Book Review: The End Games by T. Michael Martin

The End Games
Author: T. Michael Martin
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Zombies/Dystopian/Horror
Release Date: May 7th 2013
Review Source: Harper Teen
Available: Amazon

Summary: (via goodreads) It happened on Halloween.
The world ended.

And a dangerous Game brought it back to life.

Seventeen-year-old Michael and his five-year-old brother, Patrick, have been battling monsters in The Game for weeks.

In the rural mountains of West Virginia, armed with only their rifle and their love for each other, the brothers follow Instructions from the mysterious Game Master. They spend their days searching for survivors, their nights fighting endless hordes of “Bellows”—creatures that roam the dark, roaring for flesh. And at this Game, Michael and Patrick are very good.

But The Game is changing.

The Bellows are evolving.

The Game Master is leading Michael and Patrick to other survivors—survivors who don’t play by the rules.

And the brothers will never be the same.

T. Michael Martin’s debut novel is a transcendent thriller filled with electrifying action, searing emotional insight, and unexpected romance.

In The End Games we find two brothers who are trying to survive in a pretty messed up world. A world where people get turned into zombie like bellows. Playing the “Game” Michael and Patrick are thrust into a new situation that will force them to face the demons of the world. Martin uses a fine balance of humor and cruel reality to provide a realness to his characters. His characters grow along with the novel allowing the reader to feel more connected. The action scenes flow well with the book adding to the complexity.

First impressions are everything especially in the business of writing. If you can’t capture the readers on your debut novels the odds are you won’t make it. To capture those readers you need something new, fresh, and intriguing. You need a compelling story that makes readers crave for your writing. Thankfully, Mr. Martin has accomplished all those things with his debut novel. With The End Games he brings a fresh take on the massive apocalyptic genre. Combining a unique sense of gritty humor, with the feeling of family, Martin creates a novel that embodies the human will to survive. This is a novel and author that I will surely be on the look out for more in the future.