Yellow Zone

A Journal Documentation of the End of America

By: Jacqueline Druga

Narrated by: David Dietz

Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

On a late spring day, the United States of America is hit with a biological terror attack that brings the nation to her knees. The virus is deadly and highly contagious. It spreads like wildfire, infecting, and killing almost everyone it hits.

In order to prevent the worldwide spread of the disease and for the preservation of all mankind, the United States of America is shut down. Quarantined from and by the rest of the world for a period of five years or until a cure is found.

In the interest of the human race, those who remain inside the isolated United States are forgotten and left to fend for themselves until the quarantine is lifted.

This is a journal documentation of just a few of those survivors, those abandoned and left behind to witness the end of the once Greatest Nation in the World, the United States of America.

©2011 Jacqueline Druga (P)2015 Jacqueline Druga

Amazing narration!!

I was a bit hesitant upon starting this because the reviews vary, but to be honest, I really enjoyed it! I think the narration helped with that a lot because David Dietz was amazing!

Let's talk about the narrator first, because he is seriously the best thing about the book! I have never listened to a male narrator that was able to pull off a female voice properly, that is, until this book! He did an amazing female voice and at the start, I had to go back and see were there 2 narrators. He was excellent in all the tones and voices he did and it felt like a full cast were telling the story!!

Now onto the story itself. I loved the journal entries! It really brought a feeling of uniqueness to the genre and added a little extra to the book. The story starts with a virus being intentionally unleashed inside JFK airport. The virus rapidly spreads despite quarantines in place. Most people die but some are immune and more are carriers. These carries are being rounded up and branded. They are taken to carrier camps to live but in one such camp is the author of the journals we are reading. She finds out that the government plan to eradicate all carriers so that the US can start again with no fear of the virus. Thus begins a journey of survival.

There is a lot to like about this book. The way it's written in journal form is one! We don't just see one POV but at times others write in the journal and tell their story. The carrier idea is another! Usually we see the virus killing people and all that's left are the survivours, but here we have the extra complication of carriers! It was a unique and brilliant addition. I also liked that this focuses on one womans life and what happens to her and her loved ones.

In all, I enjoyed this Post Apocalyptic book. It was fairly fast paced and entertaining. The plot was believable and engaging and the book held my attention. As I said already, the narrator helped a lot with this book and I can;t recommend his work enough!! If you like this type of book then it's worth a listen.

Narrator great; not wild about story

Would you try another book from Jacqueline Druga and/or David Dietz?

I would definitely listen to another book narrated by David Dietz. I found his voice enjoyable and versatile. He was able to do women's as well as men's voices without the women seeming falsetto. This was my first exposure to Jacqueline Druga. I cannot say I found the story to be an good as other post-apocalyptic books like "The Dead Lands".

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

I really did not enjoy the book that much so the ending did not make much of a difference.

Which character – as performed by David Dietz – was your favorite?

The story itself did not really do anything for me so I was not wild about any of the characters. I did enjoy David's voice. I would buy an audio book narrated by him if I find one that interest me.

Was Yellow Zone worth the listening time?

It was worth the time to be introduced to David Dietz as a narrator.

Any additional comments?

While David's reading was great, it seemed the production values were not as good as some other books I have listened to. The sound quality especially when he raised his voice was not great. I know that is a studio production issue and one that should have been addressed by the producer of the audio book not the narrator.

Yellow Zone

I love 'end of the world' type books.This one was only the demise of the U.S.,but that's ok.It was written in journal form.A typical family vs a plague that is spread by a terrorist.It's a great story with a great narrator.David Dietz is a master of voices.
I was gifted a copy for review by Audioblast.

never really captured my imagination

This was my first exposure to Jacqueline Druga. I cannot say I found the story to be as good as other post-apocalyptic books such as “The Dead Lands“.

The opening scene in the book is of Jen, the main character, sitting on a porch in Ohio. She sees a man she judges as “infected” and shoots him with a rifle, killing him. Jen then takes us back to before the infection started and tells us how it all began. She explains how she went from being a working mother and wife in Philadelphia to survivalist watching the death throes of America. The virus started at Kennedy airport in New York City and at first Jen thought she was far enough away to be safe. As the virus rapidly spread Jen, her husband, son and daughter head to a family cabin in West Virginia taking Dan’s mother with them. They meet up with other family members but have very little time before the infection invades their secluded area.

The story itself never really captured my imagination. Throughout the entire story, I never felt a connection to Jen. She lost loved ones, watched her world destroyed but I never really felt anything for her. I did not like her. I did not dislike her. I just did not care. She never reached out of the story in a way which would have invested me in her survival.

David Dietz’s narration was enjoyable. He was versatile, able to do women’s as well as men’s voices without the women seeming falsetto. I would buy an audio book narrated by him if I find one that interests me. While David’s reading was great, it seemed the production values were not as good. The sound quality, especially when he raised his voice was not great. I know that is a studio production issue and one that should have been addressed by the producer of the audio book not the narrator.

Although Yellow Zone was ultimately a weak book, it was worth the time I spent listening to it to be introduced to David Dietz as a narrator.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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Enjoyed it for the narration.

What did you love best about Yellow Zone?

I listened to the narration done by David Dietz. There is a good chance I wouldn't have enjoyed this book as much as I did if I had read the book instead. The reviews are hit or miss about the editing for the text. Listening though allowed me to just sit back and enjoy the ride. It was an interesting take on the epidemic genre. There are obvious parallels to World War Z, but this one followed one story chronologically by different narrators. They are using a journal and passing it around.

I can't recommend the book, but I CAN and do recommend the narrated version. It's a fun, quick ride.

What does David Dietz bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I read some of the reviews on goodreads about the bad editing for the text version. I didn't have to worry about any of that, and was able to just sit back and enjoy the narrator telling me an interesting store.

An interesting writing style.Terrific narration

Any additional comments?

YELLOW ZONE

Author: Jacqueline Druga

Type of Book: Audiobook Unabridged

Narrator: David Dietz

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, Science Fiction

Length: 4 hours, 52 minutes

Release Date: April 2, 2014

Publisher: Jacqueline Druga

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

* I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This audiobook is written in journal-entry style, but still contains multiple characters. It is an interesting way to write a book.

JFK Airport in New York is ground zero for a unique terrorist attack. On a normal Spring day a woman unleashes a deadly virus at the airport and the infection rapidly spreads.

States where victims fall sick from the virus are declared Yellow Zones. In fact, the entire country of the United States has been declared a Yellow Zone. Since the virus has been contained to a single country, the US has been quarantined from the rest of the world.

The virus does not affect everyone. Some people are immune and others are carriers. Being a carrier means that they are infected with the virus and can spread it, but they do not get sick from it.

Carriers are tattooed and sent to live in Containment Camps. But what happens when the rest of the population finds out about these camps? And what happens inside the camps?

What is the long term plan for sustaining those that survive the virus? How will people feed themselves? How will they protect themselves?

There are so many questions. Will any Americans survive? Or will the United States become a wasteland devoid of humanity?

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The story is different from all the other dystopian/post-apocalyptic books on the market. Yes, there are quite a few titles that start out similarly to YELLOW ZONE. There are several other books that deal with the aftermath of a virulent contagion, but the addition of people who are immune and people who are carriers adds a new dimension to the storyline, as does the creation of the "Carrier Camps".

Rather than just focusing on the logistics of survival, this book instead focuses on how the virus has personally affected one woman and those closest to her.

By using only journal entries to tell the story the listener feels more connected to the characters. It through her personal journal that listeners are introduced to new characters as well, which again adds depth and emotional connections that might not otherwise have been possible.

David Dietz does an amazing job as the narrator of this audiobook. His voice lends itself perfectly to storytelling and he uses distinctive voices for each character. He has a knack for pacing as well. The story never feels rushed and also never feels like it lagging. The speed is just right. All these qualities combined make for an extremely enjoyable listening experience.

I rate this book as 4 okyttyut of 5 stars.⭐⭐⭐⭐
The reason this book is not getting a five star rating from me is the cliffhanger ending. Now I have to wait to find out what happens next.

Not a bad book but not riveting either.

Not a bad book. I can't say that I was riveted by it but it did hold my attention. I only stopped listening to it a couple of times: once to use the bathroom and once to eat dinner. That does not include yesterday when I actually started listening to it right at bedtime so I am not counting that. My biggest issue is that this was just not my usual cup of tea.

I was not a big fan of the narration. It was not the worst I have heard, but it was far from the best. I thought the narrator sounded kind of young for the story, but them maybe that was just me. I will say that he tried to do different voices for each character, but I felt he just needed more practice. His voices didn't impress me all that much. This is the second book I have listened to that David Dietz has narrated, and if I remember right that one I enjoyed much more. I felt that he was the right narrator for a book about high school students in love.

Overall I would give it a three-star rating. 3.5 stars for the book and 2.5 stars for the narration is probably the best I can give.

I received this book from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.