That was exhausting. I am tired, annoyed, frustrated, and hugely disappointed. Writing a review for this one is gonna hurt. ---- My problems with this That was exhausting. I am tired, annoyed, frustrated, and hugely disappointed. Writing a review for this one is gonna hurt. ---- My problems with this second installment of Mike Mullin's Ashfall series are many I'm afraid to say, and too big to ignore. I really like this guy, and I wanted this novel to be great in the shadow of its awesome predecessor. Not. Even. Close. Without any spoilers for Ashfall or Ashen Winter, here is some of what's caused my sadness and frustration.
Anyone who knows me even a little, knows I'm a Stephen King fangirl. I love the man, okay? Not in a creepy Annie Wilkes I want to chain him to a bed as my "pet" sort of love, but his books are like meth to me. I'm hooked. I gotta have 'em. But that doesn't mean I can't put my critics hat on when need be too. I don't slaver and drool over everything the man writes. And contrary to popular critical opinion, I have no interest in reading the man's grocery list. Which brings me to one of my more recent King disappointments (it does happen). Under the Dome for me was good, but far from great. And here's why. I bring it up now because it's the same effing problem I have with Ashen Winter:
Under the Dome starts with a bang...and maintains its narrative momentum throughout. It hurtles along at an almost break-neck speed, but for a book that's over a 1000 pages, such a pace begins to wear in places. It becomes an at-times uncomfortable frenetic pattern of -- and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened.
Ditto Ashen Winter. It too starts with a bang and hurtles along at lightening speed for (in my opinion) a bloated 600 pages. The action sequences are too many to count, and exhaustively and excruciatingly described.
As with Mira Grant's book Feed, I fear Mike Mullin has fallen in love with his research and wants to include every single thing he has learned. What's worse, no detail is too small. In my review for Feed I write that: "I respect any author who goes the extra mile to "do the research" and "get the details right" but sweet holy Moses, there is no need to put EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER LEARNED into the story." I didn't think it would be possible, but that's even doubly true here.
Another thing that annoyed me and took me out of the story too many times to count are the cliffhangers which come at the end of almost Every. Single. Chapter. It's cheesy. It made me feel like I was reading a middle school chapter book or a "choose your own adventure" type deal for the kiddies. This is such a sharp departure from Ashfall I really don't know what to make of it. Ashen Winter may feature cannibals and sex slaves but it still felt ultimately "childish" to me.
Now I am woman enough to admit this could be more my fault than the book's fault. I am NOT a fan of action movies. I barely (if ever) go to the movies over the summer because the gigantic, exploding, frantic, mostly special effects all style no substance blockbusters just don't do it for me. I'm more likely to walk out with a headache and a scowl on my face, than jittering with excitement and awe. That's what happened here with this book. Mullin can write action, no doubt of that, but there's just TOO MUCH action and not enough dialogue or genuine suspense. Suspense ONLY works if it is paired with tension and release. Nobody understood that better than Hitchcock. If it's ALL release -- a go, go, go, fast and furious approach -- then you really miss the tension, that vital inexorable build that is so critical to creating suspense.
Okay, last criticism. Because this book is chock full of action, Alex and Darla (Alex especially this time) are running around behaving like movie action superheroes -- jumping, leaping, dodging bullets, getting shot, breaking in, breaking out -- at one point hanging on to the bottom of a MOVING TRUCK Robert DeNiro style à la Cape Fear. Really??? C'mon!!!! As each disaster and run of bad luck kept piling up (fodder for the chapter cliffhangers), I began to think it should have been subtitled: a series of unfortunate events. In my review for A Breath of Snow and Ashes I write: "how many times can any handful of people escape from prison, mob scenes, near death, kidnappings, etc, etc." I can suspend disbelief with the best of them, trust me, but even this was too much for me I'm afraid.
Okay, so that's the ugly truth of the bad news. The good news? Mullin is a very talented writer, and despite my disappointment here, I will continue to seek out his books. The other good news? While I'm not recommending Ashen Winter, I will continue to highly recommend Ashfall; it is awesome, and succeeds in every way where its sequel does not. ...more
Liked it overall, but I did have my problems with it.
The Good:
1. The zombies (aka zeds, shamblers, revs (short for revenants)) -- there is nothing uLiked it overall, but I did have my problems with it.
The Good:
1. The zombies (aka zeds, shamblers, revs (short for revenants)) -- there is nothing unique about Jacobs' zombies: they are slow, and gooshy, and stink. They are dangerous in hordes and are attracted to sound. All this we've seen before; nevertheless, the descriptions are remarkably vivid -- skulls shattering, teeth splintering, intestines bursting, and always the terrible, gag-inducing smell of rot.
2. The first 121 pages are a complete adrenaline rush. Action begins on page 1 and does not relent for a moment. We meet Dr. Lucy Ingersoll on the afternoon her hospital succumbs to chaos. An inexplicable virus is causing people to seizure, auto-cannibalize, attack, die and re-animate. Lucy is our entry point into the start of the end of the world. She assesses her situation and realizes she must abandon the hospital if she is to rescue her son, Gus, at home with his father. In her attempt to get to her family, Lucy crosses paths with Knock-Out, a giant of a man with a gentle and kind way about him. These 121 pages are strong enough to stand on their own as a rip-roaring novella of zombie insanity, replete with nuclear detonations.
