Rise & Walk [Paperback]

Gregory Solis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2007

zombie, zombies, survival horror, undead, romero, living dead

Editorial Reviews

Review

This cover was intriguing...simple, non-flamboyant. It gave me the impression of something really wrong brewing inside and that was true when I read it, but wrong in a good way,

This book takes place primarily in the mountains during a paintball competition when zombies are introduced in the most disturbing way, and two thrill seekers go all out to fight for their lives when this most horrifying book becomes greatly absorbed in it's own guts. The book is a great novel, and terrifying in parts. I'm equally impressed with the author's use of allegories and depth in the characters. It's also changed my mind about entering any competition in the woods any time soon. So to Gregory, my hat is off to you, just tell your zombies to leave my brains alone, and to all you zombie fans, RISE and WALK is incredible. The zombie genre would be missing an arm without it. -- Nathan Curtis, Reviewer, New World Reviews.

Whoever called this a young adult book must have had a very disturbing childhood. And the paintball aspect, which looks silly from the outset, leads to some really surprising plot twists, as well as some moments that made me cringe in honest disgust.

The story, as it stands, revolves around a small mountain town and the annual paintball competition. The entire novel happens over the course of one weekend at the local campgrounds. When strange meteorites crash into the surrounding areas, the dead stop dying and come looking for the buffet.

To say much more would ruin the plot so I won't, I'll just get down to brass tacks. This man is obviously a fan of the genre (space radiation as the cause, hinted at in NOTLD, gore that would have made Fulci cream himself, and a seige scene that Romero himself could have directed) and he has the talent to back it up. The novel is populated with believable characters and realistic settings; this is a world you can see yourself living in... Hell you do live here. Gregory strikes a visceral blow with this novel, leaving you worn, breathless, and strangely agitated when you get to the final page and realize it's over. It's one of those rides that ends too soon, leaving you begging for a sequel, so you can keep up with the character's lives. -- Shawn Rutledge, Reviewer, Skullring.org

About the Author

Gregory Solis was born in San Francisco California. Educated at San Francisco State University where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Cinema. A lifelong writer of fiction he turned his talents towards Horror Fiction in 2006 when he began Rise and Walk. Published in 2007, Rise and Walk has received some great reviews. Greg is working on a sequel and further tales of zombie horror for his Rise and Walk series. He currently lives in Northern California where he writes and runs his video production company. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: LULU (January 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1430306009
• ISBN-13: 978-1430306009
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,011,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Zombie Actioner, March 22, 2007

By 

Patrick S. Dorazio "Author of The Dark Trilogy" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rise & Walk (Paperback)

Gregory Solis has put together a fast paced entertaining zombie tale that is a little rough around the edges, which is to be expected with what I am guessing is his first novel. There are some spelling and gramar errors but nothing too major in that department. The dialogue, while solid, was a bit stilted in places.

Despite these minor flaws the author pulls off a pretty engaging tale of zombie chaos. We have 4 main characters in this book, two men and two women, who are up in the Northern California mountains one fall weekend when a meteor lands nearby. An entire class of Junior College Science students seek out and discover the meteor and things turn malevolent shortly there after.

Mr. Solis keeps the book moving at a quick pace and the 200+ pages blur by rather quickly. Jack and Tony, the two male leads, are paint ball warriors and part time survivalists (which I guess means they like all the trappings but are not over the top looney tunes with it). Veronica and Nikki work in a general store at the campgrounds the two men have come to for a paint ball competition. The horrifying situation thrusts these four together in an effort to survive and somehow escape the ever increasing volume of corpses that have gotten up and are running around trying to eat everyone.

Again, this is a rather quick read and was entertaining. It is my hope that the sequel, which is expected out later this year, allows the author the opportunity to continue to hone his writing skills, which are decent, but can be sharpened.

Overall, fast paced, entertaining, and worth the read.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good first novel and an action-packed zombie tale, June 3, 2007

By 

A. Sandoc "sussarakhen" (San Pablo, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rise & Walk (Paperback)

Gregory Solis' Rise and Walk is the kind of zombie tale many fans of the genre think of writing day in and day out but never get a chance either through lack of talent or just lack of motivation. Gregory Solis got to write his and on the surface it's a very good first novel, albeit with some flaws that keeps it from being great. He has also written a very action-packed zombie story which steps on the gas from the prologue and doesn't let up until the very end.

The story is a very simple one which many zombie genre fans have played, imagined and replayed it over and over in their minds. Instead of beginning the zombie story during the aftermath of the devastation an outbreak will cause, Solis instead goes right for the beginning. Call it the Z-Hour of the zombie genre. He writes about how it all begins and how quickly the contagion and its reanimated victims quickly multiply at a geometric rate to engulf a small, Northern California community. Unlike George Romero's films which never fully explained the cause and origin of the zombie pandemic, Rise and Walk uses space debris from a meteor storm and the contents within as the cause of the zombification and the need of its victims to attack and devour the living.

Right from the get-go the action comes in fast and comes in furious. Solis doesn't skimp on the grue and bloodletting. He describes every zombie attack on a living human with gory detail. Some may flinch at the splatterpunk style of writing, but if one was a zombie fan then this style should suit them just fine. The chaos caused by the geometrically increasing and advancing horde of zombies was well-done and something fans of the genre would recognize. People make dumb mistakes as they try to figure out what in the world is going on. Some make the right decisions and live while others do not and become zombies themselves or are just complete devoured.

Where Solis got the action and atmosphere down perfect for a zombie story, the main characters and their development could've been done better. the main leads of Rise and Walk panic just like the rest of the humans, but they seem to recover from the shock of the situation rather too quickly. As the story progresses there's really no tension or fear that the four leads (two male and two female) would come to any serious harm. Only those in the periphery of the leads seem fair game for a gruesome end (kids are not given a free pass in this book). It is this major flaw which keeps me from giving the book a higher grade and rating. Though from reading the ending Solis' attempts to build more credible and well-rounded characters may improve.

In the end, despite the flaws in how the main characters are written I will say that Rise and Walk by Gregory Solis is one good first novel from a first-time writer. It shows the writer has a modicum of talent for storytelling and he sure tells a fast-paced and mean zombie story. Fans of the genre should enjoy this book and should be waiting once they're done reading it for the sequel that is already to come.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for the horror fan!, May 15, 2007

By 

J. Finch (Walnut Creek, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rise & Walk (Paperback)

I read this book at the suggestion of a friend, was hooked after the first paragraph and nearly finished it in one sitting. For any horror fan it is a must-read. I think you will find it a solid story and very well written for a first-time author. Yes, it has its minor flaws, but it is more of a diamond in the rough. The author creates characters who are convincing, with feelings and motivations, and who mostly break out of what could have been stereotypical molds.

More importantly, there is an especially chilling aspect of Rise and Walk as several characters are briefly developed by the author simply to become zombie food. For anyone who is turned off by this, I would say you must not be a true fan of the horror genre [to the earlier reviewer who "didn't get it": you should have finished the book!!]. What could be more terrifying than being attacked by a monster with the face of a friend or a loved one? The author uses this as a successful tool to create something beyond a horde of monsters, but instead creatures we recognize and know were once individual people. This struck a particular chord with me and made Rise and Walk an even more exciting and wonderfully chilling tale. If it had any failing, it was that it ended too soon -- I'm really looking forward to the sequel!