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mirable 's review for:
Rot & Ruin
by Jonathan Maberry
SLJ review:
Gr 8 Up—Fourteen years after First Night, when America was overrun with the dead who reanimated, 15-year-old Benny Imura joins his half-brother, Tom, in the family business of "closure" or zombie bounty hunting in Jonathan Maberry's novel (S & S, 2010). Benny thinks Tom is a coward and greatly admires the much flashier Charlie Matthias, but his opinions begin to change once out in the Rot & Ruin where he sees what Tom really does. His maturation and growing respect for his brother dovetail with a deep yet unacknowledged affection for his friend, Nix, and his fascination with a near mythical Lost Girl who is said to be living out in the Rot & Ruin on her own. Plenty of action and gore balance a delicate love story, and finely drawn, three-dimensional secondary characters make the tale sing. Brian Hutchinson capably handles the narration, expressing Benny's fear, determination, and dawning realizations. The ending is a bit predictable but satisfying, leaving plenty of room for a sequel. The setting, circumstances, and character development will be enjoyed by all who relish vivid storytelling, not just horror aficionados.—Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, Oxford, MI
Gr 8 Up—Fourteen years after First Night, when America was overrun with the dead who reanimated, 15-year-old Benny Imura joins his half-brother, Tom, in the family business of "closure" or zombie bounty hunting in Jonathan Maberry's novel (S & S, 2010). Benny thinks Tom is a coward and greatly admires the much flashier Charlie Matthias, but his opinions begin to change once out in the Rot & Ruin where he sees what Tom really does. His maturation and growing respect for his brother dovetail with a deep yet unacknowledged affection for his friend, Nix, and his fascination with a near mythical Lost Girl who is said to be living out in the Rot & Ruin on her own. Plenty of action and gore balance a delicate love story, and finely drawn, three-dimensional secondary characters make the tale sing. Brian Hutchinson capably handles the narration, expressing Benny's fear, determination, and dawning realizations. The ending is a bit predictable but satisfying, leaving plenty of room for a sequel. The setting, circumstances, and character development will be enjoyed by all who relish vivid storytelling, not just horror aficionados.—Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, Oxford, MI