The Hollowing: A Post-Apocalyptic Adventure

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

The dead have never been soalive.

After a deadly contagion reduced the world’s population into mindless, undead cannibals, the ruins of America still teem with activity, as some of the dead have regained their intelligence and created their own society; one free from the living’s touch.

Now, more than a decade later, survivalist extraordinaire Liam Fenix seeks to reunite with his family after undertaking a harrowing escape from the uninhabited island that has been his prison, only to discover that he is the sole survivor of the civilization he left behind. He is not alone, however, as undead bounty hunter Leah believes that Liam holds the key to reversing the pandemic that created her race. Armed with their survivalist expertise and following traces of the past, the two must traverse the wastelands together and bring back life to an otherwise dead world, even as they are pursued by a tyrant who does not want this plague to end.

**This series is tagged as Multiple Leads because it contains multiple POVs throughout.

**These stories are styled as if they were a set of paperback novels being released concurrently as opposed to a weekly web serial. Some sections may have wonky pacing as a result.

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2022
Author: mneue

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 886
Views: 434,050

Chapters(145 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

nategatorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ok, can someone explain to me that I had to dig to find this one? Because it is unquestionably great. Like, I should have paid money or at least shelped to the library great.
Anyways, it's flawless and you know that already from the other reviews. So, what I am going to give is the feel.
Think alotta those big man SK vibes, but more of those cool little bits than what King does where he went into the monsters' POV. Now I am not going to Cronin overhype this and SK can barely write SK, after all, but it is professional grade horror writing and I have read far worse that's been pushed by the big pubs.
Open is a tad iffy for me but holy smokes does it get good, then better, then I have to check Google to make sure I am not reading a pirated work.
So go read this already! This is as close to a sure thing you will find on RR and I really want/hope the author to gets our collective acclaim so he keeps writing us great stuff!
Deyis WeninxiaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Written after Book 1.
This review is based on my experience of coming into this story without expectations and I simply wanted to see where the story took me.
The story provided a very pleasant and immersive reading experience that does not take shortcuts in terms of the world's logic. There was a flow and continuity of events which made me lose track of time because I felt I was walking alongside the characters, and each event and its intermissions were interwoven seamlessly. There was a chapter or two that were a bit conceptually weird with strange wording towards the resolution, but the overall experience was like taking a ride with the leads throughout their world.
Style - 5/5
The narration fits with the world and the dialogue is like the spice. I could feel every sentence as an extension of the world with how smooth the prose is because there is sufficient detail that allowed me to visualize the setting and interactions of the characters.
The jargon is minimal - like a few words - and it merges with the dialogue and narration seamlessly.
I saw the switching POV as just another aspect of the story, and it didn't hinder my reading experience.
Story - 5/5
The story has a simple plot and flows well between action and slice-of-life elements. If someone is seeking action and fighting in every chapter, then this is not it. It's more of an adventure with tangible characters, and then action/fighting breaks that continuity. The slice-of-life aspects were written with detail, emotion, and liveliness that I wanted it to continue, but of course, plot.
Although there were some liberties taken, they felt more like mini surprises that belonged to the world's culture and I didn't care for the logical aspects of it.
Grammar - 5/5
I might have glossed over one or two misspelled words and weirdly phrased sentences.
Characters - 4.5/5
Though not a deal-breaker, there is a lot more favoritism towards one characters' actions--Leah. Everywhere she is, she has an impact on the story.
EmEsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Royalroad is a sit plagued with litrpg and progression fantasy. Not that that's a bad thing, but every once in a while, a story like The Hollowing is a breath of fresh air.
It's a very unique take on the apocalypse genre and it's very clear, even in the early stages of writing, that the author has a plan for where he's taking this story. That in itself sets it apart from the vast majority of stories on this site.
Our protagonist is also a breath of fresh air. He's older than the usual sort of 20 year olds we find on this site and so the story comes across in a more realistic way. Not to say that younger protagonists are bad, but they don't exactly view the world in the same light as an older individual.
tldr: It's a great story well worth your time investment.
Confused_KanoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Very well written, characters are flawed and believable, interesting world and fast-paced story.
I hate writing reviews but this story deserves more attention and apparently I need to write 50 words.. ergh
..something exciting happens every chapter and there's no boring exposition
The Hollows and how they work are as far as I can tell a completely original concept and drives the narrative well
GreenerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Right from the start, I have to admit of being a big fan of this post-apocalypse genre. After reading ten chapters, I feel very strongly at recommending this story to all those who are looking to read something new and different, especially to all those who enjoy originality in much used theme of zombies and dystopia.
If you have been reading this genre, you know how difficult it can be to find something original that actually might make sense. Well, this one does. There is a lot of logic in this story and I really appreciate that.
The storyline flows, at times a bit slow, but then it picks up speed in a matter of few paragraphs. I also enjoy seeing the insight into the mental state of mc as well as read the right amount of details and descriptions. I found many self-publishing authors either provide too much or too little.
