Wicked Awake

By: Merrill David

Narrated by: C.J. Grey

Military veteran Jake Hathaway is facing the beginning of a zombie outbreak, one that forces him to take lives and sees him wrongly convicted of murder. As he fights to prove his innocence, he also learns that he unknowingly played a role in the outbreak's origin. The world outside the prison descends into the chaos of a zombie plague. Jake, along with his friends Mack, Duy, and a Belgian Malinois named Roscoe, determine that they must put an end to this Infection Armageddon. What follows is a journey both exciting and horrific.

©2020 Merrill David (P)2021 Merrill David

great story

I'm not much of a reviewer but I did enjoy the story & I thought that the narrator was perfect for the job , creepy AF & really kept me interested

Original and engaging

I love this book. (Just had to get that out of the way so I can pretend to be completely objective in my review of Wicked Awake.) But, if I am being honest this book hooked me right away, and less than halfway through I was already planning on reading the next book. I am blind, and I listen to multiple audio books every week so I come across a lot of books in my favorite genres that are just kind of “meh” or so bad they are unreadable a chapter or 2 in.

This is not one of those books.

The combination of a completely different approach to an often written about subject (zombie apocalypse) and the amazing choice of narrator kept me not just engaged, but caring about, and excited about what came next. I want to be careful and not give anything away, but I love the way Merrill David approached the timeline of the story going on in the world around the main characters.

By not rushing into anything the reader gets the chance to know the characters at an almost intimate level before the bucket of poop thrown into the fan changes everything around and about them. The characters (except one) live their lives pretty much removed from the chaos building around them and closing in. However the book never lagged for me or seemed like it was going to slow. In fact, quite the opposite, I found myself wanting more time with the main characters before the story progressed. This is unusual for me as I am not a patient person.

Wicked Awake combines all of the story types that I enjoy the most. It has elements of several popular book genres, including crime, legal, spy game, horror, psychological thriller, pre/post apocalyptic zombie survival, and an impending dystopian future. Merrill David pulled it off amazingly well without it being “too much”.

Wicked awake has the distinction of being one of the only (for lack of a better word) “zombie novel” That I would recommend to readers that don’t normally enjoy that genre. I have already started the kindle edition of Wicked Awake 2, and I will listen to it again when it comes out in audio form.

Exemplary Horror Zombie Apocalypse Audiobook

"And so, the decadence and decomposition of man begins..."

I know that the horror genre isn't for everyone. I know this cover may be icky to look at; but I also know that great writing and storytelling isn't limited to a genre. Case in point, Dracula and Frankenstein are classics for a reason. Stephen King is an iconic bestselling author for a reason. The reason is simply a good story is good story when in the hands of a creative writer.

Wicked Awake by debut author Merrill David is the epitome of creative storytelling. There are so many surprises and twists that I need to be careful in my summary to not give any spoilers away but still convey what a fun twisty ride this zombie apocalypse thriller is to experience.

Jake is ex military and now a police officer with the most loyal police dog, Roscoe, as a partner. The story opens with Jake on trial for murdering his brother and sister-in-law. That is all I can say except that you will be treated to tense courtroom scenes, a wild escape, a rescue of Roscoe that will make you love Jake's friends, a very satisfying look back on how Jake met loyal girlfriend Amanda and a jaw dropping reason for the Zombie outbreak and Jake's connection to it.

I am a huge fan of The Walking Dead and all its spinoffs. The zombie gore is ingenious on the shows and worthy of creative emmys. But I have never missed an episode because of the characters and how well they are written and portrayed by the actors. Narrator @c.j.grey is equally as talented when portraying these characters. The accents and voice changes are phenomenal and I was shocked there was only one performer on this audiobook.

Wicked Awake is book 1 of a 6 part series. The next two books Wicked Awake Too: Slaughter Before Slumber and Wicked Awake: Liquor When She's Dead are already available. In case you didn't notice this writer has a wicked sense of humor too.

I received a free copy if this audiobook from the author for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Enjoyed

I enjoyed the story. I has good character development and a lot of adventures. I could tell from the characters story lines this would be more than one book.

great read.

starts slow but picks up qwikly.makes u think that our government would do this . starting book 2 now

A MUST READ

The author is so creative in his descriptions that makes you believe the stories were true. His way of telling the stories make you believe this apocalypse could happen in real life. This book has so much action, humor, and some romance that makes it enjoyable. I was drawn to all the characters and the events that took place. The author took time to research the places that took place in the book as well as educating me on some of the places I never thought or knew before. You’re in for a treat with this zombie apocalypse if you want something different. I highly recommend this book to everyone even if you’re not a fan of zombie stories. A MUST READ!

Great zombie story

I enjoyed this book. Everything from getting to know the characters and their backgrounds to the action packed scenes. The narrator did a great job portraying the different characters - very easy to listen to.

I can’t wait for more.

Fantastic-amazing story.
I’ve read the book.
Now listened to it narrated.
Amazing both times.
Read it- listen to it.
I’m not a spoiler.
If you like conspiracies, zombies, gore, anything New England, great friendships, can’t turn away scenes and so much more you will not be disappointed. First of many in
Merril David’s WICKED AWAKE series. I’m hooked. On to the next one 💜

Excellent

This is a great read. I loved it and can’t wait for book 2 on audio.
The characters are well written, smart and capable.
I want to know about how things spread… we get a bit of education on that but I feel several other characters would have been infected though sex. So I’m eager to see how that plays out. Oh and the baby…… need to know what he will become. Also why were the kids left with Jakes girlfriend and not an actual family member?
I will say the way the zombie plague plays out time line wise it a lot different than 99% of the zombie books you’ll read. 9 months in half the country is still acting like nothing has happened and are having hay rides.
Narration by CJ Grey was amazing.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

not a typical zombie story / Timeline issues

the story was a good one but not a typical zbie story. this was more of a murder investigation. Also the author needs to go back and review his timeline. everything seems to take place over a short period of time a few days even a few weeks but some points in the story don't seem to line up with this.