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anubis9's review against another edition
5.0
For me, this is the “To Kill A Mockingbird” of zombie stories.
While the world of Zoey and Will is not as nearly as innocent or idyllic as the world of Scout and Gem, it is still a tale of growing up and discovering first hand how wondrous and terrible the world can be. And the themes of racism and “justified” killing are just as poignant. What makes this even more interesting is it is told from two separate points of view. In “Mockingbird” terms, we not only see the events unfold from the point of view of Zoey (Scout), we also get to experience them from the perspective of Truman (a Boo Radley/Tom Robinson mix…sort of).
I was excited to jump back into the world of jack, Jonah, Milton and co., and I found the book to be a very original way to reintroduce the characters and locales from the first book. I especially enjoyed the fact that it was set so far after the initial zombie outbreak. There aren’t enough good books out there that spin a successful yarn about coping long-term with a dead world.
When I first realized that the book involved a “thinking” zombie, I just about threw it across the room with a cry of “Heresy!” on my lips. But Paffenroth’s siren-like prose and captivating characters brought me back and kept me glued to the pages.
It’s not often that an “apocalyptic” book doubles as a philosophical text, but this one offers as much thought-provoking speculation as it does gore. It almost makes you long for a simpler world, a world without mortgages, commute times, and a need for insurance…almost. As the cover snipe proclaims, this truly is the “thinking man’s zombie novel.”
And speaking of covers…what the hell?!? Why is there a “Sin City-ish” silhouette of a woman holding a bleeding baked potato on the cover?!? And judging by the little pool of blood on the bottom, she also has no legs or is standing in front of an invisible table or something. The cover is so BAD I was almost embarrassed to read it in any slightly public place.
Luckily, you cannot judge this book by the cover. Just create your own paper cover for it, and settle in for a tense, contemplative ride.
While the world of Zoey and Will is not as nearly as innocent or idyllic as the world of Scout and Gem, it is still a tale of growing up and discovering first hand how wondrous and terrible the world can be. And the themes of racism and “justified” killing are just as poignant. What makes this even more interesting is it is told from two separate points of view. In “Mockingbird” terms, we not only see the events unfold from the point of view of Zoey (Scout), we also get to experience them from the perspective of Truman (a Boo Radley/Tom Robinson mix…sort of).
I was excited to jump back into the world of jack, Jonah, Milton and co., and I found the book to be a very original way to reintroduce the characters and locales from the first book. I especially enjoyed the fact that it was set so far after the initial zombie outbreak. There aren’t enough good books out there that spin a successful yarn about coping long-term with a dead world.
When I first realized that the book involved a “thinking” zombie, I just about threw it across the room with a cry of “Heresy!” on my lips. But Paffenroth’s siren-like prose and captivating characters brought me back and kept me glued to the pages.
It’s not often that an “apocalyptic” book doubles as a philosophical text, but this one offers as much thought-provoking speculation as it does gore. It almost makes you long for a simpler world, a world without mortgages, commute times, and a need for insurance…almost. As the cover snipe proclaims, this truly is the “thinking man’s zombie novel.”
And speaking of covers…what the hell?!? Why is there a “Sin City-ish” silhouette of a woman holding a bleeding baked potato on the cover?!? And judging by the little pool of blood on the bottom, she also has no legs or is standing in front of an invisible table or something. The cover is so BAD I was almost embarrassed to read it in any slightly public place.
Luckily, you cannot judge this book by the cover. Just create your own paper cover for it, and settle in for a tense, contemplative ride.
iguana_mama's review
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lady_beard_heather's review against another edition
3.0
Really interesting. In a time when there are more varieties of zombie than there are ways to count, it was amazing to see "smart zombies" that just wanted to live somewhat normal lives. They were so close to being living humans, and the fact that they couldn't even discern the difference themselves made it easy to sympathize with them. I even forgot sometimes that I was reading the words of a zombie. And when I remembered, it made it all the more interesting.
imzadirose's review
3.0
I was hoping for something DIFFERENT than Walking Dead, cuz I miss the zombie days of the first Resident Evil games. Instead, I get a walled off community (though a peaceful one), a prison, a baby and even a dude named Milton who wants to help the zombies. SMH!! I should give it a 1 for lack of creativity but if I hadn't (stupidly) watched the first 2 1/2 seasons of Walking Dead, I probably would have enjoyed it more.
bookishcaro's review
3.0
Very good. It's the first time I've seen zombies looked at this way: less as terrible, frightening monsters and more as just unfortunate, strange little things that just need to be held at arm's length. But I kind of felt like it was building up to something big that just never really happened.
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