Food. Booze. Weapons. Armor. And any toilet paper he can find.
It's been a rough time for Gus Berry. He barely survived the city of Annapolis as its population underwent a violent transformation, leaving everyone he knew or loved either dead or undead.
Things aren't much better now, though. In fact, things might have become much worse. Living off the land, foraging for food, water, even medicine, and being able to adapt to a changing environment...it all takes a special individual, with an exceptional skill set and determination to survive.
Gus Berry is not that individual. He need food. Booze. Weapons. Armor. He needs clothing that fits, and above all...he need toilet paper. Preferably two-ply. To get any of that requires him to do the one thing he can't face doing, and that's leaving his modern mountain fortress and returning to Annapolis, to the horrors that roam the streets, searching for the living.
To make matters worse, winter looms, and he must get those much-needed supplies before the snow piles high and blocks the roads. Gus' only concern, then, will be maintaining his sanity.
A second prequel novel to the Mountain Man survival horror zombie series. Contains violence and coarse language.
A very nice revisit into Gus's life at the very beginning of the zombie apocalypse. We learn about some of random people - never mentioned till now - who helped him survive in the early days. We also learn more detailed information about this time - during which - he was at his lowest and most hopeless, the constant need to drink to cope with his fear and despair, his courage to go out into the unknown for supplies because of his innate will to survive, and his guilt over losing his nearest and dearest friends when it all began. This episode is most appreciated as I love dear ole Gus and will never tire of following along with him - whether past, present, or future. As always, I hope there is more in store for Gus and this is not the last I will hear from him. R.C. Bray continues to be fabulous as the solo voice for all of the characters - especially my favorite everyman, Gus.
Mr. Blackmore.. what have you done? This was a favorite series and I've always been a fanboy of Gus. But.. really.. I can't handle any more shit stories. I should read this again and count how many pages discuss his time spent on the can or how he's constantly on the cusp of shitting his pants. It has to be about 25% of the book and I'm not exaggerating. Then just when you settle in and start enjoying the action, drunk Gus has gotta go! Drunk Gus crapped himself.. drunk Gus pissed his pants.. drunk Gus passed out again.
Keith, why did you have to slap your fans in the balls (or ovaries) like this?
I loved the mountain man series but once the prequels started things went south. I almost gave up after the 1st prequel but decided the series deserved another shot. I was bored out of my mind with this book. Gus had no depth to his character beyond eating, shitting and drinking.
Nothing happens in this book. Gus is a boring, idiot drunk. And please?, can we have more vivid descriptions of his diarrhea and jock itch? Fans have been clamoring for that!
Another excellent story in the Mountain Man world. Gus can do no wrong in my eyes. I truly appreciate Keith standing his ground with this one, and keeping the story simple and solitary. I know that may not be everyones cup of tea, but for me it something that many writers do all in their power to avoid... So this is a refreshing read. Fingers crossed we see more of Gus' story down the line...
Nice revisit of Gus in the very early days of the zombie apocalypse. I love Gus throughout this whole series but I love early-days-Gus the most so seeing him again in this prequel was great!
there is no way in any kind, of hyper realism, that a drunken, slob, overweight, alcoholic, can make it through a zombie apocalypse.
I detest this book. But because of the storyline and situation, I’m giving it three stars. There is no reason that a overweight, alcoholic, slob could exist, and make it through a zombie apocalypse. The character has no redeeming social qualities. He’s done nothing to engender me rooting for him. And what’s with the authors hyper realism concerning the MC’s bathroom habits. Do we really need to know how much the character has to poop and in what quantities he does so. tell us more about his ingenuity and how he decides to get through the situation he’s involved in, not an alcoholic haze. If the author knows anything about alcoholics, they don’t function properly and stressful situations. That’s why this book is not realistic at all. yes, I know ZA series aren’t realistic, but if you wanna drop us into this world, give us some realism. you’re trying to keep quiet in the zombie infested area but you shoot your shotgun off constantly. Give me a break I was surprised his character isn’t dead yet, and he made it through several books after this one, I have to read and see about his Genesis to see what he progresses to because this is totally silly. yes that’s why I gave it. Three stars because the storyline is interesting or should I say the world is interesting the MC not so much. Read it at your own peril.
Worst one of the series by a mile. There's barely a story in there. The largest part is just filler repeating scenes we already read from the other books.
There is 0 reason to read it in this state and should be shortened to 1/4th of the current length. And offered for free in my opinion.
Of all the purely-for-fun books I read and listen to Blackmore consistently delivers the goods, and then some. In fairness to the at times surprising depth of his characters I have a difficult time tossing his books in with some of the other series I rely on for decompression. Even though the toilet humor is paramount I often have to pause (or bookmark) because my mind is suddenly a million miles away pondering the repercussions of Blackmore’s deceptively simple plots and character development.
Them Early Days is teeming with scenes spotlighting the authors penchant for hiding deeply moving and empathetic thoughts within the entrails of former friends and neighbors. I don’t mean to wax too philosophical though, because that would give a disservice to the V8 engine bellows of horror and depravity that make Mountain Man an edge of your seat series. I only mean to say that where even the “best” zombie movies and books and graphic novels fail, Blackmore here, again, delivers: shit will go wrong—it’s the fucking zombie apocalypse after all—but that doesn’t mean the characters have to be dumber than the zombies.
Gus, the central anti-hero and accidental mountain man of the story, is deeply flawed and is waaaaay too drunk for his own good. However, his feelings and actions always make sense, his heart is in the right place, and while his failures can be monumental they’re also forgivable. Not to mention hilarious. Which is the real kicker. These books sport some of the funniest, most creative expletives… the likes of which I have never even dreamed. At times the humor is rapid fire and cumulative, resulting in giggles, than snorts, than minutes long chuckles, a deep belly laugh and breaks to catch breath.
It was really good to come back to these early days. And I look forward whatever shakes loose next.
(Also R C Brays narration is and has been without parallel in this entire series. I doubt there’s a better match of narrator and content to be found, regardless of genre. I couldn’t help but listen to an hour of M Man 1 after finishing, and it was awesome to hear the difference between Bray’s own voice along with the written voice of the author. The contrast between the latest release and the earlier work was crystal clear; and yet, that both artists have managed to hone their crafts while sticking with what makes them great is refreshing.)
A great prequel showing is the transformation of Gus Berry. The way the story delves into the struggles of the character, delving him deep into depression at adjusting to his new world. Then, we see him rose again, fighting against the odds with an undying will to survive.
I loved it and I love this series so much. The author blends chaos with gut bouncing humour, then quickly turns the narrative into an adrenaline filled fast paced thrill ride.
I enjoyed seeing more of what happened to Gus in the early days before the first book. However I believe the author is obsessed with any and all words for describing bowl movements, and with the scratching of testicles, and therefore Gus talks about both a lot. The story was very interesting, not a lot of action in this one, but it adds to the overall story arch.
It was nice to get back to mountain man’s world and see how he arrived at the start of the first book. However, I did not enjoy this as much as the first three in the main series.
I REALLY loved this one to an extent. The book started out with the flashing back of Tammy, Toby, and Gord. Made me smile a lot. Made me sad for Gus. As I read, I found myself so immersed and annoyed at some of the decisions that were made. Gus shooting that one zombie against the fence instead of just beating it to death. Granted, no other zombies heard the gun shot, but still.
The sections of the book where he goes house to house and the descriptions of the aftermath of the bodies was hauntingly well done.
I really loved Gus. Gus as a character is fantastic. I’ve only read both prequels so far, and the hospital short story, but I love Gus. He’s just an “every man” kind of guy. We all know someone like him. He’s not a hero. He’s not an action star. But when he’s happy, you feel happy for him. When he’s sad, you feel sad for him.
The outrageous names for toilet paper, and the descriptions of using the bathroom don’t bother me too much. Were they over used? Yeah, I suppose. But my true issue of the book came with how beat down Gus was in this story. At almost every turn he would get into trouble. Getting armor? Ray Ray is there. Granted he’s a good guy, but still. Goes to a grocery store, and it’s full of zombies. I was so happy that he had that entire grocery store to himself I was literally smiling ear to ear, only to roll my eyes the next few paragraphs when he is swarmed yet again by zombies. Driving drunk and going to the wrong floor of his apartment building, and then getting attacked. Looting his apartment and other apartments in the building, only to be smacked over the head and robbed if even for a short time, and then those people are dead in the next paragraph. Literally not even characters worth showing up, only to present another obstacle for Gus. Wakes up and luckily found his van full of supplies, but has to fight his way through. Goes pee in that abandoned house, zips his penis in his pants. Van is frozen. Takes 5-6 days of shoveling to make it back, sleeping in his van the whole time. Can’t make it up the mountain? Almost all of his frozen food is ruined. It was just bad to see him get so beat down for really nothing. I get it, he got a ton of non perishable food, but seeing Gus beat down time and time and time again made me sad for him. He deserved a win. He deserved to be happy. But he never truly got it, and that made me sad for him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
6 books of a fantastic series, which I have called the best Zombie series/story I've ever read, only to be brought down by one book. The first prequel was a good backstory and a fun addition to the series, not needed but gave a little extra for the fans. This however is a long, bloated, and unnecessary story about a guy who just got lucky. I get that Gus isn't a survival expert and has to go through the challenges but it was too much and I found myself getting angry at him for being such waste, fat, lazy, and just too much luck to deserve all he got. Yes, he had to go through hell but so did everyone else, and in most cases worse than him during the winter.
Read the mountain man series, I love them but don't read this. If this had been the first book in the series I would not have carried it on.
3 stars because I do love Keith C. Blackmore's writing but this was an overfilled stain to the series.
