The Tide

By: Anthony J. Melchiorri

Narrated by: Ryan Kennard Burke

Captain Dominic Holland leads a crew of skilled covert operatives and talented scientific personnel. He's taken them to all corners of the Earth to protect the United States from biological and chemical warfare. When his CIA handler, Meredith Webb, gives him a mission to investigate a disturbing lead on a laboratory based out of an abandoned oil rig, they discover the most terrifying threat to mankind they've ever faced - a genetically engineered biological weapon called the Oni Agent.

Back in the United States, Meredith discovers a frightening connection between the CIA and the Oni Agent. But her investigations are short-lived when the agent spreads and brings mankind to its knees. Cities burn as it turns humans into warped creatures hell-bent on destruction.

Dominic and Meredith vow to do everything they can to combat the agent and find a cure. But will their efforts be enough to turn the tide - or is humanity's fate already sealed?

©2015 Anthony Melchiorri (P)2015 Anthony Melchiorri

Excellent New Post-Apoc Series!

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

Absolutely! Ryan Burke brings Anthony Melchiorri's unique post-apocalyptic novel to life! I read the book first, then listened to the audio version. Both are great, but with narration I felt like I was listening to a movie.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dom. He's an intelligent and empathetic leader.

Which scene was your favorite?

The opening prologue with the Japanese POW camp. Gave me the chills.

If you could rename The Tide, what would you call it?

Why the hell would I rename it?

Any additional comments?

The Tide is one of my new favorite post apocalyptic thrillers. It starts off in a POW camp in Japan where a biological agent is being tested on Marine prisoners during WWII. From there, we fast forward to present day and join Dominic Holland and his crew aboard their covert ship. They're notified of a mysterious occurrence on an oil rig. After a terrifying battle, Holland and team start to uncover the mystery of the biological agent dating back to Japan. From there we get to sit back and watch the world collapse.

If you're expecting a book about zombies, this is not that book. It's better. Anthony Melchiorri has developed a variant on the zombie theme with creatures unlike any you've probably read about. And unlike most zombie books, the authors uses realistic science to explain how the outbreak started, which in turn, makes this a much more compelling book. The characters are well developed and the action is intense.

Can't wait for book 2!

Highly recommended for fans of the following genres. Post-apocaypltic, medical thriller/military thriller, hard science fiction, genetic-engineering, war and military, etc, etc. Get this book now!

WWZ meets Resident Evil

Take the best part of Resident Evil and mix it with the intelligent science part of World War Z and you have The Tide. There is nothing new here, but it is a fine piece of suspenceful entertainment.

great adventure!

Really enjoyed this book ! What a ride -I was unable to put the book on hold to do anything in several places!

Fast paced action!

Good fun reading.! Kept my interest without any effort! If you like military sci-fi, this would be a good choice.

No bad, had some issues, but not a bad zombie tale

I liked the story line, plenty of thrills and excitement, plus the author seemingly did some biological research, making a "zombie outbreak" almost believable...,however...., I really didn't care for the narration. My biggest problem with the narration was the lack of enthusiasm and emotion. The narrator read in a monotone for the most part. Mr. Burke also has a rather low soft voice (imo), which didn't help with the enthusiasm issue. That said, it was a fair zombie story and I would recommend it to others.

A great tale on bio-warfare gone awry

Josh here

This was a series recommended in by another author I am a huuge fan of, and needless to say I am quickly becoming a big fan of Tony as well. This is the second series he has written that I have had the pleasure of listening to (The first was Eternal Frontier).

I won't go into a typical review-style summary of what happened in the book but will tell you what drew me in. The science. I came into this story knowing that Tony holds a PhD in Bioengineering and let me tell ya, it showed in this story. Luckily, Tony has a great fan group where I could ask questions about things happening in the story.

Each component of the main story surrounding Dom seemed to be tied to a realistic piece of science fact, even if it was stretched to help make the story. I could sense Tony's inner doctor shining through with every page turn.

The humanity, and the depiction of such, is another aspect that draws me in to most books. The Tide definitely had some aspects of humanity that I latched on to. Watching as the tough decisions had to be made, even when the decision was unpopular. Watching as one has to decide what information to lay on the table in an effort to achieve a mission (Fort Detrick). Watching the different interactions between characters as they are faced with the skulls. Each of these plot points kept me going through this story.

Also, I took a personal liking to the nickname for the monsters, the skull beasts. As this was an old military nickname I had during my initial training, I had to stop and laugh.

This was an easy 5/5 story and I can't wait to get into the next book. The narration was well done and definitely helped contribute to the overall atmosphere of the story (although, per my military OCD, I chuckled at the way SINCGARS was pronounced).

Excellent book!

Interesting, fast paced action from the start! Loved the story, the writing, and the audio. Author did a great job investing you in the characters and the details throughout the story putting you in the middle of the events. Can't wait to hear the next book in the series.

More enjoyable than expected

I purchased this on a whim, hoping for something fun to listen to. Quite enjoyable. It gives the feeling of J.C. Hutchins’ 7th Son and The 33, or Chris Fox’s The Deathless series in a great way. The only issues I had was the ending sneaking up on you if you don’t keep checking how much time you have left. It left me desperate for more. Good thing there are more in the series!

Fairly entertaining

A decent spin on the zombie genre, with the Skulls posing a more dangerous threat. Action moved right along, and the characters were solid. The science and 'cure' were out there, and the ending was abrupt. I'm debating buying book 2...

Very suspenseful, couldn't stop reading.

Great suspense. I am not a huge fan of zombie gore but am a fan of pandemic stories. This is a spin on the zombie genre but with more medical realism to explain the spread. It was a good story where you liked the characters and good narration. This is a complete story with character goals clearly set, leading up to a the big conflict where it resolves at a good stopping point for a series so you are not left hanging too badly. I appreciate the author giving you enough to feel like you read a whole story and did not rely on a gimmicky cliffhanger that you might see from lesser authors.