The Zombie Chapters, Volume I

By: Daniel Fite

Narrated by: Ethan Sawyer

Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's Summary

Earth is bombarded by a meteorite storm large enough to envelope the globe. Cities are devastated, satellites are knocked from the sky, and fires rage unchecked all over the world. In the midst of this apocalypse, a small country town, an Antarctic research station, and a group of stranded airline passengers struggle to survive, even as a new horror rises from the ashes…Welcome to Serial Fiction - with Zombies!

The Zombie Chapters is a new series, and a fresh take on the zombie genre. Its focus is on deep character development and the exploration of truly unique settings and situations. Read along as the serial's main characters attempt to understand, and cope with, the sudden shattering of their world, and a deadly virus that turns mankind against itself by animating the corpses of the fallen!

In Volume I, we meet four of the main characters as they fight to survive an otherworldly meteorite shower. Brad Thomas, a business development consultant, is in a commercial airliner when he first notices the green-tailed meteorites outside of his window. The next twenty minutes of his life are filled with unmitigated horror as he and his fellow passengers wait helplessly for the impact that will kill them all.

Ramsey Claybourne, a military-trained virologist, tries to prepare a small country hospital for the worst, until the hospital itself is struck. Handicapped ten year old Emmy, and her huge, mentally-challenged brother Carter, stare in wonder at the beautiful display in the sky above them. When the "magical" meteorites turn deadly, however, Emmy must rely on her brother's mobility, and might, to save her. Piotr Sayan and his girlfriend Maria, a brilliant Russian meteorite expert, are just starting their day when Mirnyy Station, Russia's largest Antarctic base, is rocked by the devastation of the meteorite bombardment…

©2013 Daniel Fite (P)2013 Daniel Fite

Unsatisfying start to long series

The author Fite comes right out and states he is writing an old school serial. He says that he is looking to capture something along the lines of Game of Thrones in how it pulls you from one story to another as the plot progresses.

The writing is good enough here and the introductions to many characters are interesting enough to make me want to come back for more. But being the miser I am, I don't want to spend a $5-$9 for a few chapters. I know that price is going to be a sticking point for me.

I'm rating what might be a good story kind of low. Why? Because I have nothing to go off of other than a few opening salvos. People see green meteors falling from the sky. The End. Maybe this series is good, maybe its bad. All I know is I bought the first book, listened to it, and was left wanting more on many levels.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Please Write Faster!

It’s the characters that make this part of the story so good. I’ve always like the beginning of post-apocalyptic books. How everyday people, situations and problems slowly get pushed out of the picture as some strange phenomena grows in import and gravity. Part one of this series is mostly about the characters and their back stories. But it is not dry or low octane. After 30 minutes into the listen I downloaded the other two episodes. So the only negative for me is that I’ve listened to all three episodes and I now have to wait for the next installment. I can’t wait to hear what happens next. Superb narration. Highly recommended.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

A Good Start, but where are the Zombies???

What made the experience of listening to The Zombie Chapters, Volume I the most enjoyable?

The writing and the performance.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Zombie Chapters, Volume I?

The little girl in the wheel chair. Very touching part of the story. Makes you hope she'll be ok in book II.

Have you listened to any of Ethan Sawyer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Even though the walking dead have not came into the picture yet, this is real good story telling. The author's note in the beginning states that this is a series. Since there are only 3 books, I hope the last book have some type of resolution or a forth, fifth, sixth, etc... book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

So far so good

Daniel Fite does good work developing several different characters in preparation for the zompoc to come. Unfortunately this short piece doesn't get down to the zombies appearing, but I enjoyed the writing, and the reading enough to search out the next part of the story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Story! Can't wait until volume 2!

What made the experience of listening to The Zombie Chapters, Volume I the most enjoyable?

Character Development was awesome. Most books now a days about zombies is just eat flesh!!!

What does Ethan Sawyer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yeah, the cliffhangers. Can't wait!!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

A Postmodern, Post 9/11, Apocalyptic Coaster Ride!

Any additional comments?

"The Zombie Chapters, Volume 1" is the best start for a series I've seen in a while. Scary as F**K! If you like Disaster Movies, you'll love this. Despite the title, zombies don't show up till Volume 2. Still, the beginning isn't slow to take off. There are lots of butt-clenching moments. I give Fite high marks for vivid descriptions, relatable characters, and superb dialogue.
The narrator is easy to follow and has a good voice. (although I'm not sure his Russian accent is quite right)
I listened to the entire first volume in one sitting. That's rare for me. I bought and started the second volume the same night.
As I'm sure you can tell, I'm pretty damn excited about this series!

Good but...

If you could sum up The Zombie Chapters, Volume I in three words, what would they be?

Not enough story.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The character development, the descriptions and the plot were all enjoyable but there are so many characters introduced that it's difficult to care about any of them despite the authors intense character development. I also found myself waiting for the story to take off but it never did. Despite that I did buy the volume 2 to see where the author was going with things...

Where are the zombies ?

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No it took the author two hours(six chapters) just to introduce the characters.

What does Ethan Sawyer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

good performance

Did The Zombie Chapters, Volume I inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

Not getting the next one

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great story

Enjoyed this book great character development, I look forward to the next instalment. I am a fan of everything zombie and can’t wait until they are introduced to this well thought out story.