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joillian's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.5
some of the stories were good, some were boring and many scared me half to death
sandrus_'s review
2.0
I'm still not sure what to think of this book. It is entertaining, but after several pages I just got lost, the fact that it doesn't have page numbers makes it way longer than it is.
If you have the time and nothing better to read just give it a shot.
If you have the time and nothing better to read just give it a shot.
hk848's review
2.0
started out really well, liked the styles and the story. got a little boring towards the end, some entries were dull or just not very good. got stupid towards the end, zombies sending texts and emails? zombie burgers? the queen and president zombies and writing speeches? zombie music? just wasnt needed and ruined it a bit for me. don't think i will be reading the next book.
orasmis's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up this book from a used bookstore near me not too long ago and I'm glad that I did. I've never read a book in his format before and I read enjoyed it. The different stories in the book did a great job of fleshing out the world that the book happened in and did a lovely job of giving you the backstory. Some of it is a lot more well written than other parts to be honest though. When it gets into technicals it tends to slog along and the "screenplay" at the end of the book was downright insufferable. But I really did like this take on the zombie genre overall. I highly recommend this to fans of the horror genre and zombie fans in general
mjmoore's review
4.0
Despite reading and watching a lot of horror, I’ve always avoided Zombies, as they were the one thing which really made me, well, scared. Having gotten into The Walking Dead recently, I seem to have overcome that fear, and now seem to be making up for lost time!
Zombie Apocalypse was one of my recent purchases, along with World War Z, which I haven’t yet read. Both of these books seem to be made up of various accounts of events, using transcripts etc, but I have a feeling they are rather different in their approach. Obviously I can’t say for sure until I read it, but I get the impression that World War Z is meant to be more serious, whereas Zombie Apocalypse has a rather dark humour running through. I’ve seen reviews comparing them, but they really need to be assessed in their own strengths.
Zombie Apocalypse is a ‘mosaic’ book, made of various accounts, taking us from before the zombies, to it’s outcome. There are news reports, diary entries, police reports etc, but it’s been bought up to date with twitter conversations, emails and blog entries. Although it follows a rough timeline, the stories don’t connect – it does read like a collection which has been pulled together.
These accounts have different authors, and that does show. It also means that the different styles will be liked or disliked by various readers. I for one found the blog entries caused me the most amusement (people really will blog about anything!) and the diary entries from a 13 year old girl were my overall favourites. I also enjoyed the setting, which is mainly London – it’s always good for us UK readers to see something set where we know.
Reviews appear mixed for this one, and I guess I can see why. Personally speaking, I found it highly enjoyable, and loved the unusual style. It’s not to be taken seriously, and you’re bound to have sections which you prefer over others. There’s a lot to recommend it though, and I shall be looking out for the second book, Zombie Apocalypse Fightback.
Zombie Apocalypse was one of my recent purchases, along with World War Z, which I haven’t yet read. Both of these books seem to be made up of various accounts of events, using transcripts etc, but I have a feeling they are rather different in their approach. Obviously I can’t say for sure until I read it, but I get the impression that World War Z is meant to be more serious, whereas Zombie Apocalypse has a rather dark humour running through. I’ve seen reviews comparing them, but they really need to be assessed in their own strengths.
Zombie Apocalypse is a ‘mosaic’ book, made of various accounts, taking us from before the zombies, to it’s outcome. There are news reports, diary entries, police reports etc, but it’s been bought up to date with twitter conversations, emails and blog entries. Although it follows a rough timeline, the stories don’t connect – it does read like a collection which has been pulled together.
These accounts have different authors, and that does show. It also means that the different styles will be liked or disliked by various readers. I for one found the blog entries caused me the most amusement (people really will blog about anything!) and the diary entries from a 13 year old girl were my overall favourites. I also enjoyed the setting, which is mainly London – it’s always good for us UK readers to see something set where we know.
Reviews appear mixed for this one, and I guess I can see why. Personally speaking, I found it highly enjoyable, and loved the unusual style. It’s not to be taken seriously, and you’re bound to have sections which you prefer over others. There’s a lot to recommend it though, and I shall be looking out for the second book, Zombie Apocalypse Fightback.
geoffnelder's review
4.0
If I were a zombie I'd be terrified of this book. It's a collection of smart fictional insights into the world of the revenant with a mixture of graphics and tales. The editor isn't afraid to use different typefonts for different stories and they enhance rather than distract. The only reason it doesn't reach 5 stars is that I found it annoying to have an index of contributors referenced with page numbers but none of the pages have numbers! As a reader this wouldn't matter, but it does as a reviewer who wanted to know which story was scribed by Lisa Tuttle and which by the many other excellent writers that made up this collection.
A must read for any Zombie enthusiast.
A must read for any Zombie enthusiast.
kaz_loves_books's review
1.0
Didn't enjoy this book too much. A very different way to tell the story was by email, clips and blogs etc.
Basically, the world was overran with a version of the plaque. A lot of people were coming back as zombies with only a few people surviving, hence the extracts. A novel idea just not my type of book
Basically, the world was overran with a version of the plaque. A lot of people were coming back as zombies with only a few people surviving, hence the extracts. A novel idea just not my type of book
katelynrushton's review against another edition
4.0
The contingency plan section is the highlight of the book
holliereadsbooks's review
3.0
This review was first posted on Music, Books and Tea
I'm not sure if I've ever really vocalised this on my blog before...but I'm a huge fan of zombies. I'm literally team zombie all the way. Unfortunately, I haven't read nearly enough zombie fiction, so when I saw this book idly sitting on a shelf at my local library, I knew that I had to grab it. I found Zombie Apocalypse! to be an entertaining read that certainly helped pass the time during a very hot weekend in May.
What I loved most about Zombie Apocalypse! was its originality. This wasn't written in a typical story format, instead, the story is told through e-mails, verbal reports, diary entries and various other different ways. he book itself is set out in such a visually appealing way. The reports are typed out like official reports. The diary entries have been printed in a font similar to someone's handwriting. This really aided to the whole experience of the book.
The book opens with Britain in turmoil - the recession has hit us badly, and so the government have decided to put on a festival to try and boost people's spirits. The festival is going to take place on an old church site, and builders have been ordered to basically destroy the grounds. Eventually, a somewhat nosey professor gets trapped in a crypt, becomes infected with the zombie virus, and the story continues from there. All hell breaks loose, but not straight away. The government try to keep everything under wraps for as long as possible, but it doesn't work. Eventually, the virus spreads across the world, with people getting infected in America, Mexico and Australia to name a few countries. What creeped me out was how realistic this book could actually be. It really depicted how easily a virus, and I'm not talking about a zombie virus, just any virus in general, could be spread into a worldwide epidemic. That was probably what shocked me the most as I read.
My favourite entries were definitely those made by Maddy, a 13-year-old girl who wants desperately to grow up and be noticed by her best friend's older brother. She was just so normal, and I really came to care for her in a kind of sibling way. All I wanted to do was protect her and keep her safe. In a weird way, I was kind of happy about the way her story ended, even if it wasn't quite a happily ever after. I really enjoyed reading the hospital report too. This gave us our first proper look at what was actually happening to people as they were being bitten or scratched by the zombies. We also got our first real look at people who were resistant to the infection, although I did wonder if the doctor stayed human or if he too transformed.
Some of the entries, however, were a little too long for my liking. I found myself skimming through the first half of the police report, until the report started getting interesting, which I really did not like doing, in case I missed any important information. I also found myself doing the same with the incredibly long radio report that was included towards the end.
I was also really annoyed with the lack of closure in Zombie Apocalypse! I finished the book literally having no clue what had happened to a good majority of the characters, although I did like how the book ended with speeches from both the President of America and the Queen of England, and I liked the little twist that had been worked in with both of the characters.
Overall, Zombie Apocalypse! was an original, entertaining read. It's definitely one for zombie enthusiasts, set out in a unique way that is sure to keep you interested for a good couple of hours!
