No Easy Hope

Surviving the Dead, Volume 1

By: James N. Cook

Narrated by: Guy Williams

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Eric Riordan was once a wealthy man leading a comfortable, easy life. Until one day Gabriel, his oldest friend, Marine Corps veteran, and a former mercenary, told him how the world was going to end.

He did his best to prepare. He thought he was ready for anything.

He was wrong.

As the dead rise up to devour the living, one man finds himself struggling to survive in the ruins of a shattered world. Alone, isolated, and facing starvation, his only chance is to flee to the Appalachians and join forces with Gabriel. But the journey will not be easy, and along the way his humanity, his will to live, and his very soul will be tested.

This is the beginning. This is his story.

©2011 James N Cook (P)2013 James N Cook

Fine for the diehard.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Sure. The characters are a little 2d at time and i think the author can sometimes get lost trying to teach us some moral parable but all in all fun.

What was one of the most memorable moments of No Easy Hope?

So it this the spot where you write the spoiler? I found this when I had powered through all the DEAD books.

Have you listened to any of Guy Williams’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I can't say I have. I listened to one out of order and it was my first time with Guy.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yea, it isn't that kind of book. Oh it tries to be but with little success.

the performance was ok

Would you consider the audio edition of No Easy Hope to be better than the print version?

Same

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gabriel because he is mysterious and rugged

What aspect of Guy Williams’s performance would you have changed?

It was ok wasn't super impressed with his versatility with character voices

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Maybe

Any additional comments?

I bought book 2 to see if I feel differently about the performance

Wasn't feeling the narrator...

This is an example of a really good story not translating well to audio due to the narrator. I'm not saying he's a bad narrator, I'm just saying he wasn't right for this book.
He got better as the book progressed. Any way, the story is very good, I like his inner turmoil and that he's hanging on to his humanity.
I will definitely get the rest of the series

Another Zombie Tale

What did you like best about this story?

The story covers a good amount of time. Its not drastic, but logical and easy to follow. The author ensures that for any amount of time that passes, he covers general events that have happen or occurred which is nice cause a lot of authors will just skip over it.

Did Guy Williams do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

The only thing I didn't like were the female voices. At first the female voices were laughable... then they just became irritating.

Any additional comments?

The overall story was good, I enjoyed it. I like that fact that the story included vulgarity, but it wasn't over bearing. The author tells and builds the story of each of the major characters with simplicity that isn't overrated. The only thing that I didn't like was the narrator's attempt at female voices, that was horrible.

Awesome! Listened to it over and over

Huge thumbs up! Great survival zombie series. Great story with realistic characters. Story line is great and easy to follow even with multiple characters being introduced through out. It's a must have series!!!

Zombies ... Again ... But that's okay.

Any additional comments?

This is another zombie story. That being said it is not all zombie. The survival information presented is a little more realistic. Everybody's view of the zombie apocalypse is going to be different and I think that Mr. Cook has done a reasonable job at presenting a more believable scenario that doesn't require magical escapes every other or every third page and doesn't present the protagonist as essentially immortal. Every zombie book requires some suspension of belief, this book does not require over much of it and is better than most in the genre.

A good listen!

Where does No Easy Hope rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would say this book ranks mid to high for zombie stories for me. 7.5 out of 10

Any additional comments?

Worth the credit. The second book is also good. I can't wait for the third book to be released. The only negative thing would be the timeline seems to slow way down at a few points. It could be a long series but that would be cool with me.

A bit bland

What did you like best about No Easy Hope? What did you like least?

I like the way the author engaged the concept of survival.
I disliked the interhuman communication. It seemed staged and unrealistic.
The story is too clean; it lacks grit.

What was one of the most memorable moments of No Easy Hope?

Nothing stands out.

Would you be willing to try another one of Guy Williams’s performances?

Sure.

Do you think No Easy Hope needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Not really.

Any additional comments?

I listened to the book as a pastime, but was not engaged.
The narration was lacking. Every other male character sounded like a surfer-dude-stoner, and every other female like a valley-girl.
The story is almost good.

Great book, ok narrator.

Any additional comments?

The narrator could've been better. The book is based in North Carolina but many of the women voices sounded like valley girls. That being said the book was great. It's the general zombie story but the characters are intriguing and well written. Gun descriptions are good but not over the top for those of us ladies not as interested in the exact caliper of round needed for each weapon! I will be buying the next 2 books that are available so far and will be on the lookout for more from this author.

Very enjoyable book!! Well worth the read or listen

I like the different view this book takes! Storyline is good & Guy Williams is a good narrator! Looking forward to reading more of this series!!