Under a Graveyard Sky by John Ringo

A family of survivors who fight back against a zombie plague that has brought down civilization.Zombies are real. And we made them. Are youprepared for the zombie apocalypse? The Smith family is, with the help of a few marines.

When an airborne “zombie” plague is released, bringing civilization to a grinding halt, the Smith family, Steven, Stacey, Sophia and Faith, take to the Atlantic to avoid the chaos. The plan is to find a safe haven from the anarchy of infected humanity. What they discover, instead, is a sea composed of the tears of survivors and a passion for bringing hope.

For it is up to the Smiths and a small band of Marines to somehow create the refuge that survivors seek in a world of darkness and terror. Now with every continent a holocaust and every ship an abattoir, life is lived beneath a graveyard sky.





Review:

As the XO, I am second in command of this ship Nat and I call our lives.  You’d think that this would mean that once, JUST ONE DAMN TIME, I could get the better half to watch a Zombie movie.  Or show.  Or commercial.  Of even a thinly veiled joke or witty anecdote.  But if it has Zombies, it’s a no go.  So, I have to take matters into my own hands.  No, not that way you perverts. 

To satisfy my urges (ZOMBIE urges, really people.  Really), I tend to devour (giggle) every Zombie movie I can get my hands on. Even the bad ones.  Even the TERRIBLY bad ones.  Oh my.  Here’s where I should provide a little back story.  I love Zombie stories.  I REALLY love Zombie stories.  From sitting on my dad’s couch in the mid 80’s, staying up too late to watch HBO, where I caught my first glimpse of Zombies.  (Should I keep capitalizing Zombies?  Yes, yes I should).  Return of the Living Dead was my first, and similar to my first kiss, it gave me nightmares for months.  However that did not stop me from watching it again, and again, and again, then adding more.  Zombie Master George Romero’s hits, the modern remakes, then my television got involved with The Walking Dead.  Through all of this, can I get someone in the chair next to me?  Under this lovely blanket made for two?  No, just a lonely XO, in the dark, watching his zombie movies. 

Then the birthday fairies got involved, or a family member, giving me a gift card, I don’t remember, really, and I suddenly had $50 to spend on books.  I log into the Interwebs, hole in my pocket and all, and I see a new series from one of my favorite authors, John Ringo.  Already a little giddy from the cover with the obligatory explosions and girls with assault rifles, I click on the link to read more.  “A family of survivors who fight back against a zombie plague that has brought down civilization.”

WHAT?!?!?! OH.MY.YES.PLEASE.

The action is fast, with the Smith family, semi-serious doomsday preppers with brains and guts as opposed to crackpot theories and tinfoil hats, setting their bug-out plan into motion within the first few pages of the book.  Ending up semi-stranded, in the middle of the ocean, not knowing if the boat they’re floating up to will have friendlies, zombies, or just bodies, is not a good way to raise a family.  Unless of course you’re Steve Smith.  And just wait until you meet his kids.  The characters are not warm and fuzzy.  They are no-nonsense, kick some zombie ass, do NOT mess with my family, heavily armed, sort of people, and right now, they are the only shining light on the planet Earth. First order of business is finding survivors, and to do that, they have to board ships, sometime as large as cruise liners, and do a door to door search.  And many of the original folks on that ship are no longer of the ‘non-zombie’ variety.  And there are 4 members of the Smith clan.  And the kids are 13 year old Faith, and 15 year old Sophia.  As they build their flotilla of salvaged ships and ragged survivors, they formulate a plan.  Today, survive and salvage, tomorrow, find people, next week, take back the planet.


XO out...