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Randall Scott Merritt

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Zournal: Book 1: It All Started Kindle Edition

by R S Merritt (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 673 ratings

Book 1 of 6: Zournal

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Some days start off bad and some days start off as the end of the world...

A highly hungover Steve wakes up one morning after a horrible couple of weeks in which he's lost his girlfriend, his job, his savings and the majority of his self-respect. Dragging himself out of bed he wanders over to the window with a bottled water and a handful of Advil. Looking out of his apartment window he sees people running around like lunatics. There's also a bunch of burning shrubbery.

He decides to go back to sleep and see if it all goes away. When he wakes up for the second time it turns out the view from his fourth floor apartment wasn't a nightmare. It was his new normal.

Armed with a blunt samurai sword and some stolen steak knives he ventures out into the fray. These aren't your standard Zombies but Steve isn't your standard Zombie fighter either. Join him in Book 1 as he heads out to check on his parents and try to survive in a world that's gone crazy...

Book 1 - "It all started"
Book 2 - "Cruising The 'Poc"
Book 3 - "Scorched Earth"
Book 4 - "Reap What You Sow"
Book 5 - "Feeling Lucky?"
Book 6 - "The Final Countdown"

*** Updated Edition With Updated Cover and Content Updates ***

Book 1 of 6

Zournal
Print length

263 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

February 26, 2017
File size

3335 KB
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Enhanced typesetting

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From the Publisher

Are you a fan of spine-tingling horror? Look no further than the thrilling works of R.S. Merritt, a master of zombie fiction. With over two dozen apocalyptic themed books available on Amazon, R.S. Merritt has been keeping readers on the edge of their seats for years with pulse-pounding tales of the undead. From the hauntingly empty streets of Disney to the desolate wastelands of a virus stricken Egypt, R.S. Merritt's vivid and immersive writing will have you completely engrossed in the terrifying world his characters find themselves struggling to survive in. Join the legions of fans who have been captivated by his unique brand of horror - but be warned, once you start reading, you might not be able to stop!


	Zournal	Son of the Keeper	Zombies!	Crawlerz	Exploited Blood
	See Details	See Details	See Details	See Details	See Details
Customer Reviews	673	98	1,244	1,362	557
Price	$0.99	$2.99	$3.99	$3.99	$3.99
Available on Audible	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Complete Series Available	✓	✓	✓	✓
5 Star Reviews	> 367	> 48	> 604	> 658	> 197
Available on Kindle Unlimited	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Available in Paperback	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you're at all a fan of ZA fiction, you need to read this. Kevin Smith needs to read this and bring it to your local cinema." Amazon Reviewer

From the Author

Dear Reader,

Thank you for taking the time out to read this. Mylove of books stems from the time I spent as a kid growing up inlighthouses and on islands. Despite what you may see on the news andread about on the internet the life of a lighthouse keepers son is notall Glamour and Parties. There's a lot of time when there really isn'tmuch to do besides wonder if the fog horn has finally made you deaf.Watching your dad pull fishing lures out of different parts of peoplesbodies can also provide some gross amusement. (You'd be amazed!)

I read. I read a lot. We had a'reading caterpillar' around the room at my school where every time youread a book you put your name on your color paper and hung it up. Theteacher had to give me two colors because I was making the caterpillarsolid blue. I devouredCS Lewis, moving on to Tolkien and into Alternative Realities by guys likeStirling. My guilty pleasure is Zombie novels. I can't seem to getenough of them!

The thing I like about them is the development of the protagonist. While the world crumblesaround them these flawed heroes have to stand up and try to make theirway. They go from struggling to pay the phone bill to struggling tostay alive. I like seeing the different ways this either hardens orbreaks them. I think these stories speak at a very primal level and Ienjoy the journey greatly as I get to tag along seeing how they manageand whether it breaks them or forges them into something more than theywere.Please enjoy my newest novel:Zombies! A Small World
Already finished that one? Try this series on for size!

Book 1 - "It all started"
Book 2 - "Cruising The 'Poc"
Book 3 - "Scorched Earth"
Book 4 - "Reap What You Sow"
Book 5 - "Feeling Lucky?"
Book 6 - "The Final Countdown" Also, if you enjoy Sci Fi and Fantasy Books please check out my new Series the "Son of the Keeper"

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XC1W26S
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon Digital Services; 12th edition (February 26, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 26, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3335 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 263 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #505,360 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #497 in Humorous Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #2,361 in Science Fiction Erotica
- #4,310 in Dystopian Science Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 673 ratings

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Randall Scott Merritt

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Living in a lighthouse as a child led me early to a love of reading. Despite what you may have been told the life of a lighthouse keeper's son is not all Glamour and Parties. There's a lot of time when there really isn't much to do besides wonder if the fog horn has finally made you deaf or watch your dad pull fishing lures out of different parts of people bodies. (You'd be amazed!)

