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Run #1
Run
Listening Length: 7 hours and 51 minutes
The dead have risen, and they are hungry.
Slow and plodding, they are Legion. The undead hunt the living. Stop and they will catch you. Hide and they will find you. If you have a heartbeat you do the only thing you can: You run.
Survivors escape to an island stronghold: A cop and his daughter, a computer nerd, a garbage man with a piece of rebar, and an escapee from a mental hospital with a life-saving secret. After reaching Alcatraz, the ever expanding group of survivors realize that the infected are not the only threat.
Caught between the viciousness of the undead, and the heartlessness of the living, what choice is there? Run.
The dead have risen, and they are hungry.
Slow and plodding, they are Legion. The undead hunt the living. Stop and they will catch you. Hide and they will find you. If you have a heartbeat you do the only thing you can: You run.
Survivors escape to an island stronghold: A cop and his daughter, a computer nerd, a garbage man with a piece of rebar, and an escapee from a mental hospital with a life-saving secret. After reaching Alcatraz, the ever expanding group of survivors realize that the infected are not the only threat.
Caught between the viciousness of the undead, and the heartlessness of the living, what choice is there? Run.
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First published April 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
November 7, 2020
Book 3 in my Zombie-a-thon!
Well that was a pretty average zombie book. Lot's of stereotypical gun-carrying blokes on power trips. Billy ended up being the most interesting character and considering at 36% I was hoping he would get eaten, that is saying a lot. The zombie action scenes were pretty good though so kudos for the thrills and the 2 stars are for that.
Well that was a pretty average zombie book. Lot's of stereotypical gun-carrying blokes on power trips. Billy ended up being the most interesting character and considering at 36% I was hoping he would get eaten, that is saying a lot. The zombie action scenes were pretty good though so kudos for the thrills and the 2 stars are for that.
April 5, 2015
As a daily reader of zombie and apocalyptic fiction, I have to come to recognize a great novel within the first few pages. Run by Rich Restucci grabbed me immediately and did not let go.
Rich Restucci provides a fresh perspective of the zombie apocalypse, a perspective that is at once light-hearted but also darkly grotesque. He lends humor to situations with a style that is infectious, and it was refreshing to be shocked and horrified while at the same time smiling. I was especially captivated by the characters in Run. They are quirky and likable, and even the villains are portrayed in an intriguing manner, so that as a reader I did not want the story to end. I have to admit, that all too often I begin novels and never get past the first chapter. Not so with Run by Rich Restucci. I could not put this book down, and I was bereft when I finished reading- because I wanted more. I cannot express my elation when I heard there is another book in this series, and I will be the first to buy a copy when it is published. If you are fan of apocalyptic fiction, then you will love Run by Rich Restucci. Run and buy your copy now.
Rich Restucci provides a fresh perspective of the zombie apocalypse, a perspective that is at once light-hearted but also darkly grotesque. He lends humor to situations with a style that is infectious, and it was refreshing to be shocked and horrified while at the same time smiling. I was especially captivated by the characters in Run. They are quirky and likable, and even the villains are portrayed in an intriguing manner, so that as a reader I did not want the story to end. I have to admit, that all too often I begin novels and never get past the first chapter. Not so with Run by Rich Restucci. I could not put this book down, and I was bereft when I finished reading- because I wanted more. I cannot express my elation when I heard there is another book in this series, and I will be the first to buy a copy when it is published. If you are fan of apocalyptic fiction, then you will love Run by Rich Restucci. Run and buy your copy now.
July 3, 2015
This weak offering is like an even weaker episode of The Walking Dead. Complete with a lead cop character named "Rick" just as in THE DEAD, I would have quit this book if it hadn't been so short.
So do yourself a favor and just watch a single episode of The Walking Dead from Season 1, it will be much more satisfying.
So do yourself a favor and just watch a single episode of The Walking Dead from Season 1, it will be much more satisfying.
November 1, 2015
It started off ok but then...
I enjoyed the story at first but then subplot with Doc Murda. That seemed so stereotypical and derogatory that I really couldn't get past it. It ruined the whole book for me.
I enjoyed the story at first but then subplot with Doc Murda. That seemed so stereotypical and derogatory that I really couldn't get past it. It ruined the whole book for me.
July 24, 2015
Crazy virus outbreak?
Zombies everywhere?
Survivors few and far between?
Great American setting?
Strong leading man?
People driven mad with power?
YES TO ALL!!!
Hell, I love me an America gone to shit zombie-a-thon. This book delivers that, it has blood, gore and crazy!
Run is set in San Francisco, a virus outbreak on the east coast in Boston has gotten out of hand, it is spreading like wildfire, the dead are rising and they are hungry.
Rick picks up his young daughter from the airport, she has just arrived on a flight from Boston, at this point everything in SF is still relatively normal, in fact Rick manages to give the airline attendant a good look over BUT that night things start to go wrong.
Rick is a cop, his boss calls him in to work, stressing that he can't go in as he has his daughter he is told to come in the following morning. That does not happen, during the night Rick hears disturbances outside his house, what he witnesses shocks him to the core.
A man gone crazy, attacking ambulance men and not falling down dead despite being shot, the virus has reached the west coast.
Rick decides to head to get his father, along with his daughter they run the gauntlet of zombies and people going crazy. Along the way he picks up some companions including a guy from the south called Dallas, a young computer tech guy and a guy called Billy who is not all there.
Once they have picked up Rick's dad they make their way to Alcatraz where the remaining officers of SFPD are holed up, can they make their way through a city full of dead who want them for their next meal?
Run is a good read but a couple of things bothered me, there was a character in it Doc Murda who reminded me a little of the villain in the James Bond film that was set in New Orleans, he seemed hell bent on getting control of Alcatraz, I know people go all sorts of crazy when bad things happen but if I was stuck in SF when the shit hit the fan I'd be getting the hell out of Dodge and finding a hole to hide in. I certainly wouldn't be try to be the big "I AM" but hey I suppose it add something to the story but I'd rather have more zombies and less Bond villain.
Also a submarine appears beside Alcatraz with some US military inside it, lucky for the guys on Alcatraz but I would prefer if they had to struggle without help from the submariners.
Apart from that I did enjoy it, besides the blood and gore there was also humour and I believe looking at the authors goodreads page there will be a sequel as the ending does give you the impression that there is lot more to be said and done.
If you are a zombie fan it is worth giving this a read.
Zombies everywhere?
Survivors few and far between?
Great American setting?
Strong leading man?
People driven mad with power?
YES TO ALL!!!
Hell, I love me an America gone to shit zombie-a-thon. This book delivers that, it has blood, gore and crazy!
Run is set in San Francisco, a virus outbreak on the east coast in Boston has gotten out of hand, it is spreading like wildfire, the dead are rising and they are hungry.
Rick picks up his young daughter from the airport, she has just arrived on a flight from Boston, at this point everything in SF is still relatively normal, in fact Rick manages to give the airline attendant a good look over BUT that night things start to go wrong.
Rick is a cop, his boss calls him in to work, stressing that he can't go in as he has his daughter he is told to come in the following morning. That does not happen, during the night Rick hears disturbances outside his house, what he witnesses shocks him to the core.
A man gone crazy, attacking ambulance men and not falling down dead despite being shot, the virus has reached the west coast.
Rick decides to head to get his father, along with his daughter they run the gauntlet of zombies and people going crazy. Along the way he picks up some companions including a guy from the south called Dallas, a young computer tech guy and a guy called Billy who is not all there.
Once they have picked up Rick's dad they make their way to Alcatraz where the remaining officers of SFPD are holed up, can they make their way through a city full of dead who want them for their next meal?
Run is a good read but a couple of things bothered me, there was a character in it Doc Murda who reminded me a little of the villain in the James Bond film that was set in New Orleans, he seemed hell bent on getting control of Alcatraz, I know people go all sorts of crazy when bad things happen but if I was stuck in SF when the shit hit the fan I'd be getting the hell out of Dodge and finding a hole to hide in. I certainly wouldn't be try to be the big "I AM" but hey I suppose it add something to the story but I'd rather have more zombies and less Bond villain.
Also a submarine appears beside Alcatraz with some US military inside it, lucky for the guys on Alcatraz but I would prefer if they had to struggle without help from the submariners.
Apart from that I did enjoy it, besides the blood and gore there was also humour and I believe looking at the authors goodreads page there will be a sequel as the ending does give you the impression that there is lot more to be said and done.
If you are a zombie fan it is worth giving this a read.
April 3, 2018
Underdeveloped characters and lazy stereotyping: nothing wrong with an evil black villain at all, just don't make ALL your villains black and vicious for power and all the good people 'honest whitefolk' - even the serial killer turned good gets better press. Said serial killer character and the unexplained reason for why the undead leave him alone is about the only interesting thing in the book and the reason for one star. Unhealthy obsession with owning guns makes me believe we have here an NRA-supporting redneck who has learnt to write (sorry Rich but your blurb at the back does little to disperse this view). Disappointing.
April 30, 2015
Wow!
And that's an understatement! Not a "typical" ZA novel, but rather a book that pulls you in, grabs you by the throat and only lets go at the end....leaving you wanting more!
(Someone PLEASE tell me there's more after this book!)
And that's an understatement! Not a "typical" ZA novel, but rather a book that pulls you in, grabs you by the throat and only lets go at the end....leaving you wanting more!
(Someone PLEASE tell me there's more after this book!)
May 5, 2015
Entertaining
Thank you Amazon for recommending this book. I got through it pretty quickly as I didn't put it down much. I love zombie fiction and this is a good one. I'm hoping Restucci writes a sequel.
Thank you Amazon for recommending this book. I got through it pretty quickly as I didn't put it down much. I love zombie fiction and this is a good one. I'm hoping Restucci writes a sequel.
July 16, 2024
I liked the zombie aspect and the humor. Billy was an interesting character. It loses stars with the whole gang subplot. It just seemed so ridiculous and over the top. Also, very unnecessary. The zombie apocalypse just started, how are they so over the fact that the dead are walking (and eating) and have so much power already??? They were like full mad Max survival mode within like 3 days...
Read
June 11, 2022Basic zombies book... only thing that kept me going was Billy (and the "references" to other horro stuff).
January 17, 2024
Excellent zombie story. I was pleasantly surprised.
October 18, 2019
Inhalt/Meinung
Endlich mal wieder eine Zombiestory und dann noch aus dem Hause Luzifer. Da steht der Name ja schon für gutes Programm und meine Erwartungen waren dementsprechend hoch. Zombies hatte ich lange nicht, deswegen hab ich mich wirklich sehr auf die Geschichte gefreut!
Die Story beginnt mit dem Cop Rick, der seine Tochter am Flughafen abholt. Alles ist normal, sie gehen nach Hause, essen Burger und haben Spaß. Nur leider werden die Nachrichten immer besorgniserregender. Es ist die Rede von Epidemien und Krankheiten und so langsam sind alle besorgt. Als eines Nachts etwas schreckliches bei Rick vor der Tür passiert und ein Kollege ihm sagt, er solle seine Tochter und sich in Sicherheit bringen, mach Rick sich auf den Weg nach Alcatraz. Denn die Gefängnisinsel ist eben genau das. Eine Insel. Und dort kommt ja nun wirklich niemand rauf.
Der Weg zu dieser Insel ist gepflastert mit Hindernissen, mit denen Rick sich nie beschäftigen musste. Neben einer Menge Untoten sind wenige Menschen unterwegs, die aber nichts Gutes im Sinn haben. Sie morgen, stehlen und denken nur an ihre eigenen Interessen. Von Hilfe oder andere retten wollen diese Leute nichts wissen. Sie denken nur an sich und machen es Rick schwer, moralisch richtig zu handeln.
Er versucht wirklich alles, aber in erster Linie geht es ihm darum, seine Tochter zu schützen. Das ist wichtig und nichts, aber auch gar nichts, geht über dieses Ziel!
Rick trifft auf einige Menschen, die sich ihm auf seinem Weg nach Alcatraz anschließen. Ein Müllmann, der ziemlich seltsam ist und irgendwie aggressiv wirkt, aber das Herz am rechten Fleck hat. Ein Computer-Nerd, der im Grunde zu nichts gut ist, aber dennoch alles gibt, um ein guter Teil der Gruppe zu werden. Ein junger Mann, der wirklich irre ist und wahrscheinlich auch zu einer Gefahr werden könnte.
Eine seltsame Gruppe, die sich zusammengefunden hat, aber sie geben alles, um auf diese Insel zukommen. Die Untoten lauern an jeder Ecke, sind äußerst aggressiv und einfach in der Überzahl.
Außerdem scheint es verschiedene Arten von Zombies zu geben. Die hirnlosen Idioten, die nur rumlaufen und Hunger haben. Und die, die anscheinende noch denken können. Die schneller sind, noch aggressiver und zu einem wirklichen Problem werden könnten.
Alcatraz ist leider auch nicht die Insel, die Rick sich erhoffte. Jeder will diese Sicherheit für sich und beansprucht das Land. Auch wenn es eigentlich niemandem gehört und wahrscheinlich alle Platz hätten, um zu überleben. Die Kämpfe um die Insel sind blutig und sind alleine nicht zu schaffen. Rick muss an und über seine Grenzen hinüber gehen, um für seine Tochter Sicherheit zu schaffen. Er muss sich auf Fremde verlassen, die mit ihm gemeinsam gegen Untote und gegen Menschen kämpfen.
Der Autor hat hier ein wirklich spannenden Roadtrip geschaffen, der mich an die Seiten fesselte und den ich kaum aus der Hand legen konnte. Die Zombies sind richtig zombiehaft und haben mir echt gefallen. Es geht rasant von einem Vorfall zum nächsten und es bleibt kaum Zeit, um zu Atem zu kommen. Weder ich noch die Figuren haben Zeit, um mal Pause zu machen. Gerade das gefiel mir aber, denn man fliegt nur so durch die Seiten. Schießt die Charaktere ins Herz und hofft die ganze Zeit, dass sie es irgendwie schaffen.
Fazit
Am Anfang war ich wirklich skeptisch, da Zombieromane ja nun auch nicht neu erfunden werden können. Aber der Autor überraschte mich und sorgte mit anhaltender Spannung und wahnsinnig unterschiedlichen Charakteren dafür, dass ich mich kaum von den Seiten lösen konnte. Für Zombiefans ist das Buch ein klares must read!
Die einzige Frage, die sich mir hier stellt: Wann kommt die Fortsetzung?!
Endlich mal wieder eine Zombiestory und dann noch aus dem Hause Luzifer. Da steht der Name ja schon für gutes Programm und meine Erwartungen waren dementsprechend hoch. Zombies hatte ich lange nicht, deswegen hab ich mich wirklich sehr auf die Geschichte gefreut!
Die Story beginnt mit dem Cop Rick, der seine Tochter am Flughafen abholt. Alles ist normal, sie gehen nach Hause, essen Burger und haben Spaß. Nur leider werden die Nachrichten immer besorgniserregender. Es ist die Rede von Epidemien und Krankheiten und so langsam sind alle besorgt. Als eines Nachts etwas schreckliches bei Rick vor der Tür passiert und ein Kollege ihm sagt, er solle seine Tochter und sich in Sicherheit bringen, mach Rick sich auf den Weg nach Alcatraz. Denn die Gefängnisinsel ist eben genau das. Eine Insel. Und dort kommt ja nun wirklich niemand rauf.
Der Weg zu dieser Insel ist gepflastert mit Hindernissen, mit denen Rick sich nie beschäftigen musste. Neben einer Menge Untoten sind wenige Menschen unterwegs, die aber nichts Gutes im Sinn haben. Sie morgen, stehlen und denken nur an ihre eigenen Interessen. Von Hilfe oder andere retten wollen diese Leute nichts wissen. Sie denken nur an sich und machen es Rick schwer, moralisch richtig zu handeln.
Er versucht wirklich alles, aber in erster Linie geht es ihm darum, seine Tochter zu schützen. Das ist wichtig und nichts, aber auch gar nichts, geht über dieses Ziel!
Rick trifft auf einige Menschen, die sich ihm auf seinem Weg nach Alcatraz anschließen. Ein Müllmann, der ziemlich seltsam ist und irgendwie aggressiv wirkt, aber das Herz am rechten Fleck hat. Ein Computer-Nerd, der im Grunde zu nichts gut ist, aber dennoch alles gibt, um ein guter Teil der Gruppe zu werden. Ein junger Mann, der wirklich irre ist und wahrscheinlich auch zu einer Gefahr werden könnte.
Eine seltsame Gruppe, die sich zusammengefunden hat, aber sie geben alles, um auf diese Insel zukommen. Die Untoten lauern an jeder Ecke, sind äußerst aggressiv und einfach in der Überzahl.
Außerdem scheint es verschiedene Arten von Zombies zu geben. Die hirnlosen Idioten, die nur rumlaufen und Hunger haben. Und die, die anscheinende noch denken können. Die schneller sind, noch aggressiver und zu einem wirklichen Problem werden könnten.
Alcatraz ist leider auch nicht die Insel, die Rick sich erhoffte. Jeder will diese Sicherheit für sich und beansprucht das Land. Auch wenn es eigentlich niemandem gehört und wahrscheinlich alle Platz hätten, um zu überleben. Die Kämpfe um die Insel sind blutig und sind alleine nicht zu schaffen. Rick muss an und über seine Grenzen hinüber gehen, um für seine Tochter Sicherheit zu schaffen. Er muss sich auf Fremde verlassen, die mit ihm gemeinsam gegen Untote und gegen Menschen kämpfen.
Der Autor hat hier ein wirklich spannenden Roadtrip geschaffen, der mich an die Seiten fesselte und den ich kaum aus der Hand legen konnte. Die Zombies sind richtig zombiehaft und haben mir echt gefallen. Es geht rasant von einem Vorfall zum nächsten und es bleibt kaum Zeit, um zu Atem zu kommen. Weder ich noch die Figuren haben Zeit, um mal Pause zu machen. Gerade das gefiel mir aber, denn man fliegt nur so durch die Seiten. Schießt die Charaktere ins Herz und hofft die ganze Zeit, dass sie es irgendwie schaffen.
Fazit
Am Anfang war ich wirklich skeptisch, da Zombieromane ja nun auch nicht neu erfunden werden können. Aber der Autor überraschte mich und sorgte mit anhaltender Spannung und wahnsinnig unterschiedlichen Charakteren dafür, dass ich mich kaum von den Seiten lösen konnte. Für Zombiefans ist das Buch ein klares must read!
Die einzige Frage, die sich mir hier stellt: Wann kommt die Fortsetzung?!
September 21, 2019
The novel “Run” by Rich Restucci was a very fast-paced, averagely told, yet somewhat entertaining zombie story that managed to bring a few interesting twists to the genre, but ultimately little else.
The Writing:
For the most part the writing in this novel was serviceable. I felt like it was at its best during the first few chapters, then it started to get lazier as the novel progressed until it became almost straight info-dumping through character expositions. It came across as the author maybe losing interest half-way, or really just wanting to churn out the rest of the book as fast as possible.
The biggest weakness Restucci’s writing suffers from however is poor dialogue. In almost every instance it comes across as stilted, robotic and unbelievable. During a phone conversation in which Rick’s wife stresses multiple times that the signal could cut out at any moment, she still finds it necessary to snap at him for calling her “Honey”. Beyond this there was also the issue that every character sounded like the same person, but I’ll talk more about this later.
There were quite a few spelling and grammatical errors as well, which I’m normally pretty lax about for self-published titles unless it’s excessive, but I was surprised to learn that this novel wasn’t actually self-published. This threw me off guard a little as the writing quality (in my opinion) didn’t seem up to standard for what I expect from professional publishing houses.
Overall, while I personally didn’t find myself enjoying Restucci’s straight-to-the-point, almost comic-book like writing style, it still managed to do its job and convey the narrative.
The Characters:
This novel hosted an abundance of characters, almost all of which blended together entirely. Most of our protagonists seemed like clones of one another, with the exceptions of those whose personalities were so blown out of proportion they practically became caricatures i.e. Martingale and Doc Murda.
There was a serious lack of depth or diversity applied that you could probably cut out half the characters, give their dialogue and actions to whoever remains, and it would be unnoticeable that anything changed. It certainly didn’t help that the author used so many similar sounding names:
Meara, McInerney, Martinez, Martingale and Martin.
Abbey, Ali and Anna
Boone and Barnes
At first, I also thought Mike and Meara were two separate individuals because the author kept jumping back and forth whenever addressing the character. Basically, the overflow of characters who all sounded and acted the same wasn’t handled well.
The characters who were given their own stand-out personalities however were memorable, if not a little overplayed and stereotyped.
The novels recovering psychopath is one of these stand out personalities, even if a little unrealistic and the representation of his mental illness questionable. Despite this lack of focus in his characterization, Billy still came across as an entertaining individual. In fact, I would even go as far as to say he was the saving grace of this novel. His personality was comparable to that of Jim Carey and he definitely made the biggest impression out of all the characters. Which is unfortunate because it seems that Rick Barnes is being established as the MC of this story, despite coming across as bland as all the other one-dimensional characters and practically doing nothing once he gets to Alcatraz.
As for the garbage truck driver, the woman they saved and the guy they found sleeping in the cinema? I can’t even recall their names, let alone what happened to them once they reached the island.
The (main?) antagonist of the story was another potentially interesting character, however his lackluster reasoning for wanting to target the working class and his stereotypical evil for the sake of being evil attitude got old fast. Also maybe it’s an American thing that I don’t understand but it came across weird to me that all hostile survivors were described as “gangbangers”.
Whilst majority of the characters were just void shells going around doing things and saying stuff, I can attest that the few interesting character that were present were compelling enough to carry my interest through to the end. It would have made a great deal of difference however if the number of characters were cut down or at least given some more depth.
The Story:
I’m in two minds of how I feel about the narrative in this book. It ticks the boxes for a lot of outplayed stereotypes in the genre.
- Cops and military listing off excessive info about guns? Check.
- Hostile survivors somehow happy operating under a dictatorship that treats them terribly? Check.
- Survivors holing up in a fortified building and having to defend themselves against undead and people? Check.
- Possibility for a cure or vaccine being the overarching storyline progressor? Check.
However it also had a few interesting twists to throw into the mix that kept me reading.
The timeline of events was questionable as well and it felt like everything was happening far too quickly. I don’t mean this in a good way unfortunately, (like conveying a sense of urgency during the outbreak, although this was actually done quite well in the beginning) but rather a psychopath off his meds developing a caring relationship for a child after less than a day.
The rapid pace definitely wasn’t helped by characters repeatedly bursting into tears one second, only to seemingly completely recover less than a moment later. In one scene a child was crying to his mother about not wanting to go back outside where the zombies are. A few lines later, with no descriptors of his emotional state, he’s replying “K.”
This type of storytelling lacks emotional density, but works well for action oriented novels, which I think is what this book was trying to sway towards. If that’s the case, it’s a shame that a lot of the action scenes were somewhat messy and hard to follow. Despite this they still managed to pack a punch that kept me flicking through the pages though.
Towards the end of the book however, it felt like nothing was really resolved and not much got done besides a few survivors and the military showing up at Alcatraz. Because of this the book should be marketed as a serial as it ends on a cliffhanger and has no real beginning/middle/end structure on its own. This (to me) always comes across as a cheap, manipulative ploy to sell more books. Sometimes it works, in this case it didn’t. Because of the many reasons listed I will not be continuing on with this series.
Despite the many drawbacks pulling down the quality of Restucci’s work, he’s still managed to craft an entertaining zombie novel with a relatively unique spin on the genre. It meets the quality of a self-published title so it’s a little jarring to see a publishing house listed in its details. Usually I would be more critical of a professionally published book, however I’ll give the author the benefit this time. Very interested to see how other books published by Severed Press compares though.
The Writing:
For the most part the writing in this novel was serviceable. I felt like it was at its best during the first few chapters, then it started to get lazier as the novel progressed until it became almost straight info-dumping through character expositions. It came across as the author maybe losing interest half-way, or really just wanting to churn out the rest of the book as fast as possible.
The biggest weakness Restucci’s writing suffers from however is poor dialogue. In almost every instance it comes across as stilted, robotic and unbelievable. During a phone conversation in which Rick’s wife stresses multiple times that the signal could cut out at any moment, she still finds it necessary to snap at him for calling her “Honey”. Beyond this there was also the issue that every character sounded like the same person, but I’ll talk more about this later.
There were quite a few spelling and grammatical errors as well, which I’m normally pretty lax about for self-published titles unless it’s excessive, but I was surprised to learn that this novel wasn’t actually self-published. This threw me off guard a little as the writing quality (in my opinion) didn’t seem up to standard for what I expect from professional publishing houses.
Overall, while I personally didn’t find myself enjoying Restucci’s straight-to-the-point, almost comic-book like writing style, it still managed to do its job and convey the narrative.
The Characters:
This novel hosted an abundance of characters, almost all of which blended together entirely. Most of our protagonists seemed like clones of one another, with the exceptions of those whose personalities were so blown out of proportion they practically became caricatures i.e. Martingale and Doc Murda.
There was a serious lack of depth or diversity applied that you could probably cut out half the characters, give their dialogue and actions to whoever remains, and it would be unnoticeable that anything changed. It certainly didn’t help that the author used so many similar sounding names:
Meara, McInerney, Martinez, Martingale and Martin.
Abbey, Ali and Anna
Boone and Barnes
At first, I also thought Mike and Meara were two separate individuals because the author kept jumping back and forth whenever addressing the character. Basically, the overflow of characters who all sounded and acted the same wasn’t handled well.
The characters who were given their own stand-out personalities however were memorable, if not a little overplayed and stereotyped.
The novels recovering psychopath is one of these stand out personalities, even if a little unrealistic and the representation of his mental illness questionable. Despite this lack of focus in his characterization, Billy still came across as an entertaining individual. In fact, I would even go as far as to say he was the saving grace of this novel. His personality was comparable to that of Jim Carey and he definitely made the biggest impression out of all the characters. Which is unfortunate because it seems that Rick Barnes is being established as the MC of this story, despite coming across as bland as all the other one-dimensional characters and practically doing nothing once he gets to Alcatraz.
As for the garbage truck driver, the woman they saved and the guy they found sleeping in the cinema? I can’t even recall their names, let alone what happened to them once they reached the island.
The (main?) antagonist of the story was another potentially interesting character, however his lackluster reasoning for wanting to target the working class and his stereotypical evil for the sake of being evil attitude got old fast. Also maybe it’s an American thing that I don’t understand but it came across weird to me that all hostile survivors were described as “gangbangers”.
Whilst majority of the characters were just void shells going around doing things and saying stuff, I can attest that the few interesting character that were present were compelling enough to carry my interest through to the end. It would have made a great deal of difference however if the number of characters were cut down or at least given some more depth.
The Story:
I’m in two minds of how I feel about the narrative in this book. It ticks the boxes for a lot of outplayed stereotypes in the genre.
- Cops and military listing off excessive info about guns? Check.
- Hostile survivors somehow happy operating under a dictatorship that treats them terribly? Check.
- Survivors holing up in a fortified building and having to defend themselves against undead and people? Check.
- Possibility for a cure or vaccine being the overarching storyline progressor? Check.
However it also had a few interesting twists to throw into the mix that kept me reading.
The timeline of events was questionable as well and it felt like everything was happening far too quickly. I don’t mean this in a good way unfortunately, (like conveying a sense of urgency during the outbreak, although this was actually done quite well in the beginning) but rather a psychopath off his meds developing a caring relationship for a child after less than a day.
The rapid pace definitely wasn’t helped by characters repeatedly bursting into tears one second, only to seemingly completely recover less than a moment later. In one scene a child was crying to his mother about not wanting to go back outside where the zombies are. A few lines later, with no descriptors of his emotional state, he’s replying “K.”
This type of storytelling lacks emotional density, but works well for action oriented novels, which I think is what this book was trying to sway towards. If that’s the case, it’s a shame that a lot of the action scenes were somewhat messy and hard to follow. Despite this they still managed to pack a punch that kept me flicking through the pages though.
Towards the end of the book however, it felt like nothing was really resolved and not much got done besides a few survivors and the military showing up at Alcatraz. Because of this the book should be marketed as a serial as it ends on a cliffhanger and has no real beginning/middle/end structure on its own. This (to me) always comes across as a cheap, manipulative ploy to sell more books. Sometimes it works, in this case it didn’t. Because of the many reasons listed I will not be continuing on with this series.
Despite the many drawbacks pulling down the quality of Restucci’s work, he’s still managed to craft an entertaining zombie novel with a relatively unique spin on the genre. It meets the quality of a self-published title so it’s a little jarring to see a publishing house listed in its details. Usually I would be more critical of a professionally published book, however I’ll give the author the benefit this time. Very interested to see how other books published by Severed Press compares though.
April 19, 2020
The reason I picked Run up at the kindle store was for the pretty good cover, and also the idea of a zombie novel set in San Francisco. Omega Days, the best zombie story set in the Bay Area, actually never mentions the status of the island, so I figured it would be interesting seeing a novel focused entirely on it.
Unfortunately, the novel isn't that great or even good. It's far too long to even be enjoyed as a SyFy original movie, and the writing does lean into the speed needed for an easily digestible trashy product like that. The characters are pretty forgettable, the zombies aren't especially original and never seem to pose a threat to anyone until they need to for the plot.
Really, it feels like this book could have been set in any major American city which has an isolated prison on it since the San Francisco setting is mostly window dressing except for an occasional boat battle.
If you want to read an actually exciting zombie novel series with well-rounded characters and a killer speed, just pick up John L. Campbell's Omega Days series. If you want to watch a SyFy movie about Alcatraz and zombies, just watch Rise of The Zombies (2013), at least it's free on Tubi and has Danny Trejo in it.
Unfortunately, the novel isn't that great or even good. It's far too long to even be enjoyed as a SyFy original movie, and the writing does lean into the speed needed for an easily digestible trashy product like that. The characters are pretty forgettable, the zombies aren't especially original and never seem to pose a threat to anyone until they need to for the plot.
Really, it feels like this book could have been set in any major American city which has an isolated prison on it since the San Francisco setting is mostly window dressing except for an occasional boat battle.
If you want to read an actually exciting zombie novel series with well-rounded characters and a killer speed, just pick up John L. Campbell's Omega Days series. If you want to watch a SyFy movie about Alcatraz and zombies, just watch Rise of The Zombies (2013), at least it's free on Tubi and has Danny Trejo in it.
September 29, 2020
I have to admit. I got two hours into the audiobook of Run.. But only because it was so rediculous it was amusing.
I have never seen so many sterotypical plots and homages/plagiarism in such a short time.
The lead character a cop called Rick and his little kid *coughwalkingdeadcough* who he picked up from the airport with his divorced wife on the other side of the country. (start of every action film ever)
Meets a guy called 'Dallas' and they pick up a yellow hummer *coughZombielandcough* from a car lot called 'Haps' *coughTheStandcough* and go to a cinema where they mistake a living man for a zombie *coughZombielandagaincough*
Top it off it comes across very American hero who expects the reader to know all about guns and love cops.
This is all within the first 1 hour and 57 minutes, I give up.
Come up with your own ideas Rich!
I have never seen so many sterotypical plots and homages/plagiarism in such a short time.
The lead character a cop called Rick and his little kid *coughwalkingdeadcough* who he picked up from the airport with his divorced wife on the other side of the country. (start of every action film ever)
Meets a guy called 'Dallas' and they pick up a yellow hummer *coughZombielandcough* from a car lot called 'Haps' *coughTheStandcough* and go to a cinema where they mistake a living man for a zombie *coughZombielandagaincough*
Top it off it comes across very American hero who expects the reader to know all about guns and love cops.
This is all within the first 1 hour and 57 minutes, I give up.
Come up with your own ideas Rich!
March 24, 2024
Well, this was problematic. It was very clearly racially motivated, also can we calm it with the live for authority. I can tell with certainty that the author is a member of the NRA and MAGA. And what the f**k was that plot twist… ‘it’s not a normal virus, it’s a computer virus’ like wtf, it’s not even that it’s that interesting, it’s that it’s so stupid.
All that being said, I enjoyed the idea of zombies rejecting mentally ill people as inedible. Very interesting, just wish there wasn’t such a clear divide between the white folks being civilised and the black characters being ‘thugs’ and ‘gang bangers’
All that being said, I enjoyed the idea of zombies rejecting mentally ill people as inedible. Very interesting, just wish there wasn’t such a clear divide between the white folks being civilised and the black characters being ‘thugs’ and ‘gang bangers’
April 1, 2024
Generic Zombie.
And I mean GENERIC, the main guy is even called Rick who is a cop while trying to protect his child (we've all seen Walking Dead we know what you are doing) and they meet up with some other survives and try to escape while bad people are being bad cos everyone turns into insane killers the moment a single whiff of a zombie outbreak happens.
Billy was alright as a character but it's just basic stuff that has been done 1000 times.
And I mean GENERIC, the main guy is even called Rick who is a cop while trying to protect his child (we've all seen Walking Dead we know what you are doing) and they meet up with some other survives and try to escape while bad people are being bad cos everyone turns into insane killers the moment a single whiff of a zombie outbreak happens.
Billy was alright as a character but it's just basic stuff that has been done 1000 times.
September 3, 2015
Very cliche'
Zombies, survivors holing up in a prison, a cop named Rick with his young child? Sound familiar? Yeah. The only original part is what the virus is, no spoilers here though.
Zombies, survivors holing up in a prison, a cop named Rick with his young child? Sound familiar? Yeah. The only original part is what the virus is, no spoilers here though.
May 3, 2015
I hope there's a book 2.
May 12, 2015
Not for me
I tossed this KU option at 45%. There wasn't much character depth and it felt like there were two different stories being told.
I tossed this KU option at 45%. There wasn't much character depth and it felt like there were two different stories being told.
Want to read
January 3, 2016Shutter Island with a twist of Dawn of the Dead? This is going to be bloody.
October 16, 2015
Plenty of twists on the genre, but not so much that the zombies are unrecognizable. The Goldilocks zone of horror.
September 9, 2019
This "book" is terrible, racist, and cookie cutter.
June 26, 2021
Yeah, DNF... shame as the premise sounded so good. 😕 Read 52 % but don't want to waste any more time on it...
May 12, 2022
I really disliked this book. All the characters were completely stereotypical, in some cases to the point of racism. The plot was there, but the execution was a total flop.
June 11, 2024
Cop hero in a zombie apocalypse. Not my cup o tea.
December 22, 2022
Originally posted on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
Browsing the reviews for Run, and people seem pretty split. People either loved it or they hated it. I wasn’t sure how I was gonna feel after it was over, but I was excited to give the book a try. 😀
Yes, Ok…… I AM a sucker for zombie stories in general. But Run is just pure fun! I love how shit gets crazy right away. It is basically all action, non-stop the whole book! Even when there is a little bit of down time, it is filled with tension. You just know it will not be long before it gets crazy again.
I’m not sure how I feel about all the horror homages through out the book. :/ Homage here or there is fine, but sometimes it almost felt like TOO much in Run. It felt like there needed to be a little bit more balance maybe?
Speaking of needing balance, there are two other things in this book that needed better balance! First, for a zombie book, there really is not a ton of zombie action!! Yes, the main cast faces off against lots of zombies, but it never felt very dangerous. If I wanted to see a zombie story with low impact from zombies, I’d go watch re-watch The Walking Dead. :’D
The zombies are there, but they didn’t do much. Not many people get killed by the zombies. The zombies just felt like they took a back seat to the human villain. UGH! I hate that! Yeah yeah, I know, humans are the WORST. I know…. but if I’m reading a zombie story, I want to SEE THE ZOMBIES please!
The other major issue needing balance is the names. Hahaha, ok, so a LOT of the names are very simular. So many of the names even start with the same letters!! Geez… So confusing! And just… bad. D: Sorry….
Now, some reviewers felt the book was racist due to how the big -NON-ZOMBIE- villain is an African- American man who’s hench people are all gang members. I see how it could look racist…. there is a lot of thugie talk, the main baddie is a black man, they good guys are probably all white, and cops and US military guys. Yeaaaah……. :/
Ok, so it does sound a racist when written down like that, sure. I actually don’t feel it was. The gan talk sounds like what you hear inner city young men, of any color, talking trying to sound like they are tough in front of friends or girls. And I really like the main villain. He is an intelligent black man who has been broken down by racist BS in academia. He’s hurt. He’s angry. Yes, he comes off a little bit Bond villain, but what’s wrong with that? I love a good Bond villain!! I like this guy. I love how smart he is, how cunning! The only thing I don’t like is why he wanted the school so bad and why he was so pissed off about not getting it? :/ Maybe I missed it, but it felt like it wasn’t very clear at all?
Some people also complain about how all the (assuming) white good guys just sound like NRA nut jobs with all their gun talk. Hmm…. yeah, a little bit. The main group of guys DO talk a lot about guns and ammo. But, I don’t know… they are mostly from military or police background. I just assume those sort of folks always ramble off names of weapons all the time….? I don’t know… it seemed to fit the characters, I guess? The author does come off feeling very pro-military and police, though. Not totally a bad thing though. And, honestly, a little bit different then most zombie stories, where the military and cops are no match for the zombies and get over run quickly. So it is a nice little change up from your normal zombie tale.
While Run has a few hiccups here and there, I actually really enjoyed it. With a few tweaks to balance out a few issues, and it would be a pretty epic zombie adventure. I had a lot of fun though. The book kept me hooked the whole time and I can’t wait to read the next book. 😀
Browsing the reviews for Run, and people seem pretty split. People either loved it or they hated it. I wasn’t sure how I was gonna feel after it was over, but I was excited to give the book a try. 😀
Yes, Ok…… I AM a sucker for zombie stories in general. But Run is just pure fun! I love how shit gets crazy right away. It is basically all action, non-stop the whole book! Even when there is a little bit of down time, it is filled with tension. You just know it will not be long before it gets crazy again.
I’m not sure how I feel about all the horror homages through out the book. :/ Homage here or there is fine, but sometimes it almost felt like TOO much in Run. It felt like there needed to be a little bit more balance maybe?
Speaking of needing balance, there are two other things in this book that needed better balance! First, for a zombie book, there really is not a ton of zombie action!! Yes, the main cast faces off against lots of zombies, but it never felt very dangerous. If I wanted to see a zombie story with low impact from zombies, I’d go watch re-watch The Walking Dead. :’D
The zombies are there, but they didn’t do much. Not many people get killed by the zombies. The zombies just felt like they took a back seat to the human villain. UGH! I hate that! Yeah yeah, I know, humans are the WORST. I know…. but if I’m reading a zombie story, I want to SEE THE ZOMBIES please!
The other major issue needing balance is the names. Hahaha, ok, so a LOT of the names are very simular. So many of the names even start with the same letters!! Geez… So confusing! And just… bad. D: Sorry….
Now, some reviewers felt the book was racist due to how the big -NON-ZOMBIE- villain is an African- American man who’s hench people are all gang members. I see how it could look racist…. there is a lot of thugie talk, the main baddie is a black man, they good guys are probably all white, and cops and US military guys. Yeaaaah……. :/
Ok, so it does sound a racist when written down like that, sure. I actually don’t feel it was. The gan talk sounds like what you hear inner city young men, of any color, talking trying to sound like they are tough in front of friends or girls. And I really like the main villain. He is an intelligent black man who has been broken down by racist BS in academia. He’s hurt. He’s angry. Yes, he comes off a little bit Bond villain, but what’s wrong with that? I love a good Bond villain!! I like this guy. I love how smart he is, how cunning! The only thing I don’t like is why he wanted the school so bad and why he was so pissed off about not getting it? :/ Maybe I missed it, but it felt like it wasn’t very clear at all?
Some people also complain about how all the (assuming) white good guys just sound like NRA nut jobs with all their gun talk. Hmm…. yeah, a little bit. The main group of guys DO talk a lot about guns and ammo. But, I don’t know… they are mostly from military or police background. I just assume those sort of folks always ramble off names of weapons all the time….? I don’t know… it seemed to fit the characters, I guess? The author does come off feeling very pro-military and police, though. Not totally a bad thing though. And, honestly, a little bit different then most zombie stories, where the military and cops are no match for the zombies and get over run quickly. So it is a nice little change up from your normal zombie tale.
While Run has a few hiccups here and there, I actually really enjoyed it. With a few tweaks to balance out a few issues, and it would be a pretty epic zombie adventure. I had a lot of fun though. The book kept me hooked the whole time and I can’t wait to read the next book. 😀
March 10, 2024
.....📚 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 📚.....
Run by Rich Restucci is a post-apocalyptic zombie tale. A pretty standard, cop with child running from the zombies, and picking up survivors on the way.
The dead have risen, they're hungry, they're slow, but they're persistent. There is nowhere to hide, and if they hear you, they won't stop. The only option left is to run. Rick is a cop, and he's heard that survivors are making their way to Alcatraz to find refuge from the horde. With his young daughter in tow, Rick begins his journey towards the prison on an island and, along the way, meets up with other survivors. The most interesting of which is Billy, a young man, a little unstable, but one the zombies don't seem interested in. Can Rick and his crew make it to safety, and whose the bigger threat, the dead or the living?
This felt a lot like watching The Walking Dead, but stopping halfway through an episode. I didn't realise when I started that it was a series, and this book is not a stand alone as all the plots (and sub plots) are left open. I didn't like the sub-plot with Dr Murda at all. Hopefully, book 2 moves away from that. The gory parts were great, Billy is an interesting character, and I need to read the next one to find out how the virus started. Overall, it was an okay zombie book despite being a little problematic for me with all the stereotyping going on. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Run by Rich Restucci is a post-apocalyptic zombie tale. A pretty standard, cop with child running from the zombies, and picking up survivors on the way.
The dead have risen, they're hungry, they're slow, but they're persistent. There is nowhere to hide, and if they hear you, they won't stop. The only option left is to run. Rick is a cop, and he's heard that survivors are making their way to Alcatraz to find refuge from the horde. With his young daughter in tow, Rick begins his journey towards the prison on an island and, along the way, meets up with other survivors. The most interesting of which is Billy, a young man, a little unstable, but one the zombies don't seem interested in. Can Rick and his crew make it to safety, and whose the bigger threat, the dead or the living?
This felt a lot like watching The Walking Dead, but stopping halfway through an episode. I didn't realise when I started that it was a series, and this book is not a stand alone as all the plots (and sub plots) are left open. I didn't like the sub-plot with Dr Murda at all. Hopefully, book 2 moves away from that. The gory parts were great, Billy is an interesting character, and I need to read the next one to find out how the virus started. Overall, it was an okay zombie book despite being a little problematic for me with all the stereotyping going on. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 24, 2024
I’m a Zombie fanatic and quite frankly, I’m always excited to read books that explores this theme. I read other books books by Rich Restucci that explored zombie apocalypse which were interesting due to the vivid characters he has written. It is welcoming to read books with flawed characters or characters that preach moralistic principles in an extreme setting such as a city taken by shambleing zombies. In Run, we are introduced to a range of characters that in a normal setting, they would be weary of each other or judgmental. An interesting moral dilemma is what will the detective - Rick- do when he discovers that one of the survivors is a psychopath murderer? If this psychopath was found to be the key to solving a disease? How will others deal with him? Can a group of people in a time of war, lay the foundation of a utopian society when everything is crumbling around them? What will the reader do, if and I’m assuming such a disaster struck when Ted Bundy was alive ? I’m intrigued and looking forward to Book 2.
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