The Return Man

De: V. M. Zito

Narrado por: Bernard Clark

The outbreak tore the U.S. in two. The east remains a safe haven. The west has become a ravaged wilderness. They call it the Evacuated States. It is here that Henry Marco makes his living. Hired by grieving relatives, he tracks down the dead and delivers peace.

Now Homeland Security wants Marco for a mission unlike any other. He must return to California, where the apocalypse began. Where a secret is hidden. And where his own tragic past waits to punish him again.

But in the wastelands of America, you never know who -- or what -- is watching you.

Reseñas de la Crítica

'Hands down one of the best zombie novels I've read in a long, long time. From first page to last, THE RETURN MAN is an astonishing read. With characters you genuinely give a damn about and a story that'll keep you turning page after page, this is an outstanding debut.'—David Moody, author of Autumn

"Thrilling, melancholy, and stomach-churningly gory... This is a sturdy and crowd-pleasing novel that squarely hits its target."—Publishers Weekly

"A hair-raising quest ... Zito expertly piles on thrills, cliffhangers and numerous twists ..."—The Guardian (UK)

"An overload of thrills, spills and adventure."—The Sun (UK)

"V.M. Zito manages to do away with many of the most common elements of the zombie novels...some books of this ilk lurch from scenario to scenario like levels in a videogame, but here it's all done smoothly...enjoyable."—SFX

'Zombies, action, and overlapping schemes make this a sure winner.'

Best Horror Novel of 2011—drying-ink.blogspot.com

"Unputdownable ... A page-turning, action packed, well-crafted debut novel that will take your breath away. Highly recommended."—The Founding Fields

". . . a perfectly balanced layer cake of action and horror . . . This is a stunning debut and matches the feelings I had when I first read the likes of World War Z and Hater . . . you are unlikely to experience a better crafted and adrenalin fuelled thrill ride than V.M. Zito's novel The Return Man."—Liberation Frequency

Can't put it down!!!

Where does The Return Man rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Definitely one of my favorites that I will listen to again and again. Looking forward to more from this author.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Each chapter got better and better. The seamlessly of current story and backstory was definitely a plus.

Who was the most memorable character of The Return Man and why?

Have to say that my fav was Wu. His evolution throughout the book is one that I was amazed by. Definitely can get into his psychology.

Amazing hidden gem in the undead world of novels!!!

I have read (listened) to a solid 90% of zombie audiobooks and was scouring for new ones when I came across this hidden Gem - and, hands down - best zombie audio book I’ve heard in two years!

Yes, zombie assasin is hokey

Over all the story is pretty good, but you have to get over this silly idea that you can find a zombie among the millions out there so their bereaved kin can get closure. There is an explanation for that, but I still find it difficult to get past. You see, these zombies aren't entirely dumb, just a tiny vestige of their past life-force is left, especially in the beginning they always got a "surprised" look during the action sequences.

The first (few) chapters were the most difficult to get past. I mean Henry Marko is supposed to have been doing this for years, but it doesn't look it. I'll reveal just a tiny bit of it in the next paragraph:

So he finds his lonesome target, and instead of just walking up to it, popping it in the head, he snipes at it, timing it so poorly it falls into a river and floats away. The strange bungling that happens afterwards just had be frowning and rolling my eyes. A few chapters down, I had to reading about how this character, seemingly out of the game "assassins creed", cartwheels and kicks a "bleached blonde" marine in the head. Right there I wanted to return the book. Not only that there is a marine who bleaches his hair during a zombipocalyse, but he died by human cartwheel.

But ok, I managed to get through that to read a very good action road trip type of story. There was depth to the story, but I still found it a bit too shallow, perhaps because the lack of characters (basically two). Marko's character has actually a very powerful back story behind it, about his wife and family and I really enjoyed reading about it, but these parts were very few.

Some reviewers have complained about references to the republican party, and the author probably should have just made up a new name, I found these references to be very fleeting and only at the start.

The narrator did a good job, but I found Wu's and Osbournes nasal voices to be very similar.

Over all, still a very good book.

Four Star Zombie Listen

Most zombie books are variations on a theme. Return Man has many of the next generation elements - the compassionate zombie hunter (a la The Last Mail Man), living in the Dead Zone, is sent on a mission to the origin of the apocalypse to find a key scientist. The story has flaws, but it is well written and the main protagonist, Henry Marco, is complex and compelling. While I wasn't immediately drawn to the narrator, he grew on me. I painted my entire bedroom to justify a continuous listen to the end.

shockingly good!

What made the experience of listening to The Return Man the most enjoyable?

Just a very well played twist on the zombie apocalypse line

Who was your favorite character and why?

Main charector...flawed and very real

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

YES!!

Any additional comments?

Great book!! One of my faves!!