Down the Road: On the Last Day

My favorite part of the story was when the town's survivors hung their banner on the building to expose the media lies. I love how the townfolk pulled together, and secured their town. Of course, the military nutjob had to go and wreck things. The UN forces learned what happens when you mess with Texans. The characters were very believable, and the author did a good job describing the area. I'm being vague because I hate giving away too much when it comes to zombie novels. The ending was mind-blowing. That has got to be the best revenge scene since The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics). I can't wait for the third installment!!

Obviously by my username you can tell that I am a fan of all things zombie related. I own a sizeable collection of zombie/post apocalyptic literature, and my favorites tend to get reread several times over. Bowie Ibarra's Down The Road, and Down The Road: On The Last Day are two of the books that I have returned to recently. The stories are fast paced and action packed. The characters are people that you can relate to, not overly heroic and impossibly endowed with the abilities to fight off the undead. In actuality, his characters are very real and he portrays their weaknesses and fallability with skill. Mr. Ibarra's descriptive writing helps you to envision the work like a movie being played in your mind. Yes, there are some sexual situations that seemed to take place at bizarre times, but then again many people do strange things while under extreme pressure. To me, the sex scenes only added to the story and helped to flesh out the relationships between key characters. I wasn't so keen on them in the first book, Down The Road. But in his second installment, Mr. Ibarra uses the sex scenes to their fullest potential, which helped to give you a sense of a character's psychology, and a deeper understanding of their motivation. The gore was well written and vividly depicted. You could see the splashes of blood, you could feel the bones crunch, and you could smell the death within the story! The dialogue was very real. The author chose to have his characters speak like "Joe America", in other words, they were normal people using average everyday language. No eloquent speeches are made just before someone kicks it! (Like you often find in death scenes in the movies or other books!) And of course, you find that conspiracy theories abound in this one! I am a fan of them, although I do not swallow everything, hook, line, and sinker. Mr. Ibarra gives you some food for thought, and it is written in a way that does not disrespect differing opinions. It is completely plausible that government as well as society might do things drastically different than policy might dictate under those conditions. Rules can and will get broken. People will take charge of their own destiny. And people in power will do whatever it takes to maintain their power, regardless of the cost. Look at what we've just been through in our own real world experience politically. I fully believe that corruption exists and that Big Brother considers us expendable. How many lives lost does it take before we realise that the Iraq war was completely unjustifiable? Well, the rest of the world realises, but our previous leader seemed to have his own agenda. I am thankful that he is finally out of office. But back to the review! I personally do not care to read zombie books that aspire to be compared to Cormack McCarthy or another literary great. Not that Mr. Ibarra doesn't have the chops, no! I just prefer the horror stylings of his predecessors, like King, Koontz, Straub, and Barke

Much like the first Down the Road book, I really enjoyed The Last Day. It sticks to the simple, but effective zombie format, with a little bit of Tin Foil Hat paranoia thrown in to help move the story along. The book is a fast read and the action is good. The gore is described well, and it turns out to be a very fun read. The sex scenes, like in the first book, seem a little awkward and uneccessary, as if they were thrown in mostly for the author's enjoyment, but it's not enough of a negative to impact the story. Also, the story could've done with a few less characters, but that's just me nitpicking. Both books are heavy on the NWO\Illuminati\Global Elite conspiracy theory, with the U.N. attempting to take control of the country. I don't neccessarily subscribe to those consipiracy theories, (I do know people who do), but I do find them wildly entertaining, so it only added to the story for me. All in all, it's a fun read. If you enjoy Zombie fiction, than by all means, buy not just this book, but the first Down the Road book as well. You'll be glad you did.

This is one of the best zombie books I have ever read, and I have read a few. Take a moment, order and read the thing, you will be glad you did. I cannot wait for more.

A Plaque is sweeping the country. The Dead are rising and they are attacking and devouring the living. The Government is trying to contain it but with no success. Civilians are taking up arms and banding together in hopes of surviving the Zombie Apocalypse. Civilians in a small south Texas town has banded together and fought off the Zombie Hordes. They have successfully quarantined their town from the the chaos that has consumed the outside world. Everything seems to be going good and they believe that they will be able to survive the zombie plague. Two strangers from San Antonio soon arrive with news that will threaten the towns very existence. They learn that it isn't only the undead they have to fear. A global peacekeeping force lead by a brutal and ruthless commander is heading towards their town. He mission is to round up all civilians and send them to refugee camps. Anyone who will not give up their arms and comply with his orders are mercilessly executed. A showdown to about to happen in this small Texas town. The residents will have to not only fight the endless hordes of the bloodthirsty dead, but a madman and his army of thugs that wants to destroy all remnants of American life. The town will have to unite and fight for not only their way of life, but their very existence. It is time to go back Down the Road. I loved Mr. Ibarra's first story so when got my copy of On The Last Day I was expecting nothing but great things, but I must say that my expectations were actually exceeded. I enjoyed On The Last Day more than I did his first installment. I was completely consumed in the world Mr. Ibarra created. Zombie fans will be completely satisfied with this story. It has loads and loads of blood and guts, and action from beginning to end. On The Last Day is also a very deep story with great pacing and deep characters. Mr. Ibarra is starting to perfect a writing style all his own. He is becoming one of the premiere names of Zombie fiction and he will be a force to be reckoned for a long time. Permuted Press is producing some of the best Horror Fiction available today and On The Last Day has to be one of the best releases to date. I cant wait to see what they give us next. I highly recommend On The Last Day to all Zombie Fiction fans. It is one of the best Zombie stories ever written in my opinion. Go grab a copy for yourself and see what I mean.