Dorm Life

Undead Ultra #2

by Camille Picott

How do you survive the apocalypse when the only things your companions care about are pot, video games, and beer?
This is the predicament Kate finds herself in after running two hundred miles to find her son.

Holed up in a dorm with Carter and his friends, she is surrounded by college kids who have no interest in gathering supplies, fortifying their home, or even taking out the trash.

Resources are scarce. Zombies are everywhere. Survivors prey on the weak.

Feet have become the only reliable form of transportation. Kate knows this better than anyone. When you move, you need to be quiet, and you need to be quick.

Kate needs to get her kids in shape. She needs to get their minds out of the Xbox and into the apocalypse. If she can’t, none of them will survive.

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Post Apocalyptic

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2019

About the author

Camille loves to read, write, eat, and run obscene distances. (Not always in that order.) She considers sleep to be highly over-rated.

Reviews

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossing.

Another great zombie read in the second book of the Undead Ultra series. It’s a bit slower to start, but then it’s a sit on the edge of your seat and read quickly to see what happens. There is always a bad one, and the bad one always has a following to do the dirty deeds, but this time the bad one took his eye off the ball, and Kate was there to make sure he wasn’t picking it back up. The characters are stepping up, and they are learning how to survive. A super page-turner.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After running 200 miles to find her son at his college during the zombie apocalypse, ultrarunner Kate finds herself holed up in a dorm with her son and other surviving students. Kate is determined to keep these kids alive. They have to learn to survive in a world that will never go back to the way it used to be. There will be no more days wasted playing xbox, living like a couch potato, or counting on fast food or the cafeteria for meals. These kids have to learn to scavenge. They need to be in better physical shape. And, they have to learn survival skills. If anyone can teach them how to survive, it's Kate. But....turns out zombies aren't the only things that are dangerous. Other surivors can be even more deadly than the undead.

Dorm Life is the second book in the Undead Ultra series. I'm always game for a great zombie story....and I love how creative this series is. I have read zombie stories involving college students before....and just about every other scenario possible. But, this is the first time I have read a series about ultrarunners surviving during the apocalypse. There's a lot more than blisters, refueling and muscle fatigue when the undead are out to kill you.

Great addition to this series! I enjoyed every word!

The series really needs to be read in order. This is a continuing saga that starts with Undead Ultra (book 1). After Dorm Life, the story continues with the newly released Undead Ultra: Lost Coast. There is also a prequel story: Dawn Patrol.

Love this series! Always an entertaining read! Can't wait for more from this author!

4/20/2021 - Just finished listening to the audio book version of this story. The narrator is awesome -- great listening experience. I love this series!

[Tee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really disappointed that the entire book wasn’t from the point of view of Kate. There was no point to writing from Jenna’s POV in my opinion, and her and Caleb’s constant use of “babe” was so annoying. Jenna’s parts sounded exactly like Kate’s. I’m not sure why the author decided to do this. The reason I liked the first book was Kate - I found her interesting and loved all the things about ultra marathons I learned.

The second book got cheesy. I don’t care about Jenna and Caleb’s relationship one bit. It adds absolutely nothing to the story. It’s immature and very high school. And how convenient that Jenna and Caleb are the most savvy survivors out of their student group. Give me a break. The attitudes of the other students seemed far more believable- denial and video games.

The other thing that was a bit unbelievable was Kate’s sudden survival expertise. So I’m supposed to believe that just because she ran 200 miles she now knows everything about how to survive and apocalypse and isn’t afraid of killing anyone and firing guns?

I’ll finish the series because I’m curious, but now I’m more annoyed than really interested. Book 2 has nothing about running, and so far book 3 is shaping up to be the same. But thank god so far book 3 hasn’t had a Jenna part yet. Book 1 was good because of an interesting main character, it was a fresh take on zombies and marathon running. Author should have stuck to that.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another really enjoyable read from the Undead Ultra series! Like the ideas, characters & writing style! Great! Looking forward to the next installment! Would recommend this to anyone that loves end of the world stories!

[Saundra Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another lively installment of Camille Picott’s series of the undead. Are ultra-runners better equipped to survive a zombie apocalypse? Read Dorm Life; you just might take up running!

Humboldt University is a quiet small college near Arcata, California. It is set among the fabulous redwoods of the area. A beautiful and peaceful place to get an education. Until students begin eating other students during a party. Jenna can Carter escape with their lives, if not their psyches intact.

They make it back to their dorm, and join a small group of other students from the dorm that are also uninfected by this epidemic. Zombies still haunt many parts of the building, but can’t get out of their confinement behind closed doors. As a team they have cleared a suite of rooms to inhabit, and a common area as well. Going outside the building is too dangerous. Fortunately they have scavenged enough food to last them a little while.

Most of the group are just waiting things out, sure that rescue from the government will arrive sometime and that things will go back to normal. So they read, play games, get high, and wait. Jenny is the only one who doesn’t believe life will ever return to “normal.”