The Bad:
The shifting character POV did not work for me. The first 121 pages grabbed me by my short hairs. I loved the brutal immediacy of the story. Everything feels so *urgent* and *perilous*. I loved Lucy and Knock-Out. Then the book shifts gears and we are getting Tessa's story. Okay, I'll keep following you. Tessa's story is sad and icky. But intense. I found her very sympathetic. Just as I was getting emotionally invested, the story shifts again. Now it's three years later and Lucy's 14-year-old son Gus takes over narrating. Then the POV shifts *again* and we have some chick Barbara sharing the minutes from the various committee meetings of the Bridge City survivors enclave. And there will be one more POV change before the novel concludes.
So many shifts in narration, from first to third person, lost me by the end of the book. It was hard to sustain emotional involvement with any of the major characters. The book ends up reading like a collection of interconnected short stories, and on their own, each of the chapters are actually quite strong. It's when you force them to act as a novel where things fall apart. That's when huge problems with pacing and characterization appear, along with a natural momentum towards a meaningful and satisfactory climax (of which there isn't one).
Despite these issues, there's something about this book that recommends itself. It's got that gritty, western kind of vibe going, a little Mad Max, a little The Road and of course Kirkman's The Walking Dead (it's just not possible to read about the slavers and Captain Konstantin and not be reminded of the Governor).
If you're craving zombies, and a bleak and desperate post-apocalyptic landscape, you could do a lot worse than This Dark Earth. ...more
DO NOT pick this book up for character development (there isn't much of that).
DO NOT pick this book up for meaty prose of a philosophical be3.5 stars
DO NOT pick this book up for character development (there isn't much of that).
DO NOT pick this book up for meaty prose of a philosophical bent that introduces new ideas and deep thoughts. Nope. Not much of that either.
DO pick this book up for a pulpy, page-turning thrill where, if you don't ask too many questions, and fully suspend all disbelief, you will be majorly entertained by high octane action sequences of cinematic gore and splendor. Cause we all need that guilt-free catharsis once in a while, don't we? Sure we do!
I picked up this book expecting an adrenaline rush laced with dark overtones of fight-to-the-death, futurized Gladiatorial scenes -- a Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park type of deal -- and that's sort of what I got, with some exceptions.
First of all, there are no "Games" plural, there is a lengthy 200 page lead up to the Game singular -- attached to the Olympics in some weird and wild (and not entirely believable) unseemly epic event of internationally sanctioned blood sport. All the countries of the world are monkeying with genetics in a Frankenstein-ish ethics-be-damned way to create monstrous animal (never human!) hybrids (as Mother Nature weeps in horror). All this effort with the sole purpose of annihilating competitors in Gladiatorial-UFC cage matches and be the only creation (abomination) left standing (if Jeff Probst and Joe Rogan had a lovechild, it would be this scuzzy event).
When you combine scientists with capitalists, great leaps forward are made, always. Throw in a healthy dose of national pride, and anything can happen.
These caged death matches is the "anything" that debut novelist Ted Kosmatka imagines. And for the most part, I was on board all the way.
In the first 200 pages leading up to "the big Event" I really thought Kosmatka was laying the groundwork for something much more profound and significant, but the last 200 pages fail to bear that out. It's standard monster of the week fare -- exciting and fun -- but standard nevertheless. We've seen this before, we've seen it done better elsewhere, yet I still like Kosmatka's spin on things and he definitely shows promise as a full-length novelist.
I wasn't entirely sold on the AI aspects of the story -- there is a "super-computer" that plays a HUGE role in influencing events -- but I never really bought into it. "Brannin/Pea" is pregnant with potential -- HAL 9000 worthy -- but I felt in the end that part of the novel could have been developed so much more effectively.
Final thoughts: Fun (check). Awesome action sequences (check). Book to change your life? Eh, not so much. But they can't all do that. This is an escape hatch book and I really did enjoy it. Recommended!
I had such high hopes for this one. After reading a fair number of angel-icious YA novels of late, I really wanted to sink my teeth into an adult vers I had such high hopes for this one. After reading a fair number of angel-icious YA novels of late, I really wanted to sink my teeth into an adult version of such things and along comes The Paradise Prophecy promising Fallen Angels, Lucifer, the War in Heaven, an abdicated God, an Apocalypse, all soaked in a heady marinade of Milton's Paradise Lost. This should have reeked of epic win.
What I was salivating for was something akin to the film The Prophecy crossed with the best angel/demon mythology from Supernatural. What I got was something much closer to a cheap, dime-store thriller laced with a Dan Brown Da Vinci Code vibe. Not my cuppa I'm afraid. Alas! ...more
I'm really conflicted on this one. For a solid two-thirds of the book there was a lot about this sequel that just wasn't working for me. I was more th I'm really conflicted on this one. For a solid two-thirds of the book there was a lot about this sequel that just wasn't working for me. I was more than a bit lost in the beginning (after forgetting so many salient plot points from Pure). I just wanted to remember dammit, and feel all the feelsI felt reading the first book. So I spent way too much time in the beginning wishing I had done a re-read of Pure before tackling Fuse (which I highly recommend you do).
It's my own fault. Baggott has written a pretty complex dystopian world, rich in detail and rules and creatures and complicated characters. To think I was going to pick up the sequel more than a year later and hit the ground running with it was pure (pun intended) assholery and hubris on my part. Baggott does her best to "refresh" where she can, but she doesn't waste a lot of time recapping and re-exploring territory she's already covered. She's got way more story to tell and it's obvious she can't be handholding the dumbbells like me.
Also, there was a lot more emotional/romantic angst in this one. These books aren't YA (though TONS of people have the series shelved as such), but there were times reading Fuse when it reminded me way too much of the high-octane melodrama that afflicts most YA novels these days. The tension between Bradwell and Pressia felt forced and unnecessarily complicated. With everything else going on around them, the stakes so apocalyptically high, I just wanted to shake the two of them and tell them to get over it already.
But I soldiered along because I LOVE this post-Detonations world Baggott has created. And then something began to happen once I passed the half-way mark -- I began to have a really good time. El Capitan and Helmud are fantastic characters who by the end just about stole the entire show for me. I just love them. I was starting to lose patience with the Lyda/Partridge storyline and then all of a sudden, my eyes could not tear themselves away from the page. I needed to know everything. I was desperate for their safety. (view spoiler)[Lyda pregnant and now trapped in the Dome again? Partridge's confrontation with his father stopped my heart. Kissing him and blowing the deadly pill to the back of Willux's throat? I gasped aloud. No, seriously, I really did. (hide spoiler)]
Bradwell and Pressia began to read like the heroes they are: kick-ass, smart, flawed and complicated. I began to love how they were talking to each other, their bond felt real and earned.
And Fignan?? What an adorable, outright fun contribution to the story. With his flashing lights and vast reserves of vital information, he would make R2D2 proud.
The last 100 pages of this novel is where it really begins to rip and roar, shimmy and jive. (view spoiler)[I mean, there's even an airship adventure and creepy choking vines that seem prescient. And WHAT THE HELL has Pressia done to Bradwell by using the vial contents on him? Those wings sound HUGE. What is this going to do to him, emotionally and physically? And will he hate her for it? (hide spoiler)]
So many questions, so much excitement, and now I have to wait another goddamn year for book 3!!! ...more
This book is dark. It is disturbing. It is ruthless in places and feels dangerous in others. Despite the fact that Pure has been released by its publiThis book is dark. It is disturbing. It is ruthless in places and feels dangerous in others. Despite the fact that Pure has been released by its publisher as Adult fiction, it has been quickly embraced as YA. Though I feel as such, it should maybe come with some sort of disclaimer. Fans of popularized YA dystopias choosing Pure for the same satisfying adrenaline injection packaged in a safe, sanitized story with a sweet romantic subplot are likely going to be put off (even repulsed) over what they encounter here. Furthermore, the conscientious detail in the world-building will seem heavy-handed to readers seeking a fast-moving thrill ride. Pure does not give up its secrets easily or all at once. Not all loose ends are tied up, not all questions are answered. There’s enough juiciness and potential left over for the sequel. At least this is my hope – because I’m hooked now and want to know everything.
There is such heartrending beauty in Baggott’s vivid descriptions of Earth’s utter destruction and the devastating deformities of the survivors. I will never think of the word “fusion” the same way again. At the height of the Cold War, an entire generation of people lived with the mind-numbing fear of nuclear annihilation. It’s a fear that’s largely left us now, though I’m hard pressed to think why; the weapons still exist and there are still enough crazy mofos out there, in charge or gone rogue, to make use of them if they so choose. Even the most cursory research into the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will chill the blood and horrify the mind. This is what we are capable of doing to one another. To think that it can’t or won’t ever happen again is wishful thinking I figure of the most deluded kind. But I am grateful we've stopped crouching under desks and building bomb shelters in our spare time. That shit just ain't healthy, you know?
Pressia is a survivor of the Detonations – a global nuclear holocaust that has left her and every other survivor with a diversity of glaring malformations and “fusions”. When the blasts came, they were so strong, the light so bright, humans fused with whatever material closest to them at the time of the explosion, whether it be inanimate, human or animal. Pressia, a child at the time, held her favorite doll and now carries the mark of that day in her doll’s head hand. Such external deformities are a physical manifestation of the pain and loss carried by all survivors, whose souls have surely been burned and scarred just as severely as their bodies.
There are other survivors of the Detonations however – Pures – who have been safely harbored in the Dome. These are the select privileged, protected, their skin perfect. But the Dome has its secrets too, and while the wretches outside the Dome have been busy surviving, those inside the Dome have been watching, and waiting, with a plan of their own.
