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Dead Meat #1

Dead Meat: Day 1

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The dead have awakened.
Driven by insatiable hunger.
In eternal search of fresh meat.
The infection spreads like the plague.
Nothing stands between the undead and humanity.

Is it too late to save the world from disaster?

In this new apocalyptic zombie series, we follow events day for day as the world slowly decends into mayhem as the zombies take over.

Day 1: How it all began

Three teenagers find themselves trapped in a stuffy, warm basement. The old lady who used to own the house is now dead. She's also standing right on the other side of the basement door, scraping and moaning, trying to get in. Patiently. Tirelessly.

How did they end up here? Just a few hours ago, all three of of them were sitting in Thomas' car, sweating and listening to music, not a care in the world. They were almost done with the paper route when they came to the old lady's house. And that's when everything turned to chaos.

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2019

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About the author

Nick Clausen

64 books102 followers
I write stories about the apocalypse so that I don't need to work a real job. I grew up reading Stephen King and still haven't fully recovered. I'm currently ending the world in my new series Under the Breaking Sky.

Join my reader club to be kept in the loop -> nick-clausen.com

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5 stars
164 (34%)
4 stars
156 (32%)
3 stars
119 (24%)
2 stars
27 (5%)
1 star
16 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
Profile Image for Latasha.
1,284 reviews371 followers
October 6, 2019
I received the book from the author in exchange for a review. Thank you Nick.

Nick Clausen is very talented. His stories pull you in, take hold and don't let go. They are well written and intense. This book throws you in at ground zero of the zombie outbreak. However, the characters are well aware of what's happening, what to do and how to stop it. They try but I guess we'll have to read book 2 to see if it worked.
Profile Image for Tabitha  Tomala.
669 reviews78 followers
May 30, 2022
This review is also feature on Behind the Pages: Dead Meat Day 1

It started off as a normal day delivering papers, but it quickly turned into a nightmare. Thomas and his friends are trapped in a basement, with a hungry zombie on the other side of the only way out. Jennie is injured, and pretty soon they might have a zombie on the inside as well. With no weapons and no way to call for help, they’re running out of time. How did it come to this?

Dead Meat drops you straight into the action. Tensions are running high and you’ll immediately be invested in the characters and their situation. There is never a dull moment as Thomas does all he can to survive. Every time the characters even gain the higher ground, another obstacle is thrown in their way to ramp up the difficulty.

Nick Clausen successfully created a believable world and an engaging story within 187 pages. There is a perfect balance of drama and horror. The two story elements weave together to create an edgy and creative take on the zombie apocalypse. I will be reading the next book as soon as I can. I just have to know what happens! I highly recommend Dead Meat for fans of horror and zombies. You will not be disappointed.
Profile Image for Sherry Fundin.
1,807 reviews120 followers
January 7, 2020
It’s hot as Hades, as the kids find themselves in the suffocating basement, dodging a zombie that salivates at the thought of taking a bite out of them…

Dead Meat by Nick Clausen gets creepy bad very early and time is of the essence.

OMG! Want bloody, gory, gruesome, sad, tragic, heroic and…?

Read about a day in the life of Dan, a teenager that was only delivering newpapers on a freakishly hot day when all hell broke loose in his world. I love this character!

I am drooling over the thought of reading more of this delicious series.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dead Meat by Nick Clausen.

See more at fundinmental
Profile Image for Regitze.
744 reviews98 followers
December 11, 2017
Review copy from the publisher, Facet.
Reviewed on my blog Bookish Love Affair.

How much can happen in one day? I mean, how badly could thing get out of hand?
Very. Really very much. And as such, we see the beginning of an assumed zombie-apocaplypse through the eyes of two boys in their late teens and how in just one day everything changes.

It's fast-paced, kinda disgusting and spooky. I wonder what happens on day two.
Profile Image for Jackie's Bookbytes.
567 reviews48 followers
October 8, 2019
***I was provided with a free copy by the author in exchange for a review.
Dead Meat is about three children who get stuck in the basement of a house that is overrun by zombies.
The prospect of survival is very grim for Thomas, Dan and Jennie but if there is any hope to stay alive,
they need to make sure all of the zombies are dead.
When Thomas, Dan and his sister Jennie arrive at the end of their paper route, the furthest thing on their minds was getting eaten by zombies. The weather was hot that day and they were all thirsty but are themselves trapped in a basement hiding from a family of Zombies inside the old dilapidated farmhouse. I don't think they were very brave or smart enough to know how to kill zombies because they were scared. Jennie thought she scraped herself on some glass but she was scratched by the zombie's long nails. They knew she was infected when they realized her symptoms were getting worse. She had a burning fever and it was inevitable she would die and turn. It didn't take long either.

Thomas and Dan had been planning their escape when Jennie reanimated into a zombie. They never killed her only kept her a safe distance from attacking them.

For Thomas and Dan, it was an ordeal to finally be out of that house. Evidently only 3 zombies were inside: the father, the grandma and a child. Yet Thomas managed to free himself. He also had to rescue Dan. They also realized someone alive was hiding in a car but she didn't have the car keys. She told Thomas they were in her husband's pant pocket. *facepalm*

Thomas and Dan locked themselves inside their car and drank a whole case of warm pop. The car wouldn't start and wouldn't you know it. Only then Thomas remembered the glass that he cut his foot on had zombie blood on it. So now he was also infected and burning with fever. Before he died he desperately wanted Dan and the lady of the other car to get out and get help. There were two zombies smashed against the car so Thomas got the key out of the husbands pocket and killed them before he passed out.

The lady of the car and Dan got away and made it to the hospital only to find out Dan had stuck Thomas's body in the trunk. Ugh. Why?

Realizing it was a bad idea to have taken Thomas' body to the hospital, Dan could have caused a zombie outbreak. So, they high tail it out of there and come to an abandoned area where they could set the damn body and the car on fire. Now that all of the zombies were dead was everything back to normal again? No! Dan remembers Jennie! They never killed her and he just hoped when he got out he secured the basement window ... to be continued.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Netanella.
4,250 reviews12 followers
June 3, 2020
"Dead Meat" is a newish zombie series that relates a zombie outbreak in Denmark, one day at a time. Yes, it's been before, but Nick Clausen's books are always fun to read, with interesting characters and a unique voice. I feel as if I've read a million zombie stories by American authors, and British authors, so getting more of an international feel is always fun.

Here, we have young Danish teenagers encountering a Haitian voodoo zombie on a newspaper delivery run. The characters are relatable, the plot is quick and sufficiently gory and bloody for a zombie romp, and there's even a little bit of zombie humor:

The zombie reaches out its arms, moans, then steps in its own intestines, trips and falls onto the hood of the car.

The ending is the perfect set up for Day 2 of "Dead Meat." I look forward to more.
Profile Image for Daisy Sauceda.
1,809 reviews21 followers
October 7, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the suspense of the story. The characters were great. You have a mix of emotions from each of the characters. For me, this was a quick read and I devoured it.

The story just jumps right in and follows Thomas, Jennie and Dan and then the suspense builds real quick. You learn that they are all kids who have to make quick decisions. At one point you are trying to figure out what happen to start this chain of events. It's not your typical zombie book and that is what I loved about it.

Nick Clausen does a wonderful job with keeping the reader entertain. Overall this is a wonderful book to read.

***This is an advanced reader's copy***
Profile Image for Iseult Murphy.
Author 25 books109 followers
September 28, 2019
Three teenage friends encounter zombies in an isolated country house while on a paper route. Zombies may be past their freshest, but I love them, and Nick Clausen does them justice with a taut, suspenseful tale. I liked the characters, found the situation realistic and enjoyed the level of gore.
If this is day 1, I can’t wait to read day 2!
Profile Image for Kaili (Owl Book World).
266 reviews17 followers
August 26, 2020
I actually wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book. I love horror but I didn't know if I'd like a book where the entire story takes place in one day. But I actually ended up enjoying it. The book is a pretty quick read and I was able to finish it in a couple of hours. It's fast paced and keeps you interested!
Profile Image for Michael Smith.
114 reviews11 followers
September 25, 2022
I feel really bogged down at the moment by huge series. Having a bit of a fantasy burnout. I needed something different, so I saw some good reviews for this zombie series and figured it's the perfect time of year to try it.

I am so glad I did! This is all the zombie tropes ever, with a touch of fantasy thrown in the mix. Really fast paced, short, and I didn't realise how much I enjoyed the characters until they started dropping off.

Not original enough for five stars, but too much fun to give anything less than four. I'm excited to carry on!
34 reviews
November 23, 2020
Nice one!

Very Nice story, great hidden treasure. Going to download the Second book. Thanks for writing this, I really enyojed it!
19 reviews
April 19, 2020
This book is amazing. I subscribed at the end to get day zero to see how it all happened. I can't wait to read the rest. Finally an action packed zombie series without out the extra narrative. You'll be sorry if you don't read this series.

Because it was the best book I've read in ages!!! I'm just sorry I didn't find it sooner. You won't regret reading this. I promise.
Profile Image for Heather Gadd.
233 reviews15 followers
September 6, 2020
I’ll be honest, I was a bit hesitant going into this book, I don’t usually handpick a book that I believe will have a lot of gore, and choosing to read a zombie book is an almost absolute guarantee that there is going to be a significant amount of blood and guts. This assumption was correct, but Nick’s writing had me hooked from the first page, so I was here for the show and enjoyed every word.

Do not pick up this book thinking it will be a short read, because the minute you finish this novella, you’re going to want to read the next one. Which is exactly what I did, and is why two nights later I’m now on Dead Meat: Day 4 and anticipating the release of Day 5. These book “snacks” are addictive and “once you pop, you can’t stop”.

Most zombie stories, specifically movies and television, follow a very predictable script, and once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. While you can appreciate them all with their slight variations, there’s very little surprise in the arc and finale. Clausen threw this playbook out the window and crafted an unparalleled drama that ties the supernatural into what is a traditionally clinical origin story.

Everything about Dead Meat is so well executed. Each zombie attack is a shocking surprise despite having read several. Every character is well fleshed out (pun slightly intended) so that every loss is mourned. I can guarantee that you won’t know where the story is going or how it will end. Regardless of the apocalyptic trajectory, you won’t want it to end.

This book 100% surprised me and I will read this series through Day 100.
398 reviews22 followers
August 31, 2020
Dead meat is one of the best pandemic read i read this year. Its mix of evil dead and resident evil and these are my favouraite movie .so you could imagine the hype ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

i finshed it in 2 hour because its quite short read and would love read more. Its little different of your usual zombie story.

Here zombie occur because someone dont want to forget there loved one so they did voddoo magic which can make dead alive but without any emotions and its contagious.

Yup things got crazy when three friends wander in old mansion where this lady live and it got quite unexpeted from there.


Loved it★★★★.5 star read from my side.
27 reviews
August 23, 2020
Short but good

Well I liked it but it was super short that's not a bad thing at all I like alot of gore so I hope the others have more but I'll still like tsem!
Profile Image for Diane.
4 reviews2 followers
March 20, 2022
Loved it!!

Excellent beginning of a zombie apocalypse series. Great characters and storyline. It's one of those stories you get in a few chapters and you can not put down until your finished. I'm off to the next book!
Profile Image for Seraphia.
1,774 reviews20 followers
Read
October 8, 2019
Dead Meat: Day 1 is a horror thriller by Nick Clausen that promises readers a trip down “scary lane.” This story takes place in Denmark with three teenagers out on a regular day not expecting the horrors that they are about to face as one simply goes into an old woman’s house to do a simple job – deliver a newspaper. Things take a horrific turn with a gruesome discovery that, due to a cruel twist of fate, has far-reaching consequences.
Being an avid fan and lover of horror movies and always looking for my next thrill from a horror story, I was eager to dive into this book. I was eager to see where the author would take me in the familiar troupe of zombies and death. I have to say I was not disappointed. The author does a fantastic job with this short story keeping me engaged as to what was going to happen next. I’m pleased to say that a couple of characters do a lot better than I was expecting. I was honestly expecting some of the typical clichés seen in horror movies where nobody does the obvious. I guess it helps that one of the characters watched quite a few horror movies and knows what should be done.
I can honestly say that there is nothing I don’t like about this book. Be forewarned…there is no happy ending…as this is just the beginning. I will admit that I got annoyed with one of the characters, but I know that this was done with intent by the author. The author does his best to make these characters as true to life in this story and it works! We see the humanity in them as they try to resist doing the “ultimate” deed in the name of survival.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. This book is truly a horror success and I look forward to learning what happens next as a terrible realization hits one of the characters at the end, and one that I’m sure will have you yelling at them (and it falling on deaf ears). If you enjoy horror stories, zombies, and well-created characters then I highly recommend this story.
640 reviews3 followers
October 6, 2019
I wanted to read some spooky stories as it is the month of October and I really don’t usually read them. I have to say the reason is that I have too vivid of an imagination so it sticks with me. This year I wanted to do something different and try again. I am not sure if this was a good decision after reading this story. So I read the description and thought it sounded interesting. Maybe one that wouldn’t be too creepy even if it did contain zombies. Can you hear me laughing at myself. Ya it was creepy. Yet I can say it was a really good story and got me caught up right away. I liked the characters and the world building. I could picture it happening the way the author described it. I think in a way for me that made it worse as it made it more believable. Well done, for me I could feel my heart beating fast by the end. Like I said I don’t usually read or even watch movies like this for a reason. Saying that I would look for more by this author as the writing style and characters was well done. Seemed like I just started it and I was at the end. The end does leave an opening for more and I do want to know more, yet there was also an ending that I was satisfied with for now. I did received an ARC for an honest review. I would recommend this book to others and am thinking I should go buy it so when the next part comes out I can reread this part first to get back into the mood.
Profile Image for Christopher Owens.
289 reviews3 followers
August 26, 2021
I discovered this series at my local library one day. I had never heard of it before, but the Day 8 volume was on top of a display of young adult books when I was browsing for something to read. Wanting to start at the beginning, I put Day 1 on hold.


I was surprised to find that this series was written by an author in Denmark who learned English from Netflix and audiobooks. This book was a complete turnaround from the last zombie novel I read. The writing was simple, extremely fast-paced and realistic, and I plowed through it in less than a day. I liked that zombie movies are a part of the world-building, so the characters immediately know what’s happening and how to combat the zombies. Spoiler alert: the character I assumed would be the main character for the entire series dies, so I’m not sure who will be the lead character for Day 2 – will it be one of the survivors from Day 1, or will Day 2 start with a completely clean slate character-wise?

I gave Dead Meat – Day 1 five stars on Goodreads. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror novels, zombie novels in particular. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series – according to the author’s website, it will end with Day 9.
Profile Image for JenniferJ.
630 reviews80 followers
November 5, 2019
If you're looking for a quick and fun zombie read this October you can't go wrong with Dead Meat: Day 1 from Nick Clausen!

As the story opens we're already in full action mode and it doesn't slow down at all! We have 3 teens who started out on a rather normal day that went south in no time. For those who aren't as zombie savvy as I'd like to think I am this could be a scary eye opener for you (lock your doors and keep your teddy bears near) but for me it was like watching one of those fun zombie movies on tv where the folks have no clue what is going on exactly and I'm on my couch yelling to "aim for the head" or screaming at them to "not git bit"!

*I was given an advanced copy of this story from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Mark.
176 reviews4 followers
February 17, 2022
This is an enjoyable and easy to read zombie series that has interesting characters, a defined ending, and helps the reader understand the role of hope and faith in overcoming disaster. There’s good development throughout the book series and the characters are multi dimensional. The story seems to lag occasionally and, binge reading it as I did, find some of the scenes to be repetitive. However overall I really enjoyed the series and I’m happy I picked up the multiple compilation.
Profile Image for Stephanie .
337 reviews5 followers
October 6, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me why I love the zombie genre so much. This one is a different take because it's the very beginning, the origin story if you will. I got an ARC copy, but it didn't effect my opinion whatsoever. I found myself tearing through this book to see what happened.

Like many of these types of books, the main characters made some really stupid decisions. I give them latitude because they're young and in a stressful situation. There are some flaws and I found one typo, but this is a very enjoyable book that does what it sets out to do. It's a creepy zombie story that delivers. I would recommend it if these are the types of stories you enjoy.
Profile Image for Katharina.
100 reviews2 followers
September 30, 2019
In Dead Meat three friends have to escape the house of an old woman that turned into a zombie. Being trapped in the cellar it's not easy to get around zombie granny. Then worst case happens: one of them turns as well. Will the other two escape or will all of them have the same fate?

Dead Meat isn't your usual zombie apocalypse story, but it's as suspenseful as them. I really like how Nick Clausen can make you feel like you're also there, even though it's such a short read! So I can recommend the book to everyone liking zombies but being bugged out by apocalypses.
Profile Image for Margaux Espinosa.
1,291 reviews21 followers
October 7, 2019
Damn! That was suspenseful as hell. I have a serious obsession with zombies so of course this was right up my ally. I loved how short and full of complications and suspense this read was. Nick Clausen always does a great job making his horror stories feel like they’re real. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering what they were going to do next what else could possibly go wrong. Then the cliffhanger, I need to know what happens on day two now!
Profile Image for Sue Wallace .
5,908 reviews62 followers
October 7, 2020
Dead Meat: Day 1 by Nick Clausen.
A fantastic read with some great characters. Loved Thomas and Dan. Looking forward to the next book. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Emilie Hrabak.
21 reviews1 follower
September 27, 2019
I love stories that take place over one day because it shows you just how much can go wrong quickly over the course of one day.
I loved the unexpected twist and this was an interesting take on a zombie origin story. I’m excited to see what unfurls in the next book in the series!
Profile Image for Serenity.
727 reviews31 followers
October 7, 2019
Dearly love this author's writing! I've read a couple books by him now, and they have all been great. A definite recommend!!
Profile Image for Jonathan Pongratz.
Author 4 books180 followers
November 24, 2021
I had a really good time with this zombie read. It wasn't perfect, but entertaining with interesting characters.

This book follows the events from Day 0 and continues the story with a whole new set of characters as they discover what happened in old Esther's house.

I liked that there were a whole new set of characters for this book, and I'm curious if this trend will continue. I did not want to hear very much about Dennis's awful mom after the first book, believe me! While the characters didn't necessarily have a lot of depth, their personalities showed through their actions and dialogue. And let's be honest, when you're fighting zombies left and right there really isn't time establish depth.

Thomas and Dan were favorites of mine, and I loved their conversations and how they actually knew about zombies in this world. Many zombie shows and books don't reference to the pop culture of zombies, and I actually liked how meta it was. It was refreshing.

That being said, I did have an issue with one character, Janjak (kudos for the originality of name!). His response when things got crazy didn't quite fit. I obviously can't spoil anything, but his words and some actions confused me.

As with the last book, the writing flows very well, so well in fact that I often lost track of time. I ended up finishing this book much quicker than I thought I would. 

The plot is, well, zombies of course! Now keep in mind that this is day one, so this is something of a starting point. There aren't worldwide uncontrollable zombie outbreaks at this point, so don't expect that. As far as pacing, this book started off very fast-paced, lingered a bit, then picked that pace right back up again. I did wish that some parts were sped up a bit and others prolonged, but overall wasn't disappointed.

I'm happy to continue with this series, and if you like zombies definitely give this a shot!
Profile Image for Kitty.
1,342 reviews16 followers
October 25, 2020
Read: October 25, 2020
Rating: 2 Stars

I've read a lot of great zombie books and I have read a lot of bad zombie books.

This one, in terms of story, falls somewhat in the middle, but a little bit more towards bad imo.

There are some things that don't make sense, and the fact that it's very, very short doesn't help much.

Then, the ending that's a big let down and a cliffhanger.

My main problem with this installment lies there, that it is in fact an installment and not a full book, though it seems to be marketed as such.

I get that authors need to pay the bills too, and that it's actually fucking hard to write a book and get it out there for people to read but this whole thing that a lot of "books" are now more small snippets feels kind of like getting cheated out of a full story and that just sucks.

I'm 100% more likely to pick up series of installments when I know that that's what I'm getting than if it's made to appear as a full story and getting just a mini part of it.

As such, I will not be continuing this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews

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