Exhibit 692: Love in the Time of Zombies

by Margaret L. Fisher

1499760337
9781499760330
alternate cover edition

Genres: Zombies, Horror

Paperback

First published July 6, 2014

About the author

Margaret L. Fisher is a historian and librarian, specializing in Outbreak Era (OE) artifacts. She completed her apprenticeship at the College of Historic Preservation and is currently employed at the Outbreak Institute and Archives as Head Archivist.

More seriously, she has a BA and MLIS and lives in Iowa.

Reviews

[☆Joycedale☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the background story to this "journal". I would like to know some more about the current world but since this is supposed to be a museum exhibit it's focusing more on what it was like then (our time). Although the footnotes do give a little bit of a clue.
The story is about Karen rather than the zombies but it was a good story. Karen has been wondering for 2 yrs hoping to find her boyfriend Nick. Instead she finds what's left of humanity and a couple of good people. I have to wonder if I was in her position what I would do?
Since it is a journal the ending was abrupt. It's not like she can write "a zombie is chewing on my arm" or whatever it is that happened. I had had an idea what happened but it just dawned on me if that was the case the journal would've been destroyed. Maybe if we knew where the journal had been recovered?
I'll be looking forward to the next exhibit.

I received a copy through Goodreads first reads.

This review can also be found on my page The Fiction Fanatics

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars, rounded up of course.

I liked this book, which tells of humanity's survival of the zompoc in a fairly unique way. An artifact curator of the future offers for the readers a number of exhibits - journals and firsthand accounts that have survived from 200 years ago, when zombies nearly destroyed the human race. Exhibit 692 is the journal of Karen, who started keeping her journal two years after the initial outbreak. Karen is paranoid and slightly mentally unhinged, which probably speaks to her survival during the initial years of the outbreak.

There are a lot of journal-style zombie stories out there. This one is fresh and most definitely worth the read.

[Kim Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.

I enjoyed the book....read it in just a couple of hours. I like the perspective it was written in. Could have stood to be a little longer.....and I was not a fan of the ending.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was unique and got me thinking how I would handle the zombie apocalypse. I liked the letter format, as it made it feel more real! ❤️

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won an ARC copy in a Goodreads Giveaway.
Love in the Time of Zombies is a journal of a young woman written during a zombie apocalypse. The main character, Karen, has been on the move for the last two years, evading zombies and humans who would like to get her and possibly eat her. She writes in a very normal voice, except for the four "chapters" of a book within a book that she starts to write where she speaks a little more poetically. As she travels, she keeps an eye out for her boyfriend Nick. She isn't sure if he is alive or not, but she has a hard time letting him go.
Along the way, she meets a couple of friendly people, but she doesn't trust anyone due to her fear of being raped, killed, or eaten. (Cannibalism has gotten pretty common since there aren't anymore working grocery stores.)
It is a quick read with short diary entries that span from "June" to "October". Dates are approximate due to all of the paper calendars having ended the year before, and there aren't any electronic devices (such as organizers, cellphones, or computers) still working. The first few diary entries could have been combined, and there are a few entries that are just Karen checking in without any action. There are only a couple of real zombie encounters; they are mostly just mentions of "I cleared six zombies today." The real story is Karen feeling like she might be going crazy, which doesn't have a lot to back it up besides some mysterious notes. There are some creative details, but there are some parts that could have been flushed out more (like a better description of what Ron saw at the castle). There are a lot of mentionings of Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide, and although I do recommend reading it to prepare for any upcoming zombie attacks and it is a great pop culture reference, it was relied on a little heavily (especially with her impossible inventory list).
I would like to see other exhibits from this collection.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a First Reads promotion.

I was very pleased with this book, and sped through it in a matter of a couple of days. Exhibit 692: Love in the Time of Zombies is a great firsthand look at the accounts of a survivor and her life in the years after the zombie apocalypse.

What I most enjoyed about the book was the focus on the uneasiness and fear around survivors of the apocalypse rather than the zombies themselves. Yes, zombies are still a threat, but sometimes the most obvious enemy isn't always the most dangerous. I also enjoyed the way that the protagonist's mental state drastically changed throughout the course of the book. It was interesting to see what isolation and self-doubt can do to a person over the long-term.

I may be in the minority on this last point, but I also enjoyed the ambiguous nature of the end of the book. It allows the reader to formulate their own opinions on what really happened to the main character after her journal ends.

I would recommend this book to fans of post-apocalyptic/zombie fiction, as well as those who have an interest in psychology. I look forward to seeing more books by Margaret L. Fisher in the future, as there are many different ways that she can go with this series.

[Melissa B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be the first one to say that I'm a sucker for anything zombie related. I love all things zombie. I will pick up and read or watch anything that even HINTS at zombies.

This is not your typical zombie book. This is a first hand journal by a young woman named Karen who has survived for two years by herself, as presented by a museum from a couple centuries in the future. Karen does not spend a lot of time writing about her encounters with the zombies - instead she typically states "I killed x number of zombies today"; or something along those lines. You get to watch as she is suspicious of everyone she meets and keeps longing to find her long lost boyfriend, Nick. Slowly it's a descent into a kind of madness that only another survivor, named Ron, can bring her out of. The journal ends almost abruptly, leaving the reader to wonder if she just stopped writing in it, had to leave it behind as they took off in a hurry, or died.

All in all an excellent book. I would love to read more "exhibits", and definitely will be watching for more books from this author!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

I love the idea of this book: written as a journal book from a survivor of a zombie apocalypse. The only part I didn't like was the "loose ends" to the end of the book...my imagination takes off and I just want to know what happened! I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in this series!!!

[Moonbow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read! Not really based around zombies, but still a good perspective on how someone would have to survive in an 'apocalypse'. I love zombie stories, and this is another great one to add to the collection!

[Vykki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a interesting twist on Zombie novel. I like that it was about future time and that they found a diary. It really kept you reading from beginning to end. I recommend this to anyone who likes Zombie novel with a twist. I won this book on Goodreads Thank you

[Brenda Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very unique perspective of life during the outbreak of zombies. This novel shows the emotional and physical toll of life on the run and trying to stay alive.