The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel by Marsheila Rockwell

I was given an eReader copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a marvelous romp across time and the Marvel world we know and love. What happens when the Sorcerer Supreme is put out of commission by a zombie plague of unknown origin? His bookkeeper Zelma has to step up and at least attempt to save humanity with the help of a ragtag group of Marvel heroes/ anti-heroes.

There were moments of dread and levity that made this feel like an unpredictable adventure! The writer does not shy away from the more gruesome aspects of the zombie outbreak. I really liked the team which included Zelma, Nico, Elsa Bloodstone, Deadpool....and a mammoth named Max. I'll let you figure out how they all meet 😆.

There is definite character development and the perfect amount of powers and mystical weapons that make the action exciting. I highly recommend checking this out!

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL

The original Marvel Zombies books were a very joyless, nasty affair. Not only were beloved characters dying in horrible ways, the nature of the zombie virus meant that even those infected with the disease were still suffering; Spider-Man eating his own family and then being wracked with guilt over it being a prime example. Whilst they might be entertaining books there's little joy to be found in them, and not a whole lot of hope. It's a good thing then that Marsheila Rockewell's new Marvel Zombies novel seems to be set in another universe entirely, and gets to do its own thing without being beholden to the comics that have come before.

The book begins with something landing on Earth, crashing into downtown New York. Doctor Strange is one of the many heroes who heads out to find out what's happened, along with some Avengers, Spider-Man, and a few other solo heroes. This is New York after all, this could very well be the start of some kind of planet wide invasion, and it's all hands on deck. Captain America is the first to head into the crater to find out what happened, and soon stumbles out of it clutching a wound, before turning into a ravenous zombie and biting his fellow heroes.

The super hero community quickly falls, with the super powered populace making for the most dangerous zombies you can imagine as they still have access to their powers and abilities. As the heroes begin to infect each other Doctor Strange tries to make it back to his Sanctum, but is captured by a flesh hungry Spider-Man.

In the sanctum, his apprentice, Zelma Stanton, prepares for another day managing Doctor Strange's library for him. However, when she finds a zombified Strange devouring the other residents of the building she learns that the end of the world has come. Thankfully, eating flesh has returned some semblance of control and personality to Strange, and he's able to help prepare Zelma for what has happened, and gets her to lock him away in the basement. Alone now, Zelma begins to try to find a way to repair the damage and put things right. Whilst searching through the world via magic, however, she discovers others like her, and begins to gather allies to help her in her mission.

The Hunger is perhaps the nicest Marvel Zombies story that I've read, the one with the most hope to it, the most heart. A large part of that is down to the fact that the book doesn't revel in the death and terror of the zombie plague, avoiding gratuitous death and dismemberment. The other reason is that the book gives us a central cast who are enjoyable to be around. Zelma is a young woman who has some confidence issues, who worries a lot and likes to shut herself away from things, but she has a good heart and cares about things, making her a surprising, but very likeable leader.

Our group of heroes also includes Nico Minoru from Runaways, who has a harder edge to her than Zelma, but also brings a lot of heart and emotion with her. Elsa Bloodstone is a sassy, sarcastic monster hunter who acts like the most dangerous and important person in any room she's in, yet never manages to come across as unpleasant. And Deadpool is Deadpool, a bit of lighthearted weirdness thrown into a situation where the team need someone to crack a joke or two, even if they're rolling their eyes at it.

The book is split into some distinct parts, with the first part showing the gathering of the group. Zelma is our main character for this, as she's the only one there from the start, and there are several chapters with her on her own just tying to survive inside the weirdness that is the Sanctum Sanctorum. The gathering of the troops is enjoyable read, and whilst Nico's recruitment is somewhat easy, the two of them going off to try and find Elsa is a lot more complex, and gives readers both action and horror to entertain them.

The latter half of the book, however, sees our team of mismatched protagonists trying to save the world by messing with time, trying to undo the zombie infection. But, as with most time travel stories when you mess with the flow of time it can have unintended consequences, and we get to see our heroes dealing with those consequences and trying to make things right in some unusual circumstances.

