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Darpocalypse
The second wave of the plague has struck with a brutal vengeance and a full-on zombie apocalypse has spread throughout every corner of the world. Abandoned by her father, Dar has managed to set up a camp in the Boston Common. Surrounded by hordes of ravenous zombies, one person living inside the camp holds the key to their survival. A few lucky people on Earth have developed a mysterious immunity from the plague. Known as ghosts, they are prized for their ability to walk among the dead and gather food and supplies without fear. The Boston camp harbors one such person, and President Roberts orders the Army’s finest soldier to bring their ghost to Washington, D.C. at any cost. As the world descends into apocalyptic madness, the horde grows increasingly aggressive, threatening the wellbeing of every survivor in Dar’s camp. Boston Common becomes ground zero for a dramatic showdown, and Dar realizes that she must make a decision that threatens not only her life, but the survival of every person she’s been entrusted to protect. “Darpocalypse is on the short list for the best that zombie fiction has to offer… Highly recommended.”--Michael Juvinall, MoreHorror.com “[A] dystopian yarn unlike anything you’ve read before…”--Jeroen ten Berge, artist “Joseph Souza has a gift for story telling…”--Michele Callahan, Indie Horror News
- GenresZombies
340 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2013
2 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Souza
18 books88 followersJoseph Souza's award-winning short stories have been published in various literary journals throughout the country. Winner of the Andre Dubus Award for short fiction, he also won Honorable Mention for the Al Blanchard Award and the 2013 Maine Literary Award. His mystery, UNPAVED SURFACES, was published by Kindle Press in 2015 and was an Amazon bestseller. NEED TO FIND YOU, his crime thriller set in Portland, was the first novel to go direct-to-publish by Kindle Press. His new domestic thriller, THE NEIGHBOR (Kensington) will be published April 24, 2018. Visit josephsouza.net for more information about his work.
He lives near Portland, Maine with his wife and two children and enjoys running, cooking and playing golf when not writing.
Joseph can be contacted at souzajf@hotmail.com and on Twitter @josephsouza3. You can also visit his website to read more about Joseph. www.josephsouza.net.
He lives near Portland, Maine with his wife and two children and enjoys running, cooking and playing golf when not writing.
Joseph can be contacted at souzajf@hotmail.com and on Twitter @josephsouza3. You can also visit his website to read more about Joseph. www.josephsouza.net.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 9, 2013
Souza reignites The Living Dead series with the blistering second installment of his utterly unique undead saga. The undead plague, previously seen in its infancy during The Reawakening, has exploded worldwide, catapulting society into utter chaos and destruction. Humanity is reduced to pockets of survivors, desperately hanging on under constant threat of extinction. A rare phenomenon develops during these days...the discovery of humans capable of walking among the dead without fear of attack. Called "Ghosts," their existence may hold the key to humanity's survival.
The reader is quickly reintroduced to Dar, the unbalanced, teenage zombie-slayer from the first novel. She has taken control of a large group of survivors banded together in Boston, largely thanks to her discovery of Annabelle, one of the extremely rare "Ghosts." Annabelle keeps the camp supplied, while Dar rules with an iron fist. When I use the term "iron fist," I do absolutely no justice to the method's Dar uses to maintain order, discipline and most importantly, obedience in the walled off camp. Think "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" meets "Conan the Barbarian," but ten times more brutal and infinitely more entertaining. Souza brilliantly describes Dar's antics and the fear she generates, to the point where I was cringing when any of the camp's inhabitants interacted with her. You could never predict what might happen next, and this is part of the tension that Souza builds throughout the book.
The story isn't limited to Dar's Boston kingdom. Far from it. Several memorable characters are introduced outside of Dar's scope, and weaved masterfully into the plotline. A special forces colonel, convicted murderer, and the recently deposed President of the United States all converge on Dar's domain, in their own spectacular ways, culminating in an insanely spectacular and chilling ending.
Darpocalypse showcases Souza's strengths as an epic storyteller. Strong character development, combined with carefully converging plotlines delivers a tension building knock-out punch when these lines merge for the finale.
I eagerly await the third installment, which is sure to chronicle the plight of the finale's survivors and beyond, expanding the world of Souza's Living Dead Series. Souza's series blazes a new trail that will satisfy hardcore zombie readers, while delivering an epic story in the tradition of "The Stand."
The reader is quickly reintroduced to Dar, the unbalanced, teenage zombie-slayer from the first novel. She has taken control of a large group of survivors banded together in Boston, largely thanks to her discovery of Annabelle, one of the extremely rare "Ghosts." Annabelle keeps the camp supplied, while Dar rules with an iron fist. When I use the term "iron fist," I do absolutely no justice to the method's Dar uses to maintain order, discipline and most importantly, obedience in the walled off camp. Think "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" meets "Conan the Barbarian," but ten times more brutal and infinitely more entertaining. Souza brilliantly describes Dar's antics and the fear she generates, to the point where I was cringing when any of the camp's inhabitants interacted with her. You could never predict what might happen next, and this is part of the tension that Souza builds throughout the book.
The story isn't limited to Dar's Boston kingdom. Far from it. Several memorable characters are introduced outside of Dar's scope, and weaved masterfully into the plotline. A special forces colonel, convicted murderer, and the recently deposed President of the United States all converge on Dar's domain, in their own spectacular ways, culminating in an insanely spectacular and chilling ending.
Darpocalypse showcases Souza's strengths as an epic storyteller. Strong character development, combined with carefully converging plotlines delivers a tension building knock-out punch when these lines merge for the finale.
I eagerly await the third installment, which is sure to chronicle the plight of the finale's survivors and beyond, expanding the world of Souza's Living Dead Series. Souza's series blazes a new trail that will satisfy hardcore zombie readers, while delivering an epic story in the tradition of "The Stand."
June 16, 2014
I'm often leery of series books. Oftentimes, they tend to fall into a pattern that a reader picks up on sooner rather than later. If they do not make this mistake, they often go in such a different direction that they feel completely divorced from the books that preceded them. Darpocolypse, the second in The Living Dead series, shirks many of these pitfalls but also fails to learn from some its own mistakes.
Right away, Darpocolypse distinguishes itself from its predecessor. Unlike the first-person narrative of the first book, Darpocolypse is entirely third-person. As someone who prefers this over first-person, I was pleasantly surprised, but it may jar some, particularly those who like first-person. Another major change is that Dar is the only returning character from the first book, so if you were expecting the continued adventures of Thom the novelist, be prepared. Instead, there is Gritz, a special forces operator; Annabelle, a former rock star who now is invisible; and Mike Brabas, a serial killer let loose in the wake of the crisis. Several of the new characters are much more likeable than the ones seen in the first book, which is an important step forward. They also introduce more consistent action and intrigue into the series than the characters in Book 1 were able to provide.
The writing, other than the continuing issues with dialogue, is good. Souza's ability to create descriptive scenes and intriguing situations has survived the change in characters, and he neither over or under-writes with his prose. He has an excellent vocabulary and uses it to good effect, minimizing the amount of repetition in describing events or concepts in the book. The editing is solid as well, as is typical for Permuted Press.
I enjoyed the more national tone of Book 2 as well, which looks far beyond the narrow focus of one farmhouse in Maine. The book criss-crosses the Eastern United States throughout, and the book manages to keep things lively by switching between different character perspectives in different locales. Importantly, the switches are done skillfully enough to avoid muddling things for the readers and send them flipping backwards in order to recall what was happening to one character or another. As I said above, authors sometimes change things too drastically and fail to maintain continuity between books in a series. Souza negotiates the transition from a traditional limited-scope, limited-locale zombie book to a more sweeping, epic-style well though, and there is a sense of familiarity while still creating progress and growth in the overall plot.
There are still issues, however. For example, the prologue initially appears to advance the storyline several months, though over the course of the book it begins to feel more like a synopsis. As a result, I would actually advise readers not to read it as it gives away some plot points ahead of time. There is nothing earth-shattering, but allowing the story to unfold organically would have been more satisfying. Furthermore, it actually confused me at times as I assumed that characters would have knowledge about events only to later find out that they had not happened yet.
Overall, the continuity was something of a problem as well. For example, in the first book, Thom leaves Boston in order to escape the radiation coming from Maine, though this is ignored in the second book and the camp set up there is unaffected. Secondly, the military character, Gritz, undertakes a mission at the beginning of the book with no forewarning of the dead. With survivor camps set up by this point, why would he not know about them, and why would no one have warned him even if he just returned from overseas?
My other major concerns were the dialogue and the characterization, particularly with respect to Dar. The language, as with Book 1, feels a bit stiff and formal. Also, as with the first book, there are rapid-fire exchanges that see characters change their opinion on a subject very quickly. Secondly, the Dar character feels like a total paradox, but not quite a convincing one. She hates religion, but preaches about it all time. She is a cruel disciplinarian who crushes all dissent, but everyone seems to trust her to be doing it for the "greater good." Lastly, everyone seems to bow to her rule as a fait acompli - soldiers, senior government officials, etc. - without any sort of real complaint or doubt. This, along with the characters changing opinions so quickly, rang rather hollow for me. Considering the insane deal the President strikes with Brabas, though, perhaps everyone is better off deferring to her.
Finally, a lot of the more interesting aspects revolving around diseased animals is absent in this book. Luckily, this is replaced with more revelations about the chosen ones mentioned in the first book. While the omission of different zombie types was disappointing, the immune humans and their skills make for a refreshing substitute. To a degree, there are tones of Robert McCammon's Swan Song here - new leaders with newer powers arising from the old order - that were enjoyable, and they hold a lot potential for Book 3.
Though I think the change in style and focus held some road bumps, the core audience of the book will still find it entertaining. There is plenty of action, intrigue, heroes and villains, and - of course - more zombies than you can shake a stick at. If you enjoyed book one and can stomach some changes, Darpocolypse will not disappoint.
Right away, Darpocolypse distinguishes itself from its predecessor. Unlike the first-person narrative of the first book, Darpocolypse is entirely third-person. As someone who prefers this over first-person, I was pleasantly surprised, but it may jar some, particularly those who like first-person. Another major change is that Dar is the only returning character from the first book, so if you were expecting the continued adventures of Thom the novelist, be prepared. Instead, there is Gritz, a special forces operator; Annabelle, a former rock star who now is invisible; and Mike Brabas, a serial killer let loose in the wake of the crisis. Several of the new characters are much more likeable than the ones seen in the first book, which is an important step forward. They also introduce more consistent action and intrigue into the series than the characters in Book 1 were able to provide.
The writing, other than the continuing issues with dialogue, is good. Souza's ability to create descriptive scenes and intriguing situations has survived the change in characters, and he neither over or under-writes with his prose. He has an excellent vocabulary and uses it to good effect, minimizing the amount of repetition in describing events or concepts in the book. The editing is solid as well, as is typical for Permuted Press.
I enjoyed the more national tone of Book 2 as well, which looks far beyond the narrow focus of one farmhouse in Maine. The book criss-crosses the Eastern United States throughout, and the book manages to keep things lively by switching between different character perspectives in different locales. Importantly, the switches are done skillfully enough to avoid muddling things for the readers and send them flipping backwards in order to recall what was happening to one character or another. As I said above, authors sometimes change things too drastically and fail to maintain continuity between books in a series. Souza negotiates the transition from a traditional limited-scope, limited-locale zombie book to a more sweeping, epic-style well though, and there is a sense of familiarity while still creating progress and growth in the overall plot.
There are still issues, however. For example, the prologue initially appears to advance the storyline several months, though over the course of the book it begins to feel more like a synopsis. As a result, I would actually advise readers not to read it as it gives away some plot points ahead of time. There is nothing earth-shattering, but allowing the story to unfold organically would have been more satisfying. Furthermore, it actually confused me at times as I assumed that characters would have knowledge about events only to later find out that they had not happened yet.
Overall, the continuity was something of a problem as well. For example, in the first book, Thom leaves Boston in order to escape the radiation coming from Maine, though this is ignored in the second book and the camp set up there is unaffected. Secondly, the military character, Gritz, undertakes a mission at the beginning of the book with no forewarning of the dead. With survivor camps set up by this point, why would he not know about them, and why would no one have warned him even if he just returned from overseas?
My other major concerns were the dialogue and the characterization, particularly with respect to Dar. The language, as with Book 1, feels a bit stiff and formal. Also, as with the first book, there are rapid-fire exchanges that see characters change their opinion on a subject very quickly. Secondly, the Dar character feels like a total paradox, but not quite a convincing one. She hates religion, but preaches about it all time. She is a cruel disciplinarian who crushes all dissent, but everyone seems to trust her to be doing it for the "greater good." Lastly, everyone seems to bow to her rule as a fait acompli - soldiers, senior government officials, etc. - without any sort of real complaint or doubt. This, along with the characters changing opinions so quickly, rang rather hollow for me. Considering the insane deal the President strikes with Brabas, though, perhaps everyone is better off deferring to her.
Finally, a lot of the more interesting aspects revolving around diseased animals is absent in this book. Luckily, this is replaced with more revelations about the chosen ones mentioned in the first book. While the omission of different zombie types was disappointing, the immune humans and their skills make for a refreshing substitute. To a degree, there are tones of Robert McCammon's Swan Song here - new leaders with newer powers arising from the old order - that were enjoyable, and they hold a lot potential for Book 3.
Though I think the change in style and focus held some road bumps, the core audience of the book will still find it entertaining. There is plenty of action, intrigue, heroes and villains, and - of course - more zombies than you can shake a stick at. If you enjoyed book one and can stomach some changes, Darpocolypse will not disappoint.
September 9, 2014
Darpocalypse, the second book in The Living Dead Series by Joseph Souza, jumps ahead from the prior book in time and introduces us to mostly brand new characters who did not appear in the prior novel. Dar, the suicidal teenager, is the only one who remains. She has become the merciless leader of the Boston Commons compound where a group of survivors live thanks to her quick thinking in urging a city engineer to fence the area in before the surge of undead swept over the city. Gritz, a Delta Force colonel, is the lone survivor in a failed mission to stop a nuclear power plant from going critical as the undead overwhelmed the area. He has been put on a new mission by the President to get to Boston to find the “ghost” that is in the compound and bring them back to Washington DC to save the city from annihilation. Annabelle is a washed up rock star performing for Dar on stage in Boston to entertain the survivors, and also goes out into the dead city to gather supplies because she is immune to the infection and more importantly, is a ghost who can walk among them. Mike Brabas is a man on death row waiting to be executed until the dead rise, and then accidentally discovers that he too is a ghost. Now his delusions of grandeur and terroristic tendencies have him pointed toward Washington D.C. with every intention of creating a new world order with him as its leader.
Darpocalypse is a total shift from the first book in this series. It moves from first person to third and many of the things that happened and were significant elements of the first book have been pushed aside. No longer do any infected animals appear here, although the infected humans still go through a transformation where they appear to have transcended into some sort of state of grace momentarily, speaking about the chosen or regrets they had in life, before transforming yet again into the ravenous monsters that zombie fans know and love. The nuclear fallout pushing south from Maine appears to have had no impact on Boston either. Dar still has visions of heading west to find her father and the first scroll-the journal her uncle wrote that might have the scientific information to save everyone who remains, though that is secondary to her efforts to rule what remains of Boston with an iron fist. Thom, her father and narrator from the first book, has supposedly set up camp out in Washington State with a ghost of his own, though he is not a part of this book at all.
There were few redeemable characters in the first book except for some secondary ones. This book also provides us with its share of the despicable, but mixed among them are far more likable people, which made it easier for me to root for someone. In the first book, I found that very hard to do. Annabelle, the former drug addled and suicidal ghost of Boston has found life in this deadly world, with her new found talent that allows her to hunt for supplies and be Dar’s right hand helping the people of Boston. She cares for everyone and wants nothing more than to insure the survival of the camp. Colonel Gritz is a bit too much of a super soldier-the perfect human weapon-but he is also someone who wants to do what he can to insure both the survival of the human race and save his country from the brink of annihilation. Of course, Brabas is a despicable sociopath through and through, but the one character who I truly despised in this story was Dar. I loathed her in the first book and didn’t think it possible increase my aversion to her any further, but the author somehow managed to turn up her loathsomeness to an eleven. To be fair, as I mentioned in my review of the first novel, there is nothing wrong with despicable characters. This is no indictment to either what the author has written or the story itself. Admittedly, Dar in her cruel and disturbing way, is doing what she believes necessary to keep the people she is responsible for safe. But in doing so, she is far closer in personality to most villains that live in tales of apocalyptic despair than any sort of hero. She throws anyone who defies her into a pit filled with zombies to fight for their lives, along with anyone who enters her stronghold-they must all prove they can survive against the undead. She picks and chooses who lives, and cows anyone who even looks at her cross-eyed into complete and utter submission. Slivers of humanity sneak through on occasion-with her young son and when she reveals her desire to keep the whole of her community safe, but that only assures the reader that she is not some sort of demon, but still a human being. A vile, hate-filled, wretched human being who is willing to sacrifice anyone who will stand in her way, which she believes is the only way to keep others safe. Add to this the inexplicable fact that everyone, and I do mean everyone, bows down before her in a state of awe and fear when she is clearly some sort of megalomaniac who should be put down like a rabid dog makes her an even more disconcerting character.
Darpocalypse is a solidly told story that veers closer to the traditional zompoc tale than its predecessor, though it retains a few select supernatural elements that insure it stands apart from the rest. Yes, the author has created perhaps one of the most despicable heroes in any zompoc book I have ever read, but he has wrapped an intriguing story around her that compels me to pick up the third book to see how this wild, intriguing saga concludes. And if I wish for Dar’s ugly, brutal demise the entire time I am reading it, so be it.
Darpocalypse is a total shift from the first book in this series. It moves from first person to third and many of the things that happened and were significant elements of the first book have been pushed aside. No longer do any infected animals appear here, although the infected humans still go through a transformation where they appear to have transcended into some sort of state of grace momentarily, speaking about the chosen or regrets they had in life, before transforming yet again into the ravenous monsters that zombie fans know and love. The nuclear fallout pushing south from Maine appears to have had no impact on Boston either. Dar still has visions of heading west to find her father and the first scroll-the journal her uncle wrote that might have the scientific information to save everyone who remains, though that is secondary to her efforts to rule what remains of Boston with an iron fist. Thom, her father and narrator from the first book, has supposedly set up camp out in Washington State with a ghost of his own, though he is not a part of this book at all.
There were few redeemable characters in the first book except for some secondary ones. This book also provides us with its share of the despicable, but mixed among them are far more likable people, which made it easier for me to root for someone. In the first book, I found that very hard to do. Annabelle, the former drug addled and suicidal ghost of Boston has found life in this deadly world, with her new found talent that allows her to hunt for supplies and be Dar’s right hand helping the people of Boston. She cares for everyone and wants nothing more than to insure the survival of the camp. Colonel Gritz is a bit too much of a super soldier-the perfect human weapon-but he is also someone who wants to do what he can to insure both the survival of the human race and save his country from the brink of annihilation. Of course, Brabas is a despicable sociopath through and through, but the one character who I truly despised in this story was Dar. I loathed her in the first book and didn’t think it possible increase my aversion to her any further, but the author somehow managed to turn up her loathsomeness to an eleven. To be fair, as I mentioned in my review of the first novel, there is nothing wrong with despicable characters. This is no indictment to either what the author has written or the story itself. Admittedly, Dar in her cruel and disturbing way, is doing what she believes necessary to keep the people she is responsible for safe. But in doing so, she is far closer in personality to most villains that live in tales of apocalyptic despair than any sort of hero. She throws anyone who defies her into a pit filled with zombies to fight for their lives, along with anyone who enters her stronghold-they must all prove they can survive against the undead. She picks and chooses who lives, and cows anyone who even looks at her cross-eyed into complete and utter submission. Slivers of humanity sneak through on occasion-with her young son and when she reveals her desire to keep the whole of her community safe, but that only assures the reader that she is not some sort of demon, but still a human being. A vile, hate-filled, wretched human being who is willing to sacrifice anyone who will stand in her way, which she believes is the only way to keep others safe. Add to this the inexplicable fact that everyone, and I do mean everyone, bows down before her in a state of awe and fear when she is clearly some sort of megalomaniac who should be put down like a rabid dog makes her an even more disconcerting character.
Darpocalypse is a solidly told story that veers closer to the traditional zompoc tale than its predecessor, though it retains a few select supernatural elements that insure it stands apart from the rest. Yes, the author has created perhaps one of the most despicable heroes in any zompoc book I have ever read, but he has wrapped an intriguing story around her that compels me to pick up the third book to see how this wild, intriguing saga concludes. And if I wish for Dar’s ugly, brutal demise the entire time I am reading it, so be it.
April 1, 2013
Darpocalypse is book two of The Living Dead Series. We are first introduced to Dar in book one The Reawakening and I made no bones about the fact that I hated her character. So heading into book two with a title of Darpocalypse, I was nervous.
Our story actually starts with small military group under the command of Colonel Gritz on a mission to take control of some nuclear reactors. Eventually Gritz finds himself in Washington, DC being sent to Boston to seek out the person or person's referred to as ghosts. People who can walk among the dead. With a ghost within the walls of DC the government just might stand a chance of beginning to maintain some form of order.
Having set up camp within the Boston Commons, Dar has become essentially the supreme leader of the group. Anyone who would even consider going against her is quickly put on 'trial'...meaning they are forced to fight for their lives in a zombie pit and if they win they MIGHT be granted immunity. Another member of Dar's group is Annabelle. Annabelle is one of the rare few survivors who can walk among the dead. Her job within the group is to go out on scavenging missions to gather supplies for the group, of course, Dar keeps Annabelle's gift a secret and takes full credit for all that Annabelle does.
Another main character we have is Brabas, a man who has killed many in the name of a misguided sense of God and country. We meet Brabas as he spends the last of his days in prison awaiting execution. The undead find their way into the prison and Brabas and the Warden are left alive. Much to his surprise after being bit, Brabas finds himself to be immune to the virus and able to walk among the beasts. This, of course, gives him an even more inflated sense of self and he decides to make his way to Washington, DC to take advantage of his new found abilities.
Between these three groups, Darpocalypse takes us on a crazy ride that forces us to determine how far we would be willing to go to keep ourselves and our group safe. Would we be willing to be viewed as a psychopath in order to maintain order? Would you be willing to take in a known murderer in order to possibly bring order to the world?
Our story actually starts with small military group under the command of Colonel Gritz on a mission to take control of some nuclear reactors. Eventually Gritz finds himself in Washington, DC being sent to Boston to seek out the person or person's referred to as ghosts. People who can walk among the dead. With a ghost within the walls of DC the government just might stand a chance of beginning to maintain some form of order.
Having set up camp within the Boston Commons, Dar has become essentially the supreme leader of the group. Anyone who would even consider going against her is quickly put on 'trial'...meaning they are forced to fight for their lives in a zombie pit and if they win they MIGHT be granted immunity. Another member of Dar's group is Annabelle. Annabelle is one of the rare few survivors who can walk among the dead. Her job within the group is to go out on scavenging missions to gather supplies for the group, of course, Dar keeps Annabelle's gift a secret and takes full credit for all that Annabelle does.
Another main character we have is Brabas, a man who has killed many in the name of a misguided sense of God and country. We meet Brabas as he spends the last of his days in prison awaiting execution. The undead find their way into the prison and Brabas and the Warden are left alive. Much to his surprise after being bit, Brabas finds himself to be immune to the virus and able to walk among the beasts. This, of course, gives him an even more inflated sense of self and he decides to make his way to Washington, DC to take advantage of his new found abilities.
Between these three groups, Darpocalypse takes us on a crazy ride that forces us to determine how far we would be willing to go to keep ourselves and our group safe. Would we be willing to be viewed as a psychopath in order to maintain order? Would you be willing to take in a known murderer in order to possibly bring order to the world?
January 15, 2013
The title character is Dar, a teenage girl who floundered in life before the zombie apocalypse and flourishes in the aftermath as a brutal warrior and merciless leader. Under Dar’s reign, the remaining residents of Boston live and work in a fenced-in area of the city as the zombie hordes relentlessly roam and moan outside their gates. It is a recipe for disaster.
See our full review at http://feedthezombiechildren.org/
See our full review at http://feedthezombiechildren.org/
December 6, 2017
Part 2
Wow that Brabas guy is a real asshole. At first I felt bad for him, but then his real personality came out once he broke out of prison. A lot of death...On to book 3
Wow that Brabas guy is a real asshole. At first I felt bad for him, but then his real personality came out once he broke out of prison. A lot of death...On to book 3
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews