City of the Dead

The Rising #2

by Brian Keene

As the world succumbs to a devastating plague that brings its victims back from the dead, eager to destroy all that is living, a group of survivors, trapped inside a fortified skyscraper, must fight for their survival against an indestructible enemy that keeps coming back.

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Fiction, Apocalyptic, Post Apocalyptic, Audiobook, Ebooks

357 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.

Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even more carnage, blood, guts and zombies looking to spread the infection than the first book.

This book is the perfect follow up, I just gets straight into where it left off.

This second installment is full on nuts and I just loved it, it was written so well with a wide range of interesting characters and had the perfect conclusion.

Certainly looking forward to delving into more of Keene's books.

If you love zombies, you'll love this.

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars!

CITY OF THE DEAD has been on my TBR pile for a year or two, (and on my physical bookshelf), so when I saw it listed on my Audioboom! email, I immediately requested it. I'm glad I did!

This book picks up right where THE RISING left off. Most of the group is now trapped in a house and you can't help but to root for them. The zombies they are fighting are not your normal zombie-they can be fast, use weapons, and drive cars. They are led by Ob, and in this book we learn more about him and his mission on earth.

Fast paced and filled with lots of fun action,(zombie crocs and birds anyone?), there isn't much time to rest here, and why would you want to? There are plenty of gross outs and characters to root for and not of lot of time for quiet moments, fancy prose, or reflection. If this is the type of book you're in the mood for, then CITY OF THE DEAD is the book for you!

I listened to the audio, narrated by Joe Hempel. It took me a while to get into his narrative style, but once I did, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

Recommended for those in the mood for bloody, smart-zombie fun!

Thanks to Audioboom! and Joe Hempel for this audio copy in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*

[Tracy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accidentally read this one (book #2) first. Even so, it was easy to pick up where 1 left off. In this series (The Rising) the zombies can actually talk and use weapons. Have to admit when I first heard them speak I was shaking my head, (authentic zombies are not supposed to talk) however, I ended up liking it a lot. I would describe this series as a genuine good vs. evil storyline, and it worked well.
Narrator Joe Hempel did a fabulous job narrating the detailed and often gruesome dialogue for the entire cast of characters.

[Sensei_cor · Rating 3 out of 5]

No es un 3/5 normal de "un libro más". Hay momentos de 4/5 y momentos de 2/5, así que lo dejo en el término medio.
Los momentos buenos no los digo por no hacer spoilers pero sí quiero hacer mención a un momento malo, muy desagradable: violan a una zombi.

Ha sido una bilogía raruna, con momentos muy incómodos y desesperanzadores y otros potentes.
No es apto para cualquiera.

[HippieWitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that was a different kind of zombies. This book was disgusting lol but a really good read. Didn't know it was the second book in a series so now I got to get the first one.

[Ravenskya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before we begin - This is the Sequel to "The Rising" and should be read in that order. If you have yet to read "The Rising" stop reading now because what is in these reviews will be spoilers when reading the first in the series.

Now for the Summary - Keene rewinds a bit in the opening of this book, recapping the final chapter of "The Rising" where we were all left in that upsetting cliffhanger. He then continues on from there with an ever growing and shrinking group of scrappy survivors. At this point they have now crossed 5 states, escaped the psychotic military troupes, run from the Zombie leader "Ob" and continued on into New Jersey. In this installment (the final installment at the point of my writing this), the group spends most of the first half of the book running like heck, then being rescued by another group of survivors holed up in a supposedly indestructible skyscraper. Shockingly enough, the man in charge of the skyscraper has lost his mind (sounds like something you've seen on the TV doesn't it... well you're right). To prevent what might be any spoilers, I won't go beyond there.

But odds are, if you are reading this book, you like Zombies... which would also imply that you like Zombie movies, which would then mean... you've already watched this book. The first 3rd of the book is standard run from the Zombie fare... the second 2/3 of the book is an almost exactly the same as George Romero's "Land of the Dead." Now as to who ripped off who... according to Amazon, both were released in 2005 so it's a toss up. All I'm saying is that the majority of the book is the same as the majority of that movie. I was really disappointed in that aspect. I had really been hoping for something new and inspired, unfortunately if you've seen the movie, it's not.

Does that mean this is a terrible book? By no means, it's a heart pounding thrill ride from beginning to end that never lets up for a second. I blazed through the 360 some pages in about 3 hours. I enjoyed the read; Keene is a very fast paced writer. I just know I would have enjoyed it more had I not seen such a similar film.

[Rob · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you read my review of 'The Rising', the first book in this collection, well then you know exactly what I will think of 'City of the dead'

Miraculously, City of the Dead manages to be even more cringeworthy than 'The Rising'. Lashings upon lashings of depressingly bad dialogue between characters, stupidly over the top gory scenes and overall, a completely moronic plot with more unnecessary god references than the last book managed to squeeze in, which is quite an achievement.

Notable crapness:

A homeless person with a cat called God. This allows choice lines such as 'Let god lead the way' or 'God will save us' etc.

A dream scene with a zombie ejaculating maggots. Yes. Wow...

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't phase me itself, but the stupidity of writing about it sure does. 'Wow, I'll really shock the readers with this!!!' must have been the thoughts in the authors head when he put together that particular scene.

Sexual themes abound in this one too. The above mentioned maggot-member scene, then some homosexual references and even some necrophilia. None of it serves any purpose at all. I really think the author of this book is mentally stunted.

It's just the kind of crap I might have thought about writing when I was 11 or 12, thinking I was cool to describe over the top grossness after having read a few Stephen King novels.

I really struggled through these books since I had nothing to read and they truly are terrible.

I vow never again to read anything written by this author.

[Michael Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My original City of the Dead: Author's Preferred Edition audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Set immediately following the final moments of Brian Keene’s Bram Stoker Award-winning The Rising, a small band of survivors manage to flee the zombie-infested suburbs of New Jersey. Their escape is not exactly scot-free, however, and Jim, Frankie, Martin, and Danny are hounded by a pursuing band of the undead who quite nearly finish them off. They’re rescued, though, and spirited away to Ramsey Tower, an impenetrable New York City skyscraper at the heart of the city where scores of survivors have found shelter and a chance at survival. Unfortunately for them, this rescue puts the survivors out of the frying pan and straight into the fire. Ramsey, an old, perverted, wealthy old tycoon with a reality TV show and dementia (hmmm…I wonder what other old, perverted, wealthy real estate tycoon with a crappy TV show and dementia Keene could have based Ramsey on?) will do anything to survive. Anything. And Ob, the undead leader of the zombie hordes, has set its eyes on Ramsey Tower and the death of everyone hiding within.

With the ground-rules of Keene’s zombie apocalypse well-established in The Rising, this Author’s Preferred Edition of City of the Dead ups the ante a fair deal and provides a wealth of gore, dismemberment, and mayhem. New York has become a necropolis, and in between all the flesh-chomping and headshots, Keene expounds on the goals of Ob and the demonic Siquissim. One of the things I’ve grown to appreciate about Keene’s The Rising series is the way the author infuses traditional zombie apocalypse tropes with a welcome dose of cosmic horror. Anybody looking for solid, edgy Romero-esque carnage will feel right at home with these two novels, and will likely appreciate the spark of originality Keene injects.

The Rising‘s narrator, Joe Hempel, returns to the microphone for City of the Dead to deliver a lively reading. Having narrated more than 150 books, Hempel has a comfortable, familiar reading style that makes for a companionable listen, one that’s smooth all the way through. His production skills are top-notch, as well, and you won’t find any blips or aberrations in the recording to yank you out of the story.

