Blackout: The Newsflesh Trilogy, Book 3

Wow. Conspiracy anyone? About 3/4 of this book is even better than the middle book, which was about twice as good as the first book! The only thing I like better than a well-written conspiracy theory is a well-written conspiracy theory that involves zombies! Or medical interventions that 'accidentally' end up creating zombies anyway...

Was it as excellent as it could have been? Not quite... there was just a bit too much "coverage" of Shawn's insanity. I think there must have been a couple dozen mentions of how crazy he was and how one didn't recover from insanity in a day. Then at the end, the insanity just disappears, or, at least, it just stops being mentioned. The wrap-up is quite hasty as well... considering we had 3 books to get us here, it was all said and done in only a chapter or two.

It also had a bit more feel of a journal-style book than the earlier ones, and we see the same event/time period through the eyes of more than one character via these journal-like entries. It caused the suspense level to suffer a bit, but, otherwise, it was a nice way to see what was going on in other people's heads.

Overall it was a believable (and yet, thankfully, still far-fetched) and satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Do you have to suspend disbelief? Duh, of course, it's a zombie novel... but it's quite a bit more thoughtful (conspiratorial) than the typical hack 'n slash. The narration is fine, but I preferred the male narrator of book two.

Yes I would, provided the synopsis was something that I was interested in. I enjoyed most of this series, just thought the last half of the last book fell kinda flat.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the 2 narrators! Lent a little more drama to it, which was needed by the end.

Yes, I would like seeing it made into a TV series, starring Jane Levy and Aaron Paul.

I snapped this book up as soon as I knew it was out, and I was not disappointed with the first half of the book! The last half dissolved into a watered-down conspiracy theory mess, with a heretofore unknown gov't agency riding is as the Cavalry.

Overall excellent series. I just wish the author had made the ending as striking as everything leading up to it.

I dislike it when a series sharply changes tone(and or changes maguffin) in the last book

sort of an anti climax I thought

I liked the narrator of the first 2 books much better, and the audio quality in general was a bit disappointing, this one is not up to the same standard

Absolutely. In fact, the entire Newsflesh trilogy is on my "listen again" list as soon as I'm done processing everything that happened.

Georgia! Georgia, and how smart she is, and how she deals with who and what she is.

Paula Christensen back as the female narrator was fantastic. I love how she gives life to George...her voice just sounds right for the character. On the other hand, I have NO idea of why we have a third male narrator in as many books. The male narrator for Deadline was perfect! While I think I might enjoy Michael Goldstrom narrating something different, where he isn't narrating from inside the head of a damaged twentysomething, his voice is WAY too old to carry Shaun's narration believably.

Especially given the younger male voices we've already heard for him. So it was half perfect, half entirely wrong.

I cried. A few times. The reunion scene, for one. Becks...yeah, cried there.

I think this series has been my favorite in the zombie genre overall, and this is a good solid ending to the series. The plot line resolution with the parents was well done, and a lot of the loose ends tied up. I didn't think this one felt as fresh, as fast, or as hip as the earlier two in the series but it was still a good read.

The author just stretches my suspension of disbelief (i.e. verisimilitude) to ridiculous proportion with the concept of cloning. To get me to buy it takes a lot more than having a "metal snapshot" of a brain. It IS a fascinating idea but it doesn't really go anywhere except to add a lot of self doubt to a character. The author continues to do a really sketchy job creating settings and bullets will come out of nowhere but what the room looks like in which that could happen is often poorly (or not at all) described. The narrator for the main woman in the story sounds great and unchanged. They changed the male narrator (at least he sounded much different) and most of the time he is fine but not is as consistently in his very cynical and harsh character as in the second book.

I really enjoyed the first two books in the Newsflash trilogy, they were fast-paced and kept my attention, the first I read in about 24 hours. The third book fell flat - one-dimensional characters who resembled Scooby Doo's posse - always seeming to find the bad guy at the right possible moment. Nothing really held my interest and I ended the book very disappointed. The narrators I thoroughly enjoyed, they brought life to these flat characters.

Very complex ending.

I don't want to say much because of the surprise ending of Deadline (the previous book), but Georgia "George" Mason is back. That's all I should say.

Again, I don't want to give too much away, but a major character gives up their lives to help the others.

In the previous scene, I was a little sad about that character's death.

The male narrator (Michael Goldstrom) isn't as good as the male narrators in Feed and Deadline. But thankfully Paula Christensen, who read Feed, is back to read the female based chapters (unlike the previous books, they basically go back and forth, with the female narrator reading the odd numbered chapters, the male narrator reading the even chapters. All in all, a great end to a terrific series.

Most definitely! This series is one that I'll be pulling out periodically for a long time I suspect. I'm wish there were going to be more stories in this line. For now I am making due with the novellas, even though San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats is only available in e-books. This series has the rare combination of interesting ideas, characters you can enjoy and care about, and excellent audio performances.

Yes.

Although I have not read the print version, I consider the audiobook version as a better medium for the telling of this tale as there are constant break-aways to cameras that might be confusing at first in the print version.

Excellent voice acting by both performers.

Yes, definitely.

This was almost as good as the Book 1 and definitely better than Book 2. Great storyline coupled with a few surprises along the way. Loved the medical detail; I felt it added to, rather than detracted from the overall story.