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Sunrise

by Kody Boye (Goodreads Author)

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 36 ratings · 21 reviews

At sunrise, the dead began to walk the earth.
Our days were numbered.
The world was over.

One month after the virus took over the United States of America and turned its inhabitants into ravenous, flesh-eating monsters, Dakota Travis and his friend Steve Earnest have been barely surviving. Hiding out in an abandoned apartment building, they struggle to live in a world wher...more

Paperback, 2nd Edition, 245 pages

Published January 7th 2013 by CreateSpace (first published May 28th 2009)

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I Fell in Love with a Zombie by Sean Kennedy

m/m romance with zombies

16th out of 33 books — 35 voters

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Feb 16, 2013 Liz Winters rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, zombies

What a wonderful surprise this turned out to be - a combination of my two favorite book genres: m/m and zombies. While there was a romantic relationship in the book between two guys, this definitely wasn't a scorching romance. It was, however, a great story about how great friendships are built and maintained under the most trying circumstances. Zombies made their appearance and were dispensed with in due course, but while there was certainly a lot of tension and excitement, the book didn't ling...more

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May 20, 2012 Lindsey Stock rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lgbt, zombies, science-fiction

I read this book the first time it was published, and back then it was a nice, original story that needed a little work to reach it's full potential. Well, that work has since been done and the potential has been reached! The new edition of Sunrise reads much more fluently than before, and there have been many improvements to both the characters and the story, while the core of the plot remains with all of it's originality intact. The story is told mostly from the perspective of a gay teenager,...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Patrick D'Orazio rated it 4 of 5 stars

Back in October of ’09, I wrote a review of Kody Boye’s Sunrise. Kody, who was under the age of eighteen when he wrote his book of the zombie apocalypse, clearly had talent, but his story was somewhat raw, which was something I expected from such a young man still learning his way in the world.
At that time, I stated that the criticism I would have of the story would go hand in hand with what I find appealing about his writing style: his youthful idealism and exuberance. He wrote of romance in th...more Back in October of ’09, I wrote a review of Kody Boye’s Sunrise. Kody, who was under the age of eighteen when he wrote his book of the zombie apocalypse, clearly had talent, but his story was somewhat raw, which was something I expected from such a young man still learning his way in the world.
At that time, I stated that the criticism I would have of the story would go hand in hand with what I find appealing about his writing style: his youthful idealism and exuberance. He wrote of romance in the time of the world ending with a great deal of zeal and perhaps with what some might call immaturity, although when seen through the perspective of someone who was not yet an adult, the perceptions he had should be understandable.
Kody Boye has changed since then. Now, as an adult, he has taken the time to revisit his first novel and revise it in ways that are more in keeping with his increase in adult experiences and relationships. In its earlier version, I would have been very comfortable stating that the story was all about gay characters and their experiences during the zombie apocalypse. Now, with the revisions that Kody has made, I would say that this story is about the experiences a group of people have during the zombie apocalypse. Some of the characters are gay, and it remains a theme in this book, but while it remains a key part of Dakota and Jamie’s experiences and their existence as main characters, it doesn’t detract from a story of the apocalypse, of human relationships, and how people manage to not only survive, but to thrive during times of great peril and tragedy.
Essentially, this story starts out with Dakota, a boy who has just turned eighteen, hiding out with his friend Steve, an Iraqi war veteran, in Steve’s apartment in the weeks following the start of the zombie apocalypse. With their supplies running out, they are forced to find a way out of their town with hopes of finding a safe haven. They end up at a modified apartment complex with several members of the military and several civilians there, including Jamie, a corporal who forms an almost immediate bond with Dakota.
Several key characters are introduced and developed within the pages of this book, and much is revealed about them as they fight and struggle to survive the undead…and the unique, intriguing new creatures that appear later in the book that may or may not be a new hybrid creation.
Kody’s writing has matured, and while some of his youthful abandon and exuberance has perhaps disappeared on these pages, it has been replaced by a sure hand that understands more about how adult relationships work, grow, and evolve. No, how some of them evolve is perhaps not perfect, but nothing ever is. Some of the imagery Kody creates seems a bit extravagant here and there, though he does paint a vivid picture that allows you to feel that you are a part of the landscape he is creating.
Sunrise is a tale of the apocalypse, of relationships, and of the struggles we all face to find love, understanding, and a place to call home in a world filled with death and destruction. Kody Boye has matured as a writer and is someone to keep an eye on. I see great things in his future. (less)

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May 20, 2012 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: end-of-the-world, must-read, paranormal-adult, zombies, ya-paranormal-romance

Sunrise follows the story of a young man on a journey to out run zombies and save his life. Dakota is holed up in an apartment with his best friend Steve. The men are forced from their safe haven by a gang. They travel many miles and avoid and kill zombies along the way. Dakota also finds love and a family he never had.
What I liked:
It was beautifully written.
Dakota is a very likeable MC. He's not like most zombie novel heroes. He's not a badass super hero. He's just a regular guy that knows how...more Sunrise follows the story of a young man on a journey to out run zombies and save his life. Dakota is holed up in an apartment with his best friend Steve. The men are forced from their safe haven by a gang. They travel many miles and avoid and kill zombies along the way. Dakota also finds love and a family he never had.
What I liked:
It was beautifully written.
Dakota is a very likeable MC. He's not like most zombie novel heroes. He's not a badass super hero. He's just a regular guy that knows how to shoot a gun and run for his life. He's not tough as nails nothing can break me type of guy. I LOVE that about him. He is a guy I can relate too. Although I am sure I would have peed my pants in a lot of the situations these guys got themselves into.
Steve is an amazing guy and anyone would love to have him as a bestfriend.
Kody Boye knows how to write vulnerability. He really gets the human condition. In most end of the world novels we don't see the hero cry ever. Dakota sheds lots of tears. Over big and sometimes little things.
There were moments of humor in this work. They were very subtle and not all readers might catch onto them. There are moments that will break your heart. There are moments that will make you jump up and go YEAH!!!!!
Jamie--sigh. He's a guy any girl (or gay man) can fall in love with. Oh did I forget to mention that the MC is gay? I did? That's probably because it doesn't matter at all. This is a book about finding love and hanging on to life no matter the odds. When others turn to raiding, killing, and taking--these guys are about helping everyone and just finding joy in a dead world.
What some readers might not like:
Do not going into this book expecting a horror novel. It is not. It's a survival novel. There are zombies but they are just a situation that the characters must evolve and move around. THEY are not the stars of this story. LOVE and LIFE are. I am so glad I decided to read this book. It has gotten me out of my book slump and back on track. What a fantastic novel. I cannot gush enough! Kody Boye is an author that I will keep my eyes on in the future.(less)

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Feb 01, 2012 Gerard rated it 4 of 5 stars

I first came across this author with his offering of dark short stories which were issued for free on a few websites and I soon got to enjoy his style of writing, so when I saw that he was release a re-written and re-edited version of an old out of print zombie book I was really excited, as zombies are my favourite genre. I was not disappointed; with this effort I can say that in my opinion Kody Boye stands shoulder to shoulder with the other main authors in this field.

The story starts one month...more I first came across this author with his offering of dark short stories which were issued for free on a few websites and I soon got to enjoy his style of writing, so when I saw that he was release a re-written and re-edited version of an old out of print zombie book I was really excited, as zombies are my favourite genre. I was not disappointed; with this effort I can say that in my opinion Kody Boye stands shoulder to shoulder with the other main authors in this field.

The story starts one month after the zombie apocalypse and the individuals histories is filled via characters telling stories and memory flashbacks. The characters which run central to this story were well thought out and the personality of each person grew as the book went on. The story was very evenly paced and follows two characters from the start with an ever growing band of survivors. Throughout the story you witness home invasion, sieges, lunatics and generally nice folk in a bad situation. There are some neat twists and it is nice to see a bit of mystery where you think that one thing is going on but it is actually something else.

This story has a gay bias, however it should be noted that although character sexuality is central to the story, it is portrayed in a sensitive and sweet way and is in no way graphic or in your face. This book is full of love, whether it is plutonic between friends, between lovers or family, the care that the characters feel for each other really oozes though the entire narrative.

If I had to find flaws in this book it is only something personal to me, I like to visualise the people in the books that I read and so like to see more descriptive narrative on each character. I would also have liked to have seen a further step towards the non-zombie zombie (sorry any more info is a spoiler) as I think the idea of this character was fascinating and I have never seen this sub-class explored before, so I am sure someone else will pick up this idea and run with it.

For me it is a shame that the next book being released by the author is a dark fantasy (zombies being my favourite) but he has proved that he can maintain a story over a full novel as well as short stories and so I will be giving it a try!

It is the differences in writing style that sets this novel apart from the norm and what makes it an important read. The book has content that will not be to everyone’s liking, but I say if you are open minded and like the zombie genre this is a must have for your collection and you should really give this author a chance.
(less)

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May 21, 2012 Kami rated it 4 of 5 stars

It took me a while to get into this book. I cant even really pinpoint why, but it did. I would say halfway through I started really getting into it, and felt that connection with the characters. Overall it was a pretty decent zombie novel. There was not as much violence, gore, and action in this book as there are in most zombie novels. However I read the author note at the beginning of the book and he stated that this wasnt written as a traditional zombie novel per se, but it was written for the...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Barb ~rede-2-read~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: free, no-explicit-sex, read-2012

A zombie book! When I started reading this I thought I'd never be able to finish. I am not a fan of thrillers or horror movies but this book was an enjoyable venture into the future when zombies take over the world.

The story is told from the perspective of Dakota, a young gay man who, with his best friend Steve, an older retired military man, escape a zombie threat in their city and head west. There they ultimately meet Jamie, Dakota's eventual boyfriend, and join with others who make their way...more

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May 10, 2013 Serith rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt, dropped

I wanted so badly to like this book. I really, REALLY did. A teen m/m novel with zombies sounded absolutely perfect. I’ve read the author’s work before and enjoyed his writing style too. ...Hate to say I only made it 10% before having to quit (minor spoiler warning if you don't want the first few pages ruined - it's not really far enough to tag it though). I could not submerge into the story for one main reason: the characters should be dead. There is no way they would have made it in a hostile...more I wanted so badly to like this book. I really, REALLY did. A teen m/m novel with zombies sounded absolutely perfect. I’ve read the author’s work before and enjoyed his writing style too. ...Hate to say I only made it 10% before having to quit (minor spoiler warning if you don't want the first few pages ruined - it's not really far enough to tag it though). I could not submerge into the story for one main reason: the characters should be dead. There is no way they would have made it in a hostile apocalypse. There are just too many mistakes that never come with consequences when they should have. The further I got, the more details bothered me so I had to call it and part ways.

First off: shooting a gun is a bad idea when there are cannibalistic monsters hunting for any sign of life. For a while I thought the main characters had the right idea when a gang drove by acting recklessly with their weapons. The MCs even judge their behavior ...but that does not stop them from pulling out their own guns whenever situations got a little tight. Somehow the gang’s noise didn’t summon hoard, which it should have (thus lost more realism – which is an important element in zombie fiction).

Speaking of that gang - the MCs were watching them out their apartment window and were so careful looking out, but when they were done, they just pulled the curtains back like no one was there and surprise! Got caught. Seems like an obvious error? …Or more like an excuse to get them out of their apartment, but at the cost of their intelligence. Any-who, they run for a short while. Then they decide to stop running because there is no real threat; the gang won’t chase them down since they could already be dead. …But in this type of world, a gang like that would not stop so easily. They would hunt you down for any scrap of your limited supplies and even rip it off your dead corpse. Why did the MCs rule them off as a threat? They should have been sleeping with one eye open and jumping to every little noise!

So then the MCs find shelter with a married couple. The husband warns them that his wife is in a mentally fragile state, is heavily religious, and essentially under the impression that the zombies are god’s wrath to punish the sins of mankind. So what do they do? Tell them they are gay. Brilliant. Why? To get it out of the way. How on earth is that relevant or even remotely important to admit this? Especially to someone who believes that homosexuals are one of THE CAUSES OF THE APOCALYPSE? Does not seem like an appropriate time to start up a debate. Not with someone out of their right mind. Needless to say, this spot of unnecessary pride ends up costing the couple their lives because she freaks out and zombies notice (must have been louder than a gun).

Beyond the deadly mistakes, the dialogue was rather dry and said little about the characters. There were some obvious questions that were… frustrating (example: a group of civilians need clarification when a character in charge asks, “What can you all do?” “Do?” “Yeah, do… as in, what are you good at?” ...wait, where exactly did he lose them??). The MCs’ logic was questionable as well. They want to boil water but can't because their stove is not working and then they rule out fire because it’s unsafe indoors. So that is that. ...OMG GO OUTSIDE! It’s that easy I swear! Like... They don’t even have to go in reach of the zombies; they had a balcony and apartments normally come with roofs. Just. Wow.

Any-who, characters are free to make mistakes but it’s only interesting if we get to see the weighty results of these bad decisions (and not just to serve as a plot device to move the characters to the next point). They have to learn from it. When it’s brushed off like nothing it just makes me want to argue with the book. It was not a healthy relationship between us. Maybe someday when my reading pile is lower I’ll try again, but not right now.(less)

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

Sunrise is a story told with the backdrop of the zombie apocalypse. Dakota, our main character, begins the story hiding out in an apartment with his friend Steve, a few weeks after the dead have risen and the world has essentially died. They are forced to leave their hideout when people come around that appear to be a threat. They end up in a gated facility where several soldiers and a few civilians are holed up. The story moves on from there, leading the characters on a quest to find a place of...more Sunrise is a story told with the backdrop of the zombie apocalypse. Dakota, our main character, begins the story hiding out in an apartment with his friend Steve, a few weeks after the dead have risen and the world has essentially died. They are forced to leave their hideout when people come around that appear to be a threat. They end up in a gated facility where several soldiers and a few civilians are holed up. The story moves on from there, leading the characters on a quest to find a place of their own that will be safe and protected from both the undead and the living that threaten them.

Kody Boye is a teenager with a great deal of writing talent in my opinion. I haven't seen too many stories of this complexity written by a kid his age. The criticism I might have of this story would go hand in hand with what I find very appealing about the author's writing style: his youthful idealism and exuberance. Much of the criticism I have seen in the other reviews can be credited to the authors youthful perspective, not so much on the zombie apocalypse, but on young romance. Because the romance in these pages is between men it certainly presents an opportunity for folks to feel awkward about it. That Kody writes it with such candor and openess may be frustrating for many, because he holds nothing back and certainly, because he is so young and inexperienced, many readers may perhaps see his efforts as a bit overzealous.

Knowing that this story was written by a teenager and that some of the characters, including the main character, are gay before I started reading Sunrise provided me with the chance to look at this story a little bit differently than I might have if I knew nothing about the author or characters in advance of reading the first page. Kody writes with a enthusiasm and perhaps writes this tale more as an idealist than a realist in many ways. The romance is idealistic, his hope for a world, despite the fact that it is torn apart by apocalypse, is idealistic, and the relationship in these pages not only between the two main characters but all the key characters is probably idealistic. Is that in any way wrong? Not by my reckoning. I have read quite a wide array of zombie stories over the past few years and I certainly feel there is room on my shelf for a book written by someone whose is perhaps writing with a less jaded perspective. Perhaps a hardcore realist who is ten years Kody's senior (or someone like myself, who is quite a bit older than that and is even more cynical, perhaps) would have written this story differently. But we already have tons of stories that are written like that. So instead we have a story and a relationship that develops positively and lovingly, despite a backdrop that includes a dead world. Given that the name of this story is Sunrise, we get to see up front the authors hope for a better tomorrow, even in a world filled with death and despair.

No, Sunrise is not for everyone. It is certainly a different style of book than I have seen in the zombie subgenre. But again, I do feel that there is room on my bookshelf for a book like this one, with a different perspective than what we are used to seeing in the zombie subgenre. Kody is passionate and will continue to grow and mature as a writer and I look forward to seeing more works from him as the years go by. It will be interesting to see how his voice changes and alters over the years.(less)

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Jun 30, 2012 ~*coffee*lover*~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I felt, while reading, that it was more like watching a film because the descriptions were vivid enough for me to picture. I liked the characters and I liked the pace of the story. Very good read :)

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May 02, 2012 A.R. Jarvis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: slash, paranormal

Started good, turned rather weird, then took a turn for the long and unnecessarily drawn-out. Also, when traveling from South Dakota to Idaho, going through Minnesota is counter-productive.

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Apr 01, 2013 ttg marked it as to-read

Shelves: kindle-lendable

Free on Amazon today (3/28/13). Not sure for how long.

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May 10, 2013 Smudge rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm, romance, zombies, all-time-favourites

For a story dealing with horror and hardship this was beautifully written, and the characters very likeable. I really, really enjoyed this, it was very compelling and I'm left wishing for a sequel.

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Dec 30, 2011 Felicia A rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: apocalypse-of-some-sort, books-i-have-edited, teotwawki, zombies

Yayyyyyyy!!! Another editing project is now a published book! Check out Sunrise by Kody Boye for more zombie goodness.

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Mar 30, 2013 Lillian Francis marked it as to-read · review of another edition

free at kindle store 30/3/13

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Apr 01, 2013 Dreamer marked it as to-read-less-than-50-ratings · review of another edition

Shelves: azw, free, horror, kindle, m-m-romance

Free today (27th March 2013) on Amazon.co.uk

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Apr 30, 2012 Tracy's Place rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

3.5 out of 5

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May 15, 2012 Taddy rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars from me! A wonderful gem of a zombie book. Extremely character driven which I loved. I would love to see a sequel because I think there are still some unanswered questions, hopefully the young and talented Kody Boye will dazzle us with a trilogy? One can only hope!

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May 20, 2012 Zach Sweets rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars. The review can be found at Hearts on Fire

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Apr 05, 2012 Meghan (mm_reads) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: _orientation-m-m, genre-horror, genre-fantasy

this was an ebook version of the 2011 edition. It was good reading. Very much in the depressing vein of a zombie apocalypse but with a HFN ending.

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Aug 02, 2009 Brandon rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ipod, zombies, apocalypse

Zombie novel with a gay main character = great! Too bad this book was so poorly written.

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May 24, 2013 Gabriel Bjornsen marked it as to-read

May 18, 2013 Andrea marked it as to-read

May 18, 2013 Shannon Campos-hatfield rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 15, 2013 Book Chick City marked it as wishlist

May 08, 2013 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 01, 2013 Janet marked it as to-read

Shelves: zombies

Apr 30, 2013 Natasha marked it as to-read

Apr 30, 2013 Jimilee is currently reading it

Apr 29, 2013 Michelle Williams rated it 1 of 5 stars

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About Kody Boye

Kody Boye was born and raised in Southeastern Idaho. Since his initial publication in the Yellow Mama Webzine in 2007, he has gone on to sell nearly three-dozen stories to various markets. He is the author of the short story collection Amorous Things, the novella The Diary of Dakota Hammell, the zombie novel Sunrise and the dark fantasy novel Blood. His fiction has been described as ‘Surreal, beau...more

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