Aftermath (The Remaining, 2) Audio CD – CD, October 8, 2013

I read these both back to back and the sequel picked up in the "to be continued" fashion right where the first left off. The Remaining, and the Aftermath sequel are among the very best of the zombie/apocalypse/pandemic/survival type genre. Captain Lee Harding, a soldier (one of 48 throughout the country) sequestered in a bunker after fear of an impending pandemic is activated to fulfill his mission. That being, attempting to help restore civilization and order by gathering and uniting bands of survivors to work together. He has exclusive access to numerous caches of food, medicine, weaponry, and communications gear placed by the government before it was decimated by the plague. While trying to fulfill his mission out of a strong sense of honor and commitment, he needs to keep himself alive and help others while battling hordes of zombie-like infected in a hostile wasteland. Not to mention, the bands of criminals who have mostly been co-opted by a ruthless sociopathic and criminal mastermind bent on getting said supplies by any means. Facing impossible odds daily, Hardin's steel resolve, jarring ferocity in battle, and above all, true goodness, are admittedly inspiring. The only easy day was yesterday, indeed.Some thoughts:There is so much more to the story than gore and killing. Themes of honor, morality, and faith compliment the necessary evil/fight or die components, though they are fully there. I loved these books. Here is a great approximate quote from Aftermath- "America is an idea. The only ay to kill an idea is to kill everyone who believes in it, and the last time I checked, I'm not dead." Hu--freakin--ahhhh! Imperfect sympathetic characters, great character development, and excellent descriptives. An intense, relentless, and nail biting storytelling for anyone who appreciates the genre (especially patriot warriors). The setup for the third book in the series was masterful. I can't for the third installment.Overall:Excellent writingCaptivating storyUnabashedly PatrioticFront Sight and TFT "flavor" throughoutWould make a great TV seriesI will be reading the next one the day it comes out

I personally tend to read more romantically inclined stories but Captain Lee Harden has stolen my heart with his dedication, courage, strength, and all around bad-assness :)Set in a Post-Apocalyptic North Carolina Capt Harden is 1 of 48 men who are part of a contingency plan, Project Hometown, the US Government put in place just for an occasion like this. He has been trained by the best from all branches of the military, learned how to get a society to restart after a complete collapse, with a year and a half of dedicated training on how to complete his primary objective in the harsh unforgiving new world, 'Rescue and Rebuild'.This book is a great read, never a dull moment, constant, well written battles. The supporting characters are wonderful and very charming. You root for them the whole time, you cry for each loss, and you feel pride each time the human race refuses to back down and instead pushes forward against all odds.My favorite aspect of this author is the writing style, it is so precise and intelligent. Lee is a military man through and through, I appreciate that the layout of the story supports this mind set. Really gives it an authentic feel, he is a true solider. I thought the author had to be military when I started reading this, it is that good!I would recommend this book to anyone, even if you usually aren't the 'zombie' type. These are not brainless drooling zombies, these are humans forever damages by a vicious bacteria. It doesn't feel like reading science fiction, it feels like reading a 'potential scenario #78 for how the end of the world may come to pass'If you are looking for a great read, you have found it here!Enjoy!I know you will be as hooked on Captain Lee Harden as I was!!! :)

I liked this book equally as well as the first in the series. Since I have the same feelings about this book as the other, I'm using my review of The Remaining here. Good take on the zombie apocalypse. The Remaining series follows a soldier tasked with rebuilding civilization after a catastrophic event. I was a little worried before starting that it was going to be a military action book more than a survivors tale of the zombie apocalypse, but I was pleasantly surprised. When I read ZA books, I'm not interested in blood and gore or really gross zombie encounters and I'm not interested in hearing about main characters that are bad ass and overnight learn how to kill anything that gets in their way while leading hundreds of people to safety single handedly. I prefer realistic tales (as realistic as ZA novels can be) with groups of people who are trying to survivor after a world altering event when they have no idea how to get by in the new world and must learn day by day. This series is right up my alley.It has plenty of characters that are easy to become invested in and it has aggravating situations that crop up that are intense while not being outrageous. The focus of the story isn't blood and gore or military style action, but the survivors and their daily struggles to make it through to the next sunrise. If ZA is your thing because of the tales of survivors, this is a good series to sink your teeth into.