The Great Zombie Invasion

The Birth of Herobrine #1

by Mark Cheverton

Can Gameknight999 survive a Minecraft journey one hundred years into the past?

A freak thunderstorm strikes just as Gameknight999 is activating his father’s digitizer to re-enter Minecraft. Sparks flash across his vision as he is sucked into the game… and when the smoke clears he’s arrived safely. But it doesn’t take long to realize that things in the Overworld are very different.

Gameknight sees the same blocky terrain and square clouds as usual, but almost everything else has changed. His friends are nowhere to be found. His castle has disappeared and the village he calls home is missing its defenses and fortified wall. Even stranger, no one seems to know who he is.

The User-that-is-not-a-user realizes he’s been accidentally sent a hundred years into the past, back to the time of the historic Great Zombie Invasion. None of his friends have even been born yet. But that might be the least of Gameknight999’s worries, because travelling back in time also means that the evil virus Herobrine, the scourge of Minecraft, is still alive…

Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

197 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 14, 2021

About the author

Mark Cheverton grew up in Southern California, going through high school, and college. After college, Mark taught high school physics and math for many years. While teaching, he earned a Master's degree in Physics and conducted research on planetary atmospherics. After moving to the east coast, he started doing research for a Fortune 100 company in the fields of machine vision and additive manufacturing. His first book, The Algae Voices of Azule, was released in 2012, followed by the sequel shortly after.

He recently released the first book in his Minecraft series, Invasion of the Overworld: A Minecraft Novel, which is expected to be followed by the sequel, Battle for the Nether, in early 2014.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I love MINECRAFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I also enjoyed this book because I liked the part when Gameknight999 (who pretended to be Smithy) defeated Herobrine's army. I also enjoyed this book because I liked the part when Gameknight999 told everyone about Herobrine's teleporting powers.

[Conner · Rating 1 out of 5]

NOTE: Yes, I am an adult way over the age of this book's demographic, but I don't think that makes any of my opinions somehow invalid. I reject the idea that flaws should get a pass because it's a kids book. If anything, saying that it's "just a kids book" is insulting to the author. Kids books can and have been great books in their own rite. I don't see any reason to relegate authors of this genre to a lower standard. I'd say the mark of a good kids book is if it can entertain both kids and adults alike. I write this review, not because I hated this book. On the contrary, I liked parts of this book and I want to share what I think worked against the story. Please don't read this as a scathing critique, but instead as a list of suggestions.

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There's a lot of potential here for a great children's adventure romp.

Minecraft Minutia.
The story is weighed down by the inclusion of the minutia of Minecraft, such as digging, crafting, building, punching trees, etc. I'd expect some hints of it here and there, it's a story set in Minecraft afterall. But in its current state, there are far too many words wasted describing these things.

The Stakes
I never felt any real stakes during the story. It's repeated multiple times that if Gameknight fails, his friends in the future will never be born. On the surface, it seems fine. It makes sense why Gameknight, and readers of the previous books, would be invested in this. However, I came into this book with no prior reading, so I don't know those characters. I don't care if they're never born. A good way to fix this would have been to develop some deeper connections with the characters who are present during the adventure.

Furthermore, every time that Gameknight comes up against a conflict, he wins. Always. Every time he wins, the stakes get lower. I never truly believed that Gameknight would fail at any point in this book. I think some failures with serious consequences should have been included.

The Fight Scenes
The battle sequences lasted for so so so so so so so long. Honestly, they could be cut down by 50% or more and would have far more impact.

The Ending
It felt like the twist where Gameknight becomes Smithy felt a bit forced and like it came out of no where. The ending itself isn't the problem. It's that it wasn't built up enough. It didn't feel like it belonged there.

The Names.
I found it really annoying that the character had 3 or 4 different names, and that most of them were a pain to read. Gameknight999 and the-user-that-is-not-a-user becomes grating after reading them once. Keep the name simple and stick to one. Gameknight or whatever his real name is would work. Maybe you can have a nickname or two that the characters use, but the narrator should never use them.

Conclusion
There's a good adventure book in here, but it's bogged down by overdrawn fight scenes, poor stakes, and an unnecessary dedication to describing Minecraft faithfully.

Again, please don't take this review the wrong way. I wrote this because I care and want to see future books by Mark Cheverton improve. If you're reading this, Mark, I wish you the best of luck. I look forward to checking out your upcoming non-minecraft fantasy books. They look really interesting.

[Joy Symonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter had listened to several of Mark Cheverton’s books on her kindle before I read this aloud. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of his books. (I had read some other Minecraft books that left a lot to be desired.)

There are many character lessons - redemption, bravery, forgiveness, and perseverance to name a few.

The vocabulary is excellent and has provided opportunities for my daughter to learn new words. I am pretty sure we will be reading ALL these books, not just the current series.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello all, I've been following Mark Chevertons' works for a number of years. And I must say that he's the BEST Minecraft author around! he's the "REAL DEAL" and I loved The Great Zombie Invasion. I would give this a million stars, but there are some restrictions.

Read the book as I did and fall in love with the magic and adventure, as I did! I'd also say... check out his other books as well Gameknight999 and the Ether Wraiths, along with his GIANTS series.

Mark all the best, and keep writing those amazing books, that keep us old folks going.

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tommy (Gameknight999 in the real world) got sucked into the past by accident. He makes friends with Crafter's Great-Uncle Weaver and the legendary Smithy. The rest of the village didn't trust Gameknight999 that much. The village followed Herobrine and his army of monsters all around the overworld attacking them. In the end, Gameknight999 won the last battle (in the book), but with a price, Smithy. Gameknight999 had to pretend to be Smithy.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

heh

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it it was very good

[Bella Croft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its good for its age target, I loved it when I first got it but re-reading it in high school made me realize how repetitive and wordy some of the words and sentences are.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

IT was a good book, but below my reading level.

[Chris McGrath · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horribly written. Excruciating to read every night to my son.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

And another fun book, the series is great. There the best series i have ever read, I going to give it 4**** stars!