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Eden #2
Crusade
The world is dead. Millions of flesh-hungry zombies roam the land, seeking out the last survivors. Buddy, a pregnant Julie, Mickey, Gwen and Bear are refugees from Eden, seeking a better place. Along the way they face adversaries living and dead, and befriend new survivors, whose sole hope lies is the complete annihilation of the undead. Yet none suspects that the true threat lies within their ranks. The only chance humanity has is a total war--a crusade--against the zombie hordes. In a war of the living versus the dead, the stakes are high and only one side can emerge victorious!
260 pages, Paperback
First published June 21, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 5, 2010
Eden: Crusade is the sequel to Tony Monchinski's first novel, Eden, which was essentially a murder mystery set in the community of Eden, a walled and barricaded sanctuary in New York City during the zombie apocalypse. The saga continues in book two with several of the key characters who survived Eden, and the primary story in Crusade is of their journey north, out of the city, toward a place that promises to be a safe haven for them. We are also introduced to a sizable group of other survivors who end up connecting with the characters from the first book toward the end of this story. The novel is book ended by chapters that take place in the future, where Bear, one of the key characters of both book one and two, taking it upon himself to start a crusade to destroy every last one of the undead in existence.
Overall, the storytelling style of Crusade is similar to the first book. The author is unapologetic of what happens to his characters, taking them in whatever direction serves his story rather than parceling out mercy or softening his touch anywhere along the way. He gives each character, minor or major, tremendous depth, which is impressive given the volume of people the reader is presented with in between these pages. We gain new insights into the old characters from the first book, but newer characters like Steve, Eva, and Sonya are also fully formed and felt very real and vital to me. Tony Monchinski has the knack of creating characters that revel in their shades of gray. What I mean by this is that it appears that almost anyone is capable of doing anything good or evil, given the means and motivation, and Tony is willing to explore that, no matter how sentimental the readers may be about a character they have gotten to know. That may be tough to swallow at some points in this story, but it is something I respect a great deal, because it shows a willingness to push and keep pushing as far as is necessary to get the storytelling job done.
As I try to do with my reviews, I bring up what I felt didn't work for me along with what did. With Crusade, surprisingly, what didn't work for me was in the first chapter. The book begins with a massive and lopsided battle pitting two characters against a mob of the undead that numbers in the thousands. I felt that it went on longer than was necessary, with an extensive description of all the weapons used, every tactic examined. I think it had a visceral appeal to it, but after a few pages, it felt repetitive to me. It could have been condensed and had the same impact on the story in my humble opinion. I thought it was certainly a powerful opening, but again, could have been shortened and still worked quite well.
With that one minor gripe out of the way, I consider this book an excellent sequel to Tony's impressive debut. Again, I say that this writer has a talent for developing characters that are fully formed and razor sharp. He also gives his stories a gritty realism that is unapologetic. I am excited to see what the third book of the Eden trilogy holds, and look forward to reading it with great anticipation.
Overall, the storytelling style of Crusade is similar to the first book. The author is unapologetic of what happens to his characters, taking them in whatever direction serves his story rather than parceling out mercy or softening his touch anywhere along the way. He gives each character, minor or major, tremendous depth, which is impressive given the volume of people the reader is presented with in between these pages. We gain new insights into the old characters from the first book, but newer characters like Steve, Eva, and Sonya are also fully formed and felt very real and vital to me. Tony Monchinski has the knack of creating characters that revel in their shades of gray. What I mean by this is that it appears that almost anyone is capable of doing anything good or evil, given the means and motivation, and Tony is willing to explore that, no matter how sentimental the readers may be about a character they have gotten to know. That may be tough to swallow at some points in this story, but it is something I respect a great deal, because it shows a willingness to push and keep pushing as far as is necessary to get the storytelling job done.
As I try to do with my reviews, I bring up what I felt didn't work for me along with what did. With Crusade, surprisingly, what didn't work for me was in the first chapter. The book begins with a massive and lopsided battle pitting two characters against a mob of the undead that numbers in the thousands. I felt that it went on longer than was necessary, with an extensive description of all the weapons used, every tactic examined. I think it had a visceral appeal to it, but after a few pages, it felt repetitive to me. It could have been condensed and had the same impact on the story in my humble opinion. I thought it was certainly a powerful opening, but again, could have been shortened and still worked quite well.
