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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Underworld is the second original story in the Resident Evil series after Caliban Cove, featuring nothing from the games. And, let me tell you, it really sucked.
Here's the thing. When I read a book that's meant to be based in a video game series, I'd like some resemblance to the games. Underworld doesn't feature that. Instead, it does it's own thing that really has nothing to do with Resident Evil, and it's exceptionally boring in the process.
The previous RE books gave spotlight to the game characters, but Underworld doesn't do that. Instead, it gives focus to three of Perry's original characters - John, David and Reston - and none of them are interesting and appealing. Reading about them is like going into a fanfic of your favorite series, but it suddenly has OCs that weren't mentioned in the description playing at the spotlight stealing squad. The three actual RE characters - Claire, Rebecca and Leon - take a backseat to John and David particularly, even thinking about how cool they are at times. They aren't cool. They're a disappointment. I'm not against having original characters in franchise novels - I read them all the time. But, it's such a disappointment to have the game characters be present but essentially be sidekicks to such unappealing characters.
Don't even get me started on Trent, Perry's original character who is apparently super important and mysterious and controlling how everything goes. It's like she was trying to make a maybe good guy Wesker, and it's just... ick.
The plot's boring. As much as there's a lot of action, none of it's interesting to read about. At times, I had to skim through it just to make it through a scene. Really, it just feels more of the same of Caliban Cove, which was the worst part of the series. It's not the worst part of the series anymore, though, as Underworld takes the title from it.
Lastly, it has nothing to really do with Resident Evil. Just because you shoehorn some characters from the games in and tell me the villains are Umbrella, it doesn't mean that this is a Resident Evil book. It's just bad fanfiction.
Skip Underworld. Move on to the next book that actually has something to do with the game.
Here's the thing. When I read a book that's meant to be based in a video game series, I'd like some resemblance to the games. Underworld doesn't feature that. Instead, it does it's own thing that really has nothing to do with Resident Evil, and it's exceptionally boring in the process.
The previous RE books gave spotlight to the game characters, but Underworld doesn't do that. Instead, it gives focus to three of Perry's original characters - John, David and Reston - and none of them are interesting and appealing. Reading about them is like going into a fanfic of your favorite series, but it suddenly has OCs that weren't mentioned in the description playing at the spotlight stealing squad. The three actual RE characters - Claire, Rebecca and Leon - take a backseat to John and David particularly, even thinking about how cool they are at times. They aren't cool. They're a disappointment. I'm not against having original characters in franchise novels - I read them all the time. But, it's such a disappointment to have the game characters be present but essentially be sidekicks to such unappealing characters.
Don't even get me started on Trent, Perry's original character who is apparently super important and mysterious and controlling how everything goes. It's like she was trying to make a maybe good guy Wesker, and it's just... ick.
The plot's boring. As much as there's a lot of action, none of it's interesting to read about. At times, I had to skim through it just to make it through a scene. Really, it just feels more of the same of Caliban Cove, which was the worst part of the series. It's not the worst part of the series anymore, though, as Underworld takes the title from it.
Lastly, it has nothing to really do with Resident Evil. Just because you shoehorn some characters from the games in and tell me the villains are Umbrella, it doesn't mean that this is a Resident Evil book. It's just bad fanfiction.
Skip Underworld. Move on to the next book that actually has something to do with the game.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very weird moment inside where the enemy references jailbait. Felt unnecessary, like I get you're trying to show he's a bad guy, but maybe could do it another way.
Outside of that, the book gets a bit tiresome after you realize they're going to fight their way out of each of the biomes. All four. But I enjoyed what they found in the lab at the end. Unfortunately the ending felt rushed, but I'm curious to see where this series continues to go.
Outside of that, the book gets a bit tiresome after you realize they're going to fight their way out of each of the biomes. All four. But I enjoyed what they found in the lab at the end. Unfortunately the ending felt rushed, but I'm curious to see where this series continues to go.
Simple but enjoyable. I wouldn't have minded a little more plot, but that's okay.
Very choppy, the characters were kept a little too separate for my liking. It was particularly odd that only Leon and John encountered any BOW, the rest of the team simply dealing with stupid Umbrella grunts. Still fine for the simple, mindless zombie action In currently into.
I'm obsessed with this whole book series, but, Underworld is the best so far. I will eat up any plot that has that Hunger-Games-stuck-in-an-enclosed-death-arena-where-they-need-to-fight-their-way-out-to-advance-to-the-next-level vibe. It's just such a fun and creative plot for any story. I loved it.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I enjoyed this story a lot! The plot was a little lacking, but it was still very entertaining. I liked seeing the perspective of all the different characters, especially from the antagonists. This story would be a fun add-on to a Resident Evil game! I don't see this book being super inviting for those who aren't familiar with the RE series, but then again, I don't see those people picking this book up in the first place. Of course, anything with Leon in it I'll love. :)
It wasn’t my favourite book of the series but I still enjoyed it.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence