T. Michael Martin

Up until Halloween, Michael Faris thought he had a rough life. For so many years, it was just his mother and him eking out a living. Once his stepfather entered the picture however, their relationship changed, and now Michael worries about his much-younger brother in this now hostile environment. Little does he know that the day he decides to set out to protect Patrick, the world ends. Now, fleeing a new and dangerous enemy, Michael and Patrick set forth on The Game, which pits Michael and show more Patrick against the Bellows in a fight for their very survival.

The End Games by T. Michael Martin is a twisting, unsettling story in which a reader is left mirroring Michael’s own confusion at the unexpected changes in their plans and in the world. Michael and Patrick are so good at The Game that the line between reality and their own version of reality is indistinguishable, further adding to a reader’s uncertainty. The lack of clarity, however, is perfect for setting the tone of the story, as not all survivors have the same need for rescue as Michael and Patrick, and a human mask hides one’s inner monster. The end of the world should be bewildering and uncomfortable, and Mr. Martin makes sure it is for both his lead character and for the reader.

One of the truly fascinating aspects of the story is all of the characters’ dynamism. No one is immune to character development and growth, including the Bellows. Since even the Bellows are changing and evolving, neither the reader nor Michael knows what to expect at each meeting. This only enhances the considerable tension and sense of unease that permeates the entire story. Michael’s growth is particularly messy but fitting, as he is forced to face some necessary truths about his ability to read situations and the overall goodness of others. The fact that he gets taken down a peg or two along the way only serves as reminder of his youth and inexperience in the wider world. He might be wise in some areas, but as he finds out, he still has a lot of learning to do.

Michael’s situation regarding his brother Patrick is particularly compelling. It may be one of the first times in a YA, dystopian novel where the younger sibling is mentally challenged, and this definitely adds a layer of complication as well as sense of urgency to the proceedings. For Michael, survival in this scary new world is not as simple as finding food and shelter, but he also has to maintain a level of composure and confidence in order to keep his brother calm. It is an intriguing plot twist, and one that helps set The End Games apart from the rest of this overpopulated genre.

The End Games really does rise above the rest of the ever-popular dystopian young adult storylines that exist. While there are indeed familiar elements – teen with no parents on his own and fighting for his survival, facing both evil monsters and humans – there are enough modifications to make all the difference. In particular, the evolution of the monsters, as they adapt to each battle and show surprising intelligence for being zombies, is a surprisingly effective twist. The landscape of Mr. Martin’s envisioned world is not as hopeless as one might initially believe, and this as well is a welcome change. For Michael and Patrick come across scenes of beauty interspersed among the chaos, and this natural beauty is hope. Most importantly, The End Games is a stand-alone novel. There are no cliffhangers, no loose ends, and no unanswered questions to frustrate readers. Mr. Martin remains true to his sense of realism and avoids tying up the story into a neat little package, but there is enough closure for even the most discerning reader. This all combines to create a fresh new story in an overdone genre that does much to help readers remember why the genre became so popular in the first place. show less

Meh. Perhaps zombie books are not for me. The writing here is fine, and I was completely engrossed in the first portion of the story, then there was a revelation that took away some of the excitement for me. And then I felt like it was a normal zombie story. By which I mean: zombies, bad guys, good guys, fighting, end times stuff. I did think Patrick was a really well drawn character, and my favorite part of the book was the way Michael tries to be the best big brother he can, how he show more struggles sometimes, and the ways their dynamic moves the story forward. But I just didn't love the story.

Also, a tiny piece of the story that really bugged me: I didn't like the statement that when a woman who is in an abusive relationship doesn't leave it's because she is "weak." That word is taken directly from the text. I just hate the simplification of someone's motivations when that character isn't actually allowed to speak on their own behalf. It puts my back up immediately.

People in abusive relationships aren't "weak." They are STRUGGLING. WITH ALL SORTS OF THINGS AND EMOTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES. Particularly parents who have kids. Particularly women who often lose custody of children when they leave abusers. Okay, I'll stop. But seriously, such a harmful stereotype. Even if it's only a teeny portion of the overall story. show less

*Mild spoilers.*

Seventeen year old Michael and his younger brother Patrick have had it. Their stepfather is abusive and unpredictable, causing Patrick to have severe psychological problems including catatonia and selfharm. On Halloween night, they decide to run away to show their mother how bad it is for them, but the world coincidentally goes to hell. The dead walk the earth and eat the living. The brothers are stranded in a hostile world full of monsters and have to fend for themselves. show more Patrick as also only 5 years old and needs to be protected from the horror of this new world. Michael, with ingenuity and not a small amount of lying, successfully keeps them alive and happy for 3 weeks until everything changes. The boys run into other living, normal people and they discover the zombies are changing and evolving. Can Michael and Patrick stay alive and sane through all this craziness?

