berls's review against another edition
4.0
Oops forgot to mark this finished because the way it ended, I HAD to launch into book 2. It was kinda a slow starter for me but I really enjoyed the second half. I love Dee and Billy Trout and the idea of telling bits of the story from the zombie's poverty is pretty genius.
mororke's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes, when Audible has a sale, you pick up books you may not typically read. That was the case for me and Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry. I like horror stories, but typically will get books at the library. From the first chapter of this book, I was excited to learn more about the new twist on the zombie infection.
Read my full review, and many others at my blog The Pink Moose.
Read my full review, and many others at my blog The Pink Moose.
aceofknaves88's review against another edition
5.0
I thought I was done with zombie apocalypse stories, but damn did I love this!
errmma's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
mikekaz's review
4.0
This is a solidly entertaining book with more heart and emotion than I thought it would have. On the eve of a superstorm, something weird has happened at the local mortuary of a rural county in Pennsylvania. The two officers sent to investigate find bodies missing and people who should be dead but are still moving. Meanwhile a local reporter gets tipped off to separate weird happenings at the local prison. The two events end up connected as the start of and the origin of the zombie apocalypse.
One of the things that made sense but was also a bit annoying was how long it took for the characters to admit the undead were zombies. In real-life, I'm sure it would take some time before zombies were seriously accepted even if they were biting you on the arm, but here it seemed to take even longer. Not even a semi-cliche "Zombies? Are you crazy? Those don't really exist." I did enjoy the investigative aspect taken by the reporter to find the origin of the zombies. While it might have been a bit cliche (I'm not going to say it so I don't spoil anything), it fit the story perfectly. The final thing I wanted to discuss was the main character, Dez Fox. I found her to fluctuate between being strong and barely holding on. She seemed to be dealing with the story events one moment and then nearly falling apart the next. I didn't feel that I was connecting to her throughout most of the story, but then the final sequences of the book happened. And I found them heart wrenching. I could feel the tears in my eyes. And this was mostly due to the raw emotion that Dez Fox was experiencing, her difficulty in accepting what was happening. I was feeling what she was feeling which meant I was more connected than I thought. I've already picked up and am reading the next book in the series: FALL OF NIGHT.
One of the things that made sense but was also a bit annoying was how long it took for the characters to admit the undead were zombies. In real-life, I'm sure it would take some time before zombies were seriously accepted even if they were biting you on the arm, but here it seemed to take even longer. Not even a semi-cliche "Zombies? Are you crazy? Those don't really exist." I did enjoy the investigative aspect taken by the reporter to find the origin of the zombies. While it might have been a bit cliche (I'm not going to say it so I don't spoil anything), it fit the story perfectly. The final thing I wanted to discuss was the main character, Dez Fox. I found her to fluctuate between being strong and barely holding on. She seemed to be dealing with the story events one moment and then nearly falling apart the next. I didn't feel that I was connecting to her throughout most of the story, but then the final sequences of the book happened. And I found them heart wrenching. I could feel the tears in my eyes. And this was mostly due to the raw emotion that Dez Fox was experiencing, her difficulty in accepting what was happening. I was feeling what she was feeling which meant I was more connected than I thought. I've already picked up and am reading the next book in the series: FALL OF NIGHT.
aceofknaves88's review
5.0
I thought I was done with zombie apocalypse stories, but damn did I love this!
charshorrorcorner's review
4.0
A serial killer is executed by lethal injection. But was the injection actually lethal? This is a zombie novel and contains all the things a successful zombie novel should; nasty zombies that not only bite but spew a maggot filled contagious substance; protagonists you respect and admire,and an IN YOUR FACE ending.
Can you imagine anything worse than a zombie whose conscious mind is still functioning but has no control? Totally aware of what he is doing and what has happened to him but unable to do anything to stop it? This book is that and much more.
What really makes the story successful in my opinion, is that these zombies start out as man made. As the story progresses you are left wondering who the monsters really are. Zombies or mankind?
Can you imagine anything worse than a zombie whose conscious mind is still functioning but has no control? Totally aware of what he is doing and what has happened to him but unable to do anything to stop it? This book is that and much more.
What really makes the story successful in my opinion, is that these zombies start out as man made. As the story progresses you are left wondering who the monsters really are. Zombies or mankind?
mftaylor's review
5.0
I loved this! Great zombie read, not sure why I never heard about this one sooner since it was written in 2011. A new author to add to my to-read list!
Reads like watching a zombie movie. Lots of action, quick chapters, jumping around among a few key characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The first chapter sucked me in: Chapter 1 - This is how the world ends. Then on to chapter 2 :)
The story begins with the first infected person and goes on a roller coaster ride from there. We have Desdemona Fox, an ex-military, kick-ass police officer with an attitude. Great main character, and you even get the point of view of the zombies, a great addition.
Reads like watching a zombie movie. Lots of action, quick chapters, jumping around among a few key characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The first chapter sucked me in: Chapter 1 - This is how the world ends. Then on to chapter 2 :)
The story begins with the first infected person and goes on a roller coaster ride from there. We have Desdemona Fox, an ex-military, kick-ass police officer with an attitude. Great main character, and you even get the point of view of the zombies, a great addition.
happenstance's review
2.0
So, sometimes you read a zombie novel, and you're just wowed at the complex plot, the philosophical commentary on humanity, and the well-developed and deeply human characterization.
This - is not that kind of novel.
I'm not a big fan of "thinking" zombies, but I could have probably gotten past that to enjoy the story. What I couldn't get past was the awful, wooden, stereotypes that Maberry tried to pass off as characters. He seriously has a "hot but damaged" female protagonist - she's crazy in the bed, and crazy in the head! Please excuse me while I go and throw up a bit in my mouth. His male protagonist is somewhat unique, in that he gets the stereotypical "really only here as a love interest" treatment that you usually see in female characters.
The more I've contemplated this book since finishing it, the more I've come to dislike it. It's too bad, because I think there could have been a decent story here - but the glimmers of hope were so buried under hackneyed characters and stale tropes that I spent most of my time skimming towards the end. Still, I suppose it was decent enough that I at least finished it.
This - is not that kind of novel.
I'm not a big fan of "thinking" zombies, but I could have probably gotten past that to enjoy the story. What I couldn't get past was the awful, wooden, stereotypes that Maberry tried to pass off as characters. He seriously has a "hot but damaged" female protagonist - she's crazy in the bed, and crazy in the head! Please excuse me while I go and throw up a bit in my mouth. His male protagonist is somewhat unique, in that he gets the stereotypical "really only here as a love interest" treatment that you usually see in female characters.
The more I've contemplated this book since finishing it, the more I've come to dislike it. It's too bad, because I think there could have been a decent story here - but the glimmers of hope were so buried under hackneyed characters and stale tropes that I spent most of my time skimming towards the end. Still, I suppose it was decent enough that I at least finished it.