Under a Graveyard Sky (Black Tide Rising Series #1)

by John Ringo

Overview

NEW SF/HORROR SERIES FROM NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR! A family of survivors who fight back against a zombie plague that has brought down civilization.

Zombies are real. And we made them. Are you prepared for the zombie apocalypse? The Smith family is—with the help of a few Marines.

When an airborne “zombie” plague is released, bringing civilization to a grinding halt, the Smith family—Steven, Stacey, Sophia and Faith—take to the Atlantic to avoid the chaos. The plan is to find a safe haven from the anarchy of infected humanity. What they discover, instead, is a sea composed of the tears of survivors and a passion for bringing hope.

For it is up to the Smiths and a small band of Marines to somehow create the refuge that survivors seek in a world of darkness and terror. Now with every continent a holocaust and every ship an abattoir, life is lived under a graveyard sky.

About Under a Graveyard Sky:
“. . .the thinking reader’s zombie novel. . .Ringo fleshes out his theme with convincing details ... the proceedings become oddly plausible.”—Publishers Weekly

“If you think the zombie apocalypse will never happen, if you’ve never been afraid of zombies, you may change your mind after reading Under a Graveyard Sky. . .Events build slowly in the book at the outset, but you can’t stop reading because it’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion: inexorable and horrible. And the zombie apocalypse in these pages is so fascinating that you can’t stop flipping pages to see what happens next.”—Bookhound

About John Ringo:
“[Ringo’s work is] peopled with three-dimensional characters and spiced with personal drama as well as tactical finesse.” —Library Journal

“. . . Explosive. . . . fans. . .will appreciate Ringo’s lively narrative and flavorful characters.” —Publishers Weekly

“. . . practically impossible not to read in one sitting . . . exceedingly impressive . . . executed with skill, verve, and wit.” —Booklist

“Crackerjack storytelling.” —Starlog

BLACK TIDE RISING SERIES:
Under a Graveyard Sky
To Sail a Darkling Sea
Islands of Hope and Rage
Strands of Sorrow (forthcoming)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476736600
Publisher:	Baen
Publication date:	06/24/2014
Series:	Black Tide Rising Series , #1
Pages:	512
Sales rank:	134,041
Product dimensions:	4.19(w) x 6.75(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

John Ringo is the New York Times best-selling author of the Black Tide Rising series, the Posleen War series, the Through the Looking Glass series, and more, including the Troy Rising series, of which Live Free or Die is the first installment. A veteran of the 82nd Airborne, Ringo brings firsthand knowledge of military operations to his fiction.

Editorial Reviews

Ringo combines humor and horror in this strong series debut, the thinking reader’s zombie novel. When an ecoterrorist attack instigates a worldwide epidemic of naked zombies, laid-back Australian expat Steven Smith leads his family to sea as New York is overrun. Steven’s determination to rescue survivors and defeat the triumphant zombies provides incentive to enlist support from humanity’s tattered remnants, a cause that carries its own risks. Australian references and high-spirited family banter (“We are not going to a concert at night in a park in zombie infested New York! And that’s final!”) enliven the well-worn catastrophic scenario. Ringo fleshes out his theme with convincing details of the devastating virus and attempts to develop a vaccine. The zombie-fighting zeal of Steven’s younger daughter, 13-year-old Faith, provides an overwrought comic-book atmosphere, but the action never falters. Like Odysseus, the wily, resourceful Steven combines valor and prudence. Ringo’s offbeat but vivid cast of characters will attract readers who enjoy a chuckle as civilization collapses. Although the comic effect is too pronounced to facilitate a suspension of disbelief, the proceedings become oddly plausible. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

09/15/2013
Best-selling military sf author Ringo (The Last Centurion) hits the open seas to take zombies where they've rarely ever been. Steve Smith has prepared his family for any emergency, including a zombie apocalypse. When ecoterrorists launch an airborne "zombie" plague, the Smiths take to the Atlantic Ocean to avoid infection. But Steve, his wife, and his two daughters are not content to wait for help. Instead, they start searching the thousands of stranded boats and rafts for supplies and survivors to aid them in the slow rebuilding of organized society. This series launch combines a fresh setting for a zombie novel with a cast of well-drawn characters whose preparedness prevents them from ever being in over their head. What results is an interesting perspective on a well-versed trope that lacks the adrenaline rush of fear that most zombie fans crave. VERDICT Despite the lack of abundant deaths and the omnipresent veil of despair that most zombie novels rely on, Ringo's reinterpretation will offer great fodder for zombie-fiction fans who enjoy discussions of how to get ready for and survive a zombie apocalypse.—Matt Schirano, Grand Canyon Univ. Lib., Phoenix

Library Journal