Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde

 
4.2 (2)
 
0.0 (0)
270 0
Zombieattack.jpg
Publisher Name
Laughing Crow Media
Age Range
8+
Release Date
May 01, 2015
ISBN13
1512078263
ISBN10 or ASIN
      

When 16 year old Xander's older brother Moto left him at Vandenberg Airforce Base he only had one request - don't leave no matter what. But there was no way he could have known that one day zombies would gather into groups big enough to knock down walls and take out entire buildings full of people. That was before the rise of the horde! Now Xander is on the run, fleeing south to Port Hueneme to locate his brother with nothing but his martial arts training and the katana blade left to him. Along the way he'll have to fight for his life against other survivors, neo-Nazi's, outlaw bikers, gang bangers, cannibals, cult members, and a seemingly endless sea of flesh hungry zombies. Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde is filled with pulse pounding undead action from the very first chapter up until the bitter sweet end. From rock stars and celebrities to false prophets and miracle workers, this book has it all! The story takes off like a bullet and doesn't slow down until the last sentence. You won't be able to put it down!

When 16 year old Xander's older brother Moto left him at Vandenberg Airforce Base he only had one request - don't leave no matter what. But there was no way he could have known that one day zombies would gather into groups big enough to knock down walls and take out entire buildings full of people. That was before the rise of the horde! Now Xander is on the run, fleeing south to Port Hueneme to locate his brother with nothing but his martial arts training and the katana blade left to him. Along the way he'll have to fight for his life against other survivors, neo-Nazi's, outlaw bikers, gang bangers, cannibals, cult members, and a seemingly endless sea of flesh hungry zombies. Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde is filled with pulse pounding undead action from the very first chapter up until the bitter sweet end. From rock stars and celebrities to false prophets and miracle workers, this book has it all! The story takes off like a bullet and doesn't slow down until the last sentence. You won't be able to put it down!

Editor reviews

4 reviews
Overall rating
 
4.2
Writing Style
 
4.0(2)
Plot
 
4.0(2)
Characters
 
4.5(2)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A(0)
A High Octane Zombie-Fest
Overall rating
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
N/A
Plot
 
N/A
Characters
 
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
The zombie-pocalypse has come! Thanks to chemical spills, overpopulation, or just bad fast food, humans have gone Z: Zombie.

Zombie Attack! The Rising Horde by Devan Sagliani opens with our main guy, Xander, holed up at a sizeable Air Force base with a group of other humans as they hide out from zombies. The zombies have horded up and set their sights on Vandenberg, one of the few remaining human strongholds. But Xander is not without resources. His big brother, Moto, trained him in martial arts. The wicked katana Xander carries doesn’t hurt either.

But being trapped in a base school is not where Xander wants to be. He’s determined to get to Hueneme where his brother is stationed. At least, he hopes he’s still there. Communications have gone as dead as a decapitated zombie. With few supplies, Xander sets out along with Benji, a comic geek turned little brother for Xander.

Once on the road, Xander quickly realizes that the walking — or running — dead are the least of their problems. The journey to Hueneme brings them face-to-face with rogue bikers thriving in the post Z anarchy, extremists bent on ultimate survival, cannibals (and not of the zombie variety), and religious nut jobs who straddle the line between occult following and certifiably in-sane! Along the way, Xander also picks up a teen reality princess who might be the best, or worst, thing to ever happen to him.

Now, getting to Hueneme without becoming zombie brunch, or killing each other, remains to be seen.

I’ve seen a couple reviews noting that The Rising Horde was a fast-paced ride. This is absolutely true! The Rising Horde slows down very few times. But when it DOES, you get this tickle on the back of your neck because you KNOW stuff is about to hit the fan…again. It’s like reading a hijinks adventure, but with zombie carnage. Nothing goes according to plan, and our heroes often escape by the skin of their teeth. The tension builds as Xander and his crew run into different obstacles, each one seemingly worse than the previous one.

The characters are also enjoyable. Benji is the perfect little brother ole. Xander takes the comic geek under his wing when Benji’s harassed by base brats. Benji adds a very human quality to the story. He’s just a kid, after all! His family is killed right in front of him so you can’t help but feel bad for this little guy. The odds are against him: he’s young, ill prepared for any fighting of any kind, and he’s not as fast as the others. Because of this, you want him to succeed. You need him to pull through to the end.

The same can be said for Felicity, the teen reality show star. She’s everything you think she’d be in the beginning. Yup, THAT kind of girl. She’s snotty, over privileged, and doesn’t appear to care much about what’s going on. Then we get little tidbits of her story and even Xander begins to see her in a different light. Felicity has a fighting spirit, even if she’s not exactly a warrior type like Xander.

Our main protag, Xander, is also a great guy. All he wants is to get to his brother, to make sure he’s okay. But he’s also committed to keeping Benji safe. Even though Xander may think it would be easier to get where he needs to go without having Benji along as luggage, Xander can’t do it. Benji is his responsibility. Same for Felicity. Sure, she’s super hot and he’s had a thing for her since before the world went Z, but keeping her safe becomes just as important as finding Moto. But Xander is often torn between acting as an adult would after being thrust into a leader role for Benji and Felicity, and acting like a typical teenager with his own set of insecurities and doubts. These things make him a wonderfully relatable character. He has this tremendous duty in keeping those he cares about safe, but he’s also just a kid trying to do the best he can with a horrible situation. And his snort-inducing smart mouth gives me warm fuzzies deep in my heart.

The only thing that lacked for me, and this is just personal taste, is the first chapter being mostly flashback. I get that we need to know HOW everything ended up all zombified, but as a reader, I’d rather have this info included in the story rather than an info dump in the first chapter. Also, the inclusion of pop culture got a bit old for me. Sure, it’s great to have a character into video games, comics, 80s rock bands, etc, but I don’t need that stuff hanging out all over the place. A little bit makes it relatable because a reader might be into the same things, but TOO much and it feels forced. Again, this is just personal taste.

In the end, Zombie Attack: The Riding Horde WAS the thrill ride I expected it to be. It actually reminded me a bit of World War Z, but the YA version. Zombies are scary. Fast hordes of zombies are downright terrifying! Add all out societal anarchy and you get a fresh-feeling take on zombie books. There’s a healthy dose of thrill, a bit of horror, a dash of romance, and a wallop of a serving of adventure. But hold on to your hats, folks. This puppy ends in one heck of a cliffhanger. Be sure to prep your buy button fingers, because you’ll need it.
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Zombie Filled Roller Coaster Ride
(Updated: June 15, 2015)
Overall rating
 
4.3
Writing Style
 
N/A
Plot
 
N/A
Characters
 
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
I love a great zombie story. I love the suspense, the anticipation of danger on every page. What I like best of all, is that zombie stories, at the heart- question who are the real monsters. Are they the moaning groaning dead that search out the living? Or are the true monsters the ones that are alive- manipulating and deceiving innocent people around them? Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde does not disappoint and lives up to any zombie fan’s expectations!

Devan Sagliani creates an incredible thrill ride filled with zombies, blood, action and suspense. Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde is a fast paced zombie apocalypse novel that is sure to hook readers from the very first page.

The main character Xander Macnamara must cross dangerous territory in the post apocalypse world filled with zombies to be reunited with his military brother, Moto. Along the way, Xander, meets up with other young travelers; his young friend Benji, the twins Joel and Tom Parker, and a young celebrity named Felicity Jane. Xander is not only a well crafted character with realistic qualities, his sarcasm and wise-cracking comments add humor to the story in all the right places. The conversations between Xander and Benji were some of the best scenes in the book.

This a great read for middle school and YA readers. It is that the paced and action instantly hook the reader. What makes this even better for younger readers is that it is not laced with graphic profanity. It details a frightening end of the world scenario with violence, betrayal, and evil. But Sagliani does such a wonderful job crafting and weaving in lighter, humorous moments making this perfect for a younger audience while also making it entertaining for adults.

What left me wanting more? The cliff hanger! Devan Sagliani does a great job at leaving just enough questions that you want to pick up the next book! I need to know more!

Zombie Attack: Rise of the Horde is a book I would highly recommend to readers looking for thrill ride of a story. This book is a must read for fans of the Rot and Ruin series and The Walking Dead. This reader is definitely looking forward to the next book.
Good Points
Incredibly fast paced
Zombies
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0

User reviews

There are no user reviews for this listing.
Already have an account? or Create an account