The Fall

The Rift #1

by Robert J. Duperre

The World Will Never Be The Same...

An ancient evil, trapped in the ruins of a lost Mayan temple for centuries, has been unleashed. It takes the form of a deadly virus, one that causes violent insanity in the living and the recently departed to rise and walk. It spreads around the globe, throwing the world into chaos and war.

As it progresses, those in the States who find themselves far away from the epicenter watch it unfold with unbelieving eyes. From Washington D.C. to Dover, New Hampshire, regular people are hurled into an existence outside their control, left to deal with catastrophic situations that they are unprepared to handle. Life becomes a nightmare, and that nightmare is spreading.

First time author Robert J. Duperre presents this scenario with The Fall: The Rift Book I, the first of a four-part series. In this book, he throws his characters into a gambit; when the alternatives are life or death, self-preservation or the protection of others, what path will they choose? Is there a darkness that resides in everyone, from every walk of life, that is screaming for release? When society falls apart and we are left to our own devices, will we make the right decisions, or let the tide take us where it may? There is horror, there is death, there are the walking dead, and all around are choices.

The novel is illustrated by Jesse David Young, whose drawings capture the intense feel of the events happening within. There are twenty illustrations in all, as well as the cover art he provided. These add to the reading experience and help to throw you, the reader, head-first into the world they have created.

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Science Fiction, Amazon, Apocalyptic, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction

274 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2010

About the author

Born on Cape Cod and raised in northern Connecticut, Robert Duperre is a writer whose main ambition is to create works that defy genre. His first novel, "The Fall: The Rift Book I" is now available in paperback and for the Amazon Kindle.

Robert lives with his wife, the artist Jessica Torrant, his three wonderful children, and Leonardo, the super one-eyed Labrador.

Reviews

[Darkfallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something you should probably know about me before we start this review here...My one true phobia in life is of the creepy crawly variety. Creepy crawly things you can see, microscopic creepers you cant...it doesn't matter. They both scare the bajeezus out of me. Like they scare me WAY more than say flesh eating dead guys?!

So what do you think happened when Mr. Duperre here mixed BOTH creepy crawlies (both microscopic and the crunchy kind) with flesh eating not at all 'Hi I'm a zombie'


But rather more like Run for your life!!!


Well I'll tell ya what happened. It lead to a very scared Darkfallen, huddled under her covers, armed with a bottle of germ-ex, a flashlight, and a bookmark. Don't look at me like that. That bookmark saved my life on more than one occasion. Every time they tried to bite me I thunked them in the head with it and smashed em back in the book. *winks* But that's not what your here for right? You wanna know about the book. You want to hear the part where I tell you that even though this book both terrified and thoroughly discussed me, that I couldn't put it down. That I couldn't look away. That I was sucked into this nightmare so deep that I really did wake my husband screaming in the middle of the night.

Well it's true folks...every single part of it.

This book was nothing short of amazing. Robert Duperre has a way with words that sucks you in and makes you feel like you're there. And there is so much more then just horror spilled onto the pages. The is emotion in every form. There is pain, sorrow, lust, and maybe...just maybe a little love in there too. With just the write amount of poetic imagery to really make you feel it and BAM then you've got a book that will leave you begging for more. Not to mention the fact that Robert Duperre's zombies are a completely original take that I haven't seen done before. I mean YES they want to, and WILL eat you. But it's the beginning. The how it all started, that makes this book so unique. And the best part? The suspense. The fact that book 1 comes to an end with a cliff hanger that will lead you to want to stranger him, and a twist towards the end to keep you guessing and saying to yourself Just what ARE these things?!?!

Do yourself a favor. Pick up this book. Hell pick up any of his books...I assure you, you won't be disappointed!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

your word of the day is gratuitous.

gra·tu·i·tous (gruh-too-i-tuhs): being without apparent reason, cause, or justification.

that's your buzzword for this book, kids. after reading it, i'm not even sure what audience it's aimed at. explanations and writing style lean toward YA, but remember our word?

gratuitous violence? check.

gratuitous sex? check.

gratuitous yet detailed and loving descriptions of decapitations, explosions, zombie slaying, bugs, up close knife work? check.

gratuitious language? check.

but wait! there's more than just that!

nonsensical and alcohol-fueled hormonal relationships? check.

abusive unstoppable ex-husband? check.

unlikely yet reluctant hero? check.

random and badly formed attempt to build a supernatural/extraterrestrial/existential world that doesn't belong in a zombie book beyond our own? check.

overuse of the mayans as a highly developed culture that mysteriously vanished and NO ONE KNOWS WHY OH NOES? check.

convenient deux ex machinae (plucky farmer with horses to take the survivors to freedom FTW! i have dreams that end up being real! i've crossed time and space to have random sex with a woman in SPACE and then woke up next to her! how COOL is that?)? check.

hideous and named virus? check. (wrathchild? seriously? is the author 12? (no, i checked. but i was surprised.)

guh.

not recommended to anyone, really. it gets two stars because i managed to finish it, but as a kindle freebie, i'm REALLY glad i didn't pay for this. i'm going to end the review now, because basically if i keep typing, i'm going to change my mind and make it a one star.

you want a real zombie book? one that makes you think, avoids a lot of violence and language and still can give you the creeps? i've said it before, and i'll say it again. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War try it. if i'm wrong, flame me. but i don't think i am. there are WAY better books out there.

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably not the best thing to read given there is an actual life-threatening virus on the loose in the world, though the fiction and bad writing here makes it dull and not apocryphal.

An incredibly messy read, with mis-matching sentences and a very slow plot. Having to re-read entire sentences and still not entirely sure what was occurring. I suspect the author kept a thesaurus to hand whilst writing it. FRTF.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

The Fall, The Rift book number one was not for me. I thought that I knew better than to venture further into the post apocalyptic genre. I am done with it, with zombies, and with YA end of the world scenarios. I simply loathe these stories now and I am not an objective reader or reviewer. I am more tired with zombies now than I was ever with the way over done vampire genre.

That being said I did read through most of this book. I enjoyed the writing of Robert Duperre and found the book to be an easy page Turner. The world building was sufficient and the characters were okay. There were things to like about The Fall.

Maybe I would revisit this book another day. Perhaps when I am not turned off by all things zombies and young adult oriented. Maybe then I would want to continue the series. The biggest shame for me at the moment is that I always love and appreciate books that are part of Kindle Unlimited. Thank you Amazon and Robert Duperre.

Maybe another day or.

[Jaidis Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fall: The Rift Book One by Robert J. Duperre is a terrifying and captivating tale of a zombie infested “end of days”. Mr. Duperre is an incredibly gifted writer, bringing his written world to life with vivid descriptions and close-to-home scenarios! The reader will find themselves identifying with at least one, if not all, of the very real characters within this book. The story begins with the discovery of an ancient Mayan temple. A ruin that was hidden away, meant to be forgotten. For Dr. Ken Trudeau this meant the archeological dig of a lifetime but instead of finding truth or treasure, he found an age-old darkness. An eternal evil bringing with it a plague that quickly deformed and destroyed all in its path! We are then introduced to a handful of key characters, each with their own intricate story to tell. Joshua Benoit, a twenty-something college student tormented with self-doubt and regret. Hoping to make something of himself and get the Hell out of Dover, NH, yet unable to break free of the fear that holds him back. Kyra Holcomb, a mid-forties bartender stuck in a life that has never really felt like hers to begin with. Tom Steinberg, a Pennsylvania senator and Speaker of the House. A headstrong man willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted, to where he wanted to be in this life. Yet, he was unraveling inside. Becoming someone, something, he couldn’t understand. Now with the Rodent Flu spreading through every corner of the world, all those infected quickly became a mutated, undead monster. The Wrathchild. Soon our main characters would find themselves in the fight of their lives, doing all they can just to survive. Robert J. Duperre is able to grab your attention instantly and keep you turning page after page, all the while keeping you at the edge of your seat! I could not put this book down! I’m very much looking forward to the second installment in the series, Dead of Winter. I highly recommend The Fall to anyone looking for an intensely frightening read! Due to adult themes and violence, this book should be read by mature adult audiences only.

~Hazel O'Shea

[One Pushy Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn in by how real the characters in this book felt to me, because that's how they're portrayed, warts and all. I love how even the hero, who we learn may have some greater, supernatural significance (stress on the "may" since this is only book one out of four), is filled with doubts about himself and others. There's no, "Oh, I'm the chosen one and I will save the world" moments in this book. Just a bunch of real people stuck in an INSANE world trying to figure out what comes next.

My full review will post March 9th at Bewitched Bookworms.

[Bewitched Bookworms · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing first book in a series. I was drawn in and I am definitely looking forward to reading the second book (which I purchased for myself about 10% into this book, it's just that good!). My only complaint is that I know I'm going to finish the next book far before the third and forth books come out. *sigh*

Read the full review here.

[Derek Prior · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fall: An Undead Apocalypse.

Zombie apocalypse is not my usual genre, but I agreed to look at this book and was happy to receive a copy from the author.

I had mixed feelings when I began The Fall. I found the opening chapters difficult to engage with and tried to work out why. There was good writing and heaps of atmosphere, but something wasn’t working for me. After much deliberation, I realized it was the language. Not all the language, just bits here and there where the writing stretched and strained for a simile too far, a word too verbose, or a point of view thought that was redundant. Nothing that couldn’t be improved with a little more parsimony, and so I read on.

Glad I did.

After the prologue, and the opening chapter in which we are inducted into the point of view of a character only to have him dropped, the story proper begins. It was not at all what I had expected.

Whilst there is a very vivid and well-drawn backdrop of contagion, with a hint of something ancient, sinister, and hinting at a very long conflict, Duperre focuses our attention squarely on the characters. These are fully-fleshed out people, the kind of flawed but altogether human beings we might number among our friends and acquaintances. There are no saints and sinners here - merely people doing the best they can with a poor lot; individuals struggling in the big, corporate, indifferent world. The only relationships that matter are the little ones, the close ties: family and friends, colleagues. Those in a particular locality/sphere of influence.

Keeping the focus here is one of the strengths of The Fall. We see what the principle characters see, feel with them, and get swept along on their respective journeys. It was always strongest for me when we were with the compelling Kyra, or with Joshua Benoit. It gets even stronger when we’re introduced to Josh’s long-time friend, Colin. The closeness of these friendships (which are never laboured - the dialogue between them is often playfully disrespectful and authentic) increases reader identification and makes one really care about their plight.

Bad things are happening around the world, and from time to time the characters are in the thick of it, but it’s the way these people deal with their immediate concerns that forms the bedrock of this tale.

Always, the zombies and wraiths close in (inexorably, as they must in this kind of story), until the point when a few survivors hit the road in the style of the first pioneers.

That leads me to the social commentary that is a feature of almost every zombie story. The collapse of society forces a return to basics, a reliance on each other, a zest for life born from the struggle simply to survive. There’s nothing like hordes of undead massacring their way through towns and cities to wake people up, to make them fully human again. It’s like holding up a mirror to society and then running from what you see.

I was pleasantly surprised to get some zombie perspective POV at one point - interesting that the host hadn’t been completely annihilated. It made me think of the use of zombies as a philosophical model looking at Cartesian dualism. I suspect, though, that it’s more bound up with the underlying cause of the apocalypse in this case, the strange beings who seem to be guiding events.

There’s enough other elements to this story to lift it above the norm for the genre. Hints are found in the prologue and dotted about in subsequent chapters. We even get some POV insight into the being known as Sam, and a female counterpart. There are forces at work other than a simple contagion released from a Mayan temple. There were one or two moments when I thought Duperre was going to give too much away, but sensibly he withheld information and makes me want to read on in the series to piece together what is happening.

The overall feeling of The Fall, for me, was closer to the golden age of Doctor Who than Resident Evil or Night of the Living Dead. By golden age, I mean Jon Pertwee as the Doctor when Earth was always being invaded. There were some great contagion stories, and often “higher/evil” beings speaking mind-to-mind with lead baddies and orchestrating the attack. The Fall is clearly more horrific than Who, but it’s breadth of ideas and focus on a small group of characters reminded me of those great old stories. There was also a hint of The Pyramids of Mars in Ken’s opening chapter in the Mayan temple.

I guess this is why I kept reading, and why I was drawn into the tale. I’m not a fan of gratuitous violence or contrived suspense, and you don’t get either of those here. The horror is always contextual in The Fall and the suspense is an effect of very tight point of view - something Duperre never deviates from throughout the main body of the story.

This is a tale of epic proportions - the sense of place and geography reminded me of the original Planet of the Apes movie. When the characters finally set out on their long journey, I know I’ll be right there along with them. Sometimes books and films just hop between set pieces with no real sense of time and place. Not so here. It’s a world to immerse yourself in, even if it’s not always a pleasant ride.

This is a very good book, beautifully illustrated (I like that the illustrations come after each chapter and serve as a visual reminder of what’s just happened).

Re my problems with the prologue and opening chapter, I feel they could have been cut and the book would have been even stronger. The prologue, in particular, is the only time there were any POV issues for me (“the girl” would presumably know her own name; there’s a use of omniscient narration here that is absent elsewhere).

There was still a smattering (and only a smattering) of verbosity here and there, use of flowery words where simple ones would have been better. The overall standard is so good, though, that these deviations don’t really get in the way. Once more, with some judicious cutting, the story would be enhanced.

Ultimately, it comes down to engagement, and Duperre easily succeeded as far as this reader is concerned. The more we were in Kyra or Josh’s POV the more powerful the engagement was. From the halfway point onwards it was a very easy book to engage with and I was able to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Ratings are utterly subjective, but for the genre, and personal enjoyment, I would give this a healthy 4.5 (which rounds up to 5 as the minor issues I had with language and the opening are rather small compared with all that is good here).

[Brainycat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brainycat's 5 "B"s:
blood: 4
boobs: 0
bombs: 2
bondage: 0
blasphemy: 1
Bechdel Test: FAIL
Deggan's Rule: FAIL
Gay Bechdel Test: FAIL

I only made it through 32% of this book before I gave up on it. The pace of the writing seemed like it plodded along unchanged, no matter if the protagonist was unleashing demons from ancient tombs or eating dinner with his parents. The story is written in multiple third persons, I suppose to try and show the enormity of the unfolding zombiepocalypse, but none of the characters felt fully developed. Reading it felt like listening to one of those shows on public radio where the host interviews a number of people in depth around some vaguely related inane topic - a lot of words about straight white people on the east coast of the US I don't know and can't be arsed to care about.

The plot relied on a number of flashback scenes. In my reader, these showed up as page after page of bold, italic paragraphs expositing some scenario that lacked context, probably attempting to make the scene spooky and magnificient, but actually only heightening the sense that I'm just here to Watch A Writer Write instead of experiencing the end of the world as we know it firsthand . It was during one of these episodes that I closed the file and opened another book.

I soldiered on long after I wanted to give up. I was looking for the gratuitous sex and violence mentioned by Jennifer but it didn't happen fast enough for me. Maybe I missed it? Maybe Jennifer has different ideas about gratuitousness, harsh language, sex and violence than I do. Either way, while some interesting things happened to uninteresting characters, it was too little too late and I have too much on my TBR list to suffer through a story I'm not enjoying.

Rather than one-starring this like the rest of my DNFs, I'm going to give this one two stars. As harshly as I trashed it in preceeding paragraphs, it's still not as bad as the swill that I usually DNF. It's ambitious, utilizes a decent vocabulary and someone bothered to run it through a spellchecker. I think this could be an OK book for someone with different tastes and expectations. However, if you like the same books I do, you'll want to avoid The Fall.

Please note: I don't review to provide synopses, I review to share a purely visceral reaction to books and perhaps answer some of the questions I ask when I'm contemplating investing time and money into a book.

[Sawyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is this a book? Seriously?

This person, "Robert J. Duperre" is a good example for that anybody can be a famous writer in the US who is able to write 200 pages about something. This guy is totally untalented and a total amateur, beginner. I wouldn't ever call him a writer. How is that possible that people are willing to pay any money for his books? I don't know.

This book was so bad, I seriously suffered and struggled to understand the most basic sentences in it! I'm not talking about the story or the depths of the characters, I mean the way he tries to describe the most simple scenes in the book!
Here's an example. This is a from the retail ebook version of this book:

"She acted as if she didn’t notice his struggle. Instead, she held thing cradled in her arms out to him."

What does this supposed to mean? I'm not a natural born American, but even my English grammar knowledge is better than this.
I guess he wanted to say something like this:
"She acted as if she didn’t notice his struggle. Instead, she held out the thing she cradled to him."

Another example:
Totally bad order of sentences that makes the whole paragraph impossible to understand:

"She acted as if she didn’t notice his struggle. Instead, she held thing cradled in her arms out to him. Josh’s attack on the window ceased and he stared at it, wide-eyed. It was a baby girl dressed in pink."

WTF?!

Here's my version (and I'm not even an editor):
"She acted as if she didn’t notice his struggle. Instead, she held out the thing she cradled to him.
It was a baby girl dressed in pink. Josh’s attack on the window ceased and he stared at it, wide-eyed."

Isn't it better this way?
He tries to describe something, then he changes the scene, talks about something else, then continues the previous scene (or thing that was described) without any reason.

Dear Robert! If you mention Josh's attack, then do not use "it" after that for the baby. At least call "it" a baby and the reader will probably know what you are talking about.

This is ridiculous! The entire book is full of similar editing mistakes, writing mistakes, huge grammar mistakes. My English is far not perfect but even I could write a better book (that would be easier to understand by everybody) than this garbage!

[E.J. Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Move over old-school zombies, there's a new evil in town.

The Fall is the first book in the epic horror series The Rift. Duperre whisks the readers to an archaeological dig in Central America, but this is not your typical Indiana Jones adventure. Things go terribly, irrevocably wrong and an ancient undead evil is unleashed on the world. I should warn you that if you have any insect phobias you will be scratching away before the first chapter is over. That scene *still* gives me nightmares...and that was only the beginning. The author then pulls the reader into the lives of regular people experiencing the heart-pounding terror of discovering the undead that now plague the living. The creatures of The Fall are fast, deadly, and leave a path of gore and fear wherever they go. Duperre's new take on zombies and the undead is both refreshing and terrifying. The Fall is a masterful work of horror that will have you sleeping with the light on for many nights to come.

I highly recommend The Fall (The Rift, book 1) to readers of urban fantasy, speculative fiction, paranormal suspense, apocalyptic, dystopian, and zombie fiction and especially to fans of horror. The Fall may appeal to fans of Richard Matheson, China Mieville and Steven King.

Sensitive reader warning: contains violence, gore, and terrifying illustrations.

Source: Provided by the author or publisher for honest review.

