Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Survivor (Alone #2)

by James Phelan (Goodreads Author)

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 132 ratings · 24 reviews

Jesse is alone. His friends are gone. His supplies are gone. And the chasers, the zombies, are getting bolder. So when he starts to see signs of life, of other humans, he can't believe his luck. But in post-incident New York, the only thing more dangerous than the chasers, are the survivors.

Paperback, 272 pages

Published August 1st 2011 by Atom

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson

Clean teen fiction (Christian)

195th out of 368 books — 264 voters

Best Teen Books I've Read So Far

105th out of 119 books — 6 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 596)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 25, 2013 Reading In Pajamas - Cori & Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

SURVIVOR (Book 2 in the Alone Series) by James Phelan
Young Adult
PUBLISH DATE: April 30, 2013
REVIEW BY: Reading In Pajamas/Donna
RATED: 4.5 Stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
16 year old Jesse tries to survive a post-apocalyptic New York City.
At the end of the world, it's hard to trust anyone--even yourself.
Jesse and a ragged band of survivors crawl through the wreckage of New York City. They escaped the Chasers--for now. But the infected zombie freaks are getting bolder, stronger. So when they begin to see s...more

like · see review

Apr 19, 2013 Sandra "Jeanz" rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read in one sitting!
MY REVIEW
My daughter received this for review from K-Teen and as I had just recently read Chasers I decided to snag this one as soon as it arrived and read and review it as my daughter is in the process of reading some other titles at the moment.
So the cover, fits very well with Bk#1, the guy on the front presumably being Jesse in his hoodie with his head down. There's the New York skyline in the back ground to so the theme continues. The "Alone" series name is again featured...more Read in one sitting!
MY REVIEW
My daughter received this for review from K-Teen and as I had just recently read Chasers I decided to snag this one as soon as it arrived and read and review it as my daughter is in the process of reading some other titles at the moment.
So the cover, fits very well with Bk#1, the guy on the front presumably being Jesse in his hoodie with his head down. There's the New York skyline in the back ground to so the theme continues. The "Alone" series name is again featured and the series "logo" is actually explained within this book. I won't explain it as I think you should come across it within the context in the book. I love the byline again, this time it say's, "The smoke has cleared . . . Now they can see you...." So would I pick this book up from a book store shelf? Yes
The blurb gives us the bleak outlook that Jesse and any fellow survivors have to face on a daily basis. The blurb therefore describes the book very well,so yes I'd say the blurb works.
So Jesse has seen signs of other survivors, will he ever find any. The book starts with Jesse in someones home watching a video they have made. the person on the video is called Felicity, and she's gone in search of the "friendly Chasers" the ones who still seem to have some humanity, that don't chase you down to drink your blood. So Jesse leaves a note before heading out into New York City again, with a time and place to meet up with Felicity.
So the drama and action continue in this book, Jesse does see other humans, but doesn't always get the help or comfort he wants from them.
I did enjoy this book, but it's so difficult to say much about it without giving away spoilers for it or book one! In this book we meet new characters, Felicity, Rachel, and Caleb. For who they are and what happens to them you'll have to read the book! There are new dangers to be faced in this book, there's the Chasers, the "virus/toxin", and the unexploded bombs too. If an unexploded bomb goes off it re-releases the "virus/toxin" into the air, so there's a renewed risk of being turned into a violent blood thirsty Chaser . . .Things aren't easy for Jesse, will he ever escape the horror that is New York City? Will he ever make it home? Does home even still exist anymore? How far has the destructive "virus/toxin" travelled across america or the world.
So did you enjoy the book? Yes! Would you recommend the book? To all those that love post apocalyptic tales yes. Will I read a Bk#3? Yes, I don't just want to know what happens to Jesse and his friends I now need to know lol! Would I read other books by James Phelan? Mmm yes, of course I really like his writing style.(less)

like · see review

Apr 07, 2013 Dianne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-and-adventure, ages-12-up, arc-read, netgalley, own, post-apocalyptic, ya-male-hero

Book Two of the Alone Series, Survivor by James Phelan continues the story of an Australian teen who, by the luck of timing was safe from whatever has caused the almost complete extinction of humanity, leaving behind death, destruction and mutated monsters in its wake. Young Jesse is alone after the disaster hit New York and is at the mercy of zombie-like creatures who roam its streets. As Jesse fights for survival, he comes across three totally different young people and longs to create a plan...more

like · see review

Apr 03, 2013 Maria Miaoulis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Although thrilling and riveting to read, “Survivor” is not well-written. It can be confusing to keep up with because of the stream of consciousness style Phelan uses. And the narrative is so action-packed with things changing from one minute to the next, that it all runs together. But I guess that this is also what makes it believable. If we were to find ourselves in this type of situation, i.e. roaming devastated, zombie-infested streets in a world where laws no longer apply, words and proper d...more

like · see review

Jun 12, 2011 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-library-in-print, favourites, owned-and-read, young-adult, my-whole-library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When I finish a book that I’m going to review, I usually try to write about it straight after so my thoughts are still fresh and I still remember the feeling it left with me, but that wasn’t the case with Survivor. I’m still writing this review within a couple hours of finishing it, but I’m also procrastinating.

I finished reading Survivor and opted to potter around the house, do a little housework, and I admit I let out some discontented sighs every now and then because of the book… This sounds...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 30, 2011 Bree T rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, fantasy-sci-fi, library-reads, post-apocalyptic, series, young-adult

I read the first book in this trilogy, Chasers, last year as it was part of the 50 Books You Can’t Put Down for the Get Reading 2010 campaign. In the first novel, 16yo Australian Jesse was on a leadership camp in New York being run by the United Nations when a catastrophic event occurred while he was riding the subway. Crawling out of the wreckage, he saw chaos everywhere and anyone it seemed who had survived had developed an insatiable thirst. Most were content to drink from puddles, fire hydra...more I read the first book in this trilogy, Chasers, last year as it was part of the 50 Books You Can’t Put Down for the Get Reading 2010 campaign. In the first novel, 16yo Australian Jesse was on a leadership camp in New York being run by the United Nations when a catastrophic event occurred while he was riding the subway. Crawling out of the wreckage, he saw chaos everywhere and anyone it seemed who had survived had developed an insatiable thirst. Most were content to drink from puddles, fire hydrants, lakes, etc but there were some who hunted people down and drank from them. At the end of the book when he flees his safe spot to search for other survivors, he finds a video camera with recordings on it by a young girl who like him, seems unaffected.

The second book opens with Jesse’s continued search for Felicity, the girl on the video camera. He leaves a note for her in her apartment and goes looking for her in Central Park, where she mentions that she saw a bunch of humans that although appear infected, they are friendlier than others and could possibly be able to communicate. Jesse has seen the same people himself and he tries to find her there to no avail. He does however, encounter some suspicious looking ‘Army’ men who have found a way into the city for reasons unknown and appear to be systematically searching for something. After they almost kill him, Jesse tries following them for a while but eventually is discouraged of that and turns back. He then finds a student named Rachel who is bunkered down in the zoo, left caring for a handful of animals. She’s running out of food for them though and Jesse vows to leave and go and search out food so that she can continue caring for them. While he is undertaking this mission he encounters yet another survivor, a teenage boy named Caleb who is holed up in the bookstore he worked in before the event, claiming that it is more secure than most residences. He gives Jesse some information about the chasers and helps him take some things back to Rachel but he’s also got a bit of a sinister side and Jesse isn’t really sure whether or not he can trust him. When Jesse also finally finds Felicity, the four of them get together at the zoo and try and decide what they want to do.

Jesse is all for leaving, like the so-called Army characters he encountered told him to do. Leave, move north towards Canada where it’s colder, where the disease/infection/whatever it is doesn’t seem to have the prevalence. Caleb swears he’s spotted a group of some 40 odd survivors that don’t seem infected hiding out somewhere and that they should go and join them, or at least talk to them. Rachel is skeptical and also adamant that she cannot leave her zoo animals. They are her responsibility now and she has to stay and ensure that she can look after them as best she can. Felicity opts to stay with Rachel so when Caleb takes off one night, Jesse goes after him, splitting the group up.

It seemed that after spending the first book alone, survivors came crawling out of the woodwork everywhere in this novel – that’s not unlikely on it’s own. After all if Jesse survived and is uninfected than it’s logical that there are other people in the same situation, holed up like he was, trying to survive on what they could find from nearby and avoid the chasers. It just seems so easy that he keeps stumbling upon these people, especially Felicity, whom he leaves a note for telling her to meet him in a certain location. He doesn’t make it to the location on time for several days but keeps going, only to find her the first time he manages to get there at the time he suggested, which is also the first time she went there! It’s all sorts of coincidences, all the time.

I found it interesting that we learned a bit more about the chasers in this novel but I did also feel that it wasn’t enough. It’s been over two weeks since the incident occurred while Jesse was on the subway, probably closer to three weeks by the time this novel draws to a close and we’re still not really much the wiser about what has happened, other than a vague sort of biochemical type of incident. There are more questions than answers and give that there is only one book to go (and these books aren’t really that big) it seems like a lot to tie up in a final installment. It also seems like everyone is awesomely resourceful – rigging up generators and taking the time to hook up X-boxes to plasma TV’s and play a few games of this and that. I’m beginning to think that if ever I’m stranded in some sort of apocalyptic event, my chances of survival are pretty much zero because I wouldn’t know a generator if I fell over one, much less how to use it to power my little awesome hidey-hole, completely equipped with all the mod-cons a person could want!

The third book, Quarantine is due out in Australia next month and I am still invested enough to want to see how it ends and find out if Jesse ever makes it back to Australia. How widespread is this event? Is it just the east coast of America? Or will we learn that it’s affected a much larger area? I said in my review of the first book that I think this would be the sort of book I’d recommend to adolescent teen boys and I still would – I think it’s a subject matter that would interest them and just ‘gory’ enough to keep them going. It’s not the sort of YA that crosses over easily into adult readership, but I don’t think it’s supposed to.(less)

like · see review

Mar 14, 2013 April rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sequels-to-books-i-have-read

Survivor is the second book in the Alone series and picks up right where Chasers ended. Still trying to make it in the devastation of the attack on New York, Jesse is now alone but has found hope in a video he found from a young girl who is also a survivor. As Jesse sets out to find other survivors and try to get them all to safety, the Chasers are now posing a new threat. They now seem to no longer be solely opportunist but also hunters. They are becoming smarter and banding together to try to...more

like · see review

Aug 06, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, action-adventure, urban-fantasy, young-adult, post-apocalyptic

This book follows on almost immediately after Chasers. I read it in a day. Jesse finds survivors in this one and discovers a few things about the Chasers as well.

In all zombie/post apocalyptic books there is a "safe" area. Somewhere where the contagion or problem is less if not completely absent. This is what Jesse wants to find. He wants a way home.

The twist in this book wasn't nearly as good as the twist in the first one but still a decent one. The outcome of the book has left me wanting mor...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 14, 2013 Liz Perez rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, arc-i-own, 2nd-book

*Review copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

BOOK ABOUT:
Jesse is alone. His friends are gone. His supplies are gone. And the chasers, the zombies, are getting bolder. So when he starts to see signs of life, of other humans, he can't believe his luck. But in post-incident New York, the only thing more dangerous than the chasers, are the survivors.

You see? That alone was why I wanted to read this book. And boy, James did not disapoint me.

MY REVIEW:
This book is...more

like · see review

Sep 27, 2011 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Whilst not as good as "Chaser" (which actually rendered my speech to as little as "What? What? What?" after the end) I still really enjoyed "Survivor". The new characters really added something special, and the plot definitely thickened throughout. Plenty of action and well, the hunting breed of chasers just gave me the creeps. Definitely a recommended read for those aged 9-12. Where's "Quarantine"???!

1 like · like · see review

Nov 24, 2011 Crystal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not bad. It got a bit boring but picked up. The writing style is delicious and addictive, and while I don't think I will continue with the series, this book has a twisted plot line that made the four hours it took to read this book worth it.

like · see review

Feb 07, 2013 Helensvale Library rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sam

The twist in this 2nd book wasn't nearly as good as the twist in the first - that was totally gob smacking! Yet this is an exciting read with some chapters much more engaging than others. I welcomed the introduction of new characters and am still rallying behind Jesse and his survival. The outcome of the book has left me wanting more so I am about to start the 3rd book.

like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: will-probably-scare-me-but

I think I like the first book better only because of the massive twist at the end, but this is still a really great, spooky read :)

like · see review

Jul 03, 2011 Ren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, could-not-put-it-down, dystopia, young-adult

I couldn't put this one down and read most of the book in one sitting. I still have so many questions though, and I eagerly await the conclusion!

like · see review

Aug 14, 2012 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good, but not as good as 1 and 3. See my review of Chasers.

like · see review

Jan 30, 2013 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

This second book was even more intense.

like · see review

Oct 09, 2012 Matt B rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

James Phelan's second book in the Alone trilogy is a great book but doesn't improve upon the first. Survivor is a fast paced and exciting in some sections of the book but then becomes slower paced and not very engaging in others and loses the edge of your seat feel. Like Phelan's first book Chasers, it has a great ending and really surprises you. Survivor is a great story but doesn't answer any of the questions from the first book. Survivor is a great novel by James Phelan but is not as good as...more

like · see review

Dec 04, 2011 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So good I can't believe I have to wait for quarantine !

1 like · like · see review

Jan 13, 2013 Henri Moreaux rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, virus-disease, survival, post-apocalyptic, zombies

If you enjoyed the first, it's worthwhile picking up the second. Whilst there's no story redefining twist it is still a good book.

like · see review

Oct 16, 2011 Devereau Booth added it

Cool

like · see review

May 27, 2012 Gege Walter rated it 2 of 5 stars

i dont know what it was about this book because it kind of annoyed me a bit but i couldnt put it down all the same. i had to know what happened in the end but of course you kind of get it from the title. it wasnt the best ive ever read but there was nothing wrong with it at all..

like · see review

Nov 01, 2012 punk princess added it

it was good

like · see review

May 09, 2013 Nat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another quick read that I really enjoyed.

like · see review

May 16, 2013 Leanne Holmes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wonderful!!

like · see review

Jun 15, 2013 Macarra Jayde marked it as to-read

Jun 14, 2013 Suren marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jun 13, 2013 Mj marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jun 13, 2013 Anna-maria marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: zombies

Jun 12, 2013 Tereza Kohutova marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jun 09, 2013 Shane Hyham rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 19 20 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Young Adult

10 users

Apocalyptic > Post Apocalyptic

8 users

Horror > Zombies

7 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

4 users

Horror

3 users

Science Fiction > Apocalyptic

2 users

Action

2 users

See top shelves...

About James Phelan

James Phelan was born on the 21st of May, 1979, in Melbourne, Australia. His creative spirit was nurtured from a young age, and he credits his overactive imagination to being exposed to authors such as Roald Dahl and Paul Jennings, as well as such works as The Hobbit, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, Tales of the Punjab, Siddhartha, and The Little Prince.
As a teenager James discovered a love of g...more James Phelan was born on the 21st of May, 1979, in Melbourne, Australia. His creative spirit was nurtured from a young age, and he credits his overactive imagination to being exposed to authors such as Roald Dahl and Paul Jennings, as well as such works as The Hobbit, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, Tales of the Punjab, Siddhartha, and The Little Prince.
As a teenager James discovered a love of geo-political thrillers, of being entertained and informed on topical global events. James cites influences on the Fox series from reading such authors as Alistair MacLean, Clive Cussler, Jeffery Archer, Ken Follett, Tom Clancy, Jack Higgins, Robert Ludlum, John le Carre, Ian Fleming, and Jeffery Deaver.
In 1995, aged fifteen, James started his first novel, which he went on to develop as part of his major VCE English assignment in 1996. A thriller involving a terrorist attack on the 2000 Sydney Olympics, James eventually abandoned the storyline when Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six was published in 1998. While this story idea died, the lead protagonists of Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi lived on as James went in search of another introductory tale for these series characters.
After high school James went on to study in Architecture, and then English Literature, eventually graduating with a PhD in Writing. It was during his masters degree and while working at The Age newspaper James developed the idea that would become his first published book, and would lead to seeing his novels in print.
Literati: Australian Contemporary Literary Figure Discuss Fear, Frustrations and Fame was published to critical acclaim in August 2005, by John Wiley & Sons. Comprising 21 candid interviews with key Australian authors and publishing figures, Literati answered many questions for would-be writers, those in the industry, and readers with a keen interest in the writing and publishing process.
FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006) would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. FOX HUNT is a bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War and the new era of globalisation and War on Terror. It is a book that pays homage to the greats who have defined the genre and reflects the times we now find ourselves in. From Chechnya to New York, Venice to Washington, the storyline looks at the dangers of the Star Wars Missile Shield (aka Missile Defence), and the fragile reality of the remnants of the Cold War: political, military, and personal. Fox and Gammaldi must race against time before an ex-Soviet weapon is used by terrorists against the US.
PATRIOT ACT (Hachette, 2007) is the sequel to FOX HUNT and the second book in the Fox series, where we meet Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi living in New York, working for the Global Syndicate of Reporters. This storyline involves rogue French agents attempting to hack into the NSA’s computers and Echelon system. It looks at the inherent dangers of communications and signals intelligence if it falls into the wrong hands, and centers around the “USA Partiot Act” introduced after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Ultimately, it is a story of love and betrayal, on both a personal and nationalistic front. This story introduced a love interest for Fox, as well as a CIA conspiracy that leads into the next novel.
BLOOD OIL (Hachette, 2008) introduces a 3 book arc of antagonists in the form of UMBRA, a tale of friendship and redemption set in the chaotic scene of Nigeria. This is a dark tale for Fox as he battles his personal demons and what it means to seek out the truth at any cost.
LIQUID GOLD (Hachette, 2009) sees Fox and Gammaldi uncovering a water crisis between India and Pakistan that has repercussions to the highest levels, all the while with the key characters questioning relationships, brotherhood, and faith against an intense deadline.
RED ICE (Hachette 2010) is the first Fox novel to be set within a 24-hour time frame.(less)

More about James Phelan...

Books by James Phelan

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Survivor

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Survivor
avg rating	preview: Survivor Goodreads rating: 3.74 (132 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10303325-survivor?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309352275l/10303325.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10303325-survivor?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Survivor by James Phelan[/url]

Survivor (Alone #2)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (3)

Genres

About James Phelan

Books by James Phelan

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Survivor

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (3)