Carter’s mom, Kate, arrives at the college, after running the two hundred miles from their home, and facing countless dangers on the way. She and Carter have a very strong relationship. Kate would sacrifice anything to keep him safe. She has seen the horrors of the outside world. Can she convince these kids to shape up in order to survive?

How would you handle an apocalypse? Read Dorm Life, and them prepare.

[Lan Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this second installment of Undead Ultra. Kate has come a long way since she first started off on her ultra to find her son Carter. Along the way she has lost the illusion that the world is going to magically get better. Her transformation kind of reminds me a little of Carol from Walking Dead, who is one of my favourites.

This time around she has the challenge of whipping Carter and his friends into shape to survive the zombie apocalypse. I gotta say, sometimes I wouldn't have minded if the zombies got a few of those college kids. Kate had much more patience than I do!

Overall a great addition to the series.

[Ann Kilburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book so much that I did it in one sitting. It has everything I like in it - an apocalypse, zombies, unusual and enterprising survivors, all in an different to normal setting. Dorm Life has its tragic moments as well as humorous ones. I can totally relate to the characters - they are so believable. I was a hostel mother to a group of teenagers for a few years and Camille Picott has the characters and attitudes of the young people in the novel down to a T! This book has even inspired me to stop being such a couch potato!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dorm Life - Undead Ultra and would highly recommend it to everyone - even readers who don't normally enjoy post-apocalyptic scenarios - go ahead and try it, who knows you might get hooked on a totally different genre and author

[Ryu Takano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the California dystopian apocalypse, this book features a mom that literally went through hell to get to her son at college to see if he's OK, ending up with a rather large family at the end. Very well written, the main cast all had their own trials and tribulations to go through. Someone once said, only where war is waged, there's life being lived. This is so true in this story.

People in denial (no, it's not a river in Egypt), people in love, people on the run from trouble (sometimes literally), and even people pushed to the point to breaking and beyond are all in this story. Make sure to pick up the book to find out!

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dorm Life (Undead Ultra Book 2) by Camille Picott is a great story that I have read. I really enjoyed this book number two and can not wait for the next book. I highly recommend this story to everyone who enjoys action stories.

[Rebecca Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book one had a pet death/torture and this book shared another. A dog is killed. These books could occur without these. There was no plot purpose to the one in this book while they are in town. Character development asked zombie scares are good but I can't appreciate a writer who has to keep adding animal pain/torture. If that doesn't bother you, this book may be great for you.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carter is attending Humboldt University and things are going along as normal until students start eating each other at a party. The survivors hole up in one of the dorms. Some go about cleaning up and preparing but most lay around playing video games getting high and waiting for someone to come save them.

Kate finally gets to the school and finds a bunch of college kids that would rather have someone do all the work for them than fighting back. She has her hands full as they all have attitudes and do not believe her. But if they are going to survive it’s time to listen and get off their butts or else they will be zombie food.

I really enjoyed reading Undead Ultra. It’s a great zombie story with the twist of a long-distance run. There might not be the running in this book but there is a lot of getting your poop in a group and getting in shape. I tip my hat to Kate, she has so much patience with those kids. I think I might have left them for zombie food several times.

This is a great zombie series and I recommend checking it out. It is both on kindle and Audible. I love this and can’t wait to see what happens in the next book, Lost Coast.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

[Emily Goodman]

Camille Picott puts an all new meaning behind the words "Mama Bear" in her second installment of Undead Ultra- Dorm Life.

Let me preface this whole review by saying that you must read book one in this series before latching onto Dorm Life. There is a world of information on Mama Bear, Kate's 250 mile journey on foot. Now that Kate has reached her son, Carter at Humbolt University, she's seeing this group of survivors in denial of this new world. Set on saving each of these college kids, Kate sets a survival plan in motion until another group on campus finds them.

Picott already had a gruesome zombie filled world laid out within this series, however with the second group she ups her game with sociopathic soldiers. These sociopaths ravage the survivors of the campus. Unfortunately, Kate can't look away. Picott's character has a conscious that won't let her walk away from the horrors that she's seen.

While this one is gritty, jumpy at times too, Picott still laces that signature humor throughout the book. Whether it's Reed's declaration of love for his adoptive mother or the banter between characters, Picott brings humor in all the right places to lighten the seriousness of the new world.

[Raya Whitehouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book.

This was a great listen, I was really glad to be able to hear it. The author was kind enough to give me a code for Authors Direct to listen to this awesome book. It is continuing the journey where the first book left off which was also a good book that you should check out as well as this one.

This book itself is has 2 sides, which is Kate and Jenna (Carter's girlfriend). The book follows both girls in the new world they are trying to survive in. What Kate is thinking and seeing , what Jenna is thinking and seeing. Each one having some different and some same thoughts on things.

Kate watches over the kids and tries to help them for the future they have all been thrust into. Getting them in shape could be tough going, but you will be able to read all about it in the novel.

Getting a copy of the audio book which didnt require me to leave a review, I am doing that on my own in the own thoughts, can't wait to see what happens next. (Also I have done them all but going back into them to re-listen cause they are a great series, and to write up a review on here instead of just on Amazon)

[NormaCenva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuck yeah Mama Bear, fuck yeah! This was a lovely continuation of the story. A lot less running but still nice. Had some really horrible moment, but they were written really well. The character development was done well and all of the new characters were a good addition to the story. I needed to get used to the POV changing, but it was fun to see how someone else sees the story unfold. This is really inspiring me to get back to writing again! Onto Book 3 now, can't wait to know what happens next! Does anyone know when the Audiobook version of Book 4 will become available? I hope it will be soon, I know I will read that one too! While we are on the subject here, is the prequel book any good, I can see that it is more of a novella and is on a short side, can't decide if I should buy it...

[Kally Nikolaeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. I started the first one because of the running story and less about the zombies. This book provides less running information, but I still liked it a lot. The characters and the relationships between them are interesting and they really grow and change until the end. Some new interesting characters are added and I loved the dynamics between then and how they learn to live with each other. There are some very interesting parts about how supposedly good people turn into bad ones after the apocalypse and how to deal with them.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undead University life

Another great read by Camille! I can’t find a bad thing to fix, and the mom in me would do the very same things to protect my own kids. Though I might try going to Fort Ross- they are close to the ocean ever heard of a boat?! And they need more women, fights will break out soon as the guys get “ lonely” - more than 4 women had to have survived the apocalypse. I guess we’ll see in the next book

[David Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camille Picott’s Undead Ultra series takes a big leap in gaining some very interesting characters as well as seeing Kate begin to take on a new role. I found this episode to be even more enjoyable that the first because it seemed to incorporate all the best elements of what I think makes a good zombie story. The action and interpersonal interaction in this story make it a very fast-moving tale. Gwendolyn Druyor's narration and character voices made this story come to life.

[Sergio Cahuantzi Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great books!

This is a great series, not my usual read but very glad I started it. I don't think I hate running as much after reading this!!! More like I need to start running real soon.. It has great characters with a little bit of everything. I love the fact that nothing is really dragged on. It gets to the point with enough happening to tell the story and feel the story without you feeling like ur getting lost or bored.

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read : July 16, 2022
Rating : 5 Stars

Ah, this was absolutely marvelous! It had drama and gore and sweetness and of course a nice little helping of zombies.

Mama Kate rocks in this as the strong women she is and the kids slowly start to get inly into their head that this is it, the end of the world.

Ofcourse there are bad people to content with and zombies to kill and evade, food to forage and battelines drawn.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Struggling with the dilemma of what to do about bad people shouldn't be the main thing one has to deal with during a zombie apocalypse. But it's there as in any other time. But there are other factors like degrees of worthiness and that some people do evolve for the better. Even Kate, who has become the mother figure to college coeds, recognizes her own need to adapt to changing situations with a sharp eye to the future.

[Ryk Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually liked this one better than the first. Less profanity, less cliché, and it felt more practiced. That is to say, the first book felt like a POD author who needed another rewrite or three, but this one seems more polished. I liked the conflicts between individual characters as well as between the two groups, and I loved the decisions Kate found herself making.

Highly recommended!

[Daryl Schumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The transformation of Kate continues and so too, finally, for the kids. This is done with more great character development, as the story deepens and darkens. Danger, in all manor of ways, is always around the corner and tough decisions need to be made.
I thought the the narrator handled the multitude of characters well.

[Peter Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only gave the 2nd book 4 stars because I was spoilt by the 1st book. It was still a top shelf read from my perspective and had me engaged throughout. This is very much a book about how different people come to grips with (or don't come to grips with) an impossible situation outside of the usual points of reference. Another ultra good read.

[BarbaraH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!! A fierce Mom runs 200 miles to get to her Son living in a Form full of College kids. She has to run through a land that has filled with Zombies! The kids are all in hiding,can Mom really help them?

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing!

Every bit as unique a read as the first book! What would a Mama Bear parent do to protect and defend her own? Anything! Love the characters, love the writing, loved the story!

[Diana Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeps the pace going!

I loved the first book in the series and this book didn’t disappoint. Loved the take on the zombie theme. Highly recommend. Going to get next book to follow Kate and her trainee survivors.

[Audra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent zombie apocalypse story in the continuing series by Camille Picott. I listened to each story one after the other immediately after finishing the previous entry in the series. I highly recommend this book and the entire series to anyone that enjoys zombie and/or apocalypse survival.

[Anne - Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Really enjoying this series. The group have added 3 more people to the group. Have fought a war with a group of psychopaths and out smarted zombies ! Roller coaster of a ride . Definitely recommend this series .

[patricia compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

another good read

I truly enjoyed the first book and this second one didn’t disappoint. I’ve gone through so many zombie books that some are hard to finish, this series had me reading start to end.

[Judy Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome 2nd book

It’s not often that the second book in the series matches up with the first, but it happens here . Kate had found her son and inherits a misfit group of survivors. Can she motivate these kids from surviving to thriving? You must read this book.