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Zombie Apocalypse! #6
Zombie Apocalypse! Acapulcalypse Now!
A mysterious multi-millionaire invites a collection of rich and powerful men and women from around the world to his exclusive hotel on the cost of Acapulco. As they leave Heathrow airport, the events at All Hallows Church, which sparked the zombie plague, break out. Now the guests must battle each other, the resentful locals, the impending horde of undead, and the land itself. A spin-off novel of the bestselling Zombie Apocalypse! series.
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2015
About the author
Alison Littlewood
114 books169 followersAlison Littlewood was raised in Penistone, South Yorkshire, and went on to attend the University of Northumbria at Newcastle (now Northumbria University). Originally she planned to study graphic design, but “missed the words too much” and switched to a joint English and History degree. She followed a career in marketing before developing her love of writing fiction.
Her first book, A Cold Season (2011), was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club and described as ‘perfect reading for a dark winter’s night.’
Alison's latest novel is The Crow Garden (2017), is a tale of obsession set amidst Victorian asylums and séance rooms.
You can find her living with her partner Fergus in deepest Yorkshire, England, in a house of creaking doors and crooked walls. She loves exploring the hills and dales with her two hugely enthusiastic Dalmatians and has a penchant for books on folklore and weird history, Earl Grey tea and semicolons.
She is on Twitter as @Ali__L
Her first book, A Cold Season (2011), was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club and described as ‘perfect reading for a dark winter’s night.’
Alison's latest novel is The Crow Garden (2017), is a tale of obsession set amidst Victorian asylums and séance rooms.
You can find her living with her partner Fergus in deepest Yorkshire, England, in a house of creaking doors and crooked walls. She loves exploring the hills and dales with her two hugely enthusiastic Dalmatians and has a penchant for books on folklore and weird history, Earl Grey tea and semicolons.
She is on Twitter as @Ali__L
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 15, 2016
Obviously set in the same world as Stephen Jones' Zombie Apocalypse books, this spin off taking place at a holiday resort thousands of miles away from the main action, Alison Littlewood's novel is great fun. Gore, violence, some more gore, and characters the reader can actually give a monkey's about...very enjoyable.
And who knew the description of a man at the top of a water slide could be so powerful?
And who knew the description of a man at the top of a water slide could be so powerful?
October 4, 2015
More a 3.5 of 5, as the abrupt final chapter felt rushed. Like the author had wanted to write an epic, but was told to wrap it up. Fun read though.
September 28, 2015
Originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2015...
Zombies always do well in fiction, look at Dawn of the Dead and of course the Walking Dead. They are a subject that can be used in many different ways, just a few weeks a ago Allison Littlewood wrote a blogpost on her view of zombies which you can find here. It just comes to show that despite being a short word, zombies are versatile. This is my first venture in the Zombie Apocalypse series so I can´t reference towards the earlier books.
Acapulcalypse Now begins innocent enough as it should. The mighty and rich get invited to the latest state of the art resort in Acapulco, Mexico. If you would get an invitation wouldn't you jump on to the plane right away? The resort in question is build in the shape of a big Mayan temple, but it doesn't only has the facade the interior is lined with artifacts. As the people gather to the resort is isn't without the problem that the rich face, things that don't go there way. Next to the rich that get flown, a Russian cruise ship was also invited to come along and celebrate the grande opening. Though the Russian ship is what topples everything there are notes prior to of weird things happening. A airplane crashes and the survivors aren't well alive anymore if you know what I mean. Some people at the resort do get wind of this. As I already said, when the Russian ship arrives everything chances. The walking dead escape the ship and now you might think well can they swim? No they walk on the bottom of the ocean towards the resort. A lot of the guests and residents don't want to believe it until they really get face to face with the horrifying beings. As with any zombie apocalypse, they have to fight to stay alive. But besides this normal threat it comes to show that there is more going on than the zombie invasion...
I read zombie fiction before but to be honest I have never come across such a strong introduction of things that spiral out of control fast as what Allison Littlewood did in Acapulcalypse Now. The scene with the reporter. Now this is precisely as how I would imagine it. First giving the news as is, and then the scene terrible escalating. This part had so much dynamics going on, it felt like I was watching the eight o'clock news. Allison Littlewood perfectly captures the surprise, unbelieve and horror of it.
Though this is for me one of the more prominent scenes there are plenty more like this all thorughout the story. Of course the tone of the book is dark and grim and the prospect of survival is slim to none, there are however also some funny moment hidden throughout the book, some before the plague struck and others happening after. The humor in the story isn't carried over the top but can often be seen in the small victories and little moments. This small addition of humor has a big influence on the story dynamics overall making you feel and care much more for the protagonists in question.
Talking about characters there are plenty that you follow all along the story. For me the ones that stood out were McClelland and Stacy, they were most of the times together. Stacy is the head of security for the Acapulco resort and McClelland was a survivor from the Russian ship. They make up the main movement of the story, they have similar and dissimilar personality traits that made them a great duo. Though the events in the story aren't spread over weeks and weeks, it really felt that they were growing together more and more towards the ending of the story. I guess when you are presented in such a situation it is only natural to put somethings aside and make sure you get out alive.
As I also mentioned above is that there is much more going on that just the zombie invasion. Something supernatural is happening and this gave unexpected plot twist to say the least. I think there might be some zombie purist who will say that it doesn't fit. Well I liked it, comes to show that there is more!
Allison Littlewood did a terrific terrifying job with Acapulcalypse Now. I cant compare it to the earlier books written in this series but I cant say that Allison Littlewood went above my expectations of the zombie genre currently stand for. And still that scene with the reporter. Brilliant.
Zombies always do well in fiction, look at Dawn of the Dead and of course the Walking Dead. They are a subject that can be used in many different ways, just a few weeks a ago Allison Littlewood wrote a blogpost on her view of zombies which you can find here. It just comes to show that despite being a short word, zombies are versatile. This is my first venture in the Zombie Apocalypse series so I can´t reference towards the earlier books.
Acapulcalypse Now begins innocent enough as it should. The mighty and rich get invited to the latest state of the art resort in Acapulco, Mexico. If you would get an invitation wouldn't you jump on to the plane right away? The resort in question is build in the shape of a big Mayan temple, but it doesn't only has the facade the interior is lined with artifacts. As the people gather to the resort is isn't without the problem that the rich face, things that don't go there way. Next to the rich that get flown, a Russian cruise ship was also invited to come along and celebrate the grande opening. Though the Russian ship is what topples everything there are notes prior to of weird things happening. A airplane crashes and the survivors aren't well alive anymore if you know what I mean. Some people at the resort do get wind of this. As I already said, when the Russian ship arrives everything chances. The walking dead escape the ship and now you might think well can they swim? No they walk on the bottom of the ocean towards the resort. A lot of the guests and residents don't want to believe it until they really get face to face with the horrifying beings. As with any zombie apocalypse, they have to fight to stay alive. But besides this normal threat it comes to show that there is more going on than the zombie invasion...
I read zombie fiction before but to be honest I have never come across such a strong introduction of things that spiral out of control fast as what Allison Littlewood did in Acapulcalypse Now. The scene with the reporter. Now this is precisely as how I would imagine it. First giving the news as is, and then the scene terrible escalating. This part had so much dynamics going on, it felt like I was watching the eight o'clock news. Allison Littlewood perfectly captures the surprise, unbelieve and horror of it.
Though this is for me one of the more prominent scenes there are plenty more like this all thorughout the story. Of course the tone of the book is dark and grim and the prospect of survival is slim to none, there are however also some funny moment hidden throughout the book, some before the plague struck and others happening after. The humor in the story isn't carried over the top but can often be seen in the small victories and little moments. This small addition of humor has a big influence on the story dynamics overall making you feel and care much more for the protagonists in question.
Talking about characters there are plenty that you follow all along the story. For me the ones that stood out were McClelland and Stacy, they were most of the times together. Stacy is the head of security for the Acapulco resort and McClelland was a survivor from the Russian ship. They make up the main movement of the story, they have similar and dissimilar personality traits that made them a great duo. Though the events in the story aren't spread over weeks and weeks, it really felt that they were growing together more and more towards the ending of the story. I guess when you are presented in such a situation it is only natural to put somethings aside and make sure you get out alive.
As I also mentioned above is that there is much more going on that just the zombie invasion. Something supernatural is happening and this gave unexpected plot twist to say the least. I think there might be some zombie purist who will say that it doesn't fit. Well I liked it, comes to show that there is more!
Allison Littlewood did a terrific terrifying job with Acapulcalypse Now. I cant compare it to the earlier books written in this series but I cant say that Allison Littlewood went above my expectations of the zombie genre currently stand for. And still that scene with the reporter. Brilliant.
December 2, 2016
The stack of books to read that I keep by my door has grown considerably lately--now there's 40+, but these ZA books keep clawing their way to the top! Only one more to go...and so far they've been nothing but fun, including this one! The subtitle of which I love considering the setting of Acapulco--even like the conquistador and pirate zombie on the cover.
Alison Littlewood was a contributor to the mammoth collections (really seems like 30+ authors have helped with these books) and in this one writes a pretty straightforward zombie novel within the universe. The woman who turned down the security job at the church that starts it all to work instead at a new luxury resort hotel, built in the shape of a Mayan pyramid, run by the Moreby family (hint hint, really Moreby). I guess with the time machine introduced in the last one, it makes sense that Moreby is also in this one, since there are what? Three or four of him from various timelines converging on the present? You only see him a few times though, because the main action is the Chief of Security lady; the man who escaped off the cruise ship; the teenaged kid from England trying to find his little sister; the Mayan waiter; the rock star entourage; and the cartel gangster sent to gum up the works only to find bigger problems.
Still a lot of the same stuff--there's the fleas, but not quite so many, since Moreby didn't really have time to seed the place, some predestination, since the rock star's wife is descended from the unfortunate wife of Moreby seen in the first one (which doesn't make much sense considering what happened to her, but okay, maybe she's related to the sister instead). Littlewood is a strong author and handles all the different characters adeptly. Nothing annoyed me, and the action went at a pretty good clip. Also liked the ending, which can be rare in a zombie book. Would like to read more by this author!
Alison Littlewood was a contributor to the mammoth collections (really seems like 30+ authors have helped with these books) and in this one writes a pretty straightforward zombie novel within the universe. The woman who turned down the security job at the church that starts it all to work instead at a new luxury resort hotel, built in the shape of a Mayan pyramid, run by the Moreby family (hint hint, really Moreby). I guess with the time machine introduced in the last one, it makes sense that Moreby is also in this one, since there are what? Three or four of him from various timelines converging on the present? You only see him a few times though, because the main action is the Chief of Security lady; the man who escaped off the cruise ship; the teenaged kid from England trying to find his little sister; the Mayan waiter; the rock star entourage; and the cartel gangster sent to gum up the works only to find bigger problems.
Still a lot of the same stuff--there's the fleas, but not quite so many, since Moreby didn't really have time to seed the place, some predestination, since the rock star's wife is descended from the unfortunate wife of Moreby seen in the first one (which doesn't make much sense considering what happened to her, but okay, maybe she's related to the sister instead). Littlewood is a strong author and handles all the different characters adeptly. Nothing annoyed me, and the action went at a pretty good clip. Also liked the ending, which can be rare in a zombie book. Would like to read more by this author!
September 27, 2016
I was talking to my favorite bookseller while thinking about buying this book, and put it on my pile. "What have you got there?" She said, and explained although I was completely terrified of Zombies that this one sounded interesting. "But if they scare you, then why read it?" she asked me, confused. Well, obviously I just like being scared!
In all honesty, this was exactly what I expected. Horrible, gore filled Zombie feasts and main characters dying in semi heroic fashion. Excellent descriptions too, that almost never sounded repetitive. I love it!
This is obviously a part of a series but I haven't read any of the others by the original author. I'll definitely be checking them out in the future, to learn more about what started this horrible plague. They sound really good too.
A must for fans of the zombie genre, four stars.
In all honesty, this was exactly what I expected. Horrible, gore filled Zombie feasts and main characters dying in semi heroic fashion. Excellent descriptions too, that almost never sounded repetitive. I love it!
This is obviously a part of a series but I haven't read any of the others by the original author. I'll definitely be checking them out in the future, to learn more about what started this horrible plague. They sound really good too.
A must for fans of the zombie genre, four stars.
August 21, 2018
I have to admit that this was a surprisingly good book. The premise is a bit ridiculous, a hotel for the mega rich is taken over by zombies. The ending was even more out there, but i was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and the story drew me in. I won't say it would be making a top 100 books list, but it made for an easy weekend indulgence.
November 20, 2015
To be honest I'm not a big fan of the zombie genre but I liked the story line in this book. It was a good mix of zombie and occult,with twists that kept me drawn into the story. Dark and scary! If you like zombie stories,you'll enjoy this.
July 14, 2025
What a fun time. I've now read everything in Stephen Jones' Zombie Apocalypse universe and this is one of my favourites. I think it has the best scenes of zombie carnage, and also it's the scariest!
November 24, 2016
I received this book as a prize from a competition run by The Horror Zine podcast and I enjoyed it immensely. I must admit that I haven't read any of the other Zombie Apocalypse books edited by Stephen Jones and this was my introduction to the writing of Alison Littlewood but I was very impressed. It has a great setting and I found the story very cinematic, picturing each gut-churning zombie encounter as if it were straight out of a Romero movie. Littlewood's descriptions and dialogue were great and the storytelling was very entertaining. Great book!
February 20, 2017
Masses of action , no one is safe and an undercurrent of a menace more than zombies .. failed to draw breath at times as this book upped the ante in the series and hopefully sets the tone for the endgame.
June 9, 2023
I think the first thing to say about this novel is that even by genre fiction standards the plot is very silly indeed. Silly in the over-the-top campy the first Evil Dead film is silly. Of course this doesn't really matter - you don't read a book titled 'Acapulcalpse Now' expecting profundity and dazzling literature - but there are some sections which make little sense within either this novel's plot or the wider series. For instance, what was that whole scene in the hotel's basement about? That said its all tremendous fun, particularly if like me you read it next to a hotel swimming pool.
April 10, 2018
This was pretty much the book version of a really bad horror movie and it was very predictable. The characters were badly concieved and the story thin at best.
July 14, 2025
What a fun zombie novel - scary descriptions, and awesome scenes of zombie carnage!
July 20, 2016
I've really enjoyed all of the previous Zombie Apocalypse! books, but I can't think of much positive to say about this one.
Most of the previous books, with the exception of Horror Hospital, have shared a common storyline, based on the character of Thomas Moreby, who've had a fairly big part to play in all of them; in this one, he is simply mentioned very briefly in the beginning and doesn't even make an actual appearance until the very end of the book.
Moreby has a "presence" about him, in the other books of the series, but in this one he's a very meek character, with none of what's made him frightening before.
Of course, it's not just that. It's a very dull story, very predictable and at times annoyingly faulty - like when a pirate shows up with a hook for an arm. This is a very common misconception, and one could argue that since this is a book about zombies, maybe the "reality" aspect of a pirate with a hook shouldn't be such a big thing to fault, but that's part of what's made the other books so great; they're written in a way that makes them seem almost believable, like that is what an actual zombie apocalypse would be like, and Acapulcalypse Now! utterly fails at that.
It's like a splatter movie; all gore, no actual story.
Most of the previous books, with the exception of Horror Hospital, have shared a common storyline, based on the character of Thomas Moreby, who've had a fairly big part to play in all of them; in this one, he is simply mentioned very briefly in the beginning and doesn't even make an actual appearance until the very end of the book.
Moreby has a "presence" about him, in the other books of the series, but in this one he's a very meek character, with none of what's made him frightening before.
Of course, it's not just that. It's a very dull story, very predictable and at times annoyingly faulty - like when a pirate shows up with a hook for an arm. This is a very common misconception, and one could argue that since this is a book about zombies, maybe the "reality" aspect of a pirate with a hook shouldn't be such a big thing to fault, but that's part of what's made the other books so great; they're written in a way that makes them seem almost believable, like that is what an actual zombie apocalypse would be like, and Acapulcalypse Now! utterly fails at that.
It's like a splatter movie; all gore, no actual story.
December 2, 2015
Review coming out Fri 4th Dec to www.terror-tree.co.uk
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews