Rise Again

A Zombie Thriller

By: Ben Tripp

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 16 hrs

Publisher's summary

Forest Peak, California. Fourth of July. Sheriff Danielle Adelman, a troubled war veteran, thinks she has all the problems she can handle in this all-American town after her kid sister runs away from home. But when a disease-stricken horde of panicked refugees fleeing the fall of Los Angeles swarms her small mountain community, Danny realizes her problems have only just begun—starting with what might very well be the end of the world. Danny thought she had seen humanity at its worst in war-torn Iraq, but nothing could prepare her for the remorseless struggle to survive in a dying world being overrun by the reanimated dead and men turned monster. Obsessed with finding her missing sister against all odds, Danny’s epic and dangerous journey across the California desert will challenge her spirit... and bring her to the precipice of sanity itself.

Filled with adventurous human drama—and shocking inhuman horror—Rise Again marks a vivid and powerful fiction debut.

©2011 Ben Tripp (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Danny's journey through a land of death to find [her sister] Kelley makes for a remarkable character-driven story, and the final sentence takes it to another level." ( Library Journal)

"Acceptble zombie story by a promising author"

What did you love best about Rise Again?

It is a good story if you like zombie stories and do not expect anything particularly different from other zombie tales

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending is either an attempt to be artistically intriguing, or it is a poor attempt to hook readers into a sequel. The fact that it was for me to tell which of these options was likely suggests it wasn't a particularly skilled ending. Not necessarily disappointing, but nothing special.

Any additional comments?

The first half of the story proceeds at, well, a zombie's pace, but the story picks up and proceeds at a more engaging pace after that point. I thought the story was pretty good for the most part, but nothing special. There were a couple of twists, though nothing sufficient to distinguish this zombie story from most others. I thought that the relatively rare instance a strong female main character in a zombie story might add something special, yet except for a few brief references and one aspect of the story (dealing with rape and basic male chauvinistic behavior), that aspect of the novel never really went far. With few exceptions, the main character could have been male with very little difference--not necessarily a problem except that perhaps the author missed a chance to create a zombie narrative that was truly different. Still, a good story if you are fan of the genre.

Loved it

Would you consider the audio edition of Rise Again to be better than the print version?

I always love audio better then print, its like someone telling you a great story or living it with them.

What did you like best about this story?

It picked up right away and I stayed interested, and I listen to all of the zombie type

What about Kirsten Potter’s performance did you like?

all of it

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

Maybe the cliffhanger caught me of guard and thats hard to do, I stopped the car and everything.

Any additional comments?

I was on a road trip to the next town over when I didnt realize I had hit the end and a cliffhanger no less. I actually pulled over, hoped there was internet in this rural area and checked there was a book 2, there was! I downloaded then so I could proceed, that rarely happens where I get caught at the end and unprepared. I plowed through that 16 hours without noticing.
I thought audible was going to strangle me cause I couldnt find a good zombie book and kept returning them. They were very nice and I found this one:)

Different take on the zombie thing

Would you consider the audio edition of Rise Again to be better than the print version?

I only listen to audio because of my commute

What did you like best about this story?

It was a little different from all the other zombie stories, right from the beginning.

Badassery could have been the title of this book

What a fantastic adventure!
In a world where I would have been decimated on day one, Danny not only lived but was a natural leader of the pack. With her military and law enforcement knowledge, she collected survivers and faced the new world head-on.
My absolute favorite part was towards the end when Danny said that she felt impossibly alive. She was supposed to die but she didn't, so anything ahead of her was extra time. 'I'm invincible'!
Anyone who has lived though something that should have lead to their death, knows this feeling. We got bonus time. I don't know how many people with this bonus time goes back to living the same life but I know that I didn't. There's nothing like bonus time to change your perspective on life.
I'm not saying that I'm a Danny but I'm living my best life.
I saw a review that said Ben Tripp didn't know how to properly write a female character, that reviewer must have lived a sheltered life. I know many women who are very much like Danny. Some are, or have been, in the military and some are just survivers who would react to the apocalypse like Danny. Not all women are sugar and spice, most aren't.
Kirsten Potter narrated this extremely well. This is the first time I've listened to her narrate. She does a fantastic job with switching between characters, male and female. I especially enjoy that she sounds like Tig Notaro when she's speaking for Danny.
I'll definitely check into other books that she narrates.

Good story, Unlikable Hero, and HORRIBLE Narrator

Would you consider the audio edition of Rise Again to be better than the print version?

No, I would suggest just buying the print. Kristen Potter is possibly the worst narrator that I've ever heard. She reads the entire book as if she's about to fall asleep. Even during parts of the story that could be extreme, and intensely satisfying...she drones it down to a pure bore and makes it a struggle to stay awake. Ms. Potter should stop narrating audio books, and go teach a high school English Lit. class....she has the voice for that, her students would get a good nap in before their next class.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I didn't really like any of the characters that much. But I believe this was because the narrator failed to give them any character. They all sounded the same, droll, monotone and boring..........Well, maybe Amy. She was ok.

What didn’t you like about Kirsten Potter’s performance?

Everything. She was pretty terrible.

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

No, The story was pretty good, but for me there were no moving moments, but I rarely experience that in any book anyway...so no fault of the author there.

Any additional comments?

The most disappointing part of this adaptation other than the poor narration, was the main character Danny. The author tries to pass her off as a combat vet, and at the time women were not allowed in combat roles in the military. Fault one with her story. She gets into one little scrap in the desert and it destroys her life. That is a slap in the face to real life soldiers who struggle with the rigors of military deployment, and the horrors of combat...yet many of them still come home and have the strength to carry on a normal civilian life without having to turn to alcohol or drugs to cope. Danny is over all a horrible, and unlikable character, who spends more time whining and crying about her horrible life and her self medication with alcohol, than actually playing a lead heroic role.

Not bad, nothing new

This was an ok zombie story but it was just a repeat of all the others out there with the typical scenarios. As usual, the author finds it necessary to include a black character to kill off. So tired of that one, I mean really, it's 2013 and we still have to include tokens. On a different note, I don't know what to make of the main character. I found it hard to like her or any of the others to be honest. Sadly, I just didn't care if they got whacked or not! This certainly isn't one of my favorites and will not get a second listen from me, but it is an ok story for those who like the basic zombie tales.

Maybe it's just me but I would love to read, see, or listen to an apocalyptic story that takes a different approach on how the survivors handle the situation. It's as if none of the authors out there can come up with anything original. No creativity, no imagination. It's just retelling the same story over and over. The only thing different is possibly the names of the characters. Oh we'll, maybe one day!

Good, Needs Sequel

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Grew to like the book as it progressed. Ending seemed rushed, the author could have fleshed it out a little more. More could have been written about San Francisco.

Would you be willing to try another book from Ben Tripp? Why or why not?

Yes, hope it is a sequel.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Kirsten Potter?

Maybe

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I don't see it working as a movie. Too broard a tapestry, movie would have to be 3 or 4 hours to really work.

Interesting zombie story

I liked the book overall, I thought the performance was good, and the story had a lot of new angles different from the standard zombie story. The characters are interesting, though sometimes annoying. The lead character did get on my nerves at times, she's a bit nasty to people.

Overall I thought it was a very well told story. I got the second of the series and I think the second is even better than the first.

Well Done

Very organized story with a varied selection of characters. The introduction and background of characters was instrumental in helping connect the different story plots.

It was okay, not the best or the worst

The story was good, a little long and drawn out. The characters were likable and well developed. I wish there had been less cursing.