Reviews tagging 'War'

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

5 reviews

travisppe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I liked it, CW is an amazing writer, but the narrative jumps around a lot and it was hard to keep pace. Intentional, I’m sure, but be forewarned. Also, prose is pretty dense for a zombie novel. Lost forward momentum a few times but worth the slog. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, War, Death of parent, Excrement, Child death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Chronic illness, Confinement, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Car accident, Death, Dementia, Abandonment, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Vomit

tinathedrifter's review

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

I was impressed by the world-building of a post-plague New York. But, every few pages the author elbows his way in and rants on about his angsty ruminations of the past. It could have been a lot shorter.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, War, Murder, Death, Suicide, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, and Alcohol

rynstagram's review against another edition

3.5

This is an introspective zombie book, so it moves a little slowly, but Colson Whitehead has an ability to choose exactly the right diction and the main character's self-confessed mediocrity in an extraordinary world. Even if I had to look up a lot of word definitions... And a lot of the descriptions are visceral, especially when describing the sounds and sights of the zombies' bodies. 

I mostly gave this a lower rating because the plot seemed to drag in a lot of places. This is just the nature of a novel like this, that takes place over only three days and thus involves lots of recollections and thoughts rather than more action. 

It's not quite hopeful, but it's not quite hopeless. Somewhere in the middle. This is a world in which detachment from reality and an ability to not care too much are assets. 

I think Whitehead creates a great satire of our current society by using this zombie plague to discuss mental illness & the wellness industry (PASD--post-apocalyptic stress disorder), corporate sponsorships of the human race's survival (including alcohol and other unnecessary indulgences), how everything has become an act & everywhere a stage (large-scale public relations that trick those involved and those who are watching), and how fitting in & skating by in life can be a defense mechanism (Mark Spitz's talent for flying under the radar, not too good or too bad at anything). 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Addiction, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, and War

unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Look, I was as surprised as you probably are that Colson Whitehead wrote not only a plague novel but a *zombie* plague novel, and it was just exactly how I thought it would be: weird, tense, sad, darkly funny and worth your time.

Zone One is literary fiction about a zombie plague. It’s gruesome and gross but also deep and very well written. It takes lots of narrative risks, with only three chapters (insert nervous laughter) and a nonlinear timeline. Whitehead loads the prose up with words you’ve probably never heard outside of SAT prep, but mostly as ways to denigrate Connecticut. It’s simultaneously thoughtful commentary on our world and a terrifying story about one guy living through an apocalypse.

👍🏻Recommended! Fans of Severance (the book), literary fiction, zombies, Otessa Moshfegh, Chuck Palahniuk and other Colson Whitehead books. This is a horror story at its core so check the CW

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Violence, Vomit, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, and War

allyofshalott's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Probably my least favorite Whitehead I’ve read thus far, though I did ultimately enjoy this. A bit slow, and the anti-capitalist critique is a bit on the nose sometimes, but I did tear up! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicide, and War