Z Children: Awakening, Book 1

By: Eli Constant, B.V. Barr

Narrated by: Johnny Mack

Our kids are no longer our future. They're our demise.

Humanity's advancements in medicine, meant to eliminate disease and extend life, have led to a macabre reality of childhood vaccinations gone terribly wrong. Kids have transformed, changed into ravenous beasts that are nightmarishly quick, disproportionally strong, and void of empathy. No amount of planning or preparation could have saved the human race against this unexpected attack, centralized in the heart of every human home, and the US is quickly thrown into a chaos of Z Children. By the end of the first day, the entire world is jolted into a veritable hell on earth. Yet, there are survivors - individuals who, by luck, skill, or circumstance, lived through the initial wave of destruction. These 'lucky' ones will join together, bonded in their quest for survival. They will try to maintain their humanity in a world where children have graduated from bubble baths to blood baths. And they will try to find an answer to the only question that matters: What will tomorrow bring?

©2015 B.V. Barr, Bone Orchard Books (P)2023 B.V. Barr, Bone Orchard Books

Best zombie book in a very long time!

If you could sum up Z Children: Awakening in three words, what would they be?

very pleasant surprise!

Have you listened to any of Johnny Mack’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time listening to Johnny Mack. He did a really good job and I will listen to him again happily.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Zombie Children Awaken!!!

Any additional comments?

This is a very good zombie book. I highly recommend it for zombie addicts and look forward to the next book. This audiobook was given to me for an honest review. But it was so enjoyable I would gladly have paid for it AND I will definately watch for a sequel! Thank You for a great listen!

A different kind of zombie...

This book raises the question, what if children were the cause of the zombie apocalypse? What would you do if your child was suddenly one of the undead? It was a different take on the zombie fiction genre and was quite refreshing. I enjoyed the storyline of most of the characters. It skipped around quite a bit and I felt some of the time was wasted on characters who didn't make it very far into the book. Why invest us in someone who is just going to die within a few chapters? I enjoyed the narrator's voice very much. He did a great job with all of the character voices, which helped to enhance the book overall.

I received this audio book at no charge via AudioBookBoom in exchange for my honest review, and honestly I would have been happy to pay for it. In fact, I want to download the sequel now, it was that good.

Creepy twist to the zombie genre.

There are plenty of zombie books out there so it's always refreshing when someone puts a twist on it. And Z Children definitely has a nice creepy twist. What's that twist? It's right there in the title. Zombie children! Yeah we have adult zombies as well, but it's the kid zombies that are the truly dangerous ones! Come on, is there anything creepier than a 5 year old zombie?

Z Children is quite different from other zombie books I have read. This first book is a collection of stories about how various people deal with the start of the zombie apocalypse. (many of the characters are connected to each other in some way) Each of the stories had a unique group of characters and I honestly can't say which characters I liked the best, they all had compelling stories and I can't wait to see what happens to them next. The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but that only makes me more anxious for the second book.

Z Children is the first book I've heard narrated by Johnny Mack and I must say I was quite impressed. He really brought the characters to life, and I will definitely check out more of his work in the future.

I received a copy of this audio title for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

Great story and voice

Would you listen to Z Children: Awakening, Book 1 again? Why?

yes it is scary fun and hard to stop listening once you start

What was one of the most memorable moments of Z Children: Awakening, Book 1?

I dont want to spoil any book events but those kids are spooky

What does Johnny Mack bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A great smooth voice and a feeling of being in the story

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

moved me? or made me hide in a well lite room from my child?

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book its multiple perspectives, the doctor virginia the young mom well you need to listen to get to know them it is a fun listen. I do not want to encourage anti vaccination ppl and would like to point out the story is fun scary fiction not a excuse to not vaccinate and unless there is a medical reason not to its recommended in most situations and if you dont you endanger kids like mine who could not vaccinate right away due to medical ok that said I loved this story and enjoyed the sound of the reader and im a bit picky about that

nightmare of a world thrown into chaos

After taking their standard vaccines, millions of children are transformed into zombies.  They are fast and deadly and those they bite also turn into zombies.  The story follows several characters as they face the nightmare of a world thrown into chaos:  A single mother of two and her aging father, a children’s clothing store owner, a 12-year-old girl orphaned by the zombies, a homeless shell-shocked veteran, a love-sick pediatrician and an Argentinian martial arts expert.  Their paths cross as they try to escape the ravages of their hungry attackers.

It is a unique approach to how zombies are created, but other than that, there isn’t too much that is new.  The survivors break into stores for food, water, and supplies, grab guns and knives and kill the zombies by destroying their brains.  They feel guilty killing zombie kids, but do what they have to to survive.

Most of the book is spent introducing each character.  There is action, but it is often stalled by long winded introspection on the part of each character, their many insecurities, and self-doubt.  There are several attempts at humor, but these seem to miss a lot of the time.

The story is performed by Johnny Mack.  He has a pleasant voice, but doesn’t add much to the story.  As most of the characters are female, the story might have been better served with a female narrator.  His character voices are fine and there is no mistaking who is speaking, but there is not a lot of drama in the narration.

Overall, this is a rehash of the standard zombie apocalypse story.  It is book one in a series of unknown length, so the story may evolve now that the characters have been established.   It attempts to end with a cliff-hanger but instead ends abruptly and unsatisfyingly.  It may be unfair to judge the series based on the first book, but that’s all we have at the moment.  For many listeners it may not hold enough interest to continue on.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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