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The Hunger: A Marvel: Zombies Novel
It’s up to a team of unlikely heroes to stop zombie Super Heroes and Super Villains from destroying the world in this time-travel horror adventure
The Incident has infected the planet, creating zombified Super Heroes who destroy everything they swore to protect. Doctor Strange realizes the plague cannot be allowed to spread to other realities, but his Hunger is irresistible…
Now Earth’s only hope is the Sanctum Sanctorum librarian, Zelma Stanton. She knows every spell in the book, but she’s no fighter. Enter witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and Deadpool. They plan to trap the zombies in a time loop, but it goes horribly awry (thanks, Deadpool), crushing a million butterflies, and the timeline unravels, making the original Incident look like a cakewalk. It’s going to take magic bullets, bloodstones, and brains to fix this flesh-eating nightmare.
The Incident has infected the planet, creating zombified Super Heroes who destroy everything they swore to protect. Doctor Strange realizes the plague cannot be allowed to spread to other realities, but his Hunger is irresistible…
Now Earth’s only hope is the Sanctum Sanctorum librarian, Zelma Stanton. She knows every spell in the book, but she’s no fighter. Enter witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and Deadpool. They plan to trap the zombies in a time loop, but it goes horribly awry (thanks, Deadpool), crushing a million butterflies, and the timeline unravels, making the original Incident look like a cakewalk. It’s going to take magic bullets, bloodstones, and brains to fix this flesh-eating nightmare.
- GenresHorror
352 pages, ebook
Published October 3, 2023
7 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Marsheila Rockwell
50 books32 followersMarsheila (Marcy) Rockwell was born [redacted] years ago in America's Last, Best Place. A descendant of kings, pilgrims, Ojibwe hunters and possibly a witch or two, she spent the first few years of her life frolicking gleefully in a large backyard that is now part of one of the nation's largest Superfund sites. Perhaps that explains her early penchant for fantasy and horror - the first book she ever read (at the tender age of three) was Frank L. Baum's "Ozma of Oz."
Marcy sold her first short story to Marion Zimmer Bradley while in college and her first novel to Wizards of the Coast in 2005. She now lives in the desert in the shadow of an improbably green mountain and in odd moments stolen from her family and her writing, she can be found browsing eBay for Wonder Woman/Girl figures.
Marcy sold her first short story to Marion Zimmer Bradley while in college and her first novel to Wizards of the Coast in 2005. She now lives in the desert in the shadow of an improbably green mountain and in odd moments stolen from her family and her writing, she can be found browsing eBay for Wonder Woman/Girl figures.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 18, 2023
The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel by Marsheila Rockwell is a fun, gory female-led time-traveling superhero adventure. Doctor Strange is a zombie on the cover, so it is not a spoiler to say he doesn't last long, but he sets the events to fix the zombie outbreak for his young librarian and apprentice Zelda Stanton. I have never read a Doctor Strange comic, I only know of Doctor Strange from the MCU, so I had never heard of Zelda Stanton. I liked her character who would rather be with books than dealing with deadly super-powered zombies, but she rises to the occasion in this fish-out-of-water story. She recruits Nico Minoru from The Runaways, Whom I have read most of the Runaways Marvel comics, Elsa Bloodstone, the monster hunter 2022 MCU Halloween special Werewolf By Night, and Deadpool, The Merc with the Mouth whom I'm familiar with in comics and movies. This is the gang of superheroes left to defeat the super-powered zombie horde. The notable zombies are Captain America, Thor, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Dr. Strange, Wasp, Iron Man, and Spiderman. The story is fun and gets off to a fast start. The novel does slow down after the characters debate too long about how to defeat zombies and the plan is very convoluted. The plan eventually starts to make sense but it takes a little too long, I needed Zelda to explain it in simpler terms to probably Deadpool, who screws up the plans anyway. The last two fights of the novel are pretty epic the first one I did not think they were going to the top but they did. The action comes all at the end, for most of the novel they avoid the zombies until they have to, I would have preferred the fights to be more spaced out but boy do they deliver. I was given a free copy by Aconyte Books through Netgalley for a review. The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel was published on October 3, 2023.
Plot Summary: A meteor has fallen in New York City and Marvel's Superheroes are first on the scene, poor Captain America is the first to be zombified, then other superheroes. The uniqueness of the virus is you can't die like a zombie, but you are just super hungry, so if you eat enough flesh you become sane until the hunger takes over again, also superheroes get to keep all their powers. Doctor Strange was on his way to the site when he felt something was wrong, before he could react fully he was caught in a web of circumstances and Spiderman's actual web, as he was bitten before he could send Spiderman to a portal to another time. Doctor Strange returns to the Sanctum Sanctorum where he bites and eats Wong (cry). After he realizes what he's done and has clarity he goes to Zelda as the earth's only hope and closes off this dimension, so that no one can leave and asks Zelda to kill him and use the library to survive. She can't kill him but puts him away where he can't hurt others and can't hurt himself and use his powers. Zelda looks for other witches to help, The Scarlet Witch is already a zombie and Agatha Harkness is missing, she finds Nico Minoru just as she's going to get bit and saves her as the other Runaways perish. Nico recommends Elsa Bloodstone the monster hunter, but they get no reads of life but can track her magical artifact the bloodstone. They follow the bloodstone to find Elsa is already a zombie, but a sane one thanks to Deadpool who is in a cage and has been an endless food source the flesh-hungry Elsa Bloodstone. Elsa vows to kill every last zombie and make the world whole again, and Deadpool wants the world saved for chimichangas to still get made. This squad of four has to save the world whom Deadpool nicknames the Golden Girls.
What I Liked: Spiderman biting and attacking Dr. Strange like a spider was pretty terrifying. The time travel aspect was really fun. The superhero zombie horde was written well, with who was chosen to go up against whom. The epic last battle scenes were a lot of fun and very intense. The Stone Age Avengers were awesome, didn't know they existed but will have to get the comics they are a part of because they were awesome, not a huge part of the book but they make an impact. I like how briefly the history of a relevant hero or villain is explained Morgana Le Fey in particular. I liked how fast the zombie story got going. Deadpool's jokes are pretty great and his relationship with Max is classic Deadpool.
What I Disliked: The time travel plan needed a layman's explanation, and the squad seemed confused too. I felt Elsa refusing to tell the story of how she was bitten lasted too long, Zelda should not have to fight that hard and it didn't even affect the story. As much as I loved the battle scenes I could have had them spread out or another battle scene in the middle and not all at the end, which made the pacing drag in the middle. The pop culture references should have stuck to Deadpool when another character uses it in a metaphor or quotes G.I. Joe it feels fake and out of place. Wong was eaten too soon and Dr. Strange showed no remorse at all. While I liked the action it was sometimes really hard to follow the whole time.
Recommendations: The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel is a fun gory story. It takes characters that the general audience might not know and has a lot of fun with them. I don't know everything about the characters and felt Rockwell did a great job in staying true to them. I felt Zelda was the most obscure and the book did a fair job of introducing her to the reader. The Marvel Zombies worked really well and this book is a good alternate take on those comics. The Stone Age Avengers were a highlight and made me want to read about them if you know of these characters already they have one heck of a scene, that I did not want to end.
Rating: I Rated The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel by Marsheila Rockwell 4 out of 5 stars.
About Marvel Entertainment:
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
Plot Summary: A meteor has fallen in New York City and Marvel's Superheroes are first on the scene, poor Captain America is the first to be zombified, then other superheroes. The uniqueness of the virus is you can't die like a zombie, but you are just super hungry, so if you eat enough flesh you become sane until the hunger takes over again, also superheroes get to keep all their powers. Doctor Strange was on his way to the site when he felt something was wrong, before he could react fully he was caught in a web of circumstances and Spiderman's actual web, as he was bitten before he could send Spiderman to a portal to another time. Doctor Strange returns to the Sanctum Sanctorum where he bites and eats Wong (cry). After he realizes what he's done and has clarity he goes to Zelda as the earth's only hope and closes off this dimension, so that no one can leave and asks Zelda to kill him and use the library to survive. She can't kill him but puts him away where he can't hurt others and can't hurt himself and use his powers. Zelda looks for other witches to help, The Scarlet Witch is already a zombie and Agatha Harkness is missing, she finds Nico Minoru just as she's going to get bit and saves her as the other Runaways perish. Nico recommends Elsa Bloodstone the monster hunter, but they get no reads of life but can track her magical artifact the bloodstone. They follow the bloodstone to find Elsa is already a zombie, but a sane one thanks to Deadpool who is in a cage and has been an endless food source the flesh-hungry Elsa Bloodstone. Elsa vows to kill every last zombie and make the world whole again, and Deadpool wants the world saved for chimichangas to still get made. This squad of four has to save the world whom Deadpool nicknames the Golden Girls.
What I Liked: Spiderman biting and attacking Dr. Strange like a spider was pretty terrifying. The time travel aspect was really fun. The superhero zombie horde was written well, with who was chosen to go up against whom. The epic last battle scenes were a lot of fun and very intense. The Stone Age Avengers were awesome, didn't know they existed but will have to get the comics they are a part of because they were awesome, not a huge part of the book but they make an impact. I like how briefly the history of a relevant hero or villain is explained Morgana Le Fey in particular. I liked how fast the zombie story got going. Deadpool's jokes are pretty great and his relationship with Max is classic Deadpool.
What I Disliked: The time travel plan needed a layman's explanation, and the squad seemed confused too. I felt Elsa refusing to tell the story of how she was bitten lasted too long, Zelda should not have to fight that hard and it didn't even affect the story. As much as I loved the battle scenes I could have had them spread out or another battle scene in the middle and not all at the end, which made the pacing drag in the middle. The pop culture references should have stuck to Deadpool when another character uses it in a metaphor or quotes G.I. Joe it feels fake and out of place. Wong was eaten too soon and Dr. Strange showed no remorse at all. While I liked the action it was sometimes really hard to follow the whole time.
Recommendations: The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel is a fun gory story. It takes characters that the general audience might not know and has a lot of fun with them. I don't know everything about the characters and felt Rockwell did a great job in staying true to them. I felt Zelda was the most obscure and the book did a fair job of introducing her to the reader. The Marvel Zombies worked really well and this book is a good alternate take on those comics. The Stone Age Avengers were a highlight and made me want to read about them if you know of these characters already they have one heck of a scene, that I did not want to end.
Rating: I Rated The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel by Marsheila Rockwell 4 out of 5 stars.
About Marvel Entertainment:
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
October 31, 2023
Prepare to dive into a wacky, time travelling, zombie filled Marvel novel with Marsheila Rockwell’s fantastic tie-in book, Marvel Zombies: The Hunger. The Hunger is everything I didn’t know I needed in a Marvel Prose Novel. Taking inspiration from the Marvel Zombies comics. it sees a team of unlikely heroes try and stop zombie super heroes and villains from take over the world.
When a mysterious object falls to Earth, landing in New York city, it unleashes a wave of evil and despair as the world’s greatest heroes are turned into ravenous zombies determined to feast on all living flesh. As the zombified superheroes begin to spread out across the planet, turning or eating everything before them, only Doctor Strange can briefly retain his sanity to try and find a way to avert disaster, but despite his best efforts, his overwhelming hunger threatens all around him.
With no alternative, Doctor Strange is forced to turn to one of the few magic users left unaffected by the zombie outbreak, the librarian of the Sanctum Sanctorum, Zelma Stanton, who reluctantly takes up the burden and imprisons her zombified mentor. Despite her lack of experience, Zelma has access to all the magical knowledge and ancient artefacts in Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, and she hopes to find some answer to the deadly chaos consuming her planet. But Zelma soon realises that even all the books in the Sanctum aren’t enough; if she wants to succeed, she’s going to need help.
Pulling together a ragtag team of survivors, including Runaway witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone and the living embodiment of insanity, Deadpool, Zelma hopes that together they can find a solution. But their plan to trap the zombies in a time loop backfires on them, thanks to antics of Deadpool, unsurprisingly. Now with time fracturing all around them, an evil magic threat unleashed, and the zombie horde still determined to eat everything, Zelma and her strange team need to find a way to reverse the damaged they caused while still saving the world. But is this group of survivors truly capable of stopping the flesh-eating nightmares waiting for them?
That was an insanely fun book about zombies and time travel shenanigans that I desperately needed, and I am sure glad that I decided to check this novel out. The Hunger was a very entertaining book that I ended up knocking out in a few hours because of how easy and fantastic it was to read. Rockwell came up with a very impressive story that quickly grabbed my attention and took me along a wild journey loaded with so many awesome moments. Starting off with a great new introduction to an alternate Marvel Zombies event, where Doctor Strange and pretty much every other hero gets brutally turned into zombies, the story gets bleak very quickly and rarely lightens up after that. The resulting narrative focuses on the intriguing figure of Zelma Stanton, a supporting character in one of the recent Doctor Strange comics, and it proves to be very interesting as you follow a young, inexperienced magician as she tries to survive in a very dangerous world. The resulting story has a lot of great features to it as Zelma finds her courage, gathers a unique group of allies, and then finds herself getting thrown into all manner of chaos as her actions produce more zombie mayhem and every time travel issues you could think of. The second half of The Hunger is pure, unadulterated bedlam, and I frankly loved every second of it, as Rockwell comes up with some outrageous and exciting scenarios that never really slow down. Bringing together some well set-up storylines in some excellent ways, you honestly will find it hard to put down The Hunger once you get rolling with it, and I found the entire story to be exceedingly entertaining, especially as Rockwell wove together some complex scenes that saw the characters journey through all manner of unique points the Marvel Universe timeline. This story was a riot from start to finish, especially the fantastic extended time travel sequences, and you will come away from this book very satisfied and honestly wanting more.
Rockwell has a great writing style that I felt really lent itself to the emotionally charged and intense story that came together in The Hunger. Primarily told from the perspective of two young female magic users, The Hunger is a strong, character-driven tale that showcases how people grow under adversity, while also treating the reader to a brilliant amount of action, carnage and Marvel comics lore. Rockwell really leans into the Marvel Zombies background of her story to provide some gruesome and graphic moments, which I felt helped set The Hunger apart from some of the other Marvel tie-in books. While there is a lot of humour attached to the book, mainly thanks to the inclusion of a particular merc-with-a-mouth, The Hunger gets very deep and serious at times, and I loved the impactful dive into the traumas affecting the protagonists. I loved the fast pace that Rockwell sets for The Hunger’s story, and frankly there was not a single moment of this book where I wanted to stop, as I just wanted to see what was going to happen next. I did think some of the early sequences of the book felt a little simplistic in their writing, which almost threw me off. However, Rockwell found her stride as the book continued, and I loved some of the elaborate sequences that emerged, especially those that feature multiple figures, time elements and obscure bits of Marvel lore. Some of The Hunger’s twists were very well set up in the earlier stages of the book, and I loved how well things came together in the end, especially as Rockwell made such great use of the time travel elements to tell a very entertaining story.
The Hunger serves as a rather interesting addition to the wider Marvel lore that exists as Rockwell makes fine use of several existing storylines, concepts and characters, to create a pretty fun read. Set in a version of the main Marvel universe that is suddenly impacted by a Marvel Zombies event, The Hunger has a ton of curious and distinctive elements to it that established fans of the comics will deeply enjoy. Not only are there a ton of different characters present, often in zombie form, but Rockwell goes out of her way to feature or reference multiple storylines from the comics. This includes a great mixture of more recent comics and some classic storylines, both of which work extremely well in the context of the story and its time travel elements. I felt that Rockwell did a very good job of cleverly introducing and then utilising these different storylines throughout the course of the comics, and the resulting crazy plot encounters and big moments were pretty damn awesome. Each of the main characters also makes sure to remember or mention many key story arcs from their history, many of which have a compelling impact on the current storyline or mental state. The author clearly has an appreciation for the various storylines and obscure characters that she featured and I loved how random and compelling the later scenes got. While Rockwell does go to some diverse areas of the Marvel universe and history, all of these elements and characters are explored in excellent detail so that anyone with some basic knowledge of Marvel comics can easily enjoy what is going on. I personally loved all the cool references that emerged, as well the excellent reimagining of the Marvel Zombies storyline which helped turn The Hunger into a pretty awesome tie-in novel.
Rockwell chose to focus The Hunger on three intriguing and somewhat underused female characters from the Marvel universe, Zelma Stanton, Nico Minoru, and Elsa Bloodstone. All three characters are already epic, but it was great to see them forming a team here in The Hunger, especially when faced with an insane, world-ending threat. Of these three characters, Zelma is probably the one I knew the least about, mainly because I’ve never read any of the Doctor Strange comics she is in, but she soon proved to be the invaluable heart of this entire novel. Rockwell did a remarkable job of introducing and utilising Zelma as a character, even to a reader like me that has had no experience with her. You are swiftly brought up to speed on who Zelma is and why she is involved, and soon you follow this overwhelmed magical character as she is thrust into events beyond her comprehension. I loved the overarching narrative of this character finding her confidence and ability in this ultimate post-apocalyptic setting, and it was great to see her become the hero that Doctor Strange believed her to be. Watching her use her unique intelligence and experiences to survive and attempt to stop all the chaos is quite compelling, and you really grow to appreciate Zelma, especially as she has very relatable doubts and concerns. Zelma is the emotional heart of this entire book and I felt that Rockwell was very wise to use her as a central character, especially with how exceptionally she is portrayed.
In addition to Zelma, I really enjoyed the fantastic use of Nico Minoru and Elsa Bloodstone in The Hunger who served as impressive joint protagonists. I particularly loved seeing Nico Minoru here in The Hunger, mainly because I’m such a big fan of Runaways, and Rockwell featured her in an excellent way. Focusing on her at a key part of her character development from the comics, this already jaded and wary Nico arrives on the scene after seeing her entire adopted family turned to zombies and is swiftly forced into another harrowing adventure with a new group of strangers. I really enjoyed exploring Nico’s fears, concerns and complex history throughout The Hunger, and she served as a great secondary point-of-view character for the plot. These female characters are further enhanced by monster hunter extraordinaire Elsa Bloodstone, who is well suited for this sort of dark, monstrous tale. The foul-mouthed, highly confident figure is a great addition to the focal cast of the novel, especially as her loud personality plays off the more reserved Zelma and Nico for a good chunk of the novel. While initially shown to be mostly carefree, there are some compelling darker feelings under the surface, especially related to the start of the zombie apocalypse, and I felt that Elsa was a brilliant and great addition to the plot.
The final major character in the book really needs no introduction as Rockwell features Deadpool as the much need comic relief. Brought into the story for very unique reasons, Deadpool is his usual blend of irrelevant humour, catchy one-liners, and all-round killing machine that works well with the female protagonists to save the day. His constant jokes, weird comments and fourth wall breaks deeply add to the enjoyment I had of the book, even with its darker story content. So many of the best plot moments in The Hunger revolve around Deadpool’s antics, and he really is an unsurpassed character to include in a crazy book like this. His interactions with the other protagonists are also a lot of fun, with an intriguing blend of comedic conversations, crazed resentment, and even a grudging respect for his fellow survivors. Throw in a ton of zombified superheroes, an overpowered magical witch from history, a fun new mount for Deadpool, and some intriguing figures from the dawn of the Marvel canon, and The Hunger has an outstanding cast that are a lot of fun to follow, especially during their darker and emotionally charged moments.
All in all, The Hunger really lived up to all its great potential and I had an epic time getting through this insane and highly exciting read. Marsheila Rockwell produced one hell of a story here that made great use of the Marvel Zombies theme and featured a bonkers story with fantastic time travel elements, complex characters, and a ton of compelling references to the wider Marvel canon. I honestly had such an incredible time with The Hunger and readers are guaranteed to get caught up in its cool story just like me. Highly recommended, for all Marvel fans, you will have fun with this book.
When a mysterious object falls to Earth, landing in New York city, it unleashes a wave of evil and despair as the world’s greatest heroes are turned into ravenous zombies determined to feast on all living flesh. As the zombified superheroes begin to spread out across the planet, turning or eating everything before them, only Doctor Strange can briefly retain his sanity to try and find a way to avert disaster, but despite his best efforts, his overwhelming hunger threatens all around him.
With no alternative, Doctor Strange is forced to turn to one of the few magic users left unaffected by the zombie outbreak, the librarian of the Sanctum Sanctorum, Zelma Stanton, who reluctantly takes up the burden and imprisons her zombified mentor. Despite her lack of experience, Zelma has access to all the magical knowledge and ancient artefacts in Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, and she hopes to find some answer to the deadly chaos consuming her planet. But Zelma soon realises that even all the books in the Sanctum aren’t enough; if she wants to succeed, she’s going to need help.
Pulling together a ragtag team of survivors, including Runaway witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone and the living embodiment of insanity, Deadpool, Zelma hopes that together they can find a solution. But their plan to trap the zombies in a time loop backfires on them, thanks to antics of Deadpool, unsurprisingly. Now with time fracturing all around them, an evil magic threat unleashed, and the zombie horde still determined to eat everything, Zelma and her strange team need to find a way to reverse the damaged they caused while still saving the world. But is this group of survivors truly capable of stopping the flesh-eating nightmares waiting for them?
That was an insanely fun book about zombies and time travel shenanigans that I desperately needed, and I am sure glad that I decided to check this novel out. The Hunger was a very entertaining book that I ended up knocking out in a few hours because of how easy and fantastic it was to read. Rockwell came up with a very impressive story that quickly grabbed my attention and took me along a wild journey loaded with so many awesome moments. Starting off with a great new introduction to an alternate Marvel Zombies event, where Doctor Strange and pretty much every other hero gets brutally turned into zombies, the story gets bleak very quickly and rarely lightens up after that. The resulting narrative focuses on the intriguing figure of Zelma Stanton, a supporting character in one of the recent Doctor Strange comics, and it proves to be very interesting as you follow a young, inexperienced magician as she tries to survive in a very dangerous world. The resulting story has a lot of great features to it as Zelma finds her courage, gathers a unique group of allies, and then finds herself getting thrown into all manner of chaos as her actions produce more zombie mayhem and every time travel issues you could think of. The second half of The Hunger is pure, unadulterated bedlam, and I frankly loved every second of it, as Rockwell comes up with some outrageous and exciting scenarios that never really slow down. Bringing together some well set-up storylines in some excellent ways, you honestly will find it hard to put down The Hunger once you get rolling with it, and I found the entire story to be exceedingly entertaining, especially as Rockwell wove together some complex scenes that saw the characters journey through all manner of unique points the Marvel Universe timeline. This story was a riot from start to finish, especially the fantastic extended time travel sequences, and you will come away from this book very satisfied and honestly wanting more.
Rockwell has a great writing style that I felt really lent itself to the emotionally charged and intense story that came together in The Hunger. Primarily told from the perspective of two young female magic users, The Hunger is a strong, character-driven tale that showcases how people grow under adversity, while also treating the reader to a brilliant amount of action, carnage and Marvel comics lore. Rockwell really leans into the Marvel Zombies background of her story to provide some gruesome and graphic moments, which I felt helped set The Hunger apart from some of the other Marvel tie-in books. While there is a lot of humour attached to the book, mainly thanks to the inclusion of a particular merc-with-a-mouth, The Hunger gets very deep and serious at times, and I loved the impactful dive into the traumas affecting the protagonists. I loved the fast pace that Rockwell sets for The Hunger’s story, and frankly there was not a single moment of this book where I wanted to stop, as I just wanted to see what was going to happen next. I did think some of the early sequences of the book felt a little simplistic in their writing, which almost threw me off. However, Rockwell found her stride as the book continued, and I loved some of the elaborate sequences that emerged, especially those that feature multiple figures, time elements and obscure bits of Marvel lore. Some of The Hunger’s twists were very well set up in the earlier stages of the book, and I loved how well things came together in the end, especially as Rockwell made such great use of the time travel elements to tell a very entertaining story.
The Hunger serves as a rather interesting addition to the wider Marvel lore that exists as Rockwell makes fine use of several existing storylines, concepts and characters, to create a pretty fun read. Set in a version of the main Marvel universe that is suddenly impacted by a Marvel Zombies event, The Hunger has a ton of curious and distinctive elements to it that established fans of the comics will deeply enjoy. Not only are there a ton of different characters present, often in zombie form, but Rockwell goes out of her way to feature or reference multiple storylines from the comics. This includes a great mixture of more recent comics and some classic storylines, both of which work extremely well in the context of the story and its time travel elements. I felt that Rockwell did a very good job of cleverly introducing and then utilising these different storylines throughout the course of the comics, and the resulting crazy plot encounters and big moments were pretty damn awesome. Each of the main characters also makes sure to remember or mention many key story arcs from their history, many of which have a compelling impact on the current storyline or mental state. The author clearly has an appreciation for the various storylines and obscure characters that she featured and I loved how random and compelling the later scenes got. While Rockwell does go to some diverse areas of the Marvel universe and history, all of these elements and characters are explored in excellent detail so that anyone with some basic knowledge of Marvel comics can easily enjoy what is going on. I personally loved all the cool references that emerged, as well the excellent reimagining of the Marvel Zombies storyline which helped turn The Hunger into a pretty awesome tie-in novel.
Rockwell chose to focus The Hunger on three intriguing and somewhat underused female characters from the Marvel universe, Zelma Stanton, Nico Minoru, and Elsa Bloodstone. All three characters are already epic, but it was great to see them forming a team here in The Hunger, especially when faced with an insane, world-ending threat. Of these three characters, Zelma is probably the one I knew the least about, mainly because I’ve never read any of the Doctor Strange comics she is in, but she soon proved to be the invaluable heart of this entire novel. Rockwell did a remarkable job of introducing and utilising Zelma as a character, even to a reader like me that has had no experience with her. You are swiftly brought up to speed on who Zelma is and why she is involved, and soon you follow this overwhelmed magical character as she is thrust into events beyond her comprehension. I loved the overarching narrative of this character finding her confidence and ability in this ultimate post-apocalyptic setting, and it was great to see her become the hero that Doctor Strange believed her to be. Watching her use her unique intelligence and experiences to survive and attempt to stop all the chaos is quite compelling, and you really grow to appreciate Zelma, especially as she has very relatable doubts and concerns. Zelma is the emotional heart of this entire book and I felt that Rockwell was very wise to use her as a central character, especially with how exceptionally she is portrayed.
In addition to Zelma, I really enjoyed the fantastic use of Nico Minoru and Elsa Bloodstone in The Hunger who served as impressive joint protagonists. I particularly loved seeing Nico Minoru here in The Hunger, mainly because I’m such a big fan of Runaways, and Rockwell featured her in an excellent way. Focusing on her at a key part of her character development from the comics, this already jaded and wary Nico arrives on the scene after seeing her entire adopted family turned to zombies and is swiftly forced into another harrowing adventure with a new group of strangers. I really enjoyed exploring Nico’s fears, concerns and complex history throughout The Hunger, and she served as a great secondary point-of-view character for the plot. These female characters are further enhanced by monster hunter extraordinaire Elsa Bloodstone, who is well suited for this sort of dark, monstrous tale. The foul-mouthed, highly confident figure is a great addition to the focal cast of the novel, especially as her loud personality plays off the more reserved Zelma and Nico for a good chunk of the novel. While initially shown to be mostly carefree, there are some compelling darker feelings under the surface, especially related to the start of the zombie apocalypse, and I felt that Elsa was a brilliant and great addition to the plot.
The final major character in the book really needs no introduction as Rockwell features Deadpool as the much need comic relief. Brought into the story for very unique reasons, Deadpool is his usual blend of irrelevant humour, catchy one-liners, and all-round killing machine that works well with the female protagonists to save the day. His constant jokes, weird comments and fourth wall breaks deeply add to the enjoyment I had of the book, even with its darker story content. So many of the best plot moments in The Hunger revolve around Deadpool’s antics, and he really is an unsurpassed character to include in a crazy book like this. His interactions with the other protagonists are also a lot of fun, with an intriguing blend of comedic conversations, crazed resentment, and even a grudging respect for his fellow survivors. Throw in a ton of zombified superheroes, an overpowered magical witch from history, a fun new mount for Deadpool, and some intriguing figures from the dawn of the Marvel canon, and The Hunger has an outstanding cast that are a lot of fun to follow, especially during their darker and emotionally charged moments.
All in all, The Hunger really lived up to all its great potential and I had an epic time getting through this insane and highly exciting read. Marsheila Rockwell produced one hell of a story here that made great use of the Marvel Zombies theme and featured a bonkers story with fantastic time travel elements, complex characters, and a ton of compelling references to the wider Marvel canon. I honestly had such an incredible time with The Hunger and readers are guaranteed to get caught up in its cool story just like me. Highly recommended, for all Marvel fans, you will have fun with this book.
August 25, 2023
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte Press for an advanced copy of this adventure featuring the eternally hungry, superheroes, mercs with mouths, witches, magic users and monster hunters.
One song, well the opening verse at least ran constantly through my head while I was reading this adventure dealing with Marvel superheroes and zombie-like creatures. " I feel a hunger, it's a hunger/ That tries to keep a man awake at night/ Are you the answer? I shouldn't wonder/ When I can feel you whet my appetite/ With all the power you're releasing/ It isn't safe to walk the city streets alone. This song by classic rock stalwart Eddie Money, 'Take Me Home Tonight' a story about the physical effects that infatuation can have on a person, sum up the feeling of many of the characters in this story. The heroes are hungry, the hunger is powerful and can never really by quenched. And no one is safe. The Hunger: A Marvel: Zombies Novel, by Marsheila Rockwell tells of a dark time in the Marvel Universe, where zombies rule the streets, and only a ragtag group of mystics, a monster hunters and a mercenary can stop the inevitable.
The book begins with a standard superhero day. An asteroid has crashed in the center of Manhattan, and the Avengers are first on the scene. And the first to fall, as one by one Earth's Mightiest Heroes succumb to a disease that fills their bodies with a hunger that only the living can satiate. A bite brings more heroes into the fold, and soon even the Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange is brought down. In his last moments of lucidity, Strange arranges for this universe to be cut off so the hunger can not spread to the multiverse, and to make his archivist Zelma Stanton the new Sorcerer Supreme. Joining with the Young Avengers witch Nico Minoru and Elsa Bloodstone, monster hunter supreme, along with Deadpool the mercenary, a plan is developed to use the time stream itself to set everything back the way it was. However time is not easily played with, and cannibal superheroes are suddenly the least of their problems.
Another great book by Aconyte, a publisher who seems to understand comic book characters better than the comic book company they come from. This is a story that begs to be illustrated, with action, humor, horror, and weird situations that really are some of the oddest things I have read in a long while. Deadpool buffet is all I will say. The characters are all well developed, with problems and phobias and ways of acting that are all different and interesting. Most of the time women characters are either one note, or very similar. Not here. Each character brings something unique, even if a few share similar powers. The story is familiar, but Rockwell again adds enough twists to make the story seem fresh, different and most of all exciting and fun. Again something quite a few comics could learn from. The book is scary, and a little sad in places, but is told in a nice clear style that doesn't bog itself down. One cares for these characters and what they are going through.
A good balance of horror, sadness and superheroics, with a lot of interesting character interplay, and some ideas that are just, what the heck. This is the first book that I have read from Marsheila Rockwell but, I will definitely be on the lookout for more. Hopefully more Marvel stories await.
One song, well the opening verse at least ran constantly through my head while I was reading this adventure dealing with Marvel superheroes and zombie-like creatures. " I feel a hunger, it's a hunger/ That tries to keep a man awake at night/ Are you the answer? I shouldn't wonder/ When I can feel you whet my appetite/ With all the power you're releasing/ It isn't safe to walk the city streets alone. This song by classic rock stalwart Eddie Money, 'Take Me Home Tonight' a story about the physical effects that infatuation can have on a person, sum up the feeling of many of the characters in this story. The heroes are hungry, the hunger is powerful and can never really by quenched. And no one is safe. The Hunger: A Marvel: Zombies Novel, by Marsheila Rockwell tells of a dark time in the Marvel Universe, where zombies rule the streets, and only a ragtag group of mystics, a monster hunters and a mercenary can stop the inevitable.
The book begins with a standard superhero day. An asteroid has crashed in the center of Manhattan, and the Avengers are first on the scene. And the first to fall, as one by one Earth's Mightiest Heroes succumb to a disease that fills their bodies with a hunger that only the living can satiate. A bite brings more heroes into the fold, and soon even the Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange is brought down. In his last moments of lucidity, Strange arranges for this universe to be cut off so the hunger can not spread to the multiverse, and to make his archivist Zelma Stanton the new Sorcerer Supreme. Joining with the Young Avengers witch Nico Minoru and Elsa Bloodstone, monster hunter supreme, along with Deadpool the mercenary, a plan is developed to use the time stream itself to set everything back the way it was. However time is not easily played with, and cannibal superheroes are suddenly the least of their problems.
Another great book by Aconyte, a publisher who seems to understand comic book characters better than the comic book company they come from. This is a story that begs to be illustrated, with action, humor, horror, and weird situations that really are some of the oddest things I have read in a long while. Deadpool buffet is all I will say. The characters are all well developed, with problems and phobias and ways of acting that are all different and interesting. Most of the time women characters are either one note, or very similar. Not here. Each character brings something unique, even if a few share similar powers. The story is familiar, but Rockwell again adds enough twists to make the story seem fresh, different and most of all exciting and fun. Again something quite a few comics could learn from. The book is scary, and a little sad in places, but is told in a nice clear style that doesn't bog itself down. One cares for these characters and what they are going through.
A good balance of horror, sadness and superheroics, with a lot of interesting character interplay, and some ideas that are just, what the heck. This is the first book that I have read from Marsheila Rockwell but, I will definitely be on the lookout for more. Hopefully more Marvel stories await.
June 27, 2023
** This ARC was given to me through Aconyte Books in exchange for an honest review **
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review
Well, I found this to certainly be a novel.
I somewhat have mixed feelings over this novel, as I found it to have a fascinating concept, but somewhat flat characters. As I would read, I didn't really connect to any of these characters and felt like the story was being told to me, rather than being shown to me. Perhaps I'm not as much of a diehard Marvel fan as others, but I did not know any of the main characters in this book outside of Dr. Strange and Deadpool, so maybe this is better for Marvel fans who know the niche better. Of course you know the typical Avengers and I'm certainly not unknowledgable in Marvel characters, but I kind of spent the story wondering why these characters were picked as protagonists. They're great characters, but I feel as if the writing didn't quite do them justice (I think Deadpool should've dropped some f-bombs for characterization).
Sometimes, the dialogue felt a bit flat as well, leading to me just turning pages to get to some action. Even then, it took a very long time (at least in my kindle) to get to the actual initiation of the time-loop and subsequent mess up. By the end of the story, I didn't really feel satisfied with what had happened, but that may just be a personal preference with time travel stories.
The beginning was a bit quick paced for me. I would've liked a more thorough sight of the start of the zombie infection, maybe a few shifting POVs to help show how *those* heroes are feeling as they eat flesh. How does Spider-Man, Captain America, or any of the heroes feel? I think it would've added a bit more depth to the horror (and quite frankly, this is more of just a general Marvel story instead of a horror novel, so I wouldn't portray it as such).
This story has the wackiness of a typical comic, but lacks some of the awareness and depth needed for just general readers or Marvel consumers. I found myself uninterested in these characters, detached from the story, and wondering what the purpose of this story was beyond being a very strung out story about finding yourself. But, I do give it stars for being a unique tale. Even if the characters were lacking, the world was cool and different than what you're used to. If you're into niche Marvel, then maybe check it out for your favorites!
Don't let my criticisms dissuade you from picking up this book if you are interested. Everyone's taste is different and maybe you'll enjoy the things I found hard to enjoy.
As always, happy reading!
** About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review
Well, I found this to certainly be a novel.
I somewhat have mixed feelings over this novel, as I found it to have a fascinating concept, but somewhat flat characters. As I would read, I didn't really connect to any of these characters and felt like the story was being told to me, rather than being shown to me. Perhaps I'm not as much of a diehard Marvel fan as others, but I did not know any of the main characters in this book outside of Dr. Strange and Deadpool, so maybe this is better for Marvel fans who know the niche better. Of course you know the typical Avengers and I'm certainly not unknowledgable in Marvel characters, but I kind of spent the story wondering why these characters were picked as protagonists. They're great characters, but I feel as if the writing didn't quite do them justice (I think Deadpool should've dropped some f-bombs for characterization).
Sometimes, the dialogue felt a bit flat as well, leading to me just turning pages to get to some action. Even then, it took a very long time (at least in my kindle) to get to the actual initiation of the time-loop and subsequent mess up. By the end of the story, I didn't really feel satisfied with what had happened, but that may just be a personal preference with time travel stories.
The beginning was a bit quick paced for me. I would've liked a more thorough sight of the start of the zombie infection, maybe a few shifting POVs to help show how *those* heroes are feeling as they eat flesh. How does Spider-Man, Captain America, or any of the heroes feel? I think it would've added a bit more depth to the horror (and quite frankly, this is more of just a general Marvel story instead of a horror novel, so I wouldn't portray it as such).
This story has the wackiness of a typical comic, but lacks some of the awareness and depth needed for just general readers or Marvel consumers. I found myself uninterested in these characters, detached from the story, and wondering what the purpose of this story was beyond being a very strung out story about finding yourself. But, I do give it stars for being a unique tale. Even if the characters were lacking, the world was cool and different than what you're used to. If you're into niche Marvel, then maybe check it out for your favorites!
Don't let my criticisms dissuade you from picking up this book if you are interested. Everyone's taste is different and maybe you'll enjoy the things I found hard to enjoy.
As always, happy reading!
** About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
October 2, 2023
The Marvel Zombies comic book series was first published in 2005. It occurs in an alternate universe where the Marvel superheroes have been infected with a zombie virus that makes them crave human flesh. The series was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Sean Phillips, who were known at the time for their work on other zombie comics like The Walking Dead.
The Marvel Zombies series proved very popular, mainly because readers enjoyed seeing classic Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, and the X-Men reimagined as undead ghouls. The original Marvel Zombies mini-series spawned several sequel series and spin-offs and introduced many more zombie versions of Marvel characters. While the Marvel Zombies world is separate from the mainstream Marvel continuity, its bloody take on classic superheroes has earned the series a significant fan following within the larger Marvel fandom. The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel is the latest book within the Zombie universe and it’s written by Marshiela Rockaell. Read on for a spoiler-free review of The Hunger: A Marvel: Zombies Novel.
In The Hunger, readers land right at the beginning of a zombie invasion, when the Incident kicks off and most of the world’s superheroes are infected with a virus that turns them into zombies. The Sanctum Sanctorum librarian Zelma Stanton finds herself allied with a group of unlikely survivors, Deadpool (the mere with the moth), Monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and a member of the Runaways named Nico Minoru. Zelma isn’t a fighter but she’s a genius who knows spells inside and out. While Zelma regularly relies on Doctor Strange for guidance, this time she’s on her own when the Hunger takes over Strange, turning him into a bloodthirsty zombie whom she ends up having to leave behind in the library.
Zelma decides to team up with the other three to force all of the zombies roaming the world into a timeloop but of course, Deadpool messes the entire plan up and Zelma finds herself having to battle begins more powerful than herself.
While Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone are two of my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Zelma and Nico are both characters that are fun to root for in this novel. Of course, there are some depictions of gore and zombie grossness, but there is also lots of humor especially when Wade Wilson befriends a mammoth. Lots of familiar characters make appearances in The Hunger including Ghost Rider, Captain America, and Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel.
The time travel aspect of the book is a bit hard to follow but just like Marvel time travel properties like LOKI, it’s best not to get too hung up in whichever universe or timeline you happen to be reading about. Marvel Zombie’s The Hunger is a really entertaining addition to the Marvel Zombie books and comics and while the pairing of pragmatic Elsa Bloodstone with sarcastic Wade Wilson may seem ridiculous, it actually works out really well in this novel.
The Hunger releases on October 3 2023 and is published by Aconyte Books.
The Marvel Zombies series proved very popular, mainly because readers enjoyed seeing classic Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, and the X-Men reimagined as undead ghouls. The original Marvel Zombies mini-series spawned several sequel series and spin-offs and introduced many more zombie versions of Marvel characters. While the Marvel Zombies world is separate from the mainstream Marvel continuity, its bloody take on classic superheroes has earned the series a significant fan following within the larger Marvel fandom. The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel is the latest book within the Zombie universe and it’s written by Marshiela Rockaell. Read on for a spoiler-free review of The Hunger: A Marvel: Zombies Novel.
In The Hunger, readers land right at the beginning of a zombie invasion, when the Incident kicks off and most of the world’s superheroes are infected with a virus that turns them into zombies. The Sanctum Sanctorum librarian Zelma Stanton finds herself allied with a group of unlikely survivors, Deadpool (the mere with the moth), Monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and a member of the Runaways named Nico Minoru. Zelma isn’t a fighter but she’s a genius who knows spells inside and out. While Zelma regularly relies on Doctor Strange for guidance, this time she’s on her own when the Hunger takes over Strange, turning him into a bloodthirsty zombie whom she ends up having to leave behind in the library.
Zelma decides to team up with the other three to force all of the zombies roaming the world into a timeloop but of course, Deadpool messes the entire plan up and Zelma finds herself having to battle begins more powerful than herself.
While Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone are two of my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Zelma and Nico are both characters that are fun to root for in this novel. Of course, there are some depictions of gore and zombie grossness, but there is also lots of humor especially when Wade Wilson befriends a mammoth. Lots of familiar characters make appearances in The Hunger including Ghost Rider, Captain America, and Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel.
The time travel aspect of the book is a bit hard to follow but just like Marvel time travel properties like LOKI, it’s best not to get too hung up in whichever universe or timeline you happen to be reading about. Marvel Zombie’s The Hunger is a really entertaining addition to the Marvel Zombie books and comics and while the pairing of pragmatic Elsa Bloodstone with sarcastic Wade Wilson may seem ridiculous, it actually works out really well in this novel.
The Hunger releases on October 3 2023 and is published by Aconyte Books.
October 2, 2023
Review
The Hunger is everything I didn’t know I needed in a Marvel Tie-in Novel. Taking inspiration from the Marvel Zombies events it sees a team of unlikely heroes try and stop zombie super heroes and villains from destroying the world. With an event, called The Incident, has infected the planet creating zombified super heroes who begin to destroy everything they swore to protect. Doctor Strange realises that this plague cannot be allowed to spread to other realities but his Hunger is irresistible. Now the only hope Earth has lies in the Sanctum Sanctorum’s librarian, Zelma Stanton who knows every spell in the book but she’s no fight. But the witch Nico Minoru is and joining her is Monster Hunter Elsa Bloodstone and Deadpool. They plan to trap the zombies in a time loop but thanks to a certain merc with the mouth it goes terribly wrong. The time line unravels and the original Incident looks like a cakewalk. It’s going to take a lot of magic bullets, bloodstones and brains to fix this flesh-eating catastrophe.
Wow, this was a brilliant, edge of your seat thrill ride and it’s a bonus we get a lot of Nico and Zelma content as well! I honestly loved every minute and everything about it. We have the flesh-eating horror of the zombies which are brought to life rather vividly by Rockwell’s masterful writing and team this with time-traveling, magic and of course a rag tag group who have to try and work together long enough to save the world.
I never like spoiling books in my reviews but I will say that much like Sisters of Sorcery Rockewell is amazing at bringing characters to life and giving them even more flesh (pun intended) than perhaps the comics can do. I have always loved Nico, along with the other Marvel witches, so it was lovely to see her and Zelma Stanton (another love of mine). Of course Elsa and Deadpool are awesome too but it’s hard to not let my inner fangirl out when Nico and Zelma are allowed to shine! Paired with the perfect characterisation is the wonderful writing. Rockwell makes something horror filled but also has all the action and humanity you could want as well. With comics its easy to show the situation in the illustrations but Rockwell does this with words in such a way that it isn’t told to you but you get enough to know what the setting is like which to me is a hard skill to master.
It's hard to go into the further detail without offering spoilers but it’s safe to say this is up there now with my top marvel tie ins from Aconyte and I really hope we get more by Rockwell in the future. If you love Marvel, Magic, Mayhem and Zombies (why couldn’t it be an M!) then you will love The Hunger!
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#AconyteBooks #TheHunger #MarsheilaRockwell #ARCReview #Ad #Marvel #MarvelEnt #BookReviewer #BookBlogger #BookHoader #FantasticRead #BookDragon #BookShark #BookReader #Bookstagram #BookNerd #BookReader #BookLover #BooksBooksBooks #BookAddict #Book
The Hunger is everything I didn’t know I needed in a Marvel Tie-in Novel. Taking inspiration from the Marvel Zombies events it sees a team of unlikely heroes try and stop zombie super heroes and villains from destroying the world. With an event, called The Incident, has infected the planet creating zombified super heroes who begin to destroy everything they swore to protect. Doctor Strange realises that this plague cannot be allowed to spread to other realities but his Hunger is irresistible. Now the only hope Earth has lies in the Sanctum Sanctorum’s librarian, Zelma Stanton who knows every spell in the book but she’s no fight. But the witch Nico Minoru is and joining her is Monster Hunter Elsa Bloodstone and Deadpool. They plan to trap the zombies in a time loop but thanks to a certain merc with the mouth it goes terribly wrong. The time line unravels and the original Incident looks like a cakewalk. It’s going to take a lot of magic bullets, bloodstones and brains to fix this flesh-eating catastrophe.
Wow, this was a brilliant, edge of your seat thrill ride and it’s a bonus we get a lot of Nico and Zelma content as well! I honestly loved every minute and everything about it. We have the flesh-eating horror of the zombies which are brought to life rather vividly by Rockwell’s masterful writing and team this with time-traveling, magic and of course a rag tag group who have to try and work together long enough to save the world.
I never like spoiling books in my reviews but I will say that much like Sisters of Sorcery Rockewell is amazing at bringing characters to life and giving them even more flesh (pun intended) than perhaps the comics can do. I have always loved Nico, along with the other Marvel witches, so it was lovely to see her and Zelma Stanton (another love of mine). Of course Elsa and Deadpool are awesome too but it’s hard to not let my inner fangirl out when Nico and Zelma are allowed to shine! Paired with the perfect characterisation is the wonderful writing. Rockwell makes something horror filled but also has all the action and humanity you could want as well. With comics its easy to show the situation in the illustrations but Rockwell does this with words in such a way that it isn’t told to you but you get enough to know what the setting is like which to me is a hard skill to master.
It's hard to go into the further detail without offering spoilers but it’s safe to say this is up there now with my top marvel tie ins from Aconyte and I really hope we get more by Rockwell in the future. If you love Marvel, Magic, Mayhem and Zombies (why couldn’t it be an M!) then you will love The Hunger!
Hashtags
#AconyteBooks #TheHunger #MarsheilaRockwell #ARCReview #Ad #Marvel #MarvelEnt #BookReviewer #BookBlogger #BookHoader #FantasticRead #BookDragon #BookShark #BookReader #Bookstagram #BookNerd #BookReader #BookLover #BooksBooksBooks #BookAddict #Book
September 22, 2023
A few years ago, Marvel produced a mini-series of comics that played with the idea of its heroes and villains becoming zombies. Sounds silly, right?
It was terrifying. It quickly gained a reputation for certain scenes, and rightly so. This will NOT be making its way to a movie theatre anytime soon!
I was therefore very keen to see how this world would appear in novel form. It's less graphic, for a start, and has to carry a more involved plot.
This books succeeds at both, very well indeed.
The premise is pretty terrifying from the start. The heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe become zombies (from a Romero-nodding meteorite), with the stronger quickly overcoming the weaker. We focus specifically on Dr Strange at first: soon powerful enough to keep the hunger urges at bay, but not before succumbing. A particular favourite character of mine dies early on, and that emphasized the inevitably tragedy of Strange holding on to his humanity with everything he has. This isn't about saving the world - it's about holding on to himself long enough to do so.
We then skip to lesser-known characters, from Strange's apprentice/librarian Zelma and her friend Nico. They quickly pick up Elsa Bloodstone and Deadpool, with the latter kept from zombification due to his powers, the former... well, she takes advantage of that too. Ick.
How does this little group save a world full of super-powered zombies, then? While staying safe as the Sanctum Sanctorum crumbles around them? If even powerful magic-users such as The Scarlet Witch (gross gross GROSS!) and moral juggernauts like Captain Avengers are busy eating brains, what chance do these not-quite heroes have?
This book zips along, engaging from the start and compelling in that it presents utterly insurmountable odds regularly - and the protagonists just about overcome them in order to survive. Characters face one tension-packed impossible situation after another, and yet manage to fight (or puzzle) through. Resourcefulness is key here as much as superpowers.
It's surprisingly easy to suspend disbelief. We're in a comic-book universe after all, and if you picked up the book knowing that (which I imagine you did, given the cover), you'll be along for the ride with no problem.
A small aside: I opened this at random while waiting in a hospital (all is well, don't worry). It made me forget about the beeping around me, the boredom, the white walls, the time passing oh so slowly. The excellent writing and well-drawn characters transported me to the Marvel world, and for that I am very grateful indeed.
If you like superheroes done dark, seek this out. Apocalyptic fun.
It was terrifying. It quickly gained a reputation for certain scenes, and rightly so. This will NOT be making its way to a movie theatre anytime soon!
I was therefore very keen to see how this world would appear in novel form. It's less graphic, for a start, and has to carry a more involved plot.
This books succeeds at both, very well indeed.
The premise is pretty terrifying from the start. The heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe become zombies (from a Romero-nodding meteorite), with the stronger quickly overcoming the weaker. We focus specifically on Dr Strange at first: soon powerful enough to keep the hunger urges at bay, but not before succumbing. A particular favourite character of mine dies early on, and that emphasized the inevitably tragedy of Strange holding on to his humanity with everything he has. This isn't about saving the world - it's about holding on to himself long enough to do so.
We then skip to lesser-known characters, from Strange's apprentice/librarian Zelma and her friend Nico. They quickly pick up Elsa Bloodstone and Deadpool, with the latter kept from zombification due to his powers, the former... well, she takes advantage of that too. Ick.
How does this little group save a world full of super-powered zombies, then? While staying safe as the Sanctum Sanctorum crumbles around them? If even powerful magic-users such as The Scarlet Witch (gross gross GROSS!) and moral juggernauts like Captain Avengers are busy eating brains, what chance do these not-quite heroes have?
This book zips along, engaging from the start and compelling in that it presents utterly insurmountable odds regularly - and the protagonists just about overcome them in order to survive. Characters face one tension-packed impossible situation after another, and yet manage to fight (or puzzle) through. Resourcefulness is key here as much as superpowers.
It's surprisingly easy to suspend disbelief. We're in a comic-book universe after all, and if you picked up the book knowing that (which I imagine you did, given the cover), you'll be along for the ride with no problem.
A small aside: I opened this at random while waiting in a hospital (all is well, don't worry). It made me forget about the beeping around me, the boredom, the white walls, the time passing oh so slowly. The excellent writing and well-drawn characters transported me to the Marvel world, and for that I am very grateful indeed.
If you like superheroes done dark, seek this out. Apocalyptic fun.
July 16, 2023
I received a copy of The Hunger from Netgalley to review.
Rating of 4.5.
Prepare to dive into a wacky, time travelling, zombie filled Marvel novel with Marsheila Rockwell’s fantastic tie-in book, The Hunger.
When a mysterious object falls to Earth, landing in New York city, it unleashes a wave of evil and despair as the world’s greatest heroes are turned into ravenous zombies determined to feast on all living flesh. As the zombified superheroes begin to spread out across the planet, turning or eating everything before them, only Doctor Strange can briefly retain his sanity to try and find a way to avert disaster, but despite his best efforts, his overwhelming hunger threatens all around him.
With no alternative, Doctor Strange is forced to turn to one of the few magic users left unaffected by the zombie outbreak, the librarian of the Sanctum Sanctorum, Zelma Stanton, who reluctantly takes up the burden and imprisons her zombified mentor. Despite her lack of experience, Zelma has access to all the magical knowledge and ancient artefacts in Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, and she hopes to find some answer to the deadly chaos consuming her planet. But Zelma soon realises that even all the books in the Sanctum aren’t enough; if she wants to succeed, she’s going to need help.
Pulling together a ragtag team of survivors, including Runaway witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone and the living embodiment of insanity, Deadpool, Zelma hopes that together they can find a solution. But their plan to trap the zombies in a time loop backfires on them, thanks to antics of Deadpool, unsurprisingly. Now with time fracturing all around them, an evil magic threat unleashed, and the zombie horde still determined to eat everything, Zelma and her strange team need to find a way to reverse the damaged they caused while still saving the world. But is this group of survivors truly capable of stopping the flesh-eating nightmares waiting for them?
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2023/07/16/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
Rating of 4.5.
Prepare to dive into a wacky, time travelling, zombie filled Marvel novel with Marsheila Rockwell’s fantastic tie-in book, The Hunger.
When a mysterious object falls to Earth, landing in New York city, it unleashes a wave of evil and despair as the world’s greatest heroes are turned into ravenous zombies determined to feast on all living flesh. As the zombified superheroes begin to spread out across the planet, turning or eating everything before them, only Doctor Strange can briefly retain his sanity to try and find a way to avert disaster, but despite his best efforts, his overwhelming hunger threatens all around him.
With no alternative, Doctor Strange is forced to turn to one of the few magic users left unaffected by the zombie outbreak, the librarian of the Sanctum Sanctorum, Zelma Stanton, who reluctantly takes up the burden and imprisons her zombified mentor. Despite her lack of experience, Zelma has access to all the magical knowledge and ancient artefacts in Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, and she hopes to find some answer to the deadly chaos consuming her planet. But Zelma soon realises that even all the books in the Sanctum aren’t enough; if she wants to succeed, she’s going to need help.
Pulling together a ragtag team of survivors, including Runaway witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone and the living embodiment of insanity, Deadpool, Zelma hopes that together they can find a solution. But their plan to trap the zombies in a time loop backfires on them, thanks to antics of Deadpool, unsurprisingly. Now with time fracturing all around them, an evil magic threat unleashed, and the zombie horde still determined to eat everything, Zelma and her strange team need to find a way to reverse the damaged they caused while still saving the world. But is this group of survivors truly capable of stopping the flesh-eating nightmares waiting for them?
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2023/07/16/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
October 30, 2023
I wanted to like this… even 2 is a bit too kind to be honest. I love Elsa. I will read anything with her in it, which is why I picked this up, and what better time to read than October.
Firstly, far far FAR too much telling and not showing. There are pages and pages of explanations of who’s who, and the thought process Zelma is going through and it felt like a badly written YA novel at multiple points.
Yea, Elsa is English. I am English myself, and what annoys me more than most things is my vocab being constantly commented on. We know she’s English, you don’t have to poke fun every other time she speaks just because she uses language that Americans don’t use. Jeez.
I like Deadpool. He’s a crazy nut and I’m so disappointed that at every turn he’s basically told to shut up. If you don’t want to let the man talk, don’t include him in the story? Wasted opportunity of a cool character. Another reason why it felt like a poorly written YA where the author just wanted it to be all about the girls, which is fine if that’s what you’re going for, but don’t waste time including Deadpool then *shrug*.
I also find it hard to believe that if this actually happened that it would all boil down basically to two teenage(?) girls having to save the day. Of all the sups we got, these two? Velma and Witchy Daria?
Maybe I’m just not the audience for this, but I’ve been left feeling annoyed that I bothered to finish it. Not that it really has a great ending. It felt like pages were missing at the end. I’m actually struggling to remember how it was even resolved. I just know there was pizza I guess and lots of sharing of feelings.
Lastly, seldom do people get time travel right in a way that makes sense, this was not one of them. It was sloppy and confusing and just tooooo much explaining of everything. I think I fell asleep and had to backtrack at least 3 times.
Firstly, far far FAR too much telling and not showing. There are pages and pages of explanations of who’s who, and the thought process Zelma is going through and it felt like a badly written YA novel at multiple points.
Yea, Elsa is English. I am English myself, and what annoys me more than most things is my vocab being constantly commented on. We know she’s English, you don’t have to poke fun every other time she speaks just because she uses language that Americans don’t use. Jeez.
I like Deadpool. He’s a crazy nut and I’m so disappointed that at every turn he’s basically told to shut up. If you don’t want to let the man talk, don’t include him in the story? Wasted opportunity of a cool character. Another reason why it felt like a poorly written YA where the author just wanted it to be all about the girls, which is fine if that’s what you’re going for, but don’t waste time including Deadpool then *shrug*.
I also find it hard to believe that if this actually happened that it would all boil down basically to two teenage(?) girls having to save the day. Of all the sups we got, these two? Velma and Witchy Daria?
Maybe I’m just not the audience for this, but I’ve been left feeling annoyed that I bothered to finish it. Not that it really has a great ending. It felt like pages were missing at the end. I’m actually struggling to remember how it was even resolved. I just know there was pizza I guess and lots of sharing of feelings.
Lastly, seldom do people get time travel right in a way that makes sense, this was not one of them. It was sloppy and confusing and just tooooo much explaining of everything. I think I fell asleep and had to backtrack at least 3 times.
April 2, 2024
Yikes, this one was pretty disappointing. In order to fully articulate why that is I need to go into spoilers.
All in all I wouldn't recommend this one unless you're a really big fan of Marvel Zombies. Even then I would say just reread the comics because this book is just one massive waste of time. I would be more forgiving if this was a novella but it's 346 pages long. All those pages and for what? So much potential in this story and it all gets wasted.
All in all I wouldn't recommend this one unless you're a really big fan of Marvel Zombies. Even then I would say just reread the comics because this book is just one massive waste of time. I would be more forgiving if this was a novella but it's 346 pages long. All those pages and for what? So much potential in this story and it all gets wasted.
October 1, 2023
NetGalley Arc: Book was given in exchange for an honest review
This was an absolute delight from start to finish. This is easily the best use of Marvel Zombies as a concept, focusing on B-tier heroes trying to survive the onslaught of carnage. Really interesting start to a series and highlights the lesser seen elements of the Marvel universe.
Marsheila Rockwell has a great style and manages to balance comedy with horror extremely well. She is one of the few modern writers who can truly bring to life an entertaining Deadpool.
This story goes into some truly wacky places but it is well worth the journey. The middle has a LOT of planning but it never feels like it drags as the character interactions are an absolute delight to read.
Huge recommendation for a zombie fan, a marvel fan, or BOTH.
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
This was an absolute delight from start to finish. This is easily the best use of Marvel Zombies as a concept, focusing on B-tier heroes trying to survive the onslaught of carnage. Really interesting start to a series and highlights the lesser seen elements of the Marvel universe.
Marsheila Rockwell has a great style and manages to balance comedy with horror extremely well. She is one of the few modern writers who can truly bring to life an entertaining Deadpool.
This story goes into some truly wacky places but it is well worth the journey. The middle has a LOT of planning but it never feels like it drags as the character interactions are an absolute delight to read.
Huge recommendation for a zombie fan, a marvel fan, or BOTH.
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
July 29, 2023
When the zombie apocalypse strikes and takes out all of the earth's superheroes in a fell swoop, who you gonna call?
Your 1st guesses may not have included Deadpool or monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone. Or Zelda Stanton, apprentice Witch to Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, and most likely not Nico Minoru, Runaway witch. But whether you were expecting it or not, these are the unlikely heroes that step up to save our reality from total devastation.
This book was such a fun read! As a comics nerd from way back, and still keeping a basic pulse on the Marvel Universe's newer versions of heroes, it was awesome to see so many different characters into one book. The author really knows how to describe scenes of carnage, epic superhero battles, and the snarky attitudes of two of my favorite marvel characters. The scenes with Deadpool and Bloodstone are absolutely amazing.
This book is a rollicking ride through time loops, the zombie apocalypse, and the magical side of the Marvel Universe. Highly recommended to anybody who enjoys comics and zombies.
Thank you to Netgalley, Aconyte Books, and the amazing Marsheila Rockwell for the opportunity to read this fantastic piece of fiction. All opinions are my own.
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
Your 1st guesses may not have included Deadpool or monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone. Or Zelda Stanton, apprentice Witch to Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, and most likely not Nico Minoru, Runaway witch. But whether you were expecting it or not, these are the unlikely heroes that step up to save our reality from total devastation.
This book was such a fun read! As a comics nerd from way back, and still keeping a basic pulse on the Marvel Universe's newer versions of heroes, it was awesome to see so many different characters into one book. The author really knows how to describe scenes of carnage, epic superhero battles, and the snarky attitudes of two of my favorite marvel characters. The scenes with Deadpool and Bloodstone are absolutely amazing.
