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The Living Dead
Epidemic of the Living Dead
From the screenwriter of the original 1968 Night of the Living Dead comes a shocking new wave of zombie mayhem to devour your dreams—and feed your nightmares . . .
THEY ARE WHAT THEY EAT
It starts with infected needles. It spreads like a plague. Soon the town of Chapel Grove, Pennsylvania, is overrun with cannibalistic corpses. Some are taken down with a bullet to the brain. Others, torched like kindling. But a few have survived—inside a maternity ward . . .
THEY’RE EATING FOR TWO NOW
Detective Bill Curtis manages to rescue his pregnant wife Lauren from the ward in the nick of time. But the other pregnant women are not so lucky. Some of them have been bitten—and infected. Now it’s anyone’s guess what’s growing inside them . . .
THEY’RE THE NEXT GENERATION
But the nightmare isn’t over yet. The infected mothers’ newborns appear to be normal. But as the years go by, Bill and Lauren Curtis begin to worry about their beautiful, healthy daughter Jodie. Jodie is drawn to the town’s “special” children, the ones whose mothers were bitten. They’re reaching adolescence now. Their hormones are raging. And they’re starting to possess strange appetitites . . .
If you thought millenials werea pain, just wait until you meet Generation Z.
“An unrelieved orgy of sadism.”
— Variety on Night of the Living Dead
THEY ARE WHAT THEY EAT
It starts with infected needles. It spreads like a plague. Soon the town of Chapel Grove, Pennsylvania, is overrun with cannibalistic corpses. Some are taken down with a bullet to the brain. Others, torched like kindling. But a few have survived—inside a maternity ward . . .
THEY’RE EATING FOR TWO NOW
Detective Bill Curtis manages to rescue his pregnant wife Lauren from the ward in the nick of time. But the other pregnant women are not so lucky. Some of them have been bitten—and infected. Now it’s anyone’s guess what’s growing inside them . . .
THEY’RE THE NEXT GENERATION
But the nightmare isn’t over yet. The infected mothers’ newborns appear to be normal. But as the years go by, Bill and Lauren Curtis begin to worry about their beautiful, healthy daughter Jodie. Jodie is drawn to the town’s “special” children, the ones whose mothers were bitten. They’re reaching adolescence now. Their hormones are raging. And they’re starting to possess strange appetitites . . .
If you thought millenials werea pain, just wait until you meet Generation Z.
“An unrelieved orgy of sadism.”
— Variety on Night of the Living Dead
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2018
7 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
John A. Russo
208 books103 followersJohn A. Russo, sometimes credited as Jack Russo or John Russo, is an American screenwriter and film director most commonly associated with the 1968 horror classic film Night of the Living Dead. As a screenwriter, his credits include Night of the Living Dead, The Majorettes, Midnight, and Santa Claws. The latter two, he also directed. He has performed small roles as an actor, most notably the first ghoul who is stabbed in the head in Night of the Living Dead.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 30, 2018
EPIDEMIC OF THE LIVING DEAD, by John A. Russo, is a novel that goes further than the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, in this new incarnation of zombies. Still wary from the zombie plague that hit the nation, the small town of Chapel Grove, PA largely keeps to itself, in the hopes of evading an outbreak of their own.
"Families had always and forever been besieged by terrible problems and insidious evils . . . The Plague of the Living Dead was only the latest horrible manifestation."
What most people are unaware of is that a small control group--in the guise of the Chapel Grove Medical Research Institute--is studying these mutations in a quest to come up with a cure. While their methods would be considered, at best, controversial, they are cloaked by a highly secretive team of players. Ethics go out the window in their rationalization that they are acting for--(their own inflated egos)--the better good of all mankind.
". . . They were like organ donors but in a more generous way . . . "
Then we have Detective Bill Curtis and his wife, Lauren, who are anxiously awaiting the birth of their child, after numerous miscarriages.
When infected needles get out from the institute, Bill and his team work quickly to contain the sudden outbreak. While largely successful, they now face a new dilemma: what to do with the seemingly normal and healthy newborns born to the mothers who were bitten and infected?
The head of the research institute is quick to come up with the answer.
Adopt them out to unsuspecting families and keep them monitored as they grow.