I read. I read a lot. We had a 'reading caterpillar' around the room at my school where every time you read a book you put your name on your color paper and hung it up. The teacher had to give me two colors because it was looking more like a worm than a caterpillar. I devoured CS Lewis before moving on to Tolkien. Reading has continued to be a big part of my life. I've moved into Alternative Realities by guys like Stirling and my guilty pleasure is Zombie novels. I can't seem to get enough of them!

I like reading about the extremes people will go to to survive. The ones who can rise above the rest and keep their sense of right and wrong. When humanity crumbles around them these flawed heroes stand tall and try to make their way. They go from struggling to pay the phone bill to struggling to keep themselves and others alive. I like to see how this either hardens or breaks them. I think these stories speak at a very primal level. I enjoy the journey greatly as I get to tag along seeing how the survivors manage and how the experience forges them into something more than they were.

I look forward to sharing the journey with you all!

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

673 global ratings

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M. Robare

`Clerks' Meets `The Walking Dead'

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2018

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The zombies...aren't, but are close enough.

The hero...isn't, but is close enough.

This is the Zombie Apocalypse seen through the eyes of a relatively normal twenty-something guy. He's not a survivalist, he's not a burned out military killing machine...he's the slacker across the hall. Somehow he manages to survive, and lucky us, he's one of `those' people who make Facebook and every other form of social media annoying as hell to most people. Yeah, he updates constantly and since there's no FB any more, we are privileged to read his Zombie Journal...or Zournal.

As ZA fiction, it's brilliant. Our hero Steve is a bit of a loser dork and you can imagine his life-path without the ZA as tending toward something in mass retail, growing ever more bitter and less relevant until he's 45 years old, assistant manager of Phone Sales at the equivalent of Best Buy, melting down inside every time his latest post on Facebook or Twitter isn't liked or followed by adoring crowds.

Lucky for Steve...and us...the ZA happens and his life-path goes in an entirely unforeseen direction.

Yes, there are some spelling and grammar issues, which apparently cause some reviewers to melt down. However, if you approach it as I did...those are actually details that add to the immersion. You are reading the Zournal of a slacker twenty-something, and most of them are not the ones who excelled in Freshman Composition. It makes it easier for me to believe I'm reading Steve's journal when he screws up `their' and `there'. (To be fair, it could be the author dropping the ball, but I choose to believe the author knew what he was doing, leaving those obvious errors in...I give him (or her, dunno the sex of the author) the benefit of the doubt based on how the rest of the book flows. I get the sense the author knew what they were doing, but that may be just my imagination. You've been warned.)

If you're at all a fan of ZA fiction, you need to read this. Kevin Smith needs to read this and bring it to your local cinema.

11 people found this helpful

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JoanneG

Very Funny Zombie Story (hampered by bad grammar)

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2018

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This book is in the form of the journal of Steve, an ordinary guy that wakes up with a bad hangover to discover the end of the world occurred while he was sleeping it off. Since he really can't do anything, he goes back to sleep.

The horror of what happened hits him when he wakes up the second time. He sees "lumps" when he looks out the window. He finds his neighbor (the woman on the cover) in the tub having taken a bite of her cat. He knows he is in trouble because he doesn't have any weapons except for a dull sword, and he doesn't have much food in his apartment so he is probably going to starve to death.

The way this is described in the book is hilarious. Steve is a funny guy, and I guess it's good to have a sense of humor when the world ends. The rest of the book continues his journal which he writes on his phone (that's the only thing it's good for anymore). He decides to try to get to Tennessee (he's in Florida) where his parents have an isolated cabin in the hopes that the isolation has kept them safe, but as soon as he steps out the door he is attacked by zombies and pretty much spends the rest of the book running from zombies, hiding from zombies, fighting zombies, and being very quiet in hopes the zombies will go away.

These are not ordinary zombies. For one thing, they are alive. Their skin turned blue, their eyes turned red, and they became mindless cannibals--but they are alive, which leads me to wonder if a cure comes up somewhere in the rest of the series. That would be an interesting story.

Steve doesn't get very far, and he details his journey with dark humor. He meets--and loses--people along the way. The characters of Gunny and Ginny are particularly memorable. Along the way, the journal gets more serious and Steve seems to change from a loser to a leader. He has common sense, the aforementioned sense of humor, and seems to have figured out how to survive, The people he meets recognize these things in him. He's surprised by this, but he takes quick actions to keep them safe and makes contingency plans in case the first plan doesn't work. He talks a lot about making plans. He becomes comfortable being a leader.

I really enjoyed this book. Even though there are hundreds of zombie books out there, this one is original and has unique and interesting characters. The book is action-packed because every time Steve thinks he can take a break, the zombies come back, and he is running, limping, or trying to drive away.

I would give this book five stars except for one very big problem: the punctuation, word usage, spelling, and overall grammar are not good. There were times I didn't know what was being said because there was either not enough punctuation or too much punctuation making the sentences ambiguous. There are a lot of commas in this book. There are way too many commas, and every now and then a semi-colon would make an appearance for no reason.

Every time there and/or their were used, they were used incorrectly. The same goes for was/were, so there were problems with the tense at times. I could go on, but you get the idea. I would have gone down to three stars because the problems are so pervasive, but I liked the story and the characters, so I'm going with four stars. I hope the rest of the books in the series have been proofread better.

Recommended.

6 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Wow

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2023

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That was a great story!!! Really really liked it. The plot was good, the story was quick, funny well written and coherent. Can t wait for more.

One person found this helpful

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Phyllis Purvis

Trust

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2023

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I love the authors story line with the journaling. It makes for a great way for new characters to learn about his adventures.
I feel sorry for Brenda and her twins. Trust is not an easy thing to give or get.
You are going to enjoy this book.

One person found this helpful

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SherryG

Good story, and grammar

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed the story and have purchased the next book in the series, though the punctuation was atrocious and the spelling wasn't great either. My advice to this up and coming author is that he invest in a good editor, so as not to needlessly detract from what is an otherwise entertaining story. Other than that, good job!

Helpful

Stevec50

Not the Undead but just as bad

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2021

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Steve is just a guy trying to get by when a virus begins turning people around the country into cannibalistic crazies. Fortunately they can be killed but there are just so many.

Hoping to unite with parents in the cabin in the country, Steve must deal with other survivors, both good and bad.

First in the series and a lot fun. Plenty of scares but also some humor and moments of tenderness.

One person found this helpful

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Wisdomnurse

excellent end of the world zombie apocalypse

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2023

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Loved the new twist with it being a journal entry. Humor thrower in with the suspense. This is how normal people would be during a apocalypse

One person found this helpful

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iamsam

Nonstop smart action read

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2021

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I just finished book 4, and have loved following these characters. The action is credible (once you accept the situation), the dialogue crisp and believable, with good natured humor thrown about and throughout. The cast includes strong female characters (hell, everyone who's survived this long HAS to be) with great writing that has me running for the next book. Oh, and the author does not use cheap cliffhangers at each books end.... You want the next book because the previous was such an entertaining read. On to the next one!

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Kelly Rickard

Interesting and a page turner

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2017

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Haha hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy reference taking a towel as an essential was a really funny joke but the rest of the book was brutal as Steve struggles to survive with zombies that are blueish and run plus scream alerting other zombies to your present. These zombies also have amazing hearing so any noise and they are onto you made worse by the fact that everyday life has become silence.
Interesting and a page turner.

I got this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tez

A fast moving adventure

Reviewed in Australia on June 6, 2022

Verified Purchase

R.S Merritt is one of my favourite zombie writers and this story was filled with likeable characters that are relatable, funny and honest.
Such a great start to a series, Steve is a likeable guy who muddles through the start of the zombie apocalypse and meets some interesting characters that, like him, are doing their best to stay alive.
His journey is gory, exciting and filled with moments that had me gripped until the last page.
Starting book two now!

Norma Miles

"This end of the world scenario thing."

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2021

Verified Purchase

book )
"This end of the world scenario thing."
So many zombie books out there and most just meld into one long, similar sfory. Not this one so much, at least not in the ear!y stages as it is written in the form of a diary. Steve Hankle, a 22 years old unemployed college graduate was having a bad week (or several). his girlfriend of three years had left him and he was about to be evicted: no money for rent. When he woke on the floor of his room the day that the virus hit, he was aware only of some sort of disturbance outside before taking himse!f to his bed to sleep off his massive hangover. So he missed the beginning of the end of the world. Once realization dawns the next day, he starts to make preparations for survival, with lovely 'handy hints' given following his own mistakes, as, for instance, when filling the bath with water to provide for future drinking needs, first clean the bath - and it is through such little personal asides that the reader gets to know the keeper of the journal, a geeky guy, no macho hero here. And when hunger and desperation force him out into the world armed only with some cutlery and an old Samurai sword, he is one terrified bunny. I loved Steve the incompetant bumbler. But I guess to stay alive in a time of blood crazed, blue people eaters, he had to grow up. Fast. And the book slides into a more standard zombie apocalypse (although not truly zombies as the dead do not rise)..

Narration is by Nicholas Cain who admirably takes on the persona of Steve the diarist. His voice is pleasant to the ear, his timing and speech pattern melodius, his modulation good. A nice performance for one pursued by super strength cannibals! I did enjoy this book though probably not enough to continue the series. My thanks to the rights holder of It All Started, Zournal I, who, at my request freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. Disconcerting and bloody, readers who enjoy the zombie experience will surely love this.
But, as others have said, dreadful cover art

not that good

google some facts

Reviewed in Canada on September 26, 2023

Verified Purchase

Good writer and books are entertaining and well written but the military descriptions just make me cringe. Doesn’t feel like this dude is American with some of his word selection but how he screws up basic nco terminology is ugh. Just google ranks in the marines dude.

lost&found

Blue zombies yay!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2020

Verified Purchase

Liked the new zombies. I thought they’d been done to death but now we’ve got red eyed, blue skinned varieties that scream a lot. Cool characters and decent humour keeps you reading. I’ll definitely be reading the new one

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Zournal: Book 1: It All Started Kindle Edition

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Randall Scott Merritt

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