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2.75 AVERAGE
2.75 AVERAGE
bonnybedlam's review
3.0
Not as disappointing as some of the things I've seen recently from Kickstarter, but it has some of the same problems. A lack of realistic dialog, characters laughing way too hard over things that aren't funny (the stories in this collection ran the gamut from tragic to gross to sad but none of them were humorous), and a lot of contributions from authors who really don't have a firm grip on language or technique. Why was one of the contributors allowed to put all of the dialog already inside thought/speech bubbles in quotes as well? And why did some of those bubbles contain multiple sentences each in their own sets of quotes as if two people were speaking when it was clearly meant to be one? Wasn't there an overall editor with final approval to keep rookie nonsense like that from cluttering up the pages? And possibly also tell the author of that piece that vaccines, even brand new risky experimental ones not yet on the market, aren't appropriate for treating someone with a very advanced case of the disease the vaccine is meant to prevent? Because swapping that word, vaccine, for any more appropriate word, like treatment, cure, or even placebo, would have been super easy, and only requires a very basic level of understanding of medicine and the English language. (Ever gone to a doctor with a bad case of the flu and been offered a flu shot? There's a reason for that, and you know what it is.)
I'm harping on that guy because his almost-but-not-quite-grasping-the-right-word was the worst (and that quote thing was just ridiculous), but he was certainly not the only one guilty of it. I've tried to live by the motto that one should read a million words for every word that one writes (at least for publication). Clearly these contributors have differing beliefs. And aren't nearly as quick to check a dictionary to make sure words mean what they think they do.
There are things I like about it. Having the stories set up by narrators in color panels is a nice touch, though I think I'd have liked it better if the kids actually knew the zombies and were telling true stories, rather than making things up to mock them. Most of the stories were good, imaginative and interesting, even considering the poor quality of some of the writing. There are a great many different styles of art, some I really enjoyed for its clarity and some I had to go over a few times to make sure I was seeing it all.
It's a 2.5 star book for me but closer to 3 than 2 so I rounded up. And while I don't regret investing in the project (it's always worthwhile, or at least $20, to help others achieve their dreams), I don't think I'll be signing on for the sequels.
I'm harping on that guy because his almost-but-not-quite-grasping-the-right-word was the worst (and that quote thing was just ridiculous), but he was certainly not the only one guilty of it. I've tried to live by the motto that one should read a million words for every word that one writes (at least for publication). Clearly these contributors have differing beliefs. And aren't nearly as quick to check a dictionary to make sure words mean what they think they do.
There are things I like about it. Having the stories set up by narrators in color panels is a nice touch, though I think I'd have liked it better if the kids actually knew the zombies and were telling true stories, rather than making things up to mock them. Most of the stories were good, imaginative and interesting, even considering the poor quality of some of the writing. There are a great many different styles of art, some I really enjoyed for its clarity and some I had to go over a few times to make sure I was seeing it all.
It's a 2.5 star book for me but closer to 3 than 2 so I rounded up. And while I don't regret investing in the project (it's always worthwhile, or at least $20, to help others achieve their dreams), I don't think I'll be signing on for the sequels.