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Infection Rise of the Undead
Kenny wakes up to what he thinks is a normal day but its anything but normal, first he hears about people biting each other and thinks nothing of it, but then he sees the pub barman getting ripped apart and he makes a run for it but gets trapped in a hardware store and has to get his friends Grant and G-mac to get him out. He then gets plans to get his wife Nicola and all his family and close friends to a local farm in the middle of nowhere, but not all plans go as they should.
- GenresZombies
113 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2021
7 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 26, 2021
A great debut story!!!
I've been following Steven since he started writing and I was dying for this book to come out. I have to say I was not disappointed. The book does have lots of Scottish slang but I found it to provide a more authentic story. I love how it takes place in Scotland. I haven't read a story that takes place there, so this was a treat for me. I hate to spoil the story but it was great.
P.S. - I loved the Hacksaw Jim Duggan reference.
I've been following Steven since he started writing and I was dying for this book to come out. I have to say I was not disappointed. The book does have lots of Scottish slang but I found it to provide a more authentic story. I love how it takes place in Scotland. I haven't read a story that takes place there, so this was a treat for me. I hate to spoil the story but it was great.
P.S. - I loved the Hacksaw Jim Duggan reference.
September 12, 2021
I will be the first to admit, I am not a fan of zombies. I do like Zombieland, got a few laughs out of Return of the Living Dead recently, and enjoyed the third through fifth seasons of The Walking Dead. I was even a lead actor in a remake of White Zombie several years ago, although the Haitian-type zombies are another thing altogether. This is my first review, out of more than 230, to engage with the subject of this unique brand of monster, and I have made a commitment to get to know this subgenre better. I have another zombie book on my to-be-read list, so expect another review on the subject before the end of the year.
As to Infection, it is a quick, action-filled read, which operates squarely in the zombie subgenre of horror/adventure, offering plenty of violence, gore, and all the tropes zombie fans love. It lies somewhere between The Walking Dead and Shaun of the Dead, the latter solely because good mates with everyday lives suddenly are faced with a zombie invasion and learn as they go. It is not at all a comedy.
Although it never states so, the novel seems to take place in the present, with no leaps in technology or other indicators of the future. It takes place in Kirkintilloch, just outside Glasgow, giving it a slightly different tone than typical American zombie novels.
The (reluctant) Hero of the story, who tells it to us in first person present, is a Martin Freeman type; a typical everyman you want to root for as he and Graham, Grant, Dougie, and the rest of his working-class mates try to make sense of a sudden and very violent change to their small, mundane world. The primary females in Infection are Kenny’s wife Nicola and his mother, who are awaiting Kenny’s return on a farm through much of the story.
Appropriate to this subgenre, the author introduces the zombie problem without any preliminaries. Within a paragraph, there is talk of widespread attacks no one understands and, within a few pages, after a conversation at a convenience store, the zombies appear and Kenny and his friends are fighting them.
Most like The Walking Dead, the narrative takes us back and forth between fighting humans, fighting zombies, and trying to save family and friends. If there was a zombie apocalypse, this would be the way it would unfold. It is aliens, not zombies, but in the remake of War of the Worlds directed by Steven Spielberg, Tim Robbins in his farmhouse is just plain scary. There is a little bit of that with Cillian Murphy in A Quiet Place 2. The farm in Infection—as you can see, always a popular trope in apocalyptic works—is reminiscent of season two of The Walking Dead, although it is based on a piece of property near to where the author lives. There is a representation of it at the back of the book.
As they attempt to fend off the near constant attacks, Kenny’s group amasses weapons, typical supplies like matches, medicine [Kenny has some serious medical conditions, including neuropathy], and food/water, assuming they will be under siege for a long time at the farm. They are rightly focused on saving themselves and do not have time to consider the origins of the zombies.
The growth arc in Infection is in this group of rag-tag everyday dudes trying to figure out how to kill the zombies (they move from hammers to sophisticated military-grade firearms) and keep ruthless humans from taking what they need while learning necessary survival skills. They don’t have much time to think or engage in idle conversation. As a result, we don’t get to know them, but like most horror stories with a lot of death, this is typical. The downside of this trope is that, as the act progresses, and the hordes, as you would expect, get bigger and more challenging, there are the requisite deaths, but none of them are traumatic or moving because, other than Kenny, the other characters are undeveloped and expendable.
It is implied as well as explicit that they are fighting the zombies and making their game plans based on zombie movies they’ve seen and books they’ve read, which is a nice Easter egg for the devoted audience of this subgenre. You have to figure that there would be plenty of that kind of approach should a zombie apocalypse actually occur. They mention Dawn of the Dead. The threat of an arrow to the eye is a callback to a key death in The Walking Dead that is central to its peak lore and popularity. At one point, someone is wearing a zombie t-shirt. There are also more veiled references to other action films with reluctant heroes, like Die Hard (one of Kenny’s mates yells “Yippi-Ki-Yay!” before they dispatch some zombies).
Kenny takes his lumps, getting injured numerous times while on his quest for the medicines that will help him survive the time that they will be under siege at the farm.
Toward the end of the act, the author introduces some fantastical elements that hint at the origins of the zombies in a new and interesting way. The team also encounters some off-the-wall zombies that add some fun to the narrative.
We also meet Zak, a military veteran from Texas, who works with Kenny. Zak is my favorite character. An American “man’s man,” he is funny, charming, and badass. He’s a Ryan Reynolds or Matthew McConaughey type that I would have liked to meet earlier and learn more about.
With a clear cliffhanger, fans of the book can look forward to more adventures for Kenny, Zak, and the crew as they settle in to their version of sanctuary and try to figure out what caused the infection.
As to Infection, it is a quick, action-filled read, which operates squarely in the zombie subgenre of horror/adventure, offering plenty of violence, gore, and all the tropes zombie fans love. It lies somewhere between The Walking Dead and Shaun of the Dead, the latter solely because good mates with everyday lives suddenly are faced with a zombie invasion and learn as they go. It is not at all a comedy.
Although it never states so, the novel seems to take place in the present, with no leaps in technology or other indicators of the future. It takes place in Kirkintilloch, just outside Glasgow, giving it a slightly different tone than typical American zombie novels.
The (reluctant) Hero of the story, who tells it to us in first person present, is a Martin Freeman type; a typical everyman you want to root for as he and Graham, Grant, Dougie, and the rest of his working-class mates try to make sense of a sudden and very violent change to their small, mundane world. The primary females in Infection are Kenny’s wife Nicola and his mother, who are awaiting Kenny’s return on a farm through much of the story.
Appropriate to this subgenre, the author introduces the zombie problem without any preliminaries. Within a paragraph, there is talk of widespread attacks no one understands and, within a few pages, after a conversation at a convenience store, the zombies appear and Kenny and his friends are fighting them.
Most like The Walking Dead, the narrative takes us back and forth between fighting humans, fighting zombies, and trying to save family and friends. If there was a zombie apocalypse, this would be the way it would unfold. It is aliens, not zombies, but in the remake of War of the Worlds directed by Steven Spielberg, Tim Robbins in his farmhouse is just plain scary. There is a little bit of that with Cillian Murphy in A Quiet Place 2. The farm in Infection—as you can see, always a popular trope in apocalyptic works—is reminiscent of season two of The Walking Dead, although it is based on a piece of property near to where the author lives. There is a representation of it at the back of the book.
As they attempt to fend off the near constant attacks, Kenny’s group amasses weapons, typical supplies like matches, medicine [Kenny has some serious medical conditions, including neuropathy], and food/water, assuming they will be under siege for a long time at the farm. They are rightly focused on saving themselves and do not have time to consider the origins of the zombies.
The growth arc in Infection is in this group of rag-tag everyday dudes trying to figure out how to kill the zombies (they move from hammers to sophisticated military-grade firearms) and keep ruthless humans from taking what they need while learning necessary survival skills. They don’t have much time to think or engage in idle conversation. As a result, we don’t get to know them, but like most horror stories with a lot of death, this is typical. The downside of this trope is that, as the act progresses, and the hordes, as you would expect, get bigger and more challenging, there are the requisite deaths, but none of them are traumatic or moving because, other than Kenny, the other characters are undeveloped and expendable.
It is implied as well as explicit that they are fighting the zombies and making their game plans based on zombie movies they’ve seen and books they’ve read, which is a nice Easter egg for the devoted audience of this subgenre. You have to figure that there would be plenty of that kind of approach should a zombie apocalypse actually occur. They mention Dawn of the Dead. The threat of an arrow to the eye is a callback to a key death in The Walking Dead that is central to its peak lore and popularity. At one point, someone is wearing a zombie t-shirt. There are also more veiled references to other action films with reluctant heroes, like Die Hard (one of Kenny’s mates yells “Yippi-Ki-Yay!” before they dispatch some zombies).
Kenny takes his lumps, getting injured numerous times while on his quest for the medicines that will help him survive the time that they will be under siege at the farm.
Toward the end of the act, the author introduces some fantastical elements that hint at the origins of the zombies in a new and interesting way. The team also encounters some off-the-wall zombies that add some fun to the narrative.
