Dog Days of War

Made you look.

It’s simple, Mark Tufo can write. This guy makes King look like a fool, though, KIng does that himself easily these days, but that’s a whole other can of worms.

You like post apocalyptic fiction? Then this guy’s for you. I’ve read pretty much every book in this genre and there’s something about Mike Talbot that every single person out there can identify with. This is an apex character. RIck who? Coral? Please.

Mark Tufo uses his own life and his beyond words imagination to bring to life a multiverse that rocks your socks off. I for one think he deserves a gawd damn nobel peace thingy for bringing such magical word wizardry to life. Yo, side note, he did not pay me for this review.

I’m sitting here after finishing ZF12 and trying to understand why ZF13 isnt out yet! Amazing writing and I love after 12 books I can’t help but anticipate the next book. Mark has an uncanny ability to suck you in and Talbot, and BT you can’t get enough!

I do enjoy this series, which Im reading concurrently with Demon Fallout, switching between the two as I await more additions to both of the series. In the beginning i think there might be a time jump, as I feel that Ive perhaps missed ZF 11.5 or something, but its nothing that bogs the reader down.

I give this book three stars; I give the entire series a 4.5. Three stars, for me, means this book is good, it was worth the investment of time in reading it, and I dont regret buying it brand new for full price. Trust me; if you know me then you would know thats a rarity. I would have given it four starsI rarely use 5 stars and am reviewing old reviews to ensure I rarely used it as a five star book should be damn near nirvanabut as I just mentioned, I feel there were some chunks missing. Though I trust in the author as he generally covers lost ground eventually and characters and their subplots come and go freely. I actually rather enjoy that; it makes the series less predictable than most PA/ZA fiction.

This book is well done, covered a lot of ground, and left me awaiting the next book just as Tufo always does. The author writes likable characters and tells a good story. I do wish we would see more of Denaux, Gambo, Talbots sons and i wish Tommy were elevated to the more important status he had in the first few books. I get that there are a couple dozen characters at any given time and, just like a TV series, only so many can be involved at a time. I like that Tufo doesnt trivialize them by giving characters cameo scenes. We may not see Justin, for example, other than a brief mention that hes holding down the fort. But when Tufo does circle back to him, its done organically and its worth the wait. I hope that makes sense. Ive seen other authors throw a pity scene to an underused character and its kind of insulting. This author doesnt do that; the way they are woven in and out flows naturally.

If youre a Talbot fan, youll love this book.

If you enjoyed ZF 1-11, this is a solid addition and stronger than others in the series. Get it. Read it. Review it.

If youre new to Mike Talbot and ZF, youll have some questions about whats going on if you start with this book. But if you start reading or watching something eleven parts into it, youll have questions. Dont do that. I highly advise reading the first eleven books before this one. Its the Fourth of July, youre off work today, make it so.

Its a fun ride and this author doesnt spend half the book blatantly rehashing the prior book. Consider this a really, really big chapter in the Book of Talbot.

Also wanted to note the Talbotsodes were the best weve been given in a long time. No slight meant to the author, but most in the past just werent my cup of tea. Worth reading but more like they were intended to beanecdotes or snippets of the author/characters life. The episodes in this book were great and had me wishing for more.

TL;DR: read this series. A good tale and features a narrator with a unique voice.

As I’ve stated in previous reviews for books in this series, I started at the beginning and re-read all the way to book 9 starting two weeks ago. I hit book 10 a few days ago which I had not previously read. I can’t get enough. This book series is like a drug and Tufo is the only dealer with the good stuff. He has a real talent for making you take extreme interest in these characters. I’ve found myself thinking about them during my day as if they were real people that I’ve known, so immersive is the world and family Mr Tufo has created on the pages. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt actual dread or joy while reading a book. I have cussed along with these created people, I’ve cheered with them, and I have and still am rooting for them. I’ve said it before, if Mike Talbot somehow ever turns out to be a real person, I want to sit down and have a beer with him.

I have been a huge fan of Mark’s work since the first ZF book published. This addition to the series has not disappointed except for one small detail. The last few chapters, and although great stories, seemed to distract a bit from the main storyline. Please don’t think this is a barb. Not at all. It just seemed as if the main storyline ended a bit early, and filler was needed. I was waiting for the last chapters to tie in somehow, but that was not the case. Here again, great short stories, and specific to the ZF universe, but a bit distracting for me. Overall, great addition to the series, and I couldn’t recommend more highly. Look forward, as always, to the next.

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