Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End [Kindle Edition]

Manel Loureiro (Author), Pamela Carmell (Translator)

Book Description

The dead rise…

A mysterious incident in Russia, a blip buried in the news—it’s the only warning humanity receives that civilization will soon be destroyed by a single, voracious virus that creates monsters of men.

Humanity falls…

A lawyer, still grieving over the death of his young wife, begins to write as a form of therapy. Bur he never expected that his anonymous blog would ultimately record humanity’s last days.

The end of the world has begun…

Governments scramble to stop the zombie virus, people panic, so-called “Safe Havens” are established, the world erupts into chaos; soon it’s every man, woman, and child for themselves. Armed only with makeshift weapons and the will to live, a lone survivor will give mankind one last chance against…

Apocalypse Z

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

An international bestselling author, Manel Loureiro was born in Pontevedra, Spain, and studied law at Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. After graduation, he worked in television, both on-screen (appearing on Television de Galicia) and behind-the-scenes as a writer. Apocalypse Z, his first novel, began as a popular blog before its publication, eventually becoming a bestseller in several countries, including Spain, Italy, and Brazil. Manel has written three novels in the Apocalypse Z series. He currently resides in Pontevedra, Spain, where, in addition to writing, he is still a practicing lawyer.

Product Details

• File Size: 601 KB
• Print Length: 333 pages
• Publisher: AmazonCrossing (October 23, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0089LQJ3E
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,010 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #11 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Dystopian
  • #39 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

158 of 180 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best zombie book EVER. October 24, 2012

By Juan Gomez-Jurado

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are many reasons to love this book. First of all, it's utterly realistic. As a long time zombie books aficionado, I've found all classes of undead literature. I've enjoyed many books, but very few gave me the sense of wonder and down-to-earth feelings that I've got reading Manel Loureiro's Apocalypse Z. Also, the Nameless Lawyer is such an incredible achievement that, as a writer myself, made me jealous of Loureiro in every page. He is witty, he is clever, he is brave, he is a survivor. But above it all, the Nameless Lawyer is a real human being, and every one of us readers can feel his pain, his suffering, his angst. He takes care of his cat in the midst of the end of the world, for G*d's sake! You'll root for him till the very end of the book, which will let you desperately crying for more. Good news, my friend: there are two more books on the way, and are as good, realistic and fresh as this one.

PD: Luculus the Cat is the best character in an horror book ever.

218 of 270 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars 50 Shades of Zombie Apocalypse Novels November 18, 2012

By J. Pavel

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is not the best zombie apocalypse novel ever written; rather, it's a disappointingly mediocre zombie book, even to the reviewer, for whom almost any tale of undead Armageddon is a treat. The reason I gave it two stars instead of one, is that it is, after all, about zombies, instead of a chamomile-quaffing dilettante contemplating his navel.

Okay, the reasons I didn't like it are:

1. Only in the first fifteen pages or so are the societal repercussions of the fall of the civilized world discussed at all, and then only superficially. The most interesting part of zombie apocalypse tales is seeing how the world's structures first collapse, and then slowly coalesce around the survivors as they rebuild and regroup to fight the hordes. World War Z is a good example of how this is fascinating. Apocalypse Z, on the other hand, is basically chapter after chapter of the first-person narrator dodging around corners and spear-gunning a few zombies as he flees from storeroom to shack to boat. If "zombie" were replaced by "angry gorilla" throughout the entire book, the author wouldn't much have to change the rest of the plot. The book is like the record of a first-person shooter videogame in novel form.

2. The writing is bad. Is it the original or the translation that is responsible for the badness? I don't know, but the end result for the English language reader is the same. Bad in the way the writing in 50 Shades of Gray is bad: clunky, obvious, hammy. Instead of "Crap! I can't believe I let my desire for Christian's playful strength make me lower my guard." we have (paraphrased) "Crap! I can't believe I let my desire for a bath make me forget that the solar panels I conveniently installed two weeks ago can't supply enough wattage!" And of course, the barely illegal girl who eventually enters the story has a lithe, feline frame and "perky breasts"--perfect for zombie fighting. The takeaway point is that the language and composition give every scene a trivial aspect. I'm not trying to be snobbish here: for a great zombie story that uses an easy, streetwise language, check out Junot Diaz's "Monstro" in the New Yorker.

I don't write too many reviews, but the combination of this book's high star rating (which tricked me into buying it) and the unusual level of displeasure I had reading it, made me want to submit this to provide a little balance.

96 of 118 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars As real as it gets! Superb! October 24, 2012

By James Ridgway VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Too often in Z literature we see macho survivalist men taking it all in stride and simply dealing with the hordes that appear with almost aplomb. That is not what this novel is all about.

Loureiro has crafted a superb tale of horror and survival in the worst possible scenario. A lawyer and his cat, caught in the storm and taken along for a horrifying and amazing ride.

This tale is told specifically from the perspective of the lawyer - through his blog entries and then later his journal. The perspective is excellent, the writing compelling, and the story feels REAL! It's truly an artist who can grab a hold of the reader and not let go at all until the tale is done! The descriptions of the characters are superbly done, from the cat and the neighbor in the beginning, to the ship captain, Ukranian pilot, and Nun, it's the most compelling Z novel since World War Z!

The best part of this whole thing is that the Lawyer is NOT one of those macho types who thinks he can defeat the hordes and take back the world. He is a regular guy. A regular guy who learns through desperation how to survive in this post apocolyptic world. A man who has never fired a gun in his life, a man who loves his cat and risks his life for it, a man who cares about other human beings and makes every effort to keep those he finds alive.

The reader is taken along this roller coaster of a story through all the horrors, mistakes and injuries. Told from the perspective of a character thrust into this new insane world, it shows the amazing resilience of the human spirit.

A true page turner - You will have a hard time putting this one down!

There are a couple of areas where those who have technical hangups will spout "That's the wrong word", etc. Two things need to be understood:

1. this is written from the perspective of a person who may not have that technical expertise and therefore does not know the proper terminology.
2. The book was translated from Spanish and there may be some slight errors there.

Overall it's gripping, amazing and very hard to put down! Read this book!

Hope that helps.

More About the Author

Manel Loureiro (Spain, 1975) has a degree in Law from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia). Combining his studies in this historical city with some television projects, he was an anchorman for various television programs. From writing screenplays he discovered his interest for writing. His first novel Apocalypse Z has been an immediate success and cult phenomenon on the internet. It has had hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide. Apocalypse Z, Dark days, the sequel with the same heroes and their fight to survive in a world dominated by the Undead, has won Manel Loureiro the title of the first author of terror zombie novels set in Spain.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#44 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror

#44 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror