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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Temple has been on her own for a long, long time. She's been living on an island lately, but the season is changing and it's only a matter of time before the will have to move on. The zombies will come. So Temple takes off. She starts off attempting to stay with an established community, but accidentally kills a man in the process of defending herself from his advances. She is then forced to flee before the other men retaliate. Temple decides it's better to move on her own. She picks up a companion, a man with special needs that she finds and feels compelled to help care for. Together, they embark upon a journey that takes them across the American South. They'll meet a variety of other people and groups who have all adapted (or not adapted, as the case may be) to this post-apocalyptic and unforgiving landscape. All the while, the brother of the man killed by Temple is determined to track her down to exact his version of justice.
This book was amazing, particularly for a zombie novel. I've read a fair amount of zombie-related fiction, but nothing has ever had quite the same emotional impact that this book had. Of course, it's really not so much about the zombies in the first place. It's definitely Temple's story. Temple is tough, street-smart and has the soul of a poet. The book opens on a moment that captivates Temple and fills her with a sense of wonder. Moments later, she's smashing in the head of a zombie with a large rock. She's compassionate to an extent, but survival is her primary motivation. And then there's the fact that this book starts years after the zombie infection has taken hold. Temple doesn't know who her parents were, she's never seen the inside of a school. She doesn't know how to read. She does, however, know how to survive. There's also a running theme of religious imagery that is both poetic and thought provoking, particularly since it shares space with a setting that seems almost entirely devoid of happiness and hope. Highly recommended.
This book was amazing, particularly for a zombie novel. I've read a fair amount of zombie-related fiction, but nothing has ever had quite the same emotional impact that this book had. Of course, it's really not so much about the zombies in the first place. It's definitely Temple's story. Temple is tough, street-smart and has the soul of a poet. The book opens on a moment that captivates Temple and fills her with a sense of wonder. Moments later, she's smashing in the head of a zombie with a large rock. She's compassionate to an extent, but survival is her primary motivation. And then there's the fact that this book starts years after the zombie infection has taken hold. Temple doesn't know who her parents were, she's never seen the inside of a school. She doesn't know how to read. She does, however, know how to survive. There's also a running theme of religious imagery that is both poetic and thought provoking, particularly since it shares space with a setting that seems almost entirely devoid of happiness and hope. Highly recommended.
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I forgot about reading this book until I came across it again on my update page. From what I remember it just didn't do much for me. I seem to have bad luck with books lately. Particularly with books I've been hearing lots of good things about. It just didn't really grab me. I kept picking this up and putting it down and I was just barely getting into it. I had to eventually just give up on it.
Absolutely beautiful writing, and an interesting narrative not just of survival, but of the unexpected wonders of this earth. Although, I was slightly suspicious of the seeming abundance of gasoline, twenty-five years after the rise of zombies caused the collapse of civilization
Spoiler
And I was also unable to comprehend Moses Todd's obsessive desire to end Temple's life in vengeance of his murdered brother's. Was it just because he believed he was "fated" to kill her? Was it a complex allegory that flew right over my head?Spoiler
.
One of the thoughts that has been cemented pretty firmly in my mind for a while is that despite loving literature of the South, I do not love Cormac McCarthy. I love to hate his snobbery about comma usage and his disdain for flowery writing (which I am sure is code for "women's writing," as it often is with these self-important men). The humorlessness of the author gets superimposed onto his work, extending my annoyance to not only his opinions but his books too.
So as soon as the characters in The Reapers are the Angels start talking about fate, and Moses keeps talking about how he "has" to kill Temple even though it's clear he has little heart for the brother she killed in self defense and that he respects her drive, I'm like, "Oh great. Here we go. We're going to be knocking off McCarthy now." And clearly that is my FAVORITE THING EVER.
For the majority of the book, this opinion remained unwavering. I started to full-on hate it when Temple finds mutants in the swamp, because do we really need to add to that stereotype of the South? (See? Told you I get unreasonably annoyed with the McCarthy knockoffs.)
But by the end of the book, something about Temple's love for America the Beautiful had gotten to me, just as it got to Moses. Because that is another opinion that is very close to my heart, the love of our landscape of palm trees and swamps and lighthouses and skyscrapers and deserts. And waterfalls. Temple fantasizes about someday seeing Niagara Falls, and her wanderlust is a reason that she can't ever settle down in a safe house or city and why she heads back out onto the road, zombies and all. This is one aspect of the zombie book that I never thought of: for those of us who'd lose our minds if we had to stay in one place forever, how strong would that urge be post-apocalypse if our lives were at risk?
I am also glad that I read reviews while reading that pointed out the allegorical roles of Moses and Maury. Temple is obligated to save Maury because she failed to save the boy Malcolm who depended on her, that I got. But those of you who understood that Moses is a metaphor for her personal demons, her inability to let the mistakes of her past go -- thank you for helping me to appreciate the book more, to be less annoyed at what seemed the purposelessness of his pursuit.
I try to rate books based on how successful they are at being what they are. This is a successful zombie book and also a successful replication of McCarthy's themes and style (but with fewer made-up words and a more mainstream folksiness), and my personal prejudice is towards liking one of those things but emphatically not the other. And that's why it's three stars.
So as soon as the characters in The Reapers are the Angels start talking about fate, and Moses keeps talking about how he "has" to kill Temple even though it's clear he has little heart for the brother she killed in self defense and that he respects her drive, I'm like, "Oh great. Here we go. We're going to be knocking off McCarthy now." And clearly that is my FAVORITE THING EVER.
For the majority of the book, this opinion remained unwavering. I started to full-on hate it when Temple finds mutants in the swamp, because do we really need to add to that stereotype of the South? (See? Told you I get unreasonably annoyed with the McCarthy knockoffs.)
But by the end of the book, something about Temple's love for America the Beautiful had gotten to me, just as it got to Moses. Because that is another opinion that is very close to my heart, the love of our landscape of palm trees and swamps and lighthouses and skyscrapers and deserts. And waterfalls. Temple fantasizes about someday seeing Niagara Falls, and her wanderlust is a reason that she can't ever settle down in a safe house or city and why she heads back out onto the road, zombies and all. This is one aspect of the zombie book that I never thought of: for those of us who'd lose our minds if we had to stay in one place forever, how strong would that urge be post-apocalypse if our lives were at risk?
I am also glad that I read reviews while reading that pointed out the allegorical roles of Moses and Maury. Temple is obligated to save Maury because she failed to save the boy Malcolm who depended on her, that I got. But those of you who understood that Moses is a metaphor for her personal demons, her inability to let the mistakes of her past go -- thank you for helping me to appreciate the book more, to be less annoyed at what seemed the purposelessness of his pursuit.
I try to rate books based on how successful they are at being what they are. This is a successful zombie book and also a successful replication of McCarthy's themes and style (but with fewer made-up words and a more mainstream folksiness), and my personal prejudice is towards liking one of those things but emphatically not the other. And that's why it's three stars.
It was a more literary take on zombies, which means it was more serious in tone and less grusome although there was enough ick. But the end, le sigh. Le sigh.
It seems that paranormal/horror is becoming so incredibly popular, that even the literati are getting in on it. First, there was The Passage, a literary tale of vampires and the downfall of society. Now, there is The Reapers Are The Angels by Alden Bell, a much more formal take on zombies, than the urban fantasy and YA fare that I am used to.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated