The Red King (Wyrd Book 1)

I don't normally read zombie fiction but this one was so well done and captivating I couldn't put it down. Nick Cole writes like a master, with a nostalgically noir prose that makes you fall in love with his characters even when they are flawed like Holiday. Can't wait to read the next installment in the Red King.

Nick Cole is kicking off something pretty remarkable with the first book in the Apocalypse Weird series. Several of my favorite authors are collaborating on this series and I am super amped to get to the next book. The Red King was a very smooth read and I finished it quickly. This series shows a ton of promise. Way to kick it off, Mr. Cole. This was a fantastic opener.

Nick Cole is quite simply put, a great writer. The first two chapters feature some incredible prose that really sets the stage for this book. There is some terrifying zombie action and a bit of military fiction thrown in.
Book 1 just barely scratches the surface of what promises to be an exciting series!

Enough flaws that I quit reading it. When the things I know after three decades of military service clash with what someone shoves into a work of fiction, it becomes difficult to give them any benefit of doubt regarding everything else in the story. Now I can cross the author off the list of possibilities and move on.

I was pretty confused the entire time I read this book as to what was actually going on. The first main character - I call him "drunk man", was interesting but I kept waiting for some ray of intelligence to hit him and make sense of what was going on around him. It didn't. The second half of the book was better with this marine type character who was rushing into scary and exciting situations and trying to deliver a super important package somewhere to someone we don't know and we don't know why only to find out he may be stuck with no way out. The title is definately an accurate description. I will need to read the reviews of the later books to see if they continue these stories or start different ones before I decide to continue on this crazy path that makes no sense what-so-ever yet.

The story line was good but the delivery was just okay. The author seems to forget the description and vividness of story telling. Killing was short, non-descriptive, matter of fact, uneventful...bam! shot in the head and it died.

Every so often you’ll read a book and think, “This was written for me. Or at least someone like me, handsome devil.”

The Red King by Nick Cole is just that book. Cole expertly weaves a smart, funny, and fast paced narrative from strands of fabric that include an epic battle between good and evil, an every-man battling his inner demons – and zombies, Special Operators fighting a seemingly un-winnable war, a shadowy Illuminati, time travel, monsters, romance, buried pasts, hippies and – whew, you need to read this book and see for yourself.

At its core, this is a zombie survival story. One of the things I loved about this book was Cole’s ability to deliver all the dread and gruesome suspense of that genre without having to resort to paragraph after paragraph of overly graphic violence-porn. I like to shower after the gym, not after reading a novel.

The Red King makes for a promising start to a unique concept; a group of writers building an interconnected universe. Cole piqued my interest in Apocalypse Weird but may have accidentally made things difficult for his fellow contributors. I’m invested in Holiday and the rest of the Red King’s characters. Here’s hoping the next book in the Apocalypse Weird series throws me a bone about what they’re up to – I’ll be reading it to find out!

(I received an ARC of this book from the Apocalypse Weird website.)

Holiday is an alcoholic and spends several days on a booze and cigarettes bender, completely missing the zombie apocalypse happening outside his condo. By the time he starts to sober up, the only thing on TV is an Emergency Broadcast Warning and evacuation orders from the president. He can hear the gunshots from outside, the unending bleat of a car horn, and the nice looking female jogger he's noticed on a few occasions now has a thirst for blood. As he begins to sober up, he realizes he's one of the very few survivors of this weird apocalypse.

The Red King opens the Apocalypse Weird line of books, which is set to be part of a shared world of various strange apocalyptic tropes written by various authors, beginning here with Nick Cole. It's a solid idea for a new "bookverse" series that promises to deliver everything from zombies (as detailed in this book) to kaiju attacks, mutants, cyborgs, and strange weather phenomena.

All of this makes reviewing a work like The Red King a bit tricky. While I did enjoy the book for the most part, portions of the book are meant to set-up the playing field for other writers and future installments in Cole's WYRD arc. Ultimately, I couldn't help but feel like it was a very incomplete reading experience.

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for a good series read. But, it's becoming a bit of a pet peeve of mine when an entry fails to work well enough as a stand alone. Let me use Lee Child's recent Jack Reacher novels as an illustration. During four books, Child used a overarching narrative of Jack Reacher traveling cross-country to meet up with Susan Turner. It's a hook that connects the individual books, yet each of those four work well enough on their own and the central plot to each novel gets cleaned up sufficiently, yet leaves room to maneuver within this overarching "meet-up" story arc for the next book. Or, if you want to keep things in the zombie genre, check out Jonathan Maberry's Rot and Ruin series, which, again, has an overarching narrative but the conflicts at the core of each individual novel feel like a complete experience, while also saving enough of the connective narrative arch to draw you back for subsequent installments. While I appreciate the sense of scope at play here in Cole's book, certain plot threads feel like missed opportunities that get introduced only to be entirely dropped from the narrative.

For instance, Cole spends a fair amount of time weaving multiple narratives. The book opens and closes with a chess game between The Red King and his Opponent. That works well enough as a book end and could have been a terrific way to tease the next book if there had only been some modicum of closure with the larger issues raised in between. Just as Cole has begun to lay the groundwork of Holiday's survival story, and his developing relationship with his neighbor, Frank, he cuts away to tell the story of a spy under orders to infiltrate what I presume is a domestic terror operation. It's a jarring change in narrative and a bit unexpected, introducing a bit of conspiracy to the zombie epidemic that seems promising at first but fails to congeal or offer any bit of temporary resolution. Another diversion involves the thumping presence of a massive, yet always unseen monster, who upsets the scenes a few times only to disappear entirely from the narrative.

By book's end, I couldn't help but wonder, what was the point of any of that? Obviously those scenes are there simply to connect this book to the work of other authors, but they feel too misplaced, and raise too many unanswered questions while offering nothing in the way of even minor resolution, to feel like necessary detours. If the question is 'why are those scenes in this book' and the answer is 'wait until the next book to find out,' well, I don't feel like that's a sufficient enough answer. It frustrates me when I begin to realize that a particular story exists only to tease the next part of the story, and spends more time setting up future installments rather than focusing on the present details and providing at least the appearance of resolution. Let's get some closure to the weird story threads introduced here, just enough to feel natural and significant, and then blow things wide open again in the next book.

There's my big complaint out of the way. And, thankfully, what is here and what does get resolved works well enough enough to keep me happy. The characters are pretty strong and relateable, and I was rooting for the trio of survivors at the book's core all the way through.

I really liked Cole's depiction of Holiday, giving the man enough of a solid character voice and heroic actions to make him sympathetic, but also giving him a very serious flaw that forces him into one questionable act after another. He's a great flawed protagonist whose inner-demons help drive some of the conflict in the narrative, and whose choices have damaging repercussions. His alcoholism plays an integral role to the narrative, and it gives the book some much needed dimension to help set it apart from other zombie books.

I also really liked the relationship between Holiday, his neighbor Frank, and a female survivor named Ash. They make a fine trio, and there's a terrific sense of camaraderie and a building trust as they rely on one another to survive and work together. I also found the resolution to the relationship side of their story to be particularly strong and necessarily damning. There's a lot of heart in their final scenes together, and it works wonderfully.

The big question then, is, am I willing to check out what else Apocalypse Weird has in store during the coming months, and the answer is a resounding yes. Despite my quibble's with some of the subplot developments occurring in The Red King, it certainly sounds like there are some terrific ideas coming through the pipeline and some very intriguing stories happening within the overarching premise of the Apocalypse Weird universe. I'm more than willing to check out the next installment to see how things shake loose and to see if I can get a better handle on what, exactly, is happening in this lineup of novels. The Red King may not have satisfied me 100 percent, but as an opening gambit to something much larger, it certainly has my attention.

I had "Apocalypse Weird: The Red King" in my kindle collection for quite some time before I eventually got around to reading it, and let me tell you, after reading this (and from what I've heard about the other instalments in the "Weird" collection) this could well be my new favourite series.

Whether it's something to be proud of or not, I instantly took to the character of Holiday. I could relate. The drinking. The desperation as you fish through piles of old cigarette butts, at the tail end of a vodka binge, in an effort to forget the love of your life. I've been there. I think we all have in some shape or form.

Then there's the zombies!! "Rat-people"!! Cole's imaginings of what it would be like to be suddenly stuck in the midst of a zombie apocalypse are so absolutely raw and terrifying that you'd wonder if he'd actually experienced it himself somehow.

The style is so cleverly descriptive and fast paced that you're left wanting more at the end of each and every chapter.

This is how a zombie story SHOULD be written - I could even see it on the big screen. And I, for one, will be reading a lot more of what's to come.

5/5

Nick Cole has thrust readers into a California that will forever be changed. Holiday, a regular guy with a dead-end job and a penchant for booze to bury his pain and doubts is thrust into a desperate situation when he discovers his neighbors have morphed into the unthinkable; all but one, that is. With a mysterious gal named Ash appearing, Holiday and Frank try to fortify their small neighborhood from both a known and unknown threat. Meanwhile, the military and a possible contractor-turned terrorist battle the streets of a scarred Los Angeles to secure a 'package' that yields a deadly payload and four survivors seek escape and sanctuary from an enemy that is both frightening and dead. Not your typical post-apocalyptic, zombie tale. Fun read with a great pace that keeps you turning pages until you realize - wow, I could not put this down. * I received this book as a gift, and it was one I appreciate greatly *

I received an advanced reader copy of the book. I won't summarize the story, I'll just tell you my feelings while I was reading it.
I went into this book knowing nothing about the story other than it was apocalyptic, my favorite genre. I'm not sure it's the kind of book I would have picked for myself as I'm not that into zombie stories but I'm happy I gave this one one a chance. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, a part of the story would change leaving me scratching my head. I'm pretty sure the author structured the story like this on purpose. The story is intense! Action packed with little down time to catch your breath. Three separate character story lines that intersect. I kept turning the pages to see what would happen. On the minus side some of the weird things seem a bit too weird for my liking. I gathered from the bit at the end that there would be multiple books by multiple authors that would somehow all tie an over arching story together. As this is only part one and not a complete story, which leaves lots of unanswered story questions, I only give it 4 stars. I'll keep an eye on this series to see what happens.

A young barista named Holiday works by day but enjoys partying and drinking by night. As he reels from his girlfriend breaking up with him, he decided to drink his sorrows away. Days later, he wakes up to a cataclysmic nightmare. As he struggles to comprehend his new reality, he meets Frank, a Vietnam veteran who is now a cook. He also meets Ash, a beautiful woman who went from killing Nazis in the middle of a crazy battle inside of an ancient German castle to being inexplicably brought halfway around the world to Holiday's bucolic housing development. Together, they team up to figure out how to survive the decimation.

The bulk of the story focuses on Holiday and how his freewheeling style of living and drinking clashes with his now distressing day-to-day existence. After a couple of harrowing adventures and a major screw-up on his part, will he be able to cope with his drinking problem and prove to himself that he can pull his own weight or die trying?

There are other, more subtle forces at work here that hint at a larger storyline. Most notably in the events introducing us to Braddock, a solider trying to make his way through the zombie infested streets of downtown Los Angeles on a mission to acquire a very important suitcase. In a frenetic, breathless sequence, Braddock fights his way through hordes of zombies, government conspiracies and secret agendas. And what does the Tarragon Corporation have to do with all of this?

This story gives the appropriately-named Holiday deep characterization, providing deep insight into his thought process while he travels this strange journey through his new life and how he copes with it. We meet with other interesting characters, suspenseful situations and feel the absolute terror Holiday feels when he gets in over his head. The mysteries unfold at a steady pace and more than a few times I asked myself "what the heck is going on here?" in the madness of this atypical zombie apocalypse.

Amidst all of this chaos, what does this entire apocalypse have to do with the one called The Raggedy Man and The Opponent? Why is there a deadly fog rolling around in the hills? And finally, why is there a big giant monster-sized footprint in the middle of a housing development?

These and plenty of other riveting questions are just begging to be answered.

This is the first novel in a planned franchise, like Star Wars or Star Trek, called Apocalypse Weird, with an ambitious five year plan including a beginning, middle and an end to the overarching storyline. The first wave of four novels following this master plan will be published in Feb. 2015, with many more in the planning stages by some of the best indie authors publishing today. If this first book is any indication, there will be many elements in this shared universe connecting one book to another but still remaining mostly self-contained. It will like a serial in that way, with several authors contributing more than one book to this universe, following the model of any large comic company like Marvel or DC Comics.

