Scan barcode
A review by books_n_cats_1973
Dead City by Joe McKinney
3.0
I cannot say this is, by any means, great literature. In the past, I would have tagged this as a “garbage read,” something to pass the time. By no means is this story sophisticated with a well developed plot and character development. It is, at the most for me, an alright, so-so passage of time. Many books I get through are those audio books I get from the OverDrive App linked to my public library card. This was a book suggested by OverDrive, which was available while placing another audio book on hold. I had never really checked out suggestions by Over Drive before. I have decided to give some of these suggestions a try. Generally, I like to listen to high brow, sophisticated, intellectual books which receive awards such as the Pulitzer, Booker Man, Hugo and the Nebula for Science Fiction and literary value, etc. I have changed my opinion on only listening to what one may consider “literature” as compared to pulp fiction, or garbage. Not only does it allow one to further distinguish between various grades of fiction, but it also gives one a sense what makes good fiction, that which has a lasting effect on the reader’s mind pertaining to insight of life and the world around him.
Also, I have decided to try and not refer to particular works as “garbage,” as I am sure they may have some type of value or relativity to the world we live in. Do I think every work should have some type of didactic value? Absolutely not! Some works may be experienced simply as a ‘fun romp’ without the need for a sense of existence justification.
Another reason I would like to abstain from the garbage tag, is that the author worked very hard and diligently to bring their particular labor to fruition. After finishing the reading of this story, I decided to find out a little bit about the author. What I found out had startling and respectable results.
The most impressive thing about this novel, is the author, Joe McKinney. He is a full time police sergeant in San Antonio and writes fiction on the side. This is the first in a series for which I plan on eventually reading through. Joe stated in an interview that, while out supervising his men at a crime scene in San Antonio, one of his deputies quietly whispered, “hey sarge, I’m writing a zombie novel also.” The love of reading and fiction may be found in some of the most unsuspecting places.
The story consists of a police officer, Eddie, surviving a zombie uprising in San Antonio Texas, of which the origin began in Galveston. I, as a truck driver have been to these areas. It is fun to experience a story which takes place in various times, whether it be past, present, or future of places I have been. Of course, I did imagine most of the zombies being Hispanic, as most people in these areas are. One nice thing about reading a book, as compared to watching a movie or television show, is that the imagination of the reader must be more active to create visuals and auditory effects.
My own imagination brought it’s particular flavor of hilarity to the narrative as I heard zombies mumbling in Spanish. Blood and other offal on their clothing may have resembled spilt Salsa. Many men zombies were wearing Sombreros, Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots with button up, colored short sleeve shirts. Some zombies shambled, trying to keep beat with Mexican music from stereos on endless loops. Many zombies were stuck in their own pick up trucks.
This audio book has been narrated by a Tantor Media reader and is available through the Tantor Media website, as well as OverDrive for which various public library systems purchase licenses for patrons to download to their smart phones for listening. Tantor Media seems to be full of what I would consider non-literary, or low brow fiction. By all means, I would like to reiterate, that I am not saying it is low quality. In my opinion, compared to something like The Goldfinch, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Donna Tartt, Dead City would be substandard relative to literary quality. Tantor Media fiction has it’s place and serves it’s purpose for those seeking that type of art.
Also, I have decided to try and not refer to particular works as “garbage,” as I am sure they may have some type of value or relativity to the world we live in. Do I think every work should have some type of didactic value? Absolutely not! Some works may be experienced simply as a ‘fun romp’ without the need for a sense of existence justification.
Another reason I would like to abstain from the garbage tag, is that the author worked very hard and diligently to bring their particular labor to fruition. After finishing the reading of this story, I decided to find out a little bit about the author. What I found out had startling and respectable results.
The most impressive thing about this novel, is the author, Joe McKinney. He is a full time police sergeant in San Antonio and writes fiction on the side. This is the first in a series for which I plan on eventually reading through. Joe stated in an interview that, while out supervising his men at a crime scene in San Antonio, one of his deputies quietly whispered, “hey sarge, I’m writing a zombie novel also.” The love of reading and fiction may be found in some of the most unsuspecting places.
The story consists of a police officer, Eddie, surviving a zombie uprising in San Antonio Texas, of which the origin began in Galveston. I, as a truck driver have been to these areas. It is fun to experience a story which takes place in various times, whether it be past, present, or future of places I have been. Of course, I did imagine most of the zombies being Hispanic, as most people in these areas are. One nice thing about reading a book, as compared to watching a movie or television show, is that the imagination of the reader must be more active to create visuals and auditory effects.
My own imagination brought it’s particular flavor of hilarity to the narrative as I heard zombies mumbling in Spanish. Blood and other offal on their clothing may have resembled spilt Salsa. Many men zombies were wearing Sombreros, Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots with button up, colored short sleeve shirts. Some zombies shambled, trying to keep beat with Mexican music from stereos on endless loops. Many zombies were stuck in their own pick up trucks.
This audio book has been narrated by a Tantor Media reader and is available through the Tantor Media website, as well as OverDrive for which various public library systems purchase licenses for patrons to download to their smart phones for listening. Tantor Media seems to be full of what I would consider non-literary, or low brow fiction. By all means, I would like to reiterate, that I am not saying it is low quality. In my opinion, compared to something like The Goldfinch, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Donna Tartt, Dead City would be substandard relative to literary quality. Tantor Media fiction has it’s place and serves it’s purpose for those seeking that type of art.