I love the concept of The End Games. Michael invents a video game scenario and a game master to shield his little brother from the cold, hard reality of the radically changed world. The game master gives them tasks, awards points, and sets the ultimate goal as getting to the safe zone. After three weeks of successfully dodging Bellows, they finally encounter normal people, but all doesn't go as they imagined. They wanted an idyllic reunion with their mom and a perfect, protected world, but what they found was much different and threw the game into chaos. Real life and real people don't follow the rules. These brothers are fully realized, nuanced characters.They tease each other, have their own inside jokes, and have a sense of brotherhood and camaraderie that felt real. The author based this relationship off his own relationship with his little brother and it showed. Their background story, revealed in bits and pieces throughout the novel, is heartbreaking. Hearing the nitty gritty details and seeing the physical and psychological toll the abuse has on Patrick had a much bigger impact on me than I thought it would. I really felt for these boys, related to them, and felt proud that they persevered through the abuse and through the zombie infested world.

I really liked the type of zombies Martin created. Instead of just conventional moaning and groaning, these zombies bellow. These Bellows will latch on to whatever was heard last and repeat it at length, distorting the words and their meaning. This type of zombie is quite dangerous because they can be fairly silent until close to people and then attract other zombies with their loud bellows. I also find it chilling that zombies can speak even if the words have no meaning to them. Imagine having your own distorted words echoed back at you as they close in.

Some of the execution of the novel was lacking for me. Something about the writing would make me feel as if I'd missed something. Some phrases are repeated throughout, but never really explained and I think I know what the author meant but I was never really sure. The main human villain was kind of boring and one dimensional, which was disappointing compared to how well written Patrick and Michael are. Other than these small issues, I felt the novel was very enjoyable.

The End Games is a unique zombie novel with a wonderful fraternal relationship at its core. I would definitely read upcoming books by T. Michael Martin. show less

In short: The End Games by T. Michael Martin was an exciting post-apocalyptic zombie novel with a wonderful sibling relationship at its heart.

The End Games was one of my most anticipated reads of 2013. Everything about it screamed that it was a "me" book - the male protagonist, the focus on a non-romantic relationship, the fighting of zombies. And as I expected, The End Games was a book that I ended up enjoying a lot. 17-year-old Michael and 5-year-old Patrick are brothers and video gamers show more who are fighting their way through zombie hordes to get to the safe zone and The End of the Game. The End Games was a surprisingly insightful post-apocalyptic zombie book with plenty of scary, gory, and heart-pounding action scenes. More importantly though, it had a wonderful display of sibling love that was quite lovely.

I can't say that this post-apocalyptic zombie book is particularly groundbreaking in its genre, but The End Games did provide me with enough originality to keep my interest. The zombies in The End Games repeat back to you anything you say to them, earning them the nickname "Bellows". I quite liked this as it added a creep factor, but was also humourous at times. Something that wasn't at all funny about these zombies, however, was their ability to adapt and become savvier over time. Over the course of The End Games, the zombies become progressively harder to defeat and this added a lot of thrilling tension.

The best part of The End Games for me was definitely the display of sibling love between Michael and Patrick. There is some romance in The End Games, as well, but the main focus is on the familial relationship and I can't begin to describe how nice and refreshing this was, as it is something of a rarity in YA these days. Michael's nurturing and protectiveness of Patrick was so wonderful to see. I loved their bond and I loved the insight I gained from their relationship.

The stylized writing is the one thing I have mixed feelings about. Sometimes the writing was striking; there were several unique turns of phrase that added some interest to debut author's T. Michael Martin's prose. I really liked how the style of writing gave a "voice" to Michael's character. Other times, I found the prose to be too harsh and jarring. It didn't always flow very nicely and thus was sometimes distracting and confusing. It could very well just be me and my personal preference though; others may not be so bothered by the writing.

Overall, The End Games was an exciting post-apocalyptic zombie book with an impressively emotional sibling bond at its core. Though the writing may not have always clicked with me, it is evident that T. Michael Martin is an authentic new talent and one to watch. The End Games is a standalone (win!). I would recommend The End Games to zombie-lovers in need of some emotional depth in addition to the gore. show less