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Next Level: The Robot AI Zambie End Game #2
Getting Plutoed
Darwinism is about to be deleted
The high-tech terror takedown sequel to Matt J Pike’s award-winning Zambies! is locked and loaded with more robotic threats, undead terrors, high stakes action, horrors and laughs.
Having been amongst the “lucky” few who made it out of the events of Zambies! alive, our multi-generational crew of dysfunctional survivors are headed towards the only option that offers any hope of survival. The last human they theoretically knew was alive, whatever resistance he claimed to be a part of and whatever answers he/they may hold.
Is it much to go on? No. Are they risking everything to get there? Yes. Do they have any hope of surviving he ever increasing zambies, robots, drones and AI threat without it? Hell no.
It’s a decision set to throw them into heart of the battle for the 21st century. Mind bending tech, bone-chilling super intelligent enemies, the horrors of big data’s blinkless glare and, of course, zambies!
It’s all pointing to a showdown for the ages, an epic battle royale for the future, for human DNA, for everything. Strap yourself into your retro ride of choice, put the needle on some quality vinyl and load up on guns – humanity’s going to need it as they’re Getting Plutoed. The larger than life second instalment of the hilarious and action filled Next The Robot AI Zambie End Game series from award-winning dystopian author Matt J Pike!
The high-tech terror takedown sequel to Matt J Pike’s award-winning Zambies! is locked and loaded with more robotic threats, undead terrors, high stakes action, horrors and laughs.
Having been amongst the “lucky” few who made it out of the events of Zambies! alive, our multi-generational crew of dysfunctional survivors are headed towards the only option that offers any hope of survival. The last human they theoretically knew was alive, whatever resistance he claimed to be a part of and whatever answers he/they may hold.
Is it much to go on? No. Are they risking everything to get there? Yes. Do they have any hope of surviving he ever increasing zambies, robots, drones and AI threat without it? Hell no.
It’s a decision set to throw them into heart of the battle for the 21st century. Mind bending tech, bone-chilling super intelligent enemies, the horrors of big data’s blinkless glare and, of course, zambies!
It’s all pointing to a showdown for the ages, an epic battle royale for the future, for human DNA, for everything. Strap yourself into your retro ride of choice, put the needle on some quality vinyl and load up on guns – humanity’s going to need it as they’re Getting Plutoed. The larger than life second instalment of the hilarious and action filled Next The Robot AI Zambie End Game series from award-winning dystopian author Matt J Pike!
272 pages, Paperback
Published May 20, 2025
1 person want to read
About the author
Matt J. Pike
26 books54 followers*Matt donates money from each book sold to find a cure for Rett Syndrome, a neurological condition his youngest daughter has*
Like the legendary R M Williams, Matt was born in Jamestown in rural South Australia. But that’s where the remarkable similarities between these two end. While Reginald went from bushman to world renowned millionaire outback clothing designer, Matt is a complete dag who was lured by the city lights of Adelaide. Kindergarten in the big smoke was a culture shock, but it is here he first discovered his love of storytelling.
In high school that love found an outlet in a series of completely unflattering cartoons about fellow students and teachers alike. He survived long enough to further his art into a successful career in multimedia design but, like a zombified leech, the lure of the written word gnawed at him, forcing him to pen his first novel, the award-winning sci-fi comedy epic, Kings of the World. It was followed the next year by Amazon Australia dystopian sci-fi best-seller Apocalypse: Diary of a Survivor.
Matt donates part-proceeds of each book sold to find a cure for Rett Syndrome, a neurological condition the youngest of his three children, Abby, has. As a gorgeous Rett angel, Abby cannot walk, talk or use her hands in a meaningful way. So, not only is each of your book purchases a ticket to fantastically rounded, character driven, hilarious and poignant sci-fi awesomeness, it wraps you in a warm feeling that you’ve made a difference to people who deserve your help the most. Like the zombified leech it’s a no-brainer.
Like the legendary R M Williams, Matt was born in Jamestown in rural South Australia. But that’s where the remarkable similarities between these two end. While Reginald went from bushman to world renowned millionaire outback clothing designer, Matt is a complete dag who was lured by the city lights of Adelaide. Kindergarten in the big smoke was a culture shock, but it is here he first discovered his love of storytelling.
In high school that love found an outlet in a series of completely unflattering cartoons about fellow students and teachers alike. He survived long enough to further his art into a successful career in multimedia design but, like a zombified leech, the lure of the written word gnawed at him, forcing him to pen his first novel, the award-winning sci-fi comedy epic, Kings of the World. It was followed the next year by Amazon Australia dystopian sci-fi best-seller Apocalypse: Diary of a Survivor.
Matt donates part-proceeds of each book sold to find a cure for Rett Syndrome, a neurological condition the youngest of his three children, Abby, has. As a gorgeous Rett angel, Abby cannot walk, talk or use her hands in a meaningful way. So, not only is each of your book purchases a ticket to fantastically rounded, character driven, hilarious and poignant sci-fi awesomeness, it wraps you in a warm feeling that you’ve made a difference to people who deserve your help the most. Like the zombified leech it’s a no-brainer.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 16, 2025
Another stellar instalment - so much action! Couldn't read fast enough. Very much looking forward to part 3!
June 11, 2025
For the journey of discovery you are about to go on, I salute you.
4 1/2 well-earned stars! Matt Pike's "Getting Plutoed: The sequel to the AI Apocalypse Horror/Comedy for the Ages (Next Level: The Robot AI Zambie End Game Book 2)" - which is how the title copies over from my reader and thus will henceforth have me calling it "GP" if at all - does exactly what the middle (maybe) book of an apocalyptic trilogy (again, maybe) is supposed to do. First and most thankfully so for us Colin-aged fans, the author provides a nice recap of the events of Book 1, also known as the first book of the trilogy (just play along). And then we dive right in with our "heroes" from that same tome who despite their best efforts have survived against the rising tide of zambies, mechs, and other general bad guys. Oh and in the latter case, you couldn't get more relevant to today's news if you tried (no spoilers but crikey something sure smells musky)!
If you are not part of their plan, you are irrelevant.
Zambies as you recall are what Pike as decided to labelize (sic[k]) the AI-chipped, brain fried zombies that are lurking about - often in great thronging numbers and always at the exact wrong moments - throughout this tale. Yes, we have gotten to the point in humanity where many of us have wired ourselves into the global web - c'mon folks, there's even evil in the name! I mean, honestly: I hate spiders! - which naturally explains as well how things go downhill so very, very fast. Like just last Tuesday the world was fine and now… pfft. Next thing you know, everyone having said chip in their brainpan has been zapped and runs around trying to if not eat all the good guys then definitely rend them limb from limb from limb (there are 4 in all, right?). And yes, despite a few hiccups in the spelling that appear well past the introduction (e.g. "She dodged the odd zombie until she hooked right onto Baker…"!), these are zambies and not zombies. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to stop here and "tch tch" for a while…
This fight goes right to the core of what it means to be human.
Anyway, my point is (or was, it's been a while what with all the tch'ing) if you're hesitant to try this series out, no one is getting et or chewed on, at least not that we see directly. True, they're "bruised and bloodied, stunned and silent,"
shot, blown up, eviscerated, and otherwise discombobulated … but thanks to the presence of way too much weaponry to be a good thing for any civilised society as well as some convenient fun balls and a van full of liquor, things go fairly well for the good guys when all is said and done. In fact, this is about as much blow 'em up, shoot 'em down, "wow a lot of us died, didn't we"… that I've seen in many an afternoon or three's reading. There is definitely a lot of action in this middle chapter, which I think Pike handles very well. It certainly had my heart racing, which I believe is still more or less under my own control.
There was a sense their minds were about to be melted.
And speaking of things handled well, as I mentioned earlier, the big reveal about who is responsible for all this brouhaha and high-tech hubbubbubbub (sorry, I never know how to stop spelling that word) is right on target. Without giving too much away, having a group of "normies" - which I don't use in the derogatory way of the donjon gang greeting our rookies - face off essentially against the 1% of the 1% of… ad infinitum, ad nauseum… is not only very cool but also sadly extremely believable. Still, it does lead to some really classic battle buddy action, as we begin to mix and match our core team of escapees that weren't exactly doing so well in terms of falling in love with each other by the end of Book 1. I guess it's pretty inspiring to see just how much escaping repeatedly with only minor parts of yourselves missing is a great way to build comraderie. That and teaming up with the sexbots. Oh gods, please don't forget the sexbots and their frightening ability to kick the bad guys where it counts! Repeatedly!
Expect anything. Expect everything.
There was one thing my brain simply couldn't grasp - and which I'm hoping my big final full trilogy (re-)read explains - is how this whole Twearth (tm pending?) works. I get that it is the ultimate in immersive technology and that we can either create new, fully fantastic imagined worlds - or somehow see our own world in every detail. That was the kicker for me. Sure, it's great to be able to do the whole Neo flying around the Matrix as the Chosen One thing, but how are we seeing, for example, what's hiding in a fully enclosed environment. No cameras, no chance for satellite spying, nada. I mean, how does - just as a wild proposal only, certainly not a spoiler! - Ava manage to see her mother in a store full of zambies (with an "a" he shouted!) when her mother can barely see across the aisle from herself in that very same store? I just didn't get it. Then again, the most complicated "video game" that I have played in years is Sudoku, so maybe you shouldn't rely on my opinion in this regard. But just so everyone knows, if you don't understand the X-wing strategy for the more complicated puzzles, I'll still be here feeling rather smug in my nerdiness…
Barns – it’s always fucking barns.
Anywho, to begin wrapping this up… overall, this was a surprisingly intense but, again, well-formulated story. This chapter did a damn fine job of following the set-up from previously and kept things rolling - very literally - into the next phase. Oh and the chapter titles were really fun, too. As I mentioned, yes, there were a few minor bumps in the road in terms of editing - and oddly enough, reading this book in dark mode on my Kindle Reader had the colour of the font changing at random times (light and even dark grey vs. white). Plus, if I ever see someone say "eww!" again it'll be way too soon. But even with these most shocking of defects, faults, and other misspeakings (hint: they're really not that big of a deal), this is definitely a series I'm excited to keep following. Especially after seeing what's potentially "out there" for our pro-human, um, humans has me feeling definitely anxious to have the concluding chapter for this particular series in my greedy hands! I mean, it's only mega mechs, mega machines, mega cars, mega craft… mega everything. No worries, eh?
Nothing was the same anymore, and nothing ever would be again.
At this stage I'd like to thank the author for sending me a free copy, even though ultimately I went ahead and checked out a copy on KU as well. Hey, I just wanted to make sure the 'zon didn't spend that 25 cents of profit for the author on sending pop stars to the edge of space again. He may need that quarter to put into a Twearth machine for a new round of play! That's how it works, right? Like immersive Pac-Man? No? Do you still at least have to set your TV on Channel 3 so that the game can be seen? Sigh… just go ahead and zap my brain, this world is just too complicated…
4 1/2 well-earned stars! Matt Pike's "Getting Plutoed: The sequel to the AI Apocalypse Horror/Comedy for the Ages (Next Level: The Robot AI Zambie End Game Book 2)" - which is how the title copies over from my reader and thus will henceforth have me calling it "GP" if at all - does exactly what the middle (maybe) book of an apocalyptic trilogy (again, maybe) is supposed to do. First and most thankfully so for us Colin-aged fans, the author provides a nice recap of the events of Book 1, also known as the first book of the trilogy (just play along). And then we dive right in with our "heroes" from that same tome who despite their best efforts have survived against the rising tide of zambies, mechs, and other general bad guys. Oh and in the latter case, you couldn't get more relevant to today's news if you tried (no spoilers but crikey something sure smells musky)!
If you are not part of their plan, you are irrelevant.
Zambies as you recall are what Pike as decided to labelize (sic[k]) the AI-chipped, brain fried zombies that are lurking about - often in great thronging numbers and always at the exact wrong moments - throughout this tale. Yes, we have gotten to the point in humanity where many of us have wired ourselves into the global web - c'mon folks, there's even evil in the name! I mean, honestly: I hate spiders! - which naturally explains as well how things go downhill so very, very fast. Like just last Tuesday the world was fine and now… pfft. Next thing you know, everyone having said chip in their brainpan has been zapped and runs around trying to if not eat all the good guys then definitely rend them limb from limb from limb (there are 4 in all, right?). And yes, despite a few hiccups in the spelling that appear well past the introduction (e.g. "She dodged the odd zombie until she hooked right onto Baker…"!), these are zambies and not zombies. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to stop here and "tch tch" for a while…
This fight goes right to the core of what it means to be human.
Anyway, my point is (or was, it's been a while what with all the tch'ing) if you're hesitant to try this series out, no one is getting et or chewed on, at least not that we see directly. True, they're "bruised and bloodied, stunned and silent,"
shot, blown up, eviscerated, and otherwise discombobulated … but thanks to the presence of way too much weaponry to be a good thing for any civilised society as well as some convenient fun balls and a van full of liquor, things go fairly well for the good guys when all is said and done. In fact, this is about as much blow 'em up, shoot 'em down, "wow a lot of us died, didn't we"… that I've seen in many an afternoon or three's reading. There is definitely a lot of action in this middle chapter, which I think Pike handles very well. It certainly had my heart racing, which I believe is still more or less under my own control.
There was a sense their minds were about to be melted.
And speaking of things handled well, as I mentioned earlier, the big reveal about who is responsible for all this brouhaha and high-tech hubbubbubbub (sorry, I never know how to stop spelling that word) is right on target. Without giving too much away, having a group of "normies" - which I don't use in the derogatory way of the donjon gang greeting our rookies - face off essentially against the 1% of the 1% of… ad infinitum, ad nauseum… is not only very cool but also sadly extremely believable. Still, it does lead to some really classic battle buddy action, as we begin to mix and match our core team of escapees that weren't exactly doing so well in terms of falling in love with each other by the end of Book 1. I guess it's pretty inspiring to see just how much escaping repeatedly with only minor parts of yourselves missing is a great way to build comraderie. That and teaming up with the sexbots. Oh gods, please don't forget the sexbots and their frightening ability to kick the bad guys where it counts! Repeatedly!
Expect anything. Expect everything.
There was one thing my brain simply couldn't grasp - and which I'm hoping my big final full trilogy (re-)read explains - is how this whole Twearth (tm pending?) works. I get that it is the ultimate in immersive technology and that we can either create new, fully fantastic imagined worlds - or somehow see our own world in every detail. That was the kicker for me. Sure, it's great to be able to do the whole Neo flying around the Matrix as the Chosen One thing, but how are we seeing, for example, what's hiding in a fully enclosed environment. No cameras, no chance for satellite spying, nada. I mean, how does - just as a wild proposal only, certainly not a spoiler! - Ava manage to see her mother in a store full of zambies (with an "a" he shouted!) when her mother can barely see across the aisle from herself in that very same store? I just didn't get it. Then again, the most complicated "video game" that I have played in years is Sudoku, so maybe you shouldn't rely on my opinion in this regard. But just so everyone knows, if you don't understand the X-wing strategy for the more complicated puzzles, I'll still be here feeling rather smug in my nerdiness…
Barns – it’s always fucking barns.
Anywho, to begin wrapping this up… overall, this was a surprisingly intense but, again, well-formulated story. This chapter did a damn fine job of following the set-up from previously and kept things rolling - very literally - into the next phase. Oh and the chapter titles were really fun, too. As I mentioned, yes, there were a few minor bumps in the road in terms of editing - and oddly enough, reading this book in dark mode on my Kindle Reader had the colour of the font changing at random times (light and even dark grey vs. white). Plus, if I ever see someone say "eww!" again it'll be way too soon. But even with these most shocking of defects, faults, and other misspeakings (hint: they're really not that big of a deal), this is definitely a series I'm excited to keep following. Especially after seeing what's potentially "out there" for our pro-human, um, humans has me feeling definitely anxious to have the concluding chapter for this particular series in my greedy hands! I mean, it's only mega mechs, mega machines, mega cars, mega craft… mega everything. No worries, eh?
Nothing was the same anymore, and nothing ever would be again.
At this stage I'd like to thank the author for sending me a free copy, even though ultimately I went ahead and checked out a copy on KU as well. Hey, I just wanted to make sure the 'zon didn't spend that 25 cents of profit for the author on sending pop stars to the edge of space again. He may need that quarter to put into a Twearth machine for a new round of play! That's how it works, right? Like immersive Pac-Man? No? Do you still at least have to set your TV on Channel 3 so that the game can be seen? Sigh… just go ahead and zap my brain, this world is just too complicated…
July 30, 2025
Book 2 in the Next Level: The Robot AI Zambie End Game and it was not stop action from start to finish, with plenty of humour, tips and ideas for one, if they were ever facing a Zambie takeover.
The crew were having to find their new norm and learning and relearning everything they thought they knew.
It was super high tech and while I could tell it was researched well and very accurate, unfortunately I just couldn’t wrap my head around most of it, I think I needed it to be mansplained to me by good ole Colin - but I think he may be too preoccupied with his sex robots 🙈
If ever faced in such a situation, I will be sure to have a VW badge and good old gafer tape on hand and I’ll be working on my Aussie nickname game.
Thank-you Matt for a digital advanced readers copy, in exchange for an honest review.
Life on Twearth, Book 3 in the series will be coming mid 2026 and I look forward to seeing how things end for the end game.
The crew were having to find their new norm and learning and relearning everything they thought they knew.
It was super high tech and while I could tell it was researched well and very accurate, unfortunately I just couldn’t wrap my head around most of it, I think I needed it to be mansplained to me by good ole Colin - but I think he may be too preoccupied with his sex robots 🙈
If ever faced in such a situation, I will be sure to have a VW badge and good old gafer tape on hand and I’ll be working on my Aussie nickname game.
Thank-you Matt for a digital advanced readers copy, in exchange for an honest review.
Life on Twearth, Book 3 in the series will be coming mid 2026 and I look forward to seeing how things end for the end game.
October 27, 2025
A fun, thought-provoking & action-packed read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews