He survived the first wave. But the road ahead swarms with corpses hungry for flesh… Fifteen-year-old James remains haunted by what he’s had to do to stay alive. His one glimmer of hope remains the idea of reuniting with his mother and sister. But with the chasers spilling blood at every turn, he fears making it to the safe zone in Portland could be impossible. When a fellow survivor arrives with … fellow survivor arrives with a working vehicle, James persuades him to arm up and take the long journey westward. Hunted by the ravenous undead, they must rely on dubious allies to keep the quest alive. And each step toward safety seems more dangerous and deadly…
Can James survive to find his family on the other side of an infected wasteland?
Survival Road is the second book in a thrilling post-apocalyptic series. If you like three-dimensional characters, relentless zombies, and gritty action, then you’ll love Derek Shupert’s survivalist tale.
Buy Survival Road to tag along on an undead road trip today!
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This is a shorter tale of James’ quest to find his family. He meets new people goes to new places. The trip is filled with highs and lows, hope and devastation. The character development of James is simply wonderful. We watch him go from a normal teen to boy who does what he needs to survive. His relationship with Duke is what everyone wants with their pet. I am glad for the addition of Lucas and then Cassie. They add a different element. While we don’t know their stories they decide to help James look for his family. This has a nice flow and the characters are easy to love or hate. I did listen to this on audio. B.C. Archer did another wonderful job.
“What do I know? I’m just a kid, after all.”
Dead State: Survival Road (Dead State, Book 2) by Derek Shupert and narrated by B.C. Archer is a great second book to the series. Recommend for those who enjoy YA zompoc stories. 4 ½ stars for story and narration.
The story picks up where the first book left off and fairly quickly picks up the pace. James, his dog Duke, and new friend Lucas are making their way to a safe zone where James’s sister and mom are said to be. Only Lucas has heard it’s not safe anymore, but nevertheless, they are off to find them. Along the way, they meet Cassie and Mack, the former a potential love interest. There is of course some chaser action throughout. How would I sum up the book? It’s a combo of zombie apocalypse 101 and life lessons. And James, chasers are twenty points…
So why only 4 ½ stars? While it’s an improvement from the first book, there’s still some unneeded dialogue (stating the obvious/repeats). It’s a good YA zombie book and you should def check it out. I appreciate it’s not all rainbows and sunshine.
The narrator, B.C. Archer, did a good job. Better voices this time around, but occasionally too monotone. I asked my BIL (who’s a YA and doesn’t like audiobooks) what his thoughts were on the narrator- he said he’s was good, hence why I’m writing this.
Overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to the third. I do recommend. A little note to Derek: Please don’t Old Yeller Duke or we’re gonna throwdown 😉
A couple of quotes from the book:
“I have now come full circle to what this world wants me to be.”
“But hey, what do I know? I’m just a kid, after all.”
Parental guidance/trigger warnings: it’s a zompoc so themes related to that- death, killing of zombies.
language used: s x1, damn x7, piss/ed x5, hell x14, bastard x3
“I was given this book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.”
I was so excited to start reading this book because I loved the first one and I was not at all disappointed. I felt right in the story with James and Duke and the horrors that follow them. We meet some new characters and lose some, but I really hope some of them stick around! The ending packs a punch and I feel for James and hope he pulls through in book three. I can’t wait to read more! I would recommend this to older teens and adults.
Dead State: Survival Road is the second book in the Dead State post-apocalyptic survival thriller series.
I voluntarily received and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
Final Rating: 5 Stars
This one was more action paced with plenty of twists and turns. It is amazing what a 15 year old will go through to find his sister. He kills more than I ever would be, but he never kills a good guy, unless he was one that turned. Looking forward to Book 3.