Aftermath by Owen Baillie

I'm always interested in reading zombie books that happen in different countries besides my own--Apocalypse Z and now Aftermath contribute to that category.  Though, we're all human, and would react the same way (run, hide, fight and scream loudly) when a zombie wanted to eat our brains for a tasty snack, there're little nuances that show a difference (from cursing to weapons).

This zombie tale takes place in Australia, though by the time our group of lovelorn characters appear in the picture the apocalypse has finished it's foul work, and the majority of humans are now walkers.
Our group of five have camped out in a remote area for a month, and they're ready to face civilization again--the world they left behind. The story tells the way they find out what happened, and the means they adopt to survive.

One major problem discloses the love stories, akin to high school romance, continuing throughout. Greg loves Kristy who loves Dylan. Callan loves Sherry, who doesn't love him anymore and just had an affair with his best friend. Yadda! Yadda! Yadda!
Can romance have a place in zombie books? My answer would require me to say yes--there's copious amounts of zombie tales, presenting romance--creative authors deftly weave a love story into a zombie book without doses of romantic pain for the reader.

In the event of a zombie apocalypse(with all the running and screaming and killing), would romance have a place in anyone's mind after an arduous day of surviving, accompanied by tormented fears of the dead (and undead) appearing during the night? Perchance, a captured moment, perceiving another's love--would potentially help survivors maintain their sanity.

One component of the story features various breeds of zombies--the genius type(genius for a zombie) proved incredibly fearsome. They conceive and reason, understanding how to create plans for their desired results(brains), including the use of  weapons, resources and tactics.
If I ever come into contact with a zombie, my fingers are crossed they're the slow shuffling genre, and not an agile walker that accelerates it's speed when a brain becomes available, or the intelligent strain featured in this story.

Though the book has distinct flaws--I would recommend it to all zombie lovers.

Out of Darkness (The Starborn Saga #1) by Jason D. Morrow

What happens when you cross a zombie apocalypse and mutant super powers...anyone, anyone? The results are equal to but no greater than The Starborn Saga.
Mora's village seems to be in real trouble against the gray skins (yet another word used instead of zombies). She leaves her village to ask for help from a warlord type of character--imagine the president in The Hunger Games.

Jerimiah is the leader of the Screven, and the Screven's home base is yet again familiar as the Capital in Panem (if Panem had been involved in a zombie war, and didn't have all their hip toys and weapons). He will send his soldiers to protect villages, but he expects large sums of payments in crops and other items (Hunger Games anyone).

Along the way, Mora just happens to find out that she can move a large crane to help her escape from a horde of zombies. Yep, she has superpowers and can move items with her thoughts, which would be cool for us mere mortals if the remote lay on top of the television.
She meets a young man who takes her to his village that is controlled protected by Screven. She meets others who have mutant abilities, and finds out their secret codeword name--Starborn.

Then a considerable amount of silliness ensues, she likes Connor, she likes Connor's brother, she decides not to ask for help for her village, she asks Jerimiah for help with her village, she decides to help Jerimiah to find hidden Starborn, she refuses to help Jerimiah find hidden Starborn. Make-up your mind!

I know that I've delivered some harsh words against this book, but on the bright side, I honestly liked it, and I have started the second book called If It Kills Me.

Mutants and zombies combine for an interesting mix, and what better way to protect loved ones than to send zombies flying away or throw rocks at their heads with superstar powers. l look forward to the entire series.

Empty Bodies by Zach Bohannon

Oh, those pesky zombies, by now I'm sure we are all aware that it would be difficult to kill something that is already dead--though the star characters in this book live to tell the tales of zombie mayhem.
Considerable zombie books have their protagonist living through remarkable, deadly discombobulations that would kill off mere mortals.

In Empty Bodies, three people escape from a hotel full of the dead, and it happens that a man and a boy, which were the only two characters previously introduced on a plane, are the only two to survive a plane crash. A man and a girl are thrust into a warehouse full of zombies, sent by a madman full of delusions of grandeur, and they miraculously survive.

I'm sure these defying feats could happen, but what about the everyday person (which might be a large portion of the population--myself included) who runs blindly in panic and confusion straight into the arms of a loving zombie that just wants to eat their brains. No one wants to write about these losers since the reader would feel a large dose of disdain for them, and the story would be short indeed.

That being said, Empty Bodies is a mixture of sadness and heroic adventures. The book starts with several different characters in different areas--at a hotel, at a warehouse job and on a plane, and one of the characters--a little boy who's  likable and quite intelligent, though he can be quite judgmental. The book moves at a rapid speed and brings several of our players together, except two though, and during the ending we understand they soon might be reunited.

The last few pages of the story leave room for a new book when a psychopath is brought back to life for future reference.
I  enjoyed this book and look forward to the second one.

Infected: The Fall by Caleb Cleek

A good zombie story told by a police officer, starting from the beginning of the infection. He tells about his family and town, and he still wants to be a good cop even as the world is falling apart around him.
The zombies in this book are the ones I would be most scared of--they are fast, strong and smart. They have reasoning skills in hunting humans, and have flanks coming in from the back while the ones in front are distracting their dinner.
If a zombie apocalypse ever happens--I would rather deal with the slow, the stupid and the weak brain eaters, otherwise I will be one of the first to die.
This was a good story, and I'm looking forward to the next one. Hopefully, it will be soon.