** This review originally posted on my blog: www.FromTheShadows.info **

[Craig DiLouie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In THE FALL by Robert J. Duperre, an ancient evil, trapped in the ruins of a lost Mayan temple, is accidentally unleashed and takes the form of a deadly virus that causes the living to become violently insane, and the dead to rise and seek the flesh of the living. As the plague spreads across the world, Josh and Kyre, two average people trapped by their particular circumstances, are suddenly forced to assume their destinies as leaders. This book, subtitled THE RIFT, is the start of a series of four books (DEAD OF WINTER, available now, and DEATH SPRINGS ETERNAL, available January 2012, and THE SUMMER SON, available June 2012). Duperre tells a different kind of zombie story, one with a lot of heart. The plotting is familiar–a plague spreads, the dead rise, the survivors band and fight back–but the characters and scenes are fresh. The introduction of godly beings influencing the course of events–an evil being promoting the plague, and a good being pushing Josh towards his destiny–add interesting plot questions and a sense of myth reminiscent of THE STAND. Check it out if you’re looking for something new in the genre.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fall by Robert J. Duperre is the first book in a series about a mysterious medical condition that sweeps the globe after a researcher stumbles onto some hidden ruins deep in the Yucatan Peninsula. The story has the structure of those hit Hollywood blockbusters like Independence Day or Outbreak. It never takes its foot off the gas pedal, getting in close with no shyness about the grisly, horrific details.

Joshua Benoit and Kyra Holcomb are true products of a gritty, mundane small town, wasting their lives away the best way they can. The characters in The Fall are often struggling to hold onto their self-respect while they fend off selfish inclinations. When the world falls apart, they have little room to drop. Forced into terrible situations beyond their control, they search for safety, reason, and a shred of dignity.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would heartily recommend it. I'm curious to know where the story leads, and I've got plenty of my own hunches. Don't miss out on the no-holds-barred creativity found throughout The Fall.

[D.A. Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mysterious curse is inadvertently released on the human race. The result is a mutation that spreads quickly over the face of the earth.

This is a great beginning to what looks to be an epic series. The story moved along at a quick pace, yet the author did a good job of creating deep and likable characters. The monsters are more than mere zombies. These things are quick and ruthless, creating carnage and gore in their wake.

This is the first book I've read on my phone using Kindle for Android and when I went looking for a book I did so with the intent of discovering independent authors like myself. After reading The Fall I can honestly say that Robert J. Duperre is one of the better authors I've read as of late and I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

[AH]

Kindle free download 2/1/12.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Reminded me of The Stand!

[Kolby Kappes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea that a zombie apocalypse is being guided by a sentient, malevolent force is pretty cool. This book was one of the more entertaining zombie fiction novels I've read recently.

[Wanda Hartzenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read with its own unique voice and a world that is all too real and familiar until it is not all of a sudden and even then humans can be as scary alive as dead.
The world building is exceptionally well done in this book. With numerous characters being introduced I was at first scared that the author would confuse me and that in my confusion I would start to miss the plot line. My fears were unfounded.
The author did a brilliant job in setting the stage for the characters, working on putting the main protagonist through the ringer and building him up towards not a hero, not thus far, instead a man with real integrity.
The writing is engaging, the characters real. The story behind the story….well that is still being developed and I can't wait to see who the MASTER is and how much of this is man made…. don’t wait, get your copy today.
WaAr

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awful. maybe I shouldn't have read Tim Curran's The Devil Next Door before this one. I am glad I did tho. Curran's version of the end of the world is gritty, bloody and brutal. The story in The Fall is anemic and tame. It's a Zombie story without zombies, an Apocalypse tale with hope. Maybe it was supposed to be a Young Adult novel (or Young Young Adult), but if it's about a disease, I don't know the symptoms, if it's about some things worse than zombies, I haven't seen them yet, so I don't know what they do. I finished the book because it got very good ratings and I figured they wouldn't be wrong. They were and I was, too. I won't be reading the rest of the series but I assume that everything will work out on the end, the main character Josh will keep the girl and continue to get angelic help to fight...... whatever it is he's fighting

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

YOUR TYPICAL APOCALYPTIC TALE: IN THIS CASE THE DEADLY TOXIN THAT SWEEPS THE WORLD IS RELEASED FROM A RECENTLY DISCOVERED MAYAN TEMPLE SOMEWHERE IN SOUTH AMERICA. AS PEOPLE FALL VICTIM THEY EITHER DIE AND BECOME ZOMBIES OR THEY SORT OF HALF-DIE AND TURN INTO ULTRA-VIOLENT, LOGICAL, PLANNING, FLESH-EATERS. LITTLE EMPHASIS ON THE ZOMBIES. AS ONE WOULD EXPECT, THE SURVIVORS ARE PITTED AGAINST THOSE NON-ZOMBIE CREATURES THAT NOW ROAM THE WORLD.

