OUTBREAK: (Z-Risen Book 1)

I came across this series accidentally while searching for another book. I love military science fiction and zombies so thought I would give 'Outbreak' a go and I'm glad I did. The story is engaging, the characters are witty and complex. I love the first-person narrator, Navy Machinist's Mate First Class Jackson Creed whose sarcasm and wit grab you from the get-go. There are a lot of zombie books out there (and I've read many of them) but this one marries my two favourite genres - military science fiction and zombies - and does it marvelously. I devoured this book in one sitting and then, over the next two days, quickly read the next four in the series (with the latest, the fifth, being published in April 2017). The author says there is one more book to come and I will find it hard to be patient as I'm eager to see what comes of Jackson, Joel, Anna, Christy, and the chillest dog in the apocalypse, Frosty. If you like your zombie stories fast-paced, light-hearted and witty, with a military edge, and with complex, believable and sympathetic characters, give this series a go.

I've read several of Long's books and enjoyed them quite a bit. This book was no different. The story was fast paced and action packed. It was a good way to spend my Sunday afternoon.I would have liked to give this book five stars but there were some editing errors that threw me out of the story. Craig was referred to as she or her, Christy was referred to at times as he or him. I had to re-read to figure out if they were actually the gender I initially thought they were. There were other less noticeable issues (like to instead of too) but those didn't seem like as big a deal, especially compared to some of the other zombie novels I've purchased from Amazon.Overall, it was a good book and I look forward to the sequel when it's released. Mr. Long, if you're reading this, I'd be happy to read any of your other novels before you release them if you need another set of eyes to be on the lookout for grammatical issues. The teacher in me loves going over things with a red pen. Thanks for the entertaining read!

Love it love it, love it. Oh, and have I mentioned I loved it? I've been a long time fan of Tim Long since I read Among the Living, snatching up his works as soon as they were released. So Z-Risen was bound to show up on my list at some point. Z-Risen will not disappoint my fellow zombiephiles. It earned a well deserved FIVE stars on fire from this monster. Five stars just weren't enough!Z-Risen promises to be an exceptional series. The humor is doled out in no short supply. Narrated in journal format, Machinist Mate First Class Jackson Creed and Marine Sergeant Joel "Cruze" Kelly are the lone survivors of the USS McClusky. Things aren't much better on land, they quickly discover, as San Diego now belongs to the dead.The witty banter kept me amused, and laughing out loud at times. I enjoyed the squabbling between the two as the two military branches banter away (while the men may have been on the same Naval ship, one of them is a Marine). Not to be outdone by humor, the actual gore and horror delivered was up to par. Z-Risen is one heck of a fast-paced, action-packed, rip-roaring funny ride.Don't mind me, I'll be bouncing in my seat waiting for February to come so I can read the next installment of Z-Risen. If you were smart, dear reader, you would be clicking purchase on the Amazon link below and hopping on the Tim Long Train. All aboard! Choo Choo.

Liked this one from the first page.Jackson Creed is a Machinists Mate First Class. He's serving on the USS McCluskey.Creed's a big guy. He's 6'3". A big white guy.Joel "Cruz" Kelly is a marine who's also serving on the McCluskey. He's not so big but way savvy in the use of guns.Kelly isn't as big as Creed and he's black. The two of them are friends.They bacame friends in one big hurry when the McClusky was taken over by the Z's. What are the Z's? They are humans who aren't human anymore. They live to eat the living and if your bitten or scratched by one you will become a Z. It took Creed and Kelly a while to figure this out and once they did killing Z's became mandatory. A head shot is the only way to kill them.Creed and Kelly made it off the ship along with Reynolds another Marine. They were three of the few who did. The ship ran aground and blew up.Once on shore Creed , Kelly and Reynolds began to see Z's all over. The San Diego base was overrun with them and people, military and civilian, alike were all fighting for their lives.Creed, Kelly and Reynold hooked up with Gunny and his band of marines. They made it out of the base after a bitten Reynolds sacrificed himself to get them all out.From then on it was Creed and Kelly as Gunny and his guys took off in a truck. Creed and Kelly made a house their fortress. From that house they scavanged all over the area for food, ammo and anything else they could find. They also had to watch for others looking for the same things they were looking for.They ended up trapped on a garage roof with Roz, Craig and his sister. They were rescued by a chopper.So begins one damned fine read.This one has Creed, Kelly, Roz, Sails, a guy named Lee, rescue, a secure fortress thats overrun, Kelly and Creed figuring out that where they are isn't quite what its posing as, the base being overrunn and Creed and Kelly running for their lives.Just one great story. Five Stars and then some.