The Living Dead by George A Romero and Daniel Kraus

The Living Dead by George A. Romero
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - as able over 3 days

Pages - 656

Publisher - Bantam Press

Source - 656

Blurb from Goodreads

Set in the present day, The Living Dead is an entirely new tale, the story of the zombie plague as George A. Romero wanted to tell it.

It begins with one body.

A pair of medical examiners find themselves battling a dead man who won’t stay dead.

It spreads quickly.

In a Midwestern trailer park, a Black teenage girl and a Muslim immigrant battle newly-risen friends and family. On a US aircraft carrier, living sailors hide from dead ones while a fanatic makes a new religion out of death. At a cable news station, a surviving anchor keeps broadcasting while his undead colleagues try to devour him. In DC, an autistic federal employee charts the outbreak, preserving data for a future that may never come.

Everywhere, people are targeted by both the living and the dead.

We think we know how this story ends.

We. Are. Wrong.


My Review

If you follow my Goodreads or any of my accounts or just know me you KNOW I LOVE Zombies, movies, books - can't get enough. Romero movies I grew up with and when I heard this was a book he had a hand in, TAKE MY MONEY!!!

I was planning on keeping this until October for my themed reads but I couldn't wait and had to dive in. I always said if I wrote a zombie book I would want it starting or cataloged at a hospital, this is close enough, a morgue.

It spreads quickly and we visit a handful of characters as the outbreak hits and how they react and try to survive the undead. A teenager in a trailer park - crime, poverty racism and now battling to stay alive. A government employee, a pilot trying to prove her worth among the sailors and finding comfort with the carriers priest despite being an unbeliever, hoping the infection won't reach their vessel. A news station, staying online as long as possible, reporting on the stories as they get them. And in Washington, an employee logging all the information of the outbreak as she gets it, staying to the very end to ensure everything is catalogued, as long as people reach out - she has a job to do.

A very mixed bag of characters, I have read and watched a fair amount of zombie stories. This one has the usual themes we see in them all but also a few wee new surprises that I hadn't seen or read before. Romero has given so much so to have this is just the icing on the cake - I would love to have a story, written, delving into the "Day of the Dead" characters, Doctor "Frankenstein" the soldiers, BUB (although I felt in this book we had a wee glimpse or nod to Bub and how he was different to his other fellow zombies). Maybe Kraus will try his hand at something like that, who wouldn't love to hear Bub's story and after reading this I think he well could be the man for the job. 4.5/5 for me, fingers and toes crossed this is something he would consider, I am now aware he has other books out there so will have a nosey at his works and see what he writes. If you are a zombie fan you really need to sink your teeth into this (see what I did there :P sorry, not sorry!).

View all my reviews

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 320

Publisher - Headline

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

One pet crow fights to save humanity from an apocalypse in this uniquely hilarious debut from a genre-bending literary author.

S.T., a domesticated crow, is a bird of simple pleasures: hanging out with his owner Big Jim, trading insults with Seattle's wild crows (those idiots), and enjoying the finest food humankind has to offer: Cheetos ®.

Then Big Jim's eyeball falls out of his head, and S.T. starts to feel like something isn't quite right. His most tried-and-true remedies--from beak-delivered beer to the slobbering affection of Big Jim's loyal but dim-witted dog, Dennis--fail to cure Big Jim's debilitating malady. S.T. is left with no choice but to abandon his old life and venture out into a wild and frightening new world with his trusty steed Dennis, where he discovers that the neighbors are devouring each other and the local wildlife is abuzz with rumors of dangerous new predators roaming Seattle. Humanity's extinction has seemingly arrived, and the only one determined to save it is a foul-mouthed crow whose knowledge of the world around him comes from his TV-watching education.

Hollow Kingdom is a humorous, big-hearted, and boundlessly beautiful romp through the apocalypse and the world that comes after, where even a cowardly crow can become a hero.


My Review

Y'all know I love a zombie book (my blog has it's own tab just for these types of books) but this one is different from many of the others I have read. In fact is pretty much the first zombie book I have read like this. The main character and narrator of the book is a bird, a domesticated crow called S.T. (Shit Turd). He is a bit of a scardey, doesn't associate with his own kind and his whole world is his human Jim and Jim's daft dog Dennis. When Jim's eye falls out that is the first incline something isn't right. S.T. will need to venture out to try find medicine to help Jim, soon S.T. realises this isn't an isolated incident and him and Dennis will need to head out into the world if they have any chance of survival.

Sooo, humans actually don't play a huge part in the story, yes they are zombies and the animals need to keep out of their grabby, bitey mitts. The story focuses on S.T. and then Dennis as they attempt to make sense of what is/has happened and what they will do next. Some chapters let us hear from other animals as they experience the decline of interaction with their humans. As S.T. gets his head around what has happened he embarks on a mission and interacts with other animals he finds along they way as they try to adjust to a world without humans.

I did quite enjoy this to be honest although as the majority of characters are animals there is some animal fatalities which of course dampened my enjoyment. Even a passing animal I find hard to read if it passes or gets hurt so not a spoiler as much as a headsup. Lets face it a zombie book with humans you know there will be death(s) it is the nature of the story but almost all of our characters are animals.

A really unique approach to a zombie apocalyptic book giving us main characters as animals, I would love there to be a follow up and see what comes next. This is my first time reading this author, I would absolutely read them again, 3.5/5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux

Allison Hewitt Is Trapped by Madeleine Roux
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days on and off

Pages - 340

Publisher - St. Martin's Griffin

Source - Amazon

Blurb from Goodreads

One woman's story as she blogs - and fights back - the zombie apocalypse"

Allison Hewitt and her five colleagues at the Brooks and Peabody Bookstore are trapped together when the zombie outbreak hits. Allison reaches out for help through her blog, writing on her laptop and utilizing the military's emergency wireless network (SNET). It may also be her only chance to reach her mother. But as the reality of their situation sinks in, Allison's blog becomes a harrowing account of her edge-of-the-seat adventures (with some witty sarcasm thrown in) as she and her companions fight their way through ravenous zombies and sometimes even more dangerous humans.



My Review

Azombie apocalypse with internet and blog entries capturing Allison Hewitt's struggle to survive and all the issues she faces. Working in a bookstore you are very limited in your options when a zombie apocalypse kicks off, that is what happens to Allison. However we follow her journey, with a handful of other survivors as they slowly adapt and try to stay alive. As living conditions worsening, time is dragging on, it is clear they need to move on to stay alive.

I really liked the kick off for this, the blog aspect was new for me, as you know have read more than a few zombie books. We go through many avenues of emotional reactions, meltdowns, personal growth and all updated with her blog and some comments from other survivors and their plights. We see how different folk react, the dangerous interactions with not just the zombies but other survivors. Love, loss, bravery, humanity both the good and bad and the strength of humans to prevail and keep going.

Whilst I did enjoy this I didn't like the abruptness of the end. As I was nearing the last few chapters I got a bit nervy of how it would wrap up. I am sure some loved it but I felt it should have been a good bit longer and more closure. There is another book after this one, I don't think it is any of the same characters though. I will buy it because I do love a zombie book and I did enjoy the authors writing style plus blog entries and a new spin on this genre, for me anyway. I just wish there had been more, sure they say a good author always leaves their audience wanting more, I would have just liked more closure, 3.5 stars out of 5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

Happy Halloween - Q&A with author Mary Hallberg with giveaway

Happy Halloween you guys, as you may have noticed if you follow my Instagram or the FB page you will know I love Halloween and have wee decs around the house. So I know I did a Q&A with Tracey Sinclair and a wee giveaway, I have another for you. The lovely Mary Hallberg has taken some time out from recovering, get well soon Mary, to answer some questions about her book.





Hello and welcome to So Many Books, So Little Time – thanks for taking the time out to stop by and answer some questions.








What is State of Emergency about, without spoilers obviously.

STATE OF EMERGENCY is about a girl named Dallas who loves zombie movies. One night while she’s backstage at a concert, she witnesses the beginning of a real zombie outbreak and knows she has to get to safety.


Is this your first book and if so what made you go Zombies?

It’s the first book I’ve ever published, but I think it’s the fourth or fifth I’ve actually written. Up until a few years ago, I never found zombies very scary. Then one night I had this nightmare about being trapped in a room with a zombie horde on the other side. So I thought it would be cool to write about a zombie outbreak, but do it a little differently. Most zombie novels and movies today just gloss over the beginning of the outbreak, then drop us into a character’s life twenty years later or something. But I think the beginning is the scariest part, when you’re watching everything around you go from normal and familiar to complete chaos.


What made you choose the location?

I grew up in south Mississippi, so I go to New Orleans a lot. It’s the perfect place to set a horror story because there’s so much supernatural lore attached to the city. And of course the mountains are a great place to hide from zombies because they’re hard to get around in, so I knew the characters would need to go to northern Alabama or Tennessee.


I felt the book could have been so much longer (always wanting more with zombies) what made you go novella?

It was initially a little longer, but I trimmed several major scenes because all the initial readers I had giving me feedback said they didn’t make sense. I have them available as deleted scenes for my newsletter subscribers.


Will there be a follow up book?

Possibly. I’ve got some ideas for where a sequel could go.


Do you have a favourite character and why?

I really like Pierce, just because he’s been through so much and I feel for him, but also because, even with everything he’s going through, he still cares immensely for Talia. He and Dallas clash a little bit at first because she sees him as this dude trying to take her baby sister away from her. But ultimately, they both have the same goal: To protect Talia.


Are you reading anything just now?

I just started FINAL GIRLS by Riley Sager. I really like it.


What is next for Mary?

I’ve got a short story coming out next month, maybe a couple more in 2018, and a novella in October 2018. I’ve got tons of stuff in the pipeline but no official release dates yet.


Where can fans find you?

My website is www.maryhallberg.com. I’ve got a contact page there with all my social media, as well as a newsletter people can sign up for if they want all the latest news on what I’m up to.


Anything else you would like to say?

I’ve got plenty of stuff to release, so if you enjoyed STATE OF EMERGENCY or just like horror in general, be sure to follow me for more. I hope people enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoyed writing it.


And if all that isn't enough, I am offering up my pre-loved copy of Mary's book (only the book in the photo I am afraid).





As always, enter using Rafflecopter. The more entries you complete the more chances you have, good luck guys.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Red Hill by Jamie McGuire

Red Hill by Jamie McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days on and off

Pages - 368

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Blurb from Goodreads


When the world ends, can love survive?

For Scarlet, raising her two daughters alone makes fighting for tomorrow an everyday battle. Nathan has a wife, but can’t remember what it’s like to be in love; only his young daughter Zoe makes coming home worthwhile. Miranda’s biggest concern is whether her new VW Bug is big enough to carry her sister and their boyfriends on a weekend escape from college finals.

When reports of a widespread, deadly “outbreak” begin to surface, these ordinary people face extraordinary circumstances and suddenly their fates are intertwined. Recognizing they can’t outrun the danger, Scarlet, Nathan, and Miranda desperately seek shelter at the same secluded ranch, Red Hill. Emotions run high while old and new relationships are tested in the face of a terrifying enemy—an enemy who no longer remembers what it’s like to be human.

Set against the backdrop of a brilliantly realized apocalyptic world, love somehow finds a way to survive. But what happens when the one you’d die for becomes the one who could destroy you?



My Review

Scarlett works in the hospital which is where she is when the outbreaks really kicks off. Her two daughters are with her ex husband and her main focus is getting to them and a place of safety. One of the doctors she works with has a safe haven, Red Hill, this is where Scarlett aims to get to. The doctors own daughters are headed to this location and a few other characters. With a deadly zombie outbreak, cannibalism, violence and death the main goal for all is to get to safety unharmed.

You know by now I love a zombie book and I especially love that this one kicks off really in a hospital. We get split between the main characters with each chapter, Scarlett, Nathan & his daughter and Miranda, Ashley (the doctors daughters) and their partners. Whilst there is gore and deaths galore this book also looks are relationships and the impacts this kind of disaster can have on families and how people cope and survive.

There are dark themes as always with apocalypse but also the darker side of human nature when vulnerable people are left unprotected. Sexual abuse raises its ugly head, briefly but enough that I feel a warning is required to fellow readers. Really fast paced, despite jumps in characters and locations the book does well to keep it together and relevant. I would have read it in one sitting given the chance, there is another book which looks at the journey of two of the survivors but nothing from where this one ends. I tweeted the author and really hope this is in the pipelines or gives McGuire consideration to pick up where she left off with the characters. 4/5 for me this time, this is my first dance with this author and I would read her work again.

View all my reviews

Underground by Darren Shan

Zom-B Underground by Darren Shan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off over 1 day

Pages - 212

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Blurb from Goodreads

Waking up in a military complex, months after zombies attacked school, B has no memory of the last few months. Life in the UK has turned tough since the outbreak, and B is woven into life- and battle- in the new military regime quickly. But as B learns more about the zombies held in the complex and the scientists keeping them captive, unease settles in. Why exactly was B saved? And is there anyone left in the world to trust?


My Review

This is the second book in the series so if you haven't read the first, stop reading this review and grab the first one. B has lost time, she doesn't remember the last few months and is now under military capture. With a team and under direct instructions B has to come to terms with who she is now and what is expected of her. She isn't gelling with her new team, her is adapting to her situation but as with the first book she has an internal battle going on.

I actually preferred this book to the first, this B has some tough choices to deal with and adaptions to make to get through the situation. She shows much more integrity with darker trials presented although the racist aspect is still looming in there. The setting is within a military building which could have be boring for some readers but I think it was a perfect setting for the build up and examination of B's character and those around her.

It is a zombie book with a twist, yes zombies who can think and talk have been done before but Shan puts a spin on that and offers, certainly for me, a unique take on the whole zombie them. One that can think, ones that are cannibalistic monsters, a mix of both and a stab at an explanation for it, we don't often get that. There is a fair amount of gore and splatter in the book but then it is a zombie apocalypse, we also see a bit of soul and there is some humour infused into the tale. 4/5 for me this time, but for the fact I have a ridik amount of review books awaiting my attention, I would have tore into the next installment of this series!