This was a highly enjoyable story with a lot of twists and turns. Be prepared for a truly wild ride filled with a bunch of different ways our world will face Armageddon in Apocalypse Weird. :- )

Please note that I was given an Advanced Readers Copy of this eBook. A favorable review was never expected or asked for.

This is the worst kind of "series" books. Apocalypse Weird: The Red King simply does not stand on its own as a book. The book introduces you to several main characters, none of whom gets developed. None of what has happened to the world is explained except for vague hints. A total disappointment, I would not recommend this book to anyone.

I went from confused to enthused to disappointed while reading this one. There was a beginning and something of a middle, and no end. I understand it was written to be a series, but you can't just stop writing when you get tired and call it done.

We've been with the three main characters for several days and hardly know anything about them. Don't they talk, or do they just sit around after a hard day building their castle, eating steaks and staring into space?

Who in hell calls anyone "homeslice"? I'm just going to assume you were trying to play up the fake-gangsta thing that character has going on.

Interesting premise, focused more on people just going about their day during a zombie apocalypse.

My complaint is the use of some terminology, for which I expect better from Mr. Cole, based on his other books I've read. And, yes, they are old complaints, but words matter. They are not clips, which was used constantly. They are magazines. And MP5 is not an assault rifle, it's a subcompact machine gun. It doesn't use a silencer, it uses an integrated suppressor, at least for the SD models. Minor complaints.

Sometimes a book comes along that doesn't know what it wants to be. The author will try to throw in everything, including the kitchen sink, and the end result is a book that tries to do too much, leaving the reader with the feeling that something was missing. A book that makes you think the author tired to hit too many targets at once, with the end result being that he missed all of them.

This is not one of those books!

The Red King is a zombie apocalypse novel - with the touch of an honest to God, Cold War Apocalypse - that, after a night of too many adult beverages, became the baby daddy of a sci-fi thriller that just happens to look just a little bit like that black and white noir flick that was hanging around a week or so ago. In other words...this book kicks ass!

I'm not going to break down the plot of this book because I don't want to come within sneezing distance of any spoilers...that and that between the book description and other reviews, you will have a pretty good idea what you are getting yourself into.

What I will offer is a cliche, but the words could not ring truer. I could not put this book down. My only "for fun" reading time is in the early morning before work, with a cup of coffee in hand and a set amount of minutes I have to read before leaving to take part in the daily grind. Normally, even though it sucks, I am able to begrudgingly put down what I am reading and head off to work. Not this book...I was late twice because of the Red King.

I had heard of Nick Cole from Michael Bunker, the author of Pennsylvania and Wick, but I never actually got around to reading his other works. After reading the Red King, it looks like I have a lot of catching up to do.

Oh..did I mention that this is the introduction to a whole world of goodness coming down the pipe during the very near future? Multiple authors bringing multiple stories together in this Apocalypse Weird universe? This is something that I've always hoped would happen on the big screen, but it looks like we get - not the next best thing - an even better thing!

If you like sci-fi, anything zombie, or just good character doing what good character do, do yourself a favor and snag a copy of this book. Just don't blame me if you lose a little chunk of time that you won't get back. Why would you want to?

What a great, weird read! I got an opportunity to read an ARC of this book and couldn't have been happier to give it a fair and honest review. This is the first time that i have read anything by Nick Cole. I'm glad I did.
Chock full of super smart, funny and quick, bad-assery, this book has something for everyone as long as you like old horror tropes that are thrown at you in the coolest, most unexpected ways.
I'm completely invested in the characters of The Red King, and I look forward to the next book in the Apocalypse Weird series!

I was fortunate to receive an ARC through Michael Bunker's newsletter.
I'm not really a "zombie" kind of person but I found myself thoroughly engrossed in this story. The characters had depth and the intensity of the story had me turning pages as quickly as I could read them. I truly hope there is a follow up so I can see what happens next to this diverse group of people.

This was an exciting read, fast paced, edge-of-your-seat action. I loved the characters--they all had flaws and secrets, but it made them human, easy to relate to. A bit heavy on the exposition at times, but nothing that prevented me from reading on. I enjoyed the story and am looking forward to reading more.