A Plague Upon Your Family: Zombie Fallout, Book 2

The second installment of the Zombie Fallout series most definitely did not disappoint. The first title leaves you essentially salivating for more with the way it ended and I can assure you this will do the same. It would appear that the author of these books, Mark Tufo, is a fan of ending these titles at a stage that just leaves you craving for more (I somewhat hope that by the time I listen through all the books the other installment would be out).

A number of other characters were brought to the fore here during this book, as well as a number of interesting twists where the zombies are concerned. The entire Talbot family all goes through varying degrees of changes through this one but once again seeing the world through the eyes of Mike Talbot in this post-apocalyptic world is probably the most enjoying part of this. I really do agree with him that he needs to be checked out after all this and I don't particular mean because of the traumatic experience of being hunted by Zombies, clearly his issues are far deeper routed but yet it makes for a HILARIOUS listen.

Sean Runnette is perfection in this title especially where he depicts Mike Talbot (the main character). I honestly believe you would be hard pressed finding anyone who could do anything better than what he did in this title. He simply made it a joy to listen to...

Two Thumbs Up for AWESOMENESS!

On to the next one....

A Plague Upon Your Family starts with eliza's backstory leading up to present day- good stuff. the story then picks up where zombie fallout leaves off, on christmas day with mike and the rest of the neighborhood survivors fleeing in the truck.

if you liked the first book, you'll like this one. some of the minor characters from book 1 come to the forefront.

one of my favorites is bt, big tiny. bt plays a larger role in this book. i love the bantering between mike and bt. i think sean runnette's portrayal of bt gets even better. he does a great job intoning bt's deep voice.

mrs. dino (i don't know how to spell her name, but it sounds like "di" and "no.") is a character i love to hate. she's a survivor. she'll stand back and let someone else die if it means she'll be ok. she'll watch you get eaten while she hangs back, chain-smokes her cigarettes, and puts you down.

justin, mike's oldest son, gets worse and worse. the zommbie scratch on his face has everybody wondering about him, even henry, mike's english bulldog. justin is slowly falling under the influence of eliza. justin is a homing beacon for eliza's army of zombies. justin's descent is creepy as his actions convey hostility towards his own family.

somehow, dergin is still alive. he has a secret and a special delivery for mike.

after surviving and heading east, the group of survivors break up. mike, his family, and a few survivors head to north dakota to see if tracy's mother is still alive. alex and the remaining group of survivors head south to florida.

mike and his group head to tracy's mother's house, a small house on a farm in the middle of nowhere. along the way, they battle zombies and other humans, who have insidous intentions. mike and his crew also have to deal with a new breed of zombies, speeders. fresh undead that can sprint without tiring.

their trek ultimately leads them to tracy's mother's house where the mother of all zombie fights breaks out. mike and his crew's only respites have come b/c eliza is gathering her forces of zombies to assault the lone house in the middle of nowhere. miles of zombies are headed towards them.

What was suppose to be a 30 min trip to the grocery store lapsed into a hour and a half because of this book. I was trying to find a stopping place to check-out but one never came; I couldn't stand to push pause.
As the Talbots continue their journey to Mrs' Talbot's mother's house the caravan just can't get a break. This poor family and their friends just has the worse luck sometimes but thank goodness for Tommy and his premonitions or spirit guide (who he calls Ryan Seacrest...LOL...just cracks me up).
The story does have mild but intense action scenes like the battle between the sick rapist in the white ford trucks and the Talbot caravan but the intense, edge of the seat gripping, anxiety evoking battle is the last battle in this book.

Imagine walking next to a women in a grocery store who is laughing so hard and so loud she causes those around her to laugh. Well I have to say Mike's McDonald's story was hilarious.
Scariest part was the just about every battle or encounter they had with the Zombies.

Can't wait till the third installment...I will miss the Talbots.

#1

There's no comparison. The humor is "natural" and not forced. No zombie three stooges here.

He's great - enough said

This is my favorite zombie series. I LOVE this one! Tufo does a great job. He's my favorite author. I'd "read" anything this guy wrote!

