In this prequel to S.W. Tanpepper's GAMELAND series, a molecular geneticist creates an experimental antidote against a synthetic military virus for reanimating the dead. Desperate to avert a human disaster of global proportions, he decides to test it on himself, but first he must expose himself to the zombie virus and allow the infection to run its full, agonizing and terminal course. The experiment and the immediate aftermath are captured in a series of voice recordings, retrieved by the government and replayed in a secret Cabinet meeting. The stunning and horrific outcome will leave each member of that meeting—and the world—forever changed.
This ebook includes a sneak peek of the 1st episode of GAMELAND.
Saul is the specfic pen name of author Ken J. Howe, who writes in a variety of genres. He is a retired biotech entrepreneur with a PhD in molecular genetics and is a former combat medic.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a pretty good read. When a professor experiments on himself to become a zombie, the experiment goes horribly wrong and he becomes an intelligent zombie thus prompting the goverment to act. This book held me at the edge of my seat and scared me. Definitely check this horror zombie story out. You will enjoy it! I did and commend mr. Saul Tanpepper on a job well done.
This was a great short story, it reminded me quite a bit of The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse. This is a great prelude to GAMELAND Omnibus, in fact I bought this after reading a chapter or two of the omnibus just to get the background. I am very glad I did as the Jess character makes a lot more sense now.
I read this but am not leaving a rating yet because it is a prequel to Gameland and I am not yet finished with the entire series and am not yet sure how the prequel fits in. I want to make sure I am not missing nuance that would be made clear later in the series. Yeah, I should have just waited to read it.... :)
That being said, I did enjoy the story. Creepy, very creepy (and I mean that in a good way!).
Golgotha fills in some missing blanks from the first book in the Gameland series, providing some information that I found myself wondering about. I am now, armed with this new knowledge, looking forward to moving on to the next part.
After reading Tanpeper's GAMELAND Episode 1: Deep Into The Game, I decided to read this. I bought it for 99-cents, even though it's also included in his first horror collection Shorting the Undead and Other Horrors: A Menagerie of Macabre Minifiction. Figured why not. There's no reference to this book being a prequel to gameland in the collection, but the single clearly states that. Not sure if gameland was as fully realized when this was first published. Anywho, this is supposed to be a prequel but it couldn't be any different. The series is an action-packed thriller involving a group of young adults. Golgotha is a technical, almost dry, thriller of an entirely different sort.
Here's what I thought while reading it:
Fascinating-discusses some of the science behind how the undead came to be Stimulating-tension between the characters (especially The Colonel and Richard Daniels) is great Confusing-just a bit because of the format ("live" playback of a recording) Intense-the images he invokes are incredible, horrific
Here's what I thought afterwards:
Out of breath-the ending hits you in the face Lost and wanting to go back and read it again-did I miss something? Redeemed-I really hated Daniels, the spineless creep, so the ending made me cheer
My recommendation? A very good, relatively short read. Is it realy necessary to gameland? Not yet, but I've only read the 1st epiosde of that series. Is it a good read by itself? Absolutely. The jargon can get a bit heavy and the format it's written in is a little hard at first on the eyes. There are I think two minor editing and spelling errors, but that's being nitpicky. A well-designed plot, great characters and excellend writing.
Richard Daniels is a Special Adviser to the President of the United States. Eugene Douglas Halliwell is a, Nobel prize winning, professor of immunology at Royce State College.
The former is playing an extremely disturbing recording made by the later. In the recording Daniels and his team at the Pentagon are accused of developing a new infectious species of virus with the codename of Qangxi. Kuang shi is a Chinese word referring to a creature in their mythology. Present at the playing of this recording, along with Richard Daniels, is his interrogator, a young senator by the name of Lawrence Abrams, chairman of the senate's defense oversight committee and the Colonel, commander of the new Marine fighting force known as Omegamen. You probably get a pretty good idea where this is going.
Golgotha, is a tightly written, fast paced, short, that quickly convinced me, that I had to read Gameland, the series for which Golgotha is the prequel. I liked this so much, I actually bought the omnibus edition of the eight book series and I'm already well into book one, Deep Into the Game, and enjoying it immensely.
For me, discovering Saul Tanpepper, has started off my 2013 reading year with fireworks. For information on his books, as well as links to him on Facebook and Twiiter, visit his website at www.tanpepperwrites.com.
This is a prequel novella to the author's GAMELAND series, which I have yet to read. Apparently this story is set some 20 years before the main series and explains the background as to how the virus and militarised zombies came about. Well written, it builds a sense of dread with the tape recordings of one scientist's vision to create a vaccine to the virus. What I found most chilling and haunting was the High Security Council Meeting and the reaction of the Military Advisor the "Colonel". You can imagine this scenario really happening - god save us if we were ever to have such an evil bastard in such a powerful position.
** Extra bonus points to the author for his hilarious choice of nom de plume.**
I am currently on part five of this fantastic series. Prior to starting part five, the author suggests reading this prequel. It explains the origins of the virus and roles key members played. The world of the story is fully developed with its own science. To be honest, I had to read it a second time and mentally trace the steps leading to the origin of the pathogen, but it is a short story and I read it twice in one sitting. The complex nature or the pathogen 's origin implies a rich world that does not insult the intelligence of the reader. Though complex, it is never boring and makes an intriguing foundation to an addictive series that I can't put down.
Just finished this story. Wow. Amazingly well written The narrative is haunting and creepy and I can't wait to read "Gameland" to see how it ties in.
A scientist injects himself with a virus that will turn him into a zombie. The story is mostly told through a phone call made to a White House insider. The ending was stunning. Highly recommend.
Golgotha by Saul Tanpepper is a prequel short story introducing the "Gameland" series. The author describes it as a tale of politics and science gone wrong. He also assures the reader that this is a stand-alone story; follow-up novels in the series begin fifteen years later.
This story posits that Dengue fever was thought to be eliminated. Great news for me, it is a constant, enduring threat in the Indonesian province where I live and it is deadly. In this story we learn that it wasn't actually cured, rather it became non-threatening in its human host. It still spread until all humans had it, but it was not dangerous. Until one scientist, Richard Daniels developed a substance that could activate the dormant disease and along with the additional substance create a group of functional zombie-like creatures without cognitive ability. Instantly the problem of the need for military conscription was solved. Nations with a zombie army could conquer others without suffering an offensive public backlash against needless death. The new army would be unwitting volunteers from prison populations and groups of social undesirables.
Professor Halliwell has developed an antiserum. He has doubts it will work but decides to test it on himself. In order to test it, he must first become one of the Omega Men (zombie army) himself, which means he must die and be reborn as those in the new Army have done. Then an antiserum will be injected and he will once again transform into an Omega man with cognitive abilities, almost the same as his original human self. But the experiment might not work. He might end up as a horrible mutation that would be better off dead. Or he might succeed but face the problem that his own government would find and kill him to prevent the secrets of the Omega men from coming out. Death seemed to be the common denominator. Halliwell constructed an elaborate machine that would kill him no matter how the experiment ended. Just to be safe.
We know about the story based on audio recordings made by Halliwell and played at one of the endless government investigative committee hearings. After a lengthy absence of Halliwell was noted, a massive government search was made to find him. Authorities found the lab, found the audio evidence, and this story takes place in the context of a government committee hearing. (Note: No one found Professor Halliwell's body).
Ethical and moral conflicts abound about how far human should be used in research, how much responsibility a government has to inform its citizens and at what point governments should eliminate troublesome dissenters. There is also the mystery of the whereabouts of Professor Halliwell. Readers who enjoy this genre will be well motivated to further investigate the GAMELAND series.
Golgotha sets the stage for the Gameland series. It goes back 15 years prior and introduces us to the creation of the virus that is responsible for the deaths of millions and turning millions more into zombies.
This short story is written as an excerpt of an audio recording of the doctor who created the virus as he tests the antidote on himself. The audio recording is being listened to by members of the government, including the virus' co-creator.
I found it interesting and I would have loved to have followed this storyline further. However, the series jumps ahead 15 years. I don't think the Gameland storyline is one that is going to follow. Golgotha, though, was a nice short story.
A little confusing, but an awesome concept and story.
At a highly classified presidential debriefing, the Colonel explains the events happening on a recording by Eugene Halliwell. Eugene thinks he has found a cure for a virus that has infected the world's population and will bring the dead back as reanimated corpses.
There is a lot of technical and medical jargon used and it starts off by throwing the reader right into the thick of the story. It took me a minute to catch up and understand the full extent of what was happening. I liked the duality of Eugene's recording in his own words and the Colonel's explanation and viewpoint on each step of Eugene's process. It was intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
I LOVE the ending!!! This story is a MUST read for anyone who enjoys a good zombie story. Or for anyone who wants to see how a badly a human experiment can go wrong. Saul Tanpepper is one of my favorite authors. He had me hooked when I started, and devoured, Bunker 12.
This prequel to Gameland is a fascinating blend of science, politics and horror. How far would the military go to win their wars and how far would the governing body let them go. Well written, intense short story sweeps you along nonstop. I received this free from the author. Thanks.
Disclaimer: received a free copy for an honest review.
An extremely quick read - but SAH! A great prequel to the Gameland set. The scenario as set by the author adds an exceptionally original (to me) horror to the Zombie genre.
I have never back and forth on dictionary as often as when i read this haha. Very technical and detail on research that eventually are the origins of the zombies. The scientific part reminds me a little bit on Will Smith's I am Legend.
Terrifying, thought-provoking, possible??, TERRIFYING! Just as Mr. Tanpepper intended. I highly recommend it, especially to fans of zombie apocalypse/conspiracy theories. This short story shocked me on so many levels, kudos to the author.
Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author during The Hunt for Tomorrow Scavenger Hunt.
My Thoughts: I don’t know if anyone else has ever wondered about a zombie story told from the point of view of the people trying to find a cure. Part of zombie lore is the unattainable and sometimes fictional cure. A creepy rendition of this is finally realized in Golgotha.
Golgotha is an interesting concept. It’s a prequel to the Gameland series and I’ll admit that it did its job by wetting my appetite. This was the first zombie story I’ve read that takes place from the scientific end of the spectrum (the people trying to make that damn “nonexistent” cure). I know the whole series isn’t like that, but it was unique enough to pique my interest about what else this author may be offering up.
The characters were interesting. The main scientist that injects himself with the virus was weirdly likable. I’m hoping he shows up elsewhere in the series. The others (the military men) were also a great addition. The character personalities matched a scientific or militaristic persona (level-headed, focused and logical). I liked seeing the scientific desperation that ultimately tips you over into insanity (or stupidity, depending on your definition).
So, is it recommendation worthy? If you’re reading or plan to read the Gameland series, I definitely recommend Golgotha. If you’re a huge fan of the zombie genre, I would recommend Golgotha. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the full series.
In most zombie books, we never find out the entire story about how the outbreak started. Golgotha does the opposite. It explains, in exquisite detail, how the zombie virus was found, experimented with, changed, and used. A scientist locks himself in his lab to test what he believes is an antidote to the zombie virus. We hear him go through all the changes associated with turning into a zombie. His antidote has some unexpected side effects that the military is very excited about. You know that can't be good.
This book was a prologue to the Gameland series, and I am definitely going to start reading that next.
Golgotha was the place Jesus was supposedly crucified and died. When we're listening to the scientist, he thinks he is dying for the sins of the world and that he is the savior by inventing the antidote. The parallel is uncanny. Unfortunately, the scientist dies and comes back to life, not as the savior, but as something else. I have to start the Gameland series to find out what that is.
Golgotha, a short story prequel to the Gameland series, is told through an audio recording from a molecular geneticist, and the story is surprising in its ability to keep you on the edge of your seat. I wouldn't have thought that possible told in this format. But there is just enough present day dialogue and action to keep it interesting, especially with the technical jargon.
I just stumbled on this series (Where have I been, living under a rock? you ask.), and as a fan of zompocalypse tales, I think this was a fantastic taste of what's to come in this series.
This is an excellent short read. I can't say yet if this prequel is necessary to understanding Gameland, but it can easily be read on its own. The characters are fleshed out, the plot fully developed, and both the wiring and editing is excellent. I highly recommend it to zombie fans.
I'm reading out of order. I've only read the first episode of Gameland so far. But this story is the prequel, and I had questions. I found the answers here, the details of where the zombies originated, and how the government managed to turn them into tools. This is creepy stuff. Citizens get to serve their country AGAIN, after death. I call that horror, for certain.
This is short, but so very well done, and fascinating. I liked the use of a government briefing to tell this story. There is also some background info for Jessie's family, sadly so. I feel I know Jessie better now, and will enjoy the rest of the Gameland episodes more because of that.
After watching the military start to use the virus as a weapon, Gene decides to try a new experimental antidote aimed at stopping the disease. He needs to infect himself and then try to cure himself, all on video. What follows is the military and President viewing the disturbing footage while there is further information for the reader about what the military actually did to test their weapon. It was a decent enough story and different from what I imagined. I liked the ending of it. Don't expect zombie action though as this is about the video experiment.
So interesting. There has only ever been 1 other author that gives their take on what causes the dead to shamble around the earth that I actually enjoyed reading about. Saul Tanpepper's precursor to the Gameland series doesn't try to over analyze the who what where and how of zombies. It gives you just enough to get you hooked but leaves you with enough space to think about the events that lead to the dead roaming the earth. I am excited to dig into the Gameland series.
This is an amazing, although short, prequel that really sets the stage for the remainder of the series. I look forward to reading the rest of the books just because of this intro into the series! I also found it a very nice touch that the book is dedicated to the buyer.. it adds a very personal sentiment that the book was for me. I've already bought the rest of the series, and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys zombie apocalypse genre. I'm off to read!
I read this first before i got in to the Gameland books. Wanted to see how Saul Tanpeppers writing was. And i loved it it was very good short fast read. Makes me really want to get in to the Gameland books. I liked the idea on how it was about the guy who did the virus and why he did gives you a inside scoop to it all Very good read thank you Saul look forwarded to reading more of your books
Professor Halliwell works in the immunology field at Royce State College. With the help of colleagues they develop a zombie virus that of course the Government wants to use. After the mysterious deaths of his colleagues start to mount, Halliwell who has developed an anti-serum to stop the zombies, experiments on himself. Let's just say it doesn't go well and The Dead Reckoning Program continues. This is the prequel to the Gameland series which I'm really excited to dive into.