The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner Trilogy

By: Stevie Kopas

Narrated by: Scott Birney

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

The end of the world is not glamorous.

In a matter of days, the human race was reduced to nothing more than vicious, flesh-hungry creatures. Criminal defense attorney Samson struggles to keep his family safe and his sanity intact when the world comes apart at the seams. Veronica, the high school track star, races to get her brother out of their doomed city. Ben, a military veteran, is forced to come to grips with the end of the world as he fights the undead. Andrew, a police officer, struggles to maintain some sort of humanity in a world overrun by death and destruction.

There are no heroes here, just survivors, and they all have one thing in common: Who you once were can no longer determine who you will be in the face of catastrophe. The Breadwinner, book one in The Breadwinner Trilogy, thrusts you head first into postapocalyptic Northwest Florida and will leave you craving more.

©2013 Stevie Kopas (P)2015 Stevie Kopas

The Breadwinner review

What did you like best about this story?

Everything. It really was a fantastic zombie tale.

Which scene was your favorite?

The very first scene and the introduction that zombies are involved.

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

Yes definitely.

Any additional comments?

Received for an unbiased review.

Loved It!

I have been on a binge of apocalyptic type stories and the biggest type are like the Walking Dead. That's okay because they all seem to give you something different. I loved the way the author Stevie Kopas has written this story. I absolutely enjoyed the story immensely. I wondered exactly where Stevie was going at with the title but it comes not to far along in the story. Honestly, she picked the perfect title for a perfect story. I was extremely intrigued by this story. The author has written an excellent story and I can't wait for the second book. Stevie made sure that she kept details limited except ones that are needed. I loved how she swapped each of the characters story throughout and still found a way to bring the main characters back together at the end of the story. I don't want to give anything away so you won't find out details about the story here, you'll just have to find out for yourself. I most definitely recommend this story to anyone who loves apocalyptic stories but even if you don't. The story has a meaning that goes farther than the end of the world.

The narrator Scott Birney did a good job with his telling of the story. I thought he did a great job at keeping the story flowing and he kept me glued to the story from start to finish. I definitely will be checking out more of his stories. A wonderful listen and the story grabs you and touches your heart. I LOVED this story. I received this audio in exchange for an honest review.

Great start to a good seies!

Really enjoyed this audio book. So good, I purchased second and third audio books already. I'm starting on second in series now!

Left in two minds

Finally a return to the traditional zombie genre! No alien races... no good verse evil supernatural beings... no secret organisation behind the end of the world.

Just good old-fashioned character development in a zombie outbreak. Or is it? The author seems very careful not to use the word zombie. Not once was the 'z' word used. I wonder why? I find that a little strange. The people doing all the chasing are called ‘eaters’. As a fat man I pictured a bunch of fat people shuffling along after the people in the story all going ‘num num get in me belly little people’.


Ok with that little strangeness aside. The only real gripe I had with this one was the length, just under 6 hours in total. The narration was good but had to be increased to 1.25x speed. So the listening time was shortened somewhat. I noticed the second in the series is about the same. This is a trend that is starting to annoy me in this genre. It is now far too easy to listen to one title in one day! At say $13 a title that soon adds up to a very expensive hobby over the course of the week! I know this is harsh on the author. But I’m really starting to bulk at any title, which is so short in length. Particular since the second one could have been combined with the first in the series.

Ok rant over with, normal service will return. The author does a brilliant job at developing the characters. The character flaws and strengths make the characters believable and cause you to want to know what happens next.

The narrator also is excellent in bringing those characters to life.

I liked this one enough to purchase the second before I finished the first. However, with my earlier rant about the ‘z’ word and the price I feel compelled to advise if you are on a budget and a heavy listener. Then wait until this is on special. If the money per hour is not really a factor, you can’t go to wrong with this one.

So rather that this fast fat man giving the 'Breadwinner' two thumbs up. I will give it one thumbs up with a stupid grin on my face!

Excellent story. Fun listen.

The story was pretty fun. The narrator was far from bad. I enjoyed the book.

a welcomed addition to a very crowded genre

This is the debut audiobook from a new author Stevie Kopas. I am sure that this will be a welcomed addition to a very crowded genre. As the story is primarily told from the females perspective, not only that but one that is not a survival expert or prepper.

Best part of this particular zombie apocalypse is the fast zombies or eaters as they are often referred to here. I remember the first time I encountered them in 28 Day Later, since then they have always held a very special place in my heart.

There were zombie attack scenes that made me squirm a bit. Kopas was able to inject each of them with just the right amount of terror and gore. The characters grew and evolved right before your eyes. I just couldn’t find a connection to any of them.

While to storyline was solid, I found it difficult to pay attention due to the narration and for this book, maybe the print version would have been much better. There were times that I got confused about whether the story was happening now or then, due to the amount of flashbacks and flash forwards.

This was my first time listening to a performance by Scott Birney. Unfortunately, I will have to think long and hard before choosing another by him. I found his voice pleasant overall, deep and resonating, he speaks clearly and concisely.

Firstly I think he was the wrong choice to narrate a book that is primarily from the female perspective. His strong and deep voice just didn’t fit. Then his pacing was perfectly steady, I find it much more of a pleasant listen when there is a fluctuation of the speed of the reading. Then he sounded almost completely emotionless throughout. The “from the author” at the very end of the book was one of the only points to where Birney added some sort of emotional fluctuation.

Audiobook provided for review by a friend of the author.

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Not Too Bad

This was a pretty good zombie apocalypse story. It was different which I liked. It was off the beaten path for this type of book so it kept my interest pretty well. As far as keeping my attention, it did, but there were places in the audiobook where I found myself wandering. While this is not my favorite genre, I noticed it had a somewhat paranormal twist to it. I think I'd listen to the next in the series to see where it goes.

Scott Birney has a great voice for narrating. He has quite a range of different character voices so that's a plus for him. I would rather see an author stay with the same narrator throughout a series and the narrator make some minor adjustments than switching narrators midstream. That shows consistency. He just needs to make a few adjustments with the next book. Otherwise, I feel he's a good new narrator with a lot of potential.

Every time I felt myself straying from the storyline, he snapped me back into it. Would be better to stay in the same tonal area with natural voice. Overall, I'll have to see where the next in the series goes before I can form a solid opinion.

Audiobook received in exchange for unbiased review.

good ensemble cast in a tense zombie tale

A solid zombie tale, with a good ensemble cast of colorful characters. I especially liked the teenage female character, Veronica, who proves to be one of the most successful survivors, and the wise tall mysterious Ben. The zombies are not quick or smart, but the writing makes them viscerally alive and very scary. Lots of great tension as our many characters come together, fighting through encounters with the deadly zombies and escaping by their quick wits and fast feet. There's not a lot that surprised me comparing this tale to other zombie stories, but it's a fast, fun read and a good start to a series. Kopas did a great job writing characters that feel specific and individual, and in pacing the novel to keep his readers on their toes and invested in the story. The narration by Scott Birney is spot-on.

NOTE: I was given a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was great.

I listen to this book in one sitting. I liked it so much I went and got the second book. Now to wait for the third. I really like the characters and how they came to life. The narrator did a great good as well. This book was given to foe an unbiased review. iIf the 3rd book was available I would have gotten it too. I would recommend this book.

Short but good

A bit short for my liking, but we’ll done.
I will wait to get the 2nd and 3rd installment when they go on sale or sold as a package