This was a convincing world to me that left me wanting to know more about everything. The characters are strong and there without coming across as overly sentimental. It takes a while to get to know them, and it takes even longer to warm up to them and start to care. I really enjoyed that slow build. In no way could Pure be labeled a shocking or controversial novel; however, there were several scenes that jolted me, and if you can surprise me in that way where I flinch or my mouth gapes open, I figure you are doing something right. This book has been called "cinematic" and it is a very visual novel (I'm also not surprised to find out that Hollywood has already come a-courting). Parts of the Dustlands and Meltlands even reminded me of Stephen King's Dark Tower landscape (and that is high praise indeed).
What more can I say? If you are looking for a meatier dystopian read with teeth then this is the book for you....more
This book flirted with three stars a few times along the way. I found myself getting frustrated at certain points and harrumphing or sighing in exaspe This book flirted with three stars a few times along the way. I found myself getting frustrated at certain points and harrumphing or sighing in exasperation. (view spoiler)[I am still grieving for Tom and have not made up my mind if his death was the best choice for the series. I appreciate why Maberry did it, but I don't have to like it. Tom's presence made the first two books so rich and strong and dynamic. His chemistry with Benny -- the bond that they shared as brothers -- was special and defined the books for me, in the way that the Winchester brother bond defines Supernatural. I can't imagine Sam without Dean and I'm having a helluva time reading about Benny without Tom.
Maberry tries to alleviate some of this horrible vacuum by having Benny hear Tom's calm, wise voice in his head. But it's not the same and just rubbed salt in the wound, for me at least. I did tear up at Benny's dream (vision?) when he talks to Tom, asks if he can go with him, tells him he loves him and lets him go. That was nicely done, but doesn't let you off the hook Maberry. It doesn't make me feel any better about Tom's absence.
I also DID NOT APPRECIATE how Joe Ledger arrives into the story with Lilah mistaking him for Tom. There was a part of me that FELL FOR IT. I was ready to scream in sheer joy. Instead, I ended up wanting to throw the book across the room in crushing disappointment. I felt toyed with. Cruelly so. I wouldn't have cared how improbable or unrealistic Tom's reappearance would be. Do you hear me, Maberry? I wouldn't care one whit. In a land of reanimates, all bets are off, and if you really wanted to bring him back, you could. (hide spoiler)]
This is a book about grieving and loss. I get that. Benny's group have lost so much and experienced unspeakable tragedies. In a very real way, this is the story of them coming to terms with that loss, facing up to it, learning to let their loved ones go and make the conscious choice to move forward. Benny, Nix, Lilah and Chong all express their grief and the lingering effects of trauma in different ways, but Nix is perhaps having the hardest time finding herself again, or put another way, discovering who she has become. Benny must learn this along with her, and it is a painful and confusing lesson for them both.
There is a new threat introduced in the guise of a menacing cult known as 'reapers', founded and controlled by bona-fide psychopath Saint John of the Knife. John has a power-hungry and ruthless rival in Mother Rose. It took most of the book for me to warm up to the idea of this group and get on board with the threat they represent and where their ambitions are taking the story. For a good long while I resented their presence and how much time and dialogue Maberry gives them. I did arrive at begrudging acceptance by the end however, and their existence does add an interesting layer to life post-apocalypse.
I resisted warming up to the introduction of Joe Ledger as well. (view spoiler)[Right away, I couldn't help but think he was brought in to take Tom's place in the story as the older, experienced veteran, spouting advice and looking out for the kids. Fair or not, I resented him immediately simply for not being Tom. (hide spoiler)]. But by the end I had come to grudgingly like him and turned the last page hoping to see more of him in Book 4.
We learn much more about life in the Rot & Ruin in this installment and just how insulated Mountainside residents are from any knowledge, and as Tom suspected all along, how determined the townspeople are to hold on to their ignorance at any cost. So while this book flirted several times with three stars, I am giving it four because I love the characters Maberry has created and this series has really found its way into my heart. I'm also chomping at the bit to see where this story goes in Fire and Ash, always a good sign. Finally, Maberry dedicates this book to "librarians everywhere" which pleased me muchly. What can I say? Flattery will get you everywhere :)...more
Which came first, the mind or the idea of the mind? Have you never wondered? They arrived together. The mind is an idea. ~Genesis
In the end, living is
Which came first, the mind or the idea of the mind? Have you never wondered? They arrived together. The mind is an idea. ~Genesis
In the end, living is defined by dying~Genesis
Wow, wow and more wow! I have been swept away and truly humbled by this little book that's filled with such big ideas. The blurb on my edition calls it "sinewy" and "cerebral" and for me, that hits it just right.
I want to start by first giving a shout out to Stephen; his unbridled enthusiasm for this book is what brought it to my attention. I didn't even know this book existed until I read Stephen's wonderful review, so thank you Stephen! I also want to bring attention to Lyndsey's review here as well because she does such a phenomenal job describing what makes this book so special and unique. Trust me, go read those reviews and you will absolutely have to read this book like I did, and you will be the happier for having done so.
