Aaron lives in a world where the undead roam the Earth looking for their next meal. The thing is, they don't seem to want anything to do with Aaron. He can walk among them and it's like he isn't even there. Because of his severe lack of trust for people (for good reason), he lives alone in a place most people would never venture into: Baltimore, where thousands of zombies hoard. Then he meets Sam, a girl he becomes attached to and learns to trust completely. She takes him back to Lexington, an old high school that a community of people have been living in, and they try to figure out a way to find hope in a world full of death.

For real: Zombies scare the crap out of me. I haven't figured out why exactly. I mean the logical part of me knows that it could never happen, but reading a zombie book or watching a zombie movie never fails to give me nightmares. Dead Living was no exception.

At first this book totally terrified me. The beginning chapters are a little gory and super fast-paced. But once things settled down, I got really into it. The characters in this book make it what it is. Aaron has been living alone in Baltimore among hoards of the dead, but since they don't seem to notice him, he finds it peaceful. Then he meets Sam and she takes him to the school compound where she's been living. Along the way they form a genuine friendship that I found really sweet.

I thought it was a cool and unique twist to have a character who was immune to the zombies. There's so much that Aaron can do that no one else can! I honestly wish he would've just stayed at the school for the rest of the book, but there was a journey that needed to be made. One of the saddest part of this book was the reality that in times of crisis a lot of people become evil. Of course you have people that are willing to risk their lives to help you, but you have those that will kill you before the zombies can. I hate thinking of humanity like that, but it's the truth.

It was interesting to see how the younger generation in this book didn't know about geography, terrorists, technology, or history much at all. They were just trying to survive in a dangerous world and that's all that mattered. It was the things that we use everyday that they had no clue about. That was a cool thing to read about.

The only thing I didn't love about this book was that we got to hear everyone's thoughts throughout the whole book. I personally like stories better when you don't know what every character is thinking and just hear from one or two's POVs.

Overall: A thrilling zombie book with a unique twist that will have you up late. I completely recommend for anyone who likes zombie books as this one has more going on it than your average one. The characters and their stories are really the basis of the book, but don't get me wrong, it is still nightmare inducing!!

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From the opening gambit this is an entertaining and thrilling story that unfolds to more than just the generic zombie thriller that is so common these days.

I especially enjoyed the unfolding narrative surrounding Aaron and how events didn't just unfold in a straight forward manner even if some of the events weren't entirely unpredictable.

Overall, it was a light and entertaining book, the kind you pick up in the early evening and don't put down until it's finished. ( )

"Dead Living" by Glenn Bullion is one of the rare books in this genre that is a complete story - not one suddenly ending on the edge of a cliff and then forcing readers to purchase the next book(s) in the series. Thank you Mr. Bullion!

First off, I'd like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story...it's fiction and a result of the author's imagination. Isn't the purpose of a book to allow readers to get away from their normal daily grind to take a trip to someplace they've never been...to a life never imagined...witnessing events that are new, exciting or terrifying to readers. Who cares if the gasoline is 23 yrs. old and vehicles are still used, whiskey is found in a nearby home that was surprisingly overlooked for 23 yrs and zombies are still wearing clothes after all this time. It's a story...go with the flow and stop criticizing a book because you found some facts that may be incorrect, typos or poor sentence structure. A book is a form of entertainment and not written for the sole purpose of challenging readers to see how many imperfections they can find. That's not reading!

As for the story itself, the author presents some new twists in this post-apocalypse tome - Aaron was born on the first day of the of the event and learns to be self sufficient by his father and others as they survive in the mountains. The story jumps twice within the first several chapters, the first time, 14 yrs and then again to a period 9 yrs. later - both periods have a profound impact on the main character.. He has a special gift that he doesn't want others to know...he can walk and live among the zombies without being accosted - savaging is as simple as going shopping!. The other twist is that some zombies are deemed "thinkers", who are able to learn and then lead others in battle.

Aaron rescues a girl, Samantha, who is part of a scavenging team; she is in trouble, but not because of zombies - her two fellow team members decide that this is a good time to rape and kill her. She had lived with 60 others in a small community for several years, but doesn't like people and won't do anything to help the community unless she receives payment. The girl is rough and tough, and eventually, Aaron has a big impact upon her and she changes - befriending everyone and volunteering around the community. She, too, was born after the event and doesn't know how life was before the event and doesn't share in the special power that Aaron has. However, they soon learn there are others!.

There are a few scrapes with zombies and bad people (slave traders), but much of the story focuses upon Aaron and "Sam" within the small community - working hard to make life more comfortable. The last third of the book is non-stop action and once you get that far, there's no stopping until you finish the story. Great job Mr. Bullion! ( )

#insixwords: Zombie Fiction that hit the spot.

I truly enjoyed this book, but it took some time to become invested. The beginning of the book is the outbreak, and the world is in chaos as zombies walk and eat their way through the population. We meet Joe, who is at work when the zombies rise. He races to the hospital where his pregnant wife is in the middle of labor! You know hospitals are the very worst place to go when zombies come, right? Log that nugget of info into your brain. It could be useful one day.

Years later, we follow Joe and a small band of survivors as they struggle to survive in a setting pretty much devoid of life. His son Aaron has known nothing but life after zombies, and it was interesting to see the world through his eyes. I also loved the family these strangers had created. It was really beautiful. But as with any zombie novel, tragedy strikes...

The book then shifts 10-15 years into the future. We meet Samantha, who lives in a stronghold at a high school. Samantha stood out to me immediately. She is not friendly and not interested in making friends. She does her part to keep the group alive, and it is quickly evident that Samantha is a BAMF. Her lonely past and rejection of human companionship has turned her cold and apathetic. She keeps to herself, and if you cross her path, you might get dead. I knew Samantha had a wall up around her emotions, not letting people in either because they die on you, or as with any survival situation, turn on you in an instant to save their own ass. She prefers to live life on the edge of society, only contributing to keep the human population alive.

Samantha and Aaron eventually meet up during a very intense supply outing. Samantha finds her ass neck deep in zombies, and Aaron steps in to save the day. This is the beginning of a truly subtle, touching, beautiful and believable romance. I am SO IN LOVE with this couple, both together and separately. The changes that occur in Samantha are so beautiful. She slowly lets down her iron wall and opens up to the possibility of having a friend, a friend who provides her with companionship and honesty. A friend who protects her and makes her smile.

Aaron is different, as you will come to know, and it was interesting how much this set him apart from other humans. His outlook on life is different, his display of emotions are definitely different, and well, he just comes off as way too jubilant for a young man living in Hell on Earth. The people at the settlement immediately adore Aaron, who has breathed new hope into their hearts. After being on his own for many years, it takes time for Aaron to acclimate to being around so many humans. His internal struggles and growth are also so beautiful to witness. He has a wall of his own that slowly crumbles.

Lastly, as expected with any post-apocalyptic setting, you are never sure who is the worst villain: the zombies or the douche bag humans. We get wicked doses of both kind and I honestly think zombies are the lesser of the two evils. Though, the zombies in this book have some tricks up their own maggot-infested sleeves...

Favorite Quote

She was quiet as she watched him move from corpse to corpse. She replayed the scene with Nikki in her mind. Aaron hadn't hesitated to help anyone. In a world full of walking corpses and bad people, even apathetic people like Sam, Aaron tried to be the best person he could be.

The first chapter of this book, focusing on the first day of the zombapocalypse is fast-paced, a little too much so. Although the action drags you in, I didn’t find the writing style to my liking and, to be honest, had a sinking feeling that I wouldn’t enjoy this book. Even after the first flash-forward I was a little bored, and although not tempted to give up, I still wasn’t convinced this book would improve.

However, once I had reached lead-up to Samantha and Aaron meeting each other, things improved out of sight. Suddenly I had to keep reading, and found myself lost in the story….

Aaron is definitely my favourite part of this book and as a character is extremely likable. Sam was also well-drawn and her transformation from an abrasive tough young woman to a valuable member of the survivor community was interesting to see.

Now, I’m not a fan of romance in zombie books – it’s a hard thing to pull off when the world is populated by walking corpses – it tends to distract me from the story itself and often results in eye-rolling of epic proportions and skim reading. This one however is not too bad – sure there are some cheesy lines along the lines of ‘dying for you’ and ‘follow you forever’ – but it also brings some interesting ideas on how people born into an undead world learn about love and relationships.

As Zombie books go, this one has far less blood and gore than most I have read, but don’t let this put you off – the focus is far more on the characters, storyline and survival. The zombie / post-apocalyptic sub-genre was once the domain of a select few writers and readers, but over the past few years there has been a glut of new writers and new books, which makes it difficult to write a stand-out book. However, with Dead Living, Glenn Bullion has given it a damn good try and for me it is a success. ( )