The End Games

( 4 )

Overview

The End Games, T. Michael Martin’s stunning debut novel, both horrific and profound, takes place in rural West Virginia after a zombie apocalypse.
 
Seventeen-year-old Michael and his baby brother, five-year-old Patrick, have managed to stay alive by following the Instructions of a mysterious Games ...

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The End Games

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More About This Book

Overview

The End Games, T. Michael Martin’s stunning debut novel, both horrific and profound, takes place in rural West Virginia after a zombie apocalypse.
 
Seventeen-year-old Michael and his baby brother, five-year-old Patrick, have managed to stay alive by following the Instructions of a mysterious Games Master. They spend their nights fighting the Bellows, grotesque, flesh-eating creatures.
 
But the brothers may not survive much longer. The Bellows are evolving. And the others in The Game don’t always follow the rules.
 
The thrilling plot twists and intense action scenes are combined with insights into human nature and environmental devastation, creating a fresh and unforgettable novel.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Martin covers familiar territory—zombies, conspiracies, post-apocalyptic romance—but does so with style in this exciting debut novel. In the West Virginia mountains, 17-year-old Michael and his five-year-old brother, Patrick, fight the “Bellows,” light-fearing zombies that mimic the sounds of the living as they attack them. To help Patrick cope, Michael keeps up the pretense that the entire nightmare is a game, something he started when they ran away from their abusive stepfather the night the Bellows first attacked. The challenges they face (beyond the Bellows themselves) range from religious zealots and megalomaniacal soldiers to Patrick’s dwindling supply of anti-anxiety medication. Martin sometimes lets set pieces stand in the way of common sense—such as an early scene in which Michael calmly ignores a Bellow because he’s certain the sun will rise before it gets to him—and some of the threats can be cliché, but the West Virginia setting, tense action, devoted fraternal relationship, and Michael’s lovers-in-dangerous-times romance with a girl named Holly will keep teens hooked. Ages 14–up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary + Media. (May)
Booklist (starred review)
“Martin's debut is the best of the undead bunch, meshing relentless action, intelligence, and emotion in a way that recalls Patrick Ness' The Knife of Never Letting Go (2008)....Very. Exciting. Book.”
Booklist
"Martin’s debut is the best of the undead bunch, meshing relentless action, intelligence, and emotion in a way that recalls Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go (2008)....Very. Exciting. Book."
Mira Grant
“This is one of the sharpest, most unexpected zombie novels I've read in a long time.”
S.A. Bodeen
“The End Games clutches the reader with chilling action, cushioning the gore with the love shared between two brothers, leaving enough cracks in the despair so that the reader is allowed to hope that humanity will trump all.”
R.L. Stine
“The End Games is my kind of book. It's tense right from the first chapter - and believe me, it stays tense. It plays startling games with your head - lots of twists and surprises. A great read from a great new talent.”
Carrie Ryan
“The End Games is my favorite kind of zombie story: utterly thrilling, deeply moving, beautifully written, and entirely unputdownable. A must read!”
Pittacus Lore
“Provocative, action-packed and unexpectedly stirring, full of twists and turns that you'll never see coming, T. Michael Martin's The End Games will shock and move you.”
Bennett Madison
“With more heart (and brains) than any zombie book has a right to and then some,The End Games is a deeply imaginative and soulful book from one of the most exciting new writers I've read in ages.”
Sara Zarr
“It's full of both jaw-dropping action and heart-twisting beauty. It's a thrill ride that makes you think and feel: terrifying and joyful, funny and moving.”
Kirkus Reviews
Seventeen-year-old Michael tries to shepherd his autistic 5-year-old half brother Patrick through a very real zombie apocalypse by pretending it's just a video game. Twenty-one days ago, Michael decided he'd had enough of his abusive stepfather, Ron. The final straw: Ron was planning to send Patrick to a mental hospital, so Michael packed Patrick a backpack, told him they were about to play a great adventure game controlled by the "Game Master" and ran for the car in the middle of the night. Unfortunately for them and the rest of the world, brain-seeking zombies attacked that very night. Using the "rules" of the game delivered by the Game Master, video-game–loving Michael keeps the two of them safe as they avoid the Bellows (zombies who echo parts of words they hear in bellowing voices) until they encounter the Rapture, a religious cult at zombie-plagued ground zero that worships the living dead. Escaping their insane clutches, the boys find the Charleston, W.V., Safe Zone…but few survivors remain. Can they trust Capt. Jopek, the lone military man? Is there any real safety in the new, awful world? Martin's debut is a lethargic zombie thriller that buries a few interesting ideas in tortured syntax and repetitious narration. It regularly abandons the logic it painstakingly sets up as well as basic reality in service of advancing the plot. Even die-hard zombie fans will be hoping for an end to this game far sooner than it comes. (Horror. 14 & up)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780062201805
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 5/7/2013
  • Pages: 369
  • Sales rank: 66,120
  • Age range: 14 - 17 Years
  • Product dimensions: 5.90 (w) x 8.30 (h) x 1.40 (d)

Meet the Author

T. Michael Martin is a novelist and screenwriter who holds a BFA in filmmaking from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He was inspired to write his debut novel, The End Games, by his own younger brother, Patrick, and their mutual love of zombie movies. He and his wife, Sarah, live in West Virginia.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 4 )
Rating Distribution

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(2)

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Sort by: Showing all of 4 Customer Reviews

  • Posted May 7, 2013

    This book surprised me so much. I love zombie novels. But I also

    This book surprised me so much. I love zombie novels. But I also love dark, literary stories. And I love stories about relationships. And this was all 3!
    Michael and his little brother Patrick are two of the few survivors after the zombie apocalypse hits. They travel the backwoods and small towns of West Virginia, looking for others like them. Looking for rescue.
    But most importantly, Michael is trying to keep 5-yr-old Patrick's innocence intact. And after they do find other survivors, Michael starts to realize that innocence just might not exist anymore.
    Love, love, love, love, love...seriously. READ IT YOU GUYS!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 13, 2013

    The survival of a eight year old and his older brother who is se

    The survival of a eight year old and his older brother who is seventeen.Micheal and Patrick are alone in the beginging and are surrounded by Bellows.Fight for their lives and following the directions of the Game Master they're trying to get to the Safe Zone to be reunited with their mother.They have been seperated since Halloween.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 4, 2013

    I Also Recommend:

    World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
    Munchkin Zombies
    The 5th Wave
    The Hunger Games (Hunger Games Series #1)
    The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead

    Slightly difficult to get into, but once you get hooked, you REA

    Slightly difficult to get into, but once you get hooked, you REALLY get hooked. An intense read for those looking for the post-apocalyptic zombie book for teens. Try surviving this arena, Katniss!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 8, 2013

    Outstanding! What a great talent! Can't wait to read more of t

    Outstanding! What a great talent! Can't wait to read more of this author's work!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
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