Search and Destroy

The Walking Dead: Novels #7

by Jay Bonansinga, Robert Kirkman

Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead: Search and Destroy! The latest in Jay Bonansinga's New York Times bestselling series!What could possibly go wrong?For one brief moment, it seems Lilly and her plague-weary band of survivors might just engineer a better tomorrow. Banding together with other small town settlements, they begin a massive project to refurbish the railroad between Woodbury and Atlanta. The safer travel will begin a new post-apocalyptic era of trade, progress, and democracy. Little do they know, however, that trouble is brewing back home Out of nowhere, a brutal new faction has attacked Woodbury while Lilly and the others have been off repairing the railroad. Now the barricades are burning. Adults have been murdered, children kidnapped. But why? Why subject innocent survivors to such a random, unprovoked assault?Lilly Caul and her ragtag posse of rescuers will soon discover the chilling answers to these questions and more as they launch a desperate mission to save the kidnapped children. But along the way, the dark odyssey will take them into a nightmarish series of traps and hellish encounters with incomprehensible swarms of undead. And as always, in the world of the Walking Dead, the walkers will prove to be the least of Lillys problems. Its what the human adversaries have in store for her that will provide Lillys greatest challenge yet.

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Fiction, Audiobook, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic

277 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2016

About the author

The national best-selling author of ten acclaimed books – both fiction and non-fiction -- Jay Bonansinga has been called “one of the most imaginative writers of thrillers” by the Chicago Tribune.

Jay is the holder of a master's degree in film from Columbia College Chicago, and currently resides in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife and two sons. He is also a visiting professor at Northwestern University in their Creative Writing for the Media program.

Reviews

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of a series. If you have any idea of what this universe is about the reader can jump in here with this book as this book does stand on its own. In this one an outside group attacks our community and takes all the children. The surviving decide to perform a rescue mission.

This book and series is an offshoot of the main run of comics and show. If I remember correctly the first couple of books had characters from those lines. This eventually branched off and is telling its own story. In my mind I was ready to give this a higher rating but then the third act happened. Up to that point I thought this one was the best offerings in this series so far. This book fits in perfectly with this universe as the characters are doing more than just trying to survive. They are trying to establish community and live and thrive. I enjoyed the two first acts as they provided action and fantastical scenes. There was one scene I would have loved to see on the show. But to get the third act going we have a scene that happens off camera. This really affected my enjoyment as I have no idea why the author decided to go this route. This is a short book as it is under three hundred pages so he had room for this scene. The only thing I can come up with is that this scene would not have involved our main character even though it does affect her at the end. I feel the author's decision left me wanting more and not in a good way.

I am not expecting amazing literature when I read these books. I just want to be entertained with a good story. This book does that but it could have been more. I will say this book leaves our characters in a place where I am wondering what is next and wanting to jump into the next book in this series.

[Yodamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I love these novels. They are graphic, filled with heart stopping action, and never fail to make me excited about reading again. Mr. Bonansinga wrote the characters as believable types, flawed, brave, evil, crazy and just plain rotten. This is horror, yes, gore and guts but there is so much more. There is a well developed world filled with all the pitfalls you'd expect after such a devastating event.
This book revolved around one of the least likely survivors, a small woman with the heart of a lioness. Lilly has been through the nightmares nightmare, and thinks life is beginning again till a group comes to town and blows all her dreams built out of blood and death into the wind. What she does, how she strives is an amazing story.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can’t wait to move on to the next and see what Lilly has in store for us! Really wishing she had been featured on the show!

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have loved all the books in the Walking Dead series. As a huge Walking Dead fan, I love anything that continues our story lines. BUT, I disliked this book from the start. First, I found the use of adjectives and descriptors to be superfluous, as if he was just meeting a word requirement in a school essay. I have always loved Lily's spunk and leadership of the community, but the author has her being reckless, unprepared and taking uncalculated risks that are not reminiscent of the Lily from the previous books. A really big peeve for me was the comments at the end of the chapters that made me feel as if I was watching a episode of the Dukes of Hazzard where the action stops mid-motion and the narrator makes a foreshadowing kind of comment to the audience. To each his own, but for me this was not the caliber that the other books were and it disappointed me so much. I have always loved how they took the Woodbury storyline, but this was a disjointed mess that did nothing for the walking dead world.

[Cassidy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm pretty ticked now because I was in the middle of writing a very thorough review of this book when I accidentally clicked away from the page and the whole thing got deleted. If Goodreads allowed half-star ratings, I would've given this book a 2.5 out of 5. Let me just say that this book was my least favorite in the series. The pacing felt off from beginning to end, the continuity was completely nonexistent, and there really wasn't much of a significant plot. Everything just felt so forced and there were so many loose ends at the end of the book that weren't tied up. So many scenes happened that were essentially pointless. The characters could have been completely different people from the other books, if only their names and basic descriptions were changed. Don't get me wrong, I adore every installment in The Walking Dead series, from the show and it's spinoff, to the comics, and even to the video games, but this book could have remained unpublished and nothing major about the series would have changed, besides a few meaningless deaths. I wasn't a huge fan of the Jeremiah Garlitz storyline because it felt dragged out, but at least I was satisfied with how that part of the series wrapped up, unlike the storyline of this book. With all of that said, I will now be moving into my thoughts on this book that include spoilers.

Let's start off with my issues on the pacing of the book. I know that the whole beginning of the book was devoted to padding the one year time skip between this book and the previous one, and developing the reconstruction of the railroad tracks, but it just felt super slow and boring. Even once Lilly and her group got on the train to pursue Bryce's men the book still dragged for me. The nonstop action didn't hold my attention because there was so much disaster that it just felt redundant. Even once we get into the major action scenes the plot goes from exciting, rapidfire action, to slow and boring. Moving on from that, I felt that so many things that happened in this book were needless. The entire boring beginning developing the work they were doing on the train tracks was only there to allow Lilly's group to chase after Bryce using the rails, but once the tracks collapsed and the train was left behind it was never revisited and had no impact on the plot at all. The way Miles was described also bothered me. The book just keeps lingering on his actions before the apocalypse and continually reduces him to a simple car thief instead of focusing on his contributions to the group or his relationship with Norma. I know Lilly's group couldn't have known that Bryce and his men were waiting to whisk them out of danger, but Miles's death was so unnecessary, and even Jinx's death felt more emotional. They could have at least waited the horde out a little while longer, but instead he just let himself get consumed. Speaking of Jinx's death, she was my favorite character in the whole book, so losing her so soon was a bit upsetting. Another major thing that bothered me about this book was how the characters were suddenly completely different. I understand that it's normal to make a few mistakes between books, but as early as page seven there is a major mistake when Lilly mentions the baby she almost had with Josh, when in fact the baby was Austin's. The author can remember the small detail that Lilly's uncle was once mentioned as having a heart attack, but he can't remember who the father of Lilly's child was. Tommy was another character that completely changed. The brutal little survivor who killed his own father to save Lilly suddenly became a moral elitist wimp. He is so distraught about killing a complete stranger who nearly strangled Lilly to death that he could barely speak, but he killed his own father in previous books to save Lilly and didn't seem nearly as bothered. I also wanted to note that the wiki says he previously told Barbara that he was an atheist, but in this book he is aghast that Lilly doesn't believe in God. Norma also seemed completely different. Her sassy spark doesn't show until the very end of the book, she barely flinches after Miles dies, even though she mentions in previous books that he was the person who completely rekindled her faith in men, and she's described as being a lot older than I imagined her in previous books. The wiki also says she's in her twenties, but perhaps that was just a misconception on the part of us readers. I also had so many issues with the plot. I know Nalls is later revealed to be criminally insane, but I would expect that at least one of Bryce's men would realize that trading Lilly for all of the children who had the purest samples wasn't a very smart move. In fact, Nalls's whole operation is extremely vague and had me lost as to what he was trying to accomplish. I know this was written off by the fact that he was insane, but I feel like everyone risking their lives for him would ask more questions about what he was doing. I was also confused as to why Bryce shot Cooper at the end, but maybe that was my own fault for not being able to follow the plot well enough. I felt like it was kind of a cop out to have Lilly passed out for six months while Nalls does whatever he was doing to her. The hospital was so promising, and I feel like it could have added so much to the plot, but instead it just ended up overrun after six months of missed action. I also find it really convenient that Tommy knew to look up Megan in the phone book when I don't think he was even in Woodbury when she was still around. It also made me really mad that nobody cares about David and they're all fine with leaving him behind. I feel like even Tommy would argue against this since he had such a problem with leaving Norma behind. It'd also be nice to know what the heck happened to the other communities around Woodbury. I didn't despise this book, but I feel like it lacked any direction and it made me upset that so many mistakes about the characters were made. I feel like this series could have been left where it was and it would have been fine.

[Rachel Maida · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can never go wrong with the Walking Dead. Loved it. Action, heart, zombies. This book has it all. 😁

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The big woman gives her a shrug. "I don't know, I guess I felt like we were done with Woodburn."
This took a new turn and touched on something none of the other comics, novels or TV shows have, a cure, sure it was never going to work as the doctor was insane, but still, he gave it a go. How is Lilly still alive, she has been through more than most in this world, and is still going with all her limbs, but will she survive the next and final book? Let's see...3 🌟

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it's time to take this series in a new direction. Lily isn't that good of a leader, but we're kinda forced to stay with her book after book simply because she "doesn't quit". Plus, the writer's style is starting to come off of really pretentious, like he's trying to fill up space, and he's kinda starting to become a bargain basement Stephen King.

[Star Shining Forever · Rating 4 out of 5]

The superhero/comic/unrealistic factor ramps up a bit in this one but you gotta admit it’s pretty gangster to lose your whole town and then take a small group of friends on a train, into a swamp, up some trees, and through walker hordes in pursuit of a paramilitary group that kidnapped all the children.

Some heartbreaking losses and creepy mad scientist lab vibes later, Lilly is far from home but her resourceful mind is still ticking. The time jump was a little weird, but there’s actually a happily-ever-after (or maybe a happily-just-for-now) — let’s see what the team gets up to next time. Tommy is quickly becoming such a cool character!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

More adventures of Lilly Caul! This one is crazy - with a bunch of crazies in the story. While I definitely enjoyed this one, I didn't like it quite as much as most of the others. After so many zombie stories, the plots start to seem the same. Plus, the descriptions of the walkers and how they are dispatched seem repetitive. I do like a fair amount of description but I think it was overdone a bit. That's just the way these stories are written I suppose. I'll still read them - as long as I still enjoy the characters.

[Angieleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

What did I just listen to?! Even though I felt Lily made quite a few dumb decisions, I was reminded once again why she is my favorite canon character, and how dumb it was not to include the true story of Lily, Meghan, and Tara in the TV show.

I'm not looking forward to the next book as it's the last book in this series.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been enjoying this series for the most part. When the series focused on Woodbury and the rise of the Governor, it was at about the same time as I was watching the Walking Dead on TV and the Governor was the talk of the Walking Dead fandom.

The series has moved on, surprisingly not so far from Woodbury but the focus has shifted around the trials and tribulations of a woman named Lilly Caul. And it has stayed with Lilly for a while. And it's dragging on, with no mercy, and it continues with this installment in the series.

This story took a long time to get where it had to get to and it was rather tiresome to read. I almost want to say that this is the most boring book in the whole series, in all of Walking Dead content produced anywhere, but I can't really say that because I haven't read it all, but I don't think I am far off.

The long and short of this story is a mad group of mercenaries who are "working" for a crazy mad chemist kidnap all of Woodbury's children. "Mother" Lilly is so freaking pissed off about this she goes on a murderous revenge spree in a “get the kids back at all cost" mission.

Well, after much of Lilly's group is decimated, she's cornered by the mercenaries, surrounded by Walkers, oh yeah and the mercenaries are all juiced on a drug called NightShade - who would of thought that major drug addiction and drug abuse still exist in the zombie apocalypse? The mercenaries capture her and her ragtag group.

The shorter version of the rest of the story is this: Lilly and Tommy Dupree find and rescue the kids, get caught, Lilly trades herself and her supposedly "pure blood" for the kid's freedom. The mad chemist harvests Lilly's blood for six months claiming it’s what he needs for “the cure” but during that time an incursion in the mad chemist’s compound (an abandoned hospital) takes place. Walkers overrun the entire hospital. Lilly escapes with the mad chemist. Chaos ensues. The mad chemist turns out to be exactly that, mad and delusional. He betrays Lilly and she discovers there is no cure, just one old, crazy mad motherfucker who’s going to die from an infected bite and then attack and eat Lilly to produce the “cure.” Lilly miraculously escapes this madness, finds a message Tommy left for her, heads to her old apartment in a Walker infested city and is rescued and brought back to Tommy.

Where we leave off is in a Swedish owned, huge department store that has gone untouched (not believable) for all these years post-plague. Now the conundrum is, stay in this H&M like paradise with plenty of food, water, electric, supplies, etc. or go back to Woodbury?

As is what has become traditional and commonplace in the Walking Dead universe, another group of survivors has emerged, and we are left off there, waiting to see what happens next.
The problem is I’m not sure I care what happens next. This short review of the events explains the story that was dragged out over 304 pages (at least in the Kindle edition). It was a long way to get to dodge.

[kandyce · Rating 1 out of 5]

Someone PLEASE take this series out of its misery. The Governor's part of the series was great. I LOVED it. However, now the author seems to be searching for a great villain that can measure up to the Governor and one just does not exist. The writing is getting pretty bad as well. I have a feeling the author has a fetish for overweight black women because the way he describes Norma in so many different ways just makes me down right uncomfortable ( "The portly African-American", "The overweight black woman", etc.) Also are we really using sitting "indian-style" in 2018? Sorry to "lib" out on the author here, but we don't say that any more - its offensive. I'm too invested to not finished the series at this point, but now I'm just reading to make fun of the horrible writing.

[Josephine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my least favorite book of the series it dragged on and was pointless. I really hope the next one will be more like the previous books

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the series is as good as this book, which some have said it is, I need to start watching it. But I think my imagination beats it.

[leah monroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this one a solid 3,5.

Yes, I'm rating it higher that Invasion! Though, a fun fact, in the middle of this very book I was sure I would give it 2 stars? So... what happened?

Well, the story happened. Even though Search and Destroy was uneven, which I'll get to later, I have WAY more to say about it than about Invasion, which means that it caused more emotions in me, which means that in the end I'm rating it higher, cause it made me more invested, both in a praising manner and a not so jolly one.

Let's start, shall we? If anyone actually read what I'm writing or was interested in what I weirdly find pleasure in, you'd see that since the very first pages of this book I had fun nitpicking the smallest contradictions, confusions and inconsistencies. I enjoyed myself so much, questioning the plot, the narrative, the various tricks and ploys that Bonansinga tried to pull, and though most of the time it was me just putting every little thing into question, it made me super into the story. Wondering about all the possibilities, the off-screen development, how probable it was.

Firstly, I was really happy to see some actual focus on how the apocalypse shaped the world. This really interests me, actually - the changes in the ecosystem, how people are adapting to the sinking supplies of fuel etc. Because, it's been four years (?!somehow, according to my calculations it should be 3 years, but eh) and, surprise surprise, it's not like there's anyone manufacturing stuff or working in factories and shit, right? Though at first sudden and a bit ridiculous, these changes were applied nicely enough by Bonansinga, some ideas (like the carriages) were funny to me, and how Woodbury acquired a full-on stable of fine horses dazzled me, but hey, we did skip a year in narrative. Throughout this time, five other communities emerged out of the blue, which was also quite... convenient? Immediate? Both. You'd think we'd stumble upon them before, as I wrote in my notes whilst reading.

The introduction of secondary characters was not as smoothly done, I'd say. Some of them (cough cough Jinx cough cough) were hyperbolised cardboard cutouts of people, who we didn't even get to care about before their role in the story was finished, which made me think: why? What for? Either way, they weren't annoying, so, I'll let them pass.

Oh, the characters. The poor character. Jay, you madman. I counted, what, six character deaths?? And I mean characters who were actually important to the story?? Jesus H. Christ, you'd think that he was going through an episode or something. Some of them had affected me, I'll admit. Just like one particular death in Invasion, which even made my eyes well-up.

The major fault to this book is the 80 pages between very specific scenes that I remember vividly. The problem was... they weren't engaging. I was going through those with a low interest, and I remember how one particular line spiked my heart rate and I gasped, and then, from about page 167, I was hooked, and, well, if a book can make you read continuously until finish at 4.30 AM, then it's something, isn't it?

That's mainly why I think I prefer it to Invasion in the end. Cause apart from those weak 80 pages, I felt things and I have a shit ton to say, and most of it I said already in my notes. Invasion I liked, but we encountered so many new and fun things here, like other communities, horses, a big city, a v-word that I won't say cause no spoilers!, and so many others.. And the relationship between Tommy and Lilly has developed so beautifully, I actually got emotional.

Because of that I can forgive some plot inconsistencies and logical fallacies. Overall, it's a zombie book. It's entertaining. It's an adventure. I felt cool reading it and smoking. What more do you want?

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the seventh book in a series of Walking Dead novels which follow the character of Lilly Caul as she tries to survive in the walker-infested post-apocalypse world. This perhaps works as a standalone novel better than most of the others.

Lilly and her companions return home to Woodbury after a day working on the rail line to discover the town in ruins, many of its citizens dead and the children missing. A furious Lilly sets off to bring the children back and punish those responsible, accompanied by her closest friends. The journey sees them face a terrifying train ride and super herds of walkers in Atlanta before coming face to face with the kidnappers. Can Lilly save the children and will any of the Woodbury group survive?

What I thought worked really well here is the simplicity of the story. It might not go deep into character relationships and conflicts within the group but it's all the better for having a straightforward premise. Indeed, the title is a perfect description of Lilly's mission. The book focuses on her even more than previous books in the series and it's one determined woman against the world.

Along the way there are some great scenes- the train ride being a highlight but great stuff like an intense stand-off with a herd of walkers whilst the gang are up trees and some fun action on the rooftops of Atlanta. It's not hi-brow literature but then anything with zombies isn't going to be- it's pure escapism in the Walking Dead world.

I wasn't totally convinced by the actions and motivations of some of the character Lilly meets. The reason for kidnapping the children never really makes much sense and no-one seems to even question that it might not be the only way of going about it. Plus we get a mad scientist whose mission equally makes very little sense.

Zombies, lots of action and Lilly Caul being more bad-ass than ever this is a great addition to the series and one the encourages me to keep on reading.

[Eduarda Amorim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obrigada, Robert Kirkman. Jay Bonansinga, nunca te critiquei <3
Eu estava completamente desacreditada dessa série, apesar da melhora significante no livro anterior. Mas graças ao deus do Apocalipse, Jay Bonansinga me surpreendeu e me fez pagar a língua de uma maneira belíssima.

O enredo é bom, as cenas de ações são ótimas, os questionamentos dos personagens são os mesmos questionamentos do leitor. É um livro sofrido (de uma maneira boa), o plot é meio previsível para quem já tem uma bagagem nesse universo, mas ainda assim, funciona muito bem.

Além disso, fiquei satisfeita com o desenvolvimento da Lily e do Tommy, já consigo enxergar os dois como uma dupla épica igual Daryl e Carol, ou Rick e Michonne. A Lily FINALMENTE entendeu que o mundo não gira em torno dela, e as coisas pararam de de ser convenientes para ela. Obrigada, Bob.

Fiquei curiosa para saber mais sobre esse sistema de cidades pós praga que surgiram e se ajudam entre si... seria esse o fim de Woodbury? Espero que o final dessa série não decepcione. No mais, esse é o segundo melhor livro da série, perde apenas para o primeiro (que tem todo o meu coração).

"Você é perigosa, Lily... você dá esperança para as pessoas. E você não desiste... nunca".

[Rachel Skerle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love this whole series, but so far this book has been my least favorite. There were quite a few things throughout the book that had me irked, such as how it feels like nearly everyone died (and the horses), but was really shocked at the end when Lilly said "no one went back for David?!?" Even I couldn't believe it. I think Lilly is an amazing leader in all the books, but for someone who has been so good at keeping her emotions at bay to get through difficult situations, she sure rushed into getting the kids back with NO plan and got nearly everyone killed. The whole time I kept questioning her which I never really did in the previous books. I was really confused about what Nalls was trying to do at the end. He seemed legit until Lilly found his notes, but even then - what was he trying to do? And what had he been doing to her body for that 6 months? And when he explained to her why she was kept in his private room while being tested on, he said "some of the men were... well it was safer." So, were his people raping Lilly? It certainly won't stop me from reading the next book, but I do hope it's redeeming.

[Anja Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is what I got from this book Lily is a bad leader I'm sorry but she is. To me she isn`t even a likeable character. I believe this will b my last book in this series . The character is made to b like some super hero which sorry I dont see it. Honestly this book is a whole bunch of nothing . I'm glad I only spent 5 dollars on it at BAM. It suffers from the same formula as the show find a place, bad people ruin the peace for their own purposes, hunt for a new place, new place found and it starts anew! The one thing that could have saved this wreck of a book is if something would have happened with a vaccine BUT they couldnt make more books that way lol I guess. Many times when I was reading this book I was like wth because of the stupid decisions Lily made . They truly didnt make sense at all. Yet through them all a happy ending if you could call it that happened . Even though this is a a book about zombies I cant suspend my belief through her bad decisions a ending like that happened. Its illogical!! So this book is a 2 and thats generous . I could go on and on but I'm just going to say skip this even if its on sale lol

[Collin Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: The Walking Dead: Search and Destroy
Author: Jay Bonansinga
Rating: 5/5

It was worth forcing myself to get through invasion. This book is great! From start to finish. New compelling characters being paired up with a couple of old ones. All of their dynamics fitting each other perfectly. Finally moved away from Woodbury for a while to show us more of the area toward Atlanta and actually a part of straight up Atlanta. This book had me intrigued the ENTIRE time. This is what all post apocalypse stories should strive to be. Insane but also at least a little grounded in reality (unless it’s some science fiction novel). Overall. This was great! Definitely worth the read, if you were feeling meh about the last book I promise this one is 10x better.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never really felt that Lily deserved the deference and outright devotion that the followers of Woodbury gifted her. More often than not her decisions lead those followers into death or worse. Her ceaseless and misguided (foolhardy and dangerous?) attempts to resurrect the idyllic Woodbury RFD after the fall of the governor will or at least should lead to her own destruction as well. Or her downfall. But not before she loses all. I have not wanted a protagonist, hero, or heroine to turn into the villain. But if the author is honest with himself and his readers, Lily’s unswerving determination will lead to her becoming everything she hates. The NEW governor?

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well it wasn't the worst I've read but it was a bit boring as it was dragged out and repeated things and it was a bit of a let down that the author can't create well-rounded female characters and just make them into stereotypes.

Like the same main character in each book has to have a 'new' boyfriend in the next book, as the one in the last book died, and what a horror it would be if she hasn't got a love interest to keep her going. *roll eyes*

I would like it if she made a kept a best friend that she would do anything for just because she thinks of them as a sibling of hers that she loves a lot or something like that. *sigh*

[Ross Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Latest in the "The Walking Dead" book series.
Woodbury is trying to rebuild itself and make connections to the world. So, why not get a train going again, so that towns and communities of survivors can have faster access to each other. But while out working on day, something tragic and horrific happens in the town and Lily has to drop everything and be a savior and a warrior once again.

Many parts of this book are very familiar (atlhough at time of publishing, they would have been original). It is sort of Part Walking Dead, Part Z-Nation. And the ending is a modification of a popular zombie joke... And I LIKE IT!!!

And thus, I have this year's read completed for Zombie-Cyborg Day

[David Veith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Not as good as the others in the series. Seemed almost like it was jut trying to go from Woodbury to a new area, only problem other than the main character and some kids (and a woman who was brought in at the very end of the last story) nobody was left alive anyways. Very slow moving story, and most of the new characters brought in are killed off too. Just seemed like the descriptions (which were great in the prev. books) used to describe the sight/sound/smell of the walkers were lacking to. This book felt like it was just missing something.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

It started kind of slow and meh... seemed to be pointing in a direction and then....BAAAM curveball and it twists and turns right to the end.

Must say: it was really refreshingly to feel so impotent against the damn annoying decisions Lily Caul makes.

This book is really infuriating and that is awesome. It is because of books such as this, that no matter what people may say, the zombie genre is not dead (pun intended :D)

Really recommend reading this.

PS: It might be kind of hard to pick up the vibe if the readers hasn't read previous entries.

[Mhorg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Bad plot. Bad pacing. I really hate this authors style. I keep saying, maybe they'll get better. Wrong. The author should keep some kind of time line, dramatis personae handy, or the editor should since he makes mistakes constantly. I'm really thinking these were written, like many of the terrible Star Trek novels, simply to separate fans from their money. Glad I borrowed these from the library. If these novels were any more padded, one could use it as a pillow. I have indeed more I borrowed from the library and I may just return it rather than waste any more time on the series.

[Nikita Gestel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my least favourite book in this series. Here is why.
1. Lilly seems like an entirely different individual in this one. It's almost like they switched writers mid series. She makes reckless choices that don't seem like Lilly Caul at all.
2. The 'action' was nowhere to be found. The ending was a bit more interesting, but the rest of the book was unnecessary and it felt like a stretch of the storyline.

I genuinely hope the 8th book is going to have a more original twist and better characterization.

[Kristal · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3 and a half out of 5 stars.

FINALLY!!!! Finally this series has got interesting again. The last couple were a struggle to get through. Whereas this one started a bit slow, then BAM! it was all action. I was worried that reading this book wasn't going to be worth the time and effort because the first chapter is pretty much the same thing/idea that is happening on the show and happens in comic series.

[Marc Diepstraten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book in the series. Of course completely different from the tv-show, but very entertaining nevertheless. It has gotten some flack with regards to the use of language, it tries to be literature with regards to the choice of words. This is sometimes a bit annoying, but a minor issue in the scheme of things. I actually like the series, and afterva mad dash adventure sets the right tone for future installments. Recommended.