Tagged: zombies
Autumn: The City by David Moody
Today I’m guest posting over at 20four12 again, this time I’m reviewing the sequel to the first book I reviewed over there: Autumn: The City by David Moody. It’s a non-traditional zombie tale that never, ever uses the dreaded Z word. So how effective is David Moody at creating suspense? Well, let’s just say I’ve never been held in that much suspense since I read my first Stephen King novel. While you’re over at Caleb’s awesome blog, check out his other reviews. He’s read far more science fiction than I ever will!
Look What Just Arrived! (#5)
Well, I went book shopping in Ottawa and was extremely lucky because Chapters had a sale where you could buy three books and get the fourth free. I bought eight books there, four of which were Christmas presents. Anyway, here are the books I bought in the store:
- The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
- Pillars of Rome by Jack Ludlow
- Claudius the God by Robert Graves
- World War Z
- Antony & Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough
The Crystal Cave is a book I just happened to stumble across and picked it up because it is about Merlin. As you are probably well aware by now, I love the Arthurian legends. Pillars of Rome by Jack Ludlow is also a chance find but I picked it up because I love ancient Rome. Claudius the God by Robert Graves was certainly not chance and it was hidden so well that I actually had to ask one of the clerks to help me find it. I found it and would have liked to find a more…tasteful…cover but that was the only version they had. Since I’m desperate to hear of Claudius’ years as Emperor, I wasn’t too picky. And lucky me, I stumbled across a bunch of Colleen McCullough’s books! I picked up Antony and Cleopatra because the first book in her Roman series wasn’t available.
Now you’re probably wondering where World War Z fits into all of this. Well, I was sitting in the airport and noticed that my plane was going to be delayed so I immediately headed for the nearest bookstore. I hadn’t brought any of the books with me because they were too large to fit into the pocket of my laptop case. That’s why I bought World War Z: It was long enough to keep me occupied on the long flight back home, but not too long as to be bulky to carry around. Also, one of my friends who loves zombies recommended it. He doesn’t recommend books often, so when he does you know it’s good.
So what are you reading now?
Blackout by Mira Grant
(Cover picture courtesy of A Dribble of Ink.)
The conspiracy that rules post-zombie America is alive and well. The same can’t be said of the bloggers who dared to tell the truth as they found it.
Now, with too much left to do and not much time left to do it in, Shaun Mason and his team must face mad scientists, zombie bears, and rogue government agencies—and if there’s one thing they know is true in post-zombie America, it’s this:
Things can always get worse.
Being the snarky, rather opinionated person I am, I am rarely lost for words. But after reading Blackout,the last book in the Newsflesh trilogy, there’s only one thing to say.
Wow.
After that enormous cliffhanger at the end of Deadline, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Blackout and when I did, I wasn’t disappointed. Funny, dark, suspenseful and full of plot twists, Blackout was no disappointment. And it even had a satisfying, if not entirely happy, ending. What else could I really ask for?
In Deadline, Mira Grant explains the Kellis-Amberlee virus itself so we can understand things like reservoir conditions and spontaneous remissions. But in this last book, we find out pretty much everything about the virus, including why mosquitoes have suddenly become a vector. As you have probably guessed, this new vector is manmade and Dr. Abbey has her hands full figuring out the structure of this new threat before time runs out.
One of the recurring themes throughout the trilogy is the importance of the truth, but this features even more prominently in Blackout. Shaun, Becks, Alaric, Mahir and a character I won’t mention because it’s a spoiler have some very tough choices about whether the truth is really the best thing. I had serious doubts about their resolve, especially near the end, but the team stays true to themselves. Sadly, one of my favourite characters dies, but at least they go out in a blaze of glory protecting those they love.
And now, to lighten things up, here’s one of my favourite parts of the whole novel (Warning: language not suitable for younger readers):
“I, Shaun Phillip Mason, being of sound mind and body, do hereby swear to poke dead things with sticks, do stupid shit for your amusement and put it all on the internet where you can watch it over and over again.” (Pg 4)
That pretty much sums up Mira Grant’s sense of humour, doesn’t it?
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Can true love survive the end of the world?
Imagine finding your first love, only to be ripped apart by the apocalypse. Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice–between her family–and Chris Parker, the boy she’d given her heart. Now, four years later, as she steps from the fallout shelter and into a dead and broken world, he’s the only thing on her mind.
All Chris “Chase” Parker wanted was to take Peyton away and keep her safe from harm. But he waited for hours in the rain on judgment day and she never showed–breaking his heart without ever telling him why.
Now the two of them have been thrown together once again, reluctant chaperones to a group of orphan children in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead still walk…and feed. As they begin their pilgramage [sic] to the last human outpost on Earth, can they find a way to let go of old hurts and find the love they lost–all while attempting to save what’s left of the human race?
(Book blurb courtesy of Mari Mancusi’s website.)
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
For all of you zombie lovers out there, be warned: this is more of a romance novel with zombies than a zombie novel with romance. Like Feed, it focuses on how people are affected after a zombie apocalypse. It doesn’t really get into the nitty-gritty of how the virus works (much to my dismay), but it does give a nice explanation, unlike in The Forest of Hands and Teeth, which doesn’t give any explanation at all.
The story switches between Peyton’s and Chris’ points of view to keep up the suspense, and I think this works well. Both characters are well-developed and you can really feel the raw pain they experience when they see each other again. Chris’ addiction to painkillers heightens the suspense even more and I love how he is ready to quit because of Peyton. The only thing that didn’t sit well with me was how long it took from exposure to death and re-animation in this book. In Tomorrow Land, it can take up to 2 weeks before you actually turn! Since most common viruses take 4-7 days to incubate, that seems a little ridiculous to me.
The plot moves along at a fairly fast rate, in spite of all of the backstory scenes about how the outbreak began and Peyton and Chris’ respective choices. Personally, the ending seemed much too rushed, especially because of the big twist the plot took. Otherwise, Mari Mancusi has penned a nice romance with zombies thrown in for fun. If you love naturally developing romances, you will love this book.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Amazon (Kindle)* Barnes and Noble (Nook)*
*If you want the paperback edition, it is called Razor Girl and is only available through used book sellers.
Feed by Mira Grant
(Cover picture courtesy of Tansyrr.)
The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we had created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.
Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives—the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.
“Our story opens where countless stories have ended in the last twenty-six years: with an idiot—in this case, my brother Shaun—deciding it would be a good idea to go out and poke a zombie with a stick to see what happens.”
When a book starts out like this, you know it’s going to be good. As many of my readers know, I have a serious fear of zombies that was triggered when I watched Dawn of the Dead at the age of eight. I bought this book to cure myself of this irrational fear and I truly think Mira Grant’s biting wit (pardon the pun) and excellent characters have cured me. Zombies don’t scare me any longer, so now I can get on with my review.
Feed is told mostly from the point of view of Georgia Mason—George for short—and she is an excellent narrator. She is a three dimensional character that is brave, resourceful and protective of her reckless brother Shaun. And unlike many female characters, she doesn’t fall in love through the course of the story. In fact, there is no romance whatsoever for the main characters, which is definitely a refreshing change.
I would call Feed more of a political thriller with zombies than a zombie book with politics. The political atmosphere in a post-Rising world is very different from what it is now, but it makes a lot of sense in the context. There is much less active participation because of the fear of the Kellis-Amberlee virus infecting you. And of course the reclamation of zombie-infested lands like Alaska and parts of California is the hot-button issue of the day. As George and Shaun uncover a conspiracy while on the campaign trail with Senator Ryman, the plot moves along even more quickly than before toward its tragic ending.
I give this book 5/5 stars.