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Genesis

Arisen, Book 0.5

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About this listen

Tucked away in a high-tech Tactical Operations Center, inside an isolated safehouse in the Horn of Africa, sits Agency analyst Zack Altringham.

He is Kenyan-born, Princeton-educated, badly burnt-out—and condemned by his language and cultural skills to a lifetime of fighting America's shadow counter-terror wars. But when another mystery epidemic breaks out, terrifyingly quickly it reaches a tipping point and chaos descends—and Zack and his team (including two former Team Six SEALs) are trapped between the millstones of the sick and the dying on one side, and heavily armed militias on the other. Soon their "safe" house is in flames, and their only remaining option is to get in their up-armored SUV and try to escape the imploding gravity well of the city, to the safety of the American military base in Djibouti. But by then, will there be anywhere safe left on Earth to escape to?

©2014 Michael Stephen Fuchs (P)2014 Podium Audio
Horror Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Scary Fiction Africa Zombie
All stars
Most Relevant
Now you know what to watch fot in real life and how to react! Lol

A realistic pandemic debut...

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this group of characters could have gone somewhere. but they didnt. Zach almost gets developed. almost. the story is decent, for what it is, but it doesnt stand out. and for some inane reason RC has to read out and explain every acronym and alpha numeric string - instead of just saying 'he told him the password'. really bogs down the action. poor choice by the producers.

nothing new, but decent

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I enjoyed the book although was kinda surprised with the character outcomes. I would have liked different development for some of them. The main character is only alright.

Good

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I admittedly much prefer everyday people finding themselves in an end-of-the-world zombie situation - they're more relatable (when well-done the fear is palpable) - but this Special Forces Military approach from Michael Stephen Fuchs opens up great possibilities for violence, strategies, and plotlines outlining how the authorities (governments, law enforcement, and a well-armed/trained army) might deal with the hypothetical crisis of a civilization-ending pandemic.
Fuchs is very good at incorporating tactics, hardware/tech, and military jargon into a plausible initial outbreak scenario out of Somalia.. but focusses on action, mind's-eye vivid gore, and heart-pounding "WTF" terror. The approach is noticeably immature (clearly aimed at the type of younger "This is So Cool!" fanboys that might attend a Comic-Con).. but if you set your standards realistically - don't expect medically-accurate virology discussions or moving emotional prompts, for example - the book is a rollercoaster-ride blast.

Unfortunately, reader R.C.Bray's kryptonite is accented voice-acting. He absolutely turns in his typical peerless diction, spot-on pacing, easily-consumed timbre & cadence, and uncanny understanding of the tone the author intends.. but is asked to do southern drawls and Afrikaans-flavored dialogue. Bray's interpretations are creditable, but I have definitely heard better from him.

Despite slightly awkward pacing, I was able to set aside reservations while listening to this recording. Consequently - when taken altogether - this adrenaline-fuelled audiobook rates 8.5 stars out of 10. I feel fortunate to have gotten it as a 'Plus' selection.. because it merits a Credit (particularly if you are willing to go further with the 'Arisen' seties).

[Note: The main intent of this story - including the origin of Patient Zero and the development/mutation of the zombie virus - is to provide background for books much later in the series. I suggest you read this book at least 4th if you intend to read the 'Arisen' saga - rather than first]

Setting Up A Fun ZA Twist/Approach

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loved it, a great starting story to Arisen. Now I'll have to listen to it all again.

aesthetician prequel

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