The Beginning Of The End (Apocalypse Z Book One) by Manel Loureiro

 

The Beginning Of The End (Apocalypse Z Book One) by Manel Loureiro.

Released 10th November 2012 by Brilliance Audio.

Translated by Pamela Carmel.

Narrated by Nick Podehl.

11 hours and 30 minutes listening time.

From the cover:

The dead rise…

A mysterious incident in Russia, a blip buried in the news - it’s the only warning humanity receives that civilization will soon be destroyed by a single, voracious virus that creates monsters of men.

Humanity falls…

A lawyer, still grieving over the death of his young wife, begins to write as a form of therapy. But he never expected that his anonymous blog and journal would ultimately record humanity’s last days.

The end of the world has begun…

Governments scramble to stop the zombie virus, people panic, so-called Safe Havens are established, the world erupts into chaos; soon it’s every man, woman, and child for themselves. Armed only with makeshift weapons and the will to live, this survivor will give mankind one last chance against…Apocalypse Z.

***********

A mysterious incident in Russia unleashes a deadly virus on the planet. At first news is sketchy, clouded by the desire for governments to keep the truth from causing wide-spread panic. However, in a matter of weeks, it becomes apparent that this pandemic is not only unstoppable, but is rapidly turning people into a frenzied army of the undead with one singular purpose - to infect the rest of humanity.

A young lawyer, living quietly in the north of Spain with his Persian cat, Lucullus, is battling with overwhelming grief after the death of his wife. Trying to make sense of what is happening in the world, he begins an on-line blog, which turns into a journal, charting his battle to survive - in the company of his beloved cat.

In a twist on the apocalypse tale, this is told entirely through the blog/journal entries of the unnamed lawyer protagonist, which makes it perfect to experience as an audio book - particularly given the absolutely brilliant narration by Nick Podehl, which brings such an intensity to the material.

As civilisation falls apart around him, the diary entries of the lawyer take you from the early days of uncertainty as he tries to piece together information, and misinformation, about what the mysterious events in Russia mean for the world as he knows it, all the way through his perilous adventures in the company of his cat, Lucullus - who is quite a character in his own right.  I think it is true to say that given our experience of the last few years, any pandemic tale now brings with it an added dimension of palpable fear, and even though this was written well before Covid-19, parts of this novel feel unsettlingly real.

The fear of spoilers prevents me from revealing too much about what happens, but suffice to say there are plenty of gruesome encounters with undead in various stages of bodily dismemberment, and it is not looking good for the survival of the species as the months go by, nor is it easy to tell if the desperate, dwindling remnants of the uninfected are going to be your friends or your enemies.

Curiously, for all the nightmarish content that comes with any story of this kind, this is not your average zombie tale. Seeing events through the traumatised eyes of the lawyer adds an emotional texture that is lacking in the more gung-ho apocalypse stories. I really enjoyed that he is an ordinary guy that has to find novel ways to stay alive, and protect his furry friend, and his reflections upon the fate of family, friends, and the future of humanity are very poignant. The Spanish setting is incredibly fresh and exciting too, as it makes a nice departure from the well-worn backdrop of North America (it is great if you know the area around Vigo, as it is the focus of the action). 

This kept me gripped all the way through, and the translation by Pamela Carmel flows well from one heart-pounding scene to the next. Having seen the movie adaptation recently, I was looking forward to finding out how different the original book was. Not surprisingly, the book is better on every level, but the movie does a good job of maintaining the feel and direction of this first part of the trilogy, so I recommend a watch if you have not seen it (then read the book, or listen to the gripping audio).

This was so good that I am moving straight on to book two, Dark Days. I cannot wait to find out what happens next!

The Beginning of the End is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. Ebook and audio currently included with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

About the author:

An international bestselling author, Manel Loureiro was born in Pontevedra, Spain, and studied law at Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. After graduation, he worked in television, both on-screen (appearing on Television de Galicia) and behind-the-scenes as a writer. Apocalypse Z, his first novel, began as a popular blog before its publication, eventually becoming a bestseller in several countries, including Spain, Italy, and Brazil. Manel has written three novels in the Apocalypse Z series. He currently resides in Pontevedra, Spain, where, in addition to writing, he is still a practicing lawyer.