Thunder and Ashes

The Morningstar Strain, Book 2

By: Z. A. Recht

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

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. Its hosts rampage, attacking anything that remains uninfected. Even death can't stop the virus-its victims as cannibalistic shamblers. 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.

Francis Sherman and Anna Demilio want only a vaccine, but to find it, they must cross a countryside in ruins, dodging not only the infected, but also the lawless living. The bulk of the storm has passed over the world, leaving echoing thunder and softly drifting ashes. But for the survivors, the peril remains, and the search for a cure is just beginning...

©2008 Z.A. Recht (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Almost Believable

I totally enjoyed this sequel. The story is captivating and the narrator did an excellent job bringing the characters to life.

Great book

Love this series! It keeps you sitting the car once you get home. The character development is amazing.

An exciting entry in the Morningstar series

I'm still on the fence as to whether the Morningstar Strain series can be thought of as a zombie story, since the books are really about a particularly deadly viral infection that turns its hosts into mad, nearly unstoppable cannibals. But, if it can be categorized as such, the second book in the series rivals Max Brooks' World War Z as one of the best zombie books written in recent memory.

We pick up shortly after the events in book 1, Plague Of The Dead, ends. At this point, civilization has all but ended, and survivors have largely divided into factions, each determined to look out for their own interests.

Those who survived book 1 are still here, though many of them separated from the rest, but this story really belongs to Sherman, whose loose band of soldiers under his command make their way to a town which might be a saving grace for his battle weary men.

What follows there is an exciting, edge of your seat battle that easily rivals Brooks' own Yonkers chapter in World War Z. No one in the group is safe, and you might find yourself questioning the allegiance of the people in the town throughout their stay.

Anna and Mason try to make their way to Omaha, while persuade by both an insane government agent Mason double crossed (and rightly so), while trying to defend themselves from a group of survivors hellbent on their capture before they can reach the city.

Recht definitely hit his his stride here. The writing is crisp, the action is nail biting, and I literally could not put this book down. With the way modern entertainment is almost required to have PC dialogue, and intersectional representation from every group under the sun, sometimes it's nice to throw yourself into a story where men shoot guns, blow crap up, and ignores these made up rules.

All right Styles!!

I enjoyed this book. The characters are engaging and the main ones are in jeopardy!

Excellent

If you could sum up Thunder and Ashes in three words, what would they be?

entertaining, excellent, riveting

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

he brings depth to the characters and makes them alive in your head.

Any additional comments?

one of the best zombie books so far

amazing!

the story is well written! the narrator does an amazing job of bringing the book to life! he adds personality to each character in the story. overall a very enjoyable experience.

DO NOT CONTINUE THE SERIES!

This is the last book actually written by Mr Recht. So sad! I wanted to see what happened, but based on reviews will have to just be satisfied with what I have already read. Bummer!!

thank God they finally got off the boat

Any additional comments?

i thought the first book was just ok- a lot of potential, but i almost quit a few times b/c of how stupid the military leaders were and how slow the story was moving. plus, brewster annoyed the h-e-double hockey sticks out of me. however, i picked up the second book b/c i'm a zombie fan and as a zombie fan, i thought i should listen to a series that a lot of other z-fans have referenced, reviewed, and even raved about. all i can say is thank God they finally landed and got off the boat.

the soldiers leave the u.s.s ramage and begin their trek east, hoping to meet dr. anna demilio at a secret cdc facility in omaha, nebraska. some decide to remain on the u.s.s. ramage to travel up and down the west coast, but the story focuses on the two group's journeys. i kind of liked that format. it kept me listening, wanting to know what was happening with the other group.

general sherman and his crew of soldiers walk, drive, and battle their way eastward. along the way, they lose men, meet, and rescue survivors. they come across a small town that has barricaded itself against zombies and another group of survivors trying to overrun the town. to get their vehicles fixed, sherman must make a deal with the town's eccentric mechanic that will force him into conflict with the other group of survivors.

there's nothing new here- a small town improvises and survives thanks to their sheriff. predictable plot choices, but i enjoyed listening to how a small town survives and interacts with other survivors.

back on the east coast dr. anna demilio, mason, and julie escape westward being pursued by a faction of the u.s. gov't. the u.s. gov't has split into 2 factions. the faction led by mason's former boss wants to catch anna at all costs b/c they think she has finished a vaccine.

the characters are stereotypical, which makes it easy to keep track of whoo's who. there's no emotional connection to the characters, but that's very rare in this genre. if you want that, listen to hissers. but i'm ok with that. i downloaded this audiobook to see where the plot goes.

my negative feedback revolves around 2 personal themes i look for in zombie books: gore and danger. there's not a lot of gore. the zombie descriptions are plain. there are no violent death scenes. also, i never felt the survivors were in real danger. there was no sense of impending doom, except for maybe styles. i never felt like, "how the hell are they gonna get out of this?" the zombie hoards weren't that scary or threatening.

overall, i thought thunder and ashes was much better than the first book, but that's not saying much. unlike the first book, the potential is fulfilled. i enjoyed the story enough to pick up the 3rd installment and listen to it.

if you listened to the first book and are hesitant about picking up thunder and ashes, i'd say give it a try. i did, and i didn't regret it. if you're new to the zombie genre, then there are other must reads before this and even better reads than this.

SHTF now!! This series keeps getting better!!

This book 2 is great! I love how book 1 starts from all these different places around the globe and now they are all on the same journey to the same location. And they have to get thru a new world of survivalist, raiders, hordes of zombies, and a secret goverment agents. (spoiler alerts now)

From when they have to decide to get off the submarine and march across the US from Oregon to Omaha. The small town of survivors they meet and the special ops mission they go on to save a mechanics daughter in order to get their truck fixed so they can continue on there way to Omaha. That was the best part of this book.

So go out and get this series. Start with Book 1. Book 3 will be out in June or July!!

Awesome

Great sequel. I wish Z.A. Recht wouldn't leave that early, as of now possibly one more book is coming, I am sure it will be just as good!