I also enjoyed the way author kept raising the tension, especially in chapter 3-2.
It was not easy to find things I wanted author to do differently. Maybe the amount of cursing that happens in the narrative. I do not mind cursing at all, but prefer to see it in a dialog, either the one that is spoken out or inner dialog when someone talks to him or herself.
But those are just details and my personal preferences, and all in all, I hope my review can attract other readers to give this story a try as well as boost author’s zest for continuing to write. I’ll be certainly waiting to read it.
IrjaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Good story. Altho...a bit rantinf toward the trope
None of this would happen if they test it on lab mice first...or if they apply D personel from scp story.
Now, this is a very interesting take on zombie trope. Author create good...characteristics of these half zombie (rezzer) n it all sounds logical from the story pov.
The background story is nice, it add more to the main story. The flashback too. It add more layer to the characters. It explain the reason why Hades wanna keep the undead world instead of working for a cure.
N the MC is far from useless...which is good. Hes also not OP at all, which is very good.
Its a good story, very good story.
Lara Zanatti ReisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
In the first chapters, you will think of Walking Dead meets Cast Away. And although for a couple of chapters, the ambience is set on that prism, it will turn 180 degrees entirely with just one only sentence. (wait for it! My eyes almost jumped out of my sockets)
Which I will not share because of “spoilers”. The author leads us at a good pace by presenting the story's main cast; each transition is done smoothly, and you will not find yourself asking where you are or who is that. The storytelling is impressive as the narration adjusts its language depending on which POV the reader is located.
There is a good balance between the description of passives (environment, introspection, etc) with actions making the story move.
The dialogues are short but built with finesse. Even the long monologue with Thirty gives a clear understanding of the timeline, description, some background and references to understand the pillars of its lore.
Do I have something negative to point out? No. Were there moments that broke my immersion? No! Do I recommend this novel? Oh yes! This is a gem hidden in the long catalogue of Royal Road.
5/5 – I loved it.
Master MemerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a great story, it's more than just your average zombie story. It has great writeing good charecters with a well writen story. This is a great story that I think most should try it and give it a read. this story is a daimand that most dont see.
Paul James KeyesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've ready through the first 5 chapters and I must say, this is a wild ride folks! Survival show expert finds himself castaway on an island for a decade and misses the end of the world, only to escape to zombies, but with a twist! I won't spoil the surprise, but I did not see it coming!
Stylistically, the author tells this story through the lamentations of the protagonists inner thoughts about the end of the world. A survivalist with a predisposition for talking to himself as if he is narrating to a camera was a fun choice for one of the story's protagonists. While there is a fair bit of internal monologue, the action and settings keeps rolling by, keeping the pacing feeling quick.
The story jumps straight in with the zombie tropes in the prologue--you'll know exactly where it is going as an infected soldier becomes patient zero for a massive outbreak that feels like something straight out of Resident Evil. Nothing wrong with that, it's exactly the vibe you want when reading zombie fiction. Where the story really shines though is when Liam, our survivalist, is introduced, and his interesting take on surviving the apocolypse begins to unfold. This is definitly not like any zombie story I have read before!
The Grammer score is where I had to deduct some points. The prose feels a bit unpolished at times, but I found it only spuraddically distracting. There are some truely beautiful passages and thoughts here as well. The passive voice is sometimes used where a present voice would spruce up the flow.
The characters are interesting. I really enjoyed the choice of a survivalist for a zombie story. It makes sense that somebody like that would accel in this setting. Another protagonist, Leah, casually searches waterlogged corpses for items of interest while ruminating on her day. It seems like she will be ready for anything. I'm excited to see how this story pans out!
SummerRennaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've read a lot of post-apocalyptic and zombie stories, and I can say with confidence that "The Hollowing" absolutely stands out from the crowd. It's a fantastic read so far.
Style: The author's bio states that they've been writing for a long time, and that experience definitely shows. The prose is clean while still being descriptive. The author excels at tone, crafting a deeply unsettling atmosphere during scenes that feature the post-Hollowing desolation.
Story: The plot is fantastic. It's a very fresh take on zombie stories and turns multiple tropes on their heads, so I'm never fully sure where the story's going next. The plot twists are artfully revealed. A lot of thought and creativity has been put into the world building, which is another element in which "The Hollowing" stands out. Purgatory, Pandemonium, and Elysium all feel real and well-rounded, almost like characters in their own right. The pacing of the story is fast, which fits this style of story very well.
Grammar: the grammar in this story is flawless as far as I can tell. In my entire read-through of all the chapters currently out, I didn't find a single error that I can remember.
Characters: the male protagonist, Liam, is hands-down my favorite protagonist in any zombie story I've ever read. He's an absolute delight to follow. Him being a former survivalist celebrity allows his character to break the mold in several entertaining ways, such as narrating survivalist and history facts out of habit from when he was on TV, his ingenuity, and the fact that he begins the story as a cast away. The other protagonist, Leah, is also very interesting in how she deals with the ways the Hollowing has changed her and the world around her. The side characters stand out, particularly Leah's eccentric crew, and Hades is shaping up to be a chilling and fascinating villain.
Overall: This story is a must-read for zombie and post-apocalyptic fans. It is expertly written, enthralling, and wonderfully original. I can't re