The End Games

( 2 )

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 ...

See more details below
Hardcover
$14.52
BN.com price
(Save 19%)$17.99 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (Hardcover)
  • All (22) from $10.69   
  • New (17) from $10.69   
  • Used (5) from $13.01   
The End Games

Available on NOOK devices and apps  
  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK HD/HD+ Tablet
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
  • NOOK for iOS
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK for Windows 8
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac
  • NOOK Study

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

NOOK Book (eBook)
$10.99
BN.com price
Note: Visit our Teens Store.

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.

Read More Show Less

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)
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780062201805
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 5/7/2013
  • Pages: 369
  • Sales rank: 60,752
  • Age range: 14 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.

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 2 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 2 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 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.
Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)