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.

Great Book

listened to this book twice already it's a really great listen great story really keeps your attention. The characters are pretty interesting. the narrator was really good gave a lot of life to the characters.

slow but steady

it moves awkwardly. love of repetitive use of descriptions and a few missed opportunities to shock or rattle the reader.

on the bright side. the story is from a unique up close perspective. the MC is likeable and clever which adds to the movement of the plot.

Who is this guy???

I know I’m American and this is about someone in Spain where the government doesn’t allow people to have guns to defend themselves. That being said, this guy is beyond stupid. Having a law degree myself I can’t imagine how this idiot made it through the rigors of law school…even in an EU country.

He doesn’t learn from experience, thinks others are obligated to help or save him, and is generally clueless about anything required to keep himself as safe as possibly. Even weeks later he seems surprised at the average carnage he has seen time and time again.

To be fair I’ll admit I’m older, and this guy must be a GenXer, or possibly a millennial. He is a totally wimped out coward who can’t seem to stay on task, pay attention, and control his need to barf through the entire
book. He also makes the same mistakes over and over. Sigh!

For my part I didn’t root for him to survive, I was too worried about the other people who would align themselves with him and I really wanted the cat to find a safe place.

This is probably the worst review I have written out of the 700+ books I have listened to and reviewed. I will not get the next book. This may be an okay story for someone young who might feel the same as the main character. For mature fans of the Zombie genre, yes I used the Z word, I think you may be disappointed.

Kept me listening

Would you listen to The Beginning of the End again? Why?

Yes because the performance was great and delivery was spot on.

What did you like best about this story?

The narrator

What does Nick Podehl bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

he brought personality to all the characters

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

when 2 characters were trapped in a store together with a dead mother and toddler

Any additional comments?

I will be getting the next one!

Okay,but not Great

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, I will probably finish it eventually, but stopped about halfway through.

What was most disappointing about Manel Loureiro’s story?

The main character seems to flounder around throughout the whole story. He never seems to have much of a plan and just runs around. He reminded me of the girl who knows there's a serial killer in the area who hears a noise in the attic or basement and immediately goes alone to check it out. I kind of wanted him to get caught just because of the stupidity of his choices.

Which character – as performed by Nick Podehl – was your favorite?

The Russian ship captain.

Was The Beginning of the End worth the listening time?

No

Any additional comments?

I did think the narrator did a good job.

Use Google maps surrounding Pontevedra, Spain

What made the experience of listening to The Beginning of the End the most enjoyable?

The story is very detailed and is fun to follow (for a zombie story). The guy is a bit of a whiner. He needs to suck it up, get it through his skull, and do what is necessary. Eventually you end up rooting for the cat.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pritt is likeable. He is very matter of fact and doesn't whine.

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

Nope

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

No, but i liked the captain of the "Zarankibbich".

This is a Great Book!

Nick Podel is by far my favorite narrator, and on top of that this book is really well written and translated. If you like zombie stories or watch Walking Dead, you'll love this story.

Great Book and even better peformance

This is a really good book. Well written and translated. The characters are very likable and the story is great. I couldn’t put it down! The book starts off a bit slow as the zombie apocalypse begins, but once the action starts it keeps coming. Party scary, part funny and part sad this book has a lot of great qualities.

The performace by Nick Podehl was so good. His eastern european characters were dead on! Loved it!

Amazing

Slow start to become a typical Hollywood action movie. Good thing I like action in my media so this book gets a 5 out 5. On to book 2!

Wish there was a sequel

If you could sum up The Beginning of the End in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, thought provoking, gruesome

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

Yes, I looked forward to listening to it

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed listening to this