This book is a rollicking ride through time loops, the zombie apocalypse, and the magical side of the Marvel Universe. Highly recommended to anybody who enjoys comics and zombies.
Thank you to Netgalley, Aconyte Books, and the amazing Marsheila Rockwell for the opportunity to read this fantastic piece of fiction. All opinions are my own.
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
September 19, 2023
The Hunger was the Marvel adventure that I have been WAITING FOR!
The Hunger follows Zelma Stanton as she is just trying to do her best in the face of the world's demise! Zombies have taken over the world and have claimed many of the world's heroes and Avengers, including Sorceror Supreme Doctor Strange. As zombies rise and humanity falls, the fate of the world rests solely within Zelma's jurisdiction to save (oh and she is just a librarian)!
I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy this story at first, but let me tell you - Marsheila Rockwell is a fantastic author. I found myself hooked immediately and I could not put this down. This story starts off rather quickly and you find the world falling fast, and this keeps the pace of this story moving quickly. Bringing in fan-favorite characters, Nico Minoru, Deadpool, and Elsa Bloodstone (and gasp even another magic user who I love), I definitely felt this team could pull off the impossible and hopefully save the world. This is a massively character-driven story, but because we love these characters the story flies by.
I felt that the ending of this story wasn't what I anticipated and that made this all the more enjoyable. Marvel fans and zombie fans are going to love this romp into the apocalypse. Check it out!
The Hunger follows Zelma Stanton as she is just trying to do her best in the face of the world's demise! Zombies have taken over the world and have claimed many of the world's heroes and Avengers, including Sorceror Supreme Doctor Strange. As zombies rise and humanity falls, the fate of the world rests solely within Zelma's jurisdiction to save (oh and she is just a librarian)!
I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy this story at first, but let me tell you - Marsheila Rockwell is a fantastic author. I found myself hooked immediately and I could not put this down. This story starts off rather quickly and you find the world falling fast, and this keeps the pace of this story moving quickly. Bringing in fan-favorite characters, Nico Minoru, Deadpool, and Elsa Bloodstone (and gasp even another magic user who I love), I definitely felt this team could pull off the impossible and hopefully save the world. This is a massively character-driven story, but because we love these characters the story flies by.
I felt that the ending of this story wasn't what I anticipated and that made this all the more enjoyable. Marvel fans and zombie fans are going to love this romp into the apocalypse. Check it out!
August 12, 2023
The Hunger is zombie thriller where the superheroes fall and we’re left with the sidekicks (and Deadpool) to save the day. Something crashes into the Earth and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes rush in to only emerge zombified. Doctor Strange manages to eat enough of his friends to warn his apprentice, Zelma Stanton of the danger. Locking the Doctor away, Zelma sets out to use magic to save the world. Gathering a slightly zombified, Elsa Bloodstone, her human-snack Deadpool, and Runaways witch Nico Minoru, Zelma uses magic to time travel and then time travel some more to fix the first time travel. The story involves a lot of time travel and some comedy of errors to leave the duo right back in a cliff hanger of an ending. Sometimes humorous and full of bloody zombie battles, the story is action packed with a cast of B side characters that are fun to make the acquaintance of. Plus Deadpool is always good for a laugh! My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.
October 21, 2023
3.75/5
As a Doctor Strange fan, I couldn't just not read this book, you know...because look at him in the cover. I loved loved loved catching all of the references to Jason Aaron's Doctor Strange run as it's one of my favorites. This was such a fun read all around, though I might or might have not expected more from the ending, you know, after everything they all went through there should be at LEAST something brewing to solve the problem at hand, because it seems like they're all back from to where they began before deciding to use the book of cagliostro, so this was more of a Me problem. However, this book did get a giggle out of me when zombie!Thena showed up though, as Eternals is one of my favorite movie.
As a Doctor Strange fan, I couldn't just not read this book, you know...because look at him in the cover. I loved loved loved catching all of the references to Jason Aaron's Doctor Strange run as it's one of my favorites. This was such a fun read all around, though I might or might have not expected more from the ending, you know, after everything they all went through there should be at LEAST something brewing to solve the problem at hand, because it seems like they're all back from to where they began before deciding to use the book of cagliostro, so this was more of a Me problem. However, this book did get a giggle out of me when zombie!Thena showed up though, as Eternals is one of my favorite movie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and Aconyte Books for the ARC of this novel. This is NOT a take on the "What If..." episode from Disney+ but you will get your fill of zombies. Based on the blurb, I thought the time loop would begin sooner than it did and I liked the amount of backstory we got for Nico and Zelma. That said, I was disappointed with the ending as I was hoping for more resolution. It was abrupt and felt like we could have gotten more. That could be a point against me for hoping a zombie story could end the way I want it to rather than how it did. If you are a big fan of Marvel comics. I feel you will enjoy this. 3 stars.
July 26, 2024
I understand that while the intention was a time traveling adventure, the inclusion of Zombies themselves just felt pretty misused.
There's still a lot to enjoy, and I'll read anything with Ms. bloodstone in it, but even she felt slightly off.
Honestly, despite those qualms, I still think this is good and worth a read cause it's still well paced (which is pretty important for me personally)
I'm gonna presume there's a sequel of some sort on the way cause that ending?
Sheeshhh
There's still a lot to enjoy, and I'll read anything with Ms. bloodstone in it, but even she felt slightly off.
Honestly, despite those qualms, I still think this is good and worth a read cause it's still well paced (which is pretty important for me personally)
I'm gonna presume there's a sequel of some sort on the way cause that ending?
Sheeshhh
March 2, 2024
This is the first Marvel novel that I've read, and I quickly realized it's a very different medium than reading a comic. It was a pretty standard comic book style zombie story with interesting characters, pulling in some of Marvel's lesser known heroines, but I can't do more than 3 stars because of the haphazard character development.
August 1, 2023
As a fan of the Marvel Zombies series I may have expected too much from this but it ended up feeling like a lame YA novel. Very disappointing for me at least, stick to the comics if you enjoy them.
August 8, 2023
Actually enjoyed more then I thought I would.
Was a nice change from what I normally read.
4 ⭐️
…………………………………
Was a nice change from what I normally read.
4 ⭐️
…………………………………
Read
November 13, 2023There are some problems here.
Read the longer review at MonsterBookClub
Read the longer review at MonsterBookClub
October 2, 2025
Прекалено много обяснения за това кой кой е, и кой в кого е влюбен. Мудна и скучна. И как всички гении са мъртви и останахме с тези герои?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2026
what a waste of time LOL
December 4, 2023
The original Marvel Zombies books were a very joyless, nasty affair. Not only were beloved characters dying in horrible ways, the nature of the zombie virus meant that even those infected with the disease were still suffering; Spider-Man eating his own family and then being wracked with guilt over it being a prime example. Whilst they might be entertaining books there's little joy to be found in them, and not a whole lot of hope. It's a good thing then that Marsheila Rockewell's new Marvel Zombies novel seems to be set in another universe entirely, and gets to do its own thing without being beholden to the comics that have come before.
The book begins with something landing on Earth, crashing into downtown New York. Doctor Strange is one of the many heroes who heads out to find out what's happened, along with some Avengers, Spider-Man, and a few other solo heroes. This is New York after all, this could very well be the start of some kind of planet wide invasion, and it's all hands on deck. Captain America is the first to head into the crater to find out what happened, and soon stumbles out of it clutching a wound, before turning into a ravenous zombie and biting his fellow heroes.
The super hero community quickly falls, with the super powered populace making for the most dangerous zombies you can imagine as they still have access to their powers and abilities. As the heroes begin to infect each other Doctor Strange tries to make it back to his Sanctum, but is captured by a flesh hungry Spider-Man.
In the sanctum, his apprentice, Zelma Stanton, prepares for another day managing Doctor Strange's library for him. However, when she finds a zombified Strange devouring the other residents of the building she learns that the end of the world has come. Thankfully, eating flesh has returned some semblance of control and personality to Strange, and he's able to help prepare Zelma for what has happened, and gets her to lock him away in the basement. Alone now, Zelma begins to try to find a way to repair the damage and put things right. Whilst searching through the world via magic, however, she discovers others like her, and begins to gather allies to help her in her mission.
The Hunger is perhaps the nicest Marvel Zombies story that I've read, the one with the most hope to it, the most heart. A large part of that is down to the fact that the book doesn't revel in the death and terror of the zombie plague, avoiding gratuitous death and dismemberment. The other reason is that the book gives us a central cast who are enjoyable to be around. Zelma is a young woman who has some confidence issues, who worries a lot and likes to shut herself away from things, but she has a good heart and cares about things, making her a surprising, but very likeable leader.
Our group of heroes also includes Nico Minoru from Runaways, who has a harder edge to her than Zelma, but also brings a lot of heart and emotion with her. Elsa Bloodstone is a sassy, sarcastic monster hunter who acts like the most dangerous and important person in any room she's in, yet never manages to come across as unpleasant. And Deadpool is Deadpool, a bit of lighthearted weirdness thrown into a situation where the team need someone to crack a joke or two, even if they're rolling their eyes at it.
The book is split into some distinct parts, with the first part showing the gathering of the group. Zelma is our main character for this, as she's the only one there from the start, and there are several chapters with her on her own just tying to survive inside the weirdness that is the Sanctum Sanctorum. The gathering of the troops is enjoyable read, and whilst Nico's recruitment is somewhat easy, the two of them going off to try and find Elsa is a lot more complex, and gives readers both action and horror to entertain them.
The latter half of the book, however, sees our team of mismatched protagonists trying to save the world by messing with time, trying to undo the zombie infection. But, as with most time travel stories when you mess with the flow of time it can have unintended consequences, and we get to see our heroes dealing with those consequences and trying to make things right in some unusual circumstances.
The Hunger is an enjoyable take on the Marvel Zombies formula, one that is doing its own thing and at times feels a lot more enjoyable than the comics its drawing from. The characters picked for the group are an odd one, and that oddness works well for the story, with most of the characters you'd normally expect to be the ones to save the world off the table thanks to the spread of the infection. If you're looking for something a bit different in the Marvel Universe, and don't want the same kind of Marvel Zombies stories this book is absolutely worth trying out.
The book begins with something landing on Earth, crashing into downtown New York. Doctor Strange is one of the many heroes who heads out to find out what's happened, along with some Avengers, Spider-Man, and a few other solo heroes. This is New York after all, this could very well be the start of some kind of planet wide invasion, and it's all hands on deck. Captain America is the first to head into the crater to find out what happened, and soon stumbles out of it clutching a wound, before turning into a ravenous zombie and biting his fellow heroes.
The super hero community quickly falls, with the super powered populace making for the most dangerous zombies you can imagine as they still have access to their powers and abilities. As the heroes begin to infect each other Doctor Strange tries to make it back to his Sanctum, but is captured by a flesh hungry Spider-Man.
In the sanctum, his apprentice, Zelma Stanton, prepares for another day managing Doctor Strange's library for him. However, when she finds a zombified Strange devouring the other residents of the building she learns that the end of the world has come. Thankfully, eating flesh has returned some semblance of control and personality to Strange, and he's able to help prepare Zelma for what has happened, and gets her to lock him away in the basement. Alone now, Zelma begins to try to find a way to repair the damage and put things right. Whilst searching through the world via magic, however, she discovers others like her, and begins to gather allies to help her in her mission.
The Hunger is perhaps the nicest Marvel Zombies story that I've read, the one with the most hope to it, the most heart. A large part of that is down to the fact that the book doesn't revel in the death and terror of the zombie plague, avoiding gratuitous death and dismemberment. The other reason is that the book gives us a central cast who are enjoyable to be around. Zelma is a young woman who has some confidence issues, who worries a lot and likes to shut herself away from things, but she has a good heart and cares about things, making her a surprising, but very likeable leader.
Our group of heroes also includes Nico Minoru from Runaways, who has a harder edge to her than Zelma, but also brings a lot of heart and emotion with her. Elsa Bloodstone is a sassy, sarcastic monster hunter who acts like the most dangerous and important person in any room she's in, yet never manages to come across as unpleasant. And Deadpool is Deadpool, a bit of lighthearted weirdness thrown into a situation where the team need someone to crack a joke or two, even if they're rolling their eyes at it.
The book is split into some distinct parts, with the first part showing the gathering of the group. Zelma is our main character for this, as she's the only one there from the start, and there are several chapters with her on her own just tying to survive inside the weirdness that is the Sanctum Sanctorum. The gathering of the troops is enjoyable read, and whilst Nico's recruitment is somewhat easy, the two of them going off to try and find Elsa is a lot more complex, and gives readers both action and horror to entertain them.
The latter half of the book, however, sees our team of mismatched protagonists trying to save the world by messing with time, trying to undo the zombie infection. But, as with most time travel stories when you mess with the flow of time it can have unintended consequences, and we get to see our heroes dealing with those consequences and trying to make things right in some unusual circumstances.
The Hunger is an enjoyable take on the Marvel Zombies formula, one that is doing its own thing and at times feels a lot more enjoyable than the comics its drawing from. The characters picked for the group are an odd one, and that oddness works well for the story, with most of the characters you'd normally expect to be the ones to save the world off the table thanks to the spread of the infection. If you're looking for something a bit different in the Marvel Universe, and don't want the same kind of Marvel Zombies stories this book is absolutely worth trying out.
December 15, 2023
The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel by Marsheila Rockwell
I was given an eReader copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a marvelous romp across time and the Marvel world we know and love. What happens when the Sorcerer Supreme is put out of commission by a zombie plague of unknown origin? His bookkeeper Zelma has to step up and at least attempt to save humanity with the help of a ragtag group of Marvel heroes/ anti-heroes.
There were moments of dread and levity that made this feel like an unpredictable adventure! The writer does not shy away from the more gruesome aspects of the zombie outbreak. I really liked the team which included Zelma, Nico, Elsa Bloodstone, Deadpool....and a mammoth named Max. I'll let you figure out how they all meet 😆.
There is definite character development and the perfect amount of powers and mystical weapons that make the action exciting. I highly recommend checking this out!
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review #thehunger
#marvelzombies
I was given an eReader copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a marvelous romp across time and the Marvel world we know and love. What happens when the Sorcerer Supreme is put out of commission by a zombie plague of unknown origin? His bookkeeper Zelma has to step up and at least attempt to save humanity with the help of a ragtag group of Marvel heroes/ anti-heroes.
There were moments of dread and levity that made this feel like an unpredictable adventure! The writer does not shy away from the more gruesome aspects of the zombie outbreak. I really liked the team which included Zelma, Nico, Elsa Bloodstone, Deadpool....and a mammoth named Max. I'll let you figure out how they all meet 😆.
There is definite character development and the perfect amount of powers and mystical weapons that make the action exciting. I highly recommend checking this out!
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review #thehunger
#marvelzombies
September 9, 2024
Note: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I wanted to like it, I really did. It’s trying very hard to be a freewheeling, time-travelling, action-adventure comedy, but ends up a horrible mess (which I guess is kind of fitting, given the zombies of it all).
The mechanics of the time travel don’t make sense. And, to be fair, it’d be far from the first time travel story not to properly think through its own premise, but an awful lot of space is given over to trying to make those mechanics make sense.
It’s a continuity nightmare, with pages and pages given over to explaining who this person is, why they know that person, how it matters, and why we’re now on Christopher Columbus’s ship. I’m not sure there’s a single original character in the novel.
Deadpool’s in it, though (a lot). I don’t like Deadpool. I like Ryan Reynolds. But Ryan Reynolds isn’t in this book.
There are a lot of fight scenes of the sort that are boring enough on screen and in comics, but here you can’t even see them. Perhaps that’s a mercy (I don’t know if you’ve seen Quantumania…).
And as for structure, well, if it were a school, the kids would be sent home and the local MP on the news. The story doesn’t so much end as stop.
A big tick in its favour is the focus on female characters; younger women are the fastest growing and frequently most positive section of superhero fandom, and it’s pretty tiresome how often comic books, movies and their tie-ins act like the only people watching are 36-year-old male nerds in MAGA hats.
I am sorry. I wanted to like it. It’s the sort of thing I really should like. But good intentions don’t make a good book.
I wanted to like it, I really did. It’s trying very hard to be a freewheeling, time-travelling, action-adventure comedy, but ends up a horrible mess (which I guess is kind of fitting, given the zombies of it all).
The mechanics of the time travel don’t make sense. And, to be fair, it’d be far from the first time travel story not to properly think through its own premise, but an awful lot of space is given over to trying to make those mechanics make sense.
It’s a continuity nightmare, with pages and pages given over to explaining who this person is, why they know that person, how it matters, and why we’re now on Christopher Columbus’s ship. I’m not sure there’s a single original character in the novel.
Deadpool’s in it, though (a lot). I don’t like Deadpool. I like Ryan Reynolds. But Ryan Reynolds isn’t in this book.
There are a lot of fight scenes of the sort that are boring enough on screen and in comics, but here you can’t even see them. Perhaps that’s a mercy (I don’t know if you’ve seen Quantumania…).
And as for structure, well, if it were a school, the kids would be sent home and the local MP on the news. The story doesn’t so much end as stop.
A big tick in its favour is the focus on female characters; younger women are the fastest growing and frequently most positive section of superhero fandom, and it’s pretty tiresome how often comic books, movies and their tie-ins act like the only people watching are 36-year-old male nerds in MAGA hats.
I am sorry. I wanted to like it. It’s the sort of thing I really should like. But good intentions don’t make a good book.
October 25, 2023
This isn’t a zombie story
The story is boring, barely any zombie action, and most of all the writer often repeats themselves over and over. While I am a fan of the original series of Marvel Zombies. This right here…..this is awful. I love me some zombie action, but this didn’t have that. It ended so abruptly that it didn’t make sense to me. Avoid this, please because marvel can do better. Marsheila Rockwell clearly wanted to tell a different story here. You can feel it as you read.
Merged review:
How can someone mess up the idea of a zombie story with superhero’s this much? I’ve been following the marvel zombies timeline for a long time now. As a huge fan of the comic series, I for one was excited to see where this could go in a novelization. Especially if done right where you are able to see it from either the zombies viewpoint or the survivors viewpoint.
Marvel Zombies: The Hunger fails when trying tell a compelling story about trying to save the world. Normally the stories are a mix of dark comedy and unrelenting death from said zombies. You simply do not get that here. Following the first few pages, you’ll be swept in with excitement and intrigue. However that falls apart once the story moves on after page 20. Any story from the zombies viewpoint no. All from Zelma and the gang. Were there some cool parts? Sure but you barely get to experience anything. Everything is told to you but never truly shown. This is about zombies! Not about someone who overthinks everything they do.
Overall, don’t read this!
The story is boring, barely any zombie action, and most of all the writer often repeats themselves over and over. While I am a fan of the original series of Marvel Zombies. This right here…..this is awful. I love me some zombie action, but this didn’t have that. It ended so abruptly that it didn’t make sense to me. Avoid this, please because marvel can do better. Marsheila Rockwell clearly wanted to tell a different story here. You can feel it as you read.
Merged review:
How can someone mess up the idea of a zombie story with superhero’s this much? I’ve been following the marvel zombies timeline for a long time now. As a huge fan of the comic series, I for one was excited to see where this could go in a novelization. Especially if done right where you are able to see it from either the zombies viewpoint or the survivors viewpoint.
Marvel Zombies: The Hunger fails when trying tell a compelling story about trying to save the world. Normally the stories are a mix of dark comedy and unrelenting death from said zombies. You simply do not get that here. Following the first few pages, you’ll be swept in with excitement and intrigue. However that falls apart once the story moves on after page 20. Any story from the zombies viewpoint no. All from Zelma and the gang. Were there some cool parts? Sure but you barely get to experience anything. Everything is told to you but never truly shown. This is about zombies! Not about someone who overthinks everything they do.
Overall, don’t read this!
June 30, 2024
I enjoyed the writing style of this book, and the story. DR. STRANGE also is one of my favorites MARVEL characters and comic book characters. Definitely worth the read, very short, could easily read it in a day.
I did the cover art for this book, it was a dream come true to work and illustrate for Marvel, many thanks to them for allowing me to paint and draw this cover for them.
I did the cover art for this book, it was a dream come true to work and illustrate for Marvel, many thanks to them for allowing me to paint and draw this cover for them.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews