Rise Again: A Zombie Thriller

Scary, Thrilling, and unexpected

Pretty good zombie story. I like zombie stories that stick more to the George Romero version of zombies; you'll see what I'm talking about. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone.

I was getting annoyed with Danny and her need for law and order at a time when the world was becoming infested with zombies. If you are in a world plagued with man-eating zombies I don't think breaking into a store is going to get you jail time. She was the hero and I really enjoyed the cast. I didn't want to stop listening because I too was interested in whether or not she'd find Kelly.

There were some scary moments.

The story is original, great narraration, the inspired story, and the characters are fleshed out quite well. If you've already gotten through the first tier of MUST READ zombie books, then this shouldbe next on your list. WWZ, Day by Day Amrmageddon (series), Walking Dead, should be considered first tier.

The story is original, but I felt that it left something to be desired. The scope could have been much larger. Also, I did like the fact that most of the protagonists are from a small town, but i felt that that "small town" feel never really left. The story seemed confined, on the brink of greatness, but never quite crossing over. I know that sounds esoteric, but it's the best way I can describe it.

Overall, if you like Zombie stories, and you need a quick fix, go for this one!

This was a *really* good book and with a listening time of 16hrs, it is well worth your credit. The story was epic with a great narrator telling a tale of zombies right from the start, even before the infection and Tripp has his own take on how the zombie infection starts and spreads.

The narration is very good and easily fell into the background so I could focus on the tale she was telling. Different voices, male, female, all handled excellently. Interesting coincidence that there is a town in the book of the same name as the narrator.

As other reviewers have noted the big weakness in this story is that the main character isn't especially likeable. You end up taking the sides of the people arguing with her. Danni is slow to catch on that she is dealing with zombies and yeah, the whole "No looting" bit. Leaves me wondering what she has been eating all this time?

She also abandons her charges and goes off on a wild goose chase for her sister which is really stupid without specific information. Her sister could be in the abandoned building next to her, how would she know?

She is also sexless. The book has a lesbian and gay in it, but although there was a line or two in there that made clear Danni is hetero, she otherwise has no romantic interests and thinks like a dude with no testosterone. Its like the author doesn't know how to portray girls.

She does redeem herself in the end but as flawed heroes go, I couldn't find much to like about her, therefore the 4 stars for story.

The end was creepy and even though I don't like that mutation direction for zombies, I'd want to buy the next book that is due summer 2013; Rise Again: Below Zero.

I just didn't care for this one too terrible much. I love a good flawed, strong lead character aka hero/heroine BUT Danni is is not only unlikable but over the top. I didn't find her to be a tough badass but a boozing tyrant. I mean come on. The world has ended, no government to speak of, Danni is the only "law" in the land. As her convoy looks for a safe place to hole up (though Danni is merely looking for her sister) she threatens to arrest them for breaking into an abandoned gas station/convenience store to find supplies. That is the dumbest thing I think I've ever read. Then there's the sheriff herself. Danni. A wounded war hero battling post traumatic stress syndrome and her need to wash her dreams away with liquor. I don't think she's an alcoholic as much as self medicating - which makes it worse. If she truly was a hero, smart leader she'd keep a clear head. Nope get drunk and bully everyone. Couldn't get into the story because I just simply didn't like the main character! Tone her down some Tripp will you!

Different twist on Zombies with a strong, flawed hero

Excitement and action with unexpected developments

Can't decide

Yes

Some scenes were smoking!

It is high on the list.

One character is trapped in a military vehicle and is surrounded by zeroes.

She is a very good narrator. You feel like she's talking to you instead of narrating. She has a smooth transition from male to female voice.

Yes. I found myself hurrying to finish whatever I was doing to be able to go back to the story.

I think the main character should be played by Jennifer Carpenter (Deb from the show Dexter). I would listen to part 2 if and when it becomes available.

Maybe.

The ending. It was the only point that I found myself curious about what happens next.

The narration was a little annoying. The main character did not act (with what I would consider) reasonable in the given situation. If zombies were running loose, I don't think the average person would leave the group, to search for someone when they have NO CLUE where the person was going.

Eh maybe, but I would enjoy it if the main character were more likable.

Entertaining, Unique, and Shocking!

I don’t feel that I can compare it to any other book.

I have not listened to Mrs. Potter before but I love her characterizations! She really can bring the butch!

This book had a few hold your breath moments. I would like to have seen this book spread out into a few books. I think the story led it self out to even more story.

I think this book is well written, the characters are believable! I did feel that the main character could have been less masculine and still of had the same impact. I loved her back story and the flow of the story. The ending left me satisfied!

I am looking for more books by this author!

Zombie novels are a magnet for mediocre writers. There, I said it. If you don't agree, then this review probably doesn't have a lot to offer you. Still, I love the genre's potential, and this book comes the closest I've seen in a long while to realizing that potential. Rise Again spends a good while really developing Danny's character to the point that, despite the fact that she's a walking stereotype (although dark, drunk veterans with PTSD aren't usually played by women-- her only stand-out quality), I feel that I really understand and relate to her, so Tripp managed to not use her stereotype as a crutch. Good character development is insanely rare in this genre, so it was really refreshing and a very strong start to the book.

That being said, pretty much every other face you see in the book is as flat as a cutout from a magazine. Danny keeps it real and keeps you caring, but it seems like Tripp was lazy in designing his other characters so the rest have no depth. A few are sympathetic, but they're all just slightly more developed than cardboard cutouts (case in point: gay interior designer, empathetic and soft-hearted female veterinarian, a-hole lawyer).

The description, however, is magnificent throughout. Excellent prose, believable action and the avoidance of too many predictable plot developments (at least predictable by me) kept me interested to the point where I looked for housework to do just as an excuse to listen. There's a lot of gore, but it's not just a splatterhouse. Also, as a horror, it only really had one scary point for me, at the very beginning. The rest was sort of hum-drum zombie head-smashing.

So there's bad and there's good in it, but it's worth reading. I should make mention that another very refreshing thing about this book is that it's not just another thought experiment about how awesome and scary the idea of the zombie apocalypse is. The story is as it should be-- the zombies are the environment, not the main character.

The plot wasn't really that moving for me, however; Danny's character arc is decent but not earth-shattering, some people get saved from being eaten, world's still destroyed but they can start over. It's all a little canned. Rise Again does attempt to make a few statements about the nature of occupation forces like those we have in the middle east, but they're too heavy handed and that's not really what the book is about. The book is about Danny, someone who's gotten herself into a downward spiral that would probably end in death (we see the ghost of her future in Wolf, also a bit heavy handed), and the catastrophe gives her an opportunity to find the spark of purpose that might bring her some fulfillment and save her. In a word, the book is about redemption, but it's not strong enough to make you want to cry.

All in all, it was a great read. It wasn't The Road or World War Z (I know the two are in completely different leagues from one another, but I loved them both), but it was better than the rest that I've read. And I've read a LOT.

The story itself was pretty good.

Good storyline

Really did not like the main characters personality. This was not a love/ hate type either. The character was asexual, hardass, illogical and annoying all in one. I also found the paramilitary contractors to be old and over used. For some reason, hollywood, writers, authors , TV feels the need to make them out be mindless, steroid filled idiots. This is FAR from the truth and only hurts the storyline.