The Beginning of the End

Apocalypse Z, Book 1

By: Manel Loureiro, Pamela Carmell - translator

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

The dead rise…

A mysterious incident in Russia, a blip buried in the news - it’s the only warning humanity receives that civilization will soon be destroyed by a single, voracious virus that creates monsters of men.

Humanity falls…

A lawyer, still grieving over the death of his young wife, begins to write as a form of therapy. But he never expected that his anonymous blog and journal would ultimately record humanity’s last days.

The end of the world has begun…

Governments scramble to stop the zombie virus, people panic, so-called Safe Havens are established, the world erupts into chaos; soon it’s every man, woman, and child for themselves. Armed only with makeshift weapons and the will to live, this survivor will give mankind one last chance against…Apocalypse Z.

©2012 Manel Loureiro (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Not Bad

This was not my favorite book. There are certainly enter post apocalyptic stories out there such at Mark Tufo, After AmericaI, and Ted Dekker's The Circle Series. I did like the premise. I did like the international plot. But the main thing was too much histrionics and I had a really hard time buying a man running around fighting zombies while holding a cat carrier.

good book

I enjoyed this book. Simple and well written. It kept my interest. I liked the narrator. I'm looking forward to the second book. I can't believe it is so cheap now. Well worth the price. I would just pay the price not even use one of my credits.

For Zombie newbs only

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This book was written from the perspective of a lawyer in Europe. While lawyers are sharks in the court room, they are pansies in the wilderness. This guy is a first rate pansy. If you’ve read ANY other zombie books, this one (in my opinion) makes the main character seem like a real wimp. Buck up man! These things are out to kill you! Sheesh, snap out of this fairy tale land of thinking people are going to come to your rescue (as the character so aptly thought, on many occasions)…. Essentially, the main character is a wimp.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting aspect of the story was the fact that this guy cried a lot about how he was alone.......Common, really. Oh, and before people start thinking that I'm being too hard on the guy....I'm a combat vet who has see the bodies torn to pieces and I've been alone before in a war. Did I cry, no. I bucked up and figured out a what to do about it.

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

Overall, Nick did a good job of getting into the character's state of mind.

Did The Beginning of the End inspire you to do anything?

NO....well, actually. It did inspire me to write a review about this lame book. Again, I must state, that if anybody has already listened to any other Zombie book, this one will bore you right out of your mind. It was actually quite sad.

Any additional comments?

If you want a real thriller, listen to some REALLY great zombie books; listen to these: Beyond Exile, then Day By Day (author J.L.Bourne). Another series that has some wild events is the Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry. I must state that if you listen to these, be sure and listen to them in sequence, book 1 and on.

Great Character Driven Book with Zombies too!

What did you love best about The Beginning of the End?

The way the author engrosses you in the life of the character. The writing style makes it feel like you are right there with him.

What other book might you compare The Beginning of the End to and why?

It is a lot like Walking Dead in the fact that it is a character driven story set during a zombie Apocalypse. Unlike Walking Dead this book is about one main character and his personal story.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the main character finds out about the zombies and gets the courage to try and go out for the first time.

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

It made me really feel for the world the story was set it in and how bad things could get it such a short period of time.

Any additional comments?

Great Zombie book a must for any zombie fan. I cannot wait until the second book is translated into English this year.

Meh.

It was an okay story, but I found myself mostly concerned with the cat more than any of the human characters. Typical b-movie zombie story.

Apocalypse z

I really enjoyed this book!! I was pleasantly surprised . Curious if there’s more series? With so many zombie style books out I would definitely put this one in my top ten!

Book has potential

Struggled to finish. Would read next book in series to see if action picked up

I love all zombie books,

So I'm not discerning. As they go, solid. Friggin loved the addition of a cat being a cat even during the apocalypse.

Better than I expected

This book exceeded my expectations. I listen to a lot of thrillers and mysteries and, I'll admit, I'm a closet zombie apocalypse fan. Other reviews dinged the author for technical errors with guns, supplies, etc but that stuff just went over my head. It is a work of fiction after all. I did find myself worry about his cat even when I wasn't listening to the story. The narrator was even and steady, easy to listen to.

My first and favorite Z book

Though there are some tells that this series has been translated it still makes for a great listen. I really enjoy listening as his world goes from everyday ordinary to a desolate wasteland right around him. Light humor and well rounded characters make this series a great buy.