A review by private_reader
Fiend by Peter Stenson

3.0

I got this as an ARC at ALA in January, drawn to the wicked cool cover and to the dark and nasty synopsis. Meth, addiction, zombies. Where do I sign? In a sense this book didn’t disappoint. It was just as dark and nasty as the cover blurb promises. Maybe more so. This is very graphic and visceral. Lots of talk of bodily functions, decay, illness, vomiting and the daily reality of severe meth addiction drove me quickly through the pages. Then there were the zombies – which were the usual mindless flesh eating drones. And I guess we’re supposed to find the analogy between meth addiction and zombies to be a little overwrought.I certainly did. Chase is an interesting, conflicted character, struggling with what addiction has done to his moral life. But I found the zombies a bit distracting; I don’t think they were even necessary. And because they were mindless drones I wasn’t really all that interested in them. I think now that the world has Isaac Marion’s WARM BODIES, the mindless zombie is a bit five minutes ago. The crisis Chase faces in this could really have been anything – a hurricane, an alien invasion. It didn’t matter. And antagonists should matter. I wasn’t expecting a HEA and I didn’t get one, but this book ended up leaving me a little cold. But maybe it’s coldness works for it. There’s nothing romantic about FIEND. This is one for fans of FIGHT CLUB and TRAINSPOTTING. Not for kids but recommended to boys 16 and up.

FIEND will be published July 9th.