The Undead King

By: Jared Rinaldi

Narrated by: Shawn Saavedra

Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

In a post-apocalyptic future, where humankind has descended back into the dark ages, a young swordsman and his small band of allies must stand against the Undead King and his army of ravenous zombies.

There is a war brewing in the Green Lands. East versus west, might versus mind, brother versus brother....

While this battle over power and resources consumes the land, the Undead King is clandestinely marching north. At his command are an army of ravenous corpses, their appetite for living flesh insatiable. In the king's possession is a scepter of great power, forged in white fire by the monks of Jai Lin....

Mercer Crane is a young wanderer who has lost everything and means to make a name for himself in the war. He has come into possession of a sword, its edges lined with dark matter. This blade is special, as is the man who wields it, for together, they are the only thing that can stop the Undead King.

©2015 Jared Rinaldi (P)2015 Jared Rinaldi

Excellent start to a series needing a sequel.

I picked this up on a sale and was immediately skeptical because of the tone and genre, but by the end of the book I was already looking to pick up the next. I was disappointed to find that no sign of a follow-up could be found because the story perfectly sets up further adventures of Jai Lin.

Narration was extremely solid, especially considering the variety of age, character type and gender, and the variety of voices needing to keep straight in the early chapters. I would listen to a second book in the series if the narrator was the same.

Fantastic narration!

very entertaining, though unfinished, and fantastic narrator! loved all of the voices and the excellent listening experience they added!

As each chapter was finished, I wanted more

The narrators voice was such that I could visualize the story in such a way that it was like a great book you can't put down. I wanted to know more about the characters; if they would live or die.

Solid story, pacing, and narrator. I recommend!

What other book might you compare The Undead King to and why?

It reminded me of a couple different titles: Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Cell (Stephen King), and Walking Dead (mostly because it is the most current zombie reference in pop culture). If Game of Thrones took place in the future and was instead an interesting take on armageddon.
A large, fleshed out world full of interesting characters, set against a backdrop of a zombie apocalypse, he Undead King managed to not become cumbersome the way most zombie stories do. Instead Rinaldi figured out ways to keep it fresh, bringing new takes on old ideas and setting them in an interesting world that feels lived in and full of history. The characters are all interesting and fun to travel with, and the villain(s) all fit the story well. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to picking up Book 2!

What about Shawn Saavedra’s performance did you like?

Saaverda's performance was great. He drew me in perfectly, and his narration never took me away from the story. His voices fit the characters wonderfully.