Under a Graveyard Sky (1) (Black Tide Rising) Mass Market Paperback – June 24, 2014

Once again John Ringo proves himself to be the go to author for offbeat, slightly twisted earth based science fiction, or fantasy. Not since the 1954, and the introduction of Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend “ has there been such a fresh, new, gritty approach to the dread “Z” Apocalypse. This novel is so believable, you might think you are standing in for Vincent Price, Charlton Heston, or even Will Smith. Ringo has gone back to the birth of this genre, and does it right. I know that this is not a new book, but, after viewing the three less than great movies made using “I am Legend” plus the less than sparkling “Walking Dead, I shunned this series “like the plague!” I am sorry I did. In this novel, the author takes us on an expedition to the origin of a biological warfare attack, a large hole in the plot of many such post-apocalyptic plots. The science is detailed, and well written. Even as a biology major, many years ago, I can’t fault his descriptions of the man made virus, or its broad dissemination in an unsuspecting population. The meat of this story, however, rests in the masterful characterization the author provides. Ranging from a family of 4star survivalists, who receive an ominous warning text “Alas Babylon” from a friend who is in the know. The meaning is clear: “Run, get clear of civilization, it is coming, and it will end everything you know”. They do, and it does. The amazing thing is that the author makes it really easy to suspend disbelief, because his characters are so real. You actually begin to care about what happens to each of them. Fiction writing at its best. We listen in on discussions in Biowarfare laboratories, we observe the difficulties facing police officers dealing with the street level effects of the attack. We hear them discussing the fact that nobody wants to use the word “Z*****” in connection with the poor unfortunate victims. Actually they discussed the fact that you can’t apprehend them, all you can do is shoot them. The plot continues through the point of view of the teenage daughters of the preppers mentioned, as they work for their uncle’s business, a large bank engaged in . . . No spoilers, OK? There is also the plight of out numbered police officers in zombie NYC. The press of the infected is so great the National Guard has to take over. Oh! Don’t miss the battle of Central Park. Not saying how this one ends, but there is an entirely separate story included as “Book 2”, and there are at least 6 volumes in this series. Don’t miss out on this adventure.

I liked this book A LOT. It is the first book in a four-book series, and after I read this first book - in two sittings - I read the rest of the series in less than a week. I had the classic "book hangover" when I was done, thinking about the story and wishing there were more.There are a lot of Zombie Apocalypse books on the market now, and most of them don't really explain where the zombies came from; if they do, the explanations are sketchy and unrealistic. This book avoids that pitfall, because the origin and nature of the contagious "zombie" illness are described realistically. In fact, the origin of the zombie virus is SO realistic that that part of the book is unsettling and scary!The central characters are a family of four - father, mother, and two daughters - who are what we would now call "preppers." When things start going to pieces they manage to survive in large part because they've been preparing for years. This is much easier to believe than a long chain of unlikely events and good luck. That's why I say that this book will be popular with preppers.John Ringo writes military science fiction, so it's no surprise that the father of the family is a military veteran with above-average training and skills, though I was glad to see that he's not unrealistically gifted to a point bordering on the supernatural (as happens in some other military sci-fi and Z.A. stories). The story predictably includes some significant fighting, and that, too, is largely believable. The only qualm I have is that the younger of the two daughters is the best fighter of all, and nearly 6 feet tall, even though she is only 13 years old. I've actually met 13-year-old girls who were that tall, but there aren't that many of them, and none of the ones I know are such skilled brawlers. That one issue sometimes made it hard to suspend my disbelief. When I could look past that, however, I could - and did - enjoy the story immensely.

After reading Tiger by the Tail I was somewhat hesitant to try a new series by Mr. Ringo but I was very happily surprised by Under a Graveyard Sky. I loved it! It was a wonderful mix of science and conspiracy theory. While most of it was quite believable, a 13 year old female Rambo was a bit much. That said, I had no problem throwing myself (and a couple other family members) into the story. I have book 1 and the next 2 are on pre-order and I can't wait for the next wave of zombies. :D

First part of a four book series, this book is fast-paced, gripping and suspense filled.It reminds alot of the first Posleen War books, with the choice of characters and language. It sets a very very nice stage for the story.BUT: (And this didnt make me distract stars here, since THIS book is brilliant)The series gets weaker with each part. In big steps. So if you want to get into it, read part one&two, but stop there and enjoy what you have.Part three and four will just muddy the waters with rampant US patriotism, unlogical story flaws, boring graphical language and quite unbelievable characters. And instead of actually clearing up some mysteries around the whole apocalypse it just engorges itself on cheap zombie massacre scenes. So while the stage had been set in a non plus ultra way with this book, the sequels do not realize the potential and fall short of the mark.

A well written book as you would expect from John Ringo. Reminds me of Last Centurion. Looking forward to the next instalment.

Good start to what I hope will be a great series. . . . . . . . . .

As always (in my experience) there is a good range of strong diverse characters and the muscle-bound hero is a 13 year old girl.A great, entertaining and easy to read story which is almost believable and speaks to disaster handling from a number of perspectives, how the police, big business and individuals act.