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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Someone wrote that this book is like Flannery O'Connor with zombies, and while I haven't really read anything by her, the language style did remind me of Kaye Gobbons' "Ellen Foster." Temple is a shrewd, tough-as-nails fifteen year old trying to survive the "slugs/meatskins" (slang for zombies), traveling north from Florida while managing to survive. Just as often she has to protect herself from the living, but she seems to be drawn to trouble (even if she manages to hold her own), in a way that makes you think she sees it deep down and some sort of penance. As hardened as Temple is, I found myself rooting for her, as best as one can for a girl that shuns reliance on anyone and suspects kindness from anyone. Redaers who take to her will follow her in the book, rooting for her to find a satisfying life somehow. At 225 pages, it's a quick if gritty read. It appears some people have a love/hate thing going on with this book--I loved it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is not what I signed up for. Also, quotation marks, they're a good thing.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a fantastic little zombie novel. This is one of those books that rises above its genre material, like Christopher Buehlman's excellent [b:Those Across the River|10772903|Those Across the River|Christopher Buehlman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311703498s/10772903.jpg|15684614].
You can tell Alden Bell writes non genre books, and I'd say this one compares well to Cormac McCarthy's [b:The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320606344s/6288.jpg|3355573], although this one is a lot less bleak than the McCarthy's novel. It has a similar theme of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world travelling to another place.
I enjoyed Bell's take on the world, it was fresh and new. Love that his protagonist was not bogged down with memories of the past because Temple was actually born into the new zombie world and so has never known a world without them. She doesn't view zombies as evil creatures that destroyed civilization but rather just a part of life -- another dangerous animal like a bear or a wolf but ultimately she isn't terrified of them or trying to set up some semblance of an existence that resembles that of life pre-zombie.
It was interesting to see this novel almost as a travelogue through a zombie infested America through fresh eyes. In fact, the country is almost as much a protagonist in this tale as Temple herself. As she travels through and describes the buildings she sees and the people she meets as well as places she wishes she could go, you feel the same wanderlust that Temple herself feels, a desire to go and see all the 'wonders' of the world before they are reclaimed by time and the earth.
There's a lot of action in this book - Temple's no shy flower scared of everything, but a capable young woman who is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than the teeming masses of zombies. Bell keeps the pace moving along quite well with lots of action between the ruminations to keep zombie lovers satisfied.
I highly suggest this to anyone who likes a good post apocalyptic novel or zombie novel but want something a little different from the norm. Definitely a very satisfying read.
You can tell Alden Bell writes non genre books, and I'd say this one compares well to Cormac McCarthy's [b:The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320606344s/6288.jpg|3355573], although this one is a lot less bleak than the McCarthy's novel. It has a similar theme of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world travelling to another place.
I enjoyed Bell's take on the world, it was fresh and new. Love that his protagonist was not bogged down with memories of the past because Temple was actually born into the new zombie world and so has never known a world without them. She doesn't view zombies as evil creatures that destroyed civilization but rather just a part of life -- another dangerous animal like a bear or a wolf but ultimately she isn't terrified of them or trying to set up some semblance of an existence that resembles that of life pre-zombie.
It was interesting to see this novel almost as a travelogue through a zombie infested America through fresh eyes. In fact, the country is almost as much a protagonist in this tale as Temple herself. As she travels through and describes the buildings she sees and the people she meets as well as places she wishes she could go, you feel the same wanderlust that Temple herself feels, a desire to go and see all the 'wonders' of the world before they are reclaimed by time and the earth.
There's a lot of action in this book - Temple's no shy flower scared of everything, but a capable young woman who is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than the teeming masses of zombies. Bell keeps the pace moving along quite well with lots of action between the ruminations to keep zombie lovers satisfied.
I highly suggest this to anyone who likes a good post apocalyptic novel or zombie novel but want something a little different from the norm. Definitely a very satisfying read.
This book will stay with me for a long time. Temple is an extraordinary 15-year old girl who was born after the zombie apocalypse began a quarter of a century ago. This life is all she knows. She believes she is evil because of events that happened in her past, but she is far from it. She is constantly on the move due to unfortunate circumstances, but she isn't afraid to connect up with others when the opportunity arises.
The world is hard and bleak, but not as hopeless as that of "The Road." That's what I really liked about this book - it was realistic, and yet there was still hope.
Temple's courage, strength, and perseverance are astounding. To have been through so much and yet never give up, i admire her for that. While brutal and capable of killing the "meatskins" (her name for the zombies) without so much as a thought, she is also extremely protective of those weaker than herself. All this from a 15-year old.
I was confused as to how there could still be food or gasoline available in convenience stores, 25 years after the apocalypse, or even power for that matter. That was never explained, and it was my only hang-up with this book.
Regardless, I think this is one of the better zombie books out there. And the ending felt right for some reason. This was a winner for me!
The world is hard and bleak, but not as hopeless as that of "The Road." That's what I really liked about this book - it was realistic, and yet there was still hope.
Temple's courage, strength, and perseverance are astounding. To have been through so much and yet never give up, i admire her for that. While brutal and capable of killing the "meatskins" (her name for the zombies) without so much as a thought, she is also extremely protective of those weaker than herself. All this from a 15-year old.
I was confused as to how there could still be food or gasoline available in convenience stores, 25 years after the apocalypse, or even power for that matter. That was never explained, and it was my only hang-up with this book.
Regardless, I think this is one of the better zombie books out there. And the ending felt right for some reason. This was a winner for me!
How is there electricity in seemingly deserted towns? Would petrol really last that long? Some of the things in this world didn't make much sense. Some parts of it reminded me just a liiiiiittle bit too much like a fallout fan-fic too. Also some of the language used by the main character was odd for someone with no education - not even some of my well educated friends use the vocabulary Temple does.
It was also not the book I wanted it to be; it is more the tale of a girl wandering about than anything huge happening. Eh, not really my cup of tea.
It was also not the book I wanted it to be; it is more the tale of a girl wandering about than anything huge happening. Eh, not really my cup of tea.
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Enjoyed the journey but didn't love the ending. There were some good quotes and pensive gems sprinkled throughout the book.
This book was interesting, and the writing style was pretty good. It reminded me of The Road in a lot of ways, only not quite that good and there were zombies. The interesting thing about this novel was that the zombies were too slow and stupid to be much of a threat, they were more just a fact of life. It was the other living people who were the biggest threat.
The lack of quotation marks filled me with too much rage.