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A review by azagee
The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith
4.0
This book is not what I expected it to be.
I thought, when I picked it up, that it would be a book form of every zombie trope I'd ever known. That, sure, it was a little different, what with the anger and the headaches and the fire, but ultimately it would be just as I'd known it, and by the final pages people would be dead but the survivors would be Badass Normal in the way to zombie killing.
Holy shit, I have never been so happy to be wrong.
While it does play (a lot) with the same zombie movie tropes that everyone and their brother are in love with these days, Smith takes this novel and its mythos above and beyond. Pulling from the Bible, the magical girl genre, and psychological thrillers, this book is unlike anything I've ever read. Honestly, when you're reading it you can't help but imagine it as a TV show, just because is exudes that kind of suspense and thrill you usually only get with week-long cliffhangers.
To sum up? I'd call it the Walking Dead meets 24, with some Puella Magi Madoka Magica strewn heavily throughout for flavour.
But let's talk about the characters for a second!
Our main trio- Brick, Cal, and Daisy -absolutely stole my heart. Daisy is our Pure Saviour (a la Madoka, from PMMM), but not in an annoying way. She, too, has fears and doubts. And while her point of view can be cheesy at times, it's also where most of the exposition is, so you almost don't know it. Cal is obviously our male lead, the one most likely to step it up and be a hero. While usually his type is super annoying, it actually creates a perfect balance within the trio, with his level head grounding Daisy and soothing Brick. (The relationships Cal creates with the both of them slay me, by the way. The way he and Brick make each other smile even when they're at each other's throats... Ugh. UGH.) This is tempered even further by the fact that Cal isn't actually the Bestest Greatest of All Time, and instead is almost a support system by way of his heroism. It's such an interesting take on the character archetype that I'd almost call him my favourite.
Almost.
Because obviously my favourite is my beautiful boy Brick. <3 Very seldom do I see a character with the same kind of twist to their brain that is so... well-written? Smith somehow managed to convey the anger that comes with Brick's special brand of personality disorder perfectly, while also making him one of the least "dangerous" members of the group. Most writers would have made Brick the villain, building off his mood swings and lack of self-esteem. But Smith instead went in a different direction, a direction that didn't sugarcoat Brick's lack of control but was also perfect for showcasing the vulnerabilities Brick couldn't hide anymore, as well as how clever he is. Not to mention the pitch perfect tone of Brick's cowardice, and how you can't help to put yourself first when no one else ever has.
Oh my god, I haven't even started talking about the villains, or the rest of the group, or my poor side characters, laid to rest-- I can't even think about it, or this review will be longer than the book as I write essays about the twins, or how much Graham deserved to be happy with David, forever and ever amen.
Let me just finish this with: Literally the only reason this book does not get a full five stars is because I personally believe that the rotating points of view was done in a way that threw off the pacing of the story. Other than that, I genuinely believe this to be one of the best horror novels ever written; I urge other horror fans to give this a read, even if the size is daunting at first.
I thought, when I picked it up, that it would be a book form of every zombie trope I'd ever known. That, sure, it was a little different, what with the anger and the headaches and the fire, but ultimately it would be just as I'd known it, and by the final pages people would be dead but the survivors would be Badass Normal in the way to zombie killing.
Holy shit, I have never been so happy to be wrong.
While it does play (a lot) with the same zombie movie tropes that everyone and their brother are in love with these days, Smith takes this novel and its mythos above and beyond. Pulling from the Bible, the magical girl genre, and psychological thrillers, this book is unlike anything I've ever read. Honestly, when you're reading it you can't help but imagine it as a TV show, just because is exudes that kind of suspense and thrill you usually only get with week-long cliffhangers.
To sum up? I'd call it the Walking Dead meets 24, with some Puella Magi Madoka Magica strewn heavily throughout for flavour.
But let's talk about the characters for a second!
Our main trio- Brick, Cal, and Daisy -absolutely stole my heart. Daisy is our Pure Saviour (a la Madoka, from PMMM), but not in an annoying way. She, too, has fears and doubts. And while her point of view can be cheesy at times, it's also where most of the exposition is, so you almost don't know it. Cal is obviously our male lead, the one most likely to step it up and be a hero. While usually his type is super annoying, it actually creates a perfect balance within the trio, with his level head grounding Daisy and soothing Brick. (The relationships Cal creates with the both of them slay me, by the way. The way he and Brick make each other smile even when they're at each other's throats... Ugh. UGH.) This is tempered even further by the fact that Cal isn't actually the Bestest Greatest of All Time, and instead is almost a support system by way of his heroism. It's such an interesting take on the character archetype that I'd almost call him my favourite.
Almost.
Because obviously my favourite is my beautiful boy Brick. <3 Very seldom do I see a character with the same kind of twist to their brain that is so... well-written? Smith somehow managed to convey the anger that comes with Brick's special brand of personality disorder perfectly, while also making him one of the least "dangerous" members of the group. Most writers would have made Brick the villain, building off his mood swings and lack of self-esteem. But Smith instead went in a different direction, a direction that didn't sugarcoat Brick's lack of control but was also perfect for showcasing the vulnerabilities Brick couldn't hide anymore, as well as how clever he is. Not to mention the pitch perfect tone of Brick's cowardice, and how you can't help to put yourself first when no one else ever has.
Oh my god, I haven't even started talking about the villains, or the rest of the group, or my poor side characters, laid to rest-- I can't even think about it, or this review will be longer than the book as I write essays about the twins, or how much Graham deserved to be happy with David, forever and ever amen.
Let me just finish this with: Literally the only reason this book does not get a full five stars is because I personally believe that the rotating points of view was done in a way that threw off the pacing of the story. Other than that, I genuinely believe this to be one of the best horror novels ever written; I urge other horror fans to give this a read, even if the size is daunting at first.