| Title | : | Slow Burn Box Set: The Complete Post Apocalyptic Series (Books 1-9) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 1838 |
| Publication | : | Published July 20, 2019 |
It was one lucky mutation, lucky for the virus, that is. Unlucky for us. Of course, we weren't prepared for it. How does anyone prepare for a disease that can drive an entire species into extinction?
By the time it was truly understood what was happening, the hospitals were overrun, the virus was in the air, in the neighbor's veins, and it was already too late.
Except for those who would do anything to survive.
Slow Burn Box Set: The Complete Post Apocalyptic Series (Books 1-9) Reviews
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My second time through this series, a good, fun, zombie with a difference book.
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It was a good book.
I enjoyed the series.
The writing needs improvement. “She said”, “he said”, isn’t a professional writing style, it needs a bit finesse.
The banter needed improvement, at times I couldn’t find the Humor in it.
We also desperately needed a female bad ass slow burn, which the author delivered later on in an attempt I wanted to experience more of.
At times it was too much, too much in Zed’s head, too much running around with no particular goal, too less balanced down time to absorb the progress and struggles the characters faced. Especially at about 80% were I started to skip Zeds musings at times, for a while till the story picked up again.
The downtime where the characters reassembled themselves and took a deserved breather were always skipped and summarised, that was a downer. Because I felt they were needed for a healthy balance.
At times it was too fictional but still enjoyable.
The end was not satisfying for me at all. It was shortened and didn’t deliver the struggle Zed would have had.
The added novella opened up more questions and possibilities and was way too short to be satisfying again.
I hope we get some new material where they finally settle down in peace.
To be honest, I wouldn’t have read the series as it was released. The books would have been too short. It could have been easily put together as 4 complete books rather then 9 “books”. Fortunately the box set was an alternative.
Good start, lots of potential, needs more editing.
They were running aimlessly around for most of the complete story. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, I did very much. But for a complete storyline I need some temporary goals to look forward to, when the middle part is that long. The beginning was there, the middle was at times jumbled and seemed to have no end in sight without some achievements. And the deserving end was missing for me. -
Note: This review is for the series as a whole, and will only include little snippets of thoughts for the individual books. I posted more thorough thoughts for all 9 (and eventually the 10th) books on their designated pages. Also, since the bonus novella "Null Spot," doesn't have its own page on Goodreads, I've included that one's review here.
Anyways....this series was...WHOA. This was my first exposure to a full on zombie series, though I sense it won't be my last. What an insanely fast-paced, action-packed this series was. It was gruesome. Heartbreaking. Stressful. Chaotic. Absolute mayhem. Like literally all the adjectives you can think of applies to this series. It was definitely not for the faint of heart. I yelled at the book. I was scared for people. I was sad for people. I CRIED for people. See my notes and highlights for the variety of thoughts that floated through my head as I read. It was THAT good. I tore through this thing the entire way STRAIGHT through in 9 days, which pretty much equates to a book a day. I just LOVED it.
Writing style is just to my liking, and the chapters all pick up where the previous one left off (thankfully). The aforementioned pace was astonishingly addictive, which is exactly why I couldn't put this damn series down. There's plenty of wonderfully realistic dialogue among the characters (who are omg, SO well-developed, I might add). It didn't take its time starting out, which was a plus. You learn pretty quickly that something is amiss despite not being plunged into the middle of it. Great intense moments. Thrills and mindless action. It rarely slows down and often beats the CRAP outta you as a reader. You literally feel like you're part of the apocalypse too. And there's so. Much. GORE. Good grief, the gore. But alas, it's the proper sort of gore and violence you would expect from a zombie apocalypse. Might as well get used to it. Scenes are mostly easy to visualize, but there were times I did feel lost here and there simply because there's so much going on.
I definitely like the unique feature of this series in that the virus isn't affecting everyone the same way, hence the title "Slow Burn," which is what happens to folks who have the virus but don't fully turn. Super intriguing. Then as the series progresses on, you'll learn even MORE fun things about the zombies and the virus that sparked them. I adored, ADOOOORED the characters in this series, namely our main stars Zed and Murphy. They were, without a doubt, my FAVORITE feature of the entire series. Richly developed with so much depth. Bobby Adair has done a fine job in bringing life to his characters. And there are plenty of them beyond Zed and Murphy. Though I must warn you to be careful who you might get attached to. This is a zombie apocalypse after all. A a well-developed one too. I think it'd make a mighty fine TV series or movie franchise.
Book 1: Zero Day - The virus arrives. And it doesn't do so quietly. The first few chapters are setting things up, so feel a bit slow, but it picks up speed quickly. I loved meeting Zed, Murphy, a smattering of other characters. Great development of the pending apocalypse. Tension throughout.
Book 2: Infected - The zombies are more than what they seem, and apparently, so are the regular humans. This entry does a fine job of exploring the infected and how they're looked upon, but doesn't at all slow down to do so. I. Love. MURPHY!
Book 3: Destroyer - Zed's on a rampage after the events of book 2. A literal destroyer, hence the title. Things go absolutely CRAZY in this one. Well, craziER, anyway. I can't blame the man, though, because book two's end was...UGH.
Book 4: Dead Fire - Breathers don't exist in the zombie apocalypse, apparently. Just when things SEEM to be at least KINDA working out, it all goes tumbling down. You really get a good taste of Zed's tenacity as well as his versatility this go-around.
Book 5: Torrent - As if dealing with zombie hordes isn't enough, now you've got mother nature wanting to throw her cards on the table too. Devastation all around in this book, a literal torrent of depressing things. Fitting title for sure.
Book 6: Bleed - Yeah. This title is the perfect description of what my heart did after getting through this one. By far the most devastating entry. There's no sugar-coating it. This is when I truly realized I was fully invested in all things apocalypse. I both loved and hated this one.
Book 7: City of Stin - A somewhat of a breather after the chaotic events of book 6. It almost feels weird to slow down, and even sorta felt "boring," (though not in bad way). Once Zed and Murphy carry on, they run into some VERY intriguing scenarios that I found myself eager to explore.
Book 8: Grind - My least favorite of all the entries because it took a turn into a direction I didn't want it to go. I get the circumstances, I truly do, but I didn't enjoy the consequences too much, not like I did for previous entries. There's still plenty of action though. And cool developments.
Book 9: Sanctum - The finish line at last. The final wrap-up to EVERYTHING that's been going on. Zed and Murphy carry on as only they know how to do. Fantastic surprises in this one. Loved the character moments, both new and old. A proper send-off to the series that left me VERY satisfied.
Null Spot Novella - I loved this little bonus entry to the entire series. Though of course, it did get me groaning in anger a bit. Because after only JUST finding the happiness from the final book of the series, something new happens here that legit made me think, "Omg come on, STOP IT ALREADY!" Though this novel is tiny compared to all the previous books, it still has ALL the ingredients that make it worthy of the same praise. Action. Heartache. Gore. This entry is essentially one big hurrah for Zed (Null-Spot), serving as a sort of "final" reminder of why he's the best at what he does and why he was so lovable as a character. He doesn't give up. EVER. He's got grit. Courage. Grind. And he fights tooth and nail to protect those he loves. I can never get tired of that. I would have loved this novella to be a little longer, considering the development it introduced in regards to the Whites (zombies). Perhaps book 10 will explore it? Guess I'll find out. -
Boxed set
1, 2, 3, 4. Zero Day. Infected. Slow Burn. Dead Fire. Really good stories. This guys lives his life like he's Bruce Willis. The story was good. I liked how like a normal person Zed slowly figured out that not everyone should be helped. 5 stars.
5. Torrent. Something I don't understand, why would Murphy let a Why wouldn't he mention what he thought had occurred before and not after ? Doesn't make sense. The ending was sad. They're just too different. I think Murphy's idea for himself in the beginning of the series is a good one. I hope the series ends like that. 4 stars.
6. Bleed. Some people are just evil no matter what. I loved how Zed saved the day. 4 stars.
7. City of Stin. This book was really depressing. Zed and Murphy met some friends but the way this book is, they'll probably either turn out bad or die. 4 stars
8. Grind. 5 stars
9. Sanctum. Such a great ending! I'm about to read the novella at the end of the box set and I hope it doesn't ruin my good mood. 5 stars.
