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94th out of 420 books
—
946 voters
No Easy Hope (Surviving the Dead)
by
James N. Cook (Goodreads Author)
My name is Eric Riordan. Once, I was a wealthy man leading a comfortable, easy life. Then my old friend Gabriel told me how the world would end. Gabriel tried to help me. He taught me everything he learned as a Scout Sniper in the Marine Corps. All the hard lessons from years spent in the sand choked battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. I did everything I could to prepare...more
Kindle Edition, 339 pages
Published
November 8th 2011
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When I first came across this book, I read the reviews first, of course, and I distinctly remember one of the reviewers saying that it was ‘a man’s book’ full of manly descriptions involving weapons etc. I am not a man, I am also not a weapons expert nor do I know anything about military terms and manoeuvres, but I though why not, it looks interesting, and downloaded it. One of my better decisions – it was a page turner and I could not put it down.
It was extremely lucky for Eric that he was a ve...more
It was extremely lucky for Eric that he was a ve...more
1. What did you like about the book and what could of been better?
I loved this book for every part of it. Everything was described in a very real and understandable way, bringing the reader to believe the world was real. The only thing I think could of been done better was that it moved too slow around the middle of the story, and that it ended kind of abruptly. While I understand suspense is a great way to get people to buy the next book, I think it could of been eased into it a bit more.
2. Wha...more
I loved this book for every part of it. Everything was described in a very real and understandable way, bringing the reader to believe the world was real. The only thing I think could of been done better was that it moved too slow around the middle of the story, and that it ended kind of abruptly. While I understand suspense is a great way to get people to buy the next book, I think it could of been eased into it a bit more.
2. Wha...more
I'd have to put this in my top 3 zombie series out there today. Maberry's Rot & Ruin is hands down the best right now. Bourne's Day by Day Armageddon would be next. Considering Bourne's disappointing part 3, this actually might be my second favorite.
Pros - the plot didn't always necessarily make perfect sense but, for me, it did very well at not going in the direction that you'd expect it to. Decisions and situations never seemed to follow the exact stereotype of what is expected in the maj...more
Pros - the plot didn't always necessarily make perfect sense but, for me, it did very well at not going in the direction that you'd expect it to. Decisions and situations never seemed to follow the exact stereotype of what is expected in the maj...more
An example of pure awfulness. GUNS! MEN! Er...plot? Any understanding of science whatsoever? Believable characters? Women who do more than cooking and fucking? All the men got firearms before the little ladies did, despite several of the women being ex-military or otherwise "excellent shots". And all the way through there was this irritant, persistant mosquito whine subtext of "no homo...really, honestly, I'm not gay! Or homophobic! See, I have a gay character! In the military!" Yeah, a gay char...more
This book was a hilarious joke that demanded public readings for all my friends. I have never read a more ridiculous collection of bromance cliches strung together between endless armament and supply lists passed off as fiction. Don't get me wrong, I like all the ingredients, but they have to be mixed together in correct proportions with some editing or it's never going to be palatable. I can't believe this guy couldn't find a friend or any woman on the planet to read this and say, "whoa! Hold o...more
Funnily enough, I read the second book first (This Shattered Land), not even knowing it was a sequel. So now I got this book and stared at it long and hard realizing my mistake. I'm a firm believer in the theory that sequels normally turn out better: after all, the author gains a certain experiance and usually becomes a better writer by the time he or she start their second book. But here, I found it hard to tell which one of the two was better.
The adventures of Gabe and Eric belong to the doma...more
The adventures of Gabe and Eric belong to the doma...more
No Easy Hope by James Cook was a pretty good read. Set in North Carolina (which I was excited about as I lived in the state for a while), it follows Eric Riordon a man wrapped up in the quickly decaying World during a zombie outbreak. I liked how it described in-depth how the outbreak occurred and how it spread. I liked his description of the infected and their attributes and movements. Cook created characters which had personality and were believable. The plot kept me reading along at a reasona...more
A post-apocalyptic novel about the spread of zombies throughout the earth.
Pros:
-The writing is coherent. It works well, and is edited properly.
-The story is a decent one, with good explanation on the back end.
-It doesnt take long to get into the meat of the story
-Works in the idea of people who want to profit from the downfall of humanity.
Cons:
-Some items in the book are repeated too often. Common phrasing sort of thing.
-Certain points drag on a little bit.
-There is a portion when meeting surv...more
Pros:
-The writing is coherent. It works well, and is edited properly.
-The story is a decent one, with good explanation on the back end.
-It doesnt take long to get into the meat of the story
-Works in the idea of people who want to profit from the downfall of humanity.
Cons:
-Some items in the book are repeated too often. Common phrasing sort of thing.
-Certain points drag on a little bit.
-There is a portion when meeting surv...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I'm giving it the 4-star rating because it was fun and engaging. Good escapism, which is what I think a zombie book should be. Well done for what I think is self-published work. I admire that. Because it wasn't from a major publisher I could get past the frequent typos and other things a professional editor would have caught but am still wondering why a) only pretty women survived the zombie outbreak, b) whether every home and gun shop in North Carolina really does have a secret stash of illegal...more
Great read. I'm actually the opposite of a gun fan, I pretty much hate what I thought was "gun culture" but after reading this book, the way he describes the different guns gave me a new perspective on the craftsmanship and the technology behind some of these weapons. Also, I think the book advocates a strong gun safety message that you NEVER see on TV or in movies. The rest is a fun and enjoyable read. I love how the "Z" word is never mentioned but that's what it is all about.
As far as Zombie books go, it's decent for it's price on Kindle. The story has less edge-of-your-seat drama than the other books in the genre I've read. If you are looking for a less anxiety-filled zombie apocalypse story, this would probably fit the bill. The author also set up our main character too well for the events that unfold, which is why I didn't give it more stars. But it is quick and somewhat entertaining. Not worth $10 so I'm glad it is priced under $4. :-)
This was my second zombie apocalypse genre book I've read. This one was a lot better than Mountain Man. It wasn't as vulgar and more descriptive. You can tell it was written by a pro-gun conservative...which isn't a bad thing at all. The story was great. Minus the zombie hoard, it made me want to go check out the mountains in North Carolina. I wouldn't recommend this book to minors though since it does have adult situations in it. The biggest fault of this book was it badly needed an editor. The...more
2.5 stars. Starts out awful, just terrible. I nearly quit at the 20 page mark and was going to write a review to the effect of "if you're a macho, sexist pig who like to read about other macho, sexist pigs then this is the perfect book for you."
I stuck with it and it does get better. Dialogue becomes less ridiculous although the main character has about as much personality as a telephone pole. Stock zombie novel, amateur first book.
I stuck with it and it does get better. Dialogue becomes less ridiculous although the main character has about as much personality as a telephone pole. Stock zombie novel, amateur first book.
By far a stand out in this genre. It is so easy for a book of this sort to fall to get very "cheesy". That certainly did not happen in this novel. I found it to be very realistic and not once was the word "zombie" mentioned. It was action packed and a quick read. If anyone is a fan of The Walking Dead read this book. You will love it.
Well, what can I say, For an Author who I've never heard of, and a free book on Kindle, this is a really good story, I actually, caught the bus home last night instead of the train just so I could have longer to read it.
Really enjoyed this ok, some scenes weren't needed, the female characters seemed to be weak and one just there to be as the token love intrest for three days, but other than that very likeable and you felt concern when they went on their recon mission for supplies.
but on the oth...more
Really enjoyed this ok, some scenes weren't needed, the female characters seemed to be weak and one just there to be as the token love intrest for three days, but other than that very likeable and you felt concern when they went on their recon mission for supplies.
but on the oth...more
Would have been a decent book if the dialogue wasn't so embarrasingly bad. The two main characters are in their mid 30's, early 40's, but they act and talk like a couple of college frat boys. Most of the conversations ending in either "bro", "dude", or "babe" if there's a woman involved.
I normally love zombie stories, but this one is long on describing in detail all the guns and preparation and not much on character. There was a real bromance going on between the two lead characters. I only made it a few chapters in. Not my kind of writing.
So close to being so good... Action packed one minute, then so slow an boring for hundreds of pages. It's not a complete waste to read bc it's an interesting take on the zombie outbreak and life after. However, it's not something I would openly recommend.
i really liked this book!!! i couldnt stop reading it! i read in one night then i bought the next book in this series! i usually only read female leads but this book has now became one of my favs!!! you def need to check it out!!!
I read this book and really liked it a lot so I immediately bought the sequel. I like that one a lot too and I was disappointed when it ended. If you're a fan of the walking dead tv series then you will really enjoy these books.
One of the better books of this genre that I have come across. It's so nice to find books from independent or little known publishers that give the little guy a chance. Great read from front to back.
Excellent! Loved this. Really interesting and engaging. Characters very well drawn. It focuses more on the people than the situation I felt which was a welcome change. Loved it so much read the next one straight after.
The hardest thing to do is plan for the end of the world without losing your sanity once it ends. The author creates characters who do not lose their humanity as they struggle to survive.
I thought this was a very good read. Engaging characters, as with all books in the genre, it is about how people band together in times of hardship that keeps it interesting. On to the send installment.
Finally! A zombie novel that makes sense. Smart decisions, high aggression and a wide range of human response to the event.
1 like · like · see review
some decent actions scenes, but clumsy writing and characters that seem cliche and generally offputting.
I loved the story, and really like to see Fellow Veterans do well. Bravo Zulu to James N. Cook.
This books is filled with major milatary action, Gabe and Eric rock the house
great! read def recommend for anyone who likes zombie books!
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James N. Cook (who prefers to be called Jim, even though his wife insists on calling him James) is a martial arts enthusiast, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, a former cubicle dweller, and the author of the Surviving the Dead series. He hikes, he goes camping, he travels a lot, and he has trouble staying in one spot for very long. Even though he is a grown man, he enjoys video games, graphic novels, an...more
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Nov 20, 2012 03:11pm