Mike

The short answer is 'NO', this is not worth the credit to me. It 'should' be a gift with books 1-3 or a prologue to Book 4. It feels like a total and complete cash grab.

So, I paid the $10.
I did spend the first 15 minutes wondering if I downloaded the wrong book. It manages to sort itself out and is an odd, but nice back story addition to the series.

When I completed chapter 1 of "ZF4" I appreciated "ZF3.5" a little more and felt it was a "must read' for me as a part of fully enjoying the series.

Perhaps, I'm picking nits..but I still don't see it as a good value. This novella capitalizes on Tufo's readership unfairly...

I'll start by stating the obvious...start with Zombie Fallout: Book 1

This series is all that I have listened to by Mark Tufo. ZF5: AiaDW is as entertaining and annoying as the others in the series. After finishing I felt a little amazed that Tufo took this one in a surprisingly different direction and I think that he managed to pull it off well enough. It's has an "Empire Stikes Back" flavour that kept the series fresh and makes me want to get Book 6 as soon as it's available

Tufo has a strong series story developing and it makes up for any problems I have with smaller plot points, character quirks or stupidity.
I'm even tolerating the occasional melodrama and repetitive rehashing of points already made. And made again,
and then again,
and then again with an epilogue...
and one more time after that..but as a joke this time.... /ha ha/...

I'd rank this book in my top 3 of the series...because Tufo twisted the plot and created a solid cliffhanger. He also fixed a problem I was having with one of the characters. AND! he replaced the farting bulldog with cats. I've always liked cats more than small ugly dogs...

Just the rest of the series.
Fantastic job all around.
Runnette *is* Mike Talbot.
All the characters are handled completely differently and I sometimes forget that it's "some guy reading a book". I will actively look for other books read by this narrator, even if it's just to see how he does with them. Talbot has such a distinct and recognizable voice which brings him to life.

As I await book 6 in the series, I look back on the 6 credits that I have already spent on the series and consider it to be of 'average' value. They are fair mix of humor, horror and suspense.

To me the series seems too character driven at times, in that, it focuses on the people a little more than the story. At times, this is problematic to me because it is an excellently captivating series story. Tufo's writing style also tends towards the long winded melodrama on occasion.

When the writing turns to a character development and melodramatics focus the cadence of the story starts to drag... a lot. This can be very tiresome when it is related to previously established information. For example, with Mike Talbot's germ phobia being constantly re-hashed at length to the point of having a completely pointless epilogue at the end of this book (5.5 books into the series). I think the reader "gets it" and Tufo almost seems to be using it as filler material. If one has brain matter on one's pants, a germ phobia is not a prerequisite to being uncomfortable...

Some juvenile humour does add to the essence of Talbot's character and the style of the book, but at times I found myself thinking /great/ here comes another stupid germ or fart gag. Not to mention 'the big tough Marine' cries...again. I do feel that the emotional points were better written in this book than in the others though.

The 'series' plot is only minimally developed in book 5, however it does set up much for the continuation of the series. I feel like it has a fresh set of legs, with additional sub-plots and very well developed new villains. The feature characters in ZF5 kept me interested and I was glad to see some of my 'less loved' secondary characters given a break. I read a couple of other reviews that bemoan the 'flashbacks'. I tend to agree that they could seem like filler, but I did enjoy them. For me the flashback's helped to strengthen one of the underlying themes of this book. Mike's youthful friendship being the type of bond that he has carried though his life as familial.

AND. I think it deserves to be said that any author that uses a character in his own book to plug another book that features that same character has lost his mind. It's entirely contrary to the mood of the story and pulls the reader out of the moment. It would have be far more 'classy' to reference Johnathan Maberry, Max Brooks or alike...rather than plugging Tufo's own 'Indian Hills' book.... of course, I could be naive... If it's a plot device from the other series.

Middle

For me, the shock value of first contacts are always my most memorable with books like these. People discovering what is happening and learning to adapt and survive pulls me into the story.

I enjoyed initial the global aspect of the story too, that plot route seems the most believable scenario.

I have only listened to Wyman in this series and felt he did a great job.Though, he may have lost his way a little for book 3 by changing the accents to established characters. Like me, perhaps he felt book 3 was a mess and was less enthusiastic...

If you are like me you are rambling through Audible looking for a new dystopian series. I guess, I consider this to be a 'public service' review so, you don't fall into the same trap I did. I think that this series is a testament to the idea of Audible having a 'Series Review' option available as well.

PLEASE NOTE: Z. A. Recht is deceased and did not finish the series himself.

This book and the one that follows are a wonderful start to an entertaining apocalypse. Unfortunately, the 'author' that completes the series did not do it justice. I suggest reading the (mixed) reviews of "Survivors: The Morningstar Strain, Book 3" before you commit the time and credits to this series.

Better than the print version? .... isn't that question a little irrelevant and self serving audible folks?

Yes... suspenseful...mysterious...

David Aaron Baker *IS* Odd Thomas. I believe it is Odd Thomas narrating, with all the emotional connections to the events in the book.

never do - but gripping none the less.

Dean Koontz is very talented at writing and developing characters. Often his characters are as much the story as the events they experience. In my mind, that is the best of both worlds. For me, Odd Thomas is the pinnacle of these characters.This entire series is an extreme pleasure to listen to.

'Odd Apocalypse' continues Odd's saga in fine form. Before I started listening, I was feeling a little reluctant that this book/series would become tiring and was wondering how Koontz could keep the series fresh. This is a fresh story and a continuation and I want book 6 now!

My only modestly negative thought is that the book did feel a little transitional, in that, the overall 'series plot line' seems only minimally further developed... but who knows.

If you are a fan of the Series this will not disappoint. If you're not a fan of the series and enjoy a good 'ole paranormal battle between good a and evil...the first book is called "Odd Thomas"....I'd start there for maximum enjoyment.

Recht is deceased
Brannan... not bloody likely.
Wyman... yes, great job

Recht is deceased.
Brannan could have passed on it - he was in way over his head.

Wyman was fine. But, this book has a big black cloud over it for me.

extreme and compounding anger that started early and continued until the end when I was very disappointed...now I'm just sad.

The 'infected' were pretty much an afterthought and not part of the main story line. It was obvious early on that there was a problem with the course the plot was taking. By the end, I was looking for the answer to "what happen" to the promising start this series had.

I did not realize until after I finished 'Survivors' that Recht passed away and did not write this book.

I've listened to a few books, that I didn't care for but, this is the first time I have felt cheated. I am even considering 'returning the book' for a credit. It is appalling to me that Brannan will earn royalties (on Recht's name) from this after so hap-hazardously destroying what Recht created.

In the end, Brannan even 'forgot' how the morning star strain is transmitted in order to satisfy a small plot dénouement. He must have been reading some of Jonathan Mayberry's work and got confused....sad sad sad. I wish that I never started the series...the first book needs a warning label.