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Revisado: 04-12-25

Old veteran here. I just finished this book a few minutes ago. I'm drying my eyes while feeling inspired to plan more PT and faith training (FT?) despite a lot of old wounds. One of the best series I've read... and you should see the size of my library

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Solid writing and great characters, but be aware

Revisado: 12-19-24

Brad Manuel is a talented writer in the classic sense. He crafts compelling tales and makes readers care about his characters. While I enjoyed this book, it’s not the survival or post-apocalyptic fiction you might be searching for. It's not so much "woke" as it is "an NPR-esque cozy journey toward an idyllic communist outcome following an extinction event".

SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT:
In the story, a disease called "Rapture" wipes out everyone except for about 300 people. Despite this catastrophic event, the survivors face no real hardship or adversity. They prepare Lobster Risotto over self-lighting charcoal briquettes. They make a huge fuss over having to kill a mouse, only to pound the stakes flat and serve them on French bread with a fancy chutney. The disease is named "Rapture," and the main characters are named after the Apostles, but the only person of faith is a Lesbian Priest who is dismissed as crazy and of low intelligence by the group.

The only physical confrontation is between a gang member (who turns out to be the kindest and most moral character) and a Cartel Princess, who transforms him into an honorable man with a single slap. The group agrees that the only thing they miss from before “The Rapture” is NPR (yes, even the gang member was an avid listener). This book was difficult for me to finish. If not for Manuel's excellent writing and character-building, I would have stopped after the first chapter.

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Bobiverse! ... but with RW politics

Revisado: 09-20-24

I'm a big fan of Dennis E. Taylor. The Bobiverse books are creative, intelligent, fun, and very well written. This series will likely be analyzed by historians... not because it's good literature (though it is) but because it's a prime example of how an anotherwise intelligent American can succumb to extreme and divisive politics. Taylor's political intrigue around how the Bobs interact with others has been great, but as the story goes on he begins thinly veiled commentary on real world politics. Though he writes as though he's a compassionate person, he also has a clear hatred for Christians and Conservatives. He attributes war, bigotry, stalled progress, totalitarianism, and government overreach to Christians, throughout the past and the future. This diminishes the greatness of the series in my opinion, but I don't regret reading it. It's really good! I'm just perplexed as to why any author would alienate over 70% of America. If you're serious about politics, or your feelings are easily hurt, you should probably skip this series. If you're a Christian with thick skin, you're going to love the Bobs. p.s. Ray Porter is the GOAT!

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Wasted money

Revisado: 06-13-24

Bought this on sale for $2... was a waste of money. This isn't post-apocalyptic military fiction... It's a DEI celebration written by someone who has zero understanding of anything martial or military.

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Confused about their audience

Revisado: 06-13-24

Virtue! This author has created a very original theme... middle aged black women who are wise, benevolent, ultra skilled warriors. Young white women who wish they were the middle-aged black women, who had no combat skills weeks ago, but now outshine former Marines and Delta operators... who are just white men who play a small part in the story.

Yeah, America means inclusion... it means diversity... It's who we are, and we should never forget that. But for God's sake, why does it have to be the driving theme of my post-apocalyptic military fiction?! As a disabled war vet, I can tell you that we were all equal brothers in a way that you probably couldn't capture in a book or movie... it had nothing to do with race or background, but we didn't spend all our time talking about that... It's just the way it was. And I can tell you that we had some bad mamas who I wouldn't want to mess with... but they were as rare as a cowboy in New York. How is it that movies and literature are full of invincible woman warriors? How about you write a good, and realistic, story without ruining it by selfishly trying to displaying your personal virtue?

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One of my few refunds

Revisado: 06-02-23

I liked Dietz series Legion of the Damned so I spend a credit on this one. I read a review that said 'too much politics'. I actively search for any military themed reviews which say this because they're typically conservative leaning, such as Ringo. I'm a disabled vet who spends a lot of time reading so I'm always looking for something new. This series broke my heart and made me remove Dietz from my author's list.

