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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Way better than the drivel that was Heart On a Chain. Really interesting zombie apocalypse story, and the protagonist is fucking awesome.
Not really sure what to think of this book. Maybe I missed the point, /shrug.
Katniss Everdeen apparently became lost while bow-hunting in what passes for YA Dystopia. She quickly found herself in a global charnel house, a dread zone, while trekking up a I-90 ravaged by the walking dead. Before she can mutter poppenjay, she's become a real killing machine, as opposed to the bloodless slaughter of the Volturi. Ree emerges gore-spattered and prone to psychotic rages. Transformed and seeking atonement, Bella is saddled with Lennie Small as they attempt to outwit Anton Chigurh, while all the while carrying the fire; that is when Buffy/Katniss/Temple isn't butchering mutants, nine feet tall and socially ill-disposed. Apparently Tom Hanks will play all these roles in the film adaptation.
It is a Gothic success, though the voiceovers are a bit purple. Recommended.
It is a Gothic success, though the voiceovers are a bit purple. Recommended.
How often can I recommend a zombie book? Well, here's one, a beautifully-written, surprising post-apocalyptic story about survival and redemption.
An uber-capable young woman wanders through the American south-east decades after the Zombie Apocalypse.
First, from a writing standpoint, this book is technically well written. The prose is very professional and clear. The dialog, descriptions and action are all well done. I particularly liked Temple's Southern cracker vernacular. Some of which was very humorous. In places the prose may be a little baroque, but I enjoyed the filigree.
Plotting was less well done. This is a "Road Novel", but with Zombies. (The journey propelled the plot.) It vaguely reminded me of [b:The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1439197219s/6288.jpg|3355573], that famous example of Road Novels in an apocalyptic setting. Generally, the stops were well thought out, with the notable exception of
I had severe issues with the author's post-apocalyptic 'world'. It was just technically wrong, in foolish ways. The story is set 20+ years into a Zombie Apocalypse. The world should be in an advanced state of returning to nature. (Reading [b:The World Without Us|248787|The World Without Us|Alan Weisman|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1441986417s/248787.jpg|241063] is a good reference for this.) However, in the story the unmaintained roads are mostly clear and the unmaintained electrical grid is still up and running in several places.
In particular, the electrical grid(s) is not automated or robust enough to survive that long a period of neglect.
There is also a plentiful supply of stranded working vehicles to commandeer, along with gasoline available at working pumps. A car or truck left standing for just 5-years has four flat tires and a dead battery. Untreated gasoline has a maximum shelf-life of about 2-years. Its unusable after that period in a modern engine.
The backdrop of the story is written 'as-if' the world is only 9-months into the apocalypse, instead of the intended 20+ years. Temple's journey just wasn't credible.
Characters were a mixed bag. Subordinate characters were OK. In places, even very good. The Moses character was real good. However, the story was written from the POV of Temple, an illiterate, 15-17 year old girl, the Warrior Princess of the Wasteland.
In the beginning, I thought the use of this character was a true inspiration. Then the author took her in the wrong direction. As the story developed, Temple revealed herself to be wise way beyond her years. There was no character growth; yet she was fully grown. I'd expect her to be 50-years old and not 15. For example, despite her charming dialog, the illiterate Temple, had an internal dialog with the vocabulary of a MFA. She knew the meaning of 'nuanced' and 'connoisseur'! I found myself to always be at odds with this split-personality.
This story had its points, but its flaws consumed its advantages. I suspect the author had literary pretensions when he started writing this book. He wanted it to be like Station 11. And, it could have been, but he failed. He could not artfully disguise himself as his protagonist: a 15-year old, girl, without letters, kukri wielding, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (of Zombies). Also, in this day of the Zombie apocalypse in popular mass media, how could a serious author render the collapse of civilization so carelessly?
I won't be reading the other books in the series. There are better Zombie stories to read out there. I'd recommend trying, [b:Patient Zero|3993839|Patient Zero (Joe Ledger, #1)|Jonathan Maberry|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1439953244s/3993839.jpg|4039913] for better Zombie horror.
First, from a writing standpoint, this book is technically well written. The prose is very professional and clear. The dialog, descriptions and action are all well done. I particularly liked Temple's Southern cracker vernacular. Some of which was very humorous. In places the prose may be a little baroque, but I enjoyed the filigree.
Plotting was less well done. This is a "Road Novel", but with Zombies. (The journey propelled the plot.) It vaguely reminded me of [b:The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1439197219s/6288.jpg|3355573], that famous example of Road Novels in an apocalyptic setting. Generally, the stops were well thought out, with the notable exception of
Spoiler
the 'Mother' scene, which was just ridiculous.I had severe issues with the author's post-apocalyptic 'world'. It was just technically wrong, in foolish ways. The story is set 20+ years into a Zombie Apocalypse. The world should be in an advanced state of returning to nature. (Reading [b:The World Without Us|248787|The World Without Us|Alan Weisman|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1441986417s/248787.jpg|241063] is a good reference for this.) However, in the story the unmaintained roads are mostly clear and the unmaintained electrical grid is still up and running in several places.
In particular, the electrical grid(s) is not automated or robust enough to survive that long a period of neglect.
There is also a plentiful supply of stranded working vehicles to commandeer, along with gasoline available at working pumps. A car or truck left standing for just 5-years has four flat tires and a dead battery. Untreated gasoline has a maximum shelf-life of about 2-years. Its unusable after that period in a modern engine.
The backdrop of the story is written 'as-if' the world is only 9-months into the apocalypse, instead of the intended 20+ years. Temple's journey just wasn't credible.
Characters were a mixed bag. Subordinate characters were OK. In places, even very good. The Moses character was real good. However, the story was written from the POV of Temple, an illiterate, 15-17 year old girl, the Warrior Princess of the Wasteland.
In the beginning, I thought the use of this character was a true inspiration. Then the author took her in the wrong direction. As the story developed, Temple revealed herself to be wise way beyond her years. There was no character growth; yet she was fully grown. I'd expect her to be 50-years old and not 15. For example, despite her charming dialog, the illiterate Temple, had an internal dialog with the vocabulary of a MFA. She knew the meaning of 'nuanced' and 'connoisseur'! I found myself to always be at odds with this split-personality.
This story had its points, but its flaws consumed its advantages. I suspect the author had literary pretensions when he started writing this book. He wanted it to be like Station 11. And, it could have been, but he failed. He could not artfully disguise himself as his protagonist: a 15-year old, girl, without letters, kukri wielding, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (of Zombies). Also, in this day of the Zombie apocalypse in popular mass media, how could a serious author render the collapse of civilization so carelessly?
I won't be reading the other books in the series. There are better Zombie stories to read out there. I'd recommend trying, [b:Patient Zero|3993839|Patient Zero (Joe Ledger, #1)|Jonathan Maberry|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1439953244s/3993839.jpg|4039913] for better Zombie horror.
Oh, the first chapters of this book are so detailed and studded with beautiful writing! I want to savor the words, so I'm reading this one slowly.
Chapter 3: now this may be the best book ever.
---------------------------------
Sometimes it seems like all us people here on earth are just walking along carrying something we don’t even realize is dead, while behind us we have a whole line of dangerous corpses trudging along – things we stirred up and maybe don’t even remember – not quite able to catch us yet but never so far behind as to settle back down. As soon as we feel we can’t walk another step and so we set and rest, them dead are gonna get their jaws around bits of us, and maybe even what we’re carryin’ is gonna open up and bite before we even get around to restin’. We all got our own load, though. Temple, the main character of this here novel, which I gotta declare is now my favorite book I have ever read, I do believe, she has a whole mess of stuff she’s carrying around, despite being just 15 years old. She may be all young on the outside, but she’s carrying more load than anyone else I ever met, which is really saying something, though the truth of the thing is that she doesn’t know enough about what all she is carrying. She thinks her load is just full up of her own evil, so she doesn’t find it comfortable to settle down with folks. What I like best about her, though, is that with all that she’s carrying and all that is following along behind her, she is still one to go quite a ways to help people. And, the best of her is she has more wonderin’ and amazement than everyone else put together, practically. She’s something special, and them that can’t see that probably can’t see their own boot laces.
This ain’t a book for everyone, I figure, because it’s like this cactus, with spikes and pokes every which way, but if you see what all life it gives to them characters hidden in a land of meatskins and obscured, kinda, behind the best jawin’ just about ever, then you’ll find yerself enjoyin’ this book from the brim of your hat to the bottom of your socks. I’m serious when I say that I ain’t yet seen a better book yet, really: not in no library, not in my house, and probably not even in that big destroyed pile of books they once had in that Egypt place. I see there’s a sequel, now, so I’m setting my mind to getting’ that one into my hands to see if it can outrace this one, maybe, though that ain’t where my money is.
Chapter 3: now this may be the best book ever.
---------------------------------
Sometimes it seems like all us people here on earth are just walking along carrying something we don’t even realize is dead, while behind us we have a whole line of dangerous corpses trudging along – things we stirred up and maybe don’t even remember – not quite able to catch us yet but never so far behind as to settle back down. As soon as we feel we can’t walk another step and so we set and rest, them dead are gonna get their jaws around bits of us, and maybe even what we’re carryin’ is gonna open up and bite before we even get around to restin’. We all got our own load, though. Temple, the main character of this here novel, which I gotta declare is now my favorite book I have ever read, I do believe, she has a whole mess of stuff she’s carrying around, despite being just 15 years old. She may be all young on the outside, but she’s carrying more load than anyone else I ever met, which is really saying something, though the truth of the thing is that she doesn’t know enough about what all she is carrying. She thinks her load is just full up of her own evil, so she doesn’t find it comfortable to settle down with folks. What I like best about her, though, is that with all that she’s carrying and all that is following along behind her, she is still one to go quite a ways to help people. And, the best of her is she has more wonderin’ and amazement than everyone else put together, practically. She’s something special, and them that can’t see that probably can’t see their own boot laces.
This ain’t a book for everyone, I figure, because it’s like this cactus, with spikes and pokes every which way, but if you see what all life it gives to them characters hidden in a land of meatskins and obscured, kinda, behind the best jawin’ just about ever, then you’ll find yerself enjoyin’ this book from the brim of your hat to the bottom of your socks. I’m serious when I say that I ain’t yet seen a better book yet, really: not in no library, not in my house, and probably not even in that big destroyed pile of books they once had in that Egypt place. I see there’s a sequel, now, so I’m setting my mind to getting’ that one into my hands to see if it can outrace this one, maybe, though that ain’t where my money is.
This is zombies, yes, but this is well-written, Southern Gothic, Cormac McCarthy-style zombies. This is one of the best books I have read in a while and it's about zombies. It is gruesome and dark, and doesn't have any fancy post-modern tricks up its sleeve. It is just pure good writing. About zombies.
Hmmmm...wonder where Robert Kirkman got his ideas for The Walking Dead???
This book blew me away. It is hard to believe that a novel of this much beauty and depth is set during a zombie apocalypse. The hero Temple is one of the best written and developed characters I have read. I can not say enough good things about this novel.