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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Gothic horror, southern style. It has been awhile since I've read such beautiful prose surrounded by such a bleak lanscape. This post-apocalyptic, zombie tale is everything you would not expect. The zombies are merely background to this story of longing and redemeption.
Our protagonist is a 15 year old girl called Temple. She has never known a world without zombies since they began 25 years ago. She travels through the country going from one enclave to another witnessing all the various pockets of society that have been created. She is a sad and lonely girl who has demons of her own that she seems to be running from. Never staying in one place for long, always moving. One thing she cannot run from is herself or her demons. Along the way, she creates an enemy, Moses, who hunts her in her pursuits to set what things are wrong for her to rights.
Without going into detail about the story with spoilers, I just want to say, that this is one character, I will truly never forget. A strong willful character that has great strenghth and vulnerablilities at the same time. She is such a sad, soulful girl, whose heart wants so badly to be true, and deep down I believe she wants forgiveness.
Alden Bell's prose is so beautiful that you almost forget that you are reading a horrific premise. He paints such a stark and lonely world. I loved this book and would recommend to all who favor the post apocalyptic genre.
Our protagonist is a 15 year old girl called Temple. She has never known a world without zombies since they began 25 years ago. She travels through the country going from one enclave to another witnessing all the various pockets of society that have been created. She is a sad and lonely girl who has demons of her own that she seems to be running from. Never staying in one place for long, always moving. One thing she cannot run from is herself or her demons. Along the way, she creates an enemy, Moses, who hunts her in her pursuits to set what things are wrong for her to rights.
Without going into detail about the story with spoilers, I just want to say, that this is one character, I will truly never forget. A strong willful character that has great strenghth and vulnerablilities at the same time. She is such a sad, soulful girl, whose heart wants so badly to be true, and deep down I believe she wants forgiveness.
Alden Bell's prose is so beautiful that you almost forget that you are reading a horrific premise. He paints such a stark and lonely world. I loved this book and would recommend to all who favor the post apocalyptic genre.
Finished "The Reapers Are the Angels" by Alden Bell. Another well-written zombie book, this one about a young girl making her way in the post-apocalyptic world. With vivid descriptions and colorful characters, I recommend this one even if zombie-fiction isn't your thing. (I wouldn't say it's my thing, but this is the third zombie book in recent memory for me.)
This book is a very interesting blend of literary fiction, horror, western, and post-apocalyptic landscape. It’s original and it stands apart from the ravenous mobs of zombie novels published recently. The main character has a very well developed point of view that I haven’t seen before, and the ending left my mind reeling with possibilities.
The opening of the story seems beautiful, almost idyllic. Temple has found a sanctuary in an island lighthouse, where she goes through the daily chores of survival, but takes time to marvel at small miracles. The dream seems shattered when a “slug” washes up on shore, half dead but a sure harbinger of more zombies to come. Temple must abandon her place, but she’s not afraid. Born a decade after the dead started coming back, Temple has only ever known a world filled with desperate survival, violence, and little stability. She takes her pieces of heaven where she can find them and keeps moving.
“Well ain’t I been some places, ain’t I partook in some glorious happenings wanderin my way between heaven and earth. And if I ain’t seen everything there is to see, it wasn’t for lack of lookin.
Blind is the real dead.”
It’s clear that this author has really thought about what a person raised in this sort of environment might become. Temple cannot settle in a safe, monotonous place. Her body functions on a level where near death experiences are an everyday occurrence. She views the zombies as extensions of nature, like animals. She pities them and deals with them as they come, but she does not experience a great deal of anxiety about them. They are a constant presence in her life. And it becomes clear in the novel that the zombies are not the real monsters in this story.
“I don’t know about evil, Temple says. Them meatskins are just animals is all. Evil’s a thing of the mind. We humans got the full measure of it ourselves.”
Temple has a strict moral code that she lives by, and her philosophy seems to be ideal for the life that she leads. But the fault lines of trauma and memory soon become visible in her character. She’s running away from a past that she doesn’t know how to deal with. She believes that she is, at her core, evil, even though it is clear to us that she is not.
What’s interesting is that for all the running and denial she does of her past deeds, Temple has more acceptance of her world than just about anyone else in this novel. She doesn’t lament the loss of the past that everyone else seems to glorify, she lives in the world that she knows.
“…you gotta look at the world that is and try not to get bogged down by what it ain’t.”
And I love all of the characters that she runs into in her travels that seem to be inhabiting the “world that is” instead of wishing for the world that ain’t. There seems to be a message here about the fullness of experience and how it comes more easily when the veils of civilization and law and society are lifted. Sometimes the fullest and most real experiences happen during periods of tragedy and death.
“Sometimes when there’s no light to see by, that’s when everything comes sharp and clear.”
