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Mountain Man #0.4

Mountain Man: Prequel

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After a long day of prepping a house for painting, all Gus Berry wanted was the night off to spend some time with his girlfriend and relax before having to return to work the next morning. But that isn’t going to happen. Because Gus’s co-worker Benny has found a one-night job at the local Mollymart East, a job that has to be done by morning. If Gus and his paint crew can complete the work by then, it could mean huge business with a respected, established grocery store chain.

But as Gus and his fellow painters soon discover, the much-anticipated zombie apocalypse doesn’t start with a bang. It starts on a Monday. And barricading themselves inside a megastore isn’t the end.

It’s just the beginning.

Audible Audio

First published September 7, 2017

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550 people want to read

About the author

Keith C. Blackmore

38 books909 followers
Books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and others.

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5 stars
777 (48%)
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567 (35%)
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219 (13%)
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26 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
Profile Image for Tracy  P. .
1,152 reviews12 followers
January 19, 2019
I posted my review for Mountain Man: Prequel (Mountain Man #0.4) on October 4, 2018 on audible's site, and wish I had submitted it here at the same time, since I wrote this on the heels of its release.
Hope you guys find it helpful. . .

"Gus. . . Redefining the 'Everyman!'"
I thought I got to know what shaped Gus after finishing his prequel short story titled: "The Hospital." The "Mountain Man Prequel" provides information never mentioned previously about his past. What a treat to learn about his pre-apocalyptic job, friends, and girlfriend. Each had a profound impact on his identity, and how he looked at the world during that time. This information also answers a lot of questions about why he (most likely) coped and developed as he did during the rest of the series.

Gus's self-deprecation is just so endearing, and love his what you see is what you get mentality. . . epitomizing the reluctant hero, who always mans-up when the chips are down. Undoubtedly, I would want him in my corner during an apocalypse!

The dry humor which comes out of Gus's mouth is infectious. . . the type of guy that would be fun to hangout with, and loyal to a fault. . . Proving this in his selfless actions, and lengths he went to in searching for his girlfriend, Tammy. Nuff said.

Much thanks to both Mr. Blackmore and Mr. Bray, for providing yet another (much appreciated) opportunity to venture back into one of my favorite places to visit. . . Gus's world!!

Here's to hoping we have not heard the last from him. [*v*]???
Profile Image for Deacon D..
170 reviews35 followers
September 4, 2021
I love a good zombie story and the Mountain Man series is a blast.

Even though Prequel was not my initial introduction to Gus Berry (in fact, I'd read all the other entries first) I'd recommend that new readers tackle the series in order.

Blackmore's spin on zombie lore is original, action-packed, heart-wrenching, and funny as hell, at times. I dig it!

Profile Image for Megan.
316 reviews
May 21, 2018
I can appreciate Blackmore wanting to go back and give us a little more insight into Gus and his origins, how the plague emerged, etc, but coming out this long after the rest of the series has ended was unnecessary. If you are interested in the Mountain Man, this book is not something you have to read to understand the characters. The first book does a good enough job on character and situational development. However, I still really enjoyed going back to the Mountain Man series for one last story. I did find some of the conversations with Tobe to be rather frustrating and annoying - almost skipping over them entirely. The "What do we do if" scenarios that no one 1. wants to think about and 2. wants to be responsible solely for figuring out. Also, I found it pretty implausible that Gus would run into everyone who had been turned at some point in this book. But that is the joy of this genre is I guess anything is possible.
1 review
September 14, 2017
Great zombie series, Gus is a great "every man" character.

A great read.
Fun and great pacing. I read a lot of zombie fiction and this series and the main character Gus are one of my favorites.
Check out the whole series!
Profile Image for Mathew Kaufman.
Author 11 books22 followers
May 1, 2018
The book was good. It gave a solid back story to Gus and the start of the apocalypse. I liked it but it wasn’t a must read. I love the series. This is the weakest book.
Profile Image for Stacey-girl.
82 reviews1 follower
November 24, 2019
This book is hands down amazeballs. Which basically means, if you love a good zombie book, read this one!!!! Action from the get go. Characters that you would take a bullet for. A story that keeps going and going and going, until you fall asleep 4 am reading in bed. Keith Blackmore is now officially one of my fave zombie fiction writers.
35 reviews
January 13, 2021
Great prequel!

