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

The Return Man

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 405 ratings · 112 reviews

The outbreak tore the USA in two. The east remains a safe haven. The west has become a ravaged wilderness, known by survivors as the Evacuated States. It is here that Henry Marco makes his living. Hired by grieving relatives, he tracks down the dead and delivers peace.

Now Homeland Security wants Marco for a mission unlike any other. He must return to California, where the...more

Paperback, 448 pages

Published April 1st 2012 by Orbit (first published January 1st 2012)

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 Walking Dead, Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman

Zombies!

317th out of 854 books — 2,626 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 988)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 23, 2012 Regina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-publisher-netgalley, post-apocalyptic

3.5 Stars.
This is a fun book. There are some books I read that strike me so strongly as a story that would translate well into a movie. The Return Man is one of those movies. I read a lot in this genre. I love survivalist, end of society and end of world books. When I saw this title I grabbed it because it fits everything I love about an action novel. And it did not disappoint. The Return Man had me not wanting to put it down and had me thinking about the world created between its pages long af...more 3.5 Stars.
This is a fun book. There are some books I read that strike me so strongly as a story that would translate well into a movie. The Return Man is one of those movies. I read a lot in this genre. I love survivalist, end of society and end of world books. When I saw this title I grabbed it because it fits everything I love about an action novel. And it did not disappoint. The Return Man had me not wanting to put it down and had me thinking about the world created between its pages long after I finished.

The Return Man begins several years after the western part of the United States has fallen and succumbed to a zombie plague. The government and society has retreated to east of the Mississippi; everything west of the Mississippi has been evacuated and abandoned. The zombie plague is focused only in the USA, other countries have not (yet) experienced it. (I wasn’t clear if Mexico or Canada had been effected and if not ….. why or what they were doing.) The main character of the story lives in Arizona in the house he lived in with his wife before the fall. He has fortified it and is able to jump off satellite connections and communicate with a relative living in the "safe states". The Return Man is an interesting and different take on the zombie plague compared to what I have read before. Zombies are referred to as "corpses" and they are not completely mindless. The corpses are like most zombies -- not complex and not thinking roving beings but they retain some reflexive memory of places and actions. This is explained in the book in a scientific way - - the stronger the emotional connection to a place or action, the more embedded it is in the brain and only that is retained. So a corpse will return to locations that it had a strong emotional connection to. Why is this important? Well the hero of the story is an assassin of sorts. Through his satellite internet connection to the retreated US populace in the "safe states", the hero has become a hunter of corpses that are the former loved ones of paying clients in the safe states. He uses information about his target to determine where the corpse would be emotionally pulled to and he goes after the zombie to eliminate it. Then the relatives can go on with their lives knowing that their loved ones are no longer out in the world hungry, desparate and undead. The main character travels throughout the western part of the former USA on his hunts.

So there are fights scenes and chase scenes – oh and the gore scenes. Funny enough, this is not what I like about survivalist and apocalypse themed books. So I skimmed these parts, however they are well written and with tight realistic action and humor. What’s that you ask? How can I like zombie books and not love the car and train chase scenes, fight and gore scenes? I like the collapse of society novels to read about what caused the collapse, how it happened, how people survived it and how people attempt to move-on past the collapse. The Return Man has that aspect, but it also centers more on a quest that needs to take place after the partial collapse of society and the fights and battles the leads must engage in to complete their quest. There are painful memories, witty jokes bantered about and fighting.

Some other unique things about this book, there are references to both domestic and international politics. There is a themes of foreign espionage (the USA is no longer the strongest country on the planet), domestic terrorists, and the very conservative and fascist government that has arisen and is in control in the "safe states". At the same time, the main character is plagued by his own emotional loss. The reader learns about these through flashback scenes. These touches to the post-zombie world make The Return Man different and interesting. It reads like an action packed thriller but instead of chasing down international secrets about warheads – an unlikely pair is chasing down a potential cure to the zombie plague fighting off zombies, domestic terrorists and international forces.

This book was a lot of fun and I really hope there is a sequel! I believe fans of thrillers, zombie books and post-apocalyptic books will really enjoy the Return Man.

Update May 23, 2012 - The Return Man is now on the Badass Book Reviews' Best Badass Zombie Books List. Check it out!(less)

12 likes · like · see review

Mar 27, 2013 Ozsaur rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, zombie

I went into this book with very low expectations. I had eagerly looked forward to reading the two books before The Return Man and was very disappointed in both. I'd put off reading this one for the longest time, and I was afraid I was going to be disappointed for the third book in a row.

I'm actually happy that I was wrong! Not only did it go well beyond expectations, but it came very close to five stars. 4 and 1/2 stars from me!

The book starts with Dr. Henry Marco doing his job: Returning one of...more I went into this book with very low expectations. I had eagerly looked forward to reading the two books before The Return Man and was very disappointed in both. I'd put off reading this one for the longest time, and I was afraid I was going to be disappointed for the third book in a row.

I'm actually happy that I was wrong! Not only did it go well beyond expectations, but it came very close to five stars. 4 and 1/2 stars from me!

The book starts with Dr. Henry Marco doing his job: Returning one of the Resurrected. Returning means "killing" and the Resurrected are the victims of a plague that causes people to rise from the dead.

Marco is a very sympathetic character. During the initial outbreak, much of the western half of the US was evacuated to the east, barricaded on the other side of the Mississippi River. Marco stayed behind, spending the past four years searching for his Resurrected wife.

That alone makes this character, and zombie book, unique. The Return Man isn't just about a character escaping the zombie apocalypse. It's not even about survival in a desolate, zombie ridden landscape, though you do get some of that.

What I loved about this book was the two intertwined plots, one an exciting, espionage thriller, the other a journey of personal discovery. One story is about Marco being blackmailed into taking an extremely dangerous job, the other is a story of grief and the inability to move on.

The author handled all of this beautifully. I was pleasantly surprised that a first novel worked almost flawlessly. The action is non-stop, vividly drawn, and the final reveal is chilling on a whole new level. The author never makes the mistake of telling; the reader is shown every horror, every revelation, every epiphany, every step of the way.

And that's where my one little nitpick comes in. I expect a lot of gore in a zombie book, but the descriptions of some of the most horrific scenes were just a little too much for me. I had to skim a few paragraphs because the scenes were just too stomach turning. If you like a lot of visceral horror, definitely give this one a try.

Other than that, the plotting, characters, world building, creativity, and even the descriptions are top notch.(less)

like · see review

Aug 14, 2012 Ryandake rated it 3 of 5 stars

just about the only internal organ that doesn't ever become external in this book is a uterus.

the guts! the gore! the slime! the pus! the ...... ya, the list of icky goes on and on.

but it's still, in a way, a kind of fun read for zombie fans. the premise is way cool: a zombie virus begun on the US west coast has worked its way eastward and been stopped only at the Mississippi River. the US abandons the midwest and the west and goes on about its business, after absorbing the non-infected refugees...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 27, 2012 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: apocafic, the-inevitable-zombie-apocalypse

I'm about 75 pages in and I think this is going to be a good zombie book--not an all out gorefest but something with plot! Even if a good deal of the plot (the main character's occupation)seems to have been lifted from Jonathan Maberry's Benny Imura books. I read a LOT of zombie fiction and that occupation was one of the truly original things I'd encountered. Until now.

I'm finding some of the British/Canadian/Australian(?) spellings are throwing me right out of the narrative. For a supposedly bo...more

like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The Return Man" is an entertaining horror/apocalyptic/zombie novel. If you want an action-packed and intense adventure filled with gore and blood, you can't go wrong with this. Reading it is like a fun roller coaster ride or watching a Hollywood summer blockbuster - it's hard to put it down and it makes you read it page after page. On the other hand, while the plot itself may be simple and straightforward, throughout the novel there are certain plot points that manage to be quite emotional. The...more

like · see review

May 11, 2012 Hal rated it 5 of 5 stars

Long time no see! I haven't read a novel in a couple of months - been busy with the new job and classes. I've been itching to read something for a while, but didn't have the time.
So, after I finished my last paper and took my last exam, I decided that the way I was going to blow off some steam was to crack open a zombie novel and let the puss flow.

Wooo hooo!

I was not disappointed. To begin with, "The Return Man" has one of the strongest openings I've read in a long time. Mr. Zito dispenses with...more Long time no see! I haven't read a novel in a couple of months - been busy with the new job and classes. I've been itching to read something for a while, but didn't have the time.
So, after I finished my last paper and took my last exam, I decided that the way I was going to blow off some steam was to crack open a zombie novel and let the puss flow.

Wooo hooo!

I was not disappointed. To begin with, "The Return Man" has one of the strongest openings I've read in a long time. Mr. Zito dispenses with what has become pretty boring and rote - the beginning of the Zombie Apocolypse. Someone becomes infected, bites someone else, and so on and so forth, blah blah blah. Boring! Instead, the book starts with our hero, Henry Marco, four years after the beginning of the zombie apocolypse, in the midst of a job - to find a client's zombie husband, and make sure he goes to his final resting place. The next 20 or 30 pages are absolute page turners, about how he finds the husband, survives contact with a pack of zombies, and returns with proof of un-death.

The opening is the appetizer that whets our hunger for the shredded, bloody main course.

So how do you track down one zombiefied husband after the zombie apocolyspe? Marco has figured out that zombies retain a few of their most powerfull, living memories. After someone is zombified, there's a good chance they'll return to wherever they had a strong emotional connection in life. That's how Marco tracks down his targets and brings closure to his clients.

Couple of things you should know. The whole world hasn't fallen - just the western part of the United States. Many of the survivors of the initial zombie onslaught were evacuated East across the Mississipi river. Everything West of the Mississippi has become the Evacuated Zone. The government of the United States still survives, albeit in a highly radicallized, ultra right wing form. The dead rule the Evacuated Zone.

Anyway, the rest of the book is devoted to Marco's next case, and involves government agents, Chinese spies, and post apocolyptic gangs of quad riders.

This was highly entertaining - I blew through it in two nights of reading. The main character, Henry Marco, is very well fleshed out. He's not a rampaging survivalist overdosing on testosterone - he's a lot more thoughtfull, and his reasons for staying in the hellish Evacuated Zone are tragic and moving.

So go out and buy this book - I can't wait for the next one from V.M. Zito!(less)

like · see review

Apr 30, 2013 My Inner Shelf rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantastique

Dans ma frénésie de lectures zombifiantes je suis tombée sur cette nouveauté. Henry Marco, brillant neurologue mais homme peu sociable, a choisi de rester chez lui, du mauvais côté des États-Unis, celui des zombies affamés. Tandis que l’Est se remet tant bien que mal de l’épidémie, Marco offre ses services aux familles des victimes, en les traquant pour leur donner le coup de grâce, les libérant ainsi d’une errance interminable. Mais Marco espère aussi retrouver sa femme, disparue durant la Résu...more

like · see review

Sep 01, 2012 Tim Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, reviewed, post-apocalyptic

Yes it is a zombie novel. Yes I know that zombies seem to be everywhere on the big screen, on the small screen, in comics, and in novels. They are I guess the new "it girl" of monsters, with the star of vampires fading somewhat (are vampires really even scary anymore, 30 Days of Night and the vampire Nathaniel Cade in Christopher Farnsworth's novels aside?). One can aruge that can be quite interesting if not scary, but well, that is not the topic to be discussed here.

I need to admit up front I...more Yes it is a zombie novel. Yes I know that zombies seem to be everywhere on the big screen, on the small screen, in comics, and in novels. They are I guess the new "it girl" of monsters, with the star of vampires fading somewhat (are vampires really even scary anymore, 30 Days of Night and the vampire Nathaniel Cade in Christopher Farnsworth's novels aside?). One can aruge that can be quite interesting if not scary, but well, that is not the topic to be discussed here.

