Day by Day Armageddon (A Zombie Novel) by J. L. Bourne
|
Our Price: $21.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.39 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Day by Day Armageddon (A Zombie Novel)
Book Review: Among the very best books in zombie lore... A must read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great book as the vast majority of reviews for this book state. My review here says the same thing but I just wanted to add in my two cents worth among these great reviews.
I've read this book twice in the last three years. Only a few books can be placed at the pinnacle of it's genre. This is one of them. This is one of the must read books in post-apocalyptic fiction. All due respect to Brian Keene whose a very talented author, but I've read many references to how he had resurrected this genre for the book world. I have to disagree... J. L. Bourne is more deserving of that credit. Keen's books were great and well written but they are more like cousins to the classic zombie genre.
J. L. Bourne's Day By Day is unique in its mode of story telling and faithful to the classic Romero universe which is what I prefer to anything else. I appreciate all the variations and forms of zombie stories that have cropped up in recent years but there's nothing like the standard set by Romero. Day By Day came out more than a few years ago when there weren't many books to choose from. Since then, there are scores of good books out there. And I bet most of these new writers were inspired at least in part by this book.
J. L. Bourne showed us that a "true" zombie book can be written and enjoy success. More than that it was self-published. Since then, many others have followed in his foot steps and the result is a lot of good books to choose from... most of them being as faithful to the Romero universe or having clever refinements while not breaking the original spirit of the rules. I think Bourne is really the one who kicked off this "post-apocalyptic renaissance" we're all now enjoying.
With more than 200 reviews, there's not much I can add to how good this book is. It just is... and I think it will always remain the must-read of this genre.
The journal-type story telling of this book was masterfully done and is so seamless, though I would think it would be hard to pull that off as a believable method since most won't keep journals during an apocalypse. Here, its naturally done and believable. The author is a Naval Officer on active duty. How he brings his experience into the main character of this book is what I think makes this book so unique and believable.
As Dawn of the Dead is a must see for zombie movies, Day By Day is a must read for the book world!
Book Review: One of the best titles in the Zombie genre
Summary: 5 Stars
A Plague of unknown origins is sweeping across the planet. A virus is reanimating the dead and when they rise the only thing they seek is warm human flesh. They hunt their prey tirelessly and without any remorse. All that made them human in life no longer exists in death. They are now nothing more than mindless killing machines. Governments have lost all measure of control and billions are either dead or dying. Civilization is crumbling and it is every man for himself. Come enter this nightmarish world through the journals of an unnamed U.S. Naval officer. Bare witness to his daily struggle for survival in this dark and twisted new landscape ruled by the Dead.
I have said it time and time before, but one more time wont hurt, I am a sucker for a good zombie story. I have also come to expect nothing but the best from Permuted Press releases. They publish the best Zombie Fiction on the market today so when I got my copy of Day By Day Armageddon I was expecting nothing but the best. Once again Permuted Press has come through in a big way. Day by Day Armageddon starts fast and never slows. Mr. Bourne serves up a story full of blood and guts along with nonstop action. I was also very pleased with the character development. Often times zombie stories lack well develop characters focusing solely on the gore and action. Mr Bourne did not make that mistake.. The characters are not wooden in the least and I actually found myself caring about the fate of the protagonist. I have rarely ever had that happen in a zombie story. The story flows smoothly and when I finished I was left feeling satisfied but a little disappointed. The story itself was wonderful, but I wish it had been longer. Maybe Mr. Bourne will give us one day. I will be one of the first to snatch up a copy if he does.
I will end by saying that I highly recommend Day by Day Armageddon to all Zombie Fiction fans and fans of Horror Fiction in general. It is one heck of a story that will leave even the most jaded readers feeling satisfied. Permuted Press has published another great story and they have become the premier name in Zombie fiction.
Book Review: A lone survivor battles hordes of plague-infected zombies
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched a few of the recent zombie movies (28 Days Later and I Am Legend) over the past few weeks and got intrigued by the whole `zombie apocalypse' genre and decided to get this book on a whim from Amazon. I started reading it and was totally hooked by about the second paragraph! It is written in journal format and is the `diary' of a US Navy pilot as the world is transformed by a plague that turns people into mindless flesh-eating zombies. It sounds hoaky (and maybe it is), but the story is damn entertaining. A lone survivor is trapped in his house as the implications of the plague slowly dawn on him. The plague starts in China and eventually spreads to the US. At first it doesn't seem to serious, but the plague spreads with amazing speed and there is a rapid breakdown in the government and in the day to day operation of society. Bourne has written a great tale about a lone survivor trying to survive and come to terms with the world as it changes around him. At first he is stunned by what is happening, but slowly the hero comes to grip with the problem and finds a few other survivors. The initial part of the story revolves simply around the survival of the main character: how to find food and water, how to avoid the zombies, etc. As the story progresses a small group of survivors has banded together and they are looking for a more permanent and defensible site to continue their lives. This story combines many of the most important aspects of the post-apocalypse genre: what will society be like after the collapse, what equipment will the survivors need, can they use their cunning and bravery to overcome obstacles, what happens when a zombie gets hit with a .223 round? The only negative to this book is that it ends somewhat abruptly. There is no real climax, it simply ends. I can't wait for the second book in this series though. Highly recommended! Pulp fiction at its finest!Book Review: At the core of the Zombie thrill! That's how all zombie books should be written!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are looking for non stop, credible action with a fine balance between realism and horror, then here is a book that deserves your full attention!
The story told in this book has the reader follow the fate and adventures of a Navy transport pilot that gets caught up -as everybody else- by a China-originating, fast-growing zombie plague. In order to save himself, the `hero' needs escaping from his town. The story unfolds rapidly and, thanks to the hero's skills and the support of other characters encountered during the escape, leads the number of survivors to grow and find shelter in unexpected locations.
The format used to tell this tale is a personal diary, with scratches, comments, some B&W pictures and underlined sections of the text.
Each diary entry is quite short, fast paced, and very credible. The tone used is the one of a military man: straightforward, no-nonsense, efficient. The whole story is seen from the standpoint of one single person, so don't expect to get any overall view of what's happening in-country or abroad, except in the early sections describing the evolution of the "disease" and through some broken, sporadic conversations on CB or else afterwards.
There is no super-hero, just a growing group of survivors whose ties strengthen in time. Danger, insecurity and tension are omnipresent. Any erroneous decision is paid cash through wounds or, worse, death.
The story is well documented, references to weapons, tactics or aircraft hardware are spot-on. This alone bestows an unmatched level of realism to the book.
Obviously, this book is the opening sequence of a series -hopefully a prolific one!!- and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequels.
A must-read for any serious Zombie fan.
Book Review: Well paced horror
Summary: 5 Stars
Day By Day Armageddon is presented in the form of a journal written by a Navy pilot. It is literally a day-by-day account of the world's decent into being overrun by zombies. As civilization deteriorates and news gets harder to come by, the focus tightens more and more on the nameless narrator and what is happening around him. As you might guess, there are plenty of scenes involving brushes with the undead as well as what has become the obligatory encounter with the most dangerous predator of all, living men.
If the plot of this book is less than original, it is no less compelling as a result. The tension builds slowly but surely and keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. I wouldn't say the characterization is particularly deep, but the main character is both intelligent and reasonably likeable. Because of the writing style, there are no full conversation detailed and so the dialog that would reveal more about the supporting cast is absent. I should add that I did not find this a weakness since the primary goal is to generate suspense and the author more than achieved that.
Alert readers may find that the text riddled with misspellings and other errors. This is actually explained at one point since the narrator says that this is a hastily written journal and acknowledges that it may be poorly written. Personally, I don't object to the idea, but it's probably a trifle overdone and in future volumes I hope this is either toned down or eliminated altogether.
Day By Day Armageddon is an excellent novel about a post-apocalyptic world overrun with zombies. Due to the subject matter, it certainly won't fit everyone's taste. But the pace is relentless and the tension unrelenting making it one of the better horror novels I've read in quite some time.