I really thought that I knew just what this book was trying to tell me, but then the ending really just threw me for a loop. I felt like I had been following the author’s carefully laid trail of breadcrumbs, nodding my head, and then upon reaching the end I realized, “Wait a minute! These aren’t breadcrumbs that I’m eating; they’re dirt!" And I haven’t enjoyed eating dirt since I was two. But then I had an extremely long discussion over at Jo’s review and now I feel like I have a better understanding of the whole book. If you have questions about the ending, head over there (where I’m sure she’s written a fabulous review of this book as well) for potentially crazy leaps, cannibalistic cakes, and hot guys from The Wire.
Perfect Musical Pairing
Alice in Chains – Nutshell
This song reminds me so much of Temple’s character and philosophy.
Plus I just had to pick an at least somewhat badass song for one of Maja’s favorites.
The opening of the story seems beautiful, almost idyllic. Temple has found a sanctuary in an island lighthouse, where she goes through the daily chores of survival, but takes time to marvel at small miracles. The dream seems shattered when a “slug” washes up on shore, half dead but a sure harbinger of more zombies to come. Temple must abandon her place, but she’s not afraid. Born a decade after the dead started coming back, Temple has only ever known a world filled with desperate survival, violence, and little stability. She takes her pieces of heaven where she can find them and keeps moving.
“Well ain’t I been some places, ain’t I partook in some glorious happenings wanderin my way between heaven and earth. And if I ain’t seen everything there is to see, it wasn’t for lack of lookin.
Blind is the real dead.”
It’s clear that this author has really thought about what a person raised in this sort of environment might become. Temple cannot settle in a safe, monotonous place. Her body functions on a level where near death experiences are an everyday occurrence. She views the zombies as extensions of nature, like animals. She pities them and deals with them as they come, but she does not experience a great deal of anxiety about them. They are a constant presence in her life. And it becomes clear in the novel that the zombies are not the real monsters in this story.
“I don’t know about evil, Temple says. Them meatskins are just animals is all. Evil’s a thing of the mind. We humans got the full measure of it ourselves.”
Temple has a strict moral code that she lives by, and her philosophy seems to be ideal for the life that she leads. But the fault lines of trauma and memory soon become visible in her character. She’s running away from a past that she doesn’t know how to deal with. She believes that she is, at her core, evil, even though it is clear to us that she is not.
What’s interesting is that for all the running and denial she does of her past deeds, Temple has more acceptance of her world than just about anyone else in this novel. She doesn’t lament the loss of the past that everyone else seems to glorify, she lives in the world that she knows.
“…you gotta look at the world that is and try not to get bogged down by what it ain’t.”
And I love all of the characters that she runs into in her travels that seem to be inhabiting the “world that is” instead of wishing for the world that ain’t. There seems to be a message here about the fullness of experience and how it comes more easily when the veils of civilization and law and society are lifted. Sometimes the fullest and most real experiences happen during periods of tragedy and death.
“Sometimes when there’s no light to see by, that’s when everything comes sharp and clear.”
I really thought that I knew just what this book was trying to tell me, but then the ending really just threw me for a loop. I felt like I had been following the author’s carefully laid trail of breadcrumbs, nodding my head, and then upon reaching the end I realized, “Wait a minute! These aren’t breadcrumbs that I’m eating; they’re dirt!" And I haven’t enjoyed eating dirt since I was two. But then I had an extremely long discussion over at Jo’s review and now I feel like I have a better understanding of the whole book. If you have questions about the ending, head over there (where I’m sure she’s written a fabulous review of this book as well) for potentially crazy leaps, cannibalistic cakes, and hot guys from The Wire.
Perfect Musical Pairing
Alice in Chains – Nutshell
This song reminds me so much of Temple’s character and philosophy.
Plus I just had to pick an at least somewhat badass song for one of Maja’s favorites.
The world has gone to heck in a handbasket, and fifteen-year-old Temple has to leave her pretty little lighthouse because it's not going to be safe for much longer, especially since the meatskins--that's what the zombies are called in this offering from Alden Bell--have managed to get to it. So she takes off to see what else is out there. Other than meatskins, that is...
Then she finds a group of people holed up in a city. A group trying to take things back from the meatskins, and keep civilization (as they know it) going. But when one of the men in that group attempts an assault, Temple kills him in self-defense and earns the enmity of his brother Moses, and has to leave the safety that the group represents.
Temple is an intriguing character. At times almost sweet, she's usually brusque and has no trouble saying what she means. She's got a good sense of self-preservation, and yet shows compassion. She wields her gurkha knife like she means business (which she does, because it literally can be the difference between life and death--or meatskin state) and keeps her gun as a backup because bullets are hard to come by. And as she drives north, then west, you want her to find whatever peace she is looking for, because this life is so devastatingly depressing. Yet, she has this pragmatic outlook on things, and is even at times hopeful, and you cannot help but wonder at it.
I loved Temple. Read this. Before I send meatskins after you. *grin*
Then she finds a group of people holed up in a city. A group trying to take things back from the meatskins, and keep civilization (as they know it) going. But when one of the men in that group attempts an assault, Temple kills him in self-defense and earns the enmity of his brother Moses, and has to leave the safety that the group represents.
Temple is an intriguing character. At times almost sweet, she's usually brusque and has no trouble saying what she means. She's got a good sense of self-preservation, and yet shows compassion. She wields her gurkha knife like she means business (which she does, because it literally can be the difference between life and death--or meatskin state) and keeps her gun as a backup because bullets are hard to come by. And as she drives north, then west, you want her to find whatever peace she is looking for, because this life is so devastatingly depressing. Yet, she has this pragmatic outlook on things, and is even at times hopeful, and you cannot help but wonder at it.
I loved Temple. Read this. Before I send meatskins after you. *grin*
A really solid zombie apocalypse story. I loved Temple and her fierceness, determination, and not-taking-any-of-it attitude. The ending was unexpected, in a good way. This one leans gruesome and gory, but like all good zombie tales, it's really a story about humanity and what keeps people alive and driven to survive.
Side note: I didn't realize Bell was Megan Abbott's husband, which was a neat little fact to find in the author's 2-sentence bio.
Side note: I didn't realize Bell was Megan Abbott's husband, which was a neat little fact to find in the author's 2-sentence bio.
This was amazing. Really, really amazing. You forget, sometimes, that when you have a zombie novel you don't have to sacrifice amazing character-driven plots. This did both. And it was amazing. Close, close third person done well, strong female character, etc., etc. ...what more could I want?
4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book, even though I struggled a bit with the style in the beginning. I would have preferred quotation marks for speech or something at least. (The style is frequently compared to Cormac McCarthy, and I have never been able to finish one of his books.) While this book is not a gore fest, parts of it were terrifying to me. I liked Temple's kindness, and I even liked the character of Moses Todd. I'm unsure how I feel about the ending.
This book gave me all the feels. I was angry. I was heartbroken. I was smitten. I was terrified. I was grossed out. I am still thinking about the ending 24 hours later.
The premise of the book is that it's 25 years after the zombie apocalypse has gone down. We are following the journey of 15 year old Temple. She's a loner who has figured out how to survive on her own. We know something bad has happened in the past that doesn't get explained until towards the end and it has left her guilt ridden and wary of settling down anywhere and making lasting connections.
Temple is wonderful. She is bristly, a smartass, philosophical, honorable, and broken. I absolutely loved her. Her voice was so clear and distinct. She was flawed and guilt-ridden.
There were two very minor things that irked me. You know when you are watching a horror movie and the characters are doing something really stupid and you are yelling at them "Don't go into ____!!!" I had two of those moments in this book. You've grown up in the zombie apocalypse. Shouldn't you be a little more wary of certain situations?
Oh and the writing is absolutely beautiful. I don't know what else to say about it. So I won't say anything more.
Now I come to the ending. I'm not really sure how to talk about this without spoilers so the rest of this review will be hidden.
Bottom Line: Absolutely fantastic book!!!
The premise of the book is that it's 25 years after the zombie apocalypse has gone down. We are following the journey of 15 year old Temple. She's a loner who has figured out how to survive on her own. We know something bad has happened in the past that doesn't get explained until towards the end and it has left her guilt ridden and wary of settling down anywhere and making lasting connections.
Temple is wonderful. She is bristly, a smartass, philosophical, honorable, and broken. I absolutely loved her. Her voice was so clear and distinct. She was flawed and guilt-ridden.
There were two very minor things that irked me. You know when you are watching a horror movie and the characters are doing something really stupid and you are yelling at them "Don't go into ____!!!" I had two of those moments in this book. You've grown up in the zombie apocalypse. Shouldn't you be a little more wary of certain situations?
Oh and the writing is absolutely beautiful. I don't know what else to say about it. So I won't say anything more.
Now I come to the ending. I'm not really sure how to talk about this without spoilers so the rest of this review will be hidden.
Spoiler
Moses you fucking bastard. You're asshole of a brother tries to rape Temple. She kills him in self-defense. And even though your brother is an asshole and it was self-defense you feel obligated to hunt her down and kill her. Even though you've come to like her. She's become a kindred spirit. She's almost like a daughter to you. Why do you have to kill her?!?! I know you technically didn't kill her. That bitch mutant Millie did but you are still responsible. At the same time I can't imagine another ending. There was never going to be a happy ending for her. She was too broken. I might have been happy with her making it to Niagra Falls and having some philosophical epiphany it if was done right. Ok rant over. I hated the ending but I'm not sure how it could have gone any other way.Bottom Line: Absolutely fantastic book!!!
really glad i returned from this book, after getting distracted from shiny library holds. really unlike most zombie content i've consumed! it really picked up for me when maury entered the narrative. loved the gothic storytelling and all of the relationships that temple built with folks she met along the way. i had no idea this was the same author as when we were animals.