Review: Still Alive: Series Box Set Books 1-4

Still Alive: Series Box Set Books 1-4 by Javan Bonds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maybe a zombie apocalypse wouldn't be that bad?

The Still Alive series was a total shock to me. I’ve read or listened to a lot of indie books recently and most are pretty solidly average to a bit above average in entertainment value. When I read Still Alive’s summary and premise, it didn’t seem to be anything that special and I expected it to fall in line with other indie authors in the genre - I was very wrong.

The premise is clever and I’ve loved the way the series breaks the 4th wall in order to both create a satirical analysis of every zombie book, tv-series, and movie out there while at the same time telling an interesting and unique story of its own. Most of the chapters in the novels are presented as the diary of Mo Collins, who has found himself forced into the role of a hero in a zombie apocalypse story. Mo is guided by his friend ‘Smokes’ who uses his in-depth knowledge of the zombie apocalypse genre to predict events and situations to ensure that Mo survives and fulfills his role as the hero and the story continues on.

Even without the unique and intelligent critique of its own genre, Still Alive would be a great series. It's full of humor, wit, and entertaining banter and checks almost every box for me. It takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions as there’s plenty of moments that will have you laughing out loud, then absolutely disgusted, then angry, then fearful, back to laughing again before you curse Javan Bond’s name for putting you through it all. The characters, despite the fact they are purposely written to be cliché, feel real and it's easy to connect to the main cast of characters and become vested in their survival. The books also really spoke to my inner geek with plenty of pop culture refers to video games, movies, and TV shows.

There were only a few things in the books that I could find any fault with. Though I did really like the writing and premise of the book, I think there were a few parts, especially in books 3 or 4 where I thought the “we are living in a zombie apocalypse script” got a bit out of hand. I also found the pacing and passage of time a bit odd in places. It may have been more subtle commentary poking fun at the genre, but the survivors seemed to accomplish a huge number of tasks in only a limited amount of time and the progress that was made during the course of the novels seemed implausible. Several times I had expected days or even weeks to have gone by only to find out that the events described in the next chapter or book happened literally the next day. But these were very minor quibbles

To be honest, when I listened to the sample narrated by S.W. Salzman, I wasn’t sure if I could make it through the entire book listening to Mo Collins’ accent. I’m glad I ignored my initial feelings and started listening to the series; within a few chapters, Mo’s voice quickly became one of my favorites. If you start listening, just give it a chance and it will quickly grow on you. After a while, you will realize that Salzman is an amazing artist -- I have a hard time believing there weren’t secretly multiple narrators for this series. Salzman produced such a range of such completely different voices that it still blows my mind. The narration absolutely made this book come alive. If you have any doubts, just do a quick google search for “Blue Christmas With Smokes (Zombies On A Plane Holiday teaser)” and enjoy.

Special thanks to Javan Bonds, who provided me with this book at my request.

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