Survivors

The Morningstar Strain, Book 3

By: Z. A. Recht, Thom Brannan

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Survivors is the all-new soul-shattering climax to the postapocalyptic trilogy, featuring a deadly virus, military action, global devastation - and zombies.

A lot can change in three months: Wars can be decided, nations can be forged...or entire species can be brought to the brink of annihilation. The Morningstar Virus, an incredibly virulent disease, has swept the face of the planet, infecting billions. The infected hosts rampage, attacking anything that remains uninfected. Even death can’t stop the virus - its victims become frightening and deadly cannibals. Scattered across the world, embattled groups have persevered. For some, surviving is the pinnacle of achievement. Others hoard goods and weapons. And still others leverage power over the remnants of humanity in the form of a mysterious cure for Morningstar. For the survivors, the peril remains, and the search for a cure goes on....

©2012 Z.A. Recht (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Not what I hoped for but still good

What made the experience of listening to Survivors the most enjoyable?

I liked the character development of the main players and the way the author did not go to far down the religious, political or supernatural themes like so many other zombie books.

What other book might you compare Survivors to and why?

I would compare it to the 'Day By Day Armageddon' series simply because of the descriptive fight scenes and character development.

Which scene was your favorite?

Without giving too much away... I would say my favorite part of the book was towards the beginning with the gradual introduction of the characters and how they came become interlocked in an attempt to contain the virus

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction, which is a good thing. I chose this book because I wanted a bit of escapism. The last thing I wanted was to be stressed! I chuckled at times but not so much that someone would ask 'what so funny?'It is what it is... a zombie story and nothing more!

Any additional comments?

I would happily recommend the author and would read another book from the author

Excellent

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Nothing, this book was already a 5 star book as it is!

What did you like best about this story?

The entire story from start to finish always kept you wanting more!

Not the same

What made the experience of listening to Survivors the most enjoyable?

I was glad to have an end to a GREAT series, even after the author's death. The characters were not as complex as they had been in the other 2 Morningstar books.

What other book might you compare Survivors to and why?

Morningstar Strain & Thunder and Ashes, because of the change in writers & writing styles.

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

Brooster (sad thing about audiobooks is that I never know how to spell the names). Oliver Wyman was absolutely perfect for this series!!! Thank you.

not a bad audio book

didn't like the fact that they change the narrator's voice. I do hope they make another book though.

it's unfair to condemn this work

Any additional comments?

after my initial distraction by how much deeper wyman's voice sounded (i listened to the end of book two and the beginning of book 3 back-to-back) i found myself realizing that, had i been the creator of this, there would be some things i would have done differently than thom brannon. but this is not my work. this is not your work. i've read some reviews condemning brannon, or expressing disappointment but my hat's off to him. it's difficult to follow in the footsteps of z.a. recht, and unfair of us to hope he would be able to mimic recht's style. brannon is his own writer. while i agree that this is the weakest part of the trilogy, i wouldn't say it's entirely brannon's fault. the unfortunate passing of recht meant his work will never really be fleshed out. brannon took it upon himself to try to fulfill recht's vision and he probably knew he would receive less than favorable comments for his efforts.

throughout the story i would periodically smile as brannon's personality and style shone through while maintaining the general atmosphere recht had created. my biggest irk was how descriptive brennan was of the characters. recht didn't focus on physical features so much which made the women especially more appealing to me. most of these characters were believable (although sgt. major thomas was a deliberate caricature, i'm sure) and without any sexual undertones to distract from the story's forward momentum, i found myself really engaged by the individual storylines and their eventual convergence.

overall i enjoyed this book. i wish sawyer had less time in it - his air of mystery and never fully getting inside his head made his actions unpredictable to me - and some of my favorite characters managed to survive, while some were lost. that's critical to good story writing. there have to be high stakes, and with the passing of a few choice people, i found myself genuinely devastated by the loss. again, i urge all the negative reviewers to take a moment and remind yourselves that this was a gift given to us by mr. recht, and that we should really be thanking brannon for giving us an ending at all. if it's not up to snuff in your opinion, i hear writing fanfic can be a bizarrely cathartic experience.

I really wanted to like this last book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I love the world that Recht created but with his loss, we just got a sub-par ending to his series. Brannan changed up a few of the zombie infection rules at the last minute in a WTF moment and great characters were just left being back story characters that really didn't matter much to the story in the last book. Get if you just want to finish the series off and say you listened to them all but be prepared to be let down somewhat by the ending.

Would you be willing to try another book from Z. A. Recht and Thom Brannan ? Why or why not?

Recht.....sure, but that won't happen. Brannan, I won't say no but it would have to get really good reviews.

Did Oliver Wyman do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Somewhat. His narration was kind of bothersome in the other books also.

Do you think Survivors needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, let it sleep. Pay Recht the respect his universe deserves and don't mess it up any more.

Great job!!!!

What made the experience of listening to Survivors the most enjoyable?

So the trilogy comes to a long anticipated end. Thank you too the family and friends of Z.A. Recht for contributing to the continuation of the story and finally ending a trilogy that is sure to be a cult classic. Brannan's writing style is similar to Recht.

I am not going to post any spoilers but just say the book IS as good as the other two. The only downfall is the ending, which I believe could have used a little more time on since there will not a forth installment to follow the vaccines progress.

Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favorite?

General Sherman, and Dr. Demilio

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh yes!!!

Good. But could have been so much better

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

As i had already invested time into the first 2 books of this series, it was time i NEEDED to spend to finish.I dont think i would have the same commitment if this was the first in the series.But, to anyone out there that has read the first 2 books, then this is a must read. Just for closure

What was most disappointing about Z. A. Recht and Thom Brannan ’s story?

Obviously a hard job for Thom to step up and finish writing this without Z.A. Recht. Overall, i think it was an ok effort, but could have been so much better.For me, then ending felt a little rushed. Especially compared to the rest of the book, and i needed to re-listen to a few passages to get a clear picture of what was happeningI dont know if it was the circumstances that this book was written, or the fact it came to an end, but this book really leaves you wondering what if...

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Oliver Wyman?

No one.BUT.... It would have been nice if he had have some preparation and matched the accents and voices he used in the first two booksNot enough to be a terrible listen, but enough to be annoying

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes, but only because of the series. This book alone would not do it for me

Any additional comments?

I would be lying if i said i wasnt disappointed in this book. the first two books had me hooked and i found myself looking for any excuse to listen to it. This one, no so much. Obviously, anyone that has read the first books will want to read this, but dont hold high expectations.Still, im glad i completed this story and it is a real shame about the original author. Such a talent lost

Finally...closure

Any additional comments?

Narration of Oliver Wyman is excellent and helps with the continuity of the story line. Overall, a satisfying end to a great series. RIP Z.A. Recht

A great read/listen credits well spent :)

Would you consider the audio edition of Survivors to be better than the print version?

Equally enjoyable in both formats, but I love to listen to good books.

What did you like best about this story?

Its continuation of the series is tight and exciting. The charters are believable and the hero's aren't stupid but still are humanly normal. Villains are very nasty and persistent, but beatable.

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

Yes a very good performance which conveyed all the excitement of the story.

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

The Morningstar Strain can you escape will mankind survive ?

Any additional comments?

A great Listen from start to finish.