*Updated March 27th 2014*
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Z Plan by Mikhail Lerma was an enjoyable story with fast paced action and realistic human responses during the zombie apocalypse. Cale was a very likeable character and very friends and family oriented. The story had a main theme of brotherhood meets survivor’s guilt, which I loved. As Cale’s world crumbles around him, he’s left in a prison of his own thoughts, doomed to replay his actions and movements over and over again in his mind, constantly asking “what if” and wondering if his family is safe as he desperately tries to find his way back to America.
You find out early on that in the desert, there isn’t much to do in your free time other than play video games. It’s an important part of the story to understand how much Cale enjoys the video game Halo because my favorite part in the entire book was when Cale had to face the reality that the zombie apocalypse was happening right before his eyes. “This was real, it wasn’t like Halo” the author states, describing the sheer terror and surreal circumstances that Cale has to suddenly face. Z Plan is an adventure indeed, and I recommend this book to any zombie apocalypse lover; you won’t be disappointed.
The only parts of the book that I found repetitious and overdone, were the Romero movie references. Had the author left them out completely, it would have taken nothing from the story at all. Z Plan is a quick and fun read and I am excited for the next installment in the series!
I must say this is very different from what I normally would read, being a Zombie book and I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be reading something like this, but I enjoyed it so much I just got locked into the story. Certainly took my breath away because how emotional it was in parts and, because it kept hold of my attention so much, I was flying through it whilst reading. Could feel for the soldiers and, I knew from the very first page just like I mentioned to Mikhail as I began reading this, I could sense the close bond that Cale shared with Zach, such a close friendship.
As per usual in all my reviews, I have to praise the author for such powerful and outstanding work. He has worked tremendously hard on this book and the writing is magnificent, making it such an easy read. Mikhail wrote this whilst he was actually deployed in Iraq and I can honestly state that this is what actually caught my eye to read his book, being Military, and I’m vastly impressed with him as an author and so am looking forward to reading Book two, Red Tides his next book.
Well done Mikhail, you have created something spectacular.
“you can’t save those who won’t be saved”
-. Mikhail Lerma
“Is that a chemical attack?”Cale shouted.
“I don’t know” Zach shouted back.
There’s an epidemic outbreak, people getting attacked by a virus. But then they come to realise that this is no ordinary virus, the infected are actually Zombies – the walking dead.
This is not your typical Zombie book, it’s one about real friendship, about that true bond you acquire whilst in the Forces. It’s all about survival and about the perspectives of a soldier fighting one war then suddenly having to fight another war that no one could ever anticipate
This book is full of action, drama and adventure. I would most certainly recommend to anyone that enjoys a good action thriller.
An unexpected war, will they all survive?
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Let me begin by saying I am not a zombie book fan nor am I a zombie fan. A relative gave me Romero’s Night of the Living Dead one year and I nearly shrieked and not in a good way. Let me say it again. I do not like zombies.
However, the premise of this book intrigued me enough to try and keep an open mind. It is told from the perspective of a soldier fighting one war and getting sucked into another no one anticipated. In a word, I sort of LOVED it.
Yes, there are issues; it’s not perfect. There is a lot of “head hopping” in the beginning. The author switches character point of view, sometimes even in mid-sentence it seemed, and this was very confusing in the beginning. I found myself having to go back to re-read sections just to figure out who was thinking what and I would have preferred not to have to work that hard. And we’re not talking War and Peace writing here. But if you’re expecting that, um…WHY are you reading a zombie book?
However, once I got past all of that, what I found was a surprisingly heart-wrenching tale that had me turning my Kindle’s virtual pages as fast as my fingers could click, always hoping against hope that Cale’s tale would turn out better than every desolate situation promised it would. I connected with the characters in a very real way, from the video game banter between a bunch of soldiers bored out of their minds, to the tense waiting as they geared up to face an enemy none of them were prepared for.
Watching Cale fall into isolation, trying only to get home, plagued by the terrible worry about what he’ll face when he finally makes it, IF he makes, and the terrible feelings of guilt over what he had to do to survive was a nerve wracking, emotional roller coaster ride I hadn’t planned on. And most embarrassingly, I cried. At a zombie book! That is NOT supposed to happen!
That’s when it hit me. THIS is why people like zombies. They represent the most frightening aspect of the human experience. Brother turning on brother, isolation, the drive to survive, and the ultimate realization that survival may be but a futile dream in the face of the unthinkable. Z Plan: Blood on the Sand delves into this fear in a way that draws the reader in until you’re there with Cale, travelling the streets of Tel Aviv as the undead hunt you, with only the hope that your loved ones are safe, because if they aren’t, then what have you been fighting for?
The entire tale is freaky! But in a good way. I may have to rethink my original opinion on zombie fiction.
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As an older reader, zombies are not in my normal reading area. Blood on the Sand caught my interest because it was written by a soldier who had fought in Iraq. It included some of the military jargon, the abbreviated words used by the soldiers. What pleased me was Mikhail’s ability to describe what was going on so well that a person felt they were actually part of the page, and yet not covered with blood and guts that you would see in a movie setting.
I would highly recommend Z Plan Blood on the Sand, not only for the younger people who are so interestedcurrently in all things with the Zombies, but again even for the older reader. In fact I have already gotten several, mixed ages, group to buy and read. And we are anxiously awaiting the next offering of Mr. Lerma’s work.(This review happens to be from my grandma, just so you all know.)
(review from goodreads)
(review from goodreads) (review from goodreads, also posted on amazon)Disclaimer: The author and I are both contestants in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. We are also members of a Goodreads group consisting of several other contestants in this same contest. I read and am reviewing this book as part of that group.
Review:
Let me begin by saying I am not a zombie book fan nor am I a zombie fan. A relative gave me Romero’s Night of the Living Dead one year and I nearly shrieked and not in a good way. Let me say it again. I do not like zombies.
However, the premise of this book intrigued me enough to try and keep an open mind. It is told from the perspective of a soldier fighting one war and getting sucked into another no one anticipated. In a word, I sort of LOVED it.
Yes, there are issues; it’s not perfect. There is a lot of “head hopping” in the beginning. The author switches character point of view, sometimes even in mid-sentence it seemed, and this was very confusing in the beginning. I found myself having to go back to re-read sections just to figure out who was thinking what and I would have preferred not to have to work that hard. And we’re not talking War and Peace writing here. But if you’re expecting that, um…WHY are you reading a zombie book?
However, once I got past all of that, what I found was a surprisingly heart-wrenching tale that had me turning my Kindle’s virtual pages as fast as my fingers could click, always hoping against hope that Cale’s tale would turn out better than every desolate situation promised it would. I connected with the characters in a very real way, from the video game banter between a bunch of soldiers bored out of their minds, to the tense waiting as they geared up to face an enemy none of them were prepared for.
Watching Cale fall into isolation, trying only to get home, plagued by the terrible worry about what he’ll face when he finally makes it, IF he makes, and the terrible feelings of guilt over what he had to do to survive was a nerve wracking, emotional roller coaster ride I hadn’t planned on. And most embarrassingly, I cried. At a zombie book! That is NOT supposed to happen!
That’s when it hit me. THIS is why people like zombies. They represent the most frightening aspect of the human experience. Brother turning on brother, isolation, the drive to survive, and the ultimate realization that survival may be but a futile dream in the face of the unthinkable. Z Plan: Blood on the Sand delves into this fear in a way that draws the reader in until you’re there with Cale, travelling the streets of Tel Aviv as the undead hunt you, with only the hope that your loved ones are safe, because if they aren’t, then what have you been fighting for?
The entire tale is freaky! But in a good way. I may have to rethink my original opinion on zombie fiction.
(on goodreads)This is a good ol fashioned zombie tale. I’m a sucker for a military protagonist. Lots of action interposed with self contemplation. I recommend this book to any zombie fan.
Michael Flanagan rated it (review on goodreads, also posted on amazon)
(goodreads review)One of the things I loved about the story was that people behaved in ways that in my opinion, they quite likely would if they actually had to deal with zombies. Everyone is not a hero, people do think of themselves first, and make selfish choices. I love it! It made so much less predictable than many zombie stories, in that it wasn’t always obvious what direction things would go.I do have one issue with the author, however… when do I get to read the sequel?This author has written a great horror novel, and I can’t believe it is only his first. I highly recommend it to any fan of the horror genre, and see a bright future for Mikhail Lerma.
(This review is from my, now, editor. She read my book and posted this review before I ‘met’ her on goodreads.)
Sierra rated it (review on goodreads, also posted on amazon)
I just finished reading this recently published book that a friend wrote. I’m not just giving this book a 5 star rating because I know the guy. The stars are for how amazing this first installment of the Z Plan series was!
I personally love a good Zombie book. I think I’ve read enough of them that I could probably survive a Zombie Apocalypse! My interest in Zombies is what drew me to this book.
The time is present, the main character, Cale, is stationed over seas as a soldier of the U.S. Army. Cale and his buddies learn of a virus that has begun to spread, but think nothing of it because it’s pretty far away. This virus isn’t just any virus and has traveled alot quicker than anyone had expected. Their Army base soon becomes a war zone. As so now, everyone kind of know what Zombies are, but aren’t Zombies a work of fiction? Cale and everyone else soon realize what they’re up against…true, walking, un-dead zombies.
Some escape from the terror with Cale. They have plans to find a boat and get back to the U.S. As of now, there is no military according to them, it’s every man for themselves. There are un-dead everywhere. Cale looses some friends along the way. Becoming completely alone, when luck strikes him and he stumbles upon two young boys and a yacht. In the act of trying to save them and their supplies he becomes alone again and decides he still needs to get to land and back to his wife and daughter.
Among all this chaos, he can only hope that his beloved wife and daughter are still alive and that is what is giving him hope. His boat begins to have mechanical problems. Just when he’s about to give up hope, there is contact over the radio. The Egyptian Armed Forces have spotted his boat and are going to save him. There is still hope for Cale and hope that he will be united with his family once again. But who knows what could be lurking back in the states? Has the virus over-run home with the walking dead? I hope to find out in the next installment of the Z Plan Series!
(goodreads review) p.s. I nearly cried over the brothers.
Z Plan: Blood on the Sand maybe Mikhail Lerma’s first book but he knows his zombies, and knows how to tell a story by keeping every kill interesting and different. With the main character being deployed in Iraq when the zombie infection begins it sets him on the path to get back home and creates a new genre of zombie stories. Along the way, he keeps finding himself at the wrong place at the wrong time. Some parts are a bit dry but are essential to portray what the character is goIng through, physical and emotionally, but there is no delay to the action that starts the book. This takes zombie books to a place that they havent gone and while “Cale” is in Iraq, he doesn’t stay there long which moves the story along but I somehow wanted to hear more desert experiences. Overall a great book which I blew through in 3 days and I am anxiously waiting for the next installment.
I still can not believe I read a Zombie book and absolutely loved it ! I could not put ths down and read it in one afternoon. I think this is amazing for a first time author, I am anxiously awaiting and ready to buy the follow up book. A wonderful mix of reality and fiction, anxious for more………
Susan Tydings Frushour rated it (goodreads review, also posted on amazon)
I initially purchased this novel because this is a young, new goodreads author, who asked members to read his book, and quite frankly, he hooked me with an innocent request and an engaging smile on his goodreads profile. His marketing worked, he wrote in genres I like, zombies & post-apocalyptic fiction, although I have felt lately that I had overdosed on zombie novels.
What a treat! Although slow at first, I was rapidly won over, and I’m glad I stuck with the book. Halfway through, I began to appreciate the two main characters, both of whom had depth. There is camaraderie & sorrow initially written in a military setting, but not so detailed with weapons & jargon. Non-military readers will still enjoy the story. It develops into a gut wrenching saga & journey, with good and evil, brutal and yet touching. The main character is likeable & engaging, an honest young man, who wants nothing more than to be able to return to his family, far, far, away. Ingenuity and wits aids him as he attempts to assist the few others he finds along the way. This novel is short, really a novella. I can’t wait to read the rest of the story.
I am a fan of the zombie genre and this book ticked all the boxes for me. Cales’s adventure is a compelling one and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.
This was one of those books that kept you guessing on what was going to happen next. I am looking forward to a follow up book.
Randy Harmelink rated it (goodreads review, also posted on amazon)
Z Plan 