Plague of the Dead

The Morningstar Strain, Book 1

By: Z. A. Recht

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The end begins with a viral outbreak unlike anything mankind has ever encountered before. The infected are subject to delirium, fever, a dramatic increase in violent behavior, and a one-hundred percent mortality rate. Death. But it doesn't end there. The victims return from death to walk the earth.

When a massive military operation fails to contain the plague of the living dead it escalates into a global pandemic. In one fell swoop, the necessities of life become much more basic. Gone are petty everyday concerns. Gone are the amenities of civilized life. Yet a single law of nature remains: Live, or die. Kill, or be killed. On one side of the world, a battle-hardened General surveys the remnants of his command: a young medic, a veteran photographer, a brash Private, and dozens of refugees, all are his responsibility-all thousands of miles from home. Back in the United States, an Army Colonel discovers the darker side of Morningstar virus and begins to collaborate with a well-known journalist to leak the information to the public...The Morningstar Saga has begun.

©2006 Z.A. Recht (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Cliche and simple minded

Way too cliche and simple. Gets 3 stars by default because it's zombies. If you get rid of the f-bombs, this book would be a great intro book for any youngster getting into the genre. The military mentality was on par with any of the non-Romero Living Dead movies.

End of Days

I listened to this only on the recommendations of other audible members. It turned out pretty good. It took me a little while to get into it, however once you do it's definitely worth it. If you like this one then you'd really enjoy Patient Zero.

A good "military based" zombie read

This is your typical zombie story told from a military perspective. It did take me a few chapters to thoroughly get into the story - but then I started to bond with the characters. There isn't a whole lot of interaction with the zombies on a close combat scenario - mostly military tactics and warfare. It was good enough though to check out the 2nd installment. So I will!

Great Book

I love zombie books and this is my favorite so far . Good story and likable characters makes you laugh and keeps you engaged cant wait for next one

So relevant in today’s Covid-19

Although this is more than a decade old, the way in which spreads is clearly relevant. ESP the first news conference is eerily similar to what we had in January.
Prophetic where the author says that in a pandemic the toilet paper is what is sold out first.

The narration is awesome!!

Oliver Wyman does such a great job with the voices I couldn't stop listening. I can't wait to start the next book. I listen on my way to work and back and it is so good that I don't care if traffic backs up! Great book all around!

Great take out zombies

Love the multiple types of zombies. The pacing of the book was really well done also. There was a character who was a nice homage to Bill Paxton's Aliens character. The character Sawyer was a bit much. Just a little too unrealistic.

A Well Written Zombie Novel

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

His tones and pacing were well done.

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

I was always looking forward to seeing what was coming next.

Any additional comments?

As with any zombie novel you kind of know what is coming but the delivery of it was well done.

Disappointment - superficial Zombie book

Would you try another book from Z. A. Recht and/or Oliver Wyman?

If you are looking for an excellent zombie book, this is not it. The author spends more time developing superficial characters rather than concentrating on a decent plot. I could not finish the book

What could Z. A. Recht have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Develop a real plot that one really cares about

Would you be willing to try another one of Oliver Wyman’s performances?

No

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Plague of the Dead?

Most of the character development

Any additional comments?

No

Much better than most

Early outbreak is my favorite part of zombie stories and this one is pretty good. Boring NSA storyline but everything else moves along well. The best part is the narrator who sounds like Casey Kasems younger brother.