Here’s my standard disclaimer. I saw this title when I was doing a zombie genre search. I purchased this title as an eBook from Amazon on my own accord. The Author did not send me a copy to review, and did not request that I review this book. A rating will follow shortly on Goodreads and Amazon.
I review books based on the story itself. I’m not an editor and I’m not reading these books to proof them for Authors. I’ve read classics or best sellers with mistakes in them. The only time I will let mistakes effect my review is if the mistakes made reading the book cumbersome. At that point, I will just give it a lower number rating while reviewing the actual story itself.
I don’t like reading a review that is basically the back cover blurb, or something that gives away too much of the story. Personally, I like suspense. I like to discover the details of the story as I read them. So, please enjoy this spoiler free book review!
I’m happy to announce that the twentieth book I’m reviewing on my blog is a book called TRUDGE (Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse) by Shawn Chesser.
TRUDGE (Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse) is a horror, scary stories, and spine-chilling horror centered on the Zombie Apocalypse. The story follows Cade; a former Delta Operator, on a quest to reunite with his family during the fall of civilization. Before I start the review, I want to say that this is the first zombie apocalypse book I can recall reading. I was reading books of different genres, and wanted to break it up with something darker. I decided to change it up, and started doing keyword searches for story ideas I don’t typical get into. I typed in Zombie, and this title caught my eye. With no expectations of what to expect of books in this genre (other than what I already knew from watching zombie movies), I picked it up and decided to give it a try. I’ve been a literary Zom Poc fan ever since.
I really enjoyed how the story progressed. It’s what drew me in and kept me reading. Everything is normal, and then one day? Life as you know it is over. You see how Cade hears odd news reports, and then not too much later, he’s having to make life and death decisions to survive because it all came crashing down at once. The dead are overrunning everything, and his family is across the country! Luckily, he has valuable training from his time in the military, and you follow him on his perilous cross country journey in an effort to link up with them.
I won’t go much further into it, because I don’t want to post any spoilers. What I will say is that this is a great interpretation of the Zombie genre. The zombies are how I like them, slow but relentless. Cade isn’t a super human, and does teeter on the edge of defeat at times. Yes, he has training that many readers could only dream of, but escaping a horde of Zombies intent on eating you? Nothing can prepare you for that, and with the right decisions, any regular person could find themselves pulling through. It gives the reader a feeling like they could survive in a similar situation. You’re not reading it and thinking, “Yep, I’d be dead in a second!” You’re thinking, “I can do that too!” because he survived a situation that isn’t too far fetched. Other Zombie stories out there have super soldiers ripping zombies to pieces, and that keeps me from being too engaged with the story.
Now, there are parts in the story that you know you wouldn’t have pulled through, and he only did because of his intense training. Those parts still enthrall the reader. Especially dealing with the human aspect. Yes, there are other survivors, and not all of them are good… Not only does Cade and his new found companions have to dodge zombies, they have to survive renegades who only want to hurt people and tend to their own personal needs. If zombies overrunning the world wasn’t enough, you have to worry about outlaws with guns who take advantage of the situation. Death waits around every corner, and Shawn Chesser has a nice touch of keeping the reader in suspense.
One interesting aspect is that you get to follow along with Cade’s family and see their tumultuous journey in the search for safety. These family members have zero military training, and their fight for survival is incredible. The military aspect of the story is something I really enjoyed as a Veteran. I tend to look at dangerous situations through the spectrum of my Marine Corps experiences and training, and think about how I could apply them. There are probably quite a few Veterans out there who would feel in their element during a Zombie Apocalypse! You see a lot of military action in the story, because even though the government has fallen, remnants of the military still remain and they are intent on restoring as much order as they can.
Overall, the whole story will keep you on the edge of your seat. You will hate the bad guys, cheer for the good guys, be nervous during the intense situations when zombies are attacking, and hope for the best. You will put yourself in the story and think about how you would survive as well! This is the first book in a series, but there isn’t a cliff hanger that pushes you away from the series. You want to keep on reading about Cade and his family, and you’re glad that there are many more books in the series! I recommend this book to others who like post apocalypse zombie stories with lots of action. I rate this book 5 out of 5!
-PRP3 The Author. June 30, 2017
Copyright 2017. PRP3 The Author Media
Paul Russell Parker III 