Readers who bemoaned the ending to The Rising can rest assured that Keene delivers a definitive finale to City of the Dead. Personally, I found the ending to The Rising to be very well-done, but I know there’s also a surprising number of readers out there who need every single thing spelled out for them and who are unable to infer details unless they’re beat over the head with them. Well, fear not – City of the Dead has an ending and nobody need fear the mistaken appearance of a cliffhanger!

City of the Dead takes all the best aspects of The Rising and plumbs its cosmic mythological depths a bit more. In some ways, it’s a nastier, darker, dirtier work than the prior story, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Ramsey in particular is a real piece of work, and Keene gives his living characters enough warmth and humanity to stab you in the heart when you least expect it. Thankfully, Keene softens some of the considerable tension and long, violent action set-pieces with moments of dark humor, usually thanks to a cat named God, as well as a few scenes of heartwarming familial repartee. City of the Dead is definitely worth a visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is a good expansion of the first novel, and it delivers in all the ways the first does without feeling like a rehash or repetition. I appreciate the overall plot of the story and the commitment to an overall nihilistic tone, especially as that contrasts with so many of our characters attitudes. Add to that some excessive gore and this story is bloody fun! I will say the dialogue is not the best, there is a strain to it that feels cringeworthy in 2025, but keeping in mind what the landscape for zombie-survival horror fiction was 2005 when this was first published I am able to give the novel a good amount of leeway. It isn’t quite over-the-top enough to really be any sort of extreme horror, but it certainly revels in its violence and gross imagery more than your average horror novel might, giving it a grimy and relentless quality. The world of the Rising is wonderfully inventive, even if there are a few clunky exposition dumps to make sure everyone is on the same page. Having read Keene’s later work this definitely has a workman-like quality to it; it gets the job done and it isn’t hard to see a nasty creative genius lurking beneath the muck, but the writing doesn’t quite match the ambition, something evidenced more clearly when reading Keene’s later work. Still, even if a little melodramatic, this is a worthy sequel to the original. It puts the characters in new environments and with new obstacles, and deepens and expands the lore of the world that was established in the first novel. It is not a great novel, but it is inventive and bloody and has a place in the history of revitalizing 21st century zombie horror, and worth reading for the joy of it alone.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several of our old friends from The Rising are back for more fast talking and speedy moving zombie killing action. Sh*t, these zombies fly, crawl and drive military assault vehicles. Damn. That's f'd up. If only Jim and company can get to the sanctuary at Ramsey Towers everything would be peachy. Well...until Ob and his horde of nasties show up to spoil the party.

[Beatriz · Rating 3 out of 5]

El libro me gustó mucho, salvo por el desenlace. A pesar de que durante la narración se deslizan una serie de pistas e indicios que prometen uno que otro giro, al final éstos no se producen y me quedo con la sensación que el autor cerró la historia de la manera que encontró más fácil. Eso, o lo otro es darle una interpretación con toques religiosos que, la verdad, me gustaría menos.

Independiente de lo anterior, la lectura se disfruta mucho, aunque no es para estómagos muy sensibles. La habilidad de Keene para describir escenas de acción es una de las mejores con las que me he encontrado.

[Jorge Soto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bien, desde hace unas cuantas páginas antes de terminarlo tenía una idea loca de cómo podía terminar el libro... pero la deseche por no considerarla usual, ¿quién diría que no me equivocaba? O.o de cierta manera me agrada y a la vez no, es decir, ¿tanto para nada? O ¿realmente no me esperaba un final tan turbio? En fin, no deja de ser un gran libro, siempre te mantiene al filo del suspenso y nunca hay un respiro, la narrativa es ágil y fluida por lo cual no puedes parar de leer. Lo único por lo cual no le pongo 5 estrellas (y esto es una cuestión muy personal) es que en las narrativas de zombis por lo general los personajes de la noche a la mañana se vuelven unos guerreros expertos en todo para poder aniquilar todo lo que se les ponga en frente, en fin :p cada quien.

[Jonathan Janz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll write a longer review at some point maybe, but for now I'll just say this: There's hope in this book, but COTD isn't going to clobber you over the head with it. No, it's a novel with integrity. Keene follows the story to the conclusion that fits best, and that means you'll need to steel yourself for some rough, disquieting stuff.

But it's scary, it's harrowing, and as you'd expect, it's exceedingly well-written.

A worthy sequel to one of the best zombie novels ever written, and a great standalone tale as well. Five stars.

[Regina the Constant Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second part to The Rising. I've read the author was “pushed into” writing this by fans that weren't happy with the way The Rising ended. You can tell, especially toward the end when the book started getting downright lame. My suggestion would be, especially since this book is hard to find, just read The Rising and draw your own conclusions.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally got to City of the Dead, Brian Keene's sequel to the relentless The Rising.

I had rated The Rising four stars, but I think this one will have to hit five.
Keene can move a story along with the best of them. There is no time for flowery prose, so buckle in and hold on tight.

City of the Dead picks up right where The Rising left off. Actually, it overlaps that ending. Like The Rising, the pacing is relentless, and you are burning through the novel like gangbusters.
And man, I love his zombie concept. These zombies are bad-ass and scary as hell.

Read The Rising, and then read this. And make some popcorn.

[Jason Parent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this one better than the first. I read the author’s preferred edition. Not sure if that makes a difference.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books picks up immediately where The Rising leaves off, matter of fact the first chapter of this book is pretty much the last chapter of The Rising. I would recommend reading the books in order, unless you're just reading them for the sake of gory action. I'm not giving these books 5 stars, because, although I really appreciate Keene's spin on the zombie story, this is just not how I like my zombies. I like my zombies like I like my mornings, slow moving and quiet...these talking, thinking, driving, armed and dangerous ones are just too freaking unfair, how can anyone survive that? Still good book, I definitely recommend it.

[Paul Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story wastes no time in jumping back into the action. Full of gore, violence, and talking zombies this one turns cosmic toward the end. I enjoyed it but did not feel much of a connection with all the characters. The one I liked best died fairly early on. 3.5 rounded up.

[Eduardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great unplanned sequel to The Rising, Keene gets things going pretty fast and doesn't let go until the very end. There isn't a book by him I haven't enjoyed and this wasn't the exception.

[BookLoversLife · Rating 4 out of 5]

So book 2 starts straight after the ending of The Rising. We see the group trapped in the house with zombies appearing everywhere. After struggling to escape, they head towards New Jersey. On their journey they see something they haven't seen for a long time, a skyscraper lit up. They decide to avoid that because it's both a beacon for humans and zombies. But things don't work out like that and they find themselves rescued and brought to this skyscraper. This skyscraper was built to withstand basically everything that can be thrown at it. It has become a place for humanity to make their stand. But with the owner of the sky scraper losing his mind and thinking he is God and with Ob taking control of the zombies, this might just be the end.

I have to say, this was a lot better than the first book, The Rising. There is a lot more character development and a lot more action in this one. I was also able to connect more with the characters, even the newer ones we were introduced. I feel like the story really came together, which was awesome.

I absolutely love the zombies in this series. The way they came to be and how they are sentient and able to do everything was truly scary, plus the author doesn't hold back on the gore and horror, which just makes them terrifying. Zombies are bad enough, but when you think of zombie rats and birds, well it just made me shudder!!

In all, this was a fast paced and thrilling read. This book holds nothing back, it is pretty much non stop with the action and I flew through it. The author wraps up everything nicely and I'm glad I read this series.

Joe Hempel is a narrator I know will always deliver a brilliant performance. His tone and cadences always make for effortless listening, because he brings the story to life. I always find that he is able to draw me in to the book and this one is no different. I loved his tone for Ob!! Great performance from an equally great narrator.

I was given this free audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

[Pappy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an ending! I have read a few zombie apocalypse books and this was by far my favorite! No spoilers from me but I recommend this to anyone that likes these kind of stories. The creatures are different in this one than in other’s like it, but that’s ok and I think that also made for a great read.

[Neil Sinclair · Rating 2 out of 5]

So another Brian Keene book. um.. despite calling he undead zombies - they aren't - one of my biggest peeves with this series. The corpses are demon possessed. zombies in my opinion are not animated by the spirits of evil beings banished by God invading our dimension. Zombies don't sit around and chat, drive HumVee's and use rocket launchers (unless they are re-animated like in "Dead Eyes Open" ) then there is necrophilia, one castration "just because the zombies could" etc etc. near the end of the novel I simply got pissed about continuity... one character uses the washroom, pulls up panties, walks out. and somehow in the space of a paragraph they are gone. Stuff like that is SLOPPY. I can see why Keen has so many books - he churns them out like Peirs Anthony. It was an okay read but I'm getting off this ride.

[Lucille Bransfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I read the first book a while back and didn’t remember much. I was able to pick right up and get involved with the story. I loved the characters and all I can say is Wow what an awesome ending.

[Rhianna Schoonover · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute CRAP. Forced writing, a horrible use of the genre & the reader. Again with the standard, old boring jackbooted military thugs wanting to rape & murder & torture the poor, innocent little survivors who just want to survive. A disturbing look into the distrusting & twisted mind of the author. GARBAGE!!!!! I'm not for book burning, but burning this wouldn't be a loss to humanity! Sadly bought this POS at Naples & found out it was book 2. Had high hopes for it, I love Zombie fiction. This is TRASH! An utter travesty to the reader, to the sensible, to the entire horror survival zombie genre. You'd think they'd be able to come up with some new, interesting view rather than spewing a garbled, trashed version of Romero.

[Glynn James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book without having read The Rising. When I got this I chose it because of a recommendation from a friend, without checking that it was the second in the series!
I'd meant to try something by Keene for a while, and this was his latest when I went looking.

Even though I'd not read the first book, this was enough for me to go out and buy pretty much everything I could get my hands on by this author.
I love that the zombie crisis has a background that isn't your typical out-of-control virus.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted reader, but definitely a recommendation for die-hard fans of horror and zombies.

[Chris Haught · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my fourth Keene read, all of them recent. While the first three all fell into that "entertaining and gory with the occasional chuckle but not hugely memorable" category, this one steps things up a notch. It's the sequel to The Rising, but it's much better than that first book. Intense.

[Gatorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable sequel to The Rising that continues the story of the band of survivors trying to fend off the zombie apocalypse. Well-written with lots of action and a satisfying ending. If you liked The Rising then you should like this one. Zombies have never been so entertaining.

[TacoFan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting take on zombies. It's crazy because the zombies retain your memories and abilities. They keep your functions. That means they can repair and operate weaponry. They can run, they can drive! They can even fly! They'll take over your body and then taunt your living loved ones with the secrets they discover.

I like this take and think it would make an excellent movie, campy or not. I had a few issues with the storyline, the treatment of characters, and things that were written purely for shock value. Ob was hilarious, did he got care about the rest of the world? I mean, in the grand scheme of things, New York is pretty small... It's more of a 2.5 star read for me.

[Escapereality4now · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Rising” ended and left, needing more. I immediately” started “City of the Dead.” Keene wasted no time jumping back into the book with gore and violence.

The characters in both books have depth and the scenes are scary. There is nonstop action. Although I
preferred “The Rising” to “City of the Dead”. Keene wrote a pretty solid sequel with a good ending.

[Sjgomzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, this was the best zombie book I’ve ever read! Superior to The Rising in every way. Brian Keene delivers a brutal, intense, and nasty story that is not for the faint hearted. The last fifty pages or so were an absolute blast of no holds barred, bloody mayhem, culminating in a perfect conclusion.