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Craig DiLouie
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The Killing Floor (a novel of The Infection) Paperback – April 10, 2012

by Craig DiLouie (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 430 ratings
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The mystery virus struck down millions. Three days later, its victims awoke with a single violent purpose: spread the Infection. As the world lurched toward the apocalypse, some of the Infected continued to change, transforming into horrific monsters.

America’s far-flung military has returned home to wage a horrific war against its own country, engaged in a fierce battle to retake Washington, DC. Two hundred miles away, Ray Young, survivor of a fight to save a refugee camp from hordes of Infected fleeing the burning ruins of Pittsburgh, awakes from a coma to learn he has also survived Infection.

But this is no miracle. Ray is not immune. Instead, he has been transformed into a superweapon that could end the world … or save it.

In The Killing Floor, Craig DiLouie’s chilling apocalyptic vision portrayed in The Infection continues, presenting a nightmarish struggle for survival like no other.

“Craig DiLouie takes readers on a wild ride into the darkest regions of zombie territory. Brilliant and terrifying!”—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of DEAD OF NIGHT and ROT & RUIN

“Harrowing action so thrilling you can’t help but get lost in DiLouie's nightmares.”—Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of DEAD CITY and FLESH EATERS

“Every kind of horror rendered down in one truly amazing apocalyptic novel.”—Peter Clines, author of EX-HEROES and 14

Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 3
    The Infection
  2. Print length
    300 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    April 10, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1618680757
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1618680754
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A high-octane, nail-biter of a zombie novel ... Craig DiLouie is one of the new masters of zombie fiction." --Jonathan Maberry, author of DEAD OF NIGHT and ROT & RUIN

"Harrowing action so thrilling you can't help but get lost in DiLouie's nightmares." --Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of DEAD CITY and FLESH EATERS

"One truly amazing apocalyptic novel." --Peter Clines, author of EX-HEROES and 14

"A unique and startling vision of Armageddon. Recommended!" --David Moody, author of HATER and AUTUMN

"A harrowing saga of a horrifying yet believable apocalypse." --Horror Review

"Gave me nightmares." --Zombiephiles.com

"Spectacular." --Living Dead Media

"Amazing roller coaster ride of a zombie series that will knock your socks off." --The Zombie Librarian

About the Author

Craig DiLouie is the author of the bestselling zombie novels The Infection, Tooth and Nail and The Killing Floor. His latest apocalyptic horror novel, Suffer The Children, is now available from Simon & Schuster. He blogs about horror media regularly at CraigDiLouie.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Permuted Press (April 10, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 300 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1618680757
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1618680754
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 430 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Craig DiLouie

Craig DiLouie

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Craig DiLouie is an author of popular thriller, apocalyptic/horror, and sci-fi/fantasy fiction.

In hundreds of reviews, Craig’s novels have been praised for their strong characters, action, and gritty realism. Each book promises an exciting experience with people you’ll care about in a world that feels real.

These works have been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film. He is a member of the HWA, International Thriller Writers, and IFWA.

At www.CraigDiLouie.com, you can find all of Craig’s major works, interviews, and hundreds of interesting blog posts. Be sure to sign up for Craig’s mailing list so you can stay tuned on new releases.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
430 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Randy A. Heller
5.0 out of 5 stars Get Ready To Be Infected All Over Again
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2012
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This sequel to "The Infection" picks up right where the last one left off, at the brief moment of calm created by the climax of the first novel. But if there's one thing you can be sure of when it comes to a Craig DiLouie "zombie" novel, it's that things will never stay calm for long. Especially when "The Killing Floor" is the title of the book. Expect the same caliber of extremely intense, well-orchestrated action scenes as the ones found both in the first book and in "Tooth and Nail," his previous apocalyptic novel. Not to mention plot twists, realistic military details, and well-crafted plot developments that lead to a satisfying (although hardly optimistic) climax.

For "The Killing Floor," some old characters return, but some interesting new characters are also introduced, and along with them, a thoughtful new array of moral dilemmas and complexities. As with DiLouie's previous novels, the horror element is always just the intense window dressing. The "infected" in a book like this might be fun (or horrifying) to watch, but it's always the survivors we relate to. They make us think, "How would I handle this horrible situation? Would I be the hero? The coward? Or just a deer frozen in the headlights?" And what DiLouie is great at doing is presenting the reader with complex characters who are forced to explore the full range of ethical possibilities, and in doing so -- by putting us inside their heads -- make us second-guess our own preconceptions about ourselves.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll just close with what I had to say at the end of my review of "Tooth and Nail" and "The Infection," because once again, it applies here ...

