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  • Zero Day Code

  • End of Days, Book 1
  • By: John Birmingham
  • Narrated by: Rupert Degas
  • Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (3,844 ratings)

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Zero Day Code

By: John Birmingham
Narrated by: Rupert Degas
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Publisher's Summary

Every modern city has one week’s worth of food to feed itself. Then it will collapse. 

Cut off the resources to New York, Sydney, or even a mid-size metropolis, and millions will soon starve. In Zero Day Code we see those immense and open, hyper-complex, networked supercities of the new millennium die. And in the last moments we see their vengeance take form as all the best and worst traits of humanity bubble to the surface. 

Zero Day Code is set in a realistic near future with dwindling global food supplies under increasing pressure from worsening droughts, floods and extreme weather events. Written by prolific Australian writer John Birmingham, the thriller follows a handful of survivors from the first day of society’s descent into violent, uncertain futures. 

James, a consultant to the US National Security Council, is the first to suspect that the worldwide emergence of a crippling computer virus is actually a cover for something else - a devastating cyber-attack by China on the food distribution system of the United States. The attack is a bid for the Middle Kingdom to distract America as it seizes the food bowl of South East Asia and feeds its starving population. But Beijing has miscalculated.

Follow the missions of an embittered activist chasing salvation, a single mum rescuing her child from a frantic San Francisco and an army veteran who has long retreated from society, as the world they knew crumbles around them.  

Please note: this audiobook contains mature content and listener discretion is advised.

©2019 Audible Australia Pty Ltd. (P)2019 Audible Australia Pty Ltd.

What listeners say about Zero Day Code

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Birmingham does it again

Another one knocked out of the park. I don't know what John Birmingham has against humanity, but he revels in destroying the world. And with this book, his latest effort, he delivers global mayhem and societal collapse through the eyes of the people caught up in the middle of it, and he does it with a real emotional punch. He's created characters that are believable and sympathetic - one of Birmingham's strengths.

With Zero Day Code Birmingham presents an idea that's both outrageous and entirely plausible. Frightening actually. He pulls at the loose threads of the fabric of our civilisation and, with a gentle tug, reveals how fragile it really is.

And Rupert Degas does an amazing job as the narrator - his Aussie accent is brilliant, cuss words and all. He brings this story to life. So much so I sat still for the whole 12 hours while I listened. Loved it.

Looking forward to the next in the series.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Nobody can destroy the world like John Birmingham

John Birmingham keeps finding new and interesting ways to destroy the world, and lemme tell you, he’s really refining his technique. In Zero Day Code the world ends with a shudder, and no one realises... until it’s too late.

JB gives us an array of cleverly drawn but all too human heroes and villains in this great opening story to a longer saga of the world ending, but humanity having to survive the fall. Don’t hesitate, download this now!

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Still thinking about it two days later

Without doubt some of the best work from JB to date. The characters are (as usual) colourful without being caricatures. The technical aspects are (again, as usual) well researched and so well written that you dont even notice them. No CSI style exposition here, folks.

Dialogue feels natural and is genuinely engaging, even during the "slow" set pieces. The pacing is absolutely superb, with a ratcheting tension that begins immediately and refuses to let up for the whole journey.

The most impressive thing about ZDC, however, is the effortless way in which JB weaves his trademark wit into what is a genuinely chilling story.

All up, an absolute banger of a read.

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13 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Horrible

Although intreaged by the plot I could not get past the first few chapters due to the offensive language and derogatory discriptions of women.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An apocalypse just around the corner

I've been a John Birmingham fan for a long time. He's always thoroughly entertaining and with Zero Day Code he's raised the bar again. As the reviews roll in for this one, I'm guessing the word we'll see repeated a lot will be 'plausible'. The ideas and overall plot put forward just feels very real and like something that could happen today, right now.

Nothing that Birmingham lays out in this tale of the world in crisis feels in any way like it couldn't take place exactly as he describes it. There are no zombies, aliens or asteroids throwing the world into chaos, just the very real threat of what could happen when people get desperate and use our own technology against us.

Global threats aside, I also can't recall any novel I've ever read, or movie for that matter, that is so well hooked in to the way we communicate and consume information in the digital age. I'm not just talking Facebook and Twitter here, every mention of a social media platform or cloud based app or tool, no matter how obscure, has had me thinking John must have had big brother style cameras and snooping software watching my house and devices for the past few years.

What holds this story together though is the characters. John has always been great at giving you characters that you feel for and believe in, and with Zero Day Code he's raised the bar there as well. I can't help feeling these guys and girls will be sticking with me for a long time to come, like all great novel characters should. They all feel like real people I know, the good and the bad.

That predominantly comes down to Birmingham's storytelling skills, but Rupert Degas also does a fantastic job at not only narrating this story, but also giving every character, large or small, their own unique voice. Literally. That's quite as feat.

I can't wait for the next book in this series. I want to know what happens next for each and every one of these people and the wider world around them.

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting - could not put it down

Still as good on 2nd listen (2021)

What a great modern political thriller reminescent of the original Tom Clancy novels - including a tongue in cheek acknowledgement as such. Very hard to put down and featuring great narration.

I will have to read more of John Birmingham now - his writing has changed a lot since 'falafel'....

Thank you so very much for this novel, it is like a breath of fresh air. This was a seriously good read and I really want more. Can't wait for the 3rd one to be written/ released.

I shall now start John Birmingham's Axis of Time series.....

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Bring on the sequel!

I haven’t read an apocalyptic novel for a while as got a bit down on them but this one had me completely absorbed, couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. Some kick ass characters and some good Aussie flavour to boot! To top it all off this narrator is sooo good I have gone and bought other books he has narrated already. Thanks for the weekend adventure can’t wait for the next instalment.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Feels all too plausible...

Another fantastic bit of world building (and destroying) from JB. He does his usual great job of introducing a compelling group of characters to provide different viewpoints on the unfolding drama, as well as to make the events intimate and personal. This makes the cascading failures feel all too real, as you can easily put yourself in the characters' place.

The narration quickly becomes very immersive, making you feel part of the world that JB has created. Very easy to listen to, and nice differentiation between the different voices of each character.

Really looking forward to seeing how this plays out over future books. Feels like an epic in the making.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Some great classic Birmo moments, but feels incomplete

Birmo has written some great stuff over the years. He’s got a real talent for weaving disparate and developed characters through action packed moments in intense scenes, while at the same time really getting into some juicy geo-political commentary.
This more of that, but unfortunately it all comes to sudden and jarring halt.
I get that everything needs to be episodic for some reason these days, because money right? But this enjoyable box set feels like it’s missing the last two discs

The narration is generally good and has really clarity in the action bits but really falls down on the female characters, perhapslay off the higher pitches a little?
It was a great listen, but I really wish the ending wasn’t as jarring and unsatisfying as it is. Maybe hold off til the inevitable sequel is released?

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Tense and Believable

Great characters who, with one exception, you're generally rooting for.


It's horrifying in how you could see this really happening.


Well worth a read

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