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Chronicler of the Undead

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A new thriller from the author of the Amazon.com bestselling Alice in Deadland trilogy. When there were still people around to talk to, I would introduce myself as a drinker with a writing problem. It sounded witty at the time, and certainly got a smile once in a while from the ladies. None of that matters now. There are no people left to read my books, and nobody left to listen to my attempts at wit. Now it’s just me, sitting in my house on the hill, watching the undead rampage through what we humans once called our world. I sometimes wonder why I still live when those much younger, stronger, smarter and fitter than me perished. Maybe it’s just dumb luck. But maybe I am being left alive for a purpose. Nobody may have cared much for my novel, but maybe this is what I was meant to write. Maybe this is what I was meant to be. The chronicler of the undead. This is my story.

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2012

7 people are currently reading
74 people want to read

About the author

Mainak Dhar

57 books277 followers
After finishing his schooling at Modern School, Barakhamba Road and his under-graduation at Hindu College, Delhi, Mainak Dhar graduated from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He has spent two decades in the corporate sector — starting with Procter & Gamble in India. He spent eighteen years with P&G, fifteen of them outside India across the Asia Pacific region. In 2014, he moved back to India as the CEO of the India operations of a major consumer products multinational.
A self-described cubicle dweller by day and writer by night, Mainak is also the author of over a dozen books, some of which have been bestsellers in India and abroad. These books have been translated into Turkish, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, German and Portuguese. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Puja, and their son, Aaditya. When not at work or with his family, he can usually be found working on, or thinking about his next book. Learn more about him and contact him at www.facebook.com/AuthorMainakDhar.

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5 stars
51 (33%)
4 stars
53 (35%)
3 stars
36 (23%)
2 stars
7 (4%)
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4 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Manjri Gopalan.
100 reviews1 follower
May 24, 2020
The "Chronicler of the Undead" by Mainak Dhar is my first read in the Zombie-like genre. It's an interesting read and especially the first half - where the plot plunges to the top gear and keeps you glued to the book. However, as the book progresses, the story slacks-off. The day-to-day combats with the Moreko (Zombie) somewhat become monotonous.

The writer has brought out the change in human psychology very well. It is very heartening to read how the protagonist transitions from a self-centric man to a legendary noble; complete strangers developing strong camaraderie and lays off their lives to protect others.

It would have been good if the writer could have shortened the survival struggles (the fights with Moreko or fulfillment of daily supplies) a bit and emphasized more on the post "Maloy-Mahdi" episode.
Profile Image for Priyanka Roy Banerjee.
110 reviews7 followers
January 6, 2016
"When all else is gone, holding on to decency and honor is the best a person can hope to do."

You’re sure to pick up quotes like the above when you read the book and they will linger with you for a long time to come.
Recommend the book for every reader, don’t judge it by the genre, just grab it and get on an unforgettable journey.

Read the full review here: http://www.writersmelon.com/2016/01/b...
154 reviews1 follower
October 10, 2018
Diary of A Survivor

An interesting way to present the story of a "zombie" apocalypse. The journal or diary makes the experience more personal. The struggle to survive becomes much more pronounced when there is a connection to others. Becoming a leader at time when others are afraid or almost broken just serves to reinforce the instinct to survive. Knowing you have the skills others lack to continue that survival re-energizes a stunned spirit. Even feeling you have selfish motives but still reaching out to help others shows strength of character. Finding out at the end that someone else had to finish the journal/Diary just reveals how strong and caring this survivor became. How much his example and sacrifice meant to those following him. But also showed that humanity can still find the good to combat the evil.
1 review
August 19, 2022
Total Propaganda book. Total narcissistic narration with "I am the hero and I beat up 20 guys" compiled with "Hindu saint bad" attitude and the cherry on top "Indian Army men r@pists + Chinese Army men good". The pathetic writer even goes as far as naming the two antagonists as "Bharati" (which is a play on Bharat) and "Mahdi" (which is a play on Modi). Feedback to this author (Mainak Dhar), “Get a life dude”. Spitting venom against your own country will not make you famous. I am glad I read this book via Prime reading and did not pay for it. Boycotting this author going forward.
Pardon my language but this book is a total piece of crap.
Profile Image for Indhumathi.
77 reviews5 followers
June 18, 2019
3.5/5

This is my first zombie fiction read.
I liked the writing style quite a bit and loved the protagonist. He grows on you with every diary entry(the book is written in diary format).
What I didn’t like about the book was the world building. There could have been few more pages explaining the workings of this post-apocalyptic world. I don’t like it when a book makes me assume a lot of things.
The action scenes were written too technically for my liking.
The book becomes tad bit monotonous at times.
Having said that, I did tear up at the climax.
Profile Image for Shilpa.
10 reviews
January 1, 2022
It was relatable to current political dynamics in my country and that's something that kept me reading that one. I'm not sure of my own opinions on this book since I'd read it long ago, but it's a good one. Do read it.
Profile Image for Alex.
63 reviews8 followers
December 21, 2019
I could NOT put this book down! But it’s way more than just a thriller - this is a story with a lot of heart. Can’t wait to read more Mainak Dhar.
Profile Image for Neha Gupta.
26 reviews2 followers
October 4, 2020
This was my first book by mainkar dhar.I tried this as have heard a lot about thus genre, but this one was not close to the genre and was another zombie something.

Nothing exceptional very boring
3 reviews5 followers
December 19, 2015
The acronym WTF is not a part of my daily vocabulary. However, I could not help but use it to describe Chronicler of the Undead, mostly for lack of words. To call the book good or bad will be an injustice to either word: once again, for lack of words, I will go with wacky.

Let me give the basic storyline, without giving away spoilers. The book revolves around a zombie apocalypse (a genre somewhat unexplored in India) in Gangtok with a sole survivor.

What stands out in Chronicler of the Undead is the psychological transformation of the protagonist throughout the book: it starts with the basic instinct of survival (which will probably come to me in the unlikeliest event of a zombie apocalypse) before venturing into other psychological aspects, not necessarily dark.

The first few chapters (small ones, may I assure you) oscillate between past and present. We get a peek into the background of our hero, of his days in the Army and his ability to success and failure during his military days, and his buried ambition of becoming a writer.

The plotline then deviates, and I must stop here for fear of giving away spoilers. All I can say is that the location of Gangtok, both topographical and political, is extremely crucial in the story.

In the end, of course, like most books where Man is pitted against non-Man (nature or otherwise), it comes down to survival; and the choice between survival and humanity; and the choices made to fulfil the goal.

The book is fast-paced. The book is split into small chapters (sometimes less than a page). It is perfectly believable, for every chapter represents a journal entry, though exactly why someone would keep a journal during a zombie apocalypse is, despite the explanation, somewhat inconceivable.

The small chapters should have made it easy to keep the book aside for a night’s sleep, but there is something about Mainak Dhar’s style that makes you keep turning the pages until you realise you are almost through.

The other aspect is the author’s sense of humour, which, again, is weird and unusual. There are moments when you feel it is too light a tone, but then, more often than not do you find yourself smiling and nodding without realising that you are doing the same.

All in all, it is worth a buy. Do not expect a path-breaking horror book. However, do expect a zombie book full of gore, but handed with a touch of delicacy so subtle that you chuckle when you are not supposed to.

Why did I review this, then? As I mentioned, Chronicler of the Undead is extremely WTF in a likeable sort of way.

I guess I will pick up Dhar’s bestselling Alice in Deadland trilogy, after all. If it is anywhere close to this bizarre, the money will not be wasted.
26 reviews
November 29, 2015
A definite read for the thriller lovers. After reading this , I am determined to read his other books.

Chronicler of the Undead book written by Mainak Dhar is the first of the horror genre books based on Zombie apocalypse that I have read. Most of us might have enjoyed the movies and series based on Zombies but to read a book will it evoke the same fear, thrills ?

 

Mainak Dhar proves it right and he brings in the same emotions of curiosity in his lines. The book is about a Zombie apocalypse that makes the people of the world into undead and roam about the streets. The author who writes in his journal thinks he is the only man surviving in Gangtok in bungalow situated on the hill. The events that unfurls after he decided to hit the roads when he is shortage of food and water, to survive the undead from attacking him makes the rest of the story. The transition of the Captain from a failed army men, failed writer to someone who inspires others, instill the will to survive is thoroughly superb.

 

The author apart from the serious elements of instilling suspense and thrilling, he has an excellent sense of humor that will sure have a hit among the readers. I finished the book in a single sitting and the book was too engaging that makes us to finish it. The suspense element of the name of the Captain revealed in the very last is a good technique. Calling the zombies as Moreko (its Nepalese) was good one avoiding the quotidian word. But I found the end little bit filmy. Overall this book was quite a horror suspense one and the readers will sure enjoy it.
Profile Image for Chelsea Mcgill.
85 reviews29 followers
March 21, 2016
When the zombie apocalypse happens, an Indian army veteran with one leg and broken dreams of becoming a writer finds himself stuck in a bungalow in the mountains above Gangtok, Sikkim. Luckily, this is a relatively safe location – but who knows how long it will last, or if anyone else has survived. Or what exactly happened.

He starts to keep a journal to distract him from his current circumstances, and continues to write in it as he meets with other survivors and eventually finds himself becoming the leader of the group. Can he help the others survive?

Zombie story with a twist

This is a fairly standard zombie story, with survivors attempting to live in the chaos after the end of the world. But there are a couple differences that make this one stand out, at least a little bit, from other novels in this genre.

First, there is the location: Gangtok, Sikkim. I’ve been there; it’s a gorgeous city among steep hills, very near the Chinese-Indian border. If you know anything about the history of relations between China and India, you know what that means: a history of war, disputed borders, and major political problems. In many ways, the unique location of this book (geographic, political, and cultural) provides a good deal of the plot.

Read the rest of my review here: http://thegloballycurious.blogspot.in...
237 reviews17 followers
December 19, 2015
Interesting and intriguing the story takes one on a journey of an entirely new world, one where people are going berserk biting/ killing people just like rabid dogs. The entire human race is in danger of these ‘Undead’ or the ‘Moreko’ as the Chronicler a disabled and embittered ex- soldier calls them.

The book written as journal entries is not only the ‘Chronicle of the Undead’ but also a ‘Chronicle of the Few Living’. It highlights their struggle for survival and camaraderie in trying times . While the Undead are rendered insane and are bereft of pain or feelings of any kind except the fear of fire, the living undergo untold sufferings in the form of evil Godmen, Moreko, Mahdi, shortage of food, water, clothing and shelter, etc. What bind them is the desire to survive at any cost, the never –say- die attitude of the Chronicler and the leadership of Negi a guy years younger to the Chronicler yet a born leader.

The story has its fair measure of twists and turns as well as romance. The climax was unexpected. I’m looking forward to a sequel of the chronicle, one that gives an account of the remaining humans i.e. the ‘Living’ post the apocalypse. Read the full review at https://geetaavij.wordpress.com/2015/...
275 reviews
January 21, 2016
This is the story of a person who was an ex-army officer in Gangtok who is living alone in a bunglaw at a hill away from the zombies roaming around the village down the hill. This story is basically the journal of that person.

This is my first book about zombies and somehow I am not scared and I find these zombies funny from the info that I have known about them before reading the book. We knew zombies walking with blood and wounds, without any emotions like robots and eating people. We also know from movies how zombies eat or infect others making the victim also a zombie. So, with this basic knowledge, I have started reading this chronicle.
Author's writing style is quirky throughout the book making it a fantastic read. I loved the language used which is very easy to follow. The narration is interesting and I wanted to complete this book in one go. The way the author explains the situations in a straight forward manner, how he plans to combat 'Moreko' (zombie) attacks with very few weapons and with better planning, how he mentions the lessons that he learned from these incidents is interesting.

My Rating: 4.5/ 5

I would recommend this to everyone who likes to read a thriller with a humourous touch.
Profile Image for Angie Lisle.
633 reviews65 followers
July 8, 2014
An interesting spin on the zombie apocalypse as the story is set on the Chinese-Indian border (and Americans are rumored to be responsible for the creation of the zombies). The story is told through a journal kept following the rise of the zombies; this style of storytelling slows down the action-packed plot so that I'm not overwhelmed by a sequence of crazy events, though crazy events are certainly plentiful.

I'm not saying there isn't blood and guts in this book, but it's handled with a more tactful approach than what's usually seen in zombie-lore, used to illustrate the crazy events that happen. The plot isn't gore-themed but driven by the main character, Captain Maloy, a failed soldier before the zombies who turns hero afterwards, trying to keep a ragtag group of survivors alive. I wish the rest of the cast had been fleshed out as well as Captain Maloy, to help deliver the emotional impact at the end of the book,but the story, which I read in one sitting, kept me intrigued until I turned the last page.

I read this story in the collection, From Darkness Comes, and can't comment on the editing of an older version of the story but I had no issues with the version I read.
22 reviews4 followers
December 31, 2015
There aren't many characters in this book apart from the protagonist,the Zombies and the 'gentlemen' whom he encounters.Pretty soon he realizes that it's not only the 'Morekos' whom he has to fight with.The book is essentially about the hero's fights for survival and has traces of movies like 'I am Legend'.

The book didn't 'scare' me that much but with it's twists and turns,it did manage to surprise me a few times.The language used is pretty simple and conversational without any literary pretensions.It has got a nice suspense towards the end and at less than two hundred pages,this is the kind of book which can be finished in just one setting.On the downside,'Chronicler..' is definitely not everyone's cup of tea and if you are looking for a breezy romantic tale for your weekend reading,this is just not the book for you.

On the whole,the book is an entertaining read.I'm giving it a 3 out of 5.
Profile Image for VISHAL SHARMA.
31 reviews1 follower
September 13, 2016

“When there were still people around to talk to, I would introduce myself as a drinker with a writing problem. It sounded witty at the time, and certainly got a smile once in a while from the ladies. None of that matters now. There are no people left to read my books, and nobody left to listen to my attempts at wit..“

The book revolves around a zombie apocalypse in north-east on India -China border with a sole survivor.

Its a refreshing & good attempt by Mainak Dhar, something I would normally expect from a western Author..

If you love zombies or living amongst undead kind of thrillers, this is it with complete Indian ingredients..
This book would probably force you to read Dhar's bestselling Alice in Deadland trilogy.

My take, it has lots of blood & violence, few amazing quotes & one liners amd worth every rupee spent...
Profile Image for Srilakshmi Indrasenan.
55 reviews29 followers
January 9, 2016
This book is definitely not everyone’s genre. For starters, this book is about Zombies in India, something that isn’t well explored in India, until now. Secondly, this is not an horror or a mystery, but yeah the boom is a fast paced page turner, though. The story is well-structured into short chapters, thereby increasing interest. Also, the novel elaborately describes the surroundings in way that both people who know Gangtok & those who doesn’t will equally understand and correlate to it.

Read full review here: https://iamstri.wordpress.com/2015/12...
Profile Image for Pavan Reddy.
14 reviews
November 22, 2016
With Mainak Dhar, you can rest assured that the Indian setting of a post-zombie apocalyptic world will be neatly done. His previous works, like Zombiestan stand a testimony to the above fact.

Chronicler of the Undead is an even paced read with no drastic changes in the pace or plot events. Therein lies it strength as the book makes for a smooth read. For readers, who are into the zombie genre, this will definitely whet the appetite. For others, this is a good initiation into the genre.

Backed by a strong protagonist and a not so dead world, this is a thoroughly enjoyable ride.
Profile Image for Nev Murray.
448 reviews32 followers
December 12, 2014
I never like to sound nasty or over critical in reviews but this will probably sound like it.

This book is written as if the main character (I can't even remember his name) is telling the story in a journal he has written while trying to stay alive in a post apocalyptic world.

That's it. You read his journal. I found it boring, uneventful, uninspiring, uneverything.

I couldn't even finish it.

1 star.
Profile Image for Nibha.
Author 2 books8 followers
December 17, 2015
Honestly, this was the first horror novel I had picked up to read. The storyline seemed to intrigue at the very first moment. I began reading it as soon as it arrived. Written in first person, the book gives the feel of living through all the situations through the writer’s words. The language used it witty and satire. The subtle sarcasm is handled beautifully by the author.

Read the full review here
Profile Image for Manjulika Pramod.
Author 1 book19 followers
January 12, 2016
The book brought many surprises for me, as I didn’t know it was written in the Epistolary form, as a series of diary entries. I don’t generally pick up horror books and I do not appreciate movies based on Zombie apocalypse, but this one had an interesting blurb about a writer who assumes to be the only one who has survived in Gangtok in bungalow situated on the hill.

For more on the book, please read http://www.manjulikapramod.com/2016/0...
Profile Image for Alexandra.
677 reviews
February 12, 2016
Generally not a big fan of diaries but this one wasn't bad. Reading the From Darkness Comes omnibus/box set and finding books I wouldn't normally read to be both a pleasant change and surprisingly good reads.

Found this quick, engaging and easy to read, while it was a little stereotypical and pretty gloomy overall I would recommend it to any zombie/ apocalypse fan. If you like the walking dead (comics and tv show) give this one a try!
Profile Image for Vinay Leo.
1,006 reviews82 followers
March 23, 2016
Reviewed on A Bookworm’s Musing: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-309

Positive aspects:
+ Appealing cover art, unique story idea, plot
+ Not many characters, so keeps the story prominent
+ Brings out lot of emotions

Negative aspects:
- Overall, not a very thrilling narration
- Not engaging from entry to entry

Not a book for every reader, but has aspects that may appeal.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars
49 reviews
January 26, 2016
It's about more than surviving

What I will remember about this story isn't how different or alike the undead are to other stories. It's the humanity that is shown through an unbelievable situation that makes you feel for unlikely heroes and what goes on inside normal seeming people.
Profile Image for Amie.
218 reviews7 followers
December 20, 2013
Really enjoyed this story - though I started out not exactly sure if I was going to like it. It took me a moment to get into the main character as he was so very different than the main character of the last book I had just read by this author (Zombiestan).
Profile Image for Carl.
107 reviews
January 23, 2014
Good, quick read. A tale about survival and working together.
Profile Image for Jackie Primo.
72 reviews2 followers
June 2, 2014
What a great book...I love how it's written as a journal. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of Dhar's books.
Profile Image for joepr.
181 reviews3 followers
June 24, 2014
a good read to pass the time. i enjoy the best when the protagonist was on his own. the solitude (not counting the zombies) of it all was very creepy.
Profile Image for Nikki.
308 reviews
January 17, 2016
Another good read from the author of Alice in Deadland.
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