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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not as gory as I expected from all the hype but then I probably read a lot more twisted and gross books than a great many people. Definitely disturbing yet very interesting ~ to have the living dead still maintain their thought processes while their physical form follows an agenda of its own: feed on living flesh.
I was particularly taken with Darnell Lippman's story. Basically a housewife with a mild case of depression and a husband who takes her for granted. I felt like she was the most fleshed out and I actually felt her angst.
I was hoping that Mr. Howey would push the limits a bit further with the pregnant zombie, Carmen Ruiz, but then I suppose that would have been a bit much for some readers. I'm sure many were upset with Jeffery Biggers' presumed motives after rescuing a baby or the mother and her child's "escape" from a tree.
Overall a very satisfying read and definitely a nice change of pace from what I have been reading lately. Some scenes of feasting orgasmically savoring of fat had me giggling but I'm sure it would turn some readers' stomachs.
Definitely will recommend this one to DH and a few friends who have a dark and twisted love of the bizarre and the disgusting.
I was particularly taken with Darnell Lippman's story. Basically a housewife with a mild case of depression and a husband who takes her for granted. I felt like she was the most fleshed out and I actually felt her angst.
I was hoping that Mr. Howey would push the limits a bit further with the pregnant zombie, Carmen Ruiz, but then I suppose that would have been a bit much for some readers. I'm sure many were upset with Jeffery Biggers' presumed motives after rescuing a baby or the mother and her child's "escape" from a tree.
Overall a very satisfying read and definitely a nice change of pace from what I have been reading lately. Some scenes of feasting orgasmically savoring of fat had me giggling but I'm sure it would turn some readers' stomachs.
Definitely will recommend this one to DH and a few friends who have a dark and twisted love of the bizarre and the disgusting.
I'm a Hugh Howie fan. How this guy writes so well as a new-ish author blows me away.
Despite my unabashed affection, I couldn't totally get there with this book. Two things strike me in retrospect:
- I just can't do zombies. They have a placement problem. They're supposed to exist in the world we inhabit, but they strain credulity in that setting. I can't allow for how they would come to be. I can do crazy settings; I like the worlds of Stephen Palmer. But zombies among us? My brain won't go with the artifice.
- Too much of the same thing. The notion that a normal mind exists in a zombie body is an interesting thing to explore. But it turns out zombies do the same boring thing all the time, and after we get the concept of "what do you do when you're trapped in a body you can't control?", there's only so much more to get. And after a couple of vignettes, the discourse has run its course. This idea is better suited to a shorter, more stark treatment. Or, a treatment outside the zombie context -how about an ALS patient?
I'm glad I read it. I'm glad to have paid Mr. Howie more money. I realize this was as much an homage to NYC post-9/11 as anything else. But I'd have liked to have spent less time on it, had different expectations, & moved on sooner.
Despite my unabashed affection, I couldn't totally get there with this book. Two things strike me in retrospect:
- I just can't do zombies. They have a placement problem. They're supposed to exist in the world we inhabit, but they strain credulity in that setting. I can't allow for how they would come to be. I can do crazy settings; I like the worlds of Stephen Palmer. But zombies among us? My brain won't go with the artifice.
- Too much of the same thing. The notion that a normal mind exists in a zombie body is an interesting thing to explore. But it turns out zombies do the same boring thing all the time, and after we get the concept of "what do you do when you're trapped in a body you can't control?", there's only so much more to get. And after a couple of vignettes, the discourse has run its course. This idea is better suited to a shorter, more stark treatment. Or, a treatment outside the zombie context -how about an ALS patient?
I'm glad I read it. I'm glad to have paid Mr. Howie more money. I realize this was as much an homage to NYC post-9/11 as anything else. But I'd have liked to have spent less time on it, had different expectations, & moved on sooner.
Such an interesting take on zombies. Really original and expanded my thoughts on how zombies would operate and be created. I think a lot of zombie novels forget to expand upon the actual zombie itself, so this was extremely interesting to me from a mythological point of view. The characters were all complex and had diverse backgrounds, but all really told the same story: they were turned and had some control over their thoughts and action for a bit before the primal zombie took over and they could no longer do anything more than search for food. The horror and the concept were interesting and well expanded upon, however, I think there was too many different points of views that never really got finished. These left me wondering what was happening. As well, the different points of views were at times confusing because they didn't really overlap with one another so I was unsure as to why certain character's stories were grouped together while others were not.
Overall: 3.5/5 stars but rounded up for the star calculator! For fans of zombie lore and anyone who wants a fresh perspective on something that has been done multiple, multiple times.
Overall: 3.5/5 stars but rounded up for the star calculator! For fans of zombie lore and anyone who wants a fresh perspective on something that has been done multiple, multiple times.
I Love Hugh Howey. His writing is exceptional. I really appreciate that this isn't a typical zombie novel, but that its about the horror of still being alive and trapped while your body betrays you.