Die Trying

by Nicholas Ryan (Narrator: R.C. Bray)

Trapped amidst the horror of the zombie apocalypse, three men hear the sound of a helicopter overhead and know it represents their last desperate hope to survive the terror and reach safety.
But survival comes at a cost - and the undead hordes that ravage the world are
not the only lurking evil the men must face.
But for Mitch Logan, his brother, Jed, and their friend, Clinton Harrigan, there is no choice.
They must fight to survive - or Die Trying.

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Audiobook, Fiction, Dystopia, Survival, Post Apocalyptic

Audible Audio

First published January 3, 2014

About the author

To keep up to date with all the latest Nicholas Ryan news and new book release information visit him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nickryanauth...

You can contact Nick directly at nicholasryanpublicist@gmail.com.

Reviews

[Tracy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicholas Ryan's 'Die Trying' more than exceeded my expectations. I am always hesitant to pick up a standalone in this genre since one episode is rarely enough and find I still want to know more about the characters after the conclusion. 'Die Trying' was not different. As a matter of fact, it was so darn good (better than most) I dreaded its ending. The character development is absolutely fabulous, and I actually was teary eyed the last ten minutes because the storyline was insanely raw and authentic. My heart was racing and soaring right up to the very last word.
As always, narrator R.C. Bray delivers a riveting and spellbinding performance.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure why, but this book did not hold my attention.

[NormaCenva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, well done voice-work in the Audio version, but I couldn't connect to the story.

[AudioBookReviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My full Die Trying: A Zombie Apocalypse review can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

I have never been as tense while listening to a zombie apocalypse audiobook as I was while listening to Die Trying: A Zombie Apocalypse. The first part of this story that hooked me immediately taking place during a violent thunder storm in the pitch black of night, where our military guys were trying to track down a mysterious sound in the air, I really thought that was all the story was going to be for awhile and I would have been totally alright with that. Under constant fear the zombies would hear or find them and ruin their day. Nicholas Ryan bring forth a new type of zombie to my ears, the kind that will eat each other, one was wounded and suddenly the horde stops advancing, moaning turning to growling, and then they converged upon the wounded and tore it to shreds in an all out ravenous feeding frenzy. If that wasn't enough for you Ryan was able to create characters that really spoke to me with their complex histories and a certain mystery surrounding a few of them. My only criticism is that this audiobook was way too short, so many other avenues could have been explored. I highly recommend Die Trying: A Zombie Apocalypse, but only if you are looking for a quick listen that is really fast paced, full of action, tons of suspense and different than your usual zombies. As I said earlier I have already purchased Ground Zero: A Zombie Apocalypse an earlier release because Ryan was able to rouse something in me that few other authors have.

Audiobook provided for review by the publisher.

[Cyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really sure this was worth 4 stars for me, but not sure that 3.5 is the rating I'd give either. The book wasn't bad - just quite short (well, only about 6 hours or so worth of listening time, which feels short for me compared to other stuff I've listened to). I guess I'm so used to longer novels and more character depth in such cases that I've been spoiled. The story was pretty much non-stop tension/action, with necessary 'breather' time in between. The ending ... well, it was open, left up to you, I guess, to decide whether the protagonist lived or died. Those types of endings generally annoy me, but it was carried off in a way that I wasn't too aggravated ... quite possibly because I wasn't as connected with the characters as I've been in other - longer - books. Anyway, I suspect that any fan of the zombie genre will like this book. I found out after I started this one that the author wrote another one that took place right before this, so I will probably be checking that out as well.

[Anastasiya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand that there is very little room for expectation of greatness when it comes to the zombie genre, but this book getting an average of 4 on Goodreads is a bit much.

This is a poster child for the dangers of "tell, don't show". The antagonist doesn't do much except "grunt," "look with rage in his eyes," and "seethe." The hapless victim "fidgets," "flails," and "looks terrified." The narrator is not a person so much as a device for keeping the plot going - he doesn't have any discerning characteristics, he is weak when it serves the plot, he is the leader of the company when it serves the plot, and he is superhumanly strong when it serves the plot.

Two stars because the audiobook narrator was amazing and made this lackluster miss come alive a little bit.

[SammiesBookBlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an advance copy of the book for an honest review.

I truly love Nicks books. I am a HUGE zombie fan! I literally just finished it. I was so excited to see what goodies Nick had in store for us this time around. And he does not disappoint. This thriller had suspense, action,laugh worthy moments, zombies and so much more. If you loved the first book, you will enjoy this book also. These guys are trying to stay alive and you must read to see if they make it or not! a truly gripping story! I could see this series as movie :-)

Great job again Nick!


Some quotes I enjoyed:

“Looks like someone read ‘Fifty Shades’ before they ate a bullet."

[Esme · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up as part of the Prime Plus program where I get free audiobooks through my Prime membership, it’s allowed me to take chances on books that I may not have wanted to risk a credit on otherwise.

This is about a small group of survivors trying to make it to “safety” – if there is such a thing any more. It’s been three weeks since the outbreak and there aren’t many regular humans left in the world. There’s Mitch and Jed who are brothers, and their friend Clinton. The brothers do not get along at all… in fact Jed wants to kill Mitch whenever he no longer serves a purpose to the group. Jed blames Mitch for the deaths of his wife and daughter and wants nothing more than to kill him. Mitch knows this but doesn’t see an easy way out, and hopes for an opportunity to slip away.

A helicopter lands near by… or, crash lands, really. They find a dead pilot, an injured man, and a young woman inside still alive but trapped. It turns out they know where there’s a gathering of survivors and military personnel which could mean safety. The odds are low, but they have to try and make it to what’s left of ‘civilization’ before they get overrun by zombies.

Zombies in this world were described as “like sharks” that can smell blood and run to it. They are fairly typical rage-zombies in that they run towards their prey, they actively hunt, they swarm, and they’re attracted by noise etc. I don’t remember there ever being an explanation for the zombie outbreak itself, which kind of left this big unanswered question for the whole book. It is possible that I missed it on the audiobook.

I think my biggest problem is that I didn’t get attached to any of the characters, I just didn’t really give a shit who lived or died which took a substantial amount of tension out of the book. None of the three main characters were all that likable, and the two people they meet along the way were fairly boring, too. The one brother, Jed, is just painfully stupid and a brute. He was in prison before all this went down and has murdered before pre-apocalypse. There’s a twist to brother’s relationship at the very end of the book which was very “wtf, seriously?!”. It makes them both just unlikable people and I was hoping everyone would die and that would be the end.

The writing was okay, the prose was very to the point and fast paced. The dialogue was occasionally a little wonky, but overall it was fine. The descriptions for the gore certainly stuck out as detailed, lol. This was a very bloody and gory book, it didn’t leave anything out and also had a bit of psychological fuckery when Mitch comes across a man who’s murdered his family and wears his son in laws head like a hat. This seems fairly extreme shift from civilized life since it’s less than a month into the apocalypse timeline, but I guess everyone reacts to the end of the world differently.

I’ve only read a couple zombie novels where it’s your typical horror movie in written form. I haven’t spent much time in the horror genre at all, really, so I wasn’t sure if the tension I get while watching a movie would relay in a similar way through a book. It didn’t, but not all zombie movies get my heart racing, either. If you’ve got Prime and want to give it a chance, it’s a quick read with a decent narration. If you have to pay for it though, I’d pass.

TLDR Snapshot:
Tropes: gruff asshole in the group, a group trying to make it to civilization, rage-zombies
Tags: gory, zombies, fast paced, bleak, grey characters, survivalist horror
Genre: Zombie/Horror
Ratings:
Plot: 8/15
Characters: 7/15
World Building: 7/15
Writing: 11/15
Pacing: 12/15
Originality: 6/15
Personal Enjoyment: 5/10
Final Score: 56/100 or 2.8/5 on Goodreads

[Jo Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first *real* zombie book. The Death Cure had "cranks" in it, their version of zombies which take longer to go insane but honestly, they seem tame compared to the zombies in this book. And what an excellent first zombie book it was. Rating it only on entertainment value I'd give it 5 stars. I was thoroughly wrapped in the story; it clawed it's way into my mind and wouldn't let go.

There were, however, a few things which made me keep the rating at 4 stars (possibly even 4.5).
The first being the once or twice the narration head hopped from Mitch to another character. It wasn't much, only one line at a time, but it still stood out to me. I would have liked Mitch's name to be mentioned more. I kind of feel like Mitch is a separate person from the narrator, but I do remember his name :)
The second, more plot-wise things would be the pulled tooth (entertaining, and I definitely felt all the emotions of Jed, but I wasn't sure why it needed to be there), the disturbing old man (which was definitely a chilling and gripping read, but again I wasn't sure what purpose it had to the plot. I did like the message it gave about humans though), and finally the wife/daughter shock (because it wasn't hinted at or Mitch didn't show any emotions, it didn't feel real to me. Like something tacked on at the end).

However, despite saying all of that, I was hooked. I'll definitely read zombie novels again, and definitely more of Nicholas Ryan's. It scared me (but didn't terrify me in real life - which I was grateful for!), and kept me guessing. The description was amazing, and I loved all the metaphors which really made me understand and feel like I knew what the characters were going through.

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story opens with three men in a cabin, hiding from the horde of zombies that roamed through the neighborhood. Mitch Logan, his brother Jed, and their friend Clinton Harrigan had spent the last three weeks holed up here waiting for any sort of edge to break out. The thumping sound of a helicopter broke the silence. The engine sounded problematic and it was coming down. This was it, the break they were waiting for. They packed up and headed for the helicopter. The pilot was dead but they pulled Walker and his fifteen-year-old daughter Millie out of the wreck. Now they were five. This happens early in the first chapter so it’s not much of a spoiler but it introduces the players and sets the stage. The group of survivors had to figure out where to go, where was safety? Walker knew of a place; a staging area where they could be taken to Navy ships offshore. Who were Walker and Millie anyway? Something didn’t smell right to Mitch but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Will they make it to safety? Can they trust Walker? The story is pretty good with lots of zombie action and a few twists and turns.

[Jorge A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually read zombie books, but this one was very well written from end to end. The characters developed as the story unfolded, and I was kept wrapped in the "what's next" as each page I read and turned. If you like zombie books, this one is sure to grab your attention quickly and it own't let go of you. Highly recommended! :-)

[Harry Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick action packed adventure pretty much from start to finish! I enjoyed the fact that it is not a long drawn out series. I just wish it had been a little longer!

[Xavier · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat typical survival zombie story. While the characters themselves were not that interesting, their interactions, primarily the two brothers in the story, were intriguing. A big problem the book has is that during some of the darkest and most "powerful" moments in the story, the dialogue felt a bit forced and ruined their effect. The story does have a couple of surprising twists and turns that made it unpredictable at times which is definitely a plus.

If you are looking for a survival-horror masterpiece then you should look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you're looking for a decent distraction with some OK-action moments, you could do worse than this book.

[Darren Dilnott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal ZA story from an author i decided to take a chance on. This tale ticks all the boxes that gets a PA book passed the first few pages. There is nothing quite like the feeling of finding another author that understands exactly what is required to create an adult ZA tale. Its brutally authentic, with solid, dependable characters, dealing with horrifying situations. The dialogue was faithful to each character, as were their actions. The story was simple, unfussy, yet frantic, and terrifying. A true class act all round.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pacing wasn’t perfect, but I enjoyed the story. I like isolated stories that take place over a few days and how everything can change so quickly in such a short amount of time. This was a good story and I liked how it wrapped up the loose ends.

Critique: the use of the word undulating. Don’t get me wrong, I like the word, but I swear it was used more than a dozen times and in some scenes multiple times, and that started to bother me and made the word lose its strength the more I kept reading it.

[Jack Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dystopia has more than one cause, each manifests world devastation and survivor struggle. Other than world war, alien invasion, or magical conjuring of evil, zombies have its own realm. What sets one zombie story apart from another is the imagination of its author. Nicholas Ryan writes a thrilling story using choice vocabulary and sentence structure that brings fantasy a tinge of reality. The storyline may follow other plots but the character creation and their interaction with one another elevates Die Trying above most.

