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Empty Bodies #1
Empty Bodies
In a single moment, everything changes…
Hundreds of thousands of people suddenly collapse, leaving their friends and loved ones behind, terrified and confused.
Moments later, the fallen rise, and the survivors become the hunted.
***WARNING*** Empty Bodies is meant for mature audiences only. It features foul language and graphic descriptions of violence and death. Please purchase at your own discretion.
Hundreds of thousands of people suddenly collapse, leaving their friends and loved ones behind, terrified and confused.
Moments later, the fallen rise, and the survivors become the hunted.
***WARNING*** Empty Bodies is meant for mature audiences only. It features foul language and graphic descriptions of violence and death. Please purchase at your own discretion.
219 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2015
1245 people are currently reading
2167 people want to read
About the author
Zach Bohannon
82 books118 followersZach Bohannon is a horror and science fiction author. His books include the Amazon #1 bestsellers, Dead South, and Empty Bodies. He loves heavy metal, video games, hockey, reading, and he doesn’t trust a beer he can see through. He’s a retired drummer, and has had a beard since 2003—long before it was cool. He lives in Tennessee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
October 9, 2021
Just As Sweet 🧟♀️
We are onboard for the zombie apocalypse viewed through the point of view of three heroes.
We have Will who is at the office when things go sideways. His journey is to get home to his beloved parents.
Next we have Jessica who’s working at her gym when the world goes to hell. She also have parents.
And finally, there’s Gabriel. He was on a flight home to his wife and daughter when his plane crashes. Except for a child, he is the only survivor.
Other characters are also here, filling in the positions that are necessary for a horror-thriller.
We are onboard for the zombie apocalypse viewed through the point of view of three heroes.
We have Will who is at the office when things go sideways. His journey is to get home to his beloved parents.
Next we have Jessica who’s working at her gym when the world goes to hell. She also have parents.
And finally, there’s Gabriel. He was on a flight home to his wife and daughter when his plane crashes. Except for a child, he is the only survivor.
Other characters are also here, filling in the positions that are necessary for a horror-thriller.
January 1, 2019
It happened in an instant. One minute all was well and the next, all Hell broke loose. Millions died only to rise again, and they are hungry for meat, live meat. The survival of those still alive is perilous and three people, unknown to each other, miles apart will each begin a torturous and terrifying quest to survive.
Zach Bohannon’s filled my craving for a good zombie read and once again proves that regular people, just like us CAN find the will to survive against all odds, including humans who go to the dark side in a time of crisis. From North Carolina to Texas, no one is safe and few can be trusted.
The worst of times brings out both the best and worst in mankind and Zach Bohannon did a stellar job of creating scenes that point that out in spades, along with a few tips on how to kill the bloody monsters.
I’m definitely going to continue this series because good zombie books never get old!
Series: Empty Bodies - Book 1
Publisher: Zellwood Press; 2 edition (February 1, 2015)
Publication Date: February 1, 2015
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Print Length: 219 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Zach Bohannon’s filled my craving for a good zombie read and once again proves that regular people, just like us CAN find the will to survive against all odds, including humans who go to the dark side in a time of crisis. From North Carolina to Texas, no one is safe and few can be trusted.
The worst of times brings out both the best and worst in mankind and Zach Bohannon did a stellar job of creating scenes that point that out in spades, along with a few tips on how to kill the bloody monsters.
I’m definitely going to continue this series because good zombie books never get old!
Series: Empty Bodies - Book 1
Publisher: Zellwood Press; 2 edition (February 1, 2015)
Publication Date: February 1, 2015
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Print Length: 219 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
March 11, 2015
Typos and poor grammar.
A limited vocabulary seriously hampers this book.
Also a lack of anatomical knowledge - when a bullet hits in the shoulder " just below the collarbone" there are no organs to miss.
It's "TRAITOR" not "Trader" and "Conscience" not "Conscious."
Small errors such as these ruin a book!
Just not a book that grabs attention......
A limited vocabulary seriously hampers this book.
Also a lack of anatomical knowledge - when a bullet hits in the shoulder " just below the collarbone" there are no organs to miss.
It's "TRAITOR" not "Trader" and "Conscience" not "Conscious."
Small errors such as these ruin a book!
Just not a book that grabs attention......
November 8, 2015
I really struggle with giving lower reviews to independent authors. I believe in helping said fledgling community to thrive. After all, a mans got to earn a crust, right?
That said, apocalypse zombie fiction is not even a dime a dozen, more like a dime for several hundred. So if you're gonna throw your hat in the ring in that genre, it's not even about bringing your A game. It's about finding some tiny little nugget of originality and exploiting the crap out of it.
Think in terms of going out to buy a chocolate cake. Every bakery in the world can make it, but each is going to try and put little extras into theirs to make sure customers prefer their cake. Some might add chocolate chips, some might bake it into a rude and amusing shape, some might decorate the top with Reese's Pieces (I love those). That was kind of how this book was for me. I wanted a chocolate cake, and that's exactly what I got. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great, it just was.
2.5 stars
That said, apocalypse zombie fiction is not even a dime a dozen, more like a dime for several hundred. So if you're gonna throw your hat in the ring in that genre, it's not even about bringing your A game. It's about finding some tiny little nugget of originality and exploiting the crap out of it.
Think in terms of going out to buy a chocolate cake. Every bakery in the world can make it, but each is going to try and put little extras into theirs to make sure customers prefer their cake. Some might add chocolate chips, some might bake it into a rude and amusing shape, some might decorate the top with Reese's Pieces (I love those). That was kind of how this book was for me. I wanted a chocolate cake, and that's exactly what I got. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great, it just was.
2.5 stars
March 10, 2015
I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Will, Gabriel, Dylan, Jessica, and Melissa are survivors of a mysterious virus that has turned others into zombies a.k.a. "The Empties". Will they be able to survive the zombies? Read on and find out for yourself.
This was a pretty amazing read! If you are fans of zombie fiction, you will enjoy this. Be sure to look for this book on Amazon and wherever ebooks are sold.
Will, Gabriel, Dylan, Jessica, and Melissa are survivors of a mysterious virus that has turned others into zombies a.k.a. "The Empties". Will they be able to survive the zombies? Read on and find out for yourself.
This was a pretty amazing read! If you are fans of zombie fiction, you will enjoy this. Be sure to look for this book on Amazon and wherever ebooks are sold.
January 13, 2018
In my opinion, if you're going to write a zombie novel, you're going to have to bring something fresh to the table. Not only is the zombie genre a well-worn path, it is a literary rut 3 feet deep and five feet wide. I will admit that this is a difficult task, and credit goes to Zach Bohannon for attempting to be different.
To start, he implies that the Rapture has happened, leaving behind soulless bodies that torment those remaining behind. As a Christian, I will admit that I'd never thought of the Rapture that way, but for the purposes of the book it makes for a unique cause for the rise of the undead, as well as his use of the term "empties". (Bonus points for not making it about dubious science experiments and/or government screw-ups!) I will give him credit for this as well as the fact that he goes rather light on the gun porn. There are no military-grade weapons just lying around and not everyone is a crack shot.
That said, there are things that work against the book. As others have noted, there are grammatical and syntactical errors in the book that jar the narrative like hitting a pothole on any otherwise smooth road. There are items that will strain the credulity of the reader, such as finding a weapon in an airplane bathroom (the obvious groan-inducing item in the book). And obviously, being shot below the shoulder blade *SHOULD* miss vital organs - at least in any person I know.
There are three characters from different parts of the South who will all end up in Nashville. The trio of separate narratives is confusing at first but eventually the reader gets used to it. The one trope that Bohannon should've avoided was the delusional jagoff who fancies himself the king of the world. In that respect, the "cliffhanger" at the book's end can be seen coming two and three-quarters of a mile away. If you were surprised by this, you weren't paying attention.
Overall, it's not a terrible book, but you're not going to confuse this with a Brian Keene offering, either.
BOTTOM LINE: A good popcorn book as a break from other books you've been reading.
To start, he implies that the Rapture has happened, leaving behind soulless bodies that torment those remaining behind. As a Christian, I will admit that I'd never thought of the Rapture that way, but for the purposes of the book it makes for a unique cause for the rise of the undead, as well as his use of the term "empties". (Bonus points for not making it about dubious science experiments and/or government screw-ups!) I will give him credit for this as well as the fact that he goes rather light on the gun porn. There are no military-grade weapons just lying around and not everyone is a crack shot.
That said, there are things that work against the book. As others have noted, there are grammatical and syntactical errors in the book that jar the narrative like hitting a pothole on any otherwise smooth road. There are items that will strain the credulity of the reader, such as finding a weapon in an airplane bathroom (the obvious groan-inducing item in the book). And obviously, being shot below the shoulder blade *SHOULD* miss vital organs - at least in any person I know.
There are three characters from different parts of the South who will all end up in Nashville. The trio of separate narratives is confusing at first but eventually the reader gets used to it. The one trope that Bohannon should've avoided was the delusional jagoff who fancies himself the king of the world. In that respect, the "cliffhanger" at the book's end can be seen coming two and three-quarters of a mile away. If you were surprised by this, you weren't paying attention.
Overall, it's not a terrible book, but you're not going to confuse this with a Brian Keene offering, either.
BOTTOM LINE: A good popcorn book as a break from other books you've been reading.
February 3, 2015
Bohannon's Empty Bodies is a fast-paced tale of a post-apocalyptic world where perceptions are constantly changing, characters are pushed from day-to-day-normality into survival mode, and strangers become the greatest confidantes. The book sucks readers in with page one, and as a new take on so-called zombies, it immediately turns into a fun and entertaining read. The characters are engaging, Bohannon's writing is well worth the time, and the story itself is frighteningly believable.
All together, this really is a thrill of a book, and comes absolutely recommended!
All together, this really is a thrill of a book, and comes absolutely recommended!
April 9, 2015
Interesting story but poorly written
I read the entire book but there were spots where I was left feeling distanced from the characters. The writing started off pretty good and gradually slid downhill, as if, perhaps the editor just gave up. The writing became stilted, the phrasing awkward. The book would be much improved by a good editor, but I'm still somewhat curious to see what happens next.
I read the entire book but there were spots where I was left feeling distanced from the characters. The writing started off pretty good and gradually slid downhill, as if, perhaps the editor just gave up. The writing became stilted, the phrasing awkward. The book would be much improved by a good editor, but I'm still somewhat curious to see what happens next.
August 28, 2016
Exciting
Nothing new as for zombie books, but pretty exciting. Lots of action and violence. And, of course, your obligatory jerk that wants to rule what is left of the world. Good characters.
Nothing new as for zombie books, but pretty exciting. Lots of action and violence. And, of course, your obligatory jerk that wants to rule what is left of the world. Good characters.
April 16, 2015
Horribly written
Easily one of the worst books I have ever read. Save yourself time and a headache and just skip this one, it is truly awful.
Easily one of the worst books I have ever read. Save yourself time and a headache and just skip this one, it is truly awful.
June 9, 2016
What a bunch of bullshit, poorly written enervrend and no plot. Who is the fool: the writer or person (me) who bought the whole series (five books) at once. Good thing thery were only $ 1 / book.
January 1, 2018
Poorly written wish fulfillment. Reads like it was written by a 17 year old.
February 6, 2015
Zach has written a great post apocalyptic story with strong characters that are relatable and have depth. Whoever the reader out there may be, you're sure to find a character that best describes you. I found myself walking in the shoes of a number of the characters and this is the signs of a good book. The action is well paced throughout and the story keeps you interested in turning those pages until the end.
This is book one in a series and I truly look forward to seeing what happens next!
This is book one in a series and I truly look forward to seeing what happens next!
December 26, 2017
There's just so much wrong with this book.
I looked Bohannon up and he seems like an earnest guy putting his hours in at his craft, but he really shouldn't have published this. This is one if those books you write, share with your nearest and dearest, and put in a trunk while you move onto better things. Maybe you look back on it with a certain nostalgia when you're older and more successful. I really can't see how this could possibly be good for his career.
I looked Bohannon up and he seems like an earnest guy putting his hours in at his craft, but he really shouldn't have published this. This is one if those books you write, share with your nearest and dearest, and put in a trunk while you move onto better things. Maybe you look back on it with a certain nostalgia when you're older and more successful. I really can't see how this could possibly be good for his career.
August 10, 2015
Terrible Terrible TERRIBLE!
I should have read the reviews on this one, they were right. I would give this less if i could. The author had plenty of time to go back and fix grammar and spelling but obviously chose not to. It made reading a challenge so I gave up. Anybody else, read the bad reviews, they are true.
I should have read the reviews on this one, they were right. I would give this less if i could. The author had plenty of time to go back and fix grammar and spelling but obviously chose not to. It made reading a challenge so I gave up. Anybody else, read the bad reviews, they are true.
April 30, 2015
Great book with a lot of action! Doesn't pull a lot from Walking Dead which is a relief. I like that the characters have to make a decision within seconds...it makes the characters more relatable. Highly recommend the book! I'm looking forward to reading Zach's next book, The Witness.
Want to read
November 2, 2017FREE on Amazon today (11/02/2017)!
February 10, 2019
Empty Bodies is the first book in a zombie apocalypse series by Zach Bohannon. It centers around three main characters: Will, Jessica, and Gabriel. The book begins by briefly introducing these characters then gets down to the good stuff right away. People everywhere begin coughing, dying, then reanimating into what the characters call "Empties". This was a pretty typical zombie novel. There isn't really anything to distinguish it from The Walking Dead other than the method of infection. It's not TWD caliber, but still pretty decent and I plan on reading the rest of the series.
February 3, 2019
Just like the rest of the meh zombie apocalypse books.
Yet another zombie apocalypse book. The whole genre seems full to bursting with these tales, and we are at the point that none are original. Empty Bodies was written, well ok, nothing sparkling. The story itself was so run of the mill, and nothing that will make me pick up the next instalment.
Yet another zombie apocalypse book. The whole genre seems full to bursting with these tales, and we are at the point that none are original. Empty Bodies was written, well ok, nothing sparkling. The story itself was so run of the mill, and nothing that will make me pick up the next instalment.
October 5, 2022
i really liked the first book, i am hoping to read the other books in the series. and i hope they are just as good
March 19, 2025
Excellent zombie apocalypse read.
June 14, 2022
Good start. to the series
December 3, 2017
***WARNING*** This book is NOT for the zombie aficionado.
Where to begin: This book lacked the attention to detail and depth and character development required to really draw you in to the characters. The women portrayed?...weak. Simple errors. The relative numbers of zombies did not correspond to the relative number of people that would have been around on a work day during the week. Not sure exactly how zombies can FLAY their arms in the air like college girls dancing at a nightclub (Bobby Flay came to mind here). However, flail was a favourite word.
For the level of maturity in the way the characters quickly got over good human nature and dealt with killing friends and fellow humans, mistakes were endless. Slipping, falling, screaming, using guns in enclosed spaces, car on the highway in the night and you turn on the cab light...many. The best yet: a parent abandoning a child (not his child) in the open with a gun to go scavenge. While casually shopping for clothing (forget about food and water) amidst a cluster of dead outside the store door, not hearing said weapon discharging eventually reaching outside to yell out the child's name yet hear the child sniffling in the forest some distance away enough to pinpoint the exact location. Further on in the tale proceeding to abandon the child in a vehicle to recklessly jump into a situation of unknown variables while STILL food and water are not primary objectives...Sigh.
At the end of the book, the author put in his note that he had no real intention of writing a zombie novel. I did tell him that it showed. While I cannot write to save my life constructive criticism is a must especially for an independent author. I hope this gets his head in the game to adapt to produce works of art in the future. I give him 1 star for admitting in the author's note and asking for feedback.
Where to begin: This book lacked the attention to detail and depth and character development required to really draw you in to the characters. The women portrayed?...weak. Simple errors. The relative numbers of zombies did not correspond to the relative number of people that would have been around on a work day during the week. Not sure exactly how zombies can FLAY their arms in the air like college girls dancing at a nightclub (Bobby Flay came to mind here). However, flail was a favourite word.
For the level of maturity in the way the characters quickly got over good human nature and dealt with killing friends and fellow humans, mistakes were endless. Slipping, falling, screaming, using guns in enclosed spaces, car on the highway in the night and you turn on the cab light...many. The best yet: a parent abandoning a child (not his child) in the open with a gun to go scavenge. While casually shopping for clothing (forget about food and water) amidst a cluster of dead outside the store door, not hearing said weapon discharging eventually reaching outside to yell out the child's name yet hear the child sniffling in the forest some distance away enough to pinpoint the exact location. Further on in the tale proceeding to abandon the child in a vehicle to recklessly jump into a situation of unknown variables while STILL food and water are not primary objectives...Sigh.
At the end of the book, the author put in his note that he had no real intention of writing a zombie novel. I did tell him that it showed. While I cannot write to save my life constructive criticism is a must especially for an independent author. I hope this gets his head in the game to adapt to produce works of art in the future. I give him 1 star for admitting in the author's note and asking for feedback.
August 7, 2015
When it comes to 'end of the world' stories, I have to read them. Whether it's pandemics, EMPs or zombies, I have no resistance. Over all, I really enjoyed this book. I don't usually nitpick books but I did have one little issue with this story. One of the protagonists in the story is trapped in an airplane bathroom. I know the author had to come up with a weapon for the character. But I can speak from experience that there's no room in one of those bathrooms. You're lucky if you can turn around in one. Even if there had been room, that item could have been used by a terrorist. But don't let that one minor slip keep you from enjoying this book.
It's exciting and fast-paced. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
It's exciting and fast-paced. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
May 2, 2019
Empty Bodies wasn't bad, but it wasn't really good either. The novel has a goodly amount of grammatical/basic errors and sadly lacks the excitement that comes along with zombie-themed books.
There is a lot of overlapping in actions and thoughts by the characters that keep any of them from becoming individualized any further than their physical description. A few examples are; scraping their knees, vomiting a lot, crying and breaking down, and getting severe injuries but pulling through to fight.
The beginning was the more interesting, where we were learning about the characters, the ending was just meh. There was no plot twist that was intriguing enough to make me want to pick up the second book in this series.
There is a lot of overlapping in actions and thoughts by the characters that keep any of them from becoming individualized any further than their physical description. A few examples are; scraping their knees, vomiting a lot, crying and breaking down, and getting severe injuries but pulling through to fight.
The beginning was the more interesting, where we were learning about the characters, the ending was just meh. There was no plot twist that was intriguing enough to make me want to pick up the second book in this series.
November 4, 2017
This has to be one of the most poorly written zombie stories that I've ever read. The author miss-uses words, doesn't know how to develop characters, and makes numerous mistakes regarding weapons from putting a knife in a holster to using guns. It's like reading a story written by a second grader with a bit of imagination, but no experience in the delivery. I found myself laughing at times over the poor attempt to write an apocalyptic tale. No more by this author!
December 12, 2018
Did not finish.
The style of writing did not engage me. The writing is very pedestrian, lacks an interesting use of vocabulary, had grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. I couldn’t finish it. Giving up at 43%. I tried. I was interested in some of the characters and that kept me going for a while, but there’s nothing new or interesting being added to this zombie genre here.
The style of writing did not engage me. The writing is very pedestrian, lacks an interesting use of vocabulary, had grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. I couldn’t finish it. Giving up at 43%. I tried. I was interested in some of the characters and that kept me going for a while, but there’s nothing new or interesting being added to this zombie genre here.
March 1, 2015
A lot of Action
A quick read and a lot of people who have to make life or death snap decisions. It never ceases to amaze me how people handle themselves when terror and tragedy are added to the days "to do list". This novel lets you view it from the eyes of a child.
A quick read and a lot of people who have to make life or death snap decisions. It never ceases to amaze me how people handle themselves when terror and tragedy are added to the days "to do list". This novel lets you view it from the eyes of a child.
March 24, 2015
Was in the mood for a nice straight forward book without a lot of deep meaning. This fit the bill for a quick but satisfying zombie book. I liked it and will probably be reading the follow on when it comes out.
March 24, 2015
Zach Bohannon what a writer!
I started reading this book at 11:00 pm intending only to read a couple chapters, well it's 2:39a.m. I read the whole book! could not put it down. Great story line looking forward to the next installment.
I started reading this book at 11:00 pm intending only to read a couple chapters, well it's 2:39a.m. I read the whole book! could not put it down. Great story line looking forward to the next installment.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews