Day by Day Armageddon (A Zombie Novel) by J. L. Bourne
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Book Reviews of Day by Day Armageddon (A Zombie Novel)
Book Review: Excellent Zombie Novel--but where's the ending?
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a fantastic zombie novel. It's presented in journal format and purports to tell the real story of how this plague went down. The author never discusses the cause of the outbreak, which these characters would never uncover unless they were intimately involved with the cure/creation, etc. This is definitely a pageturner and I highly recommend it.
The only problem I had with the book was that it was, in my opinion, unfinished. The book is relatively short (@ 200 pgs) and it ends abruptly, with the fate of the cast hanging in midair. With a few more chapters added, this could really have been one of the premier zombie novels around. I would love to find out what exactly happened to the main characters. This is why I could only give it 4 stars.
There is a preview for a sequel at the end. It's dubious as to whether or not the fate of the original cast will be thoroughly examined, just gleaned over, or completely left out. Unfortunately, this sequel is written just like a regular book, the author ditching the journal format which worked so well for the original.
Book Review: Unique approach, but possibly harmed as a result
Summary: 3 Stars
The biggest difference between this book and any other in the zombie apocalypse genre is that it's written as the survivor's journal. I could see how if we were being fed these entries daily or every couple of days over a blog, the reader would be at the edge of their seat waiting for an update on the status of our hero and the others that join him. Collected into a book, the suspense is somewhat lost, but it was a page turner nonetheless. The journal feel is carried further by the cover layout and jotted notes and other scribbled effects on some pages.
If you're a zombie fanatic, this book does quite the job of skipping over the typical introductory bits where the main character(s) learn first hand about the nature of what's happening to the populace. There's no first encounter where the protagonist wonders what's wrong with his neighbor. There's no pesky son to rescue across town, no lack of weapons or defenses. Our guy is a military man, a pilot, and his survivalist instincts are fully in place before we read the first entry in his journal. He has solar powered submarine batteries charging in his house, he has a stone wall lined with glass shards around his property. When something fishy begins, he's bought a brick of ammo, stocked up on rations and barred his windows against looters.
He's ready for anything and quite able to live on his own. Heck, he conserves ammo and goes McGyver on his first kill, but none of the undead have a name or face. Was this zombie a neighbor?
This perfect setup for survival (the character's skills, defenses, supplies and weapons), for the reader, comes off as an exciting test of how a near perfect scenario would go down. This is no unprepared schlep here. Our hero does have a heart underneath all the training and he eventually risks himself to help others and that's when the story gets good.
It's a different take, interesting but a little impersonal. The ending is abrupt, so much so that "part one" should have been included in the title. The author has a good understanding of military equipment and the soldier's mindset, that's for certain.
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: A fine example of what GREAT zombie novel is!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Day by day Armagedon" (DDA) really captures all the fear of being survivors in a zombie-infested world and even when all hope seems lost human ingenuity will still pull through. Not only that - there are elements of family compassion as seen through the only surviving child of one of the families rescued. Romance is hinted at as well where we left off between the main character and a woman that was rescued. This book will keep you at the edge of your seat and guessing at every turn (of the pages). Definitely a good buy - can't wait for the next one! Hope it comes out in Kindle.Book Review: One of the best zombie books out there
Summary: 5 Stars
Day by Day Armageddon is a great book. It is horrifically chilling and keeps you on edge throughout the whole book. There is action from start to finish. This book is a great start to the series. I myself can't wait for the next one to come out. This is a great read for someone just getting into zombie books, or anyone who has read zombie books before. If you have read Max Brook's "World War Z" then you'll love this book. It's scary to see how an epidemic contained in one country could literally "consume" the world. In this book you see how a survivor and his neighbor battle the hordes of living dead in order to stay alive. This is a great book and I'd recommend it to anyone.