"This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang…but a bite."

I haven't read Jonathan Maberry before, although I have wanted to and have heard good things about him, but I'm so glad I finally did! This book was a lot of fun, which you don't usually get with zombie stories. The characters were unique and definitely had their own personalities apart from each other. Dez and JT, the cops, had such a great relationship, and Billy Trout, when he wasn't mooning over Dez, had a good sense of humor. When all hell started breaking loose, it was interesting following the different storylines until they all merged near the end.

In summary, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Best Zombie book I have ever read, going on the list as of my favourite books ever. ( )

I will read any zombie novel by Jonathan Maberry that you put in front of my face. ( )

Jonathan Maberry did it again. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The story hums along like a freight train under full steam. I read it in two sittings. This is how a horror/adventure novel should be paced and Maberry is a pro.

More than just its technical merit, which is very important in and of itself since so many novels shake and rattle along under poor structure, Maberry takes us deeper. We get inside the heads of several of the zombies (and therefore all of them, really) and realize that the human spirit is still inside, chained to an urge that they do not understand and have no power to control. They are not your usual zombies; they are more accurately described as "infected" than undead. And that is so much worse.

When you get to the ending you will say along with me, please, this one deserves a sequel. I want to know more about what happens. ( )

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. ( )