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floralhellscape's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
If the book were shorter or more focused then I would've been tempted to give a higher rating. As it is, the confusion of the narrative and the stitched together sequences turns from interestingly stylistic to tedious after the first hundred pages, and the rest of the book is a bit of a slog without significant payoff.
Occasionally there are lines or even entire descriptions that have a striking impact, but the effect is similar to coming across a rough gem while scrabbling through mud. It almost seems incidental, as if by throwing enough word salad at the wall eventually something stuck. I do understand what the author was going for, it's not exactly difficult considering the nature of the zombie plague and how it's transmitted, I just don't think it was done as effectively as the confidence of the text seems to think it's doing.
Regrettably, some of the horror actually feels lost to shock value as well. Certain passages made me feel the kind of disgust that's more like awkward disdain than real horror or dismay, the kind of thing that made me briefly consider not finishing. But the movie Pontypool is one of my favorite horror films, so I really wanted to read through the source material to better appreciate it.
Overall, disappointed and underwhelmed. Not worth the trouble of tracking down a copy, and yet I don't quite regret it.
Occasionally there are lines or even entire descriptions that have a striking impact, but the effect is similar to coming across a rough gem while scrabbling through mud. It almost seems incidental, as if by throwing enough word salad at the wall eventually something stuck. I do understand what the author was going for, it's not exactly difficult considering the nature of the zombie plague and how it's transmitted, I just don't think it was done as effectively as the confidence of the text seems to think it's doing.
Regrettably, some of the horror actually feels lost to shock value as well. Certain passages made me feel the kind of disgust that's more like awkward disdain than real horror or dismay, the kind of thing that made me briefly consider not finishing. But the movie Pontypool is one of my favorite horror films, so I really wanted to read through the source material to better appreciate it.
Overall, disappointed and underwhelmed. Not worth the trouble of tracking down a copy, and yet I don't quite regret it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Violence, and Vomit
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