The End Games by T. Michael Martin

The End Games by T. Michael Martin

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Source: Edelweiss

Buy it:

Amazon | B&N | Indiebound

 

It happened on Halloween.

The world ended.

And a dangerous game brought it back to life.

Seventeen-year-old Michael and his five-year-old brother, Patrick, have been battling monsters in The Game for weeks.

In the rural mountains of West Virginia—armed with only their rifle and their love for each other—the brothers follow Instructions from the mysterious Game Master. They spend their days searching for survivors, their nights fighting endless hordes of "Bellows"—creatures that roam the dark, roaring for flesh. And at this Game, Michael and Patrick are very good.

But The Game is changing.

The Bellows are evolving.

The Game Master is leading Michael and Patrick to other survivors—survivors who don't play by the rules.

And the brothers will never be the same.

T. Michael Martin's debut novel is a transcendent thriller filled with electrifying action, searing emotional insight, and unexpected romance.(from HarperTeen)

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You might think to yourself while reading the synopsis that this might be just another same old zombie book, but let me tell you that you are WRONG! The End Games is not your typical zombie novel, it’s much more than that, and also it’s not gory like most of the others.

I was pretty excited to get to read this one since I’m a big fan of The Walking Dead and the season is now over. I was going through some zombie withdrawals and needed a good fix. Fortunately I was given the opportunity to read this one and was immediately sucked in. From the beginning the End Games gives you the feeling--thanks to its main character-- that you’re seeing everything as if you were watching someone play a video games. Michael, the MC is trying to not only survive with his little brother through this apocalyptic world but also cope with everything that is happening and is acting it all out as if it were a game that he and his brother were playing. It’s pretty exhilarating and I seriously found it very hard to put it down. I think the thought of having a little 5 year old running around with his teen brother to survive in a zombie-like creatures infested world made it so nail-biting. The relationship between those two was my favorite thing in this novel. I did not want to see anything happen to both of these kids and it had me at the edge of my seat the whole way through.

I liked that this book didn’t take place years after a zombie apocalypse but just a few days after. The reader is able to see the way life has changed and the toll it has taken on people psychologically. Also the zombie aspect was pretty interesting, they are called Bellows because they repeat everything they hear, like an echo, it was actually a bit hilarious at times and I did laugh several times while reading it. We also get to see them evolve, they don’t just stay the same old boring flesh eating zombies. I thought it was a very entertaining read, and even if you are not a zombie novel type of reader I think anybody would enjoy it. It’s a story about survival and two brothers struggling to stay together and staying sane amongst a world that is going crazy, not just because of zombies but also because of people.

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