With that one minor gripe out of the way, I consider this book an excellent sequel to Tony's impressive debut. Again, I say that this writer has a talent for developing characters that are fully formed and razor sharp. He also gives his stories a gritty realism that is unapologetic. I am excited to see what the third book of the Eden trilogy holds, and look forward to reading it with great anticipation.
April 20, 2012
After reading the first Eden novel and loving it, I was amazed when I realized two more books had followed in the series and I had been completely unaware of both. How often does that happen? Anyway, being a fan of the first Eden drove me to order copies of the other two immediately.
Crusade follows a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse in their trek north. I know it sounds a bit vague, but I am intentionally being that way to avoid giving up much of the story. Five survivors from the first novel are traveling north. Two of them happen to be my favorite two characters from the first novel; Bear and Buddy. To be honest, I barely remembered the other three. It happens.
Bear has become the leader of the group and Buddy is left struggling with some severe mental issues that leave him catatonic at times. On top of Buddy's problems, Julie is pregnant with the child of the first novel's lead character and Mickey has symptoms of a plague. What makes matters even worse is that the landscape between Eden and their destination is littered with flesh-eating cadavers, human scum, and harsh traveling conditions.
At first, I felt the novel was being over-descriptive. Instead of telling me the exact nomenclature and model of boots a character is wearing, I wanted the author to be a bit more general. This turned out to be a slight issue that only occurred a few times and did not affect the novel in the long run.
Monchinski continued to do something I love in his writing; leave things blank. Why should we know what becomes of a passing character or an explosion in the distance? The main characters do not explore it and are left at the same questions we are. It is only fair that we are left with the same insight then.
Although Bear is a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut of zombie-killing, we still come to understand his shortcomings, depressions, and feelings of failure. With Buddy, a number of questions are answered about him from the previous novel if one uses critical thinking. I suppose Buddy would make a great topic of discussion in a zombie thread somewhere.
This novel turned out o be a super fast read once I got through the first few pages. Dark, hopeful, depressing, anxious, and exciting are all ways to describe this novel at any given time.
The ending also left me with a nice little shocker. Kudos for that.
Fans of the zombie genre absolutely need to read this. The same goes for fans of post-apocalyptic literature. They need to read the first Eden first, of course.
Crusade follows a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse in their trek north. I know it sounds a bit vague, but I am intentionally being that way to avoid giving up much of the story. Five survivors from the first novel are traveling north. Two of them happen to be my favorite two characters from the first novel; Bear and Buddy. To be honest, I barely remembered the other three. It happens.
Bear has become the leader of the group and Buddy is left struggling with some severe mental issues that leave him catatonic at times. On top of Buddy's problems, Julie is pregnant with the child of the first novel's lead character and Mickey has symptoms of a plague. What makes matters even worse is that the landscape between Eden and their destination is littered with flesh-eating cadavers, human scum, and harsh traveling conditions.
At first, I felt the novel was being over-descriptive. Instead of telling me the exact nomenclature and model of boots a character is wearing, I wanted the author to be a bit more general. This turned out to be a slight issue that only occurred a few times and did not affect the novel in the long run.
Monchinski continued to do something I love in his writing; leave things blank. Why should we know what becomes of a passing character or an explosion in the distance? The main characters do not explore it and are left at the same questions we are. It is only fair that we are left with the same insight then.
Although Bear is a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut of zombie-killing, we still come to understand his shortcomings, depressions, and feelings of failure. With Buddy, a number of questions are answered about him from the previous novel if one uses critical thinking. I suppose Buddy would make a great topic of discussion in a zombie thread somewhere.
This novel turned out o be a super fast read once I got through the first few pages. Dark, hopeful, depressing, anxious, and exciting are all ways to describe this novel at any given time.
The ending also left me with a nice little shocker. Kudos for that.
Fans of the zombie genre absolutely need to read this. The same goes for fans of post-apocalyptic literature. They need to read the first Eden first, of course.
July 29, 2011
The first 20 pages, with Bear wiping out thousands of zombies....amazing. Another great book, and now I'm downloading Eden 3, Resurrection.
November 10, 2021
That was painful to read. The best part of this book was the 5 page afterword by the author. He spends 4 of the 5 pages trashing his co-author from the first book. Apparently they had a falling out and he felt it necessary to air all their dirty laundry in the afterword.
As for the story, it is told as three separate timelines that eventually have some sort of connection. Better than the totally out of order narrative of the first book. However, the author doesn't develop any of the characters. They all talk the same and when they are in scenes together, it is almost impossible to tell them apart. Its like being at a party with 40 people all talking at once and you're trying to follow all the conversations at once.
As for the story, it is told as three separate timelines that eventually have some sort of connection. Better than the totally out of order narrative of the first book. However, the author doesn't develop any of the characters. They all talk the same and when they are in scenes together, it is almost impossible to tell them apart. Its like being at a party with 40 people all talking at once and you're trying to follow all the conversations at once.
September 11, 2011
Tony Monchinski's EDEN:CRUSADE is a fantastic sequel. That is what you really need to know about this book above anything else. For those of you who read the first novel in this trilogy (and I am thrilled that Tony has made that commitment) and enjoyed it, you will not be disappointed by Crusade.
I know that Tony had his critiques with Eden who couldn't get over the typos. Those drones miss a helluva story. And guess what, there will be a few in Crusade. Get over it and READ the story. Tony has a very gritty, and real voice that is engaging as well as quite capable of drawing you into his world and his story.
As always, when there is a need, I make full-disclosure. Tony was kind enough to read a preview of my debut novel and pen a testimonial for the cover. He didn't know me from Adam, and was very gracious--as has been the case with many of Permuted Press' writers. But, I approached him because of reading Eden, and because I was such a fan. I still am, and shall remain. However, simply put...Tony tells a damn good story.
A lot of people lately have teed off on novels with "too many characters" in them. I have a problem with these short-attention-span book hounds. I say this because there is no shortage of characters--major or minor--in Tony's book. And each one is rich, entertaining, and vital to the advancement of his story. Sure, he could have done an entire novel solely about Bear. But where's the fun in that? Tony gives the reader a cast of people they could sink into the midst of and join vicariously in their exploits.
As is my custom, with praise comes criticism. I did get a bit flustered at the lengthy opening scene. It was a carnage fest, and it made me tired just reading it. There was one aspect about it that was driving me crazy, but earned an actual round of applause at the end of the book. (I don't do spoilers, so don't ask.) also, since I am talking about the conclusion, the ending got a bit confusing in places. It could have benefited from source of scene break device. I realize the action got intense, and perhaps Tony didn't want the reader to break stride, but I had to backtrack once or twice.
Still, EDEN: CRUSADE is an absolute blast. Tony Monchinski delivered a book that his fans (like me) will read and want to revisit. Permuted has an Ace in their bullpen, and I will eagerly await the next (?) installment. As with this book, I will be ordering it the moment it shows up on my Amazon reminder. I expect Tony will keep me entertained, and that his section on my bookshelf will continue to grow.
I know that Tony had his critiques with Eden who couldn't get over the typos. Those drones miss a helluva story. And guess what, there will be a few in Crusade. Get over it and READ the story. Tony has a very gritty, and real voice that is engaging as well as quite capable of drawing you into his world and his story.
As always, when there is a need, I make full-disclosure. Tony was kind enough to read a preview of my debut novel and pen a testimonial for the cover. He didn't know me from Adam, and was very gracious--as has been the case with many of Permuted Press' writers. But, I approached him because of reading Eden, and because I was such a fan. I still am, and shall remain. However, simply put...Tony tells a damn good story.
A lot of people lately have teed off on novels with "too many characters" in them. I have a problem with these short-attention-span book hounds. I say this because there is no shortage of characters--major or minor--in Tony's book. And each one is rich, entertaining, and vital to the advancement of his story. Sure, he could have done an entire novel solely about Bear. But where's the fun in that? Tony gives the reader a cast of people they could sink into the midst of and join vicariously in their exploits.
As is my custom, with praise comes criticism. I did get a bit flustered at the lengthy opening scene. It was a carnage fest, and it made me tired just reading it. There was one aspect about it that was driving me crazy, but earned an actual round of applause at the end of the book. (I don't do spoilers, so don't ask.) also, since I am talking about the conclusion, the ending got a bit confusing in places. It could have benefited from source of scene break device. I realize the action got intense, and perhaps Tony didn't want the reader to break stride, but I had to backtrack once or twice.
Still, EDEN: CRUSADE is an absolute blast. Tony Monchinski delivered a book that his fans (like me) will read and want to revisit. Permuted has an Ace in their bullpen, and I will eagerly await the next (?) installment. As with this book, I will be ordering it the moment it shows up on my Amazon reminder. I expect Tony will keep me entertained, and that his section on my bookshelf will continue to grow.
April 6, 2015
This review contains a few spoilers, so read at your own risk. Crusade is the second book in the Eden trilogy. First let me say that if you are considering reading Crusade, but haven't read Eden yet, do yourself a favour and read it first. It will make the second book that much better. I have only one complaint about the book and that is related to the opening sequence. The book opens with a long action sequence, two people killing zombies (characters that we are not invested in yet). They use a variety of weapons and means. They keep killing and killing and killing and it goes on and on and on. Finally when you think its done, there's some more zombie killing. It's far too long. Since the book jumps between different time periods, it would have been better to divide this sequence up. Make it into two sections to break the monotony. Other than that, this book rocks. The story is not told chronologically and Monchinski uses that device very effectively. We care about the characters, which is tough because no one is safe in this book. Sometimes you are left wondering who is worse, the people or the zombies. There are many untold stories in the book as well; how did Steve and Chris get to Clavius?, what happened to the group that took the personnel transport to Eden?, what was Sonya's reaction when Eva disappeared?, was Gwen killed for being part of the Eden group or did she survive?, what happened to the baby?, how are things in Eden? among others. Some of these may be answered in the third book, but in the afterword, the author states book three takes place 20 years after these events. I have a feeling I will be left wondering about these questions. This is one of those rare books that deserves six stars.
November 27, 2016
The sequel to Eden, Crusade is the second in a planned trilogy of zombie survival horror novels from Tony Monchinski. I came to this book cold, having never read Eden, so I was unfamiliar with these characters. Still, the survival story is more or less timeless, and Monchinski's prose kind of forces you into the flow of the story. It started with a fully armored titan waging all out war with the zombie hordes while blasting a classic heavy metal soundtrack, so I was pretty much guaranteed to love it!
I admit I was a bit lost in terms of the sheer volume of characters and their relationships with each other, but the book was absolutely worth the effort of learning all the new names. Monchinski does a great job balancing complex personal relationships with the greater survival/quest story, and his dialogue is very impressive. And of course there's the gloriously described zombie warfare. Monchinski's depictions are long on technical detail (you're going to learn a lot about armor and weaponry), but also have some great choreographed battle scenes. You can almost see these fights unfold before your eyes.
Obviously you're going to get more out of Crusade if you've read Eden first (and believe me, that one is going to the top of my reading list), but Crusade is a very strong zombie novel that should appeal to just about anyone who is into this kind of tale.
I admit I was a bit lost in terms of the sheer volume of characters and their relationships with each other, but the book was absolutely worth the effort of learning all the new names. Monchinski does a great job balancing complex personal relationships with the greater survival/quest story, and his dialogue is very impressive. And of course there's the gloriously described zombie warfare. Monchinski's depictions are long on technical detail (you're going to learn a lot about armor and weaponry), but also have some great choreographed battle scenes. You can almost see these fights unfold before your eyes.
Obviously you're going to get more out of Crusade if you've read Eden first (and believe me, that one is going to the top of my reading list), but Crusade is a very strong zombie novel that should appeal to just about anyone who is into this kind of tale.
January 14, 2013
I read a lot of zombie books. I mean a lot. And they have run the gamut from "How many monkeys did it take to write this tripe?" to "Well, that was an interesting story."
Then came the Eden trilogy.
Twists and turns, characters dying that you think should live, characters living that you think should die, and painfully. Yet, you care about each and every one of them because Monchinski, while not overly descriptive, gives you enough to care about the most minor of characters.
From the very first book, and the very uncommon idea behind it, I was hooked. It took me years to get the last two books of the trilogy and I had to force myself not to devour them immediately.
I wish it wasn't a trilogy. I wish it could go on and on and on, but then we might run the risk of diluting the story, like so many authors do when they let series go on too long.
The Eden trilogy is simply the best set of zombie novels I have ever read. Any fan of the genre should read this one.
Then came the Eden trilogy.
Twists and turns, characters dying that you think should live, characters living that you think should die, and painfully. Yet, you care about each and every one of them because Monchinski, while not overly descriptive, gives you enough to care about the most minor of characters.
From the very first book, and the very uncommon idea behind it, I was hooked. It took me years to get the last two books of the trilogy and I had to force myself not to devour them immediately.
I wish it wasn't a trilogy. I wish it could go on and on and on, but then we might run the risk of diluting the story, like so many authors do when they let series go on too long.
The Eden trilogy is simply the best set of zombie novels I have ever read. Any fan of the genre should read this one.
May 23, 2011
Very good contiunation of Eden, MUCH better proofreading and editing in this one. There were still some mistakes, but all in all, considering the condtion of the first book, they were barely noticeable in this one.
I liked the characters, I liked the story, and I liked the continuity. Great effort from this author.
I did NOT, however, like the jumping around in time periods. I found myself having to go back and reread certain parts to ensure that I continued with the story. The first book was the same way, but it did not seem as distracting because the author was laying out the story, creating the world, etc., and going back in time for each character to get their "story" was necessary. In this book, this tactic does not work as well.
Very glad I read it, and recommend it for people who have read Eden.
I liked the characters, I liked the story, and I liked the continuity. Great effort from this author.
I did NOT, however, like the jumping around in time periods. I found myself having to go back and reread certain parts to ensure that I continued with the story. The first book was the same way, but it did not seem as distracting because the author was laying out the story, creating the world, etc., and going back in time for each character to get their "story" was necessary. In this book, this tactic does not work as well.
Very glad I read it, and recommend it for people who have read Eden.
March 8, 2012
While I really liked Eden (#1 in the series), I really loved Crusade. I thought it was amazing. My only complaint about Eden was the way the author bounced back and forth between the past and the present and among different characters making it hard to follow the story at times. Well the author continued that in this book but in a way that wasn't confusing and made it much easier to follow.
The beginning scene was a zombie fight unlike anything I've ever read before. Maybe a bit long, but worth it!
My favorite aspect of both Eden and Crusade has to be the characters. The author did a great job of bringing together a list of unique individuals which I believe has made this series.
The beginning scene was a zombie fight unlike anything I've ever read before. Maybe a bit long, but worth it!
My favorite aspect of both Eden and Crusade has to be the characters. The author did a great job of bringing together a list of unique individuals which I believe has made this series.
March 24, 2012
For those of you who believed the zombie apocalypse couldn't get any worse (or better rather!), Monchinski's brought to life, well... life, after the rising of the dead.
Well developed characters that force you to become emotionally invested in their fates, the crushing weight of attempting to stay alive in a world filled with creatures hungering for living flesh and plenty of brutal, brutal story twists Tony's seems so apt for throwing into the mix, make this novel a necessity for any hard-core fan of the shuffling hordes.
EXCELLENT.
Well developed characters that force you to become emotionally invested in their fates, the crushing weight of attempting to stay alive in a world filled with creatures hungering for living flesh and plenty of brutal, brutal story twists Tony's seems so apt for throwing into the mix, make this novel a necessity for any hard-core fan of the shuffling hordes.
EXCELLENT.
February 22, 2011
I really liked the first book but I found this one to be confusing at times. If I hadn't skipped most of the first chapter I doubt I would have finished the book. I'd say halfway through the book was when I started enjoying the story and getting into it.
I was really excited about reading this second installment and was a bit disappointed. But not enough to deter me from reading the third when it comes out.
I was really excited about reading this second installment and was a bit disappointed. But not enough to deter me from reading the third when it comes out.
September 10, 2011
http://www.buyzombie.com/2011/01/31/r...
above is the link for the review I wrote for Crusade on Buyzombie.com
what a great read! one of the best zombie novels in circulation. great sequel for Eden
above is the link for the review I wrote for Crusade on Buyzombie.com
what a great read! one of the best zombie novels in circulation. great sequel for Eden
June 7, 2014
An ok zombie novel. I was a third of the way through before I realized I was reading book two of three.
It was enough of a stand-alone that I got the gist of book one. I won't go back and read book one and doubt if I'll pick up book three anytime soon.
It was enough of a stand-alone that I got the gist of book one. I won't go back and read book one and doubt if I'll pick up book three anytime soon.
November 21, 2016
I don't know. You got all these zombie TV shows, The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and others. Plus all these zombie books. Maybe I'm getting zombie burnout. This book didn't seem to me to be as good as the first one in the series. I just might give the zombies a break for a while.
March 1, 2011
I love zombie novels for their look at the good and evil in human nature. Let's just say this book focuses only on one side and does not show a redeeming quality for humanity.
February 22, 2012
Excellent second book in the series. While it took a different direction from Eden the ending was in the same style as Eden. I am looking forward to the third book to see how the story concludes.
March 18, 2014
Much better then #1 was. Little pissed off with ending. Not a fan of the author ranting about his co-author from #1 in the afterword. Excellent book though.
April 21, 2019
Excellent second book in the series. While it took a different direction from Eden the ending was in the same style as Eden. I am looking forward to the third book to see how the story concludes.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews