A review by literarybitch
Among the Living by Tim Lebbon

adventurous dark informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

Fungal horror fans stay thriving, I guess, but I can't point to any particular reason why I didn't like this one. It had everything I could have wanted, down to the James Rollins-esque cataclysm and a dubious ending. 

I think maybe I was just not in the mood for the push and pull this book provides. It ping-pongs between the characters where the action is happening and the characters who are on their way, and while usually that would create some fun tension, here it just frustrated me. It was a strip tease with hours between glimpses of what I came here to see.

I even pulled a maneuver I rarely employ, a last-ditch before giving up on a book entirely: I skipped a bunch of chapters to see if something coming up catches my interest. Usually, I'll have no idea what's going on since it's chapters ahead, and if it interests me enough I'll want to go back and read the skipped pieces to backfill what I missed.
That did not work here. I skipped 3 chapters and landed in the exact same place. Nothing had changed. So I can only assume that the characters set down their weapons and silently had tea for a few hours before picking back up. 

I should have just given up on it, but I pushed through. I can't say it was worth it, but I will say it got much more exciting once the action caught up with itself. This would be great for someone willing to roll with the anticipation. Today that wasn't me.

3.5/10
#WhatsKenyaReading