Despite the number of reviews both here and on Amazon that mention numerous typographical and grammatical errors, I decided to give this book a chance. It's obviously been cleaned up since the early release, because I only noticed a handful of errors.

I enjoyed the book, but there wasn't really anything there that elevated the book beyond an average level. I don't think it really deserves either a 3 rating or a 4 rating, but about a 3.5.

Usually, I reserve 4 ratings for books I can't put down. But I found this one easy to put down and come back to later. I liked the writing, I liked the main characters, but it just didn't "excite" me the way better books can. Too many of the escapes were more luck than anything else. No one really even had a plan. No one was really a leader. It's a miracle they survived as long as they did.

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"The Secret Apocalypse" is a fast and entertaining read. This story is told through the eyes of a sixteen year old high-school girl; she is the sole survivor of the "Oz Virus" - a military weapons test that goes awry. The virus has mutated and and the vaccine is no longer effective. Ground zero can't be quarantined - the virus is spreading too fast via blood and saliva and troops are quickly overwhelmed by the attacking hoards of zombies. The military goes to great length to contain this epidemic and reverts to blowing up bridges and other escape routes to create a controlled quarantine area, unfortunately, thousands of survivors are killed as collateral damage in the process.

There is no stopping the virus and the military is desperate, unleashing jets, helicopters, napalm and nukes to kill zombies and survivors alike. Government killer teams are dispatched throughout the country in search of survivors that may have come in contact with the virus but haven't turned yet - they are rescued then taken to secret centers, unknowing that they will soon be dissected and become "specimens" in the experiments to develop a vaccine.

Rebecca and her friends are in the middle of all this and must evade both zombies and soldiers in their quest for survival and to escape the country. There are many twists and turns along the way, plenty of places to bite your fingernails or hold your breath. Rebecca appears to be the "sole" survivor from the apocalypse in Australia, the virus claiming the remaining 22 million citizens. We'll have to read the next book in the series to find out what happened to her friends...they all split apart before her rescue. Are they all dead?

I liked the story a lot and would recommend it to others, but must also agree with other reviewers regarding the lack of editing within the story...at times, it is distracting. If the book were "fixed", I would most likely give it four or five stars. This book also includes an excerpt of the next book which sheds some light upon the earlier question - I will most likely purchase it to see how this story progresses.

John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel ( )

The Secret Apocalypse by James Harden is an well-written zombie story based on an intriguing premise. It begins at a TV station with the interview of Helen, the sole survivor of a zombie apocalypse in Australia. The details of Helen's story are filled in via a book-long flash back to the incidents leading up to the interview. This technique works exceptionally well at building suspense. What happened, why, how did Helen survive? Helen's survival is a bit of luck, a bit of stubborn courage, and a bit of help from friends. The circumstances which Helen finds herself in, and the way society so quickly degrades around her, is well described. Her friends, too, are filled out so well that I really did NOT want them to die...though it is clear from the beginning that she is the sole survivor. I read a lot of zombie fiction, and this book stood out as fresh and new. I enjoyed the story a lot, and will definitely be watching for the sequel. ( )