Didn't get beyond the first episode

We have a real glut of zombie stories in popular culture. I can't really understand the enduring appeal of the genre but, whatever the explanation, a zombie story really has to distinguish itself to be worth the effort. This one doesn't. If you've been in your apocalyptic bunker since the 60s, and have never seen/read/heard any zombie movies/books/etc then maybe this will seem original to you. For the rest of us, who are completely sated with zombies by now, it's just a bit of a yawn. It's not actually awful -- it's just not good enough to sustain interest in zombies.

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2 people found this helpful

Full of stereotypes - zombies just tacked on.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was short and occupied a car journey (all episodes) but I didn't really gain much. The zombies could have easily been replaced and it would not have changed the story (e.g. in a sinking ship, a nuclear bunker, a crippled space station, or a burning building). The individuals were all stereotypes with big-ticket diversity (tick.. inter-race bisexual relationship, tick.. gay couple, tick.. narcissistic actor, tick.. acquired disability) just thrown in randomly (as were the minimal emergent relationships). For example, as a molecular biology professor myself I found the umm.. 'molecular biology professor' to be a superficial, one-dimensional 'a.n.other' scientist, taken straight out of 40's scifi ('The compouuuund') - or perhaps even earlier (Dr Jekyll ?). They perhaps channelled the author's old chemistry teacher rather than being a genuine character? The ending (post reveal) was a somewhat contrived set-up for at least three spin-offs (peppered with pop-references) - I'm not sure if I'd listen or not... they would need an actual zombie element that couldn't be replaced by a simple flood (and if you want to write a prof, or a scientist - maybe ask one for help - or even meet/observe one in real life??). If this was an escape room - it would be OK, if it was a computer game it was very light on puzzles. As light relief on a medium length car journey - it kept me awake and moderately entertained.

What will your next listen be?

The better angels of our nature - Steven Pinker

Would you listen to another book narrated by the narrator?

Multiple cast members, mostly OK - the prof was unconvincing and some of the accents slipped a bit.

If this book were a film would you go see it?

Not enough content, might work as a series episode.

Any additional comments?

Why is this branded with the Zombies Run! exercise app - it was almost all inside as a locked room mystery?

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1 person found this helpful

Good, but why in pieces

The story itself is good and dramatization as well, but the separation into 6 pieces seems unnecessary. It makes listening harder and it also asks me later to rate each piece separately, which makes no sense to me as the readers are all the same, the location is all the same and so on.

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Novel concept. Lacks impact.

The concept of a who dunnit in a zombie apocalypse has novelty factor. It had the campiness you would expect from a murder mystery but failed to capture any of the tension you would hope for in a zombie story. The cast were not very believable. The zombies were there but never really felt threatening. Listening to it I didn't feel like anyone was taking it seriously, that made it hard to be invested in anything happening. It had potential but I don't think it really succeeded as a good mystery or a good zombie story.

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Short, sharp fun and different.

I couldn't quite face another full on zombie story quite yet but this was something fresh and new which kept me listening over Easter.
It could very easily have been a 20 hour marathon covering every detail, instead it was just a simple zombie story revolving around a mystery in a large manor house.
Just enough zombie action for fans and some good writing to keep you listening. Each part of the story has enough story to keep you listening and wanting to know more.

I am tending to prefer this tighter less baggy chapter setup rather than a epic novels.

I would recommend this to any zombie fans who want something different. If you are a die hard gore fan, then stay well away. This is PG.

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One star, boring!!

Boring story. It’s a murder mystery with a zombie title that misleads you into downloading it. Thank goodness I didn’t waste a credit on it.
Mark

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Weak

This is one of the weakest stories ever. It’s a very simple murder mystery with a zombie backdrop. No twists, no tension and very limited storytelling. Don’t waste your time

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Utter drivel!

I don't know where to start. Rubbish story, Rubbish naive bbc style acting, terrible... crikey! If I could vomit my review on to the producers lap I'd still be dry heaving on the prescribed vocabulary and accents I've just subjected myself to.
Think Eastenders vs Bored of the Dead!

On the whole I'd give it a miss...

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