I need to admit up front I am a sucker for both a good post apocalypse novel and the TV series Walking Dead. And like in the latter series, you get a bit of both, though, quite different from The Walking Dead on AMC, the world didn't quite end. And in that, I think, lies one of the book's strengths and weaknesses. Face it, in a good zombie story, zombies are obstacles, terryifing often to be sure, but not necessarily of the greatest interest themselves. It's the humans, all about the humans. The living ones at any rate. They are both the greatest asset and often the worse enemy.

In the world of The Return Man, not all of humanity died out. In fact, much of it survived. I would even say the vast majority of it. The zombies took over - or was ceded to them - the Evacuated States, the U.S. west of the Mississippi River. To the east, you still have TV shows, shopping malls, fast food, and government (put that way it doesn't sound so great). To the west, wasteland and hordes of zombies. Realistic? Maybe not but I think - heresy that this might be - it is more realistic than The Walking Dead, where no government pretty much anywhere (The Governor aside) survived. Why are zombie universe apparently universes that never had zombie movies? Or an effective military? For a better take (and more developed world, though it is a trilogy in all fairness) on how a post-zombie (but not post-end-of-the-world) society might function and be like to live in, I recommend Mira Grant's Newsflesh trilogy.

Anyway, it is a strength that we have government intrigue, politics at home and abroad, and people "back east" for the main character Henry Marco to interact with (even if often through teleconferences; apparently the zombie rising did not end that). A downside though, even with all those humans still alive, Marco is either alone or has for the most of the book, at most, one other, I would say for now fellow traveler, to interact with. There are humans - bad humans - in the Evacuated States who like Henry Marco make a living (no pun intended) there but mostly they were, eh, obstacles too, not at all developed. Mostly, though there is one huge exception that was quite interesting. No spoilers here though.

This is not a profound book with a Message, just a good zombie adventure story that doesen't pretend to be anything but. It was surprisingly gory at times, describing in loving detail what zombies do to people. Perhaps a bit overly graphic but eh, it's horror. I liked how the author handled zombies in general and while the zombie transmission model wasn't anything really new, it was better explained than in The Walking Dead (though to be fair to that, The Walking Dead deliberately does not deal with the science much if at all).

It is a stand alone book though clearly there could be a sequel, which could either go the "lone zombie killer hero" route, or could deal with the fallout of the intrigue from back east or I guess both. I would likely read it I think, as this one was a pretty fast read. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 06, 2012 Veach Glines rated it 3 of 5 stars

This story is 'I Am Legend' (suck story, suck film) meets The Book of Eli (not as bad as IAL but not great) as if it were written by the gory hand of Richard Leymon (who could be a zombie in this book).

It's a different take on the "lone doctor/zombie killer/survivor" in that his motivations are clear(er) and we understand his character and the supporting cast as well. I expect Zito will do more, and would like to see the character evolve and his challenges be met in different ways. Change things...more

like · see review

Jan 25, 2013 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

THE OUTBREAK TORE THE USA IN TWO. THE EAST REMAINS A SAFE HAVEN. THE WEST HAS BECOME A RAVAGED WILDERNESS. THEY CALL IT THE EVACUATED STATES.

It is here that Henry Marco makes his living. Hired by grieving relatives, he tracks down the dead and delivers peace.

Now Homeland Security wants Marco, for a mission unlike any other. He must return to California, where the apocalypse began. Where a secret is hidden. And where his own tragic past waits to punish him again. But in the wastelands of America,...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 16, 2012 Richard Kearney rated it 4 of 5 stars

V.M. Zito's first novel, The Return Man, is a well-paced, well-written, and compelling entry in the zombie fiction genre. While it features many elements that will be familiar to zombie fans in terms of plot, setting, and characterization - not to mention abundant quantities of gory details! - the novel maintains an energetic freshness that will hold readers' interest. It even manages to throw in a few new twists.

A few years after a massive rising of the undead has rendered all of the United Sta...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 09, 2012 Keith rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't really get excited by the idea of a zombie apocalypse in the same way many people seem to do. The zombie phase passed me by, much in the same way as the vampire phase and the boy wizard phase passed by before that. I've seen the Romero trilogy and 28 Days Later and Shaun Of The Dead, but haven't been bothered enough to watch any of the modern re-treads or re-vamps.

If you've seen those films or shows, you'll probably enjoy this. The story is straightforward, the characters are cut from si...more

like · see review

Nov 14, 2012 Max rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't think a book has ever made me queasy before, and I pride myself on a strong stomach but wow - Zito's got a way with words and paints a gruesome picture or two.
Following Marco, the 'Zombie Hitman', living in the infected Western states of the USA after a zombie apocolypse, Return Man is a clever novel which mixes truly hideous imagery with a gripping, fast-paced storyline and two strong characters. Polar-opposite Chinese-spy, Wu, is a cold nationalistic character supposedly working with M...more

like · see review

Sep 06, 2012 Tom Huffman rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is really more of a 3.5 or so but I've got no problem with rounding up =) I'm not going to lie, I didn't think this book was going to be that great, not because I'm not a fan of the genre but because it just didn't sound like anything special. It was actually a much better read than the blurb led me to believe. Makes good use of the zombie theme and the pacing is great throughout the book, the only thing that really bothered me was the use of British spellings for certain words. Kerb? Tyre?...more

like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 Bane of Kings rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: zombies, 2012-releases-read, notable-2012-releases

Original Post: http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/03/...

It didn’t take much convincing to get me hooked on The Return Man, VM Zito’s first foray into the realm of the writing industry. First of all – the appearance of zombies, and as you know if you’ve been following TFF for a while, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan. In fact, although I haven’t recently read many of zombie fiction (to see which zombie-related books that I’ve reviewed, click on the tag at the bottom of the review labelled zombies.)...more

1 like · like · see review

May 31, 2013 Pete Aldin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourite-reads

In a market clogged with mediocre (and downright crappy) Romero zombie stories, The Return Man shines. I can't tell you how much I loved this story, other than to give it the full 5 stars.

The opening line is the reason I picked it up and kept reading. And it maintained my interest page after page after page.

There are two keys to Zito's success with writing a great novel: 1) bloody good writing; 2) taking the pieces already there and making something new out of them.

The underpinning idea (point o...more

like · see review

Feb 26, 2013 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a pretty good book about zombies. In the book they are called the Resurrected. Four years have passed since the Resurrection split the United States in two. The east remains a safe haven but with a corrupt government. Henry Marco is surviving on the outside. He stayed to try and find his wife who he thinks was resurrected. With help from his brother-in-law on the safe side, he is hired by grieving families in the east to track down their "dead: loved ones and deliver them peace. In othe...more

like · see review

Sep 15, 2012 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked up Zito's "The Return Man" at the local library thinking there's probably not much this author could add to an already oversaturated and well-worn genre. I was pleasantly proven wrong. Zito pays careful homage to genre staples such as George Romero's groundbreaking zombie films (particularly Day of the Dead) and Richard Matheson's post-apocalyptic masterpiece "I Am Legend". Zito's writing is lean and the action pieces are hard-hitting, plentiful, and keep the plot moving at an extremely...more

like · see review

Jun 06, 2012 Matthew Davenport rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Return Man has brought the concept of zombies back from the dead, for me at least. I was getting tired of all the stories that were all identical with the same plots, the same types of protagonists and no real story telling. "Let's just shoot some zombies" had become a way if life for zombie writers, and then, along came V. M. Zito, who decided to actually write a story about a character that you could relate to, that had depth, and that was Henry Marco. This story follows a former surgeon n...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 10, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Henry Marco makes his living tracking down the dead and returning them for their loved ones. For... not to. It's 2018, four years after the outbreak of The Resurrection, a zombie plague that left everything west of the Mississippi a virtual wasteland. US citizens were evacuated to the Safe States and have remained there ever since. Jobs are scarce, resources are drying up, and laws are meant to keep everyone in their place. And while the evacuation was going on, Henry Marco hid out in his house...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 25, 2012 Debbie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: scfi, mystery

so this is like a PI story - a 'PI' who finds missing persons. In this case it's a guy who finds missing people who just happen to be zombies - and he really kills them - for real - for their loved ones. And as he finishes one case he is forced to look for someone from his past by the bad guy and if he doesn't take the case a friend will be killed.

so the zombies are really the only new variable in this story. The 'PI' guy constantly gets into trouble with the zombies by doing stupid stuff he kn...more

like · see review

Apr 02, 2012 Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/04/...

Henry Marco, former neurologist, is now a gun for hire in the wastelands of what used to be the western US (the Evacuated States). His business partner and former brother in law lives in the east, in the area deemed safe by the government, the New Republicans. Days are spent tracking lost relatives and giving them the peace that their family members desire, with the memory of his wife haunting his every step. Haunted, yes,...more You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/04/...

Henry Marco, former neurologist, is now a gun for hire in the wastelands of what used to be the western US (the Evacuated States). His business partner and former brother in law lives in the east, in the area deemed safe by the government, the New Republicans. Days are spent tracking lost relatives and giving them the peace that their family members desire, with the memory of his wife haunting his every step. Haunted, yes, that’s the best way to describe Henry Marco. Hardened by years of battling the undead, he begins to questions just what it is that keeps him going. Is it his “job?” Does killing the undead relatives of grieving survivors bring him peace and closure also, or does it just fuel the pattern that he’s been forging for years, alone and devastated by loss? Well, Marco’s lone wolf existence is about to be shaken up. Homeland Security has taken his brother in law hostage, using him as leverage in order to hire Marco to hunt the ultimate target: Roger Ballard, the scientist that may just have the cure for the Resurrection disease. The US government isn’t the only one after Ballard, though, and it will take every bit of cunning that Marco possesses to take on this job, out among the wreckage of a country in collapse, overrun by the hordes of living dead.

It’s probably pretty obvious to you by now, dear reader, that I like zombies. It’s a very popular genre right now, and when it comes to zombies, I’m not a gourmand, I’m a gourmet, and I’m always on the lookout for the next above-the-cut zom novel. Luckily, The Return Man more than fits the bill. When I mentioned that more than just the US is interested in a possible cure or vaccine for the Resurrection disease, take that to heart, because Marco will have to deal with some pretty nasty customers (other than zombies), on his journey to Sarsgard Medical Prison, where Ballard was last known to be. He picks up an unlikely ally (or is he) in the form of Ken Wu, Chinese assassin and spy, and a group of psychotic militia men are after them as well. Trust me, the Horsemen will give you a case of the shudders. I really enjoyed the author’s idea that zombies might have a trace of their old selves intact. Not much, but enough to seek out places that are familiar or give them comfort. While this isn’t necessarily a comforting thought, considering the state of these things that were once human, it provides a neat twist on the usual zombie fare.

I had absolutely no trouble getting into, and staying immersed in, The Return Man. There is a ton of carnage in this, seriously, the sheer number of zombies that Marco and Wu have to wade through is staggering, and when it comes to zombie killin’, the author doesn’t leave much to the imagination. That’s ok, though! I mean, you’ll cringe, at least, I did and consider myself somewhat jaded, but the gore really is necessary to paint a terrifying picture of what our hero has to endure, and has had to steel himself to in order to survive in the Evacuated States. The Return Man has quite a bit more depth to it than your average zombie apocalypse novel because Marco himself has a lot of depth, and we also get to know Wu quite a bit during the telling of the story. You’ll think you have Wu’s number at the beginning, but you won’t, and his story just added another layer to the unfolding of The Return Man. I enjoyed every terrifying bit of this book, and if you love zombies, good writing, and great storytelling, I think you will too!(less)

3 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

An excellent, action-packed adventure featuring lots of ravenous undead ready to tear apart and devour the main character at every turn. Henry Marcos is a man haunted by his past and driven mercilessly by his inner demons. He provides a service to those living in the Safe States out East; for a fee he will track down your zombified loved one and lay them to rest for good. As proof he retrieves distinctive jewelry if he's lucky enough to find the corpse still in possession of it. He's been doing...more

like · see review

May 12, 2012 Ryan Mishap rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: abandoned, adult-fantasy

Siiiigggghhhh. There's a certain kind of science fiction or action nove--almost exclusively written by me--where the prose is stultifying and inappropriately detailed (when I'm fighting zombies, my thoughts usually drift back to when I met my wife or what my father once told me...and the strangely discolored intestine looped around the thing's legs, just like the garden hose around my mother's legs that summer I joined the marines and trained on XJ-75 Lightning Kill Machines with titanium bolts,...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 03, 2012 Eric Means rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopic-sf, zombies

This book reads a lot like a movie. That's not (necessarily) a knock, it's just that with the success of World War Z this very much feels like a follow-on novel that has basically set itself up for an easy movie adaptation, and the language and style used is very zombie-movie.

The concept is an interesting take -- that zombies have some tiny shred of their former emotional memories, and thus tend to gravitate towards places that were important to them in their actual life. Throw in elements of a...more

like · see review

Mar 25, 2012 Katharine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review, read-2012

‘The Return Man’ by V. M. Zito is a dystopian adventure set in America in the year 2018. Zombies have taken claim to half of America, leaving the East safe and a stronghold. No one, not even though ‘un-infected’ are allowed in.

We meet Henry Marco, a man who has remained out in the Evacuated States instead of obeying the call to retreat to the Safe States the Government managed to defend. He’s out there with a few million zombies, making a living by communicating with his brother-in-law (in the S...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 April rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow. What a heart pounding, nail biting sarcastic humor laden roller coaster ride this book was. It was fabulous! Just enough action, tempered with thought, creativity and fun sprinkled with a hint of romance and a good running under current of dry one liners. I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this one up, but intrigued by the blurb on the back cover, I opened it and read the first page. Hooked. Never wanted to put this book down. It is wonderfully eerie and the scenario for it is easil...more

like · see review

Apr 29, 2012 Sean the Bookonaut rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Return Man is V.M.Zito’s debut novel. It’s a curious, entertaining mix of zombie apocalyptic fiction and military thriller.

The story

A contagion has rendered half the US a dead zone where zombies roam free.

Our protagonist Henry Marco is the Return Man. He’s paid by relatives or friends of the “zombified”, living in the safe states of the US, to “return” them or kill their zombie form.

Zombies retain some memory of their previous lives, “emotional geography” Marco calls it and it enables him to...more

like · see review

Dec 15, 2012 Christopher Clark rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of the most original zombie books I have ever read. I love the 'zombie hit man' take on the story, very original.

The only thing I didn't like about the book is the stereotyping of the evil Republican politician. It's typical nonsense that drags the story down a bit. I also think the plot was a bit overly dramatic. The whole book we are teased about this huge connection between the sought after doctor and the protagonist, but when it's all finally laid out, there's no surprise because we've...more

like · see review

Jun 01, 2012 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: zombie

"Civilizations gone. He's stayed to bury the dead." That is what I saw on the cover of this book at the library. That really grabbed my attention and I am glad that I saw it. Zito brings to life a character dedicated to helping families come to grips with their grief in a nation divided. I really do not want to go into too much detail as I am afraid of giving something away. However in the interview with the author at the back of the book I did find that George Romero was a big inspiration for Z...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 32 33 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 (4)

Genres

Horror > Zombies

40 users

Horror

22 users

Apocalyptic > Post Apocalyptic

13 users

Science Fiction > Dystopia

8 users

Science Fiction

4 users

Science Fiction > Apocalyptic

2 users

Thriller

2 users

Adult

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About V.M. Zito

V.M. Zito resides in Connecticut, USA with his wife and daughter. When not writing, he spends his weekdays working as Creative Director at a New England ad agency and his weekends running on trails. THE RETURN MAN is his first novel.

More about V.M. Zito...

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Return Man

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Return Man
avg rating	preview: The Return Man Goodreads rating: 3.76 (405 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13172164-the-return-man?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326236548l/13172164.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13172164-the-return-man?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Return Man by V.M. Zito[/url]

The Return Man

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (4)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About V.M. Zito

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Return Man

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (4)