Let me start by saying I like Tufo's writing. I like the character and the world he'd created in the first novel. Mike is a great protagonist for a Zombie infested world because all of his bravado is tempered by being a family man who knows his wife's in charge. I love Tufo's pacing, and once you get into this book, like the first, it's hard to put down. That said, I have to take off some stars for a few things but I'm getting really picky here; First is the glaring pov changes. In the first book Tufo made them work, but if this is supposed to be the second journal of Mike Talbot there should have been more explanation as to why we are suddenly following two characters Mike never seems to hear the story of. Little things like that just come across as "lazy writing". This bring me to my second problem, in that references were made to Mike's "first journal" but indicates he lost it before the final chapters could have been finished - I usually expect a writer to start breaking their own continuity, but not in the second book. These two things just made me feel like this story was rushed to publication. Unlike the first book where things were shoehorned into place, this one just tried to cover it up with a lamp shade. I'm not a fan of Deus Ex Machina and while there were a few slipped into the main plot I almost feel a big one is put in place to end this novel. As for the story, this one tires to introduce something new and at the the risk of being a spoiler, it's in the prologue. Vampires are in Tufo's world, but they aren't vampires like you know them. It makes sense as this is a book about the UNdead but there is no big lead in or foreshadow. You open the book and here's a vampire. It just feels like Tufo dropping in a new plot element for the sake of dropping in a plot element.
All that said, this was still a good book and I'm going to read/listen to the next one. Again, i like the characters and Tufo's writing but I'm starting to feel more afraid for the fate of the plot than the characters.

A great follow up and a great series. Sean Runnette really does a great job with the characters and is outstanding in his role as Mike Talbot!

Can't wait to listen to the next one!

I have never written a review before although I have enjoyed many of the audio books purchased. But, I had to write this one because I haven't laughed so hard and out loud from an audio book before. I listen to my books in my car and I'm sure that people around me are wondering what is so funny since there isn't anyone else in my car. The narrator is perfect for this series and makes you believe every quirk is real. He is able to successfully change his voice to convince you that you are listening to a new character from the book. If I could recommend this book with ten stars, along with the narrator, I would. I can hardly wait to listen to the next.

Besides the lead character, who is absolutely wonderful, I love BT. He is the perfect counter to the lead, Michael Talbot. I love all of Mike's phobias and his perspective on the world and people at large.

I absolutely can't image any other narrator for this book. He is perfect!!!

There are too many to comment on here. But, I love the thoughtfulness that Mike exhibits, even for those who don't warrant it (Mrs. D). I find it moving how Mike feels about all of his friends and family.

Love, love, love this series and hope it never ends although I know it will. (Sigh)

Many times an author will establish the story and then really take off in the second novel in a series. I felt that was hardly the case in this series. I was very much interested in reading all the Zombie Fallout series after the first book but have been reticent to going on after reading this book. Let me explain. The first novel balances the action with the character development seamlessly. This book, feels like it has a hard time switching between the two. And when we get to the character development, it feels like the Michael Talbot is becoming much more depressed and sullen. He doesn't have the spark he has in the first book, and Tufo's sparkling witticisms are fewer and farther between as well.

I kept saying to myself, 'come on Talbot, quit just being forced into situation after situation and be pro active or at least try a little harder.' It really did feel like he was partially giving up in places, and that is something that is acceptable on occasion in a main character. However, Tufo doesn't give sufficient reason or driving action to make his floppiness feel justified or palatable.

I may go on to book three, but it will be a little longer than originally expected after this let down.

Sean Runnette is Talbot to me. I really like his voice, and he puts alil extra somethin on/in it, when he reads.

Zombies and a vengeful Vampire......you're Screwed.

Things really start to unfold. These are not your George Romero type of zombies. Sean Runnette is a perefect narrator for the main character Mike Talbot.

I liked that the story started to get deeper. There is more to the zomie apocalypse than there seems. I love all of the back story of the characters relationships.

I haven't heard him before but I would give anything a peek with his name attatched.