Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Survivors  By  cover art

Survivors

By: Z. A. Recht, Thom Brannan
Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Survivors is the all-new soul-shattering climax to the postapocalyptic trilogy, featuring a deadly virus, military action, global devastation - and zombies.

A lot can change in three months: Wars can be decided, nations can be forged...or entire species can be brought to the brink of annihilation. The Morningstar Virus, an incredibly virulent disease, has swept the face of the planet, infecting billions. The infected hosts rampage, attacking anything that remains uninfected. Even death can’t stop the virus - its victims become frightening and deadly cannibals. Scattered across the world, embattled groups have persevered. For some, surviving is the pinnacle of achievement. Others hoard goods and weapons. And still others leverage power over the remnants of humanity in the form of a mysterious cure for Morningstar. For the survivors, the peril remains, and the search for a cure goes on....

©2012 Z.A. Recht (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Featured Article: Mmmm, Brains...Satisfy Your Cravings with the 20 Best Zombie Audiobooks Ever


Zombies have been a potent cultural force for decades. Something about the concept of a ragtag crew of survivors facing off against endless masses of shuffling brain-munchers really seems to speak to people! There are hundreds, if not thousands, of zombie-themed stories out there. But which ones are the very best? And which zombie audiobooks will have you double-checking the locks and sleeping with a baseball bat next to your bed?

More from the same

What listeners say about Survivors

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    643
  • 4 Stars
    463
  • 3 Stars
    190
  • 2 Stars
    50
  • 1 Stars
    24
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    698
  • 4 Stars
    380
  • 3 Stars
    136
  • 2 Stars
    26
  • 1 Stars
    10
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    586
  • 4 Stars
    396
  • 3 Stars
    190
  • 2 Stars
    51
  • 1 Stars
    33

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I Have Never Been So Upset With An Author!

When I was around half way through this book, I decided that I was going to give it 3 stars. All 3 stars for effort. As most of you know, a ghost write wrote this book. It is NOT written by Z.A.Recht! (Recht passed away suddenly in 2009 at the terribly young age of 26.) That's why after 3 years, the final installment of the series is finally being released, under another author.
After listening to Survivors, I firmly believe that Recht left absolutely no notes for the ghost writer to go by. Either that, or Brannon decided to disregard those notes and make this his own book.
It took me several days to get through this book, when the first 2 books took me only a day each. This first part was super boring. It's mostly just rehashing of scenes from the first 2 books. That's where my idea of a 2.5 rating comes in. Since there's no 2.5 stars, I settled on 3. But when the author starts killing off the characters, I became upset.
Recht is known to the world as the author of the Morningstrain Strain books. That's what he'll always be known for, except to family and friends. And I had/have so much respect for him because of his age. What a young age to die. The young man had so much talent and was only beginning his career. This series is his legacy. These characters were his life's work. You can tell by the first 2 books that he loves these characters and had plans for them. He spent years building them and writing about them. And then for another writer to come in and kill them like is was nothing, is down right disrespectful. There's scenes where a bad guy comes up, holds a gun to someone's head, kills them and that's that.......beloved characters from the first books, killed with only 5 to 10 seconds spent on their death scene. Characters are brought up, just to be killed suddenly. Why not just leave them alone and let us think that they lived happily ever after? D list new characters were given more time than the old characters.....and they actually got to live. And the "turning" at the end.....where did that come from? Just out of the blue, an important character turns. Weird and completely from left field. The only thing that allowed me to get through this book, was I wanted to see how many of our beloved cast got killed. But at the end, my only question was "Who LIVED?"
I had waited years for this book. I'd revisited the first 2 several times, the most recent being right before Survivors was released. I'd like to think that I had a good feel for the direction of the story and characters. If this is the best that could be done to the ending, they should have just left the series alone. Let Recht's work be remembered for what it was.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

36 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Thom Brannan dropped the ball

Would you try another book from Z. A. Recht and Thom Brannan and/or Oliver Wyman?

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

What could Z. A. Recht and Thom Brannan have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

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

What aspect of Oliver Wyman’s performance would you have changed?

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

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

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

Any additional comments?

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I Have Never Been So Upset With An Author!

When I was around half way through this book, I decided that I was going to give it 3 stars. All 3 stars for effort. As most of you know, a ghost write wrote this book. It is NOT written by Z.A.Recht! (Recht passed away suddenly in 2009 at the terribly young age of 26.) That's why after 3 years, the final installment of the series is finally being released, under another author.
After listening to Survivors, I firmly believe that Recht left absolutely no notes for the ghost writer to go by. Either that, or Brannon decided to disregard those notes and make this his own book.
It took me several days to get through this book, when the first 2 books took me only a day each. This first part was super boring. It's mostly just rehashing of scenes from the first 2 books. That's where my idea of a 2.5 rating comes in. Since there's no 2.5 stars, I settled on 3. But when the author starts killing off the characters, I became upset.
Recht is known to the world as the author of the Morningstrain Strain books. That's what he'll always be known for, except to family and friends. And I had/have so much respect for him because of his age. What a young age to die. The young man had so much talent and was only beginning his career. This series is his legacy. These characters were his life's work. You can tell by the first 2 books that he loves these characters and had plans for them. He spent years building them and writing about them. And then for another writer to come in and kill them like is was nothing, is down right disrespectful. There's scenes where a bad guy comes up, holds a gun to someone's head, kills them and that's that.......beloved characters from the first books, killed with only 5 to 10 seconds spent on their death scene. Characters are brought up, just to be killed suddenly. Why not just leave them alone and let us think that they lived happily ever after? D list new characters were given more time than the old characters.....and they actually got to live. And the "turning" at the end.....where did that come from? Just out of the blue, an important character turns. Weird and completely from left field. The only thing that allowed me to get through this book, was I wanted to see how many of our beloved cast got killed. But at the end, my only question was "Who LIVED?"
I had waited years for this book. I'd revisited the first 2 several times, the most recent being right before Survivors was released. I'd like to think that I had a good feel for the direction of the story and characters. If this is the best that could be done to the ending, they should have just left the series alone. Let Recht's work be remembered for what it was.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

A disappointment

What would have made Survivors better?

This book would have been better if the character development of the first two books had been followed.

Has Survivors turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Oliver Wyman narrated the first two books and was consistant in his portrayal of all the characters but in the third book he dropped all of that. For insistance Jack no longer has an Aussie accent and Brewster no longer sounds like the country bumkin we know and love. The passion he had in the first two books is lacking in the third.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Severely Disappointed

I was looking forward to the completion of the series and tried to really like this book but it's almost impossible. The publisher should have chosen someone who was a more seasoned writer. Thom Brannan apparently lost sight of the characters and their motivations. He has them behaving in contradictory actions to what was previously established in the first two books. He apparently mistook schizophrenia for character development. This occurred in so many instances that it completely ruined the book for me. To top this off, Oliver Wyman who narrated the first two books superbly, followed suit by forgetting the character voices that he established in the first two books. He has Brewster changing his accent from sounding like Private Hudson (Aliens) in the first two novels to a weak southern accent, to no accent, back to southern and then finally a pale imitation of his original characterization. Jack goes from Aussie to flat. In the first two books, you could identify who was speaking solely by Wyman's voice acting alone. In this book, half of the characters sound the same and it becomes extremely confusing. Come on Oliver, get your characters straight and stay with them!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great job!!!!

What made the experience of listening to Survivors the most enjoyable?

So the trilogy comes to a long anticipated end. Thank you too the family and friends of Z.A. Recht for contributing to the continuation of the story and finally ending a trilogy that is sure to be a cult classic. Brannan's writing style is similar to Recht.

I am not going to post any spoilers but just say the book IS as good as the other two. The only downfall is the ending, which I believe could have used a little more time on since there will not a forth installment to follow the vaccines progress.

Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favorite?

General Sherman, and Dr. Demilio

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

Oh yes!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Major Upset

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

No one who enjoyed the first two books.

What could Z. A. Recht and Thom Brannan have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Have an ending worth listening too. Or, just not written it at all. The book is not written on the same level as the first two. It is just a slow paced, kill everyone off, without meaning or substance, The End.

Which scene was your favorite?

The begining. Because I had high hopes and expectations.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

NO

Any additional comments?

This book does not follow in the spirit of the first two books. Come on, every great character gets killed off without honoring or respecting the people we came to know and love.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not what I hoped for but still good

What made the experience of listening to Survivors the most enjoyable?

I liked the character development of the main players and the way the author did not go to far down the religious, political or supernatural themes like so many other zombie books.

What other book might you compare Survivors to and why?

I would compare it to the 'Day By Day Armageddon' series simply because of the descriptive fight scenes and character development.

Which scene was your favorite?

Without giving too much away... I would say my favorite part of the book was towards the beginning with the gradual introduction of the characters and how they came become interlocked in an attempt to contain the virus

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction, which is a good thing. I chose this book because I wanted a bit of escapism. The last thing I wanted was to be stressed! I chuckled at times but not so much that someone would ask 'what so funny?'It is what it is... a zombie story and nothing more!

Any additional comments?

I would happily recommend the author and would read another book from the author

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Ok but NOT as good as 1 & 2 - shame really.

Well, I was SO excited to see the final book available despite Z.A. Recht's untimely death. I thought for sure the family or publisher (or whomever decided) would surely have chosen an author to do the series justice. Boy was I wrong. The first part of book 3 is great and obviously leading up to something. Then Mr. "Brannan" takes over. I'm sure he's a good author but Recht had great insight into the military workings and lingo. It seems the "new" author had to do some research and clearly fell short. It just seemed as if the last part of the book tried to be a quick "resolve" but there was NO resolution, only a continuation of the story which led me wanting more. I don't want to spoil anything but it was full of nonsensical actions that the other two books would have never included. For instance the guy going out to wander around after he should have been monitored for quite some time just to make certain he was "safe". Then there's the group of survivors who have made such an epic heroic journey in the first two books - now they talk too loudly or make huge fires that result in their death. They would have never made those mistakes by Z.A.'s "pen". Another example is the sheriff who was full of common sense toughness is now suddenly super GI Joe (though never being in the military) instead of a down home hero who gets the bad guys with his experience, common sense & wit. Mason, the hero in the past is nothing more than a means to an end in this book. I felt like the story was left hanging and he could have done so much more. I'm really disappointed and had the first two books not been so good I would have given it a 2 star instead of a 3. The narrator was great as usual though some of this spanish american accents could use a little work. It's a Shame really. RIP Z.A Recht your stories will be missed!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

A definite 'do NOT read'

Would you try another book from Z. A. Recht and Thom Brannan and/or Oliver Wyman?

Before I read this novel, I would have said, 'yes.' But, unfortuately, I have read it, and would not subject myself to such disappointment ever again.

What could Z. A. Recht and Thom Brannan have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

They might have stuck to the same style and quality portrayed in the first two books.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was fine. But with content so severely lacking, no narrator could have made it better.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

None.

Any additional comments?

Saying anymore about my reasons would reveal too much of the story line, and ruin the reading for those who don't know me well enough to believe my opinions. Suffice it to say that all I had dreamed would occur did not, while all my worst fears were most certainly realized.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful