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Camping with the Dead
BREAKING NEWS! THE DEAD WALK!
A videographer stumbles onto the story of a lifetime, now he just has to survive it. A fun weekend with friends dodging "zombies" takes a sinister turn when the real undead show up, but no one knows what's real. It was supposed to be a game, now one wrong move could be the difference between life and (un)death.
Can James and his friends survive the weekend? Can he break the story and warn the world? Staying alive and staying human isn't easy when you can't tell the difference between an actor and a hungry zombie. Should they risk their safety to warn the stranger about what's going on? Should they stay hidden and hope for the best? Or do they run out swinging? Survival is the game. Can this group do what it takes to avoid hungry jaws while keeping their humanity intact?
A videographer stumbles onto the story of a lifetime, now he just has to survive it. A fun weekend with friends dodging "zombies" takes a sinister turn when the real undead show up, but no one knows what's real. It was supposed to be a game, now one wrong move could be the difference between life and (un)death.
Can James and his friends survive the weekend? Can he break the story and warn the world? Staying alive and staying human isn't easy when you can't tell the difference between an actor and a hungry zombie. Should they risk their safety to warn the stranger about what's going on? Should they stay hidden and hope for the best? Or do they run out swinging? Survival is the game. Can this group do what it takes to avoid hungry jaws while keeping their humanity intact?
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 8, 2021
8 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 8, 2023
Camping with the Dead is a story about a group of friends that decide to participate in a zombie survival themed camping experience that becomes all too real. James and his hometown friends benefit from those that they are inspired from. Their unique personalities gave the central cast depth and the supporting cast helped play into their development. Various mannerisms and additional quips about terms such as "filming" and "dead body" help shape the characters.
I particularly enjoyed the early chapters about James settling into his career that is hours from his hometown. It was interesting to learn a bit about the daily work of a young professional just starting in their news career. The crime scene and the highway crash scene, each involving HAZMAT, provided a slow burn until the campers eventually arrived at the campsite.
Subtle and explicit pop culture references are littered throughout the novel. The book opens with the four of the friends playing the Valve video game, Left 4 Dead; the protagonist is named James, I assume to be a reference to Silent Hill 2; the real-life bath salt cannibal case; zombie moves such as Night of the Living Dead and World War Z; etc. Some readers may not pick up on the references, however, each are either explained well enough to be accessible or doesn't need explanation, i.e. Night of the Living Dead.
I felt like the author hit his stride in the latter half of the novel. Once the action started, it never quite stopped. Though this novel has various graphic scenes, none of them feel particularly over the top or overplayed.
The author hints at something more sinister at play but it is never directly addressed. Though the story is concluded, the author intentionally leaves an opening for a follow-up, which appears to be released already.
I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys the horror genre that can handle some graphic scenes. For anyone that is a fan of the zombie genre, this is definitely for you. The additional twist that this is set in a zombie themed camping experience certainty made it feel unique.
I particularly enjoyed the early chapters about James settling into his career that is hours from his hometown. It was interesting to learn a bit about the daily work of a young professional just starting in their news career. The crime scene and the highway crash scene, each involving HAZMAT, provided a slow burn until the campers eventually arrived at the campsite.
Subtle and explicit pop culture references are littered throughout the novel. The book opens with the four of the friends playing the Valve video game, Left 4 Dead; the protagonist is named James, I assume to be a reference to Silent Hill 2; the real-life bath salt cannibal case; zombie moves such as Night of the Living Dead and World War Z; etc. Some readers may not pick up on the references, however, each are either explained well enough to be accessible or doesn't need explanation, i.e. Night of the Living Dead.
I felt like the author hit his stride in the latter half of the novel. Once the action started, it never quite stopped. Though this novel has various graphic scenes, none of them feel particularly over the top or overplayed.
The author hints at something more sinister at play but it is never directly addressed. Though the story is concluded, the author intentionally leaves an opening for a follow-up, which appears to be released already.
I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys the horror genre that can handle some graphic scenes. For anyone that is a fan of the zombie genre, this is definitely for you. The additional twist that this is set in a zombie themed camping experience certainty made it feel unique.
March 1, 2025
Torn on my rating
The concept of this was interesting but has made me realize something. When it comes to zombies, I really prefer it to be a trilogy at minimum. 1 book just doesn't cover enough for a zompoc. This book was also a slower burn than I would have liked.
The concept of this was interesting but has made me realize something. When it comes to zombies, I really prefer it to be a trilogy at minimum. 1 book just doesn't cover enough for a zompoc. This book was also a slower burn than I would have liked.
October 1, 2022
In his free time, James enjoys playing zombie-based video games with his friends and they often find themselves in the age-old debate about which of them would survive a zombie apocalypse. Well, they’re about to get their answer. Together with his friends, they set up a weekend camping retreat designed to simulate such an event. But, in the meantime, James uncovers a rash of brutal animal attacks in the area, grizzly murders and suspicious characters roaming the streets all suggesting that the undead may already be among us. But is this all just the work of an overactive imagination? Or is there something more nefarious afoot? Their fun, lighthearted camping weekend in the woods might be a bit more than they signed up for.
“Camping with the Dead” from M.R. Pat is sheer horror down to its core. It’s a slow burn at first, setting the stage for when it finally gets going. Once it does, it never looks back. Like the protagonist, you often find yourself wondering what’s really going on, and Pat does a terrific job of keeping you second guessing at every turn. The narrative does suffer from the occasional grammatical inconsistency, but overall is written well enough to follow. I don’t normally find myself reaching for books in this genre, but this one kept me entertained.
“Camping with the Dead” from M.R. Pat is sheer horror down to its core. It’s a slow burn at first, setting the stage for when it finally gets going. Once it does, it never looks back. Like the protagonist, you often find yourself wondering what’s really going on, and Pat does a terrific job of keeping you second guessing at every turn. The narrative does suffer from the occasional grammatical inconsistency, but overall is written well enough to follow. I don’t normally find myself reaching for books in this genre, but this one kept me entertained.
December 2, 2022
Great read that keeps you turning the pages. The plot is fast paced and pulls you into their adventure. The characters are likable and easy to root for.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews