Dead City

By: Joe McKinney

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Texas? Toast. Battered by five cataclysmic hurricanes in three weeks, the Texas Gulf Coast and half of the Lone Star State is reeling from the worst devastation in history. Thousands are dead or dying - but the worst is only beginning. Amid the wreckage, something unimaginable is happening: a deadly virus has broken out, returning the dead to life - with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. The nightmare begins....

Within hours, the plague has spread all over Texas. San Antonio police officer Eddie Hudson finds his city overrun by a voracious army of the living dead. Along with a small group of survivors, Eddie must fight off the savage horde in a race to save his family.

Hell on Earth. There's no place to run. No place to hide. The zombie horde is growing as the virus runs more rampant. Eddie knows he has to find a way to destroy these walking horrors... but he doesn't know the price he will have to pay.

©2006, 2010 Joe McKinney (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A merciless, fast-paced and genuinely scary read that will leave you absolutely breathless." (Brian Keene)

EXCELLENT READ!!!!!

Would you listen to Dead City again? Why?

I would listen to this book again

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.... I'm going through a Zombie faze

A welcome twist to a zombie book

The book was well written, great narration. Very good story, very different from most of the zombie books I've listen to.

good

good fast zombie read. lots of action . liked the ending quite a bit. go for it!

Very, very exciting and thrilling.

This was a really good read. Taking you from a normal day on the job to a crazy night filled with tension and emotion. As the story went on you could really get the feeling of what Eddie was going through trying to get back to his family. If you like zombie books this is one you should not look over.

nothing happens

the characters are annoying and contrived, which I could tolerate if not for the ridiculous pacing. The amount of times the main character allows himself to be distracted while he’s supposedly on a mission to go find his family boggles the mind. That being said this narrator is excellent and kept me listening past what might have otherwise been my limit.

Excellent, but.....

A very well written story for someone new to this zombie genre it is perfect. To the seasoned Zombie reader you will find the pace a bit slow and drawn out. Is it worth the credit , sure but you've been warned :)

Sophomoric writing

Really would benefit from a proper editor. Language is generally flat and repetitive. Descriptions are super generic and character motivations flit between super generic to cliche. Feels like written by an advanced AI because it lacks a personal voice which makes it hard to get invested in the characters. Also plot is too fast paced, while also being sort of boring (contradictory I know). That is to say, the characters plot furiously through each scene so that the action passes without leaving any impact.

One of the best zombie series.

I remember reading this title an starting this series years ago. I love urban "zombie" enviornments like this especially told from a cop perspective and it's not all happy endings. One of my favorite series next to the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novels. Don't pass this up!

Worth a listen

Would you listen to Dead City again? Why?

Not likely because the pace was slow bordering on monotonous.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I was pleased with the ending.

Which character – as performed by Michael Kramer – was your favorite?

This wasn't my favorite Michael Kramer performance. He is a great voice actor but none of the characters were great in this book.

If you could take any character from Dead City out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I suppose the main character because he is one of the few people that makes it through the book.

Any additional comments?

I wanted to enjoy the book but I had a hard time getting into it. As the book progressed it felt like a series of unrelated events loosely tied together by flat characters until they die off. I think the author is talented and he is very detailed in many of his descriptions, but the timeline of the book seems to be about 12 hours and the audio book is close to 10? I got a little bored despite the action.

Great story!

All the gore and fast paced action that you want out of a zombie book! And the hope too