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Survival Instinct #1
Survival Instinct
A zombie novel
On the surface, the city of Leighton is just like any other city: tall buildings, busy streets, and populated by a wide variety of people. It also has rats. These vermin are unlike the average pest, because they are carrying a deadly contagion. Havoc ensues as the devastating virus seeps into the unsuspecting populace, turning friends and family against each other. Atrocities of savage behavior are spreading faster than people can outrun, and the citizens get recklessly desperate. Whether by joining forces, or by standing alone, survival is on everyone’s mind. Unfortunately, not everyone will escape with their life.
On the surface, the city of Leighton is just like any other city: tall buildings, busy streets, and populated by a wide variety of people. It also has rats. These vermin are unlike the average pest, because they are carrying a deadly contagion. Havoc ensues as the devastating virus seeps into the unsuspecting populace, turning friends and family against each other. Atrocities of savage behavior are spreading faster than people can outrun, and the citizens get recklessly desperate. Whether by joining forces, or by standing alone, survival is on everyone’s mind. Unfortunately, not everyone will escape with their life.
- GenresZombiesHorrorApocalyptic
588 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2013
40 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 15, 2021
Read : January 15, 2021
Rating : 4,5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this, it had a great cast of characters that made, for the most part, good decisions.
I liked the dogs as well, rifle is awesome.
This had a lot pov's but wasn't hard to follow at all since there was a interconnected story.
I'm between the "parts" of the story there are little insights into how other people were faring, normally I tend to detest this but it was done really well by keeping it short and, wel not sweet but you get my point xD.
Rating : 4,5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this, it had a great cast of characters that made, for the most part, good decisions.
I liked the dogs as well, rifle is awesome.
This had a lot pov's but wasn't hard to follow at all since there was a interconnected story.
I'm between the "parts" of the story there are little insights into how other people were faring, normally I tend to detest this but it was done really well by keeping it short and, wel not sweet but you get my point xD.
December 31, 2015
Survival Instinct by Kristal Stittle came across my kindle with my kindle unlimited plan. I read dozens of zombie books these days.
The blurb of the book describes the main plot premise, city, virus, rats, people and survival.
I found this book ok. It wasn't the best or worst of zombie books I have read. The writing was tight and moved very quickly. There was enough to give you a sense of the characters, BUT, there was simply too much bouncing around between individuals without knowing who the protagonist is. Granted, several characters can be the valiant hero of the story, but there was just something about the number of characters, the level of focus on them, then the randomness which some died off while others lived on.
Usually, I sit down and just consume a book in one sitting. This simply didn't keep my interest enough. I've started the second one, as I prefer not to leave a series unread. But I'm dragging my feet to finish it.
The blurb of the book describes the main plot premise, city, virus, rats, people and survival.
I found this book ok. It wasn't the best or worst of zombie books I have read. The writing was tight and moved very quickly. There was enough to give you a sense of the characters, BUT, there was simply too much bouncing around between individuals without knowing who the protagonist is. Granted, several characters can be the valiant hero of the story, but there was just something about the number of characters, the level of focus on them, then the randomness which some died off while others lived on.
Usually, I sit down and just consume a book in one sitting. This simply didn't keep my interest enough. I've started the second one, as I prefer not to leave a series unread. But I'm dragging my feet to finish it.
September 11, 2015
No better or worse plot than many under-edited zombie books, but suffers from the annoying habit of describing every action as a sign of the actor's deeper character. How about you tell us what the characters do (and maybe even what they think) and, if you're any good at it, we'll figure out who they are?
April 26, 2013
Best Zombie book ever. I have friends and relatives who are not Zombie fans and they loved it too. Needs to be made into a movie or TV series like The Walking Dead.
July 7, 2017
3.5
I enjoyed this. The POV is from at least 6 different characters. I typically prefer fewer, and most often a single POV. However, that worked nicely here. This is a nice consistent fast pace. It's not the greatest zombie series I've ever read, closer to average. However, it's a solid average zombie book, that extends into 3 additional books. It follows same characters. I'm not sure 4 books were necessary. However, I liked being able to see the story over a significant time frame, first days through 10+ years following. I enjoyed it enough that I continued to read the next books. Do I feel any different from prior to reading series and today, no. It's not a series that's very rememberable. It's simply a decent zombie read, that can help you easily pass some time if needed.
I enjoyed this. The POV is from at least 6 different characters. I typically prefer fewer, and most often a single POV. However, that worked nicely here. This is a nice consistent fast pace. It's not the greatest zombie series I've ever read, closer to average. However, it's a solid average zombie book, that extends into 3 additional books. It follows same characters. I'm not sure 4 books were necessary. However, I liked being able to see the story over a significant time frame, first days through 10+ years following. I enjoyed it enough that I continued to read the next books. Do I feel any different from prior to reading series and today, no. It's not a series that's very rememberable. It's simply a decent zombie read, that can help you easily pass some time if needed.
October 1, 2017
Survival...
This is a really good series. My favorite genre for now. The characters are really well written. The author took the time to actually give us a glimpse of who they are.
The storyline was carried thru out the book and that must have taken some time as there were multiple characters to deal with. Some who didn't make it & some you wish hadn't made it.
I especially liked the vignettes of people in between chapters. Some smart about surviving while others don't even know where to start.
Enjoyable read...off to the next...🐱
This is a really good series. My favorite genre for now. The characters are really well written. The author took the time to actually give us a glimpse of who they are.
The storyline was carried thru out the book and that must have taken some time as there were multiple characters to deal with. Some who didn't make it & some you wish hadn't made it.
I especially liked the vignettes of people in between chapters. Some smart about surviving while others don't even know where to start.
Enjoyable read...off to the next...🐱
Read
February 2, 2021Such a great book.
I have read a lot of zombie apocalypse novels and this one is on of my very favorites. Really well researched (in the aspects that can be lol) and great characters. Awesome read.
I have read a lot of zombie apocalypse novels and this one is on of my very favorites. Really well researched (in the aspects that can be lol) and great characters. Awesome read.
February 1, 2018
Don't waste my time
Boy was i wrong with this missed the zombie thing have up on page 13 total rubbish not worth reading
Boy was i wrong with this missed the zombie thing have up on page 13 total rubbish not worth reading
December 13, 2022
Great
I really enjoyed this story. It has a lot of good action in it and plenty of scares. The characters are interesting and diverse.
I really enjoyed this story. It has a lot of good action in it and plenty of scares. The characters are interesting and diverse.
August 9, 2017
Great read
A very good read love the way the people were woven into the story would recommend to anyone. In fact i already have.
A very good read love the way the people were woven into the story would recommend to anyone. In fact i already have.
October 10, 2020
This young lady can write, without question if you enjoy a great zombie genre story this is still fresh and pretty well done! I encourage you to give this great lady a shot!
November 23, 2015
Soooo many characters! There are at least 10 POV characters, plus all their friends and family members, plus acquaintances, plus everyone they ran into, plus people who got names but never actually appeared in the story, then a few dogs, and a goldfish. I think the goldfish is the only one that didn't get a name.
On the plus (heh!) side, the action never quits. The story moves forward at a relentless pace in spite of the frequent POV changes. There's always something happening - escapes, sneaking around, fights, searching for someone, hiding etc.
And there's plenty of zombie action. I liked the clever reasoning behind why there were both fast and slow zombies, and why some were higher functioning than others.
Another thing I liked was this was a good, long, juicy read. No weeny novella pretending to be a novel - and charging novel prices. You get a lot of bang for your buck with this one.
I do have to say, there was one thing that nearly knocked this down to two stars for me. One character cracks up toward the end, and I didn't think it worked for that character. The way the insanity was expressed was repugnant, and made no sense to me. The graphic rape scene didn't help. There were a few other flaws, but this is the only place where I felt the writer really slipped up.
With that said, I'll probably read other books by this writer.
On the plus (heh!) side, the action never quits. The story moves forward at a relentless pace in spite of the frequent POV changes. There's always something happening - escapes, sneaking around, fights, searching for someone, hiding etc.
And there's plenty of zombie action. I liked the clever reasoning behind why there were both fast and slow zombies, and why some were higher functioning than others.
Another thing I liked was this was a good, long, juicy read. No weeny novella pretending to be a novel - and charging novel prices. You get a lot of bang for your buck with this one.
I do have to say, there was one thing that nearly knocked this down to two stars for me. One character cracks up toward the end, and I didn't think it worked for that character. The way the insanity was expressed was repugnant, and made no sense to me. The graphic rape scene didn't help. There were a few other flaws, but this is the only place where I felt the writer really slipped up.
With that said, I'll probably read other books by this writer.
July 14, 2021
Das Buch habe ich im Rahmen einer Blogtour gelesen. Hier nun mein Leseindruck. Das Cover sieht schon sehr spannend aus und verrät ein wenig worum es sich handeln könnte.
Der Schreibstil ist sehr rasant und spannend. Er lässt sich angenehm lesen. Das einzige Manko, die Schrift ist im Taschenbuch doch etwas klein geraten, daher war es auf Dauer etwas anstrengend das Buch zu lesen. Die Dystopie ist in Kapitel aufgebaut, und das Buch unterteilt sich noch mal in verscheidene Teile.
Nun zum Inhalt, dieser ist schlüssig von Anfang bis Ende. Auch sind die Protagonisten sehr sympathisch. Das Buch behandelt ein Szenario, was man in der Realität nicht haben möchte, nämlich Menschen die aufeinander losgehen und alles ins Chaos stürzen. Es wird aus der Sicht von den verschiedenen Personen berichtet, dadurch werden viele Gefühle und Emotionen mitgeteilt, was mir sehr gut gefällt.
Andererseits tauchen viele Personen auf, so musste ich schon mal öfter überlegen aus welcher Sicht nun geschildert wird.
Daher ist dieses Buch keine Lektüre für zwischendurch, es ist ein Buch was sich seine Zeit abfordert und es möchte Aufmerksamkeit.
Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, ein sehr spannendes Buch was man garnicht mehr aus der Hand legen möchte.
Fazit
Das Buch bekommt volle 5 Sterne, es ist spannend und gruselig vom Anfang bis zum Ende
Der Schreibstil ist sehr rasant und spannend. Er lässt sich angenehm lesen. Das einzige Manko, die Schrift ist im Taschenbuch doch etwas klein geraten, daher war es auf Dauer etwas anstrengend das Buch zu lesen. Die Dystopie ist in Kapitel aufgebaut, und das Buch unterteilt sich noch mal in verscheidene Teile.
Nun zum Inhalt, dieser ist schlüssig von Anfang bis Ende. Auch sind die Protagonisten sehr sympathisch. Das Buch behandelt ein Szenario, was man in der Realität nicht haben möchte, nämlich Menschen die aufeinander losgehen und alles ins Chaos stürzen. Es wird aus der Sicht von den verschiedenen Personen berichtet, dadurch werden viele Gefühle und Emotionen mitgeteilt, was mir sehr gut gefällt.
Andererseits tauchen viele Personen auf, so musste ich schon mal öfter überlegen aus welcher Sicht nun geschildert wird.
Daher ist dieses Buch keine Lektüre für zwischendurch, es ist ein Buch was sich seine Zeit abfordert und es möchte Aufmerksamkeit.
Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, ein sehr spannendes Buch was man garnicht mehr aus der Hand legen möchte.
Fazit
Das Buch bekommt volle 5 Sterne, es ist spannend und gruselig vom Anfang bis zum Ende
March 13, 2024
The city of Leighton becomes Ground Zero for a zombie outbreak when rats infected with a bioweapon are intentionally released by Marble Keystone, the city's largest employer. Unfortunately, the virus easily spreads across the world in a covert nature in the weeks preceding the breakout spread in Leighton. Certain individual survivors slowly find each other & form a group to find a safe location to ride out the outbreak.
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Pros:
1. The sub-chapters which tells the story from the POV of the various survivors was done well.
2. The characters were well-developed.
3. The right amount of humor in the right places while keeping the story serious-minded.
Cons:
1. The author should have learned the differences between hoard and horde.
Overall opinion: A very good story. One of my favorite Zombie novels.
-------------------
Pros:
1. The sub-chapters which tells the story from the POV of the various survivors was done well.
2. The characters were well-developed.
3. The right amount of humor in the right places while keeping the story serious-minded.
Cons:
1. The author should have learned the differences between hoard and horde.
Overall opinion: A very good story. One of my favorite Zombie novels.
December 23, 2013
I thought this was an okay Zombie book. My main problem with this one was that they're so many people to keep up with it gets confusing at times with all the jumping back and forth from person to person. Once you figure out who's who it is an enjoyable read. I read this book in 2 days and started the next one right after. Would recommend to read if you like zombie books.
May 3, 2013
I loved this book and totally wish the author would consider a part two. I was a little disappointed that it ended like it did. I was so into the book that I wish it could just go on so I can find out what happens to everyone.
August 13, 2016
4/5 for what it is, 3/5 in general. The cover makes it clear exactly what you're getting with this book. Overall, this was a fun read with a straightforward narrative; I enjoyed the style of shifting POVs each chapter. I'm sure Faulkner would be pleased.
May 19, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It takes you through various characters journeys to eventually all coming together ... ATLEAST the survivors that is. Sizable read that keeps your interest .
August 12, 2013
It was a great book with great characters, a great plot and great writing!!
August 1, 2014
Great idea, didn't like the execution. Have to go through many chapters to meet the characters. Eventually they become connected. Last 1/3 of book was enjoyable.
February 9, 2014
Might be the best zombie book I've ever read.
March 29, 2014
Probably the best zombie book I've ever read. I'll be getting the sequel ASAP.
January 10, 2016
Great read
Five stars on this book. I loved the characters. It looks like the beginning of a great series. Read on.
Five stars on this book. I loved the characters. It looks like the beginning of a great series. Read on.
March 21, 2013
Awesome book.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews