Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

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Christine Lakin and John Glouchevitch both did an excellent job of narrating these shorts. I have previously read most of the novellas, so it took me a moment to acclimate to their voices as opposed to the ones in my head.
My name is Shaun Mason, and I am not okay


  • Countdown- It was fun revisiting the story and is one of my favorites. Countdown introduces us to Amanda Amberlee. A girl who was cured of leukemia, and the namesake for the Amberlee Virus. A virus responsible for the apocalyptic world, we find in the Newsflesh trilogy. This story also introduces us to Dr. Kellis who was responsible for stealing the untested cure. If you have been curious about the first outbreaks, this story is for you.

  • Everglades is a very short fiction and was originally part of the Living Dead 2 Anthology. (collection containing zombie stories) The tale is very short, but shares an outbreak on a college campus near the beginning of the outbreak. Debbie our protagonist shares what happens along with the survival lessons she learned from her Grandpa.

  • San Diego 2014- The Last Stand of the California Browncoats- Once you read this, you will never attend another Comic CON without thinking of this tale. You have been warned. Grant shares what happens when you have a large crowd, tight quarters, and a freakin’ zombie outbreak. What could go wrong? Another personal favorites, Firefly fangirling aside.

  • How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea- Mahir takes us down under in this Post-Rising Australian tale. A group known as the Australian Conservation Corps has tried to preserve their continent's natural wealth by separating animals that amplify. They are gated in large enclosures that allowing them to roam free. Yeah, I see no problem with amplified elephants, kangaroos and large cats and roaming free behind a fence. Bwahaha! I have always loved Mahir and his voice and thought this tale was particularly good.

  • The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell- A post rising tale featuring Elaine Oldenburg (Foxy). She is a first grade teacher at an elementary school in the northern pacific region. The school has all the latest post-rising security features including electronic shackles on student’s desks and amplification test to keep your precious children safe. Yeah, what could go wrong? This was dark, terrifying and brilliant. Grant did an excellent job of mixing zombies and children.

  • Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus Spend time with Dr. Shannon Abbey as she runs an underground virology lab in this post-rising tale. Fans who love getting stories about side characters will appreciate this short. When a mysterious woman shows up Dr. Abbey investigates and oh boy! Not to be missed folks! On a side note, I friggin love the titles Grant comes up with for these short stories.

  • All The Pretty Little Horses- (Brand New story) Here fans get to meet Georgia and Shaun’s adoptive parents.  We finally get the full story behind their loss during the initial outbreak and the months following.  Told through Michael’s eyes Grant brilliantly captured Stacy’s struggles and reawakening. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

  • Coming to You Live- (Brand New Story) Oh the mixed feelings, I have for this one. Coming to You Live shares an epilogue of sorts involving Shaun and Georgia. Grant never planned to write this, but fans wanted it. I say, trust your gut Ms. Grant. I have imagined their epilogue many times, revisiting them in my thoughts and pondering what they were doing. I never imagined Grant would tell us. Let us just say things did not end well in Coming to You Live. Read/listen at your own risk. I could not stop listening and admittedly hung on every word. After all, it is Grant and her writing rocks. In retrospect, I am of the opinion some doors are best left unopened.



Audio provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 June, 2016: Finished reading
  • 27 June, 2016: Reviewed