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missbookiverse's review against another edition
4.0
Flotsam & Jetsam
Hatte ich schon mal woanders gelesen, hab ich deshalb übersprungen, fand ich aber gut.
Scenic Route
War okay, hat mich aber nicht so fasziniert. Ich weiß nicht, ob ich mich nicht genug konzentriert habe, aber ich hatte am Ende Schwierigkeiten mir vorzustellen, wer gerade wo steht und was passiert, was in der Schlussszene ziemlich wichtig war. Das Ende hat mich überrascht.
Bougainvillea
Fand ich richtig, richtig cool. Die wechselnden Zeiten (Before und After) haben mich zwar immer wieder verwirrt, aber das Ende war so richtig schön "bad ass".
A Game of Firsts
War mir wie Scenic Route etwas zu unspektakulär.
Hare Moon
Hat wohl die dichteste Verbindung zu [b:The Forest of Hands and Teeth|3432478|The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1)|Carrie Ryan|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320633297s/3432478.jpg|3473471], da man Schwester Tabetha in ihrer Jugend kennen lernt, was ich super interessant fand. Die Story funktioniert aber auch ganz für sich allein.
Am Ende gibt es noch Bonus Content, in dem Carrie Ryan kleine "Easter Eggs" verrät, Verbindungen zwischen den einzelnen Geschichten oder die tiefere Bedeutung bestimmter Sätze. Ich liebe solche Infos, meistens bin ich nämlich viel zu unaufmerksam, um sie selbst zu bemerken. Jedes Buch sollte sowas haben!
Hatte ich schon mal woanders gelesen, hab ich deshalb übersprungen, fand ich aber gut.
Scenic Route
War okay, hat mich aber nicht so fasziniert. Ich weiß nicht, ob ich mich nicht genug konzentriert habe, aber ich hatte am Ende Schwierigkeiten mir vorzustellen, wer gerade wo steht und was passiert, was in der Schlussszene ziemlich wichtig war. Das Ende hat mich überrascht.
Bougainvillea
Fand ich richtig, richtig cool. Die wechselnden Zeiten (Before und After) haben mich zwar immer wieder verwirrt, aber das Ende war so richtig schön "bad ass".
A Game of Firsts
War mir wie Scenic Route etwas zu unspektakulär.
Hare Moon
Hat wohl die dichteste Verbindung zu [b:The Forest of Hands and Teeth|3432478|The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1)|Carrie Ryan|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320633297s/3432478.jpg|3473471], da man Schwester Tabetha in ihrer Jugend kennen lernt, was ich super interessant fand. Die Story funktioniert aber auch ganz für sich allein.
Am Ende gibt es noch Bonus Content, in dem Carrie Ryan kleine "Easter Eggs" verrät, Verbindungen zwischen den einzelnen Geschichten oder die tiefere Bedeutung bestimmter Sätze. Ich liebe solche Infos, meistens bin ich nämlich viel zu unaufmerksam, um sie selbst zu bemerken. Jedes Buch sollte sowas haben!
dreizehn's review against another edition
3.0
Individual Ratings: Flotsam & Jetsam ★★ | Scenic Route ★★ | Bougainvillea ★★★ | A Game of Firsts ★★★ | Hare Moon ★★★★
idgetfay's review against another edition
3.0
I love Ryan's zombie world, and I did enjoy diving into it again. However, after reading three novels and five short stories things started to get repetitive. Bleak story after bleak story with morals that kind of tend to boil down to 'YOLO.' If you're a mega fan of Ryan's work this is worth a few bucks, but otherwise you're not missing out on much. I thought about seeking out and purchasing some of her stories that aren't featured here and decided against it after growing bored with these story arcs. I'm just not sure this world has much more to offer.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
1.0
I enjoyed The Forest of Hands and Teeth and I wanted to read this because it dealt with other people trying to survive the same zombie apocalypse. This, however, was a very disappointing anthology and it has put me right off looking at any other short stories that the author has done. Unless I see them free, I'm not buying!
***This review contains complete spoilers for each story except Hare Moon***
Flotsam and Jetsam
The zombie outbreak hits a cruise ship and two young men are in a life raft. Jeremy has been bitten and wants Guy to prevent him turning. Guy is a moron who obviously isn't eveen TRYING to survive and he has no interest in protecting other people from his selfish behaviour! First, instead of letting Jeremy drown and paddling the raft to the nearby islands they were cruising, they hang about the ship for days until it sinks. Now they are hungry and thirsty with no energy. Smart. When Jeremy rises from the dead, Guy decides to keep him tied up as company then he lets Jeremy bite him just before land is sighted and they both take the infection onto the island. Selfish moron. Guy is an idiot and it wasn't a great story.
Scenic Route
Margie and Sally find an intruder at the cabin they are hiding in. So they invite him to join them as Margie finds Calvin attractive and, big surprise, he betrays them to his armed violent brothers. He just stands there as the men try to kill Margie and it is Sally who kills one of their attackers while dumbass stands there like a big lemon. Finally at the last minute he decides to shoot the other brother. So does Margie kill him for causing all the trouble and nearly getting them killed? No, she invites him on their road trip. Stupid bitch will never survive the apocalypse with a guy who cannot be trusted!
Bougainvillea
This was rubbish. Zombie story with very little zombie interest, pirates and an obnoxious female MC with the brains of a plank of wood. Thanks to her, the safe island gets invaded by zombies and pirates.
A game of firsts
Julie and Danny live in a gated community. Instead of taking the chance to gather supplies BEFORE the zombies break in, they get drunk and play a stupid game of firsts. They are slow to move to a safe place but don't strip the house of everything they might need. They don't think about gathering supplies from nearby houses or an escape plan until they are surrounded by zombies and it is too late. Dumb idiots.
Hare Moon
The only good story-and I've already reviewed it on Goodreads. I'm not counting it in the anthology which is why the other four stories are getting one star between them.
***This review contains complete spoilers for each story except Hare Moon***
Flotsam and Jetsam
The zombie outbreak hits a cruise ship and two young men are in a life raft. Jeremy has been bitten and wants Guy to prevent him turning. Guy is a moron who obviously isn't eveen TRYING to survive and he has no interest in protecting other people from his selfish behaviour! First, instead of letting Jeremy drown and paddling the raft to the nearby islands they were cruising, they hang about the ship for days until it sinks. Now they are hungry and thirsty with no energy. Smart. When Jeremy rises from the dead, Guy decides to keep him tied up as company then he lets Jeremy bite him just before land is sighted and they both take the infection onto the island. Selfish moron. Guy is an idiot and it wasn't a great story.
Scenic Route
Margie and Sally find an intruder at the cabin they are hiding in. So they invite him to join them as Margie finds Calvin attractive and, big surprise, he betrays them to his armed violent brothers. He just stands there as the men try to kill Margie and it is Sally who kills one of their attackers while dumbass stands there like a big lemon. Finally at the last minute he decides to shoot the other brother. So does Margie kill him for causing all the trouble and nearly getting them killed? No, she invites him on their road trip. Stupid bitch will never survive the apocalypse with a guy who cannot be trusted!
Bougainvillea
This was rubbish. Zombie story with very little zombie interest, pirates and an obnoxious female MC with the brains of a plank of wood. Thanks to her, the safe island gets invaded by zombies and pirates.
A game of firsts
Julie and Danny live in a gated community. Instead of taking the chance to gather supplies BEFORE the zombies break in, they get drunk and play a stupid game of firsts. They are slow to move to a safe place but don't strip the house of everything they might need. They don't think about gathering supplies from nearby houses or an escape plan until they are surrounded by zombies and it is too late. Dumb idiots.
Hare Moon
The only good story-and I've already reviewed it on Goodreads. I'm not counting it in the anthology which is why the other four stories are getting one star between them.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
4.0
I read these all separately. They are all wonderful. I could read Carrie Ryan's zombie stories all year! :)
brightbeautifulthings's review
3.0
The Dead & Empty World is a story collection set in The Forest of Hands & Teeth universe. The stories include several during the initial zombie uprising and others that take place later, after humanity has fled to remote areas or formed strongholds in places like Curaçao. “Hare Moon” is a prequel that tells the story of Sister Tabitha. Trigger warnings: death, blood, violence, body horror.
I think I enjoyed this collection more than the actual trilogy. Having read this and Ryan’s short story, “In the Forest Dark & Deep” (one of my favorite Alice in Wonderland adaptations ever), I’ll tentatively say I enjoy her short fiction more than her novels. Her brand of unrelenting darkness works better in a short story, where terrible things are lightning-fast and breath-taking, while in a novel it drags out into dreariness.
Similar to other zombie short fiction I’ve read, the stories about the actual uprising are the weakest. They’ve been told time and again, and the prospects never get better. “Everyone dies” works in some instances, but as a constant, it’s a real drag. The characters in “Flotsam & Jetsam” and “A Game of Firsts” are also the least developed of all the stories, and they were my least favorite in the collection.
“Hare Moon” provides some insight into Sister Tabitha, a quasi-villain from The Forest of Hands & Teeth, but I can’t say I enjoyed it all that much. Her backstory didn’t make me like her any more and, in a way, I feel like I understand her even less. Her decision at the end of the story feels hasty and extreme in the context of the story, but it sets the stage for the uncompromising rules of Mary’s village.
“Scenic Route” is a story of two sisters struggling to survive in a mountain cabin, and it was my second favorite in the collection. The tension-building is good, since we know things are going to go wrong, just not exactly how it’s going to happen. The characters feel more developed, and they’re forced to make difficult, often brutal decisions–or suffer worse fates if they don’t. I was pulling for them, and I found the ending grim but satisfying.
“Bougainvillea” is easily my favorite. It’s set in Curaçao where a businessman has established himself as, basically, a dictator years after the zombie outbreak, and the sense of place is strong and lush. Iza is a strange mix of daddy’s princess and tentative rebel, and her character development is harsh but spot-on. The story shifts between childhood Iza and present Iza, which is abrupt and occasionally annoying, but I came to understand why the story had to be told that way. I enjoyed the hell out of the ending, and the symbolism of the bougainvillea is gruesome in the best way. I’d read the collection for that story alone.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
I think I enjoyed this collection more than the actual trilogy. Having read this and Ryan’s short story, “In the Forest Dark & Deep” (one of my favorite Alice in Wonderland adaptations ever), I’ll tentatively say I enjoy her short fiction more than her novels. Her brand of unrelenting darkness works better in a short story, where terrible things are lightning-fast and breath-taking, while in a novel it drags out into dreariness.
Similar to other zombie short fiction I’ve read, the stories about the actual uprising are the weakest. They’ve been told time and again, and the prospects never get better. “Everyone dies” works in some instances, but as a constant, it’s a real drag. The characters in “Flotsam & Jetsam” and “A Game of Firsts” are also the least developed of all the stories, and they were my least favorite in the collection.
“Hare Moon” provides some insight into Sister Tabitha, a quasi-villain from The Forest of Hands & Teeth, but I can’t say I enjoyed it all that much. Her backstory didn’t make me like her any more and, in a way, I feel like I understand her even less. Her decision at the end of the story feels hasty and extreme in the context of the story, but it sets the stage for the uncompromising rules of Mary’s village.
“Scenic Route” is a story of two sisters struggling to survive in a mountain cabin, and it was my second favorite in the collection. The tension-building is good, since we know things are going to go wrong, just not exactly how it’s going to happen. The characters feel more developed, and they’re forced to make difficult, often brutal decisions–or suffer worse fates if they don’t. I was pulling for them, and I found the ending grim but satisfying.
“Bougainvillea” is easily my favorite. It’s set in Curaçao where a businessman has established himself as, basically, a dictator years after the zombie outbreak, and the sense of place is strong and lush. Iza is a strange mix of daddy’s princess and tentative rebel, and her character development is harsh but spot-on. The story shifts between childhood Iza and present Iza, which is abrupt and occasionally annoying, but I came to understand why the story had to be told that way. I enjoyed the hell out of the ending, and the symbolism of the bougainvillea is gruesome in the best way. I’d read the collection for that story alone.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
behindthepages's review
5.0
A great addition to the Forest of Hands and Teeth world. If you want more tension filled stories give this a read. I promise they are as good as Carrie Ryan's trilogy!
We finally are able to see how bits of the world reacted to the Return. Each short story encounters a different era of the Return, and various characters living through it. How they encounter the undead for the first time, how they handle people they know turning into them, etc.
We are also able to catch a glimpse of how Sister Tabitha was as a young woman and the actions that befell her to create the stern lying woman we know her for from the trilogy.
I enjoyed the Easter Eggs at the back of the book and Ryan's story of how she became interested in zombies, as well as her origins for each short story. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of her work.
We finally are able to see how bits of the world reacted to the Return. Each short story encounters a different era of the Return, and various characters living through it. How they encounter the undead for the first time, how they handle people they know turning into them, etc.
We are also able to catch a glimpse of how Sister Tabitha was as a young woman and the actions that befell her to create the stern lying woman we know her for from the trilogy.
I enjoyed the Easter Eggs at the back of the book and Ryan's story of how she became interested in zombies, as well as her origins for each short story. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of her work.
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