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The zombie apocalypse is not forgiving, especially in the world of The Orphans. A group of teens against all odds continue to survive against the challenges presented to them in a world where the rules have changed and the Turned are trying to devour them. These are not your typical slow zombies these zombies are the fast, strong, and by far the smartest that you will encounter. Don't miss Strangers!!!

215 pages, ebook

First published October 8, 2015

94 people are currently reading
78 people want to read

About the author

Mike Evans

78 books136 followers
Mike Evans lives in Iowa with his wife, children, and two adopted dogs Rusty and Harley Quinn. He writes with a passion to bring his characters to life, to make you fall in love with them, and then make you flip pages to find out if they’ll survive or perish. He keeps his characters realistic, there are no superheroes. There are no perfect characters in his books, everyone has their flaws much like that of life. Mike loves to write in different genres and is unafraid to try something new.

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5 stars
170 (59%)
4 stars
75 (26%)
3 stars
31 (10%)
2 stars
6 (2%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Tracy  P. .
1,165 reviews12 followers
January 19, 2025
Strangers (Book #3 of the Orphans series) has accelerated the momentum to new levels. There are constant surprises around every corner, and with losses mounting, the bleak outlook for long-term survival is clearly taking its toll on the weary group of survivors.

The group has managed to find a temporary stronghold, but if they are going to have a fighting chance they must raise their numbers and find other survivors. Unfortunately, this means going back out into the zombie infested world with little chance of success.

Adding even more to their horror, the hordes are not only physically superior, their intelligence is clearly developing as well. Horrible.
21 reviews
September 23, 2019
I didn’t like it. I tolerated the first two books but by this one, I couldn’t go on much longer. This is a pre-teen’s wet dream.
I’ve mentioned this before. I hate romance in a zombie book. But do you want to know what I hate more? ....
Stupid romance. A romance without reason. I honestly don’t see the connection between the MC and the love interest. If anything. These two should actually stay ten thousand feet away from each other. Together they are bad luck for one another and everyone around them.

I would also like to point out that, yes. Shaun is to blame for Tina’s death. Totally his fault. Even if his friends are telling him it isn’t. Also I would like to point out that the MC Shaun, is a fucking 15 year old boy. And yet he is better than the Navy Seal, adults and all his friends. Give me a fucking break. Also, all we hear is the internal babbling of, I can’t live without Ellie or Ella or whatever the fuck the love interest’s name is. I would have preferred reading about the Ansil than these stupid kids. Oh, let me go into an infested city all because a girl that I can’t live without, but not to chapters ago told Tina that he didn’t know what was going on between him and said girl, to save the girl from an entire city, plus the army.

All the teens in this book are cocky little shits. You’ll find no humility here. Or no intelligence either.
Also, I would like to point out things from previous books that I hated.
One, Shaun is an asshole towards his dad.
He hates him for not being there for him and his mom. But come on, he was four years old when this happened p, can we get over it already. And then the way Ellie or whatever, Laos jumps on the I hate Frank Fox wagon.
And Shaun already knew his dad was working on a cure, then why get fucking pissed when his dad stays in the lab working on the cure for a long hours. A fucking cure. Jesus, the kid is unlikable, the love interest is worst.

She doesn’t do shit to help her friends survive but demands Shaun to do al, her bidding. She is a pointless character. Ugh, I’m done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Joan.
1,132 reviews7 followers
October 22, 2015
Well Mike Evans has done it again. This is the third book in The Orphans series and each one tops the other. One of the unique things is Evans uses friends of his as characters in his books and just because they're his friends, it doesn't mean they're safe. You get so involved in the story and characters that you feel like you're right there in the midst of their travels. I love these characters and have cried as we lose more. The survivors are getting better at defending themselves but sometimes that hasn't helped and the pain of loss is getting deeper and harder to accept. The next book should be epic as they have just received devastating news and their reaction to it is somewhat surprising so I'm really pumped for the next book. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys zombies, action, great characters and a top notch tale. A big thumbs up to Mike Evans.
Profile Image for Louise Feagans.
228 reviews7 followers
April 16, 2016
Orphans

I am really enjoying this series by Mike Evans. The characters are great, I love the kids and I cry when they die. My favorite right now is Joey, and you need to read the series to find out why! I can't wait to read the fourth book. By the way, Shaun giving Eric a bloody nose was fantastic!
Profile Image for Sean Hammond.
24 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2015
If you've made it this far, there's no way that you aren't already a rabid fan of this fantastically original post-apocalyptic series . There isn't much to say at this point other than you won't be disappointed!
81 reviews2 followers
April 30, 2016
Lots of action, a great story of survival

This book has lots of action and is a fun read. Some 'tongue and cheek' humor with Eric Sherman and Dead Hunger. I really enjoyed all 3 books of this series and I am ready to read #4 now.
49 reviews3 followers
February 4, 2016
Awesome

I love this series! It just keeps getting better and better! Well done Mike!. I sure hope this isn't the last one.
Profile Image for Pauline MacLeod .
58 reviews
May 7, 2016
Another good read from this fantastic series. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes zombies. Now on to #4!
Profile Image for Rebecca Larsen.
413 reviews6 followers
November 14, 2017

4 Stars

Action packed and will get you emotionally involved. These kids will prove they have what it takes to survive the apocalypse. When bad things happen, they won't let it keep them down. My only issue with this series is the constant reiteration of "It's not your fault." or "You can't blame yourself." . Other than that, it is a great read and a series any zombie fan will love.
Profile Image for Erick  Ontiveros.
41 reviews
October 27, 2016
Okay I don´t know why the 4th book isn´t here, I want to review it but anyway... I am really enjoying this saga, it has everything a survival book needs, from good characters so enjoyable. Shaun is one of the greatest main characters I have ever seen!, he is smart and this serves to a purpose, has a great moral but he is not naive and has a lot of rage inside that makes him very unpredictable. Mike Evans is a great writer and this is definitely the best zombie book I have read so far. The story gets into you in a way that you deeply care of the main survivors and gives you a real sense of how will it be to live a hell like that with one of the most dangerous zombies I know.

5/5
881 reviews
December 21, 2020
A Page Turner

That was a good story. Took me awhile to finish but only because I wasn't reading. When I picked it up last night I didn't stop til it was finished. I loved everything about this book from the storyline to the characters. I was drawn in from book one but in this part you saw the growth of these characters who were just children trying to survive the apocalypse. I can't wait to read part 4 to see what happens next. This was a page turner.
Profile Image for Mkittysamom.
1,467 reviews53 followers
June 6, 2016
General Shaun!

It just gets better and better, the story I mean..definitely not the zombie apocalypse!! These kids are amazing! I love all the new characters!! Can't get enough! This is a awesome Series!! 14yr olds are ruling the world! Anarchy rules!
Profile Image for Henry Hayes.
69 reviews
November 15, 2017
Gets more exciting

It starts to get more exciting than the first two in the series, but whoever did the editing and the proofreading for this book needs to start looking for a new career path because there are all sorts of errors that just irk me.
147 reviews1 follower
December 25, 2025
Bonds Are Tested in a Bleaker, Smarter Zombie Hellscape (4/5 Stars)

Hey, Orphans fans. If you've made it to Book 3, you're already in deep with Shaun and his crew, and you know Mike Evans doesn't pull his punches. Strangers picks up the pace from the first two books, plunging our weary teen survivors back into a world where the "Turned" are getting smarter and safe havens are a cruel joke. This installment cranks up the emotional and physical stakes, forcing the group to make desperate alliances while grappling with devastating new losses. It's a tense, action-packed ride that solidifies the series' strengths—and its divisive character dynamics.

Key Themes
Survival Under Relentless Pressure: The "bleak outlook for long-term survival" is a constant weight. The book explores the grinding psychological toll of the apocalypse, where every "gift" of a new day feels like "torture". The need to find more survivors to increase their chances forces them into terrifying, high-risk scenarios.

Trust and Alliance in a Broken World: The title says it all. Survival now depends on integrating with new faces, creating tense dynamics of trust and leadership. The story asks whether uniting with "strangers" is the key to endurance or a new kind of threat.

Evolving Threats: The Turned are no mindless horde. A major, terrifying development is that their intelligence is "clearly developing". This escalates the threat beyond mere strength and speed, forcing the survivors to constantly adapt their tactics.

Character Analysis
The core of this series remains its character-driven drama.

Shaun is shouldering immense guilt and a leadership role that feels far too heavy for a teenager. While some readers find his competence and internal conflict compelling—"he is smart... has a great moral but he is not naive"—others criticize him as an unlikable, "cocky" know-it-all whose angst over his father, Frank Fox, feels stretched.

The Group Dynamic is fracturing under stress. New characters join the fray, and old bonds are strained by grief and tough decisions. A central point of contention among readers is the romantic subplot between Shaun and Ellie, which some feel is a distracting "stupid romance" that hinders the survival narrative.

Writing Style & Pacing
Evans's prose is straightforward and visceral, designed to keep pages turning. The pacing in Strangers is notably accelerated, with "constant surprises around every corner". The action is relentless, capturing the chaotic, desperate energy of a group constantly on the brink. However, this focus on momentum can come at the expense of subtlety, with character emotions and motivations sometimes stated explicitly rather than shown.

What I Liked/Disliked
Liked:

Escalating Stakes: The smarter zombies and the desperate need to recruit add fresh, terrifying layers to the survival horror.

Emotional Punch: Evans excels at making you care, so when losses mount—and they do—it genuinely hurts. The "pain of loss is getting deeper and harder to accept".

Unpredictability: As one reviewer notes, "Just when you think things may go the way you hope for them, things change".

Disliked:

Characterization Hiccups: Some character decisions, especially from the teens, can defy believability, stretching the "mature for their age" premise thin. The repeated dialogue tropes (like constant reassurance that tragedies aren't the protagonist's fault) also wore on me.

Editing Issues: Several readers pointed out distracting grammatical and proofreading errors that can break immersion.

Conclusion & Recommendation
Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. Strangers is a strong, pulse-pounding sequel that successfully raises the stakes and will hook fans of the series. It delivers the gritty action and emotional gut-punches the genre demands, even if some character beats feel repetitive or undercooked.

You should read this book if: You're invested in The Orphans series and need to know what happens next. It's perfect for readers who love fast-paced, gritty zombie action in the vein of 28 Days Later and don't mind a heavy dose of teenage drama mixed with the gore.

Do not start here. This book relies entirely on the foundation and emotional investment built by Origins and Surviving the Turned. Newcomers will be utterly lost.

If you're this far into the journey, Strangers is an essential, if sometimes frustrating, chapter that ends on a note guaranteeing you'll be reaching for Book 4, White Lie, immediately.
Profile Image for Michael  Keller.
938 reviews10 followers
June 15, 2021
Another amazing tale of survival and life in a zombie apocalypse

Shaun and Greg, although barely teenagers, were heads above most of their peers and adults in the close circle of survivors who had lived through day one of the growing horde of infected dead who rise to satisfy their undead appetite for the blood and flesh of those who hadn't Turned. With the help of Clary and Aslin, the lone survivors of the Seal Team sent to find Dr. Fox's research that had led to the outbreak of what can only be described as a zombie plague. That's not bad enough? These resurrected corpses are fast! Very fast and smart! Not geniuses, but not stupid either. Being faster than someone else is no guarantee of survival.

I love this storyline! Unexpected twists keep the flow fresh, like the spurts of blood from a zombie's bite. Losses are constant as the learning curve slowly bends upward then takes a quick dive again. The characters are terrific for the brief times they're alive. That's an expected outcome as civilization is ripped of with the bandage. So far the veneer of civility is stretched thin when losses pile up and deadly mistakes lead to dire consequences. The mantle of leadership slips on narrow shoulders before being picked up by an unexpected individual. No spoilers, just praise for the master storyteller! Great read, and the series continues!
Profile Image for Cynthia Terrones .
193 reviews10 followers
June 26, 2017
RE-READ THIS BOOK AND IT WAS WORTH EVERY MINUTE!

Another great book by Mike Evans and I am so ready for the next one in this series. Again this is a re-read, as I didn't properly post a review when I read it the first time and let me tell you, the second time is the charm. This really is an awesome series as Shawn and his friends have maybe, finally found a place to be safe and I say maybe because every place they thought was fine, ended up being taken over by "the turned", as they loose more good people. Then comes word that possibly there is no hope and that shatters Shaun's soul. With more survivors, he hopes they have a chance, but that means going after "the turned" and Shaun is more than ready, but that won't be as easy as it sounds, because it seems they're getting stronger, learning and no one seems to know that yet except for the CDC. This is a 5 star book for sure and one I hope everyone reads. This is one book you won't be able to put down.
Profile Image for Frank McGee.
6 reviews
December 1, 2021
Not well thought about.

Just started flicking through as there is to much dialogue and not enough story. Got really bored.
Also didn't like the fact that you keep killing off the main characters. Andy, Tim, even Tina. When Tina died you seemed to be mainly concerned with the fact that Shaun and Greg saved the two others with their fantastic shooting, not with the fact that a stupid 14 year old boy got her killed in the first place because he couldn't control himself. If I'd been Clarey the first thing I would have done is decked him.
Sorry but not my favourite books or writer.
Profile Image for Teresa.
1,908 reviews35 followers
August 27, 2022
Book 1 was great, 2 was good. This one just seems to be a repeat / rehash of the first two

And getting silly. I understand LOTS of zombies, fast, high jumping etc. but chasing a bus going 60 for hours to find the kids who had found another safe place. Just no. I am waiting for them to start flying or spider walking up walls

So far books 2 & 3 take place on day 2 and 3. Too much shit happens to fast and nothing good occurs.

And Shaun at 15 knows more about everything than anyone and makes SEALS look like morons. That part is gag-worthy.

I’ll try book 4 but if it continues, I may not finish that one. . .
164 reviews1 follower
January 28, 2022
This book follows Shaun, Ellie and their friends as they try to survive the outbreak. They !wet some new people along the way and continue the search for a safe place to live. The characters are believable and well written. It is only let down by the narrator, strange way of reading and the voices are quite similar. The narrator changes in book 4 so I'm looking forward to see if this makes the books even better. Definitely worth listening too. The zombies in these books are brutal!
Profile Image for Courtney Walker.
92 reviews
October 22, 2018
Ok

I give this a three because the sentence structure in this book need some serious work. There are some sentences that don’t really make any sense and then there are some that don’t need to be there. The plot and story lines are good. There is a lot of miss spelled words that need fixed. Some of the sentences are a little stiff and could be worded differently.
Profile Image for mia.
777 reviews
February 29, 2020
The Story just keeps getting better! Shaun & Greg continue to find more trouble to get into while managing to show their pet SEALs a few tricks. They manage to pick up some new friends along the way, some not so bright. My favourite part was the stunt that Eric pulled off to save the bus! I definately can't wait to start book 4, I'm so hooked!
Profile Image for Angie Anderson.
584 reviews7 followers
January 27, 2022
Even better than book 2

The turned have them and the world based into a corner. As the wait for a cute continues, Sean and the gang are fighting to survive! Can a group of kids make it! Can a cure be found for the turned? Only the author, Mike Evens has the answer. Evans is a miserly genius in telling the story.
Profile Image for PHYL.
145 reviews5 followers
May 27, 2017
This book is one of the best Zombie reads. The story begins where Orphans 2 left off. Mike Evans, in his usual style, adds mores horror to an already nightmare world. His zombies are 'new and improved', from a zombie point of view. Excellent
Profile Image for Christine E Butler.
74 reviews4 followers
September 30, 2018
I love this series

In some ways, this s series is the usual zombie fare and in others,it is very different. It's totally worth the read, though, if you've read the previous books. You need those first to get the backgrounds, but I'm enjoying the story.
Profile Image for Jeff D..
115 reviews1 follower
May 29, 2019
Too much of the book rehashes everything in the first 2 books and more than once. At time it felt like I was reading Judy Blume's attempt at a zombie novel. First 2 were excellent - will give 4th a shot but will punch out early if its same as this one
Profile Image for Corinne Marshall.
410 reviews10 followers
April 18, 2021
Really hooked on this series. Storyline is very exciting and intense and the Turned are fast and brutal. Having teenagers as the main characters adds to the story and have the tissues ready. Quite confident that the next book will be just as good.
27 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2021
Loving it

I am just loving this series. Having devoured 3 books in the series in a week I just can't stop. The characters have stolen my heart. The action keeps me riveted. The story is involving. Off to the next in the series.
Profile Image for Kathy D Dodge.
289 reviews2 followers
August 19, 2021
Must read series!

The story line keeps you turning the pages for what will happen next. It s hard to stop and write this review knowing that I have the next book ready to start reading!
1,040 reviews3 followers
March 6, 2022
Loved it!

Poor Shaun…every time he turns around thinking something else bad happens and another friend is lost. Thank the Lord he has Greg and Ellie…but for how long.
Thanks for another great book Mike.
Profile Image for Lucille Bransfield.
1,052 reviews
August 1, 2022
I really enjoy the characters in this series. I hate that there are less of them, but that would be reality if a real zombie apocalypse happened. Not everyone will survive. Love Jack Wallen’s narrating! Unto book 4.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

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