What a Disappointment

I loved the first 3 books about Wolf Squadron and was thrilled when the short stories appeared. I kept the book but none of the stories rose to the quality I'd come to expect in this series. Then another stand-alone appeared last year and I snapped it up. Still disappointed in the quality of characters and the fun I expect. Still, when this book appeared I thought Tom's character should be as interesting as the rest of his family. Besides, I wondered what happened to him. Nothing interesting is the answer.

Don't bother if you liked the older books. Tom's character doesn't develop into someone I cared about. None of what happens is worth listening to. In fact, I skipped around and never actually read over a third of the book. Color me Extremely Disappointed!

3 people found this helpful

What an incredible Bore.... Major disappointment

I absolutely loved the first four books in the series. Enjoyed them so much I listened to them several times .This current series began in a very interesting way. Not as enjoyable as the first series, but well worth the credit. This book was such a disappointment. So very very boring. I expected excitement, and got lukewarm milk before bedtime. I hope the author returns to the original characters in the first series. I had to stop listening to this book after a few hours. I'm probably going to ask for a refund when I wake up in the morning. Such a shame. Mr. Ringo is one of my favorite authors.

3 people found this helpful

Continues to deliver

Love it. . . Ringo and Massa deliver another solid story. Great pacing and you get a satisfying ending. Very much worth the credit.

7 people found this helpful

Just the thing to read during the pandemic!

This is a continuation of the series. Previous book parallels the first of the series.

1 person found this helpful

Well...that wasn't good.

For a zombie apocalypse book, there wasn't much in the way of zombies. It was mostly being introduced to characters you'd want to shoot who weren't zombies. Whether they were being too stupid to live, too Machiavellian, too PC, or just your standard "bad guy, one each", following Tom's flight to the Blue Site was a trial for the reader as much as it was for Tom.

In the 1st arc of the series, most of the too-stupid-to-survive-types are surrounded by competent people digging in and carrying their dead weight. In this installment, the ratio is shifted. In addition, a Soviet-style ruling class tries to take over the Blue Site before Tom even gets there.

My problem with this book mainly lies with the number of times I'm asked to suspend my disbelief for a weird concept, plot point, or due to some inconsistent character action / dialogue. I was given characters with minimal background and my imagination filled in the rest...fine...but then the characters did things contrary to the background I was given. The repeated jarring moments were frustrating.

If you were a fan of the 1st arc of this series, I'd recommend passing on this disappointing 2nd arc. The entertaining banter between characters is missing. The development of the characters is minimal. The overall story is...not good.

On the plus-side...Tristan Morris does an excellent job. His consistency is what kept me going until the end.

The APPENDIX at the end was the best part of the book.

1 person found this helpful

As good as the first series.

I wondered what happened to the other Smith brother. This series explains his adventures. And I loved Specialist Astroga's rules for surviving a zombie apocalypse!

1 person found this helpful

This series delivers the goods.

genuinely enjoyed the book, and the performance was top notch. Another excellent yarn in the overall scheme of the series, and Tristan Morris' performance really brought the individual characters to life.

1 person found this helpful

Another great book in the Black Tide Rising series

This one was a little bit more of a slow burn compared to The Valley of Shadows, but it also covers are larger period of time as well as splitting itself between multiple arcs. In the previous book you really only had BotA with minor bits about the cops, mob, and fema. This book gives you full story arcs about Smith's group, the Gleeners, and Site Blue. In the end, you have some nice payoffs as all paths collide. I enjoyed it immensely. If you are a fan of the Black Tide Rising series I would suggest you pick it up. Tristan Morris does a great time narrating as always.

I am hoping for a third book following Smith and Site Blue

1 person found this helpful

Not bad, but not my favorite

This would be my second least favorite from the Black Tide Rising series. It was light on the humor that had me belly laughing at times in the first four. The characters were less interesting. The story was less engaging. That said, it's being judged on a steep curve. The earlier novels about the other Smith brother, Steve, and his family were awesome. I couldn't stop listening. It's a good listen, just not as good as books 1 - 4. Book 5 is my least favorite as it wasn't clear this was a compilation of short stories, and I don't like short stories. I assume that book 7 is the same, so unless they give it away, I'm unlikely to ever get it. Hopefully if there is another book in the series, it will be with Steve Smith, his family, and their squadron meeting up with Tom Smith and his group to save humanity! lol

1 person found this helpful

Entertainingly frustrating

I purely hate antagonists that are also bureaucratic manipulators... love to hate them.... I also hate when a reveal is delayed for no reason just so it happens at the end. ie the only person who doesnt know a piece of info is also the person who needs it most and everyone in the know ...well knows it.

also hate when all the build up to a satisfying end for an antagonist just gets shunted off screen