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Rise of the Dead  By  cover art

Rise of the Dead

By: Jeremy Dyson
Narrated by: John R. Crosthwaite
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Publisher's summary

Rise of the Dead is a zombie novel with a lot of guts that aims for the brain, blending literary fiction with post-apocalyptic thrills.

Blake was never one for taking chances. He lived in a world of formulas and equations. A statistician in a controlled society where everything had become predictably mundane. That world disappeared the day the dead got up and began attacking the living.

Now, the end is here. Blake finds himself fighting for his life in a world that is rapidly spiraling out of control. He struggles to keep himself alive and must risk everything to find his family.

Along the way, Blake finds himself thrust among other unlikely survivors. Together they must adapt to the realities of the undead world, or join the legion of zombies. The characters must overcome their conditioned human apathy and come together if they have any chance of survival.

Rise of the Dead chronicles the first moments of the zombie apocalypse. While the story is a fast-paced thrill ride through an ever-growing zombie horde, the novel aims to draw upon familiar themes as those found in the Romero classic films.

©2016 Jeremy Dyson (P)2016 Jeremy Dyson

What listeners say about Rise of the Dead

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent addition to the zombie genre!

Any additional comments?

I loved it! As a lot of you zombie fans know, most new zombie books fall flat.....very very flat. This one though, was really good. I hated to see it end and am hoping this is the first in a series. The ending does have closure, which is satisfying, but a second book can easily pick up where this one ends.
The narrator was great!
I have nothing bad to say about this book. I hope there there's more to come of this story.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Romero zombie fiction, done right

4.5 out of 5 stars

Blake never really took chances. Knowing probabilities and numbers made him like this. But, when cars start crashing around him and people seem to be shambling towards him like zombies he quickly realizes that he has to make life or death decisions. As he continues throughout the changing world he comes across others who he tries to help find safety. Rise of the Dead chronicles the first moments of a zombie apocalypse from the eyes of the unlikely survivors.

The narration is done by John Crosthwaite and he does a really nice job. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it at first (especially because the Audible preview does NOT do his narration justice). Also, because I couldn’t tell if he was going to be doing a “radio”/overacting performance, but he really splits the line between over-acting and “Buehler!” monotone which absolutely kills audiobooks. Crosthwaite also has one of those voices that’s really easy to understand at almost any speed for those of you who like to speed up audiobooks (I do it too!) After I finished this book I went over to Audible to see what other books that Crosthwaite narrated and was honestly astonished that this was his first audiobook. Kudos Mr. Crosthwaite, kudos on a job well done.

My title says that this is Romero zombie fiction that’s done right, and it really is. Romero would be proud. Dyson takes a genre that is pretty over-used and is able to take it back to its roots. There are zombies, we’re not sure why but they are walking and they want all survivors to join them in their zombie lives.

The story is really easy to follow with a main character who is the definition of the underdog. He’s a smart guy who is a statistician by day but didn’t see this coming (which he laughs about). He is the least likely to survive but shows incredible courage and strength as he faces enemies and zombies at every turn. It’s always fun rooting for the underdog and Dyson even gives readers chances to dislike Blake from time to time which really amps up the drama and suspense.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice change of pace for me too. Normally with a zombie book, the author or description touts how “a mysterious virus has taken over” which makes me want to know more about the virus. This book just felt like “oh, crap there’s zombies and we’re not safe.”

If you found this review helpful, please vote for it! If you want to see more reviews like it, check out BriansBookBlog DOT com.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Not a "fun" story of the genre...

I enjoy the zombie genre in general but for the action and adventure aspect. Scrounging for supplies, battling for survival, wariness of other survivors, etc. Not for guy wrenching "where's my family?". Also, too many times children were brought into the story- spoiler- not in a good way. So yeah- any harm to children ruins a story for me- period. Blasting zombies? Great. Shooting a child/ children or detailing them being attacked by zombies? No, no, and no. Yeah, I get it- in the fiction of the zombie apocalypse all manner of terrible things could exist- but when I explore the genre I just want the adventure part as escapist fantasy- not that level of grimness. If the author has kids of his own then I'm doubly angered. >:(

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Read/Listen

Where does Rise of the Dead rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would have to say this book is in my top 5 books.

What other book might you compare Rise of the Dead to and why?

I would put this book up with and above most zombie novels. It felt like the author took his time with the story. It wasn't rushed, and it shows. This gave me time to absorb what was taking place, and really enjoy what I was listening to. I've found some zombie apocalypse books to move through time too quickly and not really letting the listener/reader really get the feel of what's taking place. This book was just the opposite.

What about John R. Crosthwaite’s performance did you like?

I really enjoyed John R. Crosthwaite's voice. His was very smooth, and enjoyable to listen to. He did a good job altering his voice so that the listener had no trouble identifying the characters in the book. At the same time he didn't over do it. His voice was just right.

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

I did listen to quite a number of hours in one sitting, and it was great. When I wasn't listening to the book I often found myself thinking about the characters, and the book and I really felt the urge to turn it back on so I could continue listening.

Any additional comments?

I felt that there were a few times where the pause between chapters was a little too long. At first I thought it was my device, but then the story started again. When this happened a second time, I realized it was in the recording and not my device. Other than that I loved the book, and can't wait for more.

On a final note, as I've seen other people post on their reviews: I did receive a free download for this book in exchange for the review. However, I listened to the book and I enjoyed it, and my comments are truly how I feel about the book.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Its really boring, why so many positive reviews?

The writing was really dull and the narration didnt help matters. It was really tortorous to get through this book. Lots of things seem to happen but I didnt care, couldnt relate to the characters, and the protogonist is useless and all his ideas suck. Its really not as good as its score suggests.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Sensational

From the opening chapter, to the last sentence, this novel had me utterly enthralled. Jeremy Dyson nailed it, and the narration was absolutely superb. I'm sad it's over, as I feel like I've lost some friends! I hope Mr. Dyson is working hard on a second book, because I'm already ready to get my hands on it.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Better than I hoped for, a well written zombie story

I went into this with serious concerns. I love zombie films but it's very difficult to write a ZA novel. The characters are strong. You care whether they live or die. The story is compelling and scary! The narration is near perfect/ no need to try to do all different voices but the lead character was well defined and there was real inflection in the reading. Best one I've heard to date and I do hope he writes as sequel

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Run of the mill stereotypical ZA

this story was completely average in all respects. it had everything that a zombie apocalypse needs, but nothing past that. this is a great story for first-time reader of zombie apocalypse fiction, past that, I would not pay to listen to this knowing what I know now and probably wouldn't listen to it for free.

the narrator is distracting with his halting speech between what the character say and the narration of the story. the main character is a college instructor statistician who sounds like he smokes three packs of Marlboro Reds a day. it's just not very believable.

I did finish this book which means I enjoyed it, overall. not bad, but not great. just average.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome!

Awesome take on the classic genre, and awesome narrator! Just awesome all around hence title.

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awesome read

This was a great book. It started with a bang and it kept going. The plot was refreshing. I received this copy for a re iew, but I cannot wait to buy the next one.

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