Rise Again Below Zero

By: Ben Tripp

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

Billions died and rose again, hungry for human flesh. When the nightmare reached Sheriff Danielle Adelman's small mountain community of Forest Peak, California, it was too late for warnings...forcing her to lead a small group of survivors out of hell, all the while seeking her estranged runaway sister at any cost.

Two years later, the undead have evolved. Now, besides the shambling, mindless cannibals are the hunters-cunning and fast, like wolves-and the thinkers, whose shocking intel­ligence and single-minded predatory obsession may mean the downfall of what's left of humanity. As Danny leads a ragtag band of the living through the remnants of the American Midwest, rumors arise of a safe place somewhere east. But the closer they get to it, the more certain Danny becomes that something evil waits for them at the end of the line.

With an unspeakable secret riding beside her and an unbreakable promise made to a small, silent boy, Danny must stake everything she has-her leadership, her sanity, and her life- in order to defeat the ultimate horror in a terrifying and dying world.

©2013 Ben Tripp (P)2014 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"More than a routine zombiefest, this taut and intelligent tale succeeds as a moving meditation on a world steeped in 'the loneliness of life without afterlife.'" ( Publishers Weekly)

wow! much, much better than expected!

What did you like best about this story?

constantly being surprised at how the story unfolded

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

there were several moments that moved me, moments of sadness and disgust. there are a few powerful moments, but i can't go into deal b/c i don't want to spoil the listener's experience!

Any additional comments?

wow! i'm shocked at how good this second book was! the first book was just MEH. so why did i download this second book? b/c there was some potential to make the story interesting, but also b/c first book ended with an irresistibly intriguing scene.

the first book had some ups and some downs. in the first book, i didn't really like the main character, danny, and it was hard to bond with her. she has some serious anger issues and is so hard-headed that she often alienates those around her. she is an unlikable hero.

however in the second book, the author does a good job making danny seem more human. yes, she still has some serious anger problems, but the author does a better job flushing them out. in the first book, the author used danny's anger to drive the plot, some of which seemed downright dumb (threatening looters with arrest during a zombie apocylapse) and contrived (leaving the group to look for her sister). in this book, the causes and reasons for danny's anger are realistic and at times, justified, and therefore more believable. i found it refreshing to listen to a zombie story where there was a lot of anger.

in a couple of other zombie stories, where characters have had serious anger issues, those characters did really stupid things, things that really uncharacteristic of their characters and thus wouldn't happen during a zombie outbreak, like shouting and breaking things while supposedly hunkering down in a safe house. i'm thinking of my review of the first 2 the becoming novels in particular.

anyway...back to this review. yes, danny blows her top and makes mistakes. these scenes are realistic and emotional. i found myself thinking "God danny, why did you do that!?" even though danny is brash and unlikable, you start to like her and care for her. this really surprised me after the first book. i really liked how the author explored the complicated relationship b/ween danny and her sister, kelly.

what happens in this second book is also much more interesting than the first book. the first book details the initial outbreak, followed by fleeing and trying to find a safe place to hold out. the main human enemies were a rogue band of private military thugs. been there done that. the pace of the story in the first book is herky jerky. the author does a much better job of pacing the story in this second book. one layer of plot smoothly lays upon another as the mystery and tension build.

i won't spoil anything more revealing than the publisher's summary, but what danny finds in the "safe" place is as intriguing as it is creepy. a few zombie novels i have liked have tried to do something along this line, e.g. beyond the barriers, the reanimation of edward shuett, i zombie, but ben tripp creates something truly unique and horrifying. the author really could of lost control of the story in this part, but he did a good job pulling in the reins, keeping the pace of the story moving without getting lost on a tangent.

what i really liked was how unpredictable the story was. every time i thought this or that was going to happen, i was proven wrong, all the way up to the closing credits.

now, the important question. drum roll...do you need to read the first book? i would say no. this story is pretty self-contained. you can catch up with what's going on in the beginning as the author briefly recounts what happened. but like i said, parts of the first book are painfully slow, especially the beginning- 2 and 1/2 hours before anything really happens.

overall, a great story! there are a lot of twists and turns and some freaky surprises! i definitely recommend this book. the first is your call!

to those who listened to the first book and didn't like it, i definitely suggest you give this book a chance b/c it's so much better. i think a good comparison would be the roads less traveled series. while the first book in that series was kind of MEH, the second book was great. this second book is really good!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Why is it OVER????

This book is not for everyone. There are scenes that are INCREDIBLY gory. But, OMG (a bizarre reference considering one of the book's many original twists), to fans of this genre this book (and the first one in the series) surely delivers. Just when you think you have figured it out, another bizarre (BIZARRE) twist. Hope there's a third. I would download it in a second.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great book, but why not a triology?

The wrinkle on this zombie tale are the smart zombies, the thinkers.

Generally, it starts off as a convoy of humanity called the "tribe", led by Dani the sheriff. Pretty good zombie telling. Eventually they get to the "safe zone" where the "thinkers" are at the top of the food chain and the plot intricacies start to get complicated.

I thought the plot was kinda flimsy really and started to wonder where could this possibly lead. How far could Dani keep playing one political faction off against the other? I think the author was wondering the same and its almost as if his publisher was nagging at him and he felt he had better wrap things up because suddenly "Ka Boom! Never mind trying to tie the plot together, back to basics with a zombie onslaught, fire and mayhem.

Dani is slightly more likeable now because we have more insight into her battle with her rage and alcoholism.

Would have really liked to keep going with this series but this looks like the end of things. That's too bad. Still, we got two really long good solid zombie stories!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Wow!

I found both parts of this story to be excellent. The characters were consistent, believable and interesting. The story was suspenseful. The reader was outstandingly talented and well suited to the book.

The protagonist was a war veteran. Her response to the "zombie apocalypse" seemed to be in line with what I have read about the hardships of soldiers who return home. I found her emotional responses to be very believable, but have no "reality check".

More... a good supernatural book lends itself to metaphor and in this case, the zombie infection worked as drug addiction, cultural ennui, and the creepy American yearning to live forever.


I am very impressed by this author, and hope that he continues to produce.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great death-by-zombie scene

Enjoyed the first book - Rise Again. Well written, and the end encounter was beautifully conceived. The second is pretty far-fetched, but again well written, well thought out and has plenty of great characters - sometimes too many to stay close to. And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for our protagonists, BELOW ZERO delivers one of the best 'death-by-zombie' scenes I've heard. Would be willing to follow whoever survives on for a third. But for once, the author has brought this story to an end.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Another great story by Ben Tripp!

Tripp is a top notch story teller and Kirsten Potter really brings his writing to life. She is a great narrator for the main character. I've already listened to the first book 3 times. Although this book seems to have ended the storyline, I hope Ben Tripp will come out with similar stories.

Great book

The narrator was awesome. The story and her reading keeps you glued and not wanting to stop.

Excellent !!!

I truly loved this story. I was engaging from beginning to end. I highly recommend it.

Good not Great.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. Rise Again did a great job of setting up characters and storyline. A wicked twist at the end of the first book made Below Zero a surefire success. Not the case. Although the Zombie Gore receives a 10, the story waned and could have been deeper. What happened to the mercenary forces, what happened to the rest of the world. There is still many places Ben Tripp can take Rise Again but Danny was such a bad ass.

What about Kirsten Potter’s performance did you like?

Love Kirsten Potter - she gave Danny substance with her voice and inflections.

Did Rise Again Below Zero inspire you to do anything?

No but several of the scenes in this book are accents to Zombie Gore and Violence. Loved the explicit violence which took it to a very personal level to one could understand and made it more horrible than typically cheesy zombie gore you see on tv. Awesome work Ben! Keep em coming.

Any additional comments?

Has Mr. Nicotero contacted Ben Tripp? He should.

kool book

love the book very well read made me seem i can picture the story and my mind