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Undead-Earth #1
Getting Out of Jersey
It always starts small. A single action, followed by another, and another... By the time most people realize the scrabbling noise in the dark is coming from something with teeth, it’s too late. In a small town in South Jersey, the darkness has taken root, spreading fast. Only a few people have survived. The ones who are left, are Getting Out of Jersey. “Best new horror!� - Susan Preston “Can’t wait for the second book!� - Andy Green “Great ending!� - John Masterson
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2010
4 people are currently reading
814 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Paul Esham
3Ìýbooks5ÌýfollowersThe author started writing at an early age, penning his first novel before the age of sixteen while hospitalized for a chronic condition. While that book never saw an editor's desk, it started a lifelong dream that stayed with him until "Getting Out of Jersey" hit the market, almost twenty years later.
The author has had various jobs over the years, and has done everything from teaching at the college level, to driving research and development at a large multi-national, winning multiple patent awards. He considers his boys his greatest accomplishment.
The author can trace his love/fear of science fiction horror back to lying in bed across from his brother as a child and listening to the train go down the tracks. His brother would gleefully tell him that the train was shooting alien pods into the neighborhood as it passed. The author would hide under his covers thinking of ways to fight the hordes off, and has never stopped.
The author has had various jobs over the years, and has done everything from teaching at the college level, to driving research and development at a large multi-national, winning multiple patent awards. He considers his boys his greatest accomplishment.
The author can trace his love/fear of science fiction horror back to lying in bed across from his brother as a child and listening to the train go down the tracks. His brother would gleefully tell him that the train was shooting alien pods into the neighborhood as it passed. The author would hide under his covers thinking of ways to fight the hordes off, and has never stopped.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 11, 2011
I love the Mad Max / Day of the Dead type survival stories. I guess there is something in me that likes to be "me" versus the world.
Being a zombie lover, I've bought a few books hoping they would deliver, but unfortunately I was left wanting more. The characters were too thin or one dimensional, or there wasn't well thought out action scenes.
This book delivered on all fronts. The characters were well thought out and multi dimensional and the action was non stop. I just downloaded book 2 can't wait to finish grading papers so I can enjoy it.
If you love zombies, you'll love this series.
Being a zombie lover, I've bought a few books hoping they would deliver, but unfortunately I was left wanting more. The characters were too thin or one dimensional, or there wasn't well thought out action scenes.
This book delivered on all fronts. The characters were well thought out and multi dimensional and the action was non stop. I just downloaded book 2 can't wait to finish grading papers so I can enjoy it.
If you love zombies, you'll love this series.
October 30, 2011
There were a few times I got a little freaked out while reading this, but I take that as a good sign. The storyline is so intense, I really fell for the intense emotion between the two pain characters and their fight to survive.
I really liked the fact that it's not just some virus with hordes of undead chasing them. The plot is really well thought out and the twists and turns kept me reading to the very end.
I really liked the fact that it's not just some virus with hordes of undead chasing them. The plot is really well thought out and the twists and turns kept me reading to the very end.
November 5, 2011
Too often I get hallway through a book and I can pretty much tell you how it is going to end or tell you ten other books I've read that did it better.
I have to say that the vampires, even if they are never called that, are awesome. They are dark and unknown and the take on the genre was fresh and new.
Highly recommended.
I have to say that the vampires, even if they are never called that, are awesome. They are dark and unknown and the take on the genre was fresh and new.
Highly recommended.
February 7, 2012
This is basically your standard doomsday zombie book. It's actually more what I was expecting "World War Z" to be like. There's no "new take" on an old genera here or much that hasn't been done before in some fashion. With that said, what the book does do, it does very well. The story is paced well with good action scenes. The suspense builds throughout the book and pays off at the end like a good zombie tale should. If there is a criticism to make it's that the book could benefit from a good editor to fix the typos and take out some of the cheese and clichés from a few passages. Overall, good enough that I'm rolling right into the next volume in the series.
October 25, 2011
Loved this book. A friend recomended it to me and I couldn't put it down.
Now I owe her lunch.
Now I owe her lunch.
November 29, 2011
I was surprised by how gripping the main characters were and how well written the story was. I liked the way the that as the inner darkness and evil is expelled, the world around Daniel starts to fall apart, but in a strange way it is balanced. Even with everything going bad, Daniel is in a better place after everything falls apart than when he was ignorant of what was lurking in the shadows.
I also liked the fact that its not just a "zombie" novel. The story was really well written, and I could really relate to Daniels struggles as a combat survivor.
Well written, two thumbs up. :-)
I also liked the fact that its not just a "zombie" novel. The story was really well written, and I could really relate to Daniels struggles as a combat survivor.
Well written, two thumbs up. :-)
November 18, 2011
From start to finish this book is full of action. It's well written and has solid characters who you will be rooting for by the end of the book. I love survival/end of the world stories, especially those with zombies/vampires and things that go bump in the night. This book fit the bill perfectly. Loved it!!!
April 26, 2012
A good, solid, undead apacalypse book with a twist.
The author didn't take the usual route for undead - it's not an evil fog or virus causing the zombies but something else.
I liked the fact that there was a good story and a plot behind what was happening and a little bit of the unexpected as well.
The book had a lot of action and interplay between the two main characters. I enjoyed watching them grow together throughout the novel.
Spoiler -
Damn them for killing Mr. Deringer!!!
The author didn't take the usual route for undead - it's not an evil fog or virus causing the zombies but something else.
I liked the fact that there was a good story and a plot behind what was happening and a little bit of the unexpected as well.
The book had a lot of action and interplay between the two main characters. I enjoyed watching them grow together throughout the novel.
Spoiler -
Damn them for killing Mr. Deringer!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2012
Really enjoyed this. It is not your average end of the world survival tale. I love the genre, but a lot of the books I read have the same basic story. Hordes of undead (be it virus or something else) and the main character/party must fight from point A to point B.
This was a refreshing change from that. Well written and with a fresh take on the undead.
This was a refreshing change from that. Well written and with a fresh take on the undead.
November 5, 2011
Great series. I love these books.
Want to read
November 13, 2011Not gonna lie, this has great reviews, but I really just added it cuz of the name. (If I got out than so can you!)
$4.99 on Kindle & Nook
$4.99 on Kindle & Nook
April 12, 2012
Just the things to get my undead junky fix.
August 5, 2012
This was the pleasant surprise of my summer. What an awesome story. I couldn't put it down.
I love end of the world stories and this one was original and well written. The spiral into the end was so well done, and the action just pulls you in.
Thralls = Zombies
Brutes = Massive creatures that don't have much intelligence but are very strong
Grays = The ruling class of undead. They can turn people with a bite, and some of them have special abiltiies.
I won't ruin the ending, but it has a nice twist. I'm looking forward to reading the second book and hope it is as good as the first.
The one comment I had which I took a star off for was that I wished it were twice as long. It was just over 300 pages, and i wished it were more.
I love end of the world stories and this one was original and well written. The spiral into the end was so well done, and the action just pulls you in.
Thralls = Zombies
Brutes = Massive creatures that don't have much intelligence but are very strong
Grays = The ruling class of undead. They can turn people with a bite, and some of them have special abiltiies.
I won't ruin the ending, but it has a nice twist. I'm looking forward to reading the second book and hope it is as good as the first.
The one comment I had which I took a star off for was that I wished it were twice as long. It was just over 300 pages, and i wished it were more.
July 29, 2012
Great thriller. I love the way the two main characters interact and everything unfolds around them.
Daniel has this amazing edge to him, yet he's never lets that take away from his humanity. The way he can be cutting down the undead and still be concerned about Justine is so well written. This is one of those books that I started reading and I picked my head up and I was halfway through the book and it was time to turn the lights out. I ended up reading another twenty or so pages in the can on my iphone the next day. I finished it that friday night.
Well worth it. It's a fresh view of a crowded genre. Looking forward to the next book coming out.
Daniel has this amazing edge to him, yet he's never lets that take away from his humanity. The way he can be cutting down the undead and still be concerned about Justine is so well written. This is one of those books that I started reading and I picked my head up and I was halfway through the book and it was time to turn the lights out. I ended up reading another twenty or so pages in the can on my iphone the next day. I finished it that friday night.
Well worth it. It's a fresh view of a crowded genre. Looking forward to the next book coming out.
April 20, 2012
A great early summer read. This was one of those that crept up on me. I was expecting zombies and gore and got something very different. I found a lot of little gems while reading the book. Everything conclusion isn't spelled out, but it draws a clear picture of the world. I also liked the fact that not once is the word "zombie" used in the book.
The undead are thralls - the slaves. I really enjoyed the interplay between the types of undead and the hints at the backstory. It was just enough to get you thinking without taking over the story.
I especially liked the very lightly offered explanation of religion in the book. It's not explicitly said, but when they came for the artifact at the old man's house they refer to it as a weapon. Which also tied in with the main character's interaction before he was discharged from the marines.
I guess that was one of the reasons I really liked the book. It was an easy read but it had a lot of content and subplots that tied together in the background. If you are a fan of the unead or vampire you will pick up on it ad probably enjoy it a lot more, if not its still got a good story.
Definetly not for the Twi hards. :-)
The undead are thralls - the slaves. I really enjoyed the interplay between the types of undead and the hints at the backstory. It was just enough to get you thinking without taking over the story.
I especially liked the very lightly offered explanation of religion in the book. It's not explicitly said, but when they came for the artifact at the old man's house they refer to it as a weapon. Which also tied in with the main character's interaction before he was discharged from the marines.
I guess that was one of the reasons I really liked the book. It was an easy read but it had a lot of content and subplots that tied together in the background. If you are a fan of the unead or vampire you will pick up on it ad probably enjoy it a lot more, if not its still got a good story.
Definetly not for the Twi hards. :-)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2012
My BF made me promise to read three of "his" books.
This was my favorite. The characters are balanced and OMG - there is a strong female in there!!!
I love Sookie, but she needs to get tougher.
This was my favorite. The characters are balanced and OMG - there is a strong female in there!!!
I love Sookie, but she needs to get tougher.
January 28, 2012
Very excited to have received a notice from goodreads. Anxiously awaiting my copy of the book. Hopefully in time for the winter break coming up! I will update my review of this book asap. THANKS GOODREADS :)
I am not a big reader of suspense / thriller stories and just about quarter of the way in I am hooked. WOW! I will be posting back soon, but so far I am able to get past the suspenseful turns throughout the plot. There is enough information right away in the first few pages to keep me very interested!
I wish that my daily life didn't keep getting in the way of this book. So, here is my excuse why it took me soooo long to read this story..... a month and a half later I'm done. I don't claim to be a lover of scarey movies or books. Although I don't enjoy reading things that are scarey I have just begun to give some unexpected choices a shot and this was one. It took me forever to read this because I woulndn't read it when I normally would. After about a quarter of the way in the plot began to change and I really did not expect anything that happened. The characters and their descriptions were uneventful at times because I really did feel like the descriptions gave me a heads up. The plot really was unpredictable. This story made me really think about odd things....like when a disaster or the unexpected happened. What would I do? Who would I turn to? Seems like the story made me really jumpy and at times I had a hard time following the plot since I became introspective instead of stuck on the plot of the story. I think that I really need to get used to reading stories like this before I am able to describe the story and give tons of specific feedback. For a scaredy cat like me I wasn't too scared and the gore was there, but not too much in my "horror virgin" opinion.
I am not a big reader of suspense / thriller stories and just about quarter of the way in I am hooked. WOW! I will be posting back soon, but so far I am able to get past the suspenseful turns throughout the plot. There is enough information right away in the first few pages to keep me very interested!
I wish that my daily life didn't keep getting in the way of this book. So, here is my excuse why it took me soooo long to read this story..... a month and a half later I'm done. I don't claim to be a lover of scarey movies or books. Although I don't enjoy reading things that are scarey I have just begun to give some unexpected choices a shot and this was one. It took me forever to read this because I woulndn't read it when I normally would. After about a quarter of the way in the plot began to change and I really did not expect anything that happened. The characters and their descriptions were uneventful at times because I really did feel like the descriptions gave me a heads up. The plot really was unpredictable. This story made me really think about odd things....like when a disaster or the unexpected happened. What would I do? Who would I turn to? Seems like the story made me really jumpy and at times I had a hard time following the plot since I became introspective instead of stuck on the plot of the story. I think that I really need to get used to reading stories like this before I am able to describe the story and give tons of specific feedback. For a scaredy cat like me I wasn't too scared and the gore was there, but not too much in my "horror virgin" opinion.
August 3, 2012
**I won this off of Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Giveaways (ARC)**
1/14/12... okay I have had to rethink this through. I decided this book is better than a Meh, but not by much more... looking at my review, i don't think i would change much, except the stars given. I was trying to be nice and fair; but cheated myself. So 1.5 stars it is.
I really think it deserves 2.5 stars; mainly for entertainment value and trying to figure out what is up with the undead. Are they vamps or are they zombies? Or is it a combination of both? Felt like some of The Strain was in this book as the power plant was mentioned, but the ability to be pulled into the story was not the same. No part of this situation warrants romance, budding or otherwise. The last thing I am thinking of in a dangerous situation, is how someone looks with their shirt off. I was army, I know.
The main character, I believe; could have been much more interesting, but they made him out so emotionally handicapped that it ticked me off. If he is an elite soldier, then let him be one. Elite soldiers discharged or not, are ALWAYS elite. A few months out of combat, their training is always there. His emotional and mental instability felt like a lie. There is no way, someone could tap into his deepest emotions so easily.
Another thing that will piss you off, is the editing. Many grammatical mistakes and spelling. If you can put this aside, then read this book. If you like vamps, then this is okay. If you like zombies...meh.
1/14/12... okay I have had to rethink this through. I decided this book is better than a Meh, but not by much more... looking at my review, i don't think i would change much, except the stars given. I was trying to be nice and fair; but cheated myself. So 1.5 stars it is.
The main character, I believe; could have been much more interesting, but they made him out so emotionally handicapped that it ticked me off. If he is an elite soldier, then let him be one. Elite soldiers discharged or not, are ALWAYS elite. A few months out of combat, their training is always there. His emotional and mental instability felt like a lie. There is no way, someone could tap into his deepest emotions so easily.
Another thing that will piss you off, is the editing. Many grammatical mistakes and spelling. If you can put this aside, then read this book. If you like vamps, then this is okay. If you like zombies...meh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2013
OK.
I'm up and down.
1. Zombies invade. But they don't just 'show up' like in most apocalyptic novels/books (involving the undead). There's a foundation of 'something just isn't right in this town' and people disappearing and then : boom.
I like zombie stories, I like 'something just isn't right in this town' stories, so this might be the perfect story for me.
2. Hero (Daniel) and heroine (Justine)? Total can jobs! A PTSD Marine and a troubled teen who is "just too damaged to be goo for anyone, Daniel"?! Their dynamic echo's Bella and Edward's. We all know how amazingly fun -those- books are.
3. It grips. The zombie fights are tense. The zombies are SMART (unlike most instances).
Obviously I gave this 4 stars, so in the end I found it rather good and the 'oh, come ON!' moments were outweighed by the 'James leave me alone, I want to read!' moments. The ending was good. The middle part was good. The beginner was good.
It was like watching a scary cheesy movie. I love them. I don't think they will win Oscars, and I don't think they set out to win Oscars. They set out to provide a good time, and I had it. I'll have it again when I read Living Dead Delaware too.
I'm up and down.
1. Zombies invade. But they don't just 'show up' like in most apocalyptic novels/books (involving the undead). There's a foundation of 'something just isn't right in this town' and people disappearing and then : boom.
I like zombie stories, I like 'something just isn't right in this town' stories, so this might be the perfect story for me.
2. Hero (Daniel) and heroine (Justine)? Total can jobs! A PTSD Marine and a troubled teen who is "just too damaged to be goo for anyone, Daniel"?! Their dynamic echo's Bella and Edward's. We all know how amazingly fun -those- books are.
3. It grips. The zombie fights are tense. The zombies are SMART (unlike most instances).
Obviously I gave this 4 stars, so in the end I found it rather good and the 'oh, come ON!' moments were outweighed by the 'James leave me alone, I want to read!' moments. The ending was good. The middle part was good. The beginner was good.
It was like watching a scary cheesy movie. I love them. I don't think they will win Oscars, and I don't think they set out to win Oscars. They set out to provide a good time, and I had it. I'll have it again when I read Living Dead Delaware too.
August 19, 2012
I'm a huge fan of Tom Clancy and military action thrillers, and pretty much anything with zombies and monsters. This had a nice mix of all of the above. The fight scenes were top notch and very gritty. I could almost smell the rotting meat and gunpowder. Daniel's relationship with his father was actually touching. Especially around the scenes when he is crashing and thinking of killing himself. The slim line between the abyss and life making sense is so fine. There was something very touching and powerful about the way Daniel and Justine connect. The progression of the mentally wounded soldier moving on to find something worth living for, even as the world crumbles around him, pulled me in. It was touching how Daniel found his strength in Justine, only to have that protective urge ultimately returned in a very powerful way. Overall, a very satisfying mix of action thriller mixed with the undead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2011
Really enjoyed this book but there were a few things about it that made it seem like the author didn't do enough research on the subject, specificly spin drift on bullets and the size of sewer pipes. Also he talks about walking, "hand and hand." At least where I live it's hand in hand. I found things like that really distracting from the story. Also, based on the printing and lack of research I couldn't help but wonder if this book was self-published.
Otherwise I really liked the book.
Otherwise I really liked the book.
May 2, 2013
Fun ride!
Want to read
September 14, 2012I received this book for free through Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ First Reads Giveaway.
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