HALFWAY THROUGH THIS BOOK I WAS THINKING ABOUT DELETING IT FROM MY KINDLE IMMEDIATELY. I FORCED MYSELF TO READ ON AND BY THE END I'D DECIDED IT WASN'T HALF BAD. I MIGHT EVEN BE TEMPTED TO READ THE SEQUEL AT SOME POINT.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear. I didn't finish this. I got to the last 50 pages or so and I though "Zombies." "I am a little over the genre" That said I will still watch "The Walking Dead" for season 5 as I like the characters. With this book - they failed to get my interest especially when two of them have sex and are thinking erotic thoughts - I mean come on what is this some hollywood crap where two characters say "Hey let's have sex. I just killed my sister who I loved deeply and saw she ate my parents but hey I want you." Even if they were being controlled by some, as yet, unknown force - it must have been the sex god.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book but found myself getting a little bored with parts and switching off slightly, with that said I enjoyed the book, want to find out what happens to the characters and have already purchased part 2! Just hoping I enjoy part 2 more and don't get bored with it! I found some of the characters boring and unlikeable, not unlikeable in the love to hate sense but more in the, useless time waster, just hurry up and die character.

[LadyCalico · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are not stand alone books. Although they contain some new twists on the usual old fashioned Zombie Apocalypse stories, they dragged on too long for my taste and ended in cliff hangers. I can appreciate the author's talent and efforts, and that there will be many people who love these books. The story was original and the characters realistic and sympathetic, but it dragged on too long with too little closure for someone as impatient as I am.

[Karolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gotta say, this is probably the best zombie book I've read. it was perfect, down to last gruesome detail. seriously, if you've got a weak stomach, don't read this book. this book was definitely gross, and sick, and twisted.... but scary? personally I thought it was a bit lacking. except the beginning, with the bugs and the first victim and creepy ruins.... anyway! great book

[JenniferJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really tough book for me to get into and I really don't know that I ever did. It did indeed have zombies in it which I love but they were just kinda weird and the insect factor was just ewwww. I just don't think this was my kind of zombie story. Now if it was made into a movie I bet I would LOVE it but just had a hard time reading it.

[Jett Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read this a while ago, and ran accross it on amazon didn't recognize it dowloaded it and at once remembered that it was a book I wanted to read the rest of the series. It is action packed and smartly written. is that the right way to describe it? hm... the characters are rugged and effective, but also intellectual. I love a thinking persons apocalypse!

[Jamie Eastman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad

Not bad

I got lucky and read this re-edited version, I heard the first was a mess, but I digress, this book was good, I felt involved with the characters, cheering them on, hoping for the best for them, I'm definitely going to be reading the others, I have to know what happens.

[Renato R. Chacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth a re-read, at least thrice

I've read this set more than once, or even twice. Partly, because it's an easy and fun read. Also, because maybe it's not seared into my brain like others are. Similar to catching a movie you own on TV, you appreciate the novelty of it and sometimes you catch something new this time you didn't before.

[Carol Costley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am currently reading this book. I am having issues early on with it because it feels like the level of writing is far below what I had expected. As it sits I give it one star. I will update this when I have actually reached the end of the book.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another zombie apocalypse, but with some interesting twists.
Decent characters, and I'm willing to care about what happens to them.
Being the first book in a series, the end is more like the end of a chapter, but I'm reasonably interested in reading the next book.