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A review by virago
Rise of the Horde by Devan Sagliani
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
This was a fun listen during my commute to/from work today and a nice bit of escapism. The action starts off almost immediately and continues practically non-stop to the finish.
The story follows Xander a 16-year-old living at a military instillation at the behest of his older brother, Moto, an enlisted man. Moto has gone to another base to get things settled and will send for Xander when things are safe. While waiting for his bother to return for him or send for him, Xander (inadvertently) takes responsibility for 8-year-old Benji who lost his family to a zombie attack. Xander rescues from bullies and Benji won't leave his side after that.
When the base is overwhelmed by a roving horde, Xander, armed only with the katana his brother gifted him, gets himself and Benji safely away from the carnage of the base headed toward the base where Xander's brother currently stationed. Along the way the run into rival gangs, religious cult leaders, rock stars, reality TV stars, cannibals, bikers, and so much more. They lose people along the way and pick up people as well. The group just keep falling into one mess after another and always manage to escape by the skin of their teeth. In the end Xander is reunited with his brother, but it's just the beginning of a bigger story.
Some of the situations are similar versions of each other and a little convoluted, for example they escape a neo nazi cult leader, and end up running into a religious cult leader. But it's a book about teenagers in a zombie apocalypse, and it's practically Mad Max out there, so it's to be expected. The narrator did an excellent job getting across the various emotions of the characters throughout each situation. I liked the characters, including the "villains" and will definitely check out the next book in the series.
The story follows Xander a 16-year-old living at a military instillation at the behest of his older brother, Moto, an enlisted man. Moto has gone to another base to get things settled and will send for Xander when things are safe. While waiting for his bother to return for him or send for him, Xander (inadvertently) takes responsibility for 8-year-old Benji who lost his family to a zombie attack. Xander rescues from bullies and Benji won't leave his side after that.
When the base is overwhelmed by a roving horde, Xander, armed only with the katana his brother gifted him, gets himself and Benji safely away from the carnage of the base headed toward the base where Xander's brother currently stationed. Along the way the run into rival gangs, religious cult leaders, rock stars, reality TV stars, cannibals, bikers, and so much more. They lose people along the way and pick up people as well. The group just keep falling into one mess after another and always manage to escape by the skin of their teeth. In the end Xander is reunited with his brother, but it's just the beginning of a bigger story.
Some of the situations are similar versions of each other and a little convoluted, for example they escape a neo nazi cult leader, and end up running into a religious cult leader. But it's a book about teenagers in a zombie apocalypse, and it's practically Mad Max out there, so it's to be expected. The narrator did an excellent job getting across the various emotions of the characters throughout each situation. I liked the characters, including the "villains" and will definitely check out the next book in the series.