View all my reviews

Zom-B by Darren Shan

Zom-B by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 217

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Blurb from Goodreads

Zom-B is a radical new series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new ones. As Darren says, "It's a big, sprawling, vicious tale...a grisly piece of escapism, and a barbed look at the world in which we live. Each book in the series is short, fast-paced and bloody. A high body-count is guaranteed!"



My Review

This is the first book in a zombie series, we open with B our main character, a teenager who is still at school when the first stirrings of a zombie outbreak starts. No one really believes it and thinks the videos & news are mock ups. We follow B through relatively mundane happenings, until over 100 pages in we finally get our first glimpse of the undead.

So, for me this was a bit more like Fear The Walking Dead rather than The Walking Dead, heavily focused on the pre and build up to the actual onslaught. B is not a likable main character, a lot of time is spent being a bully or just horrible selfish behaviour to assessing the behviour and not wanting to be like her very racist father. There are scenes of bullying, racism, violence and when the zombies finally show up, some gore. There are also some black and white illustration artwork scattered throughout the book which makes for a nice wee change I thought.

There is a lot focus on self exploration of B's attitude, family values (that of white extremist attitude of the father), pack mentality in schools and survival mode. There are quite a few books in this series, I have already bought them so will be reading them. I would advise this may not be for the die hard zombie fans as it is a slow burner and not quite as much focus on the outbreak and zombies as it is on the characters however it is still a decent read, 3/5 for me.

View all my reviews

Review - Dawn Of the Dead by George A. Romero (and Susanna Sparrow)

Dawn of the Dead by George A. Romero
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - less than 1 day

Blurb From Amazon

When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.

George A. Romero's iconic film and novel terrified generations. Now Dawn of the Dead is back to terrify once more. The world is being devastated by zombies. No one knows how far they have spread, or how to stop them. And as the living fight to save themselves, society collapses. Four people escape the chaos of downtown Philadelphia and find shelter in a shopping mall. As the survivors exhaust their greed and the undead scrape at the doors, the refuge becomes a prison. And soon there will be nowhere left to hide ...

The classic horror that inspired a genre: if you haven't read this yet, you need to. If you have, you'll want to again. Includes a brilliant and exclusive introduction from Simon Pegg.

My Review

How did I not know this book existed!! I found it by chance in The Works, on sale and had quite a moment to myself. If you have seen the movie you know the jist of the story but for those who haven't (where have you been!), the story is focused on 4 survivors of the zombie outbreak, trying to survive. As we go in, we start in the news broadcasting room as they try to cover the beginning of the outbreak and make sense of it. Soon people realize this isn't under control and make a break for it. What follows is the story of how they face the terrors and try to stay alive, and out there it isn't just the zombies you need to worry about.

I loved the film and to be honest it has been so many years since I seen it (the original) I am not sure how closely the book follows (but a lot of what I do remember seemed to be present. The story isn't just a gore fest, although there is enough to keep the horror fans happy. It also shows the bonds and strains between the relationships, Roger and Peter, both professional killers trying to keep their head during the chaos. Fran and Stephen, in a relationship and now doing what they can to stay alive and help with the two trained killers.

My only complaints would be the chapters seemed to morph from one scene to another without any indication it had changed, ie no page break or symbol to indicate where one scene ends it just goes straight to the other. With only 4 main characters (for the most part) it is still easy to follow but that can be a tad annoying. The other is how it ends, I am pretty sure the movie is fairly the same but I like to know every detail and not be left guessing or hanging so therefore it is a 4/5 for me. would love to get my hands on the other books so will have to search and see if they exist.

View all my reviews

Review - Zombie Apocalypse by Stephen Jones

Zombie Apocalypse! by Stephen Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb from Goodreads

Controversial plans to build on the site of an old church in South London releases a centuries-old plague that turns its victims into flesh-hungry ghouls whose bite or scratch passes the contagion on to others. Even worse, the virus may also have a supernatural origin with the power to revive the dead.

My review

I love zombie books and this one is different from most of the others I have come across in that it is accounts of how the outbreak starts and effects people and spreads via twitter, blogs, letters, diary entrys etc. I liked that it gives you how the outbreak begins and really liked the peoples experiences and how it spreads and their encounters.

However just under the last quarter of the book changes and becomes silly, silly songs about zombies, short stories being written by a survivor and a script about zombies for a movie, I mean as if you would be making stuff up like that during a zombie apocalypse. It actually really annoyed me and took the book from a 5 star rating down to 3. Definately worth reading but I think you might find yourself skimming as you get to the end of the book as it just isn't as good as the first 3 quarters was.



View all my reviews