Zombie 2.0

Zombie Botnet #2

by Al K. Line

In Zombie 2.0 the infected are leaner, meaner, certainly not cleaner. Al, all 6' 7" of him, teams up with the survivors of the zombie apocalypse as they try to find a safe refuge and make sense of the nightmare world Ven created. Al's Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) causes its own unique set of issues for the gang - if one more person asks him if he is Dutch, just because he speaks funny, he might just explode. The Web is still a no-go zone, but it doesn't stop those that can somehow get a connection from going on Twitter to see if anyone is doing anything cool. As the world burns and the brains are eaten, hashtags and timelines still lure the remnants of the world's population. What's the first thing you do when your boyfriend gets eaten by his mom? Update your Facebook relationship status, of course! Be prepared for new adventures in wet Wales, bad jokes courtesy of Al, and depressing observations on the human condition.

242 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2014

About the author

Al K. Line is a British author who lives in rural England with his wife, son, and dogs.

When asked to describe himself for this bio all we got was the following:

"Who am I? Degrees, jobs, living in other countries, fighting squirrels, cuddling monkeys, amused by penguins, all the usual stuff."

Reviews

[Shana Festa · Rating 4 out of 5]

#zombie is still trending. Every day more and more people to brave the internet will turn into ravenous creatures with the sole purpose of gorging themselves on human flesh. Gun control laws make it nearly impossible to find weapons, so the group is forced to use hand to hand weapons. Without the web to find manor homes built solid enough to withstand the hordes, Mike and Kyle head to the library to do a little research. It's worth pointing out here that their conversation regarding the library is priceless and I could almost feel Mike doing a mental head slap. The two come across Alex when they arrive at the library. There is something just not right about 'Al' though. He talks like Yoda, and has rigid limitations and boundaries. Oh and this boy can eat! So it's a marriage made in heaven between him and Boscoe, the cheese sandwich loving pooch that stole the show in the first book.

Let's just say Al is the Boscoe of book two. If you've read Mark Tufo's Zombie Fallout series, you'll find Al a weird meld of Tommy and The Stand's Tom Cullen character. M-O-O-N spells hilarity!! Perhaps a bit autistic, Al makes readers laugh as he keeps tally under his breath of how much each character owes the swear jar.

The massive cliffhanger from book one is answered...in a way. Readers now know the outcome, but the cast is still searching for the 'why' and 'how'.

Extensive use of anatomy and physiology terminology may leave those without a degree (or an extensive vocabulary) in Science a bit lost. Lucky for me, I have that Science degree, so I thoroughly enjoyed it. Zombie 2.0 is an odd mix of intellectual writing with dumb characters. It's quirky and will leave readers with a goofy grin on their face.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This did not pull me in like the first novel in this series. While the characters were still interesting and the introduction of the new character was handled well, the story did not really flow from the beginning. It did pick up however as after the first three chapters. The narrative is good but it sometimes seemed to do that third wall thing where the narrator speaks directly to their audience. I don't particularly like that in movies so in a book it irks even more.

The story takes up where we left off, Baby Tomas had been affected by the botnet. When we ee them again Ven has become catatonic because of the perceived loss of her child. Cassie is with her at the barn they had taken refuge at and found to be lacking. Mike and Kyle have gone to town to a library in order to find a place they can be safe. There are other survivors and they have the good and bad luck to run into them. Things go from bad to worse for our group and there are changes in the dynamic they could not have seen coming.

The zombies are getting more interesting, the story line is expanding, and the characters are starting to gain more depth. Though I have to say that Ven works my nerves a lot, I kind of feel for her anyway. I will be reading more and would suggest them to other zombie lovers.