The Hunger is an enjoyable take on the Marvel Zombies formula, one that is doing its own thing and at times feels a lot more enjoyable than the comics its drawing from. The characters picked for the group are an odd one, and that oddness works well for the story, with most of the characters you'd normally expect to be the ones to save the world off the table thanks to the spread of the infection. If you're looking for something a bit different in the Marvel Universe, and don't want the same kind of Marvel Zombies stories this book is absolutely worth trying out.

A very dark take on the Marvel universe. Luckily there is Deadpool who can’t die or..you know..go zombie..to lighten the mood a bit with his sarcastic and sometimes ridiculous observations on life. Or perhaps unlike in the case of most of the heroes? I had read a couple of the marvel zombie comics before, I thought I was prepared for this but it seems my stomach is a bit weak when it comes to zombie gore these days. Or maybe I just an issue with Marvel going horror, but can’t say this was my favorite comic adaptation from the Marvel verse into a novel. And the ending was, well, blunt, abrupt, and lacked any true fulfilling resolution as far as I can tell. Some very amusing comments and moments.

The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel by Marsheila Rockwell is a fun, gory female-led time-traveling superhero adventure. Doctor Strange is a zombie on the cover, so it is not a spoiler to say he doesn't last long, but he sets the events to fix the zombie outbreak for his young librarian and apprentice Zelda Stanton. I have never read a Doctor Strange comic, I only know of Doctor Strange from the MCU, so I had never heard of Zelda Stanton. I liked her character who would rather be with books than dealing with deadly super-powered zombies, but she rises to the occasion in this fish-out-of-water story. She recruits Nico Minoru from The Runaways, Whom I have read most of the Runaways Marvel comics, Elsa Bloodstone, the monster hunter 2022 MCU Halloween special Werewolf By Night, and Deadpool, The Merc with the Mouth whom I'm familiar with in comics and movies. This is the gang of superheroes left to defeat the super-powered zombie horde. The notable zombies are Captain America, Thor, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Dr. Strange, Wasp, Iron Man, and Spiderman. The story is fun and gets off to a fast start. The novel does slow down after the characters debate too long about how to defeat zombies and the plan is very convoluted. The plan eventually starts to make sense but it takes a little too long, I needed Zelda to explain it in simpler terms to probably Deadpool, who screws up the plans anyway. The last two fights of the novel are pretty epic the first one I did not think they were going to the top but they did. The action comes all at the end, for most of the novel they avoid the zombies until they have to, I would have preferred the fights to be more spaced out but boy do they deliver. I was given a free copy by Aconyte Books through Netgalley for a review. The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel was published on October 3, 2023.

Plot Summary: A meteor has fallen in New York City and Marvel's Superheroes are first on the scene, poor Captain America is the first to be zombified, then other superheroes. The uniqueness of the virus is you can't die like a zombie, but you are just super hungry, so if you eat enough flesh you become sane until the hunger takes over again, also superheroes get to keep all their powers. Doctor Strange was on his way to the site when he felt something was wrong, before he could react fully he was caught in a web of circumstances and Spiderman's actual web, as he was bitten before he could send Spiderman to a portal to another time. Doctor Strange returns to the Sanctum Sanctorum where he bites and eats Wong (cry). After he realizes what he's done and has clarity he goes to Zelda as the earth's only hope and closes off this dimension, so that no one can leave and asks Zelda to kill him and use the library to survive. She can't kill him but puts him away where he can't hurt others and can't hurt himself and use his powers. Zelda looks for other witches to help, The Scarlet Witch is already a zombie and Agatha Harkness is missing, she finds Nico Minoru just as she's going to get bit and saves her as the other Runaways perish. Nico recommends Elsa Bloodstone the monster hunter, but they get no reads of life but can track her magical artifact the bloodstone. They follow the bloodstone to find Elsa is already a zombie, but a sane one thanks to Deadpool who is in a cage and has been an endless food source the flesh-hungry Elsa Bloodstone. Elsa vows to kill every last zombie and make the world whole again, and Deadpool wants the world saved for chimichangas to still get made. This squad of four has to save the world whom Deadpool nicknames the Golden Girls.

What I Liked: Spiderman biting and attacking Dr. Strange like a spider was pretty terrifying. The time travel aspect was really fun. The superhero zombie horde was written well, with who was chosen to go up against whom. The epic last battle scenes were a lot of fun and very intense. The Stone Age Avengers were awesome, didn't know they existed but will have to get the comics they are a part of because they were awesome, not a huge part of the book but they make an impact. I like how briefly the history of a relevant hero or villain is explained Morgana Le Fey in particular. I liked how fast the zombie story got going. Deadpool's jokes are pretty great and his relationship with Max is classic Deadpool.

What I Disliked: The time travel plan needed a layman's explanation, and the squad seemed confused too. I felt Elsa refusing to tell the story of how she was bitten lasted too long, Zelda should not have to fight that hard and it didn't even affect the story. As much as I loved the battle scenes I could have had them spread out or another battle scene in the middle and not all at the end, which made the pacing drag in the middle. The pop culture references should have stuck to Deadpool when another character uses it in a metaphor or quotes G.I. Joe it feels fake and out of place. Wong was eaten too soon and Dr. Strange showed no remorse at all. While I liked the action it was sometimes really hard to follow the whole time.

Recommendations: The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel is a fun gory story. It takes characters that the general audience might not know and has a lot of fun with them. I don't know everything about the characters and felt Rockwell did a great job in staying true to them. I felt Zelda was the most obscure and the book did a fair job of introducing her to the reader. The Marvel Zombies worked really well and this book is a good alternate take on those comics. The Stone Age Avengers were a highlight and made me want to read about them if you know of these characters already they have one heck of a scene, that I did not want to end.

Rating: I Rated The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel by Marsheila Rockwell 4 out of 5 stars.

About Marvel Entertainment:

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

I love most things Marvel. And I love most things zombie. So naturally I was all in when Marvel Zombies came out way back in ’05 or ’06. And I wasn’t the only one. Since that initial limited series we’ve seen several more limited series, an episode in the Disney+ show What if…? And I believe Disney+ is has a full Marvel Zombies series coming in 2024. Not to be left out, Aconyte Books has now released The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel! And bottomline…it’s awesome. This is an original take on a zombie outbreak and it definitely features an unlikely crew of heroes.

How does the zombie apocalypse begin? Well when something crashes down, Earth’s mightiest heroes spring into action to investigate the impact carter. Big mistake! Captain America is the first victim, stumbling out of the crater and instantly attacking his fellow heroes, turning them. Don’t want to spoil things too much, but when Doctor Strange gets infected he fears not only for Earth but the entire multiverse. Able to temporarily regain/retain some of his mental faculties (won’t say how…you’ll see) he sets about warning everyone he can and tries to lockdown the virus to his little corner of the multiverse. And before losing control again he makes arrangements to have himself contained as well, putting Zelma Stanton in charge of the Sanctum. Well even having studied under Strange, Zelma knows she is no sorcerer supreme and even with all the knowledge of the sanctum at her disposal she realizes she’ll need help if she’s to try to combat what is happening. Avengers Assemble? Nope. She can’t do that since most of them have already been turned, but she does manage to recruit a few heroes to help, but it’s an unlikely group. Nico Minoru, of the Runaways, Elsa Bloodstone (an infected Elsa at that), and everyone’s favorite Merc with a mouth: Deadpool, who just happens to be helping Elsa maintain her sanity. (Wait to you find out how!) I really don’t want to give too much more of the story away, but of course they come up with a plan…and lets just say it goes a little sideways. With most of the Marvel novels there tends to a number of funny cameos, that’s especially true here. This is a wickedly fun and bloody trip through the Marvel universe and author Marsheila Rockwell does an absolutely wonderful job of bringing all the various characters to life…or in the case of many of the them, undead. While I think my favorite Marvel novel is still Into the Dark Dimension, this one was a blast. And I’m always up for more Marvel Zombie adventures. I’d like to thank Aconyte Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Hunger.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R149PU55Y1JQ6Y/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I love all things marvel universe so this was a good read
thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Review
The Hunger is everything I didn’t know I needed in a Marvel Tie-in Novel. Taking inspiration from the Marvel Zombies events it sees a team of unlikely heroes try and stop zombie super heroes and villains from destroying the world. With an event, called The Incident, has infected the planet creating zombified super heroes who begin to destroy everything they swore to protect. Doctor Strange realises that this plague cannot be allowed to spread to other realities but his Hunger is irresistible. Now the only hope Earth has lies in the Sanctum Sanctorum’s librarian, Zelma Stanton who knows every spell in the book but she’s no fight. But the witch Nico Minoru is and joining her is Monster Hunter Elsa Bloodstone and Deadpool. They plan to trap the zombies in a time loop but thanks to a certain merc with the mouth it goes terribly wrong. The time line unravels and the original Incident looks like a cakewalk. It’s going to take a lot of magic bullets, bloodstones and brains to fix this flesh-eating catastrophe.

Wow, this was a brilliant, edge of your seat thrill ride and it’s a bonus we get a lot of Nico and Zelma content as well! I honestly loved every minute and everything about it. We have the flesh-eating horror of the zombies which are brought to life rather vividly by Rockwell’s masterful writing and team this with time-traveling, magic and of course a rag tag group who have to try and work together long enough to save the world.

I never like spoiling books in my reviews but I will say that much like Sisters of Sorcery Rockewell is amazing at bringing characters to life and giving them even more flesh (pun intended) than perhaps the comics can do. I have always loved Nico, along with the other Marvel witches, so it was lovely to see her and Zelma Stanton (another love of mine). Of course Elsa and Deadpool are awesome too but it’s hard to not let my inner fangirl out when Nico and Zelma are allowed to shine! Paired with the perfect characterisation is the wonderful writing. Rockwell makes something horror filled but also has all the action and humanity you could want as well. With comics its easy to show the situation in the illustrations but Rockwell does this with words in such a way that it isn’t told to you but you get enough to know what the setting is like which to me is a hard skill to master.

It's hard to go into the further detail without offering spoilers but it’s safe to say this is up there now with my top marvel tie ins from Aconyte and I really hope we get more by Rockwell in the future. If you love Marvel, Magic, Mayhem and Zombies (why couldn’t it be an M!) then you will love The Hunger!

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Thank you NetGalley and Aconyte Books for the ARC of this novel. This is NOT a take on the "What If..." episode from Disney+ but you will get your fill of zombies. Based on the blurb, I thought the time loop would begin sooner than it did and I liked the amount of backstory we got for Nico and Zelma. That said, I was disappointed with the ending as I was hoping for more resolution. It was abrupt and felt like we could have gotten more. That could be a point against me for hoping a zombie story could end the way I want it to rather than how it did. If you are a big fan of Marvel comics. I feel you will enjoy this. 3 stars.

The Marvel Zombies comic book series was first published in 2005. It takes place in an alternate universe where the Marvel superheroes have been infected with a zombie virus that makes them crave human flesh. The series was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Sean Phillips, who were known at the time for their work on other zombie comics like The Walking Dead.

The Marvel Zombies series proved very popular, likely due to the novelty of seeing classic Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, and the X-Men reimagined as undead ghouls. The original Marvel Zombies mini-series spawned several sequel series and spin-offs and introduced many more zombie versions of Marvel characters. While the Marvel Zombies world is separate from the mainstream Marvel continuity, its bloody take on classic superheroes has earned the series a significant fan following within the larger Marvel fandom. The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel is the latest book within the Zombie universe and it’s written by Marshiela Rockaell. Read on for a spoiler-free review of The Hunger: A Marvel: Zombies Novel.

In The Hunger, readers land right at the beginning of a zombie invasion, when the Incident kicks off and most of the world’s superheroes are infected with a virus that turns them into zombies. The Sanctum Sanctorum librarian Zelma Stanton finds herself allied with a group of unlikely survivors, Deadpool (the mere with the moth), Monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and a member of the Runaways named Nico Minoru. Zelma isn’t a fighter but she’s a genius who knows spells inside and out. While Zelma regularly relies on Doctor Strange for guidance, this time she’s on her own when the Hunger takes over Strange, turning him into a bloodthirsty zombie whom she ends up having to leave behind in the library.

Zelma decides to team up with the other three to force all of the zombies roaming the world into a timeloop but of course, Deadpool messes the entire plan up and Zelma finds herself having to battle begins more powerful than herself.

While Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone are two of my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Zelma and Nico are both characters that are fun to root for in this novel. Of course, there are some depictions of gore and zombie grossness, but there is also lots of humor especially when Wade Wilson befriends a mammoth. Lots of familiar characters make appearances in The Hunger including Ghost Rider, Captain America, and Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel.

The time travel aspect of the book is a bit hard to follow but just like Marvel time travel properties like LOKI, it’s best not to get too hung up in whichever universe or timeline you happen to be reading about. Marvel Zombie’s The Hunger is a really entertaining addition to the Marvel Zombie books and comics and while the pairing of pragmatic Elsa Bloodstone with sarcastic Wade Wilson may seem ridiculous, it actually works out really well in this novel.

The Hunger releases on October 3 2023 and is published by Aconyte Books.

NetGalley Arc: Book was given in exchange for an honest review

This was an absolute delight from start to finish. This is easily the best use of Marvel Zombies as a concept, focusing on B-tier heroes trying to survive the onslaught of carnage. Really interesting start to a series and highlights the lesser seen elements of the Marvel universe.

Marsheila Rockwell has a great style and manages to balance comedy with horror extremely well. She is one of the few modern writers who can truly bring to life an entertaining Deadpool.

This story goes into some truly wacky places but it is well worth the journey. The middle has a LOT of planning but it never feels like it drags as the character interactions are an absolute delight to read.

Huge recommendation for a zombie fan, a marvel fan, or BOTH.


#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL

A few years ago, Marvel produced a mini-series of comics that played with the idea of its heroes and villains becoming zombies. Sounds silly, right?

It was terrifying. It quickly gained a reputation for certain scenes, and rightly so. This will NOT be making its way to a movie theatre anytime soon!

I was therefore very keen to see how this world would appear in novel form. It's less graphic, for a start, and has to carry a more involved plot.

This books succeeds at both, very well indeed.

The premise is pretty terrifying from the start. The heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe become zombies (from a Romero-nodding meteorite), with the stronger quickly overcoming the weaker. We focus specifically on Dr Strange at first: soon powerful enough to keep the hunger urges at bay, but not before succumbing. A particular favourite character of mine dies early on, and that emphasized the inevitably tragedy of Strange holding on to his humanity with everything he has. This isn't about saving the world - it's about holding on to himself long enough to do so.

We then skip to lesser-known characters, from Strange's apprentice/librarian Zelma and her friend Nico. They quickly pick up Elsa Bloodstone and Deadpool, with the latter kept from zombification due to his powers, the former... well, she takes advantage of that too. Ick.

How does this little group save a world full of super-powered zombies, then? While staying safe as the Sanctum Sanctorum crumbles around them? If even powerful magic-users such as The Scarlet Witch (gross gross GROSS!) and moral juggernauts like Captain Avengers are busy eating brains, what chance do these not-quite heroes have?

This book zips along, engaging from the start and compelling in that it presents utterly insurmountable odds regularly - and the protagonists just about overcome them in order to survive. Characters face one tension-packed impossible situation after another, and yet manage to fight (or puzzle) through. Resourcefulness is key here as much as superpowers.

It's surprisingly easy to suspend disbelief. We're in a comic-book universe after all, and if you picked up the book knowing that (which I imagine you did, given the cover), you'll be along for the ride with no problem.

A small aside: I opened this at random while waiting in a hospital (all is well, don't worry). It made me forget about the beeping around me, the boredom, the white walls, the time passing oh so slowly. The excellent writing and well-drawn characters transported me to the Marvel world, and for that I am very grateful indeed.

If you like superheroes done dark, seek this out. Apocalyptic fun.

The Hunger was the Marvel adventure that I have been WAITING FOR!

The Hunger follows Zelma Stanton as she is just trying to do her best in the face of the world's demise! Zombies have taken over the world and have claimed many of the world's heroes and Avengers, including Sorceror Supreme Doctor Strange. As zombies rise and humanity falls, the fate of the world rests solely within Zelma's jurisdiction to save (oh and she is just a librarian)!

I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy this story at first, but let me tell you - Marsheila Rockwell is a fantastic author. I found myself hooked immediately and I could not put this down. This story starts off rather quickly and you find the world falling fast, and this keeps the pace of this story moving quickly. Bringing in fan-favorite characters, Nico Minoru, Deadpool, and Elsa Bloodstone (and gasp even another magic user who I love), I definitely felt this team could pull off the impossible and hopefully save the world. This is a massively character-driven story, but because we love these characters the story flies by.

I felt that the ending of this story wasn't what I anticipated and that made this all the more enjoyable. Marvel fans and zombie fans are going to love this romp into the apocalypse. Check it out!

I wanted to like it, I really did. It’s trying very hard to be a freewheeling, time-travelling, action-adventure comedy, but ends up a horrible mess (which I guess is kind of fitting, given the zombies of it all).

The mechanics of the time travel don’t make sense. And, to be fair, it’d be far from the first time travel story not to properly think through its own premise, but an awful lot of space is given over to trying to make those mechanics make sense.

It’s a continuity nightmare, with pages and pages given over to explaining who this person is, why they know that person, how it matters, and why we’re now on Christopher Columbus’s ship. I’m not sure there’s a single original character in the novel.

Deadpool’s in it, though (a lot). I don’t like Deadpool. I like Ryan Reynolds. But Ryan Reynolds isn’t in this book.

There are a lot of fight scenes of the sort that are boring enough on screen and in comics, but here you can’t even see them. Perhaps that’s a mercy (I don’t know if you’ve seen Quantumania…).

And as for structure, well, if it were a school, the kids would be sent home and the local MP on the news. The story doesn’t so much end as stop.

A big tick in its favour is the focus on female characters; younger women are the fastest growing and frequently most positive section of superhero fandom, and it’s pretty tiresome how often comic books, movies and their tie-ins act like the only people watching are 36-year-old male nerds in MAGA hats.

I am sorry. I wanted to like it. It’s the sort of thing I really should like. But good intentions don’t make a good book.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte Press for an advanced copy of this adventure featuring the eternally hungry, superheroes, mercs with mouths, witches, magic users and monster hunters.

One song, well the opening verse at least ran constantly through my head while I was reading this adventure dealing with Marvel superheroes and zombie-like creatures. " I feel a hunger, it's a hunger/ That tries to keep a man awake at night/ Are you the answer? I shouldn't wonder/ When I can feel you whet my appetite/ With all the power you're releasing/ It isn't safe to walk the city streets alone. This song by classic rock stalwart Eddie Money, 'Take Me Home Tonight' a story about the physical effects that infatuation can have on a person, sum up the feeling of many of the characters in this story. The heroes are hungry, the hunger is powerful and can never really by quenched. And no one is safe. The Hunger: A Marvel: Zombies Novel, by Marsheila Rockwell tells of a dark time in the Marvel Universe, where zombies rule the streets, and only a ragtag group of mystics, a monster hunters and a mercenary can stop the inevitable.

The book begins with a standard superhero day. An asteroid has crashed in the center of Manhattan, and the Avengers are first on the scene. And the first to fall, as one by one Earth's Mightiest Heroes succumb to a disease that fills their bodies with a hunger that only the living can satiate. A bite brings more heroes into the fold, and soon even the Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange is brought down. In his last moments of lucidity, Strange arranges for this universe to be cut off so the hunger can not spread to the multiverse, and to make his archivist Zelma Stanton the new Sorcerer Supreme. Joining with the Young Avengers witch Nico Minoru and Elsa Bloodstone, monster hunter supreme, along with Deadpool the mercenary, a plan is developed to use the time stream itself to set everything back the way it was. However time is not easily played with, and cannibal superheroes are suddenly the least of their problems.

Another great book by Aconyte, a publisher who seems to understand comic book characters better than the comic book company they come from. This is a story that begs to be illustrated, with action, humor, horror, and weird situations that really are some of the oddest things I have read in a long while. Deadpool buffet is all I will say. The characters are all well developed, with problems and phobias and ways of acting that are all different and interesting. Most of the time women characters are either one note, or very similar. Not here. Each character brings something unique, even if a few share similar powers. The story is familiar, but Rockwell again adds enough twists to make the story seem fresh, different and most of all exciting and fun. Again something quite a few comics could learn from. The book is scary, and a little sad in places, but is told in a nice clear style that doesn't bog itself down. One cares for these characters and what they are going through.

A good balance of horror, sadness and superheroics, with a lot of interesting character interplay, and some ideas that are just, what the heck. This is the first book that I have read from Marsheila Rockwell but, I will definitely be on the lookout for more. Hopefully more Marvel stories await.

Ever wonder what it would be like if our heroes became villains? How about if the world was overrun by superpowers led zombies?

The Hunger: A Marvel; Zombies Novel brings together post-apocalyptic horror with sci-fi for a fun, wild ride.

Perfect for readers who like fast paced novels. If you’re a Marvel fan, you’ll love seeing classic characters make their appearance.

If you like books that have time travel, you’ll love this one!

The Hunger is zombie thriller where the superheroes fall and we’re left with the sidekicks (and Deadpool) to save the day. Something crashes into the Earth and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes rush in to only emerge zombified. Doctor Strange manages to eat enough of his friends to warn his apprentice, Zelma Stanton of the danger. Locking the Doctor away, Zelma sets out to use magic to save the world. Gathering a slightly zombified, Elsa Bloodstone, her human-snack Deadpool, and Runaways witch Nico Minoru, Zelma uses magic to time travel and then time travel some more to fix the first time travel. The story involves a lot of time travel and some comedy of errors to leave the duo right back in a cliff hanger of an ending. Sometimes humorous and full of bloody zombie battles, the story is action packed with a cast of B side characters that are fun to make the acquaintance of. Plus Deadpool is always good for a laugh! My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Actually enjoyed more then I thought I would.

Was a nice change from what I normally read.


4 ⭐️
…………………………………

As a fan of the Marvel Zombies series I may have expected too much from this but it ended up feeling like a lame YA novel. Very disappointing for me at least, stick to the comics if you enjoy them.

When the zombie apocalypse strikes and takes out all of the earth's super heroes in a fell swoop, who you gonna call?

Your 1st guesses may not have included Deadpool or monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone. Or Zelda Stanton, apprentice Witch to Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, and most likely not Nico Minoru, Runaway witch. But whether you were expecting it or not, these are the unlikely heroes that step up to save our reality from total devastation.

This book was such a fun read! As a comics nerd from way back, and still keeping a basic pulse on the Marvel Universe's newer versions of heroes, it was awesome to see so many different characters into one book. The author really knows how to describe scenes of carnage, epic superhero battles and the snarky attitudes of two of my favorite marvel characters. The scenes with Deadpool and Bloodstone are absolutely amazing.

This book is a rollicking ride through time loops, the zombie apocalypse and the magical side of the Marvel Universe. Highly recommended To anybody who enjoys comics and zombies.

Thank you to Netgalley, Aconyte Books and the amazing Marsheila Rockwell for the opportunity to read this fantastic piece of fiction. All opinions are my own.

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

Rating of 4.5.

Prepare to dive into a wacky, time travelling, zombie filled Marvel novel with Marsheila Rockwell’s fantastic tie-in book, The Hunger.

When a mysterious object falls to Earth, landing in New York city, it unleashes a wave of evil and despair as the world’s greatest heroes are turned into ravenous zombies determined to feast on all living flesh. As the zombified superheroes begin to spread out across the planet, turning or eating everything before them, only Doctor Strange can briefly retain his sanity to try and find a way to avert disaster, but despite his best efforts, his overwhelming hunger threatens all around him.

With no alternative, Doctor Strange is forced to turn to one of the few magic users left unaffected by the zombie outbreak, the librarian of the Sanctum Sanctorum, Zelma Stanton, who reluctantly takes up the burden and imprisons her zombified mentor. Despite her lack of experience, Zelma has access to all the magical knowledge and ancient artefacts in Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, and she hopes to find some answer to the deadly chaos consuming her planet. But Zelma soon realises that even all the books in the Sanctum aren’t enough; if she wants to succeed, she’s going to need help.

Pulling together a ragtag team of survivors, including Runaway witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone and the living embodiment of insanity, Deadpool, Zelma hopes that together they can find a solution. But their plan to trap the zombies in a time loop backfires on them, thanks to antics of Deadpool, unsurprisingly. Now with time fracturing all around them, an evil magic threat unleashed, and the zombie horde still determined to eat everything, Zelma and her strange team need to find a way to reverse the damaged they caused while still saving the world. But is this group of survivors truly capable of stopping the flesh-eating nightmares waiting for them?

To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2023/07/16/the-hunger-by-marsheila-rockwell/

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