First two volumes:
UNDER A GRAVEYARD SKY - Amazon reviewed at 4.5 over 130 reviews
TO SAIL A DARKLING SEA - Amazon reviewed at ~5 so far.
Lots of fun. John Ringo does a zombie apocalypse with his trademark real world military expertise but a young adult focus. Basically it is his "Heinlein juveniles" equivalent. Highly recommended.
Nominal hero is Steven John Smith, ex-aussie paratrooper, high school history teacher. Husband to "unsung" electrical and mechanical genius Stacy. Brother to ex-aussie SAS Tom, currently security chief for one of the biggest banks in the world. Father to bickering daughters Sophia--15, inherited her mother's brains and height--and Faith--13, inherited daddy's height and mother's looks.
The real protagonists are the girls. About two-thirds of the narrative follows them around.
The first third of volume one details the spread of the synbio virus that renders the infected into rabid, very bitey, nearly mindless quasi-zombies and the attempts to combat the pandemic. The rest of the series details what it would take to survive such a catastrophe and begin to, maybe, bring humanity back.
Ringo has a reputation for dialing the action to the limit and beyond, often with a wink and a nod tongue-in-cheek sensibility. Here he mostly stays well within plausibility limits, almost as a "zombie apocalypse procedural", with the occasional spike high into video game territory. Cultural and historical references abound, with nods to both historical precedents and pop antecedents such as RESIDENT EVIL, HALO, ZOMBIELAND, EVIL DEAD and more.
Language can get military-salty but otherwise there is nothing in the series, so far, that is not suitable for a PG-13 movie or a gaming teenager. The themes are mature and realistic but accessible to young folks and adults.
Downsides? Volume 2 devotes a bit too much time to rescue operations so the pace flags a bit. Volume 3 is due in late summer. And the series will likely go longer...
Available from BAEN, NOOK, and Kindle. The latter offers up samples so give it a try if blowing away mindless "zombies" in style fits within your idea of "fun adventure" reading.
Miriam Moon now has a challenger for the title of most amusing female in the Ringo realms.
