Twilight of the Dead [Paperback]

Travis Adkins (Author), null (Editor, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 2007

Courtney Colvin was nearing the end of her teenage years when the undead apocalypse began. She survived, forsaking her youth and innocence, and five years later she continues to exist--albeit lonely--in the fortified town of Eastpointe. Nightmares and the unwelcome advances of Leon Wolfe are the worst things she's dealing with now in her otherwise mundane life. But when a newcomer arrives in town and claims to know the location of the antidote to the zombie plague, it sends Eastpointe into an uproar. To retrieve this cure, she and a group of other survivors must venture outside the relative safety of the compound's walls and into a world ruled and dominated by the flesh-eating undead. Twilight of the Dead puts a new spin on the zombie genre, yet remains true to the classic rules that have already been set forth. A sure-fire reading pleasure for anyone who loves character-driven horror. This Special Edition contains an Introduction by David Moody and three bonus short stories detailing important moments in the lives of other survivors

Editorial Reviews

Review

Adkins remains absolutely faithful to the zombie genre while offering an exciting new twist of horror and human perserverance. -- Christine Filipak, Dark Realms Magazine

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Permuted Press (October 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976555964
• ISBN-13: 978-0976555964
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #878,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wanted to like this book more..., September 10, 2005

By 

Brian J. Dworak "dvdaholic" (Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twilight of the Dead (Paperback)

As a fan of all-things-zombie for over twenty years I had never experienced "zombie fiction" before, and eagerly scoured the Amazon reviews of probably the exact same books you have already looked at. After reading the glowing reviews of this book I discounted the amateurish cover art and immediately ordered it.

Upon arrival the first thing I noticed once I began perusing the first few pages was the size of the font. I'm sure I'm being nit-picky but it seemed to me that a larger size font was chosen to maximize the number of pages - slim still at just over 200 pages. This, coupled with the actual dimensions of the book and the heretofore cited simplistic cover art just gave me the feeling I was holding something aimed at a much younger audience. Don't get me wrong, I fully realize this is a book about the Zombie Apocalypse, but I guess I expected something a little more literary after seeing reviews calling it the "best book I ever read" and throwing out phrases like "metaphysical subjectivism." I have to wonder what other "books" these reviewers tend to read.

As for the story, I will admit it is enjoyable for what it offers. However, some things had me wondering "wait, didn't they just say.." and "that doesn't seem right, wouldn't they have..." a little too often. I felt like I was reading a second or third draft where the plot hadn't been cemented nor the holes filled in. And my god, please use a proofreader in future. I can forgive an overlooked comma but there were too many instances where something that should have been caught actually took me out of the story wondering if maybe I had read it wrong. The biggest offender being a cliffhanger-type situation closing out a chapter - "But he had been bitten!" instead was printed "But he had bitten!" which made no sense in the context of the scene and really ruined the tension of the moment.

Character-wise it was refreshing to have a female protagonist, but I was struck by the fact that seemingly every male in her life, excluding her father, either wanted to have sex with her or already had. Seemed a bit banal to me. I found myself rolling my eyes every time another newly introduced male character threw out a clichéd come-on or uttered a moronic innuendo. Enough.

Bottom line: it's a fairly enjoyable read if you can get past the overall unpolished feeling and glaring editorial oversights.

I just glanced down at the next part of this review form, where it says "I am over the age of 13." A very applicable phrase with which to end this .

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Was This Book Written For Teenaged Girls?, June 1, 2006

By 

Caesar M. Warrington (Lansdowne, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Twilight of the Dead (Paperback)

Adkins book reads less like a horror story than it does a tale of a young woman maturing to acknowledge the world as it exists and learning to deal with it.
Horror factor is minimal. To be quite honest, except the last few chapters (which are somewhat silly and far-fetched, even for a zombie novel) the walking dead are in the background, treated as props and scenery for the story.

Definitely not recommended to anyone looking for a good zombie read.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Zombie fans., September 29, 2006

By 

Dennis Duncan (Greenfield, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twilight of the Dead (Paperback)

It is five years after a Zombie Plague and most of humanity is wiped out. The dead are now the rulers of the world. Those still alive struggle to survive Courtney Colvin was still a teenage kid when the plague started, but somehow she survived in the nightmare world of the dead and found the fortified town of Eastpointe. She lives a quiet but lonely life. She isn't as content as the others in town. She wants to know if there are any other survivors. She soon gets her answer. A mysterious stranger arrives claiming to know the location of the antidote to the plague. To retrieve this cure, she and other survivors must leave the safety of Eastpointe and into a world of the flesh-eating dead.

I love a good Zombie Story so when I seen Twilight of the Dead I had to grab a copy. It ended up being a very wise decision. Twilight is one of the better Zombie stories I've read and I have read just about all of them. Travis follows the Romero style Zombie formula, but he adds his own twist that I thought was very clever and entertaining. It gives the Zombie Genre a real boost. You can tell from Travis's writing style that he is more than just a fanboy. He has real writing skills, and I think that he has a lot to offer to the Horror Genre.

Travis has written a story that was very character driven. A lot of times in Zombie stories the author focuses so much on the gore, carnage, and action that the character development suffers for it. Travis doesn't make that mistake. The gore, carnage, and action are there, but he takes the time to develop the characters. I didn't find one that was Wooden or Hollow.

Twilight takes off on the first page, and it never lets up. Travis created a world that completely consumed me, and that is a sign of really good storyteller. I didn't want Twilight to end. It also moves at a very fast pace. There wasn't a single spot in this story that bored me. It was a true pleasure to read. The only complaint I had was the way the it ended, but I found out Travis plans a sequel so that took care of that.

I recommend Twilight of the Dead to anyone who loves an original and character driven Zombie story. Travis is a very good writer and I cant wait to to see what he has in store for us in the future. Twilight of the Dead is one of the best stories the Zombie genre has to offer.