Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
ACE for ASIN B01DV608XI

A riveting zombie thriller like you've never read before.

Ten years after the zombie apocalypse destroyed civilization, 'Last Mayor of America' Amo faces the loss of everything he's built.
He wants to be a good man. He wants to save his people. But what is good, and who are his people any more?
Now the demon is coming.
He will save or break the world.

'The Stand' meets the zombie apocalypse, packed with gore, twists and heart-stopping chills.

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2016

22 people are currently reading
113 people want to read

About the author

Michael John Grist

57 books109 followers
Michael John Grist is a British/American author and ruins photographer who lives in London, UK. He writes dark and weird science fiction and fantasy books, such as the fantasy novel Ignifer’s Rise and the SF series The Ruins Sonata.

For 11 years he lived in Tokyo exploring Japan’s modern ruins, such as abandoned theme parks, military bases, and ghost towns, gaining millions of hits on this website with his photographs and stories.

The best of these adventures are now collected in his unique travel book Into the Ruins, which thriller bestseller Barry Eisler calls, “gorgeous, haunting, stunning.”

Now Michael enjoys working out in the gym, watching TV and movies, and of course writing stories and novels. He lives in London with his wife, and works as an academic English lecturer at university.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
83 (66%)
4 stars
31 (24%)
3 stars
9 (7%)
2 stars
2 (1%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Shari Sakurai.
Author 8 books68 followers
August 11, 2018
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review*

The Loss is the fourth novel in the Zombie Ocean series. Set ten years after the zombie apocalypse that destroyed most of Earth’s human population, Amo and the other survivors face a new threat that could well be the end of them all.

I really enjoyed returning to Michael John Grist’s Zombie Ocean series. Ten years have passed in the series since the third novel and the survivors have been doing their best to rebuild New LA. Characters have grown and changed, gone from strength to strength and it was great to see just how even the minor players had developed. The action is as fast-paced as ever and the description used does a terrific job of immersing you into the world that the author has created. I very much liked how the zombies are still an integral part of the story and were not side-lined in the face of the new threat.

The Loss is an excellent continuation to the series and I very much look forward to reading the fifth novel.
Profile Image for Jaime Andrews.
Author 2 books14 followers
May 2, 2020
Book 4 of the zombie ocean series and I'm not disappointed at all!!! 🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️
No spoilers if i can help it. 😉
First, the bad. Parts of Amo's self reflection got a bit monotonous. Not too bad but I just wanted to shake him and tell him to man up! Not everything is your freakin fault!!!! I see why he feels like the whole world is on his shoulders and blames himself for certain deaths but come on, with his line of thinking he could probably blame Christ's crucifixion on himself. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
The good: where in the world did this idea come from, Mr. Grist? I read and watch a lot of zombie stuff. For some reason I just dig the undead, reanimated corpse mythology. But never, and I do mean never, have I seen this kinda spin! Bravo!!! 💛💛💛
Each book grows the spin I never thought could get bigger. 👍👍👍 The characters are wonderful. Love them or hate them, each one is totally different, has their own voice and I feel like I'm right there in the middle of it all. I usually skip around a little in my reading but I'm going straight on to the next in this series. Can't wait to see what happens! ❣❣❣
372 reviews3 followers
October 12, 2017
I got this one by purchasing the bundle of the The Lost, The List, and The Laws. I felt it was critical that I do separate reviews for the three books.
Michael John Grist has turned the zombie theme up-side-down. He has given his zombies an important role to perform. He has introduced unexpected elements to the post-zombie-apocalypse concept that should scare the c**p out of you. In my case, after reading a book in this series, I absolutely have to satisfy my “fix” by getting and reading the next one.
The characters live and breathe on the pages. OK, Amo is a bit annoying with his second-guessing of decisions he has made, but he is exactly the right person to lead the band of survivors through a land of violence and evil.
There is a bonus in that you will find it a pleasure to get to know a bit about the author, as well
The Zombie Ocean series is under-priced. Buying the novels, especially in bundles, is a travesty, but the more who do it, and recommend them to friends, the better off the Reader Ocean will be.
Profile Image for Mark Heath.
375 reviews2 followers
June 26, 2018
Another exciting episode in the series. Very very good
613 reviews1 follower
October 1, 2016
Great read

Another great addition to the series. Very dramatic and heart wrenching. I was very moved by the reaction to the suffering caused by Julio. The chase and battle were very involving and scary. Can't wait for the next story in this series. I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys zombie apocalypse style stories.
Profile Image for Rob Nugen.
8 reviews
April 16, 2016
This is the fourth book in MJG's Zombie Ocean, and it's easily the best of the series so far! The world is really opening up; the first three books have created the world from different viewpoints.. and now we get to live in it (and a few get to die in it!)

The first half sets up an amazing backstory for some characters who only had very minor parts in the first few books. These new characters have huge character arcs (moving me from "I love you" to "I despise you").... But most amazingly, I can really see why they acted the way they did! It's so great to see the sweet side of characters who also have such a dark side.

The second half of the story begins with a road trip to the big fight. It all happens in such a short timeframe, but the action never stops.

In addition to MJG's ability to create characters, he can really create some wrenching violence. Due to characters suffering such agony, I had to put the book down on two different occasions, and one of those times I nearly passed out!

This book follows two sets of characters in two different settings. One story is told through the Chapters, and the other story is told through the Interludes. Each story pulled me along... always hoping for the best, but assuming the worst. (Thanks, Mike!)

We get to see more zombie action, and the zombies do something we haven't seen before in any of the other books.

But wait, there's more!! More unfinished stories! More books to come!!! I'm looking forward to them!
Profile Image for Dom.
56 reviews
April 18, 2016
Disclosure - I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always struggle to give specific reviews as I fear "spoiling" it for others, so I try to remain vague, whilst explaining how the book made me feel.

This series just gets better and better. Book 1 starts with a light hearted jaunt through the zombie apocalypse, but as we progress through books 2, 3 and 4, things get much more tense. The change in tone across the books is fantastic, we really get a sense of impending doom with which you cannot help but want to read on!

This book had me on the edge of my seat from the start. You really do want the guys to be victorious, but it sometimes seems like the biggest obstacles they have to overcome are each other! Having been such a tightknit community for so long, tensions and passions run higher and higher through this story, with confrontations and sacrifices made by all!

Another great story by a great writer. Keep up the good work!
Profile Image for PJ Lea.
1,064 reviews
April 20, 2016
This series gets better with every book!
I can unashamedly admit that I absolutely loved this book, though it did make me cry like a baby. The action scenes are vividly described taking us on an emotional rollercoaster as the story progresses, the characters are such that I either loved them or wished them to die violently and painfully, and the story itself flowed so well that I lost track of time (many chores were forgotten, as was sleep).
This may be a zombie/ apocalyptic story but it is also way, way more than that.
If you haven't read the other books in this series you really should!
Profile Image for Ceh131973.
554 reviews5 followers
June 27, 2016
[Michael John Grist] continues the saga of the [Zombie Ocean] in this fourth installment. The action and adventure are there as always in [The Loss]. There is also compassion and loss. Some loose ends get tied up but the uncertainty of this new world remains.

[Grist] is a masterful story teller with an emphasis on character driven novels. I have yet to be disappointed by anything I have read by him, in fact I look forward to reading more. If you like to read about humanity and all it's ups and downs you must read the [Zombie Ocean] series.
Profile Image for Katy.
23 reviews
April 17, 2016
The zombie apocalypse happened ten years ago but it isn't over yet. Something far more sinister is happening. If you enjoy sci fi read this book. If you like zombies read this book. You should probably read the other three first though which now come in a box set. Read all four you won't regret it.
492 reviews2 followers
April 26, 2016
Different take on a popular genre!

I love the creative genius this author is! Mixing together apocalyptic zombies, conspiracies, the sometimes brutal turns it takes to survive, and the most important being the individual spirit and will to live! Very satisfied with this book and the series as a whole!
23 reviews
December 15, 2016
Best of the series

Was a little unsure what to make of the demons when they first appeared in this series, but they really do fit into the plot amazingly well, can't wait to find out their origins. Thanks MJG you've created a world and characters that I will follow until the end.
75 reviews5 followers
April 21, 2016
Michael does it again

This continues New LA's group as they reach 10yrs after the zombies. Now they have a worsening fear can they overcome this new threat. Will they have enough survivors to keep trying. A must read another one you will not want to put down
Author 2 books11 followers
January 18, 2017
well this is the 4th book and after reading the 1st 3 books in one big volume this seemed a fast and action paced read the fight scenes are amazing and the demons make a great formidable foe i could easily see this series being made into a mini tv series
Profile Image for Michelle Gardiol .
28 reviews2 followers
November 5, 2016
Great book

I really loved book four as it made a lot of sense with more things that had happened and how they were gonna deal with more survivors
47 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2017
It gets better as it unfolds...

I love this writer! And this story, so very different from any in this genre. Which makes it a must read, so treat yourself, it's an awesome tale!!!
Profile Image for Tamra Crow.
14 reviews15 followers
April 22, 2017
The story keeps evolving and getting so much more detailed! I am loving this series and I've found myself quite attached to Amo, Lara, Anna and the rest I cannot wait to see where the story takes them on their journeys. I would highly recommend this series to all my fellow readers! Be prepared to take a journey through human suffering, hope and horror!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.