The Undead Situation

By: Eloise J. Knapp

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

When the end finally occurred, everything about it was cinematic. The dead came back and ate people, civilization collapsed, and no one could do a thing. But Cyrus V. Sinclair couldn’t care less; he’s a sociopath.

Amidst the chaos, Cyrus sits back and contemplates the gore stained streets and screams of his fellow man with little more emotion than one of the walking corpses. With his cache of guns and MREs, he rather likes the idea of hunkering down in his Seattle apartment while the world ends outside.

All is well and good for Cyrus… until he meets up with Gabe, a belligerent annoyance, and the other inconvenient survivors who cramp his style and force him to re-evaluate his outlook on life. It’s Armageddon, and things will definitely get messy.

BONUS SHORT STORY: The Undead Situation includes "Strictly Professional", one of four interlocking stories from The Junkie Quatrain by Peter Clines.

©2010 Eloise J. Knapp (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Survival of the fittest in zombie apocalypse!

There's plenty of blood in this one as well as a nice dose of human intrigue. You want cannibalism, guns, and slaughter? Well, you're reading reviews on a zombie audio book, aren't you?

In terms of the voice acting, one of the principal ways I judge this is how well the actor can do voices of the opposite sex from themselves and Mr. Collins does a fine job here. Nothing is more jarring than listening intently to a dialog when suddenly a whinny, grade-b transvestite chimes in.

Bravo to the author and actor of this little ditty!

I loved the novel and enjoyed the short story!

Without any spoilers, I will say that this is one of my favorite zombie novels to date. I just finished listening, and already want to listen again. The narrator was perfect, and I found the end very satisfying. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys straight-up zombie apocalypse survival novels; it has everything in it you could want. Definitely give it a go!

One note of warning: The characters are no fluffy bunnies. If you're looking for a heart-warming tale, this probably isn't your cup of tea. There is, however, FANTASTIC character growth over the course of the novel, which I feel more than makes up for the more cold-hearted parts.

This was well worth the price, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Sociopath gains a conscience...via ZomPoc...

What made the experience of listening to The Undead Situation the most enjoyable?

The main character being an alleged Sociopath was very appealing. Who wouldn't want to have a complete lack of moral culpability, especially during the Zombie Apocalypse?

Would you recommend The Undead Situation to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes with the Caveat that they should expect the typical cliche's and an almost predictable tempo. It was still enjoyable, however.

Which character – as performed by Kevin T. Collins – was your favorite?

Cyrus V. Sinclair was the protagonist for the majority of the story so he wins by default. gotta love "Blaze" though being a Devil Dog myself. Semper Fi. She is, in a word, HARDCORE. Everyone in the book seems to be a gun nut, and the author did an excellent job of ACCURATELY detailing the arms and armament, which is rare in the genre.

Any additional comments?

Zompoc meted out with healthy doses of comic relief and Anti-social behavior makes for an interesting (yet at times predictable) anti-hero development to the main character. If you don't know what to spend your credit on, or have gone through the top picks in the Zom-genre then this is worth a listen. You also get a small segment of another book called "The Junkie Quattrain" at the end of this one. Flat, but ok.

A Solid 4

If you could sum up The Undead Situation in three words, what would they be?

Realistic, Original, and different.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cyrus. He was the main character and the author made him really cool. I like it when the author makes a hero out of a crazy anti hero. Cyrus thinks the same way that a lot of people really think. He is more real than most people I know.

Which scene was your favorite?

When he was held up in his apartment during the first few chapters. He did the same thing that I would have done. He just hung out in his apartment in downtown Seattle for a month while the zombie apocalypse happened. He didn't do some silly cliche like looking for an Island or some other lame "get away" place.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. I thought it was a solid story with a good narrator. If you like the zombie genre than this book is worth the read. It has a little bit of walking dead in it with some original ideas. It's one of the better zombie books I have read. I liked this book better than World War Z.

May not be what you're expecting!

The Undead Situation is not your usual zombie story where a few heroic survivors do heroic stuff and eventually move forward with their lives. Instead, most of these survivors are kind of...well...OK, I'll just say it. They're jerks.

Fortunately, they're funny, clever jerks, which made this book a quick and amusing listen. The main character, Cyrus V. Sinclair, won me over early on just because he knows himself so well--he understands that he's a jerk and he at least tries to work with it instead of letting it hold him back.

A few other reviewers say there's a lack of story, so I'll warn prospective readers: this isn't an epic drama. If you'd prefer a chewier apocalypse with more examination of society and morality, I recommend Stephen King's "Cell" (which by the way I really liked). In other words, you won't find a good-vs.-evil showdown here; it's a fast-moving tale of survival. Seen from that perspective, it definitely did the job, keeping me entertained and leaving me wanting more.

Another warning: like most zombie adventures, this one's got plenty of yuck. Don't do what I did and sit down to eat lunch while listening! Ew. I'd rate it at least PG-13; younger kids might be a little freaked out by the mess (unless they already like zombies and know what to expect).

This narrator was new to me, and for the most part I liked his performance. He could get hammy, but that never lasted long, and he didn't try to do high voices for the female characters, which I always appreciate. Overall, I recommend this for a funny and fast listen.

An Enjoyable 'Situation'

What did you love best about The Undead Situation?

The book has a pulp-style sensibility, with broadly drawn characters and plenty of action. At some point it hit me: this is like a John Carpenter story (director of

What did you like best about this story?

Knapp does some very nice, surprisingly subtle work with the main character, Cyrus. Also, the story takes a few noir-ish turns, totally driven by character, that I didn't see coming and enjoyed quite a bit.

Which character ??? as performed by Kevin T. Collins ??? was your favorite?

Collins brought the main character, Cyrus, to life perfectly. Sardonic, but not quite as smart as he thinks he is. (Meaning Cyrus, not Collins.)

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

In this crazy, mixed-up world, all you need is love.And a lot of ammo.

psycho creepy thriller set in a zombie apocalypse.

I enjoyed the performance the voice was perfect for the character and the story was on the edge and interesting

Satisfyingly Different

Ever wonder how a sociopath like Dexter would fare in the Zombie Apocalypse? Knapp's The Undead Situation explores the ever-more familiar genre of Zombie Survival Horror, but it eschews the typical, hope-filled protagonist trying to keep everyone alive and keep their spirits up in favor of a different type of "hero." Cyrus V. Sinclair is a total misanthrope who was happy to watch the world burn in solitude from his apartment window. Knapp uses Cyrus as a kind of foil to poke fun at the conventions of most of these stories, since as a gun-nut misanthrope who has a history of quietly murdering people who annoyed him in his youth, Cyrus is not one to sympathize with the plight of the average survivor, and trying to appeal to his sense of humanity is like shooting at a brick wall hoping it'll topple over. While it's not stellar in terms of plot and has some contrivances that kept me from saying it was amazing, it was a pretty satisfying listen. The book has a consciousness about the zombie genre, and while it doesn't add anything too new, it does wear the conventions well even as it pokes fun at them. When it was done I found myself pleased by the narrative arc and it gave me some things to think about.

Dark Humor

If you like Zombie stories with a little dark humor you'll like this one. Less guts and gore would have been better. I thought that the narration was good. I'm sure it is meant to be the first book of a series. If so then I'll get the next one. A series I really liked were ALL the Joe Ledger books by Jonathan Mayberry read by a very talented reader, Ray Porter (four books that should be listened to in order).

The Best Blind Purchase I've Made Here

A must read.. if you're looking around going ho hum.. there is nothing on Audible I want to read. Narrators might suck.. stories sound un interesting. No werewolve books or vampire books worth a crap and it seems everything right now is Zombies.. I happened to just say what the heck and purchased this.. I couldnt stop listening to it. Its totally different than the usual Zombie story.. well not really.. but the main character is not what your normal hero. I love the fact the book seems to not have a point.. no love story.. no cookie cutter crap..

By no means is this award winning.. but its the perfect saturday afternoon Zombie flick. I will recommend this to all my Audible friends.


PLEASE bring on a sequel!