Zone War

Zone War Series, Book 1

De: John Conroe

Narrado por: James Patrick Cronin

A few short years from now, eco-terrorists unleash the worst attack the world has ever seen. Over 25,000 autonomous combat drones are released in Manhattan from the hold of a ship. Hundreds of thousands are dead, and the entire island is evacuated and quarantined in just a few days' time.

Ten years later, Manhattan is still empty of humans, with the exception of the salvage specialists of the most watched reality show in history: Zone War. Produced live and unedited, the show follows five teams of armored vehicle specialists who brave the active drones to recover lost riches and collect bounties on dead ones. Ram it, slam it, grab the goods, and bull your way back out. And don't break down, because no one will be coming to your aid. Armored entry is the way to go.... Unless...

Meet Ajaya "AJ" Gurung, sniper's son, drone technician, and Zone infiltrator. Following his father's footsteps while forging ahead in ways all his own, AJ has the potential to be the most successful recovery specialist of all time. The drones are changing, the rules have been thrown out, and nothing about the Zone is what it seems. Adapt or die.

©2018 John Conroe (P)2019 Tantor

Classic Conroe but Amazingly Better

Zone war takes place in our time. There is a slight difference: over 25,000 autonomous combat drones are released in Manhattan. New Yorkers did notice, since the drones killed the folks and Manhattan is guaranteed off. If I had to provide one sentence for John Conroe's work, it would be "great characters put into fantastic situation taking the reader on a wonderful journey." Zone War delivers that and then some. I am surprised to state this, but I enjoyed Zone War even more then John's Demon Accords series. Maybe because this deals with technology over supernatural. Do not get me wrong, I love the Demon Accords. Over the years John has developed as a writer. With the Zone War, we get to enjoy a fresh start with this superb story teller. I have and will recommend this book to friends and family as an introduction to John's work. While Zone War had a satisfying end, I am cannot wait for the next book in this series so we can continue the adventure together.

Slum-Dog Millionaire meets the Terminator :)

I've read books 1 & 2 in the Zone War series. Books 1's storyline is generally good. I say generally because you really have to have a suspension of disbelief to accept the premise of the story: Manhattan was taken over by 25K drones and they were somehow contained for 10 years. Really, they didn't spread out from NY? Since it's set in the future, and a higher tech level than current times, why did they just leave it in the hands of the robots? Why didn't they just drop EMP bombs and wipe out the robots? Anyway, I tabled that whole premise and continued with the story. The basic storyline throughout the books is good with plenty of action & various surprises that you may not expect.

I do like the characters in the book(s). The Protagonist (AJ) is likeable enough character. His interactions with other characters in the story is good. The one part that's hard to swallow is that he's an expert sniper and no one else can do what he does. Yes, I know the story has reasons for why he's a bad-ass. But most of the other spec. ops characters in the story somehow can't hold a candle to him (even though he's just a kid). I find it hard to believe.

This series sort of strikes me as a young adult novel than it does an adult book. Short on justification for why some things are the way they are or perhaps a simplified version. With a young hero that most of the adults are fawning over to hear his wisdom or praise his amazing abilities. If you can get past those things, then you'll certainly enjoy the books and their storylines.

Glad I tried it!

I enjoyed the Demon Accords but was unsure about a new series by John Conroe. So glad I tried it. Yes, this new series is a like reading the Demon Accords again in a new world. This is heightened by the narrator, who reads the characters like they're the same characters from the Demon Accords.

So don't get this if you don't want to go back into the same characters and similar story again. I enjoyed it but I wanted more and this satisfied me. When's the next one coming?

Good action, simplistic plot

Kind of in the genre of teen boy fiction. Appreciated the much more accurate than usual attention to firearms tech. Fairly good robotics and military fantasy. The characters are cardboard cutouts, but not purely idiots-for-the-purpose-of-moving-the-story. Mildly interesting premise, with comic book level jeopardy. The protagonist is the most cliched possible teenage boy loaner gifted sarcastic awkward but gets the blond girl anyway. Good reader who struggles sometimes with technical pronunciation, but otherwise just fine. Basically a literary potato chip.

Excellent read, unbridled pageturner!

Could not put this down, listened through lunch and dinner. Look forward to book two with great enthusiasm! Also look forward to more Demon Accords books, FANTASTIC author!

I almost forgot the meaning of original.

Good times, the book will suck you in, chew you up and spit you out, and have you coming back for more . Bigups to John conroe !!

BEST STORY IN A LONG WHILE!

I love post apocalyptic stories that are unique and this one fits the bill! I am tired of Zombies and crazy flesh eaters. This one has AI and robotics presented in a believable format.

Go for it!

A New Direction

So I see John Conroe is moving in a different direction from his other series of books. Not bad, still early to tell. I guess I need to check out the next book to see how this progresses. My only fault in the story is how some of the people behave and talk to each other. I think it tends to sound a bit too young, like a teenager wrote the dialogue.

Excellent, needs to be a movie

Loved it, needs to be made into a movie too. Great character, great narration, great story. On to the next one!

Glad I kept listening!!

This book wasn’t holding my attention and I almost stopped listening. But the reviews were so good I just had to hang in there. It was everything and more that I had been expecting. Will be starting the next book as soon as I submit this 5 star review.