I hate Chris. He's one of the most disgusting and terrible main characters I've ever experienced in my reading years. I really don't care if Perrin Briar intended him to be a flawed anti-hero as such. I just think Chris is a shitty excuse of a character and if someone like him existed in real life I'd bet you'd mostly see him on a talk show such as Jeremy Kyle. He proved himself to be selfish, irresponsible (for the most part), unlikable, hypocritical and truly obnoxious. First of all, he comes across his family when he arrives home to find them all dead and he doesn't show any emotion or shock at all. When his eldest daughter rises from the dead and messed up his shirt, he just calls her a bitch and he isn't at all concerned or grief stricken about his wife. What really pissed me off is the way he treated Maisie, his only 8 year old remaining daughter - he views her as a hindrance and he neglects his responsibility of being a father by not wanting to look after her at all. He goes as far as throwing rocks at her in order to drive her away from him.
Seriously, I have no idea why he's a father and a husband in the first place. It just doesn't make sense. All throughout the story I was asking myself this: Why the hell was Maisie sticking with him despite the shit he caused her and her family? Sure, I understood that Chris was the only living relative that she's got, but as far as I'm concerned he's toxic. I admit I did applaud her for standing up for herself when she said she will start calling him 'Dad' rather than Chris when he starts acting like a father.
The premises would work well if Chris were Maisie's step dad rather than her actual father. I would sympathize with him if his marriage was badly on the rocks with his wife and that's why he turned to alcohol as a result. Also another factor would work even better if Maisie was in her early teens. The reason for this is that there was no way that an 8 year old have a mature grasp of speech like that. She sounded older and mature despite her actual young age and it wasn't at all realistic in some ways. And if Chris and Maisie weren't related by blood it would give him a reasonable excuse to dump Maisie on her Aunt and her nan (a later event in the story when the Aunt wasn't there).
The only person I cared for in this story is Maisie. I didn't want her to be infected like Chris and she did have a human side to her, which was something I could relate to. On the other hand I didn't exactly care about Chris' fate - I wouldn't have cared if he died in the most horrible way imaginable. He said that he missed his wife and then he has sex with a 15 year old girl in the backseat of his car when his daughter wasn't too far away in a supermarket. I'm sorry, but that's just being a hypocritical. That's why I had no sympathy when he shows remorse/regret in his years of physically abusing his wife and two daughters. A part of me was angry and I wondered why his wife still remained with him and not protect her children from the likes of that scumbag. God, even now it still irritates me by thinking back to it...
Towards the end of the story they meet with a couple called Janice and Mark. Hearing the tragic story about their children made me feel incredibly sorry for them. And when Chris practically abandoned Maisie to kill himself before the virus takes control of him totally, I felt that maybe they can provide some care for her. It was a real slap in the face when they run off and left Maisie in danger and they weren't of use when they were trying to escape from the zombies. In a way I was glad when they finally got their just desserts in some ways in the end.
Admittedly Chris did save his daughter on two occasions and that honestly did surprise me. I did kinda admire him for that, but did it win my respect for him overall as a person? Nope. I did have some other issues with the book. One, I found it laughable that Chris didn't learn how to read and write despite him being in his 30s. It's how did he ever escape while driving and do other things in life? Two, it's unbelievable that Chris didn't know it was the zombie apocalypse until his neighbour told him. His excuse was that all was ever shown at the pub was football - well, surely if it was that important they would have special broadcasts interrupting normal TV shows. Lastly, how the hell is it possible for an eight year old girl to have a natural gift for driving a car when she hasn't done it before? If you ask me, that's total nonsense.
It wasn't the worst book I've read in the world. However I would have liked it a bit more if the hero was likable at least rather than being an utter arsehole. And somehow I knew Chris wasn't going to turn into a zombie like we were meant to blindly believe. How can a zombie sneeze on you and from that you get infected? Where is the logic in that?
It's just a typical zombie book I suppose and it didn't break free from the traditional aspect. Full of zombie outbreaks across the country, making sacrifices, reuniting and going on an adventure with loved ones, etc. I'm not one for reading zombie books though, however if they're unique and sound interesting I'm willing to give them a try. My preference is watching zombie films though.
The WHO (World Health Organisation) reports at the very start of the book was very well done. It was interesting to see the impending danger as well as the increase of Ebola victims and deaths take a dramatic rise over a span of a couple of months. It served it's job well as it set the tone and heightened the dread and suspense. And then we're introduced to Chris, the hero (and I use that term quite loosely) and his adventure across England with his remaining youngest daughter, Maisie.
First of all, I hate Chris. He's one of the most disgusting and terrible main characters I've ever experienced in my reading years. I really don't care if Perrin Briar intended him to be a flawed anti-hero as such. I just think Chris is a shitty excuse of a character and if someone like him existed in real life I'd bet you'd mostly see him on a talk show such as Jeremy Kyle. He proved himself to be selfish, irresponsible (for the most part), unlikable, hypocritical and truly obnoxious. First of all, he comes across his family when he arrives home to find them all dead and he doesn't show any emotion or shock at all. When his eldest daughter rises from the dead and messed up his shirt, he just calls her a bitch and he isn't at all concerned or grief stricken about his wife. What really pissed me off is the way he treated Maisie, his only 8 year old remaining daughter - he views her as a hindrance and he neglects his responsibility of being a father by not wanting to look after her at all. He goes as far as throwing rocks at her in order to drive her away from him.
Seriously, I have no idea why he's a father and a husband in the first place. It just doesn't make sense. All throughout the story I was asking myself this: Why the hell was Maisie sticking with him despite the shit he caused her and her family? Sure, I understood that Chris was the only living relative that she's got, but as far as I'm concerned he's toxic. I admit I did applaud her for standing up for herself when she said she will start calling him 'Dad' rather than Chris when he starts acting like a father.
The premises would work well if Chris were Maisie's step dad rather than her actual father. I would sympathize with him if his marriage was badly on the rocks with his wife and that's why he turned to alcohol as a result. Also another factor would work even better if Maisie was in her early teens. The reason for this is that there was no way that an 8 year old have a mature grasp of speech like that. She sounded older and mature despite her actual young age and it wasn't at all realistic in some ways. And if Chris and Maisie weren't related by blood it would give him a reasonable excuse to dump Maisie on her Aunt and her nan (a later event in the story when the Aunt wasn't there).
The only person I cared for in this story is Maisie. I didn't want her to be infected like Chris and she did have a human side to her, which was something I could relate to. On the other hand I didn't exactly care about Chris' fate - I wouldn't have cared if he died in the most horrible way imaginable. He said that he missed his wife and then he has sex with a 15 year old girl in the backseat of his car when his daughter wasn't too far away in a supermarket. I'm sorry, but that's just being a hypocritical. That's why I had no sympathy when he shows remorse/regret in his years of physically abusing his wife and two daughters. A part of me was angry and I wondered why his wife still remained with him and not protect her children from the likes of that scumbag. God, even now it still irritates me by thinking back to it...
Towards the end of the story they meet with a couple called Janice and Mark. Hearing the tragic story about their children made me feel incredibly sorry for them. And when Chris practically abandoned Maisie to kill himself before the virus takes control of him totally, I felt that maybe they can provide some care for her. It was a real slap in the face when they run off and left Maisie in danger and they weren't of use when they were trying to escape from the zombies. In a way I was glad when they finally got their just desserts in some ways in the end.
Admittedly Chris did save his daughter on two occasions and that honestly did surprise me. I did kinda admire him for that, but did it win my respect for him overall as a person? Nope. I did have some other issues with the book. One, I found it laughable that Chris didn't learn how to read and write despite him being in his 30s. It's how did he ever escape while driving and do other things in life? Two, it's unbelievable that Chris didn't know it was the zombie apocalypse until his neighbour told him. His excuse was that all was ever shown at the pub was football - well, surely if it was that important they would have special broadcasts interrupting normal TV shows. Lastly, how the hell is it possible for an eight year old girl to have a natural gift for driving a car when she hasn't done it before? If you ask me, that's total nonsense.
It wasn't the worst book I've read in the world. However I would have liked it a bit more if the hero was likable at least rather than being an utter arsehole. And somehow I knew Chris wasn't going to turn into a zombie like we were meant to blindly believe. How can a zombie sneeze on you and from that you get infected? Where is the logic in that?
February 19, 2016
Seriously, what the hell? I received an e-mail from someone from his "launch team" saying that they seen I enjoyed The 5th Wave, so they thought I'd like this (ummm what? ) I thought, "well, I'm always up for something new", so I went a got it for free off Amazon.
I can't even begin to understand why you'd write such a very unlikable main character. Chris Smith is the worst of the worst. An alcoholic abusive dad, comes home to see his 15 year old daughter dead on the floor and gets angry because she was too weak to not die. For real. He goes upstairs to see his wife dead on the bed and calls her lazy. His 15 year old daughter comes back to like and tries to eat him and I shit you not, he says "This is no way to get your allowance increased!" and precedes to call her a bitch for ripping his nice shift. A little while after he gets away, his neighbor hands him his "bible" (World War Z book), and then the neighbor goes back into his house so his wife can continue to eat him. Like what in the actual fuck. Chris gets a crash course on zombies and realizes his daughter sneezed on him so he has 8 hours before he turns. So specific.