I've become so accepting of the watered-down, popcorn-esque dystopias that have invaded mainstream YA of late, that I forgot just how satisfying a carefully constructed and believable dystopian landscape can be. I feel like it's an itch I haven't had scratched in a looooong time. Pardon me while I exhale a sigh of bliss. If I were a cat I would be purring my head off right now.
In less than 200 pages, the author is able to create not only a convincing post-apocalyptic scenario where a society isolates itself behind a huge sea wall, but gives the reader three memorable characters who aren't in the business of making you cry or clutch your chest, but they will make you think -- they will make you think about the nature of fear, the ethics and possible outcomes of technology, and most of all, what it means to be human. What makes us who we are? What we are? Which differences matter and can change the course of everything?
This book is OVERFLOWING with thinky thoughts. The language is precise and careful, taking the reader on a philosophical journey that asks the hardest questions. At first, the answers may seem easy, but they won't by the end. And that ending!!! That made me clutch my chest. There is an undeniable tension that threads through the whole story. As a reader you sense this is all headed towards climax and epiphany and let me tell you, getting there is so rewarding.
The narrative device works brilliantly here -- young Anax facing her three Examiners in an oral interview that will last five hours. It is mostly through her eyes we come to know this world and all the events that have led up to this point in history. But we are also privy to transcripts that give voice to Adam and Art, man and machine. It is their words that give the book its resonance and meaning. What do they learn from each other? What do we learn from each of them?
My only critique: I wish it could have been longer! I was so swept up in the narrative I could have gone on for hundreds of pages more. The real wonder is that the author did not need those extra pages to weave his tale. This novel's brevity is also what gives it its power.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time; I will remember it forever.
Damn, this book is cold. Like, really, really, C-O-L-D. The language is magnificent; there is no doubt Whitehead can write, but he writes with no heatDamn, this book is cold. Like, really, really, C-O-L-D. The language is magnificent; there is no doubt Whitehead can write, but he writes with no heat. His writing here is like a perfect, shiny new Cadillac (but with no engine). Without the engine, what’s the point? You can sit and look pretty all the live long day, but you’re not gonna get anywhere worth talking about (or remembering).
Whitehead’s problem here seems to be that he gets so caught up in delivering the goods on literary stylistics and gymnastics that the story (what little there is) limps anemically along side by side with underdeveloped, emotionless characters. While there may indeed be a method to his madness, I’m not biting, because for me story trumps EVERYTHING. If you ain’t got a story to tell, what the hell are you doing writing a novel?
Not once did Zone One grab me by the throat and make me sit up and pay attention. I felt like a detached spectator, ambivalent, witnessing unfolding events in a clinical matter like the scientist who examines a bug under the microscope.
Whitehead gets too cerebral -- mining his material for metaphor and symbols, layering his post-apocalyptic landscapes with foreshadowing and poetic images. Beautiful yes, but nevertheless soulless and unsatisfying. Which brings me back to my original point -- cold.
I hate “big” ideas (insert jazz hands here) that don’t come wrapped in a gripping story that’s going to smack me in the face. Story. Comes. First. Always. You may be brilliant and have awesome insights into the human condition, but unless you can weave a tale that’s going to put me on my ass I don’t want to hear about it. And I’m not helping you along by faking it When Harry Met Sally style pretending you wrote a great novel because I’m keen to wax poetic on how the world is shit and then we die.
But that's just me.
If you want a literary zombie novel that will put you on your ass, read The Reapers Are the Angels. That book is everything this book is not.
"Let the cracks between things widen until they are no longer cracks but the new places for things. That was where they were now. The world wasn't ending: it had ended and now they were in the new place. They could not recognize it because they had never seen it before."
This is my second go-around with this sprawling, epic compendium in preparation for tackling the follow-up. I'm so glad I did a re-read because there This is my second go-around with this sprawling, epic compendium in preparation for tackling the follow-up. I'm so glad I did a re-read because there was a lot I had plain forgotten and much more I had gotten tangled-up with the television series. Only reading the source material again, did I realize just how much the producers of the show actually changed from Kirkman's comic. The fundamentals of the story are essentially the same, but the devilish details have undergone quite a makeover. I have to say, as much as I'm a fan of the comic, most of the changes I approve of and in some cases, even prefer.
Carol's character is much more likeable and awesome on the small screen (certainly not as needy and neurotic as comic book Carol). The invention of Daryl (my favorite on-screen character) and his uber-violent, redneck brother Merle (played oh-so-convincingly by Michael Rooker), have been magnificent contributions to the ensemble cast.
(view spoiler)[I definitely prefer Lori's on-screen death (grisly and upsetting as it was), to the comic's quick gut-shot death (even though that was quite shocking in its own way with little Judith in her arms). I'm glad they didn't put Dale and Andrea together in the show, though I do wish they hadn't made Andrea so unlikable. Her character in the comic is kick-ass and great. On the show? Grrrrr... I want to smack her most of the time.
It remains to be seen what they will do with Michonne's character but I'm glad the show did not go as dark and disturbing as the comic with what happened between her and the Governor. That was some sick shit I did not need to ever read or see. Loved how the show handled it overall. Television Michonne seems more together and not as damaged. She's not talking to voices in her head either (at least not yet). (hide spoiler)]
The Walking Dead launched in the fall of 2003 and shows no signs of wrapping up. Kirkman has created a post-apocalyptic zombie soap opera, where the soap is made out of lye. The story is harsh -- almost nihilistic in its way -- extremely violent, and peppered throughout with characters hooking up in almost sure to be doomed relationships. Because really, no one is safe, and you come to terms with that pretty quickly. Kirkman is not fucking around here. He has a vision and you just know it’s going to involve a lot of gore and heartbreak. No one should feel safe with zombies gnawing at the door and the world collapsing in on itself -- and you will not feel safe reading this series.
Rather than take years to ingest this story -- painstakingly patient -- issue by issue -- I gorged unapologetically over a gluttonous three days. This 1088 page compendium weighs nearly five pounds, and it was a bitch to maneuver in bed at night, but to get so much of the story so quickly was worth it. I’m not one of those people that can eat her chocolates one a day; quite often it’s the whole box in one sitting stomach ache be damned! This first compendium collects up to issue #48 (Book Four in hardcover or Volume Eight in soft).
The Walking Dead is archetype apocalyptic zombie horror. The story gripped me, shook me, unsettled me and left me panting for more, but make no mistake, there is nothing original here (at least not yet). The zombies are your average grasping, gnawing, slow-moving creatures seen in any Romero movie. The survivors are shell-shocked, hardened, weary and a bit mad (as you would expect). At the collapse of civilization as we know it, people begin doing whatever they have to do to survive, and that ain’t always pretty. The strong begin preying on the weak, and when the worst of human nature begins to reveal itself, survivors realize the zombies are the least of their problems in this new world order.
I thought a graphic novel about zombies cast in black and white would look dull and lifeless on the page. I now think color would have been overkill in this case, detracting from the story. The art is simply outstanding – emotions and action, both subtle and in your face, are captured perfectly. The violence is extreme and I was not prepared for that (don’t ask me why). It takes a lot to shock me these days, and there are sequences that did just that. (view spoiler)[Totally did not see the rape and torture of Michonne coming. I really thought there would be a last minute reprieve / rescue. And if I didn’t see that coming, you know I didn’t expect Michonne to turn the tables on the Governor and mutilate his body. Gruesome stuff! But very well-presented. It felt earned not gratuitous. Lori’s death, along with the baby, shocked me too. Like holy moses batman, that was intense and so unexpected. (hide spoiler)]
While the unrelenting nature of the story appealed to me, I cannot say I’ve fallen in love with any of the characters. Don’t get me wrong – these are well-developed, flawed beings whose actions and motivations seem all too real. However, for me, there is a coldness present that prevented me from really warming up to anyone, even the “hero” of this story, Rick Grimes. I felt the same way when I read Stephen King’s The Stand – epic story by a master, but no character stole my heart.
This won’t keep me from reading on in the series though, because I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. Everything ends on such a OMFG note that I felt assaulted and struck mute. Sweet. ...more
MABERRY, YOU BASTARD!!! I knew you would do this to me!! ::sobbity sob::
Review to follow when anger and choking tears subside.
In the first book Rot & MABERRY, YOU BASTARD!!! I knew you would do this to me!! ::sobbity sob::
Review to follow when anger and choking tears subside.
In the first book Rot & Ruin, Maberry spends a lot of time putting us into the world as it exists almost 15 years after a zombie apocalypse. We need to know about how things are now, how people live and how they relate to one another. This is Benny's world. Maberry also spends a lot of time and care developing a cast of characters he wants us to fall in love with before he puts any of them in peril. In this he shows a keen talent for details. I know I fell in love almost immediately, and when peril does descend I was sick with anxiety for everyone's safety and survival.
Rot & Ruin has its moments of high octane action, but it is primarily an emotional story about two estranged brothers who must learn to bridge the gulf of misunderstanding that separates them. In a lot of ways it is a coming-of-age story focused on 15 year old Benny as he learns about the world around him and what it is that his brother does out there in the Rot and Ruin beyond the safety of the fences. Benny discovers nothing is what it seems – cowards become heroes and heroes reveal themselves as villains. And zombies aren’t nearly as monstrous as living men
Because Maberry did such a fantastic job in the first book creating a convincing world peopled with convincing characters, he is able to let loose and go full throttle with Dust & Decay, which is dizzying in its action sequences. It is a white-knuckle read through and through, peril at every corner, imminent death sitting on the shoulders of every character we’ve come to know and love. I was an absolute MESS reading this. I just knew something horrible would happen, I just didn’t know what and how bad it would be. The very few quiet or tender moments in this installment work because they are in such stark contrast to the otherwise absolute chaos.
Dust & Decay has a very Western feel; the lawless and perilous Rot and Ruin is very much reminiscent of the American Wild West where heroes are made and villains thrive. The vast, emptied landscape is the backdrop for a battle waged among the good, the bad and the ugly. It is nail-biting, nerve-wracking stuff -- dramatic, cinematic, and totally epic.
Maberry still has a lot of story left to tell, and I’m definitely looking forward to that, but I will never, EVER, be able to forgive him (view spoiler)[for killing my Tom – NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Why oh why? (hide spoiler)]
I liked this book a lot. There is a nice slow build while the tension and suspense are allowed to simmer and tightly coil, ready for the great “unspriI liked this book a lot. There is a nice slow build while the tension and suspense are allowed to simmer and tightly coil, ready for the great “unspringing” if you will. That nice slow build is balanced by some manic action sequences, which are in turn balanced by some beautifully rendered scenes of epic creep. (view spoiler)[When the youngest victim of Flight 753 returns home to her grieving father, bloodied, muddy, catatonic and hungry I got that nice cold, tickle happening on the back of my neck. (hide spoiler)]
I’m not a huge fan of vampire stories, but if I’m going to read them, the vampires better be nasty and ruthless, and these vampires more than satisfy that criteria. Despite the splendid presentation, I don’t think Del Toro or Hogan are creating anything new here, though perhaps that was never the point. If they just wanted to tell a scary story about scary vampires then they have succeeded quite well. But they have also borrowed heavily from many other sources that left the story feeling kind of familiar and overwrought in places. This is a plague story with CDC characters featuring prominently as heroes on the run. The disease vector just happens to be vampirism, but a lot of the genre tropes for “pandemic dramas” are present and accounted for (and with the title The Strain maybe that shouldn't come as a surprise).
Also, (view spoiler)[just in the way the newly turned vampires attacked en masse in bloody, lunging, uncoordinated groups, reminded me more of zombies than vampires. (hide spoiler)] There is an undeniable “apocalyptic zombie” feel on and off throughout the novel. I had to keep reminding myself that these are vampires not the other reanimates of horror.
The vampire's pathology is quite dramatic and vividly described here, and that part of the novel did feel fresh and new. I can’t make up my mind about their feeding apparatus though. (view spoiler)[At first it seemed creepy and gross. Then it seemed like a frog tongue. Then it reminded me of those “sticky hands” from the 80s. Should I laugh or scream? (hide spoiler)]
The Setrakian character has some great back story, but since he is essentially the vamp killer extraordinaire – Dr. Van Helsing in other words – I couldn’t NOT picture Anthony Hopkins (a la Bram Stoker’s Dracula), so that became a little distracting.
Overall though, this was a fun read for October and I will definitely read on in the series. (view spoiler)[I'm rooting for Gus, poor guy! (hide spoiler)]
I'm sorry but bad, bad, baaaaad book. Way too much teen angst over "who should I choose?" -- the nice, safe boy? or the boy who makes my toes curl (anI'm sorry but bad, bad, baaaaad book. Way too much teen angst over "who should I choose?" -- the nice, safe boy? or the boy who makes my toes curl (and my genetically modified robot parts short out?)
Hmmmmm.... Do I care??? NO! Too much "telling" not enough "showing". Characters fall flat on the page, the tension is superficial, and the "dystopian" circumstances are a joke. Tepid, derivative teen romance packaged and sold as a futuristic dystopian drama. It is not.
Best thing about it is the cover. My advice: skip it and watch The Terminator movies....more
This book is getting 5 stars from me because it provided the perfect kind of escapist, “down the rabbit hole” experience I’ve been craving. It’s awesoThis book is getting 5 stars from me because it provided the perfect kind of escapist, “down the rabbit hole” experience I’ve been craving. It’s awesome adventure on an epic scale. Once I read those first few pages I just had to read a few more, and well...after that I could not put this book down -- not even maybe. Okay, so it might not be “classic literature” but it definitely qualifies as “crack literature” keeping me enthralled for hours. Real life fell away and down the rabbit hole I went. Woot! Woot! Perhaps on sober reflection 5 stars will seem a little too exuberant, but right now it feels just right.
**Edit 05/03/2012: I've since dropped to four stars, but I still stand by my original assessment that this is one whopper of adrenalized, escapist fiction of the kick-ass variety!
Blood Red Road is a credible dystopian landscape and while we are not offered a definitive explanation for how the world came to be this way, there are delectable hints along the way to keep the reader guessing. On the one hand, I was reminded of the Mad Max movies, on the other a Clint Eastwood western (Dying’s easy, it’s living that’s hard). This is a quest story, but it also has all the elements of a swashbuckling adventure too. Throw in some gladiatorial action and you feel like you’re watching an episode of Rome or Russell Crowe march into the Coliseum while the spectators bay for his blood.
We’re seeing a lot of YA novels these days featuring kick-ass heroines (Katniss Everdeen leading the charge), but there is something so compelling and magnetic about Saba – who I imagined as a hybrid of Ree from Winter’s Bone and Temple from The Reapers are the Angels. I adore her, even though there were times when I wanted to shake her and smack her upside the head. Saba doesn’t start out a hero; in fact, she’s got a lot of work to do to even come close. She’s a tough, guarded, contrary young woman with a chip on her shoulder and a bad attitude to match. She can be selfish, impulsive and cruel. Rather than a full-fledged mature heroine, Saba doesn’t always do the right thing, or even know what the right thing is to do. Her instincts are not perfect and that's what makes her human.
I love the love interest (even though I will be the first to admit the romance is fairly predictable derivative stuff - sue me, I have my weaknesses). The chemistry between Saba and Jack is fueled by quips and barbs and pheromones. The heartstone bit did a number on my gag reflex -- but Jack is the very stuff of western heroes. There is a strong supporting cast surrounding Saba and while not every character is equally fleshed out, a sense of convincing camaraderie is injected into the story ratcheting up emotions and suspense.
I thought the dialect and lack of punctuation would really bother me, but it didn’t. If anything, it makes Saba’s voice even stronger and the action soar as unfettered as Nero, Saba’s memorable pet crow. This is such a visual novel filled with spectacle that unfolds at a breakneck cinematic pace is it any wonder Ridley Scott has already optioned Blood Red Road for the big screen. Don’t wait for the movie, though. Read the book! ...more
If you've been reading any of my reviews from the last year or so, you'll know that I have a bit of a fascination with angels and angel lore. But it m If you've been reading any of my reviews from the last year or so, you'll know that I have a bit of a fascination with angels and angel lore. But it must be said -- I don't want gentle, fluffy, and subservient. I want swords and vengeance not harps and halos. I want The Prophecy with touches of Paradise Lost. Then there's the television series Supernatural -- which has single-handedly fanned the flames of a preexisting slow burn into a blazing obsession with all things seraphim, nephilim, angel, demon, fallen and everything in-between.
So despite many five-star rave reviews, I approached Angelfall with some reservations. First of all, it's YA that wants to flirt with the urban fantasy / paranormal romance mold. Not that there's anything wrong with that people, but as such it's terrain I personally don't break my neck to read. And I have to say, for almost 3/4 of the book, my reservations were justified.
Even though the story plunks us down right in the middle of an on-going apocalypse wrought by vengeful angels reigning terror on earth from the sky above there is too much time spent developing Penryn's and Raffe's awkward relationship -- she a young innocent girl who has seen much and fights like a warrior, he a stunningly beautiful angel that has had his glorious wings ripped from his body in a vicious attack. So the romance elements had me a bit restless. I wanted more war, more angel politics, more world-building. So many unanswered questions about the very nature of the attacks which have ostensibly brought about the end of the world.
However -- and I'm so glad I can say this -- the last 100 pages march straight into some pretty lean, mean, brutal territory. I had been kinda numbed by the average action taking place so far and then WHAM! The story goes somewhere I was not expecting at all. It draws blood in ways that made me nod in respect and appreciation. YA authors don't often go there, choosing more sanitized and safe terrain (which is understandable I guess). But Susan Ee? She goes for the jugular.
(view spoiler)[ The fact that Paige has been turned into this ravenous cannibal monster with razors for teeth made me cringe. Also, those tanks which contain these abominations "feeding" on live humans? Very nicely done. And Raffe with demon wings? I loved how they are described. I love that they come from an envious, embittered Beliel, one of the fallen languishing in Hell. I do wonder if this is meant to be theBelial simply misspelled. (hide spoiler)]
This book was definitely plodding along at the 2 - 3 star mark but I must give kudos where it's due. Ee really pulls out all the stops to get that grab you by the throat and shake the hell out of you ending. I'm intrigued enough by some of the questions and problems she raises to read the second book in the series. My hope is that the focus is more on the war than the romance. ...more
I'm giving this three stars because overall, the stories are okay and several are completely forgettable. But I also encourage you to pick up this antI'm giving this three stars because overall, the stories are okay and several are completely forgettable. But I also encourage you to pick up this anthology because a few are outstanding and it would be a crying shame if you missed them.
Making it to Outstanding:
"What Maisie Knew" by David Liss: At turns creepy, sick and disturbing; absolute compelling reading. If this premise has come up before, it was new to me and I loved it. The zombies are not the monsters of this story. The squick factor is off the charts.
"Kids and Their Toys" by James A. Moore: Think The Body meets The Girl Next Door. There is a reason why children shouldn't play with dead things. I haven't been this creeped out since reading "Children of the Corn".
"Twittering from the Circus of the Dead" by Joe Hill: Mr. Hill hasn't totally blown me away with his novels, but his short stories are EPIC and this one is no exception. If only all Twitter feeds were this engrossing and suspenseful! What starts out as a young girl's whiny bitch-fest in installments of 140 characters or less, morphs into heart-stopping terror.
"Family Business" by Jonathan Maberry Easily my favorite of the bunch just because Maberry took what were the ingredients of a major story and turned it into a kick-ass novel called Rot & Ruin. Read the novel first though because the short story contains major spoilers.
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