Alive for Now Audiobook – The Infected Dead, Book 1

On a gray Saturday afternoon, with rain softly drumming against my window and my German shepherd curled up at my feet, I dove headlong into Bob Howard’s “Alive for Now.” There was something oddly comforting about listening to the tale of Liz—herself accompanied by a loyal canine—as she navigates an America gone utterly mad with zombies. Maybe it’s because we all yearn for connection in chaos, or maybe I just have a soft spot for post-apocalyptic stories where empathy matters as much as firepower.

“Alive for Now” is everything you want from zombie horror: relentless suspense, gritty survivalism, and the kind of tense group dynamics that force characters (and listeners) to confront their best and worst selves. But what sets this first installment of the Infected Dead series apart is its devotion to character depth amid the gore and dread. As someone who spent years teaching literature before moving into arts education, I’m always hunting for genre fiction that gives me more than just adrenaline—and Bob Howard delivers.

The story follows Liz—a shy college student on page one—who morphs over mere days into a steely survivor fighting side-by-side with hardened war vet Ron and resourceful Carl the electrician. And let’s not forget Dog, her fiercely protective German shepherd who supplies some unexpectedly tender comic relief. The dog’s intuition about approaching danger made me chuckle and hold my own pup a little closer; isn’t there something beautiful in how animals sense our fear yet anchor us?

As Liz adapts to this grotesque new world, wrestling with trust issues and moral dilemmas about whom to shelter or abandon, I found myself deeply moved by her vulnerability beneath the toughened exterior. She becomes more than just another apocalypse archetype—Howard allows space for grief, hope, guilt, even flashes of humor among so much loss. The dialogue between survivors feels authentic too; raw but never melodramatic.

The action sequences pulse with cinematic clarity: desperate barricades thrown together under siege; heart-thudding escapes down ruined highways; shadowy hordes pounding relentlessly at every sanctuary door. While fans of “The Walking Dead” will feel right at home here (I certainly did), Howard resists turning his zombies into mere plot devices—they are described with chilling detail but serve most powerfully as mirrors reflecting each character’s choices under pressure.

If I had any gripes—and they’re small—it would be wanting just a bit more backstory for certain supporting cast members early on; sometimes tension trumped deeper development until later chapters caught up. And while the narrator (unfortunately uncredited) handles pacing well and nails different personalities capably enough (Dog especially!), there were moments when extra vocal texture might have heightened already intense scenes even further.

But truly: those are quibbles in an otherwise compelling listen that left me hungrily searching out book two before the credits rolled. “Alive for Now” is perfect company if you’re craving intelligent apocalyptic drama layered with genuine emotional stakes—and yes, if you have your own four-legged companion nearby during your listening session? All the better.