Ferocious

By: Jeff Strand

Narrated by: Scott Thomas

From the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Haunted Forest Tour and Wolf Hunt comes another action-packed over-the-top creature feature!

Rusty Moss has raised his niece Mia since she was a baby. Now that she's almost 18, he's worried that the life he's given her - living off the grid in a cabin deep in the woods - is holding her back from her full potential. But that angst gets pushed aside when the undead forest animals arrive.

At first it's just a squirrel - shockingly violent and almost impossible to kill. Followed by a grizzly bear, also aggressive and resilient, even when point-blank shotgun blasts to the face are involved.

Now the cabin is surrounded by all manner of zombie creatures. Rusty and Mia have no way to call for help. The truck that could take them to safety is three miles away, stuck in the mud.

But Rusty and Mia have their courage. They have their wits. And, most importantly, they have an ax and a fully fueled chainsaw...

©2019 Jeff Strand (P)2019 Jeff Strand

great b movie horror fest

I love Jeff Strand, so it's difficult for me to not like one of his books. This is a great, fun read. Twist on the zombie story and great fun. If you are looking for something long and dull like a Nicholas Sparks novel - keep looking. If you're looking for something that's like drinking a cold chocolate milkshake on a hot day - this is for you.

I requested this copy of the audiobook and have voluntarily left this review

Christmas Vacation Squirrel becomes undead

Squirrel! Normally not a terrifying word to scream out, but this is the day the squirrel went berserk in the old wood cabin the end of the world started. You basically have an isolationist misanthrope forced to raise his niece out in the middle of nowhere when undead animals start going crazy and forcing the two to try to survive. Odd how funny the book can be at times considering the topic, but it is.

I loved the work Thomas did on this, some great voices and he flips from funny to fearful faster than Ash in Evil Dead.

Loooooooved this book. Do a puma check before reading.

Fun, but don't expect it to be too serious

This was a fun story that I really enjoyed. The main characters and their love for each other make this a surprisingly heartwarming tale of zombie animals. Don't go into it expecting a serious and terrifying novel. It's just a quick fun trip through a zombified version of the Hundred Acre Wood. It's not perfect, but it is entertaining.

Rusty vs. Evil Dead... Animals.

Let me begin this review by saying I received a promo code for a free copy and I am leaving an honestly review at my own choice.

This was a fun little read, not very long but I enjoyed ever bit of it. It was an interesting concept. My only gripe was Rusty and his neice seemed to take on way too much and escaped seemingly impossible odds. But that doesn't make this a bad book by any means. I do recommend this book for a fun undead animal experience! Reminds my of Ash vs. Evil Dead with the use of the chainsaw. Love it!

never-ending gauntlet of zombie fauna

Well, the author certainly does have a warped sense of humour.

I enjoyed this campy horror story and wished that he had written it years ago when my son was Mia's age. I used to read out loud to him and I think we could have had a very good time with this story. There are two main (but minor) reasons why I didn't give this story a full 5-star rating.

First, I had a hard time pinning down Uncle Rusty's personality - Introverted mountain man? Warm and humorous family man? Low-key Marlborough man? Thin-haired Clint Eastwood? So, for example, when (SPOILER ALERT!) he slipped and fell on a decapitated wolf's head and caught his arse on fire (END SPOILER ALERT!), I wasn't quite sure how to picture his behaviour and reaction in my mind. I wasn't sure how 'in-character' his actions and reactions were. Similarly, Mia had a very mature temperament, considering everything she went through. She kept herself frosty for pretty much the entire story. I hope she doesn't waste that skill when she grows up - she'd be a good hostage negotiator or bomb disposal expert.

My second minor issue was the never-ending gauntlet of woodland creatures that this pair encountered. Given their injuries and the number of their encounters, I can't understand where they found the energy and focus to use their weapons or come up with plans. That's part of the humour of the story, I suspect, but Rusty and Mia seemed to be as freakishly indestructible as the creatures they were fighting.

Other than these two distractions, I have no complaints and think that the story was structured well, with a good ending.

Scott Thomas was an excellent choice to narrate this particular story. I increased the playback speed slightly (to 1.25x) and found that pace to be the right speed for the action that was taking place in the story. He struck a great balance between disbelief, seriousness, and warmth. I'd recommend him without hesitation.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Another winner

I’ve read most of Jeff Strands work, and he has two distinctive styles. Funny and serious with some funny stuff. Ferocious is one of the funny ones. Recommended.

Zombie Forest Animals

After reading this book, I am glad to live in the suburbs so when the Animal Zombie Apocalypse occurs I will mostly deal with small animals.

Zombie Bear…. Need I say more?

This follows a man and his niece as they fight off ferocious (see what I did there) zombie animals.

Highly recommend!

If You Give A Carpenter a Chainsaw...

A ridiculous plot is cheesy fun with likeable capable characters. Told tongue in cheek enough it's a game dark comedy with Evil Dead vibes. Part of the humor of being specifically bloodless is an amusing example of the knowing wink we get with Ferocious. The lead feels like a grudf but wholesome guy and his world view feels optimistic even refreshing, which is a large source of the breezy earnest humor. Scott Thomas well narrates the material infusing character and spunk in a way that elevates the material. The premise is good but a bit thin to support the length and it flattens some over time eventually feeling samey rather than scarier or funnier. I think the world is going to be fine.

Zombie Squirrels Seem Surprisingly Terrifying

Jeff Strand tells great horror stories, and while I typically shy away from zombie stories since they have become too played out, I wanted to hear Strand’s take on them. I wasn’t disappointed, he did a great job of telling a zombie story without retelling the same old story everyone else does. I thought his take was unique and a breath of fresh air for the genre.

As always, I really enjoyed both the characters and the story. Strand gets you close to the characters and develops a story that brings you in quickly. I was really surprised by how much agony they could endure fighting for survival. Their relationship was great and I loved the playful banter they had between each other. I really felt that Mia was lucky to have such a great uncle.

Scott Thomas did a great job with the narration. I liked his character voices and thought he really brought the story to life.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.