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.

Solid start.

Any additional comments?

At first I wasn't quite sure I was going to like this one. I love zombie stories, but for some reason the idea that it was set up like a journal seemed odd ... then I realized I'd read and enjoyed numerous zombies stories that were done a very similar style..quite a few actually. The only real problem I was a writer taking making a decision to tell a story in this way is that you pretty much know the main character survives whatever gets thrown at him/her. Of course the truth is that the main character typically survives most books (though not always), it's just that in the journal format it can sometimes feel like you are a bit removed from the action. I'm pleased to say I did not find that to be the case here. The story is well told/paced, and Nick Podehl does a fantastic job in his narration (he's one of my favorite narrators). I'll definitely be continuing on with this series.

Fun story, compelling characters, odd writing.

So... this is by no means a good book. But it is fun and had some interesting characters. The general plotline is your standard post-apocalyptic zombie fare, and the characters are largely stereotypes. Several of the supporting characters are total cliches (like the drunken Ukranian freighter captain or the drug-addict neighbor) and a number of the action sequences are eye-rollingly silly. But somehow it worked, for the most part.

My biggest complaint would be that often the writing - or more likely the translation - was just... awkward (I can't think of a better way to put it)... almost juvenile. There were phrases that were oddly structured, or used bizarre phraseology, or were just plain weird (how do you look at someone ironically?), or repetitive. The writer/translator's breathless descriptions of the 'horrible,' 'scene from hell,' mutants/monsters/creatures over and over again was tiring, and if he came across one more scene that was 'like something out of Dante's Inferno,' I was going to stop reading this book and go read that instead.

But again, somehow I was entertained. Despite the odd writing. Despite the defying-common-sense actions of the protagonist. Despite the repeated histrionics (how many times can the characters be driven to crying/sobbing/vomiting/catatonia in a single story?). Despite 1/2 of the book being centered around retrieving a mysterious briefcase - the contents of which we never learn(who does that?!!!!). Despite the 30-something lead character's cringy descriptions of a 17-year-old girl's 'voluptuous body.

So yeah... despite all that, I was entertained, and am curious to know the fate of the cast and crew of The Beginning of the End, so I'll undoubtedly tee up the sequel next.

Nick Podehl's narration is solid. He's at his best channeling some of the Eastern European characters to the point of them being borderline comical (in a fun way). At times his performance got a bit too breathless and hyper, but it seemed to fit the writing/translation, and what ultimately became the main character's personality in my head.

Listened in car

I thought it was great. Very good narrator too. A few flaws but easily forgiven. Have fun.

loved it

If you don't like the zombie genre move on.But if you do...it's a jewel. Can't wait for book 2.

phenomenal!

An absolutely logical and realistically emotional account of the beginnings of an apocalypse. The narrator performed all voices quite well!

great!

Awesome story! awesome narration! Can't wait to start next book! scary and gruesome. .. readers beware!

Starts slow

I love how it starts a while before the fall of civilization, i really enjoy learning about the fall of everything kinda more than I like learning what after it fell is like

Awesome book!

It’s extremely entertaining and very well written. It makes you think that something like this can happen, in real life.

Great Zombie Story!

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

Yes. I love zombie stories, especially Romero style.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Beginning of the End?

When they were hiding in the closet waiting for the zombies to leave.

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

No.

Any additional comments?

Definitely recommended for old school fans of slow, stupid, scary, gory zombies.

Enjoyable if predictable

What did you like best about The Beginning of the End? What did you like least?

The narration of this book is excellent, and the main character is well developed and easy to care about. The writer deals with action scenes well. There's nothing earth-shatteringly new about this story, but if you want a reliable zombie thriller this will do the trick.