The Dying of the Light: End

By: Jason Kristopher

Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla

“I didn't see Rebecca die the second time.”

The United States military hides a secret: the completely real existence of one-bite-and-you're-dead zombies. An elite Special Forces unit has known they exist for over a hundred years, and has been quietly and expertly keeping the monsters at bay… until now.

The sole survivor of the massacre at Fall Creek joins this elite unit to combat the single greatest threat our world has ever known. Even as victories over the walkers mount, true evil still lurks in the hearts of men, and at the last, only a brave few may survive.

A character-driven story similar to The Walking Dead on AMC, The Dying of the Light: End was a Top 5 Finalist in Kindle Book Review's “Best Indie Books of 2012” competition. The sequel, Interval, is now available.

©2010 Grey Gecko Press (P)2013 Grey Gecko Press

Great story, perfect for listening

Where does The Dying of the Light: End rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Kristopher’s writing is engaging, and he fills this story with a number of compelling, interesting characters. I found it enjoyable, a perfect combination of suspense, drama, emotion, action, and..zombies! The storyline and characters makes for some great entertainment.

Narration by Ciulla really made this even more enjoyable. His diction and pacing is superb, and he brought dimension and believability to each character. It's amazing how the right narration can really complement a great story, adding to the experience.

Have you listened to any of Chris Andrew Ciulla’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Ciulla is definitely one of my favorites, and his performance was excellent as always. I especially loved his work in this story because of the wide range of characters he portrayed. Each character was brought to life thanks to Ciulla.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but I never do. I prefer to listen during my work hours, when I spend 8 hours in front of a computer.

Any additional comments?

A great story by Kristopher, improved with the storytelling by Cillua. Fantastic experience.

The Dying of the Light: End

If you could sum up The Dying of the Light: End in three words, what would they be?

Our World's End

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Dying of the Light: End?

The deaths of some of the members of Alpha team and the whole second half of the book, when the $#%@ hit the fan...

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book. The zombie outbreak is explained and justified in the narration, and you could see how a group of soldiers are trying to do their job no matter what. I also liked how the author handles the global reaction to the outbreak in a very realistic way.

A fresh approach to the zombie genre

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I RECOMMEND IT.

Premise: The government has been covering up zombie outbreaks since President Ulysses Grant’s administration, but now the entire world is being overrun with them. The zombie apocalypse is not coming, it’s already here! The book follows a Special Forces military group called AEGIS (which by no coincidence is the name of the shield that bore Medusa’s head in the Iliad). This group attempts to suppress the rise of ‘walkers’ but time is running out – great suspense without having to wade through a lot of 'zombie-gore'.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to book two in the series.

Good Zombie Apocalyptic Entertainment

Would you consider the audio edition of The Dying of the Light: End to be better than the print version?

Yes. The reader brought alot to the table.

What did you like best about this story?

Enjoyed the in-depth creation of the world.

What about Chris Andrew Ciulla’s performance did you like?

His variation of the characters, and their relevance.

The Zombie cover-up

Would you consider the audio edition of The Dying of the Light: End to be better than the print version?

Yes, it was much more gripping.

What did you like best about this story?

The idea that the government knows of zombies and have been fighting them for decades was new and refreshing.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

At times the reader sounded like someone reading and not comfortable doing it, wooden or monotone.

Any additional comments?

Most zombie books are the same old line, world ends and people trying to survive. This book is refreshing in that the government knew about zombies and has been fighting them and trying to maintain the secret while preparing for the day when the isolated outbreaks became unmanageable and the end finally came. This was a new twist that I really enjoyed.

Great listen for any Zombie fan!

Where does The Dying of the Light: End rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Dying of the Light: End definitely ranks in my top 5! The narrator, Chris Ciulla, keeps it fun and makes you want to keep listening even when it gets a little hokey.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main hero in the book, David, was a great character. Some cheesy lines but overall quality.

Zombies are more fun in the movies, but...

The story's not bad, and the naration is excellent. The charcters are pretty well developed. I actually cared about what happened to the main characters. But zombies lose the smartness they have on video when you're just reading about them.

Painfully hard to listen to

Would you try another book from Jason Kristopher and/or Chris Andrew Ciulla?

Absolutely not.
The voices are giving me a headache. Not to mention the ridiculous attention given to rank and the insanely easy ability to achieve it. Since I wrote this review I must now a brigadier general! Too many characters doing nothing and so many rank changes I just can't keep up. I stopped after 7-8 hours of torture. Where are the zombies??? Maybe they come in the last 3 hours. I guess I will never know.

Has The Dying of the Light: End turned you off from other books in this genre?

No I do not believe this is even in the genre I read.

What didn’t you like about Chris Andrew Ciulla’s performance?

Annoying voices

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It gives you the ability to daydream when the annoying voices are not used.

Any additional comments?

Please no more like this. It was so disjointed and ridiculous even for a "zombie" novel.

Couldn't finish

I've been at several writing sessions to hear the author talk about writing and publishing without actually reading his work. I gave it a try. As a result, I am now better informed about what people are willing to pay for and how the author makes his living.

The author himself is a nice guy. He comes to all kinds of writing events to not only promote his books and his company, but also freely share what he knows about writing and publishing. After giving this book a try, I think that coach role is a good place for him to stay.

Maybe if I hadn't already read a couple dozen "average guy gets to become GI Joe" wish fulfillment stories, this book would have been fresher. I have read them though. The protagonist gets to be in an elite soldier unit. He gets the hot girl without really trying. I'm sure if I had finished, he might have even saved the day. I'll never know. The story bored me in a way I could swear I had heard before.

He also calls the zombie-ish bad guys, "walkers". I mean, come on.