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Among the Living

by Timothy W. Long (Goodreads Author)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 208 ratings · 34 reviews

The dead walk. Now the real battle for Seattle has begun.

When a gas leak causes the National Guard to forcibly evacuate the neighborhood, Lester isn't going anywhere. The former dope pusher has a new clientele… the kind that require him to deal lead instead of drugs.

Mike, a newspaper reporter, suspects a conspiracy lies behind the chaos. He’s driven to find the truth, even...more

Kindle Edition, 259 pages

Published September 3rd 2011 by Permuted Press (first published July 24th 2009)

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Feb 24, 2013 Patti rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dear Library of the Living Dead:

I say this as a fan of the Post-Apocalyptic genre, and zombies in particular.

Please stop. Please stop putting out sub-par material, thereby making the genre a laughing stock among everyone else.

Failing that, since I'm sure you want to jump on the "Walking Dead" bandwagon: Please publish writers who have some semblance of a plot and know what research is. Please don't publish writers whose maturity level peaked in tenth grade. Please hire a proofreader, or an edit...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Becky Ippolito rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: zombie

This book had the potential for more stars, but fell short with some lack of substance and too many characters. The apocalypse unfolds nicely, as word of a "gas leak" and a government coverup. Totally believable even if you get a little frustrated with the refusal of many to believe it. The main heroes are explored very well- with the exception of Ginder- who is absolutely useless to the whole plot. Mike, who has suffered his own loss of his young son some year prior, adds a component of loss be...more

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Nov 05, 2010 Patrick D'Orazio rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Among The Living takes place in Seattle and starts out sharing with the reading audience the lives of four different people in the city. The author uses both third and first person perspectives as we go through the routines of their days. Hints of the start of an undead uprising are sprinkled throughout the story but much of the early part of the book keeps that as background noise for most of the characters...there is a gas leak in a neighborhood, it is cordoned off, there are strange stories o...more Among The Living takes place in Seattle and starts out sharing with the reading audience the lives of four different people in the city. The author uses both third and first person perspectives as we go through the routines of their days. Hints of the start of an undead uprising are sprinkled throughout the story but much of the early part of the book keeps that as background noise for most of the characters...there is a gas leak in a neighborhood, it is cordoned off, there are strange stories on the internet but the news networks are saying nothing and the stories are disappearing as quickly as they appear. As the story rolls on we are given small bits and pieces, a few attacks, there is footage found online of some shaky cell phone video, etc. but the city and the main characters, for the most part, have no real comprehension of what is going on until it is far too late.

The author slips from one character to the next with relative ease, pacing the story through their eyes, and in particular, through Mike, a journalist's eyes, who is telling us his story in first person. The other stories, about Lester, a drug dealer caught inside the neighborhood that is originally cordoned off, Kate, a serial killer who is just getting warmed up, and Grinder, the lead singer of a heavy metal band, are all told in third person. Tim does an excellent job of getting us up to speed on all his character's lives and how they act and react to everything going on around them.

I found it particularly interesting that the only person we are given first person exposure to is the journalist and likely the most normal person of the bunch. Mike is dealing with difficult issues but his burgeoning relationship with a co-worker seems a bright spot in a story filled with three other characters who are all, in my humble estimation, disturbed in their own particular ways. It would have been interesting to see the first person perspective of the serial killer, though the insights into her psychy are pretty indepth (I would especially like to see the first person perspective of the "other", which drives Kate to do the horrid things she does).

When it is finally clear that the deaders are at their full strength and their numbers are growing rapidly, the violence is in your face, visceral, and merciless. The author indiscriminantly throws us into the blender and lets us taste the agony of a city that is dying and coming back to life with the undead. A sequel would be natural and makes complete sense because in many ways, this tale has only just begun.

The story is solid and the characters real and fascinating. I kind of figure Tim decided to give us the first person perspective with the more "normal" character of the lot. Since these four barely get to interact during the book, it will be interesting if he decides to carry along with a first person view and see what perceptions Mike develops about the drug dealer, the heavy metal lead singer, and the serial killer.

The book is excellent and Tim, a first time novelist but someone who has written quite a few other works, definitely has some chops as a writer. My only true criticism is that there are some typos sprinkled throughout the book. Nothing that really detracts from the story but they are noticeable. It certainly did not keep me from enjoying the book a great deal and I am looking forward to picking up the sequel down the road when he gets around to writing it.

If you are a fan of zombies or just of apocalyptic fiction in general, this is definitely one to pick up.(less)

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Oct 30, 2009 Rhiannon Frater rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First off, I'm a big fan of Timothy W. Long's work. He submitted a short story to the witches anthology I am editing and I was instantaneously hooked on his writing. I then became a fan of his completely hilarious and gruesome online blog called “The Zombie-Wilson Diaries.” It has been snatched up for publication by the Library of the Living Dead Press and I am thrilled to be the editor.

But despite my great love for Timothy Long’s work, I had yet to read “Among the Living.” When I found out I wo...more First off, I'm a big fan of Timothy W. Long's work. He submitted a short story to the witches anthology I am editing and I was instantaneously hooked on his writing. I then became a fan of his completely hilarious and gruesome online blog called “The Zombie-Wilson Diaries.” It has been snatched up for publication by the Library of the Living Dead Press and I am thrilled to be the editor.

But despite my great love for Timothy Long’s work, I had yet to read “Among the Living.” When I found out I would be editing “The Zombie-Wilson Diaries,” I decided to order the book and add it to my huge stack of “to read” novels.

This last week I dove into the book and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Tim has a unique way of writing that is very fresh and entertaining. Humor mixes easily with horror as he weaves a story about four very different people living in a city that is slowly sliding into chaos. The characters and their relationships come across as realistic and you find yourself being drawn into their world. Even though a few of the characters were not the best humankind has to offer, I found myself caring about their fate as the tension ratcheted up and the undead (or deaders) became more of a threat.

Though there are four “major” characters, their time at center stage varies greatly. In fact, a “minor” character, named Alice, had me utterly wrapped up in her fate, whereas one of the major characters, Grinder, could have disappeared out of the story completely and I wouldn’t have missed him. His time at the center of the story was very limited and did not give me enough time for me to actually care about whether he lived or died.

Lester, the drug dealer, and his girlfriend are a strong presence in the book and their sections are very suspenseful and frightening. Kate, the serial killer, is interesting, but really doesn’t have much to do other than off a victim then spend a lot of time talking to her neighbor, Bob. It is not until the end that she really comes into her own. Mike, our first person narrator (the others are written in third), has a tragic past and his budding relationship with a co-worker is very well-done. They really don’t do much until the very end, but by then, I was so emotionally invested in their relationship, I was on pins and needles as they tried to escape the hordes of zombies.

This is definitely a solid four stars. I wish I could give it more, but I felt the uneven distribution of time among the characters weakened their impact on the overall storyline. I really loved the entire overall plot, the slow buildup of tension until the city explodes in mayhem, the characterization as a whole, and the gory, action-packed scenes toward the end. This is a good, solid zombie book and I highly recommend it.

That being said, the best Timothy Long writing has yet to be revealed when “The Zombie-Wilson Diaries” is released in the near future. I may be a little biased in my review because I know this writer hits his full stride in that novel.

One last note: the editing is not what it should be, but it does not deter from the story one iota.

In short, BUY THIS BOOK! You won’t regret it.

(less)

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Jan 27, 2012 Starla B rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This story was gory, disgusting and terrifying, everything a zombie novel should be. I loved it! The descriptions painted a very vivid picture. I'll have nightmares for weeks, but I can't wait until the next installment comes out! A number of reviewers seem to have issues with the grammar and spelling. I can't say I really noticed the errors as I was reading, but I might be more forgiving than some readers. If you are someone who is offended by those type of errors, this might not be the book (o...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Tracy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's obvious Long can write but chose not to for much of this. There are major problems with tense (which sometimes changes twice in a single sentence), pronoun usage that makes it confusing who he's referring to, and overuse of tired phrases. That's all stuff that could be fixed with an editing pass, but it wouldn't matter because of the book's bigger problems.

Each chapter follows a particular character, and all of the chapters for one of the characters are written in first person, while chapte...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Felts rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Among the Living is a story that follows four people in Seattle at the beginning of a virus outbreak that turns people into "deaders". The four main characters are very different from each other (see book description above for most of their details) and their viewpoints of the outbreak and how they handle the emotional aspects of it are very interesting. The story is told in third person with three of the characters, but changes to first person with Mike for some reason. I'm not sure why this is...more

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Dec 22, 2011 Cristina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Zombie fans, Horror fans

Shelves: owned, zbooks

I enjoyed this zombie book. As it opens with how the virus gets started and then concentrates on its first few days of progress I was a bit surprised. Happily. A lot of the ZBooks I read are already in the panic of the spread or take place once it has been in effect for weeks. Starting at the beginning and staying there made this book refreshing to me. I found this book to be well written and very entertaining. It is a fast read. Lots of action in it with some romance, sex, (some graphic), defin...more

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May 15, 2012 William rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was full of blood, guts, gore, and zombies. Which was was TOTALLY AWESOME!!!! This is a great novel about a zombie virus outbreak in Seattle WA. It has strong characters which you begin to pull for, from the beginning. Even a drug dealer named Lester, and his girlfriend Angela, become likable & make you hope that they will get away from the deaders and find safety. Each page made you sit on edge with anticipation of a deader coming out of nowhere and biting one of the main characte...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Ray rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Imagine a world crammed tight to its undead gills with lifeless souls who would happily feast upon your brains.. actually scrub that - we're already there right?

So anyways, Among The Living by Timothy Long is that rarest of gems in the sea of Zombie fiction in that it's excellent.

I wont give any spoilers here other than to say Timothy has breathed depth and life into the stars of his novel. I actually cared about the people whose lives were being turned upside down in a world gone insane.

So if z...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my first read of Timothy Long's books and it won't be the last. The book only spans a couple of days, but within that time we get to see how a city could be overrun, and meet the individuals trying to live their lives before and during a city wide crisis which begins as a cordon of a part of the city due to a "gas leak", turning some people violent. We are introduced to several main characters, the two that most resonated with me were Mike and Kate. Mike, a journalist still suffering fr...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Among the living was a good read, and listen. I have the audiobook as well and switched between the ebook and the audiobook a few times. It’s the story of several characters at the start of a zombie apocalypse. I found the story of Kate very interesting, a serial killer who always figured she’d be caught one day but hey guess what? – zombies are here!! LOL! Some of the characters I didn’t really care for (Lester, Grinder and his band, and Angela ) and from the start I was really hoping they woul...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Denise rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was not going to read this book. I am glad I did. the characters were vivid. There were a lot of different characters to keep reading interesting - you just have to keep up with who everyone is and where they are.
I liked the take on the zombies - actually thinking about them, their families, how others reacted to them. Truthfully - I slept with the light on for a while, and avoided my neighbors. ( I have a overactive imagination, okay).

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Jan 21, 2013 Danielle Bertrand rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: on-kindle

I thought this book had everything I wanted in a zombie book. Chaos, bandits, hordes of zombies, death, and beyond it all - heart palpitations. I can't wait to keep reading series and get to know the survivors more.

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Feb 03, 2013 Thekhaleesi Serrano rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

once again I stumbled onto this book trolling Amazon. When I finished it I had left wanting more and luckily as I scrolled through the last few pages on my kindle, I was happy to see there was a second book

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Jul 24, 2012 Claire Riley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite-books, paranormal-vamps-werewolves-zombie

Fabulous zombie novel with some of the most interesting characters ive read about in a long while. Wrote from the perspective of several different characters from day one of the zombie apocalypse. Can not wait for the next!!

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Jan 03, 2012 Kerry Hayes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So far I am really enjoying this book. Being familiar with Seattle helps, but is not necessary. It does make an interesting read for locals to the Northwest.

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Apr 06, 2012 Robert Kangas rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book was pretty rough and slow to start. The pace and the writing got a lot better towards the end. I'll read the next book as there was a decent amount of improvement. I enjoyed reading it though and it was a fast read. I'm would imagine that non-Seattleites might have a hard time with it since a lot of streets / areas are called out by name.

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Mar 30, 2013 Josh Hilden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have read a lot of Zombie fiction over the years and this one sits near the very type. Among the Living is without a doubt one of the three best zombie stories that chronicle the initial rise of the dead that I have ever read. I can't say which is the best because they are all damn good. The characters are the thing that I love best about the book, both the primary and the secondary players resonate as true.

I have zero compunction recommending this book to any zombie fan.

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Oct 07, 2009 Timothy Long added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

This is my first novel. It is getting great reviews.

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Oct 15, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really enjoyed this - loved the unfolding of the apocalypse... looking forward to the next installment...

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Feb 13, 2012 Steve Wands rated it 4 of 5 stars

Among The Living, for me, was slow to start. There's a lot of characters, and each one is developed well. You really get a good feel for who these people are and what drives them. All the while the world is going to hell around them. What initially seemed slow starts to build up speed and before I knew it I was clicking away to the end of the book and wanting more. There is a lot to like here, and if you love zombie books the way I do, then you'll find a lot to love here. I just hope Kate is in...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Glinda Harrison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalyptic, zombie

Review to follow....

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Dec 18, 2009 Floridapossum is currently reading it · review of another edition

So far so good!

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Sep 20, 2011 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: zombies

Great zombie action. Looking forward to Among The Dead.

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Jan 26, 2013 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pretty good!! Though I do question my new found ability to identify with the sociopaths of books.

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Jul 16, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A good book to pop my undead cherry. The author does a great job with the different points of view...making sure none are vanilla and bland. Giving the point of view of a zombie was a grand extra touch!

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Apr 30, 2013 Jord¥n rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, horror, read-on-kindle, zombies, zombie-awareness-month-2013, beyond-crap, blood-guts-brains-ohmy

DNF at 32%

Where the hell was the editor? Way too many grammar/spelling errors. One or two every now and then is fine with me, no one is perfect, but here were errors like on every other page.

Also, the extra sentences about girl's boobs and short skirts were pointless and could have been removed. Just made all the guys sound like perverts.

Will not be reading anymore of this author's other works.

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Sep 16, 2012 Jill Merrall rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some of the characters in this novel are stellar enough to carry a book on their own.
Loved the characters and loved the unexpected events that happen along the way.

I actually had to stop reading this book at points because I was too scared to continue (which I love by the way). I even got my Mom to read this...it was her first zombie apocalypse experience.
We are both excited for the next one!!!

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Jun 12, 2011 T.L. Decay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Among the living gave an awesome view of emergency situation (not just zombie outbreaks) from the perspective of non-hero type people. His charachters range from easy to identify with working people with family issue to serial killers hidding scars. The zombie outbreak seems to give him a great exucse to bring forth varied characther studies while bringing them together for unified action.

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About Timothy W. Long

Timothy W. Long has been writing tales and stories since he could hold a crayon and has also read enough books to choke a landfill. He has a fascination with all things zombies, a predilection for weird literature, and a deep-seated need to jot words on paper and thrust them at people.

Tim is the author of the horror novels Beyond the Barriers, Among the Living, and the forthcoming sequel - Among t...more

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