I'm not sure if I've ever really vocalised this on my blog before...but I'm a huge fan of zombies. I'm literally team zombie all the way. Unfortunately, I haven't read nearly enough zombie fiction, so when I saw this book idly sitting on a shelf at my local library, I knew that I had to grab it. I found Zombie Apocalypse! to be an entertaining read that certainly helped pass the time during a very hot weekend in May.
What I loved most about Zombie Apocalypse! was its originality. This wasn't written in a typical story format, instead, the story is told through e-mails, verbal reports, diary entries and various other different ways. he book itself is set out in such a visually appealing way. The reports are typed out like official reports. The diary entries have been printed in a font similar to someone's handwriting. This really aided to the whole experience of the book.
The book opens with Britain in turmoil - the recession has hit us badly, and so the government have decided to put on a festival to try and boost people's spirits. The festival is going to take place on an old church site, and builders have been ordered to basically destroy the grounds. Eventually, a somewhat nosey professor gets trapped in a crypt, becomes infected with the zombie virus, and the story continues from there. All hell breaks loose, but not straight away. The government try to keep everything under wraps for as long as possible, but it doesn't work. Eventually, the virus spreads across the world, with people getting infected in America, Mexico and Australia to name a few countries. What creeped me out was how realistic this book could actually be. It really depicted how easily a virus, and I'm not talking about a zombie virus, just any virus in general, could be spread into a worldwide epidemic. That was probably what shocked me the most as I read.
My favourite entries were definitely those made by Maddy, a 13-year-old girl who wants desperately to grow up and be noticed by her best friend's older brother. She was just so normal, and I really came to care for her in a kind of sibling way. All I wanted to do was protect her and keep her safe. In a weird way, I was kind of happy about the way her story ended, even if it wasn't quite a happily ever after. I really enjoyed reading the hospital report too. This gave us our first proper look at what was actually happening to people as they were being bitten or scratched by the zombies. We also got our first real look at people who were resistant to the infection, although I did wonder if the doctor stayed human or if he too transformed.
Some of the entries, however, were a little too long for my liking. I found myself skimming through the first half of the police report, until the report started getting interesting, which I really did not like doing, in case I missed any important information. I also found myself doing the same with the incredibly long radio report that was included towards the end.
I was also really annoyed with the lack of closure in Zombie Apocalypse! I finished the book literally having no clue what had happened to a good majority of the characters, although I did like how the book ended with speeches from both the President of America and the Queen of England, and I liked the little twist that had been worked in with both of the characters.
Overall, Zombie Apocalypse! was an original, entertaining read. It's definitely one for zombie enthusiasts, set out in a unique way that is sure to keep you interested for a good couple of hours!
novelbloglover's review against another edition
3.0
Book review
Title: Zombie apocalypse
Author: Stephen jones
Genre: zombie/ apocalypse/ horror
Rating: ***
Review: Zombies are big right now. Like, really, crazy big. True zombie fanatics have been around for decades, watching and re-watching George Romero films and adorning themselves with fake blood, torn clothes and shambling around while crying “brains” at Halloween. But in recent years zombies have really gone mainstream ranging from humorous independent films like Fido, to a big-budget comedy parody in Zombieland, video game franchises (and movies) likeResident Evil and critically acclaimed works such as The Walking Dead (both its comic book and AMC versions). And, unfortunately, that has led to a lot of zombie garbage being retched into the media as well.
Luckily, Stephen Jones’ Zombie Apocalypse! is not among this garbage. The cleverly designed collection of short stories, strung together as journal entries, police reports, emails, texts, medical records and classified documents, tells of a near future London that, over the course of about a month, goes from being a country trying to celebrate its history in a failing economy, to ground zero of a massive zombie outbreak.
Compiled of no less than 37 short stories, the book is a phenomenal undertaking. The backbone story features the excavation of an old church. This leads to the discovery of a crypt sealed since the days of the bubonic plague by an eccentric, if not crazed, architect who believed interning a body for a certain length of time would bring it back to life to carry the souls of the dead. Jones’ tale does get a little muddled here as the initial idea behind the resurrection seems mystical, but then it appears the fleas from the bubonic days are reanimating the corpses but then it gets even fuzzier as a simple scratch may pass it on the plague, or even touching the bile-like blood of the deceased might do it.
The account takes its time (ALMOST too much) to really get going, peppering the early pages with hints and the usual non-believers and eye-rollers. But when it does hit, it’s full zombie carnage. Unlike Max Brooks’sWorld War Z which, although retold through a series of personal accounts, seems to talk with one voice, each entry in Zombie Apocalypse! has a very unique style. Since so many writers were employed to pen the stories and as each entry is supposedly from a journal recollection or internet post, this works well. However this does lead to some annoying discrepancies, from the infection’s origins to how the zombies act. Some are mindless, some go for brains, some retain memories of their past and even intelligence and some are carnivorous animals just devouring flesh.
The early recountings are confined to a specific area in London. The best zombie stories will parody current political and social issues and the first part of the book does that eloquently, giving the reader a very British feel and flavor. But the story does lag a little when the plague goes global. When stories from other countries come into play it almost seems forced, as if the book loses a little of its way.
As a whole, Zombie Apocalypse! is a great read for any zombie fan. Of particular note are the story “Minutes of Meeting” and the copy of the actual communication sent out to emergency services. The ending has a very interesting and poignant twist, leading the reader to see that those who do manage to survive Zombie Apocalypse! will be living in a very brave and very flesh-hungry new world.
Title: Zombie apocalypse
Author: Stephen jones
Genre: zombie/ apocalypse/ horror
Rating: ***
Review: Zombies are big right now. Like, really, crazy big. True zombie fanatics have been around for decades, watching and re-watching George Romero films and adorning themselves with fake blood, torn clothes and shambling around while crying “brains” at Halloween. But in recent years zombies have really gone mainstream ranging from humorous independent films like Fido, to a big-budget comedy parody in Zombieland, video game franchises (and movies) likeResident Evil and critically acclaimed works such as The Walking Dead (both its comic book and AMC versions). And, unfortunately, that has led to a lot of zombie garbage being retched into the media as well.
Luckily, Stephen Jones’ Zombie Apocalypse! is not among this garbage. The cleverly designed collection of short stories, strung together as journal entries, police reports, emails, texts, medical records and classified documents, tells of a near future London that, over the course of about a month, goes from being a country trying to celebrate its history in a failing economy, to ground zero of a massive zombie outbreak.
Compiled of no less than 37 short stories, the book is a phenomenal undertaking. The backbone story features the excavation of an old church. This leads to the discovery of a crypt sealed since the days of the bubonic plague by an eccentric, if not crazed, architect who believed interning a body for a certain length of time would bring it back to life to carry the souls of the dead. Jones’ tale does get a little muddled here as the initial idea behind the resurrection seems mystical, but then it appears the fleas from the bubonic days are reanimating the corpses but then it gets even fuzzier as a simple scratch may pass it on the plague, or even touching the bile-like blood of the deceased might do it.
The account takes its time (ALMOST too much) to really get going, peppering the early pages with hints and the usual non-believers and eye-rollers. But when it does hit, it’s full zombie carnage. Unlike Max Brooks’sWorld War Z which, although retold through a series of personal accounts, seems to talk with one voice, each entry in Zombie Apocalypse! has a very unique style. Since so many writers were employed to pen the stories and as each entry is supposedly from a journal recollection or internet post, this works well. However this does lead to some annoying discrepancies, from the infection’s origins to how the zombies act. Some are mindless, some go for brains, some retain memories of their past and even intelligence and some are carnivorous animals just devouring flesh.
The early recountings are confined to a specific area in London. The best zombie stories will parody current political and social issues and the first part of the book does that eloquently, giving the reader a very British feel and flavor. But the story does lag a little when the plague goes global. When stories from other countries come into play it almost seems forced, as if the book loses a little of its way.
As a whole, Zombie Apocalypse! is a great read for any zombie fan. Of particular note are the story “Minutes of Meeting” and the copy of the actual communication sent out to emergency services. The ending has a very interesting and poignant twist, leading the reader to see that those who do manage to survive Zombie Apocalypse! will be living in a very brave and very flesh-hungry new world.