anubis9's review against another edition
4.0
A very good book. It's not zombies in the traditional sense, as it is about a virus that transforms you into a mindless raging creature (a la "28 Days Later")that is hell-bent on biting anyone it can find—to spread the virus. But when they die, they do come back as slow shamblers—the traditional "zombie."
The whole viral approach makes the whole thing a little more "believable," and therefore a little more "scary."
There are definitely some tense moments, I I really like that the book begins before the outbreak, so you can follow it from beginning to chaos.
The only real problem, is that the end totally leaves you hanging!
Good thing I've got the second book on order!
The whole viral approach makes the whole thing a little more "believable," and therefore a little more "scary."
There are definitely some tense moments, I I really like that the book begins before the outbreak, so you can follow it from beginning to chaos.
The only real problem, is that the end totally leaves you hanging!
Good thing I've got the second book on order!
pingthevile's review against another edition
2.0
I listened to this book narrated by Oliver Wyman, one of my absolute favorite Audible narrators. Partway through the book, I felt that something was off... it wasn't clicking. Then I realized that it was because a fantastic narrator was narrating a sub-par book.
The story was passable for the most part. There was nothing particularly stand-outish about the book. What was "off" was the dialogue. It was terribly written, to the point where I actually backed the audio up a few times just to make sure I heard what I thought I heard.
Add the poor dialogue to some blatantly stupid things and some incorrect things (Ben Franklin was not the inventor to say that he found 1,000 ways not to go about something, for instance) and I put this book very firmly in the "Don't bother" category.
The story was passable for the most part. There was nothing particularly stand-outish about the book. What was "off" was the dialogue. It was terribly written, to the point where I actually backed the audio up a few times just to make sure I heard what I thought I heard.
Add the poor dialogue to some blatantly stupid things and some incorrect things (Ben Franklin was not the inventor to say that he found 1,000 ways not to go about something, for instance) and I put this book very firmly in the "Don't bother" category.
athenaevarinya's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this novel. We have a solid cast of characters that are all very human with flaws and strengths trying to survive the shitstorm that their world has become. I became quite attached to the characters, even one who had a brief spotlight and then died protecting the rest of the survivors.
There are also some living villains in the novel and I really don't get them. Seriously the world is going to hell with zombies and you're worried about treason for telling the country that zombies are a thing now. *rolls eyes* And of course there are a few scenes where you want to smack people for being stupid, which gets them killed or turned. If anything, this book serves as a good entertain and a tutorial of what NOT to do during a zombie apocalypse.
There are also some living villains in the novel and I really don't get them. Seriously the world is going to hell with zombies and you're worried about treason for telling the country that zombies are a thing now. *rolls eyes* And of course there are a few scenes where you want to smack people for being stupid, which gets them killed or turned. If anything, this book serves as a good entertain and a tutorial of what NOT to do during a zombie apocalypse.
catladylover94's review against another edition
5.0
really easy read, loved it looking forward to the next one
meet_me_in_cognito's review against another edition
4.0
Good zombie novel, takes an interesting perspective and the political aspects of an outbreak as well as the military response.
I have heard criticisims of this book that say that the character development is somewhat lacking, but I think that is appropriate to the tone of the book. The characters are believable and act in ways that make sense, though they are not always rational. Overall, an entertaining, fast paced read.
I have heard criticisims of this book that say that the character development is somewhat lacking, but I think that is appropriate to the tone of the book. The characters are believable and act in ways that make sense, though they are not always rational. Overall, an entertaining, fast paced read.
bookshy's review against another edition
1.0
Not a TERRIBLE book, but nothing out of the ordinary. Cliched characters and stale plotlines. After reading the first quarter of this book and knowing what was going to happen around every page I finally put this down. Probably a better book for a novice or beginner in zombie fiction.
notnotnoble's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
13crowe's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this story. I was gripping the end of my seat throughout the book. I felt as if I were there; laughing when they laughed and feeling the losses they suffered. The only critique I have is I would hope that with as many zombie based movies/books/videogames in the world that the military and general public would catch on to the zombie death by headshot only a bit quicker. All in all though I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read the second one.
jljaina's review against another edition
4.0
What a great story! I grabbed this on a whim at the library. I knew nothing about this book at it was my first ever zombie novel. A perfect blend of action and survival with a side-serving of zombie horror.
A new virus strain has been discovered, called Morningstar. While scientists meddle in making new discoveries, a few people are soon infected. While nothing is amiss at first, the virus slowly works through it's victims. The strain is very contagious. A bite or scratch is guaranteed to infect you. They touch your blood and you are screwed. But their blood and bodily fluid touching your skin can be just as bad... This virus will spread through any contact it can.
This book focuses on that spread. How it could travel and effect the whole world. The concept is quite disturbing since it would make sense. Yet when it finally mutates, the infected go a bit attack crazy. Chaos ensues!
One thing I loved in this book was the types of infected. You had carriers who have had contact but are otherwise still normal. Once it has gone through it's incubation period, they go crazy are are on virus steroids or something. These are referred to as 'Sprinters.' they are fast, and loud. They sound the alarms to other zombies and will chase you down! Once an infected dies, they rise again. These are referred to as 'shamblers.' They are slow but quite. Can sneak up right behind you but if spotted at a distance you might be okay. My guess it its the rigor mortis kicking in that slows them down. The problems are you have to kill the infected twice! Also, regardless of speed, they DO NOT tire. They will track and chase you for miles. So being on foot is bad since humans still need sleep and rest.
Then you have the crazies who when the world falls apart, go nuts and destroy things, hurt and kill people, etc. And you have those who want to help and you have the survivalists. This book shares of the crazies but the focal points are from the helpers and survalists.
This story has a heavy military emphasis. The story focuses around mostly them. From trying to control the outbreak, to trying to get away and then figuring out what the hell to do next. It is an interesting ride. We get a lot of different viewpoints and perspectives in this book. From the military, to the scientists, to Red Cross, to a reporter. Each character has various strengths and weaknesses that we get to see, giving the story a very real feel.
some of the characters can get a bit confusing with names and the changing perspectives but about halfway though it does get a lot easier. While I like many of the characters, you do not get attached to them. They are not too deeply created for the most part. But that is a good thing. This is a zombie novel after all. Many will not make it. But there is enough deep and backround to understand and relate to them.
While lots of death occur, it is not grotesque. More action-style but the zombie survival with the feel of 'What if' that this book gives adds the element of horror. This is not for young readers. This is an adult novel. While maybe suitable to older, mature teens can be debatable.
Fast paced, easy to read and lots of action in this first book of The Morningstar Strain trilogy. Almost 4.5 stars!
A new virus strain has been discovered, called Morningstar. While scientists meddle in making new discoveries, a few people are soon infected. While nothing is amiss at first, the virus slowly works through it's victims. The strain is very contagious. A bite or scratch is guaranteed to infect you. They touch your blood and you are screwed. But their blood and bodily fluid touching your skin can be just as bad... This virus will spread through any contact it can.
This book focuses on that spread. How it could travel and effect the whole world. The concept is quite disturbing since it would make sense. Yet when it finally mutates, the infected go a bit attack crazy. Chaos ensues!
One thing I loved in this book was the types of infected. You had carriers who have had contact but are otherwise still normal. Once it has gone through it's incubation period, they go crazy are are on virus steroids or something. These are referred to as 'Sprinters.' they are fast, and loud. They sound the alarms to other zombies and will chase you down! Once an infected dies, they rise again. These are referred to as 'shamblers.' They are slow but quite. Can sneak up right behind you but if spotted at a distance you might be okay. My guess it its the rigor mortis kicking in that slows them down. The problems are you have to kill the infected twice! Also, regardless of speed, they DO NOT tire. They will track and chase you for miles. So being on foot is bad since humans still need sleep and rest.
Then you have the crazies who when the world falls apart, go nuts and destroy things, hurt and kill people, etc. And you have those who want to help and you have the survivalists. This book shares of the crazies but the focal points are from the helpers and survalists.
This story has a heavy military emphasis. The story focuses around mostly them. From trying to control the outbreak, to trying to get away and then figuring out what the hell to do next. It is an interesting ride. We get a lot of different viewpoints and perspectives in this book. From the military, to the scientists, to Red Cross, to a reporter. Each character has various strengths and weaknesses that we get to see, giving the story a very real feel.
some of the characters can get a bit confusing with names and the changing perspectives but about halfway though it does get a lot easier. While I like many of the characters, you do not get attached to them. They are not too deeply created for the most part. But that is a good thing. This is a zombie novel after all. Many will not make it. But there is enough deep and backround to understand and relate to them.
While lots of death occur, it is not grotesque. More action-style but the zombie survival with the feel of 'What if' that this book gives adds the element of horror. This is not for young readers. This is an adult novel. While maybe suitable to older, mature teens can be debatable.
Fast paced, easy to read and lots of action in this first book of The Morningstar Strain trilogy. Almost 4.5 stars!