The Undead: The First Seven Days (The Undead series Book 1) - RR Haywood

The Undead: The First Seven Days is Season One of one of the UK’s most successful horror-comedy series.

THE ICONIC BRITISH SERIES THAT HAS REDEFINED A GENRE AND BECOME FAR MORE THAN A ZOMBIE STORY.

First published in 2012, now fully rewritten in 2025.

When a deadly infection spreads across Europe, Howie’s ordinary life is thrown into chaos. As the world crumbles around him, he teams up with his autistic best mate, Dave, and a ragtag bunch of misfits to face an enemy unlike any other, the undead. But this isn’t just any infection. It evolves. It learns. And it’s getting smarter every day. Howie soon discovers nothing is quite what it seems, and neither is he. With blistering action, horror, heart, and the occasional terrible decision, The Undead follows Howie and Dave as they become the last unlikely heroes to stop the infection before it becomes cleverer than them.

Which, honestly, wouldn’t be that hard.

"My name is Howie. I was named after my father, Howard, but having two Howards was confusing, so I became Howie. I am a supermarket night manager. This is my account."

The Undead. The First Seven Days Compilation Edition. Days One to Seven.

Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Amazon & Audible bestselling author, RR Haywood. One of the top ten most downloaded indie authors in the UK with over four million books sold and nearly 40 Kindle bestsellers

*WINNER OF DISCOVER SCI-FI BEST RELEASE OF 2023*

 

What did I think?

WOW!!! This book is OUTSTANDING!  I have just read 720 pages of non-stop action yet still want more, although I'm not sure my arm muscles could take much more as this is one very chunky book. 

I'm not averse to horror but I don't normally read it, however, this is more of a multi-genre novel filled with action, adventure, suspense, humour and of course gore.  As the night manager of a Tesco store, Howie is a very unlikely hero but he is fighting for his life and that of his family when a deadly virus turns people into ‘zombies not zombies’.  Luckily, he runs into one of his colleagues, Dave who is a one man killing machine when faced with danger.

Vividly written, the whole book reads like a TV show and it is incredibly bingeworthy.  It is quite gorey at times but I was completely invested in Howie and Dave's stories so I didn't feel the need to hide behind my virtual sofa at all.  I felt like my eyes were on stalks at times as the infected closed in but I loved every second of the non-stop action.

Whilst reading, I discovered that my sense of humour is very partial to a poo joke, of which there are plenty.  You can't beat a bit of toilet humour during a zombie apocalypse and the humour perfectly balanced the fighting and killing action.

Gripping, fast-paced and highly addictive, The Undead: The First Seven Days is an incredible novel that I wouldn't have put down if it wasn't so heavy!  Do not be put off by the size of this book, it is absolutely fantastic and completely unmissable.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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The Walking Dead: The Pop-Up Book - David Hawcock, Becca Zerkin, Sally Elizabeth Jackson & S.D. Perry

This spectacular pop-up book from paper engineers David Hawcock and Becca Zerkin forms the perfect guide to the world of AMC's The Walking Dead. Filled with eye-catchingly gory pops, the book takes the reader through some of the most iconic moments from the hugely popular series. The book features five spreads, each with its own central pop that depicts a key element from the show, such as the prison where the survivors found refuge before being attacked by the Governor or the Walker known as "Bicycle Girl" reaching out at the reader. Each spread also includes several smaller pops depicting other memorable elements from The Walking Dead, such as the Governor's "man cave" (including his unique aquarium complete with severed heads), the Well Walker, and much, much more.

What did I think?

I had a real problem writing a review of this book, as every time I picked it up I ended up playing with it.  I can therefore guarantee that it will give any Waking Dead fan hours of fun.  It's a huge book and resembles a ring binder in appearance which gives you some idea of the depth of detail in the 5 pop-up scenes.  The first scene (Bicycle Girl) is shown below to give you an idea of the amazing paper engineering.  As you can see, in addition to the huge 3D pop-up, there are flaps to lift and tabs to pull.  Now you can see why it was so hard for me to put the book down and review it.

I seem to find something new every time I open it; a flap I haven't lifted or a detail I didn't notice.  I can't imagine I will ever get tired of looking at it - my favourite scene is The West Georgia Correctional Facility as the whole building does literally pop-up before your very eyes.  The paper engineering really is second to none, and the detail in even the smaller pop-ups is quite awe-inspiring. 

It's a fabulous gift for any Walking Dead fan, or a gift for yourself if you can't bear to part with it.  At £40 it's not cheap but it really is an absolutely breathtaking pop-up book for adults.

I received this book from the publisher, PGUK, via Twitter in exchange for an honest review.

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