His 8 year old daughter (who speaks more like a grown up then me) finds him, and he literally turns her away. His whole reasoning is she'll slow him down. His fucking daughter will slow him down. He even goes as far as to throw rocks at her. What a loser. I found myself hoping he'd die at every turn. Yes he has character development (slightly) after a while and tries to do the right thing, but he's so much a douchebag I still wanted him to die.
January 3, 2016
One of the cheerleaders of Briar inboxed me with this. I don't know the guy, nor do I appreciate the cookie-cutter message with no recognition that I am a person.
That said, I have a few complaints with this book. First, Chris, our antihero. He is a failure at a husband, father, and general human being. He is abusive, an alcoholic, and an asshole. I didn't like him from the beginning, and I didn't like him by the end. He had 0 redeeming qualities, and there was absolutely nothing human about him. I couldn't relate to him in the slightest.
Next, Maisie, 8 year old daughter. Has Briar never met a child? I don't care how intelligent she is, there is no way in hell Maisie would say half the things she said. Her vocabulary was far too advanced, and she was more of an adult than Chris.
Third, every other freaking character sucked. They were all stock small town folk and had no originality or anything that might make them seem human. They were very stock, and very strange. World War Z is the bible? (Plus, there's no way in hell Maisie would read that, thank you very much.) 8 hours exactly? Sneezing zombies? (Also,if the organs decayed like Chris says they do, how can they maintain a respiratory system enough to sneeze?) Sex before I die? Gimme a break. Get some creativity before randomly messaging people for a review.
That said, I have a few complaints with this book. First, Chris, our antihero. He is a failure at a husband, father, and general human being. He is abusive, an alcoholic, and an asshole. I didn't like him from the beginning, and I didn't like him by the end. He had 0 redeeming qualities, and there was absolutely nothing human about him. I couldn't relate to him in the slightest.
Next, Maisie, 8 year old daughter. Has Briar never met a child? I don't care how intelligent she is, there is no way in hell Maisie would say half the things she said. Her vocabulary was far too advanced, and she was more of an adult than Chris.
Third, every other freaking character sucked. They were all stock small town folk and had no originality or anything that might make them seem human. They were very stock, and very strange. World War Z is the bible? (Plus, there's no way in hell Maisie would read that, thank you very much.) 8 hours exactly? Sneezing zombies? (Also,if the organs decayed like Chris says they do, how can they maintain a respiratory system enough to sneeze?) Sex before I die? Gimme a break. Get some creativity before randomly messaging people for a review.
November 21, 2022
Wow. What an interesting book. I found myself railing against the main character because of his actions towards his daughter at the beginning of the book.
As the book progressed I witnessed something that I rarely see these days in the eBook publishing field.... Character growth. No spoilers here but I'll say this, towards the end, I was cheering for the main character.
All opinions expressed above are 99.44% true and are to be considered my own opinions, and not an official representation of anything or anyone. All rights reserved - but some wrongs are still available. Actual mileage may vary. Price does not include tax, title, and license. Some assembly required. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. Keep out of reach of children.
As the book progressed I witnessed something that I rarely see these days in the eBook publishing field.... Character growth. No spoilers here but I'll say this, towards the end, I was cheering for the main character.
All opinions expressed above are 99.44% true and are to be considered my own opinions, and not an official representation of anything or anyone. All rights reserved - but some wrongs are still available. Actual mileage may vary. Price does not include tax, title, and license. Some assembly required. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. Keep out of reach of children.
September 7, 2019
Time taken to read - < 1 day
Pages - 172
Publisher - ?Indie
Blurb from Goodreads
The post-apocalyptic series readers are describing as "one of the best post-apocalypse stories I've ever read."
Once infected, the virus shuts down organs, kills nerve impulses and even reprograms the way we think. The virus becomes us.
But the process takes eight hours.
If you only had eight hours left to live, what would you do?
For Chris Smith, that decision has been made for him. He’s infected, and returns home to find the rest of his family undead or missing, save his youngest daughter Maisie. He’s never been much of a father, but can he make up for it now in the final few hours of his life and find somewhere safe for her to survive?
Z-MINUS. Let the countdown begin.
My Review
Chris Smith is our main character, he has been on yet another bender and comes to with his car smashed into a tree. Still pretty drunk he heads for home and finds his family dead, his youngest Maisie missing. In no time at all his oldest daughter has risen and trying to attack him, soon Chris realises he isn't seeing things because of his alcohol abuse, this is the zombie apocalypse and it is happening now!
Chris is a pretty crap human being, he was never there for his family, missed the first week of the apocalypse because he was at the pub the whole time (the pub seemed to also have missed it!). When his wee girl turns up alive Chris has to deal with being infected, coping without booze, trying to plan what to do with Maisie and he only has 8 hours before he turns.
I have read quite a few zombie books and I like when you get a different spin on it. Here we have a pretty pathetic human being dealing with his own feelings knowing his goose is soon to be cooked. His interactions are abysmal, Maisie is just a wee girl (although she comes across much much older) and how he behaves with her at times is shocking.
The book for me was a lot more character focused, all about Chris really, than a zombie apocalypse, yes we had zombies and the world starting to fall apart but overall it was about him. His past mistakes, his character flaws, his interactions he even sends the wean off on her own to get items so he can hook up with a young girl. He has very few redeeming qualities and a few times I was just like oh come on! Exasperating and a very unlikable character, that said this is only book one so maybe the author set this up on purpose for the next books to come, maybe some redemption and character growth? Hopefully in the book or books that follow there is more zombie focus and less shady behaviour, the wean is a wee trooper! 2.5/5 for me this time, I likely will read more of the series.
Pages - 172
Publisher - ?Indie
Blurb from Goodreads
The post-apocalyptic series readers are describing as "one of the best post-apocalypse stories I've ever read."
Once infected, the virus shuts down organs, kills nerve impulses and even reprograms the way we think. The virus becomes us.
But the process takes eight hours.
If you only had eight hours left to live, what would you do?
For Chris Smith, that decision has been made for him. He’s infected, and returns home to find the rest of his family undead or missing, save his youngest daughter Maisie. He’s never been much of a father, but can he make up for it now in the final few hours of his life and find somewhere safe for her to survive?
Z-MINUS. Let the countdown begin.
My Review
Chris Smith is our main character, he has been on yet another bender and comes to with his car smashed into a tree. Still pretty drunk he heads for home and finds his family dead, his youngest Maisie missing. In no time at all his oldest daughter has risen and trying to attack him, soon Chris realises he isn't seeing things because of his alcohol abuse, this is the zombie apocalypse and it is happening now!
Chris is a pretty crap human being, he was never there for his family, missed the first week of the apocalypse because he was at the pub the whole time (the pub seemed to also have missed it!). When his wee girl turns up alive Chris has to deal with being infected, coping without booze, trying to plan what to do with Maisie and he only has 8 hours before he turns.
I have read quite a few zombie books and I like when you get a different spin on it. Here we have a pretty pathetic human being dealing with his own feelings knowing his goose is soon to be cooked. His interactions are abysmal, Maisie is just a wee girl (although she comes across much much older) and how he behaves with her at times is shocking.
The book for me was a lot more character focused, all about Chris really, than a zombie apocalypse, yes we had zombies and the world starting to fall apart but overall it was about him. His past mistakes, his character flaws, his interactions he even sends the wean off on her own to get items so he can hook up with a young girl. He has very few redeeming qualities and a few times I was just like oh come on! Exasperating and a very unlikable character, that said this is only book one so maybe the author set this up on purpose for the next books to come, maybe some redemption and character growth? Hopefully in the book or books that follow there is more zombie focus and less shady behaviour, the wean is a wee trooper! 2.5/5 for me this time, I likely will read more of the series.
September 28, 2021
A three stars for me. I chose to read it as it started with the letter Z so it filled a void in my challenge to myself, so there’s that.
The actual plot of this novel is decent, however it all falls apart fast with the character development or lack thereof. Our main character really is a horrible person and has you rooting for something bad to happen to him the whole time. Yes, I get that makes me sound a bit harsh and selfish, but it really was frustrating having a protagonist “developed” in this way.
To an extent this really is a one star book however the plot engaged me enough to keep going, which has ultimately saved it from getting one or two stars.
The actual plot of this novel is decent, however it all falls apart fast with the character development or lack thereof. Our main character really is a horrible person and has you rooting for something bad to happen to him the whole time. Yes, I get that makes me sound a bit harsh and selfish, but it really was frustrating having a protagonist “developed” in this way.
To an extent this really is a one star book however the plot engaged me enough to keep going, which has ultimately saved it from getting one or two stars.
April 5, 2017
Read 40 pages. Then read the accompanying reviews. Decided to stop reading to save my sanity.
"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead."
"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead."
November 28, 2015
I was sent a copy of this from Perrin Briar's team (Thank you so much!!) for an honest review- because of my enthusiasm on Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead series haha.
I read this in around 50 minutes. It's a very short quick fast paced read set in a zombie apocalypse. I've read other zombie novels in hopes of getting something similar to The Walking Dead like The Passage but it wasn't as appealing to me. This book though, hits the right spot with the ambiance and the apocalyptic feels.
Apparently I disliked how it was written and ughh. It starts off with news broadcasts with regard to the current zombie apocalypse circumstance, then we are introduced with our main character who wakes up after a long time unknowing the situation, and etcetc. Yupp, it sounds exactly like The Walking Dead and written in styles of most common young adult books. Humor wasn't entertaining at all either. Everything was too rushed and forced. ****SPOILERS**** I thought it was stupid how it seemed like our main character felt so "oh sht okay damn wew" after seeing his wife and daughter turned into zombies ('indifference' feels like it has more emotion rather than how the protagonist reacted to that tbh)- and that scene when he met the car dealer who apparently wants to live and die doing his favorite job in the world 'selling cars' rather than staying with his friends or more so family in the midst of an epidemic. The idea was honestly too stupid.
Besides those factors, I think this is an okay read. I went into it with high expectations because of how I was told it would be great for me because I liked The Walking Dead, but anyway it wasn't that annoying, irritating, and intolerable. It's just very young adult-ish for my taste. Maybe it would've been more acceptable if the writing and everything else was given thought of twice and wasn't rushed, it really does have potential.
I read this in around 50 minutes. It's a very short quick fast paced read set in a zombie apocalypse. I've read other zombie novels in hopes of getting something similar to The Walking Dead like The Passage but it wasn't as appealing to me. This book though, hits the right spot with the ambiance and the apocalyptic feels.
Apparently I disliked how it was written and ughh. It starts off with news broadcasts with regard to the current zombie apocalypse circumstance, then we are introduced with our main character who wakes up after a long time unknowing the situation, and etcetc. Yupp, it sounds exactly like The Walking Dead and written in styles of most common young adult books. Humor wasn't entertaining at all either. Everything was too rushed and forced. ****SPOILERS**** I thought it was stupid how it seemed like our main character felt so "oh sht okay damn wew" after seeing his wife and daughter turned into zombies ('indifference' feels like it has more emotion rather than how the protagonist reacted to that tbh)- and that scene when he met the car dealer who apparently wants to live and die doing his favorite job in the world 'selling cars' rather than staying with his friends or more so family in the midst of an epidemic. The idea was honestly too stupid.
Besides those factors, I think this is an okay read. I went into it with high expectations because of how I was told it would be great for me because I liked The Walking Dead, but anyway it wasn't that annoying, irritating, and intolerable. It's just very young adult-ish for my taste. Maybe it would've been more acceptable if the writing and everything else was given thought of twice and wasn't rushed, it really does have potential.
September 18, 2016
First of all a huge thanks to the author and his team for contacting me about the book and giving me a chance to get acquainted with the author’s work
Well I must say that the book opened in a grand way as the author had started the series with a lot of data and information on current scenario of our world and how an epidemic is just doorstep away. I loved how the author opens up with facts and figures to prepare yourself to believe that a zombie apocalypse is a possibility not far
The book is fast paced and I think that is one of the best part of the book. It sails smoothly and keep you engaged. The book deals with characters directly and not their background information which the author has managed to delve into after the story sets in and fortunately it has worked in favour of the book. The characters presents itself with relevant background details as the situation asks for it.
I personally had trouble imagining the characters because of the extremity with which they are portrayed in the story. A father brutally inconsiderate and selfish and an 8 year old that talks and behaves like a college professor which to me was kind of clashing at every turn but fortunately more than the character traits the book has lot of action to enjoy which helps a lot to be thoroughly hooked to the book.
Also I think this would be perhaps the only zombie book which does not even delve into zombie. In fact they are not even given enough screen space which is sad. Perhaps the author felt that the zombies wouldn’t notice it because…you know…they don’t have ..brains :P
Well I must say that the book opened in a grand way as the author had started the series with a lot of data and information on current scenario of our world and how an epidemic is just doorstep away. I loved how the author opens up with facts and figures to prepare yourself to believe that a zombie apocalypse is a possibility not far
The book is fast paced and I think that is one of the best part of the book. It sails smoothly and keep you engaged. The book deals with characters directly and not their background information which the author has managed to delve into after the story sets in and fortunately it has worked in favour of the book. The characters presents itself with relevant background details as the situation asks for it.
I personally had trouble imagining the characters because of the extremity with which they are portrayed in the story. A father brutally inconsiderate and selfish and an 8 year old that talks and behaves like a college professor which to me was kind of clashing at every turn but fortunately more than the character traits the book has lot of action to enjoy which helps a lot to be thoroughly hooked to the book.
Also I think this would be perhaps the only zombie book which does not even delve into zombie. In fact they are not even given enough screen space which is sad. Perhaps the author felt that the zombies wouldn’t notice it because…you know…they don’t have ..brains :P
November 17, 2015
Overview: Alcoholic, family abusing Chris has come home from the pub to find his oldest daughter and wife zombies. His eight year old daughter, hiding, follows him outside to find out about the apocalypse from a neighbor. In an effort to ditch his youngest, he pays for a sports car and starts their journey to granny's house in the country. Along the way they find trouble, doge many hungry zombies and have a spot of health issues. In the end they are still looking for a safe haven and a toll of Zombies killed: too many to count. Humans murdered: 1 and Human Mercy Killings: 2.
Opinion: For my second zombie book it was...just below ok. At first I wasn't sure of the surroundings because the description starts off as nice houses and become not so nice houses, like he goes from living in middle-class housing to ghetto housing. There were other inconsistencies and some poorly researched references. Unless the UK is father behind the times than the US, I could be wrong, but don't think so. Then there is the character himself, Chris. In the very beginning you think of him as the hero, you know he is the main character so he is supposed to be the good guy right? You learn very quickly he is nothing but an asshole who kind of deserves to be turned. It is an ok read but for the most part, just not my cup of tea.
Recommend: No.
Opinion: For my second zombie book it was...just below ok. At first I wasn't sure of the surroundings because the description starts off as nice houses and become not so nice houses, like he goes from living in middle-class housing to ghetto housing. There were other inconsistencies and some poorly researched references. Unless the UK is father behind the times than the US, I could be wrong, but don't think so. Then there is the character himself, Chris. In the very beginning you think of him as the hero, you know he is the main character so he is supposed to be the good guy right? You learn very quickly he is nothing but an asshole who kind of deserves to be turned. It is an ok read but for the most part, just not my cup of tea.
Recommend: No.
January 12, 2016
I was contacted by the author's PR team and asked to read this book and write a review. I know the author is new and trying to get some exposure, and for that reason I really wanted to leave a glowing recommendation. However, after reading the book, I sadly cannot do that.
I didn't enjoy much about this book at all.
Admittedly, the news snippets and quotes at the beginning were well done and interesting, but the rest was downhill from there.
There were times when this book was so cheesy and unbelievable that I wasn't sure whether it was supposed to be an actual story or a parody. Seriously. Not kidding. It is genuinely hard to tell.
Additionally, the main character (Chris) is utterly revolting. He is such a disgusting jerk to his 8-year-old daughter that I found myself rooting against him after about only 10-15 pages.
I don't like to spoil specific content in my reviews, but I will say that this book doesn't have a hard ending nor does it provide any closure. It just ends. If you're like me, you hate when that happens, so be forewarned.
Sorry Perrin Briar, but this book just didn't do it for me.
I didn't enjoy much about this book at all.
Admittedly, the news snippets and quotes at the beginning were well done and interesting, but the rest was downhill from there.
There were times when this book was so cheesy and unbelievable that I wasn't sure whether it was supposed to be an actual story or a parody. Seriously. Not kidding. It is genuinely hard to tell.
Additionally, the main character (Chris) is utterly revolting. He is such a disgusting jerk to his 8-year-old daughter that I found myself rooting against him after about only 10-15 pages.
I don't like to spoil specific content in my reviews, but I will say that this book doesn't have a hard ending nor does it provide any closure. It just ends. If you're like me, you hate when that happens, so be forewarned.
Sorry Perrin Briar, but this book just didn't do it for me.
September 21, 2019
The main issue with this book, beyond the poor writing, is that it highlights perfectly how not to write an anti-hero, because I can only assume that's how the author intended for the main protagonist to come across (more on this later).
The Writing:
Similar to Amanda Hocking's "Hollowland", and perhaps a pervasive problem with many self-published titles I'm finding, this book read as an early attempt at writing. One that should have been side-lined as early practice not available for mass-market consumption. However, for whatever reason, Mr. Perrin Briar decided to publish this novella anyway, warts and all.
To be blunt, the writing was not good. Mostly telling instead of showing, it proved to be serviceable to understand the story, but not enjoyable. The sentence structure was mostly short and choppy, e.g.: "The driver side door had been thrown open. Chris turned to his front door. He inserted his key into the lock and turned it. There was no click. He pushed the door with a finger. It creaked open." This technique of short, stunted sentences can be efficient for action scenes if it's meant to convey a sense of breathlessness, but it was used far too much and for scenes that didn't need it.
There was also the abundance of “He did this” and “He did that”. I’d wager that majority of the sentences in the book probably started with “He”. I just had a flick back now and I was able to find an instance where nine sentences... in a row... all start with “He”.
One positive I can attribute to Briar's writing at least is that it was relatively light on the spelling and grammatical error front.
The Characters:
Here we come to the biggest problem this novella suffers from. It's main protagonist, Chris, has absolutely zero redeeming qualities about him whatsoever. He comes across as a rude, dumb, self-centered arrogant a**hole and the author gives us no reason to care about him in any sense. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for diverse characters. Anti-heroes (when done well) are some of my favorite protagonists because of the depth given to them, and I believe that was Briar's intention here, but he failed miserably in the sense that he focuses far too much on the 'anti' and none at all on the 'hero'.
