I'm a huge fan of all things zombie related so I was quite excited to get a copy of Flu.
I did like the premise of this deadly virus that zombifies you shortly after death. I listened to the audio version and while it was convenient to be able to listen to the story while I puttered around the house I think I may have enjoyed it better without the narration.

I received a complimentary audio file for review ( )

My read prior to this was ZOMBIE FALLOUT, usually I am not into zombie books, but a coworker likes them and we often read the same books on recommendation. So, I moved to FLU and was expecting the same old zombie routine. Was I wrong! Flu is more than a zombie book, its a story. The narrator is awesome, what a voice, perfect character changes, just perfect. The only reason I gave this a 3 star rather than higher is because it really didn't end as it is a series. I prefer books that have an ending, otherwise, its a 4.5 star. ( )

I have to be honest and declare that this was my first forray into zombielit; the reason being it doesn't really appeal to me. This explains why my rating might be lower than those dedicated to the genre. I was drawn to this book by the cover art which Amazon in their usual clever way tempted me with and there is certainly nothing wrong with Simmons writing and I loved some of the deeply dark humour in the book. Laughing at the antics of zombies on fire can be a guilty pleasure as these are not living characters after all and have to be got rid of somehow.
My main problem with this book was the whole reason that I've never really gone for zombies in the past - I don't see how the stories can be anything but predictable. There is no character development with one of oozing, groaning reanimated dead. They are inevitably going to want to attack those still living as without this there would be no story and so the living have to hide/go on the run maiming as many of the shufflers as they can along the way.
So it was all here - the secrect sinister government agency, the bad boy protector with the shady past, the vulnerable, the ones who don't make it and of course the zombies who seem able to sniff them out wherever they are. It's all a bit predictable, and the political sub-plot seemed a bit unnecessary to the story.
A clever ending means there is plenty of scope for a sequel or two and I would certainly read another Simmons book if it dropped in my lap.
I suspect that my preference for non-zombie horror has made me rate this book lower than lovers of a good zombie-fest would. I would certainly recommend it to people who like this genre as a well-written and fast paced read. ( )