As a fan of the original series I really enjoyed getting to see how it all started for Gus. It was probably a little too brief for my liking but I enjoyed it regardless!
The beginning of any zombie apocalypse is always open to a huge amount of scrutiny and I think that’s why most authors avoid it so I applaud Keith for taking on the challenge.
Gus is one of my favourite characters. I highly recommend this book and this series for lovers of the genre.
If you’ve ever wondered what life could possibly be like after the end of civilisation as we know it, the Mountain Man series is fantastic as it takes you into the inner most thoughts of the main characters so you not only get to read about what they go through but also how they internalise and try to rationalise their situation.
Profile Image for Badseedgirl.
1,480 reviews85 followers
January 25, 2023
Added to TBR March 2022.

It was nice to see Gus before he became the drunken, but good hearted sot we meet in Mountain Man.
Profile Image for Terry Tyler.
Author 34 books584 followers
December 4, 2019
4.5*

I was so pleased to discover this - the first Mountain Man book starts a while into the zombie apocalypse, so it was great to find out how Gus got to where he is in Book #1. Also - and I am sure I am not alone here - I always find the most exciting part of any post apoc series to be the very start, when people think 'something is happening, but maybe it'll be okay' - then come to the slow realisation that it's the very opposite, and life as they know it was breaking down even as they were kidding themselves.

In this prequel we see Gus in his pre-zombie days as a painter (of the decorating sort), on an emergency job during what will be his last normal evening of his life. We see the night turn to shit as he is stranded in a shopping mall with a couple of work friends and a bunch of random people, wanting only to get back to the woman he loves.

The main characters (Gus and his friend Toby, mostly) are well-rounded and realistic, and the dialogue is great. During the first half of the book I felt certain parts could have been edited down a bit, or just given a bit more spit and polish, but as Gus's plight gains momentum in the second half of the book I no longer cared; the last thirty per cent, in particular, is riveting.

I still think Books #1 - #3 are the best of this series, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one, too. If you love zombie series, or any post apoc, I can't recommend this series too highly. Definitely going to have a crack at some of Mr Blackmore's horror books, too :).




Profile Image for Dylan Clink.
77 reviews
August 7, 2024
4/5

My favorite of the series so far. It was refreshing to go back and see Gus at the very beginning and get a peak at his life before the outbreak. Then to follow along as it breaks out and how he ends up where the first novel began.

Even though I knew some of the characters obviously weren't going to make it I quickly got attached to them.

Blackmore has grown as a writer since the series started.
Profile Image for Leather.
564 reviews12 followers
October 14, 2019
This prequel of the Mountain Man universe is at the level of the rest of the series: it's good post-ap, with ordinary characters who face the unthinkable, and who adapt.
Some passages are slightly boring, some technical details are not very realistic, but overall it's nice to read and rather fun.
But it's a little bit always the same thing.
Profile Image for John.
450 reviews7 followers
May 11, 2022
Keith C. Blackmore is definitely an underappreciated writer. The guy is super talented. I can only assume its the genre he writes in that doesn't give him the recognition he deserves. This is another really good book in the mountain man series. It was really nice to see how it all began.
Profile Image for Dave.
169 reviews3 followers
September 18, 2017
Another winner! I enjoyed reading about Gus prior to and during the beginning of the zombie apocalypse.
Profile Image for Linda Söderlund.
343 reviews2 followers
October 2, 2024
Om man, som jag, gillar The Last of Us, The Walking Dead och själva tanken på att världen as we know it kan gå sönder och ta slut, så kommer man att gilla den här boken. Sambon blev tipsad om Mountain Man (1) , slukade den och resten av serien.
Jag har (hittills) bara läst Prequel, den första, och gillade den. Det är en dystopisk action skulle jag säga.

Någon fler än jag som nästan längtar tills elen slås ut och vi får börja om med potatisodling o.s.v.? Nej, jag vill inte slåss mot zombies, men skulle gärna leva med bara den teknik vi hade på typ 80-talet.

Jag läser helst inte på engelska, eftersom jag är så petig och vill förstå alla ord men inte orkar "slå upp" dem. Men jag borde kanske peta in nån fler på engelskan då och då.

Att boken är skriven av en man går inte att ta miste på, oro och krångel med pungkulor som ligger snett läser man sällan om i böcker skrivna av kvinnor. 🙃

🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️(4/5)
Profile Image for David Veith.
565 reviews3 followers
September 4, 2018
Solid 3.0. If you had not read all the other books (like I did) the book would probably be better, but seeing as I read them in the order they came out I found the book a little bit lacking in the action department. This is more of a comparison though to the others though. I did love that they at least made an attempt at explaining how the zombies came around, unlike many others. I also liked that it did mention other people/events that popped up in the other books. Well written and very easy to read. Enjoyable.
Profile Image for Mr Chuck.
318 reviews7 followers
July 10, 2022
Still the best zombie series I've ever read.

You could start here instead of going from the first mountain man book. But knowing the man Gus becomes it's good seeing what kind of person he once was.

This has all the charm from the mountain man series, with epic gore, graphic violence, and ball scratching. But, I got bored at some moments as I wanted the story to progress and not waste time talking about characters I knew will never appear again.

Also, I found it really unlikely he would see every person he knew as a zombie at mass gatherings.

Profile Image for Laurie.
920 reviews49 followers
May 21, 2022
Least favorite of the series. It took sooooo long to get to the good stuff and even that was eh. It was nice though to hear Gus in love.
Profile Image for Why Contain It.
41 reviews2 followers
October 27, 2024
Entertaining but how hard is it to use spell check? Just proof read it once before publishing it.
Profile Image for Daniel Westman.
144 reviews2 followers
October 2, 2024
Oh no. Only one book left for me in the series.

This one was a blast. If you're new to the Mountain Man series, I'd recommend you to start with this one. Fast-paced, short and sweet!
Profile Image for Lennie Grace.
Author 37 books29 followers
November 3, 2020
Amazing! I was really impressed with this story. Average people trying to survive the beginning of a zombie apocalypse while trapped in a supermarket? :D sign me up please, that sounds like some creepy awesome fun! :D

The writing was great. Strong with a distinctly masculine voice that suits our main character, Gus, very well. There is a LOT of swearing throughout the story. And a lot of graphic violence. so it's definitely an adult book. but it works, all that swearing. >:D average painter guys, trapped by zombies? of course they're gonna be swearing left and life. Most adults (At least the ones I know) swear a lot anyway, so it makes sense that they'd swear left and right.

Each character is a strong individual. Gus is your average joe guy with a strong sense of loyalty to his buddies and girlfriend. And I love him. And Toby is just fucking hysterical. I laughed out loud several times while listening to this book, thanks to him. he was a great bit of comedy as we watch the shit storm start. :D but you gotta feel for him, when we start seeing him really breaking down towards the end.

& mel grant? "The Bitch" as she is often referred to? I love to hate her.

Zombies. baseball bats. cops overwhelmed and terrified people trying to make sense out of crazy. this was a great story. I very highly recommend it for fans of horror and zombie books.

And make sure to check out the audiobook version if you like listening to your books! :D the narrator really brings the story to life. I literally laughed out loud several times at Toby's jokes. he's the best. Also, the snotty tone used for Mel? excellent.

I got the rest of the book serious on audible, so I'm looking forward to reading/listening to the rest of the series. There's a FREE short story called "The Hospital" I'm looking forward to reading. :D

Happy Reading! Love, Lennie.
Profile Image for William M..
605 reviews66 followers
October 11, 2018
4 AND 1/2 STARS

I'm glad I jumped onto Keith C. Blackmore's series late, because I had the pleasure of reading this prequel (written after the main series, I believe) before diving into what is one of the best zombie sagas available. Not only are his characters realistic and their decisions those of people actually trying to survive instead of teams of special ops warriors just blasting away and never in any real danger, but his dialogue, for me, is what really stands out. The dialogue and vivid descriptions are simply outstanding and show that author Blackmore can easily hold his own against any horror or zombie author out there. My only complaint that knocked this book down half a star were characters that recognize zombies that they used to know. With thousands of zombies roaming around, I found it hard to believe they would not only run into them but actually recognize who they were after mostly being dismembered. That aside, I am definitely in this series for the entire run. It really is one of the best in the zombie sub-genre. Huge recommendation.
Profile Image for Stacy ohmyskulls.
700 reviews170 followers
February 24, 2020
OMG I love this series so much! I was so happy to see that Keith C. Blackmore had returned to writing this series, and this was a great prequel!

A little forewarning that there is a character in this who is a bit... crass, and I could see some of the things he says maybe bothering some people, but Gus (main character) doesn't really share most of his attitudes and is a very relatable and nice character, so Toby's antics didn't bother me too much. Some of the stuff he said made me cringe but what can you do.

Aside from that, this was insanely enjoyable, with the origins of the outbreak and getting to know Gus as he discovers what he'll need to do to survive in a zombie apocalypse. There were even a few ties to the original series so of course now I'm going to go read those again before I start the brand new 5th book that just released!
Profile Image for Aaron.
361 reviews13 followers
January 31, 2024
Nice little story giving us a glimpse at the initial outbreak and how Gus became the ‘Mountain Man’. It was just as great as the rest of the series but its hurt by the short length of the novel. If anything it just left me wanting more in the same world, maybe a side story with one of the new characters. Gus was still as ‘everyman’ as he was and his reactions and handling of the situation stay true to his character from the later books. This series remains one of my top zombie fictions.

2024 Re-read - it was aight.
Profile Image for Toni Semmens.
46 reviews
November 7, 2018
A very excellent zombie story! If you like the genre then this is work a listen :D Was really hard to put down. I started listening on a 10k run and even found myself with my ear buds in at work when no one was looking. Now for the rest of the series . . . :D
Profile Image for Greg.
Author 3 books46 followers
July 18, 2019
I love this series, and I was delighted to discover this prequel! Read for Audible by the masterful R. C. Bray, I was particularly interested in how and when Captain Morgan would make his appearance, and I must say, I was not disappointed!
Profile Image for Lorre.
318 reviews9 followers
July 12, 2022
It was so good to see Gus again! Absolutely loved this story of the first days of the zombie apocalypse in Gus' world and how he became The Mountain Man.

This prequel re-affirmed why the Mountain Man series is in my top 3 of favorite zombie series.
Profile Image for Doghouse Gav.
392 reviews3 followers
March 21, 2018
Good old gus

I've missed gus so much. Was great to get him backstory and find out how he ended up an alcoholic zombie arse kicker. Top read.
Profile Image for Geoffrey.
35 reviews6 followers
June 19, 2019
Listened to audiobook. Absolutely loved it! Just as good as the rest of the Mountain Man series...Gus kicks zombie ass! Mountain Man #5 out soon!
Profile Image for Karen.
1,314 reviews41 followers
August 2, 2025
As someone who is just beginning to explore this author's works, I decided to take an unconventional approach by diving into a prequel that comes later in the series’ timeline. My reasoning was that starting with this installment would give me a unique insight into the overarching narrative and character development. Initially, the story didn’t quite grab my attention, but as it progressed and the tension increased for the small group of individuals trapped in a horrifying situation, I found myself completely engrossed.

The characters in this story represent a familiar assortment often seen in horror narratives. Each character embodies distinct traits, but ultimately, they fit into recognizable archetypes. There’s the domineering figure, often male but occasionally female, who takes it upon themselves to assume control. This individual’s behavior can make them the antagonist, as they tend to belittle their companions and dictate actions as if everyone were mere children. Conversely, there’s the blindly obedient follower who eagerly accepts commands, without any critical thought. Various other personalities emerge in the spectrum between these two extremes, introducing some depth to the character dynamics. While this familiarity is not necessarily a flaw, it lacks the element of surprise that some readers might crave.

The plot kicks off with an overnight job that spirals into a living nightmare when the zombie apocalypse begins—an unexpected turn that reveals the genre's fascination with how mundane events can escalate into chaos. Our protagonist, house painter Gus Berry, is initially looking forward to unwinding and spending quality time with his girlfriend after a long day’s work. However, these simple pleasures are far from his reality.

His coworker, Benny, has procured a last-minute painting project at a local establishment called Mollymart East. This job is pressing; it needs to be completed by morning. Successfully finishing the work could potentially mean lucrative contracts with a major grocery store chain, presenting a tantalizing opportunity for Gus and his crew.

However, the anticipated excitement of the job quickly dissipates as Gus and his fellow painters are shockingly confronted by the onset of the zombie apocalypse. The calamity does not commence with a dramatic explosion or frightening spectacle; instead, it begins with a shocking revelation on an unsuspecting Monday. Finding refuge inside the expansive megastore, they soon realize that barricading themselves is not the resolution—it’s merely the start of an even more treacherous ordeal.

On another note, I must commend the narrator of the audiobook I listened to. Their performance greatly enhanced my experience, bringing the emotional turmoil and struggles of the characters to life with remarkable clarity. The way they conveyed the characters’ fears and desperation added an absorbing layer to the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this immersive experience and eagerly anticipate my next journey into this intriguing world, especially to see how our mountain man protagonist adapts and survives amidst the chaos.
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