"Based on its premise alone, one should realize that this novel is not for the squeamish. But in case you don't, let me repeat: this novel is not for the squeamish. It is highly graphic throughout, on a par with any R-rated movie you'd watch in this genre. At times, you will wish you were wearing a hazard suit while reading it, and you may feel the urge to go take a shower from time to time. But that's just because the author is doing it right. After all, there shouldn't be anything pink and fluffy about the apocalypse."
14 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastical, Exciting follow up
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2022
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I really enjoyed the second installment in this series. I felt the beasts were written quite creatively. Many scary moments, and such a great story line. Had me thinking about what and who Rays character really stood for while I was in the shower. It was quite interesting to see the author go back and forth from tactical army zombie talk to upper echelon art critic. Cool read. Sad there is only one more, but this series definitely will have me looking for other books by this author.
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Bobby/Robin
5.0 out of 5 stars CRAIG DI LOUIS HAS MADE THE ZOMBIE GENRE FEEL BRAND NEW
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2012
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After I read THE INFECTION and TOOTH n NAIL that made me a fan of this author , but THE KILLING FLOOR for me put him among the select few I call the best!! the story picks up where we left off after the bridge has been blown up , rendering CAMP DEFIANCE safe , ( or is it). We find out that Ray Young whom we thought was dead actually has survived , awakes from being in a coma to find out that he is now immune from the WILDFIRE VIRUS , at the same time the military is combining its forces to try to retake Washington back.But nobody has considered Ray Young.For what is inside Ray could either be a SUPERWEAPON or bring about the extinction of mankind!! I loved every part of this book.Until I finished this story everytime I had to put it down it drove me nuts until I could get back to it.So its a real page turner. Also even with the same characters and introduction of new characters,the way this story was wrote not only did I not lose track of any of them,I was able to follow them closely.I really got to know the characters from book one more intimitely in this story.Let me say that I read zombie apocalypse books all the time,so its not very often when one takes me by suprise. But THE KILLING FLOOR is such an original story it had me up many a night.All kinds of action,this story just never let up!! It felt like I was watching a movie.Lots of nice,or I should say SCARY SUPRISES!! YOU THINK YOU KNOW ZOMBIES? WAIT TILL YOU CHECK THESE MONSTERS OUT!
THE KILLING FLOOR is one of those rare stories that comes along every one and a while with the most original storyline Ive read.Throw in nonstop action,and the sense of realism ; I mean it left me with a sense of "this is how it really would go down " This story scared the hell out of me and it also had me in tears several times. PEOPLE,DO NOT PASS THIS UP. I THINK THE KILLING FLOOR WILL BE ONE OF THE TOP BOOKS FOR 2012 !! CRAIG DIOUIS HAS MORE THAN TALENT , HE HAS A GIFT !! I will ponder on this book at night for a long time.
13 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Pysyko
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, interesting & action packed!
Reviewed in Canada on June 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
I enjoy Craig DeLouie books a lot, including this one!
I like the description of the hardware, the characters, and the
scary part... Well the author worked hard to entertain you...
So I'll let you read the book!!
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Mark Axemann
4.0 out of 5 stars Truly another master class in brain pan splitting brought to ...
Reviewed in Australia on May 4, 2016
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Truly another master class in brain pan splitting brought to you by the zombie apocalypse !!
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Daevouk
5.0 out of 5 stars The New Reality
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2012
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"God forgive us, we tried to save them" . These words, which feature during one of the most harrowing and heartbreaking sequences in survival horror fiction, underline the authors ability in this novel to show that the apocalypse isn't any fun anymore. No more will the reader of this novel ponder that the end of the world wouldn't really be that bad. The author reveals the gradual psychological and physiological damage that continuous combat has on characters, which is interesting in itself. Most survival horror novels deal with the initial encounters and the run for safety. What Craig has done is ask what happens to the survivors after weeks and months of battles and how they meet the challenges of maintaining civilisation. He describes how the characters balance their own desperate attempts to retain their humanity and the need to risk everything just for the chance at saving a bit of the world at a time. That's not to say this is all angst ridden navel gazing. There is enough high power weaponry and military banter to satisfy the most demanding armchair warrior. But impressively weaved into the action is the overwhelming sadness of people pushed to the edge of sanity by what they have endured and what is demanded of them. Highly recommended. As one character says "This is the new reality". It sure is and once you read THE KILLING FLOOR, you will never contemplate the end of the world in quite the same way again. If this sounds interesting, do read The Infection first.
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A. Volk
4.0 out of 5 stars A solid sequel to The Infection
Reviewed in Canada on June 8, 2012
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The Killing Floor is a sequel to DiLouie's The Infection, a novel about a zombie apocalypse. However, these aren't standard zombies, as some mutate (or infect others to mutate) into strange monsters. It's zombie meets The Mist (by Stephen King). In the first book we follow a group of survivors living and fighting in a military personnel carrier in the vicinty of Pittsburgh. This book picks up right where the other book ends and keeps the action moving along at a fast pace.

The characters from the previous novels (those who survived) are here again, as are several new characters. The action no longer focuses on a single group, as it jumps around following the scattered survivors as well as the new characters. Ultimately, they all come together towards a climax involving a new type of infected monster. I won't give the details away, but suffice to say this new monster has the potential to win or lose the war for humanity. We do get more details about the cause of the plague, or at least its origins. The new monster is also heavily featured, so we get a sense of what it's like to be infected.

Overall, the action is fast and the body count is high enough to keep your interest and the tension high. I am only giving this book four stars because I felt like the ending (the last few pages) was rather forced. Again, I don't want to give away spoilers, but the reaction of the military at the end made no sense. Perhaps it was done to highlight the random futility of some efforts I suppose, but it was just poor writing in my opinion. But other than that, this book is a strong sequel to the original. The characters are interesting and complex for a horror/action book, the enemies are real and deadly, the apocalypse unfolds plausibly, and the book moves along at a good pace. If you liked the first book in the series, I'm very confident that you would like this sequel. If you are new to the series, I highly recommend starting with the first book, Infection. This book can be read and enjoyed on its own, but I don't think you'd get nearly as much enjoyment out of it as you would. As with any good zombie book, it's the characters that make or break the book, so it makes sense to follow them from the start. It's a fast, frantic, and sometimes horrific ride, but it's a fun one to follow. A solid four stars for sure.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Liked it
Reviewed in Canada on October 11, 2021
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Conclusion of the long struggle. Introduced a new element. An infected human who doesn't turn, but can control the Z.
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