The Beginning of the End

Apocalypse Z, Book 1

By: Manel Loureiro, Pamela Carmell - translator

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

The dead rise…

A mysterious incident in Russia, a blip buried in the news - it’s the only warning humanity receives that civilization will soon be destroyed by a single, voracious virus that creates monsters of men.

Humanity falls…

A lawyer, still grieving over the death of his young wife, begins to write as a form of therapy. But he never expected that his anonymous blog and journal would ultimately record humanity’s last days.

The end of the world has begun…

Governments scramble to stop the zombie virus, people panic, so-called Safe Havens are established, the world erupts into chaos; soon it’s every man, woman, and child for themselves. Armed only with makeshift weapons and the will to live, this survivor will give mankind one last chance against…Apocalypse Z.

©2012 Manel Loureiro (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

This is a Great Book!

Nick Podel is by far my favorite narrator, and on top of that this book is really well written and translated. If you like zombie stories or watch Walking Dead, you'll love this story.

Great Book and even better peformance

This is a really good book. Well written and translated. The characters are very likable and the story is great. I couldn’t put it down! The book starts off a bit slow as the zombie apocalypse begins, but once the action starts it keeps coming. Party scary, part funny and part sad this book has a lot of great qualities.

The performace by Nick Podehl was so good. His eastern european characters were dead on! Loved it!

Amazing

Slow start to become a typical Hollywood action movie. Good thing I like action in my media so this book gets a 5 out 5. On to book 2!

Wish there was a sequel

If you could sum up The Beginning of the End in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, thought provoking, gruesome

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

Yes, I looked forward to listening to it

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed listening to this

Decent apocalypse story enhanced by narrator

What made the experience of listening to The Beginning of the End the most enjoyable?

I recently picked up the audiobook, and in a second pass through, I picked up on some character sympathy that I may have missed, such as how the main character had to leave the boxes of clothes from his recently deceased wife. I had originally given up around the 60% mark when the main character simply didn’t have enough character conflict to keep me engaged. It was pretty much him and some bad guys for a long enough stretch that I stopped caring. Listening for the second time through, I found that within a few journal entries from where I had given up, there is a secondary character development worth reading about. The characters never get real deep, but there is finally some interaction. By the end, this small gang could be a good supporting cast for future books.

The narrator does an excellent job bringing out the tension, and his voices made the read more realistic. It isn’t easy to include the occasional Ukrainian dialect, but he switched over very easily and effectively.

What other book might you compare The Beginning of the End to and why?

At first, I really gobbled this one up. I’m a sucker for the onset of zombie apocalypses and how a small group or close narrator perspective will survive. This reminds me of one of my favorite zombie books, Day by Day Armageddon, in its journalistic format, prepping to bunker against the oncoming horde. In Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End, by Manel Loureiro, we have a guy gradually building up supplies at his home while he hears and sees the world falling apart around him and the dead find his doorstep.

Which character – as performed by Nick Podehl – was your favorite?

While I thought he did a great job on the Ukrainian dialect, his narration of the main POV character was excellent.

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

For most of it. Around the 60% mark it got tired, but then picked up through the end so that I wanted to pick up the second book right away.

Any additional comments?

I recommend the audiobook of this title because of how the narration adds to the experience, helping me care more about the characters.

Very captivating

Very captivating story line, the narrator was very good. I look forward to the next book and to finishing the rest of the series.

pretty good book, an interesting take .

story was okay, could have been a little bit better. Narrator, as always is great! Although he might not have been the one to read this. a more clipped and brusque voice may have been needed.

Couldn't stop listening.

Very exciting. Good story about average, unprepared, people surviving the apocalypse. Can't wait to listen to book 2 .

One of the best Zombie stories!!!!

I absolutely love this book. The story and the narrative keep you gripped in its clutches till the very end.

Journaled view of the decline of society

Through his journal, we see the stages of the society's destruction and the humans' adaptions to the new world they must now learn to survive in, die in, or join as one of the undead.