I'm always up for a book by Josh Reynolds, one of my favourite authors, so I was interesting to pick up this very... unique offering that's a bit outside his usual remit!

I only know of the Zombicide series from these novels, and it's always good to approach them with sense of humour on standby. This is no exception.

Fun characters, unusual situations, a very original take on the zombie apocalypse while nodding tribute to Romero and his followers with 'the worst monsters are people' undertones... this was a romp.

If you like zombies, you need to get this in your brains.

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Go Zombie Go!
𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿: Westlake
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Normal
𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: Novel
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Zombie Action
4/𝟱

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ Novel premise - sentient zombie battles through thoughts like molasses and gnawing hunger
~ Great descriptions of zombie hordes
~ A good intro to this new zombie world
~ All things considering, not overly brutal or gore-y (for decomposing ambling bodies)

Zombies are roaming and we have different points of view on what is happening in New Jersey & further afield. While small enclaves of survives fight for dominance under the care of the St.Clouds, Westlake, a talking and thinking ex-mercenary zombie will horrify & amaze as he defends humans, kick zombie butt & wiggle away from the demented clutches of the St.Clouds with his Ex-Feds & mercenary friends.

This was an enjoyable & well-paced read. The various points of view don’t throw the story off, instead they adequately provide multiple angles to some key scenes. Although I wouldn’t say I fell for any of the characters, the happenings, decisions & thoughts made sense. I believed this world.

✨𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

🌱THE MEH
~ SLIGHTTT obsession with the Romans 💁
~ Story wasn’t long enough to get into all of the characters

♡🌱 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲 ;)

First things first, I got this book from NetGalley, so thank you netgalley and Aconyte Books for this opportunity.

To be honest, zombie fiction has reached such a point in its history that it is almost impossible to create anything fresh regarding it. Almost every angle has been explored, every stone has been turned to the entertainment the targeted audience. Josh Reynolds didn't focus on trying new dimensions, rather he gave us strong characters and some thrilling action bits to tell us an engrossing tale of survival.

I was a bit sceptical when requesting this on netgalley, as I had no prior knowledge of the board game 'Zombicide', and also because this novel is a sequel of the writers first book based on the game. But, Reynolds did a brilliant job of making this a smooth read for any newcomer into the world of Zombicide and the story stands on its own quite independently despite being a sequel.

'All or Nothing' is the tale of former career criminal Westlake, who finds himself semi-zombified in Atlantic City. Where he is kidnapped and becomes part of a savage gladiator-styled show for the amusement of a heartless overlord. But, ex-cop Estela Ramirez and her crew of mishap heroes are already on their stop the horrors being inflicted on the humans.

The story is told through various viewpoint characters, almost all of whom different agendas and act in ways to ensure their goals in interesting ways. The plot is filled with enough thrills to keep the reader guessing what might happen next and keep hoping that their favorite characters somehow survive the ordeals. The story had enough momentum to keep any reader motivated to keep turning pages and some detailed action sequences as well.

Among the characters, some were very interesting; including but not limited to the dubious protagonist Westlake, the masked wrestler named Calavera, the curiously academic and articulate Potelmy, the highly capable and stealthy Sayers, the enigmatic and mysterious Duchess and the not so generic mad scientist Brewer. I really loved many of these characters and that is what kept this story so entertaining despite the unoriginal setting of a zombie apocalypse.

Despite wishing the ending had a bit more punch and more instances of near death experiences overall, I really loved the writing by Josh Reynolds and the characters.

I will give this, 4 out of 5 stars.

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The previous entry in the modern day Zombicide series introduced us to Westlake, a career criminal who finds his life thrown completely off-kilter when the world comes to an end, and the dead begin to rise. And whilst the dead rising did help him out of a tough spot to begin with, the world coming to an end did kind of send his life in a direction he wasn't expecting. Having teamed up with a group of survivors to take over a remote compound, Westlake ended up being bitten and infected; and the last we saw of him was him driving a car away to lure the undead away from his new friends.

But if you thought that that was the end for Westlake, think again! Picking up a few months after the first book in the series, All or Nothing takes us to Atlantic City, where Westlake seems to come to from a weird, confused state. Was he suffering from a head injury, was it some kind of memory loss? Worse, he comes to consciousness to discover that he's long since dead, and has turned into a zombie. What does this mean or him, will he be able to keep him mind intact, how long will his undead body last? These are all questions that will have to go on pause when Westlake finds himself getting dragged into a war in Atlantic City.

A casino has been transformed into a haven from the zombies, but the man who runs it does so with an iron fist, and dreams of conquest. Worse still, a twisted scientist is experimenting on the zombies in the basement, and those captured by the casino forces are made to fight for their lives in an arena for the amusement of the casino residents. Westlake must try to do his best to stay alive (ish), and to help the innocents caught up in these evil schemes. Meanwhile, his friends at the Villa hear the call for help from Atlantic City, and set out on a rescue mission of their own.

All or Nothing does what the first book did, it gives readers great zombie action, interesting characters, and a fun story, but it also does what every good sequel needs to do, and ups the ante and gives us some cool new things too. The first, and most obvious, is that Westlake has become a zombie. It's hard to talk about this book and not address that fact. Westlake having become the undead alters his story in about the biggest way possible, and gives him something super interesting. Whilst his role as the reluctant hero, a shady character who's trying to do the right thing but doesn't want to look too good, was fine for one story, but couldn't really last for long. This new development gives the perfect excuse for him to change, to be a bit different. He seems much more willing to throw himself into danger this time round, to put himself at risk to help others; due in large part to him technically already being dead.

It makes things more interesting because it raises questions about what makes him so special, what led him to become this unique form of zombie. Is it something unique to Westlake, or are there others out there like this? I think it's fascinating how much this opens the world up, and it means that all kind of things could be possible in future books. Could another member of the group end up becoming a zombie? Could they discover a whole community of sentient zombies? And the questions that are at the forefront of my mind, will this last? Are we going to get to a point where Westlake rots away too much and falls apart, or could he lose his mind and end up becoming a monster? These are all things that make this series much more interesting than just another zombie survival story, and give it something a little extra exciting.

But, the book isn't just about Westlake. All of the survivors at the Villa make a return, and we get to see them go on a whole new adventure with them as they head off to Atlantic City to answer a distress call. This mission involves them having to break into an airport and steal a plane; something that's incredibly balls, but isn't even the wildest thing that happens to them in this book. It's great to see this group back, as they're a bunch of characters that were an absolute joy to spend time with last time, and getting to see them go off on an adventure that's even bigger and more dangerous than the last is a lot of fun; even if there are certain parts of it where you end up reading on thinking 'why would you do that!?'.

There are also some new characters introduced in this book, both allies and villains; and it's not always clear who's going to be which. The story that Reynolds crafts in Atlantic City is a really interesting one, and it feels a lot more dynamic and engaging than the first book, which was a very simple story of trying to capture one location. Here, it's not always clear who to trust, there are double dealings, and there's a sense that we've stumbled into the middle of a story that's been going on for a while. It makes the world of Zombicide feel bigger, more lived in, and more realistic.

If you're a fan of zombie horror this book has a ton of stuff in it that you're going to like. It has masses of zombies, corrupt humans out to better themselves, brave survivors going up against overwhelming odds, and weird, twisted new types of zombies. Whether you've ever played Zombicide or not, this book is sure to keep you thrilled throughout.

I firstly want to thank Aconyte Books and Netgalley for sending me an E-Arc this book to review. My review is left voluntarily and is completely honest.

I think it is safe to say by now that if you follow my reviews or know me in general I love zombies. I realise that statement might seem a tad strange but since playing Resident Evil back in 1998 I’ve been hooked. Movies, Games, TV Shows you name it I love them. It’s also safe to say that as I’ve got older the reasons have changed a bit. I still love the horror and amazing visuals and stories you can get but more so I love the exploration of human race under such an event. I think it safe to say the real horror in most Zombie related media of late are the humans themselves and I have to say, unfortunately, I don’t think I am surprised in the least but enough of that let’s talk about All or Nothing!

The direct follow on from Last Resort All or Nothing sees arguably one of my favourite protagonists return. I am of course talking about former career criminal Westlake. If that wasn’t a good start add to the mix he isn’t exactly the same as before, in fact he’s part zombified! After helping the rag tag group of Survivors secure the Villa Westlake made a choice and a sacrifice only he isn’t quite dead but not exactly alive either. Not left with much time to contemplate his new existence Westlake his Kidnapped near Atlantic City and forced in to a gladiator style show for the amusement of an heartless human overlord.

As fate would have it Ex-cop Estela Ramirez and her crew are already on their way to save him, without even knowing he is there, and stop the horrors being inflected on humans and zombies alike in Atlantic City. If they can figure out just how to fly a plane there that is. While Westlake tries to keep himself ‘alive’ in the arena he begins to realise that while the zombies are bad nothing beats the old cruelty of the people who remain and he isn’t about to just let this continue.

While All or Nothing does follow on from Last Resort it does easily stand on its own as well. I would however recommend reading the first novel anyway because you will not be disappointed and you have a further understanding of the characters. Like I already I said Westlake was one of my favourite characters in a novel in recent years. His morally grey past made him the perfect person to survive the outbreak and gave him the perfect chance of a semi-redemption at end of the Last Resort.

As well as familiar faces returning Reynolds introduces new characters with their own skills or weaknesses. I particularly liked Saul who created an interesting moral point of view. I also adored that Atilla returned and while I try to avoid spoilers they lived as well! Extra points for keeping the doggo safe. But in all seriousness Reynolds is a master at creating layered and well built characters. Even some of the supporting cast who might not even make it through the novel show enough of themselves for you to get a good idea of who they are and what they are like and as I said before this is one of the reasons I love media about zombies. You can put your characters under extreme stress and showcase just who they are and what they are like. I know it is going back to the previous novel again but for example Westlake who by the end of Last Resort was willing to risk himself for the group he had found. Contrast this with the ‘big bad guy’ in All or Nothing who views humans has nothing but workers, almost an equivalent to slaves and zombies as something to be used for enjoyment despite their own threat they bring to the table. An apocalypse of any kind, but particularly the zombie variety, is the perfect place to showcase your characters but also your skill as a writer and Reynolds does that in droves in his novels.

I devoured, pun intended, this book in just a few sittings. I am sure it would have been one sitting if real life hadn’t gotten in the way. If you are looking for a book that has lots of action, gore and struggling humanity this is for you. If you enjoy seeing characters pushed to extremes this is for you. If you love a good story with lots of heart and likable characters even in a bleak setting this is for you. Most importantly if you’ve ever wondered what if a ‘Zombie’ could keep some of itself after the change or could zombies evolve after a while this is definitely for you. Finally if you love the zombicide games or zombies in general this is for you. Reynolds has produced a perfect follow up to one of my favourite novels of 2021 and even sprinkled in hope there could be new ones ahead. I am hopeful we will get more Westlake and co in the future although I hope the day doesn’t come when Ramirez has to follow through on her promises and put Westlake down because I know with Reynolds writing I am not emotionally ready.

All or Nothing is out in ebook form now and comes out in paperback to the UK in November 2022

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte books for an advanced copy of this zombie- based board came adventure story.

As I have grown older a few things have become apparent, but the one fact that I know that I will take to my grave is that when the Zombie Revolution comes the biggest problem is going to be other humans. Zombies are just hungry, humans always want to have control, and will do anything to have it, even when the world is just a giant buffet during early bird specials. One of my new favorite writer Josh Reynolds novel All or Nothing; A Zombicide Novel, based on the best selling board game, presents a world where zombies are being zombies, humans are the enemy and resources, especially bullets, are running out fast.

The book is a sequel to the novel Last Resort, but this one pretty much stands on its own, featuring most of the same characters and their plight in a world that suddenly has become dead. Westlake is a criminal, who did what he did for the money, but in trying to help some other survivors he found himself in an odd situation. Half- dead, with a body decaying, a thirst for blood but with his memories slowly returning as is his ability to speak. Westlake last real memories are of the Adirondacks, and the people he helped save. Now he finds himself in Atlantic City, where human settlements are under attack not from zombies, but from other humans. A casino owner has turned his establishment into a fortress, from which he plans to take over the city. As a newly dubbed leader he has an arena to distract his people with entertainment of death games featuring prisoners of both humans and zombies. Westlake finds himself among the gladiators, but his friends have heard of troubles to the south, and the are coming. And a mysterious woman lurks in the background, with plans of her own.

A good eat- em- up kind of story with plenty of action, good characters and lot going on. Reynolds can write not only fight scenes, making them both bloody and tense, but adds little things to make the story atmospheric, zombie animals, humor and cool author shout- outs in the character's names. Westlake is the 50's criminal good with a plan, better when it all goes wrong, and fatalistic enough to face the odds when they are against him. There is a lot of advancing of the ideas behind the Zombicide, and enough clues are dropped for quite a few books more. I have never played the game, but I don't think that is necessary, as the story explains everything a reader needs to know. Besides Westlake, whose name I am a big fan of the character of the Mexican wrestler who sees the Goddess of Death who is one mad deity that she is not getting her fill of the dead, is character that could be a joke, but is played for real, and I would love to see more stories about.
I've read quite a few books by Josh Reynolds and have been impressed with his writing, plotting and way that he presents his stories, and the humor he slips in. And have become quite a fan of his and of all the books that Aconyte release. I have never found a book that I thought was either dull, or just went nowhere, and I am impressed by the amount of diversity and the care they take in finding and cultivating new writers. They really take time, even in simple seeming stories to make very good adventures, and adventures that people unfamiliar with the source will enjoy. A good adventure story, with a lot of great ideas, and interesting characters. Can' wait to read more.