We also meet Zak, a military veteran from Texas, who works with Kenny. Zak is my favorite character. An American “man’s man,” he is funny, charming, and badass. He’s a Ryan Reynolds or Matthew McConaughey type that I would have liked to meet earlier and learn more about.
With a clear cliffhanger, fans of the book can look forward to more adventures for Kenny, Zak, and the crew as they settle in to their version of sanctuary and try to figure out what caused the infection.
March 27, 2021
Excellent start to a new Zompoc series!
Fast paced and action packed right from the start. The main character was quick to understand that it was a zombie apocalypse and immediately started making moves to make sure his family and friends would be safe and well supplied. None of it comes easy though, as it’s a fight against both zombies and people to accomplish everything he sets out to do. Well written with great characters. I really enjoyed that it’s set in Scotland. I loved the book and will be eagerly waiting for the next one.
Fast paced and action packed right from the start. The main character was quick to understand that it was a zombie apocalypse and immediately started making moves to make sure his family and friends would be safe and well supplied. None of it comes easy though, as it’s a fight against both zombies and people to accomplish everything he sets out to do. Well written with great characters. I really enjoyed that it’s set in Scotland. I loved the book and will be eagerly waiting for the next one.
October 15, 2022
Very rare that I cannot finish a book. I listened to this book on Audible. I am a fan of Zompoc fiction & have read/listened to many books in this genre.
The narrator was not suitable for this books as it’s set in the U.K. particularly Scotland, as the narrator sounds American. Plus their performance lacked depth to bring the characters to life. Almost sounded as if he was reading from a telephone directory.
The storyline was basic. Everything just conveniently in place for the characters.
Maybe with a good editor and a different narrator, this book may improve.
The narrator was not suitable for this books as it’s set in the U.K. particularly Scotland, as the narrator sounds American. Plus their performance lacked depth to bring the characters to life. Almost sounded as if he was reading from a telephone directory.
The storyline was basic. Everything just conveniently in place for the characters.
Maybe with a good editor and a different narrator, this book may improve.
March 24, 2021
Scottish zombies
This is not your average zombie struggle heroes are sort of ordinary who respond to a zombie apocalypse sort of matter in factly, they don't respond like super heroes of are helpless and panic,they're working class Scots who don't seem to have had easy livestock some tough areas who great it as a problem that needs sorting,I love them,love the book,love the setting,it's a good horror sort with humour and fire ,loved it .
This is not your average zombie struggle heroes are sort of ordinary who respond to a zombie apocalypse sort of matter in factly, they don't respond like super heroes of are helpless and panic,they're working class Scots who don't seem to have had easy livestock some tough areas who great it as a problem that needs sorting,I love them,love the book,love the setting,it's a good horror sort with humour and fire ,loved it .
June 9, 2021
Shows possibilities.
While I liked the story I don't care for first person stories. Sometimes the point of view gets lost. The story line is good and I'm hopeful for improvement in coming books.
While I liked the story I don't care for first person stories. Sometimes the point of view gets lost. The story line is good and I'm hopeful for improvement in coming books.
June 30, 2021
I don't want to be too harsh on the story I did like it. It was kind of hard to read in places though. Not sure if that's due to my dislexia or the way it came across. Also alot of the way the characters spoke seemed really forced and not natural. Kinda disappointed it had such promise
March 22, 2021
Good first book in this fast paced zombie series
If you are a fan of fast-paced action, and characters that you can root for, this is definitely a series you should check out.
The action picks up right away when some weird stuff begins to happen in Scotland. Before you know it the MC and his friends are on a non-stop adventure.
This was a great first book for a new author, and I’ll definitely be picking up the second. I also really liked the map at the end.
If you are a fan of fast-paced action, and characters that you can root for, this is definitely a series you should check out.
The action picks up right away when some weird stuff begins to happen in Scotland. Before you know it the MC and his friends are on a non-stop adventure.
This was a great first book for a new author, and I’ll definitely be picking up the second. I also really liked the map at the end.
March 31, 2021
Action packed zombie apoc adventure!
Great story with Kenny and friends battling various undead entities! Fun and non stop action! Loved it! You will too
Great story with Kenny and friends battling various undead entities! Fun and non stop action! Loved it! You will too
June 4, 2021
A good INE!
Steven Kenney has a good start on what could be a very interesting series. I can't wait to read more.
Steven Kenney has a good start on what could be a very interesting series. I can't wait to read more.
July 21, 2022
Poorly written. In need of an editor
August 2, 2023
A great read!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews