The Forgotten

by Jacqueline Druga

As promised … the dead have risen.
As promised … there are chosen.
Hell on earth is an understatement.

Del Lincoln only wants to be a rock star. His ambitions go only as far as his next gig, until the day the earth changes. Millions vanish and a plague sweeps viciously across the globe, killing everyone infected. Three days later … they rise from the dead.

Now Del and six others are all that remain. They travel city to city, looking for a safe haven while trying to rid the land of the undead. They believe they are spared for a reason, when actually they are simply forgotten. However, within their group is one individual who was not meant to be forgotten. He must be delivered to sanctuary before the undead completely consume the earth. The Special One is the key to humanity.

It will take dedication and sacrifice to complete the mission. Del and the others may be forgotten, but if they succeed, the human race will never forget them.

Mankind is promised life after death, it is just never explained what the ‘Resurrection’ really entails.

Genres: Zombies, Post Apocalyptic

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2013

Reviews

[Shana Festa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A plague infects 99% of the population. It is said a mere 144,000 remain. Those afflicted succumb to violent illness, slip away, and die peacefully days after without regaining consciousness. Two days later, they rise. What started off as mere zombie lore quickly turns to a spiritual mission the likes of which readers haven't seen since Stephen King's, The Stand. A roving band of seven survivors travel city to city in search of others that escaped the infection and cleansing the infected along the way.

It was refreshing to find a zombie book that didn't deliver the standard raiding and marauding. Instead, The Forgotten allows us a glimpse into a dystopian future. Part disaster, part spirituality, The Forgotten is The Stand for the next generation as told from the creative mind of Jacqueline Druga.

Click here to read The Bookie Monster's full review

[Reads_Must · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Forgotten
Post-apocalyptic
Jacqueline Druga
⭐️⭐️.5

After loving some other books by Jacqueline Druga, I had to check this one out too.

I loved the different kind of "zombies". They are still people that rise from the dead but they "eat" trees, plants etc and get their nutrients from the nature around them. If someone gets bitten, they don't turn either.

I liked some of the characters but there were some I didn't like at all. The pacing was good but I would like some more world building.

I wasn't keen on the religious elements throughout the book. With other books by Jacqueline Druga, there is usually something that causes the extinction event and the apocalypse (a virus, a parasite, global warming, weapons etc) but in this book, it is just explained away because God wanted it. Everytime something happens that could potentially have a plot twist or help the plot develop, it is instead cut short and blamed on God.

I didn't like the ending either. Some of the things the characters did towards the end just didn't make sense to me so it all fell a little short. There wasn't much happening plot wise, yes there was the fighting and the short backstories from each character, but there weren't any twists or surprises.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this book.

[Peter Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ummed and ahhed about 4 of 3 and opted for 3 stars. Incredibly, compared to some other novels I've read by this author, the writing was reasonably well edited. I was not distracted by glaring typos. The plot is well-crafted, and the character development was acceptable (after taking into account the length of the book).

The ending was solid and enticingly did not try to wrap everything up.

The whole biblical rapture thing was very front and center in this one. Happily, there is no genuine attempt (at least so far as I could see) to make the story consistent with what is actually in the bible. While I told myself it was only a story, I was frequently thinking about how far the story was from the bible. If that bothers you, then perhaps it isn't for you. If you're happy to go with the flow and take the rapture stuff on the chin, then it is worth a read especially if you're a Jacqueline Druga fan.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A JD. SYFY. Novel About the Beginning of the End

JD. has. penned. A SYFY. novel about the beginning of the end. There is a world wide plague and billions die. The survivors are far and few between. We find six in the was to a supposed safe heaven not knowing that one is the answer to humanity's call. The six have difficulty trying to understand the different clues that are presented, but that is to be expected in layman's terms. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Kathy DeWees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique

I really enjoyed this one. Interesting story with good characters. Sometimes Jacqueline Druga's stories are great, other times not so great, but this was a good one. Kept my interest and I cared about each person.

[Matschmomma · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite so far. Just didn’t care for the premise.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked this, the characters were interesting, the start of the outbreak was ok, and then it of course had to go all religious on me. And thats when I finished it just to finish it. Not here for zombies being fromgod . Wish I had of known that before starting.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sooo disappointed with this... I read Nodding by the same author and absolutely loved it, literally couldn't put it down so expected great things from The Forgotten as it is a genre I love. I have read a LOT of apocalyptic/undead novels but this didn't compare favourably to many of them. Too many characters with hardly any character depth or traits to separate them from each other , even though I read this in a day by the pool on holiday I still felt confused throughout as to who each character was...well I didn't really as they all kid of merged into one. I also really disliked the religious angle in this, but that's just personal taste I guess. There are other titles by the author that I think sound really good, so based on Nodding I will give them a go, and hopefully The Forgotten is a blip!

[Dodger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sitting here trying to decide what to write, since this story took a turn that normally isn't heard of in a zombie book.
The first half of the book isn't that surprising, there are six people and one child that are roaming from city to city looking for survivors and killing zombies as they go, or as they like to call them "DOKES."
Suddenly, an angel appears and gives them four special arrows, he tells them that the child is special and must be delivered to a city. It dawns on them that their special abilities have brought them so far for this special purpose.
Along the way, half the people of their crew sacrifice themselves without hesitation, so their mission could be successful.
I still liked the book even though it was so different from any other zombie book I've ever read, and in some ways as a Christian, I found it very satisfying.

[Rachel Hazlewood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't let this book put you off reading other Jacqueline Druga novels. This writer is one of the most creative I've come across and I've devoured almost all of her other works. This book just didn't keep me gripped in any way and after reading at least 20 other books since I last picked this one up, I just can't be bothered to jump back into it.

Once again her other books are brilliant and I've read the entire beginnings series which I believe is up to book 23. So definitely check out her other works.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what an awesome book. You start in thinking what is going on and then you are totally swept up in a journey that you can never imagine having to take. It's well written and you will find it very hard to put it down because once you begin you can't stop. I really enjoyed this book and it's another home run for Ms. Druga - in my opinion!

[Melissa Gouveia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't put this in my top five of the authors books, but I enjoyed it. Well rounded characters, interesting twists and the story flows enough to hold your attention. The end was a little anti-climatic. Enough closure to leave it as a stand alone but with a hint of mystery that leaves it open to a sequel.

[Stephanie H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars for effort

I have read so many Jacqueline Druga books, this is by far my least favorite. The entire storyline goes from one thing to another I was left with whiplash, it was an unpleasant turn. I dislike the subject matter, the characters are underdeveloped. It's just too far out there for me.

[Jamie Eastman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad

Not too bad

This wasn't bad, but not the best, certainly not as good as her other one, Sleepers, but I've read worse, so if you're looking to kill some time I'd give it a read.

[Kathy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didnt expect this story line but, it was a welcomed change from the other zombie / apocalypse stories. Really enjoyed it and look forward to the sequel.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too crappy to finish.