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Dead #5
Siege & Survival
The first winter has come, and with it, new problems. No longer are the zombies the biggest threat to survival. With the global infrastructure gone, people are forced to do whatever it takes to survive...even the unthinkable. Steve faces his toughest decision yet as he tries to lead his people through one nightmare after another. Kevin risks everything to save one girl and finds himself in the middle of a military fight for power. Juan fights his way home, but soon finds himself leaving the island...at the worst time possible. Two women set out for London...but one has a secret that she is keeping under wraps. One man seeks to be a god as a new exodus occurs in Egypt. A soldier abandons his post, but can he escape his duty? The darkest days have come now that winter has most of the world in its clutches.
334 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2012
About the author
T.W. Brown
96 books294 followersTucked away in the Pacific Northwest with my wife Denise, a Border Collie named Aoife, a guitar collection, and an increasing number of aquariums sporting a variety of fish (cichlids are my new favorites), I live for football season when I can cheer on the Oregon Ducks and be disappointed by my Seattle Seahawks once again. I am a fan of Cookie Monster, KISS, and Dr. Who (along with most things British).
As a person who always dreamed of writing as well as one completely enthralled by all things zombie, it is hard to believe that I never once considered writing in the genre. It is true. I wanted to be more “mainstream”. The first novel I actually wrote is titled Dakota (as Todd Brown). It is about a pair of DEA types tossed back in time to just prior to the start of the Civil War. They are in Charleston, South Carolina, and one of them is an African-American.
The zombie thing really started when I wrote a short for a college Creative Writing class. The teacher, Ms. Bose, pulled me up and told me I had an obvious love for the subject and a real talent for the style. I decided to give it a shot.
The first thing I cobbled together was Zomblog. I wrote it as a warm up for the project I had brewing in the back of my mind. It is a journal account of the apocalypse. The funny thing is that it was never intended to be published. A few things happened and it ended up being presented to me as a gift in book format by my wife for a Christmas present. There was something I will never forget about holding the copy of that book in my hand the first time.
Because it gained a readership, and those readers asked for more, I made it a trilogy (Zomblog, Zomblog II, and Zomblog: The Final Entry). It is also because of those fans that I have returned to the Zomblog universe and just released the sixth (and FINAL) book in the series on Halloween of 2013: Zomblog: Snoe's Journey. I freely admit that I will sellout my plans to write what the fans ask for.
I really want my DEAD series to be what I am known for, and in the last year, it has really taken off. However, I will say that with the release of the fourth book in the DEAD series (DEAD: Winter), the numbers started to pick up beyond my wildest dreams.
The DEAD series (DEAD: The Ugly Beginning, DEAD: Revelations, and DEAD: Fortunes & Failures, DEAD: Winter, DEAD: Siege & Survival, DEAD: Confrontation, DEAD: Reborn) is scheduled to be a 12 part epic series.
It is told in three rotating chapters. One is from the first person perspective of Steve Hobart, a man thrust into the role of leader for a group of survivors struggling to keep alive. One chapter follows a group of four self-professed zombie “geeks” who initially believe that the zombie apocalypse would be fun and soon discover that it is nothing like the movies. The third of the rotating chapters is called “Vignettes” and is a series of snapshots from all around the world. Some of the vignettes are single chapter episodes, others are continuing threads that carry on for several chapters. A few are merged into the Steve story or the Geek story line.
Last year,I began my horror/comedy series, "That Ghoul Ava" and have found it to be my new guilty pleasure.
My blog can be found at:
http://twbrown.blogspot.com/
You can contact him at:
twbrown.maydecpub@gmail.com
You can follow him on twitter @maydecpub and on Facebook under Todd Brown, Author TW Brown, and also under May December Publications.
Book Links:
DEAD
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-The-Ugly-B...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Revelation...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Fortunes-F...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Winter-ebo...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Winter-TW-...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Siege-Surv...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Confrontat...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Reborn-TW-...
As a person who always dreamed of writing as well as one completely enthralled by all things zombie, it is hard to believe that I never once considered writing in the genre. It is true. I wanted to be more “mainstream”. The first novel I actually wrote is titled Dakota (as Todd Brown). It is about a pair of DEA types tossed back in time to just prior to the start of the Civil War. They are in Charleston, South Carolina, and one of them is an African-American.
The zombie thing really started when I wrote a short for a college Creative Writing class. The teacher, Ms. Bose, pulled me up and told me I had an obvious love for the subject and a real talent for the style. I decided to give it a shot.
The first thing I cobbled together was Zomblog. I wrote it as a warm up for the project I had brewing in the back of my mind. It is a journal account of the apocalypse. The funny thing is that it was never intended to be published. A few things happened and it ended up being presented to me as a gift in book format by my wife for a Christmas present. There was something I will never forget about holding the copy of that book in my hand the first time.
Because it gained a readership, and those readers asked for more, I made it a trilogy (Zomblog, Zomblog II, and Zomblog: The Final Entry). It is also because of those fans that I have returned to the Zomblog universe and just released the sixth (and FINAL) book in the series on Halloween of 2013: Zomblog: Snoe's Journey. I freely admit that I will sellout my plans to write what the fans ask for.
I really want my DEAD series to be what I am known for, and in the last year, it has really taken off. However, I will say that with the release of the fourth book in the DEAD series (DEAD: Winter), the numbers started to pick up beyond my wildest dreams.
The DEAD series (DEAD: The Ugly Beginning, DEAD: Revelations, and DEAD: Fortunes & Failures, DEAD: Winter, DEAD: Siege & Survival, DEAD: Confrontation, DEAD: Reborn) is scheduled to be a 12 part epic series.
It is told in three rotating chapters. One is from the first person perspective of Steve Hobart, a man thrust into the role of leader for a group of survivors struggling to keep alive. One chapter follows a group of four self-professed zombie “geeks” who initially believe that the zombie apocalypse would be fun and soon discover that it is nothing like the movies. The third of the rotating chapters is called “Vignettes” and is a series of snapshots from all around the world. Some of the vignettes are single chapter episodes, others are continuing threads that carry on for several chapters. A few are merged into the Steve story or the Geek story line.
Last year,I began my horror/comedy series, "That Ghoul Ava" and have found it to be my new guilty pleasure.
My blog can be found at:
http://twbrown.blogspot.com/
You can contact him at:
twbrown.maydecpub@gmail.com
You can follow him on twitter @maydecpub and on Facebook under Todd Brown, Author TW Brown, and also under May December Publications.
Book Links:
DEAD
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-The-Ugly-B...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Revelation...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Fortunes-F...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Winter-ebo...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Winter-TW-...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Siege-Surv...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Confrontat...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Reborn-TW-...
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 24, 2018
Man this episodic installment in the Dead series has a couple of heart-wrenching chapters in the middle there that made it a bit difficult to read through the tears.
I meant to say this before, in a review I have yet to write for book 2 :P, this author can write. Nothing groundbreaking in the scenarios or difficulties faced by survivors but his ability to write characters that we care about makes everything seem... fresh. Maybe fresh isn't the right word, let's try dire. There is no "been-there-done-that" feeling when our survivors are fighting off zombies or raiders - I feel the tension.
Two issues I have with this story - Steve is riding my last nerve like a cowboy breaking a bronco to saddle with his "this is my fault" mantra. Give it a rest. Aaaannnnd, I did not get that ending at all. I understand it, I just don't know if I like or dislike it. I hope I am making sense :)
NB The term survivors is used to loosely describe the groups of rotating members because in this series, main characters die. I know I'm not making sense now :) In my defense, I've been up for 24+ hrs... and I'm starting to see zombies.
My heart belongs to Thalia :)
I meant to say this before, in a review I have yet to write for book 2 :P, this author can write. Nothing groundbreaking in the scenarios or difficulties faced by survivors but his ability to write characters that we care about makes everything seem... fresh. Maybe fresh isn't the right word, let's try dire. There is no "been-there-done-that" feeling when our survivors are fighting off zombies or raiders - I feel the tension.
Two issues I have with this story - Steve is riding my last nerve like a cowboy breaking a bronco to saddle with his "this is my fault" mantra. Give it a rest. Aaaannnnd, I did not get that ending at all. I understand it, I just don't know if I like or dislike it. I hope I am making sense :)
NB The term survivors is used to loosely describe the groups of rotating members because in this series, main characters die. I know I'm not making sense now :) In my defense, I've been up for 24+ hrs... and I'm starting to see zombies.
My heart belongs to Thalia :)
May 14, 2013
Ok let me start by saying I am loving this series! Mr. Brown has captivated me with these lives of the living and the dead. The first four books had me heart broken, surprised by out comes, and riveted for the next story! Apparently we need to expect the unexpected with this author. Which is a refreshing change. I have been appalled at the unfortunate but what could very possibly be a very true outlook on what we as humans are more or should I say less than capable of doing.
What I am truly seeing in these books is a very real scenario of what could happen with humanity and the way we think and feel. You are put in these very real situations and are left thinking what if?.....
Again Mr. Brown has gone above and beyond. I can't even begin to say which of these books is my favorite. I can't even say they get better and better because they have all been excellent. I can not wait for the next book!
What I am truly seeing in these books is a very real scenario of what could happen with humanity and the way we think and feel. You are put in these very real situations and are left thinking what if?.....
Again Mr. Brown has gone above and beyond. I can't even begin to say which of these books is my favorite. I can't even say they get better and better because they have all been excellent. I can not wait for the next book!
December 30, 2012
Well, what do I say here? I am completely sad and heartbroken about the last chapter. Mr. Brown has definitely written a series that in my opinion is one of the best I have read. The world he has created is realistic and I find myself asking what would I do if faced with the problems and situations that Steve, Kevin, Juan, Jody and the rest are faced with. I'm very much enjoying the story of Vix. I can't wait to see what is in store for her and Gemma. It's nice to see a woman as a "hero." Between Mackenzie and Emily and even Shari I had some pretty heavy emotions. I simply can't wait til may for the next book. I found myself not wanting to finish this because I was scared of the outcomes for some of our characters. But as I have stated in one of my other reviews, you find that no one is safe in Mr Brown's world.
October 9, 2015
great read great series.
August 10, 2015
ABR's original Siege & Survival audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
First thoughts about the cover of Dead Siege & Survival by TW Brown? Zombies children! The zombie children are creepy and very eerie. I absolutely love the feel and flavor of both innocence and horror they portray. The shot up vehicles in the background and the random shambling zombies give the over all flow an even creepier vibe.
There seems to be a few main characters in this story. They alternate every third chapter. My favorite is Vix Kirkpatrick in this story. I love that she’s sassy and not afraid to say what she’s thinking. It’s also a plus that this ‘character’ has read lots of zombie stories so she is ahead of the game on staying alive.
I greatly enjoy this author and this series. This books would be a little hard to get into the storyline if you picked this book up without reading the other four first though. Not that it couldn’t stand alone, it could. But there is so much back story already filled in with the first four that the reader would loose if he/she didn’t read the others before this one. An example being Steve’s story and how he became the leader of his group. Or Kevin and how he came to be out on a run for medications during the winter when his camp/group was overtaken by Wanda Bears.
The Narrator is Andrew McFerrin. This is one of my favorite narrators. I absolutely love the way he reads a story. His accents for different characters definitely have their own accents and they do not blend together. That’s always a plus when you’re getting into a story. This book is Dead: Siege & Survival from the Dead Series, Book 5 by TW Brown. The length of this story is twelve hours and fifty minutes.
Warning – This story does have some gory and bloody scenes. Would not recommend for anyone under the age of sixteen.
This story left me wondering about the lengths people will go for family and friends. How much loyalty can be bought or be taken by brute force? Is that actual loyalty, or is it greed and fear? At what point do people stop caring about what they can get from a situation, about the consequences from their actions, if they stop being ‘loyal’ to those that bought their loyalty by hook or crook?
Audiobook provided for review by the production company.
First thoughts about the cover of Dead Siege & Survival by TW Brown? Zombies children! The zombie children are creepy and very eerie. I absolutely love the feel and flavor of both innocence and horror they portray. The shot up vehicles in the background and the random shambling zombies give the over all flow an even creepier vibe.
There seems to be a few main characters in this story. They alternate every third chapter. My favorite is Vix Kirkpatrick in this story. I love that she’s sassy and not afraid to say what she’s thinking. It’s also a plus that this ‘character’ has read lots of zombie stories so she is ahead of the game on staying alive.
I greatly enjoy this author and this series. This books would be a little hard to get into the storyline if you picked this book up without reading the other four first though. Not that it couldn’t stand alone, it could. But there is so much back story already filled in with the first four that the reader would loose if he/she didn’t read the others before this one. An example being Steve’s story and how he became the leader of his group. Or Kevin and how he came to be out on a run for medications during the winter when his camp/group was overtaken by Wanda Bears.
The Narrator is Andrew McFerrin. This is one of my favorite narrators. I absolutely love the way he reads a story. His accents for different characters definitely have their own accents and they do not blend together. That’s always a plus when you’re getting into a story. This book is Dead: Siege & Survival from the Dead Series, Book 5 by TW Brown. The length of this story is twelve hours and fifty minutes.
Warning – This story does have some gory and bloody scenes. Would not recommend for anyone under the age of sixteen.
This story left me wondering about the lengths people will go for family and friends. How much loyalty can be bought or be taken by brute force? Is that actual loyalty, or is it greed and fear? At what point do people stop caring about what they can get from a situation, about the consequences from their actions, if they stop being ‘loyal’ to those that bought their loyalty by hook or crook?
Audiobook provided for review by the production company.
January 3, 2013
I had waited for this book so long and was so happy to see it finally that I bought it. If you have started reading the "Dead" series, keep it in the order it was written, or else you will get pretty confused.I loved the book, because it is all about the people you meet, not so much about the zombies.
SPOILER....SPOILER....SPOILER....SPOILER....SPOILER....SPOILER....SPOILER...
=====Spoiler alert! Do not read if you do not want to know who dies!====
I was heartbroken that Emily will not make it, but of course the group could not have had a "safe honeymoon" time up in the mountains. I am still curious where the Egyptian story line will lead, and I am not unhappy that "Slider" had to go. Overall, I liked this installment a lot again. What is going to happen in London? And will Kevin and his crew hook up with the group that Willa was a part of?
And again, I have to wait till the next installment comes out. I know one of the author's inspirations has been Stephen King, so I guess the only thing I wish for is that the next installment will be a Stephen King like 500 pages book! *lol*
SPOILER....SPOILER....SPOILER....SPOILER....SPOILER....SPOILER....SPOILER...
=====Spoiler alert! Do not read if you do not want to know who dies!====
I was heartbroken that Emily will not make it, but of course the group could not have had a "safe honeymoon" time up in the mountains. I am still curious where the Egyptian story line will lead, and I am not unhappy that "Slider" had to go. Overall, I liked this installment a lot again. What is going to happen in London? And will Kevin and his crew hook up with the group that Willa was a part of?
And again, I have to wait till the next installment comes out. I know one of the author's inspirations has been Stephen King, so I guess the only thing I wish for is that the next installment will be a Stephen King like 500 pages book! *lol*
January 30, 2013
I have very much enjoyed reading this series. It is very well written and I love most of the characters. The story is great and really makes you think. I have read in other reviews that no one is safe in this book series but I really hope that Brown slows down on killing off the main characters. There comes a point that the risk isn't worth the gain. Or at least that's my opinion.
September 15, 2023
I am enjoying the series, perhaps more so because it is narrated well in audiobook form and I'm consuming the book at 2.5x speed. Since I'm not reading, and therefore not pouring over pages and seeing the writing, the story flows and is enjoyable.
December 28, 2012
I cried. These story's are written so well. It's impossible to not become engrossed in each characters life. I really loved this one and can hardly wait for the next.
January 9, 2013
excellent. It's like I never left these characters. I hope this series goes on indefinitely.
December 31, 2019
This one took me a little longer to finsh (because of the holiday season), but don't let that deter you from this book. It really was good. With that being said, can we address Steve's emotional breakdown EVERY.OTHER.CHAPTER??!!
Here we go again...………. there is NO possible way for he could plan for every possible scenario that may happen. I do not understand why he goes into a rant every time something new and different is presented to him. As a vet myself, even the most seasoned commander in the Military cannot plan for every possible contingency! What makes Steve ( a basic business man) think that HE should be able to??? He has zero real world experience, and constantly gripes and questions why he was made leader, but at the same time, wants to be in charge of everything. And don't get me started on his whining about not being a good parent. Sir, you have zero childcare experience, how are you suddenly supposed to be the worlds "greatest Dad", when you were thrown into that position at the end of the world????? Sigh. I hope in the next book (of course I will continue reading ;)) he will find his strength/courage and man up to the challenges that are thrown at him!
*Steps down off soapbox
Uh, I am enjoying the scenes with the guys in Egypt. It brings a refreshing twist on other cultures, and their experience with the "New world". Though the leader seems to have more delusions of grandeur than most. Sheesh. I saw the twist at then end coming, and can't wait until the FULL event has unfolded.
Lastly, but certainly not least, the people that Steve's group rescued. OMG!!!!! That is something TWD didn't prepare me for. Wow, just WOW!!!
Glad to hear the new book is going to look more into the anomalies that the children show.
Here we go again...………. there is NO possible way for he could plan for every possible scenario that may happen. I do not understand why he goes into a rant every time something new and different is presented to him. As a vet myself, even the most seasoned commander in the Military cannot plan for every possible contingency! What makes Steve ( a basic business man) think that HE should be able to??? He has zero real world experience, and constantly gripes and questions why he was made leader, but at the same time, wants to be in charge of everything. And don't get me started on his whining about not being a good parent. Sir, you have zero childcare experience, how are you suddenly supposed to be the worlds "greatest Dad", when you were thrown into that position at the end of the world????? Sigh. I hope in the next book (of course I will continue reading ;)) he will find his strength/courage and man up to the challenges that are thrown at him!
*Steps down off soapbox
Uh, I am enjoying the scenes with the guys in Egypt. It brings a refreshing twist on other cultures, and their experience with the "New world". Though the leader seems to have more delusions of grandeur than most. Sheesh. I saw the twist at then end coming, and can't wait until the FULL event has unfolded.
Lastly, but certainly not least, the people that Steve's group rescued. OMG!!!!! That is something TWD didn't prepare me for. Wow, just WOW!!!
Glad to hear the new book is going to look more into the anomalies that the children show.
July 11, 2020
The series is still enjoyable, but it started to slow down a bit. Not much is happening in this book and I feel like they could have done more with the group that was self-cannibalising. That was the "big thing" of the book, but it didn't felt like it mattered that much.
Also, Emily's death did affect Steve a lot, but I never felt that she was as important as Thalia or that she had much character development. So, I haven't really felt as she was as big of a loss as Theresa for example.
Also, Emily's death did affect Steve a lot, but I never felt that she was as important as Thalia or that she had much character development. So, I haven't really felt as she was as big of a loss as Theresa for example.
April 21, 2019
T W Brown's Dead:Siege & Survival is the fifth book in a series about a zombie apocalypse and different perspectives of it. It continues in same style as the other books by giving the reader multiple perspectives of the going ons. I was feeling pretty emotional during this book. I'm still addicted and cant wait to read next installment.
May 22, 2020
The series has become stale at this point. The first couple of books gave me the impression that the author wanted to create a gruesome and realistic zombie universe, but the series has slipped into the same realm of over used tropes and underdeveloped characters that so many other zombie stories have delved into before.
April 8, 2018
Gonna miss some of the friends
June 27, 2021
Still a good series and Zombie book.
January 17, 2020
I don't know what it is... The writing or the narrator... But the feelings I have while listening to this series. 😥
This one broke me at the end.
This one broke me at the end.
July 21, 2015
This was my lowest rated book so far in this series. Why? Because one of the things I enjoyed most about the series is that people (ok the 'good people' at least) made rational, reasonable decisions. That trend has been significantly abandoned. Worse yet it feels forced, like it has been done to simply generate the drama and challenges the bad decisions create.
It's still an interesting read and doesn't fall into simple silliness but it could have been much better. I hope the next book elevates itself back to the prior levels.
It's still an interesting read and doesn't fall into simple silliness but it could have been much better. I hope the next book elevates itself back to the prior levels.
December 23, 2016
Wow. I read this in March 2013 and just finished with the audio version. Even though it wasn't new to me, this book still had a powerful impact and I'm still processing all the emotions Mr. Brown wrung out of me. This is such a great series. The stories and characters are so realistic that I can't help crying at times over the loss of some characters, yet still rooting for others to overcome and survive in a world where zombies are not the only threat.
February 11, 2015
Boring Kevin. Check.
Disturbing cannibals. Check.
Annoying Pharaoh. Check.
Cool characters getting killed. Check.
Useless Juan. Check.
Random military people. Check.
This book is one huge boring mess.
Disturbing cannibals. Check.
Annoying Pharaoh. Check.
Cool characters getting killed. Check.
Useless Juan. Check.
Random military people. Check.
This book is one huge boring mess.
Read
September 30, 2014No review. I am the author and I am simply going over the material in preparation for the Perspectives, Geeks, and Vignettes Special Edition Vol. 2 set.
August 11, 2013
Addicted!
Read
December 22, 2013Awesome
another great story! it's has great characters that draw you in every time that makes u root for the best people and humanilty
another great story! it's has great characters that draw you in every time that makes u root for the best people and humanilty
March 24, 2014
Still a good series
The weak have no place in this new world. Unless you consider the buffet. There is no mercy on the fallen except for a quick death.
The weak have no place in this new world. Unless you consider the buffet. There is no mercy on the fallen except for a quick death.
December 2, 2014
Really enjoying this series and enjoyed this book! I recommend reading them in order
February 10, 2015
As always "Dead: Siege & Survival" was even better than the books before it. I can't wait to start the next one!
May 20, 2013
it was a great book and I cant wait until the 30th of may so I can start the 6th book
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews