by
Chris Philbrook
276 Pages
Self-Published, November 11, 2013
Genre: Horror, Zombies, Apocalyptic, Humor
Reviewed by Shay Festa a.k.a. The Bookie Monster
Realizing you have a surviving neighbor after the world is overtaken by the undead isn't always a good thing. Unless that neighbor is the grumpy, armed and retired Green Beret Gilbert Donohue. In that case, finding out you've got a neighbor is a lot like hitting the proverbial jackpot. Adrian's piecemeal life on campus since "That Day" has been a struggle. Retrieving supplies from local neighborhoods filled with the walking dead has been dangerous for him, but he's stayed alive by being a little smarter than the other survivors, and a lot faster than the roaming, hungry zombies that have overtaken his home town, and the world.
In Alone No More, the second installment in the smash hit series Adrian's Undead Diary, Adrian's life is poised to become even more complicated and dangerous when some familiar faces find their way to ALPA with some less than friendly folks on their tail. For the first time the breadth of Adrian's Apocalypse widens to reveal the death of one of the oldest cities of mankind in one of the most popular of all the AUD short stories: Jerusalem. Sometimes in the cold of winter, the only thing can keep you warm is freshly spilled blood.
In Alone No More, the second installment in the smash hit series Adrian's Undead Diary, Adrian's life is poised to become even more complicated and dangerous when some familiar faces find their way to ALPA with some less than friendly folks on their tail. For the first time the breadth of Adrian's Apocalypse widens to reveal the death of one of the oldest cities of mankind in one of the most popular of all the AUD short stories: Jerusalem. Sometimes in the cold of winter, the only thing can keep you warm is freshly spilled blood.
Book 2 of Adrians Undead Diary delivers as big a punch as its predecessor. Alone No More begins with more back story of several other characters individual experience (and subsequent demise) during the initial outbreak. Chris Philbrook does an excellent job of toggling between those vignettes and Mr. Journal. Once again, I found myself laughing out loud to Adrian's snarky entries into his trusted diary.
Philbrook tells the story of the schools female soccer team as their Coach is bitten and heroically tells the girls to leave him. The team locked themselves in a dorm room to discover one of them has been bitten. The conclusion of that arc left me with chills and I did a mental golf clap and tipped my proverbial hat to Chris for his ingenuity.
Another vignette shows us the state of the Emergency Room when things begin to fall apart.
Little nuances of the workings of an ER, and accurate terminology, left me questioning if the author has had some experience in a hospital setting. His descriptions, down to the minutia of details were spot on. So, I asked him if he pulled from personal experience or relied on research for these details.
"I currently work in healthcare. I manage a dorm of kids at a treatment facility, plus I'm combat lifesaver trained from years of work as a bodyguard. I'm responsible for the meds in my dorm a few days a week, and I've got all that training. In my writing, I've either done it myself, or I sat down with people who did, and made sure I was getting it right. I'm proud to say that I make very few mistakes when it comes to that kind of stuff. It's hard work, but it pays off with far better books."The real winner in this installment is the ease in which the author gives us little ah-ha moments. If you've read my review of Book 1, you'll know that Adrian's first (almost) encounter with a zombie is witnessing a woman being shot and killed outside his condo. Book 2 enlightens readers with great little segues that all lead back into Adrian. Not to mention, we are rewarded with getting to know the woman before the zombie.
About the Reviewer:Shay Festa A.K.A. The Bookie Monster reviews horror and paranormal books, with an emphasis (but not limited to) zombie fiction. With a background in Psych Nursing, Shay brings her unique perspective to the online reading community. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook. And keep an eye out for the future release of her debut novel, Time of death.
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