By the Blood of Heroes (The Great Undead War, #1) by Joseph Nassise

May 19, 2012 Laurel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved it! A WWI action romp, with zombies?! It was fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, particularly Graves. A creepy zombie genius who, thankfully, is on the side of good. The action was intense, and at times disturbing. But I could barely put the book down. I'll happily buy the sequel! I can't wait to read how much crazier this situation can get!

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Apr 26, 2012 All Things Urban Fantasy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-by-kristina

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

I thought BY THE BLOOD OF HEROES was going to be a simple ‘killing the undead horde of zombies with very large guns’ tale but it ended up being a much larger war story with very serious implications not only for the heroes but for the world if the wrong side won. The zombies, or shamblers as they are called, are used as weapons of war by the Germans against the Allied forces during WWI. Learning about the advancements in the corpse gas technology was ve...more Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

I thought BY THE BLOOD OF HEROES was going to be a simple ‘killing the undead horde of zombies with very large guns’ tale but it ended up being a much larger war story with very serious implications not only for the heroes but for the world if the wrong side won. The zombies, or shamblers as they are called, are used as weapons of war by the Germans against the Allied forces during WWI. Learning about the advancements in the corpse gas technology was very creepy as it went beyond just raising the dead. The experiments (done on both the dead and living) with the corpse gas elevated the horror to a frightening new level that was all too reminiscent of the Holocaust experiments carried out by the Nazis.

One thing that I didn’t like about this book was the overly technical aspects thrown into the action scenes. While it was interesting to have a dogfight (aka: fighter jet fight) scene, I had a hard time grasping what was happening as I am not familiar with planes and military terminology.

Frustration over the technical jargon aside, the story connected well between the three character narrations as Burke goes on his mission to save Major Jack Freeman. Richthofen’s narration was especially enjoyable as I liked being let in on the antagonist’s thoughts and ideas just to see if I could understand his motives at all or if he is just plain crazy. Richthofen’s motives were definitely on the crazy side but understanding his brand of crazy helped to truly immerse me in the story from all sides. Of the three narrations, I was the least interested in Freeman’s because his story was basically static as a POW with absolutely no means of escape until Burke’s team came. I did like learning more about shamblers along with Freeman but was impatient to get to Burke’s action or Richthofen’s plotting bad guy narrations.

Overall, I enjoyed seeing an alternate history in regards to WWI with not only shambler-making-technology but steampunk elements including mechanical prosthetic arms, dirigibles, and Tesla inspired weapons and technology. BY THE BLOOD OF HEROES mixes a creepy zombie apocalypse scenario with a dash of steampunk to make an action packed story full of heroism from a bygone era.

Sexual Content:
N/A(less)

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Oct 23, 2012 Ed rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was actually a very good read. I really enjoyed the author's mixing of the steampunk and zombie/occult genres. There was more action than character development but after reading 7 of Robert Jordan's books before giving up that's a plus as far as I'm concerned. Fast read as well - finished in a day or two. Trouble is now I am looking forward to the next installment.

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May 06, 2012 Tad rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, horror, thriller

Steampunk, alternate history WWI, fighting the Kaiser’s zombies, oh, don’t forget the Bloody Dead Baron...what’s not to like? The answer is not much in the first volume of Joseph Nassise’s The Great Undead War.

By the Blood of Heroes is the first volume and it kicks the series off to a great start. The war in the trenches has ground to a stalemate after the Germans invented the zombie gas which reanimates the fallen soldiers and turns them into barely controllable shock troops. Scientists on both...more Steampunk, alternate history WWI, fighting the Kaiser’s zombies, oh, don’t forget the Bloody Dead Baron...what’s not to like? The answer is not much in the first volume of Joseph Nassise’s The Great Undead War.

By the Blood of Heroes is the first volume and it kicks the series off to a great start. The war in the trenches has ground to a stalemate after the Germans invented the zombie gas which reanimates the fallen soldiers and turns them into barely controllable shock troops. Scientists on both sides continue to work on inventions and experiments designed to give their side a decisive edge to win the war. An American ace gets shot down behind enemy lines. This pilot holds a little known secret which could prove devastating to the Allies if discovered, so a rescue mission deep behind enemy lines must be undertaken. Working to stop the effort is the infamous Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron.

This is a very inventive and very entertaining book. Interesting characters on both sides along with dirigibles, steampunk inventions, and mad scientists all in a richly populated and detailed world. The action moves along briskly from start to finish with plenty of surprises along the way. Looking back, there are a surprising number of set pieces. From the trenches, to the battle in the air, to POW camps, to experimental research facilities, to airships and trains. The amount of detail and action crammed into this book is impressive. The only thing that felt a little rushed was the backstory between the downed pilot and the leader of the team sent to rescue him. Hopefully this can be expanded a bit more in future novels.

There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief required and maybe a thing or two that don’t bear close examination, but all-in-all this is a very well thought-out and fun adventure. There were a number of things that could have been glossed over in the hope that the reader would just accept them, but the author went to the trouble of providing a plausible explanation for most of them. That attention to detail added to my appreciation of the story. I am looking forward to the continuation of this series. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.(less)

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Mar 22, 2013 Ken rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pretty damn cool-a well-done steampunkish WW1 tale with zombies, complete with an undead Red Baron-I'm in! Finished on something of a cliffhanger, but what DOESN'T these days? A lot of times this annoys me because I didn't get into the book enough to want to go back for a second visit-not the case here. I'll definitely be picking up the next one.

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Aug 30, 2012 Pierre Mare rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A solid thriller reminiscent of 2000 AD's 'Fiends of the Eastern Front' and Kim Newman's Dracula series, particularly the 'Bloody Red Baron'. Contains some steampunk elements. The World War 1 ground war aspect lifts it as well. The book focuses on zombies with some evolution of the trope in the form of revenants. Well paced, thrilling and easily consumed in one or two sittings. There are hints at occult aspects as well. I look forward to the next one.

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Feb 26, 2013 Kristina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

I thought BY THE BLOOD OF HEROES was going to be a simple ‘killing the undead horde of zombies with very large guns’ tale but it ended up being a much larger war story with very serious implications not only for the heroes but for the world if the wrong side won. The zombies, or shamblers as they are called, are used as weapons of war by the Germans against the Allied forces during WWI. Learning about the advancements in the corpse gas technology was ve...more Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

I thought BY THE BLOOD OF HEROES was going to be a simple ‘killing the undead horde of zombies with very large guns’ tale but it ended up being a much larger war story with very serious implications not only for the heroes but for the world if the wrong side won. The zombies, or shamblers as they are called, are used as weapons of war by the Germans against the Allied forces during WWI. Learning about the advancements in the corpse gas technology was very creepy as it went beyond just raising the dead. The experiments (done on both the dead and living) with the corpse gas elevated the horror to a frightening new level that was all too reminiscent of the Holocaust experiments carried out by the Nazis.

One thing that I didn’t like about this book was the overly technical aspects thrown into the action scenes. While it was interesting to have a dogfight (aka: fighter jet fight) scene, I had a hard time grasping what was happening as I am not familiar with planes and military terminology.

Frustration over the technical jargon aside, the story connected well between the three character narrations as Burke goes on his mission to save Major Jack Freeman. Richthofen’s narration was especially enjoyable as I liked being let in on the antagonist’s thoughts and ideas just to see if I could understand his motives at all or if he is just plain crazy. Richthofen’s motives were definitely on the crazy side but understanding his brand of crazy helped to truly immerse me in the story from all sides. Of the three narrations, I was the least interested in Freeman’s because his story was basically static as a POW with absolutely no means of escape until Burke’s team came. I did like learning more about shamblers along with Freeman but was impatient to get to Burke’s action or Richthofen’s plotting bad guy narrations.

Overall, I enjoyed seeing an alternate history in regards to WWI with not only shambler-making-technology but steampunk elements including mechanical prosthetic arms, dirigibles, and Tesla inspired weapons and technology. BY THE BLOOD OF HEROES mixes a creepy zombie apocalypse scenario with a dash of steampunk to make an action packed story full of heroism from a bygone era.
(less)

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Jan 27, 2013 Matt Mitrovich rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All moaning on the western front? Yes there is a new weapons for World War I: zombies. These classic movie monsters are central to the plot of By the Blood of Heroes by Joseph Nassise, the first novel of The Great Undead War series, coming out on May 1st.

History diverges at the end of 1917, when the desperate Germans introduce a new gas to the battlefield called T-Leiche or "corpse gas". Deceased bodies are brought back to life, giving the Germans an almost unlimited number of shock troops to us...more All moaning on the western front? Yes there is a new weapons for World War I: zombies. These classic movie monsters are central to the plot of By the Blood of Heroes by Joseph Nassise, the first novel of The Great Undead War series, coming out on May 1st.

History diverges at the end of 1917, when the desperate Germans introduce a new gas to the battlefield called T-Leiche or "corpse gas". Deceased bodies are brought back to life, giving the Germans an almost unlimited number of shock troops to use against the Allies in the trenches. Though not smart enough to handle weapons, remote control collars keep them from trying to eat their German handlers. This new weapon saves Germany from the jaws of defeat and prolongs the war.

Fast-forward a couple years later; pilot, ace and bastard son of the president Major Jack Freeman is shot down and taken captive by the Germans. Veteran Captain Michael "Madman" Burke is charged with rescuing the ace before German occultists can use his blood to perform a spell that could assassinate the president. If he can't rescue Freeman, he will not only have to kill him but destroy his body to insure the president's safety. This is a distinct possibility because even though Burke is Freeman's half-brother, he also hates him with a passion.

This drama is playing out during the scheming of Manfred von Richthofen, the infamous Red Baron. One of the few lucky undead who were reanimated with their intelligence intact and some new found gifts, he has lost faith with the German leadership and thinks it is time for a change. His research into the corpse gas has produced some promising results and may be the key to ending the war.

Plausibility hounds, if they can ignore the zombies, will find a lot of unanswered questions throughout the novel. Why has armored warfare been so ineffective in breaking the stalemate on the Western Front? Why are massive airships still being built despite their weakness against the smaller fighter planes (in one scene the largest airship ever built by the British is taken down by single fighter piloted by Richthofen himself)? Why is there still a "Russian Front" despite the war ending there in March 1918 with the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk? Who are the Germans fighting: the Reds, the Whites or someone else? Finally, why is there no mention of the Ottoman Empire? Is there really no "Middle East Front" in this alternate history?

Despite odd tactics and so little information about the rest of the world, the story was pretty good horror story. The trials and tribulations of Freeman and Burke, two of the major point of view characters, were at times both interesting and horrifying. Richthofen, the other major POV character, was not as enjoyable to read. Despite what could have been done with a character who knows he is a zombie (see the Marvel Zombies series) Richthofen came off as a cliche supervillain. At one point he even explains his master plan to take over the world to Freeman, who was in his clutches, and explained how pointless it was to resist him. Obviously the Red Baron never read the Evil Overlord List.

The villain aside, the ending of the story was a surprise, even to me. The sequel should open the reader up to all new horrors and I am quite happy that the novel was not simply a "lets take the plot of World War Z and set it in a different time" which you see way to often across the Internet. Zombies fan should enjoy By the Blood of Heroes, but hard core alternate history fans might find it wanting.(less)

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Mar 09, 2013 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Zombie readers/supernatural historical fiction readers

Shelves: zombie, supernatural-spy, supernatural-fiction, ww1, action-adventure-challenge-2013, action-adventure, alternate-history, historical-fantasy, dark-fantasy, dangerous-hero-general-challenge-20, soldier-or-military, brothers-and-sisters, war, not-for-the-faint-of-heart, library-checkout, steampunk, famous-literary-historical-characte, a-to-z-character-challenge-x

While I'm not a big zombie fiction fan, I couldn't resist reading this book about WWI with a supernatural/steampunk twist. And Joseph Nassise doesn't disappoint. It's high caliber action that brings to mind movies like The Dirty Dozen, but twenty plus years sooner. I don't know a lot about WWI, to be honest, but what Nassise writes seems credible. I like that he takes what is known about WWI fighting and integrates some steampunkish and supernatural elements. I think that he builds on the ever-p...more While I'm not a big zombie fiction fan, I couldn't resist reading this book about WWI with a supernatural/steampunk twist. And Joseph Nassise doesn't disappoint. It's high caliber action that brings to mind movies like The Dirty Dozen, but twenty plus years sooner. I don't know a lot about WWI, to be honest, but what Nassise writes seems credible. I like that he takes what is known about WWI fighting and integrates some steampunkish and supernatural elements. I think that he builds on the ever-present sense of horror that war inherently has, and that's a firm foundation for a supernatural suspense novel. I can't verify this, but the Germans seemed kind of Nazish already, especially in the blatant defiance of human rights and experimentation on humans. That part was rather disturbing.

I felt the suspense element was a huge appeal of this book. I literally didn't know what would happen and I even had to put it down a few times to get a break. Although I wanted to keep reading. I find zombies really disturbing, and the fact that the Germans are using gas to turn people into zombies is pretty darn awful. I wanted the heroes to open up a can of whip@$$ all over them.

If anything could have improved this was more dialogue and interaction with the members of Burke's team. I cared about all these guys, but I think I would have liked to know more about them. I realize that this book occurs over a short period of time, but this would have enhanced my reading experience. The main villain Richthofen was a "real you know what". He's the kind of villain you want to see get his butt handed to him. But he's a credible villain in that he's not easily defeated. He's enough to give you nightmares, actually. I don't think I'll have any, I hope. But just in case, I tried not to read this before I went to sleep. This book is so much scary as unnerving in that I can put myself in the soldiers' shoes and imagine that sense of constant fear that dealt with in the trenches. If being blown up or shot or gassed to death isn't enough. That's a chance they will be turned into zombies or see their fellow soldiers come back to try to eat them to death! Yeah, that's pretty disturbing.

Overall, this was a very good book. Great action moments. I liked the lead characters, especially Burke. The villain is nasty enough to make him a worthy antagonist. The supernatural/steampunk parts are excellent. They tie into the WWI setting very well. I think with more development of the secondary characters, this book would have been even more effective as a read. I will definitely continue this series, but when I'm in the mood for a creepy zombie novel with good action.

Recommended.(less)

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Mar 15, 2013 David Dalton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: zombie, action

Let me tell you: I loved reading this book. From the beginning to the very exciting ending (you will not want to stop reading during the last 15% or so for sure). Very serious subject matter (death/war/zombies), but it was fun reading it. Does that make sense?

It seemed like I could tell the author himself had a fun time writing the book and that feeling is expressed in the way the author tells the story. The author captured my attention right off the bat and then kept my attention during the who...more

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Nov 20, 2012 K. Burnett rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I very much enjoyed this book. A mash-up of steampunk, zombies, alternate history and boys-own war story, it was perhaps in serious danger of over-egging the pudding, but fortunately the author avoids that and instead manages to create a fast moving, rip-roaring yarn.

The creation of ‘corpse gas’ by German scientists has driven the Great War to last much longer than perhaps it should. Reanimated corpses of both German and Allied soldiers attack the Allies, forcing the war into a nightmarish stale...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Friedrich Haas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror-supernatural

A very engaging steam punk, zombie, war story, with a very good cover as well, and even the feel of the paper seemed right for it. It kept my interest till the very end, by which time I had gotten some of what I expected for the hero, but also some of what I'd hoped for the villain. If a villains reach does not exceed his grasp, then what is a Hell for? I look forward to the next installment.

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Jun 25, 2012 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a great book for the zombie, steam-punk or alternate history fan. The action is fast-paced and the characters are great. A refreshing departure from the typical "end of the world" zombie stories.

The story is set in WWI France and tells what happens when the Germans invent a gas that reanimates the dead.

Get this book: you won't be disappointed. I can't wait for the next one.

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Jun 17, 2012 Mike Gottert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First World War and zombies, how could you go wrong? It's not really the First World War, more of a steampunky version of it. Not sure how I feel about the whole idea and it probably only rates 3.5 stars but I'll read the next book when it comes out.

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Apr 22, 2013 Jim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another in the latest craze of zombie mashups, in which World War I is re-imagined with the Kaiser's forces having developed a gas that turns battlefield casualties into zombies – including the famed fighter pilot Baron Manfred von Richthofen. It's not even all that original a concept, as Kim Newman featured an undead vampire Red Baron in 1995's "The Bloody Red Baron." While Newman's novel was high camp of a literary sort, this is more akin to a video game or action movie. Things move along quic...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Zazzu rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books

I love steampunk...zombies can be cool, but somehow really never loved this. The idea of zombies in battle is a very good one, but somehow things feel too hopeless against them and already defeated.

I also think the characters needed a bit more depth at times. The rivalry/hatred between the brothers never feels immediate or real. The secondary characters get killed a lot and without good development my reaction to their deaths was "Eh. Oh well."

This is a pretty high action book, but it's relativ...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

I couldn't put it down and looking forward to the next books.

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Aug 13, 2012 Chris Bauer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to confess being a little disappointed by the book overall. "By the Blood of Heroes" is the first in a series by Joseph Nassise and is very cool mashup of alt history + horror + Dirty Dozen and a sprinkling of steampunk elements. The setting is WWI and Germany has invented a gas which will turn the dead into zombies. They use this secret weapon to great effect in the war to create undead shocktroopers. The novel starts with some genuine tension as the reader is subjected to the horrors of...more I have to confess being a little disappointed by the book overall. "By the Blood of Heroes" is the first in a series by Joseph Nassise and is very cool mashup of alt history + horror + Dirty Dozen and a sprinkling of steampunk elements. The setting is WWI and Germany has invented a gas which will turn the dead into zombies. They use this secret weapon to great effect in the war to create undead shocktroopers. The novel starts with some genuine tension as the reader is subjected to the horrors of trench warfare. But from there the book takes some very odd turns and twists. The tale morphs into a classic "caper" tale to rescue a high value POW from the Germans. But then it takes a different turn when the intrepid heroes realize the true scope of a terrible threat and the tale wanders into contemporary thriller territory. But wait! There is also a thread of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein to be found as well. And so on. There are almost too many themes and twists in the book. It quickly loses any impact. The revelations become more and more incredible as the story moves forward and then ends with...a big letdown but a nifty setup for book two.

Okay. To be specific the characters were largely archetypes with token flaws. Our main hero is tough, strong, brave and a great soldier. His best buddy is also tough, strong and brave. There are several others in the team who are cut from the same cloth, but have unique skills, which will make them useful on a suicide mission - or serve as zombie fodder. Any frequent reader of the genre can pick the "dead pool" with relative ease just from reading the line up.

There were also quite a few anachronisms in the work as well. I'm not sure if people "got pissed" when angry in 1919. I was not at all convinced of the authenticity of the dialogue in the book most of the time.

Way too many exclamation points, at least one or two per chapter. There were numerous other elements which really kind of bothered me as well. For example, in one scene a secondary protagonist is attacked by a mutant, undead "uber zombie" at the bottom of a well. Awesome! Until he chokes it to death. Huh?

There were a lot of illogical scenes and dialogue as well. At times I could only chuckle and keep reading.

But despite some of those issues this really was an entertaining book to read. The raw horsepower of creative thought, cool imagery and just high octane action was great. I really enjoyed reading the story and the actions scenes were truly well done. It was enough to keep me turning the pages.

But I could not help the feeling that I was reading a work that was only 75% finished. I hope the second book is left in the oven for a few extra minutes.

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May 19, 2012 Scott Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

BY THE BLOOD OF HEROES is the first book in the new The Great Undead War series by Joseph Nassise. The story takes place in an alternate timeline during World War I. The Germans, facing defeat with the entrance of America into the war, unleash their latest secret weapon T-Leiche, also known as “corpse gas”. This weapon resurrects the dead and allows the Germans to create an army of zombies, an army which might save the German Empire or doom the world.
Zombie books are not normally a genre that o...more

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May 11, 2012 Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: zombies, steampunk

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/05/...

First of all, this book was crazy fun. I’ll admit, I’m not usually a fan of WWI, WWII, or, for that manner, any war stories, but I’m a big fan of Joseph Nassise’s, and I was certainly game to give it a go. Turns out I didn’t have anything to worry about. In By the Blood of Heroes, WWI is in full swing, but the Germans have a bit of an advantage. They’ve created a “corpse gas” that turns their dead into zombies, and they’re...more You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/05/...

First of all, this book was crazy fun. I’ll admit, I’m not usually a fan of WWI, WWII, or, for that manner, any war stories, but I’m a big fan of Joseph Nassise’s, and I was certainly game to give it a go. Turns out I didn’t have anything to worry about. In By the Blood of Heroes, WWI is in full swing, but the Germans have a bit of an advantage. They’ve created a “corpse gas” that turns their dead into zombies, and they’re using them on the frontlines. Able to control them using some sort of device, the prove to be an effective and demoralizing force to be reckoned with. When ace pilot Jack Freeman is shot down and captured by the Germans, his brother Camptain Michael Burke is put in charge of a group of soldiers tasked with his rescue. What follows is a rather exciting, fast paced adventure.

Set against a background of an alternate WWI, the zombies became much more terrifying, since they were being used and controlled by the Germans as killing machines. And we’re not just talking about mindless shamblers. The Germans have been…experimenting (shudder), and there are some forms of the zombies that have retained their faculties, and even their sanity (although I wouldn’t consider most of these guys sane to begin with, so that’s open to interpretation.) There are plenty of classic adventure and horror elements in this story, and the action is nearly nonstop. Also, there are lots of steampunk elements (Burke has a mechanical arm and can you say airships?), and the story is peppered with fun historical figures like the Red Baron. Plenty of zombie melee goodness, too, and the author keeps his writing tight and crisp, moving the narrative right along. There’s plenty here to love for alternate history and zombie aficionados alike, and lots of goodies that would be right up any horror fan’s alley! And don’t worry, even if Burke and his crew manage to rescue Freeman (against almost overwhelming odds), there’s plenty of evildoing to be done, and the Germans are more than up for the task. The author ends this one up wonderfully while leaving plenty of material for further novels. I’ll definitely look forward to more in the series!(less)

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Jun 05, 2012 Tim Lewis added it · review of another edition

Premise: In the midst of World War I, Major Jack Freeman gets in a dogfight with Baron Manfred von Richthofen. When he is shot down by the Red Baron, veteran Captain Michael Burke is the logical choice to go in to rescue him. Burke must gather several trusted men to make the suicide mission because not only is Jack his half brother, but he is also the son of the president.

To make things worse, the Germans have produced a corpse gas that turns the dead into zombies, raising enemy and ally to figh...more Premise: In the midst of World War I, Major Jack Freeman gets in a dogfight with Baron Manfred von Richthofen. When he is shot down by the Red Baron, veteran Captain Michael Burke is the logical choice to go in to rescue him. Burke must gather several trusted men to make the suicide mission because not only is Jack his half brother, but he is also the son of the president.

To make things worse, the Germans have produced a corpse gas that turns the dead into zombies, raising enemy and ally to fight again and unleashing an almost unlimited supply of new soldiers into the fray. On top of this, it also seems that they have modified the gas to work on the living as well, raising Richthofen from the dead but also giving him enhanced abilities and strength.

Burke must find a way to sneak into the German prison camp to rescue Freeman before they learn his political secret, but also before they have a chance to experiment on him and release their new and improved corpse gas upon the world using tunneling machines and airships to turn the tide. Will Burke be successful, or will it be too late for the Allies and the world?

Themes: By the Blood of Heroes is almost primarily a war story. It could survive on its own without the zombie and steampunk elements, though these things create a mystique and incorporate current trends with the military aspects of the book.

In a way, By the Blood of Heroes is a heist novel in the way that Burke and his men plan their infiltration of the German camp to accomplish the goal of rescuing Freeman. Among other things, in their discovery of the corpse gas production facilities their plans change and they are forced to improvise as they go.

Pros: While I can’t vouch completely for the accuracy of all the weaponry, the historical military lingo is evidence that Joseph Nassise did his homework for this book. The blending of steampunk and zombies in the historical military setting is accomplished masterfully, creating a zombie novel far better than others I have read, but quite unique comparatively.

Cons: Knowing what I know about zombies, it is hard to believe that they have the potential to have heightened senses and abilities while at the same time constantly decomposing. I also wasn’t a fan of the cover. Despite its unique setting, seeing the Red Baron with a decomposing face seemed cliche for the zombie genre.

Recommendations: On seeing the cover for By the Blood of Heroes and reading the blurb, I was wary of it being too cheesy. I was thankfully proven wrong that this turned out to be a historical war story that played the zombie and steampunk cards judiciously. I put this up there in the same vein as Boneshaker and Dreadnought by Cherie Priest in the realm of successful cross-genre fiction, blending historical fiction, zombies, and steampunk all in one tasty story. I am very much looking forward to Book 2.(less)

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Dec 14, 2012 John Goodrich rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's got biplanes and the undead, so I picked it up. Verdict? Not so good.

The book is very pulpy. The characters are flat, the action roars along. The research is glaringly bad. Fortunatly, the book moves away from history after the first quarter, and becomes more steampunk.

For a better WWI and undead book, pick up Kim Newman's Bloody Red Baron.

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Nov 05, 2012 Jonas Ortega rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Joseph Nassise never disappoints! I loved this book. It is at par with Heretic but fdifferent. It has great action, supernatural elements, and a mix of characters that make this book unique. I read it the day it was published. The only problem is that isbtaking too long for the sequel!

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Nov 05, 2012 Michael Healy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalypse, dieselpunk, mad-science, politics, steampunk, survival, urban-fantasy, war, zombies

So bad it's good. The way it haphazardly throws established cliches of both the trendy genres of Steampunk and Zombie apocalypse right from the first chapter does not bode well. The plot gets a bit better towards the end not enough to make it legitimately good.

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Mar 10, 2013 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't usually like pseudo steampunk or revision history novels, but this one was awesome. I think Mr. Nassise does it better than any I have read. It's my opinion, but I finished the book,and I don't usually manage that with these style of novels. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. The characters are well developed, the science is interesting, and the world is close enough to be recognized while the author takes us on a wild alternate reality ride of WWI. If I didn't already sa...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Jason Mccue rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great read - history re-written to include Zombies during World War II. Great writing with a new twist to the dead rising - can they be controlled? Can they evolve? Read to find out :)

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Dec 03, 2012 Esteban rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a quick read. WWI, Steampunk(kinda'), zombies. I would mos def read the next.

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Jun 02, 2012 Slmstanley rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WWI - flying aces, trench warfare, and...zombies. It should have been right up my alley, but I just couldn't get into it. Not because of the zombies, mind (I like zombie stories), but because of the extensive descriptions of period aircraft and all the battle stats.

It was fairly well-written, and it's an exciting story, but...it just didn't hold my interest.

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Jul 14, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, horror

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 22, 2012 Victor Caamaño rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to me by my 15 year old son. An easy read, I imagine it's typical of it's genre. Not well written, but held my interest.

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title link	preview: By the Blood of Heroes
avg rating	preview: By the Blood of Heroes Goodreads rating: 3.53 (98 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13621257-by-the-blood-of-heroes?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336091331l/13621257.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13621257-by-the-blood-of-heroes?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]By the Blood of Heroes by Joseph Nassise[/url]

By the Blood of Heroes (The Great Undead War #1)

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