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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
http://thegreatthegoodandthebad.blogspot.com/
Let me just start by saying that I loved this book, absolutely loved it! I started it and I just couldn’t put it down until I had finished it, Rot and Ruin completely took me surprise by how good it was.
In the past I have read some of Jonathan Maberry’s adult fiction (Patient Zero) and I did enjoy it, but I wasn't planning on rushing out and buying any of his other work. Don’t get me wrong it was good, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea, I think it was something more suited to my husband – it was filled with loads and loads of gadgets, super secret Army types and I thought the female leads were quite lacking – it was easy to tell they had been written by a man. So sadly, Rot and Ruin wasn’t something that I rushed out to buy and when I finally did, it ended up sat on my book case for quite some time – I just didn’t know what I was missing!
I think that this book has one of the best opening chapters that I have read in a while, I really picked this up on a whim and I was instantly hooked, with the funny, witty and fascinating insight into the characters and how the Mountainside community live and function on a daily basis. As the blurb states by the time a child turns 15 they are expected to work part time along with school or their daily rations of food and supplies will be drastically cut. Benny is looking for a job that is easy, and really he is searching for the path of least resistance. He shows up and tries for several jobs, some with funny consequence and some jobs that you really wouldn't wish on your worst enemy - I'm not going to go into too much detail it really is something I recommend you read for yourself!
Although this book is all about the undead and has some Zombie gore filled moments it really wasn’t what I would classify as a scary read (definitely a teen book rather than young YA). However, don’t get me wrong there were certainly a few tension filled scenes when the life of Benny, his friends and family are only inches away from the death bite of a Zombie. The story is one of family bonds, adventure and growing up - although it is growing up with the imposing threat of being eaten by a Zombie. I really liked the tag line for this book and in a lot of ways it sums the story up well -
"In a world full of Zombies, who are the real monsters?"
What I really liked about this book was that the Zombies weren’t the real evil out there beyond the fences of the towns. Zombies existed, they were dangerous, they were a huge threat to daily life but they just were, there are no intentions or malice behind their actions. However, the same couldn’t be said for some of the people out there living and conquering the Rot and Ruin, their actions were deliberate and evil. I really don’t want to say more in case I let something slip about the story, just go and read it for yourself!
There are some great characters in this book, I loved Benny but I also loved his older brother Tom, even thou they have a bit of a bumpy and complex relationship Tom makes for a constant and reliable source of stability for Benny, even when he is completely not appreciated. He is also a Samurai Katana wielding bounty hunter, Zombie wrangler and closure specialist good guy that is doing the best he can in a whole bad situation of a world.
Definitely one to read! Highly recommended.
Notes while reading by chapter:
1. seems like brother picked up the job to make up for leaving mom to die and the main character is just young and naive.
2. interesting race inclusion. All grey in the end.
"like a happy party on his feet" wtf?
7. Whoa Tom is old
8. That whole monk scene was weird and melodramatic.
9. I like the comparison of looting and not rebuilding industry to drilling for oil.
14. "Benny was awake for more than an hour before he realized that he felt better. Not completely. Maybe not even a lot. Just... Better."
16. Overdramatic laughter.
17. "The author poured himself a third cup of coffee, thought about it, then got up and fetched a bottle of bourbon from a cupboard and poured a healthy shot into his cup."
"The artist was one of those people who had no poker face at all. Everything he felt, everything he'd ever seen was there to be read."
22. Nix is so smart and saying real things and he's just thinking "god, i love her" or worse "I wish I did"
24. So intelligently thought out. "We kind of lost the fight more than the dead won it."
28. As annoying as he is, I like that Benny is not a natural born killer and Tom doesn't assume he just has a gift
29. "her dead hands fell away, opening like dying flowers on the edge of the bed." What an image.
35. then he suddenly becomes a badass who charges through hundreds of zombies and murders them by the dozens blah blah. Really interesting character development if a little straight forward. Great for teens or people who don't read much.
39. ugh and here he goes fucking kissing her. Children.
45. what does lilah mean she's been called worse? How does she know what that even means? I doubt George told her.
46. Lots of girl fighting going on here for such a situation unless the point is that this is humanity and it doesn't stop for anything?
48. At least Benny acknowledges he's got some badass women companions.
54. On the one hand, obviously major characters who you never see the body of come back, on the other it was good of him to accept the loss and save the girl instead of whining (although it also just served the plot)
Good writing: "He toppled slowly forward, like a great building finally yielding to years of corruption and decay, and then he fell into the mud."
But then weird, cliche sentences right after: "Eyes as cold as all the hatred and loss in the world."
Oooh, good reason for Tom to still be alive though. Not just based on invincible awesomeness, even if he does kind of have that during the fight with the bounty hunters. Go Nix. She just fucking shoots him. Is Charlie dead though? We talked about this.
Epi: predictable last job but the red sleeves being blood was a great touch.
1. seems like brother picked up the job to make up for leaving mom to die and the main character is just young and naive.
2. interesting race inclusion. All grey in the end.
"like a happy party on his feet" wtf?
7. Whoa Tom is old
8. That whole monk scene was weird and melodramatic.
9. I like the comparison of looting and not rebuilding industry to drilling for oil.
14. "Benny was awake for more than an hour before he realized that he felt better. Not completely. Maybe not even a lot. Just... Better."
16. Overdramatic laughter.
17. "The author poured himself a third cup of coffee, thought about it, then got up and fetched a bottle of bourbon from a cupboard and poured a healthy shot into his cup."
"The artist was one of those people who had no poker face at all. Everything he felt, everything he'd ever seen was there to be read."
22. Nix is so smart and saying real things and he's just thinking "god, i love her" or worse "I wish I did"
24. So intelligently thought out. "We kind of lost the fight more than the dead won it."
28. As annoying as he is, I like that Benny is not a natural born killer and Tom doesn't assume he just has a gift
29. "her dead hands fell away, opening like dying flowers on the edge of the bed." What an image.
35. then he suddenly becomes a badass who charges through hundreds of zombies and murders them by the dozens blah blah. Really interesting character development if a little straight forward. Great for teens or people who don't read much.
39. ugh and here he goes fucking kissing her. Children.
45. what does lilah mean she's been called worse? How does she know what that even means? I doubt George told her.
46. Lots of girl fighting going on here for such a situation unless the point is that this is humanity and it doesn't stop for anything?
48. At least Benny acknowledges he's got some badass women companions.
54. On the one hand, obviously major characters who you never see the body of come back, on the other it was good of him to accept the loss and save the girl instead of whining (although it also just served the plot)
Good writing: "He toppled slowly forward, like a great building finally yielding to years of corruption and decay, and then he fell into the mud."
But then weird, cliche sentences right after: "Eyes as cold as all the hatred and loss in the world."
Oooh, good reason for Tom to still be alive though. Not just based on invincible awesomeness, even if he does kind of have that during the fight with the bounty hunters. Go Nix. She just fucking shoots him. Is Charlie dead though? We talked about this.
Epi: predictable last job but the red sleeves being blood was a great touch.
Honestly the only zombie book that I like as much is Rot and Ruin is [b:World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War|8908|World War Z An Oral History of the Zombie War|Max Brooks|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320398267s/8908.jpg|817] and both I loved for the same reason: their incredibly nuanced view of a zombie apocalypse. Too often zombie books focus just on the gruesome terror of zombies without considering wider angles or implications. I loved [b:World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War|8908|World War Z An Oral History of the Zombie War|Max Brooks|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320398267s/8908.jpg|817] because it showed different cultural reactions to the zombies and I loved Rot and Ruin because it felt real in that same way. People fear what they can't u derstand and find scapegoats to blame, even when it makes no sense. The emphasis in Rot and Ruin is on the humanity of zombies. They may no longer be human, but the lesson Benny Imura learns is compassion for who they were. Benny has been raised by his older brother Tom, who he sees as a coward for taking Benny and running after their dad bit their mom. Benny sees Tom as a coward but is forced to become a zombie hunter apprenticed to Tom because he must pull his weight in their town. People in the town of Mountainside pay zombie hunters like Tom to find and kill zombies that were former friends and family members but Tom believes in providing closure through humane killing, which sets him apart from the others. I loved how multidimensional and understandable the characters were, even the villains. The humor is wonderful but at times the language Maberry uses feels a little overdramatic. And Benny's journey from sheltered kid to capable, tough teen was one I really enjoyed. Highly recommend this one to fans of zombies and YA!
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence
Read this and more reviews at Lari Is Writing
Wow. This book. Wow.
I don't even know where to begin. At first, I didn't know what to expect. Sure. I read the publisher's description. Benny Imura, just another teen coming of age in a post apocalyptic world.
Right?
Kind of. Yes. But this is not just some cliche YA thriller/horror. This has some real substance to it.
The book doesn't rely on the icky-zombie-gross-factor to keep the reader invested in finishing the story, not that there is anything wrong with that, but there was more to this novel than a horde of zombies and a collection of desperate survivors trying to figure out how to get by in a crazy new world.
This book is about relationships between people. Especially the relationship between Benny and his brother Tom. See, Benny hates Tom. He thinks he's a coward. He remembers First Night (the zombie takeover), and he remembers his brother Tom, leaving his mother to become zombie food to zombie dad, while running off with baby Benny.
Benny hates Tom for running. He hates Tom for his quiet, collected attitude, which he thinks is boring. Benny knows his brother is a respected bounty hunter, but he's nothing like the burly and outspoken Charlie Pink-Eye or the Motor City Hammer. Those guys are real zombie killers.
But Tom? He's just a schmuck in Benny's eyes. And when Ben turns 15 he most certainly doesn't want to become Tom's apprentice so his rations don't get cut. So he tries to find another job. But everything else doesn't exactly pan out for Benny, and he resigns himself to the "family business."
Tom isn't the only thing Benny hates. He also hates the zombies that destroyed civilization 14 years before. Including the ones who stagger around the fences of his small community, Mountainside.
But when Tom takes Benny out to the Rot and Ruin for the first time, something changes in Benny. He realizes that his perception of the world, is nothing like reality, and he learns what it is that his brother really does.
Benny starts to realize that there is a whole world outside of his community. He discovers other people surviving out in the Rot and Ruin, and that not all bounty hunters are alike . . .
The writing is crisp, and to the point. I really liked that it was written in third person, past, because I think first person-present tends to be a little overused in YA. But it is definitely written from Benny's point of view, and the voice gives the reader insight into Benny's mind with appropriate descriptions and literary devices, to show a developing character throughout the story.
One part I liked in particular is when Benny's hatred for zombies changes into something else:
"On their first trip into the Ruin, Tom had said that fear makes you smart, but Benny understood now that his brother had been talking about caution rather than fear. these zoms, every last one of them—even the smallest child—would kill him if they could, but not one of them meant him harm. Meaning, intention, will . . . None of that was part of their makeup. There was no more malice there than in a lightning strike or bacteria on a rusted nail, and as he sat there, he felt his terror of them give way to an awareness of them as something merely dangerous. The intense hatred of the dead he had once harbored was gone completely; burned out of him in Harold Simmons's house. Only the fear had remained, and no that, too, was wavering in intensity." (Chapter 33)
The first half of the book is filled with a lot of back-story (exciting back-story, but back-story), and my interest started waning a little bit, but the last half more than makes up for it, and wouldn't be possible without the narratives laid out in the beginning.
When Benny stumbles into the mystery of the "Lost Girl," and crosses a few bounty hunters, he discovers that the living can be much more malicious than the mindless walking dead. He ends up on a quest of revenge and rescue, and in the process learns more about himself and what love is.
I'm really excited to read the next book. A few questions pop up throughout the narrative that leaves the reader wanting more. (Minor Spoiler: Especially when the characters witness a jumbo jet flying across the sky... where did that come from?!)
The whole thing was a fabulous read. Memorable protagonists (I'm in love with Tom Imura). Memorable villains. And the epilogue really hit me on an emotional level. I praise and, at the same time, chide Mr. Maberry for making me cry like that.
Read it. Seriously.
Rot & Ruin Zombie Rules!
1. Everyone who dies becomes a zombie. Even if the individual dies of natural causes without ever coming in contact with a zombie.
2. Zombie bites will turn a person into the walking dead. Scratches apparently do not.
3. To kill a zombie, one must destroy the brain stem. People in Benny's community are "quieted" after they die with a "silver," or thin blade, meant to puncture the base of the skull.
Wow. This book. Wow.
I don't even know where to begin. At first, I didn't know what to expect. Sure. I read the publisher's description. Benny Imura, just another teen coming of age in a post apocalyptic world.
Right?
Kind of. Yes. But this is not just some cliche YA thriller/horror. This has some real substance to it.
The book doesn't rely on the icky-zombie-gross-factor to keep the reader invested in finishing the story, not that there is anything wrong with that, but there was more to this novel than a horde of zombies and a collection of desperate survivors trying to figure out how to get by in a crazy new world.
This book is about relationships between people. Especially the relationship between Benny and his brother Tom. See, Benny hates Tom. He thinks he's a coward. He remembers First Night (the zombie takeover), and he remembers his brother Tom, leaving his mother to become zombie food to zombie dad, while running off with baby Benny.
Benny hates Tom for running. He hates Tom for his quiet, collected attitude, which he thinks is boring. Benny knows his brother is a respected bounty hunter, but he's nothing like the burly and outspoken Charlie Pink-Eye or the Motor City Hammer. Those guys are real zombie killers.
But Tom? He's just a schmuck in Benny's eyes. And when Ben turns 15 he most certainly doesn't want to become Tom's apprentice so his rations don't get cut. So he tries to find another job. But everything else doesn't exactly pan out for Benny, and he resigns himself to the "family business."
Tom isn't the only thing Benny hates. He also hates the zombies that destroyed civilization 14 years before. Including the ones who stagger around the fences of his small community, Mountainside.
But when Tom takes Benny out to the Rot and Ruin for the first time, something changes in Benny. He realizes that his perception of the world, is nothing like reality, and he learns what it is that his brother really does.
Benny starts to realize that there is a whole world outside of his community. He discovers other people surviving out in the Rot and Ruin, and that not all bounty hunters are alike . . .
The writing is crisp, and to the point. I really liked that it was written in third person, past, because I think first person-present tends to be a little overused in YA. But it is definitely written from Benny's point of view, and the voice gives the reader insight into Benny's mind with appropriate descriptions and literary devices, to show a developing character throughout the story.
One part I liked in particular is when Benny's hatred for zombies changes into something else:
"On their first trip into the Ruin, Tom had said that fear makes you smart, but Benny understood now that his brother had been talking about caution rather than fear. these zoms, every last one of them—even the smallest child—would kill him if they could, but not one of them meant him harm. Meaning, intention, will . . . None of that was part of their makeup. There was no more malice there than in a lightning strike or bacteria on a rusted nail, and as he sat there, he felt his terror of them give way to an awareness of them as something merely dangerous. The intense hatred of the dead he had once harbored was gone completely; burned out of him in Harold Simmons's house. Only the fear had remained, and no that, too, was wavering in intensity." (Chapter 33)
The first half of the book is filled with a lot of back-story (exciting back-story, but back-story), and my interest started waning a little bit, but the last half more than makes up for it, and wouldn't be possible without the narratives laid out in the beginning.
When Benny stumbles into the mystery of the "Lost Girl," and crosses a few bounty hunters, he discovers that the living can be much more malicious than the mindless walking dead. He ends up on a quest of revenge and rescue, and in the process learns more about himself and what love is.
I'm really excited to read the next book. A few questions pop up throughout the narrative that leaves the reader wanting more. (Minor Spoiler: Especially when the characters witness a jumbo jet flying across the sky... where did that come from?!)
The whole thing was a fabulous read. Memorable protagonists (I'm in love with Tom Imura). Memorable villains. And the epilogue really hit me on an emotional level. I praise and, at the same time, chide Mr. Maberry for making me cry like that.
Read it. Seriously.
Rot & Ruin Zombie Rules!
1. Everyone who dies becomes a zombie. Even if the individual dies of natural causes without ever coming in contact with a zombie.
2. Zombie bites will turn a person into the walking dead. Scratches apparently do not.
3. To kill a zombie, one must destroy the brain stem. People in Benny's community are "quieted" after they die with a "silver," or thin blade, meant to puncture the base of the skull.
Oh god. I just finished this and I’m sobbing. All the feels!!
Hopefully I’ll be able to write a more coherent review later.
Hopefully I’ll be able to write a more coherent review later.
GREAT Zombie book, if you like that kind of thing! I found this Dystopian world to be refreshingly different, which is unusual. The presentation of the undead also felt different and new.
Amazing book! One of the best books I've ever read. For a book about living in a zombie world, it was surprisingly and unexpectedly sweet, heartfelt and touching. I particularly like the character Tom. The depth of character and emotions he possessed was amazingly written. The development of Benny from ignorance to enlightenment was well done. I already wanna go out and buy the next book!
Rot & Ruin is an alright book. Some of the story is interesting, and somewhat unique for a zombie novel. The characters, except for Tom, didn't grab me though, so it was hard to care about what was happening to them. The writing was strange, too. Most of it seemed more like Juvenile Fiction than Young Adult.
I'll probably read the next book in the series sometime, just to see where the story goes.
I'll probably read the next book in the series sometime, just to see where the story goes.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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