The Orphans

Really strong characters and a great deal of detail make for a very good book. I really hope this author continues to share with us and look forward to his continued evolution as a writer. He spent a lot of time explaining the how's and why's which some zombie fiction writers just totally skip over. I like that kind of detail as long as it doesn't go full on Tom Clancey overboard. You get a lot of book for your money and will not be disappointed.

Whenever I read a horror novel, whatever apocalypse it may be, if I don't feel connected to the character I may never finish the book. This book certainly did not disappoint me! You truly care about the characters and maybe even don't like them. But Mr. Evans talent for writing both connects you to the action -which is non-stop- and makes you care. I am one of Mr Evans newest fans and I cannot wait for sequels to this story!

From the first two pages of The Orphans: Origins, Mike Evans had me hooked. The opening scene is a bunch of teens on a rooftop fighting an exhausting battle against a horde of 'turned'. Two beautifully written lines at the end of the prologue lays the groundwork for what you are about to read.
"Thinking back to how it had all started, he brought out an old journal and pen. It was as simple as standing up for a girl and setting the fate of the world on fire."
What a great intro! You cannot help but want to read more. You need to know what events took place that lead up to this and Evans does not disappoint in this aspect. The world building and back story are astounding! You get to know and fall in love with Shaun and Ellie long before any undead enter the picture. Shaun's unrequited love for Ellie, his unresolved issues with his dad, the bullying at school, every teen angst is covered and so well written. All the characters are written perfectly, right down to their teenage sass attitudes.
When all hell finally does break loose, the action never stops. Evans plays with your emotions as he takes you on a nail biting rollercoaster ride into a nightmare world....and I enjoyed every moment of it. This is the first installment in the series and I will definitely be picking up book two. A well deserved 5 stars.

~ I received a free copy of this audiobook through Audiobook Blast in exchange for an honest review.

I have read A LOT of zombie fiction and it takes quite a bit to impress me - ORPHANS: ORIGINS did just that.

When the audiobook first started I was worried that there would be nothing new in this audiobook and that I would be bored listening to it. My concerns were quickly put to rest as the story began to unfold.

Frank Fox is a man who gave up his prestigious position as an army research doctor to raise his four-year-old son after his wife dies of cancer. Sounds noble right?

Well, twelve years later, his son, Shawn doesn't think so. All Shawn remembers from that time is that his father was not there for Shawn or for his mother. Shawn is angry and feels that his father abandoned them. Shawn was only 4 years old and was left to care for his dying mother alone. You can't blame Shawn for feeling that way. Imagine a tiny four year old left alone to watch his mother (the Center of his life) wither and ultimately die.

Obviously from what I just wrote, you realize that this book has much more depth than just your typical zombie story.

I do not want to give too much of the story away, but I do want say that this book contains one of the most plausible explanations as to the circumstances of how the zombie virus originates that I have ever read. I think future readers will agree.

Not only is there lots of action and some very scary scenes, but it also contains very believable human drama.

The characters are well written and it is easy to visualize the people in the book.

I rate this book as 4.5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and I highly recommend ORPHANS: ORIGINS Book One to all lovers of zombie fiction. It is well written and the narrator does a terrific job and keeps listeners on the edge of their seats.

The half star loss came from me being overly nit picky. There were a couple of pronunciation issues but nothing that was so glaring that it detracts from the story as a whole.

I will be looking forward to listening to the next audiobook in this series. I am very interested to know what happens next with Shawn and his friends.

Amazing new zombie apocalypse series from a phenomenal author! This story begins with great hope. Hope to help the wounded soldiers and even hope to cure cancer. But somehow the "cure" is not really the best thing to get. Granted, it removes injuries and even eradicates cancer....but a follow up of immense rage and the preference for fresh human flesh doesn't help.

Mr. Evans writes an engrossing and brutally graphic tale that kept me reading the whole thing in a day! Luckily for me, there are more books in this series and in this author's repertoire. I'll be diving into the second 'Orphans' book very soon! Well done!

I just finished this series and the action is everything you could want in an apocalyptic zombie thriller. The author got you attached to great characters only to have them ripped apart just when you thought they'd live forever. Great work! I only took a star off for editing, which got worse in the later books (run-on sentences, quotes around the narration, characters referencing themselves in conversations when the context indicates they should be talking about a different character). But, IMO, the storyline, character development, and nonstop action make up for the editing flaws.

Pretty good start to the series, how it all comes about.

Only two complaints are they are not clips, but magazines. Words matter. That's small fry stuff. Second, and more important, taking out one cell tower in Des Moines would not take down all cellular communications in the city and surrounding area. That city is over 80 square miles, and would have tons of towers, not too mention towers for different carriers. Things like this matter in a story.

I really enjoyed how the back story was more than just a quick overview. The setup to the outbreak was beautifully masterminded in a way that made the characters more endearing and believable.

this is NOT a book for those with a weak stomach! there are numerous graphic attack scenes that will probably haunt you forever, so read with caution!

The ending was devastating even though you knew from the beginning it would end like that. hard to believe that you'd need a tissue box at the end if a brutal zombie book, but you'll understand when you get there.

I received this book from the author himself! THANK YOU! I loved it from the very first page to the last. I want more. My heart just broke for the teenagers in this story. I want to just gather them up and hug each one. There are so many things to say, but I don't want to give anything away. It was very visual and I could see in my head the destruction from The Turned with every page. If you are a fan of Zombie books with a good story, then this is a must read.

I've read so many zombie apocalypse books over the last couple months I thought my head would explode from all the bad grammar and misspellings and incomplete thoughts, badly thought out plots, or not thought out at all but, this one was a nice change of pace. Better written, fewer mistakes and much better flow over all. Easy to read and stays on point. Worth a try.

I just started this series and am hooked! This was full of a great deal of back story and details which explain a lot and I assume support upcoming books in the series. I am a big fan of Mike's writing style, it reads very well. Great job! Looking forward to the next one!!

I am an apocalyptic zombie reading fanatic, even dabbling in writing a bit of it myself, and am always looking for new, and exciting, books to devour. I found exactly what I enjoy the most in THE ORPHANS! I was privileged to have been able to read the manuscript several months ago, prior to its publication, and knew it would be a hit! The story will keep you on the edge of your seat, with more twists and turns than a roller coaster, as you follow the characters through this vision of hell! Mike Evans has done an outstanding job, and I could not recommend the book more!

I've read so many zombie apocalypse books over the last couple months I thought my head would explode from all the bad grammar and misspellings and incomplete thoughts, badly thought out plots, or not thought out at all but, this one was a nice change of pace. Better written, fewer mistakes and much better flow over all. Easy to read and stays on point. Worth a try.

I just started this series and am hooked! This was full of a great deal of back story and details which explain a lot and I assume support upcoming books in the series. I am a big fan of Mike's writing style, it reads very well. Great job! Looking forward to the next one!!

I am an apocalyptic zombie reading fanatic, even dabbling in writing a bit of it myself, and am always looking for new, and exciting, books to devour. I found exactly what I enjoy the most in THE ORPHANS! I was privileged to have been able to read the manuscript several months ago, prior to its publication, and knew it would be a hit! The story will keep you on the edge of your seat, with more twists and turns than a roller coaster, as you follow the characters through this vision of hell! Mike Evans has done an outstanding job, and I could not recommend the book more!

This was a really fast moving story with strong and realistic characters. The way the author built tension and the sense of impending disaster was cleverly done and I was always on the edge of my seat wondering, what next? Orphans: Origins volume one, is an excellent opener to I'm sure what will be a brilliant series. I can't wait to read the rest.

I just finished reading The Orphans and all I can say is Wow! That was an amazing book. I couldn't put it down. I love zombie books but this one is different. It takes you from the beginning. I mean literally before it starts so you can see just how it can unravel and spread so easy. It was probably one of the most realistic zombie books I've ever read. It was more than just zombies, it was life and death, family and survival. I know as soon as book 2 comes out I will be the first one to buy it! I'm just sorry it took me so long to get and read it.

Terribly disjointed book. All the time jumps were unnecessary and took you out of the story. You can probably skip the first 75% of the book and still come away with the gist of what is happening. I may give the second book a try as once the story started speeding up it was interesting.

I loved this book the story is engaging and keeps you hanging on to every word. It takes you through a whole range of emotions I finished it within two days. Strongly recommended for anyone who loves Z-Poc.

Fantastic book! I started it on Friday and didn't put it down until I'd finished. Mike Evans has taken from some of the best elements in the genre and successfully combined them into a story that's easy to lose yourself in. My only complaint is that I have to wait until the next book.

the writer really builds the characters so you feel for them from the trials and tribulations of teenagers to new love and old love never forgotten. The story is first rate and believable, its well written and its full of zombies!! I for one just cannot wait for the sequal and if its half as good as the first one its going to be great. You must read it, its grreeaat!!! (and don't forget the zombies)

This series has quickly become one of my favorite series. Great characters, great story line. What more can you ask for? Once I got started, I couldn't stop until I was through all 6 books and looking to see when book 7 was coming out. Read this book!!!! You won't regret it!!!

I started reading this book after reading several of Mr. Evans' other books and so it didn't surprise me when I enjoyed it so much. Definitely a must read if you like the zombie genre. The characters and storyline are amazing.

Most zombie books start out just before or just after the outbreak not giving you too much of a back story and go straight to the zombies. Mike Evans does not do that with this book. He gives plenty of back story for the characters and how the outbreak happened, which is a very realistic possibility of how it could happen, if it ever did. I kept telling myself "this is where it will happen", but was wrong almost everytime! Eventually I was right lol. It definitely wasn't predictable or rushed! You get to know each of the characters and what they are like before the outbreak. Don't worry though, there is plenty of zombie action, and it's great! I'm looking forward to the rest of this series! My only constructive criticism is for the narrator. He was very slow and almost boring at times. This book was highly recommend by a friend so I kept going. I hate speeding up a book, but I found 1.2x speed was a huge improvement for this narrator.