| Title | : | Black Virus (Black Rust #0.5) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 95 |
| Publication | : | First published July 1, 2016 |
Now people are dying by the million. Food supplies are short. Riots are blazing through the streets, and Christian’s only goal is to keep his family alive. But safety lies far from the city, and just getting out will be tougher than anyone knows.
Black Virus (Black Rust #0.5) Reviews
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Black Virus
Black Rust, Book 1
By: Bobby Adair
Narrated by: Tristan Morris
This is a short book that drags on into this horrible world and as much as I wanted to stop I just couldn't! I wanted to know what was going to happen! I don't normally like dystopian novels but this was very interesting and different. It didn't have slobbering zombies.
The narration was very complementary to the story! -
A solid "I liked it." I was looking forward to book 2 until the end when I learned it was set 15 years later. I'm much more of a fan of the disintegration of society than I am the rebuilding, so I won't be continuing on with the series, but the book was plausible and had great descriptions of violence (especially the firearm kills.)
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An interesting take on the "not-a-zombie-but-close" genre on apocalyptic reads.
Bobby Adair is getting to be one of my favorite writers. -
I found Black Virus on the Kindle Store some months ago for free. It seemed like it would be a good read, so I downloaded it, but never really got around to reading it. I failed to sit and read it for a long time, until October-November. Finally, I started reading it, and gladly settled down with it.
Black Virus is the story of Christian Black, a 16 year old who didn't take anything from anyone, until the virus hit human kind. He struggled to keep his family alive in a lawless world, families living on ration cards, the world apocalyptic. Things get tougher, and Christian finds that he must be as unforgiving as the new world.
There's really a lot I like about this book. Adair has created a zombie like apocalypse, in which there are no zombies present. It feeds on the fear of a possible epidemic, of nothing paranormal - just a new strain that the world isn't used to. Ebola. Zica. These viruses are around, and I think Adair choosing to use a medical epidemic, rather than a paranormal one definitely, for one, makes this more interesting than a lot of other books out there working in the same tiers. This book stands on the shoulders of everyone else in the crowd and is yelling out to people walking by.
Gruesome, short (90-100 pages), and gripping, I would definitely recommend this. This is a brilliant start to the Black Rust series, and I am definitely excited to sit and read
Black Rust. I definitely recommend this one to horror lovers. It's true genius. -
A short and gruesome story
The narration for Black Virus was done by Tristan Morris who does a great job. He moved this already quick story along quite well, allowing the reader to just enjoy this pretty gruesome tale.
Bobby Adair knows how to write a Bio-Thriller (see any of the Ebola K series). But, this (even though the name would suggest it) is NOT like those other books. This is a different take on a zombie/unrelenting force story. While there is nothing wrong with that, I often get really disappointed when I think that a book is going to be more about the virus that takes over then how people are seen from the outside.
Regardless, Black Virus was still an incredibly interesting story. I will warn you, this book is not for the faint of heart. There are some gruesome scenes within it, and I promise it will upset and scare away some readers. But, on the flip side -- Adair wrote a very real, gritty, and just honest rendition of what would happen during an outbreak if someone was forced to survive and endure.
The main character is by the authors own writing -- different. And that makes a unique and interesting point of view for Black Virus.
I just wish the story was more about the virus: where it came from, what it was doing, and what the world was doing to try and stop it. There were glimmers of that here and there, but overall the story was much more about Christian. -
My word, this is good. A totally new perspective on the overdone ‘same-old, same-old’ predictable zombie story that seems to be all the rage at the moment.
This, however was very frighteningly plausible. I loved Christian. Loved the rest of the characters, loved the realism and the dialogue and sheer bloody awfulness of it all. It’s a little bit short but even so I was drawn into the story. If you like ‘zombie’ style stories (with more than a touch of dear lord this could really happen! then this is an absolute cracker. -
Fantastic preamble in what looks like a brilliant new series, again, I can't recommend this author highly enough, go on and try one of his books.
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Decent little novella
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Christian Black is 16 years-old and doesn't take crap from anyone - no matter how big or strong. Then the virus hits and people all around him are dying. Luckily, he was kicked out of school before everyone there contacted the virus, including his brothers. He is soon taken away from his family by a bounty hunter and finds himself rescued in the midst of a riot. People with the disease are intent on killing and destroying whatever they come upon. He joins a group of survivors and plans to rescue his own family and escape the city to the countryside. Unfortunately, the rioting mob is after him and a girl he befriends during his escape. Together they make good their escape but when getting back home - he finds insurmountable odds against him to complete their escape. Fast read and hard to put down. Great job, Mr. Adair!
John Podlaski, author
"Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel" and "When Can I Stop Running?" -
Even though this was a short read, it packed a lot into it. A different take on the zombie genre. The story line was interesting and kept a fast pace. When a virus hits, it sets the world into a slow chaos. There are food shortages, rations, riots and the virus itself. Some people get the virus and pull through. Some become zombie like. These zombies can be docile but some can get agitated. In this world our main character, 16 year old Christian, is struggling trying to keep his family alive. As the world falls apart around him, he has life and death decisions that he has to make.
For most part I liked the book. I did feel that the kids in the book were way more mature than I would have expected. They are more mature than a bunch of adults in the book. While this may happen with one or two, it seems like every teen that you meet has a solid head on their shoulders. A bit unbelievable. Still, I will be continuing with the story. Would like to see how it ends up. -
As the virus spreads and the world collapse, Christian tries to survive...and protect his family. But he is taken from his small sanctuary to be brought to a labor camp....and escape is the only thing one his mind.
After meeting Jim and his daughter, Abby, he strives to get out of Houston where rioting and chaos gather. Can he finally be reunited with his family? Where there is no rioting or danger? The violence is spreading faster and time is running out...
This was my first book of Mr. Adair's and I fully enjoyed it. A beautiful, realistic, feeling, and heart wrenching story. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. Well done! -
Excellent. A fast paced page-turner. Unlike a lot of shorter works found on kindle, this was well edited. I haven't read anything else this author has out, but I'd definitely be interested in more of his work.
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I did not enjoy the story and found it difficult to finish.
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Review of eBook
Sixteen-year-old Christian Black lives with his older brother, Levi, his younger twin brothers, Mason and Caden, and his parents. He doesn’t quite fit in . . . after due reflection, he's decided he sees punishment not as a consequence but as a price for an action.
On the first day of eighth grade, Christian has a run-in with a cruel schoolmate who attempts to assert his authority over the new kid. Christian is suspended for a week, but Ledoux needs a couple of weeks to recover from his fight with Christian. When Ledoux returns to school, he takes aim at Mason and Caden, and Christian doesn’t hesitate to protect his brothers, getting himself expelled in the process.
Christian describes himself as decisive and ruthless; his court-ordered therapist describes him as “different.” Still, it makes little difference in the wider scheme of things because the Brisbane strain of H5N1 spread itself across the planet. It spread through the school and ultimately killed the twins.
And now, as the pervasive prion virus continues to spread, it creates a prion encephalopathy that destroys the brain. With both of Christian’s parents affected, Levi and Christian do their best to care for them. But as more and more people are affected, large groups of similarly affected victims . . . designated “degenerates” . . . roam the streets.
With vaccines having little effect, people are dying by the millions and the hordes of “degenerates” are swelling. Can Christian make a difference in a world turned upside down?
Written years before Covid-19 unleashed itself on an unsuspecting world, this prequel story is, in many ways, grimly prophetic. The worldbuilding here is extremely strong; the pace of the gritty tale is fast and unrelenting. Setting the stage for the book that follows [where the action takes place some fifteen years later], the focus here is on action rather than on character development or complex plots.
Readers are sure to find themselves empathizing with Christian as the unfolding story establishes the apocalyptic development of the dystopian world. Questions remain as the prequel sets the stage for the book that follows.
Recommended. -
Black Virus (Black Rust Book 1), A Novel by Bobby L. Adair is a frightening futuristic book. I gave it four stars.
It starts with Lucy, the family dog fighting to the death and being mauled. Christian Black's father grieved loudly when he found her destroyed body in the backyard.
Christian described his fighting without rules. "That was important to me. It was how I used a cruder version of the corporal methods utilized by the school official to teach the bullies to leave me and my two little brothers alone." His goal is survival for him and his family in the midst of chaos.
The H5N1 virus was a prion virus that destroyed brain cells.
Sometimes the victims of it became violent. Sometimes they just faded away before they died. Christian's family lost his twin brothers, Mason and Caden, and both his parents have it.
"I didn't say anything more as we ate. In fact, the words I'd already used were just habit. Back at the beginning, I thought continuing to talk to him might be therapeutic in some way.
Through the months, I came to realize I was talking at him rather than to him. Eventually, I stopped doing even that."
I received a complimentary Kindle copy from the author. That did not change my opinion for this review.
Link to purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Virus-Ru... -
I rate this book 4.5/5.
It's always great to find a new take on the zombie/infection genre. A strain of flu that some die from, some survive, or some are left with a mutation that slowly turns you into a 'degenerate', is right up my street.
This story focusses on Christian Black and his background. The foreword from the author was a little worrying for me as he states that he wrote Black Virus because when writing Black Rust he realised there wasn't room for backstory with a fast paced plot. I disagree with this and believe good writing allows for both. So, even though Black Rust was written and published first, it has become book two. I was wary of Adair's writing after reading the foreword.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this take on the infection story, even more so because it is packed full of back story anf world building. However, that foreword has made my wary of book two. If its all action and no character development or backstory in its own right, then I doubt I will like it as much as book one. I wish that foreword had been omitted. -
*3.5 stars*
This 'zombie' horror has a unique twist. Rather than turning into rapid, carnivorous monsters, people infected with this virus simply died in masses during the intital wave. Of those who survived subsequent strains of the virus, many were left with a mutation that degenerated their brains until they were left in a catatonic state.
As the degeneration worsens, so too does the person's memories, sense of self and ability to control their actions. And in a world where millions have died, the economy's crashed, and leaders are hiding, there's no-one to stop them taking to the streets.
The author did a good job of bringing this reality to life, a reality full of riots, murder and questionable government decisions (sound familiar?)
Though some of the dialogue fell flat, the story and characters were interesting to follow, especially the main character who has some level of psychopathy (written realistically, not like he's inherently diabolical).
Recommend to anyone looking for a quick, entertaining read! -
The H5N1 virus is spreading throughout the country killing millions of people. The disease had several names; the Black Virus, H5N1, or the Brisbane Strain. Everyone had the virus but not everyone had the prion encephalopathy (TSE) that caused the debilitating effects, reducing your intelligence to that of a five-year-old and worse. Symptoms may be similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), an extremely rare degenerative brain disorder. Christian Black was lucky, he didn’t have the prion variant. Two years had passed, the economy was dead, people were starving. The prion-infected people were called degenerates. They were rioting everywhere and destroying everything they came across. Christian was a good young man and determined to take care of his parents. Amid chaos and barbarity, things don’t always work out as we would like. In losing everything, Christian found something new.
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Really enjoyed this short prequel and I thought the main character - a 15 year old ‘atypical’ teenager - was great. He was flawed but also very loyal, strong and a survivor. This book is supposed to set up the next book, Black Rust, and explain why the adult Christian Black is the way he is. I can’t wait to see who he becomes, how he has adapted and how this new dystopian world has changed him for better or worse, especially in regards to his atypical personality and how this may have helped him survive.
There were no deep or complex ideas and nothing we haven’t read before but it was fast paced and enjoyable and I liked that it didn’t shy away from violence. I would definitely recommend for a quick and fun read. -
The Black Virus had come to the nation. People were dying and others were degenerating and not knowing what to do. A lot of people in a vegetative state of mine. But there were some people who were capable of handling this life and could still manage to live on their on and function as before. In one family a young man was so different from his family he was going to therapy. One day the world has gotten worse and this young man had to make some hard decision, because the virus had taken over.
This was a sad story, and it was necessary to read about the events in this, especially based on the pandemic we are living through today.
An awesome story. Highly recommend. -
Although longer than a short story by all means, this can easily and is likely meant to be read in one sitting.
I don’t like to give too much away in reviews, but this little tale is about a boy who just don‘t tick right, his family and how decides to accept the apocalypse.
All of it is written quite well juggling prose and action so cohesively that I’ll be sure to read more of Bobby Addair‘s work after this.
I’m very happy I stumbled across this on the Kindle app and, in retrospect, would have been happy to pay more than the 99¢ I was charged. -
It's a good, well-written story, albeit it reminded me a bit too much of Slow Burn, the author's other very popular series. The main difference is that the sick people are not actually zombies, they don't eat people. They either have lost their mind or are losing it, which either causes them to be catatonic or aggressive. If you have family members with dementia, this might not be the best choice of book for you.
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I downloaded this book for free after I had read Black Rust 1, because I wanted to know more about our main characters backstory, which is what this book provides. Just like the other book this one was full of action and suspense and gave us a glimpse of how the Virus got started and what the beginning phases looked like. A unique spin on the apocalypse genre and a believable one at that. Very entertaining and I can't wait to find out what will happen next.
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Not my typical type of story, found some areas to drag on a bit. Otherwise, it was an interesting take on such a horrific situation. As many books have been out about this type of thing I do feel this addressed more of the human aspect of what and how we feel when our world is crumbling down around us. I do like how this author spins a story, I look forward to reading more from him in the future.
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This is a prequel. I do like dystopia, and have read many a dystopia. The main character is just, um...not realistic. Only sixteen and had been in trouble as a 12 year old by committing a fairly violent crime, and is now taking on the responsibility of caring for parents that have the mentality of toddlers. He goes on to make some really questionable moral choices. There is also extreme violence, and all packed into 95 pages. Just not my style.
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The premise of this book is what got me interested, however I feel the author fell short on delivery. I listened on Audible, and it was about 2.5 hours long. I wish there were more of a backstory on the disease, and more character development. Of course the book would have to be much longer for that (why isn’t it)?.? Book 2 is set 15 years later, so I will not be purchasing. I wanted MORE of this. More detail. More answers. Just, more.
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A disturbing read but mercifully short. When people get the Brisbane Flu, the virus mutates for some, rendering them violent and a treat to those around them. Our protagonist is a young boy who has been taking care of his parents, but when he is taken away by a bounty hunter, his world gets turned upside down as he deals firsthand with a mob of the very violent. This was a very odd read with a less than satisfying ending, but is apparently the first in a series. I think I will skip the rest.
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More of a 3.5. I just didn't feel as connected to the characters and some of the story elements felt a little overly simplistic, such as the police and military characters being of lower intelligence and literally being degenerates. Still, this was a fun, fast read, which is exactly what I was looking for. Adair is an author I will continue to check for when I'm in the mood for some light, entertaining escapism
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This story about a virus that is killing people and shutting down the world economy is reminiscent of the COVID-19 epidemic, even though the two viruses are nothing alike. This is well-written post-apocalyptic territory with teenagers having to pick up weapons to defend themselves from both the infected and those uninfected but trying to take advantage of weaker members of society. It's an enjoyable set-up for the first novel.
