Arisen Omnibus Edition: Books 1-3

By: Michael Stephen Fuchs, Glynn James

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

Book One - Fortress Britain: When the Zombie Apocalypse came, one country had shut down its borders in response to a major terrorist attack. Now Fortress Britain is the last bastion of the living - with 50 million beleaguered survivors facing down a world of seven billion animated corpses. And one international team of elite special operators - supremely trained and armed, always the most skilled, resolved, and unstoppable amongst us - are humanity's last best hope for survival....

Book Two - Mogadishu of the Dead: Alpha team is tasked with one last desperate operation: They must cross the Atlantic aboard the world's only remaining supercarrier and insert by air into the very middle of a dead continent, all in search of a rumored vaccine that might bring humanity back from the brink. But their op goes dangerously wrong from the start, with the team scattered to hell and back, and their target site a dry hole. Now they must fight their way on foot through a city of three million ravening dead guys, in search of an underground bunker that might hold the Last Man on Earth. But these undead will not be like any Zulus they have ever fought before - and they surround the new target in a writhing ring of death 30 feet high on all sides....

Book Three - Three Parts Dead: Alpha team, the world's best and last surviving Tier-1 operators, are adrift on Lake Michigan - and fast drifting into what looks like a damned hostile shoreline. Deep in the National Forest nearby, a former police officer and survivalist battles to keep her family alive - and tries to decide whether the commandos of Alpha are more dangerous to her alive or dead. Meanwhile, the John F. Kennedy, the world's last floating supercarrier, is run aground off the coast of Virginia - and facing a veritable hurricane of the dead, blowing in fast. Finally, back in Fortress Britain, the terrible outbreak from the Channel Tunnel turns out not to have been so contained after all.

©2014 Michael Stephen Fuchs, Glynn James (P)2015 Podium Publishing

Good macho military bang bang story

If you're looking for character depth, maybe you should stay away as this all about tough as nails disciplined special forces men and the obligatory just as tough female sniper. The beginning spends quite some time on the characters, but I actually fast forwarded twice, because they were all the same and their "depth" of how tough they were got tiresome. All the soldiers were the same to me. Except Predator because he is the toughest of them all. There are alot of acronyms, descriptive weaponry and tactics as you would expect In a military focused book. At this time the book was worth three stars.

A positive is that becuase they are tough and professional killers, there is no whingeing, whining, moral delimmas or doing of dumb things.

Halfway through, the story got me hooked and it's pretty interesting and well written. The SEAL team scavenges Europe for supplies and search research centres for the cure, the trail leading to an over run United States. The virus has mutated and there are a few fast and powerful zombies (Zulu Foxtrots) that will just slash people just to spread the virus, not to feed. Englishman Wesley is the most relatable character, being a civilian security guard. He got drafted and how that happened made me laugh. The story switches between Wesley and the gung-Ho special operators.

There are no raiders, cannibal sects or government conspiracies but there is a stupid kid which messes everything up, which is sadly so essential in many zombie stories.

I read this omnibus first because it was labeled 1-3, but there's another marked as 0.5 that I've just started and it's a totally different story, with new characters occurring before the apocalypse. I wish I read that one first, because right now I want to continue with the story I'm on. Two of the characters did something stupid and unexpected in the end.

The narrators rough voice fits the book but he's just great with all the voices.

Totally Fun Book, Terrific Narration

Overall this is a great listen, fun story with some great characters. Bray knocks it out of the park with his narration that brings people, plot and action to life.

Standout Zombie Horror Story

Would you listen to Arisen Omnibus Edition: Books 1-3 again? Why?

Might. It's a great beginning to a harrowing story full of diverse and rich characters. Going back to the beginning could be good fun to hear their initial development.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I've listened so far into this series - I might be listing some characters that come in later. That said, Predator has to take the top. Clearly drawn with wonderful depth.

Which character – as performed by R.C. Bray – was your favorite?

I think Sara comes in later - she's a Canadian - and his ability to present women characters as well as his mastery of a variety of dialects - even ones as subtle as Canadian - is pronounced in his depiction of her

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This is a sprawling story - so hard to say. I think most of my favorite moments come later in Maximum Violence (Gunny Fick) and Exodus (the re-emergence of the JFK's captain and subsequent disappearance). What I like most about the book overall is that all of the armed forces personnel are depicted in the best light. Many of these types of post-apocalyptic stories don't do that and I really enjoyed that they were shown as comrades in arms out to serve those that were not trained to be protectors. At the same time, they are show to be fully living and breathing 3 dimensional characters with missteps mingled with extraordinary skill. I am not in the armed forces and long past the age to do so. This book oddly made me appreciate their service in real time.

Any additional comments?

When I grow up (I'm 47) I want to be R.C. Bray.

Special forces save mandkind

The British point point of view makes this zombie story a little different. The introduction of a super zombie type keeps the pressure on for the characters. The use of special forces for all the hard and saving mankind missions makes sense. It also adds a vicarious feeling of excitement as they can do things that even athletes could not do. i liked the narrator and thought the plot was tightly written and kept my interest throughout the all of the books. The story ends with some loose ends leaving plenty of room for another book. My only complaint is that it is a little short for my tastes. I think that if you like JL Bourne and his daybyday Armageddon series you will really like this one.

Great read!

I really enjoyed this trilogy. It brought together detailed human characters and lives along with a great storyline and some twists and turns.
Will not disappoint!

RC Bray At His Best !!

I am a fan of the ZA genre, but I find that most ZA books follow a very similar
format. Something like bad ass ex-military guys try to survive through skill and guile while helping other survivors along the way...or...unlikely anti hero emerges and summons his inner McGyver, etc...

The story line(s) of the Arisen Omnibus trilogy is somewhat more sophisticated as it carefully intertwines several personal narratives within a broader survival story.

I clearly see that a Book 4 will be necessary to tie-up all the lose ends that the first three books leave behind.

So the story is worth 3 stars. The brilliant narration by RC Bray is worth at least an additional two stars! Simply put, Bray's narration elevates Arisen from good to exceptional.

Bray's narration of the Martian was very good, but I think Arisen is even more of a showcase for his talent.

Arisen Omnibus is one of those rare audiobooks that grabbed me immediately and never disappointed.

Well worth you time and credit!

Great series, the Best ZA series out there

This is a great series. As one of the characters says, it's not so much about the Zombies but how the humans who remain cope with the end of the world.

But, I have issues with the whole concept. I can imagine a virus that turns humans into raving lunatics who only want to bite the living (Rabies style) but:

(1) Defying the laws of physics - how can corpses who are literally rotted away still manage to move and kill the living. I can suspend disbelief with most Sci Fi because a lot of it is based on existing science or conceivable advances or a magic black box that promises some future scientific advance. But corpses that can still function when the body is rotted away seems a bridge too far.

(2) Zombies are drawn to sound and smell (apparently) so why doesn't the military set up a killing zone in an empty stadium or depression, lure the hordes with a sound machine (a la the thumpers in DUNE) and when you have a few thousand trapped in the killing zone drop some napalm on them?

(3) Thinking back on WW1 and the massive killing of tens of thousands of living, dodging and shooting soldiers while attacking fortified German positions; why doesn't the military set up to sweep hordes with massive machine gun fire at head height with secondary troops lined up to pick off the ones who squirt through the fire?

Just some thoughts. Still a great well written series if you can suspend disbelief of the above caveats.

Call of duty... With zombies!

Really enjoyed the series, very fast paced and more action packed than many but anyone who enjoyed 'The Remaining' or the 'surviving the dead' series of books will love it. Well narrated and written in a format that could easily be made into a great film or video game. Individually these books are relatively short but together the three make up a very worthwhile listen.

Terrible and disappointing

With so many great reviews I thought this could be a decent story. Unfortunately OT even R.c. Bray could save it. In fact you could tell from his own voice he knew this book(series) was garbage and just tried to grit through it like a professional.

The writing is poor and clumsy. With a gushing sophomoric obsession with military special operations types that reads like the B movie filled fantasies of a frustrated twelve year old suburbanite. Too much explaining and describing how cool and super bad ass the characters are over and over only to be dispelled by their conduct, lack of tactical sense and poor discipline. The author tries to tell a story (even fictional) about people he doesn’t show any understanding of. It’s very distracting and annoying.

I tried several times to give this book a chance. Ultimately it was a complete waste of time and money.

The apocalypse book ever

There isn't one bad thing I could say about this series of books. Only thing I wish is that there was more. I have recommended this book series to many
of my friends and they have all enjoyed it immensely. I anyone that listen to this on Siri and does not give it a five star rating is out of their mind. Again the best series ever.

Very good quality books really enjoyed

If you could sum up Arisen Omnibus Edition: Books 1-3 in three words, what would they be?

Very Good Read

Have you listened to any of R.C. Bray’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This was a good narration

Any additional comments?

These 3 books were very good indeed and as a group of 3 it was great value but as single books at an average of 5hrs i would not think they are good value at all but at 15hrs and well written 100% worth buying or using a credit :)

Gritty and realistic

This is an omnibus of the first three books in the Arisen series, of which there are now 8 in total. To say it is a zombie apocalypse story doesn't really do it justice. This is a well thought out, plausible and realistic story, covering the actions of the military (UK and US), rather than small bunches of non-military survivors.

Although the American narrator occasionally mispronounces words, the story is absorbing and moves at a good pace. Highly recommended if you like your zombie apocalypse gritty and realistic.

It's OK.

I hate to give this a mediocre review after seeing all the enjoyment it's brought to others, but I have to be honest, and personally, I couldn't rate this anywhere near the full 5 stars.

That may possibly be because I listened to this straight after D.J. Moyles 'The Remaining' series, and this is ........ not as good.

I love R.C Bray's style and narration. He does a fantastic job of capturing the excitement and pace of the novel, he's entertaining, engaging and absorbing - but the guy cannot do a British accent ! Asking him to do a dozen or more is just cruel. Imagine getting Al Murray to narrate a book with 12 separate and distinct French accents and you get the picture (ie - its not going to end well)..

The characters - especially in the first book - are a bit flat and stereotypical of what you'd expect the Hollywood version of a SAS/Seal/Bruce 'I'm Hard' Lee/Special Ops team to be. Remember the cigar chewing mercenary in Predator? ("You're bleeding" "Hell, I aint got time to bleed"). That's pretty much everyone - except the Brits who mostly sound a touch effeminate (see above).

The story is actually pretty decent. It's fast paced and there are a couple of surprises if you stick with it. Mr Bray, within his limits, does a great job with what he's given to work with, and his material does get better as time goes on.

I bought this as the trilogy release, and I feared it would be a DNF, but I'm glad I stuck it out.

First Zombie listen!

I have to admit, I'm a sci fi girl, but I picked this up because I'd some credits to spare and liked that it's 3 books in one. Bargain.

I liked the read up and being a Brit thought yey, someone who might actually get us a little. I did think that R.C struggled just a little in the first book with the brit accents, but by the time I'd got through to the third, I think he'd really settled into it and I began to enjoy the whole performance.

When the end of the world hits, there's Britain and by sheer luck managed to batten down the hatches and stay alive..... that is until one of the zombies digs it's way out the channel tunnel from France. (and what an ordeal for those still in the tunnel)

I have to say the characters also started out a bit flat. 2D kinda military people who just seemed to get on and do their job no matter what was thrown at them, but by the end of book 3 I'd started to really connect with them all. The military bravado is just that, a huge attempt to just get on with the really crap situations these guys just seemed to keep finding themselves in.

So, top and bottom of it. I enjoyed spending the 15 hours with these die hard characters, so much so I went and bought the rest of the series. And am already on book 5 :)

Thanks to both narrator and writers, who together made a really good team, and I'm looing forward to seeing how this all plays out.

Zombies, Spec Ops, Like Them, You Will Love This!

Well, hell's teeth I've become a fan of Zombie novels! Never thought it would happen but somehow it has! This series is a fast-paced and action packed book stuffed full of tough, uncompromising Special Ops characters and every zombie cliche you can shake a stick at.

But don't just write it off if that all sounds a bit predictable, having listened to all of the series currently on Audible UK the action is unrelenting and there are some clever twists, innovations and great set piece battles to enjoy at almost every stage.

The package of all three books together was an excellent idea, I was at first put off by the shortness of the original three titles but this compilation is an excellent use of a credit. Great idea.

The narration is genuinely good suiting the pace and character of the books. A tough, uncompromising tone reflecting both the story and the characters that populate it.

Definitely recommended!

Non-serious note for UK listeners . . . when I originally read the summary part of the reason for buying was "Fortress Britain", finally not a book about the Americans saving the world I smiled to myself! Alas it's not so, us "Brits" got lucky with it being a pure fluke that Britain stood tall! Well that and our willingness to machine gun the French apparently! It is still the US saving the world but don't be put off, us Brits do get to play a part and even though the narrator struggles with the English accent it won't put you off at all.

Great zombie story

I have read and watched looooots of zombie themed books/ movies and the current batch seem to be getting stale.

This 3 part audio book is great, a nice return to good story telling and pretty original, or as original as zombie stuff can be.

Some of it is slightly unbelievable, but hey.. Zombies.

Ami would recommend this book and I will be buying any more follow ups. I would not spend a credit on a single 5 hour version though, this is 3 of the 5 hour books, well worth your money.

Great fun!

Its total pulp but its great fun and the action ticks along at a fast pace. Only criticism is the author hasn't done a great job researching kent.

Lonely Mall Night Shift Gold.

Best take on Zombie story I've heard in a long time. And good way to start Arisen Series.
R.C.Bray as always is one of the best narrators out there.

Listen to quite a few of Audible book series over past few months. Mostly Space Oprah's. But glad I tried this, will be adding rest of Arisen Series to my wishlist but with 12 books and 2 others 0.5 & 8.5 may take a while.

On personal note maybe not the smartest choice of audible book when I working night shift alone especially in a closed Shopping Mall

Awesome story

glad I got omnibus edition. As well as good value it means you're not waiting to download next book!
Like the development of different strands of the story.
Good narration but could have got someone who can do a British accent!!!

Call Of Duty vs Zombies

Just loved this audio collection. Great action, amazing story. Can't wait for the next collection in this awesome series. Loved it!