Day by Day Armageddon

This end-of-the-world zombie book grabs you by the throat and won't let go. Plot, narrative, pacing and character are all pitch perfect. And need I mention:The horror is realistic, gruesome and scary. There's nothing pretty about this gritty, yet compassionate, novel. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Let me get this off my chest: I'm a zombie "purist." I'd been looking for a good zombie novel that stayed faithful to George A. Romero's Dead Trilogy (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead) for decades and decided they probably didn't exist (outside of the novelizations of NotLD and DotD). I prefer the zombies I grew up with: slow, shambling and not too smart. No matter how entertaining or well-written, I don't really want anything that differs too much from the traditional "rules" laid down by Romero in NotLD. A few fun little twists are okay, but when you start radically changing the zombies just to be different or "extreme," you change the entire nature of the threat and start messing with your reader's expectations... Chances are they bought the book because they are a zombie movie fan and they expect your novel to play by the rules; if not by the "classic" Romero rules, then by the "new" rules set forth in 28 Days Later or the Dawn of the Dead remake. Just when I'd given up hope of ever finding such a novel, I stumbled across Day By Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne. Finally, an author who delivered just plain old-fashioned Romero zombies! I will note that there are some fast zombies later in the book but these are well-explained and used sparingly. Far from being distracting, these fast zombies actually add to the horror. Kudos to the author for satisfying fans of both fast and traditional zombies--not an easy thing to do! The story, told in first person journal format, kicks off with the narrator (an unnamed U.S. Naval officer) making a New Year's resolution to keep a journal. As the days progress, he comments on his life and various problems he's noticing in the news, particularly about a mysterious disease outbreak in China... Naturally, the "disease" is the zombie virus, and it quickly spreads around the globe, cutting him off from the outside world. The hero is torn between joining his fellow officers on-base or remaining barricaded in his home, but opts for the latter. In the time he has left before everything breaks down, he improves his home's defenses (adding broken glass to the top of his walls, buying more ammo for his gun collection, adding do-it-yourself bars to his ground floor windows, etc.). He is determined to "wait out" the plague, but the government fails to contain the epidemic, retreating to hidden bunkers, and leaving the panic-stricken civilian population to fend for themselves. The narrator teams up with his only surviving neighbor, an engineer named John and his dog, who is good at alerting them to the presence of zombies (a little too good, as they have to keep her quiet most of the time to prevent her barking from alerting the undead to their presence). The growing number of zombies outside forces them to decide to get out of the small Texas town (near Austin) where they were holed up. Along the way, they encounter some other survivors, rampaging paramilitary, hordes of undead, and a

I couldn't put it down. This is a fast read and it just sucks you in. I love the journal style of this book, it is refreshing from the norm. You will love this book if you are a fan of zombies and even if you are not. I can't wait for his next book!

J.L. Bourne is a naval officer and internet hound who started DAY BY DAY ARMAGEDDON as an online fictitious journal under the name 'Raptorman.' The book, in the tradition of Richard Matheson's I AM LEGEND, tells the daily experiences of one man living through the horror of a mysterious plague coming out of China and rapidly spreading across the world. A Navy pilot of a survivalist bent and somewhat a loner, Bourne's diarist prepares early on in the crisis for rioting and looters by quickly fortifying his already quite secure suburban San Antonio home and stockpiling supplies and whatever ammunition is available. The man monitors confusion and rumor-mongering all over the cable news outlets and internet, watching the typical ineptitude of both govenment and the medical community in responding to this crisis (he notes in his journal how Bill O'Reilly angrily demanded an honest answer from a military spokeswoman about exactly what is happening out there. It's good to know that Bill will still be "looking out for you" even in a zombie apocalypse). Within a couple of weeks he's viewing news footage of people attacking National Guardsmen and riot police in Times Square, overcoming them and literally tearing them apart. The government now admits that, whatever the disease happens to be, one thing is certain: the recently dead are coming back to life, they seem compelled to attack the living, and their victims quickly turn to do the same. By now, every night he hears sirens and gunshots and screams in the distance from outside his house. When he gets that call ordering him to report to base for duty, he ignores it, figuring he stands a better chance right where he is. It isn't too long afterwards that he's watching from the viewholes in his barred and shuttered windows the dead wandering his street and lurking under his walls. Now his troubles truly begin. Bourne's journal keeper, although trained military, is no action movie hero stereotype. He doesn't nonchalantly walk into hell, muttering some one liners before and after blowing zombie heads off with always a clean shot. What makes Bourne's book special and enjoyable is that the man in the story is a real man. He is a regular guy who admits to being scared and overwhelmed. When he hears those things attacking someone down his block it pains him as he tries to ignore the screams. He knows it is too far away and there are far too many of them for him to to do anything about it. But the man is a hero and later on in the book he will answer time and again the pleas for heroism. However, like most most heroes in real life, he becomes one spontaneously and somewhat reluctantly. As you read his journal entries, you see this man change and grow with courage and compassion. J.L. Bourne gives plausibilty and a strong sense of realism to zombie horror. Guns and ammo are in short supply. Shelters are never secure for too long. The chase is always on, and sometimes you must beware of the living as much as the

As someone else pointed out, the cover of this book is [...], but the story inside is pure gold. I was reluctant at first to pick up this book because of the "diary" format, but got over that very quickly once I started to read the story. Mr. Bourne has a way with words. His style is sparse, but effective, creating a creepy world full of constant danger and fear. I was creeped out more than once, and that doesn't happen very often. This is a very good book, and I can't wait for the next installment. Don't be put off by the goofy cover, just buy this book. You will not regret it.