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melledotca's review against another edition
4.0
It's a quick read, and doesn't really develop a whole lot of a story -- after all the zombie apocalypse has pretty much happened by the time the story begins. However, some really good ideas, lots of really interesting anatomical stuff about the human body and brain, and it's surprisingly good at making you ponder medical what-ifs and the connections between us and nature.
carlylottsofbookz's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this glimpse into zombie studies. Told in a diary format, where we know the writer succumbed to zombie-ism (or No Longer Human) status. It is very interesting to see the medical world's take on zombies.
Why are they able to keep moving when by all accounts they should be dead? What happens to the brains of a zombie? What about all the flesh they eat, where does that go? (Come to think of it, I've never seen a zombie use the restroom!)
What keeps this book from attaining a 4 or 5 star rating is in fact how short it is, and there really isn't much new information. I saw this book while at Barnes and Noble, but got it from my library instead. To this I am verrry grateful, I wouldn't have wanted to spend $15 on a book that only took a day to read.
So, it is short, simple and fun, if you like xombie lit, I think you'd like this book. :)
Why are they able to keep moving when by all accounts they should be dead? What happens to the brains of a zombie? What about all the flesh they eat, where does that go? (Come to think of it, I've never seen a zombie use the restroom!)
What keeps this book from attaining a 4 or 5 star rating is in fact how short it is, and there really isn't much new information. I saw this book while at Barnes and Noble, but got it from my library instead. To this I am verrry grateful, I wouldn't have wanted to spend $15 on a book that only took a day to read.
So, it is short, simple and fun, if you like xombie lit, I think you'd like this book. :)
holly_117's review against another edition
4.0
This is an extremely fast read and very entertaining for zombie enthusiasts. The book is written as a presentation to the UN in the wake of worldwide zombie outbreaks. It consists mostly of the journal of the last team of researchers looking for a cure, with hypotheses, drawings and details of the virus.
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
3.0
Reading a lot of hate on this book, which is surprising.
I think it treads somewhat similar territory to World War Z, a shadow that you'll never get out from under if you write a zombie book that's not so much focused on wild action.
But I liked it.
In fact, the most World-War-Z-esque elements were the weakest parts for me. The appendices were horsecock bullshit (I really wanted to make people think I was smart by pluralizing "appendix" and then dash the whole thing with "horsecock"). Filler. Which I hate. Sometimes I think people add stuff to make their books hit the 200-page mark, which is dumb. If you have 100 pages of great content, I will love your book. If you add another 100 pages of stuff, your book starts as being 50% as enjoyable and moves down from there.
However, SCREW the appendices and their slothnutsackality. Believe me when I tell you, you don't have to read them.
And when you don't, you get a perfectly satisfying zombie story that does, in my opinion, offer something different.
Yes, if you read this right after World War Z, you will be disappointed. Because you will be disappointed no matter what you read. I highly recommend using this time to read something stupid. Anything by Tyra Banks makes a good candidate. Because World War Z will leave you with GBS aka Good Book Syndrome, which is a syndrome characterized by reading something awesome and then trying to recapture that fire to no avail. It's not going to happen, so you're better off waiting out the fever by reading something you're not going to enjoy anyway. Read this one around Halloween, 3 years after reading World War Z or more, and I think you'll find what you're looking for.
I think it treads somewhat similar territory to World War Z, a shadow that you'll never get out from under if you write a zombie book that's not so much focused on wild action.
But I liked it.
In fact, the most World-War-Z-esque elements were the weakest parts for me. The appendices were horsecock bullshit (I really wanted to make people think I was smart by pluralizing "appendix" and then dash the whole thing with "horsecock"). Filler. Which I hate. Sometimes I think people add stuff to make their books hit the 200-page mark, which is dumb. If you have 100 pages of great content, I will love your book. If you add another 100 pages of stuff, your book starts as being 50% as enjoyable and moves down from there.
However, SCREW the appendices and their slothnutsackality. Believe me when I tell you, you don't have to read them.
And when you don't, you get a perfectly satisfying zombie story that does, in my opinion, offer something different.
Yes, if you read this right after World War Z, you will be disappointed. Because you will be disappointed no matter what you read. I highly recommend using this time to read something stupid. Anything by Tyra Banks makes a good candidate. Because World War Z will leave you with GBS aka Good Book Syndrome, which is a syndrome characterized by reading something awesome and then trying to recapture that fire to no avail. It's not going to happen, so you're better off waiting out the fever by reading something you're not going to enjoy anyway. Read this one around Halloween, 3 years after reading World War Z or more, and I think you'll find what you're looking for.
quinndm's review against another edition
2.0
This book had so much potential and the diary extracts were building too a great climax, but it was cut short - and overwhelmed - by too much science and protocol.
The very reason I started reading the book (the science, legal, moral, and ethical protocol of an outbreak) was the very same reason the story was lost before any real emotional connection or resonance could have been achieved.
Pity. A real pity.
The very reason I started reading the book (the science, legal, moral, and ethical protocol of an outbreak) was the very same reason the story was lost before any real emotional connection or resonance could have been achieved.
Pity. A real pity.
kemuenz's review
4.0
A breath of fresh air and science-filled reality in a genre that has increasingly lost its need to justify its monsters. Schlozman tackles the zombie as a scientist, but without burying the reader in complex terminology; everything is well-explained and kept relatively simplistic off of the brilliant premise that his protagonist's notes "could be discovered by anybody" and thus need to be accessible even to the slow kid in the back of Biology 101.
The story, too, is much better than it might have been, and innovative (how the zombie narrative fears the doomed-from-the-start protagonist!) Schlozman did not lose sight of his scientist as a character in favor of spotlighting his ideas, which I appreciated. I did kind of wish that he might have found a way to weave the great information backed into the Appendices into the story itself, but on the whole, this was a thoroughly well done zombie novel. I hope that it is not his last foray into the genre - the infected world needs a bit more Schlozman.
The story, too, is much better than it might have been, and innovative (how the zombie narrative fears the doomed-from-the-start protagonist!) Schlozman did not lose sight of his scientist as a character in favor of spotlighting his ideas, which I appreciated. I did kind of wish that he might have found a way to weave the great information backed into the Appendices into the story itself, but on the whole, this was a thoroughly well done zombie novel. I hope that it is not his last foray into the genre - the infected world needs a bit more Schlozman.
whitecat5000's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
3.0
This was an interesting premise, but execution was a bit lacking. This didn't feel like a complete book. I wish that there were enough clues for the reader to "figure it out."
mkg97's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
librariann's review against another edition
3.0
Wanted moar resolution to this medical inspection of what makes zombies tick. Still, Schlozman puts forth an interesting theory that can be melded into the existing zombie mythos. (mythoses?)
sydneyjn's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
In the vein of World War Z.