Books 1-14
by
R.R. Haywood
Self-Published, 2012-2013
Genre: Horror, Zombies, Apocalyptic, British, Humor
Reviewed by Shay Festa a.k.a. The Bookie Monster
A deadly infection spreads across Europe. The Undead Series: A terrifying account of one man desperately struggling to survive this harrowing event.
The First Seven Days:
The Second Week:
Let's start this review off with a big WOW! The Undead series is nothing short of amazing. I read the entire thing in a mere four days and was sad to see it end. It shocked me to find the series has yet to be picked up. I found only two things in all fourteen books that I didn't swoon over. The first being several noticeable editing issues. While all small, the amount of them (especially towards the end for some reason) was enough to make me raise an eyebrow. Still, though, without professional editing, I give kudos to the author for not having more. The second challenge I faced was in book ten. The introduction of Maddox's group didn't seem as fluid as others and I spent a few minutes in confusion. Book ten earned a 4 star rating for this reason, while the other thirteen received 5 stars from this reader. The story and characters were so compelling, no amount of spelling errors could have affected the rating.
RR Haywood spins a tale of Mr. Howie, a night shift grocery worker as he fights off the wretched undead and meets some pretty awesome people along the way. Howie first teams up with Dave, a fellow co-worker at the store. Dave is a killing machine, methodical and devoid of social grace, it came as no shock when he revealed having Asbergers. His dry demeanor mixed with Howie's witty humor makes for some pretty deadpan comedy.
Joined by rookie soldiers Cookey, Blowers and Nick the comedy continues as they each dish out witty barbs. Each character is fully developed and believable. It's evident in the writing that a lot of thought went into creating them and the dynamic they bring to the group. Along the way, many more people are introduced. I won't go into their details, since that's the fun part about reading, but I will say they were each written just as well as the others.
Despite the never ending battle to survive, Howie and company continue in their mission to secure a safe haven for refugees. Destruction never ceasing to knock down their doors, the action is non-stop.
These aren't your garden variety zombies. They are a collective, pushed onward by an infection portrayed as an entity all it's own. The infection morphs and evolves in it's single minded goal to wipe out humanity. The undead aren't interested in eating its prey, it's only desire to spread the infection.
There are zombies of all shapes and sizes. Slow and lumbering, fast and vicious, thinking and plotting, seducing, vengeful...you name it, they've got it. The one thing they have in common is the red eyes. Lucky for the eyes or survivors would be completely fubar. The infection itself is original. It allows what could have ended up long and drawn out to keep me on the edge of my seat and never bored.
The Undead series is an ever changing, exciting work of fiction that will keep readers glued to the pages from start to finish. With it's terror, humor, unique story and likable characters, it is sure to be a huge hit with the masses.
Important note: This series is not for the feint of heart. In addition to the blood and guts, there is a lot of bad language (most of it pretty hilarious) and a few sexually explicit scenes that may be shocking to some. I appreciate the authors show of restraint as he did not harp on the uncomfortable moments. Oh, and spiders...lest we not forget the spiders. Haywoods description of poor Paula as she is stalked by an eight legged terror had me squirming in my seat and making noises of fear and disgust, followed promptly by a full body check and scan of my surroundings to ensure I, too, was not about to be attacked.
The Undead Series is available for purchase in standalone stories or as 2 compilations, each a week long account of the events of the zombie outbreak in England. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this until I went to purchase the final book. My suggestion is to purchase them as shown above, a week at a time.
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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.