This short story was my introduction to Joe Ledger. I thoughly enjoyed it.

This afternoon I started listening to Patient Zero. Much of the Countdown facts were also in Patient Zero; perhaps if you have read Patient Zero this story is not a good investment.

If you don’t know the Joe Ledger origin story (first few chapters of Patient Zero), start your journey with Countdown. ( )

Couldn't get through it. ( )

A prequel to [b:Patient Zero|3993839|Patient Zero (Joe Ledger, #1)|Jonathan Maberry|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316125347s/3993839.jpg|4039913], this story contains basically a shootout frenzy and a prospective zombie. In other words, it's a testosterone orgy. ( )

I'm giving Countdown 3 1/2 stars. Why? Because it's kind of an unnecessary preview to a personal favorite of mine, Patient Zero. I love Patient Zero and Countdown is kind of like a 15-20 page prelude that is pretty much the same as the beginning of Patient Zero. So, you've got one of two choices. If you're undecided on whether you want to read Patient Zero (which you shouldn't be, by the way), you can download Countdown for free and get a taste of what it is like. Or you can simply start reading Patient Zero. Want an idea of what it's about? Read my review of Patient Zero and trust me, it's a great book. ( )

Pretty much just an intro to the story if you haven't read Patient Zero. A lot of it is actually in Patient Zero, if not all of it so it's not a must-read. But definitely a good 15 page test to see if Joe Ledger is your kind of hero! ( )