REVIEWED! The Sixth Extinction and The First Three Weeks: Omnibus Edition (1-8) by Glen Johnson

Tags

fiction, indie, post-apocalypse, virus, zombies

I have lots of FB friends that are writers and sometimes they invite me to like their friends, or authors that they like. This is one of those cases…I don’t remember which one of them hooked me up with Glen but I really appreciate it because I REALLY enjoyed this series. Plus, he’s good fun on FB so be sure to add him. I actually read all eight books in this series in just a few days. I stayed up too late and hid in the bathroom reading like a junkie because I didn’t want to stop. I think my family may tire of this behavior someday but, being that its all boys in this house besides me…as long as there’s always quality food available and the TV still works, they remain happy.

This is an apocalyptic zombie/virus novel with a few differences to the typical zombie scenario. At first I was slightly annoyed that Glen took the everyday, run-of-the-mill zombie infection and tweaked it. Im not good with change.:) This starts with a virulent virus with multiple stages ending in a final death of the infected. As I continued to read, I realized it enabled an entirely original time-line and gave the story of the survivors a more interesting spin.

There is a handful of main characters, all of which also have a book of their own telling their backstory. There is Noah, a young loner, forced to leave his flat and face not just zombies but the savageness of the human race. He meets Red, who is 19, and running from the zombies and a sad, disturbing family life..and wow…this girl is tough! and who doesn’t love the tough, survivor girl that just needs a hug?.. Then there is Dr. Lazaro, a hardworking young woman who is ripped from the life she knew to work non-stop on the cure for the virus. And my favorites, Betty and Lennie. Betty is old spitfire who is traveling with her very large adult, mentally handicapped, grandson. Eventually the characters find themselves on the way to a military base with a group of soldiers, all hoping for salvation.

The characters in these stories were all well-written and easily grabbed your heart, made you root for them. This was very fast-paced and made it difficult to put down. There was really never a dull moment. The action and backdrop of the story is always described enough to paint a good image in your head and provide perfect flow. I also thoroughly enjoyed the backstories and normally I take a pass on add-ons and extra stories released after the main novel is done. They were done so well and all their stories were intriguing and sometimes heartbreaking.

So, I really like this guys work…he is certainly someone I will read future releases of. He just let me know he is working on another book….a full length novel of the same virus and its effects in America. Sounds intriguing! I’m excited! also worth noting is Glen writes some hot, little erotica under the pen name J.G. Newton. I have already read a few of these and OH MY. Definitely worth your time, especially right before bed. He also has two books of short stories of the dark and scary persuasion plus a few fantasy books. I will review these in the future after I finish drowning myself in Game of Thrones.

My review of “Kingdoms of the Dead: Chemical Rot” by Ian Woodhead

Tags

British, fiction, indie, zombies, zompoc

Kingdoms of the Dead, Chemical Rot, is the latest offering from British horror writer, Ian Woodhead.  Although Ian has several zombie tales out there, this one is very different.  He has created a massive world, or worlds, if you will…that are completely mind boggling.  At times while reading this book, I felt like a map or legend might be helpful to keep track of precisely where the story was taking place.  However, that may also be some of the stories appeal.  There are several, what I would consider “main” characters, my favorite is Kenny. He is a young guy trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.  His city is walled off from the hordes of zombies that occupy the rest of the country.  Kenny needs to take a drug that supposed to stop him from turning into a zombie.  In fact, the whole of the surviving population needs these drugs.  Of course the rich, privileged get the purest form leaving the lower and mid class with varying mixtures of the drug, leaving some in a state that reminded me of heroin junkies.  Kenny gets himself into trouble while attempting to score more of the drug and has to escape and remain on the run with his sister in tow.  Then there is Rossini, who is like a game show host, only the game show is one that pits the contestants against the zombies.  And Tony, who is a medical officer for the city, who finds other dimensions via a device that is sort of like a virtual reality game.  Everything comes together in the story to create an explosion of frightening action with mind-blowing revelations.  This is one that would appeal to sci-fi fans as well as zompoc readers.  It was a perfect melding of the genres.  The ending leaves me the impression that book two will be even more exciting.