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

CW blood, gore, violence, and some really messed up scenes, but what else should one expect from a a zombie horror?
I thought this was an excellent look at the gritty underbelly of a zombie-infested world. The narration from Audible was phenomenal. Reminded me of the feeling of a zombie audio drama I listened to years ago and loved every single second of. It had the same cadence and feeling in the words. (Wish I could remember what the name of the other one was to be helpful here.)
Really glad I grabbed this one from Audible before it left free for subscribers.

[Alan Villafana · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes a lot these days to be able to tell a zombie apocalypse story since the genre has grown. This is one of those stories that kept you on your feet. A good zombie apocalypse story has a balance of survivors that keep you invested in their character and a zombie mythos that not too corny. Nicolas Ryan does a good job with character development and in keeping a story moving. Fans of the genre will not be disappointed.

[Twainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

RC Bray narrates the Audible edition! He did a fantastic job as usual!

Z-POC! Three mem hear a helicopter & hope to be flown to safety. It crashes. A teenage girl & military man survive. The 5 of them strike out looking for safety.

The MC and his jackass of a brother are the main focus of this story. There are lesser plot points involving zombies and the absolute worst of humanity.

Sharing any more would be spoilerish so I suggest the audiobook because RC Bray does a great job!!

[Amie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that different from your average Zombie book, and it is a little slow. The first half has the main focus of two fella, fighting to get to a helicopter, and the rest is exactly what you would expect to find in a zombie book. I felt like i read the same story else where with the same characters. The zombies were not the real monsters, but the humans are was not that good of a twist it has been done before.

[William (Mr. Bill) Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Trying: The ZOMBIES are here!

This is a very good zombie apocalypse story by Nicholas Ryan. The reader is immediately put in the middle of a zombie problem. As the story unfolds, the scope of the crisis is revealed as well as the crisis of humanity. Will the actions of the non-affected humans be as chilling as the inhuman acts of the zombies? Let R. C. Bray's excellent Audible performance bring you the story of this tragedy as only he can.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's bad enough trying to survive the zombies but when you're traveling with your brother, a sadistic thug, a fellow survivor who has become a friend and now two new survivors who you're not sure you can trust, the odds of surviving gets even worse. This is a non-stop action tale with well written characters and a great twist ending. A must read for fans of the zombie genre.

[Aya Blackwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another one of those books where the zombies are there and impact every choice, but there is very little actual zombie action. When there is though it's graphic. The real issue is people and how chaos brings out the crazy. I enjoyed it very much there was one part that will never leave my mind and has changed my perception of old men for the worse.

[J.J. Ulizio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little bottle story. Group of survivors, minimal character development, more plot, driven small scale more about the survival of this handful of people does not involve curing the virus or saving the world which is nice. At least for me it was. Author paints a good picture with his words and has a couple of half decent twists that caught me off guard. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. 3.5 out of five.

[Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zombie apocalypse, madmen and trust.

Great story . Twists, betrayal, heartbreak and new found alliances. Zombies aren't the only thing you have to watch out for. Familt, friends, strangers... who can you trust to have your back.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent simple straight forward Zombie story. More of a 3.5 stars, but not 4. Nicely narrated and an easy listen. I'm not sure I would have bought this, but as an Audible Plus free listen, it was worth a listen.

[R.J. Spruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a three and a half, closer to a four. Definitely a case of humans being worse than the zombies. Some relatives of Ed Geun in there. Well I think I have to sanitise my phone after downloading this but I did enjoy this different zombie experience.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read ...
I'm not an author so don't expect an outstanding review from me .
The audio book is what I got and the reader was ok , a little dull .. but the story is Excellent... I recommend it .

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very solid zombie stand alone story. Compared to some others ive listened to since this, they just dont have anything going for them.
Certainly worth a listen or read if you're interested in the zombie genre.

[MaryMargaret Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like dystopian books. But this one wasn’t a high rater. It started off okay and the ending was good but nothing I would re-read. The daughter being the Vice President’s daughter could have been amazing. I did like how she made sure her body guard got to go with her at the end.