Customer Reviews

After Life

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sometimes you read a book that not only stands out in its genre, but stands out in other ways. I started reading "After Life" because I wanted to read a great horror story. And that is exactly what I got. Mr. Knuth has written a tale of the undead here that not only grips the imagination, but makes you feel like you are a part of the outbreak. From weaving thru zombie masses clogging the interstate, to raiding corpse-filled apartments for supplies, I was on the edge of my seat and read this in one sitting. I couldn't stop. And the book is not a quick read, at least to me. I found the descriptions of the dire situations the characters had to face vivid and their reactions always realistic, always genuine. This was best illustrated when the characters witness walking corpses attacking and killing patrons outside a diner who soon re-animate themselves. The way their reactions are written shows you the look on their faces as they watch. Sacrifice is made in the name of love that haunted me throughout the book. And that brings me to the bonus this book offers. The underlying love story between the two main characters is so well written it could stand alone by itself. The thoughts that go on inside the head of Alex took me back to times I had experienced my own unrequited love, and the way he acted was spot on.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the horror/zombie genre, and to anyone that loves a great love story. 5 Stars. I will definitely be reading Mr. Knuth's other books.

Cal Miller

For the price, this book packs a hell of a punch. Great story telling, kept me on the edge of my seat. Starts out at the beginning of zombie outbreak, keeps it real, shows emotion without getting pussified, buy this book.

This story follows two friends who very much care about each other as a zombie apocalypse begins. Alex finds that he will do anything to make sure that his friend Morgan survives. It also explores what some survivors will stoop to to ensure their own survival. The people trying to survive are sometimes worse than the zombies. What a bargain at the kindle price. Worth a whole lot more in my opinion!

Every time I buy a 99 cent novel for my Kindle, I prepare myself for an onslaught of hard to digest writing and unbearable characters. Sometimes it's a chore to get through the first page, but this was not the case with Jaron Lee Knuth's After Life. Within the first couple pages I already related to the main character and was delightfully surprised with the vivid descriptions of his world. His geeky characters were so much fun. Gore levels were great, too!

** spoiler alert ** I hope most people that see the 3-star rating don't think it's a bad thing. Most sites say that 3-star means that you liked the book and I did like and enjoy "After Life" by Jaron Lee Knuth. The ratings here on Amazon shows 4-stars as "like" but what can I do? :)

Most of us as readers recognize that many (if not most) zombie books are cookie cutter. A lot of folks find that to be a negative thing, but I don't think it has to be bad in all cases.

Sure, a lot of zombie stories start off with the "event" (plague, virus, aliens, mad cow infected hamburgers...etc), then the zombies rising up, people not recognizing what's going on, lots of death and carnage - and then a small ragtag group of folks fighting to survive.

See, I like that stuff. I really do. My point of view is to see how the author tells his version of the story. It's interesting to me to see how the author unfolds his specific version of the world ending events. To see how his characters behave. How they interact with the world around them.

Key to me is the reflection in the work that the zombies are surely dangerous, but at least their motives are 100% sure - they will eat you if they catch you. My thing, what I enjoy the most, is how will one stranger interact with another at the end of the world? Friend or foe?

As for this book, I enjoyed following Alex and Morgan along their troubled relationship into the zombie apocalypse. I liked meeting the residents of their apartment as the story unfolded.

Quite a few characters paraded through this book, but the main focus was Alex and Morgan. How would they interact with each other? They had a past that didn't quite turn out how they wanted. Life had moved on and they had become numb.

Then the zombies came.

The scenes taking place towards the end of the book at the local Walmart was quite interesting. The ending of the book sent a message abut how we are treating the world.

Good read overall.

This is one of the best zombie apocalypse (ZA) books I've read recently. The pacing is great, and you quickly find yourself invested in the characters. What sets this one apart is that the author didn't go with the typical role of "cop" or "soldier" for the protagonist, and it works nicely. Fans of TV's Walking Dead and the movie 28 Days Later will probably like After Life. This is a real page turner, so don't be surprised if you find yourself looking at the clock and wondering where the time went.

I happened upon this book while looking for others of its type. For 89 cents I thought even if it was bad there was no real hit to my wallet. The story was well worth the rice and then some. Essentially it's about two people coming to grips with the new reality they live in as well as their own relationship with each other. As is usually the case, the living end up acting worse than the dead because they know full well what they're doing. After Life is a story about love, survival, and sacrifice on multiple levels. To say anything more would ruin the story.

It's a story that isn't too long, padded with information we don't need, or too short. Do we really need to know why the outbreak happened? No. Of course the much like the reader the characters will ultimately question the hows and whys but it's all based on their theories. It doesn't matter. Their lives are still in a bad place, and even if they knew the answer it wouldn't help them. Jaron doesn't glaze over it. He acknowledges it and moves on. It's my favorite take on the genre and he does it well.

You can't go wrong with this book. I purchased the eBook but even the print is well worth the price compared to others in the genre. It has more heart than many other undead books out there.

Love the Characters,awesome story. The author could make this a very long story, glad he did made the story conclude where it did. I also liked the intimacy of the story, most zombie books are all gore, slashing and killing, Afterlife is a nice change and a great read.

This was a great read. I downloaded it on a whim (to be honest) when searching for zombie books. The characters were compelling, and the story line very believable. But for various typos and formatting issues, which are inevitable in the self-published world, this flowed wonderfully.

I particularly enjoyed the very specific descriptions of various set-pieces, action scenes, and scenery. If I had one complaint it would be that it ended too soon. I'd like to see what happens next. But that, of course, is likely the author's goal. Overall, a fun read.

This book is entertaining! I enjoyed it a lot especially the number of days after "zombie apocalypse" It is easy read and you will finish it in a day or two. I finished it within 24 hours.