The Z Word (Apocalypse Babes) [Kindle Edition]

Bella Street (Author)

Book Description

Book One of Apocalypse Babes, The Z Word, follows Seffy Carter and her longtime friends Gareth, Addison and Lani. The four besties share a past dysfunctional and dark enough to keep them bound together under do-over identities. But like off-brand velour, rends develop in their relationships from the flesh-eating pressures of ending up in 1980, in a Montana desert, surrounded by zombies wearing dated disco duds.

"Ms. Street is to be highly commended for her original cast of characters and the brilliant world she creates. Layered with cultural references from the eighties and today, The Z Word is an exciting and fast-paced mix of adventure and dysfunction." Linda Andrews Paranormal Journey

"Part science fiction, part romance, part mystery, part fantasy, The Z Word is all entertainment. From the out-of-the-box zombies to the creepy mind control, heroine Seffy Carter grows from vacuous airhead with a serious case of denial to savvy survivor unwilling to drink the KoolAid." Joan Reeves of SlingWords Blog

Product Details

• File Size: 516 KB
• Print Length: 415 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1463567626
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Firefly Press (June 3, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0054DW2UE
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,131 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Scooby Gang in Zombieland July 29, 2011

By Linda S. Andrews

Format:Kindle Edition

The Z Word starts out in a fashionable shopping mall in Hollywood and then whoosh, the main character Seffy is transported to another place with pink skies, glittery dirt and zombies. Normally, she'd be a meat snack (and deservedly so), but her loyal friends manage to rescue her even from herself.
Seffy is an interesting character for an apocalyptic novel. Vain, self-centered, and shallow, she brings avoidance of issues to the level of an Olympic sport. She's also a contradiction-- for someone so set on being an actress, she's not very interested in watching movies or television. She clings to her designer tracksuit, first as a status symbol then as a security blanket. And finally, as the trappings of her WeHo life begin to crumble, a Seffy equal to the challenges ahead begins to emerge.
Ms. Street is to be highly commended for her original cast of characters and the brilliant world she creates. Layered with cultural references from the eighties and today, The Z Word is an exciting and fast-paced mix of adventure and dysfunction. The first book in a six book series, The Z Word raises far more questions then it answers and does a wonderful job of providing plot twists one after the other such that some might suffer from whiplash.
So if you're looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon, I'd recommend adding The Z Word to your reading list. Its cast of Scooby-Doo characters, snappy dialogue and Shaun of the Dead/Zombieland surrealism is quite entertaining.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Apocalypse Babes Rock! October 8, 2011

By Joan Reeves

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Want a good example of the importance of a good book title or a series title? This is it. Bella Street created one of the best series titles I've seen in a while when she dubbed her 6 book series Apocalypse Babes.

I bought the first book, The Z Word, simply because of the series title. I figured any author witty enough to label a series with that moniker had to be an equally clever writer. I'm happy to say I was correct.

My Take On The Book

Take 3 valley girls and their longtime guy friend that 2 of the 3 are crushing on, toss them into a worm hole and send them back to a world without cell phones, the Internet, Starbucks, and satellite TV, and you have the clever premise of The Z Word. Yes, Z for zombies, but how the zombies were created is one of the many twists offered in this mixed genre novel.

Part science fiction, part romance, part mystery, part fantasy, The Z Word is all entertainment. From the out-of-the-box zombies to the creepy mind control, heroine Seffy Carter grows from vacuous airhead with a serious case of denial to savvy survivor unwilling to drink the KoolAid.

If you were alive in the 1980's--whether you rocked the decade or you were a baby being rocked in a cradle--you'll love the song references and cultural allusions. Though one might think this book is for young adults since they are the protagonists, that's not the case. This will keep you turning the pages late into the night. Warning: if you finish at 2 AM, you might find yourself visiting the Kindle Store for Book 2: The X Factor.

The best thing about this series is that the heroine Seffy grows--in all ways. In the beginning, you feel like slapping her and telling her to grow up and quit whining.... By the end of the book, you're rooting for her because she's changed. When you get to the second book, you're totally in her corner, and you're wishing she'd see that Trent is not just a babe, but a babe who loves her--just as she is. And that's priceless.

If you like books that are different--books that can't be easily pigeon-holed--this book, and this series, is for you. Read more ›

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book August 5, 2011

By Loves All Things Books

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the first zombie book I've ever read. I wasn't sure what to expect but was amazed at what I found. The main character Sef is in LA until a blast sends her to a strange desert with weird sand and a pink sky. If that wasn't weird enough, she and her friends discover strange disco looking zombies hungry for a taste of their flesh.

I personally can't wait to read the next book and find out how things play out. Will her lifelong crush finally return her feelings? Will they escape the refuge? Will they walk away without getting the freaky zombie virus?

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good plot, however I felt the dialogue was too immature August 1, 2011

By Cheryl M-M

Format:Kindle Edition

I wasn't sure who the target audience was supposed to be for this chick lit. It was docile enough to be YA (yes I know there are Zombies, but they behaved very well), but I felt it was slightly immature for adult readers. The book was loaded with 80s references ( without revealing any spoilers about why), which were funny and as I grew up in that era I recognized the TV/Film/clothes/music that the writer used, which brings me back to the target audience. If you are targetting adults that will understand those references and find them amusing (which they were)but how does a YA relate to them? The interaction and dialogue was at best conversations that 15yr olds would have with each other. In the last chapter when some of the niggling questions are finally being answered the book ends, kudos to the writer for that because now I have to read the next one to find the answer to all the questions. I thought the plot was a good one, it depends where the writer takes it next.
I received a free copy of this book for my review.The Z Word (Apocalypse Babes)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm in Love With a Zombie...Book Series! January 6, 2012

By Shawn K. Maravel

Format:Kindle Edition

Seffy and her friends find themselves thirty years in the past, surrounded by zombies, and totally screwed. As if her unstable friendships weren't enough drama. Now not only do they have to try and salvage what remains of their friendship but they need to dodge one wave of retro zombie mobs after another and figure out how they wound up thirty years in the past smack dab in the middle of nowhere Montana in the first place.

Let me start by saying that this book is my first official zombie book read! Eep!
When I started this book it was hard for me to relate with the characters. They are all from LA...totally into vanity and not really grounded at all. Seffy in particular just couldn't seem to gain my sympathy. She is a bit self-absorbed and well...useless in the beginning of the novel. But this is clearly the whole point.

Based on the smooth and seamless character development you don't really realize as the reader when you stopped finding the characters a bit annoying and when you started rooting for them. Each character is so different and true to themselves yet they all still manage to grow and adapt to their unfortunate situation. Relationships grow and change and every character, Seffy specifically well...grows up.

Bella Street has a clear and unmistakable talent for storytelling. She somehow made me care about characters who at first I might have enjoyed being eaten by zombies! I got to that pivotal point when reading the book where I just didn't want to put it down and couldn't wait to see what happened next!
There is so much going on in this story, so many mysteries, secrets, and events that you can't possibly get bored or say that it was slow moving for even a second. Yet at the same time it never felt overwhelmingly complex.... I still have questions of course but that's to be expected from any great series. Not to mention the crazy cliff hanger! Can't wait to read the next installment! Read more ›

More About the Author

Living so close to Nashville has provoked Bella to take up fiddle lessons. Until her tunes no longer sound like amorous alley cats, she writes weird romance (which includes Gothic science fiction romance, apocalypse, time travel, paranormal romance--and possibly sasquatch in the future--hey, I said it was weird).

Visit me at my website www.bellastreetwrites.com and my blog for fun contests and giveaways and of course, weirdness.