Rise Again: A Zombie Thriller [Paperback]

Ben Tripp (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 26, 2010

A MYSTERIOUS CONTAGION. MASS HYSTERIA. SUDDEN DEATH.

And a warning that would come all too late . . .

Forest Peak, California. Fourth of July. Sheriff Danielle Adelman, a troubled war veteran, thinks she has all the problems she can handle in this all-American town after her kid sister runs away from home. But when a disease-stricken horde of panicked refugees fleeing the fall of Los Angeles swarms her small mountain community, Danny realizes her problems have only just begun—starting with what might very well be the end of the world. Danny thought she had seen humanity at its worst in war-torn Iraq, but nothing could prepare her for the remorseless struggle to survive in a dying world being overrun by the reanimated dead and men turned monster. Obsessed with finding her missing sister against all odds, Danny’s epic and dangerous journey across the California desert will challenge her spirit . . . and bring her to the precipice of sanity itself. . . .

Filled with adventurous human drama—and shocking inhuman horror—Rise Again marks a vivid and powerful fiction debut.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Zombie mayhem gets an interesting modern American makeover in this notable debut. In Forest Peak, a quiet town an hour outside of Los Angeles, the crowds at an Independence Day gathering suddenly go crazy, drop dead, and rise as flesh-eating corpses. As the zombies ravage the town, sheriff Danielle "Danny" Adelman, a veteran of the Iraq War, gathers together the few human survivors and they head north, looking for refuge. In San Francisco, Danny discovers signs of a military coverup for the disaster and indications that Hawkstone, a team of paramilitary independent contractors, is taking advantage of the social anarchy. Tripp balances kinetically choreographed scenes of zombie carnage with studies of well-drawn characters and enough political intrigue to give his tale more gravity and grounding than most zombie gorefests. (Nov.) (c)
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From Booklist

Danny is a mentally and physically scarred Iraq War vet who returned to her small hometown in the San Bernadino Mountains and is now sheriff—just in time for screaming mobs to descend on her town carrying a zombie plague. Gathering up the few survivors (the ones who were neither turned to zombies nor eaten by the newly undead), Danny leads them to safety on an old Air Force base in the desert. But her leadership role among the survivors must be put on hold until she learns what happened to her little sister, Kelly, who ran away from home the night before the zombie plague arrived. Traveling in her vintage Mustang, Danny traverses a post-apocalyptic California, arriving finally in a besieged San Francisco, which is controlled by a ruthless group of military contractors. Tripp’s debut is a thrilling page-turner that will delight fans of zombie fiction and post-apocalyptic stories, including Charlie Huston’s Sleepless (2010) and Justin Cronin’s The Passage (2010). --Jessica Moyer

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (October 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439165165
• ISBN-13: 978-1439165164
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (116 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #468,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BEN TRIPP is an artist, writer, and designer who has worked with major entertainment companies and motion picture studios for more than two decades. He is also one of the world's leading conceptualists of public experiences, with a global portfolio of projects ranging from urban masterplanning to theme parks. He lives with his wife in Los Angeles, where he is at work on his second novel.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Gory Zombie Story! October 26, 2010

By Melissa Books and Things

Format:Paperback

If you are wanting a good zombie book for the Halloween holiday, I do suggest you get Rise Again. In some ways it does remind me of Night of the Living Dead and even references the movie in a few places. We mostly follow Danielle Adelman (Danny) who is an Iraq war vet with PTSD. On a side note: If any guys out there are worried that the protagonist is female, do not worry as Danny is hard as nails and a great heroine. You won't miss a thing. *think Sigourney Weaver in Aliens* Anyhoo... Danny loses her sister right before the zombie wave suddenly hits town. She doesn't have time to think let alone read the note full of anger and mistrust. Things quickly progress and you are in the middle of the surviving group hoping they find someplace safe.

As the story goes on Danny later strikes out on her own to try to find her sister. She quickly learns that either she has survived or hasn't but keeps hope that she is out there somewhere. Danny heads to the only place she can... back to the survivors she helped in her community. Upon returning she finds that there is more to fear than the zombies, but mercenaries who proclaim themselves the leaders of the facility they found. Things go from bad to worse and hopefully Danny can find a way to help them.

The ending is haunting and may keep you awake thinking about it. Yep, I was one who was awake thinking on the ending. Wonderful since you don't always get that in a book, horrible because I wanted to sleep! Regardless, I give this book 4 1/2 stars. It gives you exactly what it promises (lots of gore, action, and anxiety). It also gives you that bit extra in how Mr. Tripp develops the characters.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Well Crafted, Entertaining Story That Just Happens To Include Zombies October 23, 2010

By W. Bentrim VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Rise Again by Ben Tripp

The plethora of zombie books tends to drown the entire genre. Luckily Ben Tripp has a book that really does rise again. I fully intended to dislike the book because it was another, yes another, zombie book. Some time of trigger turns a majority of the population into mindless zombies. While the protagonist never determines the trigger, I personally suspect it is the stupefying effects of negative campaign advertisements. They just make you want to zombify yourself. Small town sheriff, Danny Adelman is forced to face mindless hordes, hapless civilians and clueless friends in the midst of an unprecedented, post apocalyptic civil disaster.

Danny is like one of those inflatable Bozo the Clown figures with a rounded sandy bottom, punch it and it just flies back in your face. Her resiliency is unbound. She establishes relationships through no intent on her part. She is duty bound, come heck or high tides of zombies.

Tripp has a terrific command of the English language and great descriptive powers. Funny how that didn't seem to enter my mind when I started the book but on several occasions, I literally paused to reread a sentence and marvel how well it was crafted. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

I highly recommend it.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gruesome zombie goodness! October 28, 2010

By Christie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Danielle Adelman, known to most as Danny, is an ex Marine struggling with a bad case of post-traumatic stress disorder. Working as the sheriff in the small town of Forest Peak, California, and drowning her nightmares in pills and alcohol. She is also responsible for the care of her younger sister who decided the 4th of July was a good day to run away. Danny wakes up with a wicked hangover to find her sister, and beloved Ford Mustang gone. Thinking the worst thing she'd have to do that day is suffer silently through the small town's Independence Day festivities while waiting for word Kelley has turned up. She soon discovers she'll be fighting more than a hangover when people start behaving strangely.

Let me start by saying this book was scary as hell. I don't read a lot of horror or watch many scary flicks, but I have a strange love of all things zombie. Rise Again was the perfect combination of flesh eating undead, and human response when things start to fall apart.

Main character Danny isn't like any female protag you've met before. She isn't beautiful, nor is she brilliant. She's a hard ass and street smart. As the plot progresses she deals with flashbacks of her time in Iraq, while trying to cope with the zombie invasion happening in her present. She is described in the book as "the unstoppable alpha female". I found that to be the perfect description for Danny. She's flawed, and doesn't realize how badly until her only family takes off leaving just a brutally honest letter behind. She's left feeling compelled to find her missing sister, Kelley, and save the civilians who have put their faith in her as their savior from the madness taking over the country. I loved reading about Danny's journey.

Not only does this book have a great main character, but the secondary characters are perfect additions to the story line. I loved watching them grow as characters throughout the novel. At least those lucky enough to survive ;) Parts of this novel gave me chills. Especially when they're listening to the reports from the weather channel on the radio. Super creepy!

Gruesome and intense, but I loved every minute! I devoured this novel like the undead did their human prey. The perfect addition to my Halloween reading list!