Until the End of the World

By: Sarah Lyons Fleming

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

Cassie Forrest isn't surprised to learn that the day she’s decided to get her life together is also the day the world ends. After all, she’s been on a self-imposed losing streak since her survivalist parents died: she’s stopped painting, broken off her engagement to Adrian and dated a real jerk. Rectifying her mistakes has to wait, however, because Cassie and her friends have just enough time to escape Brooklyn for her parents’ cabin before Bornavirus LX turns them into zombies, too. This is difficult enough, but Cassie’s tag along ex-boyfriend and her friend’s bratty sister have a knack for making everything, even the apocalypse, more unpleasant. When the two attract a threat as deadly as the undead to their safe haven, Cassie’s forced to see how far she’ll go to protect those she loves. And it’s a lot farther than she’d anticipated. This, coupled with Adrian’s distant voice on Safe Zone Radio and, of course, the living dead, threaten to put Cassie right back into the funk she just dragged herself out of. Survival’s great and all, especially when you have leather armor, good friends and home-brewed beer, but there’s something Cassie must do besides survive: tell Adrian she still loves him. And to do that, Cassie has to find faith that she’s stronger than she thinks, she’s still a crack shot and true love never dies.

2014 Voice Arts Award Winner

2015 Audie Finalist - Solo Narration, Female

©2013 Saray Lyons Flemin (P)2014 Podium Publishing

Loved every minute of this

I am a person who watches Walking Dead. That being said, I loved this book. It's basically like a season of walking dead with people who actually make good decisions and with more character development. This book is more about the relationships than the gore, but I loved that aspect of "zombie apocalypse" and the dangers constantly lurking. There were many surprises in this book, and I was on the edge of my seat listening (shouting out loud as things happened). I loved it and can't wait for the next one to come out.

35 of 37 people found this review helpful

Best Ever!

I'm a Mark Tufo die hard and have struggled to find another story line worth listening to. well I finally found it. I loved it! found myself actually living along with Cassie and Nelly. GREAT READ!

16 of 18 people found this review helpful

A great story

I thought this book was great. It had some action, great characters and a great story line, everything you want in a good book. Everything from the action, to the interaction of the group to who lives and dies is well throughout and developed. It has something to make you feel annoyed, something to make you feel sad, something to make you feel excited and every range of emotion in between. Highly recommended for everyone!


Julia Whelan does a wonderful job with the narration bringing the characters to life and really adding to the enjoyment of this book.

24 of 28 people found this review helpful

a feel good zombie apocylapse

Any additional comments?

as the story opens, cassie and her best friend, penny, are heading to work. the author spends a little time introducing this small group of friends who work together before the action starts. cassie and her friends live and work in brooklyn, new york. the lx virus has spread across the world and has reached the u.s. however, most of the cases have appeared in the west and midwest so cassie and her friends haven't been too worried about it. later in the day when the local news reports that they expect 20,000 people in the greater nyc area to be infected in the next 24 hours, cassie and her friends decide to head to penny's apartment instead of going out drinking.

as they head to penny's apartment, most people are carrying on as normal- eating, drinking, and making merry on a friday night. before they reach penny's apartment, they encounter their first infected person that truly scares them. holed up at penny's apartment, they begin to learn the true extent of the outbreak as james, cassie's techy friend, discovers the local news has been lying about the rate of the infection. as things start to devolve, penny receives a text message from her mom, who works at the hospital. she tells penny to meet her at cassie's apartment so they can flee the city. everybody realizes the situation is much worse than they previously thought, except for anna, penny's younger sister. the publisher's summary describes her as "bratty," and that description is right on.

although the characters are in their late 20s, i would definitely classify this story as a young adult (ya) zombie apocylapse. why you ask? because of the themes. yes, there are zombies, but they act as more of a catalyst for the characters to confront their situations, feelings, and relationships than a terrifying threat. the story starts out as a zombie apocylapse story, but it quickly becomes more of a ya problem / coming of age novel. being in my mid 30s, i can relate to it b/c the main character, cassie, experiences THE most coming of age problems at that age- did i let go of the man i should of married.

this is more of a character driven story than zombie driven story. yes, there is a lot of zombie action in the beginning, but once they escape nyc, the story focuses mostly on the complicated relationship between cassie and peter and peter's and anna's belief that this whole thing will blow over and that things will quickly be back to normal.

i was innitially engrossd by the zombie aspect, but as the story continued, i got caught up in the inter-relationship drama. this was kind of surprising to me. i was kind of bummed that the zombies took a back seat, but i kept listening b/c of the characters. i could relate to them and feel their frustrations. and yes, i was at times very annoyed with some of them, but to me, that's good writing- when the author can stir emotions in you that you weren't expecting.

the narration is really good. julia whelan does a good job bringing the characters to life and portraying their emotions. i found the writing tight and the dialogue smooth and believable.

the story is kind of predictable and more ya than zombie. you could easily replace the zombies with any other serious disaster and have the same story. so if you're looking for a zombie-centered apocylapse story, you might want to read a few other reviews before deciding on this. if you're looking for a good ya story with an end of the world slant, look no further b/c you've found it.

i hope i don't come across as too sexist, but i think female listeners would enjoy this sort of story more than male listeners. but i may be wrong! i'm a guy, and i enjoyed it. but i only listen to ya stories every once in a great while, and i didn't know this was a ya novel. maybe i should've paid more attention while reading the summary.

after listening to the entire story, i would say my overall impression is a feel good zombie apocylapse. kind of an oxymoron, but it fits!

39 of 47 people found this review helpful

I really hate zombies....but wow.

This book was a real surprise - I don't like zombie books and dystopia is depressing for the most part. But this book just hooked me and I have to admit to several sleepless nights. Ms. Lyon Fleming has found the key to making a reader invest in each character. One of the most compelling theme is how people can change as a result of their experiences. It was heartbreaking and yet, hopeful. Book 2 was equally good. I'll delve into book 3 when I've recovered. Highly recommend it.

15 of 18 people found this review helpful

Wow, just WOW!

What an absolutely great story! Narrator was PERFECT, characters were awesome, story was seamless. Perfect zombie tale, but so much more. Emotion filled book. I loved, hated, feared, laughed and cried. This author has done a wonderful job with this one and whoever choose the narrator did their job ten fold. Worth a credit or the price. I'll be revisiting this again and following this author for more!

17 of 21 people found this review helpful

End of the civilized world...

Until the end of the world reminded me of Forstchen's One Second After. They both take a catastrophic event (EMP pulse and pandemic) and deal with the aftermath in a realistic way. Infrastructure collapses and those who survive must learn how to live in what remains. There are practical characters and self centered ones. It is definitely not a typical zombie novel. Closer to Lucifer's Hammer or Life as we knew it. If you are a fan of this genre you will enjoy this book.

15 of 19 people found this review helpful

An interesting, albeit slow moving, zombie flick

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend it because it's not over the top gory/scary, but it's not a comedy, either. It's a little intense, with enough trauma to be exciting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Until the End of the World?

When the author is setting the stage. As a reader, you know what's happening, but nobody in the book does, and you just want to say, "RUN!"

What three words best describe Julia Whelan’s performance?

Can't. Do. Dudes.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

*SPOILER* When Peter came back. Reunions always make me cry way more than tragedies.

Any additional comments?

I think Julia's reading was PERFECT for the female characters, but she tried too hard on the males. I could not distinguish between the male characters. I would have preferred it if she had just varied the female voice a little. It would have been less distracting than hearing a soprano try to be a base.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great start and then I lost interest

What about Julia Whelan’s performance did you like?

I became a fan of Julia's after Gone Girl and I think that remains her best work by far. I still get annoyed at her male characters though. They're a bit cringeworthy. I can almost picture the face she makes when she's reading.
"Cassie..." Julia says poking out her lips and furrowing her brow.

Was Until the End of the World worth the listening time?

I guess there are worse ways I could have spent my time. Just imagine that season of The Walking Dead where they spent a lifetime at Hershel's farm and they'd cut to a zombie every so often just to remind you what show you're watching.

Any additional comments?

First, I love that this book starts you off in New York from the beginning of the outbreak. Most zombie narratives involve a protagonist waking up from a coma or a group of friends coming back from a ridiculously long stint far removed from civilization. I loved learning how this group escaped the outbreak when so many less self involved people may have been infected.

This book also tries to do what a few others have tried and could not. Sarah Lyons Fleming took a zombie apocalypse theme and managed to write a book where the characters are the focus and not the outbreak. It worked really well at first but then I found myself losing interest at the lack of external conflict and I began speeding up the narration. I quickly grew tired of the attitude of some characters. I mean, I guess this is what New York hipsters could be like in a zombie outbreak but I started hoping that maybe they would be sacrificed to the horde after a while.

In all, this isn't a bad read. Just don't expect a pulsating zombie thriller.

10 of 13 people found this review helpful

Guys beware!

Guys would probably want to steer clear of this series. I will say, however, I myself will pick up the rest of the series because its still a pretty quality read. I'll tell you why at the end. What is lacking in this series is action and bloody zombies which, although good, are few and far between, and very short events.

What this book is about is character relations, depth and development. And it just goes on and on and on about this, with nary a zombie in sight.

The big thread in the story is how Cassie dumps her boyfriend for seemingly not being lovey dovey enough, although he is rich and brings the bacon home. While dating him, she is still in love with her ex hippie boyfriend who ran off to a farm. Unfaithful in the heart, no wonder she can't work it out with her current man. So finally on the day of the apocalypse, she dumps him. And then she gets all angry at him because he is angry he got dumped. Like really? Gee, maybe he loved her. Give the guy a break, so he scowls from time to time, sheesh! Guys and girls will definitely have different opinions about how this story plays out.

3 redeeming points to this story.:

1. The character development. People change.
2. I liked the survivor aspect, growing food, caning, stuff like that.
3. Elizabeth. Narrator is just nails this little girls voice. Unlike what is to be expected in zombie stories, this little girl doesn't burn down the house and let the zombies in the back door.

Narrator is very good. Guys sound a bit dopey though, like Papa Bear from Goldilocks.

Girls will love this series. The strong muscle in the book is gay, so gays would probably like this book too. Other guys should only read if they can't get their hands on something better. You won't puke, but may pull you hair a little trying to hurry up to the next zombie sighting.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Just wonderful

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

Haunting, Compelling, Awesome

What does Julia Whelan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The emotion she conveyed and variety of voices were fabulous

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

I laughed and cried

Any additional comments?

I hadn't come across this author before and took a chance on an Audible offer. I'm so thrilled I did. I've just bought the sequel and pre-ordered the third. I could listen to the narrators voice all day, it was one of those books that I would listen too even when I wasn't driving( which is when I generally do my listening )
The characters have become friends I don't want to leave. Loved it :-)

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Did not let me down! I am delightfully surprised!

I will make this shortish and hopefully sweet!
If you like zombie fiction buy this book and if you don't and zombies are not your thing then I would still be inclined to recommend this tale of love,loyalty and tragedy.
Of course this is a work of fiction based around the zombie apocalypse but it is so character driven you almost forget in parts that the walking dead are roaming the earth! There are so many zombie based books around that follow a similar premise that as much as I am a fan of our reanimated foes, I do find that I am rarely surprised. I would say that the main focus of this book is the relationships between the characters, be that with friends, family or lovers, good, bad and indifferent. Its not sloppy or cheesy, its very honest and full of heightened emotion (as it would be if the world was ending) at times I really wanted to hit and scream at certain characters and I did cry at other moments.
It still has a fair amount of brutal bits and I am surprised its been placed as a teenage book, there are no teenagers in it! Its definitely for adults.
Good solid narration by Julia Whelan brings together I well written and characterised piece that keeps you engaged and hopeful until the end........ of the world and after, there has to be more.
More than worth a credit.

15 of 17 people found this review helpful

Well worth a listen

One of those books you end up creating jobs around the house so you can continue listening. It's a tad gory in places and a couple of chapters have you on the edge of your seat with you heart racing but it's a lovely story and I really enjoyed it

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Fun, unique, quirky. Great to listen to.

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

Warm, fast-paced, entertaining.

What other book might you compare Until the End of the World to, and why?

It's one of those rare modern dystopian novels that isn't repetitive, parodic, or boring. It is similar to Life As We Knew It (which is another dystopian book that is AMAZING in case you haven't already listened to it.)

Which character – as performed by Julia Whelan – was your favourite?

The main character is lovely. I feel like I know her.

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

It's surprisingly affecting. I felt very moved at numerous moments. It also made me laugh fairly often.

Any additional comments?

Very well-written. It's quite a unique book. Its combination of zombie apocalypse and chick-lit works really well, even though with a lesser writer it could have been awful. A really brilliant audiobook that I will return to again and again over the years, even if it's just for the familiarity of the voice and characters as I fall asleep.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

refreshing break from the military gun porn.

genuinely refreshing piece of zombie fiction. I get tired of the hyper military gun porn with varying degrees of libertarian philosophy sprinkled in.

reading a zombie book about human surviving the End by being humane and particle with out focusing entirely on revenge and trying to amp up the violence to the nth degree was a very enjoyable read.

my only criticism is that it gets a little mills and boon towers the end with hyperbolic declarations of love. that's probably just a bit pick and it really didn't affect the story or hamper the read but all in all an enjoyable book.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

You will not be able to put this audio book down

Where does Until the End of the World rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is my favorite audio book series, I have listened multiple times and it has made me think about the world in a different way

Who was your favorite character and why?

Nelly, he's a texan joker, solid as a friend, if he is hurt then the listener can't help but worry about him.

Have you listened to any of Julia Whelan’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have listened to this series and 2 other series by Julia and I must say her narration is always excellent, the pacing is always great and the story just flows beautifully when she tells it

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

hmm hard one, I mean its a series about zombies isn't it? well not really, the zombies are my least favorite thing from this, I think if i was doing a movie trailer I would focus on the house that her parents left her, on John, on the birthday party and what happens next, it should be lots of golden light, warmth and then a face looking in

Any additional comments?

Listen to this series, it has made me want to prepare, not for the zombie apocalypse but for the "what if" and gotten me to look at my cupboards and think, how long will I survive, the best prepper fiction that isn't really about prepping ever imo

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Decent Storyline, Convincing Characters

When I started listening to this audio book - it occurred to me fairly early on that a suitable category for it might be "RomZom". The story starts off being a little too "touchy feely" for for my tastes and I considered stopping - it seemed a little too much like a soppy romance.

However, on balance, I was wrong. Whilst I do feel that the story takes a while to gets going, almost as if the author gains confidence as she goes, it has a pace and depth to it that I really liked. I actually enjoyed the slightly emotional asides and really appreciated that the story was not constant action and hordes of zombies. There are zombies - and there are baddies - but there are also people with fears, cares, a past.

The story is well written, the dialogue and characters believable and well developed. One thing that does grate is that the zombies - whilst described as shambling and I thought I heard "unable to climb stairs" seem to be capable of destroying any fence or door - that grated somewhat. Also at times (actually more in the second book) the speed of infection seems inconsistent - and in one part at least somewhat unconvincing.

If you enjoy post apocalyptic stories - this is a pretty good one with deep characters and reasonably convincing storylines. If you want "bang bang" your dead hordes of zombies - look elsewhere (though in this there are hordes aplenty).

The narrator, Julia Whelan, does a really good job; she is consistent and convincing with voices, reads at a good pace and basically brings it all to life.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Fantastic, emotional journey with our survivors.

I've already read the book, but listening to the audiobook brought the characters to life even more. Sarah writes such good characters that you are still thinking about them after you've finished the book. I've already read the next 2 books but still going to listen to them (and I very very rarely re-read a book)

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Completely thrilling

Rarely does a single volume comfortably cope with the whole story of the zombie apocalypse. Sarah Lyons Fleming has perfected the art. There is a beginning, middle and end to this saga that feels somehow complete and readers/listeners are not left wanting. Action, suspense, passion, lust, love, family and friendship are all here... a superb novel, well written and performed eloquently by Julia Whelan. A worthy purchase for the diehard apocalypse fans.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

gripping

gripping until the very end, great characterisations, and a brilliant story loved every second of it

1 of 1 people found this review helpful