I think maybe he's lost his mind. He sets up one of the protagonists as a good guy by introducing us to him while he's gifting a renewable energy solar barge to a Mexican town. The other protagonist is a very liberal female Army Officer who doesn't like the military, but was forced in by her conservative father. The soldiers who like being in the U.S. Military in this book are the bad guys and they're incompetent. The soldiers who disdain the military and traditional America are the good guys and are superior warriors. Anyone who's been in the military knows that is the exact opposite. Career Military personnel who are dedicated and patriotic have always been, and will always be, the best soldiers on the battlefield. The U.S. Military is about 90% Conservative and over 70% Christian. Dietz depicts liberals as defenders of the constitution, and conservatives as big government proponents. He depicts Christians as cultists and southerners as shallow greedy bigots. Does he know that the Confederacy was predominantly Democrat in the first Civil War? Anyway, it was all far too much for me and I had to stop listening and get a refund.

If you're a polisci major and you need research material for insight into the "Lunacy of the Left", this book is for you. Otherwise, it's so warped that you can count on excessive feelings of righteous anger and cognitive dissonance if you have even a lick of sense and love for America.

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Best of the genre... no comparison

Revisado: 04-30-23

As a disabled vet who spends most of his time reading/listening to books, I'm thankful for DJ Molles and Lee Harden. I re-listen to the entire series again before listening to each new book... they're that good. I feel like Molles wrote these books with me in mind. Harden endures a lot of pain and suffering for what he believes in... and somehow he stays a believer. Men who don't back down and don't waste their time whining about how it should be. Men who put their country before themselves and their own comfort... we may be a dying breed. Molles isn't just good at writing action; this is well written, entertaining, and impactful literature. I'm thankful that he's written these outstanding works. I buy all versions of everything he produces in hopes that he'll continue. Simply outstanding.

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Not Zombies, Not PostApoc, Not Apolitical

Revisado: 03-01-23

Konkoly is a skilled writer and story teller. If you understand the U.S. Military and Geopolitics, you should be warned however. I was Enlisted during wartime, and I may be wrong about this author, but the impression I get is that he was an officer who didn't get away from his desk much. A lot of the military concepts are from 30k ft view instead of grunt... yet he tries to write as a grunt. A lot of the combat is slow and sterile... and too easy, and the expected banter between soldiers is forced and dry (unlike real life). This author strikes me as the type of officer that wanted to "fit in with the guys" and was bitter about being a desk jockey. As for the story itself, Zulu insinuates Zombies, and PostApoc insinuates complete collapse and EOTW... this book is neither. Orange Man Bad talks deplorables within the military into launching a bioattack against all the liberal cities... and it's not contagious. To be fair, he doesn't go deep into politics, and you have to listen closely to realize he's talking about the 45th President, but you'll see that it crosses the line if you're aware of these political concepts and have an ear for propaganda. The scary thing about the views transferred into this story is that Americans kill Americans without remorse. I really hope he's wrong about that. This book can be fun at times, and the writing is great, but at the end of the day it's nothing more than skillfully veiled propaganda. I respectfully decline recommending the Zulu Virus series.

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Why!?

Revisado: 12-28-22

I'm a disabled vet who reads/listens **a lot**. Of the thousands of books I've read, this is one of those few that really leaves a lasting impression. I'm not sure why Evan Currie didn't continue this as a series. It's a hidden gem.

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Social Justice Fiction... Zombies are Secondary

Revisado: 12-17-22

You can tell a lot about a writer's personal views... if that writer is not good at writing. The best writers can bring conservative characters to life when they're liberal, and vise versa. To this writer, the Zombie Apoc seems to be an excellent opportunity to put a label on everyone to determine their value, then embrace communism. That's no exaggeration. This story may be the worst I've read (over 1k books in my audible library) but it could hold value for two things; a case study in narcissistic social justice fixation, or an example for students learning how *not* to write. There were moments during this story when I became physically ill, and that surprised me because as a disabled war vet I thought I'd seen the worst of humanity. I wanted to stop after an hour but I was too fascinated, like a rubber necker gawking at a train wreck. I hope this author receives professional mental health treatment, and I mean that seriously and sincerely. I'm rooting for you Hansen.

As for the narrator, the reviews are correct.. it's bad. This subpar male narrator reading female voices (poorly) was obviously chosen due to the fact that no self-respecting female narrator would accept the job if they read the first chapter. It pains me to say this about someone's hard work, but it's just the simple truth.

Anti-God, anti-military, anti-American, pro-hate, surprisingly little zombie content. For the Love of God, save your credits and forget you ever saw this one. Author and Audible members, please forgive me for my brutal honesty in this review, but I felt it was my duty to humanity.

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