J.L. Bourne

Day by Day Armageddon — (2004-2010) Publisher: Start intercept: Sporadic reports indicate chaos and violence spreading through U.S. cities. An unknown evil is sweeping the planet. The dead are rising to claim the Earth as the new dominant species in the food chain. Intercept complete. In your hands is the handwritten journal depicting one man's struggle for survival. Trapped in the midst of global disaster, he must make decisions; choices that ultimately mean life, or the eternal curse to walk as one of them. Enter, if you will, into the world of the undead.

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Day by Day Armageddon

Day by Day Armageddon is a fictional journal of an unnamed Navy pilot depicting the daily events of the zombie apocalypse. The journal begins with a new year’s resolution, describes newscasts about a virus outbreak in china, then continues to describe each day as things around the world get progressively worse, leading to the eventual total collapse of modern society.

J.L. Bourne has not brought anything new to the table as far as zombie lore goes. He sticks to the fundamentals laid out by George A. Romero’s films. These zombies are slow, stupid, and they bite. They also moan and shuffle around. Many zombie fans see this as a purist’s approach to zombie fiction; I see it as unoriginal.

However, despite the lack of an original premise, I was able to enjoy the story quite a bit. Bourne is a good writer, sticking with the concise verbiage you might expect from a military officer keeping a journal. At first I was taken aback by the intensity in the journal entries — I kept thinking there is no way a real person would take the time to write that much detail — and then I decided to stop being an ass and enjoy the book for what it was: a good story.

I listened to Day by Day Armageddon on the CD set published by Brilliance Audio. Jay Snyder, who portrays the journal writer, is well suited for the quiet tough-guy tone the main character needs. He delivers the often emotionally detached observations of the journal writer in a realistic and exciting way, so listening to Day by Day Armageddon on audio is great way for a zombie fan to experience this story.

Zombie fans will adore Day by Day Armageddon. Non-zombie enthusiasts should probably give it a pass. Personally, I’ve never been all that frightened by zombie stories, and the slow moving stupid-heads that run amok in this story are the least frightening of all. Of all the possible Armageddons, a zombie apocalypse is at the bottom of my anxiety list. Shuffling moaners that cannot turn a doorknob are nothing more than target practice. However, a robot army apocalypse is another matter entirely, or even worse… sentient squirrels. —Justin Blazier

Beyond Exile

Welcome back to the zombie apocalypse!

Your personal guide in this rotten wasteland is the still unnamed naval officer from Day by Day Armageddon. J.L. Bourne’s Beyond Exile starts immediately following the journal entry at the end of the first book with the narrator and his companions residing in a relatively secure location. Life has begun to feel somewhat normal. However, normalcy quickly deteriorates, and the places that were once safe are now death traps. With bravery, luck, and a little ingenuity they may just find a way to be safe again.

J.L. Bourne steps up his game in Beyond Exile and really weaves a great story. Bourne backs off a little from the “dear diary” premise of Day by Day Armageddon, and the story is no longer solely delivered through the journal entries. There are extended dialog and action sequences, neither of which is as prevalent in the first novel. Relaxing the rules of his first person narrative has allowed Bourne to tell his story in an exciting way. Bourne doesn’t hesitate to write dialog or give details that would not be normally be transcribed in someone’s journal. While I was pretty ho-hum about the first book, I found myself enjoying Beyond Exile a great deal. This is quality writing, and Bourne has taken the Zombie Apocalypse premise and has made a little niche of his own.

The narrator is a reluctant bad ass with a lot of heart and a good head on his shoulders. He is a very likeable character and he is easy to identify with. The drawback of the epistolary style is that the journal writer is really the only character you get to know.

Beyond Exile is a must read for zombie fans, and may likely provide an interesting diversion for non-undead aficionados too. I listened to Beyond Exile on audio CDs (Brilliance Audio). Once again, Jay Snyder who does an excellent job portraying Bourne’s narrator. Beyond Exile makes for a great listen, and audio may be the best way to experience the zombie apocalypse. —Justin Blazier