". . . we don't need evil spirits to make us do evil. We come up with plenty of it on our own."
In the beginning of the new outbreak, I had a little difficulty in getting involved mentally with the characters presented. Some of the conversations they had and the choices they made just didn't strike the right chord of believability with me. They seemed more "forced", and I felt too unbelievable for the rest of the town to go along with. However, as the story progressed, I got more and more involved in their lifestyle, and could honestly say that in their place I would most likely have gone along with things as they were, living an "ordinary" existence along with my family--hoping to leave past events buried in the past.
". . . Fanatical religion was to blame for much of the evil in the world . . . Meanwhile, Satan got blamed for the evil in the hears and minds of men."
Russo then begins to really amp up the tension as the children grow up. We become privy to more suspicions and behind-the-scenes information as the town continues on, just like any other place would. We are given a few seeds of suspicion to plant in our minds, but nothing concrete. In my personal opinion, the more a novel makes you think on your own about the possibilities of what may or may not be happening, the better the connection and more lasting impression it is going to leave the reader with.
". . . beneath the surface they might be anything but normal."
Overall, I feel it was the anticipation, the NOT knowing exactly what was going to happen, that made this novel stand out more. By the time things begin to take shape and solidify our "guesses" into answers, the pace is so frantic that there is no taking your eyes off the pages until you've finished. After a slightly "predictable" start, this novel turned around and ended up giving me something I hadn't expected.
". . . It's hard to have faith in the future."
Recommended!
"Families had always and forever been besieged by terrible problems and insidious evils . . . The Plague of the Living Dead was only the latest horrible manifestation."
What most people are unaware of is that a small control group--in the guise of the Chapel Grove Medical Research Institute--is studying these mutations in a quest to come up with a cure. While their methods would be considered, at best, controversial, they are cloaked by a highly secretive team of players. Ethics go out the window in their rationalization that they are acting for--(their own inflated egos)--the better good of all mankind.
". . . They were like organ donors but in a more generous way . . . "
Then we have Detective Bill Curtis and his wife, Lauren, who are anxiously awaiting the birth of their child, after numerous miscarriages.
When infected needles get out from the institute, Bill and his team work quickly to contain the sudden outbreak. While largely successful, they now face a new dilemma: what to do with the seemingly normal and healthy newborns born to the mothers who were bitten and infected?
The head of the research institute is quick to come up with the answer.
Adopt them out to unsuspecting families and keep them monitored as they grow.
". . . we don't need evil spirits to make us do evil. We come up with plenty of it on our own."
In the beginning of the new outbreak, I had a little difficulty in getting involved mentally with the characters presented. Some of the conversations they had and the choices they made just didn't strike the right chord of believability with me. They seemed more "forced", and I felt too unbelievable for the rest of the town to go along with. However, as the story progressed, I got more and more involved in their lifestyle, and could honestly say that in their place I would most likely have gone along with things as they were, living an "ordinary" existence along with my family--hoping to leave past events buried in the past.
". . . Fanatical religion was to blame for much of the evil in the world . . . Meanwhile, Satan got blamed for the evil in the hears and minds of men."
Russo then begins to really amp up the tension as the children grow up. We become privy to more suspicions and behind-the-scenes information as the town continues on, just like any other place would. We are given a few seeds of suspicion to plant in our minds, but nothing concrete. In my personal opinion, the more a novel makes you think on your own about the possibilities of what may or may not be happening, the better the connection and more lasting impression it is going to leave the reader with.
". . . beneath the surface they might be anything but normal."
Overall, I feel it was the anticipation, the NOT knowing exactly what was going to happen, that made this novel stand out more. By the time things begin to take shape and solidify our "guesses" into answers, the pace is so frantic that there is no taking your eyes off the pages until you've finished. After a slightly "predictable" start, this novel turned around and ended up giving me something I hadn't expected.
". . . It's hard to have faith in the future."
Recommended!
August 1, 2018
So, I have a confession to make. I’ve been waiting for someone else to review this book.
Oh, not that I wanted to copy their review. I just keep thinking that maybe I missed some huge thing and that someone else’s review will point something out that I can appreciate – something to make me like this better.
But, no, as of the day I’m writing this, I’m it. And I sort of want to write this before I forget the book.
And you see…I will forget it.
Oh, I appreciate the author. He’s one of the OGs of the zombie sub-genre. He’s written a ton of really good books in this arena and I was so looking forward to this.
And…I didn’t love it.
Part of the issue was the style. It’s mostly tell and very little show. It made the read slower than normal – I even felt apart from some of the action scenes. And most of the characters? They didn’t live and breathe for me. Most never made it past the cardboard cutout stage.
The book spans years – over a decade – and jumps over years in a split second of text. It was disconcerting.
But, I did like his zombies and I definitely appreciated the very different spin he adds to a genre that’s gotten very cliché.
It was just a much slower read than I had hoped.
Will still happily read the next one. This one just wasn’t quite for me.
*ARC Provided via Net Galley
Oh, not that I wanted to copy their review. I just keep thinking that maybe I missed some huge thing and that someone else’s review will point something out that I can appreciate – something to make me like this better.
But, no, as of the day I’m writing this, I’m it. And I sort of want to write this before I forget the book.
And you see…I will forget it.
Oh, I appreciate the author. He’s one of the OGs of the zombie sub-genre. He’s written a ton of really good books in this arena and I was so looking forward to this.
And…I didn’t love it.
Part of the issue was the style. It’s mostly tell and very little show. It made the read slower than normal – I even felt apart from some of the action scenes. And most of the characters? They didn’t live and breathe for me. Most never made it past the cardboard cutout stage.
The book spans years – over a decade – and jumps over years in a split second of text. It was disconcerting.
But, I did like his zombies and I definitely appreciated the very different spin he adds to a genre that’s gotten very cliché.
It was just a much slower read than I had hoped.
Will still happily read the next one. This one just wasn’t quite for me.
*ARC Provided via Net Galley
November 10, 2018
The story was pretty good but there was a lot of telling rather than showing. Because of this I found it hard to be as engaged with the story and characters as I would have liked. It was a quick read though.
October 10, 2023
This was a little stock...kind of blah...I liked the twist on what happens to the unborn babies of those bitten and then how a mutation evolved. That was novel. I also liked the concept of the Department of Homeland Security and their experimentations. The government doing experiments and weaponizing things that they shouldn't is pretty fair game for an author given that governments have been caught doing such things quite often.
I'll say the one thing I really liked was the fact that society didn't collapse at the first outbreak. I've always said that Zombies wouldn't likely take over in real life because there are just too many good souls eager and resourced to dispatch them. So the concept of a series of small outbreaks is far more plausible.
In all, this was a fast read and kept me going dispite being a little bland on character development.
I'll say the one thing I really liked was the fact that society didn't collapse at the first outbreak. I've always said that Zombies wouldn't likely take over in real life because there are just too many good souls eager and resourced to dispatch them. So the concept of a series of small outbreaks is far more plausible.
In all, this was a fast read and kept me going dispite being a little bland on character development.
February 16, 2019
I am now a believer in zombie fiction. The television and movies are so over the top, I immediately tune out and say "yuck". This is a very good story that reminded me of the medical experiments conducted during WWII. Building a super-race at the total cost of all other human beings. A doctor that started with a noble goal, a policeman that would kill his partner and others to reach the goal, and a public unawares. If you're like me and don't like zombies - give this a read, it may change your mind. I won this from a multi-author giveaway from 'Rebel Base Rising'.
August 13, 2020
Zombies in Pennsylvania, again! Yes, this is written by the screenwriter of Night of the Living Dead. Chapel Grove, Pennsylvania, to be exact! This time the "THEY'RE EATING FOR TWO." Mother in the maternity ward have been bitten and they are now going to breed the next generation of zombies. I am going to leave this review right there so you can enjoy the rest of the story on your own. I am giving this a 3.5 star review rounded to 4. Why? Because anything related to the original George A. Romero deserves stars!
October 20, 2024
I purchased this book directly from John Russo and he told me “this isn’t your typical zombie story” and he was right. Vampire like Zombies are taking over and creating a new race that is dedicated to being the alpha species of our planet. All while planting traditional zombies along the way. It’s a wild wild ride full of homeland security coverups, double agents, teenage love and more. Russo, well known for his work on Night of the Living Dead, even manages to slip in a nice nod to that well loved zombie film. Overall this was an interesting read. Good but not great.
October 19, 2018
This entry into the Living Dead saga, that was created by the author with the classic Night Of The Living Dead and turned into the classic film was a big let down. I was not able to get into the story or the characters. It was very slow moving and I found it a chore to get to the halfway mark. Which I still have not made it to as of yet. I do not believe I will finish it either. Two stars for the mere star power and respect I have for the author, nothing more.
November 2, 2018
One of the worst zombie stories I've encountered in a long time. Stock characters, poor dialogue, you name it, it's here. The worst offense was the need to add BLAM every time a gun was described as being fired. Some things belong dead. This audio book is one of them.
December 31, 2018
Inconsistent. For example, one character is "torn apart" by the undead and returns to attack another character. By the way this event is described, it seems quite unlikely. The novel is a cool concept, but the writing is certainly not the best.
February 5, 2020
Yikes, this was bad. Amateurish writing, unrealistic characters, boring, predictable plot. It was almost embarrassing to read, and it felt like something someone had written in a high school creative writing class.
November 19, 2021
Sucks. There was so much clumsy 'religious people are stupid and unenlightened' stuff in it, that it felt like satire. Like, it was written by a religious person trying to make atheists look dumb. And the terrible dialogue didn't do the book any favors.
August 11, 2023
For a zombie book, this tackled a lot of topics like religion, puberty, marital relationships, parenting, and so much more. Peter Berkrot is an amazing narrator for Audible, and who else should do a zombie story than a guy named BerkROT!
October 10, 2018
This was a real page turner. Enjoyed the premise, but thought it ended too quickly. Would have liked the story to continue building. Yet it promises a sequel.
October 11, 2018
So bad in so many ways.
August 31, 2018
I'm approximately 50% through this book and I have to say it is not what I thought it was going to be. I had very high hopes for this title because of the iconic John Russo who wrote it. I admire Russo and Romero immensely for their major contributions to zombie popular culture. Basically, they created the modern zombie as we know them today, without their release of 'Night of the Living Dead', we wouldn't have all the incredible zombie films and TV shows that we do now.
So I came into this book with very high hopes and maybe that's why I feel a bit let down. I found that were were many major characters in this book and the constant shifting of voices and perspectives made the story hard to follow. I did enjoy the general aspects of the story such as, the way society continues to live with the threat of the plague constantly overhead and the way that the government was so corrupt (it made for some interesting situations).
I didn't enjoy the random secondary characters, especially the stupid names of the druggies/dealers. I found myself getting annoyed at all the dumb nicknames and it was a real turn off for me. I also found an error in the book, at one point it states that Wanda got bit by her son who was then killed by his own father....but she was never bitten, the son was killed and Wanda wanted to die along with her son, but she never was bitten.
As I've said, these are my comments at around halfway finished with the book, I am unsure if I'll even finish this title because it hasn't really hooked me. If this book wasn't written by a legend like Russo I may have not even gotten to the 50% mark. I will amend my Goodreads review if I ever finish this book, but this is my all comments currently.
So I came into this book with very high hopes and maybe that's why I feel a bit let down. I found that were were many major characters in this book and the constant shifting of voices and perspectives made the story hard to follow. I did enjoy the general aspects of the story such as, the way society continues to live with the threat of the plague constantly overhead and the way that the government was so corrupt (it made for some interesting situations).
I didn't enjoy the random secondary characters, especially the stupid names of the druggies/dealers. I found myself getting annoyed at all the dumb nicknames and it was a real turn off for me. I also found an error in the book, at one point it states that Wanda got bit by her son who was then killed by his own father....but she was never bitten, the son was killed and Wanda wanted to die along with her son, but she never was bitten.
As I've said, these are my comments at around halfway finished with the book, I am unsure if I'll even finish this title because it hasn't really hooked me. If this book wasn't written by a legend like Russo I may have not even gotten to the 50% mark. I will amend my Goodreads review if I ever finish this book, but this is my all comments currently.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews