The Killing Floor (a novel of The Infection)

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The Killing Floor (The Infection #2)

by Craig DiLouie (Goodreads Author)

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 187 ratings · 29 reviews

The mystery virus struck down millions. Three days later, its victims awoke with a single violent purpose: spread the Infection. As the world lurched toward the apocalypse, some of the Infected continued to change, transforming into horrific monsters. America's far-flung military has returned home to wage a horrific war against its own country, engaged in a fierce battle t...more

Paperback, 300 pages

Published 2012 by Permuted Press

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Oct 05, 2012 Gareth Wood rated it 5 of 5 stars

The astonishing sequel to THE INFECTION picks up right where the first book left off, and delivers a non-stop brutal ride through post-apocalyptic America. The Infection, we are happy to learn, is not done with the characters we grew to admire and like in the first book. It is fast paced and violent, savage and unrelenting all the way to the end.

Craig DiLouie's skill and great talent as an author lies in his vivid imagery. One can imagine oneself being there while the guns are firing, hearing th...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Patrick D'Orazio rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Craig DiLouie took the traditional infected/zombie tale and expanded upon it (and turned it on its ear) with his release of The Infection. The Killing Floor, the second book in this series, carries on where the last book left off, with surviving characters trying to comprehend the costly victory they had at the bridge, where they prevented a flood of infected from crossing the Ohio River and tearing through the refugee camp in nearby Defiance, where over 100,000 survivors live. Ray, one of the s...more Craig DiLouie took the traditional infected/zombie tale and expanded upon it (and turned it on its ear) with his release of The Infection. The Killing Floor, the second book in this series, carries on where the last book left off, with surviving characters trying to comprehend the costly victory they had at the bridge, where they prevented a flood of infected from crossing the Ohio River and tearing through the refugee camp in nearby Defiance, where over 100,000 survivors live. Ray, one of the survivors from the battle, has been infected but has yet to turn. He is given a mercy by Anne, who allows him to crawl off to die on his own instead of getting a bullet in the head. But Ray doesn't become your typical infected, instead turning something like a Typhoid Mary, or a carrier of the infection, instead. This is the centerpiece of this book, with Ray trying to understand what his purpose is as the military and the militia, led by Anne, race to find him with the hope that his blood may hold the cure or to kill him, even as his new found capabilities make him even more dangerous than even the monsters or the infected.
We are introduced to two main new characters: Dr. Price, who is one of the only scientists that believes the infection is not manmade. He manages to escape the White House and is hidden in an underground bunker, but as the story unfolds is given the opportunity to go after Ray and perhaps find a vaccine or cure for infection. Rod, the other new character, is a soldier in the field working to clear out Washington D.C. of the infected when he and his men are assigned the task of bringing Ray in, dead or alive. Along with the remaining cast from the first book, we are given an impressive slew of characters whose stories intersect and come together for the exciting conclusion.
As the second book in what is likely a trilogy, the actual novelty of the infected are has worn off a bit, meaning we get to delve even deeper into the characters here and focus less on the different creatures that have come about with the advent of this plague. Even with some of the secondary characters there is plenty to sink your teeth into, as most of them do not come off as hollow cannon fodder, but real people. The author also does an excellent job of making the military aspects of this story believable without overdoing the jargon and technical areas of the story. The writing is crisp, sharp, and the story itself is intriguing-it does not rely on the unique nature of the infection (with its wide array of different life forms that appear to have the goal of not just running amok but its apparent lust to wipe out all other life forms) to carry the story forward, but the characters who give the tale its terrific depth.
The Killing Floor is a well-crafted follow up to The Infection and has me anxiously awaiting the third chapter in this saga.
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May 21, 2012 Chip Fehd rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was fortunate enough to review Craig DiLouie’s 2011 Apocalyptic masterpiece THE INFECTION, the forebear to THE KILLING FLOOR. Simply put, it was a genuine masterpiece in the whole Apocalypse sub-genre. A virus sweeps the country, dropping people where they stood, then bringing them back as singularly violent creatures, whose sole purpose is to further the Infection. It was brutal, fast paced, and an absolute must read.
So, along comes the sequel. THE KILLING FLOOR picks up right where THE INF...more
I was fortunate enough to review Craig DiLouie’s 2011 Apocalyptic masterpiece THE INFECTION, the forebear to THE KILLING FLOOR. Simply put, it was a genuine masterpiece in the whole Apocalypse sub-genre. A virus sweeps the country, dropping people where they stood, then bringing them back as singularly violent creatures, whose sole purpose is to further the Infection. It was brutal, fast paced, and an absolute must read.
So, along comes the sequel. THE KILLING FLOOR picks up right where THE INFECTION left off. America’s Military has been recalled from overseas, tasked with salvaging what’s left of Washington DC. That would seem simple enough, except that the Infected outnumber them, and, as an added bonus, some of the Infected have begun to mutate into some pretty gruesome monsters.
While all this is going down, a survivor wakes up after having being infected, only to realize that is he immune, but that he may also be the key to either ending the Infection, or ending the world. This part of the book was a pleasant surprise. The character arc of Ray Jones was intriguing and it caught me off guard. If there is one thing DiLouie knows, it is carnage. The carnage sequences in THE KILLING FLOOR, as they are in his previous works, are brutal, vicious and absolutely riveting, but I was not expecting the attention paid to character development, and it pays off in a richer and more fuller read. And, just like DiLouie’s other books, once I started it, I simply could not put it down. I couldn’t really find any soft spots in the narrative, or any real flaws in the book. Granted, that’s just my opinion. Feel free to have one of your own.
No one could ever accuse DiLouie of being a sentimentalist. The action is designed to always be moving forward, and sometimes the characters, people you have been pulling for, are killed off. That’s not a detriment, mind you. Craig DiLouie qualifies as a must read. His prose is quick, razor sharp, and unflinching. The literary equivalent of getting hit with a heart defibrillator. It’s a treat to read someone who writes with a true love of the constructs of the genre. If you haven’t read Craig DiLouie yet, stop reading right now, and buy his book. Hell, buy all his books. If you enjoy the Apocalyptic Fiction genre, then you need his books on your shelf.
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May 04, 2012 George Wilhite rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In my review of “The Infection” I stated it was one of those rare novels that “happens to you” rather than you reading it. This sequel uses the same present tense non-flinching style and DiLouie’s onslaught on the reader’s senses and emotions continues in this equally excellent sequel.

One disturbing aspect of the first novel was the lack of any knowledge of the Infection’s origin. In the sequel, the world has learned a bit more of how it works, but there are endless mutations and still no cure....more In my review of “The Infection” I stated it was one of those rare novels that “happens to you” rather than you reading it. This sequel uses the same present tense non-flinching style and DiLouie’s onslaught on the reader’s senses and emotions continues in this equally excellent sequel.

One disturbing aspect of the first novel was the lack of any knowledge of the Infection’s origin. In the sequel, the world has learned a bit more of how it works, but there are endless mutations and still no cure. The twist that moves the plot forward this time around is the character of Ray Young, a survivor of a fight to save a refugee camp at the end of “The Infection” who awakes from a coma and slowly realizes he has changed in a horrific way.

Meanwhile, America’s military is waging a bloody civil war in hopes of replacing the President who is too eager to explore nuclear options. They also find out about Ray and send a unit to capture him alive to use as a guinea pig in looking for a cure to the Infection they name Wildfire.

These elements lead to a thrilling climax. The plot is well crafted, but as with the first novel, the real power of the novel comes from the characters, returning and new. DiLouie is an expert at shifting points of view in the present tense, a technique that places the reader in the eyes and other senses of the characters.

Another element of the first novel that continues here are the highly imaginative mutant monsters created by Wildfire. The Infected have their own original biology and threats—they are not just garden variety George Romero zombies—and these other non-human creatures provide a highly original version of a plague evolving out of control.

The only reason I felt slightly less impacted by the style this time was I knew what to expect. I highly recommend this novel and would not recommend starting here—you must read “The Infection” first to get the full impact of this harrowing saga of a horrifying yet believable apocalypse.

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Aug 22, 2012 Ray rated it 4 of 5 stars

Right back in the mix baby! Great writing. Great character development great story. I'm burning through pages and don't want it to end.

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May 24, 2012 Heather (HeadshotHeather) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

October 2011, I was introduced to Craig DiLouie's The Infection and I greatly enjoyed the story of a group of survivors making their way to a government camp in an attempt to reclaim a portion of the world they knew and maybe even a bit of their humanity.

The Killing Floor picks up where The Infection left off. We following those who survived as they make decisions about how they will continue their lives. The tale switches from character to character as the story progresses. While thi...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Zaci rated it 4 of 5 stars

I started out with reading The Infection and must say the author really improved since.

Some of the characters from the first book are back in The Killing Floor, but a lot of new charas join in, a bit too many for my own taste as it becomes a bit confusing sometimes, though much less than in the first book.

I really began to enjoy this book as the story showed more about Ray, but the many swapping around between the point of view of the many different characters was quite annoying and I found mys...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Anchor rated it 2 of 5 stars

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

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Oct 25, 2012 Marci rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-goodreads-challenge, first-reads

It’s the end of the world as we know it as the infection has brought about a biological apocalypse. In Craig DiLouie’s novel The Killing Floor, the fallen have risen and with their awakening has come a never-ending hunger for flesh. The army fights to regain Washington D.C. in a symbolic reclaiming of control while the President hides in an underground bunker with thousands, including a guilt-ridden doctor searching for a cure. Anne turns her hate over the loss of her family into a rage aimed at...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, science-fiction-fantasy

I liked it a lot. Now granted, the author swayed a bit off course with the addition of monsters, but I can follow his vision of what a post-apocalyptic world could become. The characters, the military, the government, the camps, the behavior of society as a whole; I could see much of this coming to pass. It's not just about zombies and whether they are possible or not. It's more about the survivors, how and if they survive.
The monsters are another argument. What are they? Aliens, demons, viral m...more

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May 11, 2012 Willy James rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: zombies, just-good-books

Craig Dilouie is a really good writer. I think he could write the back of a cereal box and make it interesting. This is no cereal box. The "zombie" genre is filled with cookie cutter crap but this is an original take. I recommend reading "The Infected" first. I'm going to order his other fictional works.

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Jul 18, 2012 Jen Walker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Killing Floor starts right up where The Infection stopped. But there are also some new folks introduced so we go back in time a little too. I did find the beginning of the novel a bit slow and a bit hard to follow some of the military scenes. However once it finally got rolling I was really pleased with how the story developed. It does end with more story to tell so I do hope another book in the series comes out because I will definitely pick it up.

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Jul 15, 2012 Greg rated it 2 of 5 stars

Meh. I enjoy the vision of the series, but was more detached from this one than The Infection. Too much focus on a band of people who I thought had their story pretty well told in the first book.

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May 06, 2012 Bobby Cooper rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of the most original ,nonstop action zombie apocalypse novels Ive read. I love the zombie genre ,but these zombies really scared me!! Theit fast,their smart,their deadly...their infected!! I think THE KILLING FLOOR will stand out as one of the top novels for 2012

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Jun 20, 2012 Wendy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

DiLouie draws you in and holds you there. I couldn't put it down. Much more than just survival. It's devastation, shock and where to start reclaiming some sense of normalcy.

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May 03, 2012 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalyptic, zombies, read-in-2012, kindle

That was also fun. I enjoyed the twist that DiLouie took in The Infection and was thrilled to see it continued so well in this sequel. The pace was perfect.

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Dec 29, 2012 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wasn't able to relate with the Characters as much as the first book and the emotions portrayed by them feel a bit fake.

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Jul 05, 2012 Brian Clopper rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Picked up a bit at the end. It felt a little like a retread, but it missed some great action opportunities. I wanted to see more exploration of the various monsters and more fighting and suspense. The ending feels like setup for a third book. The first book was really fresh and had me excited. Sadly, the second book didn't deliver and I won't be around for a third.

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Feb 18, 2013 Nik Brown rated it 5 of 5 stars

finishes the trilogy in style. gory,gripping and scary as hell

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Dec 22, 2012 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great read! Complex plot, engaging world, and 3D characters. A zombie novel but so much more. Highly recommended.

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Apr 26, 2012 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Even better than the first book! I'm hoping there's a follow up.

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Dec 29, 2012 Henri Moreaux rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, virus-disease, zombies, survival, action-adventure, military-war

Really enjoyed this, even better than 'The Infection'.

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Aug 27, 2012 Bob Linton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pretty good zombie action book

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Jan 05, 2013 Loopy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, horror, post-apocalyptic

4.5 stars

Dang! I finished it and I wanted more! My e-reader often messes up the page numbering and says that there are a lot more pages than there are, sometimes it's a relief when all of a sudden I've reached the end of the book but other times it's a bummer. With this book I thought I still had 500 pages to go, plenty of time for lots more to happen ........... bloody e-reader, setting me up for disappointment. When's the next book out?

Very reminiscent of David Wellington's Zombie trilogy (Mon...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Trish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book. I enjoyed every creepy bit of it. Seems like this is part 2 of a trilogy??

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Jul 04, 2012 Sheila K rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Awesome monster/zombie book, hoping there will be a third book in coming.

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Jan 07, 2013 Melvina Davis rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a great sequel to The Infection. I am usually not a big fan of this type of book, but I thoroughly both books. I read the entire book in a little over a day. It is not just another zombie/apocalypse story. It is a brillant, creative and terrifying book. There are tons of action, great characters, and unexpected twists in the plot. I give this book 5 stars. I can’t wait to read more books by Craig DiLouie.

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Nov 17, 2012 Cody Soard rated it 4 of 5 stars

a must read for anyone that has eyes

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Sep 19, 2012 Helena Sheibler rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love this series and I'm looking forward to the next installment! :)

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May 16, 2013 Mathieu Saintout rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Craig DiLouie

Craig DiLouie is the author of zombie favorites THE INFECTION and TOOTH AND NAIL, as well as THE GREAT PLANET ROBBERY, a science fiction novel, and PARANOIA, a psychological thriller. THE KILLING FLOOR, the sequel to THE INFECTION, was published in April 2012.

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The Killing Floor (The Infection #2)

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