Having read the first in the series What Zombies Fear, I had to have the Maxists. It did not disappoint. The story continues and keeps up the intrigue. New characters show up; both good and bad. I plan to keep following this one until the end; which I hope is a long time from now. The story is too good to end soon. I recommend this book as much as the first one!

After reading "848" (Dark Bites, Part 4) and being very impressed by the author's writing and storytelling skills, I was eager to read "Windy City of the Dead", and also because I'm a big fan of zombie- and post-apocalyptic books.

This short story isn't so much a post-apocalyptic novella, but is mainly centred on the zombie-theme, which of course, I enjoyed immensely. If you're looking for a story with depth and characters you can relate to, then give this one a miss. What I liked most about "848" was that I felt sorry for the main character, but in this story I felt absolutely nothing for the chain-smoking protagonist. I didn't like or dislike her, but at least she was fearless and I admired her courage.

Of course my favorite parts of the plot were the zombie-bashing, but the bit in the story that freaked me out the most, amongst others - and which had me glued to the pages - was the little undead girl terrorizing the main character who is trying to make her escape from the 52nd floor of her apartment building with the lights constantly going out.

If blood, guts, splattering brains, mechanical clown toys, and a katana-wielding woman don't give you the heeby jeebies, then go ahead and spend a worthwhile fifteen minutes of your time reading this suspenseful, gore-drenched novella. I especially recommend it for readers who are new to this genre.

Thunder and Ashes starts out where the first book left off in this trilogy. We have the split story, one of General Sherman and his team of army men and civilians making their way from the west coast towards Omaha, hoping to meet up with Anna Demilio and her much smaller group coming in from the east coast. They are racing towards a facility where they hope to hatch a vacine for the Morningstar virus, the plague that has swept over the world creating two forms of plague victims, one still alive, fast, and brutally violent, and one undead, slower, but just as dangerous and canibalistic.

I could have given this story a full five stars, it does rate that based on the action in the story. General Sherman's march was far more interesting to me, especially his pit stop in a little town in Kansas, than the more brief excerpts from Anna and Mason's more silent trek, but their stories tie together nicely, with plague victims, raiders, and rogue government agents all nipping at their heels. The story is cohesive and written with a certain amount of zip to it.

I am no military expert so I have no reason or desire to punch holes in the author's use of various terms and equipment. Again, the story and its use of military armaments are smooth and seamless. We are provided with an action packed zombie thriller as two sets of people are racing against the clock, not even sure what they are racing towards will mean anything in the end, but they are determined to do whatever it takes to get there and try to spare humanity any more agony from this brutal virus, if at all possible.

Where I would be critical of this book is in more or less minor details that unveil themselves towards the end of the story and I hesitate to spell them out because I have no interest in revealing plot points. Suffice it to say that there were two key things that happen that I did not feel were specifically needed to advance the story. One scene simply felt redundant, an echo of a scene from the first book in the trilogy having to do with one on one combat...almost laying the groundwork for a very similar scene in book three. The other issue I have lies within the epilogue and what I would deem an incredibly convenient story element revealed that will play a huge part in the final installment of this trilogy. I suppose I am just not a fan of something that the odds of happening are one in a billion revealing themselves so conveniently. Please understand, these are really minor issues for me and as such do not want them to be considered deterents for anyone interested in picking up this story.

The writing is fast paced, the characters are entertaining, and the story is fun. Perhaps some of the characterizations are a bit exagerated, but when you are dealing with an end of the world type plague, I can certainly understand how some folks would seem a bit over the top. I found myself growing attached to quite a few of the characters and really look forward to finding out what happens in the final chapter of the Morningstar Trilogy. This was a genuinely fun and exhilerating zombie romp.

If you have a thing for zombie books, if you loved the movie "Zombieland" or the TV series "The Walking Dead" than you will be mad about "The Zombie Chronicles (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series)" by Chrissy Peebles.

The first chapter starts the action with Dean and his date riding a Ferris wheel when zombies storm the fair. Fast forward to a year in time where people are trying to survive. Dean, along with his brother is trying to save Val, the sister they knew nothing about. Dean has an experimental cure for her but the catch is he has to wait for her to turn before administrating said cure, but in the new world of `Zombie land' once someone has been infected then they are put to death before they have a chance to turn and infect others. Right before Val is slated to be executed Dean sneaks her out of the quarantined, top-security detention center to await her turning. Along the way they rescue a couple of girls, fight off numerous zombie attacks and just try to survive long enough to administer the cure that could save their sister.

Chrissy Peebles has outdone herself again with "The Zombie Chronicles (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series)". With this third series she has shown that she is a truly gifted, multitalented novelist. If this is the first book that you have read by Ms. Peebles than do yourself a favor, get back to the Amazon website and get yourself a copy of all of her books. Every one of the books in each of her series are different but highly entertaining and once you start one of her books you will not want to stop reading until that last page is turned. I started this book in the morning and before it was bedtime (to my disappointment) I had finished it. It was that difficult to put down. This is one author that will surely become a favorite of yours.

When I first picked this up, I had no idea what to expect. I have read another book from this author, and while I like it well enough, I would not have called it groundbreaking. That said, I really enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy. They were fast paced, gave plenty of back story, and had me rooting for characters I would not have expected to. The third book was good. It was every bit as well written as the first two. It is not as action packed as the others, which is why I would bump off a half a star. Even so, I can't say there was anything wrong with it. It was just not as suited to my taste as the others. And if I had not read it right on the heels of the other books, I might not have even noticed. But the last few pages did drag a bit for me. However, I loved getting some background on Bunny Ears. I would absolutely recommend this set to any fans of zombie fiction, and those that are on the fence about it. I am about to pick up the next one in the set, and I can't wait to see where the author takes the story.

When I first picked this up, I had no idea what to expect. I have read another book from this author, and while I like it well enough, I would not have called it groundbreaking. That said, I really enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy. They were fast paced, gave plenty of back story, and had me rooting for characters I would not have expected to. The third book was good. It was every bit as well written as the first two. It is not as action packed as the others, which is why I would bump off a half a star. Even so, I can't say there was anything wrong with it. It was just not as suited to my taste as the others. And if I had not read it right on the heels of the other books, I might not have even noticed. But the last few pages did drag a bit for me. However, I loved getting some background on Bunny Ears. I would absolutely recommend this set to any fans of zombie fiction, and those that are on the fence about it. I am about to pick up the next one in the set, and I can't wait to see where the author takes the story.