Before the Outbreak

An Original Zombie Thriller (Virus Z, Book 1)

By: K.M. Stewart

Narrated by: Sara Hogan

Virus Z, the series. Before the Outbreak. Book one. A short story.

Emma Johnson is 12 years old. She lives with her aunt and her two cousins, as her parents died when she was two years old. At home, she is treated more like a servant than a member of the family.

She often thinks about her parents, who were both virologists and worked on secret government projects. She wonders what really happened to them. A few theories exist as to the real cause of their disappearance and if they really are dead.

Possessing a keen interest in science, one day she discovers something unusual using the school lab’s microscope. The find startles everyone, especially her science teacher, Mrs. Norris, who tells her to keep the matter a secret for the time being.

Virus Z is an original zombie thriller, unlike any zombie story ever written. In this unique and fascinating adventure, our young protagonist must figure out the mysteries that are beginning to emerge. Agencies around her are hiding secrets upon which hinge the survival of mankind.

Emma must forge alliances and get to the bottom of everything to piece the puzzle together, and time is running out. Amid the chaos that ensues and the colossal challenges that lay ahead, she must act swiftly as the fate of the world rests in her hands.

So scroll up and click the buy button, and follow her in this gripping tale!

©2020 K.M. Stewart (P)2021 K.M. Stewart

I couldn't even finish this

It was the weird narration that made me shut this off. I tried several times to listen to this but the very odd narration was so cringe that I couldn't even listen to it. She talks like every word is said in a curt manner and with an odd tone and. Almost attitude. It was embarrassingly awkward and awful.

Very good start to a Zombie series

This is a very short episode in a series of short episodes, don’t get me wrong, the length is perfect for entertaining yourself when you have to wait for something- Dr’s appointment etc. This first episode provides a really good introduction to Emma and her backstory and current living conditions. To be honest I was hooked on this story once I heard Emma’s dream. No, I won’t be elaborating on that, you need to read or listen to the story to figure out why. Speaking of listening, Sara Hogan does an awesome job of briming this story to life- especially giving each young character an individual voice.

Really good

This is a very intriguing story that is a great beginning to what looks like a great zombie apocalypse series

slow start, wasn't memorable

slow start, wasn't memorable

I just did not get into the story. the story was fine as was the narrator. but as I finished, just not hyped for next in series.

other reviewers loved it so could be just me.

apologies for bland generic review. just no hook for me, bad or good...

Kids entertainment

While the story appears to be aimed at teens, the narration appears to be aimed at preteens. The narrator has a good grasp of inflection but doesn’t appear to have a clue as to when to use it. And near the end of this story the writing and narration come together to make a conversation between a police officer and an FBI agent sound like a playground argument with all the depth and meaning of “Did not!” “Did too!”

Teenagers and Zombies!

Emma is an orphan, living with her Aunt and two cousins. They have nicknamed her "Cinderemma", which is an appropriate description of the way she is treated. Emma's parents (supposedly) died in a car crash when she was 2 years old. But, Emma has dreams that seem very real and point to much more behind her parents' death.

This was a fun short story, told from the perspective of a young teenage girl. Emma is determined to find out if her parents were working on something involving zombies or another nefarious government attempt to use a virus in a bad way.

I think this is a great start to a fun addition to the overcrowded zombie genre. the narrator was perfect for the young snarky/whiny teenage characters and added a lot to my enjoyment of the story. I was given the chance to listen to this audiobook by the narrator/publisher/author through Story Origins and chose to review it.

Intriguing Beginning

I thought that this was a very good beginning to a series. It whets the reader's appetite for further stories. It was, however, a bit short. I appreciated that a potential cause of this zombie outbreak was illustrated. The author captured the maturity level and voice of a teenager well. The narrator does present the actual voice of the main character aptly but tends to be abrupt with the sentences.