Death was a risk they all took and each man knew that this mission had the potential to be extremely dangerous.
Brian Parker
The Days Before
Format:
Audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
The day of retribution is at hand.
Years before the outbreak, an unexplained illness in the Congo that mimicked different hemorrhagic fevers brought scientists from the CDC to the jungle. Rebels attacked and destroyed all of the data and blood samples before their research was completed. The true nature of the disease remained a secret.
Months before the outbreak, contractors began to build and secure caches of military equipment and supplies across the US. What was their purpose?
Days before the outbreak, everything seemed normal. The public had no idea that terrorist forces planned to unleash a literal hell upon the earth. The US and British intelligence community knew, and sent a covert team to North Korea to try to stop the extinction event before it began. This is their story.
The Days Before is the prequel to the bestselling Five Roads to Texas series written by W.J. Lundy, Rich Baker, Joseph Hansen, Allen Gamboa, AJ Powers, Brian Parker, and JL Bourne. Find out how it all began.
Point of view:
3rd person. Multiple perspectives.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
So this is listed by Audible as book 8, but Goodreads has it listed as book 0 and it’s noted as a prequel. I really like to read things chronologically – so skimmed the reviews and saw a few folks mention while good for fans of the series, starting here was a good idea.
Whoah! This was a really great listen. No stopping, rearranging my TBL to listen to more of the books, totally sucked into this world listen.
This sets up the various events and players that instigated &/or will feature in the Five Roads to Texas apocalyptic zombie series. I was a little worried that a weaponized virus story might not sit too well considering the last two years, but this story is so different that I wasn’t feeling any comparison to real life. That said, there’s definitely a level of authenticity and believability that gave me chills at times.
While it feels slightly disjointed at first – because there’s so many moving parts and people who don’t seem to have anything to do with each other – as it all comes together and every chapter before was absolutely necessary. There’s villains, doctors, current & former military, as well as just plain normal every day people.
As this is meant to be a teaser to the full series, this absolutely ends in a cliffhanger. However, at 8.5 hours this is full of plenty of mystery, suspense, & thriller elements to feel worth every penny spent. I can’t wait to start book 1, Five Roads to Texas.
Narration:
I’ve listened to other thrillers narrated by Andrew B. Wehrlen and was just as impressed this time as in the past. Probably more. Lots of accents, genders, and personalities that he kept distinct and consistent. Very emotional scenes that he handled really well. I’m excited he’s at the helm for the entire series.
About the author:
A veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Brian Parker retired from the US Army after 25 years of service in 2020. Brian enjoys hiking, obstacle course racing, writing, and Texas Longhorns football. He’s an unashamed Star Wars fan, but prefers to disregard the entire Episode I and II debacle…and the newer Episode VIII disaster.
Brian is both traditionally and self-published with an ever-growing collection of works across multiple genres, including sci-fi, post-apocalyptic/dystopian, horror, paranormal thriller, military fiction, self-publishing how-to and even a children’s picture book–Zombie in the Basement, which he wrote to help children overcome the perceived stigma of being different than others.
You can connect with Brian Parker here:
About the narrator:
With a strong, friendly and confident voice, Andy will tell you a story in a conversational way that seems like you’re hearing it from a friend you trust.
Specializing in sci-fi, thrillers, horror, post-apocalyptic and genre specific.
You can connect with Andrew B. Wehrlen here:
My Favorite Quotes
He didn’t know why, but Grady had the feeling that this job was going to be a massive pain in the ass. – The Days Before by Brian Parker #Audiobook narrated by Andrew B. Wehrlen #Zombies #FiveRoadsToTexas #Thriller #Suspense #KindleUnlimited
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Whatever was locked inside the facility was scary enough to spook them. – The Days Before by Brian Parker #Audiobook narrated by Andrew B. Wehrlen #Zombies #FiveRoadsToTexas #Thriller #Suspense #KindleUnlimited
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Death was a risk they all took and each man knew that this mission had the potential to be extremely dangerous. – The Days Before by Brian Parker #Audiobook narrated by Andrew B. Wehrlen #Zombies #FiveRoadsToTexas #Thriller #Suspense #KindleUnlimited
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