Some of Chris's negative characterizations:
- He's an alcoholic too dumb to notice the apocalypse happening until he gets infected
- He gets angry at his daughter for "being so selfish and weak to have let herself die"
- He treats his youngest daughter like an animal by throwing rocks at her in an attempt to abandon her
- He sends her off on her own in a zombie infested world so that he can have sex with an underage girl
Some of Chris's positive characterizations:
- ???
By having an irredeemably unlikable protagonist with zero positive traits, you give the reader no one to root for. Seriously, there's no empathy to be had for this guy and it was a slug to get through an entire book with him as the narrator. If his redeeming arc was that he decides in the end not to abandon his daughter and do what any other half-decent parent would do, then that's a seriously poor attempt at an anti-hero. I can only hope in future books his character arc becomes more believable and apparent, but this novella leaves me with no desire to find out.
The only character worth rooting for is his young daughter Maisie, and even she was difficult to form an emotional attachment with purely because she was written so badly. The author has clearly never been in the presence of children because his representation of one is a thirty-year-old woman in a child's body. That's how Maisie came across, far too mature and sophisticated in her language to believably come across as a young child.
Human's are multifaceted. Yes, there are truly horrible people out there like Chris, and I'm sure there are young girls out there who are mature for their age. But these characters Briar has presented us with are such extreme portrayals of these people that they come across as caricatures that I simply wasn't connected to or invested in.
The Story:
Yet another place Briar fails to make an impression. Our main character Chris is infected (yay?) and has 8 hours until he turns into a zombie and decides he would rather spend his time living life to the fullest than taking care of his young daughter.
This story was all over the place and couldn't seem to decide what it wanted to be. Was it a serious narrative focusing on the emotional ties between characters? I think it tried, but like has already been stated, it fails to do so with its poor characterization and lack of emotional depth. So then, was it an action oriented, zombie survival tale? Not really, no. There wasn't nearly enough zombies or action in this story to warrant such a label.
I also got the impression that it was maybe trying to be a light-hearted, comedic poke at the genre. Why do I think this? Because we have this absolutely bizarre scene where they're buying a car from a dealership (during the apocalypse) and the salesman's eye pops out half way through their conversation, but he seems to take no notice of it. There is no other scene in the novel with a similar level of absurdity.
Seriously weird and just all over the place. I won't get into spoilers but even the "twist" ending was lame and contrived. I wouldn't recommend that anyone read this book and I'm honestly a little annoyed that I wasted my time on it. I feel like I may be coming across a little too harshly with my reviews, but I'm starting to get annoyed with the self-published titles I've been reading. I want to support indie authors, but when they put out half-assed practice books like this, and try to present them as quality works, I don't have any sympathy.
Not everything that is written is worth publishing. I understand it takes a lot of work to write a book, and it's a difficult thought to just throw it aside for nothing more than the sake of experience, but this is something self-publishers need to start being honest with themselves about.
The Writing:
Similar to Amanda Hocking's "Hollowland", and perhaps a pervasive problem with many self-published titles I'm finding, this book read as an early attempt at writing. One that should have been side-lined as early practice not available for mass-market consumption. However, for whatever reason, Mr. Perrin Briar decided to publish this novella anyway, warts and all.
To be blunt, the writing was not good. Mostly telling instead of showing, it proved to be serviceable to understand the story, but not enjoyable. The sentence structure was mostly short and choppy, e.g.: "The driver side door had been thrown open. Chris turned to his front door. He inserted his key into the lock and turned it. There was no click. He pushed the door with a finger. It creaked open." This technique of short, stunted sentences can be efficient for action scenes if it's meant to convey a sense of breathlessness, but it was used far too much and for scenes that didn't need it.
There was also the abundance of “He did this” and “He did that”. I’d wager that majority of the sentences in the book probably started with “He”. I just had a flick back now and I was able to find an instance where nine sentences... in a row... all start with “He”.
One positive I can attribute to Briar's writing at least is that it was relatively light on the spelling and grammatical error front.
The Characters:
Here we come to the biggest problem this novella suffers from. It's main protagonist, Chris, has absolutely zero redeeming qualities about him whatsoever. He comes across as a rude, dumb, self-centered arrogant a**hole and the author gives us no reason to care about him in any sense. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for diverse characters. Anti-heroes (when done well) are some of my favorite protagonists because of the depth given to them, and I believe that was Briar's intention here, but he failed miserably in the sense that he focuses far too much on the 'anti' and none at all on the 'hero'.
Some of Chris's negative characterizations:
- He's an alcoholic too dumb to notice the apocalypse happening until he gets infected
- He gets angry at his daughter for "being so selfish and weak to have let herself die"
- He treats his youngest daughter like an animal by throwing rocks at her in an attempt to abandon her
- He sends her off on her own in a zombie infested world so that he can have sex with an underage girl
Some of Chris's positive characterizations:
- ???
By having an irredeemably unlikable protagonist with zero positive traits, you give the reader no one to root for. Seriously, there's no empathy to be had for this guy and it was a slug to get through an entire book with him as the narrator. If his redeeming arc was that he decides in the end not to abandon his daughter and do what any other half-decent parent would do, then that's a seriously poor attempt at an anti-hero. I can only hope in future books his character arc becomes more believable and apparent, but this novella leaves me with no desire to find out.
The only character worth rooting for is his young daughter Maisie, and even she was difficult to form an emotional attachment with purely because she was written so badly. The author has clearly never been in the presence of children because his representation of one is a thirty-year-old woman in a child's body. That's how Maisie came across, far too mature and sophisticated in her language to believably come across as a young child.
Human's are multifaceted. Yes, there are truly horrible people out there like Chris, and I'm sure there are young girls out there who are mature for their age. But these characters Briar has presented us with are such extreme portrayals of these people that they come across as caricatures that I simply wasn't connected to or invested in.
The Story:
Yet another place Briar fails to make an impression. Our main character Chris is infected (yay?) and has 8 hours until he turns into a zombie and decides he would rather spend his time living life to the fullest than taking care of his young daughter.
This story was all over the place and couldn't seem to decide what it wanted to be. Was it a serious narrative focusing on the emotional ties between characters? I think it tried, but like has already been stated, it fails to do so with its poor characterization and lack of emotional depth. So then, was it an action oriented, zombie survival tale? Not really, no. There wasn't nearly enough zombies or action in this story to warrant such a label.
I also got the impression that it was maybe trying to be a light-hearted, comedic poke at the genre. Why do I think this? Because we have this absolutely bizarre scene where they're buying a car from a dealership (during the apocalypse) and the salesman's eye pops out half way through their conversation, but he seems to take no notice of it. There is no other scene in the novel with a similar level of absurdity.
Seriously weird and just all over the place. I won't get into spoilers but even the "twist" ending was lame and contrived. I wouldn't recommend that anyone read this book and I'm honestly a little annoyed that I wasted my time on it. I feel like I may be coming across a little too harshly with my reviews, but I'm starting to get annoyed with the self-published titles I've been reading. I want to support indie authors, but when they put out half-assed practice books like this, and try to present them as quality works, I don't have any sympathy.
Not everything that is written is worth publishing. I understand it takes a lot of work to write a book, and it's a difficult thought to just throw it aside for nothing more than the sake of experience, but this is something self-publishers need to start being honest with themselves about.
February 22, 2015
Relatively good
As someone rather intimate with the zombie genre, I found the human element in this short story to be intriguing. A little more character development and a little more description on the gore would have been nice, but all in all it ranks pretty far up there. I recommend this book if out want to dip your toes in the water for a short while. I look forward to seeing more from this author.
As someone rather intimate with the zombie genre, I found the human element in this short story to be intriguing. A little more character development and a little more description on the gore would have been nice, but all in all it ranks pretty far up there. I recommend this book if out want to dip your toes in the water for a short while. I look forward to seeing more from this author.
June 14, 2015
A Family Affair
This book was not at all what I expected! I really enjoyed watching the relationship between Maisie & Chris during a time when terror and other survival related emotions arise and can often lead to the demise of an already rocky relationship, but not in this case. Yes, there are plenty of zombies but they are not necessarily the focal point of this well written book.
This book was not at all what I expected! I really enjoyed watching the relationship between Maisie & Chris during a time when terror and other survival related emotions arise and can often lead to the demise of an already rocky relationship, but not in this case. Yes, there are plenty of zombies but they are not necessarily the focal point of this well written book.
December 31, 2015
Is my second Zoombies novel. And Despite the bad reviews that some users give I really like. It was a fast reading that motivate me to continue. I will read for sure the second and third part. I was not thinking that Zombie novels can be something that I enjoy, but I really did. also I like how the author brings the big epidemics that we have nowadays to the story. Is a good critic to the experimentation in the old virus. I wish is more mention in the book.
May 20, 2015
The story of Chris and Maisie, father and daughter, and how they deal with the zombie apocalypse. Chris has been an abusive parent and has an awakening of what he's been as he learns how to protect his daughter.
Liked this one.
Liked this one.
November 27, 2015
Really enjoyed this - good characters and an exciting concept. I'm looking forward to the second installment.
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