Good book

The action is good- starts with a bang- easy to follow however there are some anomalies. In the first book even getting a drop IG infected blood turns you as we progress and as it suits the writer even getting bitten may or may not change you.
The main character is always Jed but each book develops interesting characters that do not appear in the subsequent books.
Overall at its peak it keeps you rooted

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4 people found this helpful

If I hear the word Ra one more time I'll scream

so disappointed in this series, the rest of the extinction ones were so good and this one is irritating, it was like the author was trying to hard to pretend to be a marine. Seriously do your research before you write a book.

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1 person found this helpful

Blaaaah

No specific plot except for running from zombies. Way too much gore and weak characters. I’m not saying I can do better but this book suffers from lazy writing and lack lustre performance.
I don’t like leaving bad reviews but this should not be encouraged.

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1 person found this helpful

wow wow

I loved it. want more of it! I love when they give you side quests / story lines with ur favorite characters!

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love

love this story. it scary funny with lots of energy. great story line .

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Too much pain.

Too much blood and gore for me. People turning into monsters within seconds and being killed was more than I could take.

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rather dull for a zombie listen

eh, I got bored. no humor, nothing really truly difficult fir the MC. Somewhere In book 3 I just stopped listening. Only reason I made it that far is it was just background noise for lots of it. I tried to pay attention but it didn't take long to lose track again.

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Oufffff, this is rough.

Yawn....Oorah. I found the first novel in the series, with the introductory of lead characters and quick slide into the Apocalypse, just familiar and engaging enough to get me to the finish line. I'm about halfway through and I'm packing it in on this one.

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Hard to follow, not as engaging

Wish I would love this series but it’s hard to follow and unclear about many aspects

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Campy. Not Great..

..but not entirely horrible, either, I guess (if you can get it for "free"). A.J.Sykes takes Nicholas Sansbury-Smith's 'Extinction Cycle' apocalyptic virus reality and uses it as a platform to provide reasonably well-executed versions of zombie story/horror movie clichés & tropes.

• In Book One ('Emergence'), we meet ridiculously ethical firefighter 'Meg Pratt' - gathering survivors at her Bronx FireHouse - and antisocial ex-USMC Private and one-time gangbanger 'Jedediah Monroe Welch' - re-recruited back into a military unit in Queens. Both violently & graphically destory "Variants" (mutated flesh-eating monsters born within minutes when humans are infected by the virus) and struggle to survive a quickly overwhelmed New York City (but with no apparent motive other than "Don't Die").
• 'Penance' introduces the strikingly ludicrous concept of "Collaborators" (evildoers who round up fellow humans at the behest of extra-large 'Alpha' Variants to feed & train the monsters - you read that right: *train* them - how to hunt & kill).. rendering an already silly premise almost impossible to accept. Fortunately, Sykes also leads readers through Jed's realistic transition from selfish A**hole to conventional "hero" - driven by survivor's guilt and recognizing a need for camaraderie The gory action continues in this installment.. but with considerably more pathos and thought.
• In 'Resurgence' (Book Three), the author introduces an actual plot: Jed (two years later and posted to Texas) leads a new team of squad-mates as they uncover the next step in variant evolution and a frustrating new Human-Variant cooperative.

Reader Bronson Pinchot exhibits creditable narration on this project (his diction, timing, timbre, cadence, and voice-acting are typically spot-on).. but it's his sensibilities that redeem his overall subpar performance. True, he reads with a noticeable monotone, delivers dialogue too quietly & unemotionally during combat scenes, and occasionally sounds disinterested (like he's reading a book open on his lap), but his understanding of Sykes's horror movie sentiments is demonstrated by impeccable timing and emphasis - Pinchot makes what's supposed to be scary sound scary.

When all is considered, this trilogy rates 3 stars out of 10 at best. Despite an evolution in writing quality in Books One through Three, the collection has quite an amateurish "fan fiction" feel overall.. but Sykes grasps the creepiness of mutated "joints-popping-claws-clicking-rotten smelling" creatures searching out prey. He also understands Hollywood-styled "jump scares", adrenaline-fuelled military action, and the suspense inherent in being in constant jeopardy. The writing is notably weak (something like a B-Grade high-school writing assignment), but while the cartoonish bullets-flying action is eyerollingly ridiculous, it's exactly the kind of mind-rotting brain candy that is fun to consume on occasion. As long as you can get 'The Redemption Trilogy' as a 'Plus' selection - and don't plan on making this nonsense a part of your go-to library - the investment of time isn't crazy.

[Incidentally: the description of the disorientation after being close to a Flash-Bang Grenade going off is the best that I have ever read]

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