The Great Courses section on Audible offers six lectures on zombification in the real world. The lectures looked at everything from examples of zombifThe Great Courses section on Audible offers six lectures on zombification in the real world. The lectures looked at everything from examples of zombification in fungi and insects to examples of zombification in politics and social media. My favorite lectures dealt with morbid curiousity- why can't we look away from horrific and possibly deadly scenes in both zombie movies and real life. Is there a scientific purpose to why humans and animals do this? Finally, can binge watching The Walking Dead better prepare us for catastrophe on earth?
I think there was an itch I was hoping to scratch when I listened to this and, unfortunately, didn't quite get there. All in all, it was interesting enough to finish.
You'll likely be into this book if you're into post-apocalyptic settings, zombies (question mark?), fairy tale retellings that have little to no conneYou'll likely be into this book if you're into post-apocalyptic settings, zombies (question mark?), fairy tale retellings that have little to no connection to the original, and Strong Female Leads (copyright pending- you know the type, right? The obnoxious ones that are supposed to be strong and don't-need-no-man, but we're all secretly hoping they get knocked off their high horse just a little bit).
I like the first two categories greatly, am somewhat ambivalent to the third, and NOT a fan of the fourth. So this ended up being so-so for me.
Red, our Strong Female Lead (copyright pending), has a bit of a high and mighty view of herself throughout the book. Additionally, the author used every opportunity to virtue signal and spread her political views generously through her character's POV, often leading to puzzling leaps in deductive reasoning and giant leaps in character consistency. For example, Red is mixed race, a fact that is pointed out over and over and over...and over. Inexplicably, at the beginning of the novel, neighbors who got along perfectly fine with her mother (a professor at an institute of higher learning) show up toting guns and proceed to murder Red's parents. Red can only assume that they intend to lynch her mother because she was a person of color. Never mi d that their interactions before this had always been perfectly amenable and pleasant.
What the AF century are we living in, Christina Henry? The assumption is that, given the arrival of zombies, every white man in the world will give up their barely contained, thinly veiled animosity towards someone of color and turn into KKK factions? It was honestly bizarre. The way the main character's mind worked was not coherent, cohesive, or realistic. Maybe the point was to portray a highly suspicious, paranoid character, but I couldn't sort it out. It felt more like the author was popularity grabbing by hating on white men and gun owners.
My two cents. Feel free to lose it in the couch cushions.
I'd rate this an R for violence, gore, language, and other adult themes including mention of rape.
Alas and bah-humbug. I really, REALLY wanted to like this. I went lengths, LENGTHS, I tell you, to track this down through our library system.
Welp, iAlas and bah-humbug. I really, REALLY wanted to like this. I went lengths, LENGTHS, I tell you, to track this down through our library system.
Welp, it's September 17th. I originally checked it out first part of July, and kept renewing it and renewing it and renewing it, hit my limit for renewals, and decided to call it a quit. I hit about the 50% mark and couldn't pick it up again.
Why didn't I like this? I love zombie novels, if done well. Maybe this didn't do it for me because it was so far removed from the apocolypse that society has stabilized again and zombie prevention systems keep everything running smoothly.
Maybe because the author sneakily tries to embed their political opinions throughout the novel in guise of being part of the story line.
Maybe because of the age old flaw of writing flawless teenagers who somehow manage to be more cunning, wise, and interesting than every adult around them.
Maybe because the zombies are a vague, vapid backdrop to an otherwise soap-opera-y foundation.
Maybe because of the exhausting repetition (how many time do we need a play-by-play of blood testing, ad naseum?).
Maybe...incest? Like... bro. I'm getting uncomfortable vibes, and I'm not here for it. Either she's a bad writer, or it's heading in that direction, and I'm not about it.
Maybe...we don't need to crack a can of Coke and describe it every four pages. Who hasn't had a Coke? Is this a paid sponsorship?
Maybe those things. Maybe it would have gotten better and been my favorite series of all time. I guess we'll never know.
If you're looking for gritty, genre honoring, well written zombie novels (or even if you're not; I think these are that good), try the Ashes trilogy by Ilsa Bick (she's a bona fide doctor and does not write down to her audience; it's dazzling) or Deadbreak by Jorge Sanchez (is it possible to have cracked the code for wholesome horror? this guy did).
I'd rate what I read so far an R for gratuitous swearing, adult themes including substance use and sexuality, and violence/gore.
Meh. Nothing super enlightening in this short story (16 pages). I hoped Fade would share his story of the trauma in the previous book that keeps beingMeh. Nothing super enlightening in this short story (16 pages). I hoped Fade would share his story of the trauma in the previous book that keeps being nodded towards, but no such luck. Still left up to the imagination of the reader to figure out what happened.
Of all the trilogies I've read, Horde yields the most significant amount of maturity in the final installment. By both the main character and the authOf all the trilogies I've read, Horde yields the most significant amount of maturity in the final installment. By both the main character and the author's writing.
Considering I waffled (mmm...waffles sound great) with finishing this trilogy after reading books one and two, the final book rounded off with a full four stars, honestly surprising me. The cringey love triangle was nowhere to be seen, and the scope of the main character's maturity broadened greatly.
The most interesting part of the character, for me, was how the character grew with every widening of her world, starting underground with a tiny, barbaric enclave, moving above ground to meeting several new people, joining a small settlement, and finally traveling the length and breadth of the territories.
The psych nurse in me liked the author's realistic approach to the time required for healing from trauma/PTSD. Love doesn't just ride in and conquer all. There's a process even with support.
I'd rate this a PG-13 for mild swearing, gore and violence, and discrete sexual encounters....more
Most people would rather face the light of a real enemy than the darkness of imagined fear.
Max Brooks is an author that believes in his world. I mean,Most people would rather face the light of a real enemy than the darkness of imagined fear.
Max Brooks is an author that believes in his world. I mean, really. He thinks through every possible angle of his created world until you believe in it too.
World War Z is a compilation of interviews with survivors of the zombie apocalypse ranging from doctors and military experts to survivalists, computer geeks, K9 team trainers, scuba divers, and many more. And Brooks writes with a command of all subject matter.
Listening to the amazing cast on Audible, I wondered how this would have translated had I just read the book. While I'm sure it's still good, I highly recommend checking it out on Audible if you have an account. The huge cast brought the interviews to life, and the fact that Max Brooks, the author of this book, held the role of interviewer, made this book even more believable and compelling to listen to.
The monsters that rose from the dead, they are nothing compared to the ones we carry in our hearts.
I'd rate this book an R for gore and violence, swearing, and adult themes including sexual humor and cannibalism....more
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book. All views and opinions are my own.
I loved this book! With Halloween fast approaching, I wanted somethThank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book. All views and opinions are my own.
I loved this book! With Halloween fast approaching, I wanted something along the vein of wholesome horror. Is that a thing or completely contradictory? Anywho. When I saw this on Netgalley, I wanted it. I'm also such a sucker for zombie stories.
Jorge Sánchez is hilarious. The continual movie and pop culture references had me cracking up, his "your mom" jokes were juvenile in the best way, and the overall sarcasm was the perfect balance of self-deprecating and cheeky. Also, his arguments with Joe were precious. I should mention...Joe's a dog. Joe was my buddy. He is the buddy we all want, but rarely deserve.
And yet, at the heart of this story are themes of family and sacrificial love and dedication. Such a great read! I am definitely looking for more of Jorge's work. If you are a post-apocalyptic, zombie, and/or survival vibes fan, check this book out! One of my favorites I've read in a while.
I'd rate this book an R for strong violence and gore, horror and themes of peril, mentions of rape, cannibalism, torture, drug and alcohol use, swearing, and other adult themes and humor....more
I bobbled the idea of coming back to this trilogy for a while after finishing Enclave (book one), but I finally checked the second installment out of I bobbled the idea of coming back to this trilogy for a while after finishing Enclave (book one), but I finally checked the second installment out of my library.
Pros: it's a fairly gritty, dark setting especially considering its YA genre. I appreciated the author separated from the tropey-ness of a badass heroine who only knows savagery and fighting in the second one and started to give her a softer side as she developed relationships, particularly with her foster parents. That was a nice growth.
Cons: the YA trope is strong in this series. Some tropes I don't mind, but two that pet my peeves are 1) love triangles and 2) one dimensional anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better heroines. Fortunately Ann Aguirre let off the gas a bit for the latter in this installment. Our fearless heroine still has a healthy dosing of the woe-is-me-I'm-so-undervalued-and-better-than-all-these-boys attitude, but it tempered slightly. The first is still going strong.
Little character irks grated on me a bit. For example, the main character woefully looks at her poor fingers where a sewing needle has left tiny marks as she hopelessly struggles to deftly maneuver a tiny pokey through soft cloth. This is. Not. Hard. You kind of have to be an inept moron to struggle so much with a sewing needle. Soldiers sew their own patches on successfully all the time. Farmers can sew their own buttons on most of the time. I think you can manage. This is one of those overused tropes badass heroines fall back on all the time.
The character is teased and looked down on mercilessly in school by younger children because she doesn't know the meaning of the word hubris. But then she drops protuberant and harangue casually into her inner monologue, among other impressively articulate words. It's noticeably inconsistent throughout the book.
I'm a big enough fan of post-apocalyptic, zombie stories that it balances in the end.
I'd rate this a PG-13 for violence and gore, some discrete adult themes, and very mild swearing....more
Sometimes a girl just needs a good zombie-horde-slaying, the-world-is-going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket book, okay. Lemme be!
Pros: Once it got going, thisSometimes a girl just needs a good zombie-horde-slaying, the-world-is-going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket book, okay. Lemme be!
Pros: Once it got going, this book totally scratched that itch. Hip-hip-hooray! The underground subway tunnels and society-who-shuns-the-sun concept was different (at least for me). I really enjoyed playing that over in my mind. As a whole, the fights and horror aspect were fairly satisfying and gritty. When one wants zombies, one needs these things, to be sure.
Cons: Deuce is literally THE worst name in literary history for a female heroine. Change my mind. Nextly, the itch was scratched. Not sated. I say fairly gritty, but it still reads respectably YA. Also, the dagnab fricking-fracking LOVE TRIANGLE. Possibly, the worst literary plot device in the history of the world since the Rosetta Stone. I think the Rosetta Stone actually forbade the use of love triangles in every language, and our society is about to pay the price through a litany of Biblical plagues brought down on our heads. Small known fact, Egypt was actually destroyed because its foolish priests dabbled in the dark art of writing LOVE TRIANGLES!! This is not okay and I call on all editors to ban this practice immediately. Think of the children! In case it's not evident, I do not care for love triangles. I digress. Like...a lot. But beware, dear reader, the love triangle.
I'd rate this PG-13 for peril, disturbing images, and blood and gore....more
On one hand, Negan is one of my favorite characters in The Walking Dead, so I was hopeful this book would reveal crucial elements to his character. OnOn one hand, Negan is one of my favorite characters in The Walking Dead, so I was hopeful this book would reveal crucial elements to his character. On the other, great villains tend to have pasts shrouded in some mystery.
If you've read the main story comics, you'll remember a scene when Negan shares some of his backstory with Rick. Welp...we get absolutely no more revelation regarding his past here than we did from that one scene. At the very least, I would have liked to have seen the progression of Negan descending into the chaotic evil character he became. But there was no arc. None. He didn't go around killing people before the apocalypse. But that was basically the long and short of his character development in this short, seventy page book. He started killing people but otherwise stayed the same.
Kind of a bummer. I prefer this book didn't exist, so I think I'll pretend it doesn't.
I'd rate this book an R for the swearing and crass humor alone, but also violence and gore and sexual implication in a few of the pictures....more
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