In a world of the shuffling dead, a living man is King.
Or a living man is a walking feast for the hungry undead. Gus Berry was still alive on his off-grid home on the mountain. Maintaining a steady stream of alcohol to battle the hopeless feeling, or to keep the nightmares at bay, or just to fight the boredom. Alone, nothing for Gus but a world of zombies. Fighting the winter in his mountain home, raiding nearby homes for his needs, he accumulated quite a supply of necessities and a mountain of two-ply bum wipes.
Learning to survive by observing Gus is learning from his drunken mistakes what not to do. He staggered around somehow managing to stay alive in spite of himself. Gus is going to need company soon, just to keep him from killing himself. The entertaining stories of learning to live in a dead world make this a good read.
I must first off say that I do not understand the qualm that so many reviewers had regarding this being any bit less as good as the other Mountain Man books, chiefly because of the supposed obsession with toilet paper. My opinion is that the TP talk and wiping nicknames were well within character for Gus and did not detract or diminish the story in any way. In fact, it made the story more of an intimate experience between the reader and Gus. I have found each novel rather short, which usually loses a star for me because I can't stand cash grabs. Still, each book is well contained as a book unto itself and are all around excellent. I would definitely recommend this to anybody interested in the zombie-verse. The series now ranks number two for the best within the sub-genre.
I really love Gus. He’s a character that I can totally relate with. He’s not some ex navy seal bad ass but literally a normal dude who has luck on his side. Keith is masterful at describing Gus, his thoughts, and emotions. This book is not just straight zombie killing. There are parts that the reader follows Gus as he procrastinates, binges movies, and gets hammered. I love that it explores this whole other side.
I’m really glad that I get to start this series with the prequels. To see how Gus started out in the apocalypse and to see how his character evolves and survives. I’m very interested to see how his story continues in the main series.
Although I really enjoyed this book it changed the original story somewhat so I kept shouting at it as I was listening to it. I also dont know what Gus' fixation with toilet roll is as surely its more important to have food or ammunition or literally anything else than TP as you can simply use water and soap like 1/3 of the worlds population do. My last problem with this book is that Gus is completely stupid for about the first half of it and doesnt prioritise protection or food but instead just wants to get drunk and hide. Maybe its more realistic that he took time to acclimatise to the apocalypse but I was thinking he didnt deserve to live.
As other reviewers have said, this should not be the first book you read in the MM series. It is an excellent addition to the story, it just shouldn't be your intro. Blackmore delves into the gradual madness of being totally alone and basic day to day survival after the end of the world. There are a few zombie encounters, and living human ones, but this is about Gus' inner monologue as he slowly adjusts and crumbles realizing the horror of his situation. RC Bray has a voice that can make anything sound interesting and he does here on the Audible version.
I was excited to see that there one more opportunity to read about everyone's favorite farting, ball scratching, drunken hero Gus. The fact that it was another prequel did nothing to lessen my enthusiasm.
Once I began working my way through the story the more I wanted. The writing is wonderful, and Blackstone's way with words has reached five star levels. There may not be more to Gus' story, and it's a shame. Blackstone is just now hitting his stride.
I listened to this Audio book, and although RC Bray is awesome, this book was horrible. I wanted to turn it off after the first few hours. As someone who is starting from the very beginning, this made me never want to listen to another Mountain Man book again. Skip this one, even Gus would use this book as TP on his explosive ass. I am trusting the people who rave about the rest of the series, and will listen to book 1 - I has to be better than this.
Blackmore has found a magnificent way of telling a story that includes just ONE character for 99% of the book and still be fantastic.
Gus is... well, Gus. This takes place right after the events of Molly Mart, thus he's still reeling from missing friends. Lots of drinking, lots of bathroom humor, and lots of Gus trying to live an extra day. Just enough action, humor and intrigue. Masterfully read by the great RC Bray.
It was good to ride with Gus again. Love how this story fills in the blanks of the early days, and I do like how ‘realistic’ the problems are. A lot of stories focus on cure research and whatnot; Gus is just trying to cope with the end of the world, and walking corpses. Handling it pretty well, and dealing with realistic problems with flair. Highly recommended read!
I loved the earlier books which Are set later in Gus's struggles with The world with zombies. I couldn't imagine reading a book about just 1 person and his struggle alone in a zombie apocalypse There would be no conversation or at least very little. The prequels are every bit as entertaining as the series
Dang, the early days were rough on Gus. Getting the hang of how to navigate the new zombie world took some doing. Great back story filling in how Gus had to get his sh&t together and how it was not always easy. Love this series. Sure did have a lot of bad bathroom experiences in the beginning!
Super Stoked to have more from Gus Berry! He's like an old friend, we've been thru some wild times :) If you haven't read/listened to Mountain Man yet, grab it NOW what an incredible story, not for the faint of heart! Brutal!!! 5 Stars