Rise Again: A Zombie Thriller

Very disappointed in this particular zombie book.

I have a grocery list of things I have against this book so far and I haven't been able to finish it yet. I've been spoiled by reading zombie novels by such great authors as Jonathan Maberry, Z.A. Recht, J.L. Bourne, and Max Brooks, and this is so far from any of their books. The writer seems very foreign in this subject. Things I have a problem with in the book and that dont make sense: 1st, the main character is a female (nothing against that) who did 3 tours overseas in Iraq. the first tour in the 2nd tank batallion in Fallujah. Funny thing is my co-worker was part of the 2nd tank batallion during Fullujah and said females were not in the tank batallions and in fact females did not normally see much combat at all. Hell, its been 10 years and women are still very rarely found in a combat situation overseas. that was the first thing that started my distaste for this book. 2nd was the fact that she was so traumatized from PTSD, she acted like an old Vietnam vet, and the writer completely over-did her part in that. It was hard to picture her as a hero, a lot of times in the book she acted like an idiot, and made poor decisions (decisions a soldier should easily be able to distinguish between good or bad). Like in one part she argues with survivors that stealing gas and food is bad, after the apocalypse has happened shes concerned with morals rather than protecting her friends? 3rd, the author spends a half page describing glass shattering and how it was installed years ago, then re-installed years later, and goes into very deep description, and i mean very deep, but then a few sentences later, the purple heart wearing, silver star toting, 3 tour solder, war hero, freedom fighting,Danny Adelman describes a few guns as "a rifle with a banana clip", and "a shotgun that i have no idea the make of". I mean in a lot of the military aspect of firearm aspect of this novel it definitely seemed like Tripp was slacking. i'm not even half-way done with the book yet thats the funny thing. it's just kind of insulting to other authors. if any of you has read Rechts/Maberry's/Bournes novels you can tell they spent hours upon hours of research to make sure they didn't sound like idiots when they wrote their books. I mean to the point where they would actually call the CDC (center for disease control) in Atlanta, among other places, and get very detailed instructions and information about viral aspects and pathogens, and they just go into such amazing lengths explaining the virus, that at some points it almost seems plausible by a top team of scientist to concoct. Not awful for a first novel, but man it just doesn't seem like enough time or research was put into this book, like it was hurried down the line. I spent most of my life watching zombie movies and recently started reading about 2 zombie novels a week, I cant imagine the useless kind of knowledge I have about zombies rattling around in my brain replacing important things that should be there instead, but even so I don't even feel confident that I myself could write something half decent with books like "Day by Day Armageddon", and "Plague of The Dead: out there. Everything just seems small in comparison, unless you're an amazing writer or you've done your homework (and lot of it, aloooootttttt) so yeah just my quick .02

7 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

A Wonderfully Gory Zombie Story!

If you are wanting a good zombie book for the Halloween holiday, I do suggest you get Rise Again. In some ways it does remind me of Night of the Living Dead and even references the movie in a few places. We mostly follow Danielle Adelman (Danny) who is an Iraq war vet with PTSD. On a side note: If any guys out there are worried that the protagonist is female, do not worry as Danny is hard as nails and a great heroine. You won't miss a thing. *think Sigourney Weaver in Aliens* Anyhoo... Danny loses her sister right before the zombie wave suddenly hits town. She doesn't have time to think let alone read the note full of anger and mistrust. Things quickly progress and you are in the middle of the surviving group hoping they find someplace safe.

As the story goes on Danny later strikes out on her own to try to find her sister. She quickly learns that either she has survived or hasn't but keeps hope that she is out there somewhere. Danny heads to the only place she can... back to the survivors she helped in her community. Upon returning she finds that there is more to fear than the zombies, but mercenaries who proclaim themselves the leaders of the facility they found. Things go from bad to worse and hopefully Danny can find a way to help them.

The ending is haunting and may keep you awake thinking about it. Yep, I was one who was awake thinking on the ending. Wonderful since you don't always get that in a book, horrible because I wanted to sleep! Regardless, I give this book 4 1/2 stars. It gives you exactly what it promises (lots of gore, action, and anxiety). It also gives you that bit extra in how Mr. Tripp develops the characters.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Okay, really don't like to give bad reviews, but ugghh. This boo

Okay, really don't like to give bad reviews, but ugghh. This book started out slow and never got better. The main character is almost totally unlikable. I understand she had a bad war experience, but on that basis she gives herself permission to physically and mentally run out on everyone that is depending on her including her sister. She spends 90% of the book feeling sorry for herself because no one understands what she went through and getting drunk, or thinking about getting drunk. I can't help but think in a real crisis this would have gotten her and everyone else killed. Please read the Day By Day or MorningStar series or better yet, World War Z.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disappointed

Downloaded based on the reviews. The story had potential but it never drew me in. The chacters end up being charicatures. E.g., the paramilitary guys, the congress woman, the sharpshooting drunk. Not much of the dialog rang true. Same for the action sequences. A good example is the action surrounding the demise of the Zero Killer. Never ended up caring what happened to the uninfected because you never realy get to know them. The DMV character drove me nuts. Hard to belive she had the smarts to make through vet school. All in all, a page turner in the sense that I skimmed nearly the entire second half of the book. Ending was a let down because it was not in keeping with the faux grit of the story.
Still on my quest for a well written zombie story.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Finally! A heroine for the post-apocalypse

Rise Again is one of the most haunting things I've ever read. It kept me awake at night thinking about what the lead character endures. What if the world was suddenly infested with man-eating zombies and you had to find the one person who didn't want to be found? That's the set up of this thriller, and even though it takes a lot of twists and turns, we keep returning to her central quest. Rise Again is the story of Danielle "Danny" Adelman, a combat veteran and now sheriff, who has to find her runaway sister and keep a bunch of fairly helpless civilians alive at the same time. Danny just might be the toughest gal in any book ever written. Her chararter is both flawed and powerful and always extremely compelling. I can't forget the scenes in post-apocalypse San Francisco, and the ending will not leave me alone. It's worth reading just for the last sentence of the book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A fabulous futuristic apocalyptic thriller.

It is the Fourth of July and Forest Peak, California Sheriff Danielle Adelman realizes her sister Kelley has run away. Kelley knows that while her sister's body came home from Iraq, her mind is not in Forest Peak. Before Danielle can look for her, a warning comes over the radio that thousands of from Los Angeles are moving in the direction of Forest Peak looking for safety.

Los Angeles is ground zero; the place where the zombie plague began. The first ones are the George Romero kind who eats human flesh. Later generations are a bit smarter; reanimate quicker and has 1% cognitive ability. Danielle leads a group of survivors to a place of safety before taking off on a quest to find her sister. Her journey is in vain, but the people she left behind lost their freedom when mercenaries arrived and took over. Danielle and her allies try to find ways to rescue the civilians from criminals pretending to be soldiers. If she succeeds she plans to keep this group safe from the zombie apocalypse.

George Romero will love Rise Again (except perhaps it being in California instead of Pittsburgh), a zombie thriller that would make a terrific action movie due to a strong cast of starring characters struggling to survive by choosing to become heroic or malevolent. Danielle is a natural leader who has saved lives by leading her troupe to safety while her concern for her sibling is a powerful emotional driver. Part of the fun is the death of communication as the group has no idea what has happened on other continents in Ben Tripp's fabulous futuristic apocalyptic thriller.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Really liked this book!I have read it several times and am surpr

Really liked this book!I have read it several times and am surprised at some of the feedback.Everyone enjoys certain stories and I liked this one very much.Got into the characters and loved the last line!Really am hoping for a sequel andwill keep checking.Great job!

Okay

To "reviewer" that wrote on April 23 2011...ITS FICTION! THIS IS NOT AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY. It is fiction. Check your dictionary. Geez

Great read

Some said they didnt like this book because it wasnt a carbon copy of every zombie book out there but i loved it as an injured vet and zombie enthusiast i loved this book.

Awesome

This book was excellent. It started off by drawing me in and its one of those stories you hate to put down. 410 pages

Worst zombie book ever

This book was very slow to begin with and when the action finally did start to pick up the author ruined it with too much,way too much details.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Also wanted to mention......

Danny is like the Eve Dallas of the zombie world, loved her.

Needs more cowbell

I loved it but I kindda found it alittle slow to begin and end.. but was a very fun book!

LOVED IT!!!

I couldn't put it down. Great book!

Rise Again

Best zombie book that I have read. Did not want to put it down.

Great Read

I never considered myself a fan of Zombie books until Rise Again was recommended to me by a coworker with the statement that "it would blow my mind". He didn't lie. The story is well written and the characters are interesting. The book keeps you engrossed from page to page straight through to the fantastic ending. If there ever is a sequel, I plan to put it at the top of my "must read" list.

Great overall story,loved ending!

Hopefully there is a sequal! Slow start but stick it thru.

Not a Read Again Type of Book - Still Good Though

Your typical zombie read. There were a few side stories that needed to be developed more. I also think the ending takes place abruptly and really has no meaning to the rest of the story. One minute your following the main character around and the next you are reading about the epidemic overall. Although I was able to put this book aside for a few months I still came back and read throught it quickly.

Great Book

Ben Tripp is a great author. I love the ending and can't wait for the next book.

Um....could use some work

I wasn't even a hundred pages in and I lost interest. It's dragging in places. But the details are really good. I can form a clear image in my head without struggling so much. To me it can get a little confusing when the story switches to different people.