10. Null Spot. 3 years later and the world is surprising. I wish there would have been more details 4 stars. -
Great story.
Murphy and Null Spot: love their banter
Savored this one…didn’t want it to end -
I couldn't get into these books. Character development was lacking and decision making by most of the characters seemed questionable at best. I am a big fan of all types of post apocalyptic fiction and just didn't enjoy these. There were too many holes in the story and the flow just made everything and everyone seem kind of pointless. I was not invested in any of the characters.
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Would be great as an audible!
First let's be up front it has taken me forever to read this series due to most is very dry and boring and there are some parts that are awesome. The one thing about this series you see there may be a person who looks and acts like a zombie but who is not. The series is about Murphy and Null Spot both caught the virus but did not turn into flesh eating zombie but still like zombies. This their life story, adventures and the death of so many friends and love ones. Also a story of what might happen if a virus could turn people into zombies how day to day would be like to survive, find food and a safe place to sleep to survive both zombies and person or persons who want to take control and try to build a small kingdom or states and rules as they think is right or try to help other survive. Most of the characters were good but the biggest problems with the characters they were flat no life and come and go way to fast for you as a reader to get a feeling for them or add to the story to point the story just went dead and for me it made the story hard to read.
Now this is my review but I would I recommend the series because it show another side of a zombie storyline. -
This was an amazing book, the best 55 hours of audio bliss in my life. I can't wait to hit up the tenth book in this series. The question is will their be more after book 10?
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Really a good series. I had read books 1 through 8 before, but for $.99 I received those and books 8 & 9 to read. This is my favorite series by Bobby Adair. I like the characters and the story line keeps you interested. For fans of the series there is a big surprise in book 9 that I didn't expect. Zed Zane and Murphy continue to get into some tight spots, but "Null Spot the destroyer" always comes through to save the day. In these last books Zed and Murphy have to deal with both the Naked Horde and the Survivor Army and finally get to set off to discover what's in Balamora.
If you like Zombie survival stories you will like this series as it it more realistic. The Zombies are not dead, they're infected with a virus that makes them act like Zombies. Some people are infected indifferent degrees. Zed and Murphy have the virus, but it didn't make them crazy, just turned their skin white so they look like the other infected. That causes problems because uninfected people think they are a danger and are prone to shoot at them. It also gives them a way to survive in the infected world as they can go among the infected and not be attacked as long as they don't act as normal people.
Zed and Murphy by trial and error learn to survive in this new world and develop friendship and alliances with other survivors to hopefully continue the human race. -
If I could give this zero stars I would. These books are slow, repetitive, and so boring. To call them misogynistic doesn't cover how poorly the female characters are written. There are so many plot holes and plot points that are never resolved. The characters are flat stereotypes that never develop or learn from their mistakes.
A side note: I listened to these on audible and the narrator was just terrible. He talked so slow that I listened at 2x speed and it sounded fine. -
Interesting take on "zombies" and a fun post-apocalyptic read
TLDR; If you like post-apocalyptic stories focused on action, fighting, and survival techniques, then you'll like this series.
I enjoyed the heck out of this entire series. Years ago, I got the first installment of this series in some random zombie box set I bought. I enjoyed it so much that I got the entire Slow Burn box set and read it every chance I got.
Bobby Adair's take on the zombie virus is different and interesting. He gave the infected humans a whole range of aggression and brain function which give a great sense of suspense to every interaction Zed had with Whites.
Personally, my favorite part of post-apocalyptic stories is learning how the survivors adapt to the new world and plan for long-term survival. I like seeing the author's opinion on what works and what doesn't, what's necessary and what's a luxury, how to account for surprised and unexpected events, etc. There is a lot of that in this series along with plenty of action, internal monologues where Zed battles with his own demons, and funny dialogue between all of the characters.
There were some scenes that I would have loved an in-depth, scientific exploration and explanation, but I can appreciate that it wasn't given because Zed isn't a doctor or a scientist and it wouldn't make sense if he suddenly figured out an explanation for everything. It leaves a little mystery in the universe where I can fill in my own theories and speculation. -
Bobby Adair's #1 fan!!!
Definitely deserves 5 stars. I read constantly, every day, and hated to get to the end.
Zed was severely mistreated by his parents who beleived in "spare the rod/spoil the child" to the MAX. He had a few guys he hung out with, but no real friends or love interests. He got the virus and nearly died. After recovering, he met Murphy who would have died without Zed's care. They became like close brothers having each other's back when the fight to survive began. People lost all pigment after having getting the virus, including Zed and Murphy.
There are millions of zombies, with varying degrees of mental disability, some severely impaired. They ran in packs some ten thousand or more with an Alpha leader. Some zombies were docile with the ability to follow basic instructions and mimic anything.
When bitten a human either died or became a zombie, called a White. As these books progressed some of tje were naturally immune, they found a few others like themselve, scavanged for food and anything else they needed.
The only real drawback for me was a lot of things would happen but were never explained. Like the further they got from strangest thing was civilization -
It's a tale of extremes.
I love it because Zombie books have been done to death but this one is unique. It has enough Zombie stuff to satisfy Zombie fans but enough freshness to be unique. The characters are fantastic, Zed and Murphy are great, the action is well paced and I love that no opportunity to loot goes un-looted.
When I reflect on it, the main reasons I was left feeling meh was twofold;
1. It got a little repetitive; go somewhere, kill some zombies, struggle with the smart ones, almost die, run away, go somewhere else
2. Mandi, the love interest, dies in an amazing scene on the shore of a lake with Zed being saved by Murphy. Huge pivotal moment in the story, it gives Zed a ton of guilt and motivation. Then, wonder over wonder she's actually alive and well, didn't die and walks right back into the story in the last book. That pisses me right off, if characters die, then they die. If they come back to life then I lose all my vested interest. That was a bad call.
Still mostly worthwhile though, bargain for this much story in one package. Would still totally recommend but you have been warned. -
A good long read/ listen.
I love it when a series reading/listening time is more than 20 hours. That means I have plenty of time to get to know the characters and for that plot to get nice and involved. For you to learn to hate the character you once liked and like the character you want hated. For plot twists and the trajectory of the story to change directions. Given the length of this box set, it had all of this and more. Plus it was a story that had infected (zombies but not). All of my favorite things together. There was plenty of time for the story to evolve and change, and for our protagonist to grow. If you want an end of the world book set that isn’t your typical zombie shuffling around groaning “brains,” then give this a go. Definitely a lot of bang for your buck.
I’m now following Bobby Adair on Amazon and downloading Dusty’s Diary. -
Over two thousand pages of ball busting action and levity.
I just want to be entertained and for the past few years, I've been getting that from books instead of television or movies. And few books have kept me entertained, nay, enthralled as this book did. The action is non stop. The humor, all over the place. You will cry, laugh, yell, pout, cuss and more. But most of all, you will not be able to put this book down. My tablet has made dozens of trips into my porcelain throne room it's that good. Don't get attached to characters. They will most likely die. And a few survive. One particular person was left behind dead only to show up unexpectedly. Good thing for the author as I was less than thrilled and about to TP his house over that death. But the character made it. The TP will have to wait for later. LOL Yes, this book is recommended for adrenaline junkies. -
Great set!
I blazed through this series! It hooked me from the get go, and I stayed up way too late on way too many nights trying to read more and more. It got to the point where I wanted to rush to read to see what happened but I didn't want to finish the series and not have it to look forward to any longer!
I loved zed and Murphy and their relationship and the way it grew throughout the series. The supporting characters were also great. The book made me laugh many times, tear up a couple times and had my heart racing at others.
Highly recommended! I wish there were more but I'll definitely read more from this author. I feel like I struck gold! -
Highly entertaining, kept me hooked from page one!
With a fun and intriguing spin on the usual zombie apocalypse trope, the Slow Burn series is a wonderland of compelling story telling and imaginative plot.
The main characters are fully fleshed, flawed and relatable. The ‘zombies’ reasonable in the rationale of their behaviours and motivations. But mostly what keeps you reading this long and multi layered tale is the brilliant writing.
It’s compelling, and fascinating, and I was truly entertained and engrossed.
Recommended for any lovers of post apocalyptic or zombie style tales.
